Tales of a needle and thread

WHERE HAS JANUARY GONE ....

2012-01-26T13:24:00.001-08:00

It wasn't my intention to take January off, but it seems to have happened.
Hello bloggy friends!!!
Wow 2012 arrived, and we hit the ground running .... so many things to do, prepare and plan for - yes, life is busy, busy, busy right now.
So let me bring you up to speed ....
I am spending most of my free time doing this at the moment ...

Scrapbooking .... Boy Child bridges to Boy Scouts next month (for anyone familiar with the Scouting program, this is a big deal, marked by a banquet). We get to do a table display of our sons journey through Cub Scouts. Now you know why every waking moment is being spent with photos and adhesive in hand ..... 5 years of Cub Scouting needs to be scrapbooked in 2 months!!!!

I also made a decision at the beginning of 2012, that we needed to pay better attention to leading a more healthy lifestyle (if you're a girl, you know that means that "D" word ..... I have chosen not to use it, as it dooms me to failure every single time:-) As part of this Boy Child and I decided we'd run/walk a 5km race each month .... that's our aim anyway. So last Saturday saw us fulifilling January's goal ....

I walked 99% of it, and ran 1%. Boy Child left me in his dirt, but was waiting with a big smile on his face, and a Well Done Mom hug, at the finish line. He did it in 35 mins, while I did it in 55 mins ............It was in under an hour, and that was my goal!!!!

I've made a few little things too ....

I'm busy making some jammie pants for my wiggly little nephew ..... my sister is tired of struggling to do the poppers up on his baby gro's, so this should solve that problem. So tiny, and so cute:-)

Who doesn't love a little piggy!!!! This is my January ornament for YOE III. The pattern was a freebie on Wee Wonderfuls, and ever so fun and easy to make.

The Blooming Flower Cushion continues to grow slowly ..... it is still proving a joy to make.
I have a creative list a mile long, of projects I'm wanting to do ..... I just need to get through February, and then things will return to a more normal pace ....

WELCOME 2012 ....

2012-01-04T11:50:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

I hope it is the year that all your dreams come true.

I am not a big New Year person - while I like the idea of a fresh start, something about it causes me a fair amount of anxiety. It's one of those things that happened after we left South Africa and our families behind, and moved to the US. I guess 7 years of uncertainty, insecurity and feeling like you don't belong, can do that to you. However, it's here now, and I plan on trying to make it a fantastic year!!!!

I'm popping in to show you the progress I've made on my Blooming Flower Cushion!!!! Sadly the yarn didn't arrive in time for me to finish it and have it wrapped and under the tree. In a way, I'm a little glad about that, as it's meant that I can enjoy making it. The pattern is one of Lucy's (Attic 24). She writes such fantastic tutorials, she has a real talent ..... not to mention that her work is just gorgeous. I did struggle with the first few rounds of this cushion - why I don't know, because the directions are so clear. Once I got the hang of it though, round and round I've gone creating row upon row of beautiful petals .... ahh, floral perfection!!!

Isn't it pretty? It is for Girl Child, and I've chosen colors that work well with her new bed linen. I still have a few more rounds to go .... it's got to grow to 14 inches across, and then of course there's all those loose ends to sew in.

There's some other floral goodness in our house too. Once the little table top Christmas tree was relegated to the garden for planting, I could once again fill my pretty, little thrift shop jug with some gorgeous flowers ..... Ahhh, I just love these. They make me smile.

The only resolution I've made this year, given that very seldom do they ever get kept, is to try and be better about staying on top of all things housework!!! As I've mentioned before, I have never been top of the class when it comes to this, as much as I wish I was .... perhaps this will be the year:-)

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM OUR HOUSE TO YOURS ...

2011-12-27T08:17:00.000-08:00

It's all done and dusted ... it always seem so incredible to me that we plan and prepare for many weeks, and then, in what feels like the blink of an eye, it's all over.
Hope your Christmas was fantastic - Ours was, infact I'd go as far as saying that it was my favorite Christmas since we've lived in the USA, so far away from our families.

Hubby decided that we'd plan a great suprise for the kids this year - 2011 was an exceptionally hard year for us ..... 14 months of unemployment (thankfully this came to an end in November), takes its toll on any family. We've come out on the other side of it though, stronger and with a new appreciation for what is really important. This was our way of spoiling the kids. We booked into Great Wolf Lodge for Christmas night (after we'd had our traditional Mommy cooked Christmas Lunch at home). It was fantastic, and we had an absolute blast!!!!

I finished all the gifts I had planned to make ..... whew, it was close:-) I'm here to share with you, The 2011 Cookie and Candy Tray!!! This is the tray I give to our neighbors and friends.

I found these appetizer/dessert tiered trays on clearance at Walmart in the summer - $2 each!!! They've lived up in my spare room, with just this purpose in mind. For the bottom layer, I made butter shortbread .... scrumptious!!! For the top layer I made peanut clusters, key lime bark, white chocolate peppermint bark and milk chocolate peppermint bark - I really love what they look like. The bottom picture shows them all wrapped up in their cellophane and red tulle ribbon goodness!!!!

Enjoy this week of calm, as we savor the last that 2011 has for us, and look forward to all that 2012 will be for us.

TEACHER CHRISTMAS GIFTS ...

2011-12-21T18:09:00.000-08:00

And these were VERY last minute this year. I'd had them on my" To Do" list, but time got away with me, and well, last night arrived and I had to come up with a plan, pronto!!!! I needed to do 7 gifts!!!
What did I have in the house (now we all know Walmart is open 24/7, but I really didn't want to have to leave my warm house) ..... quart mason jars, cellophane and tulle (these are staples in our home, year round), and then of course I had got down to some candy making yesterday.

So, I filled one quart jar with homemade key lime bark, and a second one with peppermint bark.
I cut circles of Christmas scrapbook paper and glued it to the lids. I glued ribbon around the rings of the jars. I piled them on top of one other, wrapped them in cellophane and added a tulle bow and a little Christmas ornament ..... Done!!!!
They'd make nice neighbor, mailman ... anyone, you want to give a little something too .... gifts:-)

At last the kids are finished with school - Yay!!! We can now get down to some serious Christmas nesting!!! Warm fluffy jammies all day long, fluffy socks, Christmas movies and endless Christmas mugs of hot chocolate ..... just us, warm and snuggly at home:-)

BERT & BERTHA - THE BOOK BUDDIES ....

2011-12-20T06:01:00.000-08:00

Luckily my niece and nephew are way too little to read my blog, so I'm safe showing you these little cuties, before Santa harnesses his reindeer, takes to his sleigh, climbs down the chimney and delivers them:-)

I sent each of the babies some books and a little book buddy that I made them. Bertha's pattern comes from THAT book again .... you know, my all time favorite Rebbeca Danger - Big Book Of Knitted Monsters. She is actually the Attic Monster in the book. I just love her top knot!!!! Bert is a pattern I drew myself. I wanted soft and squishy, and the perfect size for little 9 month old hands to hold.
Wow, time is short now!!! I'm almost there ..... just the baking to do. I think today is going to be candy making day .... nut brittle, peppermint and key lime bark, salted caramels, peanut clusters .... let's see if it all gets done!!!!
I have to share Boy Childs cake decorating with you. Last night was our Cub Scout Pack - Dad and Lad Cake Bake Competition. The theme was camping, and this year Boy Child did most of the work himself, from mixing to decorating. I'm so proud of his effort. He didn't win any of the prizes, but that didn't matter.

Tents around a campfire. Please note the fish waiting to be cooked ..... it's camping, it's my son, so that means there has to be fish in there somewhere:-)

CHRISTMAS IS COMMING ....

2011-12-15T04:44:00.000-08:00

Faster than ever ......
It happens every year, I try to be organized, but somewhere along the way, it all goes awry!!! This year my preparations have certainly been better though. Unfortunately a very sick guinea pig has thrown a spanner in the works, as he's requiring a lot of attention right now. He is Girl Childs friend ... she adores him. We've done what we can, but it's not looking good right now .... my heart breaks for her. To top it off too, we lost his little friend about 6 weeks ago (they're old, rescue piggies) - the relentless sobbing and funeral scene are still VERY fresh in my mind. To see your child so inconsolably sad was heartbreaking.
I do have some things to show you though .... there's a lot I cant. The recipients of the things I'll show you now, don't even know that I have this little blog, so I'm safe!!!

A mug rug - made using the left overs from the table runner I made for Shawnees Table Runner Swap. Lots of room for a steaming mug of coffee, and a delicious cookie or two (come on, it's Christmas, you know you want that second one:-)

I warned you there'd be more of these ..... such lovely results for such a little amount of work .... Aahhh, the perfect Christmas project!!!

I am impatiently waiting for a package of yarn that I've ordered .... Girl Child saw this beauty that Lucy made http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/blooming-flower-cushion.html , and mentioned how she'd REALLY love one for her room. I couldn't find colors that would work in her room at Joanns or Hobby Lobby, but I did online ...... fingers crossed it arrives in time for me to burn some midnight oil ..... we'll have to see.
Wishing y'all a little quiet time, to enjoy this wonderful season.

APRON EXTRAVAGANZA ....

2011-12-07T13:13:00.000-08:00

While browsing through my pictures, I came across some aprons that I've made, but not shared with you yet. There is also one that I put together today, using 2 dishtowels and a roll of grosgrain ribbon .... super quick and easy, but oh so festive!!!!

I found the tutorial for the pleated skirt part of the apron on a blog .... now I cant seem to find it again - ugghh. I added a bib to it, just because that's what I prefer.

Then this one, using my all time favorite apron pattern ..... it was this pattern that won me my 2nd place ribbon at the Texas State Fair back in September.

This is the dishtowel apron!!! Very bright and festive. The dishtowels came as a 2 pack from Target .... 2 seams and some ribbon, and I was done. Who wouldn't want to pull out the cookie sheets and start baking wearing such festive attire?
Now for a quick peek into all the mischief those 2 little mischief makers (aka Gabby & Bart) have been getting up to ....

Who wouldn't want a friend with springy legs? Imagine how much fun you could have with that!!!

They must definately be missing home ..... my car was reindeerified (Yes, there is such a word. We found it in the elf dictionary). We jingle wherever we go now!!!

They are fearless!!! A spot of elf balloonchuting!!! When you're so small, all you need is a few helium filled balloons and away you go .... jumping off the top of the stairs!!!! No wonder santa has grey hair!!!!
Hope your Christmas preparations are on track ....

CHRISTMAS MANTLE ...

2011-12-05T16:07:00.001-08:00

This is what our mantle looks like this year, and I love it!!!! I love this kind of light ..... it's warm, welcoming and oh so pretty!!!! It is also 100% made by me. Yes, each of those houses started out as one of those brown paper mache shells that you buy at your local craft store for a couple of bucks ..... some love (ok ... paint, glitter and snowtex too), and I have a little village that I'm soooo proud of.
The original reason I made them was for this ..

Our Church Annual Womens Christmas Brunch. I have attended it now every year for about 5 years ..... it is gorgeous. Ladies sign up to decorate a table, and believe me when I tell you - those girls have some talent!!!! This year our small group decided to buy out the tickets for a table, and asked me if I would decorate it. I said yes, but let me tell you, I nearly backed out a number of times - I was terrified to do it!!! I was delighted with the final result though. I made the 3 yard table runners to mark place settings .... the part I liked most about them, you can't see in the photo .... I made big pink yarn tassels to hang at the points:-} The houses were the centerpiece for the table.

They look so pretty, and we'll be enjoying them all season long!!!

WELCOME BACK FRIENDS ...

2011-12-02T06:13:00.000-08:00

They're back, for another December of fun and mischief!!!!

This is how we found them .... all snuggled up, and no doubt exhausted from that long sleigh ride.

Their keeper for the next 24 days is delighted to have them back .... they been smothered with love since arriving, and I've been given a long list of instructions on how I'm to care for them while he's at school!!!

Last night, while all was quiet and everyone was cuddled up asleep, they decided on a game of foosball ... halloween glasses and all!!! The carpet was littered with snow and cracker crumbs .... Santa and Mrs Claus really need to work on table manners with these little guys - they need a bit of refining!!!
Welcome Back Little Elf Friends .... we're glad you've come to stay.

A TRAVELLERS JEWELERY KEEPER ...

2011-11-30T09:42:00.000-08:00

So how do you store your jewelery when your packing for vacation ..... if you're me, it's in Ziplock bags!!! I know ..... very classy, right!!!!
Well, not anymore ... I picked up a copy of Stitch magazine - the gift guide edition. Oh boy, does it have a lot of fun ideas in it. I think I dog eared every second page in the magazine.

I found the instructions to make this jewelery holder .... isn't it lovely?
I love the fact that you can use a number of coordinating fabrics. The directions were very clear and easy to follow ... this was a really" fun to make" project. The 4 pockets are quite roomy, which means you can take jewelery to match every outfit ...... show me a girl who wouldn't love that.

Then looking at it again today .... I do that quite often when I'm particulary happy with a project ... the thought came to me - it would work just as well as a notions travel roll. There is ample space to hold crochet hooks, scissors, a needlebook, embroidery floss, buttons .... and so the list goes on. It would make the perfect gift for someone on your Christmas list, who likes to crochet, embroider, knit etc on the go. You could even pop some crafting goodies into the pockets if you wished.

So there you have it, another gift idea perhaps?

THE 10 MINUTE TABLE RUNNER ...

2011-11-23T16:09:00.000-08:00

It took me a little longer than 10 minutes to complete each one, but that probably has something to do with my spray starch addiction ..... Gosh, I love that stuff!!!! The sharp lines it gives you when you iron a seam, are beyond compare.
I needed 3 quick gifts, in a hurry (A HUGE hurry). I found the link to this on Craftgossip. Here's the website it comes from www.sweethomequiltco.com.

I can recommend this freebie pattern for so many reasons ...
- Even if it took me 30 minutes to complete each one, it makes for a quick gift.
- It is made up of only 4 seams, so there is minimal sewing. This would be a great project for a beginner sewer.
- It is very economical. You only need 11 inches of the inner fabric, and 18 inches of the outer fabric, and 2 buttons. You get the length of the runner, by using the width of the fabric.
- The result is super cute!!!

This shows you how you get that point at the end - very clever!!!
I think I'm going to be making a few of these as Christmas gifts - I'll use general day to day fabric combinations, so that they can be used throughout the year.
So, if you're in need of a quick gift .... there are only 32 days left until Christmas after all (Yikes!!!) .... pop on over and give one of these a go.
Wishing all my American visitors a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

BIRTHDAY BOY ...

2011-11-17T04:05:00.000-08:00

Boy Child turned 11 yesterday ..... where has the time gone? It seems like only yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital. Time sure does fly!!!
We had his birthday party last weekend - he chose Whirlyball. It's a mixture of lacrosse and basketball, played in bumper cars. It is so much fun, and the kids (and adults) had a blast. Birthdays in our house, mean that I get to make something ... party invitations, birthday cake, party favors ... something!!!
So here's what it was this year ...

I saw the idea for the invitation in a Creating Keepsakes magazine. There's was a birthday card, so I just changed it up to suit an invitation. I covered some chipboard coasters with Happy Birthday paper, and attached a ribbon, that I hung sports themed silly bands from. I then finished it off with good old letter stickers ... It was a hit with the kids, especially as they got to keep the silly bands - they'd got a party favor, before the party even began:-)

Next, the cake!!! I have made every birthday cake that both my kids have ever had - As their mom, it makes my heart so happy to be able to do this for them - a little of mom, in each birthday. The obvious choice this year was a Whirlyball court. Hunting for the bumper cars was the most difficult part - I did eventually find them, online at some store that sells gimiky office toys.

