For A Little Princess.....

We are awaiting the arrival of a new little Princess in our family.  Her parents are anxiously awaiting her birth and are gathering as many pink and purple items in anticipation of her arrival.

Our Daughter-in-Law requested some 'hand made' items for this little one, so my Daughter and I got busy and had some great fun together. These sweet Bibs were some of the things that I made for my future Granddaughter.  Not only were they fun, but also were very doable.

You can make a pattern off any Bib that you may have.  I had a pattern already. I cut out two large pieces (one for the front and one for the back).  I also cute out two pieces for the pocket.  One out of a contrast fabric and one out of a clear plastic.  I had this plastic left over from another project that I did some time ago.

I took the two pocket pieces.  I serged them together with the plastic piece on the bottom.  I tried it the opposite way without any real success. Trust me, putting the plastic piece down on the bottom works very well. 

Here is the finished edge after serging.

Sew the Bias Tape on over the edge you just serged.

Here is the piece with the Bias Tape sewn on the top edge.

Take the two large pieces.  Put the wrong sides together.

Pin the pocket to the bottom of the Bib.

Serge around all edges.

See how clean the edges are after Serging?  I love that aspect of a Serger!

Sew a piece of Bias Tape around the neckline.

Now, you will sew a very large piece of Bias Tape around the perimeter.

Advance a long piece of Bias Tape before your starting point on the Bib. Determine how long you want it to be as this will be a Tie for the Bib.  

Sew the Bias Tape around the perimeter of the Bib.

After sewing around the perimeter, leave a length of the Bias Tape at the end. This becomes the other tie for the Bib.  Sew along the length of Bias Tape (Tie end).  Go back to the first Tie and do the same.

Aren't these sweet?  They have a type of 'waterproof' pocket that can catch all kinds of 'treasures' when the time comes for her to begin to eat solids.  

Take Home Message:

I made these from scraps.  I hate to admit this but I am really not kidding. I had made receiving blankets and burp clothes already from these fabrics (with my Daughter of course). All I needed to purchase was the Bias Tape. The rest of these sweet bibs were made from scraps.  (I hope my Daughter-in-Law doesn't mind!). The Bias Tape cost me just under a dollar per Bib.  

You Can Do This!

Food Storage.....at a Baby Shower!

Recently, we had a Baby-shower for my beautiful Daughter-in-law, who is due very soon.  So, my youngest Daughter and I planned the event and looked forward to having a great time.  I decided to try to do something...yes.....with my food storage. I really want to make a huge point here. Food Storage is not for emergencies only!  It is for LIVING on an everyday basis!  Look what we were able to do with many Food Storage items.

In the photo above, you see a green salad (could have been 'food storage' if this wasn't November as it would have come from my garden), Spinach Dip Pinwheels, Punch, and Fresh Berry Dessert Bites.

The Spinach Dip Pinwheels did not stick around very long (they were yummy!), and are very simple to make.  In addition, they make a really nice presentation.  I found the recipe online.

Some of the ingredients called for were  frozen spinach (already in my freezer), mayonnaise (in my food storage), and flour tortillas (which can be made from food storage ingredients. If you wish to have flavored tortillas, just use tomato or spinach powder in your tortilla dough.  These are easily made by using your food processor to make powder from your dehydrated items).  I mixed the ingredients in my food processor. 

Spread the mixture on your tortilla, leaving about 1/2 inch of space from the edge.  Roll up the tortilla.  I wrapped mine in plastic wrap and put them into the refrigerator until I was ready to serve them. To serve, cut in 1" slices (and nibble on one or two ends as you go...they are sooo good). and place them on a tray.

The Fruit Berry Bites recipe called for several Food Storage items as well.  These included flour, sugar, grated lemon peel (yes, you can dehydrate your own), salt and butter/margarine.  I made the cookie part of these treats strictly from my food storage.  The topping ingredient list called brown sugar (a staple!) and yogurt.  You can make your own yogurt from your powdered milk. I did purchase fresh berries and cream cheese, although you can also make your own cream cheese (an upcoming post).

An easy punch can be made from Hawaiian Punch, White Grape Juice and Sprite!  All of these are shelf stable.

Finally, the cupcakes can be made from food storage items with your favorite recipe.

So, in this photo, you can see all the items on a plate...and several of the ladies serving themselves.  You can do so many things with your Food Storage staples.....and it can be delicious and fun. 

Try it!