Camera Strap Cover

I have been wanting to make my camera strap a bit more snazzy and found a simple idea for one on Design Sponge.  You can check it out here.  

I measured the width of my camera strap and then added a 1/2 inch.

Then I measured the length and added an inch.

Cut out your strip and you're ready to press and sew.

As seen below, fold up the end 1/4 inch and then 1/4 inch again and press.  Then sew across.  Do the same to the opposite end of the strip.

 Next, fold the strip in half, right sides together and sew a 1/4 inch seam down the long side:  

 Press the seam open:

 Turn the tube right side out, and slip your camera strap right on in.  Done!  

100 Years Old!

It's been a couple of busy days with little time for crafting and blogging!  I'm planning to do a crafty craft tomorrow sometime.  Today we went to Daniel's great grandpa's 100th birthday party.  He's doing pretty great if you ask me.  He's seen a lot of changes in his lifetime.  Amazing to think about...

Blueberry Pancakes

This is still by far my favorite pancake recipe of all time.  I've still not yet had a better pancake in a restaurant.  I wrote this recipe down in my journal a couple of years ago.  I got it from my mom, but I don't know where she got it.  

If I don't have buttermilk I just add a tablespoon of vinegar to regular or soy milk and let it sit for a couple of minutes.  Today, I didn't have an egg, and the pancakes turned out just as delicious and fluffy as ever.  I like to use whole wheat flour and soy milk.  I also like to sprinkle on blueberries, or banana slices, or even some nuts sometimes.

Do you have a favorite pancake recipe??  I'd like to try it.

Snowy Day Adventure

Today I walked down the hill to Ballard.  It was beautiful!  Here are some of the sights I saw...

Snow friends:

Mushy snow roads:

Ballard Ave full of pedestrians and snow-covered parked cars:

Even nasty stinky trash bags and trash cans look kind of cute in the snow:

Destination: Cupcake Royale.  Worth the journey.  

 The way back home:

 Chocolate cupcake with salted caramel frosting, and an Elvis-inspired banana cupcake with peanut butter frosting, sprinkled with bacon and banana chips.  Oh man.

Painted Leather Bag

Looking for a fun, easy, and therapeutic craft?  You've found it here!  I really enjoyed painting these triangles.  They are not perfect, and I like it that way.  First, I vigorously wiped the area where I was going to paint with a damp cloth to remove any old dirt.  I've read that some leather has a finish on it that can be removed with acetone, or alcohol.  I didn't seem to have a problem with the paint adhering to this leather.  To make sure my lines were somewhat even, I used blue painter's tape, which worked well and came off easily.  Then, simply paint away!  

I used water-based acrylic paint:

 I haven't painted the other side yet, but I'm thinking about doing a big letter L for Lori.  Or maybe I'll put a bird on it :)

Potato Ranch Pizza

One day there was not an ounce of red sauce in the kitchen, so I made this pizza with ranch dressing.   It's easy and tasty.  What I used: 

- A whole wheat ready-made pizza crust

- 4 or 5 red potatoes (any potatoes would work)

- Ranch dressing

- Baby spinach and arugula 

- Monterey jack cheese (any cheese would be good)

 I peeled my potatoes because the skins were old and full of nastiness.  

 Sliced into 1/4 inch rounds:

 Sprayed with a little olive oil and sprinkled with some salt.  Baked in a 425 degrees F. oven in a single layer for around 20 minutes, turning half way through.  

 In the meantime, the crust is slathered with ranch dressing: 

 Done to perfection: 

 Single layer of potatoes on the crust: 

 Generous handfuls of greens, and cheese to top it off:

 Delicioso!  

DIY: Bobble Scarf

I LOVE this scarf!  It is so simple to make and can be worn in all seasons.  Wear it with a coat, sweater, t-shirt, or even a dress in the summer.  I got the idea from The Purl Bee.  There are many great projects on that blog, and I'll be making at least several more of them on my blog.  

What you will need:

*linen (58 x 20 inches)

*bobbles (3 yards)

*thread to match your linen

Step 1: Snip a little hole as seen below, and pull a fiber to reveal the straight line of the weave.  If the fiber breaks, pull another one. 

 You will end up with something like this.  Cut along this line.  You will need to do this on one edge of the fabric, and then 20 inches down from there.  Then you will have your 20 x 58 inch piece ready to go. 

 Step 2:  Fold approximately one inch along each 58-inch side and press.  You are folding towards the wrong side of the linen. 

 Step 3:  Fold over one more time and press.

 Step 4:  Fold back in the other direction to create a little area for your bobbles to go.  Press.

 Step 5:  Pin the bobble ribbon into the fold.

 Step 6:  Using a zipper foot, sew right along the edge closest to the bobbles.

 Step 7:  Now sew down the opposite side:

 Note:  This happened while I was pressing my folds.  Oh well!  I just chopped it off and all was fine.

 Step 8:  After sewing the bobbles onto both 58-inch sides, fold the scarf in half with right sides together.  Line up the selvedge edge and sew across.  

 Step 9:  Press the seam open and sew down each side to tack down the selvedge.  

Below is the first bobble scarf I made.  The bobbles are smaller on this scarf.  I like the bigger bobbles and the smaller bobbles equally!  Next time I want to try to use a linen that is more sheer.