Onto the party favors .... I made each party guest a string backpack. I used that fake leather fabric you can get ..... let's face it, these are 11 year old boys we're talking about here, they need something durable!!! We filled them with some joke items we found at the Dollar store. Novelty pens, animal shaped punch balls, the ever popular whoopee cushions, and these ...

Goofy Glasses ..... these were the hit of the backpack, I think:-)
He had a great birthday ...... HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET BOY ..... your Dad, Sister and I love you bundles!!!
And just so you can see what Whirlyball is, I leave you with this picture.....

MONSTERS ...

2011-11-14T05:39:00.000-08:00

I coordinated a Bake Sale for the 5th graders at our school's Annual Spaghetti Dinner last Thursday. The kids served and cleaned tables for tips too. All the money made went back to 5th grade to be used to offset the cost of all the fun things they will be doing during the year.
I asked the parents to donate baked goods (preferably homemade), that we could sell on the night in individual portions ..... the dessert after the spaghetti!!! I set the table up to mimic a bakery .... you know how pretty all those trays and cake stands look, displayed at varying heights, with all of their delicious contents just begging to be bought ..... can you see I've spent time gazing in bakery windows!!! It's like eye candy to me!!! I made a bunting to hang at the front of our "shop" - the perfect finishing touch I thought.

I love bunting, I think it has a place at just about every event or party!!!
Now, to show you what I made - I made a couple of items, some of my lemon tarts, some meringues with sprinkles on the top, and then these ...

They were a real hit. I made 18 of them, and wish I had made more. We could have sold 3 times that amount. Cupcake monsters, although the yellow ones remind me of that childrens story book dog - Dougal (does anyone remember him?) It was a very successful event with the bake sale earning them a little over $250-00!!!!
Way to go 5th grade!!!

SHAWNEES SECRET SANTA SWAP ...

2011-11-10T06:23:00.000-08:00

Have you signed up yet ......
Were secret santa swapping, and it's going to be a blast .... like you're own little Christmas present to yourself!!!
Shawnee has asked us to answer these questions on our blogs, that way once she's assigned partners, our secret partner can pop on over to your blog and learn more about you, so that your package will be put together just for you!!!
So here we go ...

What are your hobbies?
I'm a craftaholic!!! I knit, sew, crochet, bake and scrapbook
What are your favorite colors?
Pink is my absolute favorite. I like most colors though with one exception .... yellow - I REALLY don't like this color. For Christmas though, I favor reds, greens, whites, silver and gold.
Do you collect anything?
Not really
Are you allergic to any fibers or animals?
No
Do you have any pets?
We have small pets .. guniea pig, fish, turtle, toads and a leopard gecko
Coffee, Tea, or Chocolate?
Coffee and hot tea
What do you like to read?
Craft and scrapbooking magazines (I devour them) and I absolutlely LOVE reading novels about the Amish people - I find them such facinating and humble people.
Do you prefer Cookies or Candies as a sweet?
Gummy candy
What is your favorite holiday treat?
Vanilla Tootsie Rolls ... I try and stock up on a couple of bags of these each year, before they're gone and I have to wait until next Christmas.
Starbucks Caramel Brulee Latte .... they had better bring it back this year!!!
Describe your favorite holiday tradition.
Our family does an Advent Family Activity each night through until Christmas Eve. The activity for that specific day is written on a slip of paper in the kids Advent Calendars ... we've decorated ornaments, had a gingerbread house competition, gone out to Starbucks for hot chocolate, read a story together, had a campout around the Christmas tree.
I also love our tradition of Christmas jammies ... I make jammies for the 4 of us. My hubby and son match, and my daughter and I match. They are delivered in pretty boxes while we are at Church on Christmas Eve. Guests that are with us for Christmas get matching jammies too.
Did you believe in Santa as a child?
Absolutely - I think it's one of the treasures of childhood.
When do you open presents?
On Christmas morning.
Do you put up a tree and when? If not, how do you celebrate?
We do, and it gets put up after December 1st, usually as an Advent activity.
Does your tree have a theme?
No
What has been your favorite gift to give? to receive?
I love giving handmade gifts, and they're my favorite to recieve .... I think each one is a real treasure.

To my swap partner - I hope this helps you out.
To anyone who has ever wondered whether swapping is all it's made out to be .... ABSOLUTELY!!! I have 2 friends (Hi Val and Jill) that I've never met in person, but whom I've been in swaps with for almost 3 years now, and we correspond regularly via email. Who knows we may even get to meet one another in person one day ... you never know where you'll make a new friend.

TOTES ...

2011-11-08T08:16:00.000-08:00

So how does this ...

become this...
.
The idea of deconstructing, changing up and then reconstructing a ready made canvas tote bag, had never occured to me, until I took part in Michele's (Something Special) Fall Intrigue Tote Swap. We had to make our partner a shabby chic tote, and then fill it with Fall goodies ... It was a great swap.

I will definately use this deconstruct/reconstruct idea again, for a few reasons.
- It's very economical - a pack of 3 totes costs you around $7-00. Use a coupon you can end up paying half of that.
-The canvas makes for a really sturdy tote, so there's no need for interfacing.
-There's also the convenience of handles and hems already being done, and seam lines marked .... It really would make a fantastic, last minute gift .... we all know that there's invariably at least one gift, we remember that we forgot on Christmas Eve!!!

So, incase you'd like to give it a try, this is how I made the tote above...
-I cut out the fabric pieces to the sizes I needed (measure the tote for these). My center panel was longer, as I wanted to gather it onto the side pieces. At the time you attach it to the canvas shell, you need to have 2 completed panels (a front and back).
-I sewed the bottoms of the panels together and then laid it over the canvas tote. The first place I attatched it, was along the base seam. From there I attatched it in various places ... namely along the gathered seams. I then turned in the hem at the top of my panels,and top stitched it to the canvas shell.
-All that was left to do then, was reconstruct the side seams of the bag along the original seam lines.
-I then made and added the flowers and buttons. Imagine all of the embellishments you could use.
-This particular bag I lined, but it really isn't necessary, as the inside of the tote is very neat and tidy.

I was very spoilt with the package I recieved from my partner - who happened to be the hostess herself ... take a sneak peek - Isn't it lovely?

If you want to give the tote a try, you wont be dissapointed. If my explanation of the method I used, didn't make sense, just let me know and I'll clarify it for you.
Happy Sewing!!!!

A GIFT FOR A SEWER .... DRESS FORM PINCUSHION

2011-11-07T04:11:00.000-08:00

That word doesn't sound right .... Anyhow, here's another little gift idea for you. This one was again quick and easy. It used only half of a fat quarters worth of fabric, and the candlestick was found at Goodwill for 99c!!! Perfect project to use up some scraps, or indulged yourself with that pricey fabric you really HAVE to have:-) This is where I found the pattern and instructions http://www.thediydish.com/2011/10/season-4-how-to-make-a-dress-form-mannequin-pin-cushion/.

The secret to a great looking dress form is the stuffing - she needs to be firmly stuffed. Another issue I had, but that was easy to remedy, was that she was wobbly on her base. The instructions tell you to glue felt to the cardboard base of the form, before attaching your candlestick. To stop the wobbles, I cut a hole from the felt where my candlestick was going to attach, so that it was stuck directly too the cardboard base instead of the felt - it worked a charm and eliminated the wobbles:-)
The embellishment possibilities are endless. I stuck with the fabric flower the pattern suggested for this one, but what about a dainty string of pearls, or a choker? A perfect opportunity to display that vintage brooch you've had tucked away, just waiting for the perfect project.
From start to finish, the project took me about 45 minutes to complete. Package it in a beautiful, reusable gift box with lots of tissue paper and a lovely bow, and you have yourself a gorgeous pincushion, that any sewer would love.

A TREAT FOR ANY TABLE ...

2011-11-03T19:00:00.000-07:00

I took part in another Flirty Apron Swap, only this time, we didn't swap aprons, but rather table runners - it was great and a chance to make something different. My partner requested a Christmas themed table runner. She liked bright and cheery colors and has lots of little people at home, so it needed to be washable. It took some thought, before I found what I wanted to make. My mom sent me a placemat pattern a couple of years ago - she had made them in her sewing class. I love the pattern as it's quick and easy, and gives a great result. I have used it over and over again. I widened and lengthened the pattern to make the runner. I saw the appliqued Christmas tree idea somewhere on Google.

It's difficult to see, but the red fabric has little Christmas trees in different shades of green all over it. I kept the quilting simple by just quilting in vertical lines, 2 inches apart, and then I quilted around the trees. I added some star shaped buttons to the tree tops, to add a little country charm.
Table runners are a great way to brighten up any table, and they're easy to make. A runner would make a great gift too.
I'm hoping that all of these Christmas ideas I'm posting get your creative juices flowing, and perhaps even give you a few gift ideas. I adore handmade gifts, every one I've ever recieved has become a treasured item to me. Every year I strive to make our Christmas, a Handmade Christmas .... if I can make at least half of the gifts I give this year, I'll be a very happy girl!!!!

THE TIME IS HERE ....

2011-11-02T04:12:00.000-07:00

I've held off until the beginning of November ... but now it's time. The list of what needs to be accomplished is loooong, so we can hold off not a minute more .... what is it I'm talking about? Why my Christmas crafting of course!!!
I bake up a storm at Christmas time in this house - neighbor and family friend gifts have always been, and will continue to be edible ... cookies and candies to be exact. I love the sight of platters filled with assortments of these, all wrapped in shiny cellophane and adorned with big, red bows.
Where to pin the recipe while I'm baking has always been a problem, and 9 out of 10 times the magnets on the fridge win .... not this year though, I've solved the problem.
I made this recipe holder. It was very easy to make - letting the modge podge dry took longer than putting it together. The supplies I used - a wooden plaque, a Christmas ornament, a sheet of scrapbook paper, some wooden letters and mini clothes pegs, some paint, modge podge, and an easel. I'm going to make a few more of these, so I'll do a tutorial then ... I need to take the step by step pictures.
Problem solved in the cutest possible way ... who wouldn't want to pull out the cookie sheets with this little gingerbread chef overseeing the proceedings.

HALLOWEEN DELICACIES ...

2011-11-01T05:27:00.000-07:00

What a great Halloween we had.
Our Cub Scout Halloween Party was a blast ... by the choice of costumes, you can certainly see that the boys (and girls) are growing up ... no more cute for these kiddos.

The best part of a Halloween party for me ... all the creepy food you get to make. No other holiday, lets you do this, so I took full advantage!!!

BRAIN JUICE ... aka a really yummy fruit punch, amd a new recipe I tried ... definately a keeper:-) I found this mold at Walmart. Super easy to make, and even better, is that it pretty much unmolds itself. The skull does melt very quickly though. I'm going back today, to see if I can grab a second mold on sale, as it would have been nice to have a second skull to pop into the punch once the first one had melted.

Next ... MERINGUE BONES ... freshly dug up, and oh so yummy!!!!

And my absolute favorite this year, and right up there on the grossometer .... the COCKROACH CHOCOLATE CAKE!!! So gross infact, that even the most die hard chocolate fan I know, wouldn't eat it ... the fact that she has a cockroach phobia may have played a part in that!!! I saw something similar in Martha Stewarts magazine. They don't know what they're missing - I tried a new chocolate fudge buttercream icing for this cake, and it is scrumdidlyicious!!!!

So, as I send 2 very tired little people off to school today, my thoughts now turn to Christmas, and everything that I need to get busy with, so that I can accomplish all that is on my list.
Happy November!!!

SPORTING TABLE CENTERPIECES ...

2011-10-30T11:49:00.000-07:00

I know that I've told y'all before, that I am responsible for the Staff Appreciation Lunches that our PTA puts on for our teachers. Our most recent one was this past Friday, and was unique in that it coincided with Field Day, which meant that the parents were invited to enjoy lunch with the staff. Given that it was Field Day, and we were still in the height of World Series fever here in Texas (yes, we were still blissfully unaware that the Rangers wouldn't win it .... sadly!!!), I decided to go for a sports theme. The centerpieces had me a little puzzled for a while .... but nothing that a google search couldn't fix. I found a picture of something similar to what I eventually made .... it was easy, and turned out to be quite cute, I think.

I cut a 8" strofoam ball in half and painted it - white for the baseball and orange for the basketball. A word of advice - if ever you want to paint styrofoam, just know that it takes A LOT of paint to get good coverage. Once dry, I painted on the markings of the balls. I cut squares of tissue paper, that I attached to the ball with floral pins. The plastic signs, I found in the section that sells the stuff for homecoming mums. I glued them to wooden skewers, and poked them in place. The ball figures are Christmas decorations, that I also glued a floral pin to, and poked into the ball. I pinned balloons into the center. The board, is just a cake board that I glued a 11/2" border of scrapbook cardstock around. I filled the board with spanish moss, to give the appearance of grass.
I think they would make great coaches gifts (or even a gift for a little sports fan), if you attached various bite size candies to skewers, and poked them into the ball at varying heights.

Well, tomorrow is Halloween ..... we're hosting a Halloween get together for our Cub Scout Den ... I'm busy thinking about creepy food, and exactly what I'm going to be making ...

DIAPER BAG ...

2011-10-25T16:15:00.000-07:00

A friend of mines' sister is having a baby girl in the next few weeks - her baby shower was this Saturday past. There's something so sweet about a room decorated with all sorts of pretty pink goodies ... love it!!!
She had asked me a while back if I'd make her diaper bag for her. She wanted black and white toile, so that it would match her car seat and a few other items she has. It also meant that the new daddy could carry it and not feel uncomfortable.

The only toile I could find was at Joann's in the home decor section. The fabric was labelled dry clean only. However, I thought that as we had no choice, I'd get it and throw it in my washing machine and see how it stood up to washing ..... the answer - perfectly!!!
The bag is lined in the polka dot fabric. It has 2 elasticated pockets to hold bottles, a larger pocket to hold baby wipes, and then a few other smaller pockets for the bits and bobs you always need with a baby. This picture is atrocious, but it gives you an idea ....

The bags dimensions were 15"tall, 14" wide and 5" deep at the base. I also stiffened the base with a piece of plastic canvas between the outside fabric and the lining. I like the fact that it's a smaller diaper bag, but can still carry all you'll need. I remember when my kids were babies, the diaper bags we carried were huge and not very stylish at all.
Now on a totally different, non crafty subject, but newsworthy all the same .... and quite gross, depending on how you feel about fish. Boy Child pulled this monster out of our local pond on Saturday...

This flathead catfish - It weighed 17.7lbs and was 35 inches long!!!! He did it without any help - infact he was at the pond on his own. It took him 40 mins to get it onto land, and a very chewed up finger (he put his hand in its mouth in his excitment). He pulled it up, and then ran to call hubby (we only live 2 doors up from the pond), to come and take pictures of it. That son of ours certainly has some fishing talent!!

POSTCARDS ...

2011-10-22T06:31:00.000-07:00

When sending off a swap package ... any package infact, I like to send a handmade card with it. I also like to send alternatives to cards sometimes - that's if I can think of something suitable. One of my most recent packages is on its way to a swap buddy in New Zealand, who has a love for all things vintage, and who happens to do a LOT of sewing. Browsing through the pages of Graphic Fairys blog the other day, I came upon some gorgeous vintage postcard images... then the idea came to me - why not make her a useful postcard, and so this "postcard" is the result ...

