homemade junk free fruit roll ups

Lately I've been on a crazy fruit eating, no carb, no sugar eating spree. I've been watching the calories i'm eating and cut out, well...almost everything I used to eat (ie. junk, junk and more junk). I was craving something sweet but with no added sugar. This recipe fit the bill perfectly! It's only 2 ingredients and you can feel good that it doesn't have all the chemicals and junk that traditional fruit roll ups are filled with.

Wash and cut 2 lbs strawberries.

Put them in the food processer. I have a mini one so I did mine in batches. Process until smooth.

Pour the strawberry puree onto a parchment lined baking sheet. The parchment is important. It will keep the fruit roll ups from sticking and help them to come off in one big sheet.

Spread the puree out, try and keep it in an even thin layer on the baking sheet. 

Add a sprinkle of cinnamon to the puree. It gives it a subtle flavor. Yummy.

Next, turn you oven to the lowest temperature it will go, for my oven that was 180 degrees. Leave in the warm oven for 6-8 hours or until the strawberry puree is dry to the touch. When its done let it cool to room temp and peel it off the parchment, then roll up, cut and enjoy!

felt food making-waffles + pancakes

Here's our first breakfast addition to the felt food collection, waffles and pancakes! The waffles were just squares of felt with batting in between sewn together. I went back and sewed squares in the middle to show the pockets real waffles have. If you're interested in how I made the pancakes (complete with butter pats a top) check out this great tutorial, I used the same method. 

To see more felt food click below:

Strawberries 

Watermelon

Peel-able Banana

the little things

Lately its been the little things, materialistically speaking, that have had me in a good mood. I definitely will say that "things" don't make me happy, but every now and then I come across something that brightens my day. It could be fresh flowers for the house or a new vintage find. 

Here are some of my favorite things right now...

My new beautiful, buttery, leather Valise Journal via Anthropologie. I chose the yellow because it makes me happy, but they also have a gorgeous teal/green color. 

Saltwater Sandals. I've always been a fan of this sandal, but never owned a pair (at least past the age of 5). After Chelsea (a lovely blogger I follow on Instagram) posted a few photos in her classic black Saltwaters I decided to buy a pair. They're SO comfy. I'm very happy with these shoes!

 Two vintage dresses I thrifted for Ella. Those polka dots really got me, and the red nautical buoys? C'mon now...too much.

Lastly I was so excited to find this buffalo check table cloth (which I also thrifted). It fits Ella's kids table perfectly.

Anything that you're fancying lately?

yellow and grey baby shower

I had the lovely pleasure last month of hosting a baby shower for my best friend. I really love party planning and putting a handmade touch on party decor. Here are a few Instagram photos (follow me! my handle is abstractgrace) of the party decor.

I was also happy to find that Kim from The Tomkat Studio, has teamed up with Pottery Barn Kids sharing great party ideas. There are some great video tutorials and free printables for all types of party decor. I took advantage of her beautiful designs and used the Sunshine Baby Shower suite for printable decor and invitations.

I wanted to go with a yellow and grey color scheme from the beginning. I thought that it was a perfect blend of gender neutral (she was having a boy). I didn't want to go to "boy-ish" with the shower. I guess I just like thing uber-girly!

The brunch menu included crepes with nutella, peanut butter, and preserves. We also had  fruit salad, quiche, goat cheese and crackers, and lemon bars (Ina Garten's amazing recipe). Yellow daises in mason jars tied with twine adorned the buffet and tables, and several walls were covered in vertical hanging crepe paper streamers and yellow and grey tissue paper poms.

My favorite part of the shower was the polaroid guest book. We set up a table with several chalkboard props and took pics of guests when they arrived. Then they were able to write a message below their photo to the mom-to-be and baby. Afterwards all the pictures went into a memory book of the shower as a keepsake for mom. 

It was such a lovely day and I got a lot of compliments from guests on how everything turned out. Now onto planning Ella's 2nd birthday!

the little one

Gosh, she's just the cutest thing, and picked the white beanie out herself from my closet. This kid has good taste! I adore her, runny nose and all. 

Happy Monday!

felt food making-peel-able banana

Here it is, piece #3, a fancy peel-able banana!

 I found a great tutorial for this piece over at the blog Just Stuff. It's always the piece that I get the most comments on. "Oh, a banana! And look it comes out of the peel!" Its the little things, I guess? ;) You can also use this same method for making a corn in it's husk. 

To see more felt food click below:

Strawberries 

Watermelon

green smoothie

Spring is here! Yay, finally! The sun is shinning which makes taking blog photos much more enjoyable than fighting with dark skies and no natural light. It also makes me want to clean and eat healthier because I know i'll be forced into a swimsuit in a few short months (ugh). I'm trying to eat healthier (mmm...pizza) and tried my hand making a green smoothie after seeing a few motivating Instagram pics by Emma over at Red Velvet. 

This one has:

 two handfuls of spinach

one sliced apple

three large strawberries

one scoop protein powder

one cup water

a handful of ice

The verdict? It was yummy overall. I couldn't taste the spinach at all, but the consistency was rather thick. I think adding more ice would help for next time. The thing I like about it is that its filling. I couldn't even finish the whole thing. I'm looking forward to trying a few others this week, maybe something with blueberries? That sounds tasty.

diy blackboard

I just wanted to share with you a project I completed last week, a DIY kitchen blackboard. It was beyond easy, and only cost me $3.99! I've been wanting a chalkboard near the kitchen to write lists, notes, and menu plans on but the size of the wall I wanted to put it on was rather awkward. 

The frame I picked up at the thrift store, and the paint I already had. I just gave the frame a coat of white paint, then sanded around the edges for a distressed look. Then I flipped the mat board in the frame over and gave it two good coats of chalkboard paint. 

Easy peasy. 

If you're wondering where the quote is from, it's from the original movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Willy Wonka whispers "so shines a good deed in a weary world" when Charlie gives back the gobstopper. It's probably my all time favorite quote. Ever. :)

Have a good day!

felt food making-watermelon

Here it is...felt food #2...Watermelon!  It's large, about 10" long, and was fun to make. I hand stitched the seeds with embroidery floss, and stuffed it with poly fill. 

To see more felt food click below:
Strawberries

felt food making-strawberries

Last summer I had a grand idea to make a few pieces of felt food a week for Ella. I was hoping that by Christmas I'd have a rather large selection to give to her along with the play kitchen we made for her (more on that project later). So I started making felt food. LOTS of it. I managed to take pictures of ALL of it, so I'll share one food at a time. 

It was a lot of work, but very much worth it. Ella loves to play with it, and I'm hoping that these will hold up to pass down to the next kid (whenever that it) and maybe even their kids!

First up, and perhaps my favorite of the bunch...Strawberries!

If you're interested in making your own felt food I'd suggest Googleing it. There are a million patterns for great felt foods.