Cinnamon Bun Grain Free Muffins

I've been trying lots of grain free recipes lately, and this is easily the best one yet! 

I thought I'd link to the recipe from Joyful Abode, in case you'd like to give it a try.

Cinnamon Bun Grain Free Muffins

I didn't make the frosting, because I was out of cream cheese - I just brushed some melted butter on top, once they were out of the oven, then sprinkled the cinnamon sugar on.  

The consistency was great.

I definitely suggest giving them a try, even if you're not worried about eating grain free - they're low carb if you'd like to think of them that way ;)

xoxo

jessica

A more literal form of nesting...

 In an attempt to make myself sit down more during these last few days of pregnancy, I started making these little amigurumi Easter Eggs.  For some reason I can sit down if I think - "oh I'm going to sit and crochet" instead of "oh I need to sit down and rest"...what that says about me I don't know, but it's obvious I'm not going to be a master at meditation anytime soon.

They are super addicting and very simple - I've made 6, but am pretty sure I'm going to go for the full dozen before delivery.  I love using that variegated yarn, I think it kind of makes them look like dyed eggs.

We think they'll be the perfect squishy soft addition to Lila's first Easter basket :)

  You can find the free pattern here.

Happy crocheting!

xoxo

jessica

The Top 8 of 2011

Happy New Year from Japan!

Here are the top 8 posts of the past year.  It's easy to tell that my life got crazy after June, all of the most popular ones are Jan - June.  It was in July that I got pregnant and we moved and this whole adventure with the Navy began.

Thanks so much for reading Sew Homegrown and I can't wait to start sewing and crafting with you this year!

1. January 6, 2011

Anthropologie - inspired Bolster Pillow

2. February 21, 2011

West Elm-inspired Colorpath Pillow 

3. February 25, 2011

Anthropologie-inspired handbag

4. March 14, 2011

Anthropologie-inspired Cami

5. April 5, 2011

30 Minute Tank-Dress

6. June 3, 2011

DIY Vintage Market Bag 

7. June 17, 2011

Beginner Maxi Dress

8. June 29, 2011

Fabric Tangram Puzzle with Drawstring Bag

Enjoy the rest of your holiday!

xoxo

jessica

Ask and you shall

 Several people commented on the woodland wreath post asking about the felt flowers I used.  

I feel there are many good tutorials out there already so that's why I didn't make one, but here are some you can use.  This is a pretty good one for the Felt Roses, but when I cut the spiral I make it a little wavy so that my roses have "petals".  This is a great one for the Pouf Flowers.  They are really so simple and fun to make.  Happy crafting!

xoxo

jessica

Holiday Projects and Recipes

Well hey there.  I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while, there really is so much involved in moving to Japan...and being pregnant - and then I got a cold.  So I haven't made anything crafty , but I thought I would put a few of my links up from last year (I think around this time last year I only had about 150 followers ;)  So here's the list if you weren't around back then - and if you were, thanks for reading Sew Homegrown.  It may be slow here in the next month or so (which is a bummer because it's prime crafting season!) but I promise things will pick up once we're settled.  We're still not exactly sure when we're leaving for Japan, but we think it's around the first week of December.  So that kind of gives you a timeline.  Hope you're all doing well and having fun this very festive time of year!
xoxo
jessica

My absolute favorite holiday side dish.

These chocolate peppermint cupcakes are easy 

and delicious and the perfect size to pop in your mouth!

This is a simple tutorial for making this colorful rice bag.

This Anthro knockoff has been one of my most popular posts, 

but in case you haven't seen it here's the link!

Macaroni and Cheese...my weakness

So I have a weakness for any combination of pasta and cheese.  

I hesitate to even write this post because I'm reading this book called Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight and find Your Way Back To Health.  It's really good and I recommend it, but it is definitely NOT in favor of consuming wheat.  So let's pretend that I made this with Gluten-Free Pasta, which you could totally do and it would be just as delicious, because the secret's in the cheese.

(On a Gluten Free Pasta note you have got to try Heartland G-Free Pasta -  best I've found.  You can't even tell the difference.  I can only find it at Wal-Mart.)

This recipe isn't new - it was on Martha Stewart a few years ago, but I just rediscovered it, made it last night, and it is soooooo good.  

World's Best Macaroni and Cheese. 

