Cooking: Early Fall Enchilada Dinner (Recipes)

I am loving this Fall weather and had to take advantage with what may have been our last family dinner outdoors. It was so pretty sitting in our backyard in our sweaters and jackets (except for the kids who still dressed for summer). It doesn't get much better than sunny and crisp.

We served one of my favorite meals for cooler weather: Chile Verde Chicken Enchiladas and Salad with Cilantro Buttermilk Dressing and Pepitas. These enchiladas are a crowd pleaser and they are easy to make. Plus they work to make ahead and freeze--I love having a pan in the freezer I can pull out when I am in a crunch for dinner. They work well for neighbor dinners too since they travel and can be warmed up when they are ready to eat.

The salad is simple: chopped romaine lettuce, 1" diced yellow and red tomatoes, 1" cubed avocados, some chopped fresh cliantro leaves, and toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds). I share the recipe for the dressing below.

Click through for the recipes and a brief tutorial for assembling the enchiladas.

Craft: Colored Glass Cake Stand (Tutorial)

I had in mind for Tess's birthday party lots of brightly colored glass. In pinks and yellows, specifically, to coordinate with the party colors. I hunted a bit on eBay and Etsy and didn't find the right thing (or the right thing at the right price) so I decided to try and make my own colored glass cake stands with Martha Stewart Craft's Glass Paint.

It was surprisingly easy! And inexpensive thanks to some cut glass plates I found at the dollar store.

I clustered a pink and yellow cake stand I made myself with another I purchased and it was a fun way to display some little cakes for Tess's party. The birthday girl agreed!

Click through for the tutorial to make your own!

Giveaway: Harts Fabric

I've got a great giveaway for you today: a $100 gift certificate for Harts Fabric! 

They have a wide selection of apparel, quilting and crafting fabrics, as well as yarn, patterns, machines and notions. But lately I am especially excited about their knits. 

They have a lot of great solid colors in different weights and textures (their Scour Sweat Shirt Fleece is pictured below), and some really fun prints, such as this wild Nicole Miller abstract print. 

My favorite right now, however, is their "Lana Bollito" boiled wool (it's a viscoise/wool blend). I just used some of this great fabric to make Bateau Neck Dress with pom-pom trim for Scarlett and also used it earlier this Spring for an Easter Ruffled Bateau Neck Top for Tess.

I can't wait to use more from my stash now that the weather is cooler. (And I just ordered some great purple! Yikes what a fabulous color for my girls...or me!)

What about you? With what Harts Fabric would you sew? Enter to win a $100 gift certificate below by telling me all about it. 

To participate login with Facebook or enter your email in the Rafflecopter box below so I have a way to contact you if you win! There are multiple ways to enter including leaving a comment with a link to your favorite Harts Fabric knit. The giveaway is open until October 15th.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sewing: Pom-Pom Trimmed Boiled Wool Bateau (Tutorial)

We are enjoying some gorgeous Fall colors around here. It's early in the season so there is still plenty of green mingled with the golds, oranges and reds. On a sunny day the surroundings are pretty hard to beat. Come to think of it, a grey day looks pretty great too.

I love sweater weather, so I couldn't resist making a Bateau Neck Dress in this gorgeous green boiled wool ("Lana Bollito" from Harts Fabric) to usher in Fall. This green is what I would call a "mature" color, but the peacock blue pom-poms give it a more youthful vibe. And Scarlett was excited about it.

I made the dress in the button-back version. I hadn't sewn this particular combination from The Bateau Neck Top and Bateau Neck Dress extension patterns and it was fun. With a solid colored fabric such as this I like the opportunity to add the detail of buttons down the back (found these great green buttons, Belle Buttons by Dritz, at Joann).

The pom-poms along the neck and top of the hip pockets are a new twist I've been planning for a while. This trim is another reason for the button-back--the trim doesn't stretch.

The dress has plenty of give for my active girl, and to be certain she would find it comfortable I lined it with a cotton knit to eliminate any itch. I also used a stretch twill for the facings in a coordinating peacock blue--a good color if it shows but softer than the wool. I love using boiled wool and lining it makes it more versatile. I will share a tutorial on that sometime...

In the meantime I have a tutorial below for adding the pom-pom trim--it's a nice way to customize a simple top or dress like this. 

Welcome Fall!

FYI: Posting for Sew Ready to Play

Have you seen the "Sew Ready to Play" series hosted by I'm Feelin' Crafty? It's such a great concept: bloggers are invited to sew something inspired by a favorite children's game. There have been some great posts inspired by classic games and some that are new to me. 

I am participating today with a tutorial for a Little Piggy Pouch inspired by the "This Little Piggy" rhyme. I used the beautiful Nursery Versery fabric by Heather Ross for Kokka and came up with a pouch that seems consistent with the character of the fabric and illustrations--a bit of batting and some raw edges to add texture. You can view the full post here. Oh, and I made Tess a little outfit to match, of course...