Zebra Bento

Posted on July 17, 2012 by eclecticlamb

I created this for my nephew a few days before his 4th birthday. This bento lunch was themed to match the activity we did that day. We went to Hidden Valley Animal Adventure. They have trolley rides where visitors can feed animals such as zebras from a cup.

When I returned my nephew to his parents. They asked him what we did. He said, “I ate a zebra sandwich!”.

Zebra: Peanut butter sandwich cut with a horse cookie cutter. Eye: Wilton candy eye Stripes: Fruit by the foot

Cup: Starburst candy (softened a few seconds in the microwave and then shaped)

Background: celery sticks and snow peas (I know that this was wishful thinking that he would eat it all but I wanted a background)

Striped Cookies: I used these cookies.

Raspberries

Linking up at:
Bento Lunch Bento Blog Network

Posted in Bento / Cute Food | Tagged | 7 Comments

Transportation Birthday Party

Posted on July 13, 2012 by eclecticlamb

My sister-in-law held her son’s 4th birthday at her parent’s farm. The invitation for this party mentioned trains, cars, tractors, and trucks. This was a family party with about half adults and half young cousins in attendance.

My contributions to this party:

Watermelon: I used these directions from the National Watermelon Promotion Board.I decided to make the numbers out of card stock instead of watermelon. I was a little nervous since it was my first watermelon I carved. But I have plenty of pumpkin carving experience and I have carving tools so this was easy.

Race car watermelon

Train: I used this idea (scroll down) from ID Mommy. I changed the engine and added numbers. I could not find black card stock so I used a combination of construction paper and card stock. Since my nephew was celebrating his 4th birthday I created four cars and numbered them. We filled the train with cheese, crackers, trail mix, and pretzels.

Engine and first car of snack train

Entire train (before it was filled)



Tractor: My husband came up with the concept and created this vegetable tray tractor. We forgot to take a photo of the finished tractor. The dip container was in refrigerator when I took photo. We put the cherry tomatoes around the dip container to serve as the wagon.

Green Fendt vegetable tractor

Noodle Race track: I found the directions for the track here at My Little Gems. We just balanced the tracks on a chair. The kids enjoyed playing with this! I decided to keep the tracks separate to allow for flexibility of play. It was a cheap and easy party activity.

Race tracks balanced on a chair

Finish line

Contributions from others:

Car jello

Traffic light fruit on chocolate and cinnamon graham crackers

Traffic light celery

Flatbed truck cake (side)

Flatbed truck cake (back) The license plate has the birthday boy’s age and initials.

Posted in Party Planning | 3 Comments

Week 25 TAST Cable Chain Stitch

Posted on July 12, 2012 by eclecticlamb

The stitch for week 25 of TAST is the Cable Chain Stitch.

While my version may not be as beautiful as more accomplished stitchers, I enjoyed playing with this stitch.

Posted in Embroidery | Comments Off on Week 25 TAST Cable Chain Stitch

Picnic Bento

Posted on July 11, 2012 by eclecticlamb

My 13 year old niece and I planned this bento. I am proud of her concept and planning. She even created a grocery list for me!

Picnic blanket: rice and red pepper

Grass: snow peas

Watermelon: red pepper, chocolate sprinkles, green bean (rind)

Blue Cooler: apple coated with lemon juice and blue sugar

Ants: chocolate sprinkles

Jam Tarts: raspberry and grape

I used a wooden berry basket and added a wooden cover (my husband cut some craft wood to fit). I took apart a dollar store basket to create a handle. My handle is temporary but you can add a staple to make it more permanent.

Linking up at:
Bento Lunch Bento Blog Network

Posted in Bento / Cute Food | 6 Comments

Felt Road Gift

Posted on July 5, 2012 by eclecticlamb

When I found the Felt Road patrol kit post by Kristen at  Make the Best of Everything, I knew it would be perfect for my nephew’s 4th birthday. I decided to keep my kit simple and did not add the road signs or instructions. I bought a plastic box to hold the kit but forgot to take a photo.

My husband and I made this kit together. He came up with the idea for drawing the templates. (see photo below). He taped two carpenter pencils to a paint stick. Our pencils are 5.25 inches apart from center to center.

Drawing a road piece template

Cutting out the felt road pieces

Painting lines

The entire kit

To make your own kit, see the Felt Road patrol kit post by Kristen at Make the Best of Everything.

Posted in Crafts | 1 Comment

Sand Dollar Bento

Posted on July 4, 2012 by eclecticlamb

This week the Bento of the Week (BOTW) theme at the Bento Blog Network is “Beach”.

