Week 8 TAST Chain Stitch

Posted on February 22, 2012 by eclecticlamb

The stitch for week 8 of TAST is the Chain stitch. After I created my sampler page, I used the stitch to embellish my tea basket. Each week I follow Sharon’s advice. I make a cuppa and view the inspiring work of other TAST participants.

Click on the photos for a larger version.

Side view of tea basket

My sampler for the Chain stitch

1st and 2nd rows: DMC 4020 – 2 strands (It was my 1st time using variegated thread)

3rd row: Chain stitch DMC Perle 5 #798; backstitch  DMC 4020 – 4 strands

5th row: Chain stitch DMC Perle 5 # 798; wrapped thread DMC 4020 – 3 strands

Posted in Embroidery | 5 Comments

King Cobra Bento Lunch

Posted on February 20, 2012 by eclecticlamb

My nephew and I planned this lunch. He wanted a King Cobra made out of spaghetti. Muddy water (chocolate milk) was the desired drink.

I don’t like snakes and only created this lunch with my nephew by his request. While researching “snake lunch” I came across many photos I would rather not have seen.

During my King Cobra research I found that they build nests out of sticks and leaves. I used a lined Japanese bento cup for the nest. We cut leaf shapes out of American cheese. Broken pretzel sticks serve as sticks. Green peas are the eggs.

Edible King Cobra Nest

I used kitchen scissors to cut a lasagna noodle for the snake head. I made a small hole with the tip of a knife and inserted a piece of Craisin. Since the King Cobra will eat other snakes, I used this photo to make a kiwi snake.

Snakes eating snakes

I wanted the desert to be easy. I bought Snack Wells Fudge Pretzels. I cut the Fudge Pretzels in half. Then I put melted chocolate in a Ziplock sandwich bag and cut a small piece off a corner. I piped chocolate to attach the fudge pretzels and made a head and tail. I used Writing Icing for the eye. Then I put the chocolate snake in the freezer to set.

Chocolate snake

My nephew enjoyed planning and eating this lunch.

Linking up at:
Bento Blog Network

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

Week 7 TAST Detached Chain Stitch

Posted on February 19, 2012 by eclecticlamb

The stitch for week 7 of TAST is the Detached Chain stitch. It is also known as the Daisy stitch or the Lazy Daisy stitch.

I tried this stitch as a child, found it confusing and did not try it again. My first few tries this week were not great but I became comfortable with the stitch.

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Valentine Embroidery Pattern

Posted on February 10, 2012 by eclecticlamb

I enjoy hand stitching but am on a continuous quest to find things to stitch that can be functional. I came up with the idea to stitch on a removable fabric cover for a composition notebook. I then found a great tutorial from Smashed Peas and Carrots. Her fabric cover is fancier but I mostly followed her tutorial for these covers.

I created my pattern to use with a composition book cover but this pattern can have many different uses and be stitched many different ways. If you use this pattern, I would love to see your finished work.

Sheep Valentine Embroidery Pattern


I sewed the three fabric covers and embroidered them within a week. I had a deadline to get them in the mail before Valentine’s Day.

Even though I am learning many wonderful stitches with TAST 2012, I only used backstitch, straight stitch, and split stitch for this.

Stitching in Progress

Close up of stitches

Photo of composition book cover

PDF to download

SheepValentineEmbroideryPattern

Posted in Crafts, Embroidery | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Week 6 TAST Chevron Stitch

Posted on February 8, 2012 by eclecticlamb

The stitch for week 6 of TAST is the Chevron stitch.

This was my first time working with the stitch but it was similar to the Herringbone and I found it easy to stitch. The chevron stitch could be used to make many fun chevron items.

I had fun photographing this sampler in my blue guest room.

Close up of Chevron sampler

Posted in Embroidery | 8 Comments

Superbowl Party Food

Posted on February 7, 2012 by eclecticlamb

We were  invited to a Superbowl party at my in-laws this year. I have no interest in watching football but I love any excuse to make cute food.

I made a Corn Cheese Dip from Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Appetizers 1999. I could not find the recipe online. It uses sour cream, salsa, cheddar cheese, corn and a jalapeno. I served it with Scoops Tortilla Chips.

Football Juice Box – I used this as a guide. My niece and I used card stock and cut labels for the laces.

