Yarni Gras!

Make It Monthly

2012-01-27T04:06:00.000-08:00

Years ago, the big joke in our family was that I had all my Christmas gifts made or purchased and wrapped by September! I would mail things out the day after Halloween!!!!
I did it this way for about 20 years and loved it. Since having the kids though, I've progressively gotten worse....and worse....and worse!
This past year I was hitting the stores the last WEEK before Christmas and didn't start making any handmade gifts until mid November!

My shoulders and hands were soooooo sore. So.......I decided that even if I couldn't go back to the way I used to do it, I would at least start making my handmade gifts early.

My goal is pretty simple: to make 1 gift per month, all year long. If I do it, then I'll have 12 gifts completed by December.

Here is gift one, a crocheted checkerboard. It is the perfect size for using while on a picnic or camping....or on the table in someone's backyard. Easy to carry and easy to clean. I used regular Red Heart yarn.....it is terrific for this type of project.

I made a few checkers too...but they were too light so instead I bought some poker chips, they have a nice weight so they should stay put on the board.

The little bag is perfect to hold the chips and the "board" rolls up nicely. I'm going to put it in a little canvas tote when given and just stuff the top with pretty tissue. Gift and wrap all in one.

I've already got several other projects in mind.....just need to get started. If you want to play along, feel free! Grab the badge and spread the word.

For me!

2012-01-25T04:08:00.000-08:00

Other than ornaments, I am really bad about making things for myself. So for this last weekend of the After Christmas Sew Along, I decided to make this new tote bag for myself.

here is a peek inside so you can see the lining and pockets (I made an extra one)

and key fob....which I've already used.

I am really pleased at how well it turned out....the best part is that I had the fabrics in my stash! I couldn't believe my luck that the two matched so well.

I used the "All In 1 Tote" pattern out of this book...Simple Sewing

here is what the tote looks like in the book

Since I didn't use a canvas or duck type fabric, I bought a really stiff, thick interfacing. Then made another liner layer and sandwiched it between the exterior of the bag and the lining. I thought that would be easier in the long run.
The only thing I had to do differently was shave a bit off the size of the lining to accommodate the thick interfacing. I just did a 1/2 seam allowance instead of 1/4....easy peasy!

Memories

2012-01-23T04:06:00.000-08:00

Kaela was looking for photos of when she was a baby for class and pulled these out.......they are from when we lived in Baton Rouge years ago.

Look....Dean had HAIR! He had just given Kaela a horsey ride........

Kaela used to love sitting on the bathroom counter...she would make faces and just laugh! Tweety Bird was her favorite for about 3 years......she adored this shirt and wore it constantly.

In this one, Mojo was just a PUPPY and Matt was a little wee boy!!! This photo was taken when we first moved to Bedford, while we were house hunting in Fort Worth.

I love looking through old photos.....but they always make me weepy....can't help it.....time just moves way to fast for me.

2 birds...

2012-01-21T04:40:00.000-08:00

I was super busy this past week so decided to kill 2 birds with one stone. I made an ornament for this week's sew along. It isn't a gift...its for my YOE tree....the first month's theme is the pig.

Here is Mr. Pig (with his going to market hat on....)

I love his curly tail and spots!
If you want to join in the craft along or just see what people make for YOE, click here.

2012-01-18T04:09:00.000-08:00

December went by so fast that I never got around to posting Dean's dessert of the month. The fact that I made them New Year's Eve doesn't mean I forgot!

Peanut Swirl Brownies (photo courtesy of Barefoot Contessa)

Anyway, Dean and I saw an episode of Barefoot Contessa and he immediately wanted to try these. I wasn't so sure since they had coffee in them...I'm not a fan of coffee.
However, since this was Dean's dessert choice, I made them and they were really good.

Click here and it will take you to the recipe...btw, I halved it because it makes enough for a crowd.

Gunter and the mole...

2012-01-18T04:01:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was a busy one, especially for the kids youth group at church. They did babysitting and served breakfast to earn money for their summer trip.

Poor Kaela needed a nap to recharge....and Gunter snuggled in to keep her warm.

Then yesterday we went to see Ghost Protocol and did our toy drop while there....

We dropped Mr. Mole outside the Beauty and the Beast theater.

I hope someone found him......

After Christmas sew along.

2012-01-12T14:07:00.000-08:00

Monday while watching Bama beat LSU, I was beating the stuffing out of Danny, my dammit doll.
Bless his little heart, he endured the beating with a smile...

I decided that this week, I would make a bunch of dammit dolls for the sew along. They make great gifts for upset football fans.
Here they are in a little bowl, ready to get their poems attached. I decided to make different faces...much more entertaining that way. I have a lot more to make still but these will get me started.

this guy is hoping if he doesn't look at you, you won't whack him...

this guy is simply waiting for the whacking to begin....

this guy is hoping he is so cute you won't actually whack him...

this guy is sad because he knows the truth....they are ALL going to get whacked...

and this guy is just flat out worried about all the violence!

I haven't attached the little poem yet but here it is:

When you want to climb the walls or need to scream and shout,
Heres a little dammit doll you cannot do without
Just grab it firmly by the legs
and find a place to slam it
And as your whack the stuffing out yell
Dammit dammit dammit!
If dammits not a word you say then twist its little neck
And grumble out repeatedly
Oh Heck oh heck oh heck!

Gunter to the rescue

2012-01-11T04:01:00.000-08:00

Over the holidays, I came home from work one day to this:

I walked in and asked Gunter what he was doing and he said "Nothing, I'm stuck."
I asked why he was at the top of the tree and he said he was on a rescue mission...that the pretty snowflake fairies needed rescuing. Especially the one at the top of the little tree.

He then got snippy and said that it was VERY difficult to climb a Christmas tree, even a tiny one, without arms or legs.
He went on to inform me that after dragging himself up the tree by his beard to save the trapped fairy, she told him she didn't need rescuing.

Then as he tried to get down, he got wedged between the tree and the wall.
Poor Gunter....I think he needs a girlfriend.

spa for cats....

2012-01-09T04:05:00.000-08:00

Leo and Suki both LOVE to cuddle up amongst the Christmas village I put up each year. I run a set of lights under the houses so I don't have to plug in a ton of individual houses. This is pretty and gives the cats a warm happy spot...like going to a kitty spa.

We took these photos (and a ton more) over the holidays....not the same day.

As soon as those lights turned on, the cats were up there.....whoever got there first won the right to sleep with a warm tummy.

The bad thing is it is always knocked over and the fluff is pretty much destroyed if they leave in a hurry.

Oh....and when Suki plays CatKong and knocks them over on purpose!

I can just hear the villagers now! AHHHHHHHH CatKong!!!!!

After Christmas sew along.