My inspiration was Maine vacations my family took when I was a kid. I loved to walk the beach and find sand dollars. This is what the Maine sand dollar looks like.

Sand: Near East Parmesan Couscous
Sand Dollar: Monterey Jack Cheese and Wilton Food Marker
Ocean: Blueberries

Linking up at:
Bento Lunch Bento Blog Network

Posted in Bento / Cute Food | 2 Comments

July 4th Bento

Posted on June 27, 2012 by eclecticlamb

This week the Bento of the Week (BOTW) theme at the Bento Blog Network is “4th of July”.

My 11 year old nephew and I came up with this red, white and blue theme for this lunch. We worked together to make the lunch (my nephew made the sandwiches).

  • mozzarella cheese sticks (white)
  • sliced strawberries (red)
  • white bread sandwiches with grape jelly (white and blue)
  • blueberries (blue)

Linking up at:
Bento Lunch Bento Blog Network

Posted in Bento / Cute Food | 6 Comments

Hot Bento

Posted on June 21, 2012 by eclecticlamb

This week the Bento of the Week (BOTW) theme at the Bento Blog Network is “Hot”.

While brainstorming the theme I thought about three interpretations for hot.

  1. Sun
  2. Spicy
  3. Cool and refreshing for a hot day

I decided to incorporate all three interpretations for hot in this bento.

Linking up at:
Bento Lunch Bento Blog Network

Posted in Bento / Cute Food | 3 Comments

Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge

Posted on June 17, 2012 by eclecticlamb

A few days ago my 11 year old nephew and I went hiking at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge in Alabama, NY. We walked the Swallow Hollow and Onondaga trails. This was our second time visiting these trails. Our first time was in June, 2009. Both times the trails were abundant with wildlife. This visit we saw turtles, frogs, blue herons, many birds, dragonflies, deer, and a mouse. I highly recommend a visit to this wildlife refuge.

WARNING: Be careful walking the Onondaga trail. There are many animal made holes near the water section of the trail. Try not to step in a hole while enjoying the beautiful views and wildlife.

Click on photos for a larger view.

Swallow Hollow Trail Sign

Entrance to Swallow Hollow Trail

Boardwalk section of trail

Empty shells

Green cattails

Turtle on log

Onondaga Trail Sign

View from Onondaga trail

Frog in water

Deer on trail

Frog (my nephew took this photo)

Posted in Adventures | 1 Comment

Week 24 TAST Buttonhole Wheel

Posted on June 16, 2012 by eclecticlamb

The stitch for week 24 of TAST is the Buttonhole Wheel. I tried the Buttonhole Wheel during week 2 Buttonhole stitch. Since I did not need to make a page for my sampler, I created a bookmark. It was a fun little project.

Posted in Embroidery | 7 Comments

Swimming Bento

Posted on June 13, 2012 by eclecticlamb

SwimmingBentoW

This week the  Bento of the Week (BOTW) theme at the Bento Blog Network is Swimming. The only theme part of this is the bears swimming in blueberries. But it tasted great!

  • Cinnamon Teddy Grahams in blueberries
  • Plain Greek yogurt with blue sprinkles
  • Cold Peanut Noodles with cucumber (recipe below)

Close-up of bears in pool

Cold Peanut Noodles Recipe (4 servings, 1 cup pasta per serving, add cucumbers to each serving)

  • 1/2 pound angel hair pasta
  • 1 TBS sesame oil
  • 1 tsp powdered ginger
  • 1 1/2 TBS natural peanut butter
  • 1 TBS soy sauce
  • 1 TBS rice vinegar
  • 1/2 TBS lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cucumber, chopped

Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.

Whisk together remaining ingredients except the cucumber.

Mix dressing and hot pasta.

Refrigerate pasta and cucumber separately for several hours.

Linking up at:
Bento Lunch Bento Blog Network

Posted in Bento / Cute Food | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Bagel and Cheese Bento

Posted on June 10, 2012 by eclecticlamb

I created this bento lunch for my 11 year old nephew. He did not want a theme. Typically I like to make themed bentos but it was fun to try to make ordinary food interesting.

  • Chocolate covered pretzels
  • Strawberries and blackberries
  • Pistachios
  • Mini plain bagels with homemade grape jelly
  • Jalapeno cheese sticks from Wegmans
Posted in Bento / Cute Food | 1 Comment

Weeks 22 & 23 TAST Knotted Cretan Stitch & Catch-up

Posted on June 10, 2012 by eclecticlamb

The stitch for week 22 of TAST is the Knotted Cretan stitch.

