New Year, New Blog Post

On Painting...
So waaay back in the Summer(How I miss the Summer) I got brave and entered two paintings in a local art show. I wasn't expecting to win anything so I wasn't surprised when I didn't. However, I wasn't expecting to SELL a painting either so I was totally surprised and overly excited when I went to pick up my paintings and instead of two paintings, I picked up a check and one painting!

This was the first time I'd sold a painting to someone whom I did not know personally and it felt GREAT! :)

The painting that sold, Fox's Forest, is pictured here.

There was a mix up at the gallery so my painting titled "Mama and Owlets" was listed as "Not for Sale",  but I l think if they had marked it with my asking price, it would have sold too. That's what I like to tell myself anyway. It's currently hanging on my living room wall.

I'm currently working on teaching myself to use watercolors and I'm having so much fun with it! I love how quickly I can finish a painting and how they look pretty good, even though I don't really have the techniques down yet. Here are a couple samples.:

From an online tutorial

Tiger Lily from Disney's Peter Pan...and that's my version of Ariel in the background. 

On Cooking...
I'm currently obsessed with this recipe from Plain Chicken. I've made it three times already and I just finished up a steaming bowl of this chicken chili concoction. It's so delicious and perfect for this ridiculously cold January in Kentucky.  Seriously, grab your crock pot and make a batch!

On Quilting...
I'm quilting again! YAAAAY! It's been forever, but I  pulled out a quilt top I started maybe 6 years ago(?) and I'm using it to practice free motion quilting. My stippling is still a hot mess, but by the time I got to the fourth block, my paisleys looked all right. If you are looking to learn FMQ, I highly recommend Leah Day's courses on Craftsy.com.

Whew, that was a lot! But it feels good to blog after so long an absence. I just may do it again soon!

Best Oven Fried Chicken (no, really!)

Fried Chicken. Sigh. I direct you to my first(and only) slightly sad attempt at frying chicken. I almost got it right, and probably could have eventually gotten a handle on it if I'd kept at it, but I gave up.  I know.  I should be ashamed. I'm Southern after all, and from Kentucky...the Fried Chicken Capitol of the World! But me and fried chicken, we just don't jive. 

So here I am, four and half years after starting what I thought would be a cooking blog and I still can't fry up a chicken and I'm still not much of a cook either. This may explain why my cooking blog has morphed into a random craft/sewing/apron/quilting/ blog where I occasionally share a recipe. 

Which leads me back to the chicken...

I found a recipe for oven "fried" chicken that was a snap to make and tasted great! This recipe comes from the book Eat What You Love by Marlene Koch.

Best Oven Fried Chicken

What you'll need

• 2 large egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 1/4 cups corn flakes
• 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 lbs skinless chicken

***My changes due to lack of ingrediets: 1/2 cup egg beaters subbed for egg whites; paprika subbed for cayenne; Italian seasoning subbed for sage & thyme; I used precut chicken breast tenders.

What You'll Do

1. Preheat oven to 400. Place a wire rack on top of a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray.
2. In a shallow bowl, whisk together egg whites with  garlic powder, onion powder, caynne pepper, sage and thyme.
3. Place the cereal in a plastic bag and crush thoroughly with a rolling pin. Place in a shallow bowl and mix with  breadcrumbs, pepper, and salt.
4. Place flour in a third shallow bowl.
5. To bread the chicken pieces, first dredge the chicken in th flour to coat. Next, dip each piece of chicken into the egg white mixture, followed by the crumb mixture, making sure to cover all surfaces. repeat until all the chicken is coated.
6. Place the chicken pieces on the prepared rack and bake for 45 minutes, or until the chicken is  golden brown and reaches 180 degrees.