Football Cookies – Peanut Butter and Chocolate– I used this photo but made my own peanut butter cookies and chocolate frosting.

Football Strawberries – Milk Chocolate Dipped with White Chocolate Lacing – I followed the directions from this site.

Posted in Bento / Cute Food | 3 Comments

Week 5 TAST Herringbone Stitch

Posted on February 2, 2012 by eclecticlamb

Herringbone is the stitch for TAST week 5. Click on the above sampler photo for a better view.

  1. Herringbone
  2. Double Herringbone
  3. Herringbone (varying lengths)
  4. Tacked Herringbone
  5. Threaded Herringbone

Gathering enough stitching supplies was a challenge this week. I am grateful that my Aunt was kind to give me a hoop and thread.

I visited my parents last week and forgot all of my stitching supplies in a closet. I was hiding it from a young cat my parents were watching. My town is small and I have to drive an hour to buy stitching supplies.

I have a little experience with the Herringbone stitch. In 2010 I participated in the 39 Squares Stitchalong. For one of my freestyle embroidery squares I stitched a tiny bit of Herringbone.

My square featuring the Herringbone stitch.

Posted in Embroidery | 4 Comments

Individual Cauliflower Pies

Posted on January 30, 2012 by eclecticlamb

My Mom and I made Martha Stewart’s Roasted Cauliflower and Manchego Hand Pies as a test for a dinner party. The menu will be vegetarian. This recipe appealed to me as a vegetarian entree that could be satisfying for meat eaters. Also, it seems that many of the components for this can be made ahead.

The crust has an egg yolk and Parmesan cheese in it. It had a different feel than pie crust I normally use. I was a little concerned because I am fussy about pie crusts but it tasted great. It was flavorful, flaky, and held up well.

Adding walnut mixture

Walnut mixture, cauliflower and cheddar cheese

Adding egg wash.

Note: For the filling I used walnuts and sharp cheddar instead of hazelnuts and Manchego. For the crust, the recipe called for Manchego or Parmesan. I used Parmesan.

Verdict: They were delicious and would be suitable for my dinner party. Because they are filling, for a dinner party with several dishes, I would make the pies 3 inches instead of 4 inches.

Of course they are not as beautiful as the ones styled by Martha Stewart’s staff but mine are attractive. I think I can improve their look the next time I make these.

Click here for the recipe.

Posted in Food | 1 Comment

Week 4 TAST Cretan stitch

Posted on January 27, 2012 by eclecticlamb

The stitch for week 4 of TAST is the Cretan stitch. This was my first time working with this stitch. I struggled a little and needed more practice than the other stitches so far. This is my second attempt at a Cretan sampler. I know that it is not very good but I am glad that I attempted and practiced this stitch.

Top row: closed Cretan stitch and open Cretan stitch

Middle row: overlapped open Cretan stitch and closed Cretan stitch in a curved shape

Bottom row: open Cretan stitch pattern

Posted in Embroidery | 5 Comments

Tooth Fairy Pillows

Posted on January 22, 2012 by eclecticlamb

I made these tooth fairy pillows a few years ago (before I had a blog). Right before each of my sister’s daughters lost their first tooth I made tooth fairy pillows and mailed a special package to them.

For my older niece, I followed the directions from Martha Stewart for the tooth bear.

Tooth Bear (I modified the photo to remove the name)

My younger niece had a specific request. She wanted a blue cat with a pink tail. I slightly modified the bear pattern and designed a curved tail.

Tooth Cat – back

In addition to the tooth fairy pillow each package included:

Posted in Crafts | 2 Comments

Week 3 TAST Feather Stitch

Posted on January 18, 2012 by eclecticlamb

The stitch for week 3 of TAST is the Feather stitch. I did not have experience with the Feather stitch but my work with the Fly and Buttonhole stitches prepared me. I was able to quickly stitch the sampler so I had time to do something else with the stitch. I created a blank card with a window to feature my Feather stitch embroidery.

I am not a Crazy Quilter. I joined TAST because of my interest in embroidery. But I think that viewing some of the embroidery samples stitched on Crazy Quilts influenced my card this week. In the past, I would have used a solid color for my card but this time I decided on a patterned paper.

My sampler for the Feather stitch.