I was not good at Cretan (week 4) so I was not looking forward to working with the knotted Cretan stitch. I don’t think it is a stitch I will use often.

Week 23 was a catch-up week. I am looking forward to seeing what the stitch will be for week 24.

Posted in Embroidery | 2 Comments

Tree Bento

Posted on May 30, 2012 by eclecticlamb

Maybe this should be called Sugar Bento. There are not as many M&M’s as there appear. They are not under the tree. But there are still more than I intended. My 10 year old nephew requested this theme and helped assemble this lunch.

  • Peanut butter sandwich with green sprinkles
  • Raspberry yogurt with green candy leaves
  • Strawberry and kiwi
Posted in Bento / Cute Food | 3 Comments

Week 21 TAST Butterfly Chain Stitch

Posted on May 28, 2012 by eclecticlamb

The stitch for week 21 of TAST is the Butterfly Chain stitch. I had fun working with this stitch.

Posted in Embroidery | 3 Comments

Basketball Bento

Posted on May 23, 2012 by eclecticlamb

I created this basketball themed bento for my 15 year old nephew. I had thought that he would not want a themed bento but he did not care as long as it tasted good. I was happy to work with a theme.

  • Mozzarella cheese quesadilla with basketball court drawn with Wilton food safe markers
  • Clementine basketball with some blackberries
  • Cucumber spears with ranch dip
  • Chocolate covered pretzels
  • Pistachios

Bottom tier

Linking up at:
Bento Lunch

Posted in Bento / Cute Food | 5 Comments

NGC Flower Show

Posted on May 21, 2012 by eclecticlamb

The National Garden Club (NGC) convention was in Buffalo this year. My garden club attended their flower show. It was fun and educational to see entries in the various categories.

Apples are in the water

Bamboo and roses

Columbine

Cafe table setting

Another table setting

Hosta

Miniature arrangement with rose

Gourds painted as snakes

Terrarium

Posted in Adventures | 4 Comments

Week 20 TAST Bullion Knot

Posted on May 20, 2012 by eclecticlamb

The stitch for week 20 of TAST is the Bullion Knot stitch.

I have wanted to try this stitch for a long time. One of the things I like about TAST is that it forces me to attempt new stitches. I enjoyed working with the Bullion Knot and look forward to trying it again.

Posted in Embroidery | 4 Comments

Marionette Bento

Posted on May 17, 2012 by eclecticlamb

This weeks theme for Bento of the Week (BOTW) at Bento Blog Network is kabobs. When brainstorming kabobs I came up with a Marionette.

I was aiming for clown but I think it looks more like a silly puppet.

Wood for Marionette holder: pretzel sticks

Strings: angel hair pasta

Hair: sun-dried tomato

Face: Wilton candy eyes, cinnamon imperial nose, Wilton food writer mouth

Arms: pimento stuffed green olives

Frill: red pepper cut with flower cookie cutter (used at neck and sleeves)

Body: baguette and cheddar cheese

Legs: cherry tomatoes

Background: spinach rice

Linking up at:
Bento Lunch Bento Blog Network KitchenFun

Posted in Bento / Cute Food | 4 Comments

Card Games Birthday

Posted on May 14, 2012 by eclecticlamb

I helped my sister-in-law with my nephews 10th birthday party. They have family birthday parties with a mix of adults (Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents) and children (siblings and cousins).  My nephew enjoys playing card games so this was the perfect theme. My sister-in-law did a great job with creating food in the black/red/white theme. My niece and nephews helped with the decorations.

Click on the photos to enlarge.

Decorations

  • Garlands: my nephew punched holes in the cards and we strung them
  • Centerpieces: Card cubes with card game set-ups. We used these wonderful directions. The birthday boy set-up the card games and I took photos. We created set-ups for Cribbage, Euchre, Go Fish, Poker, Rummy, Sequence, Solitaire, and Tripoley. Then I printed out two sets for each type and taped them to bamboo skewers. We stood them up in balls of clay.
  • Tablecloths: black and red
  • Plates: black and red

Party tables

Euchre centerpiece

Garland and table

Another card garland

Appetizers

  • Chips and Salsa: with rectangular (card shaped) chips
  • Cheese and Crackers: Pepper Jack and Cheddar cheese with playing card picks (I copied actual playing cards at 50% – printed out two sets, then taped them to toothpicks)
  • Black and Red fruit tray: strawberries, watermelon, blueberries, blackberries, and black grapes
  • Red, Black and White vegetable tray: mushrooms, red pepper, cherry tomatoes, and black olives

