Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Snowflakes



Winter time is one of my favorite times to crochet things, but I must confess that it has really worn on me lately.  We have had snow on the ground for almost a month now so really the idea of adding more snowflakes to my home should not excite me, but these are too cute to not to make. 

I am thankful that the weather is a lot warmer.  The snow is melting and I am so ready to see green grass, budding flowers and smell the fresh air of spring.  But before I say good-bye to Mr. Winter and say hello to Spring, I wanted to add another touch to my collection.  I came across a pattern for a snowflake garland, but I really didn't want to spend time crocheting 15 snowflakes for a Christmas Tree that won't be up for another 10 months...  so I decided to make little door hangers with each snowflake instead.  It's still Winter right?  These little snowflakes are perfect for decorating your home all Winter long. 

You can put them anywhere you want.... 

Like this:

This darling little snowflake adds the perfect accent to doors,

Close up view.

your Christmas tree,

Front Door Wreaths or even your kitchen cabinet doors!

Each snowflake is approximately 3". 

While they are not as diverse as an actual snowflake's anatomy, you can still enjoy the miraculous beauty of each one crocheted!  I am offering these darling snowflakes in a set of 3.  Each set sells for $6 per set.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Chocolate Dipped Brownie Hearts

I am departing today from my normal crafts and blogging about something I really enjoy doing..... 

baking. 

Since it is Valentine's Day weekend, I thought I would have a little fun doing something that says "I Love You" to my family.  My husband was away for a few days for a work conference and I wanted to do something special for him when he got home. 

Thursday night I ended up baking brownies because we had family over to visit but we didn't end up eating them.  So I thought that it would be fun to use my little heart shaped cookie cutter to make brownie hearts.  But why stop there?  Why not make them even more chocolaty?  Dangerous I know.


So over my kids nap time, I cut out heart shaped brownies.


 

Melting Chocolate

I used left over Chocolate Almond Bark and some chocolate chips and 1/2 tablespoon of Crisco to melt my chocolate. 

Want a fool proof way to melt chocolate?  Take a pan of water several inches deep and warm it up.  Add a glass bowl to sit on top with your chocolate and stir away.  I turned down the heat once it was all melted.  This worked great for me as it didn't burn or scorch!

Looking Good!


Now just dip the brownie bits into the chocolate with a fork and tap your fork on the side of the bowl until excess chocolate drops off.  I used the tip of a sharp knife to slide it off my fork on waxed paper.


Now for a pretty presentation....
Arrange hearts on 1 paper doily on a colored plate.
Enjoy!

Friday, February 11, 2011

Premie Baby Hats

Baby Hat in Premie Size Available

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Storing Patterns


Over a year ago, I started organizing my recipes that I print off or tear out of a magazine.  I was tired of shifting through all of them I had collected and wanted a way to protect them.  What I ended up doing was taking my stack of papers and inserting them into plastic paper protectors and popping them into a 3 ring binder.  They are now stored away in one location and when I get my binder out to cook I don't have to worry about spilling something on the paper and ruining a good recipe.

What started out in my kitchen then spilled on over into my crafts.  I had found some reliable patterns to crochet on web-sites that I had printed off but they too had started stacking up.  After awhile, I was afraid of them wrinkling, getting torn, or just getting lost.  What then struck me was, why not use the same idea I used for my recipe book and apply it to my craft patterns?

I have to tell you how nice it has been to keep all my paper patterns in a binder.  Now they are protected and waiting for future use.  I have also been able to just grab my binder when leaving for a trip and know that all my patterns are there if I have time to crochet while away.  I now know where they all are and don't have to waste time while rushing out the door.

I do want to offer a tip for the paper protectors.  Some patterns are more detailed then others.  Keeping track of where you are on the pattern requires you to use a paper and pencil to track your stitches.  Have you ever thought about using a dry erase marker on your paper protector?  All you have to do is write on the plastic.  When you are done, just use a tissue to clean it off.  This saves paper but also ensures you won't loose the paper while working on your project.  Just a thought...