A postcard needlecase!!!
So here's what I did .... I printed out the front and the back of the postcard on printable fabric. Using Staz On ink and alphabet stamps, I stamped my message on the postcard. I then used wool felt to make my needlebook. I ironed the front of the postcard onto the front of the needlebook and the reverse of the postcard onto the back ... popped it into an envelope, and that was it done.
This would make a fun little stocking filler for a stitching friend ... can you tell that my thoughts have already turned to Christmas.

CRAB APPLE JELLY ....

2011-10-17T06:22:00.000-07:00

Following on from yesterday's State Fair post ..... this was supposed to have been part of that same post, but blogger decided it had other plans, and wouldn't download the pictures!!!
After looking at row upon row, of bottled veggies, preserves and jams, I came upon the jellies - I was captivated by their colors and clarity. Not a spot of fruit pulp to be found in them. That was it - the challenge had been laid down - so, 5lbs of crab apples in hand, I got to it. Jelly has sealed it for me - I was born in the wrong era!!! The process of turning a bag of teeny, tiny, pink apples into the most gorgeous, pink, clear jelly has me enthralled - there was something very pioneer about it. My favorite part of the process - spooning the perfectly cooked apple pulp into a muslin bag (which I made using a flour sack dishtowel), hanging it, and watching as that juice, drip...drip...dripped into a glass bowl, undisturbed for 4 hours. A process not to be rushed, else you risk contaminating that clear juice with fruit pulp.The final result - jars of pink gorgeousness .... and it tastes yummy too.

Isn't it pretty?

I think pork chops will be on tonights dinner menu - Homemade Crab Apple Jelly may just be the perfect accompaniment:-)

THE STATE FAIR OF TEXAS 2011 ...

2011-10-16T17:16:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, we had a little outing to the State Fair. We hadn't been in a couple of years, and we had a great time. Some amongst us tried all those funny fair foods ... deep fried oreos (disgusting was the verdict), deep fried snickers bars (this one got a yummy) and deep fried smores (this was the winner for the day). Personally, deep fried any of those just doesn't do it for me.
We also had another reason for our visit ...

I entered an apron into the Creative Arts Competition ... and I won 2nd place!!! I was so excited, and it was lovely to see it displayed there, for all to look at:-)

These pictures aren't great, as they were taken through glass. As soon as I get it back, I'll take some better pictures and post them.
Looking at the handiwork of so many talented people was the highlight of the day for me. I was also quite amazed at how many men took part and won - especially in the quilting and cooking sections. Their work was very impressive.
I think I may have caught the State Fair bug .... I'm already thinking about what I'd like to enter next year.

JUST HANGING OUT ....

2011-10-13T05:50:00.000-07:00

I thought this was a really appropriate title to give this post ..... Mr Skelly Bones, looks like he's doing precisely that .... Just hanging out and chilling!!!
This is the Halloween wreath I made for our front door yesterday ...

It really was a super quick project. I had all of the stuff I needed to make it, right there in my stash ...yes, I do keep skelly bones and creepy spiders in my stash ..... that's what after holiday sales are for - aren't they?
I cut 2 inch wide strips of burlap in black and orange, and just tied them around the wreath, alternating the colors. Then using my hot glue gun, I posed Mr Skelly Bones in his "just chilling" pose, and stuck him down. I added 2 of his glittery arachnoid friends so he had company, and we were done.
Super quick, Super easy, and Super cute!!!

MONEY TREE ....

2011-10-12T10:43:00.000-07:00

We have a school fundraiser event tomorrow ..... A softball game between a parent team and a staff team ..... GO TEAM PARENTS!!!
There will be other fun things to do too ... including a silent auction.
5th Grade (Boy Childs grade) was given the task of putting an auction item together .... I was asked to coordinate the effort. We decided a giftcard tree would be the way to go .... everyone can use giftcards, and they were easy for the parents to pick up and send to school with their kids.
And so, the money tree was born ...

The tree limbs were the sad remains of my hibiscus bush, that didn't survive the disgustingly hot Texas summer we had. I fixed it into a pot I picked up at Walmart using glass marbles and oasis. After trimming all the grucky end off it, I made some crepe paper leaves, which I glued onto the branches. I tied the giftcards onto the branches. I hid the ties by gluing crepe paper flowers over them.
I like the way it turned out ..... hopefully it goes for LOTS of money!!!!

ZOMBIFICATION....

2011-10-02T09:27:00.000-07:00

The process by which a perfectly sweet and cuddly little thing becomes an ugly zombie!!!!
This is what it looks like once the process is complete...

Not very pretty if I say so myself, but very zombie - ish.
This is the sweet little character Drimelda once was ...

She started life as Lurleen, the laundry monster.
This is where she can be found hanging out a lot of the time ...

She was the zombie doll I made for my partner in Yarnigras Zombie Doll Swap. I tried a few ideas before settling on this one .... my favorite by far. The original body shape pattern comes from one of my most favorite craft books ever - Rebbeca Dangers Big Book of Knitted Monsters. I did change her legs though, I think the longer legs with a proper foot suit her better (these legs were the same ones I used for Mumfsy ... you can read about him a few posts back). It meant that I could give her boots. For her hair, I sewed in strands of different yarns and fabric, ones I knew would tuft and fray, and just look completely dishevelled. Her dress, I made up as I went along. I used white cotton with a black lace overlay. It was a basic square that I cut armholes into, and then gathered at the neck. Her head piece is a length of lace tied in a bow, and finished off with a semi creepy spider .... it has a smile on its face, so it can't be considered totally creepy!!!
I hope my partner liked her .... truthfully, I found it a little difficult to send her on her way, because I really loved the way she turned out. I wonder if I could squeeze another one out of the yarn I have left .... Hmmm - I like that possibility!!!
I dare to say that Fall has eventually arrived here in the South .... the weather is gorgeous. Time to go and enjoy some outside time.
Have a wonderful Sunday.

SEEDPOD CREATIONS ...

2011-10-01T05:29:00.000-07:00

YOE II has once again been an absolute blast!!! It never fails to stretch my creative comfort zone, which I love. The theme for September was seedpods!!! I searched high and low to find just the perfect seedpod .... all the time, it was as close as my backyard.

The seedpod is off our wisteria bush. The shape lent itself to some kind of boat or garden scene, I thought. Next, was to decide what type of inhabitants should grace this space .... why, little mice of course. I lined the pod with spanish moss, and made the little guys and their tasty picnic snack, out of fimo clay. I used those whiskers you can get at your local craft store for their whiskers. I attached a clothes peg to the underneath of the pod, so that it can be clipped to the tree. Next up was this acorn, that Boy Child picked up at the fields where he plays soccer - I think it may have been last Fall - he was very impressed with the size of it. Well, it became an acorn fairy ...

I attached a wooden ball for her head, a paper flower from my scrapbook supplies as her hat. I delicately removed the wings off one of those craft butterflies ...(so sorry butterfly!!!), and they became her fairy wings. A little neckerchief around her neck, and she was done.
It's amazing what you can do with items you find lying around ... all it takes is a little imagination.
Well, it's October - I love this month for so many reasons!!!
It signals the end of the oppressive heat, we have here in Texas during the summer (let me tell you, this summer was a humdingger!!!).
It signals the beginning of what I've come to think of as The Holiday Season .... Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Halloween... Ahh, a new holiday to us when we moved her 6 years ago, but one I love. I think it's the fun nature of it that appeals to me:-) Today being October 1st, I will put out our Halloween decor .... now that the kids aren't little anymore, we'll be moving from the cutesy to a little more edgy ... not too scary mind you, their mama still does not do creepy very well!!!!

HALLOWEEN PINCUSHIONS ...

2011-09-27T16:16:00.000-07:00

I made these little cuties this morning - talk about quick and easy!!!
I got the little Frankenstein pot at Hobby Lobby. To be honest with you, I'm not sure of its real use. It's too small to fit anything in - a little over an inch in diameter. I thought it was cute though, and that it would make the dinkiest little pincushion. I filled the pot part with plastic doll pellets, to give it a bit of weight.
The frame, I found in the dollar bins at Target. I saw the idea for these on Craftgossip (I think). To make it a little more Halloweeny, I glued on some Halloween charms, that I had in my stash, from who knows how far back!!!
I have a really fun project, that I can't wait to show you!!! However, patience is the word, she has to get to her new owner before I blow her cover!!! All I can tell you, is that she is a zombie doll, and I loved the way she turned out so much, that it was really difficult to tape her into her packing box today!!!
Thank you, as always for popping in and visiting for a while - I sure do appreciate you!!!
Until next time...

POLYMER CLAY BUTTONS ...

2011-09-16T09:54:00.000-07:00

I came across a series on making your own polymer clay buttons (Lisa Clarkes Polka Dot Cottage) a little while ago. Yesterday I pulled out my clay and decided to give it a try. It was quite a bit of fun, and I do think that the color combinations you could come up with, are limitless.

Aren't they fun!!! There's no longer any excuse for not having exactly the right color, shape or size button for that craft project. I used what I had on hand to give these a try, but I can't wait to try and make shaped buttons using those tiny, little cookie cutters you get:-) Imagine how much fun they'd be to use on handmade cards or on a scrapbook layout. They bake up really hard (we even tried the dropping them from a height onto a slate floor .... they didn't even chip!!!)
These are being mailed off, as part of a package I'm sending to someone, so I wanted to display them nicely - I have a thing about presentation ... it comes from my Dad:-) So, I doubled a piece of cardstock and with a yarn needle poked holes in the card and tied each button on with a length of yarn - easy!!! I'll pop it in a cellophane bag, and attach a pretty bag topper.
This project is so easy, and would be a great one for kids to help with - you'd just have to help them with conditioning the clay and baking the buttons.
So dig out that polymer clay, and give it a go - you'll be delighted with the results!!!

INTRODUCING MUMFSY ....

2011-09-10T19:57:00.000-07:00

And who would name someone that .... well my hubby of course!!!
And what would that someone have to look like to earn such a strange name .... well, just like this!!!

Isn't he cute!!! He is a baby shower gift for a friend of mines grandson, who will be making his entrance into the world, in a few short months:-)
This is where his pattern comes from ...

It is the most adorable book ever, and I saw it for the first time on Alice's Blog at Crochet With Raymond (if you've never visited before, hurry on over). It's one of those books that gives you the wanties reaaaalllly badly. I'm on a mission to knit every one of those sweet monsters. Rebecca Danger is one very talented girl. The instructions are so clear and easy to follow. It took me about 3 days to knit Mumfsy ... a very doable project, even for those short on time.
There is one part of him, that has me a little more excited than any other and it is this ...

His little foot.
Why does it excite me so ... because, I now think that I may just possibly be able to knit a pair of human socks!!! If I was able to do the gussety, picking up stitches, making a foot, on this little guy, then surely I can do it on a human sock? Watch this space ...
I'll leave you with one last picture of Mumfsy ... just because he is so absolutely, undeniably cute.

Have a great Sunday everyone.

CRAFTY TIDBITS ...

2011-09-03T20:20:00.001-07:00

This is going to be a "little bit of this, little bit of that " type post. The kids are settled back at school now, and routine now abounds in our home ..... boy did we need it!!!
I climbed back on board with our school PTA this year, after taking last year off. Our circumstances last year were not conducive to me being able to give them the attention the position would have needed. While our circumstances remain unchanged, we've got a better handle on our new "normal" for now, and the time was right for me to be active again. Hospitality is my little niche. We hand out little treats to our Kindergarten parents on the first day of school each year (remember how traumatic that day was !!!!) I put together these water bottles and kleenex holders for them.

I used cardstock and felt in our school colors, as well as the image of our mascot. I also added the school's info to the kleenex holder. I printed it onto iron on printable fabric ..... I know how often I need that information, even now, and we're in our 7th year there!!! They were very well recieved by all those sad mommies and daddies:-(
Next, this is my 2nd year of being a part of The Year Of Enchantment Swap, hosted by Val, over at Yarnigras. I just love this swap, and have collected many gorgeous, enchanted ornaments since its inception, all of them made by extremely talented ladies. The theme for August was toads/frogs .... who would have thought those warty little creatures could be so cute? Here is what I made to send to my partner ...

The little frog I made using Fimo, for his crown I used glass head pins ... no wonder his eyes are bulging .... imagine how painful that must have been for him!!! The bigger one (my hubby thinks it looks like an egg who met with the hulk, and came off second best), I made by molding paper clay over a styrofoam egg, and adding to him from there:-) I was very happy with how they turned out. These are the froggies I recieved from my partner ..... see what I mean about cute!!!

Hope everyone is enjoying their Labor Day Weekend .... It's fun just being able to kick back and relax.

BANANA BREAD ...

2011-08-25T16:18:00.000-07:00

My dream of domestic bliss includes the idea, that my children would arrive back from school daily, to a pristine home .... all neat and sparkly clean, with freshly laundered clothes hung perfectly in closets .... and to a homebaked snack, ready waiting on the table. My reality is something completely different ... I obviously failed housework 101 dismally, the laundry piles up quicker than I can get it done, .... but occasionally I do get the homebaked snack thing right. Today was one of those days.

A loaf of delicious banana bread, freshly baked and out of the oven awaited my children on their return from school. I have baked this same recipe, since the day I got married. It comes from a cookbook, that I'm sure every young South African woman owns or will own .... The Complete South African Cookbook. My copy was given to me by my very dear granny, as a gift for my kitchen tea (do brides to be even have these anymore?) .... because of this fact, I treasure this cookbook even more. It's cover is now falling off, it's pages are stained, but not a week goes by ... 17 years later ... where I don't pull it out and use it.

It is truly a delicious snack, and so, I thought I'd share the recipe with you .... enjoy!!!

- 1 stick butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large very ripe bananas, mashed
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- pinch salt
- 65ml water
- 5ml baking soda
- 7ml baking powder

- Cream butter and sugar together, until light and creamy
- Add mashed bananas, and mix until well combined
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition
- Sift flour and salt together over butter mixture. Stir together until well combined
- Dissolve baking soda in water. Once dissolved add to mixture together with baking powder
- Mix until well combined
- Pour into a well greased loaf pan
- Bake at 350 deg F for 1 hour

This is a great recipe to make if you have bananas to use up that are very ripe - my kids won't eat bananas unless they're firm ..... in this heat, they become very ripe, very quickly!!!
So, go ahead, and give it a try. I promise you, you wont be dissapointed!!!
EDIT - My mom has just told me that you can freeze bananas. They will need to be used for banana bread or muffins (they soften in the freezer), but the banana taste also intensifies in the freezer. What a great idea, to avoid having to throw them out or having to bake with them straight away!!! Thanks mom - I had no idea you could do that:-)

PANDAMANIA ...

2011-08-19T16:40:00.000-07:00

Hello bloggy friends, It's been a while. Sometimes, we all just need to take a break - August has been one of those times for me. However, the kids head back to school on Monday, so we'll be getting back to some type of routine around here.
Let me give you a quick pictorial summary of what we've been up to, before I share with you, a creation, that I'm rather proud of.

We celebrated Girl Childs 13th birthday ..... I can't believe she's a teenager already!!! Where have the years gone!!!

We attended a Back To School Bash for our school, at a local waterpark ... great way to beat the Texas heat.

The boys did a spot of EARLY morning fishing ... any later in the day, and the fish go into hiding.

