A New Hobby: Embroidery

A few months ago, Becca emailed me to tell me about an interesting person she had met the night before at a dinner party, Rebecca. "She was so nice!" she wrote to me "and she makes these beautiful things!" I clicked on over to Rebecca's Etsy store and resisted the urge to buy everything in her shop because I wouldn't know what to do once everything arrived.

I've been wanting to learn how to embroider for a few years now (after I tried my hand at cross stitching a while back and it proved to be one of the most stressful experiences of my life) and I was so excited to see all of Rebecca's beautiful designs.

When my Mother-in-law asked what I wanted for Christmas, I asked for the Color Wheel Sampler, which looked like it would teach me all the stitches I needed to know. I started it during the few days that I was at my parents' house between Christmas and New Years and luckily for me, my cross stitching Mom knew all the stitches and was able to teach me (and we didn't even yell like we usually do when we do a craft-we're notorious for our yarn fights in Michael's, which is when we yell at each other about how much yarn I need for a particular project and what colors are the best).

When I got back to Brooklyn, I spent a full morning binge watching Downton Abbey (I am almost on to Season 4!) and made some serious progress on it!

My favorite stitch so far are the French knots (the purple ones)...I just want to keep making them and think I could easily make hundreds before I got tired of them, they're so cute!

My least favorite is the Blanket stitch (see below) because I am terrible at it and also I stuck myself with the needle and made myself bleed. Don't worry, I ripped these out and started over...these really are the worst, they look like I did them with my eyes closed.

Dilly and Zula like when I embroider a lot more than when I crochet because its smaller and they can cuddle right on top of me, which they're into. My MIL also got me The Sequel Sampler, which seems to be a more advanced introductory sampler. The sticky up thread one looks like its going to be challenging?

I'm looking forward to tackling the Paisley DIY Sampler after I master all the stitches and build up a more substantial thread collection. You can also subscribe to Rebecca's shop and you get a sampler every month! Its on my To Do list for 2016 and I'm so excited (is it too early to start making plans for 2016? It seems like maybe it is?).

So if you're in the market for a 2015 hobby, I say embroidery may be it! I love, love, love all of Rebecca's designs and I have to say that the Color Wheel was the perfect first project. So go, go, go and buy one! I can't wait to see your progress!

"A Bowl Full Of Pea-ness"-A Recipe for Pea Soup

My Mom has been making pea soup for as long as I can remember. And for as long as I can remember, my sister has refused to eat it. Once when she was in high school, she exclaimed "I don't want to eat that...Its a bowl full of PEA-NESS". My Mom and I nearly died of laughter and I think my Dad nearly passed out. A bowl full of penis. HA!

Today I'm sharing my favorite soup reciepe (really, its my Mom's) in the hope that real winter is actually coming and we will soon need a reason for warm soup!

Here's what you'll need:
-2 carrots (I used 5 because they were little)
-4 stalks of celery (really only 2, but seriously I love celery)
-Bag of peas found next to the lentils in your grocery store
-1 can of tomato sauce
-1 whole yellow onion
-1 clove garlic
-Olive Oil
-Ham of some sort (ham steak, pork butt, bacon...pork)
-An immersion blender
-The cookbook your Mom lovingly put together for you for your Bridal Shower

Here's what you do:
-Chop celery, carrots, onions and clove or garlic. Coat the bottom of your pot with olive oil and throw your veggies in

-While your veggies are cooking, put your peas in a strainer and rinse them off. You should pay particular attention in case there are rocks in your bag of peas (which my Mom says sometimes happens!)

-Throw in your meat of choice into the pot on top of the vegetables

-Cook the vegetables until the onions are transparent. Once they are, put 8 cups of water or chicken/vegetable broth into the pot.
-Put peas in the pot and bring everything to a boil. Once its boiling, cover the pot, lower the heat and let simmer for 60 minutes.

-After 60 minutes, turn off the stove and take your meat out
-Use your brand new immersion blender and blend everything together
-Chop up meat, but back in the soup and stir
-ENJOY!

How Handy Would We Need to Be?

Last week, I was reading one of my favorite, favorite blogs A Beautiful Mess and there was a post of Emma's bedroom. I fell is l-o-v-e with this headboard (not so much the American flag).

Via

How handy would John and I have to be to make this? How do we know how big to make it? Do we build it in our bedroom or in our backyard?

For those of you who know us in real life: what is the liklihood that we (as in me and John) could make this bed frame? For those of you who do not know us in real life: based on what you have read on this blog RE: my handiness, do you think I would be any help at all?

Final question: does this even match my bedroom? Annnnnnnnnd go!

So Much Yarn...

In November I joined a group of Administrators at my job called the Naughty Knitters.

You read correctly, I am in a group called the Naughty Knitters even though I only crochet. I used to knit, but it takes too long. And did you know that if you mess up in knitting you have to knit backwards to fix it? In crocheting you just rip out the stitches and fix them...its much more my speed. Anyway, the University gives us money for yarn and supplies and we knit for charity!

From November to June we've been working on baby blankets for an organization in New York City that helps mothers in need. I made six baby blankets and I have to say they got better with each one. The group as a whole made 135 baby blankets! It was a really cool afternoon.

Now that baby blanket season is over, we've started working on scarves! I've made two so far and I'm almost done with number three! I love, love, love to crochet and I love it even more that people who need some warmth get what I make. I try hard to think good thoughts while I crochet and like to think that it makes the blanket and scarves extra warm and cozy!

DIY Instagram Photo Magnets

Sometimes I feel like I all of my pictures (and memories) are trapped inside my phone. This results in not having enough photos in our house. I figured our refrigerator was as good a place to start as any!

I love, love, love Stickygrams but I think they are too tiny and also they are super expensive! I decided to try to make my own instead. Here's what you'll need to make your own!

Supplies: 
1. The free app Printicular (and the pictures you get printed)
2. Cardstock
3. Glue stick (the super sticky kind)
4. Scissors
5.  Magnet tape

Let's talk about Printicular. Its fantastic! The prints are 4"x4" and they only cost 39 cents each and they print in less than one hour at Walgreens.

Pick up your pictures, cut your cardstock into 4"x4" pieces and glue it to the back of your pictures. Stick some magnet tape onto the back of those suckers and VOILA! Giant Instagram photo magnets!

The whole project cost me $17 and I got 22 magnets. I still have plenty of glue, cardstock and magnet tape left to make at least a dozen more (which I plan on making this week).

Happy crafting!