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Last One Standing

I am a carpenter's daughter.  It's a simple statement, but if you think about it, it runs much deeper.  As a carpenter's daughter I have always admired everything my father created.  I love wood working.  I love architecture.  I love looking at old designs, but the one thing I didn't love was always being the last one to get something done.  We were always busy doing things for others that we put off doing things for ourselves until last, if at all.  It's really not a bad thing.  I believe we should be busy doing things for others instead of thinking of ourselves.  I guess what I am getting at is that sometimes we get busy making things for others we often put off doing things that we would like to do.


This last week we had 3 snow days where no one went anywhere.  One would think with an extra set of hands at home that I "might" have time to make something for myself.  You see I purchased material a couple weeks ago when it was 50% off.  I was saving it to make myself a purse and set it aside for a time such as this.  Well, it didn't really happen the way I planned.  With a teething baby, not much else gets done besides comforting my little one.  That's ok.  I took it in steps and did a little here and a little there.  What started as a simple thing ended up being a project....  Then..... I made a mistake.  Whoops!  Do I dare admit it?  Well, it is my purse so I guess it is ok.

You see I was setting my snap on my purse and I got carried away pounding with my hammer.  I am a carpenter's daughter, yes?  I wanted to make sure it was in. {laughs} Well, I hammered too hard and the back prongs went all the way through the front metal piece.  Guess I pounded too hard.  Was it therapy?  Maybe! But I won't tell.

So what to do.  I knew it was not possible to take the snap out without destroying the fabric.  I decided to just cover it up with Velcro.  I thought it would be an easy fix.  Well that was a big NO!  As I was sewing my needle broke and the sewing on the Velcro did not look good.  Good times.  So what did I do next?  I took a break.  I highly suggest it if things are not going well.  Just walk away!

A day or two later I came back to it.  I decided to just make a new liner and put a new snap on.  But do I dare salvage the pocket that was on the ruined liner?  You bet!  I was afraid the canvas would be destroyed as I picked the threads on the pocket, but I was able to save it.  {sighs}  I am so thankful.  I truly do hate making mistakes, but I am learning to deal with my character flaw.  I think it has been good for me to struggle on the purse this time around. 

So I finally finished a purse for myself.  Amidst all the struggles in getting it done, I realized that sometimes you just have to start over.  It's not a bad thing.  Frustrating, yes, but not a bad thing.  When I finished sewing my purse, I let out a sigh of relief.  I am done.  The only thing left to do is buy some dainty trim and hand sew it on.  I can handle that!


My "almost" finished purse. 
Just need to add a lace trim on top of the two fabric pieces.

So is it bad to be the Last One Standing.  No I don't think so.  It just means you made it to the end.
I did finally get around in doing what I said I was going to do. Make myself a purse. I'll post another picture when I actually get the trim on.



SEWWWW...... do you have any stories of your own you would like to share?  Challenges along the way of making something.  Stories on how you corrected an error?  Drop me a comment.  I think we can all learn from each other about persevering to the end.  It's a good character trait to have.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

As Lilies Sewing Dolls



Looking for a sweet gift to give to a little girl?  Check out Miss. Sarah's store at As Lilies Sewing!
As Lilies Sewing

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Making the World Cuter

I love looking at various blogs that make a wide variety of things.  The information is so useful and inspiring!

One of the blogs I read, Making the World Cuter, is hosting a giveaway for a Letter Press.

Head on over and check her blog out at, http://makingtheworldcuter.blogspot.com/2011/01/lifestyle-crafts-l-review-giveaway.html, for your chance to enter and win. 

Regardless of the giveaway you should read her blog!

All Modern Giveaway Winner

As I speak we have a blizzard warning in effect so I am certain that today would be a great day to go shopping for someone!

So this is what we have been waiting for!  I just want to say thank you to all who participated in my AllModern.com giveaway!  One lucky winner will receive a $25.00 gift code to their store, http://www.allmodern.com/. Gift Certificate is also redeemable any of CSNStores.com's 200+ online stores.

The winner to the giveaway is #7, Tracy! 

Congratulations to you and I will be emailing you shortly with the giveaway information you need to go shopping!