We doned our skates, and took to the roller rink for a bit of roller skating.

And we visited a new aquarium that has just opened.
It's been a fun summer, albeit, a VERY hot one.
Now on to all things crafty .... Girl Child and I took part in a Panda Swap. It took me a while to decide on what to make. I've always wanted to give quilting a try ... I've done a little, but never any that required putting little bits of patterned fabric together ... so what better time to give it a try!!! The result, this table runner, of which I am very proud.

I found the pattern for this applique block on www.weefolkart.com. I think that it all sewn and quilted looks really cute. For the backing fabric, I used the same green fabric that I used for the grass. It was a lot easier to make than I thought it would be. I also added this to the swap package ...

I never tire of making these pincushions .... each one is so different. This is Mau Ling ..... half the fun for me is deciding on a name for the creature that gives the pin cushion its personality.
Wow, this has turned out to be a lengthy post!!!
Enjoy your weekends, and if your kids head back to school next week .... Happy School Year

WELL, HELLO .... I'M BACK ...

2011-08-01T18:08:00.000-07:00

We took a little trip last week, to Missouri. As many of you know, we've only lived in the US for 6 years, and haven't seen too much of this big country. Missouri, was a first for us, and we had a great time.

Before we set off, I had a mermaid themed package that I needed to send off. I included one of my pincushions .... I love making them. It always amazes me just how different each one looks when it's done.

I named this queen of the sea, Marina:-D
I also made this little tree ornament to go with the package .... so very cute.

I have used this method of making little people so often .... It's easy and so adaptable. I use a wooden bead for the head, and pipecleaners to shape the body. I then dress them in felt, to make them look like the creation I want them to be - the only limit is your imagination!!!
Thank you for stopping by. Hope your summer is going well .... here in Texas it's miserable. Today was our 30 something consecutive day of triple digit temperatures (110 deg F today!!!), and we haven't seen a drop of rain in nearly 2 months!!! Roll on winter!!!

ISLAND STYLE ...

2011-07-15T09:25:00.000-07:00

I signed up to take part in Shawnee's Alhoa Apron Swap. We had to make an apron with an island theme. I had the blue and green floral fabric in my stash, but I only had a yard of it, so I needed to choose a pattern that would allow me to use it as an accent fabric .... I found just the right pattern in my pattern collection. It is McCalls 5997.
I did change the way the ties were made. Instead of sewing them in as part of the bib, I added rings - I just thought it added a nice detail. I'm very happy with the way it turned out, I hope my partner likes it as much as I do:-D
Did you noticed Molly ..... she's my model:-D She was a late birthday present from my sweet hubby. I have wanted one forever, but they've always been way out of our price range. We saw 2 of these at Hobby Lobby on sale, but by the time he and Girl Child went back to buy it, they were all gone:-( Then a week ago, I popped in there for a spool of thread, and there was another one tucked in a corner .... I called hubby, he said get it, so she came home with me!!! They'd found her tucked in at the back of the storage room ....... some things are just meant to be!!!

A MATROYSHKA MOMENT ...

2011-07-11T07:02:00.000-07:00

It's a special friend of mines birthday today, so our 2 families celebrated last night, by going out for dinner together - yummy Italian food was what we had.
Birthdays also mean birthday gifts - she has a real love of all things Russian, especially Matroyshka dolls, so whenever I can , I try and include something Matroyshka for her. This is what I came up with for her this year ...

When I saw these cookie cutters and edible transfers on the Flour Fancies website, I knew that I had to get them. I made sugar cookies and iced them with royal icing. The icing has to be completely dry before you add the transfer, so I left them to dry overnight. Applying the transfers was easier than I though it would be. You cut them out with craft scissors, brush a thin layer of light corn syrup onto the back of the transfer, and then you stick it onto the cookie, making sure that you have no air bubbles trapped underneath it - very easy.

Next was 2 pincushions - 1 to keep next to her sewing machine, and the other (more a needle keeper, I guess), to take with her for those on the go projects, that she takes to soccer practices and places like that. The little matroyshka doll, was a key chain that I found at World Market, and the bigger one was sold as a Christmas decoration last year - I snatched her up at the post Christmas sales. I can't find the website where I originally found this idea, but all I did was cover a styrofoam egg with a piece of velour, and squished it tightly into the base of the doll - quick and easy, but oh so cute:-)
Girl Childs room is almost complete - all that's left to do now is hang some curtains and tidy up the last few things lying around, and we'll be ready to reveal her new, teenage pad!!!

ANOTHER TOTE BAG ...

2011-07-08T06:41:00.000-07:00

This one I made a little bigger than the last one (Ok, I'll be honest - that was because I lost the paper I wrote the last ones dimensions on!!!). I like the way it turned out - more room to carry stuff, you know what us women are like:-D

Again, the one side has a zippered pocket ..... I do prefer the bigger size of this pocket. I think it'll be easier to get stuff in and out of. The reverse side has the 3 pockets. As with everything I make, I like to try an add something different/personal to it, depending on who it is being given to. On this bag I added 2 photo charms - I think the recipient of this bag, may just be tickled pink by them:-D I attached the charms using lobster claws, so they can be easily removed when the bag needs washing.

Once again I used duck cloth for the exterior. It is available in so many gorgeous prints now, that you really are spoilt for choice. The lining (which I forgot to take a picture of ... silly me), is a quilting weight cotton. It is cream with dots on - the dots are all the colors that are in the exterior print fabric. As always I added pockets to the inside as well as a key clip.
I have a big reveal comming soon - we are in the process of redoing Girl Childs bedroom. It is her birthday present .... It's almost complete, and is taking shape beautifully!!!
Until next time - keep crafting ...

LADYBIRD, LADYBIRD, FLY AWAY HOME ...

2011-07-04T06:30:00.000-07:00

... and you know how the rest of the nursery rhyme goes:-D
Our YOE2 theme for June was ladybirds (or ladybugs as they're known here in the USA). It seemed a pretty easy theme at first, but once I started browsing for ideas, it became apparent that it would be harder than I originally thought. I wanted my ladybird to look like more than a round, red blob with black dots. I eventually settled on this arumugumi pattern, and I love the way she turned out. I like her antennae, they add some dimension.

And on a kitchen note .... the jam making continues:-D I made some blueberry jam a couple of days ago .... simply delicious. The color of those jars though, is just gorgeous .... a deep, deep, purpley blue:-D

Happy 4th July, from our family to yours.

TREATS IN A CAN ...

2011-07-01T06:03:00.001-07:00

I have seen these treat cans on a few blogs recently, and I think they're really cute. Such a fun and easy treat to put together. However, once I actually got down to it and made one myself, I didn't realize just how cute!!!
These, I will find many a use for. I think they'll take the place of our Christmas crackers this year (those things are horrendously expensive - I'm sure it's because they're imported), they'd also make great party favors :-D
You have a choice of sizes, I've made them using the big cans that pineapple rings come in, and I've made this smaller size, using the 100 calorie cans of fruit. You can fill them with anything you like, and can decorate the outside in so many different ways, to suit your occasion.

Girl Child and I taught a 2nd grade class at our church VBS this week - it was a ton of fun. Girl Child did a fantastic job (it was her 1st year as staff and not attendee), I was as proud of her as any mom could be. We made the cans above as little treats for our class, which we handed out to them on the last day. Inside, we put a small craft and some candy. You'd be suprised at just how much fits into them.
I used the tutorial on www.ourbestbites.com to get the basic idea of how to put them together. The only investment I had to make was a new can opener (one that removes the bottom without any sharp edges), but I needed a new one anyway, so that took care of that. The one I got is made by Oxo, and it works brilliantly !!!
These are really worth giving a try .... it's a great craft that the kids can help with too.

EVERYTHING'S PEACHY ...

2011-06-28T15:14:00.000-07:00

It's summer - depending where you live, this may bring a smile to your face, or the other option (which is the category we fall into) the amount of laundry you have to do has doubled due to the fact that everyone needs to wear more than 1 shirt a day, because it's just so blisteringly hot!!!It's not all bad though, with summer comes an abundance of different fruits - raspberries, blueberries, peaches to name but a few. We have a peach orchard not too far from us, that we try to go to at least once every summer .... I can tell you with confidence that there'll be more than one visit this year. A friend of mine and all of our kids, plus Girl Childs BFF, headed out there last week .... it was lovely:-D

We all headed out buckets in hand ....

We climbed the trees .... why is it that the best peaches are always at the top of the peach tree? I'm going to just sneak in here and tell you, that the orchard did have plenty of ladders scattered throughout, for the very task of reaching those peaches, but hey, what fun is that to a 10 year old boy, especially when those peach trees are just so climbable!!!

We picked perfect peaches ....

We had little taste stops along the way .... as it was explained to me - "How do you know what you're buying mom, if you don't let me check it out first?" A pretty logical question. The verdict of the the taste test ...... "you can buy them mom, just buy lots":-D

Then once we had filled our buckets, we got to sit a while under the shade of a huge tree, and slurped down cups of ice cold lemonade, and enjoyed bowls of tasty - infact lets make that EXTREMELY tasty - peach ice cream. Yummy !!!!

It was a fun day, and once home, I got busy ....

Yes ... 6 little jars of golden jammy goodness :-D

It has become a love affair with jam making, I can't get enough of it!!! I bought apricots yesterday .... apricot jam will be next. I'll have most of my neighbor/friend Christmas gifts made by the end of summer:-D

We also got to gobble down a yummy peach crumble for dessert (the pictures of this were too blurry to post). Usually I find fruit crumbles too sweet, this one however, was just the right mix of tart and sweet ... very yummy:-D

We'll be going back to the orchard for another visit, that's for sure. I've also just learned that there's a Pick Your Own Lavender Farm not too far from the orchard ..... hmm, I guess a stop in there may just be in order ...

KING OF THE GRILL & HIS SIDEKICK ...

2011-06-24T18:56:00.001-07:00

It's been a quiet blog week or 2 for me - not that I haven't got goodies to show you, but they've all been gifts, so I've had to wait until the recipient has recieved them, so as not to spoil the suprise.

As we all know, last Sunday was Fathers Day. The kids and I decided that Dad needed his very own grilling apron. We grill so often in summer (it's our way of keeping the kitchen cooler!!!), and he is the grill chef. I made it out of some denim (so much more practical for wear and tear, and I has it in my stash). I added webbing at the waist, which I attached a clip to. Hubby always needs somewhere to wipe his hands .... many of my "inside" dishtowels have met their demise at the hands of charcoal dust or marinade !!! Not anymore - I cut some dollar store dishtowels in half, hemmed the cut edge, and attached a loop. This clips onto the clip at the waist, and there you have it, a dishtowel close at hand. The best part - when they get too grubby, and can no longer be washed clean, they can be cheaply replaced. He liked his apron, and wore it very proudly when delivering a peach crumble to our neighbors earlier today. His little sidekick (aka Boychild), is learning some good grilling skills ... I'm thinking a grilling apron for him too, may be in order soon:-D
Hope y'all had a memorable Father Day.

RASPBERRY RAZZMATAZ ...

2011-06-13T07:22:00.000-07:00

That's exactly what we had going on this weekend. I think that raspberries may just be my favorite berry .... perhaps even more favorite than strawberries ... unless they're dipped in chocolate:-D
I spent yesterday making raspberry jam, and a raspberry tart. I had been watching them in all of the grocery stores waiting for them to go on sale, and yesterday was the day!!! Given the horrendously hot weather we're having (can you see my VERY grumpy face ... I HATE the heat), I had to use them straight away. The jam turned out just perfectly (I get so excited every time I manage to turn out jars of lovely, perfectly gelled jam - one of lifes little pleasures). I used liquid pectin for the first time with this jam too. I enjoyed the little bit that didn't fit into the jars, on my toast this morning ... scrumptious!!!!

The raspberry tart, is an old favorite. I make it often in summer, and it's my most requested dessert. I made this one as a gift for a friends birthday. I'll pop it in a cellophane bag with some pretty ribbon, and there you go. It's so easy, and so heavenly, that I thought I'd share the recipe with you.

HEAVENLY RASPBERRY TART
- 5 cups fresh raspberries
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- a prepared and baked 9" deep pie shell

In a saucepan combine 2 cups raspberries, sugar, water, cornstarch and lemon juice.
Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until thickened and glossy. Cook for 2 minutes more.
Remove mixture from heat, and cool slightly.
Cover and refrigerate mixture for 1 hour.
Fold remaining raspberries gently into mixture and then transfer mixture to pie shell.
Cover and refrigerate until set. I prefer to do this overnight.
Serve with whipped cream.
Totally delicious .... the perfect summer dessert.

END OF YEAR TEACHER GIFTS ...

2011-06-10T06:13:00.000-07:00

This year we only had 4 teacher gifts to come up with (Middle schooler don't give gifts to their teachers, so Girl Child informed me). Because of circumstances being what they are, my rule this year was to spend a maximum of $5 per gift and use what I had in my stash to make the rest. It turned out to be quite a fun challenge. I made 2 of each gift, and then let Boy Child decide which gift he wanted to give to which teacher.

I knitted wash cloths using 100% cotton yarn from my stash. I used these colors specifically because I had seen (and smelled) these delicious lavender and tea tree oil soap bars at World Market, and because I had knitted the lavender sprigs a while back. I had made them as decorations for a function, and I knew I could use them as part of the wrapping.

I wrapped the washcloths and soap up in cellophane, added the lavender sprig, a label and some tulle (also reused from the same decorations), and voila, we had ourselves 2 pretty gifts. The teachers whom he gave them too, loved the gifts.

I bought these dishtowels as a pack at Wally World. I decided to give them a facelift, so I added a border to each. The strawberry towel, I crocheted a scalloped edge onto. I had never done this before, but thanks to a great tutorial I found online, I managed it, and I really like how it turned out. The checked one, I sewed some pleated binding onto, that I had left over from a previous project.

The jam holders I also found at Wally World (they hold 2 half pint jars perfectly). They're pretty useful things to have, I've decided (maybe I need to stock up on a few for Christmas before canning season is over, and they're all gone)... I made little jar lid covers from some fabric scraps, and I popped a jar each of my homemade strawberry and kiwi jam into the holders. I wrapped all of this together with cellophane and ribbon and finished the gift off by making a fabric strawberry to hang on each.
So now we head into the long, hot, lazy days of summer ...

WHAT WE LEARN FROM OUR YEARS AT SCHOOL ...

2011-06-08T17:23:00.000-07:00

Today's post is going to be completely unrelated to crafts .... shock and horror I know!!! But there are times when things happen, that make you sit back and think. This awful economy continues to affect so many families - our family is a victim to it too, as are so many others. The education system just happens to be the latest victim. When our kids return to school in the Fall, it will be to bigger classes and less resources .... this worries me greatly, more so for our son than our daughter. He is still in Elementary and has accomodations that make use of Special Ed resources (we're not even certain these resources will be available next year). The purpose of this post is not to complain though.
I believe that the aim of our years spent at school, should be to send out into the world, well rounded young adults. There should be a healthy balance between academics and life skills taught at school.
Each year every class in our school has to do a community service project. Boy Childs class chose to do a Skin Cancer Awareness Campaign, in honor of one of the moms in our class who lost her battle with melanoma late last year. The campaign, through sheer hard work and determination on the part of the kids, and tremendous encouragement from their teacher, became huge. The kids made posters, designed a website, designed and had T shirts made, organised a sun screen collection drive for under priveleged families among other things. Last week our class walked up to our high school and during passing period handed out information pamphlets and sunscreen samples to the high schoolers, as well as educated them on the dangers of skin cancer - a huge thing for a group of 10 year olds to do. As a mom who chaperoned, I couldn't have been prouder:-)

The class on their way to High School

Boy Child educating some High School boys on the dangers of skin cancer

The T Shirts they had printed, and the literature they distributed.

