Wedding Invitations and Envelopes

I'm finally done! Everyone (except perhaps Ted's relatives in Japan) should have received their invitations by now, so I am free to post the pictures. This design was borrowed from Kathy Beymer's (of merrimentdesign.com) brilliant poppy wedding invitation and stitched envelopes. Thank you Kathy!


Ted and I decided to base the invitation on our wedding palette of lime green, gray, and peony pink. We ordered the fabric from Japan and printed the cards with our home computer. Because the pattern of the fabric consists of different sizes of multi-colored blossoms, when I cut out the flowers to applique on the cards, each invitation was individual. It was such a fun process, and I'm so proud to say that I actually made my own wedding (reception) invitations! We wish you could all be with us on our wedding day, but we'll try to bring a bit of the Caribbean to Missouri on that day!

Green Day

I haven't updated this in awhile because I've been busy making my wedding reception invitations (I'll post these soon). But in the meantime, here's a picture of some business cards I just designed and made with my computer and a watermark stamp and embosser. I can't decide which color combination I like better...Now I just have to distribute them!




And of course I couldn't resist including a picture of our baby, Thomas (we're adopting him, by the way). I made him a green "T" pillow, which amazingly is the only stuffed thing that he hasn't torn to shreds (we've already lost a stuffed squirrel, a ball, and a toy dog). I think he knows it was made just for him!

Puppy Love

We have a doggie! Well, technically, he's not ours, but we're fostering him temporarily. He's one of many pooches from the very crowded South LA Animal Shelter. The decision of which dog to choose felt like it was straight out of "Sophie's Choice," but I eventually picked the guy that seemed to need us the most. When I first brought him home, he had virtually no social skills: He cowered from everyone, and constantly had his tail in between his legs. Not to mention the scars all over his face, and his matted, dirty hair.

Since he was found as a stray, they don't know anything about his history. But from his fearful personality, we can guess that he didn't come from a good place. Amazingly, he has changed so much, in the week that he has been with us. Not only is he not shy anymore (AT ALL!), but he has a healthy appetite, beautiful coloring (after two baths and a couple of rain showers), and he is one of the sweetest, most lovable dogs ever!

I'm teaching him some tricks (starting with the basic "sit"), so any training advice would be appreciated! I'll include more posts about him soon--by the way, we named him Thomas!!!

Games

I got some new sewing books for Christmas, and I wanted to make a couple of the projects for a couple of my many favorite little cousins. The first picture is of a fabric ball made up of hexagons and pentagons stitched together and then stuffed with batting. It's super soft!






Here is a fabric memory game: Ted printed out the pictures on printable fabric, I cut out 36 squares of vintage-y floral fabric for the back and 72 squares of light colored felt for the stuffing. Then I glued together the layers like a sandwich! Fabric on the bottom, then two layers of felt, then the picture on top. To finish it off, I stitched around the images and cut the edges with scalloped scissors.



I used 18 different images. There are two sets of each pictures, so that they can be matched up when they're turned over (we all played this when we were little!). Some of the pictures are of my family, and some are a few of my favorite snapshots from different trips I took this year (France, San Fransisco, and sailing in Maryland).

I hope both of my cousins enjoy their presents, and send me pictures, Aunt Mary!

Valentine's Brunch

Well, since Ted was going to be gone teaching all day yesterday, I decided to have some of my favorite Los Angeles girls over for a Valentine's Brunch. I sent out invitations a couple of weeks ago, printed on the computer and adorned with fabric hearts.


It was so much fun, and I was glad to share the day with my friends yesterday. I made a LOT of food (with matching restaurant style cards), and we ate ourselves silly. Let's see, where to begin?



Goat cheese frittata with zucchini and Canadian bacon
Balsamic blackberry and rosemary crostata (a big hit)
Mango chutney and white cheddar buns
Smoked turkey and homegrown arugula tea sandwiches with herbed mayonnaise
Mixed salad greens tossed with CA oranges, avocado, red onion, and a champagne vinaigrette
Whole wheat fairy cakes with buttercream frosting

Then we made jasamine scented candles in some tea cups I picked up at a flea market (in my excitement I forgot to take a picture of them all together), and decorated heart cookies. I sent everybody home with a goody bag, so they could take some of the sugar off my hands!

Fabric Headboard

Since we are using a temporary bed frame right now, we are not blessed with a beautiful headboard. I got sick of looking at the stark white wall, and decided to make my own headboard, using a pretty fabric that I found online.

Supplies:

• Wood or canvas frame, any size
• Fabric (enough to fit the frame, plus a few extra inches on all sides)
• Staple Gun
  

Make sure you line up the fabric so that you don't cut off any repeating motifs. Wrap it around the frame and staple (work on opposite sides of the frame so that the fabric doesn't stretch unevenly). Hang it up behind your bed!

I finally found a good recipe for my soufflé dish!

Hello again! As promised, here is a picture (and the Jacques Pepin recipe) from our yummy dinner the other night. And I couldn't resist including a picture of our sweet potato fries as well...


Cheese Soufflé
6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, plus more to butter dish
6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups cold whole milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 large eggs
2 1/3 cups grated Swiss cheese (about 6 oz.)
3 Tablespoons minced fresh scallions (or chives)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Butter a soufflé or 6 -cup gratin dish, and set it aside. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the flour, and mix it in well with a whisk. Cook for 10 seconds, and add the milk in 1 stroke, and mix it in with a whisk. Keep stirring with the whisk until the mixture thickens and comes to a strong boil, which will take about 2 minutes. It should be thick and smooth. Remove from the heat, and stir in the salt and pepper. Allow about 10 minutes for the white sauce to cool (or else you'll have scrambled eggs).

Meanwhile, break the eggs into a bowl, and beat well with a fork. Add the eggs, the cheese and the chives to the cooled saue, and mix well to combine. Pour into the buttered gratin dish and cook immediately, or set aside until ready to cook.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the soufflé is puffy and well browned on top. Although it will stay inflated for quite awhile, it is best served immediately.

Enjoy!

I've been into a few different craft/sewing ventures lately, so I'll post an update on those within the next couple of days.