I'll admit to being a bit skeptical of any recipe titled "BEST" anything, but this was good stuff, y'all!  The chicken was juicy inside and crispy outside--just the way I like it! It was truly the best oven fried chicken I've tried....and I'd bet that cooking it on the wire racks is what made the difference. Give it a try and tell me what you think!  And I'd recommend you pick up a copy of this cookbook, especially if you're a cooking novice like I am. It has lots of familiar recipes(without exotic, hard to find ingrediets), made healthier.

What I Won't for 2011

A new year is fast approaching and it's a time when, instead of looking back at the missed opportunities and misfires of the past year, I(like a lot of folks) prefer to look ahead to the possibilities that a new year brings.

A few years ago, instead of making resolutions I made a Not-To-Do list. I was inspired by this article and liked the idea of thinking about what I didn't want to do rather than coming up with a list of resolutions that I may or may not make happen. For 2011, I think another list of un-resolutions is in order. 

My 2011 Not To Do List

I will not continue to hate my body. I've been doing it since I was in the fifth grade and the family doctor asked me if I was going  out for the football team.  I've done a lot of damage to my body since then by going on unhealthy diets...gaining and losing weight over and over. I've crammed my body full of junk food and neglected to take care of it. And have landed again at 30 40 50 too many pounds overweight. But, I refuse to go on another diet! Diets are motivated by self loathing and I'm done with that. Instead, I plan to love this body by:

• moving it with regular exercise that makes me feel good(not something I dread doing that makes me feel like I've been trampled by a herd of elephants).
• feeding it healthier foods and water.
• taking in less junk.
• taking time to unwind and de-stress.
• surrounding myself with positive people and a support system via SparkPeople to help me as I learn to love my body once and for all.

I will not put myself down in front of other people or worry about what other people think of me.  Not only am I guilty of calling myself names and putting myself down, but I worry constantly about what other people think about me. Constantly. I think this probably stems from the whole body image thing...never good enough, pretty enough, smart enough, cool enough, blah blah blah.  Of course I realize this way of thinking is ridiculous, which is why:

• Phrases like "I'm so fat" and scores of other lies I've uttered about myself are banished from my vocabulary. Anyone who hears/reads these phrases from me has my permission to give me a smack upside the head.
• I will no longer get bent out of shape when someone calls me "Little Susie Homemaker" or makes a crack because I like to sew, cook, and hang out at home. I've taken offense to it in the past and regarded it as a put-down. I simply refuse to see it that way anymore.
• I am not going to seek approval from everyone I know(and don't know).
• I am proud of who I am, quirks and all.

I will not be the nagging wife.  I'm flawed, y'all.  I admit it, I pick and I nag at my husband sometimes. He'd probably argue that  I do it a lot. I hope not, but I fear that I am hard to live with. So when the situation arises that I want and/or need him to do something around the house, I'll ask. Once. If he doesn't get to it in my time, I'll let it go. I know men and women live in two completely different time zones and I'm going to try to be more attune to that.  If he does something in a way that is different from my way I'll be appreciative instead of pointing out why my way is better...because it is(wink wink, nod nod).

I will not give in to negativity.  God bless them, there are just some people who are unable to be positive. If you gave them a hundred bucks they'd say "Dang. Now I have to get out my wallet to put this away." I have to be honest with myself here and admit that I tend to sway to the negative side. Which means I am easily influenced and brought down by these Negative Nellies. It's gonna be hard but I'm going to try to deflect that negativity as often as I can. While I can't avoid all the negative that comes my way, I can make a conscious effort to surround myself with more positives.

I will not spend money frivolously. Unless it involves fabric or books.

I will not be bored.  There is absolutely no excuse for me to be bored. I'm OK with lazy every once in a while, because a day of  wearing pajamas, stretching out on the couch and reading or watching TV is relaxing. Boredom, on the other hand, is ridiculous and uncalled for. There's alway something to do...even if it is to simply meditate on how incredibly blessed I am. There are so many things I want to do creatively in the coming year that I refuse to let boredom ever rear it's ugly head. 