2012-01-05T15:47:00.000-08:00

I joined an after Christmas Sew Along thinking it was all about getting a jump on this year's gift making.

WRONG! I didn't read it...just joined. So then I find out (after actually reading the rules) that we are supposed to make stuff for ourselves!
Since I READ all this Wednesday, I decided to make something I could whip up quickly.

Lucky for me, I had an agenda that needed a cute cover! Since I didn't want to reinvent the wheel, I used a tutorial at craftblog.

The pictures were very helpful and I made this quickly. That bakers twine isn't part of it...but I'm too lazy to take another photo...

inside...with pocket and place mark...

I had some precious polka dot ribbon for the place mark but not enough so I used a teeny satin one for the time being...easy enough to change out later though... see?

and it looks (and works) just fine for the time being...

The best part is that the fabric was in my stash and the planner was a freebie.

Family.....

2012-01-02T15:39:00.001-08:00

We had a nice visit from some of Dean's family over the holidays. His mom came as well as one of his sisters and her family.

We mainly hung out at home. I did a lot of cooking and visiting while the boys did things like going to the playground and walking the dogs.
The boys ADORE our dogs so they lavish them with a lot of attention. Believe me, it was a special treat for the boys to hold the leashes!
They took several walks through the woods and actually got "misdirected" one day (Dean never uses the word LOST) and ended up somewhere outside our neighborhood! oops...hit a dead end!
two boys walked faster than the others!

shadow play...

They got to play with sparklers and some fireworks New Year's Eve
Sometimes just hanging out with family is the most fun of all!

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

rushing by...

2011-12-30T04:00:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how fast December has gone by...between class projects and crafts and events, we stayed busy.

I made this peppermint pixie for my YOE tree...the last one for the year.

and some yummy candy cane syrup for coffee, hot cocoa and ice cream.

and some last minute gifts for friends and neighbors who love to cook.....French Market Soup Mix with recipe and a wooden spoon.

a penguin for one of Kaela's friends...

a cell phone case for someone's daughter who loves purple...

some aprons were made for friends and family...

Even Matt had to make something....this mole for a math project on measurement. We think the teacher just likes moles and created a project around them for fun! Whatever the reason, Mr. Molensky sure turned out cute...

with his little briefcase and newspaper. (he NEEDS a Starbucks coffee cup don't you think?)

I love his glasses

We managed to drop all 37 Baby Jesus Rocks by Christmas Eve and dropped our last toy for the year at Matt's orthodontist...a crayon roll...

I made so many things LAST MINUTE this year that I really want to get back into the habit of making things all year long.

surprises!

2011-12-28T04:08:00.000-08:00

Someone sent me a Secret Santa gift!
I was sooooooooo surprised! I did not join this swap because I was just too busy. I don't know who put me down as their recipient.
Whoever you are, thank you!
The lady who sent this sweet package to me is named Tammy. She isn't allowed to tell me who chose me.

and another surprise came from Jill.....this AMAZING owl cozy....which is beautifully made. Just gorgeous.

and if that isn't enough, she sent me all these goodies! The only thing not used so far is the cookbook....but it will be! Jill even sent goodies to the rest of my family....so sweet.

Thank you for my wonderful surprises!

Christmas for the dogs......

2011-12-27T04:01:00.000-08:00

Each year I make these dog bones for Ginger and Mojo. It is a recipe from a magazine I used to get years ago.
It makes about 4 dozen large bones and they LOVE them.
If you give them one of these and a store bought one, they eat these first.

Kaela and I make several of these braided toys for them each year too....they LOVE them and will happily play tug of war with each other until the toy is shredded. Mojo will actually bring us the gooey little tidbits to try to get us to throw it for him...so gross!

They also get to tear up gift wrap and envelopes that have been discarded.

We don't let them tear something up unless we can't reuse it...but one time Ginger jumped up and grabbed an envelope that wasn't opened yet.
She tore a check in half...good thing we got it back in time.

when they were puppies, we had to teach them that things under the tree were off limits...and we can't put THEIR goodies under the tree, that is just too tempting..especially the homemade dog bones!

it creates a HUGE mess...but only at Christmas and on birthdays...and the fun they have is worth it!

3rd annual YOE

2011-12-25T04:27:00.000-08:00

"A Year of Enchantment III" has arrived!
Stop by my other blog and check it all out. Any artsy/crafty person is cordially invited to play along.......

2011-12-24T04:06:00.000-08:00

Just a little fun for Christmas Eve!

another tradition

2011-12-23T04:08:00.000-08:00

We started taking the kids to see a children's Christmas play back when we lived in DFW. It has become a tradition with us and is something we look forward to doing each year. No matter where we lived, we would try to find a play to go to...which was hard when we first moved to Slidell. Thanks to Katrina, most play houses were not open.
We found one a couple of years ago at City Church in New Orleans and were thrilled that they had a new one this year called "The Christmas Post."

Matt had long standing plans so Kaela invited a friend to join us for the evening.

We got really good seats this year, up close to the stage. Dinner was wonderful...

The "Ignite" jazz ensemble played before the show while people were being seated.

Here they are singing "Be Our Guest" while dinner was being served

the main event...

As usual, this was a wonderful musical, with a great message around the holidays.

ironcraft

2011-12-21T04:04:00.000-08:00

This week's challenge was to make something from any of the past challenges.....so I picked the "stay warm" challenge since I missed it back in January.

I made a scarf for someone who doesn't read my blog (fingers crossed)....I hope she likes it.

I think it will look lovely on her.

I also made this cowl for someone who DOES read my blog....hoping she hasn't in a while though...

Thankfully, Kaela was home to model it for me!

Star from afar.

2011-12-19T04:08:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you get little surprises tucked inside Christmas cards......
they always make me smile.

thank you Tammy!

Birthday Girl.........

2011-12-17T06:48:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was Curly Girl's 14th birthday!

I can't believe she will be in high school next year. We are so blessed to have such a beautiful daughter....she is truly a wonderful person.

I did take a lot of photos....but girls at this age don't LIKE photographs being taken of them...especially while eating pizza....so most are blurred or only show the backs of heads.....

when you get a bunch of girls together, silliness will ensue!

We took them all to see Sherlock Holmes which totally ROCKED....and then came home for ice cream cake

Notice the wardrobe change? I'd forgotten how important going to the movies can be. At least I got a few photos with faces in them this time!

Then they all played Just Dance 3 all night......and crashed (almost) through the ceiling...

In the morning, there were a bunch of sleepy heads scattered throughout the bedrooms!

apparently someone is cold!
Gee, what a tired looking bunch of girls we had at breakfast this morning!!!!

2011-12-16T04:06:00.000-08:00

My brother sent this to me yesterday. I could NOT keep from smiling the entire way through it.....

just make sure your speakers are ON!

wrap it up...ironcraft #50

2011-12-14T04:07:00.000-08:00

This week's ironcraft challenge is all about gift wrap.

