1 Yard Wonder

I love when remnants are 50% off at Joann's Fabrics. I found this gold stretchy fabric and just had to snatch it up. I wanted a flashy going out top. I put my pattern making skills to the test and came out with a success. I decided to make a belt out of remaining fabric, but this top can go sans belt if need be. 1 yard of fabric +  approx. 1 1/2 hours of pattern making & sewing = a fab draped top.

Infinity Dress Part 2

There is a fabric store in Pawtucket, RI called Lorraine's. If you have ever been, then you know the thrill of the upstairs bargain floor. They have these large plastic "bag of rags" for $1.99. Since, I have a slight hoarding of fabric problem, I bought about 6 of them. While most of the pieces or scraps of fabric are not large enough for a project, there was different scraps of the same fabric for this dress. This fabric is slightly heavier than my first diy infinity dress, but still awesome! The best part of this dress, it takes under an hour to from cutting to finishing

Legging Necklace

I completely wore through the thighs of my favorite pair of leggings. I could not just throw them away knowing I could do something with fabric. I made jersey yarn from the leg portion by cutting it into strips. Next, I tied the ends together and looped it a couple of times. Tie up the knots with another strip of fabric and voila! a legging necklace.

A way to jazz it up would be to add beads or washers before looping it.

Infinity Dress!

I have seen so many posts about styling infinity dresses and how to make your own. I decided to give it a try. I am in love. I photographed my dress on Sheila (the dress form at work) therefore I had to do some binder clip magic to make it fit her since I am larger than she it.

Lime Green Velour Shorts!

When I saw this lime green velour home decor fabric, I knew exactly what I wanted to make: natural high waisted, inverted box pleated shorts (with a cuff of course).

It took 2 years but I finally made them. I am in love :)

Boho/Gypsy Necklace

I have tons of scrap fabric and wanted to make little flowers from them. I used this tiny textile heated tool to cut circles from different materials. When I layered them on top of one another and added a button, I thought "what a great necklace idea". I have a bin full of jewelry to use for redesign or reusing into a different pieces of jewelry. I took a chain from one and little dangle beads from a few others. The finished piece is oh so chic and right up my alley for style.

Black Bean, Spinach, & Turkey Bacon Empanadas

I found a recipe online for empanadas. I had most of the ingredients but decided to switch out some for black beans and turkey bacon. I have never made empanadas and was unsure of how these would turn out. To my surprise (and my family's) these were delicious.
I started out by doing a quick soak, then cooking the black beans. I only made about 1/3 cup (dry) beans. The beans are what made the entire appetizer.



Basic Empanada Dough



Chopped Spinach: Thawed and Drained

 

I used green onions that I sauteed with 2 cloves of fresh garlic



Chop and Cooked Turkey Bacon



After the green onions and garlic were done sauteing, I added back in the bacon and mixed in the spinach



Mixed in the cooked and cooled black beans



 

Let the whole thing cool, then stir in cheddar  cheese




I rolled out the dough and cut small circles

  

Add the filling, make little pockets, and egg wash



20 minutes in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit = YUM!


These fit perfectly in your hand so no fork or knife is needed. My family and I decided to eat these with a little sourcream and salsa topping.

Homemade Dish Drying Mat

I bought a few yards of terry cloth a while back because it was on clearance. I have made a few hand towels overtime but nothing too creative. At my house we have a microfiber drying mat for dishes. It is nice but needs to be washed every few days. Trying to save money, I decided to make one with the terry cloth and a scrap of cotton fabric.

It is reversible but I decided to put the terry cloth side down

It is a perfect size for the counter space next to the sink

Quilted Napkins

I dug into my bag of scrap fabric today and pulled out tie-dye and pink fabric. I decided to make 2 small quilted reusable napkins. These pieces were not perfect rectangles, therefore I just top stitched a random squiggle pattern on one and a more geometric pattern on the other. Simple, under an hour, reusable napkins.