A Coldplay XY Kind Of Craft Day - What's Yours

I had a crafting first yesterday. The first time I have ever used my own tutorial from a magazine. Weird. Following my own instructions in print. Crazy.
Although I made this project a dozen times while writing the tutorial, it's been months ago now and in the span of a few months I don't retain much. Yesterday, while Otto napped, I got the crafting itch. Do you get that? I had so many other things to do (laundry, deadlines, cleaning...) but some creativity was bursting to come out.
Recently I met an amazing woman and wanted to make her a little something as a thank you for her sweet presence in my life. I immediately thought of this project. It can be found in a back issue of this magazine (Winter 2010-11)

The beauty of these fabric covered notepads is that they are not only super cute but very utilitarian. The best part? One can be made in about an hour.

Click below for the full tutorial (with pictures). Have fun!

And before you click...what music gets your creative juices flowing these days? 
Please share in the comments section. I'm always on the hunt for great music!
For me, its Coldplay's X&Y. I can't get enough of it in my studio space right now.



What You'll Need:

10" by 11" Piece of fabric for front cover
10" by 11" Piece of fabric for lining
4.5" by 8" Fabric for inside pocket
10" by 11" Piece of batting
3/8" wide elastic to hold notepad (1/4 yard)
Button, 3/4" to 1 1/8" diameter
Narrow Ribbon or cording for closure (1/4 yard)
4" by 8" Notepad (available in the $1 bin at Michaels)
Materials for embellishing cover (needle, thread, stamps, ink, stencils, etc...)

Directions:
I will give you the directions as I wrote them for the magazine. The * is some additional info I've added specific to this tutorial.

1. Embellish the right side of the front fabric rectangle with quilting, needlework, stamping, or any technique of your choice. Keep in mind the center forld and 1/2" seam allowence hen planning your embellishment.

2. Press the pocket fabric side and bottom edges under 1/2". Press the top edge under in a double 1/2" hem and topstitch it. Position the pocket on the right side of the lining fabric, 1 1/4" from the left edge and 2 1/2" from the top edge; pin in place. Topstitch the side and bottom edges of the pocket to the lining.

3. Cut (2) 4 1/4" long strips of elastic. Pin 1 strip across the right half of the lining. 1 1/2" from the top edge and 3/4" from the right edge. Pin the second strip 2" from the bottom edge and 3/4" from the right edge.

4. Use a wide zigzag stitch and a short stitch length to securely stitch all 4 of the elastic ends to the lining. Slide the cardboard back of the notepad through the elastic strips and make sure it fits snuggly. If not, zigzag stitch again, making the opening a bit smaller.

5. Place the embellished front right-side up on the batting. Sew the button in place through both layers, 3/4" from the right edge and 5" from the top edge.

6. Wrap the ribbon * (I used candle wicking...I love that stuff) around the button and, adding 2" to the length for overhang, cut the ribbon. Fold it in half to make a loop, then tack the ribbon together 1" from the ends.

7. Pin the lining to the front fabric with right sides together and the batting on the bottom. Measure 5" from the top of the left edge and pin the looped ribbon between the front and lining layers with the 1" ends extending outward and the loop lying between the front fabric and lining.

8. Sew the layers together, stitching around the perimeter with a 1/2" seam allowance and leaving a 2" opening for turning. Trim the corners. Turn the notepad cover right-side out and press, pressing the opening seam allowances under. Check to see if the ribbon wraps nicely around the button and adjust if needed. Topstitch around the perimeter, stitching the opening closed.

** Just turned...looking wonky. Don't worry, it will look great after ironing and topstitching.

Insert the notepad and enjoy!

CupCake Nail Art!

Watch "Cute Cupcake Nail Art" on YouTube

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Back 2 School Back to Work

Copying some of the curriculum tracks for school..!

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Farewell February !

Don't want to say goodbye to February . It's been a great days with you sweet month. Everything just made me happy even the worst times turned sweet so quickly . Just stay for a while . We'll miss you ��

Śα3ơŐƒά™: [ Pictures ] Cars in the Avenues .. !

Śα3ơŐƒά™: [ Pictures ] Cars in the Avenues .. !: I was at the Avenues yesterday when I saw a crowd around something and I realized that they were cars but when I got nearer they w...

Veggie Gyros on Homemade Pita

As promised, I'm sharing tips for shedding those last few baby pounds. This week...its all about green tea. As I write this I am having my morning cup. Throughout the day I will have several. Green tea has tons of health benefits, including some pretty incredible weight claims. Look it up. I am seeing some really amazing results from cutting out the coffee and switching to green tea. Bottoms up!