There once was a time when I was all about wrapping. I enjoyed it so much that I would wrap everyone's gifts. I did all sorts of creative things. I even had a place I bought special ribbons, and each year, I had a different theme.

Now? Not so much.

When holiday bags came into vogue, my gift wrapping mojo left me, never to return. After all, it was so much EASIER!

But yesterday, with gift in hand, I stepped up to the challenge.

Here is the result. It is actually prettier in person but you get the idea. The Santa ornament is tied on with red floss so you can't see it.

Who knows.....maybe this will inspire me to start wrapping gifts again.....

or maybe I'll just have a glass of this....

and call it a day!

thieves among us....

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

Poor Mojo.

See that little orange pom pom next to his foot?

It fell off one of my booties the other day and I gave it to Suki to play with.

Then Mojo stole it. He carried it around EVERYWHERE for almost a week. Even after all that time, it was still in good shape.....

until Ginger saw it, stole it and destroyed it in less than 10 seconds!

Moral of the story..... its time for me to start making Christmas toys for the pets

traditions...

2011-12-09T04:04:00.000-08:00

Each year Kaela helps Dean put the Christmas lights on the roof.
Matthew helps with the yard stuff.....toy soldiers, elves and candy canes...but Kaela REALLY gets into doing the lights.

It is her special time with Dean....who enjoys his time with his daughter....

She loves to get out and climb around.

They start late in the afternoon and work into the night so they can see how well the lights are working. She loves this because it gets cold and I always bring them hot cocoa.

I love it because they ALWAYS have such a great time together. We are so blessed to have Dean, what a wonderful husband and father.

ironcraft photography drama

2011-12-07T04:04:00.000-08:00

This week's ironcraft challenge was "Something for the kids."

My daughter's art teacher is pregnant and due SOON. She is decorating her baby's nursery in The Very Hungry Caterpillar theme.

I made her this Very Hungry Caterpillar set that dolly is modeling:

okay, so its too big for a doll...getting a good photo was hard (I suck)...I decided to try again and pulled it all up around the baby doll.....

And now it looks like the doll was EATEN by the very hungry caterpillar! haha!

when I pulled the cocoon off, the baby fell out EXACTLY like this....

she must have been flipping for joy that she wasn't actually eaten!!!!

crocheting away.......

2011-12-05T04:01:00.000-08:00

I've been busy making hats for little people...

girlie hats.....one with a scarf

one with a petal brim and ladybug

boy hats....one with a cute roll up brim

and one beanie

I love checking things off my list...now to wrap them!

getting into the spirit...

2011-12-01T04:09:00.000-08:00

Remember these?

Well, it is time for our family to start dropping them off all over the area!
I made 37 and we are going to drop them all month until December 25th.

Thanks to Linsday-Ann for sharing the little mangers with me!

If you are interested in making some for your own family to drop, the tutorial to make them (not that you need one) is on this post.

And if you'd like to know how this all began, read this article.

getting ready

2011-11-30T04:04:00.000-08:00

I start decorating for Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving.

While I was working away, someone realized there was a new Christmas story that had been overlooked in last year's frenzy. Nothing screams "read me!" like a new book.

Dean and Matt decided that "Crackhead Santa" and "Pipe Smoking Rudy" were beyond saving.

I mean, that antler pretty much says it all!

I bought it for 3 dollars 10 years ago. I can safely say I got my money's worth.

We suffered just one casualty...but it was a vintage ornament from my parent's tree....really made me sad. I'm not even going to throw it away...maybe I can do "something" with it????

Decorating is hard work....at least for some of us.....others were.....

asleep!

Beep and Boop

2011-11-28T04:18:00.000-08:00

two more gifts done.......

I over-stuffed their little robot arms on purpose, I know that with use they'll get bendy fairly quickly!

2011-11-26T04:03:00.000-08:00

Everywhere I go I see people using the Kindle or the Nook........but I'm not ready to give up actual books. I love the feel of them, the smell of them. I love everything about them. I love to swap them, to put them on my shelf and pull them down to reread later...

Besides, if I didn't have an actual book, I wouldn't need to make these:

I can't resist a pretty bookmark....especially one that has been handmade.

2011-11-24T04:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ironcraft and Dessert of the Month

2011-11-23T04:11:00.000-08:00

This week's challenge at ironcraft was to make something for the table...as in the Thanksgiving or other holiday table.
I combined that with Dean's dessert of the month. He had wanted me to make some dumplings he saw in a Williams-Sonoma catalog.

So...I got the recipe and made them:

They are called Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Dumplings and are wonderful! If you want to try them out yourself, here is the link to the recipe.

We all thought they were a bit too salty so I'm am cutting the salt in half when I make them for Christmas dinner....but oh my gosh they are good..especially with the whipped cream and caramel sauce on top!

crayon rolls....

2011-11-21T05:06:00.001-08:00

I have been doing an enormous amount of crafting of late and one of the things I've made are these crayon rolls....but I can only show you one.

I found this tutorial at the pleated poppy and made 7 of these little rolls.

Even thought there is a lot of prep work, they whip up quickly.
I did have trouble sewing the elastic band down. My machine did NOT like it, so I hand stitched it down first. Once the elastic was hidden between the layers of fabric it was fine.

I saw another tutorial at Prudent Baby and she uses ribbon...I may try that for the girls and use buttons for the boys.

Have happy Monday!

the angry gnome....

2011-11-18T12:51:00.000-08:00

With all the crafting I've been doing of late, I haven't been paying enough attention to Gunter.

Sooooo, he tried to take a walk the other day while no one was around. Once I realized he was gone, I went looking for him.

I searched everywhere and finally found him like this....in the backyard.

Before I could help him get up, he had pushed himself over and boy was he mad!

He yelled at me saying that the LEAST I could have done was given him a decent pair of legs!

to top it off, he got a boo-boo and needed a band-aid...

Poor Gunter...

photo op...

2011-11-16T04:03:00.000-08:00

Kaela's favorite past time is to rough house with Dean.
She will pester him over and over again until he.....oh wait....I've got that wrong.

Dean's favorite past time is to rough house with Kaela. He will pester her over and over again until she can't stand it anymore.

Dean almost taking a foot to the face....

The two of them go at it....sometimes for over an hour. The dogs chase them, the cats run from them.
Matt and I try to go on as normal.....with me taking photos and Matt attempting to eat...

It usually ends up with them running through the house, knocking over chairs, slinging doors open and shut....until Dean turns and terrorizes the dogs!

Tonight, Matt is just happy it ISN'T him!

Turkey Bowl!!!!!