Appetizer table

Cheese and crackers with playing card picks

Meal

I created playing card labels. I used 10’s because it was my nephews 10th birthday. I printed the labels on card stock and taped to skewers. Click here for free playing card food labels. (pictured below)

  • Stack the Deck Sandwiches: marble bread and rolls with assorted cheeses and meats
  • Pinnacle Pasta:  Greek Macaroni Salad
  • Red Suit Salad: I made hearts and diamond croutons using these directions. I also added sliced radish, sliced red pepper, heart and diamond shaped red pepper and cucumber to the lettuce.
  • Bridge Broccoli Salad
  • Joker Jigglers
  • Game of Hearts Snack Mix: homemade chex mix with honey and butter, pretzels, red M&M’s, peanuts, and raisins

Left side of buffet

Right side of buffet

Drinks

My niece created a cute label for the root beer bottle.

  • Queen of Hearts Punch: lemonade, cranberry juice, and ginger ale
  • King of Spades Ale: root beer

Queen of Hearts Punch and the front of King of Spades Ale

Queen of Hearts Punch and the  back of King of Spades Ale

Dessert

  • 10 of Hearts Cake: Chocolate cake with shortening frosting (shortening, confectionery sugar, milk, and vanilla)
  • Trump Tarts:  Tiny Cherry Cheesecakes
  • Ice cream with chocolate or red sprinkles

Dessert selection

Linking to: Tip Junkie handmade projects

Posted in Party Planning | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Week 19 TAST Half Chevron Stitch

Posted on May 9, 2012 by eclecticlamb

The stitch for week 19 of TAST is the Half Chevron stitch.

I liked working with the Chevron stitch but did not have fun with the Half Chevron. I think that I did the last part of the stitch wrong because I do not have a continuous line but when I tried it that way I had other problems. I could not find many online resources such as videos for this stitch and it was not in any of my books.

Anyway, I am glad that I was at least able to complete an attempt at this stitch.

Posted in Embroidery | Comments Off on Week 19 TAST Half Chevron Stitch

Armadillo Bento

Posted on May 9, 2012 by eclecticlamb

This is my attempt at using a leftover stuffed shell to make an armadillo. I had to curve the tail to fit in the bento. The armadillo is on a bed of green beans. I used a slivered almond for the ear and piece of dried blueberry for the eye. The armadillo letters are from cheddar cheese.

In keeping with the letter “A”, I also added almonds and apricots.

Linking up at:
Bento Lunch Bento Blog Network

Posted in Bento / Cute Food | 6 Comments

Week 18 TAST Crossed Buttonhole Stitch

Posted on May 7, 2012 by eclecticlamb

The stitch for week 18 of TAST is the Crossed Buttonhole stitch. This was my first time working with the stitch.

Posted in Embroidery | Comments Off on Week 18 TAST Crossed Buttonhole Stitch

Saturn Bento

Posted on April 30, 2012 by eclecticlamb

You need an imagination for this one. My 7 year old nephew and I made this the same day we went to a movie at the planetarium.

Saturn: Clementine

Rings: Nutella bagel sandwich (homemade from bagel dough)

Sky: Wegmans blue tortilla chips (salsa served on the side)

Moon and stars: Cucumber

Sky with stars: Chocolate pudding with sprinkle stars

Linking up at:
Bento Lunch Bento Blog Network

Posted in Bento / Cute Food | 3 Comments

Week 17 TAST Wheatear Stitch

Posted on April 26, 2012 by eclecticlamb

The stitch for week 17 of TAST is the Wheatear stitch. This was my first time working with the stitch. I found it enjoyable.

I tried to stitch in a circle on Aida and picked it out. I did not yet try the circle again on a different cloth but I think that Wheatear circles are beautiful.

Posted in Embroidery | 2 Comments

Fruit and Vegetable Themed Bento

Posted on April 24, 2012 by eclecticlamb

This bento was for my 13 year old niece. I decided on a fruit and vegetable theme to use some of the cute items my friend sent me from Japan.

Left: Strawberries and Blackberries

Middle: Salad with cucumber cut outs (fruit and vegetable shapes), Wegmans raspberry vinaigrette in strawberry containers, rice ball with peas and carrots in decorative sleeve

Right: Pistachios and chocolate covered pretzels

Strawberries and Blackberries

Closed bento containers

Rice ball packaging – front (click image for larger view)

Rice ball packaging – back (click image for larger view)


Linking up at:
Bento Lunch

Posted in Bento / Cute Food | 5 Comments

Week 16 TAST French Knots

Posted on April 22, 2012 by eclecticlamb

The stitch for week 16 of TAST is the French Knot. Above is my sampler page for the French Knot.

