Tomato and White Bean Soup Recipe (quick!)

Tomato and White Bean Soup

4 Cups chopped fresh tomatoes

1 Medium Onion, diced

1 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 cups cooked white beans

2 cups vegetable broth

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 tsp basil, or more to taste

1 TBS brown sugar

1 TBS sugar-free, or lite, maple syrup

Mozzarella cheese -shredded, for topping- about 1-2 TBS per 1 cup serving

In a medium pot, add diced onion to the olive oil and saute until the onions are clear. Now add the vegetable broth, tomatoes, and spices. Simmer for about 20 minutes or so, then cool just a little before pureeing in a blender or food processor. Add the white beans and mix in, placing back on the heat for a couple of minutes if the beans were chilled. Once everything has been heated through, it is ready to serve, and you can add the last ingredient: the cheese to the top of each bowl, measuring out 1-2 TBS per serving. Takes about 35 minutes to prepare, and totally worth it!! Healthy & delicious.

Or the “canned” / Super-Quick version:

Campbell's canned Tomato soup, 2 cans

Amy's Vegetarian Baked Beans, 1 can

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 tsp basil, or more to taste

Mozzarella cheese-shredded, for topping- about 1-2 TBS per 1 cup serving

Prepare Soup according to label, adding beans and spices. Once everything has been heated through, it is ready to serve, and you can add the last ingredient: the cheese to the top of each bowl, measuring out 1-2 TBS per serving.

Recipes by Shelley Sidle-Owens

‘Bina Brianca’ Wrap

This is a very easy wrap, that can get sewn or knit , or crocheted in no time!
I found it on Fine Craft Guild and it can be worn many ways!! It reminded me of the No Sew Vest I posted not too long ago, just a big bigger.... check it out!

No -Sew Vest

This is stylish and  wonderful, and very easy-to-do.
Here's the link, WobiSobi No-Sew Vest
and yes, I found this on pinterest too. :)
Here's the url, in case the link is not working :

Ruffled Skirt, free pattern

While on pinterest, trying to find what to do with my many band t-shirts, I found this wonderful ruffled skirt!

So I'd really like to make it.  The tutorial is on this blog -Analog Me-titled T-shirts transformed to Random Ruffles (here's the url, since the link seems not to be working http://analogme.typepad.com/analog-me/2009/09/i-didnt-ever-think-my-old-tshirt-could-look-like-that.html#comment-6a00e3933608e28834019103cc1fc0970c ) and I'm really excited to try it....now I just have to find enough shirts in one color!  But the search continues for how to take my many band t-shirts and use them, and NOT obscure the band and artwork on them. I guess I can just make them fitted, but that it simple and rather boring.  Anyways, I thought I would share this wonderful tutorial with people. 

Nouveau Frienship Bracelets and Cuffs

Last year I went to Portland and I was going through boxes of my old things.  I found my old yearbooks, I found some old other things that many people exchange at that same time- friendship bracelets!  But since I've become such a knitter and crocheter, it struck me that I could do these wonderful bracelets on a larger scale.  

I'll have to take pictures of the old ones that I made and my mom so kindly preserved for me.  I also found many other treasures- books mostly- that I was thinking of selling on ebay!  For instance, did you know that a copy of Heidi can be worth $60 ? I think that it has something to do with the date being misprinted on it.  

This is from the pattern I found on Purl Bee's website

I made some friendship bracelets, one of them from the pattern I found on The Purl Bee's website   and the others I did from memory after looking at the older bracelets I'd made back when these were all the rage.  Next I'm going to try making some with more strands of yarn, but with bulky yarn, to see how that goes.  Or more strands of yarn and standard weight , CYCA 4 yarn.  There's also the ones I did a while back with crochet (the lightening bracelet) and I wonder if the two techniques can be combined successfully.  Well that's all for now.  Just thought I'd share those. 

This is from the pattern I found on Purl Bee's website, same cuff, just different lighting. 

These I made from memory, with CYCA 4 yarn, and 5 yarn

Another view of the ones made with CYCA 4 and 5 

Another view of the ones I made from memory

Crocheted lace

This lace parasol is simply beautiful!! I want it...in black or purple.  I love how the blogger drew out the design after being inspired by the parasol! It's from her post : Lace Inspiration - url included in case the link doesn't work: http://la-belle-helene-journal.blogspot.com/2011/08/lace-inspiration.html

Yoga Back workout

Awesome skull shirt

Source: imgfave.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Buy handcrafted items and get cool and unique things :) i have kept adding more tutorials and things to the store (I wish I had a photographer!) I do custom things as well, so just about anything that is on the store, (or a reasonable request) can be done in a different color, or a different fabric or fiber!!

You can now buy the pattern for the Crochet skull, if you'd like to buy it in Pdf format, you can send me the money and I'll just email it to you. Contact me through devils.rope.marigolds@gmail.com. The banner should link to the store, but just in case, here it is written out: http://meylah.com/DevilsRopeAndMarigolds/

Ok! Support hand-crafted!

Frida Kahlo

Frida art image on Tumblr

Fashion "pins" / pictures

Well, I have spent a lot of time looking at lovely photos of crochet, sewing and fashions pictures on Pinterest. I suppose I will start an account... here are some more great "pins" I liked & thought others might enjoy:

JP Gaultier Hats

McQueen

Kenzo

Crocheted Dresses found on Pinterest

http://www.40forever.com and http://gallery.ru  both links are in order of the pictures. I did find them on pinterest, but these can be found on these websites.These two were on the Crochet board of Pinterest, didn't really say who the designers are, but I like 'em & they both could be figured-out (or close-enough approximations) without too much difficulty.

Craft Yarn Council's Yarn Weight System Chart

Standard Yarn Weight System & Recommended hook/needle sizes

Very helpful link for recommended knitting needle sizes and crochet hook sizes for each weight of yarn, plus the general gauge you will get with each.  Also helpful to know if you want to break the "rules"... then you know what the recommended size is for each yarn and you can go up, or down a size or two, depending upon the effect you are aiming to get with your project.