Oh, Baby!

Oh, baby, oh boy!

My first nephew has arrived, and I've made sure to spoil him already!

Of course, this was a chance to test out some new (and already tested and approved) homemade baby gifts, but anything that helps me be the favorite aunt is a plus as well.

Here are some of the baby gifts I've made since I found out about nephew 8 months ago...

We had a mini baby shower when my brother and his wife visited over Thanksgiving, so I made these Month-by-Month onesies, and paired it with a month-by-month frame that I found on amazon.
I had made these onesies back in June of 2014 in this post, for my friend. Back then, I used fabric, but this time I used iron-on vinyl in blue, green, and navy, and a little leftover sparkly gold for the 1 year onesie.

For Christmas, I made a copycat version of some cute onesies we had found in a boutique shop while Christmas shopping...

I used the leftover onesies from the packs I had to buy for the month-by-month project (of course, I couldn't find packs of 3 in each month span). 

First, I made this simple Hashtag Onesie with leftover vinyl.

I think it gets right to the point, don't you?

Next, I made this Where the Wild Things Are Onesie by piecing together pieces of felt and sewing them on (which I had to do when I was at my parents' house for Christmas... no room for a sewing machine in NYC!)

I used some leftover vinyl for the 'wild thing' words.

Today, on my last sick day at home with the flu (yuck!), I finished my first crocheted baby blanket. It's a little rough around the edges (literally), but it's finished, and I did it, and it's all crocheted, and it only took me 8 months. I used this pattern from about.com, which claims to be quick and easy. Oh boy, what's NOT quick and easy?

Finally, I present my pride and joy... the Knitted Harry Potter Baby Blanket inspired by EchoLovelySound on Etsy. I made this blanket by knitting lots of 4"x4" squares in Gryffindor colors, maroon and yellow. 

You'll notice that I ran out of maroon halfway through, and when I went to Michael's to buy more, they didn't have any more of the same color.

So I went to a different Michael's.

Same problem.

So I went to a different Michael's all the way down in Atlanta, Georgia when I was visiting.

And. got. the. wrong. color.

So, I ended up having two different shades of the reds, but it worked out that I could pattern them out. I actually ended up kind of liking the way it turned out, cause it looks more patchy.

I also made a long thin knitted boarder around the outside to pull it together.

I added a hood by knitting a triangle and stitching it to a top corner. It was kind of trial-and-error to knit a triangle that followed the lines of the blanket exactly, but it didn't take too long.

 Once I got to a sewing machine, I sewed a white felt lighting bolt on the hood. I tried to find a lighting bolt patch, but of course there wasn't one.

This is one side of the finished product:

And here's the other. Notice the 'L' on the bottom right of the yellow patch? That's for the baby's first name.

This is the blanket all folded up like it's swaddling a baby:

... too bad I didn't have a baby to test it out on.

Ta-da!

Well, that's a taste of things that have past, and things that are to come in this poor boy's life.

Know What I Know - Candy Jars and Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cookies

Let's talk about the internet.

Through the internet, I have been able to discover endless inspiration for crafting, baking, cooking, and more.

I've learned things. I've seen things. I've discovered things I never would have before. I've connected with people and kept relationships that otherwise would have sizzled away.

You have the knowledge of the whole world at your fingertips.

My friend recently got a job at skillshare, and told me all about it. So, I decided to try it out, and post my very own class.

Because I might as well contribute to the knowledge of the whole world.

I decided to make a candy jar for my friend's birthday, and also one to keep my dog's treats!

Check out my class... there is a special, and you can get 3 months of skillshare premium services for only $0.99 through this link!

 Oh, I also completed Recipe #209 - Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cookies from SprinkleSomeSugar today. I figured these cookies would be delicious when I saw the recipe. I knew the cookies would be delicious when I tasted the dough. Yet, I was still blown away with how delicious these cookies really are.
I mean, who doesn't love Cinnamon Toast Crunch?!

 

Tea for your sore throat, Avocado for your cravings, Soup for your warmth, and Cookies for your Sweet Tooth.

Recipe #205: Lemon Ginger and Honey Tea for a Sore Throat from Somerset Lane: Ever since I moved into our new apartment a few years ago, it seems like I wake up each morning with a sore throat. This recipe for homemade sore throat tea claimed to be 'miracle tea'. I have to say, as soon as I took a sip I could feel it working. It was probably the spiciness of the ginger hitting my throat all the way down, but it was automatic relief, and stayed good for at least 1 week before I finished the whole batch.. It's so easy to make and definitely worth a shot it you have that tickle.

Recipe #206: Zesty Shrimp and Lime Avocado Salad from Skinny Taste: I've been obsessed with avocado lately, and I've finally mastered the 'buy one day and eat three days later' technique for pure avocado perfection.  I saw this recipe for avocado, shrimp, and lime salad, and it seemed perfect. It was very easy to make, especially with cooked frozen shrimp that just required defrosting. The only problem was... I suddenly was out of lime juice and had to use lemon juice in a pinch. I don't think it had quite the same flavor, and I would love to try it again one day by actually following the recipe.

Recipe #207: Crockpot Chicken Gnocchi Soup from Pinch of Yum: In college, we discovered Olive Garden's unlimited soup salad and breadsticks, and I fell in love with their chicken gnocchi soup. This recipe seemed to be pretty close to re-creating it, and I just had to try it out. As usual, the crockpot was impressively effective, and cooked the chicken and soup just right. The soup was amazing and a great warm meal on the last few cold nights of spring. 