Below are some French Knot examples I did years ago.

Sheep

Tree

French Knots with Antique Button

Posted in Embroidery | 2 Comments

Zucchini and Cheese Pie with Rice Crust

Posted on April 22, 2012 by eclecticlamb

Zucchini Cheese Pie

I enjoy trying new recipes so I do not have a lot of repeat recipes in a dinner rotation. This Zucchini and Cheese Pie is one recipe that has been in my menu rotation for many years. It is adapted from Cooking Light’s Roasted Vegetable-Cheese Pie. Before I married, I made the recipe as provided by Cooking Light.  Since my husband does not like several ingredients in the original recipe I slightly changed this dish. My current version has only one vegetable (zucchini) and more cheese. It is not as healthy as the original but I recommend both recipes.

Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked jasmine, basmati, or long-grain rice
  • 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • Cooking spray
  • 2 small zucchini, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • Freshly grind salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese (or cheese of your choice that melts well)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine rice, egg whites and Parmesan cheese. Press evenly into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Increase oven temperature to 450°.

Combine zucchini, basil, oregano, olive oil, salt  and pepper in a medium bowl; stir to coat. Place zucchini mixture on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 15 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Remove zucchini mixture from oven.

Reduce oven temperature to 375°.

Sprinkle half of cheese (2 ounces) over rice crust. Top with vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with remaining half of cheese (2 ounces). Bake at 375° for about 25 – 30 minutes.

I like to serve it with fruit and milk.

Roasted Zucchini

Baked Rice Crust with Cheese

Completed Zucchini and Cheese Pie

Zucchini Cheese Pie

 

Posted in Food | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Week 15 TAST Stem Stitch

Posted on April 19, 2012 by eclecticlamb

The stitch for week 15 of TAST is the Stem stitch. I am still catching up as we are currently in week 16.

Top row: Stem stitch

Bottom row: Raised stem stitch

Posted in Embroidery | Comments Off on Week 15 TAST Stem Stitch

Terrarium Bento

Posted on April 17, 2012 by eclecticlamb

This is my Earth Day submission for Bento of the Week at Bento Blog Network.

I started planning this about a month ago when the theme was announced. I was happy when my husband came home with this container. His grandma packed macaroons in it for his birthday.

I had a lot of fun planning and creating this terrarium lunch. I admit that I thought more about looks than taste when designing this bento. But it tasted great!

Soil: wild rice
Toadstools: radishes
Bench: carrot
White stones under bench: Parmesan cheese
Rocks: pine nuts around pond
Stepping Stones: almond slivers
Duck: dried apricot
Plants: wilted spinach, micro greens, sugar snap peas, asparagus, cucumber (hidden under the rice)
Pond: blueberry vinaigrette in clear take out sauce container (I made the vinaigrette in a blender using frozen blueberries, olive oil, white wine vinegar and a little bit of sugar)

Closed bento

Duck near pond

Bench and Toadstools

Linking up at:
Bento Lunch Bento Blog Network Bentos on the Bayou

Posted in Bento / Cute Food | Tagged , , | 25 Comments

Week 14 TAST Satin Stitch

Posted on April 16, 2012 by eclecticlamb

The stitch for week 14 of TAST is the Satin Stitch stitch. I have worked a little with satin stitch in the past but was not fond it it. This week was my first time to try padded satin. I think I was supposed to cover over the outline split stitch. But I am still happy with it. I like padded satin much more than normal satin stitch.

I allowed myself to get behind on stitching these last two weeks so I am catching up this week.

Row 1: Straight satin (vertical)

Row 2: Straight satin (horizontal)

Row 3: Padded with stitches

Row 4: Slanted satin

Posted in Embroidery | 1 Comment

Airplane Bento

Posted on April 11, 2012 by eclecticlamb

My 7 year old nephew helped design and style his lunch. He wanted a blue box and an American cheese sun (upper left corner).

The airplane is a peanut butter sandwich. The plane is flying in the clouds (popcorn) with some sky (blue M&M’s) showing through. I originally thought of using cotton candy for the clouds but was inspired by BentOnBetterLunches bento using popcorn clouds.

A giant strawberry and sliced green pepper round out the meal.

Linking up at:
Bento Lunch Beneficial Bento

Posted in Bento / Cute Food | 4 Comments

Felt Peeps

Posted on April 6, 2012 by eclecticlamb

When looking for something to make for my out of town nieces this year, I found this wonderful tutorial and pattern by Michael Ann Made.

