Month: August 2013

Workout – Week 5 of Focus T25 Challenge

August 31, 2013 kimberlee

Today marks the end of the Alpha round for Focus T25. I have completed the first 5 weeks of the challenge. Now we are on to the Beta round. I am excited and looking forward to the new workouts in this round and the challenges they will bring.

The following are some photo collages of the past week – week 5:

Week 5 Day 1 of Focus T25 Challenge group - KimberleesKorner — Week 5 Day 1 of Focus T25 Challenge group – KimberleesKorner

My cat is in the above collage because he had the grumpy cat face. My workout schedule had to change the past week because of the kids starting school and early marching band practice for my oldest son. The cat hangs out with me every day when I workout and he seemed upset about the time change – cats seem to be creatures of habit.

Week 5 Day 2 Ab Intervals KimberleesKorner

Last day of Alpha round - this was a double workout day doing Total Body Circuit and Lower Focus - very sweaty at the end of this KimberleesKorner — Last day of Alpha round – this was a double workout day doing Total Body Circuit and Lower Focus – very sweaty at the end of this KimberleesKorner

This past week we had to do Total Body Circuit three times – it was tough! I was pretty strong on Monday getting through most of those push ups on the toes but by Wednesday and Friday I had to do some of them on the knees toward the end of the workout. Tons of sweat on those three days!

Also, I got a new fitness watch at the beginning of the past week. It is a Timex Health Touch watch. It has a heart rate monitor, stop watch, timer and and activity setting to see your calories burned. It also has 2 time zone settings. The instructions it came with are kind of vague. It is easy enough to set the time and operate I just was not sure how the calories burned – activity setting and heart monitor setting worked until I used it for a couple of days. I don’t think it measures the calories you burn per workout but rather for the entire duration of a day. For example I set it on Thursday in active mode and it ran for 17 hours, from 6 am to 11 pm (it was a long day!) and it said I burned 2700 calories. I kind of like the fact it calculates overall daily calories burned not just during your workout. This is the first health watch with a heart rate montior I have had so I have nothing to compare it to. Also, you do not have a chest strap to wear with this watch. In the photo below it shows the activity setting for 6 hours and 8 minutes – I have burned 957 calories – this was my double workout day (Friday) so I really burned a lot of calories that day – it was amazing!

Health Watch has a heart rate monitor, stop watch, timer and calories burned setting KimberleesKorner — Health Watch has a heart rate monitor, stop watch, timer and calories burned setting
KimberleesKorner

I created another smoothie recipe this week using the Spectrum Decadent Blend with chia, flax seed, cocoa and coconut. This one also has spinach in it for added greens and vitamins along with chocolate almond milk and peanut butter. If you click on the below link it will take you to the ziplist link for the recipe or I have added it below the photo.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Protein Smoothie with Greens

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Protein Smoothie with Greens

Handful Spinach
2 Tbls Spectrum Decadent Blend – chia, flax seed, cocoa, and coconut
1 Tbls peanut butter
1/4 c. peanuts
1 scoop whey protein powder
1 c. chocolate almond milk
1/2 c. crushed ice

Place all of the above ingredients in blender or nutribullet and blend 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth. Sometimes I forget to add the crushed ice so I just serve it over ice as seen in photo.

I hope everyone had a great week of working out. Click on the Leave a Reply to let me know what workouts you are currently doing. To receive future updates please subscribe via bloglovin, by email or RSS fee by clicking on any of the icons in the side bar.

Have a great Labor Day weekend!

Categories: Exercise Health Recipes

Tags: fitness, Focus T25, Smoothie Recipe, Smoothie Recipe with greens, T-25 challenge group, T25, working out, Workout program

Recycled Denim Book Cover

August 27, 2013 kimberlee 9 Comments

Now that I have finally pulled out some of the old jeans that I have been saving I am really getting into making things from them. This book cover is my fourth completed project using old jeans.

book cover made from old jeans by www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog

To make this project I used what was leftover from the same two pairs of jeans that I used to make my Cork Tile and Denim Project. This time I did not use the pockets but used the leftover leg pieces.

