Weekly Goal Achieved: 5 Billfolds

   Have you ever read Keyka Lou's blog? If you haven't read it yet, this is a really good time to start doing it. She just started a new concept on her blog. It's about finishing goals week by week. First, she publishes a post for you to set yourself a goal for the week, then she publishes another post for those who achieved their goal to enter a giveaway, then another to announce the winner.

   I think it's pretty awesome, so of course I've been entering the giveaway for as long as it's been running for the last couple of weeks. My goal this week which I actually set yesterday, pretty late with only one day left, was to finish AT LEAST 5 billfolds. I knew I could make many more but the circumstances didn't let me. Let me explain myself...

   First, the power went out, that happens sometimes but it's not normal in my area unless there's something serious going on. It went out around 10 times consecutively within 5 minutes, then it went out for good for a couple of hours. When the power finally came, I turned on my machine and I did something weird while threading it, but I didn't notice until the bobbin thread started bunching up under my fabric, of course I didn't notice it until I was finished sewing the entire seam... Yes, I had to look it up and it seems that the upper thread wasn't correctly engaged in the tension system and yes I had to unpick the entire seam. :S

   Believe it or not a couple of hours later my machine started to behave pretty well and I had no more troubles, but guess what? Magia's previous guardians called me to say that they would bring me my new family member. I want you all to say hello to Cheddar, my new kitty. He is around 4-5 weeks old and he is Magia's half brother. I fell in love with his tiny and chunky kittyness, his meow sounds like a chick's chirp and he is so calmed and cute I almost couldn't believe it. BUT, something very unexpected happened with his arrival... Mia, which is the alfa cat here is in extreme stress, she is not only not taking care of her babies anymore, but she is hissing and attacking every cat in the house, including her tiny 7 week old babies...

   ...and it's all his ^ fault... I mean, not literally, who could blame that cute little fur ball? :3 but because of his arrival I have a war at home.

   I swear I had no idea that this would happen, I agreed to take little Cheddar at such young age because his momma is kind of forgetful and she forgets most of the time about her newest litter of kittens. That's what happened to Magia and she doesn't even know how to bathe herself... So I thought, if Mia is such a good mother and is already nursing a 4 kittens litter we could kind of mix him into the litter for Mia to raise... As I just said, that didn't worked. So I had to call all of the new guardians of my grandkittens so they can pick them up ASAP; I want them to be happy.

Don't you love that face?

Fabric Crush Tuesday... again #24

"The Lorax" collection by Dr. Seuss Enterprises & Robert Kaufman fabrics
Available here

   I know, I know... This feature should be posted on Mondays as its name suggests but my life lately has been a bit weird. Yesterday for example I was sewing a little bit and receiving a new family member, (I'll talk about that later today) but in general it's been weird.

   Ok, let's get to the point, The Lorax. I watched this gorgeous movie last week and I must say that being the tree hugger that I am this movie touched me. I cried through most of it, yes I was a crazy lady crying in a movie for children, but I don't care. Dr. Seuss was a very important part of my childhood and I felt like a kid again. :D

   So I started to research about The Lorax merchandise everywhere because I fell in love with those barbaloots but I decided against it thinking of the message behind The Lorax. So I decided that if I was going to have something Lorax related I was going to make my own, that's when I found this gorgeous fabric collection. I'll get me some of it as soon as I have the budget. What about you? Did you watch the movie? <3

Wristlet Pouches :D

   These past few weeks have been a blur in my life. I'm working full force in making my small business come back to life. I've been designing a new logo and doing many things to change the image of my business from super cutesy to a little bit more grown up but still cute. Am I making any sense? Anyways, I wanted to show something I designed a few months ago but never got to show it here for you to see. The first one I made was a tad smaller than these but I sold it so I'm showing you V1.2. What do you think?

   The patchworks are made from vintage fabrics and the handles are crocheted. They close first with a snap and then by pulling the handle trough the loop. I use one and they feel super safe and spacious; they look at their best when they're full.

Fabric Crush Tuesday? #23

Dotted Leaf in Red, Flea Market Fancy
by Denyse Schmidt for Free Spirit
Available here

   To be honest I had another print picked out for today, but I just hopped over to Keyka Lou's Blog and she said everything about it today in this post so I'll show you another print from the same line. She is also running a very interesting system to help everyone achieve their goals week by week, I'd take a peek if I were you. ;)

   So, this fabric... I found it very interesting, pretty and retro enough to make a blouse from the Violet pattern from Collette Patterns. I feel that these two would make a gorgeous clothing piece, if only Collette made patterns my size...

