Recipe Manager

I want to take the opportunity to share one of my all-time favorite apps.  It started out as an iPhone/iPad app, but now it is available for Mac and Android devices as well.  Paprika is THE BEST recipe manager I have found.  I tried several out before I found this one, and I'm hooked.

What I like about it...

• Photo directory of all recipes
• Built in browser to allow you to save recipes from within the browser
• Search options that allow you to search by name, ingredient, or category
• Custom categories
• Support for the most popular recipe sites, but they usually add sites that you can request from within the app
• If a site is not supported, it is very easy to manually create a recipe from the data on that site
• Grocery manager/Shopping list - very intuitive
• Meal planner is wonderful
• Sync recipes, shopping lists, meal plans across devices

iPad

iPhone

Mac App Store

Google Play Store

Browser Bookmarklet

Easter Egg Cupcakes

It's Tristan's Easter party tomorrow, and I just couldn't resist making these adorable cupcakes.  I've had the recipe now for a couple of years, but I just never got around to making them.  I typically try to not go overboard for his school parties, because Tristan seems to never get anything that I make for him.  The stuff gets passed out to other kids before he gets any of it.  On the other hand, I like being the mom known for bringing in homemade, attention grabbing goodies.

Since I was making these cupcakes for a bunch of 4-year-olds and younger, I didn't want to make the cake from scratch as the recipe suggests.  Let's face it, kids just don't appreciate the time and trouble you have to go to to make something from scratch.  So I cheated.  Tristan requested strawberry cake, so I got a strawberry Pillsbury cake mix and made the cupcakes according to the package directions.  I also cheated on the icing, because I didn't think that Tristan would care about the citrus icing.  I got a can of cream cheese icing (another request from Tristan).  I didn't worry too much about the flavor of the icing because it basically serves as the anchor for the nest.

The recipe calls for candy coating, but I had no idea what that was.  I finally found it listed as Vanilla Flavored Almond Bark Candy Coating.  Who knew?  So here are the results.  Ryan helped me by putting the eggs in the nests.

Get the recipe for these Bird's Nest Cupcakes

Boxie Bag

I wasn't sure how this one was going to turn out.  I found a free sewing patten for it posted to Pinterest  Since it was a free pattern, I decided to give it a try.

What I liked about it...

• Really cute
• Looks great, and shows no exposed seams except for some top stitching around the zipper area.
• Pretty spacious

What I didn't like about it...

 The photos that were used to walk you through the steps were not very clear at times.  I found myself second guessing what I was supposed to be doing.

• I think the pattern maker got the dimensions wrong of the end tabs.  I would probably have made them 2"x 3" instead of the recommended 1" x 3".
• I couldn't find much of a reason to press the middle points of the interior and exterior fabric at the beginning of the tutorial, since you have to do it again later.
• I used a featherweight interfacing.  I would use a little bit more heavy duty interfacing in the future.

If you'd like to try it yourself, you can download the "No Guts Boxie Pouch" at Craftsy.com by clicking here!

Great Sewing Resources

If you are new to sewing, like me, I encourage you to check out these sites.  They have patterns that you can purchase, some are free, but unlike the patterns at the fabric store, these patterns come with full directions and picture guides to help you through from beginning to end.

I will admit to being pattern reading challenged.  Maybe its just me, but I read a pattern and it seems like they skip steps, they assume that you know way more about sewing than I do (and we know what they say about those who ASS-U-ME), and they are just downright hard to understand.

So, here's where I find great patterns and tutorials.