2011-11-14T04:02:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was a mixed bag.
First, both Matt and Kaela had a bad stomach flu. Matt had his Friday night....followed by Kaela on Saturday. I spent both days playing Nurse Nightingale to my two sweet kids. Needless to say, I was looking forward to a good night sleep by Sunday.

Luckily both of them were well for the church's annual Turkey Bowl.
It is a tradition that started the year after Katrina. This was our first game and we were not disappointed!

Bruce, the youth director reminding everyone what the rules are...

Matt and Kaela were on opposing teams...
but were really good sports about it...although a bit tired at this point!
His team came in first while her team came in second. Did I mention our kids are REALLY competitive?
Matt was a quarterback....
While Kaela was a receiver...she made 2 touchdowns for her team...

Dean was a referee while I ran around taking photos for the church's FB page.
After the game, we all went back to the church for the award ceremony and a full Thanksgiving feast.

There isn't much that can make me miss a Saints game.....but this was well worth it. Not only did we have a great time, but we enjoyed spending the day with the kids.

craftiness

2011-11-12T04:00:00.000-08:00

I have been doing lots of crafty things lately....but I can't share them yet because most are gifts.

I can share these though!!!

Henrietta Hen pincushion.....

a fun martini apron...

a baby rattle and hat for a new baby girl...

a couple of swans for my YOE tree...

and a 1 inch glitter house for my YOE tree.

This last one was sort of a trial effort to see if I want to make some actual Putz style glitter houses.

I ADORE Putz houses. If you've not seen any, here is a photo of some I found here.

I would love to get some actual ones...just to save me the effort of making them....paper crafting is not my forte!!!!

November's toy drop

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

I made this happy little acorn for this month's toy society drop

and then Kaela dropped it at a Starbuck's newspaper rack while we waiting for our drinks.

We pretended to drop our receipt and Kaela hung it while I blocked everyone's view...such fun doing nice things together.

The tree

2011-11-09T03:30:00.000-08:00

Our neighborhood backs up to a golf course and this tree is in the middle of one of the greens.
Every day I pass it on my way out of the neighborhood. Every evening I pass it on my way back in....and I always take a moment to look at it.

To most people, this tree is is not pretty. The branches grow unevenly and sparsely. There seems to be more moss that actual tree.
But there is just something about it that I love.

Some mornings, the fog wraps around the base of the trunk. Other mornings, the frost glistens on the moss and ground.
Even in the faintest of breezes, the Spanish moss waves.
And in the evening, right after dusk, it can look really creepy. It would be a great Halloween tree!

I keep thinking that I'll get out of my car, walk up and take a decent picture of it but I never do.
I look forward to actually doing just that one day but until then, this will have to do...taken by my daughter hanging out the window while I was rolling by.

on being thankful

2011-11-07T03:57:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of October, a friend of mine lost her husband. He was a friend of ours too and we were stunned. He was so young and left behind a wife and 2 very young boys.....it was all just so sudden.

That Sunday, the sermon was "Being Thankful."

When our pastor started speaking, I had to leave.
I basically crashed into a woman as the two of us tried to walk into the bathroom at the same time....both while crying.
We exchanged stories and stood out in the hall for a few minutes just talking. When we were finished crying and wiping tears, we hugged and said goodbye.

When I went back in to listen to the sermon I was so glad I was composed.
Our pastor was talking about how hard the economy had hit people he knew and how the suicide rate was sky rocketing everywhere and was alarmingly high in our own parish.
Then he talked about a recent remembrance event held at our church for people who had lost children.
At the event, the guest speaker was a local pastor who had recently lost his 3 year old grandson. He spoke of how hard it is not to question God. He chose instead to be thankful for the 3 wonderful years he got to spend with his grandson.

Our pastor continued on, adding details and spinning his sermon while everyone sat listening.
I've never heard such a quiet sanctuary...in the end, his message was simple:

Whether you believe in God or not, life is fragile, we do not know what the future holds. We need to be more thankful, and not take so much for granted.

Back then I decided I would write a thankful post daily during November...but in the end, I just decided to be more thankful each day and to show it.

I hope you all have a wonderful November.....and remember to be thankful for even the little things!

Dessert of the Month

2011-11-04T04:01:00.000-07:00

October really flew past....and I made Dean's dessert of the month the LAST day of the month!

I had lots planned the last week of October but ended up sick soooooo.....things piled up.

I made a cake off of one of Sandra Lee's shows. I don't do a lot of her recipes since most use mixes....but this one is a scratch cake and looked really good. I'm so glad Dean asked me to make it for him. It is like a pound cake and EVERYONE loved it.

I'm not a fan of yogurt but even I liked it. The topping has orange zest in it....yum.

The recipe is called "Brown Sugar Cornmeal Cake with Sweet Yogurt Topping" and here is the link to it......try it out, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

What a month!

2011-11-02T04:04:00.000-07:00

October simply FLEW by.....I don't know what happened.....it just went by so fast, I didn't even make my famous Frank's fingers cookies! (I may have to slip them in this week.)

I worked a Trunk or Treat at work last Thursday .....finished my outfit just in time........

Then Sunday, the three of us went to work at a Trunk or Treat at church. Dean opted out...he had work to do.

Remember Frankie?
I had fully planned on giving him away as this month's toy drop but Matt wouldn't let me...so I had to whip up something fast.

Gunter was very happy that Matt took his side. As for Frankie, he doesn't eat much....he's already stuffed!

Here is a black cat I made instead:

When the witching hour finally arrived, Matt took off to help a friend scare people....

and Kaela took over candy duty...

Each year we have a number of people take photos of their children on the bench with our headless horseman....this year we had the most ever!

when all the ghosts and goblins were gone, Dorothy came in for some yummy hot cocoa....well deserved!

As for our pumpkin carving contest.....I won with my Jack from "The Nightmare before Christmas." Kaela came in right behind me with the cat.

The winner who gets a spooky cell phone cover is:

Courtney!!!!!!

Happy Haunting!

2011-10-31T04:06:00.000-07:00

This month, I hosted a Zombie doll swap and sent my partner Alice in Zombie Land.

my partner sent me this adorable mummy doll in return...

I was still in the mood for zombies but didn't think I could make anything as creepy cute as Alice. I finally decided to just make SOMETHING because a few of my friends challenged me (thank you Kerry, thank you Jill!)

So I made Griselda. She isn't quite as creepy as Alice...but I am still very happy with her.

Besides, she looks so happy with her little pet spider crawling up onto her shoulder, how can I not love her?

Happy Halloween Everyone!!!

Spookify Me Saturday

2011-10-29T04:01:00.000-07:00

Over the course of the month, I've made several sweater pumpkins using this tutorial from Small Fry & company.

It is so easy and the pumpkins turned out soooooo cute!
I made enough to fill out my piano pumpkin patch nicely.

