My Name is Paul - red carpet premier

One of the very fun projects I have been working on lately - a red carpet dress! I had so much fun working on this dress. Yes, a few moments of wanting to tear my hair out too. But that is usually true when working on a larger project.

Our dear friend Abigail Cornell was in the movie My Name is Paul. She and I designed the dress together - and in 3 weeks, we had the final product. I used a turquoise crepe backed satin with matching lining from Hancock Fabrics and found the lace overlay at MaryJo's (in Charlotte).

Thank you Jennifer Robertson Photography for the photo. 

It is hard to tell from the photos, but the bottom turquoise is a fitted mermaid style. I love the way it moved under the lace. A little surprise when she is moving.

I am super happy with how it turned out - although it wasn't exactly what I had in my head. I am still fairly new to dress design/making. And I RARELY do things so formal. Typically sun dresses and work clothes are what I tackle. I am super happy I did this and look forward to more opportunities to work on formal clothes.

Congratulations Abbey on another movie premier! Can't wait to see the movie.

Later Gators...

Welcome Cupcake!

Meet the latest addition to our family, Cupcake. For some reason, I keep calling her Penelope. I chalk it up to mommy mush brain. She has the annoying habit of waking up between 3 and 4 to go out and play. I would say to use the 'facilities' but usually she has already done that inside. :( Needless to say, with shortened sleep and messes in the kitchen - I am not the easiest person to be around in the morning. For all of my local friends - consider yourself warned. At least we are able to use a baby gate and keep her in the kitchen where messes are easier to clean.

Cupcake is an energetic 8 month old, semi house trained, mostly obedient, and only mildly irritating to Boomer. Boomer has finally decided to let her know when she goes to far. It has been interesting to see both dogs interact. Both are somewhat submissive, so it is interesting watching their relationship develop.

We had started looking at some other Treeing Walker Coonhounds (just like Boomer) that are available around the area. Of course - aren't they all cute?!?!? We has JUST started talking about getting a second dog. Silly me, I'm thinking (hoping) we will get another dog just a sweet and calm as Boomer. Of course, I forgot he was a bit of work at first to. Then just 3 days later, poof - we have a new dog.

Lucy has discovered a love for training Cupcake. Getting Cup to sit and giving her a treat puts a huge smile on Lucy's face. She walks around with quit the strut. Since Lucy is smaller than Cupcake, I can see how empowered she feels. And, isn't it nice to get a dog to sit still instead of tackling you? Who wouldn't like that?!

So, we all continue to adjust and try to spread the love.

Upcycle Projects

Yes, we have been really busy outside lately, but I have still found some time to sew. Here are some pics of a few of the projects I have been working on. These projects are focused on finding new uses for old items.

Up first: coffee sack tote bags. This is the front and back of one bag. I have several more in the works. I love the look of these - but really, working with burlap is not my favorite. It is SOOOO messy. Luckily, I have a serger which makes the job a little less messy.

Fun, right?

Next up: summer dresses made from men's shirts. Fun sun dresses that just slip on. The elasticized area sits above the waist, just below the bust to flatter most body types. Every dress is unique. Cool and stylish or just off?

 I have a new respect for picking fabrics and envisioning the final product. Some items are easier than others.

Until later...

Jill

Peaches and Blackberries

We love peaches around here. Sadly, we don't get good peaches very often. I was fortunate enough to find a road side stand this year that is selling peaches from South Caroline. They have been sooooo good!!! I have gone back to buy more, twice. I hope to go back and buy a whole case to can, but we shall see how much time I have on my hands.

I have made a low sugar peach jam. Yum.

Peach crisp. Put over ice cream, extra yum.

And my first attempt at canning peaches: let's just say, my mother-in-law and I decided to quit while we were behind. I think the end result was good, but the process did not go overly well. I was so glad to have her by my side - otherwise I really would have thought I was crazy and completely inept. Turns out, it was the peaches, not me. Phew. I hope to try again next week.

And yes, I have made some blackberry jelly too. I love to have a bit of jelly with some of my homemade peanut butter.

The first berries of the season were really pretty. The last week, not so much. I am not sure what has gone wrong, but I assume all the rain has something to do with it. The jelly still tastes good, but is a little more cloudy. Oh well, I will still enjoy the jelly come this winter!

Have you been preserving any of this summer's bounty? What are your favorite methods?

Until later...
Jill

7-up biscuits

Yep, I've made them too. YUM!

There are a ton of recipes out there, all a little different. Of course, all have Bisquick. I had no Bisquick in the house. Bummer. So, to Google I went to find a way to make my own Bisquick from scratch. Yes, I wanted the biscuits that bad. Again, there are a million recipes out there, all a little different. So, I decided to just wing it and see what happened.

Homemade Bisquick:
http://www.food.com/recipe/homemade-bisquick-mix-69051

I also added 2 TBSP sugar, as most of the other recipes used sugar. Although, not sure it matters. I will probably omit it the 'next' time I make this - assuming there is a next time. Yes, it's good, but it takes time. Just depends on how desperate I am.

I used my food processor to cut the shortening into the flour. You have to do this in stages, unless you have a massive sized machine. Then I just kind of mixed it all together.

Biscuits:
4 cups Bisquick
1 cup 7-Up
1 cup light sour cream
1/4 cup butter

Preheat oven to 400 deg F. Put butter in a 9x13" pan. Put pan in oven to melt butter. Don't over cook this, burned butter is no good. :)

Mix everything else together. The dough will be wet. Put some flour on the counter. WARNING: the next part is messy. Grab about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of dough (I just guessed here). Roll dough in flour lightly and form it into a ball. Place in the pan. Repeat to make 12 biscuits.

Bake until golden brown approximately 10-15 minutes, depending on your oven.

And when they come out, you really should wait a FEW minutes so you don't burn your mouth. But, if you are anything like me, have a glass of water on hand and just bite and swig at the same time. Yeah, I am not very patient.

I will be working on a slightly healthier version - to see if I can keep the same great taste and texture but reduce the calories and fat while increasing the good stuff.

Until next time, increase your exercise to help counteract these little lovelies.

Jill