Joy of cooking

As promised, I snapped a few photos of my Pennsylvania adventures, which today consisted of practicing and cooking (pretty crazy, hey?)  Contrary to previous home cooking experiences (I can't even recall the various assortment of "I-just-don't-know-what-happened-I-swear-I-followed-the-recipe" dishes I've served to my family over the years) I spent this afternoon in the kitchen without any major catastrophes.  I made these braised short ribs with this herbed polenta, along with a salad topped with a cumin salad dressing (recipe courtesy of my sister.)  La pièce de résistance (in my humble opinion) was this lovely apple tart.  Mine doesn't look quite as good as hers, but it tasted pretty dang good.  So without further ado, here is a mini recap of my day:

 Okay, technically I took this photo in Cleveland before we embarked on our trip home.  But finding Ollie with his head on a pillow and the rest of him under a blanket (just like a person!) was just too cute to not share.  Just look at that mug!

The view from my morning practice session.  Look at that plant stand my dad whipped up yesterday!

 Mid-afternoon raspberry latte treat made just for me by my lovely sister.

My crowning achievement for the day: apple tart with salted caramel.

 And although he's a bit blurry, nothing says home like a little pug love.  Here, my sister's pug, Abraham, is saying "go to bed and stop trying to take my picture!"  (this was the last of many failed photo attempts.)

With that, I will heed Abe's advice and turn in early for the night.  Happy Monday, and thanks for stopping by!

Tote bag throwback

Things have been a little crazy lately.  I've been traveling a ton, playing a ton, and posting lots of cool things to share with you all.

...that last one might not be completely truthful.  I wish it was!  I'll try to snap some pictures to share on my next couple of trips, which are quickly approaching.  But in the midst of audition season, I have been spending much more time behind this instrument:

and much less time behind this instrument:

Therefore, I decided to share another project that I completed some time ago.  Since I have had embroidery on the brain lately (more projects to come later this month...) I wanted to share one of my favorite past embroidery projects.  I'm a steadfast supporter of reusable grocery bags, so I bought this plain canvas tote and made it a little more fruity.

 

The patterns for the fruit as well as the text came from this delightful book by Jenny Hart.  The border was a last minute addition...because fruits like to be organized, right?  This was one of my most practical and enjoyable projects.  I'm thinking this bag might need a veggie-themed pal!

I'm off to Cleveland tomorrow for Audition #4, so I'll catch up with y'all when I return!  Have a great weekend!  (...I think there is a football game or something?)

Projects of Past, Present and Future

Since I didn't have much time to devote to actual sewing today, I decided to do a different kind of post:  I'm going to share a project I've already completed, a project that is still in progress, and a project I hope to make soon.

Project of the Past:
This apron was one of my fist "real" projects (which means I completed it by myself, and the end result actually looked like an apron.)  I completed it in 2009. 

When I first showed an interest in fabric (and quickly thereafter discovered JoAnn Fabrics) I found this fruit-printed cotton and just had to have it.  Around the same time (divine intervention?) I found this wonderful book, and it was a match made in heaven.  The apron pattern came straight from the book, and was a complete success.

Project of the Present:
This project is one that I have been working on for what feels like an eternity.  In fact, I'm not going to reveal exactly what it is, because when I eventually do finish it (read: if I ever finish it) I  want the big reveal to be a surprise!  So this is all you're getting:

Some of you may recognize this as "that wad of fabric" that you've seen in my last couple of apartments.  I will finish it eventually!

Project of the Future:
I came across this tutorial this afternoon when I was perusing the web today, and I just love the shape of it!  And I have some adorable fabrics upstairs that are screaming to be used for this project.  I'll keep y'all posted!

Thanks for stopping by!