I was super excited when this challenge came up. I love to cook! Since it's summer, my first thoughts were of cold treats, quick dinners so the kitchen doesn’t heat up the house and various other yummy, hot-weather thoughts. But, since I live in an often cool and cloudy part of the world, I made a batch of warm and hearty potato and vegetable chowder!


I looked at several definitions of soup and stew terms and think this recipe is closest to a chowder, but I'm open to suggestions! I made up this recipe all by myself about 5 years ago, I think, and it was my first success at doing so  

I’d never written down what amounts of everything to use, but now I have! It's good now that I don't have to rely on memory 

3 Yukon gold potatoes (they were a little bigger than my fist closed loosely. You can use russets or whatever too. This isn’t rocket science )
5 celery ribs
1/2 of a sweet onion (yellow or white is good too)
water
1 head broccoli
1 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)
1/4 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon paprika
salt
pepper

Wash, peel and dice (as needed) the first 3 ingredients.


Put them in a medium-sized pot and fill with just enough water to cover them. Stick it on the stove and boil until you can easily stab and break apart the potatoes with a fork. From starting to wash to this point took about 40 minutes for me.


Place a colander over a bowl. Pour veggies into the colander so the liquid drains into the bowl. That liquid is veggie broth, baby! Liquid gold in my book.


Put the veggies in a big pot and give them a once-over with a potato masher. There should be whole dices left but mostly broken up or mashed.


Pour 1 1/2 cups veggie broth back in with the veggies plus 1 1/2 cups milk. Sift the 1/4 cup flour and 1/8 teaspoon paprika over this and stir in so clumps don’t form (if they do, mash them). Put it on the stove over medium-low heat. The mashing and flour will thicken the soup!

Wash the broccoli- Don’t dry! -and cut the flowers off into a bowl. Cover it with a paper towel and steam it in the microwave. I used the “cook soft veggies” setting on mine.

Do you like the sign?

Stir the soup frequently, mashing the veggies a bit more with the back of the spoon every once in a while if you want. Also every once in a while take out a spoonful and blow on it. Does it part where you blow then slowly come together again? Once it does and you feel like Moses parting the Red Sea, stir in the steamed broccoli and remove from heat.

Now dish it up! Salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

This is great reheated; I think even better. And, as you may guessed from the title, from start to finish this soup only takes about 60 minutes! Bon appetit!

Ooo, cute little birds! I love all the fun paper stuff. It makes me want to keep trying at paper crafts! All those tickets and fun papers and tape...What a nice little snail clip from tree27!

I received from SewEnthusiatic! I'm am very enthusiastic about finding crafts to do with all the little things she sent :

Patterned elastic! Striped and a baby-themed one that says bebe! I do love languages Lime green with white hearts bias tape (I love fancy bias tape), pretty green flower trim, ribbons, a yellow zipper (Yay, yellow!), gorgeous glass and glitter beads, buttons and a perfectly beautiful bird pendant charm.


Fabrics- I particularly love the orange polka dotted one -plus a needle book kit! Don't you love the image for the cover?


Newspaper clippings about 2 things I love: trains and fun spy stuff! There's an ad for a trip to the English seaside via steam engine and an article about someone building a James Bond-esque house! SewEnthusiastic also sent  2 little envelopes with little matching cards, a recipe for Diet Coke chicken decorated with matryoshka stickers and a sheet of more matryoshka stickers! Adorable!


The handmade goodness: a button barrette, a green glass pendant and my very first and long desired scrabble tile pendant! It came inside the little tin case. How cute is that?!

And everything came inside this fun package which was inside another for durability:

Thank you for everything, SewEnthusiastic!

Oh, the little snail is too cute! I love those postage stamps, the paper airplane rubber stamps, the key post its , the tape and that journal page is priceless!

I received from ecopp today!