I made some big ones....

some medium ones...

and some little ones....

I love the way they turned out and how I can use them all season long...

2011-10-26T03:45:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, Matt went with this young lady to her school's homecoming...and that smile never once left his face.

I don't know why the colors are off in the photo but her dress and his tie match perfectly. I drove around all over town to make sure of it!

Pumpkin carving contest

2011-10-24T04:09:00.000-07:00

Read to the bottom for giveaway information!

Each year we have a family pumpkin carving contest with the kids.

When we first started, it took forever. We would use the templates you get from the store and help the kids pick theirs out. We've long since ditched the templates. Some of us draw a design on, some of us just wing it as we go.
Something that used to take half a day now just takes a couple of hours...start to finish!

Everyone is secretive about what they are making (especially Dean!)

he always doodles ideas before getting started

the rest of us aren't nearly as competitive!

Leo jumped the fence when he heard us out front and came to hang out with us. He is so much happier now....

These pumpkin seeds are already toasted. Kaela is taking some to one of her teachers.

So what did everyone make?

Let's see what we have here....

a "toothsome" jack o' lantern

Jack from "The Nightmare Before Christmas"

Frankie, the monster

and a black cat with eyes that glow

So, this being a contest and all, we need your help!

In the comments, tell us which pumpkin is your favorite! I'll put everyone's name in a drawing for one of my Halloween cell phone cases from my etsy shop. (The contest ends 10/31/11.)
Be sure to leave me a way to contact you...

Spookify Me Saturday

2011-10-22T04:00:00.000-07:00

This week's ironcraft challenge was "imaginary friends."
In keeping with Halloween, I used a sweater that had seen better days and made
Gunter a little friend he could hang out with while passing out candy.

Here is Frankie:

Here they are watching Gnomeo and Juliet together!

Gunter got so exited, he jumped up on the chest to get a better view....

Later, I overheard Gunter and Frankie discussing Halloween.
Gunter told Frankie (quite proudly) that he was going to be Owl-man.
Frankie said, "I'm going as myself, I'm already a monster!"

2011-10-21T04:01:00.000-07:00

Wicked Word Wednesday

2011-10-19T04:08:00.000-07:00

Today's wicked word is:

Zombify:

"The overwhelming urge to join a dance class where the end result is high velocity sweating and fatigue."

Once a witch/warlock casts the spell to zumbify you, you will be addicted to Zumba. (well, they couldn't name it ZOMBA, could they...even an idiot would have figured that one out.)

At the end of each class the spell caster will wait until the weakest soul collapses from exhaustion. At this point, the unsuspecting person will be "helped" to his/her car, never to be seen from again.....alive.

They will be seen however, in popular music videos because even in death, they continue to have the urge to dance.

before...

after:

this particular dance is so popular, they even have t shirts for members:

costumes....

2011-10-17T03:41:00.000-07:00

Back when Dean and Matt were at this game, I took Kaela costume shopping.

I usually make her costumes but every now and then she wants me to just buy her one....which we did.
It is a bit large but once I take it in, she will be the perfect Dorothy!

Gunter asked if he could go because he wants to dress up for Halloween this year. First he looked at some suits...

Then he tried on a mask...

Then he disappeared....of course we found him with the party mixers .

At this point, he said he wasn't going to be Batman, he was going to be Party man.
I told him no and he got mad and sulked all the way home.

Luckily he saw the owl mask Missy made me last year and asked me to make him a costume around it. So a bit of orange satin later, and Gunter is now happy and announced he is (drum roll)

Owl-man, defender of the forest!

Spookify Me Saturday

2011-10-15T04:02:00.000-07:00

This week's ironcraft challenge was to make something spooky for Halloween.

I saw a perfect tree shaped branch in the yard so I made it into a scary little tree:

I love what you can do with paint, glitter, and glue.

boys...

2011-10-14T04:05:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, Dean had to work a football game about 2 hours away. He let Matt bring a friend along and off they went.

The boys planned to go in order to check out the college girls.....too bad for them, Dean put them to work pulling cables. Hard to look up to check out girls, while looking down pulling cables!

they did have fun though, talking with the sports people and football players.....

watching some of the younger kids...

Doesn't Matt look serious here!

They had a great day.....and yes, they plan on going to the next game in a couple of weeks. Maybe they'll get some girls to help with those cables!

Wicked Word Wednesday

2011-10-12T03:45:00.000-07:00

Today's word is:

BOOTIFICATION:

"The process of beautifying an old witch/warlock in order to snare some unwilling young man/lady."

Bootification is much like dehagification except the spell is 2 fold:
Not only can it be used by witches and warlocks, whereas dehagification is for witches only, it has the added benefit of creating a dream like quality to the person using the spell which causes people to actually swoon.

Before:
this warlock would have a rather hard time getting a date with ANYONE

After:
this man is now known as McDreamy on a popular tv show.......

I usually refrain from commenting but I think this particular spell must be very effective.

this n that

2011-10-10T04:05:00.000-07:00

Lookie what I got!

A Frankie pincushion!

My sweet friend, Kerry sent it to me as a surprise for hosting the Zombie Doll swap. I've always had a soft spot for Frankenstein's monster and this one is wonderful!

Here is the zombie doll I made for my partner...complete with dead white rabbit...well, part of him ...

Matt can eat an incredible amount of donuts all in one sitting........
more cell phone covers for teachers......

oh, and the "dog bone munching' squirrel is back...

I would have had a better photo but Mojo picked that exact moment to throw up so I had to open the back door to let him out.

Needless to say, the squirrel thought Mojo was after him and took off!

Spookify Me Saturday

2011-10-08T04:06:00.000-07:00

This week for ironcraft, we were supposed to do something crafty with bottles or jars. I decided to do something that I could use for October's Spookify Me Saturday posts.

I found a neat bottle and added the spooky label (from Dollar Tree) and then Dean and I took turns burning candles all over it.

Why did we do that?

Because all we could find were drip less candles. I eventually went to a local party store to find Halloween candles that actually drip.

Here it is on the mantel with some other decorations

adds just the right touch of spooky to the mantel.

Flashback Friday

2011-10-07T04:09:00.000-07:00

Oh my! Just in time for a scary Halloween night!

I saw this movie a few times as a kid and it scared me silly!

Sit back and enjoy........(insert creepy music here....)

Wicked Word Wednesday

2011-10-05T04:08:00.000-07:00

Today's Wicked Word is:

"Felineification"

Defined: The act of changing into a black cat to gain access into the human home. Particularly useful when stalking animal lovers such a the elderly and veterinarians.

ex: Witches often use the feline form as a way to gain entrance into the human home.

Before:

After:

Meow....