Here is how I make a book cover:

Measure your book while it is opened – side to side for width, then measure from top to bottom for height or length
To these 2 measurements add 1 inch to each for seam allowances (which are 1/2 inch) So, if your measurements were 13 w by 8 h you would now have 14 w x 9 l

Note: Since this project used leftover denim from another project I had to cut 3 pieces for the outer cover – those pieces vary according to what size your book is but if you figure on adding 1/2 inch to each of the 3 pieces for seam allowance it will be approx. the right size for your book.

For my book – which measured 13″ w (opened) by 9″ l here are the pieces I cut:

outer pieces – 2 pcs – 4 1/2″ w by 10″ l

1 pc – 7″ w by 10″ l

flaps – 2 pcs – 4 1/2″ w by 10″ l

back lining – 1 pc – 11″ w by 10″ l

bookmark strip – 3/4″ w by 12″ l

Note: after I finished it was a little wide – next time I would reduce the width a little probably by 1/2 inch.

First I sewed the 3 outer pieces together with the wider piece being in the middle using a 1/2″ seam. I then pressed them to one side and topstitched those 2 seams using an edgestitch foot.

Next you sew any decorative stitch to the front however you choose – to add some color I used variegated thread. This is a fun way to use some of your decorative stitches if your machine has any or you can just use a zigzag stitch.

view of topstitched pieces and decorative stitches with variegated thread www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog — view of topstitched pieces and decorative stitches with variegated thread
www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog

Then you attach the book flaps to each side right sides together sewing just the ends. I first serged the one side that will be exposed to prevent fraying or you can zigzag it or even turn it under.

Serge edges of long skinny bookmark piece or zigzag. Place the strip at top of one side in middle.

For the back lining/facing piece serge each of the sides or zigzag. Place this lining piece right sides together with outer book cover – the book flaps will be in the middle. Sew across each top and bottom piece catching the long bookmark strip in the top but not the bottom.

The above photo shows the back lining piece sewn over the flaps and front cover. I had to piece my back lining piece together to make it wide enough.

Clip the corners and turn right side out and press. Congratulations! – your book cover is done. How easy was that? I would love to see what yours looks like if you decide to make one. You can email me a photo or post it on my facebook page.

recycled denim book cover by Kimberee www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog

What sewing projects have you been working on lately? Let me know by clicking on Leave A Reply. Have a great week!

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Categories: Recycle Sewing

Tags: book cover from old jeans, book cover tutorial, denim book cover, how to make a denim book cover, jeans recycle, recycle denim project, sew a book cover

Workout – Week 4 of Focus T-25 Challenge

August 24, 2013 kimberlee 2 Comments

Week 4 of of Focus T-25 – Nailed It! The alpha phase of these workouts is almost through – only 1 more week to go then we go into the 5 week beta phase. I can tell the workouts are getting easier for me and notice how much more stamina I have getting through them. Especially on Friday – the double workout day.

Here are some highlight photos of the week. I got into making photo collages this week with my pictures. I got the idea from another person in my challenge group.

Photo collage of week 4 day 3, Lower Focus - T-25. Me & my workout buddy + acai, blackberry protein smoothie www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog — Photo collage of week 4 day 3, Lower Focus – T-25. Me & my workout buddy, the cat + acai, blackberry protein smoothie
www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog

some photos doing T-25 Total Body Circuit on week 4, day 4. Tough workout for sure www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog — some photos doing T-25 Total Body Circuit on week 4, day 4. Tough workout for sure
www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog

Week 4, day 5 - double workout day - Speed 1.0 & Ab Intervals done - the cat was waiting for me in front of the TV when I got downstairs ready for the workouts - look at all the sweat I am pointing to after both were completed - feeling totally energized! www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog — Week 4, day 5 – double workout day – Speed 1.0 & Ab Intervals done – the cat was waiting for me in front of the TV when I got downstairs ready for the workouts – look at all the sweat I am pointing to after both were completed – feeling totally energized!
www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog

Also, I made up 2 new smoothie recipes and have those to share:

I also created a new salad recipe. The salad made quite a bit so I had half for lunch and the rest with dinner. Here is the recipe:

I placed all the ingredients except lemon juice and olive oil in a bowl and chilled them for about an hour then put the last 2 ingredients on just before eating it for lunch. This was a really good salad – I thought – a change from a normal lettuce based salad. Note: It is strong with the onion and garlic – best to have some gum or breath mints after eating.