Buttons, a pair of tiny snaps, an adorable little seashell charm, a couple of neat old bottle caps, an old-fashioned clothespin and a new-fashioned clothespin, cute writing prompt pages, a needle book, trims (my favorite is the blue one on top up front!) and fabric. The strawberry square is the sweetest and I love the linen-y flower print one. There're a few other do-dads as well and the envelope is over to the left in the picture.
Thanks, ecopp!

[Details of swap:]

Gallery: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=412895.0

Swap name:  Bento Swap Round 5
Craftster member who is organizing this swap: Calabaza
Sign-up date range:  July 15, 2012 – July 25, 2012
Date to send item by: August 25, 2012

Limited to a certain number of people? (optional): 25 including me unless someone volunteers to co-organize

Restricted to people who all live in the same country? No

Additional Age requirement? No

Swap Organizer himself/herself meets these conditions:
- Has fully read the Swap Info Guide: Yes
- Has successfully completed two swaps as a participant: Yes
- Is not organizing more than three swaps right now: Yes
- Will recruit a co-organizer or give all details to a Swap Moderator if this swap has more than 25 participants: Yes
- Is at least 18 years old: Yes

Swap Organizer will check each participant to make sure they meet these conditions:
- Has been a member for at least one month: Yes
- Has posted at least 15 times: Yes
- Has completed one swap successfully before signing up for multiple swaps at a time: Yes
- Is not currently signed up for more than five swaps: Yes
- Does not have any negative feedback: Yes
- Participant has agreed that he/she is at least 16 years old: Yes
- If yes, understands that Delivery Confirmation number is required for this swap: Yes
- If no, understands that a mailing receipt copy is required for this swap: Yes
I reserve the right to not accept a participant due to poor feedback.  


Photo used with permission from Ohayo Bento: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohayobento/with/7456315664/#photo_7456315664

Details of swap:
Whether you want to save money by bringing lunch from home, appreciate the practicality or eco-friendliness of reusable containers, are a hard-core traditionalist or want your kids to eat healthy and well at school and use up leftovers this swap is for you!

You do not have to make a gorgeous bento every day or spend hours carving cute carrot shapes to join this swap but that’s great if you do! I’m in it mostly for the easy-to-use containers and accessories Everyone is welcome!

This swap is for 3 points worth of crafted items plus 2 purchased items. Nice and easy for the summer. You’ll decide how much to spend with your partner for the purchased ones. There is a question in the questionnaire about amounts and I will try to match according to the answers, but it might not work out perfectly. Be prepared to go lower

Here’re some links I find helpful to jump off from:
http://justbento.com/handbook/bento-basics
http://lunchinabox.net/faq/
http://www.ohayobento.com/ Tons of great ideas!
http://www.familyfreshcooking.com/2011/09/16/project-lunch-box-30-day-challenge/ 30 days of packed lunches.
http://pinterest.com/theladybug/i-heart-bento/ Lots of cute and practical pins.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/50806695@N04/sets/72157627560920125/with/6411051323/ Simple and easy-cute. Lots of breakfast ones too! Blog: http://www.meetthedubiens.com/search/label/bento%20boxes
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mslil65/sets/72157601755804789/with/1541532855/ Lunches made for a kindergarten/first grader. Click on the photos and roll over the food to see what it is! Here’s one of my favorites making use of leftovers: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mslil65/1541532855/in/set-72157601755804789/
http://www.flickr.com/groups/1008228@N25/pool/ The cuteness factor is high here.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/367772@N22/pool/ Lots of different kinds of bento!
http://www.flickr.com/groups/627127@N25/pool/ Lots of variety here too.
And...
Round 1 sign-up: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=209059.0
Round 1 gallery: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=218357.0
Round 2 sign-up: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=248414.0
Round 2 gallery: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=252121.0
Round 3 sign-up: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=334184.0
Round 3 gallery: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=337665.0
Round 4 sign-ups: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=345128.0
Round 4 gallery: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=349017.0


Helpful size-guide:
By points:
Large - 3 points
Medium - 2 points
Small - 1 point
 