I will not forget to be thankful. I serve a wonderful God. A God who has blessed me with the most incredible family a girl could ask for and the most undeserved gifts of everlasting Love and Grace. I have so much and have done so little to deserve any of it. I am thankful for this past year(and all the years of my life) for the overflowing of love from my family and friends, for health, for a home, for all the things I take for granted on a daily basis.

Obsession

OK, I should be cleaning house right now. I should be doing laundry. I should be working on a baby quilt for a special little girl who will likely be here before I get it finished. And then there's the 2 loaves of bread, butter pecan cake and a batch of Cowboy Caviar to take to the folks' for Thanksgiving tomorrow that I haven't even begun to think about getting started on.

But am I doing any of those things? Nah. I've been looking at crafty blogs, websites and going through my growing collection of sewing books. The one I pick up the most often?

I am officially obsessed with this book and nearly every single project in it. I love these little soft dolls and animals.  I didn't really play with baby dolls much except for Rub A Dub Dolly and a doll that had a birthday hat and other birthday accessories(anyone remember her?). I was more a Barbie girl. However, I loved Hollie Hobbie and I had two handmade rag dolls, plenty of stuffed animals--including a yellow calico elephant-- and some crochet toys that my grandmother made for me. The projects in this book, while thoroughly modern, remind me of those toys and my sweet 70's childhood. Perhaps that explains my obsession.

1. Doxie Dachshunds, 2. av's-baby-mermaid-1, 3. dressed down margot x 2, 4. patchwork penny, 5. Tag Along Doll, 6. panda buns!, 7. Katie Kitty, 8. Bookworm, 9. DSC03360, 10. P1000511, 11. Beebee standing, 12. Marie Antoinette

I've yet to make any of the projects, but I plan too in the near future! If I spent less time drooling over the book and more time sewing, I'd have half the projects made! 

I want to start with either the mermaid or Patchwork Penny(#4 in the mosiac). In the meantime, I've got a flickr mosiac to inspire me! What are you obsessing over?

She's posting about sewing again...

So this week I received a supply of my personal form of crack sewing project book in the mail. I LOVE IT! The projects are, for the most part, on my level and they are all absolutely adorable! Seriously, out of all of the projects in this book there weren't any that I didn't like. Usually there are at least a couple projects in craft books that I'd consider duds. There are several that I want to try right away! The market and messenger bags on the cover being high on my list.

As I was flipping through the book for the first time, the fabric on this sweet little bag jumped out at me. I mean, have you ever seen such wonderful colors/prints in your life??? *Swoon*

After a little digging I discovered it was from a line called Flea Market Fancy by Denyse Schmidt. And it's apparently out of print?! What? NOoooo! I did some more digging and found 1/2 yard of the floral for sale on Etsy, but it is in a pink background and not this luscious blue. I confess, I bought the pink because now that I know I can't just order them, I am obsessed w/getting my hands on some of these Flea Market Fancy fabrics. Must. have. them.

And in other sewing news, I was blog hopping yesterday and came across a purse made w/some fabric that I'd seen at WalMart numerous times. I've picked this fabric up, put it in my cart, only to put it back on the shelves w/o out having any cut more than once. Such a dork.

ANYWAY, after seeing the fabric made into a way cool purse on lipstick and laundry, I decided once and for all to pick some up on next trip to WalMart. Lucky for me, that was last night on a grocery run.

Here's my finished purse. I think I need a matching zippy pouch and cell phone holder to go with, don't you?

Aprons Again...Finally!

I was absent from blogland last week. Part of that time was spent freaking out about a presentation that I was a co-presenter in at the annual Kentucky Library Association conference. I survived, thank you. Part of that time was spent trying to get my house in order, I sorta did. And part of that time was spent working on getting some aprons made.

