Spicy Chicken Rigatoni

I love Pinterest!   It seemed like a weird idea at first but then I tried it out and I'm in love!  It's great for finding new recipes and fun craft ideas.  I pin cautiously, usually things I think I'll actually try someday.  Some people are crazy pinners, but I am not one of them - too many pins overwhelms me and I start to get lost. 

I have recently been looking for recipes which have a little to no meat.  I love meat and cheese but I'm trying to lower my cholesterol :(.  I  found this recipe which has become one of our new favorites... it has a little meat - only one piece for the entire dish.  It also has a little Alfredo sauce which might be a little unhealthy, but I still think the amount is minimal.  We add corn instead of peas but otherwise the dish is good as is -  so yummy and just a bit spicy.

Check it out!
 Spicy Chicken Rigatoni - by Tastebook  
See if you don't just love it too!

Fun New Fabrics

My friend gave me some fabrics that were given to her that she didn't think she was going to use. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it all. I have some ideas for some of it, and others I'm not sure if I'll ever use it - or I need to be insipred to make it for a gift. 

Flannels

I'm sure there are a ton of projects I can do with flannels - anyone have any ideas?  I have thought of receiving blankets, burp clothes, and pj's (though all flannel fabric says it's not suitable for children's pj's - anyone know where you can get fabric that IS suitable?)

Denim, linen, and muslin

I can use the muslin for lining and I can make some little girl jeans.  I don't really know what to do with linen though......

I'm not sure what kind of fabric these are... The polka dot and flowers might be some sort of cotton or apparel fabric - looks like something my friend was using to make my baby an outfit.   The orange plaid is kind of silky...

This fabric is kind of strange... the rainbow has all sorts of texting language and definations - so weird.  No idea what to do with that... the other stuff is kind of ugly hawaiian shirt material.  No ideas there either.

My friend made a quilt out of this... maybe I could make bias tape out of it, or use it paired with other fabric in a girl's dress.  I have found you don't need much fabric when making kid's clothing.

She also gave me a giant box of home decor samples.  They are big enough for me to make pillows or kitchen towels.  Though as I was looking through the box it says that dry cleaning is recommended and that it is Scotchguard treated, and 100% cotton.  - Anyone know what will happen if I wash it regularly or if the Scotchguard does anything to it?  I read somewhere it was flammable - so if I make potholders out of it, will it catch on fire?

We also went to Joann's when they were having a big sale - I got this fun set of fat quarters.  I also bought eight patterns, most on sale for 99 cents - can't beat that!  I usually don't like to buy patterns because I figure why spend the money on something I can figure out myself, but some of them are more complicated, and I find I learn a lot when I use a pattern.   The only thing though is that I want to be able to reuse them and use the different sizes, but I'm not sure the best method for that.... anyone know the best way of reusing patterns?

Well, I have all this fabric, I better get sewing!  :)

Card Series - Post 2: The Pretty Paper

Posting my second round of cards...  I have tried to take pictures of all my cards, but I have forgotten at times, so I don't have records of all of them.   I started out using cut up cards and different scrap book paper.  I started with the thinner papers, but I learned to use the cardstock type.  It works better, is sturdier and the glue doesn't show through.  Stay tuned for next weeks post!



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Black Bird Tunic

I have recently picked up sewing again.  I used to sew when I was younger.  My mom, who came from a family who knew how to do everything from scratch,  taught me the basics.  I also took a 4-H sewing class, though I'm not sure I completed the course. 
All the babies popping up started me on doing baby projects, and now I am starting to make some clothing for my little girl.  One of greatest things about having a girl is that you can dress them is such cute outfits. 

Not wanting to spend too much money, especially at first when I'm relearning everything, I have been searching the internet for free patterns I can try to get my skill up to par.  My first go at an outfit was this Black Bird Tunic by Shwin and Shwin.  I raided my mother-in-laws fabric stash and I think it turned out pretty cute.  It wasn't too hard at all - however, I have never done a button hole, so I was a bit intimidated at first.  But when I finally tried it, I was surprised how easy it was.  (when your sewing machine does all the work, it's hard to go wrong). 

I liked it so much that I did a second one for my best friend's little girl.  She's a 2T which is the pattern size but I wanted to make it more of a dress so I lengthened it.  I also used different colors for the pockets, purple for my daughters and green for my friends.

Acrylic Painting - My modern art set

So another hobby I do on occasion is painting with acrylics.  I like it but I haven't done it in a long time because I haven't been inspired with any ideas as of late.  My first real painting set I did was because I got sick of having a giant huge white wall in our living room.  So I made a set.  They are colorful and bright which met my purpose.  If you look closely, you can tell they are supposed to look like they are connected - like they are one actual painting.  I don't have a name for it... but it has been on our wall ever since brightening our room.  :)