This pile of fabric is in the works to become more purse organizers. I got a lot of attention when one of my purse organizers was featured on Etsy Finds (Editor’s Pick). It feels good to be on the front page! All organizers sold out in two minutes.

After some shopping last weekend, the stash is replenished for more.

One of my purse organizers was featured on Etsy’s front page. They sold out in two minutes and are on their way to their new homes.

I packed these first ones in a reusable cloth napkin, finished with a ribbon bow. I liked these gift wraps so much that I thought I could be separate items for the store. Doing my homework in Etsy,  I noticed that there is some demand for eco-friendly gift wraps, and no one seems to be offering reusable napkins. So there they are.

These reversible his-and-hers aprons were a gift to Kelly and Walter for their 20th anniversary. It was fun to make them (no patterns!) and I was happy with the result.

Another purse organizer. This one is a bit wider and it’ll be soon at the Etsy store.

Two eco-friendly cloth napkins will save paper napkins and paper towels. It’s double-sided and I used 1 meter of fabric to make both.

This purse organizer is great to keep things in place and neat inside your purse.

It’s very handy and convenient when you need to quickly change purses, and make sure you never forget those essential items you need to carry with you all the time. And your bag will always look so neat.

It contains 8 pockets to easily hold your keys, wallet, phone, iPod, camera, pens, glasses, lipstick, cards, gum, or whatever you want.

Simply drop it into your bag, arranging it in any way you choose: you can drop it in the middle, then have other items around it, or you can have the organizer hug the interior of your bag, then add other items in the middle.

It perfectly complements bags with no pockets such as tote bags, diaper bags or your beach tote. You can fold it too, so it can be inserted into bags of any size, even small ones.

It makes an original gift to that person who has everything.

Handmade at home in 100% cotton fabric, with reinforced seams, it has an interfaced layer interior that holds it upright.

It’s on sale at my Etsy store.

I  found some cute fabric baskets for sale on Etsy, and I’m trying to replicate them using fabrics on my stash.

They are not as simple to make as I first thought. It’s pretty hard for me to sew the round pieces on  the bottom. Maybe there is some trick I don’t know? They turned out pretty good for a first draft.

I need now to add lining and embellishments - that’s what will make them charming.

Brocolli soup

Ingredients

• butter: 2 tablespoons
• onion: 1 large, chopped
• celery: 2 stalks, chopped
• carrot: 1 medium, chopped
• chicken broth: 3 cups
• broccoli: 8 cups of florets, chopped
• green onion: 4 stalks, chopped
• cilantro (coriander): 4 cubes, frozen
• cream
• soy sauce, ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in large-sized pot.
2. Add onion and saute until it’s golden brown.
3. Add celery and saute until tender.
4. Add chicken broth, broccoli, carrot, and green onions.
5. Cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes in low heat.
6. Pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree.
7. Puree in batches until smooth.
8. Pour into a clean pot.
9. Add cilantro, soy sauce and pepper to your taste.
10. Just before serving, add cream to your taste and serve.

This sturdy shopping tote cost about $5 in supplies. The wood buttons were about $1 each, and the fabric was found on sale at $1 a meter, and I used half a meter of each kind (black, olive exterior, and olive lining).

We had dinner at Joso’s, my favourite restaurant in Toronto. I had gamberoni alla griglia (flame grilled prawns in garlic butter). Delish.

We didn’t have 45 candles around, so Robert had to improvise.

More items for my Etsy store. I love the photo displaying the latest one (gray) in front.

These are plain-vanilla mittens in Cascade Eco Wool. I made it a bit larger than needed because I wanted to felt the fingertips and palm to make it windproof.

This yarn felts easily and beautifully. I just had to soak it for a few minutes in hot water, then rub it by hand for another few minutes. I kept the cuffs intact.

I decided to try my hand on stamping to spice up a bit my fabric stash. The samples below were made by simply stamping Jacquard textile colour (colour: Periwinkle) right out of the bottle on polymer stamps attached to a plexiglass sheet.

This was my very first attempt at it, and I’m not sure yet if I like the result. On paper it looks way better.

Winter gave us a break this Sunday. It was warm and sunny, a gorgeous day to take photos at High Park. This hat was finished in January (pattern: Luciana P; yarn: Mirasol Hacho, double-stranded).

It’s great to have a fashion photographer at home. These handwarmers never looked better.