Bundle of Lime

  Disclaimer: Some of these pictures may not look all that appetizing but trust me, these are really good!   I have been exploring recipes for easy "snacks" that fill me up and fulfill the requirements of the way I have been eating lately (see information on ketogenic diet in case you are interested). I love anything made with coconut and have recently discovered that coconut oil is definitely my friend (I cook with it, add it to my tea, etc). Not too long ago, I decided to try a recipe for  Coconut Oil Candy 'Fat Bombs'  from the Eat Fat Lose Fat blog , which turned out to be a hit. Not only does one fill me up in between meals if I need a quick something, but it also satisfies any cravings that I might be having (which are fewer and farther in between) AND they are very tasty.   I followed the recipe here directly, using 2 tablespoons of Stevia in the Raw and 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder (I used exact amounts listed for the other ...

I don't know how we got to the end of November already but here we are. The Midwest had a couple of really nice days around Thanksgiving Day so I can't complain but as of today, we are back to the cold windy weather we've been experiencing for the last couple of weeks. I don't envy those who have already had more snow than we have gotten in Nebraska (which hasn't been much at all). I should be embracing some inspiration to knit warm sweaters, make hearty stews and drink hot cocoa. Instead, I have found myself struggling to do much of anything that doesn't involve my couch, a blanket, fleece pj pants and my four-legged companions. In my previous post , I made some body butter using shea butter as a base ingredient in  this recipe . To follow up, I also made the same recipe using mango butter instead of shea butter with the intention of comparing the two. After a couple of weeks of using both body butters, I have to say that it is a toss-up. The shea butter i...

Let's face it. Winter in the Midwest is dry. My hair gets static-y from the dryness, my hands get rough, and my skin itches from the lack of moisture in the air. Not to mention going from indoor cozy to outdoor Hoth doesn't help the situation. I've struggled with this most winters since I moved to Omaha and based on an internet search for homemade skin moisturizers, I'm not alone. I have long been interested in making my own skin care products. I've been a hobby aromatherapist since I was 14 years old. In high school, I thought the coolest job in the world would have been to do product development for Aveda (this was after Jim Henson passed away, sadly, and I had to give up my first dream of moving to California to become a Muppeteer. And alas, I didn't do so hot in high school chemistry). Over the years, I've dabbled in making my own moisturizers and lotions with very mixed success. A little over a year ago, I had a health issue which led my doctor to r...

Lately I've been itching to get back to some sewing. And after the excitement and fun of Halloween, that is exactly what I have done. About a month ago, a friend ordered 3 custom silk bags from me. I haven't made any in a long time but luckily I had step-by-step instructions written down in a little notebook that I had stashed away. I'm so happy that I did that! Part of the process involves dying the silk, which is one of my two favorite parts...my other favorite part comes when you get to see the final product. Below is a picture of the dye pan for 1 of the 3 bags. Doesn't look like much, does it? I used green, blue and yellow silk dyes on this one. The order was for one bag in sea green, one in blue, and one in yellow. The biggest question in my mind was how was I going to get a sea green. Somehow it seemed to work! Of the bags below, the bag on the left is the same as the fabric in the above picture (which is the sea green bag). The middle bag is a combina...

It's been a long time since I've posted anything edible on my blog. And this item is definitely an experiment! A few weeks ago, in an attempt to break my carbohydrate addiction, I decided to start following a ketogenic diet. What exactly does that mean? In case you are curious, Ketogenic Diet Resource is one of the websites that I have been referencing lately and it seems to have a plethora of information (I just said "plethora"). There is a lot of information out there about losing weight by following this type of eating plan. While I would love to lose some weight in this process, my main goal has been to kick my carb-crazed alter-ego to the curb and stop venturing down to vendo-land every day at work to stock up on Nutter Butters.  Also, please note that I am not a nutritionist and I in no way endorse any type of diet in particular. I am a firm believer in the idea that everyone has a unique biochemistry and therefore there is no one right way of eating. ...

