Handmade Rice and Lavender Warmers

one of the absolute best things that i bought for myself when i was pregnant with our youngest was one of those heating pads that are filled with rice. you know, the kind that get heated in the microwave and provide a good hour's worth of gentle warmth. used it all the time and loved it! loved it so much, in fact, that it's been my go too "warmie" ever since. sadly, friends, said warmie has since soothed it's last tired muscle and had to be retired. not to worry though. making a replacement was easy and inexpensive and, as it turned out, the perfect last minute christmas gift this year.

i wanted mine to have covers that could be thrown in the wash if need be so i picked up a canvas painters drop cloth to make them because i love its "shabby" look and the light, solid color is perfect for personalizing. the materials don't cost much (well, they don't have to) and you probably have some of them lying around the house already. technically, all you need is rice and fabric but if you want to glam them up a bit, like i wanted to, you can get crazy. and, by the way, don't be daunted by the amount of things i used. you can certainly do less and it will still be fabulous!

the what
canvas painters drop cloth (the smallest size available - you'll still have lots left over)
1 yard unbleached muslin - 45" (i was able to make 8 with this amount)
rice (i used brown. the 99¢ store is a perfect resource for this, especially if you're making several)
dried lavender (i already had some on hand and also purchased some from world market)
loose leaf herbal tea
lavender essential oil
jasmine absolute essential oil
acrylic paint
foam alphabet stamps

start with making the insert that will hold the rice. cut the muslin to the size you want (mine was approximately 14"x9"). using 1/2-inch seam allowance and beginning with a short side, sew a straight seam that starts1/4 of the way up from the bottom right edge and sew around entire piece ending 1/4 of the way down from the top right edge (above your starting point). this will leave an opening. turn it inside out so that your seams are facing inside. press all around, turning in your opening and pressing as well.

after you've pressed your seams, top stitch 1/4-inch in from the edge all the way around, except for the opening. now, this next step probably isn't necessary, but i went around and zig-zag stitched over my top stitched straight seam because i wanted my edges really secure.

now comes the first fun part - filling the insert with the rice. i mixed the essential oils and herbs into my rice a couple of hours before i started because i wanted the smells to really hang out and scent the rice. there's no rhyme or reason to amounts here. just add as little or as much as you like until your satisfied and feel free to experiment with aromas.

i used 4 cups of rice per bag which filled it about half way. be careful not to over pack it. you want it to be flexible enough to mold to your body. sew up the open edge.

now for the covers. be sure to have already washed and dried whichever fabric you're going to use.  for me, this was the canvas. i searched pinterest for ideas and came across two that i liked: this one from V and Co and this one from The Tangled Nest. i went with the latter for the mere fact that i liked the design the best and it just felt more simple. no pictures of the process here so just follow the tutorial or come up with your own design.

i made some of these for our kids and wanted each one to have a personal touch. for me, that meant stamping on their name in their favorite color. you could do this before or after you construct your cover but if you do it after, be sure to insert some kind of cardboard behind the area that you stamp to prevent any paint from leaking through. after they were dry, i covered the name with a scrap piece of muslin and went over it with a dry iron to heat set the paint. i have no idea if this will make a difference when washing it in the future but seamed like the thing to do. heat set ink or fabric paint may have been the better option here.

after that, sit back and admire your handiwork! these smell wonderful and the kids loved having their very own warmie to use whenever they want. to use, just remove the insert from the cover and heat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes depending on your microwave and how hot you want your warmie to be. please be careful when removing and placing the insert as it will be hot.

just a little note. don't feel that you have to purchase new fabric for the insert or cover. old sheets and pillow cases are great alternatives to muslin and i also made two covers from an old quilt and some upholstery fabric that i had on hand. it's a great way to upcycle.

enjoy! and happy new year!!!

Feathery Salt Dough Ornaments

a while back, i wrote a blog post about the most humble of craft mediums - salt dough; that unpretentious little ball of clay formed from salt, flour and water. apparently, people got excited about it because not only has it become my most popular post, it's also the one most pinned. and what with christmas practically in our back yards already, i thought i'd play around with the stuff a bit and use it to make feathers. some pretty snazzy ones at that.

the salt dough ornaments i made previously were done by rubber stamping an inked image onto the dough and then using cookie cutters to get my desired shape. these feathers were made free-form with a knife, a pastry cutter and my imagination. and really, it's the embellishing that makes them come to life. i think several of these would be lovely on a big green tree (nobles are my personal favorite) with lots and lots of white lights and some silver mercury glass ornaments here and there.

i sure hope you give them a try!

Gluten Free Chocolate Shortbread Songbirds

 

it's not like i started out to eat gluten free; at least not on purpose. it came about because next year, i'm going to start catering meals out of my house once a week and want to focus exclusively on gluten free and vegetarian meals. so... i've been trying out a bunch of new recipes because everything has to be delicious, and i don't want anything to taste like it's lacking in flavor or richness.

one of my favorite things to eat are cookies. love love love them! and shortbread...be still my heart!!! crispy, buttery, rich and just sweet enough. while there are various and sundry recipes out there for gf shortbread cookies, i end up not wanting to tackle the ones that call for 5 different gf flours (too daunting and pricey!). and i've tried a couple of recipes that use almost all brown rice flour which, in my opinion, resulted in a cookie with a cracker-like consistency which i wasn't a fan of.

finally, the heavens parted when i came across a chocolate gf shortbread cookie recipe that i've kind of fallen in love with. perfect texture, subtle sweetness, a delicate crunch and just enough chocolate to satisfy any craving. the dough comes together with minimal effort and no one - i mean no one - would ever know that they were gluten free.

Gluten Fee Chocolate Shortbread Songbirds
adapted from this recipe at G-free Foodie

the what...

½ c unsalted butter, softened
½ c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
¾ c gluten free all purpose flour (i used trader joe's brand)
2 tbsp sweet rice flour
¼ c cocoa powder
¼ c almond meal (i used trader joe's almond meal)
¼ tsp xanthan gum
1/8 tsp salt
¼ c unsweetened cocoa powder

the how...

1. Beat butter and sugar until cream, add vanilla, mix well.

2. Add dry ingredients, stir until a soft dough is formed.

3. Mound dough onto plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

4. Preheat oven 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet(s) with parchment.

5. Sprinkle about 1 tbsp of apgf onto your work surface and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Cut into desired shape(s) and place on lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle with granulated sugar. Chill again until cold before baking (about 10 minutes in the freezer).

6. Bake 9-11 minutes. Cool cookies on cookie sheets for 15 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

of course, you can cut these into any shape you want...i happen to think the little birds are super sweet but they'd also be a great slice-and-bake cookie when you don't want to deal with your rolling pin. either way, you'll want to eat keep them all to yourself.

love ya!!!

Make Mine Vintage

 on the 3rd sunday of each month there's a great antique flea market i love to go to. starting at 5am, one can walk among aisles and aisles of terrific vintage finds, shabby treasures and retro gems until their head starts to swim . last month i came away with some old children's books, dictionaries and flash cards that i knew still had life in them.

these flash cards were the perfect fit for some blank note cards i already had. and i used this tutorial to put together these little gift bags using pages from a 1957 nursery rhyme book that had the most gorgeous illustrations.

i can't wait to use the cards to send a special note and the bags will definitely be used to wrap up some sweet little gifts. there's just something about vintage items that immediately calms me down and gets me longing for simpler times. i remember books i read as a little girl (something by beverly cleary with a passel of children eating cake from chipped china plates in old box cars), stories passed down by parents and grandparents, classic movies with black and white beauties on the arm of their fellas.

are you a vintage junkie too?