I think the strudel turned out great, although my crust turned out more like a pie crust than a pastry crust. Either way, it won't last long. It was a big hit around here! I topped it with creme fraiche and streusel and included blueberries in the filling. YUM.
Head over to Make Life Sweeter for the full recipe.
It's funny, I had such a hard time coming up with something for Brooke, and we have so much in common! It was so good to spend so much time brainstorming ideas, though. I'm a little embarrassed it took me until this morning to figure out something that I could do that could be unique and fun and easy to ship. I have this huge pile of small paintings next to our computer, and I thought that it would be great to reuse them somehow, and here they are, as napkin rings.
I just took a couple of old paintings, ripped them in half (2.5" x 7") and added a snap! This way the rings can be shipped (or stored) flat and securly fastened together when in use. Perfect for a casual picnic in the park or at the pool (but maybe not too close to the water ;) ).
Here are the two paintings that gave their lives all for the sake of picnicking. I think I'm going to do this napkin ring thing again. Seriously. This idea would have come in handy for Penelope's party. Too bad it took me this long to think it up!
I first thought the giraffe motif was particularly awesome when I went window shopping at Jonathan Adler in San Francisco and my friend showed me the most adorable giraffe lamp. So, when Leah emailed me about her affinity for the lurpy-legged creature, I knew I had to incorporate it somehow.
I'm not sure why I thought of doing a travel tissue case, maybe because I saw it recently on Martha, but maybe in the back of my mind I thought, "Leah likes her kid, who might get a runny nose from time to time." So there you go. I made the case.
On the back side of the case, I stitched a little giraffe for her. I really like how this turned out, and I just enough vinyl to make another one. For me!
I was asked how I bound this book, and thought I would share it with all of you! The bind I did for Maggie is a variation on the Japanese Stab bind. I believe the stitching I did above is called a saddle stitch, going around the spine in basically a spiral, then doubling back to where you started & knotting with a square knot.
This one was a little bit of a challenge for me. I wanted to make something personal but small, since Maggie lives in Ireland and I didn't want to pay a million dollars in shipping. I'm not sure how the bookmark will help her in her organization or archery, but it is turquoise. The book might help her organize her grocery lists, or help her document ideas/dreams in the middle of the night. Who knows. Hope you like it, Maggie!
While surfing the internets I came across a lovely tutorial via Craft Chi on how to make magnetic bookmarks using old refrigerator magnets. I think it's a genius way to repurpose those unsightly magnets and to keep your place in your favorite book! I did a few things differently in making mine:
I made her a pamphlet book out of discontinued wallpaper, string, snaps and grey paper. I hand-painted the zebra pattern on the inside of the book. I'm thinking I like zebras now, too!
So, I made her 4 envelopes from brand-new, but discontinued (going-to-be-thrown-in-the-trash) wallpaper and coordinating cards to use for hand-written notes or invitations to a small party. Hope you enjoy them, Pattie! I thought I would include pdfs of the envelope & card designs. So click the links below to download:
I've been on a pen & ink fix right now. I've been hand lettering and drawing every chance I get thanks to the inspiration from my friend and this talented lady. My brother-in-law thinks this looks like a squid of some sort, I agree. It does remind me of being under water. I'm really happy how it turned out. I also wanted to do something a little different, and started drawing leaves. I like how it turned out, I'm going to leave the drawing as-is and turn it into a pattern. I'm also on a pattern kick right now, too.
I'm so happy with how it turned out. I really wish you could touch your computer screens and truly feel how yummy the cork and leather combination is. I LOVE CORK. I LOVE CORK! It's just deliciously soft.
Like I said above, feel free to drop me a line (islyblog[at]gmail[dot]com) if you want a custom bound book. Also! Check out the right sidebar and join IS•LY with Google friend connect!
I cut out a bunch of 3"x3" squares and hand wrote (with pen & ink) my memories. Then I packaged it all with a box version of the petal envelope. I made up the template and want to share it with you! The box template is 3" x 3" x 1", super fast to make and perfect for packaging jewelry and other sweet little gifts.
About two weeks ago this mama dove was sitting on two tiny, bright white eggs. Two days ago they hatched. It's so sweet to see this bird care for her young babies. She is a very brave mama, too. Her nest is barely 3 feet off the ground in a palm tree that's just outside the front door.
Materials Notes:
It might be useful to note where my supplies can be found. Button studs, Leather (you'll want 2-3 ounce leather for this project) and hole punches can be found online at tandyleatherfactory.com, or check out their store locator for the store nearest you. (I sound like an advertisement, but seriously they have everything.)
As seen below, you can also use leather, vinyl or fused plastic. The folks at Etsy labs have a great tutorial on fusing plastic bags. I've seen some really cool fused bag projects.
I've even made a FREE downloadable tutorial. Click here to download the Feather Headband Tutorial. If you're having problems downloading, please comment and I'll make sure to get it to you!