To read previous posts on this T-25 journey you can click on the exercise tab in the above menu.

What workouts have you done this past week? I would love to hear about them – click on the Leave A Reply to let me know.

You can subscribe to my blog via bloglovin, email or RSS feed by clicking on any of those icons in the sidebar. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Categories: Exercise Health Recipes

Tags: exercise, fitness, Focus T-25, T-25, T-25 challenge group, Workout program, workouts

Sewing – Bathing Suit Top Redo

August 20, 2013 kimberlee 4 Comments

I made this bathing suit top a year ago using McCalls 3566 pattern. I have had the pattern several years so I am not sure if it is still current. It was simple to make but I never wore it due to the fact it needed more support. I had tried various bra inserts you buy at JoAnns or Hancock Fabrics but none of them seemed to work out well. So, the top got set aside in a sewing to-do pile meaning I intended to figure out a way to fix it one day.

Then, about a month or two ago I was on pinterest – doing some daily pinning – and found this pin on making a bathing suit top from a bra. It was intriguing to me and also something I had considered doing before and even had set aside a couple of older bras with the bathing suit top I had made. I had just not had the proper motivation to fix my top until I saw this on pinterest. Of course I pinned it to my sewing board and also immediately went to the site to see how to make this work.

So finally, a few weeks ago, I got my project out and went to work with my sewing machine. This is what it looks like finished:

bathing suit top front view www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog

Since I was working with an already made bathing suit top I had to rip out some of the top stitching. I hate having to do that because it is a pain but it had to be done. I had an old strapless bra that I had kind of wore out in the back but it worked great for this project. I cut it off at the side seams – figured out where the center of the bathing suit top was and centered the bra in there. I had to do lots of pinning and stretch the top elastic area over when I sewed it in. I used a narrow zigzag stitch to sew the top elastic casing area to the top of the bra. The bottom area I stitched mainly by hand to the underwire area – wrapping the elastic area that I ripped out over the under wire bra.

inside view of how bra was sewn in to the top and bottom of the existing bathing suit top for support www.kimberleeskorner.com

I had a little of this fabric left so I made a 3 to 4 inch long tube about 2 inches wide and sewed it right sides together then turned it right side out. I wrapped this piece over the center of the bra-top to create the cute gathered front area. I stitched this down and tacked it to the bra by hand.

I am so pleased with how this turned out and glad I finally have a top to wear with the bottoms that fits well and has support. The first time I wore it my husband asked “Where did you get that bathing suit?” I told him I made it and he seemed impressed. The photo below is of me wearing it – this is after I have been swimming in it and done my water workout. It held up just fine in the water.

photo of me wearing my new bathing suit top

So, what sewing projects have you done lately? Let me know by leaving a reply.

Also, if you would like to receive future posts and updates please subscribe via bloglovin, email or RSS by clicking on one of the icons in the side bar. You can also find me on facebook – Kimberlees Korner Have a great day!

Categories: Sewing

Tags: bathing suit top, bathing suit top redo, sewing, sewing bathing suit top, sewing project, summer sewing

Workout – Week 3 of Focus T-25 Challenge

August 17, 2013 kimberlee 3 Comments

I have made it through the third week of Focus T-25 for my challenge group. The workouts are still challenging, especially Total Body Circuit, but I can tell I am getting stronger and more fit. This past week of the schedule we did Total Body Circuit twice – on Monday then again on Friday. That one is still the hardest on in the Alpha round for me. I think it is because of all the push ups.

