Onion Cookies

Unlike some of my friends who have somehow recently managed to eat too many cookies, I'm going through cookie withdrawal.  I only made two kinds of cookies this holiday season, and since I love to bake, I've desperate just to make more.

So tonight, I'm making my favorite: Onion Cookies.  Well, they're actually Hershey's Toffee Bits Cookies, but they've been affectionately named "Onion Cookies" by my sister who once was making them and renamed them to prevent me from indulging.  Although I hate onions, the name failed to detour me.  I know better than to think my fellow onion-hating sister would add the foul vegetable into cookies!  Now they're my favorite!

Here's a cookie baking tip:  I always use parchment paper.  It helps the cookies keep their shape and makes cleaning the cookie sheets a cinch!

Also, I've recently stopped eating dairy because of an allergy, so I substituted the butter with Crisco butter flavored shortening.  The cookies still tasted great!

Hang Your Artwork on Dad's Shirt!

Last month, I was really exciting to learn that a blog post of mine inspired one of my readers to be crafty!  With the mention of my collection of clothing waiting to be craftily recycled, a friend found a great way to up-cycle her husband's old shirts!   And wouldn't you know, that mischievous Martha has yet again popped up in one of my blog posts!

A simple project, my friend, Polly, found a  Bulletin Board How-To on Martha Stewart's website and made this adorable bulletin board out of Homasote (a fibrous board used in building and found at your local hardware store) and old shirts.  She wrapped the board in the shirts, making sure to show off the buttons and pockets.  Now hanging in her three-year-old son's room, it's the perfect place to hand artwork and tuck in knickknacks!

Here's a picture she shared with me of the bulletin board hanging in his room:

What have you up-cycled recently??

Creating Your Custom Onesie

Every SewBeans Customized Onesie starts with a new Gerber Brand Onesie.

With an overwhelming spectrum of colored thread to choose from, I've narrowed down the perfect palette that gives a sweet whimsical look to your custom onesie.  Of course, I'm happy to swap around any colors!

Stabilizer is the key to machine embroidery and helps keep the threads in place and prevent holes in delicate fabrics.  Every SewBeans Onesie is made with 3 different kinds of stabilizer!  One gets torn away, one is removed with heat, and the last one stays with the garment to  keep the embroidery secure.  Don't worry, it's nice and soft and can be carefully cut away if you don't like it.

Because of CPSIA laws, each Onesie gets a tag with my shop name, the place of manufacturing, and the date of manufacturing.  The tag is tucked away where you'll never see it, and baby's diaper makes a nice cushion between the tag and his skin!

I have special software that lets me create any text!  Just remember, it has to fit on one of those little onesies!

I love making these adorable onesies!  They all look so cute when they're finished, and it warms my heart to think about all those couples anxiously awaiting their little "me."

Seeing More then Before

Did you get a pocket camera for Christmas?   Well, I didn't, because we already have one in my household! (We're such obedient little consumers.)  And today, my husband posted his first ever tutorial on instructables.com on how to add a wide angle lens to our little camera. 

I should probably be proud of him for staying out of trouble, but between blogging and tutorials, I'm starting to get concerned about our "dork status."  If there was a competition for the dorkiest couple on the block, I'd think we would win...and we might even be proud of that!

How to convert your pocket camcorder to wide angle

5 Spools of Thread

A new year means new rules!  Where is my rotary cutter? moves into the next decade, and it's important to set standards.  I love to sew, and with all the beautiful patterns and books on the subject, I end up following a lot of them.  (Of course, it's easier to purchase fabric and follow someone's design than come up with your own!)

So, I want to introduce my new rating system, a way to track and compare all of the projects I've made from patterns. After rating the last movie I watched from Netflicks, I decided that the Netflick's star rating system would be perfect! Though, instead of stars, I thought it would be more appropriate to rate with spools of thread!
So here it is: 5 Spools of Thread, SewBean's rating system.

One Spool 
Hated It: The pattern maker should fire their editor for letting them publish this botched mess.  I started making a dress but ended up with a quilt?  Where did I go wrong?  (I hope I don't have to ever use this rating!)

Two Spools

Didn't Like It:  Did someone bother to check this pattern?  I didn't want to be the one to do it, but at least it looks the way it should.

Three Spools

Liked It: A decent pattern, and everything came out the way it should.  I was even able to make improvements.

Four Spools

Really Liked It:  This was a fun project! I'll keep it around in case I have a reason to make another one.

Five Spools

Loved It:  I'm not putting this pattern away; I'm making another one tomorrow!