I went on my summer vacation and this is all I have to show for it...

Hey everyone!

Summer vacay draws to a close tomorrow....and VERY little in the sewing department to show off. What can I say? The weather was hot and sunny (every day!!), I had a bit of a muscle injury from running in shoes that didn't fit well, and I just plain took it easy - it was great! But...I do have a few little things to show you.


I did manage to make up two little mug rugs - the bottom one is to send in my niece's first care package - she starts college this September so I put together a little box to help warm her new apartment. Tea necessitated a tea rug, and I had a tiny bit of binding left from her quilt, so perfect use, I thought. The top mug rug below is off to Victoria, BC to a fantastic friend who I miss dearly. We've been friends since we were wee ones, and I don't get to see her often enough (Like, um, a mere 3 times in the last six years, two of those times at our respective weddings).

My second little bit of sewing was a hanging hand towel for my kitchen...and contrary to how it might appear, it's not actually done. I still need to sew a button hole but couldn't find my manual to figure out how to do it.

And a last, gratuitous shot, 'cause while sour cherry season is sadly over, we did manage to pick a bundle for the freezer, many of which have made it into our bellies. We spoke to a farmer at the market this am, and may order a pail this week while we still can. Mmmmmm...sour cherries!

Oh, and our quilting bee has kicked off -and blocks made up from my fabric are beginning to show up on the flickr group. I'm super excited!

Back to the grind tomorrow!!

- Donna

smores on a stick for papa's day

smores on a stick, a photo by Kindred Crafters on Flickr.

A sweet confection for a sweet man. One of two desserts for Papa's Day! A bbq planned for later with friends, ribs and baked beans and potato salad, oh my! (There'll be some green things there I'm told, to balance out all the rest!)...sun is shining. I'm just so happy to have some a wonderful father for my kids! Hope you are all enjoying Father's Day today too!

- Donna

Red Velvet for Canada Day

Remember when I signed up to make something for five people on Facebook within a year?

Yeah, I also kinda forgot about it. Seeing as how the year is now about half way gone, I figured I had better get started.

July 1 is Canada's national holiday (Happy 143rd!!), and to celebrate, I dropped off a half dozen red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing and red sprinkles to my American friend Steph. She was the first person to sign up, so fitting that she gets the first handmade thing. She is a big lover of cupcakes so I always knew I would make her some.

Hope she liked them!

- Donna

Sneak Peek

No time to fiddle with getting pictures to look nicer but here are a few sneak peeks. . .
Shirts are all sewn . . .I love this one (I think because it has two scraps of Flea Market Fancy!)

Ambrosia Macaroons are setting.
And doodads (magnets, pushpins and hair clips) are done and packaged.












It's the last day before the sale! I'm working on packaging today and designing my table layout. And making soup for the crafters' lunch (roasted apple and carrot with ginger and a butternut squash with chipotle peppers, pancetta and sweet corn. Sprinkled with some goat cheese it's pretty much heaven in a bowl). It's going to be a good day tomorrow!

I can't wait to fill you all in on how it went.

- Donna

PS -thanks for all the birthday wishes. I had a super nice day with a fantastic lunch out here with Holly, an amazing birthday cake baked by my husband. He then helped me make candy for three hours. Love that guy!

I think I'll keep my day job...

...and leave the cake pops to Bakerella.

I knew from the get-go that I wouldn't be capable of anything fancy, tiny things and I aren't exactly BFF, but I desperately wanted to give this little bit of genius a try.

In my mind's eye, these would be wonderful little rainbow eggs with nice smooth surfaces. My mind's eye needs glasses in a bad way.


Nevertheless, they're headed in to Big E's class for an Easter treat. That's the thing about fourth graders, they'll eat just about anything as long as it's all coated in neon!

Here are Big E's masterpieces - she called them "abstrak":

Now that they're finished, I can say they were kind of fun to make. Not sure I'd rush right back to the kitchen to make another batch or anything, but maybe sometime down the road there'll be another kick at the cake pop can!

~Sara

An ode to my ice cream maker

Oh Ice Cream Maker, how I love thee. You deliver tasty, cold, delicious treats with no chemicals. The ice cream that emerges from your depths is creamy, and does not foam when it melts (as does this brand). The sorbet that slides out of your tub is fruity and sweet and memorable. The sherbet, light yet complex.

My sister gifted me an ice cream maker for Christmas (pictured above). My husband has a hate on for one-purpose kitchen appliances, but I do believe he's come around thanks to the luscious treats I've served up thus far: caramelized pear ginger ice cream, vanilla bean fudge ripple studded with chunks of homemade almond roca, cranberry orange sorbet, mocha sherbet. Last night we added peach frozen yogourt to the list.

Oh so tasty.

Here's the recipe, along with a few photos from the proces.