By Time:
Large - 3 or more hours
Medium - 2 or more hours
Small - less than 2 hours

By Size:
Large - shawl, skirt, set of jewelry 4-5 pieces, purse
Medium - single necklace or bracelet, scarf
Small - earrings, stickers, wallet, pouches, bookmarks

By Price:
Large - $30 or more
Medium - $10 - $30
Small - less than $10

Because it’s always good to stay in touch, remember to post in this thread or the gallery (once it’s up) 1x per week and, as always, pm your partner and the organizer when you send and when you receive. I’m not scary, I just want to make it a happy swap experience for everyone

Thanks to the previous organizers for the majority of the above and the questionnaire below!

If you want to participate, please PM the following questionnaire:

QUESTIONNAIRE TO ANSWER:
Name of swap: Bento Swap Round 5
Craftster username:
Email address:
Your real name:
Confirm that are at least 16 years old or, if not, that you have moderator approval(YES/NO):
Mailing address including the country (as would need to appear for mailing):

Would you be willing to ship to an address outside your own country?

Do you have any allergies?
Do you have any allergens in your home (cats, smoke, etc)?

What bento supplies to you currently own? (boxes, sauce containers, bag, etc. List any details you feel your partner might need to know.)

What bento supplies would you like to receive? (boxes, sauce containers, bags, etc. List any details you feel your partner might need to know.)
Anything you would rather not receive?

What is your bento style? (detailed landscapes, plopping things in, “it depends on the day”...)
What kinds of food do you pack in your bento?

Approximately how much are you willing to spend on the 2 required purchased items?

What crafts do you do?
Are there any crafted items you would you really like to receive?
Anything you would rather not receive?

What colors, patterns and themes do you like?
Any colors, patterns and themes you really don’t like?

Do you have a wist, pinterest or similar?
Anything else you’d like your partner to know?


IF YOU WANT TO PARTICIPATE, REMEMBER TO SEND YOUR INFO TO ORGANIZER VIA PRIVATE MESSAGE AND NOT TO REPLY WITH IT HERE.

Also, remember to read the Swap Info Guide to find other rules about participating in a swap.

Swap info guide: http://www.craftster.org/swapsinfo.html

This is my first "big" beading project, although I know it's not nearly as big as most! I debated putting this in with purses, bags and wallets but thought it might fit better here.


It's a frame purse, styled after Edwardian-era reticules and bags for my partner in the vintage swap. I studied old Sears and Roebuck reprint catalogs from 1900 (okay, so this year is technically Victorian), 1902 and 1908 along with several internet resources for the info I needed to make it. I ended up using mostly the 1908 catalog and the latter half of the 1900 decade for inspiration. It's about 5"x7", if I remember right, so "shopping bag" sized according to the Sears catalogs.


The back is beaded as well. Beaded bags were popular in this time period. A lot of them were made out of nothing but beads and thread but I'm not that daring. Not yet, anyway I free-handed the design on the front after looking at tons of art nouveau motifs to get a better idea of the "feel" and added the scattered beads to fill in. I wish I'd found a way to transfer a design to the faux-suede but I didn't. Does anyone have any tips on that?


This picture shows the color a little better. The beads are sewn onto the fabric which is a mossy green. I mixed 4 different glass seed beads: a tarnished gold, a transparent gold, a creamer less transparent gold and cream.

For anyone interested in the making of it, I used a sew-on clasp frame- also a tarnished gold -and added ribbon for the strap which can be tucked inside. It's lined with a cream lining fabric.

C&C and tips for beading newbies always welcome!

Whoa, those are some great packages! I love those little flapper clothespin dolls. So cute! That necklace looks really nice. Love the colors! That ration book is super-neat and all those vintage goodies are too cool!

I received from frosty772:

A bag from modish fabric, costume necklace, coaster, book box, a pretty bracelet and a card.
Thanks!

I received from StickerChic87 today! Behold the awesome goodness!


