I'm sew Crafty is coming back...soon!

So I've had to let go of the blog for over a year now due to personal reasons which I'd rather not go into right now.

Good news is though, I'm officially coming back to blogging! Finally, I've found myself with more free time which will allow to write more. In the next few days I'll be looking at different topics to cover on here. So expect some cool projects coming soon!

Don't throw away those eggshells!

Today I was looking through the blog to get an idea of what my next topic should be and luckily I didn't have to go that far. Looking at my post for the recipe for "Ovos Moles", I thought it would be great to continue with the subject of eggs. Since the big thing now is "Recycle, Reuse", well then how about reusing those discarded egg shells?


Besides using them for your compost bin or using the egg shells during easter for some cute easter eggs, you can do some beautiful looking mosaics. I actually kept the shells from the eggs I used for the Ovos moles and made this cute little trinket box to give to my cousin's daughter. Mind you, the box isn't completed in these pictures:


Before getting started, you need to properly clean the eggshells. You simply clean them in water and wait for them to dry. Then, once dry, you must peel that little skin on the inside of the shell. That skin needs to be removed in order for you to be able to glue the shell securely.


You can also dye your eggshells by using different foods. Simply add your eggshells and vegetable or fruit, your using to dye with, to boiling water for a few minutes. Me, I used some onion skins to dye them.

Then after that, you can proceed with making your mosaic with some plain white glue and varnish. And Voila! A brand new decorative item for your home!

To good books and good conversation!

Since my entrance into the world of Etsy, I've had much pleasure in chatting with fellow crafters in the forums. I've been especially addicted to the Etc. forums where everything is the subject matter, and none are the rules. Besides all the silliness we get into everyday talking to each other, often Etsians will get to the subject matter of books and literature. One of my favorite subjects honestly!

A few days ago, while on the Etc forums, I stumbled upon a thread that regarded book suggestions for a book club. In the midst of all the suggesting and commenting on various books, some of us decided it would be quite fun to start our own little book club just for us Etsy members. I must say I was quite exited!

So now, a few days later, we've got the book club setup and our first book selection has been made. Our read for the month of June will be "To see you again: A true story of Love and War" by: Betty Schimmel.
The first book was chosen by KealaLegacy (you can view her Etsy shop here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5164147). It's about the love story between two young people set in Hungary during the Nazi occupation. I've finally purchased it online, so hopefully i'll be receiving it soon. I can't wait to start reading it!



**If perhaps you are a member of Etsy and are interested in joining us, then don't be shy and give send me a convo. I'll make sure to pass the message along to all other members.**

I.D. Bags

Ovos moles

I haven't mentioned this before, but I am of Portuguese heritage. I'm very proud of the culture, it's extremely fascinating and rich. One of my favorite aspects of it, is the Portuguese cooking. Call me biased, but I think it's the best cooking in the world ;)

I thought it would be fitting to start sharing a little bit of this part of my life. Since I was young, my mother always took the time to teach me these different recipes. I'm glad she did, and still does, because this way family traditions are kept.

One of my favorite recipes she thought me is called "Ovos moles", which translated means "soft eggs". It's a delicious dessert, sort of like a pudding or custard. It is extremely easy to make and it uses very few ingredients. See I'm always thinking of saving you money! haha...

Here is the recipe. If you decide to try it out, let me know how it turned out!

Ovos Moles

- 2 eggs
- 10 egg yolks
- 0.5 kg of sugar
- little over 1/3 cup water

In a small saucepan, mix water and sugar together and let cook in low-medium heat. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Let cool. In a separate bowl, beat your 2 eggs and 10 egg yolks together until they start to thicken. It should be a light yellow color.
When done with yolks, simply pour them in the saucepan where you have your sugar and cook in low heat, stirring constantly. Stir for a few minutes until your mixture thickens a bit more. Make sure it's on low heat, as we do not want this to boil! Once done, let cool down and once again it should thicken.

This recipe should serve around 4-5 people. You can serve in small cups and sprinkle some brown sugar or cinnamon over it. Enjoy!

dig, dig, dig. plant, plant, plant.

The weather this weekend was perfect for gardening. Finally!
I've been outside planting and harvesting since Saturday morning, and now I can barely move I'm so exhausted.

Since part of this blog is about sustainable living, I thought I should probably mention a few items everyone should have growing in their gardens.
Remember, if you don't have a large yard, like me, it's all about container gardening! So make your own containers with some plywood or simply use any old bucket you can find.

Now in order to make your garden part of your sustainable life, well you have to forget about all those cutesy decorative flowers and plants. They are useless, really. They will simply suck up water and your money.

My big thing these past few summers has been fine herbs. They are super easy to grow and maintain. Plus you have the benefit of having your seasonings grown at home, and that my friend makes your wallet super happy. These are the herbs I currently have growing in my garden: Mint, Basil, Oregano, Parsley, Chamomile, Thyme, Coriander, Dill, Rosemary and Tarragon. A lot of these I can use year long simply by drying them.

Here are some of the different ways I use each herb:

Mint--> Lemonade (already posted a recipe for one), tea, fruit salads and soups.

Basil--> Soups, salads and on chicken.

Oregano--> most tomato-based sauces, on potatoes and soups.

Parsley--> on Fish, vinaigrettes and salads.

Chamomile--> My favorite tea!

Thyme--> great in chicken (jerk chicken), on potatoes, tomato soup and sauces.

Coriander--> with chicken (especially a stir-fry)

Dill--> dips, in sour cream and mashed potatoes. Also in that salmon recipe I previously posted.

Rosemary--> great on all types of meat and fish marinades.

Tarragon--> amazing for salad dressings, and great on chicken.


All these herbs have many more uses and all of them are really low maintenance in your garden. So they're really easy for the beginning gardener.

Besides herbs though, everybody should have a few fruits and vegetables planted as well. I currently have big beef tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, red and green peppers, cucumbers, strawberries, raspberries and apples. Those take slightly more work, but will reward you with lots of food if taken care of properly.

One of my favorite sources for gardening information on the web is Patti Moreno, from Garden Girl TV.
Her website has loads of videos teaching you how to get started in container gardening and doing it organically. Her site is definitely worth a look: http://www.gardengirltv.com/
A few minutes on her website and you'll get the urge to go outside and start planting, I swear!

Over the next few weeks, I'll be posting my garden's progress, so make sure to check back!

better link

Here is a better link to the cyberseams website and videos:

http://cyberseams.com/