What Happened Last Week?

   OMG! It's been over a week since my last post. I'll fix that with a quick recap.

   My kittens turned 1 month old last Tuesday.

   They wanted to surprise me with this kitten salad. :3

   I swear they were all sleeping there in a salad bowl; they opened their eyes when they heard me running to get the camera.

   We baked gluten-free pizza from this recipe; the crust used tapioca and rice flour instead of wheat flour. It was yummy and I definitely recommend it.

   And last but not least...

   I made tons of clutches, wallets and bags to add to my growing pile of ready to sell items. These are just part of what I made last week.

   If you are interested in any of the following items just let me know. ;-) I'f you want to see more click through to go to my Flickr.

I've Been Working...

   Yes, I've been working.

   Last year I started to have issues with my health, with my back to be more specific. I couldn't sew one day without feeling like I wouldn't be able to stand up on my feet the next. As I lose weight I feel much more capable of sewing for days on a row without fatiguing. I've lost 43 pounds but I'm a little stalled right now because I'm incorporating gluten-free foods (which are a little higher in carbs than I would normally eat) to my low carb diet.

   Now I feel that the effort is worth everything because this is what I love to do most: sewing.

...and I've been sewing A LOT. This is just part of what I've made these past 2 weeks, I'm working full time stocking up for future events. <3

Fabric Crush Monday #22

Melody Miller Ruby Star Shining Fabric - Flowers in Aqua | Available here

   I have no words to express my love for this fabric. :D A couple of months ago I got a half yard of another Melody Miller print and it was LOVE. These flowers are so gorgeous I'll probably get me some of it. What do you think?

My cute little kittens - 2 weeks and a half

   I just wanted to keep you all updated with my kitties. They already opened their eyes and their ears are pointier. They're chubbier and puffier, but they can't stand on all four legs yet. I'm in LOVE, even though I'm really trying to not love all of them because I know I can't keep them and their new guardians are anxious to have them home.

   The other day I was SUPER scared because they started to throw up their milk. It turned out that it was only worms, so I gave them some wormer and everything is alright now. Say hi to my babies!

**Pictures were taken on Wednesday.

The calico is always yelling at her momma.

Braaainsss, oh sorry! Miiiiilk!

Arepas Venezolanas - Recipe

   Here is the long awaited recipe for my ultimate comfort food; Arepas Venezolanas. I guess most of you are wondering: What in the world is an arepa? So I set up to find a definition that would work for everyone around the globe.

Wikipedia says:

An arepa is a flat, round, unleavened patty made of cornmeal or flour which can be grilled, baked, boiled, or fried. The characteristics vary by color, flavor, size, thickness, garnishment, and the food with which it may be stuffed, depending on the region. It is a native sort of bread made of ground corn (or flour), water, and salt which is fried into a pancake-like bread. It can be topped or filled with meat, eggs, tomatoes, salad, cheese, shrimp, or fish.

   The story of how I stumbled upon this recipe has its origins a few weeks ago. I realized that I might be sensitive to gluten so I started to research about all the options a gluten-free diet might offer and I stumbled upon this site. The original recipe makes more arepas but I make a smaller batch because I'm also watching my carbs. I like to make them very thin, because they turn out super crispy but they are normally thicker which makes them crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. They can be made thick enough to work as a little bread bun that can be cut open and stuffed with whatever filling you crave. I love to eat them topped with cheddar cheese but any salty topping or filling would work.

Ingredients

**Makes 4 arepas

   -1/2 cup Masarepa (pre-cooked cornmeal)
   -1/8 tsp salt
   -1 tbsp of Splenda sweetener or sugar
   -1 cup boiling water
   -Oil for frying

 

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix together the cornmeal and salt. Pour in 3/4 cups of boiling water and mix to form a dough. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and set aside to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
2. With wet hands, form a ball using 1/4 of the dough and press  on a piece of wax paper to form a cake about 4 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. If the dough cracks at the edges, mix in a little more water and then form the cakes. Repeat, until all four arepas are formed.
3. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the patties to form a light brown crust on one side, 5 to 6 minutes. Flip and brown on the other side.
4. When all the patties have been fried, transfer them to a paper towel. Top and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

If you make them, please take a picture and share.  :D