This evening his teacher and class made an appearance on the evening news!!!

Boy Child standing by the WFAA 8 broadcasting van

Their teacher and class on the evening news

As our school year ends tomorrow, I believe that his 4th grade year has taught him 2 very valuable life lessons...

- It doesn't matter how big or small you are, everyone CAN make a difference in this world.

- Whatever you dream, CAN become reality, if you're prepared to work hard enough at it.

Long after math and science lessons have been forgotten, I have no doubt that he will remember these 2 things, taught to him by a teacher who truly believes in teaching the whole child ..... for that, I will be forever gratful to her.

If you want to, pop over to the website the class created, I think it's pretty impressive, but I may be just a little biased:-D

http://www.kidscancercampaign.webs.com/

CAKE POPS ....

2011-06-04T06:02:00.000-07:00

They're all the craze right now .... at least they are here, down in the deep south!!!
Today a good friend of ours daughter is having her birthday parties, and her mom asked if I'd make cake pops for the parties - Elmo and cows to be precise.
Enter the queen of cake pops, Bakerella :-D
Thank goodness for her blog and that wonderful book she published not so long ago. Her instructions are both precise and easy to follow.
Here they are, 3 dozen cows, and 3 dozen Elmos.

I wanted a fun way to display them, especially as these will take the place of a traditional birthday cake. To construct the boxes, I used cake boards, that I cut to size and then glued together. I poped a piece of styrofoam inside the box (to stick the sticks into), that I covered with shredded paper. Elmo was made by covering part of a round cake board with felt and adding his features, while I used wooden cutouts from the craft store for the cow box. I made her name sign using some of my scrapbook stuff.
Here are a few things I learned while making them, just in case anyone wants to give them a go ....
They are VERY labor intensive, so you really need to plan ahead and allow plenty of time to get them done.
I am not a big fan of Make and Mold brand wafers that you buy at Hobby Lobby ... when melted, it is REALLY thick. Wiltons worked a little better. I see that there are some crystals that you can buy, that you add to the wafers which thins them, and makes coating the cake balls easier - I will get some of those next time.
They are really high up there on the cute scale ....
As long as the birthday girl loves them, that's all that matters and all the hard work was well worth it:-D

FIRST FRUITS ...

2011-06-01T06:41:00.000-07:00

Let me start out by saying ..... my hubby and I both have black thumbs. We joke about my ability to kill a cactus plant!!!

We decided to try and turn that around this year .....

Hubby got to work and built me a raised bed. He did an awesome job on it.

We planted 3 varieties of tomatos, beets, carrots, onions, green peppers and beans. We then lovingly tended our new veggie patch. We got very excited when the first shoots sprouted ...

Yesterday I harvested our first Big Beef tomato, amid much excitement ...

Just perfect .... nice and firm, not too squishy, a lovely color:-D

This morning, I ate some of it for breakfast .... it passed the taste test with flying colors .... delicious!!!

I'm beginning to think that we can do this after all!!!

A NEW TOTE BAG ...

2011-05-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

My cousin has a birthday coming up shortly. She has recently started her first real job, and will be going to university part time too, so I thought that a new tote bag would be just the gift. One with lots of pockets to carry around all of her stuff. I used duck cloth for the exterior fabric and quilting weight cotton for the lining which I fused to interfacing. For the straps I used that webbing that you buy by the yard at the craft/fabric store. Here is what I came up with ...

This pocket has a zip, somewhere to keep the more important things. I added a fleur de lis jewelery charm to the zipper pull,it adds a little bling, and It also ties in with the design on the fabric.

This is the other side - it has 3 pockets on it.

The inside - again there are plenty of pockets. I also included 2 pen pockets (my pet hate is having to search for a pen which is invariably lying amongst the junk in the bottom of my bag!!!)
Then for those troublesome keys, which seem to also gravitate to the bottom, I included a clip.
I loved this lining fabric - the red just added the splash of color I was looking for:-D

I hope she likes it. I think I want to make one for myself now.

On a jam making note .... I made kiwi fruit jam on Saturday, it was perfect, and soooo delicious.

STRAWBERRY JAM ...

2011-05-21T14:43:00.000-07:00

I've always thought of those who make jam, as being at the absolute pinnacle of domesticity... in the same league as the likes of Julia Childs. The whole process, from sterilizing the jars to making the jam, to vaccum sealing the jars in a water bath, just seemed way beyond my ability. So, I decided today would be the day that I took up the challenge, and gave this jam making thing a try ..... so ....

With the ingredients prepared ..... and ....

The recipe chosen and read .... and read again ..... and again, just to be sure, I set about making my jam. I followed the recipe exactly .... I mixed, I skimmed, I boiled, and then I bottled the jam. I tentatively set about doing the canning bath and ..... It worked perfectly!!! The lids all sealed like they should .... no click clacking when I touched them:-)

This is what I have to show for my effort - 7 sweet little half pint jars of strawberry goodness!!! I do hope it gelled like it should .... the little test that I did on the cold plate did gel nicely, so I hope the jars do too. I thoroughly enjoyed the process, and have picked out Kiwi Jam as my next challenge. I will give these jars a week or so, before I open one to see how well it did gel - Yummy, I see English tea scones with homemade strawberry jam and whipped cream in our future.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend:-)

LITTLE BIRDS NEST ...

2011-05-17T15:52:00.003-07:00

Our YOE ornament for April was nests. My partners package will have arrived, so I'm not spoiling her suprise, and I'm going to share with you what I made.

I put away my sewing machine, knitting needles and crochet hook for this one, and I have to admit, it was a lot of fun.

I used garden twine and glue to make this nest. I covered the bottom of a bowl in plastic wrap. I then soaked my twine in a mixture of 1 part white glue and 1 part water. After squeezing out the excess liquid, I wound the twine around the bottom and sides of the bowl, to make a nest shape. I intentionally left gaps in the twine, so that I could thread yarn and bits of fabric into the nest once it was dry. I left it to dry for 24 hours. After removing it from the bowl and plastic wrap, I threaded the bits and bobs into the nest. I finished it off by lining it with spanish moss and feathers, and I glued some teeny tiny wooden eggs that I found in my treasure trove of goodies:-) I glued a wooden peg onto the bottom of the nest, so that it could be clipped onto a branch on her tree.

I thought that these would also look cute on an Easter or Spring table setting.

We have a few real birds nests scattered around our garden at the moment ..... I love that they're a promise of new life, and we eagerly await the hatching of their precious contents each year.

GARDENING APRON ...

2011-05-10T14:53:00.000-07:00

This is going to sound a little wierd I know, but I woke up this morning remembering not the dream I had, but the apron that someone was wearing in it .... who was that someone - I have absolutely no idea!!!
It was a gardening apron, really simple, but I thought I'd try and put the thing of dreams into reality. I made it up as I went along, using fabric and binding from my stash, and I really do love how it turned out:-D

I made pockets of varying widths to hold all the gardeners neccesities (plant journal, pens, seed packets .... you get the idea), and I also added 2 D Rings from which to hang things.

I can see myself wearing this little creation while I tend my veggie garden, which is doing VERY well, and of which I'm extremely proud ..... I've never grown veggies before, so I'm quite thrilled at how well It's all doing:-)

Until next time ..... keep dreaming!!!

LEMONY LOVELINESS ...

2011-05-05T07:25:00.000-07:00

Well it certainly has been a while!!! That strep hung around far longer than expected. All is well with the world now ... no more sore throat or feeling yukky!!!

Nothing says warmer weather to me, more than lemons. Yellow, tangy and just altogether summery:-) Making a lemon meringue pie really signals the beginning of long, lazy days to me. I made my first one of the season, for a girls get together, yesterday.

I thought I'd share the recipe with you .... it's quick, easy and totally delicious!!!

LEMON MERINGUE PIE

1 pie shell, prepared, baked and cooled

FOR THE FILLING

2 tins full fat condensed milk

4 egg yolks

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Mix together the ingredients above. Once well combined, pour mixture into the prepared pie shell and bake at 350 deg F for 20 mins.

FOR THE TOPPING

- 4 egg whites

- 1/2 cup ultra fine (castor) sugar

Beat egg white until stiff and peaks form.

Add the sugar and beat until stiff and glossy.

Pile on top of the pie filling, ensuring that the edges of the pie are sealed.

Make peaks in the meringue with a fork.

Return to the oven and allow top to brown slightly. Watch this very carefully, as it does not take long.

Allow to get completely cold, and then enjoy!!!

Now to show you the reason I jetted off to the UK for 2 weeks .....

My super cute niece and nephew ...... I absolutely adore these 2 kids:-)

I only wish that we all lived closer to each other, so that we could be a more integral part of their lives, and so that my kids could have their baby cousins close at hand.

Until next time ....

BACK SAFE AND SOUND ....

2011-04-25T16:14:00.000-07:00

How lovely it was to cuddle that little 3 week old nephew of mine .... boy, was it hard to leave!!!
I got to bake with my niece, play with her, take her to her swimming lesson .... Oh we had so much fun.
I missed my hubby and babies though, so I'm glad to be back. I brought a "special" treat back with me ...... strep throat!!! Ugghh, I am miserable!!! It started as I boarded the plane at Heathrow ... fever, sore throat, and everything yukky!!!
I started the antibiotics today, so I'm going to go and tuck myself back into bed now, and I'll be back to visit with y'all in a few days:-)

EASTER DELIVERY ...

2011-04-10T09:33:00.001-07:00

I'm taking a little blog break for the next 2 weeks ...... Lucky, lucky me .... I am getting to deliver this little Easter Bunny personally!!! I'm heading over the ocean to London a little later today, to visit my sister, niece and my brand new baby nephew:-) I made this little Easter Bunny as part of her Easter gift. Her little brother will be getting a little Easter rattle - there's no picture yet, because that will be my in flight entertainment!!! See y'all soon .....

BOYS WILL BE BOYS ...

2011-04-02T13:56:00.000-07:00

I know that this has absolutely nothing to do with crafts or goodies I've made, but it is priceless, and sums up Boy Child ..... 110% boy!!!

He spends hours trying to catch these bullfrogs ... and is successful fairly frequently. This one made the funniest noise when he was picked up:-) Once we'd taken the pictures, he was safely returned to his watery home:-)

PINCUSHIONS...

2011-03-26T16:32:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has certainly been a memorable week for our family. I became an aunty again on Thursday. My sister gave birth to a beautiful baby boy:-) We are all very excited about his arrival - he was two and a half weeks early, but he's a big, strong, healthy boy. This does mean that the pressure is now on to get the blanket I showed you a couple of posts ago, finished. I'm 3/4 way done with it, so hopefully it will not take me too much longer. I have to just say, I love being an aunty:-)

I have 2 more pincushions to share with you today ... I really enjoy making these - to be honest, they're a little addictive!!! Hmm ... Pincushions Anonymous .... I may need it one day:-)

This is an Easter/Spring themed one. It's pink and polka dotted .... what's not to love about it:-)

I love gnomes. My Valentines date with my hubby this year was to go and see Gnomeo and Juliet (He knows me so well)!!! It was such a pretty movie, and the music was great. I couldn't resist making a Gnomeo pincushion - this one was given away, but I did snap up more of these gnomes (Joann had them on clearance), so there will be more gnome pincushions for sure.

Must dash ... there's a baby boy patiently waiting for his blanket!!!

ENCHANTED WOODLAND CREATURE ...

2011-03-18T18:04:00.000-07:00

We owned our own prickly little hedgehog a couple of years ago. Mr Prickles was a bundle of cuteness - he had the sweetest little face I'd ever seen. I have had a long standing fascination with hedgehogs .... they amaze me.

Our YOE 2 theme for March was hedgehogs (imagine my sqeal of delight when I heard that!!!). This was my creation. She is a little amigurumi hedgehog. I'd been wanting to make her for a while, but there was something about making the prickles, that scared me a little. However, this was the perfect time to give it a try (I did have a Plan B, had she been a disaster). The prickles weren't too difficult to do after all. They took me a little while to do, but the result was so worth the time.
Her little face lookes just like Mr Prickles did ... too adorable for words!!!
She has a mummy, that is a little bigger than her - I'm definately going to give her a try when I have a little spare time.

For those who may be interested in where I found the pattern ..... I got it out of the book by Ana Paula Rimoli, called Amigurumi World. I have made lots of things out of this book, as well as her second book, Amigurumi Two. I love her books ... so easy to read and understand, which is great for a novice like me:-)

I'll leave you now with this little bundle of cuteness ... I hope all of you have a lovely weekend.

HOOKY HAPPINESS ...

2011-03-15T13:30:00.000-07:00

Since picking up a crochet hook almost a year ago, I have spent many happy hours creating. I've created lots of little amigurumi animals, flowers, pin cushions ... and so the list goes on:-)

I find it very relaxing, and probably the most satisfying part about it - you get really quick results !!!

2 crochet blogs in particular have become favorite daily reads for me - the lovely Lucy's (Attic 24) and sweet Alice's (Crochet with Raymond). Both those ladies have a way with color - their blogs are pure eye candy, and I've learned a lot from them.

So, today I thought I'd show you a work in progress (WIP) as well as something that I hope will soon come to fruition.

First the WIP - a blanket for my soon to be niece or nephew. My sister's baby is due early next month .... let's hope she can hold on that long. She's carrying one mighty big baby there!!!! My initial plan for it was to make a giant granny square .... then .... boredom set in .... so .... I changed my mind, and decided on 4 large granny squares joined together with a few rows of granny clusters as a border. I am much happier with this change of plan .... now I just need to get moving with it ...as we all know babies wait for nobody - least of all a slow aunt !!!!

Secondly, I conquered it !!! The flower of the moment - the Japanese flower!!!! Lucy at Attic 24 recently showed a shawl that she was making using these flowers, it is absolutely gorgeous:-) Being the crochet baby that I am, I had no idea how to make this flower, and all my searches turned up nothing, that was until Alice from Crochet with Raymond came to the rescue, and mentioned that the blog, Elizabeth Cat, had a photo tutorial for this flower on it. I whizzed over there, and 30 minutes later had created this beauty. I am definately going to make that shawl for myself (It is too beautiful not too). I just have to be patient and wait until I can get some lovely yarn to make it in !!! In the meantime, It's loveliness will fill my dreams:-)

The kids are on Spring Break this week - although it's been colder the past few days than it has in a while. It hasn't stopped all that nasty pollen though, from wreaking havoc with my sinuses ... so yukky!!!

Have a lovely week ... it's certainly a pretty time of year:-)

SOMETHING DIFFERENT .... ANOTHER IDEA ...

2011-03-05T10:58:00.000-08:00

I like to try and come up with different ways of presenting things.
How often do we get asked to share our recipes (a lot, if you love taking part in swaps:-). So for my latest swap, I put on my thinking cap, and this is what I came up with - pretty and practical.

I printed the recipe onto printable fabric. I then did a little log cabin type thing around the edges .... please excuse my technical term - It's the first time I've done this !!!I used some themed fabric for the backing, and sandwiched 2 layers of batting between the fabrics. A little bias tape around the edges, and there you have it - a hot pad with the added bonus of a tried and trusted family recipe:-)

They didn't take me long to make, and they cost me nothing extra, as everything I used to make them came from leftovers I had in my stash. I think I'll definately be making a few more of these in the not to distant future.

