When I made Atti’s swing I ended up with a ton of extra rope I couldn’t bear to get rid of. I bought a really soft nylon so that Atti would be able to hang on to it comfortably, and…
Recipe: Browned Butter, Cheese, and Marinara Covered Spaghetti
Living in Modesto has many many virtues, as I’m always going on about, but there are some potential drawbacks, and the one that effects me the most is not having access to all the restaurants I liked in Southern California.…
Tutorial: Monogrammed Handtowels
OK, so the knitted handtowels didn’t work. Total bummer. But I still needed something to do the job in this bathroom. I’ve been making do for far too long with just wandering into the kitchen with wet hands looking for…
Recipe: Spinach Pesto Chicken Salad
When I travel I rarely go do the touristy things. My way of visiting a city involves finding a local bookstore, eating pastry, and finding some wonderful little restaurant to try. The only problem with this approach is when I…
Tutorial: Faux Turquoise Polymer Clay Necklace
My crafting tends to take some predictable rhythms. In the spring I favor home improvement, summer is all about piecing quilts, I get completely caught up in the chaos of Christmas, and once it’s done I want to just collapse…
Recipe: Curried Couscous
A couple of years ago I threw a dinner party for a whole bunch of people, including a ton of vegetarians. I was totally intimidated to cook for vegetarians, since everything my family eats involves at least one kind of…
Tutorial: Clay Bird Pendant
During my big Christmas plans I bought a big tub of airdry clay I thought I was going to turn into nativity ornaments. I never made the decorations, but I thought it’d be fun to experiment with for some simple…
Recipe: Bear’s Chocolate and Raspberry Mousse Cake
At the beginning of the summer Bear and I had this cake that we haven’t been able to get out of our heads. It was a sponge cake layered with three different versions of chocolate mousse, and the effect was…
Recipe: Mexican Gumbo or Tortilla Soup
This recipe is really two recipes in one. For starters I made a great tortilla soup, and then by tarting it up with a few additional fixings, you get a “Mexican Gumbo.” I ordered something similar at Qdoba, a casual…
Tutorial: Machine Applique
I think it’s safe to say that I am a fan of machine applique. In all my earlier tutorials I’ve offered tips and brief instructions, but today I thought I’d get a little more specific. I made this quilt for…