I practiced the Feather stitch, Double Feather stitch, and the Closed Feather stitch.

A close-up of my blank card featuring Feather stitches.

Posted in Embroidery | Tagged | 10 Comments

Snowman Themed Lunch

Posted on January 16, 2012 by eclecticlamb

Two of my nephews (ages 7 and 9) spent the day at my house. We decided to make snowman themed lunches. We were inspired by this snowman pizza to make our own tortilla snowmen. We modeled the marshmallow snowman after this. The boys styled their own lunches. One nephew said, “Aunt Kathy since it looks so cool I don’t want to eat it”. They both enjoyed their lunch.

Side view of Snowman Lunch and stacked sugar snap peas

Posted in Bento / Cute Food | 5 Comments

Week 2 TAST Buttonhole Stitch

Posted on January 11, 2012 by eclecticlamb

This is my sampler for TAST Week 2, the Buttonhole stitch. I stitched on Aida using DMC floss.

I had prior experience with the buttonhole / blanket stitch. This week I played with variations of the stitch. Some of the stitches were natural to me (buttonhole, closed blanket) but some (flowers, filling) required a lot of picking out stitches.

Variations I stitched.

  • Buttonhole stitch (spaced)
  • Buttonhole stitch (varying lengths)
  • Buttonhole wheels
  • Buttonhole flowers
  • Buttonhole stitch (close)
  • Closed blanket stitch
  • Buttonhole filling
Posted in Embroidery | 9 Comments

Week 1 TAST Fly Stitch

Posted on January 8, 2012 by eclecticlamb

I decided to participate in TAST 2012. Sharon B of Pin Tangle is the organizer of this wonderful project. Each week this year Sharon will present a stitch for participants to learn. Over 500 stitchers signed up for TAST 2012. This week I have been excited and in awe of the creative and unique entries from worldwide participants.

The stitch for Week 1 is the Fly Stitch. This is my first time stitching the Fly Stitch. I used DMC 6 strand floss. For this sampler I experimented with different variations of the Fly Stitch and varying amounts of strands (between 2 and 6).

I hope to also occasionally stitch pictures using stitches learned.

Posted in Embroidery | 9 Comments

Rose Napkin Ring

Posted on December 28, 2011 by eclecticlamb

In 2010, I made these napkin rings to match my china pattern which was my great grandmother’s china. The pattern is Manor House by Vogue: Governor’s Mansion. I used the Purl bee’s rose pattern from their rose barrette tutorial to make the roses. I sewed green leaves to the rose to match the china. Then I sewed the rose and leaves to a piece of white felt. I attached a Velcro closure.  I have used either white or green for the table cloth and napkins. These napkin rings are fun to use with my china.

Rose Napkin Ring

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Santa Claus Themed Dinner

Posted on December 27, 2011 by eclecticlamb

I enjoy planning and implementing themed meals. This year I decided to create a Santa Claus themed meal a few days before Christmas. The dinner party was for 5 adults.

Menu

  • Individual Santa Bread: I found this image and tried to replicate it. The dough is from a traditional dinner roll recipe with egg, milk, and butter. I researched and though a lot about what to use for “white paste”. I decided not to use a bean paste. Instead I tried the paste used for hot cross buns. I used the paste from this. Next time I will try to make the paste thicker. I brushed the bread with milk before baking.

  • Mushroom Soup: This is a family favorite from Sunset’s “Menus & Recipes for Vegetarian Cooking”.
  • Potato-Leek Soup: I tried a new recipe and would not make it again.
  • Strawberry Santa Hats: I tried this version.  The strawberries were too large. My strawberry hats are not perfect but they tasted great.
  • Roly-Poly Santa Cookies: This recipe is from  Better Homes and Gardens. I have made this recipe several times. The dough is easy to work with, they are cute and taste great.

Special Touches

  • Santa Name Cards: I scanned the image from a book, printed and cut it out. I created the names using the font, “Lucida Handwriting”. Then, I printed the names on a cream colored parchment paper and attached with tape.

  • Paper Place Mats: This was my first time making paper place mats. I already had the paper and stickers. I used a cloth place mat as a pattern. I did not have red and white paper large enough so I used two sheets of red and white paper for each place mat. I was a little concerned about the lines but they were not very noticeable when in use. These were non-laminated paper place mats so I just used a little tape to hold them together. I expected to use them only one meal but since they were so nice, we also used them for a few non-themed meals.

