So whatever happened to those little stars?

I turned them into brooches:

These were a lot of fun. Check my flickr for more – I made five total. These were a fun little project to do. I really let the fabric – my Meemaw’s quilt scraps mostly – dictate what I did with each. I think I like the ‘Lil Fireworks best, but today I will be wearing a little nautical one you will find in my flickr.

Enjoy the 4th!

What could be in store for these little stars?

I tried this recipe for zucchini pie (via Half-Assed Kitchen) tonight, and it was that wonderful combination of easy and tasty. I only made a couple of changes. I forgot to spread the dijon on the crust (oops – but I learned that the dijon is optional, so if you don’t like dijon, it’s cool). I substituted coriander instead of the oregano – I didn’t have oregano, and I like coriander. he coriander was good. Finally, my filling made enough to fill two pie crusts, not one.

I love zucchini so I’m glad to find a new way to cook it. I was going to sautee snap beans as a side but decided it was unnecessary – this pie was the complete dish! A nice meatless meal.

I love roasted chicken. So good. Crispy, succulent skin that is so bad for you. The fact that it’s so much cheaper per pound, making it muy muy budget friendly.

I typically stuff my roasted chicken with lemon and butter, and season with salt, pepper, garlic,coriander, and more butter dabbed on the top (and lemon slices on top too). Cook in a 350F oven until it’s 180F (roughly 1.5-2 hours, depending on size of the chicken) and let rest for about 30 minutes. It’s very good; if I could find the original recipe on allrecipes.com I would direct you, but I can’t. If you are the owner of said recipe, let me know and I will link you.

Last night I wanted to do something a little different. I had sweet potatoes as a side (one big one, cubed and sauteed, and so so good) so I wanted to give my roasted chicken a little caribbean flair. I stuffed my approximately 4 lb. chicken with one sliced clove of garlic, a lime, and about two tbsp. margarine. I then mixed the following with about two tbsp. margarine (measurements approximate): 1 tbsp. salt, 1 tsp brown sugar, 2 garlic cloves (roughly minced), 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, 1/2 tsp. ground ginger, 1/4 tsp. red pepper, and 1/4/ tsp. ground cinnamon. I rubbed this all into the chicken (I hate touching raw chicken but get over it since I know the results are worth it). Put into a 350F oven and cooked until internal temp is 180F (roughly 1.5-2 hours, depending on size of the chicken) and let rest for about 30 minutes.

The leftovers, even without skin, still hold a nice lingering taste of spice and lime. I should know – it was leftover chicken with fresh broccoli (straight from our little garden) today!

I am a little fabric obsessed. It all started with this:

Just shy of seven years ago when BHE and I were married, I got this vase, and filled it with fabric remnants inherited from my grandmother in 1999. Meemaw was a quilter – you don’t want to know how many times since her death I wished I had paid attention! Hindsight, huh?

Anyway, I inherited these remnants thinking I would teach myself to quilt, but considering my lack of sewing machine skills, and no quiltin’ mentor, it hasn’t happened. Fast forward seven years later, and I’m hooked on embroidery. I have an excuse for my addiction! Now I am a remnant-buying fool!

Well, gotta go. I have to purchase stock in Hobby Lobby. I have a feeling that business is booming for them.

I’m supposed to be working on pillowcases for the boys, from the Aunt Martha “Road Rage” pattern. But after completing work on a major project – a fun one, but one that took a lot of effort – I was looking for something easy. Also, I wanted to try some new things: I wanted to make my own design, and I wanted to try tracing it onto tissue paper and sewing directly through that. I’m pretty pleased with the result. Voila:

The swirlies are palestrina stitch, something recommended to me in a flickr forum. It was easier than I thought – if you’re interested in palestrina, here’s a good tutorial. The floral fabric and the sheer overlay were some that my mom purchased at Walmart back in the 80s that she never used. I liked the floral effect but it was too much alone; I liked the effect of the sheer fabric over that. Other photos of this on flickr here and here.

Now, where to put it?

ETA: Here’s another great tutorial on palestrina from Sue Tortoise.

While I was blog surfing I discovered this giveaway for a fantastic dress from Shabby Apple. I love dresses – if done right, to me they can be so comfortable, and yet so feminine. As a mom to two boys, I definitely understand the need to get in touch with my femininity! I’m crossing my fingers to win – hop on over to Grosgrain if you’d like a chance to win too!

The wonderful thing about hand embroidery – or any craft, I guess, but I will speak of what I know – is the potential to give someone something one-of-a-kind, personal and meaningful. Not to pat myself on the back, but I’m pretty proud of myself on this one:

This is on a bib, and was given to a friend for her baby shower last Sunday. I embroidered his name on the front. She’s an anglophile, having lived in England and feeling a deep connection to it. The shower was a British Tea Party theme. So I couldn’t help myself – I had to stitch a double-decker bus with Big Ben on the background.

I found a coloring page on the ‘net (don’t remember where, sorry), and used an iron transfer pencil to put the pattern on some tissue paper. Then, placing a sheet between the paper and the iron, I ironed the pattern on. Backstitched around it (which was pretty cute just on its own); filled in the bus, statue and Big Ben with satin stitch; chain stitch on the background and “street” under the bus; split stitch for baby Britain’s name.

If she enjoys it half as much as I did making it, then I did well.

What does every cool southern gal (or dude, or baby) need? A cool vintage tee! Blonde Mom is hosting a giveaway – check it out!

Want to win a romantic getaway? Visit toadtoprince.com to enter the Toad-To-Prince Contest! The contest is in coordination with the book Your Man is Wonderful, in which Dr. Noelle Nelson “helps women to evaluate their relationships and rediscover the prince that they once married.” To enter, you just pick one of Dr. Nelson’s suggestions (five are provided as part of the contest), put it into play for a week, and then share by email (written or video) what happened. You can win a $1000 travel voucher. We all need a vacation, right?