Zaaberry HANDMADE

3.24.2013

Coconut Banana Nut Muffin RECIPE

Here's an easy, yummy recipe, for your Sunday morning.

I love coconut and there's some evidence that coconut oil might have better fats than butter. Truthfully, I just love the flavor. You can subsitute an equal amount of vegetable oil if you don't have coconut oil, but you won't get that subtle, yummy coconut flavor.

Coconut oil is generally solid at room temperature, so just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to liquify it.

Combine the wet ingredients.

Combine the dry ingredients.

Gently fold the wet into the dry.

This is a fairly thick batter, so I use a cookie batter scooper to transfer the batter to the oiled muffin tin.

Makes for even muffins.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.

Eat them while they're still warm.

Yum.

3.17.2013

My New BFF - In Duck Tape!

Ever since my last Washi Dress, I've been thinking that having a dress form might be useful. I've been looking at all the options and thinking....and finally decided to try the duck tape route. There are a million different tutorials for making a duct tape dress form, so I won't add another. But, I will my general advice based on my experience.

Here are my tips in a nutshell:

buy quality tape - and you probably only need 1 roll
wear something thin and fitted underneath
I used fiberfill to do the chest area and wasn't happy with the results so I went back and filled with plastic bags
don't be afraid to cut her open and refill areas - I did this A LOT
take measurements as you fill - my rib cage ended up being too big after filling, so I added more tape to cinch it down
use cardboard to stabilize areas - I used cardboard at the base, neck, and armholes

Overall, I think she came out pretty good. I'm not thrilled with the chest area, but that's true in real life too, so I guess she's accurate :)

I haven't used her for much yet, but I'm happy to have her around, even if it's just for taking pictures of finished garments. The kids enjoy hugging her too. It's pretty funny.

I used this tutorial from Crafterhours to make the cover. I did mine in a cream color first, but you could see the duct tape through the fabric, so I went back and made another cover out the brown. It's a little closer to my own skin tone too, so I guess that might be helpful.

My favorite part is the stand. I bought a 1 inch dowel and some PVC pipe that the dowel could slide in to. I put the PVC pipe up through the form, slid the dowel in, and used an umbrella stand from Home Depot for the base. The great part is, it all comes apart for easy storage. When all was said and done, it cost about $30. Perfect for my budget. It didn't take much time either, which fit my needs as well. I've had my eye on a Uniquely You form, but felt like I wouldn't have the time or patience to really customize it as it requires.

So, do you use a dress form?

I'm curious to hear about what other sewists are using.

3.15.2013

Bag Loving Blogs Blog Hop

Spring is right around the corner and I could certainly use some inspiration for a new bag. I added my Girls Night Out Clutch to a fun blog hop over at ChrisWDesigns.

Here's the scoop from her blog if you want to join in:

One very obvious reason you may be visiting my blog is because you love BAGS just as much as I do! It is FUN and so inspirational to see what bags other people have been making so I thought it would be great FUN to start a Blog Hop so those of us who love making bags can 'Hop' from one Bag Lovin Blog to the next! :)
What do you have to do? It's easy! (Please note links now require approval due to spamming :( so will be approved after all 3 steps have been carried out! Please make sure your blog has posts about BAGS!)
Step 1) Just add your blog link below by clicking on the "Click here To Enter" link and follow the easy steps to add your blog!
*Step 2) IMPORTANT! Click on the "Get the code here" link shown to grab your copy of the code and add it to your blog! Please include these instructions so that new members will know what to do! :)
*Step 3) Grab this button: (Right Click and Save)

and pop it in your sidebar linking to your Bag Lovin Blog Hop post so that we can leave this blog hop open and people can keep finding it and hopping on! :)
After all 3 steps have been completed, your link will be approved and added to the blog hop! :)
That's it! :)
* Please note it may take me a little while to approve your link due to the time differences! If you have any technical difficulties or you can't see your link within 24 hours, please don't hesitate to email me so I can see if I can help! :) Thanks for joining in!
This is a Blog Hop!