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

Rockefeller Center Holiday Decorations

Posted on December 26, 2011 by eclecticlamb

I took these photos in December, 2010 when I worked in New York City near Rockefeller Center.

2010 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

Nutcracker on Avenue of the Americas

Giant Red Christmas Ornaments

Santa dog

Minnie & Mickey

Radio City

Posted in Adventures | 3 Comments

Redwork Sheep Ornament

Posted on December 22, 2011 by eclecticlamb

In 2005, I made a series of these ornaments for Christmas gifts. I bought paper boxes and painted them to match. Then, I attached a custom sticker to the top of the box.

Box for ornament

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Wooden Sheep Ornament

Posted on December 21, 2011 by eclecticlamb

In 2003, I made a series of these wooden sheep ornaments.  Friends let me use some scrap wood and their scroll saw. These turned out very large but I still like them. I used a combination of painting with a brush and drawing with a pen.

Back of sheep

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The Garden of Lights – Brookside Gardens

Posted on December 19, 2011 by eclecticlamb

My family celebrated Thanksgiving at my sister’s home in Maryland. The day after Thanksgiving we visited The Garden of Lights at Brookside Gardens located in Wheaton, MD. It was a warm evening and it was delightful to walk through the many themed gardens filled with floral and whimsical themed lights. I had attended many drive through light displays but this was my first walk through light event. I was especially drawn to several animated light displays.

Spider web

Some type of animal

Moon seen through tree

Whimsical walk

Flower – up close

Posted in Adventures | 1 Comment

Christmas Ornament Craft

Posted on December 5, 2011 by eclecticlamb

This year my sister and her husband hosted the family Thanksgiving. I am known as the crafty Aunt and I love doing crafts with my nieces. I planned the craft with inspiration from this and this. Mom and I both brought supplies.

Originally I thought that the adults would also create ornaments but I was too busy helping my  nieces (ages 9 and 7) to focus on my own. Mom found a lot of great supplies that inspired my nieces. They made 5 each. We had a lot of fun.

I did not take photos of the ornament backs. We hid the stitches with a felt back. The girls wrote or stitched their initials, name, date, and sometimes number in the series on the back.

My nieces are new to sewing and the needle often came off of the thread. I joked that my memory from this Thanksgiving will be the year I threaded a thousand needles.

Work table

Stocking

Santa

Tree

Snowman

Snowman and Tree

Posted in Crafts, Embroidery | 1 Comment

High Line Park

Posted on December 4, 2011 by eclecticlamb

I took these photos last week on my third trip to the High Line.  It is an elevated park located in Manhattan between Gansevoort Street and 30th Street near 10th Avenue. This was my first time to the park since section 2 opened. The High Line was on my list of items I wanted to complete before my return to Western New York State.

Looking at my photos afterward, I noticed that sometimes the foliage caused me to focus closely on the park. But at other times the views drew me to look beyond the park to the city.

View of the Empire State Building

Edge of the Lawn

Painting. It was a warm day and I noticed a lot of sprucing up along the park.

View of the Hudson River near Pier 54

Water towers

Section 3 (not yet developed)

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Woodland Trio – Felt Ornaments

Posted on November 13, 2011 by eclecticlamb

This craft evolved from my initial concept. My original plan was to embroider on felt to make Christmas ornaments. Last year I appliqued and embroidered three felt ornaments. I wanted to make three coordinating felt ornaments this year with an embroidery emphasis. My original concept failed. I ended up using applique with a small bit of embroidery. But I am happy with the result.

For this project I used patterns from Aimee Ray’s “Doodle Stitching: The Motif Collection”. The owl (#423), raccoon (#425), and squirrel (#428) are from page 121. The tree (#435) is from page 122. I loved that the book has a CD with images. I changed the image sizes to fit my project. Then I printed the images and used them as templates for the felt applique.

I tried to embroider directly on felt.  It is difficult to transfer patterns on felt. I wanted to use the tissue paper technique but I am currently roughing it craft wise in NYC without my stocked craft room. I ended up stitching the squirrel freehand while looking at the image. I did not like the result.