Here are some of the photos from my past week:

Monday 8-12 photo after completing Total Body Circuit of T-25 - also notice the shirt I made to work out in. I bought the shirt and embroidered my own wording on there "Focus to be Fit T-25" by Kimberlee from www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog — Monday 8-12 photo after completing Total Body Circuit of T-25 – also notice the shirt I made to work out in. I bought the shirt and embroidered my own wording on there “Focus to be Fit T-25” by Kimberlee from www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog

photo after Wed. 8-14 workout Speed 1.0 - yes you sweat a lot! www.kimbeleeskorner.com/blog — photo after Wed. 8-14 workout Speed 1.0 – yes you sweat a lot! www.kimbeleeskorner.com/blog

Me & my 2 personal trainers - my son was up early and watched me do the workout - he & the cat. Photo taken after 1st workout Total Body Circuit was completed www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog — Me & my 2 personal trainers – my son was up early and watched me do the workout – he & the cat. Photo taken after 1st workout Total Body Circuit was completed www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog

The end of the week my one son got up early for a couple of days and watched me do the workouts. He asked me one day why was I making that noise when I breathed. I told him to do the workout with me and he would be making the noise, too. These workouts really get your heart pumping and you have to breathe (exhale) to get through much of the workout. These workouts are 25 minutes of pure cardio and sweat – I am loving it! Also, in the above photo I embroidered a shirt to workout in – I put the phrase on it “Focus to be Fit T-25”

I also made another new smoothie- protein drink this week. This one has kale which is very good for you and some berries and Acai juice in it. Below is a photo and the recipe for the drink if you want to try it. The Acai juice is suppose to be good for beauty and metabolism, too.

Today, Saturday, is a non workout day but I chose to do Core Speed again like I did last Saturday. This is the bonus dvd that comes with the set. This workout is very fast paced and you are burning tons of calories and sweating the whole time. There are one handed burpees in this workout that you do multiple times throughout the 25 minutes.

Next week will be week 4 of the 10 week challenge. I am ready for it!

New Nike Training shoes - perfect for spreading your toes when doing Focus T-25 — New Nike Training shoes – perfect for spreading your toes when doing Focus T-25

I hope you enjoyed this post on my fitness journey with T-25. To receive future updates please subscribe via bloglovin, email or RSS feed by clicking on one of the icons in the sidebar. Also, you can like my page on facebook. I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Categories: Embroidery Exercise Recipes

Cork Tile and Denim Project

August 13, 2013 kimberlee 3 Comments

I got the idea for making this project from pinterest. Here is my pin for the project. The project is just an image and does not link to any site or instructions. I thought this was a really cute idea and a great way to organize some things so I made two of them. I am using one on a wall behind my desk and the other on the wall behind my sewing machine.

denim pocket and clothespin wall organizer project by kimberlee from kimberleeskorner.com/blog

The photo above was the first one I made. That is the one I am using on the wall behind my desk to hold notes and the pocket holds important info like bills to pay, etc. I was able to clear a basket off my small desk that was holding some of these things and now I have a lot more usable desk space.

This project is so quick and easy to make. You will need:

cork tiles – 12 x 12 (I got mine at Hobby Lobby)
old jeans – cut out the pocket
clothes pins
glue gun
washi tape (optional – for clothes pins)

Basically you just figure out where you want your pocket and clothes pins to go and glue them down with a glue gun. You can put the washi tape on the clothes pins after you are done if you want to add some color to them. I guess you could also write on them with permanent marker if you wanted to label them. I chose to hang the first one I made so I cut a strip of denim and glued it to the back of the cork board. I used a small cup hook on the wall to hang it with.

cork tile and denim pocket project 2 by kimberlee from www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog

The one above here is the second one that I made and I am using that on the wall behind my sewing machine. This one is very basic. I think the clothes pin clips will be nice for holding pattern instructions or photos of ideas I have to inspire me. The pocket can hold smaller items like a seam ripper, seam gauge or pencils and pens. This one I chose to use the sticky back squares the cork tiles came with and put it on the wall.