First up we have an amazing Abbey Road pillow cover! This seriously rocks and is absolutely perfect for me! I don't know if I ever told Sticker this or if she is just psychic but my entire family has a thing for this album cover. This couldn't be better! AND the mustard, golden yellow is one of my favorite colors!


Holy wow, people, look at these matryoshkas! They are priceless. Look at the faces and the hair! Have you ever seen better hair? I haven't! I have no idea how she got it so perfect. It looks like an embroidery machine did it! No kidding! It is professional quality. And the flowers are just wonderful too! Sticker, these are gorgeous.


My birthday was last week so the ever-thoughtful Sticker sent me a birthday card (also professional-quality and perfectly me). There's a lace hair clippy too with the coolest button center and a coin from the Caymans that has been turned into a magnet! I collect anything from anywhere besides where I live There're also pamphlets and postcards from Sticker's vacation during this swap (that's a build-your-own Lincoln Memorial one on top! A crafty postcard!) and a travel-themed journal with orange stripes! Does not get more me, folks. Seriously.

And finally we have an item I have been coveting on pinterest for a while now:

A lotus pincushion! I love the shape: so fun to pat and poke at! I didn't think it'd be this much fun but it is! I love it so much.

She even put a button in the middle!

Sticker, if we partner again I'm going to have to put 911 on speed dial because I don't think the old ticker can't take any more near-heart attacks induced by awesome swap packages and I'm only 27! It's a risk I'm willing to take

Thank you so, so much for everything. I love it, adore it and appreciate it all. Thank you!

I made this number for my fab partner in the IYP swap:


A breeze came along at just the right time for this picture! This skirt is hemmed with hem lace and lined with the cream you can just see underneath. It's cut less full than the purple to avoid indecent exposure charges on windy days The purple was cut a little less than 2x my partner's hip measurement. I topstitched the hem lace in place to keep with the kind of rustic feel.

Both fabrics were thrift store sheets but since I only used the narrow hem of the cream to avoid having to sew my own, I thought they'd fit in better here with the general completed projects. I unpicked the ends of the narrow hemmed sections so I could sew the side seam then closed it back up, folding the fabric over the seam so it looked like I did the whole thing myself 


Shirred back with 1/2" (hmm, I think it was 1/2") elastic up top.


It's got pockets!


Another shot of a pocket with the bracelet I sent too. The beads are white, black and gray but the gray really picks up the purple in the skirt which I didn't notice until later and made me very happy The bead colors stand for dots, dashes and spaces which spell out "may the force be with you" in Morse code!

If you want to make your own skirt like this, do it! It was a super-fun project.
Thanks for looking!

The other day a package arrived from Unicornlasers:


I love these chessmen hair sticks!


Unfortunately the rest were broken, but I think with a needle and thread I can fix 2 of them.

Thank you, Unicornlasers! And thank you so much to Kookaloo_Starr for being willing to angel!

I made this military-inspired messenger bag for my partner in the dieselpunk swap. It was my first time using grommet tape and I just ordered a bunch more yards of it   I don't know if I got the dieselpunk vibe or not, but I'm pretty please with how it turned out.




The back pocket, topped with grommet tape.


The grommet tape is sewn all the way down the sides and into the bottom seam. The pockets pleats are sewn at the bottom and pressed all the way up. This fabric holds a crease really well.


The extra tape from the adjustable strap part can hide out in one of the pockets.


I used a buckle and a vest-tie-buckle-thing for the adjusting hardware. The grommet tape that went all the way down the sides goes all the way past the top of the bag to become the strap.


The inside is lined with muslin and has a pocket with brown grommet tape trim.


Oh, and there's grommet tape running all the way up the center front under the flap as well! I love this stuff. It should come in every color of the rainbow plus patterns and different widths. I got mine from MajikCraft on Etsy. I only saw black at JoAnns.

Thanks for looking! I'd love to hear what you think. Is it dieselpunky? Do you know of other places to buy grommet tape? C&C welcome.