Craft fail

In progress (I changed the color of the owl)

Raccoon

Squirrel

Owl

Posted in Crafts, Embroidery | 3 Comments

Union Square Greenmarket

Posted on November 5, 2011 by eclecticlamb

This morning I visited the Union Square Greenmarket. The last time I shopped at the market was in 2000 when I worked nearby. Usually I attend a smaller Greenmarket near my home. Today I was seeking a large variety including brussel sprouts, apple cider donuts and cheese. I was not disappointed.

It was a cold morning (high 30’s) but it made the hot apple cider very enjoyable. I ended up drinking two cups! I also sampled hot pear cider. It was not as bad as I expected.

My Greenmarket purchases

  • Brussel sprouts on the stalk
  • Pretzels
  • Broccoli
  • Apple cider donuts
  • Tomato (hydroponic)
  • Blue cheese
  • Black radish
  • Ricotta cheese
  • Ruis bread
  • Maple sugar candy

Dried Flowers

Purple Top Turnip

Two of many dogs in attendance at the market.

Jam, Maple Syrup, and Honey

Orange and Yellow Carrots (rainbow not pictured)

Dried Plants

Posted in Adventures, Food | 2 Comments

Halloween Finger Puppets

Posted on October 26, 2011 by eclecticlamb

A few years ago I sewed and embroidered Halloween finger puppets for my nieces. I used patterns and directions from Activity Village. I deviated a little from the directions. My witch is bald. What I remember most about this project is sewing all of those stars on the witches hat and dress! But these finger puppets are relatively fast and fun to make.

Pumpkin finger puppet

Witch finger puppet

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Pumpkin Sail – Central Park

Posted on October 25, 2011 by eclecticlamb

On October 23, 2011 I attended the Pumpkin Sail at Central Park. It was held at the Harlem Meer near the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center. They take about 50 pumpkins on the sail. The carved pumpkin should be small (5 to 10 pounds) and arrive early to the launch area. Pumpkins that arrive late, are too large, or are not eligible for other reasons are placed on tables for display.

Pumpkins on Display

Pumpkins waiting for launch

Witch

Launch

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Diwali Festival

Posted on October 24, 2011 by eclecticlamb

I attended the Diwali Festival (festival of light) in New York City at South Street Seaport on October 2, 2011.

I was impressed by the children’s activity tent. They offered cultural activities such as goddess coloring pages and paint your own diya. Diyas are typically made of clay with Ghee or oil used as the fuel and cotton wool as the wick.  See DLTK for directions on how to make diyas with kids.

Diyas at Children’s tent

Indian Food

Bracelets for sale

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Creepy Crawly Party

Posted on September 26, 2011 by eclecticlamb

A few years ago I gave my husband a small creepy crawly themed birthday party. We had a child style theme since young niece and nephews outnumbered the adults. I researched and found a few cakes in various themes. He picked the Bug Mountain cake from Family Fun. We decorated the cake together.

Bug Mountain Cake

I made party hats with card stock, tissue paper and elastic. I hot glued salamanders to the hats. I don’t remember if I had inspiration for these hats or just came up with it on my own.

Creepy Crawly Party Hats

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Maker Faire NY

Posted on September 18, 2011 by eclecticlamb

Yesterday, I attended the Maker Faire NY at the New York Hall of Science in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. This event showcases DIY projects in the areas of Arts, Crafts, Food/Sustainability, Engineering, and Science.

There were many opportunities to make something. I thoroughly enjoyed being able to sit down and create.

Notable Making Opportunities:

NeedleArts Zone was sponsored by The National NeedleArts Association. They offered lessons for crochet, cross-stitch, knitting and needlepoint. The teachers were friendly, supportive and wonderful ambassadors for the needle arts. Free materials were provided with every lesson. I learned needle point at the beginning of my visit to the Maker Faire and crochet at the end.  I have experience with cross-stitch and embroidery so needle point was not difficult. I was slow at picking up crochet but my instructor was very patient with me.

My introduction to Needle Point

My introduction to Crochet


Tami Jo Studios offered the opportunity to make an Origami Photo Album. See completed albums here.

My mini album – in progress

Burda Style allowed attendees to sew a drawstring bag. There were two fabric choices provided by Spoonflower. Burda Style also provided fun materials with information about their website.