Last night, I deviated from my originally-intended schedule of posting every Monday evening due to two main things... First, I had a computer issue. A special thank you goes out to a close friend who will remain nameless (but you know who you are) for correcting the problem. I am pretty certain that I would have been stuck for a long time without a working browser had it not been for you. Second, I ran out of time to prepare for what I wanted to post so I decided instead to focus on my shop. Now most of you reading this probably do not know what a tremendous feat this has been for me to get items posted for sale, but trust me, this has been a long time coming! Approximately 2 years, in fact! And so, without further ado, I give you...(fanfare, drumroll and jazz hands!...) The Gilded Cog  complete with actual items for sale! Now the real work begins...I have more items to post soon, shop upkeep to learn, and hopefully orders to fill (one custom order wi...

I haven't been sewing much lately. Okay, at all. It's not that a part of me isn't itching to dive into the pile of fabric currently inhabiting a corner of my living room. It's more that I've been distracted by other creative outlets. A week ago this past Sunday, I had a booth at the first annual Midwest Conjurefest , where I sold some of my creations. I was quite excited about it, actually. That day brought a lot of new acquaintances, made me a little extra money (to put back into materials with which to fuel the creative addictions, of course) and gave me the little boost of motivation that I need in order to do more with my shop .  A couple of years ago, I came up with these magnets for a particular occasion... I was left with an abundance of them when the event was through, and finally decided to sell them. The material is glass with copper tape around the outer edge, which is aged to look more rustic. The paper is a variety of Steampunk-themed pa...

In staying true to my promise of updating my blog regularly, I have decided this week to deviate from my intended crafty topic to tell a story of two friends who went to dinner together this evening. A long-time co-worker emailed me last week to tell me that she is leaving her current position to pursue the unknown. I immediately suggested dinner! First, I had to make sure that there were no unfortunate events leading up to this major life change, and second, I had to make sure that we had at least one last huzzah as co-workers. We had a fabulous time, an amazing dinner and inspiring conversation. While I could talk about the part of our conversation involving her decision to make this major change in her life, I will refrain, for that is her story to tell. Instead, I will talk about another topic of our conversation...that of purging unnecessary items from one's surroundings with the intent of decluttering. It turns out that my co-worker and I have both been on this journey late...

No one ever likes being sick but sometimes it seems to be the inevitable fate of even the best germ-ninjas. Yesterday I succumbed to some sinus gunk that has me at home today, wishing I was at work instead of feeling all icky and tired. My morning has consisted of the alternating tasks of sleeping, reading and drinking fluid. Restlessness had finally gotten the better off me, and I find myself in front of the television, having relocated with my blanket,  tea and Kleenex. I have decided to watch some Star Wars and see if I can make some progress on this almost-abandoned sweater that I started back in January. This pattern is in a book that I've had on my shelf for quite some time. Indigo Knits has some really neat projects in it, most of which call for reclaimed denim which can be manipulated and altered further after knit into garments by using distressing techniques on the yarn once it's knit up. Very cool stuff! As much as I would love to work with reclaimed denim ...

I can't believe how much time has gone by since I last created an entry! I have been busy entertaining myself by learning more about fitting and how to use my sewing machine more effectively. My most recent venture is the Sewing with Knits class on Craftsy . Much of the class is stuff that I am somewhat familiar with, but going through the lessons is giving me more confidence as I trudge through the unfamiliar territory of stretchy fabrics. I always felt that even though I could sew stretch knits with my regular sewing machine, I really needed a Serger to do it nicely. I now know that this is totally not true and I'm really happy with my recent finished products. As a result of what I've learned, I recently got myself a double needle for stretch fabrics. Why did I not do this sooner?!? I love the polished look that a double needle adds to a garment. Another favorite new venture is the wide world of pdf patterns. This might be common place to most everyone else out there ...

I was inspired the other day by this post, the  stripe tee DIY tutorial , and decided I had to make my own. I scoured a local shop for some basic t-shirts that I liked and settled on a (rather bland when plain) oatmeal tee. Suzannah used gold spray paint for her tee but I already had some fabric paint on hand that I use for silk painting, so I opted to go with that instead. I decided too that the metallic copper would set off the oatmeal color nicely. Since I was going to stipple the paint on with a brush (rather than spray painting), I just blocked off the areas to paint with masking tape. I also placed a layer of craft paper inside the shirt to keep the paint from bleeding through to the back. I located the front middle of the shirt, marked it off with straight pins and then measured from there using a quilter's ruler that I happened to have laying around (honestly, any ruler will do though).     My stripes were 1.25" tall with a 1" s...