Foodie Friday - easy peasy minestrone!

Easy peasy vegan-friendly minestrone soup recipe from Caitlin of Real Swanky. Make it gluten-free by replacing the noodles with rice or pasta!

2 carrots, peeled + sliced

6 stalks celery, sliced

2 zucchini, sliced

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 onions, chopped

40 oz canned diced tomatoes

15 oz canned, drained white kidney beans

1 cup mini shell pasta

2 litres (~8 cups) water

1 tsp basil 

2 tbsp oregano

Celery salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Bring water to a boil. Stir in tomato paste and tomatoes. Add in everything but the shell pasta. 10 minutes before serving, add in the shell pasta and serve when the pasta is cooked to your liking. Be prepared to add a little more water, if the starchiness of the pasta soaks up a heap of the liquid.

Find more recipes from Caitlin over at The Hardcore Herbivore!

skip the gift wrap with Caitlin / Real Swanky!

This Tutorial Tuesday, Caitlin of Real Swanky will be showing us how to wrap gifts without the use of paper! It's a great way to utilize your..

• spare fabric
• a bandanna
• a cute vintage handkerchief
• a dish cloth or towel, which may be part of the gift, to boot!

You will need:

• Your gift
• A square piece of fabric (or whatever you are using to wrap) that is at least 3 times the length of the longest measurement of your gift

For my gift, I'll be wrapping up my latest embroidered piece, an anatomically correct brain (details here). It measures 7" in diameter, so I made sure my fabric was at least 21" long. For placement, start with your gift at least 1-2" away from the edges of your fabric's perimeter.

Flip the whole piece towards the other end of the fabric once.

..and again..

Flip once last time, you may have a few inches of fabric remaining at the end, so flipping it one last time is a wise idea. As you can see above, the "wrong" side of the fabric is facing up on your left and right side.

Take the fabric on the left and right side, and tie it into a knot, as you would tie your shoes.

Then, tie one last time. That's it!

This method of wrapping is great for just about anything -- books, soaps and perfumes, cooking utensils, boxed goods, and a heap more.

Meet Your Maker! at the Exchange Uporium.

Wednesday marked the day of the Etsy: Meet Your Maker event, held at Winnipeg's own Exchange Uporium over at 264 McDermot Avenue. Gathered 'round were us WESTies, those new to Etsy (both buying, selling.. or both..) and those happy to support the local handmade and vintage community. Here we enjoyed the clean, crisp atmosphere that the Uporium is very well known for, fresh lemonade, Etsy-themed cookies a la the High Tea Bakery, and some real solid company throughout the evening.

{photos by Caitlin Schlamb of real swanky / decent photography.}