My drawstring bag

Radio Shack allowed attendees to make a mini flashlight. Workstations were set up with directions, supplies and soldering irons. Plenty of helpers were available. I enjoyed following the directions and soldering.

My LED Flashlight before putting on the protective sleeve

SparkFun Electronics offered kits to solder. I happened upon their tent towards the end of my visit. I was tired and decided not to stand in the long line to solder a kit. When I was a child I completed Heath Kits with my Grandfather. I am interested in trying a SparkFun Electronics kit with a niece or nephew.

These are the kits I could have soldered

I had an amazing time at the Maker Faire NY and look forward to attending again.

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Craft – Sheep Party

Posted on September 6, 2011 by eclecticlamb

The kids made an ornament at my Sheep themed party. I followed this tutorial and created craft kits for each child. I added a name tag (cut strip and punched hole in card stock) since many siblings were at the party. I used cardboard and Red Heart Buttercup Bulky 5 yarn.

Sheep Ornament Craft Kit

Completed Sheep Ornament

Related Posts: Sheep Party, Favor Bags, Place Settings, Sheep Scavenger Hunt, Party Menu

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Stamped Wooden Disc Tutorial

Posted on September 5, 2011 by eclecticlamb

Disc for Sheep Scavenger Hunt

I wanted an outdoor activity for my Sheep Themed party. I thought it would be fun to use my sheep stamp on wooden discs. We carved the stamp several years ago. I thought we should have at least 12 discs per child. The disc needed to be at least 2 inches diameter to fit my sheep stamp. I was going to purchase wooden discs but my husband said he could make the discs. We ended up preferring the homemade discs.

Step 1: Cut a maple sapling at least 2 inches in diameter. Use a compound miter saw to cut discs about 1/4 inch thick.

Step 2: Dry in an oven at 200 degrees for 1 hour.

Step 3: Gather materials: paper towel or newspaper, stamp, ink, and discs.

Step 4: Stamp image onto each disc. Push stamp into ink each time to get dark image.

Step 5: Allow discs to dry.

We made 154 black + 2 orange sheep. (the orange sheep were for special prizes). For the scavenger hunt we used  our front, side, and back lawns. We gave the kids brown paper lunch bags to hold the sheep. The discs were hidden in plain sight but the kids did not find all of them. They had a great time looking for the sheep!

Related Posts: Sheep Party, Favor Bags, Place Settings, Sheep Craft, Party Menu

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Place settings – Sheep Party

Posted on August 24, 2011 by eclecticlamb

My vision for the table was sheep in a pasture. The colors were white and green.

Place card – I used the directions from this and this. I ended up doing a combination of the two. I made these in advance so had to make 11. I started out cutting the Q-tips with scissors and quickly got a blister. Wire cutters made the job quick and pain free. Gluing worked best in stages. I had trouble getting my sheep to stand so I put them on grass and used a little tape. I wrote names on the grass. I like the way they turned out but I was glad when the project was done!

Centerpieces – I wanted to keep centerpieces simple and minimal. I bought Malczewski’s Easter Butter Lambs at Tops Supermarket around Easter and froze until the party.

Napkins and cups – I used my sheep stamp on the napkins and cups.

Lamb  fruit cup – My inspiration was from the “I am Special – Psalm 23:5” page on Danielle’s Place of Crafts and Activities. I bought Wilton cups and created a version of my cartoon sheep.

Related Posts: Sheep Party, Favor Bags, Sheep Scavenger Hunt, Sheep Craft, Party Menu

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

Favor Bags – Sheep Party

Posted on August 22, 2011 by eclecticlamb

I decided to embroider my typical sheep drawing on bags to hold the kids favors. Originally I had thought about sewing the bags but I found some at Michaels Craft Store (Creatology Canvas).  I invited 3 nieces and 7 nephews to the party so I had to embroider 10 bags in advance. I started in April for the August party. The bags were complete in July.  I embroidered names (using each child’s favorite color) after I received an RSVP.  I only had to stitch one name the day before the party.  These bags were a lot of work but I enjoyed stitching them. Early into the project I decided to stitch only one component with each sheep. My typical cartoon drawing often includes a butterfly, snail, and flowers.

