Blog | Made By Teressa

Cucumber Tomato Salad

We have been on the receiving end of a lot of fresh organic produce this summer. The only problem, which should be italicized, is finding new ways to incorporate them into our meals. This is one of my favorites, a cucumber and tomato salad with basil and croutons.

I will admit that I am not normally a fan of tomatoes. I shudder at the thought of eating the grocery store variety on their own. But these ones in particular, with the stripes, are AMAZING. I really think the stripes add something to the flavor. As for the basil in a box, I usually have fresh on hand, but craziness prevented the weekly trip to farmers market and I saw this frozen variety at Target the other day. It’s not bad, it claims to be solely basil chopped and frozen. There are other herbs as well, which in the long dreary winter months might be useful!

Here is the recipe and as per usual it’s not imperative that the amounts be followed to a t.

1 cucumber skinned and seeded
4-6 tomatoes depending on the size, seeded
olive oil
kosher salt and pepper
basil
stale bread, cubbed

Dice the cucumber and tomatoes to about a 1/2 inch. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and basil to taste. Finally toss in stale bread a few minutes before serving, that way it has time to soak up a little of the moisture but won’t get soggy. I suppose you could use prepackaged croutons, but I wouldn’t recommend it. If good bread, I had some Wheatfields multi grain leftover, is not available a loaf of “french bread” would do the trick.

Sold Out

24 Aug ’08

I have been amazed with the response on Etsy. I completely sold out of MacBook sleeves. Which in turn means that I need to get busy and spend some time sewing. I have a few sleeves that are getting the finishing touches and some great fabrics I’m itching to use.

Thanks to everyone who has purchased so far!

Button Frame

8 Aug ’08

I absolutely love the way this frame turned out. I used the leftover dyed buttons from the Button Purse and a frame that I picked up on clearance. It’s a plain wood frame, but the “mat” is actually cork, which I think is fun by itself or to pin mementos to. The pink in the picture doesn’t hurt, it was taken on our trip to the Skagit Valley tulip fields. Truly a beautiful place, the tulips looked like sheets of velvet stretched across the dark wet soil.
I think this will be a great addition to certain little girls room! Who doesn’t need more pink in their life?

Mac Sleeves on Etsy!

24 Jul ’08

I have gotten my act together and am in the process of putting half a dozen MacBook and MacBook Pro sleeves up on Etsy. You can also click the “Shop” link on the right to get a better look, or to purchase! Of coarse I can do custom fabric combinations, but these are a few I came up with while wondering the bolts in Lawrence. And any MacBook Pro sleeve can be made in MacBook size and visa versa. Please check them out here, with more pictures! Hopefully I will be adding more soon. I’ve got a couple other projects in the works, a knitting needle caddy, cute diaper bags and adorable purses!

Here a few that I put up today!

Sewing Tip

9 Jul ’08

As I have been sewing more and more lately I have been trying to perfect my workspace. And as anyone who works in a small space knows it’s a challenge. One of the most useful tricks I have found is to keep a small pair of scissors near the sewing machine. AT ALL TIMES. My machine, a basic Brother, has a built in “thread cutter” but it’s awkward to get to.

I put cork tiles on the wall above my desk. I think I got mine at Target or Hobby Lobby, but most craft places have them. I use them to pin swatches of fabric to or floss cards with ribbon attached. But the real lifesaver is the pin in the corner where I hang a little pair of sizzors. It is within reach when I am sitting at my machine and if I remember to put them back instead of taking them to the ironing board they are always there when I need them.

The Labels Are HERE!

24 Jun ’08

Maybe now things can get into full swing around here. I had wanted those fabric labels you sew into the back of your clothes for the things I was making. But I was having a hard time finding a place that would let me design my own and NOT charge an inordinate amount for that option. Finally, though I’m not sure why it took me so long I went to etsy. After lots of deliberation I decided on a simple design and sent it off to Jennifer’s Jewels.

I think they turned out really well, couldn’t be happier, though next time I think I might make some design changes. Hopefully this is the prod that I have been needing to get things done around here. I’ve got lots of stuff in progress… the dreaded place where ideas go to die and be forgotten. But with these snazzy new labels let’s hope I can revive them!

MacBook Sleeve

24 Jun ’08

I’ve always been on the hunt for the perfect laptop bag, searching for six years has left me with a variety of bags, but none really seemed to hit the mark. Then I realized that maybe what I was after was a sleeve that I could carry alone or drop into one of the myriad of bags I already owned.

This lead me down a long path, with many prototypes and lots of disgruntled attempts to get the right proportions and usability. I think that I have finally hit the nail on the head! A lightly padded sleeve with a tab and button closure. A fabric covered button, which is my FAVORITE part of the sleeve. It is adorable to carry on it’s own but also protects my happy MacBook from the scary things that linger in the depths of my purse.

I’m working on some more, different fabric combos, for purchase. And the boyfriend has requested one, though it might take a special trip to the fabric store for “boy” approved fabric. Which is all by way of saying that I’m working on a pattern for a MacBook Pro that will hopefully be up soon too!

Polka Dot Box

15 Apr ’08

I am familiar with little girls, they like pink and purple and glitter. Little boys on the other hand, are a bit of a mystery to me. So when it came to picking out a gift for a five year olds birthday I was at a bit of a loss. I decided to go with Hot Wheels, boys like cars. The real dilemma came with the wrapping. I didn’t have any paper that seemed appropriate so I turned to the trusty brown craft paper box.
A circle template, construction paper and a bit of glue and I think I have created a “boy friendly” gift box. I do understand that rick rack is a little girly, but let’s be honest a five year old is not interested in the packaging of a birthday gift, but it made me happy!