Below are the photos of my projects hanging on the wall in my sewing – office room. The photos are not great due to the fact that this room needs better lighting – something I am going to be working on changing soon – and also both areas where the cork tiles hang I have a shelf above that area so it gives a shadow. It gives you the basic idea of how I am using them though.

corkboard denim pocket project hanging on the wall www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog — corkboard denim pocket project hanging on the wall
www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog

corkboard denim project - second one made for sewing area www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog — corkboard denim project – second one made for sewing area www.kimberleeskorner.com/blog

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Categories: Crafts Organizing Recycle

Tags: cork tile craft project, craft project, denim pocket recycle, desk organizer, sewing organizer

Workout – Week 2 of Focus T-25 Challenge

August 10, 2013 kimberlee

My second week of the ten week Focus T-25 challenge group has been completed. I am feeling very energized and confident at the end of this week. I even did the bonus workout today, Saturday, the Core Speed dvd. That workout is fast paced and has you sweating a lot in 25 minutes.

The workouts this week were: -Cardio, -Total Body Circuit, -Speed 1.0, -Cardio again, and double day on Friday -Lower Focus and -Ab Intervals. I then chose to do the Core Speed bonus dvd today, Saturday.

T-25 week 2 of challenge group - Keep Calm and Exercise — T-25 week 2 of challenge group – Keep Calm and Exercise

This is week 2 of my challenge group but actually my 5th completed week of the program. I started over for this challenge group. I am really liking these 25 minute workouts and the results I am seeing from them. I am not trying to lose weight as I was already pretty fit due to my daily workout regimen but I can tell my clothes are getting a little loose and my core is really getting tighter.

The most challenging workout is the alpha round – which you do for the first 5 weeks, then go to 5 weeks of beta – is the Total Body Circuit for me. That one has me sweating a ton. There are quite a few push ups in that particular workout. I am able to get through at least 1/2 to 2/3 of them on my toes but have to do the rest on my knees. It is tough!

Also included in this workout program is an eating plan with recipes. I forgot to mention that in my week 1 post. I am personally not following that part of the program as I feel I already have a pretty healthy diet. Also, with 3 kids it is hard to cook something different every night for yourself. I find it easier to make us one big healthy meal.

One thing I am doing with this program is having a protein shake, or smoothie, every morning for breakfast instead of eating. I have also been trying to add some greens to my smoothies like kale or spinach. This way I figure I am getting at least 1 or 2 fruits and 1 vegetable serving at the start of the day. I also think this helps to influence me to eat better the rest of the day. A new protein smoothie I created this week has a raw beet in it. It it very refreshing and gives you energy. See the recipe in the photo below:

Beet & Berry Smoothie - made with a raw beet, spinach, frozen berries, frozen cherries, protein powder, chia seeds and cranberry juice — Beet & Berry Smoothie – made with a raw beet, spinach, frozen berries, frozen cherries, protein powder, chia seeds and cranberry juice

Well, tomorrow is the Stretch dvd day for the program. It is a great 25 minute total body stretch that feels great after all the hard workouts. Monday will start week 3 of the challenge group for me. I’ll update you at the end of next week on how that goes.

I hope you enjoyed this update. Please subscribe to my blog via bloglovin, email or RSS feed by clicking one of the icons in the sidebar to receive future updates. I hope you have a great weekend!

My faithful morning exercise partner - all wore out after week 2 of T-25 — My faithful morning exercise partner – all wore out after week 2 of T-25

Categories: Exercise Health Recipes

Tags: challenge group, Focus T-25, T-25, T-25 challenge group, Workout program

Lace Knit Sleeveless Tunic

August 6, 2013 kimberlee 2 Comments

I finally finished the knit sweater I started a few months ago. I got the first half of it knit pretty quickly but lost momentum on the second half. Too many other ideas and projects got in the way along with family life. I am sure most can relate.

navy lace knit sleeveless tunic knit by Kimberlee from Kimberlees Korner

I designed this sleeveless knit tunic myself using a lace stitch. The tunic is very comfortable to wear and looks good layered over a tank. I think it will also look good as a fall or winter sweater worn as a vest over a long sleeve shirt.

