Movie Foodie!

My desire to have a Movie Foodie night all stemmed from the fabulous movie, Benny & Joon. I watched this movie with my friends in college more often that I'd like to admit. One of the best scenes, by far, is where Johnny Depp's character, Sam, is ironing grilled cheese sandwiches with an iron (why so many sandwiches, I will never know...) Since the first time I saw this movie, I have wanted to try it out, but for some reason never have. It seemed like the perfect food adventure to try with friends - so maybe a girl's night? My right brain started to take over, and than I had a whole evening planned full of other movie related food items. Movie Foodie night became the perfect excuse to plan a themed, social event (my desire to behave like a hermit only intensifies as I age, and planning specific events helps prevent total hibernation).

I decided on three movies that I enjoy and could easily relate to food. I didn't have to try hard to come up with "menus" for each night. The three movies* and their featured food item: Benny & Joon (ironed cheese sandwiches, of course), Mermaids (marshmallow kabobs) and Edward Scissorhands (ambrosia salad). There are about 3-4 other appetizers per movie, and a few decorative details that relate to the film.

And last night, was the first Movie Foodie night! I'll share more photos soon of the actual evening...

*If you are interested in these movies, and subscribe to NetFlix, all are currently streaming on their website.

Happy Valentine's Day!

We had a Valentine swap at work today, so I made these little guys to share with everyone! I can't take any credit for the format, as they are based off these awesome Japanese monster cubes. I made a few changes to the template, making it bigger, and used my minimal illustration skills to make a cupid. There's even space for some candy inside his mouth. With the whole set of them, they kind of look like cupid robots!

Coming out of hibernation...

Life has been crazy, as life usually is, and now I am finally back to blogging! We'll see how long it lasts...

I have lots of things I want and hope to share! Because that is really what I love about the internet - sharing ideas and learning from other people - like FREE tutorials! They really are amazing.

See you all soon!

Summer Gardening

There are a few items that are almost always on my grocery list every time I go to the store. Cheese, peanut butter, yogurt and Triscuts to name a few. Sometime in college I discovered the awesomeness of Triscuts + cheese + salsa (known simply as TCS). It is a staple in my home, still, after several years out of college. Place a piece of cheese (I use Colby Jack) on a Triscut and place in microwave. The Triscut will stay crisp, even after being in the microwave. It doesn't take more than 30 seconds for the cheese to melt to the proper consistency. After heating, add the salsa, and eat quickly! They really are best when still warm.

Anyway, a month or so ago I grabbed a box of Triscuts. It wasn't until after I had gotten home that I realized the box was extra special! There were FREE dill seeds inside! I was filled with the same zeal I had as a child when I opened up a box of cereal to find a free toy (which also made me wonder when cereal companies stopped putting toys in their boxes?).

I have a collection of herbs that sit in my window. I never actually use the herbs (though I should) but by keeping them alive, I somehow convince myself that I am mature and responsible. I didn't have any dill, so I was even more excited to get a new herb to add to my collection.

This square piece of cardboard had to be soaked in water to allow the cardboard to be peeled apart to reveal the seeds. It's been a few weeks now, and my dill is thriving! It's been so much fun watching it grow - I feel like a proud parent!

Side note: This post was in no way sponsored by Triscuts. I just really love Triscuts.

Napkins + White Gel Pen

I had started these by doing embroidery, and quickly realized it wasn't going to work out. 1: it was going to take WAY too long and 2. the back of the embroidery would easily show, and it did not look pretty. I than remembered the gel pens (I used a Sakura Gelly Roll pen) are permanent and also easy to work with. You can also achieve more detail, especially when working small.

I had to draw somewhat slowly to make sure the line of ink wasn't breaking up, but it was much quicker than the stitching. After you draw your artwork, heat set the ink with an iron. After that it can be washed and dried and the ink will stay in place.

Lunch Tote

Even though I was busy with other projects, I couldn't resist participating in my friend's Easter swap. I join in on projects hoping that it will somehow force me to do the things I've been wanting to do. And it worked! I had been wanting to make a lunch tote for myself (I'm a big proponent of bringing your lunch to work) and thought a lunch tote would be the perfect "basket" for a swap. I bought cloth napkins (something I had also been wanting for awhile) at Bed Bath & Beyond (12 napkins, in 6 colors for $10) and used a white jelly roll pen to spruce them up a little (the ink won't wash out). I also added a glass jar from Fishs Eddy, a sandwich container and some candy.

The most important feature I wanted the lunch tote to have was a large flat bottom - so my containers wouldn't tip over. I ended up finding two patterns out the internet and combined them. The top portion is from here, and the bottom portion is from here. There is a layer of cotton batting, and because of the way it's sewn together, it's also reversible.

I used the fabric from the "inside" to create the flower on the outside of the tote. I cut out one of the flowers in the print, and fused some fabric on the back (to add weight and stability). I ran some thread through the middle to add more dimension and also cut a flower shape out of plain fabric to add more depth and layers. I attached it to a pin back, so she can easily remove it. I used a white jelly roll pen to write her name on it. I'm sure labeling your lunch isn't as important as it was in grade school, but it seemed like a fun element to add.

I now have my own lunch tote (an owl print that is somewhat grade school-esque) and I just sent off one for my mom as a belated Mother's Day gift!

Cat Nip

It seems everyone in my life has gotten a cat(s) recently, or already had them. I cannot wait for the day that I will have one or two of my own, but until than I will treat other cats as my own. I had been wanting to make cat nip toys, so my mom purchased some from her food co-op. The only downside is it comes in large quantities, and now I have a big ass bag full of cat nip (see photo below).

Now I am on a mission to come up with some clever cat nip toys I can give to my friends and family. The first toys I made were inspired by my good friend's cat Nimbus (because he looks like a fluffy gray cloud) and so I made nimbus cloud cat nip toys. He destroyed them within 24 hours, but he enjoyed them, and that's all the matters.

I had a co-worker give me some leftover fabric that was perfect for the nimbus clouds, so I gave a set to her cats as well. Spreading the cat nip love!