JUNIEblake winners...

Thanks to all who entered...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congrats to Jenna and Rikki! :)

(You will get an email from one of the gals at JUNIEblake soon...)

tortellini soup...

The husband was feeling a little under the weather the other day, so being the good little wifey that I am, I whipped up a batch of tortellini soup.  Because soup cures all ailments, you know.

I kind of made it up as I went...turned out great!

This makes a fabulous base recipe.  You can swap out ingredients easily depending what you like or have on hand.  Hate zucchini?  Substitute a bell pepper.  No kidney beans in the pantry?  Use garbanzo beans instead.  Tons of ripe tomatoes?  Use fresh instead of canned. Want more spice?  Add Italian sausage.  Tons of possibilities here, people...

It's full of veggies and very filling.  I think we'll be enjoying this one a lot come fall.

Tortellini Soup

inspired by FamilyFun.com

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 Tbs. minced garlic

1 medium onion, diced

2 medium carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 small zucchini, diced

1 cup baby spinach, chopped

1 can petite diced tomatoes

1 large can tomato sauce

1 32 oz. carton reduced sodium chicken broth

1/2 Tbs. Italian spice blend

Dash of red pepper flakes

Salt & pepper to taste

1 13 oz. package fresh or frozen tortellini (any filling flavor)

Directions:

Chop all of your veggies first, then heat olive oil in soup pot.  Add garlic and cook 1 minute.  Add onion, carrots, and celery.  Saute until onion is soft and translucent.  Add zucchini and cook 1-2 minutes.

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, Italian spices, red pepper flakes, and salt & pepper.  (We like our soup kind of thick and chunky, so if you want a thinner/broth-ier soup feel free to add a couple additional cups of liquid--water or chicken broth.)  Bring to a boil, then allow to simmer for at least 20 minutes.  As with all soups, flavors deepen over time, so let it simmer longer if you like.  (I always like leftover soup better...)

Once it's almost time to serve, bring the soup back to a boil and add the spinach and tortellini.  Allow to cook according to the tortellini package directions...mine was only 3-5 minutes.  Once your pasta is tender, you're ready to eat!  Top with parmesan cheese, a few fresh herbs, and serve with crusty bread.

button rings...

A friend gave me some ring blanks she didn't want, so I put them to good use and made some quick and easy button rings.

Here's all you need to make your own:

a fancy button

ring blank

E-6000 glue

shank cutter (or pliers)

styrofoam

Start by using your shank cutter to cut off the loop on the back of your button (that's the shank).  I got my shank cutter for a couple of bucks at Joann and I use it all the time...but you could just try breaking it off with pliers, too.

Once your button is ready to go, use the styrofoam to hold your ring in place.  I used the bottom of a Sonic cup.  (Happy Hour Cranberry Limeade...yes, please!)

Now squeeze a little dab of E-6000 onto your ring blank and position your button of choice.  (If your button slides around, you can kind of "shim" it up underneath with a little folded piece of paper to keep it level and in the right place.)

Let that bad boy dry overnight...

Then enjoy a funky statement ring for a fraction of the cost.

These would be a great party favor or little gift.  

You can make a whole bunch for not a whole lot of dough.  

That's my kind of project!

review & giveaway: JUNIEblake clothing...(CLOSED)

Have you heard of JUNIEblake clothing?

They are a relatively new company where modest clothing meets fashion forward thinking.  And their dresses are awesome--stylish, yet so easy to wear.

Here are a few of my faves...

Love the coral stripes of this simple t-shirt dress.

This minty green is such a hot color right now.

And who isn't always on the hunt for a great maxi?

(I love that this one has sleeves!)

The fabulous gals at JUNIEblake sent me a dress to try out so I could tell you guys all about it.  Here's a shot of me in the Emma Dress...

Pretend I'm not 24 weeks pregnant and actually have a waist... :)

I am honestly really pleased with the product.  The knit fabric is good quality--nice and soft, not too thin.  And I'm a big fan of the double-wrap waist tie.  Also, I feel like these dresses are super versatile.  Depending on how you accessorize, it would be easy to dress up for a special occasion or dress down for a more casual look.  Plus, the length is great.  One of my biggest pet peeves is when a dress looks like it's knee length in the photos, but when I put it on it's mid-thigh.  I feel like this dress is cut true to the description...always appreciated!

Now on to the best part--JUNIEblake is offering 2 lucky Stay-at-Home Artist readers a $30 gift card!

Enter using the fancy-schmancy Rafflecopter widget below....

(You'll have to click over if you're using a reader.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

we have some winners...

A couple of lucky ladies have won a pair of earrings from Ivy Lane Accessories...

Thanks to all those who entered!

You can still snag some of these darling earrings at 15% off.

Enter code SAHA15 at checkout.

