Limoncello Recipe Limoncello While searching for a good recipe for Limoncello, I found a lot of conflicting information. Some recipes use vodka, others use grain alcohol (without specifying the potency, which varies) and others even used rum! So I started with the premise that grain alcohol will extract the most lemon oil and flavor from lemon zest. Limoncello 3 pounds lemons, preferably organic. 16 oz. grain alcohol, 190 proof (I use Everclear) Wash the lemons thoroughly in warm water, and rinse well. On the 3rd day: 4 cups sugar 4 cups (=32 oz.) water 1/2 cup (=4 oz.) lemon juice Combine the sugar and water in a non-reactive saucepan (i.e., stainless steel, or a pan lined with enamel - not aluminum or cast iron). Clemencello My latest discovery! Use the recipe for Limoncello above, but put the grain alcohol into a jar and add the zest of the clementines as you eat them, and swirl the jar daily.
Museum Tunic + instructions Well I'm not sure what you were expecting. When I read my comments from the last post at dinner last night, I cracked up at the notion that some of you assumed that the flier image I showed in the post was the dress I was going for! SO funny! I guess you might think that at a glance. But come on, I only had about an hour! That would have taken at least an hour & 15 minutes (+ 2 days). Anyway, I've had the thought to make this ultra simple tunic from the Square Dance fabric for a while, and decided at the last minute last night to give it a quick whirl. A few notes: I used what's considered a panel and a half of the Square Dance fabric (45" length). The front is exactly the same as the back, and equally flattering from the front and the back too! The style could not be more simple, and it felt really appropriate to enter the amazing Golden Age of Couture show in something very simple. Thanks for your enthusiasm yesterday about the dressmaking madness, and hope you try one too!
How-To: Henna Tattoos Henna tattoos are perfect for summertime. They are natural, they are beautiful, and they are temporary! Because one batch of henna goes a long way, henna tattoos are a great activity for parties and are especially fun for kids at a sleep over. I tend to give them as part of celebrations, say at a baby shower or bachelorette party, but I also love giving them to people who need some love and healing. Materials for the Henna Paste: Henna powder, 1/4 cup Tea, strongly brewed, 2-3 tablespoons 1 Lemon Eucalyptus Oil, 3-5 drops Materials for Applying the Tattoo: Squeeze bottle Various tips Straight pin Q-tips Cotton ballls Lemon Sugar Materials to Remove the Paste: Olive Oil Cotton balls Step 1: Check your henna for any sticks or large bits of plant matter. Step 2: Scrub the hand that is going to get the tattoo to remove any oils from the skin before you start. While traditional henna patterns are very busy, the best thing to do is keep it simple! Related
Fun in the Sun{dress}: Oceanside Lace Dress Tutorial This dress was a guest tutorial over at iCandy for their Fun in the Sun{dress} series. I’m expecting #2 (as you can tell), so I wanted to do a fun dress that would accommodate my ever growing belly. I decided to stick with a basic concept and add the lace embellishments to make it different. I ended up adding a sash as well because when you have a big belly, these kind of things help make more of a shape. It’s created from rectangular pieces of fabric with shirring on the back to bring it in. Now let’s get started with what you need to make your very own Oceanside Lace Dress: -Lightweight fabric (see further below for how I figured out how much I needed)-Elastic thread for shirring-All the other wonderful things needed to sew-Find a lace that has flowers in it. 1. 2. The 4 pieces for the top are all the same size, but you might want to make the width of the back pieces a little smaller than I did. a. b. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. Now your dress is all done.
DIY | poured mason jar candle » Something Turquoise {daily bridal inspiration} I am so excited to share today’s DIY with you! For one, because I have a new DIY logo… and two, because I absolutely love making candles! Last christmas I made a candle for every single lady in my family and a few of my close friends, which came to around 45 candles… which was so much fun! Shopping at thrift and vintage stores to find cool and unique glass containers… melting the wax, coloring it, and wrapping them all up… I want to do it all over again! Here I am sharing a super simple way to make your own Mason Jar Candle gifts. Where To Buy Supplies: Update: 9/8/15 – Let me start by saying this tutorial is old, lol. 1 lb bag of soy wax flakes (very easy to work with!) Before you get started, make sure you have all the supplies below and that whatever glass you choose to pour your candle into is nice and thick, thinner glass can crack from the flame of a candle. For this project we won’t be needing that inner seal part of the mason jar lid, so you can remove it. Add Your Wicks Supplies:
kojo tutorial- drop waist blouson beach dress If you sent me into a clothing store with $50 to spend, chances are I’d come out with a new dress (or two- depending on the store). I realize that it’s probably more practical to buy separate pieces, but dresses continue to woo me with their ease and promise of a one-piece-outfit. And I kind of feel like I hit the jackpot when I find an uber-comfy dress (I feel the same way about dressing Piper Jane, incidentally, which is why there are three versions of the jersey JCrew-y dress tutorial). Of course, I needed to try my hand at making one- and the “Upcycled/Repurposed” challenge week at Sew-vivor was the perfect opportunity. To make one of these super comfy dresses, you’ll need- -three men’s XXL tshirts -RIT dye (mine was navy RIT dye) -1″ wide elastic (at least 6″ long) -wide, sturdy ribbon (about a yard) -sewing supplies and machine -a stretchy belt First dye your tshirts (unless you’re wanting to make a white dress). A- One piece that includes the bottom 7/8s (or so) of the shirt.