Now for my Mom Moment .... you know we all have those from time to time, when we feel the need to brag about the achievements of our offspring. Boychild took part in our school districts MTA Spelling Bee this morning. He got a GOLD medal !!! He spelt all 5 of his words correctly ... he made us so proud.

Enjoy your weekend everyone !!!!

PRIME REAL ESTATE ....

2011-02-27T15:13:00.000-08:00

Every gnome needs a home !!!

Let me show you .....

Mushroom Hollow

Gnomeville

Lovely, well manicured garden .... with views from the top window, that a gnome could only dream of...

Large windows, ensuring plenty of natural light ...

A private cherry orchard, ensuring a summer filled with sweet, juicy goodness ...

What a wonderful place to live:-)

IT'S BEEN WAY TOO LONG ....

2011-02-26T06:01:00.000-08:00

My poor neglected blog !!!
February has flown by. It turned out to be an insanely busy month for our family - the soccer season began, we had numerous scout activities, 5 school days missed due to snow and ice ... you know how it goes !!!
Just when I thought I could pay this poor blog some attention, I took a silly tumble and ended up laid up in a knee brace for a while. That coupled with the nasty tummy bug that has worked its way systematically through my family this week ... well, It just never got done.
But here I am now .... pity party over .... to show you some creations:-)

The theme for YOE 2 in January was snow scenes. We were required to make an ornament that depicted something snowy:-)
My partner should have recieved her package by now, so I'll show you what I came up with.

This started its life as one of those wooden birdhouses you can buy at most craft stores. I painted it a soft pink and used Snowtex to create a snowfall. I then VERY liberally glittered it with irradecent glitter (I love the shimmer it gives). What is a birdhouse without any residents .... so these 2 little lovelies were added to the ornie.
I have also discovered that spraying a light coat of clear varnish over the glitter, stops the glitter from falling off - I do this on all of my glitter projects now.

Isn't she the cutest .... a little snow fairy. I can't remember which blog the tutorial was on, but if you search "snow fairy tutorial", it's the first one that pops up. It was a great tutorial and she was very easy to make, and I loved the fact that you could do whatever you liked, creatively with her skirt.

There are a few items I need to get done during this next week, to meet some deadlines. So It'll be a busy week and I should have lots to show you :-)

Have a lovely week ... Spring is quickly approaching, and my daffodils should burst into flower any day now:-)

CUTIE PIE ....

2011-02-08T15:20:00.000-08:00

Wandering down the clearance aisle of Walmart my eyes are drawn to this package of "ever so cute" cafe curtains .... what is a girl to do, when the design on them just won't allow you to walk past without popping them in your cart ... at $5 for the set, it would make no sense to leave them behind ... I believe this is called justifying my purchase:-)

Well that set of cafe curtains (or at least one of the curtains) became this ....

I took part in Shawnee's Cutie Pie Apron Swap. I wanted to make my partner an apron that was in keeping with the theme, but that she could still enjoy wearing past Valentines Day. I'm very happy with the result. I printed my favorite raspberry pie recipe onto printable fabric, which I then attached to the bib with some decorative stitching and 3 heart buttons. I didn't work from a pattern, but made the design up as I went along.

The fun part is that I still have some more of this delightful fabric left, to use on another project. The fabric itself feels like a cross between a light linen and flour sack cloth ..... just lovely.

I hope my partner likes it, as I had so much fun putting it together for her.

Here in Texas, we're bracing ourselves for another winter storm tonight ..... Ice and snow I believe, will be the order of the day tomorrow.
Stay warm wherever you may be:-)

A PASSION FOR PINCUSHIONS .....

2011-02-06T18:33:00.000-08:00

I've made 3 different pincushions this weekend - all as part of various swaps I'm taking part in.

The beauty of pincushions, is that they are quick and easy, but at the same time, they're open to tons of embellishment - my favorite part of any project!!!

This one is made using a china sugar bowl that I found at the thrift store .... it had a price tag of 99c - who doesn't love a deal like that:-)

This one really feels at home, after the week of cold and snowy weather we have had here in Texas!!!

This one is adorable, and HUGE!!! I loved the mouse, and he was a little larger than the items I normally put on my pincushions, but he fit the theme perfectly. No problem .... I just increased the size of the cushion. It turns out that I really like the fact that it is so big ..... so much so, that I think one of them will be on my "make for me" list. I also made the little heart pins that are in the cushion. I found the perfect size heart beads at Joann's a while back. I just put a little glue on the pin head, slipped the bead onto the pin, and there you have it - heart head pins!!!

Off to watch the end of the Superbowl now - until next time !!!

EXPRESSIONS OF LOVE ...

2011-02-01T16:38:00.000-08:00

These little cuties make me smile!!!

Elizabeth from Creative Breathing showed some she'd made on her blog, and I had to have some of my own. So out came the paperclay, styrofoam balls, paint, glitter, felt, and pipecleaners, and I got to work creating some. I love how they turned out - he looks so shy and she seems elated by his declaration of love:-)

Last night, here in Texas the ice and snow came down. It's cold ..... very cold. The kids had a snow day today and another one has just been announced for tomorrow!!!!We can turn off the alarm and snuggle down for the day. With the mix of unusually warm weather followed by this bitter cold, our longtime friend "asthma" has come to call. Boy Child ended up at the Dr yesterday, because he was left gasping for breath .... poor little guy. Thanks to steroids and breathing treatments, he's breathing a whole lot easier today.

Keep warm wherever you are .... hot chocolate and knitted blankets ..... ahhh bliss!!!!

FOR THE LOVE OF COOKIES ....

2011-01-26T07:10:00.000-08:00

This never was the case with my family, until I found this cookie recipe!!! My non cookie eating hubby now asks for them, and the kids can't shovel them down fast enough. Let's just say that 3 remain this morning, from the 3 dozen that came out of the oven yesterday..... and Yes, I promise I fed them a healthy dinner last night too!!!!
The big "plus" for these cookies ..... they are really quick and easy to make.

So here we go - try them for yourselves and see ....

CRUNCHY TOFFEE COOKIES

- 2/3 cup toffee chips (I use Heath bits)

- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

- 2 cups buttermilk baking mix (I use Pioneer)

- 1 stick butter - softened

- 1 large egg

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- Mix everything together, until well combined. (You may need to get your hands dirty here)

- Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place an inch apart on a lined cookie sheet.

- Bake at 375 Deg F for 10 - 12 mins.

Recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies

Thanks for visiting my little corner of Blogland .... have a wonderful day!!!

WE'LL BLAME IT ON THE WEATHER...

2011-01-24T16:08:00.000-08:00

Now that we're a few months into these cold, grey skies ....... It's getting kind of tiresome!!!!

I've had a number of almost completed projects that I just haven't had the inclination to finish ..... that was until this weekend - yay, my craft mojo is back:-)

Here are some goodies I've knitted recently, both are gifts. The brown set is going to my cousin as a valentines gift .... shhh, I think I'm safe - I don't think she even knows I have this little blog. She's leaving the USA permanently in April, to persue her first real job. Where she is going, is cold ALL year round, so these should come in handy. I'm going to miss her - she's the only family we have here, and one of my best friends.

The silvery/grey neckwarmer is also a gift - it's recipient shall remain anonymous. The yarn has a shiny thread that runs through it ... so pretty. I found the yarn at Joann's at Christmas. It was one of their Holiday yarns. Now that I see how pretty it is knitted up, I wish I'd got another couple of balls ... oh well, there's always next Christmas:-)

On a proud mom note - Girl Child modelled these for me. I look at these pictures (which I love), and realise just how proud she makes me .... she's growing into a gorgeous, kind hearted young lady:-) I love you Brit!!!

Thanks for popping in, I promise the next break wont be so long ..... after all the mojo is back:-)

SNOWSCAPES...

2011-01-06T07:23:00.000-08:00

HAPPY 2011!!!

I was very spoilt over Christmas, and was given one of these beauties as a gift!!!! I was beyond excited!!!

I recieved it before Christmas, but with the hussle and bustle that is Christmas, I decided I would take it out to play once things had returned to normal .... that happened to be this week:-)

I have decided that the possibilities are absolutely endless. I only have a couple of cartridges at the moment, but I'm amazed at just how much you can create with just a little. I have made some snowscape notecard sets - I thought they'd make nice last minute gifts once they were popped in a cellophane bag and tied with some gorgeous ribbon, and a matching tag.

SNOW ABODES

I put a thin layer of transparent glitter glue over the snowy areas on this set. I cut the snowflakes with a small hand held paper punch I have. To add some sparkle, I glued a tiny rhinestone to the center of each snowflake.

SNOW SCENES

This set just says "FUN" to me:-) All those happy little creatures frolicking in the snow .... it makes me smile!!!

I think I may settle down now with a nice mug of coffee, and make a set of garden gnome notelets .... watch this space!!!

PS - The dishwasher and washing machine are going - hmmm, the grind of daily chores:-)

GOODBYE 2010 .... HELLO 2011

2010-12-31T14:47:00.000-08:00

... and I say this with great relief. 2010 has been a year I wish never to repeat again. It's been marked by much ..... insecurity, unemployment, betrayl, and a big dose of worry!!! However it has not been all bad ... we learned who our real friends were, we got to visit our families over the summer, I finally got to kiss and cuddle my little niece, and over this holiday season, we have been truly blessed by the kindness and generosity shown to us by people we do not even know.

As 2011 dawns, it's full of hope and promise - a clean slate.I wish only wonderful things for you and your families - health, happiness and prosperity.

Girl Child will be going to her first New Years Eve party tonight - a sleepover at her best friends house. I offered to send a little something to ring in the New Year. Girl Child and I decided to make some cake pops (my inspiration was the cutest, most gorgeous creations made by Bakarella!!!) - they turned out so cute. There'll be a plate of chocolate dipped strawberries accompanying them!!!!

See you in 2011, sweet bloggy friends!!!

THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR...

2010-12-26T18:13:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone!!! We now look toward the New Year ..... praying that it's a happier year than 2010 was. The thing I love most about the dawning of a New Year, is that it's full of promise and hope.

We had a lovely day yesterday, just enjoying each other ... good food, good company, and memories made:-)

As I've mentioned a number of times throughout the year, I took part in a year long Year of Enchantment Swap - it was an absolute blast. I was over joyed when Val (our lovely host), decided to host YOE 2:-) As a result of this swap, I decided to make our Christmas table centerpiece an enchanted one. Here is the result ...

I loved it, especially the use of non traditional colors. I found the cute little gnome ornaments on sale at Cracker Barrel for 50c a piece. I bought a few, knowing that I could use them later to make some more super cute pin cushions.

I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas, and that 2011 brings you all your hearts desire.

CHRISTMAS CRAYONS...

2010-12-20T18:55:00.000-08:00

There are tons of tutorials for making these wax crayons all over blogland. They were a lot of fun to make (ok, so the paper peeling part was a bit laborious!!!). So much fun infact, that I made a bunch for our Church Preschool Christmas Shop.
These Christmas trees are for my favorite niece, as part of her Christmas present. Before you think I'm an ugly aunt who plays favorites .... I only have one niece, the rest are nephews who both share the number one nephew spot!!!

I like the way that they look marbled - I found that the crayon looked more marbled if I left the crayons in bigger pieces as opposed to smaller ones. My molds (Christmas tree and snowflake) were from the dollar section of Target, and I put mine in a 250 deg F oven, and it took about 20 mins for the crayons to melt completely.

These would make a quick and easy, last minute Christmas gift. My 10 year old even said he'd like some ..... I was quite pleasantly suprised by that:-)

TEACHERS GIFTS ...

2010-12-19T09:46:00.000-08:00

Well school is out and we have 2 lovely weeks to enjoy just being together:-)

I did need to take care of teachers Christmas gifts though, before we got out - this year the number of gifts needed was greatly reduced due to the fact that Girl Child moved across to Middle School. This gave me a little extra time to put them together ..... although I did leave it until the day before .... let's just say that I work better under pressure!!!

I had a new Simplicity apron pattern (don't you just LOVE the Hobby Lobby 99c pattern sales!!!) I wanted to try, so aprons it was. I love this pattern, and it may have just become my new favorite apron pattern - quick and easy, but still pretty.

This was one. I liked the fabric because it reminded me a lot of Vera Bradley, without the Vera Bradley price tag:-)

This one is a classic black and white - I think those 2 colors are so elegant together.

Then just a few days prior to making them, I had read a blog, where they talked about finding alternative, more eco friendly ways to wrap up Christmas gifts - this got me thinking. They suggested reusable shopping bags. I had some dish towels I bought at the after Christmas sales last year, so that's what I used. I just added ribbon and a snowflake tag cut from felt, and voila, I had a 100% usable gift. I even used safety pins in place of tape.

It's down to the last few days now, to get all those last minute Christmas gifts finished. We have knitting needles flying and the sewing machine whirring furiously in this house!!!!Enjoy your last minute crafting - it shouldn't be stressful, just a whole bunch of fun!!!

DOUBLE CHIP COOKIES - YUM!!!

2010-12-14T17:59:00.000-08:00

This is a bit of a break from the norm for me - but these cookies were too good not to share with you. I don't know where the recipe comes from as it was written on a piece of paper. If I had to guess, I'd say it was most likely from a Taste of Home magazine, or something similar.

It was our Church Middle School Christmas Banquet tonight (wow, there's nothing like a bunch of dressed up middle schoolers to make you realize just how quickly they grow up!!!). I signed up to bring a dessert, and Girl Childs' choice was chocolate chip cookies. Let me just say now, I'm ordinarily not a cookie baker - I'll bake anything before I bake cookies!!!

THE RECIPE

- 2 cups semi sweet choc chips

- 1 stick butter

- 3 eggs

- 1/2 cup sugar

- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

- 11/2 cups all purpose flour

- 1 teaspoon baking soda

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 10 oz white choc chips

LETS GET BUSY MAKING THESE BABIES....

(1) Melt butter and choc chips (semi sweet) together until smooth

(2) Allow to cool for 10 mins

(3) Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla until light

(4) Add chocolate mixture to egg mixture - mix well

(5) Combine flour, baking soda and salt together

(6) Gradually add to creamed mixture

(7) Stir in white chocolate chips

(8) Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto lined baking sheet

(9) Bake for 10mins at 350 deg F

YUMMY!!!!

Just remembered, I do have something crafty to show you .... another pin cushion I've made. This one is a thank you gift for someone.

Then lastly, because, when I see her all dressed up like this I am reminded of just how proud she makes her daddy and I - a picture of Girl Child all dressed up for the banquet tonight:-)

Happy Crafting Everyone!!!!

QUICK GIFT IDEAS...

2010-12-10T05:14:00.000-08:00

This will prove that I have been constructively busy ..... not just busy playing elf:-)

I have 2 quick gift ideas to show you. These were actually made as part of 2 different swaps, but they'd work well for teacher or neighbor gifts. Both took less than an hour each to make, and they both used items I had on hand. So, when it gets to 9pm on Christmas Eve, and you remember the one person you forgot, perhaps these ideas may come in useful!!!!

This is a Christmas Mug Rug - big enough to fit a nice cup of hot chocolate and 2 sugar cookies on - yummy!!! Speaking of which, I'm attending my 1st ever cookie exchange tomorrow - I'll be spending today baking and decorating 3 dozen gingerbread men .... or maybe the chocolate chip espresso meringues sound better ..... hmmm, decisions!!!

