Chemistry Couture

Organization

In the midst of my recent cookbook obsession I realized that I needed to organize the many loose recipes I have floating around my oh-so-tiny kitchen.  I got a recipe box when I moved into my first apartment five years ago, but that thing has LONG been full.  Most of my more recent recipes are jotted onto notebook paper or the occasional napkin or just simply torn from a magazine.  These random bits were stuffed into drawers, into cookbooks, under my car seat, and behind cans of beans in the pantry.  Total chaos.  So I bought this. 

And then I did this with it:

I really love that the recipe book is still messy and not uniform in any way.  Some pages stick out farther than others.  Some recipes are stuck in the clear sleeves that came with the book.  Some are sideways and one is upside down.  I love it.  And there is still some room!  I plan to have this book crammed full of yumminess before I think about getting another one.  Now, if I can just find time to cook.

To Recieve

I got my swap package in the mail!  My sending partner is Stephanie King (check out her blog).  All she really had to work off of was my statement that I didn't want neon colors, and that my kitchen was red, orange, and limey green.  Now that I think about it, thats kind of a weird sounding color combo, but she did an excellent job!

The placemats are very cute.  They came all rolled up and tied with the same chocolate brown ribbon that she used for the borders.

The napkins are awesome, I love this fabric!

And a bonus, my favorite, coasters!  (Did everyone in the swap make the coasters as well? I'm still working on mine to send off). 

The coasters came in this cute little pouch that I think I will bring to work and use to store my various USB cords and adapters and electronic paraphenalia that is starting to take over my desk drawers.

For anyone out there who is interested there will be one more swap in the near future.  The website is here, and the book that we are working out of is Amy Karol's book, Bend the Rules Sewing.  It is great for beginners, as you mostly work with rectangles and she includes some basic sewing instructions.  If you want to see all the different things people have made you can check out the flickr group (look for me!) and get some brilliant ideas of your own.

To Give

Last week I sent off my latest swap project.  Our assignment this time was Placemats and Napkins, and my recipient partner was Nichole (see her blog here) and her cute little family.  They said they loved Red, White, and Cherries.  I noticed that she has some little ones, so I tried to make everything summery and playful.

The placemats were made using a black background and three different fabrics for the center panel.  I wanted them to be mixy-matchy, but I stuck with red and white as requested.  I changed the directions in the book a bit and made the center panels a little smaller so I had room to sew on the button cherries and embroider the stems and leaves (just a simple chain stitch, I am still teaching myself embroidery).

The White and Red borders are bias tape that I edge stiched all the way around.  I used my blind stitch foot for the edge stitching so everything would be neat and even.  If you don't have one of these feet, they are amazing!  There is a little adjustable plate that moves along the edge of the fabric so you get a straight stitch at a constant distance from the edge without having to eyeball and rip seams and restitch every five minutes because the fabric got away from you.  Whew!

I also used a medium weight interfacing for the mats so they have a little structure.  And best of all, I got to use my little fabric turner for the corners.  I love fun little tools!  There are six mats total, two of each fabric (and I really hope I didn't send these off as wrinkly as they look in the next photo, sorry if I did!).

The napkins were all made out of the same cherry print fabric.  I put a little ric-rac border along one edge of each napkin, trying to make them a little more fun.  The ricrac was sewn on using a three-stitch zigzag, so it should be secure.  The napkins are not reversible, the back of the napkin is the back of the fabric, but I didn't have the mental energy to figure out how to make reversible napkins. 

I really enjoyed the project.  I hope the family likes the mats and napkins that they recieve!  I picture them being used for summer picnics or maybe a tea party or two.  I am finishing up a little something extra that I was unable to send with the main package, but they'll get two parcels in the mail, so hopefully that will make up for the bonus being late.  One more swap to go!

Week O' the Fourth

Yesterday my boss came into the lab to find us all standing around chatting and eating snacks (well, in the offices, not in the lab, eating in the lab would be hazardous).  Instead of telling us to get to work she sat down with us and declared that it felt like a holiday to her and we shouldn't even be at school.  We all felt the same way.  I blame the upcoming Fourth festivities.  Cookout at the Dixon's! 