September's Dessert of the Month

2011-10-03T04:13:00.000-07:00

September REALLY got away from me. I had bronchitis for about 3 weeks. Kaela had a stomach flu, Matt and Dean both had a bad cold.

With all the illness and work, I didn't get much of anything else done! Sooooo, I pulled out a family favorite for Dean for his dessert this month.

I thought I'd share it with you all. (I came up with this because I hate pie crusts that get gooey and I hate mushy overly sweet cooked apples.) This pie does NOT use lemon juice because granny smith apples are so tart so pay attention to the part with the apples.

Granny Smith Apple Pie

Ingredients:

4 regular pie crusts, thawed...yes FOUR.
8 granny smith apples
1 cup sugar
2 tbls flour
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch salt
2 tbls butter, cubed
1 egg
1/8 c. milk
cinnamon/sugar mixture

Take out your pie dish and spray with pam. Take 2 of the pie shells and carefully tear in half. Press into the bottom of the pie dish, being careful of the edge, you want it to stay intact. It WILL break so just press it back together as you go...no biggie.

Poke the bottom and sides with a fork and bake until light brown (350 oven.) This can take awhile because of the double crust in the bottom of the pan. Check it in 5 minute intervals. Mine usually takes 15-20 minutes.
Remove from oven and set aside.

Mix dry ingredients and set aside.
Beat the egg and milk together and set aside.
Get out a LARGE bowl to have handy.

If you do the apples this way, none of them will turn:
Peel and core the apples. You don't want a mushy pie do you? Neither do I, so instead of making thin slices I use an apple sectioner. ( If you don't know what that is, click HERE.) The best part is this goes FAST and you don't have to clean a food processor up later.

As you cut up the apples, throw them into the big bowl.

When you have half the apples in the bowl, pour half the dry ingredients in the bowl and mix them up. Repeat using the other half of the apples. Once ALL apples are in the bowl, add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix well.

Carefully pour/arrange the apples into the crust. They will mound up like a volcano. Once placed, put the little cubes of butter in crevices between the apples.

Then take the other 2 shells and tear them in half and arrange the crust over the apples. Try to match up the edge as you go.
Don't worry about the tears...this isn't a beauty pageant. Besides, it bakes up really pretty anyway.
Also, it is OKAY that the pie is a towering volcano...as the apples cook, it will settle. Go around the pie crust edge and press the two edges together.

Don't forget to make little vents in the top.

Brush the crust with the milk, egg mixture. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Bake at 350 for 1 and 1/2 hours depending on your oven. Periodically check to make sure the crust isn't getting too brown. About halfway through the baking, put foil around the edge of the pie crust so be safe. You may even need to cover the entire pie crust.

Enjoy!

of toys and gnomes...

2011-09-30T07:55:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, it was POURING so it was the perfect day to do this month's toy drop, a happy little rain cloud.

I dropped it into a chair in Starbucks before walking out with my salted caramel hot cocoa (yum)

Then this morning, Kaela and I ran to get donuts.
Gunter overheard us and asked to go because he wanted to pick his own donuts out.

Here he is...Kaela had to give him a hand though so he could see the top shelf. He fussed at me for not giving him proper legs!

He was so excited that he got up on the counter to pick some more out

On the way home, he insisted on sitting up front to make sure Kaela didn't eat any of HIS donuts...

How many donut holes can a gnome eat? 12

makes 'em happy

2011-09-28T04:06:00.000-07:00

Nothing makes Suki happier than a good game of peek a boo through the sheets......

apparently Ginger's dog bone makes the squirrel in our backyard happy...he chews on it all the time!

As for Ginger, she loves to sleep in Suki's bed...how a 90 pound dog squishes herself into a bed for a cat or small dog is beyond me!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

new in the shop......

2011-09-26T04:07:00.000-07:00

Someone at school noticed my cell phone cover and asked me to make her one in Saints colors.
Then someone else....and someone else....and so on. By the end of the week I'd made several cell phone covers, 2 cozies and a curtain for a window! I couldn't bring myself to actually 'charge' for them until Dean asked me why not.

I decided he was right and decided to make a few things to put in my etsy shop.

Over the weekend I made a few Halloween cell phone covers:

Frankie:

Zombie:

Owl:

and my personal favorite...a mummy:

This week, I hope to make a few more Halloween goodies to put in the shop.

Have a happy week, I'm hoping the weather will cool off...just a bit!

discovery...

2011-09-21T04:00:00.000-07:00

I decided that the reason Leo got so grumpy after Suki came along was that she made him realize that he was a CAT. Until her presence, he had believed himself to be a dog.
It was a brutal discovery......and one he didn't like, hence all the y'ugliness.

So now that he goes outside with the dogs and comes back in with the dogs, and sniffs butts with the dogs, he has decided he really really really is...a dog.

So instead of meowing to go out or to come in, he does what most dogs do.

LET ME OUT!

LET ME IN!
hahahaha........at least he is happy again!

Homecoming........

2011-09-19T04:16:00.000-07:00

Matt decided that this year, he would go to the Homecoming dance without a date and hang with a bunch of other guys.

When I asked him why he didn't ask anyone he said:
"Well mom, if I ask a girl to go with me, I have to buy her stuff and I can only dance with her....but if I go with a bunch of friends, I only pay for myself and I can dance with a LOT of girls!"

hahahaha.......they learn quickly don't they?

September's ornament

2011-09-16T04:03:00.000-07:00

I have been down and out with bronchitis for the last 8 days. I swear I thought I would break every single rib with all the coughing. Yesterday I came home and FINALLY felt better. Instead of cleaning house (which it desperately needs,) I decided to make my September ornament for YOE.

I was tempted to do another acorn ornament but have always loved milkweed seed pods. I think they are so beautiful.

the 'seeds' are actually stems cut off some whole cloves...the ornie is cute AND smells good!
BTW, I was inspired by Green mama's ornament but decided I had to do something with an acorn, so made a little acorn fairy and tucked in nice and cozy.

2011-09-15T04:08:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

London Times Obituary of the late Mr. Common Sense

'Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years.
No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.
He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
why the early bird gets the worm;
Life isn't always fair;
and
maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place.
Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.
It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Elastoplast (band aid) to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights,
I Want It Now,
Someone Else Is To Blame,
and
I'm A Victim.
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

This was emailed to me a few days ago....when I goggled it, the link took me here....

Zombie doll swappers announced

2011-09-13T04:03:00.000-07:00

By now, all Zombie doll participants should have their partners. This year, we are not doing a secret swap so get to know your partner....you might make a new friend!

Now, to get you in the mood for Zombie doll making, I suggest you pop some popcorn and put this flick in the DVD player....

2011-09-11T04:03:00.000-07:00

There are certain times in your life you never forget...and you shouldn't.

