What was suppose to be a tie top tank….turned out to be something a little different. The tie top tank tute is from Belle Epoque and linked from Slateblu. It is an excellent tutorial, but oh goodness – I really messed up on the measurements. The end result was salvageable, though. I instantly thought – a little girl’s summer dress with this little felt flower attached would be very cute:
But no. Not this time, anyway. I turned it into a very functional drawstring bag instead. The shape of the bag is going to be a little funky so maybe I can call this one a tie bag tank? Hee hee….bad joke.
Weekend brunch is one of my favorite things. I can take or leave dinner, but if it involves eggs or pancakes – count me in! Anyway, my folks were over on Saturday for a day visit, giving me a good reason to use the inspiring ideas for brunch in the May/June issue of Blueprint.
The menu was (using some, but not all of Blueprint’s recipes/ideas) like the ham, swiss, and tomato strata, mixed greens with avocado and cherry tomatoes, vanilla yogurt with granola, raspberries and blueberries, apricot grapefruit juice, Good Earth sweet and spicy iced tea, and coffee.
Also, I made a rustic plum tart out of the plums we collected from the tree in the back. Apparently, I was a little too eager to use the plums – because we puckered as we took the first bite! Adding more sugar to the recipe would have helped a great deal. *grin* I can tell it is a good recipe to hang on to – next time, I’ll make sure the plums are ripe.
A very BIG thank you to my s’mom for the storage box full of fabric leftovers. Yards and yards of material that she does not have a need for – solid canvas, floral upholstery, and lining…..I’ll take them! Great for experimenting with and possibly some Christmas gifts?
This is the latest (and enjoyable) craze of mine – gift tags and labels! Maybe some matching stationery in the very near future?
With scalloped edges:
A package of fig and chocolate chip cookies for a friend:
No photo of the cookies, but they were yummy! Here is the recipe. The recipe calls for oats, but replaced it for another cup of flour. I would have rather used the oats – I just did not have them on-hand. *grin* Baking is a very spontaneous thing for me. Like ten o’clock at night spontaneous. So, sometimes I have to substitute one ingredient for another and it works…. 99 per cent of the time!
No need for a pattern this time. It is a small, simple, shoulder bag – enough room for a cell phone, water bottle, keys, and the tissue cosy (could be used for cash). This would be very useful for women that normally carry very big purses/totes, but do not want to lug them around when strolling, hiking, shopping, and etc. Good gift idea? I know I could use one!
Bonus: tissue cosy inside or leave it out for more room inside the bag!
If you read my last post and thought 108 degrees is unbearable….well, it was actually 117 degrees in Redding last week. My husband and I spent most of our time napping with the fan blowing on us. No hikes, although, we did venture out to a few antique and thrift stores. Good finds: some vintage buttons, fabric (corduroy, linen, and butterflies that you will see in tomorrow’s post), and a stack of magazines from the 1970s – McCall’s, Holiday, Woman’s Day, Family Circle, and Cosmopolitan. One of the Family Circle issues included a pattern for a skirt. Here it is: I am thinking this would be a good beginner’s project.
My mother-in-law and I got up at five-thirty one of the mornings to go on a bike ride along the Sundial Bridge/Sacramento River trail. The weather was just right, not too many people out and about, and finished our ride with a yummy smoothie – a few good things worth waking up so early for. *grin*
Back at home once again. Picking plums from the tree – a little each day. Plum jam for gifts and maybe a plum crumble to share with family and/or friends!
Squash blossoms in the garden:
Thomas:
May we take off our shoes and stay a while?
Since we will not be in town…..I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Fourth! We are leaving for Redding tomorrow, visiting the in-laws. It is supposed to be 108 degrees there….did I say “Happy Fourth”? Yeah, a little too warm for any hiking adventures and just about anything else outdoors. Darn!
On a happier note: I made a dessert for the holiday. It is called Blueberry Cookie Pie. You can find the recipe here. I added raspberries and the blue and red stars to this recipe for the festivities. It tastes better than it looks in the photo. Really.
We have a plum tree in the backyard of the house. They are not quite ripe yet, but I was really hoping to bring some with us. My mother-in-law would have loved it! I think they will be ready to pick late July, early August. I can’t wait. I love plums.