• YouCanMakeThis - This website has a TON of free patterns, and not just for sewing.  They have crafts, knitting, sewing, and more.  Be sure to sign up for their newsletters.  They have a free pattern of the week email in their list of newsletters.  Also, by signing up, you'll get notified when they run a pattern sale.
• TipNut - This is an incredible site for those who like to DIY.  I have found everything from making your own laundry detergent, to removing crayon from the dryer, to sewing and craft resources.  They also have a weekly newsletter, but it really only serves as a reminder for me to go check out the latest stuff on their site.  The newsletter usually isn't very informative or useful.
• Etsy - While this site is mainly devoted to selling items that are made by others, it also has a lot of sewing patterns for sale.
• Pinterest - The great thing about Pinterest is that plenty of people before you have marked their favorite things, so it is a great visual tool for finding patterns and gaining inspiration.

Cute and Easy-to-Sew Tote Bag

I purchased this Trendy Tote pattern by Ellafaith Designs and couldn't wait to make it.  I found some great funky colored fabrics and made this in about a half day.  It was also a learning experience.  If I make another one, I will remember what I should have done differently.

If you would like to try this pattern, check it out here.

So, what would I do differently?

• First of all, the pattern clearly states that the ribbon needs to match up before you sew the sides together.  Well, I used this red ric rak that I found because I thought it would give the already bold colors a bit more jazz, but when I sewed it up, the sides don't line up.  So, I won't use ric rak again on this pattern.
• The magnetic snap was too close to the top of the bag, so I had to skip over that small section when I top stitched the bag on the top.

Helpful Hints

• When you make this pattern, I would suggest a clear quilting ruler.  It came in handy when I was folding down the top sections.  I used it to check that the bag height was uniform all the way around.

Coupon Organizing

I wish I had time to be an extreme couponer, but alas I just can't make that kind of a time commitment.  However, I've tried various methods of organizing my coupons, and I just couldn't find one that worked for me.

Here's what I've tried...

• Cheap plastic organizer that you could get at Walmart, Target, or the like.  This didn't work because many of my coupons were too big to fit, and I didn't have enough dividers to really organize it the way I wanted.
• Three-ring binder with baseball card pages.  I hated being the lady with the notebook of coupons and it took FOREVER to look through them this way.  It was also a pain-in-the-neck to remove the expired coupons and to add new ones in a logical manner.
• Envelopes.  I tried to keep all of my coupons in a series of envelopes organized the way I wanted them organized.  This worked okay, but it was hard to keep up with all those envelopes.

The solution...

I was searching different websites for a coupon organizer that would work for me.  I was willing to pay about $20 to get something that I thought I could really use.  I found something similar to what I wanted on Amazon, but the cost was $30 and they were hideously ugly.  Then, I thought I would search Etsy for them and they were outrageously cute and outrageously priced.  So finally, I thought, "Hey, I have a sewing machine.  What's keeping me from making my own?"

I found this great pattern over at YouCanMakeThis which has a front and back pocket, a flap on top to keep stuff from falling out, a pen holder, a key clip, and to top it all off, it can hang over the buggy handle which makes it ultra convenient.  Oh, and did I mention CUTE!  Combined with the help of my four-year-old son, who needs an occupation when doing major grocery shopping, this is the perfect couponing system for me.  My son love to help, so he gets his own envelope and he is in charge of putting the coupons that we are going to use into his envelope.  That way, when we get to the checkout, we have all of our coupons ready to roll.

Make your own coupon organizer.  Don't be turned off of this project because of the unfortunate fabric choice of the pattern maker.  You have to look beyond the superficial, and reserve judgement until you've created your own.

 

After I made this, I immediately had four people who wanted one too.  So, I have now made five of these.

What I know now...

• The six-inch elastic is too long.  Four to four-and-a-half inches would be about right.
• Use a pencil to mark your sewing paths on the fleece side of the pieces you will quilt.  This makes it super easy to get a uniform pattern.  If you want squares for your quilting pattern, I suggest using a clear plastic quilter's ruler to mark your path.
• Don't use ribbon with wire in it on the key chain part.  I had a terrible time trying to get it to fold straight across.  Instead, use a thin 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch ribbon without the wire.
• Use a rotary cutter, if at all possible, to cut these pieces.  It saves a ton of time!