Blueberry Jam

Being 8+ months pregnant in the dead of summer has left me with ZERO energy.  I've done very little of anything productive as of late.  But yesterday I did manage to make some blueberry jam.  I love a leisurely breakfast with Mr. Sangria on the weekends.  Usually we read the paper, have coffee and some pastry for breakfast, and catch up on The Soup.  Jams are relatively easy to make but they get such a big reaction.  Mr. Sangria thinks I've spent hours in the kitchen making him something.  Clearly that's never the case.  I proceed to tell him how great I am and then ask how many of his friends wives make homemade jams on a regular basis (we have a freezer full of strawberry and apricot jams).  The answer is none and I make him feel like he is so lucky and therefore should do something nice for me.  Like take me to dinner.  It's really a win-win situation.

I came across this jam recipe in a recent issue of Real Simple magazine.  I love that it doesn't require any canning equipment because canning equipment is a pain in the (--------) to use.  Blueberries are in peak season now so I've stocked up.  And best of all - there are only 4 ingredients.  When you use fresh ingredients you don't need a lot of other additives.

Blueberry Jam

Hands on time:  5 minutes  Total Time:  30 minutes  Makes 3 cups (which I've broken down to 5 seperate containers for future use)

Ingredients:

5 cups blueberries (I used organic)

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

In a medium saucepan, combine the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, and salt.  Mash with a potato masher or wood spoon until the berries have released their juices.

Cook over medium-high head, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened, 18 to 25 minutes.  Transfer to containers and refrigerate for up to 1 month or freeze for up to 1 year.

TIP: This recipe can also be made with two 10-ounce bags of frozen blueberries instead of fresh.  Cook the frozen berries for 2 to 3 minutes before mashing, then reduce the total cooking time to 15 to 17 minutes.

Now I need to beg Mr. Sangria to stop at the store on his way home from work to get some good bread to slather this deliciousness over tomorrow morning.

Ruffle Embelished Cuff Bracelet

As I mentioned in an earlier post I'm busy "cleaning" out some of my closets and actually using items before going out to buy more.  I came across a bag of ribbons that I've had for over a year.  Some were purchased and others I've collected from various other objects.  I save all the ribbons that are on gift boxes, as I never know when they could come in handy.

I decided to make an easy Ruffle Embelished Cuff Bracelet.  I didn't use every item shown above but they were all great for inspiration.  The only item I had to purchase was the button which I got on sale from Joann's.

Baby Cinnamon Sangria making a cameo - you can't really see her as her baby bump is shy.

Not bad for taking scraps and turning them into glamour. 

Cheers!

Cinnamon Sangria

Cleaning leads to procrastination which leads to crafting

I'm supposed to be cleaning out a closet for Baby Sangria to make room for all of her clothes (she's got more clothes than I do at this point).  Her closet is currently my craft/cleaning/don't know where to put stuff closet.  So I've been slowly cleaning it out to make room for her.  I'm not one for cleaing, it's just not my thing.  Don't get me wrong, I love cleanliness but it's clutter that is my downfall.  I have lots of stuff treasures that I think, "oh, one day I can use this."  So I don't really get rid of things.  This also makes me a future prospect for the show "Hoarders".  In 20 years when you see me on that show you can say you knew me back when I was a Hoarder to Be.

Anyway, in my "cleaning" I came across some beads that I have had for quite a while.  It's been on my to-do list to make this necklace, bracelet, earring set for quite a while.  And this past weekend was the perfect weekend to do it.  Why clean when you can craft right?  I love this set because it's grey, silver, and white which pretty much goes with anything.  It can be worn day or night which is a plus in my book.

Stay tuned for more "cleaning" posts in the next few weeks!

Cheers!

Cinnamon Sangria

Diaper Clutches

It's been quite a while since I've last posted. I've been busy making items however I'm not very good with bringing out the camera most days.  Today I forced myself to take advantage of this beautiful So. Cal sunshine and take pictues of items that I do have handy. 

Today I wanted to share some diaper clutches that I recently made.  Big diaper bags scare me, I don't understand them.  I suppose this comes from not having a baby - yet, just a few short months to go!  But I can't picture myself taking a huge bag with me everywhere I go.  Yes I know one need diapers, perhaps a change of clothes, snacks, etc. for longer adventures but just for running quick errands I imagine these clutches will be more my style.  Just fill them with wipes and a few diapers and run to the store.  Easy and stylish!

Items will be listed in the shop next week when I re-open it.  If you see something you like before then please contact me at:  hello@cinnamonsangria.com

**Items shown may differ from items listed in shop due to a few events I have in the upcoming week.**

Baby Shower Gifts

A few months ago I had 14 friends who were pregnant so I’ve been busy making baby gifts. A few of these babies have joined the world and I quit keeping count of how many are still or newly pregnant. A few years ago I felt like I was going to weddings every weekend. Now it’s baby showers.

A good friend of mine is having her shower in the next few weeks and I wanted to make her something that I hope that she will find useful. A changing pad and diaper clutch for on the go. She has chosen to not find out the gender so I made this gender neutral.

The changing pad is reversible. Either chocolate or white, whatever she decides. A thin layer of batting in between the two fabrics keeps this soft for baby. The diaper and wipe clutch has no batting as I wanted to keep it light and let it fold easily when not in use. It should easily carry 2 diapers and a travel wipe holder. Or an extra onsie in case a change is needed. This is a perfect gift for those times when a busy mom (or dad) doesn’t want to lug the entire diaper bag around. The diaper and wipe holder is not reversible but I made 1 white on the outside/chocolate on the inside and 1 chocolate on the outside/white on the inside.

 

 

I also made her 5 burp cloths.  I just used leftover fabric and terry cloth that I had on hand.  I figure if you are going on have a burp cloth on your shoulder for 18 hours a day it might as well look good, right?

I had enough fabric left over that I made another set (changing pad and diaper/wipe case). This is the last of the fabric and I probably won’t be making any more (for the shop anyway) so if you like it get it while it’s still here.  http://www.etsy.com/shop/cinnamonsangria

Cheers!

Cinnamon Sangria

New Items

Hello Friends!

It has been quite a while since I've had the opportunity to blog.  The holidays were a busy time for us with a few trips to New York to visit Mr. Sangria's family.  Then of course the holidays themselves and I had good intentions to restart blogging after the new year but again life happened.  But I'm back.  I've been busy these last few days making these evening clutches.  

As of now the pink, white, and purple are listed on Etsy.  The red and grey will be listed hopefully by tomorrow along with a few other new items.
These retail for $20 each.  They make an excellent evening clutch.  I also use mine everyday to organize my lipstick, keys, mints, smaller items in my larger everyday purse.

More colors to come shortly.  Stay tuned!

Visit my etsy shop at:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/cinnamonsangria

Cheers!
Cinnamon Sangria

Makeup Bag and bags and bags and bags

Confession.  I'm a bit of a hoarder collector.  I cannot stand to get rid of things away because just as soon as I do I know I will need them.

Last week a girlfriend of mine was collecting items (clothes, wallets, toiletries, costume jewelry, etc) to take to a women's shelter.  She mentioned they were putting together toiletry bags and I knew I could donate mine.  See I did find a use for it, therefore justifiying my keep them for as long as I did (years in some cases).

But donating these left me without my own so I needed to make one.  I'm not one to carry all of my makeup around with me.  Just really powder & lipstick.  And when I travel that's all I wear as well.  So a small bag made from scraps was in order.

This is just the perfect size for me.  And such a great use of my leftover fabric.  I think I need to make some more of these for great stocking stuffer gifts.