It's the recipe from Beecher's Cheese.  You can order the mac and cheese frozen from their website, but it costs $50...and it cost about $15 to make - still a little pricey for mac and cheese so you might want to make it a special occasion dish.

I was able to find the Beecher's Flagship Cheese (it's a cheddar) at Publix, so I bought a few ounces of that and then supplemented with Publix cheddar and Publix Jack.  Then I used Boar's Head Gruyere on top.  I served it alongside a chicken greek salad - hopefully offsetting the cheesy creaminess with some veggies and fiber :)

Oh and the Flagship sauce recipe is enough for a double batch of pasta - 12 oz.  Which of course is what I made.... and I'll also confess I ate way more than that cute little portion in that picture:)

xoxo

jessica

Over on Prudent Baby: Rayon Sewing 101

Hey!  Yesterday I posted some tips for sewing with rayon over on Prudent Baby. 

In case you missed it, here's the link:
Sewing with Rayon 101
They also posted some links for great tutorials that would be great using rayon. 
xoxo
jessica

One down, one to go...

If you've been reading my blog very long, you know I'm not really a knitter(see this post)...or a crocheter...but I really want to be!  I love yarn, and actually have accumulated quite a bit, but for some reason my brain has a block when it comes to yarn crafts.  However, over the 4th of July weekend, my aunt sat with me for a while and helped me learn a very basic crochet pattern: this hand warmer.

I made a practice one, and now I just finished this one and am going to start the 2nd in order to make a pair.  I'm pretty excited.  So if you're thinking of picking up crochet I would definitely suggest this pattern because if I can do it ANYONE can do it ;)

And of course you can check out these great blogs too.

Easy Makes Me Happy

The Purl Bee

..and there are many more, but I am still new to the yarn world.

Happy crocheting/knitting - it's never to early to start on those Christmas gifts!!

xoxo

jessica

Fun Business Cards

I have tried to make so many different business cards for my blog it's not even funny. 

BUT I think I have finally decided on one that I like (at least for now :)

I found that cute little dressform graphic over on The Graphics Fairy

then printed it up and sewed zig zag stitches along the edge.

They didn't exactly line up but I still think they turned out cute.

Happy Monday!

xoxo

jessica

Over on FaveCrafts Blog!

Hey friends - sorry I kinda flaked out on you this week.  It's hard when you're not in your own space. 

But yesterday I did a Meet and Make over on FaveCrafts, which is a great blog btw.

You've probably already seen the craft I did, but head on over and check out the fun 10 facts I had to share about myself...I always hate having to come up with a list like that ;)

Here's the link and have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo

jessica

It has begun...

well a big round of applause to all those talented ladies from the past two weeks!  Thank you so much for contributing.  With all of the packing I had to do, my blog would have pretty much stopped if you hadn't stepped in for me :)  So here's a little catch up of what I've been doing and what's going on in my life...

• We DIY packed our entire home and loaded it into two PODS (which I highly recommend by the way).
• Last Monday I was honored to be a guest contributor over at Sew, Mama, Sew!  (that's the pic up there) If you haven't see it already, go check it out!
• Currently we are house sitting for a friend - we will be doing this until we know where Ryan's job will take us.
• I had to pack the car for us to live out of suitcases for about 12 weeks - toys, books, bed linens, clothes, sewing machine...we're a miniature house-on-wheels.
• To help Charlotte cope with the transition time and the eventual move, she got to pack a special box of toys etc. that will always be with her - no matter where we are staying she will have her box.  I also made a photo book at Wal-mart into a story - with pics from our old house, pics of activities we will be doing during transition, and then we're going to draw a picture of what our new home might look like.

So that's a little bit of what I've been up to - I  hope you're doing well and enjoying these last days of summer!

xoxo

jessica

*Inspired Homemaking* - clothing to make

I've got an idea swimming around in my head...and I'm not quite ready to share it but here's a hint:

it involves lots of handmade clothing.

So here's a list of some pretty things I've found that I would like to make soon.
A few things:
if you haven't already, go ahead and enter the fabric giveaway
My "cure the summertime blues" series will be starting on Monday!!
AND I haven't announced it on here, but if you're on Facebook you know - every friday I feature 3 links to follower's blogs.  I  love getting to know you and seeing the things you're doing.  If you are featured on Follower Fridays on Facebook or *Inspired Homemaking* feel free to grab a button from the right side bar.