I've scheduled an hour long massage to destress my self, specifically my back.  I've had a bit to deal with latetly, including but not limited to a cute puppy who still doesn't feel well, a cat battling allergies, a randomly self-splicing FimH gene (egads, that one!), and a boyfriend who is sleep deprived because of the puppy who doesn't feel well.  I'm also trying to finish up the latest swap project, though that's more fun than stressful.  Well, mostly fun except for the part where I tried to cut off the end of my finger with my rotary cutter . . . by accident of course.  I made up for it by using my brand new Clover Mini Iron II, and that made me happy.  Hoorah for tiny seams and pleats and fewer finger burns! 

On top of all that I have been given a deadline to consider a potential move to a far away place.  That deadline is monday.  Eeep!  Off to my massage.  Woot woot for hotstones and student discounts.

Cookbooks!

I need a larger apartment with more bookshelves.  I'm running out of room!  I stopped by Half Priced Books on the way home the other night to check out the cookbook selection and found (gasp) that they were having a sale!  Lots of the books were on clearance for $1, some for $3.  I bought eight . . . or ten, I can't remember. Heh.

I squealed when I saw this one, and scared the lady standing next to me (she grabbed her books and went elsewhere), but seriously, I'm in love with this book.  It's from the Peter Pauper Press, published in the 1950's.  Not only does it have adorable little pictures, but it also has a poem and at least one recipe for every letter of the alphabet.  Too cute.  And I love casseroles.  There were a bunch of different cookbooks published by these guys in the 50's, I'll have to start looking for the other.

This one was just too cute to pass up.  I'm a sucker for hard back books, especially ones printed in blue and red ink.  The Madison County Cookbook, complete with a history of the county (including the bridges, and no I've never seen the movie).  There are a LOT of sweets recipes in here, I'll have to start baking for the lab.

And finally, the NEW Settlement Cookbook, The Way to a Man's Heart.  That's really the title.  The original Settlement Cookbook was published in 1903, the new version in the 1950's.  I'm curious as to how much the recipes have changed.  You can get a facsimile of the original on Amazon for about $10.  Maybe I'll order one and compare.  This book is crammed full of recipes. There are about fifteen different ones for brussel sprouts.  Won't be trying those any time soon.

I also got The Helen Corbitt Cookbook, The Cooking Encyclopedia, and Mastering the Art of French Cooking, vol 1.  Now I just have to start cooking :)

For all those curious, Ellie came home last night and curled up on her quilt and went to sleep.  Hopefully she'll start feeling better soon.  She was very glad to see Randy last night, and Eric and I were there too, so she had a lot of love to bring her home.

The Ellie Quilt

Ellie is coming home from the hospital today.  Randy's little baby girl had to go to A&M veterinary hospital for a couple of days to get some tests done.  We get to pick her up this afternoon, and I wanted to have something special for her so she can get comfy for her recovery at home.  So, last night, I put this little puppy quilt together using the leftover fabric from Randy's birthday quilt.  It took me about four hours to do it all: cut the four-inch squares, machine stitch it all together, add the cream border, make the samwich, make and sew on the binding, and do the ties.  This is the first tie quilt I've ever made.  I just used some brown embroidery floss and tied off each corner, then cut the strings kind of short.  I've seen people leave them long, but Ellie is bound to start chewing on loose threads, and we don't want that!

I showed Randy this morning, he didn't know I was working on it, and he seemed very happy with it.  I think he gets a kick out of knowing that he and Ellie-pup will have matching quilts.

I also used the last of my favorite fabric: cream with tan dots.  It used to be at Cia's, but she doesn't have any more.  It's in three different quilts (this one, Randy's and mine), and I have to say I am pleased it was used so well.

 

Tie quilts are very simple to put together.  I'll have to try this again sometime.  Maybe for some baby quilts, if anyone I know ever has a baby . . . hint hint.  Anywho, we'll be leaving soon to bring Ellie home, it is a two hour drive each way, but she is totally worth it.  Ellie is the sweetest, cutest dog you will ever meet, and she doesn't deserve to be sick, but at least she will be with her family soon and have a new snuggly to curl up with.

Lists

Things that make me happy:

• Clementines
• Old Cookbooks.  I found two websites that sell really old books.  And the one I really want is the most expensive, of course.  Check them out here and here.  Egads! I feel an obsession coming on.
• Zucchini
• Replacements Limited.  I just ordered a replacement tea-cup for my Grandmother's china set.  Awesome.
• Japanese patchwork
• Dunkin' Donuts hot chocolate
• My heart ring (thanks, Babbit)
• Yellow flowers blooming on my balcony
• When the leather on my ballet shoes gets nice and worn-in
• Yoga.  Very addictive.  Very.