These were fast and fun to make. It was a bit more complicated because her key chain option made me think of making clips for them. It was a little difficult to find the hardware and I had to be careful while stitching on the hardware. But I like the result and I hope that my nieces like them. My Mom requested one for herself!

Easter package 2012 (before wrapping)

My sister sent a photo of the peeps on my nieces bags

Posted in Crafts | 1 Comment

Easter Egg Tree

Posted on April 5, 2012 by eclecticlamb

This year is my first time hanging eggs on an egg tree. My Mom helped me out by taking branches from my yard and spray painting them white.

There are two styles of eggs on this tree. My niece and I made both types. Several years ago we followed Martha Stewart’s directions to create the cut-out style Easter eggs. This year we mostly followed directions from Design Sponge to make a simple version of the Ukranian eggs. We created the eggs this year to complement the ones we made years ago.

I bought the kit to make the Ukranian eggs years ago but was not brave enough to try until I found the post on Design Sponge. We made a very easy version which was great for our first time. It still took a LOT of time to complete the project and the dye is messier than normal Easter egg dye. It was a fun project!

Heating Kistka (stylus)

Applying wax

Following directions

Eggs with wax – dye in progress (The egg’s holes are big)

Removing wax

Circle line egg

Flower egg

Crazy circles

Bunny Egg

Portion of eggs on tree

Posted in Crafts | 4 Comments

Felt Easter Bunnies

Posted on April 4, 2012 by eclecticlamb

I made these felt bunnies for Easter  in 2006. I used the directions and pattern from Woman’s Day magazine but I could not find the directions online anymore. I scanned my printed copy and you can see it here – Bunny Pattern

They were fun and easy to make. Once I started making them I could not stop. I made up my own patterns to decorate them with stitches. I can’t believe now how many that I made! These are the ones I did not give away.

Bunnies in Basket

Flaws obvious but still cute

My sheep embroidered on a felt bunny

Bunnies in Tree

Posted in Crafts, Embroidery | 6 Comments

Dump Truck Bento

Posted on April 2, 2012 by eclecticlamb

I made this dump truck themed bento for my 3 year old nephew.

The dump truck is a peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich. I used Craisins for the tires and American cheese for the window. The truck is carrying blueberries.

Below the truck are two traffic signal signs made with cheddar cheese and mini M&M’s. (I did not realize until I uploaded the photos that my signs are upside down) My nephew ate the signs first.

Also pictured are mini saltines with cheddar slices and watermelon in the shape of stop signs.

A successful lunch!

Linking up at:
Bento Lunch

Posted in Bento / Cute Food | 3 Comments

Week 13 TAST Catch-up Week

Posted on March 28, 2012 by eclecticlamb


Sharon asked the TAST stitchers if they wanted a catch-up week. The majority voted yes.  So Week 13 is a catch-up week. I did not vote as it did not matter to me.

This week Sharon provided two mini challenge options.  I decided that I will tackle Mini Challenge 2 “Share a tip on how you manage your stitching time” and in addition I will discuss my experience so far.

Mini Challenge 2

I am new to most of the stitches covered so far in TAST. I decided to create a sampler book. I hope it will be a good resource for myself. Sometimes the fact I am making a sampler book restricts me because I feel I need to finish my page before doing a more creative piece. (I have yet to start to put my book together.)

TAST Sampler Pages in Hatbox

Currently I have a fairly flexible schedule but part of managing my time is to decide if I will only create a sampler page or also do something extra. The ease or difficulty of the stitch and my schedule for that week determine if I create an extra piece.  It also determines how much time I put into my sampler. I have stitched late at night or early in the morning  to keep on schedule. But out of the 12 weeks, I only created an extra item 3 weeks.

My materials and special lighting are organized and set up where I can have easy access but I can also put them away (when I expect visitors). I stitch in many places around my house.

A place where I often stitch

A place where I stash some supplies (outside of my craft room)

I am very deadline driven in general and enjoy completing the TAST task by Sunday afternoon at the latest every week. I prefer to complete by Wednesday or Thursday because I get more blog visitors from Pin Tangle. I enjoy seeing the spike in my visitor stats!

Things about TAST that I enjoy

  • Learning new stitches
  • Stitching every week
  • Viewing amazing work from stitchers around the world
  • Receiving comments and encouragement from kind people

Thanks Sharon and fellow TAST participants!

Posted in Embroidery | 3 Comments

Australia Bento

Posted on March 27, 2012 by eclecticlamb

The inspiration for this theme was a set of flag picks a friend sent from Japan. The set did not have the Australian flag so I made this pick.