Peach Frozen Yogurt

From David Leibowitz's Perfect Scoop

Makes about 3 cups.

1 1/2 lbs ripe peaches (about 5 large peaches) [I used up the last of the lovely Ontario summer peaches frozen in our freezer and this worked just fine)

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup plain whole milk yogurt (I used Hewitt's all natural)

A few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice (woops. had the lemons out but was bouncing a baby on my hip and forgot to add this. I imagine it would have brightened the flavour a tad)

Peel the peaches, slice them in half, and remove the pits. [Or, conveniently pull a bag that has been thus prepared months ago by your husband]. Cut the peaches into chunks and cook them with the water in a medium, nonreactive saucepan over medium heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the sugar, and chill in the refrigerator.

When the peaches are cool, puree them in a food processor or blender with the yogurt until almost smooth but slightly chunky. Mix in a few drops of lemon juice. Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

So easy and pretty healthy as well. No foaming here.

- Donna

Valentine's Day - not just for lovers

I'll admit that I've always thought that Valentine's Day was a bit of a commercial grab - I've never been a fan of giving gifts on Valentine's Day to my sweetheart, and I've never felt this rush of love on February 14 just 'cause Hallmark says I should.

But, but.

I do remember the pure joy of making or writing on store bought valentines (depending on my mom's energy or my willingness to get crafty), and handing them out to friends. Sometimes little candies would accompany these. . conversation hearts or cinnamon hearts.

Thing is, I have kids now! I can relive these FUN parts of holidays and be innocent again. Yippee!!!

I decided to make some sugar cookies and decorate them for my daughter to gift to her daycare buddies. I have been meaning to try slightly fancier royal icing decorated sugar cookies, and so I turned to my trusty friend, Baking, by Dorie Greenspan. I love this cookbook - I feel as though Dorie is leaning over my shoulder guiding me. She write very conversationally, which I enjoy. And her recipes (at least the ones I have tried so far, have been bang on).

I think they turned out pretty well, and I can't wait for Big M to give them out at daycare.

(Can you tell that by the last cookie I was trying to use up the red icing? Those are some BIG polka dots!)

Here's Dorie's Sugar Cookie recipe. One of the best I've tasted:

Grandma's All-Occasion Sugar Cookies

Excerpted from Baking: From My House to Yours by Dorie Greenspan (Houghton Mifflin, 2006). Copyright 2006 by Dorie Greenspan

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 stick plus 2 tablespoons (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature (I think we keep our house too cold . . room temperature in our house requires a quick zap in the microwave)

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1.Whisk the flour, salt and baking powder together.

2. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed for a minute or so, until smooth. Beat in the sugar and continue to beat for about 2 minutes, until the mixture is light and pale. Add the egg and yolk and beat for another minute or two; beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and steadily add the flour mixture, mixing only until it has been incorporated — because this dough is best when worked least, you might want to stop the mixer before all the flour is thoroughly blended into the dough and finish the job with a rubber spatula. When mixed, the dough will be soft, creamy and malleable.

3. Turn the dough out onto a counter and divide it in half. If you want to make roll-out cookies, shape each half into a disk and wrap in plastic. If you want to make slice-and-bake cookies, shape each half into a chubby sausage (the diameter is up to you — I usually like cookies that are about 2 inches in diameter) and wrap in plastic. Whether you're going to roll or slice the dough, it must be chilled for at least 2 hours. (Well wrapped, the dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.)

4. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.4. If you are making roll-out cookies, working with one packet of dough at a time, roll out the dough between sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper to a thickness of 1/4 inch, lifting the plastic or paper and turning the dough over often so that it rolls evenly. Lift off the top sheet of plastic or paper and cut out the cookies — I like a 2-inch round cookie cutter for these. Pull away the excess dough, saving the scraps for rerolling, and carefully lift the rounds onto the baking sheets with a spatula, leaving about 1 1/2 inches between the cookies. (This is a soft dough and you might have trouble peeling away the excess or lifting the cutouts; if so, cover the dough, chill it for about 15 minutes and try again.) After you've rolled and cut the second packet of dough, you can form the scraps into a disk, then chill, roll, cut and bake.

5. If you are making slice-and-bake cookies, use a sharp thin knife to slice the dough into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, and place the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of space between the cookies.

6. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 9 to 11 minutes, rotating the sheet at the midpoint. The cookies should feel firm, but they should not color much, if at all. Remove the pan from the oven and dust the cookies with sugar or cinnamon sugar, if you'd like. Let them rest for 1 minute before carefully lifting them onto a rack to cool to room temperature.

7. Repeat with the remaining dough, cooling the baking sheets between batches.

Storing: The cookies will keep at room temperature in a tin for up to 1 week. Wrapped well, they can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Make some today. You still have time!

-Donna