Butterfly

Snail

Flowers

Favors for the bags. The kids also placed their completed ornaments and sheep name card in their bags.

Related Posts: Sheep Party, Place Settings, Sheep Scavenger Hunt, Sheep Craft, Party Menu

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Menu – Sheep Party

Posted on August 21, 2011 by eclecticlamb

Mini Bagels – I made plain, cinnamon sugar, a few poppy and salt. I found this recipe a few years ago. It is very popular with my guests. The kids at the party loved the mini bagels.

  • Lamb butter – bought Malczewski’s Easter Butter Lambs at Tops Supermarket around Easter and put in our freezer
  • Homemade Strawberry & Raspberry Jam
  • Wegmans Strawberry Cream Cheese

Sheep Shaped Orange Sweet Rolls – Originally I was going to make the sweet roll sheep from scratch.  I even did a test a few days before the party. But the night before I decided to just use Pillsbury’s Orange Sweet Rolls. We used two cans and made the sheep and had some extra sweet rolls. It was easy and the kids loved it. I scoured the internet for ideas on how to shape bread into sheep. I was influenced by this and this.

This photo is taken before the glaze and eyes. I find it difficult to get good photos during a party. But you get the idea.

Blueberries  (served in sheep cups)

Snail Fruit (I often draw a snail with my cartoon sheep so I wanted to include a snail in the menu) – As you can see from the photo I did a simple version of the snail I found on this site.

Orange and Pineapple Juice

Sheep Cupcakes – I knew that I wanted to make sheep cupcakes. Again I searched the internet to learn from others. A Google image search for “sheep cupcake” provided many ideas. This was my inspiration (scroll down to individual cupcakes on plate). I made a cookie to resemble my cartoon sheep. A mini flower cookie cutter worked great for the head. The recipe is for chocolate and vanilla Teddy Bears from the 11/19/96 Family Circle magazine that I cut out. I have made the teddy bears many times with kids. I could not find the recipe online.

The sheep cookies are too large and my piping skills are lacking but the kids did not complain and in general I am pleased.

Related Posts: Sheep Party, Favor Bags, Place Settings, Sheep Scavenger Hunt, Sheep Craft

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

Sheep Party

Posted on August 21, 2011 by eclecticlamb

I do not have children but I have 3 nieces and 8 nephews with a 9th nephew on his way. I thought it would be fun to celebrate my birthday and invite all of my nieces and nephews. Some adults thought that it was strange for me to have a children’s party for my birthday. But the kids loved it! And I had a great time planning and implementing the details for the party.

3 nieces and 5 nephews attended my party (ages 3 to 14). Actually a 6th nephew attended but could not participate much since he was 7 months old.

A sheep themed party was a natural choice since I am known for my cartoon sheep.

I spent a lot of time thinking about and researching invitations. Ultimately I created a simple invitation (see above) with a scan of my sheep drawing customized for the party. I decided to put more time into other items for the party (favor bags and place cards).

Below is my pre-party tentative schedule. (some items took more or less time but ultimately the party lasted a little over 2 hours).

8:30 Greet guests

Guess how many candies in a jar (prize)

8:30 – 9:00 Breakfast

9:00 – 9:15 Craft – Christmas Ornament

Sheep Quiz (prize)

9:15 – 9:30 Sheep Scavenger Hunt (prize)

9:30 – 9:45 Birthday Bingo (prize)

9:45 – 10:00 Herd Sheep Game (balloons)

10:00 – 10:15 Cupcakes

Distribute favor bags

Prizes: I had 2 sheep key chains with light and sound, 2 sheep PEZ dispensers (one fuzzy, one plastic), a sheep shaped board book and individual packs of Pringles. I distributed prizes at the end of the party. Every child received a prize and / or a pack of Pringles.

Related Posts: Favor Bags, Place Settings, Sheep Scavenger Hunt, Party Menu, Sheep Craft

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Junta Hispana

Posted on July 31, 2011 by eclecticlamb

Today I attended Junta Hispana  at Flushing Meadows Corona Park.  Junta Hispana is a Hispanic cultural festival that includes all twenty Spanish-speaking countries. A list of Spanish speaking countries can be found here.