The stitches used for this are: knit, purl, yarn over, slip slip knit and knit 2 together. I think any advanced beginner to intermediate can knit this sweater. The sweater is knit on size US 10 needles so it works up pretty quick – if you don’t stop working on it and do 3 (or more) other projects in between like I did.

The pattern for this sweater is available for purchase in my etsy shop. The pattern is a digital download and is available immediately after payment clears. Click on the highlighted etsy link to take you to my shop or there is an etsy icon in the sidebar as well.

back of navy sleeveless knit tunic by Kimberlee from Kimberlees Korner

Thanks for visiting my blog. To receive future updates please subscribe via bloglovin, email or with RSS feed by clicking on any of the icons in the sidebar. Have a great day!

Categories: Crafts Knitting

Tags: knit lace tunic, knitting, knitting pattern, lace knitting, lace sweater

Workout – Focus T-25 Week 1

August 3, 2013 kimberlee 11 Comments

This past Monday was the beginning of the T-25 workout challenge group I joined. I am proud to say I “nailed” week 1 and have completed the first week of the 10 week program.

I have actually had Focus T-25 for 4 weeks and started using it 4 weeks ago. I was on week 4 but started over on week 1 for the challenge group.

This workout is great! I am loving the results I am seeing from it and the fact that it is only 25 minutes long and you work hard the whole time and sweat a lot! At the end of the 25 minutes there is always a 2 to 3 minute cool down stretch segment with Shaun T. The 25 minute workout is perfect for those who don’t have an hour a day to spend working out. There is one day a week on the calendar rotation that is a “double” workout day though and that is Friday. So, that day you workout for 50 minutes or you could do one of the workouts on Friday and do one on Saturday if you can’t fit both on Friday.

This past Friday was my first day doing a “double” Friday. The previous 3 weeks I had followed the schedule but was only doing 1 of the 2 workouts on Friday. I am so glad I pushed myself yesterday and did both. I will say I did not do them back to back. I did the Lower Focus first, took a 45 minute water and 1 cup of coffee break out on my patio, then I came in an pushed play again with the cardio workout. I felt really energized by the end of the cardio workout.

post workout photo on double day Friday of week 1 Focus T-25

Another great thing about this workout is that you don’t need a bunch of equipment to do them. Most of them require no equipment or just an exercise mat.

This workout is a Beachbody workout. My Beachbody coach is Joanna and here is her facebook page link if you would like to contact her for more info on Focus T-25 and the challenge group. Just click on the highlighted link.

The first 5 weeks of the rotation are called the Alpha cycle and the last 5 weeks are called the Beta cycle. The Alpha workouts for week one were: -Cardio -Speed 1.0 -Total Body Circuit -Ab Intervals -Lower Focus & Cardio for double day and Stretch on Saturday or Sunday. So far the Total Body Circuit workout is the hardest one for me but I am able to get through it – I have never sweat so much before in 25 minutes! Also, while doing this workout I noticed that the girl in the back and I have the same shoes – I noticed this the 2nd time I did the workout. I thought that was funny because how often do you own the same shoes as someone in a workout DVD?

post workout photo after total body circuit week 1 day 3 of challenge group for Focus T-25

shoes - same as the girl in the back row of the workout dvd on total body circuit T-25 — shoes – same as the girl in the back row of the workout dvd on total body circuit T-25

I have been working out regularly for the past 10 years on my own. I do all types of different workouts to stay fit. I would recommend this workout to anyone looking to lose weight or be more fit and energized. There is a person in all the workouts who does a lower impact modification of all the exercises and you can always start with that and progress to the more advanced level. Of course you should always consult your physician before starting any new exercise program.

I am not affiliated with the workout program, Focus T-25, or with Beachbody. I am just a mother of 3 boys, blogger and designer who likes to exercise regularly to stay fit and wanted to share the info on this program.

Thanks for visiting my blog. To receive future updates you can subscribe via RSS feed, with email, or through bloglovin by clicking on any of those icons in the sidebar. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Categories: Exercise

Tags: challenge group, dvd, exercise program, fitness, Focus T-25, T-25