Now onto this beauty...

I am all about a good gyro. How about you? But unless I am at the state fair or a Mediterranean restaurant (which my town has only a small handful), I never eat them. These little gems make an appearance from time to time and they hit the spot when a gyro craving comes on.

Read on for the full pita making tutorial and recipe...

Making homemade pita is pretty simple for the everyday cook. And if you are a bread maker, its really simple. I have tried many recipes over the years for pita. This one is consistently good and foolproof. Its from Pure & Yummy blog.

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

2¼ tsp. instant yeast
1 tbsp. honey
1¼ cups warm water (105˚-115˚ F), divided
1½ cups bread flour, divided
1½ cups whole wheat flour, divided
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. salt
Cornmeal, for sprinkling
Directions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer*, combine the yeast, honey and ½ cup of the water. Stir gently to blend. Whisk ¼ cup of the bread flour and ¼ cup of the whole wheat flour into the yeast mixture until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside until doubled in bulk and bubbly, about 45 minutes.
Remove the plastic wrap and return the bowl to the mixer stand, fitted with the dough hook. Add in the remaining ¾ cup of warm water, 1¼ cups bread flour, 1¼ cups whole wheat flour, olive oil and salt. Knead on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Transfer the ball of dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat, and let rise in a warm draft-free place, about 1 hour, until doubled in bulk.
Place an oven rack in the middle position. Place a baking stone in the oven (if using) and preheat to 500˚ F.
Once the dough has risen, transfer to a lightly floured work surface, punch down the dough and divide into 8 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball. Flatten one ball at a time into a disk, then stretch out into a 6½-7 inch circle. Transfer the rounds to a baking sheet or other work surface lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Once all the rounds have been shaped, loosely cover with clean kitchen towels. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, until slightly puffy.
Transfer 4 pitas, 1 at a time, onto the baking surface. (Note: These can be baked on a baking stone or directly on the oven racks. I use a pizza stone, but either method is fine.) Bake 2 minutes, until puffed and pale golden. Gently flip the pitas over using tongs and bake 1 minute more. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Repeat with the remaining pitas. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Once the pita dough is rising/resting you can begin making the filling.

Veggies ( Zucchini, peppers, eggplant, onions, and things of that sort work best)

Oil ( I use organic coconut oil)

3 T. Red Wine Vinegar

2 T. dried (or fresh) oregano

1/4 cup chopped fresh Parsley

Sauce:

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 lemon

1/2 diced English cucumber

1/2 cup feta cheese

honey

Toppings:

Shredded lettuce

Olives

Tomatoes

Dice the veggies fairly chunky. Saute them in just a bit of oil until they soften. Add in the red wine vinegar and oregano. You can adjust the amount depending on your liking. Add salt and pepper as desired. When the veggies are done cooking (they have a nice carmalization and texture) turn off the heat and stir in the parsley. Set aside while you cook the pita.

The sauce can be made a bit in advance or while the veggies cook. Mix the yogurt, cucumber and feta in a bowl. Add a few squeezes of lemon juice to your taste preference along with any salt and pepper you may want. If it is too tart, you can add a few drizzles of honey to offset the tartness of the sauce. This is all about personal preference.

Now you are ready to go... once those beautiful pitas come out of the oven, fill them with veggies, smother them with sauce and sprinkle with toppings. I also like to serve this with brown rice and build a little Mediterranean rice bowl concoction. When I do that, the pita is served on the side with hummus.

Healthy and delicious...kind of craving one right now at 9am looking at this photo actually....

Birthdays & Blissdom

Yesterday, sweet litte Otto turned 2 (this pic was taken fresh out of bed on the morning of his big day...favorite blanket and stuffed animals by his side- as always). And as sweet as this guy is...he is also the most rambunctious and wild of the three. Phew. Three boys with the last being the loudest and craziest?? I did not expect that. Yet it keeps us constantly entertained (pulling out our hair) and we know full well this time of 2 year old shenanigans will end far too quickly.

In other news...I head to Nashville today to attend Blissdom. Any of you fellow bloggers headed that way? I've been saving my pennies for the trip for a while now and am so excited to meet some new people, take some amazing classes and have some girl time with Sarah and Ami.

I'll be back on Monday with lots of great stuff to share next week. Some crafty goodies...recipes....all good stuff. Can't wait! See you then~