It's been awhile....

And I really don't have too much to show for my long absence, but I have this dress I just made. I loosely followed the pattern and tutorial for the Crunch Crunch Dress on Sewing In No Mans Land. I'm digging the way it turned out. Not bad for a half days work!

Guess Who's on Instagram?

Why me of course!!! Feel free to follow me at none other than... craftywrench

Here are a couple of pictures of what I've been working on lately.

Busy busy

This Saturday I have an open garden art show I'm going to be part of, so needless to say I've been one busy girl. Here are a few photos of what I've been making... (please excuse the crappy iPod photos)

Valve Suns

Metalflies

The whole gang (as of Thursday there are 70 of them)

Shovel-gators

Mr. Fatty-flex bird

Bearing Blossoms

Silly Faces

Playing With Electricity

I've been having way too much fun lately MIG welding!!!!

Is it summer yet?

This time of year I always have a hard time spending it indoors.  We've been lucky enough to have wonderful summer like weather the last few weeks, so I've been spending most of my free time outside playing in the dirt or grime.  Here's a look into what I've been up too...

The lettuces are coming in nicely.  I bought these as starts, for some reason I've never had much luck starting lettuce from seed. 

Sugar snap peas, just starting to climb up their trellis.

Tater towers.  This is a first this year.  The potatoes are started in the bottom and as they grow up, you add more straw.  I'm excited to see how well this really works. 

Two types of spinach, sometimes I don't even know why I bother growing lettuce when spinach grows like weeds here! 

Pretty rows of beets and carrots.  I'm happy to say I was quite successful transplanting a bunch of the beet seedlings.  I still have a hard time killing off all the extra plants.  

I started this cute little pot of lobelias and petunias for my mom for Mother's Day.  I even welded up the cute little stake.

I've been spending quite a bit of time welding lately.  This little gear-gobbler is a mixture of car and kitchen parts, and was my first piece ever sold! (thanks, Mom!!)  

Pot Redo

The other day I picked up this ugly fake terracotta hanging pot and decided I could transform it into something far prettier to the eyes.  Here is how I did it...

Supplies: Plastic hanging pot- washed and dried, Krylon plastic fusion spray paint, Krylon spray paint in color of your choice, and of course something to fill the container with. 

 Prime container with the plastic fusion paint.

 Once dry, paint desired color.

 To reduce some of the weight in the pot - I found a cheap saucer, poked some holes in it and set it on top of an old plastic container. My goal was to create an area for water to sit with the hopes that the plant would be able to self water, we'll see how it works out.

Finally add dirt, a plant, water, hang up and enjoy!

    

Friday's Quick Project

Today I was feeling rather crafty, so I decided my lovely reusable cup could use a bit of a design boost.

Here is a quick tutorial...

Supplies needed:  Cup with slot for artwork (mine is from a well known coffee company, whom doesn't pay me so shall remain nameless), freezer paper, ruler, pen/pencil, scissors/rotary cutter, and an iron. 

 First, on a piece of freezer paper, trace out the liner the comes with the cup.  I trimmed mine down close to the finished size. 

 Iron on the freezer paper to the back side of your fabric.

 Cut out your template, but do not under any circumstances peel off the freezer paper, this will give your fabric added stiffness and help prevent fraying. 

 Slip your new artwork in your cup and voila... It's a masterpiece!  

Stuff and Things...

So it's that time of year again.... I've been frantically working to get my garden going in full swing, and this year has brought lot's of changes to the yard.  The biggest is my 4 raised beds with a built in hot house!  

Outside view of the new garden area.

The plants love the hot house! 

RADISHES!

Itty-bitty pepper and tomato starts.

I've found a new wonderful place!  One of the best things about living in Oregon is all the parks!  This little gem is a short jaunt from home...

Tromping through the woods.

This tree must be 100 years old. 

Cherry blossoms.

It's been a while...

Life's just been getting away from me lately. Here is a bit of what I've been up to lately...

A little bit of sewing...

Cooking and baking...

Cleaning up after naughty kitties...

Hah! BUSTED!!

Meatless Monday - Garbanzo Burgers

So about a month ago I decided to start a new tradition with... MEATLESS MONDAY! There are lots of great reasons to try rely less on meat: a) healthier, b) cheaper, c) better for the environment. SO, this is last nights meatless meal, Garbanzo bean burgers and sweet potatoe fries. I adapted the recipe from the latest Everyday Rachel Ray magazine (April 2012) to serve 2 instead of 4, which actually made a bonus patty for today's lunch.

Garbanzo Bean Burgers for 2 (or 3)

1 - 15 oz can of garbanzo beans (or 1 1/2 cup rehydrated dry beans)
1/4 cup parsley leaves
1 1/2 TBS plain bread crumbs
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1-2 cloves of garlic

Puree in a food processer and form into patties

Heat up some olive oil (or other oil) in a pan on medium heat and cook 3-5 mins a side.

Such an easy tasty meal!