I got the idea for this pincushion (and the few similar ones I've made) from Elizabeths blog (Creative Breathing). If you haven't visited her blog, you're missing out, it is pure eye candy!!!It is 2 basic 6" circles of fabric sewn together, that I then embellished. I love them, and could have one for every holiday:-)

Elf antics ... well ....

They got into the fridge and made jello the other night - thanks guys for dessert!!! It must have been very chilly in there for them. Boy Child did point out to me however that they'd be used to the cold given they live in the North Pole - that kiddo is so logical at times:-)

Then this morning we found them "swimming". A tub full of fluffy cottonballs - the pool, my mini ironing board - the diving board, red facecloths - their towels and 2 very responsible life guards.

To the kitchen I go ..... until next time!!!

ELF MAGIC....

2010-12-07T06:13:00.000-08:00

There's certainly been a whole lot of that around this house lately!!!

So what exactly have those naughty things been up to.... well....

They had a night of sleddimg down the stairs (the sled was actually the plastic containers we wash dishes in when we go camping).

They had family game night last night - they played Tic Tac Toe, and colored a picture. Boy Child did decide however that their coloring had improved since last year:-) Note the little Christmas tree - he also decided at Lowes yesterday, that they needed their own Christmas tree!!!

They decided to picinc on my chandelier ..... crumbs and all!!! When will they learn that heights like this are just too dangerous for little things like them!!!!

Like all good elves should, they had some tub time .... in my washing machine!!! I must say though, those mentor elves are pretty responsible - those babies were wrapped all nice a warm when we found them in the morning:-)

There has been some Christmas crafting going on here - I promise.

I've had a few last swap packages I've had to get out - pictures will follow. I also need to take pictures of the Advent Calendars ..... that will be todays chore:-)

DECEMBER 1ST...

2010-12-01T19:28:00.000-08:00

And this day heralds the arrival of our 2 mischevious guests - Gabby and Bart. They arrived in suitcases (or lunchboxes as Boy Child explained to me), with their mentors (who are just as naughty, I might add),sometime during the night last night!!! One very excited child was awake at 5am this morning, to welcome them back .... the other child was slightly put out by the early wakeup call:-)
So we welcome back our 2 little elves..... let's see what havoc they can think up this year!!!

December 1st also marks the beginning of our nightly family Advent activities. As we have a guest staying with us at the moment, we kept tonight simple - hot chocolate and cookies just before bed!!!

The hot chocolate had all the trimmings - it was topped with whipped cream and sprinkles and a candy cane to stir it with. Notice the little plates - they are a Hobby Lobby find - oh so cute, and big enough to fit just one cookie on:-) A side note ... it is quite chilly here in Texas now, despite my shirtless child - he just hates sleeping with a shirt on!!!

I eventually got around to making the kids Advent Calendars this year - after changing my mind a hundred times on what I wanted to do. I will show them to you tomorrow.... they turned out to be very cute, and the kids liked them a lot!!!

Hope you're keeping warm wherever you are ..... oh, how I love this time of the year!!!!

STYROFOAM BALLS + PAPER CLAY =

2010-11-28T19:28:00.000-08:00

This little guy!!!

Remember in my last post, I mentioned that I'd been playing around with paper clay - well this frosty snowman is the result. The paper clay was easy to work with and adhered really well to the styrofoam balls. It did take longer to dry than the label said, but once dry it is rock hard.I painted him, glittered him, varnished him (to stop the glitter falling off!!!), and finally I dressed him with a fluffy neck warmer, some bling, and a top hat:-)

I really like the way he turned out. Boy child asked if I'd make 4 (this one is a gift), so that we could each decorate one as one of our Advent activities this year - that way we could have a snow family!!! I like the idea, and will be getting to them soon.

Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful - ours certainly was. Christmas crafting and gift making is in full swing now..... I need to get the kids Advent calendars done - 2 days left, and counting!!!

I HAVE BEEN BUSY....

2010-11-23T08:06:00.000-08:00

I just haven't posted about it.
I bought a new camera with a giftcard I won, and until 10 minutes ago hadn't worked out how to download the pictures onto the computer ..... problem solved however, I've done it:-)

I made my deer ornaments for Novembers leg of our YOE Swap - I wont share those just yet though, as I haven't had confirmation that my partner has recieved her package yet. This year long swap wraps up next month - the time sure has flown!!! It's been a wonderful swap and I've "met" some great ladies. The cherry on the top - I have a whole lot of handmade, enchanted ornaments that will grace an enchanted tree - it's going to be beautiful!!!

Every enchanted tree needs an enchanted tree skirt - well that's my thought anyway. So here it is.... It came together as I worked on it, no definate plan in mind when I started it .......... I love it!!!

All of the images (besides the owl) I either drew or got from kids coloring books. The owl is an adaption of the scissor keep I've posted about before.

Next .... an apron for a friends birthday. I love this pattern - quick, easy and very cocktailish!!!
Her birthday also marks the beginning of Key Lime Bark making season for me - she loves it, so I always try to include some in her birthday gift. It gets included in every candy and cookie tin I give out over Christmas ........ so yummy!!!

I played with some styrofoam balls and paper clay today ..... that was so much fun!!! It's now drying, so hopefully within the next few days I can show you the results of that little adventure!!!

To all our American friends - Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

BIRTHDAY CAKE BONANZA

2010-11-15T04:17:00.000-08:00

Boy Child, and his two closest friends (who happen to be twins) have birthdays that are two days apart. All three are passionate little soccer players, so this year they shared a combined soccer themed birthday party.

As the moms, it was one of the easiest (if not, the easiest) parties either of us have ever hosted. 17 boys on a soccer field playing soccer. 2 dads playing goal keepers (and referees!!!). Pizza delivery. Birthday cake.

The cakes were my responsibility..... and I was very happy with how they turned out:-)

Each of the boys got to choose the flavor cake they wanted - Red Velvet, Vanilla and Strawberry!!! Then I did the rest.

They ended the party with a marshmallow war!!! Their party favors were marshmallow guns (made using plumbing supplies), and a bag of mini marshmallows:-)

Happy Birthday Boys!!!

OH SO PRETTY ....

2010-11-12T07:51:00.000-08:00

Ok, looks like we're back in action!!!

There is something about the cooler weather - we can't call it cold here in Texas yet, and by the way I am very jealous of those of you who have snow already ...... I so wish it was us:-) - that makes me want to curl up on the couch with some knitting needles and soft, chunky yarn!!! A yummy Cinnamon Dolche Latte steaming beside me, and we're pretty close to Utopia!!!
That's exactly what I did the other day, and this was the result...

A chunky, cabled scarflette. The pattern (The Breckenridge Cowl) is from French Press Knits (that girl is one VERY talented designer). It used size 15 needles and only 1 ball of super chunky yarn. It only took me a couple of hours to make. It is so snuggly and warm, and looks really cute when worn with a jacket. I love that you can use any big buttons you like - the possibilities are endless.

There will most definately be more of these under some Christmas trees this year:-}
Off to Friday morning movies with the girls now.

Happy Crafting...

THE COMPUTER IS SICK .... VERY SICK!!!

2010-11-09T05:19:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone .....
The title says it all ...... ugghhh. As soon as I am able to download pictures onto hubby's computer, I'll be back in the land of blog:-)
I have some things of the yarnny, fabricy variety to share with you.
It really hasn't been our year for computers!!!

Until then - I hope your getting some Christmas crafting done.

HAUNTED HALLOWEEN HOUSE...

2010-10-27T18:21:00.001-07:00

On my last visit to Hobby Lobby .... to get school project goodies for Girl Child .... I walked past the last few, lonely looking, greatly reduced in price, Halloween craft leftovers. There, right at the back I found one of those plywood, spooky looking houses. I also found some painted, plywood Halloween stickers. The house's price tag - $3-99 less 60%, and the stickers were $1-99, less 60% - you can't pass up a deal that good!!!!

I brought it home, and over the past 2 days have turned it into this ...

I painted it, then glittered the entire house with some very coarse glitter. I gave it 3 coats of spray on sealant to stop that glitter going everywhere!!! I backed the windows and doors with scrapbook paper and glued on the plywood figures I wanted to use. I'm excited about how it turned out .... even if it'll only be on display for a few more days before it's packed away until next year.

Until next time.....

ANOTHER QUICK HALLOWEEN IDEA...

2010-10-25T05:37:00.000-07:00

This idea would make a really quick and cute Halloween Class Handout. I may make some for Boy Child to hand out to his classmates on Friday. I saw the box idea on a blog, but just decided to expand on the idea.

I made them by cutting a piece of green cardstock 81/2" x 41/2". I then scored the long sides 1" in from each side. Along the short side, I scored at 33/4" and 43/4". You'll see that the box then folds together quite easily. You'll need to snip both sides where the side and middle score lines cross (It really is easy, when it's in front of you). Glue the sides together and there you have it. Using my circle punches, I made his facial features and glued them in place. To make his hair, I cut a piece of black cardstock 3" x 21/2". Score at the 1" and 2" marks. Cut his jaggardy fringe along the front edge. I then punched 2 holes through the top and threaded some ribbon for the handle. Glue the back of the hair to the back of the box. Once I'd filled a cellophane bag with candy, I popped it into the box and attached the fringe side of the hair with 2 glue dots. There you have it - super easy and super cute!!!

This week I'll be preparing for a Pumpkin Carving and Pizza Party, that we're hosting for our Cub Scout Den and their families on Friday ..... what could be more fun - 18+ kids and masses of pumpkin guts!!! I'm planning on making the dessert table a dessert buffet .... think dead finger cookies, frankie pops, chocolate bones and skulls - yum, yum, yum!!!!

Have a fun week everyone.

A BIT OF THIS, A BIT OF THAT....

2010-10-22T20:22:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd pop in with a few random items I've made over the past week. They've all been made for swaps I'm taking part in.

First - there have been many variations of these apothecary jars popping up all over blogland. I love the way they look, and decided that I had everything I'd need on hand, so why not give it a try .... This is the result ...

I really like the shape of this jar - it was a jar that had fruit in it, once upon a time. I so wish that I could find more of them. By only putting the Halloween rub on, on the one side of the jar, I thought that, once Halloween was over, the jar could just be turned around, and it would be clear glass. Add some ribbon, or perhaps some charms, and it could fit any occasion.

Remember the owl scissors keep? I begun thinking and wondering if it would be possible to somehow combine it with a pouch and/or needlecase, so that you could have an all in one, to take with you for any stitching you wanted to do while on the move. Ta Da .... this is what I came up with, and it certainly seems very functional.

This is the front of it - the owl scissor keep. Now, untie the ribbon ties, and this is what you'll find inside...

A pouch for storing your threads, or what ever you wish, and a needle book to keep all your pins and needles handy. I think I may make a few of these as Christmas gifts - maybe even think up some different scissor keeps for the front ..... Hmm, we'll have to see ....

Have a lovely weekend everyone. My boys (hubby and Boychild) are away camping this weekend with Scouts. Girlchild, her best friend and I will be getting down to some serious tye dying tomorrow - her choice, when I asked her if there was anything special she wanted to do!!!

HALLOWEEN CONTINUED ...

2010-10-19T19:20:00.000-07:00

Yes, the lead up to Halloween continues in our house. It's a holiday I don't have many decorations for, but this year I've really enjoyed making a few items. Let me just say at this point, that until we arrived in the US almost 6 years ago, we had heard of Halloween, but had no idea that it was celebrated on such a grand scale.

First let me show you the third member of the Halloween Basket Club ..... the witch!!!

She turned out nicely, although not spooky at all, despite that pointed nose and wart on her cheek!!! I guess, I just don't do spooky well:-)

Next, I decided to give banner making a go (it was our October challenge in the YOE Swap). What a lot of fun that was. It's amazing what you can turn some felt, buttons and trim into if you think hard enough.

This was the first one I made ...

I loved how it turned out so much, that I went ahead and made another one....

Also super cute...

The banner bug has bitten, and I wont be stopping here - Christmas is just around the corner, and my head is buzzing with Christmas Banner ideas:-)

Thanks for stopping by - perhaps you may have been inspired to try something you've never done before. Give it a try - you just never know!!!

THE SEASONS, THEY ARE A CHANGING....

2010-10-13T08:28:00.000-07:00

And I couldn't be happier!!!!
I love Fall ... the colors, the smells, the nip in the air .....it's all so yummy:-)

These will be part of my Fall mantle decorating (once the Halloween festivities are over) this year. I seem to be all about the pumpkins this year - every shape and size - they're all catching my eye.

These wooden blocks started their life out as wooden letter stamps in the clearance section of Hobby Lobby - their price tag ... 41c each!!! Bargin, so I snapped them up. After removing the letters, painting, drilling (thanks to my hubby here), mod podging, glittering and gluing, I have 4 adorable (at least I think they're adorable) wooden pumpkins!!!! They really couldn't have been easier to make.

I'm thinking that perhaps I need to see if they have anymore tucked away in the clearance section - I'm starting to see snowmen... Christmas houses .... hmm - I think I must dash off now!!!!

Until next time:-)

I WAS SPOILT....

2010-10-12T05:50:00.000-07:00

I took part in The Fall Intigue Basket Swap, that was hosted by Michele (Something Special). The task at hand - fill a basket with some Fall goodness. It didn't have to all be handmade, but something handmade would be special.

My basket arrived on Friday from my sweet partner - Ruth. Everything was wrapped so beautifully and it was a real treasure to open. Ruth, you made my day - THANK YOU!!!

Here is a peek at all of my goodies...

It was filled with Thank You cards, a notepad. The sweetest vintage Jello mold (my kids immediately requested Jello). See how cute those 2 ears of corn are ... they are salt and pepper shakers!!! The gem for me was the Gooseberry Patch booklet - I absolutely LOVE all things Gooseberry Patch:-) The Fall dish towel will look cute in my kitchen and the sweet pumpkin will take its rightful place on my mantel just as soon as the Halloween decor comes down.

Then there was the added bonus of all the tags, ribbon and rafia that Ruth used to wrap my goodies - all of it will be put to further good use.

Don't miss the lovely stamped fabric bag (full of acorns) or the cute straw broom!!!

Ruth, I'm sending you a big hug Thank You for spoiling me - I loved my basket full of Fall goodies ... you brought a smile to my day!!!

Wishing you all a lovely Fall day!!!!

HALLOWEEN CUTIES...

2010-10-11T19:44:00.000-07:00

Those two words don't really sound right together do they? When I showed these little baskets to my hubby, his first question was "Are they mean't to be scary?". My reply "No". His reply "Oh good!!!". So now you understand where the title for this post came from:-)

Every Halloween we have a handful of kids that we like to give a little something extra too ..... family friends and the kids best friends. Given this is the year of "use what I have on hand", I took my crochet hook and some Halloween colored cotton yarn I had in my stash, and just got busy crocheting - this is what evolved. I am sure there are probably hundreds of tutorials for similar little baskets all over blogland and I'm sure these aren't an original idea, but they're what I came up with while "playing", and I'm very excited about how they turned out!!!! We'll fill them with some Halloween goodies and they'll be pretty cute gifts I think.

I thought I'd share how I made them with you - just incase anyone wanted to give it a try ...... they're really quick and easy. I found some purple yarn in the yarn bucket this evening, so I'm going to make a witch next.

Get Ready....

