Dog Coat

I finally finished Becky's doggy coat and just in the nick of time!   I was starting to think winter was winding down only to wake up to a beautiful blanket of white snow outside.

Because I had no pattern for this coat I used Willow's old jacket as a template.  Becky is much thinner so I needed to sew it smaller around her chest and length.

The fabric I used is waterproof and I used a jogging fleece for the lining.  The grey and black ribbon on the sides are actually reflectors for night time and I used velcro on all the panels to make it easier to put the coat on and off.

Becky is the best model - look how fabulous she looks in her new digs!

Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken -Chickpea and Apricot

When it comes to slow cooker recipes they can be so hit and miss with the texture and flavour so it's up to us to pass along the good ones!

This is one I came across on the   www.food.com  website and it turned out to be really tasty.

You can eat it on it's own but I served it on rice.

• Ingredients
• 
  
• 6 large boneless, skinless chicken breast chopped into large chunks (I used a mixture of thighs and breast)
• 1 tablespoon flour or 2 tablespoons cornflour
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 3 -4 garlic cloves chopped finely
• 1 -2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 inch fresh gingerroot, finely chopped
• 6 ounces dried apricots ( I cut them in half )
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 (14 ounce) cans chopped tomato
• 2 (14 ounce) cans chickpea OR ( I used 1 can chickpea + 1 can white kidney beans)
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 pint chicken stock
• 1 pinch saffron or 1 teaspoon tumeric
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper  (optional) ( I used 1/2 tsp and it was just a little spicy)
• salt and black pepper
• 2 carrots peeled & diced (optional)

Graham Roumieu is Hilarious!

Shop addict recently posted about a great little store called Good Egg in Kensington market worth checking out!

 Read more about this shop on her blog:
http://www.theadventuresinshopping.blogspot.com/

While checking things out at this store I stumbled upon a table with some very fun reads on it!
It's not too often I see a small little shop hosting my favourite Bigfoot Series written by local Torontonian Graham Roumieu.
Please do yourself a favour and read some of these books!  They are not only hilarious but the amusing illustrations will leave you wanting more - apparently he is having an art show at Good Egg in the summer!

Here's a link to Graham Roumieu's website.

http://www.roumieu.com/


So funny.

Gathered Clutch Tutorial

I found this tutorial on Noodlehead and thought I'd give it a try.....

http://www.noodle-head.com/2010/04/gathered-clutch-tutorial.html

This project was pretty easy to follow and the pictures were helpful!   However, be sure not to make the same mistake I did with the corners. I should have cut bigger tabs for the zipper ends and I didn't leave myself enough extra fabric allowing space to sew around the zipper at the top corners.  (This all must sound very confusing but it might make more sense while making the clutch.)

Next time I will cut the fabric tabs bigger and leave more room beside as well.

Here's my finished clutch (you can see the top right corner of the bag where I struggled).

 I will definitely be making this again and recommend it as a fun quick project!

Make Your Own Dry-Erase Board

Bad perm, braces and acne.......why document these days you wish to forget?

Let's get rid of those old framed photo's and give a new purpose to that old picture frame!

By framing a pretty piece of paper, wallpaper or fabric (I'd use a light colour) you have an instant dry-erase board!

Write down all your daily to-do's with a dry-erase marker and instantly wipe away and update when needed.

I used an old fabric with little words on it - thought it would suit something I'd be writing words on.

It looks cute on it's own or with writing on it!

I also think it would look amazing with a textured white fabric and no border....

Amy Butler Birdie Sling Bag

After the chaos of Christmas holidays, January seemed like the perfect month to make myself a new bag.  For those of you wanting to unleash your inner sewing skills, the Amy Butler Birdie Sling bag is an excellent project for beginners.  The pattern is easy to follow with clear step by step instructions.

The Workroom located on Queen St sells the Amy Butler Bag pattern and also provides a class on how to make it - their classes are great!

www.theworkroom.ca


Here's my completed bag.....love.

Maple French Toast and Bacon Cupcakes - Ya You Heard Me!

Now that I have your attention I will start off by saying that these little angels are delicious!  The combination of ingredients actually create the flavour of French Toast -and who doesn't love bacon with their French Toast?

The cake part of this cupcake infuses the flavours of nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla, duplicating the french toast.  The maple buttercream icing represents the syrup and top it off with crisp bacon......sigh.