38 Uses for Tin Boxes I LOVE Pinterest! I have found a handful of amazing ideas using recycled (or upcycled) Altoid tin boxes over this past year, and I am so excited to try some of them. Check out all of these awesome ideas! Some are simple, some are super crafty, some are incredibly brilliant. I can't wait to try some of these! Which do you love? at Zakka Life at Spoonful at Storage Glee at Kristine McKay at RePlayGround at Life on the Balcony at Parents.com at Random Thoughts of a Super Mom at Junk&Stuff shared at the Daily Digi at Creative Juice at HomeSpun Threads at Oh! at Green Bee at Crafty Chica at The Art Annex at Emily Giovanni at Inner Child Fun at Martha Stewart at A Girl & A Glue Gun at iVillage shared at VisualizeUS LOTS of other great examples of Altered Tin Art HERE at inspire co. at Family Fun shared at Craftster.org at One Pearl Button I'm thinking you want to stock up on your tin boxes now, right?
Flashback: One-Hour Elastic Thread Dress With summer upon us, easy and cool clothes are the name of the game. Nothing says summer fashion better than a breezy sun dress, and this week’s Flashback project is perfect for whipping up a cute and cool summer wardrobe. Nicole Vasbinder shows you how to make a sweet shirred dress that you can knock out in one hour. You’ll want to fill your closet with these dresses as the temperature rises this summer! By Nicole Vasbinder You can make this dress in about an hour using elastic thread to create shirring (soft gathers), which adds shaping. Materials Fabric Spool of elastic thread in either black or white Spool of regular thread Scissors Pins Iron Sewing machine Serger (optional) to finish seam allowances Directions Step 1: First, figure out how long you want the dress to be and cut 2 lengths of fabric that length. Step 2: Now on to the elastic thread! Step 3: Lengthen your stitch length to about 3mm and adjust your tension to 5 (but play around this a bit on your scrap). Related
DIY Trash to Couture original DIY tutorials Click on the links below the pictures to see the page. Quick & easy shirred summer dress If you haven’t already guessed by now, I love summer! The whole way through winter I am thinking about summer! So even in the middle of winter I have been known to wear a summer dress with a denim jacket just to make me feel happy. You just thread the bobbin through the machine as normal. Using the presser foot as a guide, line it up with the top of the rectangle & sew straight across, using the shirring elastic in the bobbin. As in the picture above, keep using the presser foot as a guide, line it up with the last line of shirring & keep sewing straight lines. The above picture is what the shirring looks like on the inside of the dress. You then need to pin the both halves of the dress together along the 2 long sides. Make sure that you leave a seam allowance of around 2cm so that you have the shirring elastic nice & secure & it won’t come undone. Simple & stunning! Enjoy!
Eight Ways to Wrap a Gift The holidays are here. Let us link hands with loved ones, join our voices in song and laughter, and share in the warmth and glow of PRESENTSPRESENTSPRESENTS!!! Oh, what? All kidding aside, even though the holidays should not be about materialism and consumption and the gimme-gimmes, it is entirely likely that you’re going to want to give someone a gift of some sort during the holidays. For some reason, in my family, I am always assigned the job of present-wrapper. This makes no sense. So I’m going to show you how to do the standard box-wrap, and then we’re going to talk about some other, more creative ideas, because not only is that original and fun and awesome, but also, sometimes there isn’t any tape in the house. The Basic Box 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Wrapping is a real art. The Silk Scarf Keep an eye out for scarves at thrift stores year-round—some are like 90 cents, which is cheaper than wrapping paper. Tin Foil No, you didn’t run out of wrapping paper! The Impossible-to-Open Present
DIY Ribbon Storage Box Not only is Aldo commemorating their 40th anniversary this year, they’re also celebrating their long term commitment to reduce waste. By adding handles to their eco-friendly shoe boxes and turning them into bags, the goal is to reduce bag consumption by 40% this year and 70% by the end of next year. So when Aldo asked us to repurpose their special edition shoe box into something functional, we embraced the challenge. Reuse, repurpose, recycle . . . no problem. You’ll need: Start by measuring the length and width of each side of the shoebox, including the lid. Dip the sponge brush in Mod Podge and generously brush it over the entire top of the lid. Lay the cut paper over the wet area. Once all the sides are covered in paper, coat the entire shoe box with a layer of Mod Podge. Once the lid and the box are completely dry, stack the spools of ribbon along one side of the box. Push the eyelets through the punched holes. Thread the ribbons through the backside of the eyelets.