This one I made for a giveaway over on Thoughts from an Evil Overlord. But as I am a procrastinator extraordinare, I didn't get it to her in time for the Sunday post. I hope she can still use it; perhaps for a later giveaway...or as an extra. It's similar to the patchwork aprons I've made in the past but with a bit more patchwork. I think I like it and I will say that I love the lemon/lime fabric...I've used it before.This one, I made for the shop(a while back)...which I hope to have up and running again soon.This one is also for the shop...This one I made for ME...I realize it looks all twisty on the mannie...I was trying to be clever and put her invisible hand in the pocket and it doesn't look as cute as I imagined it would. . I've had this fabric for a year now and was waiting to use it on just such a project. I'm happy to have finally worked up the nerve to try a smock apron. AND I even made a buttonhole! WooHoo!

And finally, this one...OK, opinion please. Pocket or no pocket? I'm afraid a pocket will detract from the gosh darn adorable pattern on the skirt. I think of this one more as a hostess apron...you know...for looking cute. Does a hostess apron really need a pocket?

This week my plan is to cut out and make a couple more aprons...and at least one of them will be a Smurfy apron!

Queen of the House

I haven't been blogging this week 'cause I've been busy being the Queen of my House.
...except for the part about the kids.

Blouse, shirt or top?

Back in January, I posted a list of some crafty goals for this year. One of those goals was to make a piece of clothing, a piece of clothing that I'd actually wear in public. I started off by making this skirt. It was fun, not tooooo terribly difficult, and I thought it turned out quite cute and I actually wore it in public.

That was back in January. It took me until June to give clothing another try. This time, a blouse... er shirt...er top. What IS the proper term? Whatever it is, I used Simplicity 3504.
I had some Amy Butler fabrics that I bought out of the bargain bin on my one and only trip to Hancock's of Paducah. Because they were purchased from the bargain bin, I was guessing at yardage when I decided there was enough to make this top(blouse, shirt, whatever). My all day garment sewing experience went a little something like this.

Previous Night. Go to my parent's house so my mother can help me because I know I will be on the phone w/her all day in addition to throwing things, huffing and puffing and most likely cursing my sewing machine if I don't.

9a.m. begin laying out the pattern pieces so they can be cut out.

9:10a.m. realize I don't have enough fabric even though I read the pattern package numerous times. sheesh.

9:11a.m. "MOM!!!!!"

9:30a.m. Mom figures out a way to shorten the shirt and re-do the sleeves so that I will have enough fabric. I wanted flippy butterfly sleeves and I got sausage-arm-puff-sleeves w/a straight hem at the bottom instead. But I can live with it.

9:30a.m.-12:00a.m. the following morning. Sew the shirt. OK, we did take TV, food and shopping breaks between sewing times. A fair amount of hours were spent cutting, sewing, seam ripping, bias tape applying/removing, Mom taking up the back seams after I had the whole thing together because despite my thinking I was a size 20 when it comes to sewing patterns, I'm not. Yeah, she tried to tell me, but I am hard headed, y'all.

The next day, once I was home, I decided to add elastic to the bottom of the sausage-arm-puff-sleeves which really enhanced the sausage-arm effect. I was totally going for sausage arms. Totally.

Although it took a while, I completed what I think is a nice first try at a blouse that was NOT one of those "easy/2hour/for dummies" patterns. Of course I learned some lessons along the way...

1. Mom knows best.
2. Listen to Clinton and Stacey about designs that go around your body. This I realized after seeing myself side view in the mirror in this shirt and then again on seeing the photo. Yikes! Still, I HAD to use this gorgeous fabric and therefore wasn't remotely thinking about how it would look on me at the time.
   
3. READ and RE-READ the fabric requirements and make sure you have enough fabric before you begin.
4. Take measurements and follow them instead of guessing at your size.
   
5. A shopping break makes everything better.

Here's my finished shirt/top/blouse. I've worn it in public. Twice!

And Ya'll thought I was joking about being domestically challenged...

Note to self:
The next time you wash a load of dark clothes that includes your favorite cargo camouflage capris, check the cargo pocket to make sure that there IS no cargo...such as an entire mini pack of kleenex...in aforementioned cargo pocket.