September 11th is one of those days for me.

At work, we had a little tv we turned on in the morning for job applicants. For some reason, we flipped it on around 8 am. It was set at an angle so we could catch the news . When I saw this I thought our channel was on a movie...and got up to change it.

but our receptionist, thinking the same thing, walked over and flipped the channel first...only to show more of the same...

once we realized it was no movie, we watched in horror.....as our fellow Americans died....

and while first responders rushed to help....

For all those who died, for all those who survived, for all those who helped.....

let us not ever forget.

cool drinks

2011-09-09T04:37:00.000-07:00

I made an apron for the cool apron swap....but it got lost in the mail somewhere. I had created the apron with a little vintage design to it. It is similar to a clothes pin apron in that it has one large pocket. I used some fabric in my stash that I had been saving. Sadly, I had none of this fabric left so couldn't remake the idea....plus I designed it as I went along. Anyway, it was cute so I thought I'd show it off anyway.

A close up of the appliqué. I sewed on the "sugar rim" beads ...took forever!
.

I replaced it with this one in case the polka dotted one ever shows up. I took the photo at night...the colors are actually much brighter than they look...

A close up of the limes and spilled salt. Since I used so many beads, I used a washable fabric glue instead of sewing them on individually.

This weekend I'm making myself one with some cute martini fabric.
I don't drink martinis but they sure are cute!

crafting in the rain

2011-09-07T04:04:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Tropical Storm Lee, I got a lot of crafting (and baking and eating and movie watching) done over the Labor Day weekend.

A teacher at work just had a baby so I made her a bear rattle, one of my hands free baby towels, a couple of burp cloths and a receiving blanket. (click on the link if you want the tutorial)

I made this apron for my giveaway winner...she loves tea :-)

and a cute little mouse for her kitty....

and an itsy bitsy spider ...

the best part was that I got to stay in my pjs without feeling guilty!

2011-09-05T05:32:00.000-07:00

With all the rain, we've got CABIN FEVER!

OH! to be a prince!

2011-09-03T04:02:00.000-07:00

I made some frogs and toads for an ironcraft challenge a few weeks ago but once I finished up, I didn't really need them.

I decided to add a few crowns and embellishments so they would fit last month's YOE theme of the frog prince.

they are really cute on my YOE tree.

Breakfast or dessert?

2011-09-02T04:04:00.000-07:00

Dean is trying to be good (bah!) so I had to get creative for his August dessert.

I decided to make something out of the Barefoot Contessa At Home cookbook. It used homemade granola, fruit and yogurt.
I change one thing. I used vanilla yogurt instead of plain since I had it on hand.

Here it is in a pretty glass...ready to eat!

Since I hate yogurt, I didn't even try it but Dean and the kids gave it two thumbs up.

ironcraft #35

2011-08-31T03:45:00.000-07:00

For this week's challenge, we had to create something using an old book.

I'd seen this tutorial last year and had wanted to try it ever since.

It turned out pretty well for my first attempt. I think I'll add a spider or two near it for Halloween.

3rd Annual Halloween Swap!

2011-08-28T17:14:00.000-07:00

It is THAT time of year again! Time for another Halloween swap!

This year, we are swapping Halloween Zombie dolls.
Sign ups are CLOSED!

This year, we will be swapping:
1 Handmade zombie doll. This doll must be at least 8" in size. You can make it using any medium you choose.
Include 3 Halloween tuck ins and 1 treat. Tuck ins can be thrifted, handmade, purchased new or any combination but they must be in good condition.
Feel free to include stash stuff but only use Halloween colors of orange, black, white, purple, silver, or green.

Due to a few ghoulish swappers in the past, I've toughened up on a few of my rules. Here they are, please read these before committing!

1. You must have an actual blog that you regularly update (no FB or MySpace, etc.)
2. You must agree to send priority using delivery confirmation and if your shipment is lost, you must agree to send your partner a replacement
3. This is a USA only swap due to the high cost of shipping overseas
4. Ship by date is OCTOBER 1ST!
5. If you are new here and want to play along, you need someone to vouch for you so include contact info for me!

If you'd like to play along, please email me at
valpowery(at)yahoo(dot)com with the following information:

1. Your name and shipping address
2. Your phone number (I only use this as a last resort)
3. Your blog name and blog address
4. Your Halloween color preference if any
5. Your favorite Halloween goodies, treats, candies, etc.
6. How do you decorate*? Ghoulishly gorgeous, sweetly spooky or downright horrific? (*Please create the doll accordingly.)
7. If you are new here, where have you swapped before and include hostess name/contact info
8. Are you willing to angel if needed?

Now grab the badge and spread the word!!!!

back to basics

2011-08-26T04:04:00.000-07:00

I did a LOT of baking this summer....something I don't usually do. I'm blaming it on Dean's Dessert of the Month Club gift I gave him.
I have to admit that I've really enjoyed making all the new recipes so far. ( and no one has complained about eating them!)

I used to bake a lot but for the last few years, I'd been making the same desserts over and over again.

I decided to mix things up a bit.....so I started making some old favorites I grew up with. Several of which I'd never made for my own family (the horror!)

like banana pudding...

and apple pie...

and coffee cake...

and last but not least, angel food cake with fresh strawberries...

it was a delicious summer!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-24T04:24:00.000-07:00

Mosaic Monday

2011-08-22T04:08:00.000-07:00

This is my last Mosaic Monday for the year.....just a couple more potter people.

I loved the teeny mouths on them both!

Hangin' with my gnomie

2011-08-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

This past week was my first week back at school and Gunter asked if he could tag along. I gave him the NO WAY look... but he promised to behave so along he came.

Look how cute he is at the computer.....

And look how cute he is in my chair.....

And look how cute he is on the slide at recess....

going down...

oops!

maybe the slide wasn't the best idea for a gnome with no legs!

goes like this....

2011-08-19T04:36:00.000-07:00

you know that commercial about new oreo thin mint cookies?

Kaela HATES it.....here is our most recent conversation regarding that commercial:

Kaela....I hate it when they say "Shut the front door"

Me...."yep"

Kaela....."we all KNOW what they mean by that...."

Me..."yep"

Kaela...."I mean, really mom, do they think saying THAT will sell more cookies?"

Me...."stupid, huh?"

Kaela...."yep"

Ironcraft challenge

2011-08-17T04:08:00.000-07:00

This week's challenge was UFO's.
Not the flying saucer kind....the crafty kind...an unfinished object!..anyone who is into crafts has UFO's lurking about.

I had a few little things but decided to finish my BIG summer project....the pet beds Kaela and I make for the local animal shelter.
We had them all cut out so when I saw this challenge, I knew it was the perfect choice.
The best part is that we made 24 in all! Some are REALLY large, some are teeny....most are in the middle somewhere. We did make 1 triangular shaped one....perfect for a kitty cage.