Things that make me not-so-happy

• Air conditioners that break four times in one week
• When puppies don't feel well
• Confusing papers about neoglycoprotein mimetic something-or-others. Bah!
• Cell phone bills

In other news, I made a trip to the fabric store last night and washed everything so I can start making my latest swap project.  I haven't used my sewing machine in three weeks!  Time to get started :)

Busy Busy

I haven't done much in the way of arts and crafts this week because I've been dealing with the following:

• No A/C (depite calling three times) in 100+ Texas heat.  They finally fixed it last night.  Coming home to a swealtering apartment is NOT my ideal ending to an otherwise wonderful vacation.
• Attack of the ants
• Trying to revive some of my plants that got a wee bit dry while I was gone despite the placement of slow drip water bottles in each pot.  I went through a lot to get those, too.  Bah.
• The cutest puppy in the world
• Cleaning out my closet and organizing
• Spending way too much money at the grocery store.  When did veggies get so friggin expensive?
• A semi-flat tire
• Lab drama.  Egads.

But I'll be getting on the ball soon!  I signed up for yet another craft swap.  This time we are making placemat and napkin sets from the same book.  I've got my partner and my idea, all I need is the fabric.  Yes, I will be making a trip to Joann's this weekend.  Or maybe tonight after ballet :)

Randy and I have decided to carpool every chance we get, alternating driving days to save gas money.  I love how the price of gas goes up so the price of everything goes up (am I the only one who noticed that apples are about $0.30 more a pound?), and we still get paid peanuts.  Oh well, we can save on gas, I can stop buying books, and we'll cook for every meal and bring in a bag lunch.  Although, the way things are going, eating groceries might not save us much money.  And there are always student loans . . . Hopefully the city will start running the light rail soon so I can hop on the train to come to school.

I hope everyone is staying cool!  I'll update you on some projects soon. 

True Story!

I was at the airport waiting to board my flight to charlotte when the man beside me asked me where I was going.

"New York," says I.

"Oh well then you must be a model!" 

"No sir"

He gives me a confused look, "Well then what do you DO?" (like thats my only option, being the freakishly tall human that I am)

"I'm a chemist."

"REALLY?!"

"Yes sir," I said, "an organic chemist."

At this he sits straight up in his chair, his whole face lights up, and he practically yells "OH! I have a friend who is really into that kind of stuff.  In fact, I have something to show you!"

He brings out a lunch box and opens it up so that I can see the two carrots and an apple he's brought with him to much on the flight. Confused, I look up at him, hoping for some explanation.

"These are all ORGANIC!" he said, beaming with pride.

Oh my.

Vacation Over!

That first day back to work is always the hardest.  I had a very nice vacation, though!  South Carolina for a week with lots of wonderful family time and really good food, a weekend in Atlantic City to watch the Pavlik fight with Randy, and then back to SC for another week with my family.  It was very relaxing, with the exception of flying and I'm sorry I had to come back to school and work and drama.  I didn't do much crafting while I was home, most of my time was spent reading and eating and doing pilates, but I did get to finish up this pretty linen skirt!

The fabric, of course, came from Joann's sometime in February, I believe.  It is a brown linen with some kind of paisley-vine embroidery.  I used the skirt pattern from this book (I friggin LOVE built by wendy).  I was curious how it would fit (it is the basic pattern, she offers lots of suggestions for alterations but I figured I would start simpl) and I have to say I am amazed at how nicely this skirt fits.  It is a little high waisted, which I like.  I really want to try some different styles now.

Using the embroidery pattern that already existed I decided to do some hand beading.  I really loved it, I worked on it at home and on my vacation using seed beads and bugle beads.  I found it very relaxing, and I love the mixture of beads that I bought. The colors ranged from brown to amber to yellow and even a bright pinkish orange, and some that even looked a little purple.

I finished the skirt in time for my trip to NY to visit Randy's family.  I wanted to wear it to a cookout they were having.  I wore it for a while and then changed to jeans.  I'll be wearing it again soon, though. 

I kept the beading to the bottom part of the skirt so it didn't get too gaudy, and I also trimmed the top and bottom with a double line of bugle beads and another row of spaced seed beads.

It was a nice vacation, but it's good to be home :)