I used 100% cotton yarn and a D (3.25mm) crochet hook.

Felt and/or googly eyes

A little ribbon

Here Goes .....

With Jack O Lantern or Frankie colored yarn, make 2 chains (CH)

Row 1 - Single crochet (SC) 6 into the 1st CH (6 ST)

Row 2 - SC 2 in each SC around (12 ST)

Row 3 - SC 1, 2 SC in next SC, continue like this all the way around (18 ST)

Row 4 - SC 2, 2 SC in next SC, continue like this all the way around (24 ST)

Row 5 - SC 3, 2 SC in next SC, continue like this all the way around (30 ST)

Row 6 - SC 4, 2 SC in next SC, continue like this all the way around (36 ST)

Row 7 - SC 5, 2 SC in next SC, continue like this all the way around (42 ST)

Row 8 - SC 6, 2 SC in next SC, continue like this all the way around (48 ST)

Row 9 - SC 7, 2SC in next SC, continue like this all the way around (54 ST)

Row 10 - SC into the back loop of each SC (54 ST)

Rows 11 - 20 - SC 54 STS

Row 21 - 25 - Change yarn to green for Jack O Lantern or black for Frankie, and SC 54 STS.

At the end of Row 25 cut yarn and thread through loop to bind off. Weave in all the ends of your yarn.

To give them faces I cut circles from felt and just played around with their placement until I was happy, then I glued the pieces on .... It's really not an exact science (which makes them all the more fun). Both their mouths I embroidered with a piece of the black yarn.The ribbon handles are just lengths of ribbon pushed through to the wrong side of the basket and tied off to secure them - you can make them as long or short as you like. I prefered mine to be fairly small.

I'm linking this to Val's Spookify Me Saturdays over at Yarni Gras. If you haven't visited yet, you should as there are some really great Halloween ideas to see.

Until next time....

HALLOWEEN IDEA...

2010-10-03T16:24:00.000-07:00

The Halloween decorations came out on Thursday - not that I've finished putting it all together or decided on just what look I'm after, mind you!!!

I saw the idea for these ornaments in a magazine I was browsing through at the store the other day. I'm not sure which one it was, as I paged through a few. They were really simple to make, and I like the way they turned out .... especially the way they sparkle in the light.

Here is the quick "HOW TO" for these ornaments.....

You'll need -A pack of 2 inch round mirror tiles

-Orange glitter glue

- Some Halloween rub ons

- Thin ribbon for the loop

- Assorted beads for the dangly bit at the end

- Felt

- Glue

Next * Place the rub on onto your glass tile

* Apply glitter glue around the edge, and let dry preferably overnight

* Make you bead dangle

* Place glue on the back of your mirror tile and position the dangle & loop

* Place felt on the back

* Once dry, take pinking sheers and cut around the tile (be careful not to

cut your loop or dangle)

There you go, all done. As I said this is not my original idea, I just saw a picture of them in a magazine, and this is how I put mine together.

I am going to link this to Val over at Yarni Gras. She is showcasing a whole bunch of cool Halloween projects through out the month of October ..... hop on over and have a look - you won't be dissapointed:-)

Until next time - Happy Crafting!!!

A LITTLE SOMETHING TO SHARE ...

2010-10-01T19:01:00.001-07:00

I love Betz White's patterns!!! I'm yet to try one that doesn't come together quickly and easily.I made this little leaf scissors keep and ladybug tape measure as part of a giveaway that I'm involved in.

I have made some of her other tape measure covers ..... the cupcake was super cute!!! Sadly I don't have a picture of that one.

This set was also one of her patterns - I have made the owl scissors keep a number of times:-)

FALL .... WHERE ARE YOU?

2010-09-23T15:54:00.000-07:00

I think she got lost along the way!!!
It is still blisteringly hot here ..... I honestly think it's time summer moved south and let Fall take up her rightful place:-)
To try and hurry her along, I've made a start on some Fall crafts. I mentioned in my last post that I was working on a Fall version of the spool dolls/mice ..... well here they are in all their pumpkiny goodness. (Oops, I see that I need to rewrap one of the trims!!!)

My favorite part of them - the little, green tendril (I think that's what it's called). That really turned them into pumpkins for me.

Next, I saw some cute Fall tassels on my last browse aroung Michaels. To me though, there were 2 issues with them - firstly, they were very bulky and not too well made and secondly, the price tag was a little steep.... $7-99 each. I was sure I could make something similar and more to my liking, and here's the result...

I picked up the scarecrow figurines at Walgreens - 2 for $1-00. The rest is stuff I had in my stash leftover from previous projects - wooden candle holders, brown paint, a teeny, tiny bit of trim and lots of different colored and textured ribbon. I like them a lot, and think that they'll look really cute hanging off of some door knobs or dresser drawer knobs during this Fall season.

Thanks for stopping by - I really appreciate it:-)
Until next time - enjoy the lovely Fall weather. That is if she has arrived in your neck of the woods!!!

WHERE DOES THE TIME GO...

2010-09-19T20:25:00.000-07:00

And it's not as if I haven't been busy!!!

Now that the kids are back at school and soccer season is in full swing, time is just running away with us. Add, having to buy a new computer, after the other one crashed, to that, and It explains my abscence.

I thought I'd share these little cuties with you....

Remember these little spool dolls I made back in April....

Well, here's my latest variation on them ....spool mice!!! I love how they turned out:-)

They have little leather ears and tails, the cutest bead noses, and whiskers too!!! I made them using the egg shaped wooden blanks you can buy at any of the craft stores. I made them up as I went along, and am so very happy with how they turned out.I'm busy working on a Fall themed variation of them, that I'll share with you once they're done.

My latest "car pool line" addiction is knitting cotton dishcloths!!! What a fun way to pass the 30 minutes you spend in that line each day - multiply that by 2 for me now that I have one child in Elementary and one at Middle School. They're so quick and easy to make, and the cotton yarn is a breeze to knit with. As soon as I have some pictures to post, I'll show you them.

Hope your Halloween and Fall crafting is keeping you busy ...... I haven't started mine yet, although I have so many ideas floating around in my head:-)

Until next time ..... Happy Crafting!!!

I'M LATE... I'M LATE.....

2010-09-06T20:15:00.000-07:00

but it will be in the mail tomorrow!!!

I took part in The Hot Mama Apron Swap - the theme was Alice in Wonderland. It was a whole lot of fun.

This is the apron I made..... modeled so professionally by Girl Child!!!

Blue was the obvious choice as Alice is always drawn wearing a blue dress with a white apron over it.My favorite part of the apron ...... the Mad Hatter image I enhanced with embroidery. It was so good to haul out all my silk ribbon and embroidery floss - it's been way to long.Take a look, and see what you think!!!

We were also to include 3 Tuck In's (theme related goodies). I won't show you all of them, just this one because the story behind it is so funny.

My intention was for this crocheted teapot to be a pin cushion ....well, it is huge (by pin cushion standards, that is). It's about 6 inches tall. I do like how it turned out though, so I have included it in the package. Personally I would still use it as a pin cushion, as I have tons of pins - this may not be everyones cup of tea (haaa...haaa) though. The teabag tags have quotes from Alice in Wonderland printed on them, and I loved the image of The Queen Of Hearts. Hopefully my partner will like it too.

That is all my swaps caught up now. Our YOE theme for September is mice, but that is only due in a few weeks, although I can't wait to get started as I have a number of cute options:-)

I guess it is also time to start putting some serious thought into Christmas gifts ..... no time like the present to start on those ..... Christmas will be here before we know it!!!

Oh but wait ..... I had some cute ideas for Halloween. I wantto give something other than candy to our Trick and Treaters this year. We have so much candy wastage in our house around Halloween - the kids never eat it all.

Happy crafting everyone ......... it's getting to "busy time" for all of us crafters:-)

I'VE BEEN A BUSY BEE....

2010-09-03T16:31:00.000-07:00

Well things are back to normal in our home. The kids are back at school - and really enjoying it too!!!
I've caught up on all of my swaps ...... so yes, we're back on track!!!

Let me first share with you the octopus I made for August's YOE swap...... I was quite spoilt for choice - too spoilt in fact - it made choosing which one to make a long, drawn out affair. I eventually settled on this crocheted one, and I am happy with the way he turned out. I especially love the way his legs curl....... and who could resist those sparkly, blue eyes:-)

I also tried my hand at making some crochet stitch markers (I forgot to take an individual picture of them). They were so simple to make, yet they were really cute. It's amazing what you can do with some lobster clasps and a few jewelry charms.

Next thing I have to show you, is the apron I made for the Flirty Apron Swap - the theme was Back To The Future!!!!My partner requested a 50's apron. I wanted to do something in keeping with the 50's but at the same time a little different. I found 4 linen dish towels on clearance at World Market. Lucky for me 2 of them had a vintage wine label printed on them .... and the vintage.... 1951!!! So the pile of 4 dish towels (the weight of the fabric is fantastic), became this lovely apron!!! I hope my partner likes it, together with the other goodies I sent (1 from the 1950's, 1 from the 1980's and 1 from the 21st century).

The picture doesn't really do it justice ...... I loved it!!!

So that's what I've been up to over the past few weeks.

SNAILS GALORE...

2010-08-24T18:57:00.000-07:00

Our YOE theme for July was snails:-)

I thought I'd show you what I made for my partner.

It took me a while to come up with this idea using felt and ribbon - I was ultimately very happy with just how cute he looked once he was finished.

Next, was this little amigarumi snail, that I decided to turn into a pin cushion for her. I glued a little circular magnet to the underside of his tail. This ended up serving 2 purposes - it weighted him down (he no longer took a nose dive every time I put him down), and it stuck pretty nicely onto a sewing machine .... no running away for this little snail!!!

Then one of my most favorite things I've made in a while (I intend making one for our family at some point) - this little decoupage bird house. I saw the idea on a website - I wrote the web address down before we left to go overseas ...... do you think I can find it now!!!!I bought one of those wooden bird houses you can get at Hobby Lobby. I then pulled out my paint, some scrapbook papers and the Mod Podge, and got to work. I put a final coat of waterproof sealant over it, so hopefully the birds in her garden will use it for many years to come:-)

Our August theme is the octopus, so I'm busily working on getting this little creature put together:-) I;m also busy putting together Alice in Wonderland and Back To The Future themed apron and swap packages - busy, busy, busy:-)

Until next time - keep crafting!!!!

WE'RE BACK......

2010-08-22T06:01:00.000-07:00

Home again...... Home again...... after a long flight and 3 hours getting through the Immigration process - enough said!!!!!

Now it's time to switch to "Back To School" mode:-)
I'm off to scavenge some school supplies today - yes, I think scavenge is the perfect word, after all who in their right mind leaves buying these things until the day before school starts? You just know that it's going to require Walmart, Target and any other shop carrying such items to pull this one off:-)

We had a lovely time in the UK - wow, how I miss all the family already. My biggest wish would be for us all to live close enough together again (the same continent would do!!!!), so that Girl and Boy child could grow up knowing what it's like to have grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins within easy reach.

I can't wait to get back to my craft room - I have a lot of catching up to do, and a head full of ideas:-) So come back soon and we'll enjoy visiting again, perhaps with a cup of tea ..... and by then I should have some crafty goodness posted for you to see:-)

If your kiddos start school soon ..... I hope they have a fantastic year. We will be taking on the challenge of Middle School, as Girl Child enters that new phase of her life tomorrow:-)

I'M AN OCEAN AWAY AT THE MOMENT...

2010-07-26T09:54:00.000-07:00

Hello bloggy friends!!!
Yay, technology at last - our family is currently vacationing in the UK. We'll be gone until mid August - that's the reason I've been so quiet.
Hope you're all having a wonderful summer and I'll check back with you all soon.

WHAT I'VE BEEN UP TO...

2010-07-04T19:53:00.000-07:00

It's been a very creatively productive weekend so far ..... and there's still another day to go:-)

I've spent my spare time putting the finishing touches to my swap package for Shawnee's Cupcake, Cherries and M.E (Mary Engelbreit) Swap. It's been a lot of fun - especially deciding on the perfect tuck in's to go with the apron. The package will be in the mail first thing on Tuesday morning:-)

Here is the apron - it's reversible and just fun. Is it a cupcake day (Isn't every day a cupcake day?) or is it a cherry day ..... hmmm, my partner can decide:-)

Here is a sneak peak at some of the tuck ins - not all of them!!!

An amigarumi cupcake pincushion that I crocheted. I'm still really enjoying the crocheting thing.

And some more of the ruffled notecards that I mentioned in my previous post. This time I found some M.E. clipart images that I printed onto some printable fabric. I inked the images edges and then stitched them onto the cards - I like the way the turned out. All bright and cheery!!!

Hope everyone is enjoying their 4th July weekend:-)

CRAFTY STUFF AT LAST...

2010-06-30T11:03:00.000-07:00

Yay, things have returned to a some what more normal pace ....... well sort of!!!!

I have at least been able to get some crafting done. I'm a little late on my YOE package this month (I hate it when this happens!!!). It will however be in the mail this afternoon. I can't share the little gnomes I made with you yet as it'll spoil the package for my partner ..... you'll get to see them soon, I promise:-)

The photo's not great, but I made this notepad using a tutorial I found on Skip To My Lou. I am super excited about how well it turned out, and I had everything I needed on hand to make it. I printed the papers off of a website that shares free printables, the silicone gel is a "have on hand" item in our house, and I borrowed a few of hubby's clamps and scrap wood blocks ..... voila, a notpad, whose pages tear off beautifully!!! What I forgot to do with this one was to put a magnetic strip on the back (using the advertising magnets that are forever in your mail). I will definately do that with the next one I make, that way it can hang on your fridge. Wouldn't it make a cute gift, wrapped in a cellophane bag, with a pretty pen and a nice big bow:-)

My next crafty endevor.....

This really doesn't look very exciting, but I promise you, if you go ahead and make one, you'll be delighted you did - they are so very pretty, and a great way to use up little scraps of fabric. This ruffle notecard was off of the Moda Bake Shop blog (one of my favorite blogs!!!) I did end up sticking a 3D embellishment to one corner of the card, which did look very cute. This, like the notepad project, has endless possibilities.

Hope you're having a wonderful summer - here in Texas things have heated up very quickly!!!!

A BUSY WEEK.............

2010-06-24T19:39:00.000-07:00

... and I don't mean busy in the crafty way!!!

My days this week have been filled with...

this...... and

this!!!

This week is Cub Scout Day Camp, and as always I've been a den leader - this is our 3rd year.

It has been oh soooo hot, but fun. Girl Child was not subjected to it this year, much to her absolute delight and thanks to a very sweet friend of mine and her daughter .........Thanks Kae and Em:-)

I have been asked many times why I would want to be out in 100+ degree heat, for 6 hours every day for a whole week....

This is why I do it .......... his face says it all!!!!

(hair and makeup doesn't count at this point .......... sweating won that battle!!!)

Tomorrow is the last day of camp, so I'll be back next week with some more crafty creations.

Hope you're all having a super summer:-)

FAIRY GARDEN....

2010-06-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

Ok, so a gnome lives in this garden - but he's very friendly:-)

I made this garden as a birthday gift for a special friend of mine. She loves her garden, as well as all things handmade and enchanted. I'm very happy with the way it turned out.
I'd be the first to admit that I have black fingers - really!!! It's sad but true - I wish I didn't because I love pretty gardens.
She loved it, which made making it all worth while.

I think I may be tempted to make one for myself...