The kangaroo is a quesadilla with a cheddar cheese joey. The kangaroo and joey have chocolate chip features. They are held on with a little bit of Nutella.

The kangaroo is on a bed of celery sticks and spinach. The top right liner holds red grapes.  The bottom left liner holds Japanese Koala cookies. The sheep are chocolates by Lindt.

My 13 year old niece helped me make this lunch. We had a great time!

Linking up at:
Bento Lunch Bento Blog Network KitchenFun

Posted in Bento / Cute Food | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Week 12 TAST Barred and Alternating Chain Stitches

Posted on March 25, 2012 by eclecticlamb

The stitch for week 12 of TAST is the Barred Chain and Alternating Barred Chain stitches.

This stitch was not in my pocket stitch guide or Embroidery Stitch Bible. I struggled a little with the stitch but I am glad that I completed my sampler page.

Posted in Embroidery | 1 Comment

Alligator Bento

Posted on March 20, 2012 by eclecticlamb

I made this bento lunch for my 9 year old nephew.

I used my french bread recipe for the alligator but somewhat followed the shaping directions from this recipe. The greased aluminum foil ball worked out great to hold the alligator’s mouth open. The eyes are dried blueberries.

The pasta swamp is Wegmans Foglie Di Ulivo Spinach Pasta served with butter and Parmesan cheese.

Also included are cucumber (eggs), gummy fish, and a clementine.

My nephew loved this lunch!

Linking up at:
Bento Lunch Bento Blog Network Eats Amazing Fun Food Friday

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Week 11 TAST Whipped Wheel Stitch

Posted on March 15, 2012 by eclecticlamb

The stitch for week 11 of TAST is the Whipped Wheel stitch . Click on the image for a larger view.When I first looked at Sharon’s description of this stitch, I thought “Oh no!”. The Whipped Wheel was new to me and I did struggle. The online videos that usually help me were not as much of a help for this stitch.

It seems like a simple pattern of whipping around but it took me many tries to somewhat get it. I persisted and ended up with a simple page for my TAST 2012 sampler book. I wanted to stitch a shell and tried to stitch a half wheel but struggled with the pattern. In addition to understanding how to work with this stitch, I think that tension and the length of the base stitches are important.

Close-up of Whipped Wheel

 

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Bald Eagle Bento

Posted on March 13, 2012 by eclecticlamb

When I told my 7 year old nephew that I wanted to make a bird themed bento, he said, “bald eagle”. I looked at photos of bald eagles and then made a template to cut the bread.

The eagle is a peanut butter sandwich made out of Wegmans Italiano and Pumpernickel bread. The eye is a dried blueberry. The beak is Cheddar cheese.

Bald eagles lay 1 – 3 eggs. Of course my nephew wanted 3 dark chocolate Dove eggs.

We cut the cucumber to resemble fish (food for the bald eagle). A clementine rounds out the meal.

My nephew enjoyed this healthy and fun lunch!

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Hilmar Cheese Visitor Center

Posted on March 11, 2012 by eclecticlamb

While on the CLAAS tour, our bus stopped at the Hilmar Cheese Visitor Center. Hilmar Cheese is the largest cheese processing plant in the United States. First our bus took a tour of the processing facilities. We then ate a buffet breakfast and had time to view the exhibits and try cheese.

On the second floor of the visitor center there were many interactive exhibits geared toward educating kids and adults about cows and dairy farming.

In the exhibit pictured below, kids can try on a coat of a dairy farmer, veterinarian, or milk processing technician. Then kids can look at themselves in a mirror.

Interactive exhibit about dairy careers.

Display of products containing Hilmar ingredients

Display of California Cheeses

Close-up of Hilmar Mozzarella cheese

Cow chandelier

One of several cheese sample stations

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Week 10 TAST Running Stitch

Posted on March 7, 2012 by eclecticlamb

The stitch for week 10 of TAST is the Running stitch. Click on the image for a larger view.

I think that most of the rows on this sampler are Darning stitches. Darning stitches fall under the Running stitch category. I had fun working with these stitches.

Posted in Embroidery | 4 Comments

Turtle Bento

Posted on March 6, 2012 by eclecticlamb

My 9 year old nephew wanted his bento lunch to include pistachio nuts. He decided on a desert theme so the pistachios could be the ground. He enjoyed eating so many pistachios!

I researched desert animals and decided on the tortoise. I used my french bread recipe to make the turtles. This tortoise is a peanut butter sandwich. (We had soup and turtle bread for dinner that night).