I knew before attending that a passport was available at welcome booths.  I did not enter the festival near the welcome booths so did not get a passport. Participants could get their passport stamped at five locations to enter a drawing for a $100 grocery gift card.

As I entered Flushing Meadow Corona Park I was surprised to see that many people had their personal shopping carts. The reason for the carts quickly became apparent. This festival has many free items. Especially at the Rite Aid and grocery areas. The Rite Aid line was long but not as long as the grocery line. I noticed that some people got back in the same line and did it again. I waited in the Rite Aid line but not the grocery line.

I had hoped to have lunch at the festival but there was not a lot of food options and as a vegetarian there was not anything I wanted. There were plenty of  drinks for sale and as free samples.

The line for paper products (toilet paper, paper towels) was very long. People had to spin a wheel to try to win. I decided not to stand in line for toilet paper. But I did stand in the shorter lines for Carolina Rice, Bustelo Iced Coffee, Carbonell Olive Oil Products, and Magnolia Condensed Milk (to win a chance at a hat). To win a Magnolia baseball cap participants had to get one of three balls to stay on table between cans. I am bad at such things and did not win.

My loot. (Of course this does not  include all of the samples I ate and drank at the festival).

I ended up with a lot of shampoo and hair product samples. My favorite items are the Maybelline New York makeup bag (middle-left), Carbonell calendar (bottom-middle), and Carbonell dish towel (bottom-right).

The festival had booths for each of the Spanish speaking countries. There was not as much action around the booths (not as many free items). Most booths had tourist information and items for sale. There were many beautiful and unique items. I kept looking up to see which countries booth I was at. The Costa Rica booth had free samples of strawberry tea and some cream type drink. I asked the man what it was. He said, “It is cream from Costa Rica, it is good, try it!” I thought it was OK but would not buy it if I had the opportunity.

I would recommend this festival but warn vegetarians that it is not a good place for a meal. Also if you want shorter lines attend as early as possible.

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Christmas in July

Posted on July 19, 2011 by eclecticlamb

I embroidered and appliqued these ornaments for Christmas 2010. (I know that this photo is not good but you can still get the idea).

They are from a Hatched and Patched pattern. I purchased the pattern and started this project at a City Quilter class.

Folk is not normally my style but I liked how these looked on my Christmas tree.

Here is a close up of my favorite one. My stitches are wonky but I still like it. The patterns are easy to use and did not take very long to put together.

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Bissap Juice

Posted on July 18, 2011 by eclecticlamb

I tried Bissap juice (deep purple in the above photo) at the Bastille Day Fete in Manhattan on July 10. The woman who sold it said that Bissap was an African berry.

I discovered during an online search that Bissap juice is made from the dried red flowers of Hibiscus sabdariffa.

I thought it tasted a little like cranberry juice but with a perfume like essence. I was thirsty and it was a hot day. But if it was not served over ice, I probably would not have finished it.

Sources and more information about bissap:

http://amoveablekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/03/bissap-juice.html

http://www.pan-uk.org/foodAfrica/PDFs/Bissap.pdf

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Walked Manhattan

Posted on July 18, 2011 by eclecticlamb

In May, my brother and I walked Manhattan. By walk Manhattan I mean walk the island from tip to tip. The route we walked was mostly the Broadway route with a few detours. It ended up being about 14.2 miles. In preparation I did several training hikes in Manhattan of 7 to 8 miles each. I was surprised how little I hurt after walking the length of Manhattan. I hurt much worse after the training hikes.

From the Broadway bridge over the Harlem River. The trees to the left of the photo are in Manhattan.

Isham Park near Broadway and 213th St.

Grant’s Tomb – Riverside Drive and 133rd St.

Riverside Park & 91st St.

Beard Papa Cream Puffs – Broadway & 77th St.

Times Square – Broadway & 42nd St.

Flatiron Building – Broadway and 23rd St.

Washington Square Park – Waverly Place & 5th Ave.

Wall Street Bull – Broadway after Morris St.

Statue of Liberty seen from Battery Park

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Hello

Posted on July 18, 2011 by eclecticlamb

I enjoy discovering and trying new things. I envision this blog to be a place to share what I am doing in my free time. Most likely it will be related to:

  • Crafts
  • Daytrips
  • Embroidery
  • Food
  • Party planning
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