One person's trash...

I've always been a bit of a trash digger. It might have started in my youth: my mother had a tendency to throw my things away and so I had to get use to digging through last night's dinner to find yesterday afternoon's art project. We called her The Human Garbage Can because if you left something around, there was a good chance it would be on its way to the local landfill by the next morning.

Aprons for Nana

Here are some aprons I made for my Nana. She wanted some cute aprons to give away as Christmas gifts. Now that's some early shopping! Check out my Etsy shop to see some of the other aprons I have for sale.

Be Your Own Van Gogh

So there is this painting that you love. But you don't feel like spending a fortune on it. Especially if it is a $2.4 million Van Gogh original. What do you do? Throw on an old t-shirt and paint your own! Anyone can do it, and it's easier than you would expect. Here's a paint-by-numbers trick I learned back in elementary school that you can still use today. All you need is a canvas, a ruler, a pencil, some acrylic paint, a pack of brushes, something to mix paint on (you can use a plate in a pinch), and a cup of water.

Apron, Apron!

Yet another apron, chickens! Already sold 2! Get one while you can.

Click HERE to take a look!

Crafty Trails!

New York, New York!

Guess who's living in NYC? Yep, it's me. I'm off to try my luck in the big city and I'll keep you updated on all my crafty and culinary adventures.

I have been having fun settling in, though I am still waiting for some things I left at home, like my precious Kitchenaid mixer (Ahem, Mother? Is that on it's way?). Here are some pictures of the apartment!

Custom Piping

Ever wanted to make custom piping for your sewing projects? Ever wanted to know how to cut it perfectly on the bias? Well, here is a little trick that, once you get the hang of it, will allow you to make yards and yards of piping quickly, easily, and perfectly every time.

1. Take a piece of the fabric you want to use. Use a large piece so that you will not have as many seams and will get a better bias. I don't know an exact ratio, but you will always get more piping than you expect.

Miles and Miles of Texas

So what was I doing this summer? Working the line at The Boot Hill Saloon and Grill in Vega, TX under Chef Rory Schepisi (from The Next Food Network Star). I learned A LOT, got some delicious secret recipes (aren't you jealous?), and made friends with the hilarious guys in the kitchen. Click HERE to check out the website. Stop by The Boot Hill if you are ever in the area. I promise you won't regret it. I suggest the Yankee Platter, the Campfire Strip, and the Bread Pudding :-)

Here are some photos from my summer in Canyon, TX.

The Boot Hill Saloon:

Look who's on Etsy!

I've been hard at work! Come check out my new Etsy shop and pick yourself up a summer apron.

Click HERE!

Cinnamon Logs

This recipe goes out to my college baking buddy, Cassie. Whether we were baking on the dirty purple rug in her dorm room or in our first, real (if roach-infested) kitchen, nothing could stop us from making something tasty. And I promise to never tell anyone about the time we dropped the whole plate of brownies down the dorm stairwell... and still served them at the Christmas party. Oops!

Cinnamon Logs

Servings: 2 Dozen

Calico Cat

So while I consider myself pretty crafty, there is one craft that completely dominates me. Hair coloring. Maybe the problem was that we started the process at midnight. Or maybe it was the fact that we knew from the get-go that we did not have enough hair dye. Either way, we should have restrained. We were aiming for platinum blond and ended up with a horrible mix of orange, pink, brown, and red that oddly resembled a calico cat.