Turtle Bread

We decided on cactus and berries. The cactus is peeled, cut cucumber. I used defrosted frozen mixed berries. The liner for the fruit is from Japan.

Cactus and fruit

I wanted an easy dessert. I bought Snack Wells Fudge Pretzels. I put melted chocolate in a Ziplock sandwich bag and cut a small piece off a corner. I piped chocolate to fill in the center and added the head, tail and feet. Then I put the chocolate turtle in the freezer to set.

Chocolate Turtle

This was a successful lunch.

Linking up at:
Bento Blog Network Eats Amazing Fun Food Friday

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Japantown San Francisco

Posted on March 4, 2012 by eclecticlamb

When I heard that we would start the CLAAS Tour in San Francisco, my first thought was Japantown. The last time I went to Japantown was 2005. This year we were able to spend time in Japantown during our brief stay in San Francisco. Too bad it was at the beginning of our trip and our visit was on a Sunday. Otherwise I would have bought a lot at Daiso (Japanese dollar store) and mailed it back home to myself.

Street sign in Japanese and English

Pagoda at Japantown

Sign for Daiso (a Japanese product dollar store – everything $1.50)

Dishes at Daiso

Delicious mug

Sophie’s Crepes

Avocado and cheese crepe

Strawberry and Nutella crepe

Sashiko stitched crane

Ikebana arrangement

Cute tea tins

Japanese drinks in vending machine

Tanuki sake set

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Week 9 TAST Couching Stitch

Posted on March 2, 2012 by eclecticlamb

The stitch for week 9 of TAST is the Couching stitch. After I created my sampler page, I played around and made a maze.

The maze has an S (start) and F (finish) stitched with the chain stitch.

Maze (I should have ironed this before photographing)

Another view of the maze

Close-up of the start

Posted in Embroidery | 4 Comments

Lion / Lamb Bento

Posted on February 29, 2012 by eclecticlamb

Will March come in like a lamb and go out like a lion? Or in like a lion and out like a lamb?

I found a set of animal picks at Japantown in San Francisco. I immediately knew how I would use the lamb and lion.

I struggled with the lion. I am not sure that it looks like a lion. I first tried match stick carrots and thought it looked like the sun.

The lion and lamb are rice balls. I used a flower rice ball mold for the lion and shaped the sheep by hand. I used carrot, dried blueberries, and cheddar cheese to decorate. They lay on a bed of raw spinach.

Lion and Lamb

The walnuts are maple candied walnuts. They contain walnuts, maple syrup, and sesame seeds.

Walnuts and Grapes

Bento Box

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World Ag Expo

Posted on February 29, 2012 by eclecticlamb

The main reason my husband and I joined the CLAAS tour was to attend the World Ag Expo in Tulare, California. The World Ag Expo is a large agriculture exhibition. It covers most aspects of agriculture (equipment, communication, technology, etc.) including many areas of production agriculture (dairy, nuts, fruit, etc.) .

I do not have a business or personal reason to be interested in a majority of the exhibits at the expo. But I had a good time.

The expo is huge (2.5 million square feet of exhibit space). Our strategy was to view some exhibits together and some alone. It worked out great because we were able to focus on our individual interests.

Farm Credit Dairy Center seen through the Kubota exhibit

Eric in the Dairy Pavilion

Antique tractor seats on vintage milk cans

Rubber matting to line pathways in barns

Delo Engine

Hay rake

Lemons

Demo on how to take a horse’s pulse

Rubber track for combine or tractor

Orchard pruners

As frequent visitors to this blog know, I enjoy taking photos of items collected or received.

Loot from our day at the expo

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CLAAS Tour – World Ag Expo

Posted on February 28, 2012 by eclecticlamb

My husband and I went on a business trip to California for the World Ag Expo in Tulare, CA. We joined a tour sponsored by CLAAS. The tour was to promote CLAAS agricultural equipment and reward Jaguar owners. Our tour included farmers from Canada (Ontario), Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, and South Dakota.  We started out in San Francisco, traveled through the San Joaquin Valley and returned home through LAX.

San Francisco – View of Alcatraz from Fisherman’s Wharf

Tour bus outside of Hilmar Cheese Visitor Center

 

Our tour visited a CLASS Contractor who runs 22 CLAAS choppers. We had the opportunity to view the equipment and visit their equipment repair shop.

Jaguar 900 CLAAS Choppers

CLAAS Exhibit at the World Ag Expo

CLAAS Gifts for tour attendees

Thanks to our CLAAS hosts for an informative and enjoyable trip through California.

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