DIY Overalls

On an incidental wandering into our local Walmart, we spotted a diamond in the rough: child-sized denim overalls. Being relatively small people, we immediately snagged two pairs and decided to make it our first DIY post on the blog. We made our way to the craft store, picked up some embroidery thread and iron-on patches, and got to work. Here’s our take on the project:

Maneet:

1.     I once saw a girl who had a tattoo of a bee on her knee (brilliant right?) and have been obsessed with the idea since. Because I’m too indecisive to ever commit to a bee permanently inked on my knee I went with the next best option: bee patches to add to the knees of my overalls!

2.     I put my overalls on and lightly marked my knee with a pen so I knew exactly where to place the bee patches. I placed the patches onto the denim and set a pillowcase on top before I began to iron them (make sure the iron is on the highest setting.) After a couple of minutes the bees were secure to the fabric and I moved on to the flower patches. As for the dashed lines coming from the bees I started by lightly marking the fabric with a design and hand stitching along it.

3.     My biggest tip for this project would be to be mindful of how much thread you use. It’s much easier to knot the thread at the end if you use the majority of the string rather than leaving inches at the end like I did.

Sam:

1.    I wanted to keep my overalls simple and neutral, so I can wear them anywhere! I put the daisy patch on the back, since it felt too big to put on the pockets. I love how bright and delicate the flower looks on the back.

2.    Before I ironed on my patch, I moved it around a bit to make sure I liked the placement. For the embroidery, I lightly marked the fabric with blue pen and just went for it!

3.     My biggest tip for this project would be to stay patient with the
embroidery. It takes time to make the lettering legible and neat, so definitely take your time and be thorough. Otherwise, it can unravel and come apart (speaking from experience, unfortunately).

Jodi’s Italian Ice Factory

The first Jodi’s Italian Ice Factory opened its doors in Hammond one year ago. On this hot summer day we found it fitting to visit their third location in Schererville. The storefront, small and very simple, offered many interesting flavors ranging from Swedish Fish to Vanilla to Sour Patch Kids. We decided on the store’s pride and joy, Piña Colada, as well as mixed berry.

The mixed berry made with fresh berries was the perfect combination of sweet and tangy flavors and had the prettiest purple color. The Piña Colada was super refreshing, and even had pieces of fresh-cut pineapple inside. Definitely a winner, hence the sign which boasted, “The Best Piña Colada Italian Ice.” Jodi’s is definitely a place we would go again with a product that hits the sweet spot, but doesn’t bog you down.

Strack & Van Til

Since 1960 when Strack & Van Til started its franchise of grocery stores in Northwest Indiana, it has become a household name. Stracks has become integral to the region, funding Little League teams, elementary schools and local events that span across the towns that make up NWI. This summer Stracks got a major facelift—the Northwest Indiana Times calls the Schererville location’s five million dollar renovation “the Disney World of grocery stores.” We decided to stop in to check it out ourselves.

When we walked in, we were overwhelmed by the variety of choices: fresh sushi, hand-squeezed fruit and vegetable juices, customizable pizzas and sandwiches and a wall full of assorted nuts and dried fruits. We settled on trying a few light snacks—apple carrot orange juice, antioxidant trail mix and yellow lentil hummus and pita chips.

Apple Carrot Orange juice: The thought of carrot juice may scare some away; the citrusy blend made it super refreshing and sweet. The pulp was surprisingly brown in color, but giving the bottle a good shake calmed our worries.

Antioxidant Trail Mix: A delightful mix of dried cranberries, raisins, almonds and dark chocolate made for a tasty blend and hit our sweet tooth. We also wanted to try the yogurt-covered almond so we threw a couple in that added a bright boost to the blend. It was a filling snack that we would definitely come back to if we needed quick energy boost.

Yellow Lentil Hummus: The create-your-own hummus bar was a bit overwhelming with its wide variety of hummus and toppings. They offered everything from carrot Sriracha hummus to stuffed grape leaves to specialty cocktail olives. We decided to top our hummus with feta and black olives. The lentil hummus was a bit spicy but went really well with the homemade pita chips, which were conveniently placed above the bar.

It was fun to go back to a region classic that underwent such a massive makeover. With a new Whole Foods said to open in the fall, we’re confident that our hometown heroes will come out on top. The range of offerings and tasteful décor make us proud to call Strack & Van Til our local chain.