Happy Thursday!

This headwrap from The Letter 4 

is sooooo adorable.

This shirt is beautiful.

By Amanda from Modern Marigold for Sew, Mama, Sew!

These DIY gold pants are totally amazing.
Don't know if I'd be brave enough to make them in gold -
but Andy from StyleScrapbook totally pulls them off.

Jessica from Happy Together shares a tutorial for this super cute rag bag!

I love this dress over at Maybe Matilda - it even has pockets!

Aren't you inspired?
So many talented people.  I love it.
xoxo
jessica

Cure the Summertime Blues...

you know the old song

"there ain't no cure for the summertime blues..."

Well, this year there is!  You know how it goes - all the excitement of the Fourth is over...it's really hot...school hasn't started yet...and everyone can get kinda cranky.  

So, I am going to be hosting a guest series called 

Here is my lovely lineup of guests:

July 18th - Shannon from Sew Homegrown

July 19th  - Jo-Anna from A Pretty Life in the Suburbs

July 20th - Elizabeth from Simple Simon and Co.

July 21st - Melissa from Love Affair with my Brother

July 22nd - Anna from Ask Anna...

July 25th - Beverly from Flamingo Toes

July 26th - Tristin from Two Girls Being Crafty

July 27th - liZ from Simple Simon and Company

July 28th - Sunny from Love Affair with my Brother

July 29th - me from here

It's a great group of talented gals who will be sharing many many ways to beat those summertime blues!  

We'll have home decor ideas, recipes, clothing, kid's activities, and much more!

So if you're feeling generous, grab a button for the sidebar of your blog and spread the news - it should be a great two weeks.
xoxo
jessica

<a border="0" href="http://www.sewhomegrown.com/2011/07/cure-summertime-blues.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i883.photobucket.com/albums/ac39/sewhomegrown/sbutton.jpg" /></a><br />

*Inspired Homemaking* - The song that inspires me today

Hear the full song here.
xoxo
jessica

*Inspired Homemaking* - Fourth of July Dessert Roundup

I am assigned to bring a cute July 4th dessert to the family party.  

Which should I make?

What are you making?

Loving these Mason Jar cupcakes!

I also think they could be made with angel food cake, strawberries, 

blueberries, and whipped cream.

Cheesecake pops.  Yum.

Cupcake Kabobs.  So adorable.

Beautiful White Chocolate Cheesecake

They're all cute right?

What do you think?

xoxo

jessica

*Inspired Homemaking* - cookies

I don't really know why I was in such a cookie mood last night, but if you're on a diet...you may want to avoid this post.  Wow there are so many amazing bakers out there.  Hope you enjoy these links and are inspired.

She painted this cookie for a contest.  Wow.

Cake Batter Cookies from Stephanie Cooks

Tender Crumb

from Sugarsugargal

Each cookie is 2.5 inches square.  whoa. 

And she just snipped the tip of a plastic bag - no tip.

Rainbow cookies! Love the simplicity.

Adorable "Pirate cookies"!

Sewing cookies
for a sewing party!! 

 I have a soft spot for anything strawberry

and lastly these great summer cookies:

Love these popsicle cookies at the Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle

These Lemon Burst Cookies look amazing!

...and for my hubby (and any other gfree peeps Chocolate Chunk Toffee Cookies)

Hope you got some great ideas for baking!  If you were featured, grab a button over there on the right side bar.  See you tomorrow with a fun Summer Tutorial!!
xoxo
jessica

*Inspired Homemaking*

Inspiring links for you today!

I made these flautas last night with fried plantains.  SO yummy and g-free!!

Here's how mine turned out:

And in case you burn your pan while you're cooking...here's a great tip from Ask Anna... on how to clean it.

Want some baker's twine?  Make your own!

This is so simple you will get addicted.

This Bookworm Skirt at Living with Punks is SO cute - she used the selvages as the titles of the books!
This is the first tutorial in her Scrap your Stash series, going on now.

I've loved this dress at Anthro for a while, and CathGrace turned it into a girl's dress.
Adorable!

I loooove this thrifty simple bracelet - a J.Crew knock off - over at Henry Happened.

Have fun today, and for more things I love, you can always follow me on Pinterest!
If you were featured today, don't forget your button over there on the right sidebar!
xoxo
jessica