Promo is only good through tomorrow (7/15)...

so hurry on over to Ivy Lane Accessories!

reversible flannel receiving blankets with decorative stitching...

I decided to start my baby sewing with some simple flannel receiving blankets.  

They sell receiving blankets in the store for pretty cheap, but I found that most of them weren't very soft.  Plus, I like to buy flannel when it's on sale, so I already had a couple of cute prints on hand.

This is a REALLY easy project, too--perfect for beginners.  And you get to use some of those decorative stitches on your machine!  (I always want to play around with them, but never have a reason to...)

To make one of these little blankets, you will need:

1 yard of flannel for the front

1 yard of co-ordinating flannel for the back

thread (preferably in a fun, contrasting color)

rotary cutter or scissors

sewing machine

pins

small round bowl or plate

I started by pre-washing my fabric.  Some people do it, others don't.  You decide.  I like to get the shrinkage out of the way.  

Next, cut your fabrics into squares.  Since your flannel is 44" wide and 36" (1 yard) long, ideally you would end up with 36 x 36" cuts...but oftentimes you'll find they cut your yardage very crooked at the cut counter.  And if you pre-washed, you'll have some shrinkage.  So once I squared up my fabrics, each of my blankets were more like 32 x 32"--some a little smaller, some a little bigger.  (You can really make these whatever size or shape you want.  I just read online that 34-36" squares are good for swaddling, so I kind of went that route.)

Okay--so you should have 2 squares of flannel cut to the same size.  Make sure they are right-sides together.  Take your little bowl or plate and place it in the corner...

Now use your rotary cutter to trace around the bowl and round off the edge.  If you don't have a rotary cutter, just trace the curve with a marker and trim it off with your scissors.  Repeat for each corner.

Pin your two layers together, then head to your sewing machine and straight stitch all the way around using 1/2" seam allowance, leaving a 5" gap for turning.

Clip all of your curved corners to reduce bulk.

Reach through your 5" gap, turn the fabrics right-side out, and poke out the corners. Use your iron to press the seams nice and flat, making sure the edges of your gap are pressed evenly with the rest of the seam allowance.

Now we'll top stitch around the entire perimeter to close that gap and finish off the blanket.  You could just straight stitch...but that's boring!  Like I said, how often do you get to use those cute decorative stitches that come with so many sewing machines?  Choose a zig zag, scallop, or other fun pattern just to add a little interest.  (If you're unsure about what decorative stitches your machine can do, bust out your machine manual!)

And if you are going to go to all the trouble of a decorative stitch, make sure you use a contrasting color of thread so the pattern really pops.

Now you can make a whole slew of cute little reversible blankets for a baby on-the-way.  Plus, you could use your flannel scraps to embellish a burp cloth and make a gift set for a baby shower!

** P.S. Don't forget to enter the Ivy Lane Accessories giveaway HERE. **  

There will be TWO winners...and the odds are looking good!  Ends 7/13/12.

(And the shop owner just added some cute new styles...including chevron!)

Fabric sources:

Monkey print--Joann

Orange dots--Walmart

Aqua circles/dots--Joann

Turquoise dots--Walmart

Elephant print--Joann

Brown lattice--Joann

Bike print--Fabric.com (Michael Miller)

Gray dots--Fabric.com (Robert Kauffman)

earring giveaway from Ivy Lane Accessories...(CLOSED)

I am SUPER excited about the giveaway I have for you guys this week.

Ivy Lane Accessories is a newly opened Etsy shop filled with the most darling fabric-covered button earrings at affordable prices.  I mean, who can resist these beauties?

Gina, the shop owner, sent me a pair to try out and I honestly love them.

They come in a small box, on a darling colored card--perfect for gift giving.

(Wouldn't these be great little birthday gifts or stocking stuffers?!)

Also, I have extremely sensitive ears, so I wondered if these little cuties would work for me.  I normally have to buy sterling silver earrings, but the nickel-free posts are awesome!  I can wear them all day and they don't cause any irritation for me at all.  (Score!)

Gina has kindly offered to give TWO winners a pair of earrings of their choice!

To Enter:  Visit Ivy Lane Accessories and leave a comment on this post about the earrings you would choose if you win.  (BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS!)

Additional Entries: Favorite Ivy Lane Accessories on Etsy, Add Ivy Lane Accessories to your circle on Etsy, or follow Stay-at-Home Artist via RSS feed or GFC.  Leave separate comments on this post for each entry. (BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS!)

The giveaway will be open until Friday, July 13th at noon (Mountain Time).  

The winners will be announced shortly thereafter.

In the meantime, Stay-at-Home Artist readers can get 15% off any Ivy Lane Accessories purchase with this coupon code:  

SAHA15

The prices are already AMAZING, so use the code to stock up for Christmas, birthdays, or just treat yourself!  The discount is valid through Saturday, July 14th.