Oh, and we might have had to go to Olive Garden here in NYC this week, too (don't judge us!).

Recipe #208: Lofthouse Style Frosted Sugar Cookies from Authentic Suburban Gourmet: The last recipe of the week were these lofthouse-style cookies that claimed to be very close to those delicious frosted cookies they sell in the bakery of most grocery stores. These cookies weren't too complicated to make, but required 2 hours of refrigeration of the dough before baking, the baking was a whole long process, adding the frosting took forever, THEN I read that you have to let the cookies sit for 2-3 hours before eating them to let the flavors settle.

Now, I didn't pay too close of attention to the amount of cookies this recipe would make before I made them, and it ended up being SO MANY COOKIES. At least 60. I was just SO lucky that I happened to make them on a weekend that we had quite a few guests over, so the cookies got taken care of pretty quickly, with just enough left over so hubby and I can savor them over the week. The only problem with there being so many cookies was that, like I said before, it was very time-consuming baking them all in batches, and icing them too.

I didn't have a cookie cutter, so I tried just rolling balls of dough and squishing them down on the pan to make them flat, and it worked really well. Plus, I did them in a pastel pink to celebrate Easter.

Happy Spring! 

 

Homemade Pizza and Butterbeer Latte

Oh hey, it's me again. And I'm on a roll. This is, like, my 4th post of the day, and as I was updating my blog earlier, I was also cooking my next recipe.

I'd call it a very successful day, regardless of whether or not I changed out of my pajamas.

Oh, and my taxes still aren't done.

Recipe #203: Homemade Basic Cheese Pizza from http://www.food.com/recipe/basic-cheese-pizza-194593

I tried this pizza out by cooking it on a baking sheet, simply because of the fact that I don't own a pizza pan (one day, I shall have a kitchen that holds all the pans, but alas it is not today). This means the pizza crust was probably thicker and more dense than it should have been, since I didn't have enough room to roll it out to a 14" circle. 

But, if the only complaint I have about a recipe comes from my ill-preparation, it must be a pretty damn good recipe. Not too hard, and only took about an hour from start to finish (including baking time and letting the dough rise).

Recipe #204: Butterbeer Latte from Pinterest (original infographic below):

As you can see from the original infographic, I posted this pin to my 'To Do ASAP' board 4 years ago, but only just got around to doing it tonight. I mean, the ingredients were super complicated and hard to find (I'm lying, it was all basic household ingredients), it took forever to make (I'm lying, it literally took 5 minutes), and it sounded disgusting (I'm lying, it sounds amazing). The misleading name of 'latte' makes you think it has coffee, but it's really just like a hot vanilla caramel milk (instead of hot chocolate). I haven't had Butterbeer since my visit to the Wizarding World in 2010, but I wouldn't say the taste is exactly the same. Still, it's delicious and warm and wonderful on this snowy and cold first day of spring. 

I used nonfat milk, but I would suggest using something thicker for extra body. Oh, and I also did a cinnamon-sugar rim, since the recipe was way too easy. 

Cheers, muggles!

Open with care

Since I've been so lousy about posting since last summer, I've missed lots of opportunities to share homemade gifts that I've given to others.

There's not too many to brag about, but enough for a post - so here they are!

For my dad's wedding in August, I etched him a frame in my own handwriting that said 'Dad, of all he walks we've taken together, this one is my favorite. I love you. Amy'. Then, I framed a picture of him and me walking down the aisle. Unfortunately, I didn't wrap it well enough before shipping it and the glass broke in transit.

For the wedding I attended in September (see previous post on the bachelorette party), the couple preferred cash towards their honeymoon, so I folded up the cash to make a bride and groom on top of a cake, then framed it.

For my English friend's birthday in October, I crocheted her a Puff Stitch Slouchy Beanie. I had already made one for myself, so I was able to use the prior information and mistakes to make this one. I actually didn't make it as long so it wasn't necessarily a 'slouchy' beanie, but it was still adorable! This is from Hopeful Honey.

She and I had been sharing our crocheting struggles with each other (I'm usually a knitter), but this crochet stitch was super easy and quick to do.

I put the hat inside an Owl Giftbox that I made from scrap paper and an oatmeal container, inspired by Lisa Storms. I attached a tag that said 'Whoooooo's birthday is it?' (how punny).

I also gave her a framed picture of us at my wedding, with her speech typed out on the matting (she was the maid of honor).

For my friend's birthday in November, I painted some white canvas shoes with a scene from their beautiful sunset wedding in Brooklyn with the Manhattan skyline in the background.

For Christmas, most of the gifts were store-bought and ordered online this year, but a few handmade gifts slipped through.

For my sister-in-law, I framed a picture from her summer wedding in Sonoma Valley, with a map of Sonoma on the matting.

For my English friend for Christmas (even though she didn't get it until I saw her in February), I made her picture coasters with pictures from our summer vacation to Iceland.

By the way, I went to Iceland last summer and saw some of the beautiful sights I've ever seen in my life.

Now my friend can look at those pictures every day!

For my New York friend's birthday in February, I etched her a wine glass with her monogram.

And finally, for myself, I finally got around to painting another Beauty and the Beast Tea set, like I did back in November 2013 for my friend. I love it so much and it makes me happy just to look at it, let alone have a nice warm pot of tea all to myself after school.

Now, that's not all the gifts I made, but for the extra special gifts you'll have to tune in later in the post...

'Oh Baby'

:D