Last year when we dropped them off, the volunteers at the shelter requested some large dog beds. With the poor economy, people are having to leave their larger pets....they just can't afford to keep them any longer.
Each time we go, we cry.....it just breaks my heart...the sheer amount of these unhomed animals is overwhelming.

If you want to make or take pet beds to your local shelter, I urge you to do so.
Not even a feral or stray animal wants to lay on the hard ground. They always seek out something soft....especially when cold weather sets in. I use old scraps of fabric or go to the thrift shop and buy old sheets for 50 cents each. If you buy quilt batting with coupons, it isn't so expensive.

If you choose to make extra large dog beds, I suggest you make a giant pillow case and put 2 old pillows in it. They are easier to wash this way AND cheaper. I do this with my own dogs....when I buy new pillows for the family, I rotate the pillows into the dog beds.....and the dog's old pillows go to the shelter...win/win all the way around!

Now with all these pet beds made, We'll have the time to make the toys we made last year....tug toys and kitty sticks with feathers make for happy fur babies!

Mosaic Monday

2011-08-15T04:00:00.000-07:00

I made these business card holders several years back.
I had forgotten I had any left....found these while cleaning out the garage, snugged up in some bubble wrap!

The ladybug was the best seller...and my favorite. I've got a few of these in my etsy shop.

Christmas In Dixie

2011-08-13T04:26:00.000-07:00

If any of you are interested, the latest crafthope project is posted!

Christmas In Dixie....we are making stockings for those displaced by the tornadoes. 12,000 families lost their homes and belongings. Crafthope already did blankets for the region....now we are helping prep for the holidays.

If you would like to join in this cause, go HERE!

Pandas for Kaela

2011-08-12T04:07:00.000-07:00

Kaela joined Jill's panda swap this summer....the idea was to send things that were black and white...and include at least 1 panda item and 1 thing that was handmade...

Here is what she did for her partner...inside the basket was a nail polish kit...

a close up of a panda I made for the swap...

and of the bookmark Kaela made...

And here is what she got in return....

Kaela was tickled with these.....she even shared with her brother

What a fun summer swap for kids!

Ironcraft #32

2011-08-10T04:09:00.000-07:00

This week's challenge has to do with summer. Now there are lots of things that have to do with summer....but the VERY first thing I thought of was "frog skin rugs."

WEIRD...I KNOW...But when you live in the south, you see lots of frogs and lots of toads.
Big toads, little toads...tree frogs, water frogs....the list goes on.

Inevitably, you see a lot of DEAD frogs too...many the victim of crossing a street.

So, my creation for this week's challenge is this little ditty:

Barnaby Toad

Barnaby Toad
Was crossing the road
A crown upon his head
One little slip, one little trip
And he knew he would be dead...

Barnaby Toad
While crossing the road
Tried to catch a bug
With a frown, he landed down
And turned into a toad skin rug!

Poor, poor Barnaby...we see a lot of them after the rain...

Mosaic Monday

2011-08-08T04:09:00.000-07:00

The kids went back to school today........and the house is so quiet. Storm clouds are hanging over the house with lots of thunder booming...but no rain. Sort of fits how I feel.

I always get sad when school starts back up again. I truly love having the kids home with me. I know it won't be long before they grow up and move on with their own lives. As for school, I start back to work next week...just have some meetings and planning to do this week.

Today is mosaic Monday and I thought I'd show this old planter I did.
I think it was the second or third thing I did. It has held many plants over the years... the mosaic adds a barrier which helps keep moisture in...

These purple oxalis were in pot that broke so I moved them here....and they are happy. You can see one regular green oxalis poking its little head up....must have been a volunteer!

Ducks & Tigers...

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

Last Thursday Kaela wanted some sewing time. She cracks me up.
Instead of picking some super easy project, she chose to make this little duck from nosy nest.

She did a good job given she has only sewn a couple of other things.

Since ducky was a toy drop, she chose to keep it simple.
We dropped ducky in the nursery rhyme section of our local library right at closing Friday night.

Hopefully someone found ducky during story time Saturday morning.

Kaela hasn't been doing much artwork over the summer....but when she decides to she can whip stuff up in just minutes....like this tiger.

Sorry for the bad lighting....even outside, I couldn't get a good photo.

she made it for her binder....school starts tomorrow here and the tiger is the school mascot. If you want to see the full post on her art blog, go here....I have a close up of the tiger there too.

Flashback Friday

2011-08-05T04:04:00.000-07:00

School starts Monday here........so that calls for one last summer song........and for you young 'uns who don't know John Travolta's many talents...this will be a treat for you.

BTW, my sister met him once when he was filming Urban Cowboy....lucky girl just happened to be in a tack store (horse stuff) he was in.

busy busy...

2011-08-04T04:02:00.000-07:00

While Dean and Matt were at WOC this past weekend, Kaela and I stayed home.
I think he was worried I would be bored......

But first....a fun photo....
while I packed for Dean, Suki thought she'd tag along...

saying goodbye....

I got some crafting done.....
My sister Page and SIL Jane both wanted a plastic bag holder thingy I make.

so I made them one...

and I made a catnip mouse for someone in Mobile...

then I finally got to can something.
Kerry sent me a little canning kit (thanks again Kerry!) but then I couldn't find rhubarb for Dean.

Lucky for me, my neighbor had some pears she doesn't eat so she let me pick some. I got just enough to try out my dad's recipe...they went from this:

to this in about 3 hours. They are wonderful over ice cream.....and biscuits and pancakes!

Then, our friends from Fort Worth came through to stay the night on their way to Destin.
Kaela helped me clean house and make potato leek soup and home made bread. We enjoyed our company so much I forgot to get the camera :-(

Saturday, they took off for Destin so Kaela and I went shopping.

Kaela loves to go to the mall and shop. I HATE it.....probably because I worked retail for over 20 years. I really really hate shopping now...but I saved up a bunch of errands just for us to do together.

Kaela was thrilled with all the running and going...... we got some fur baby supplies, we looked for school clothes (which we couldn't find...) and bought some new shoes.
Then we ate lunch and got a birthday present for a friend.
Then we drove to Mandeville to get the school clothes we couldn't find in Slidell.
Happily, we found them first thing...so we grabbed them and were outta there!

Even Kaela was exhausted by then so we just picked up salads for dinner and went home.

Before bed we watched one of our favorite movies.....

Girl time is fun....but tiring!

Weekend of the Cross

2011-08-02T04:04:00.000-07:00

Dean and Matt went on a 4 day youth oriented mission called Weekend of the Cross. You can read about WOC here.
Dean went as a chaperon/work leader so they could do some boy stuff together.

Churches from all over the region went to Mandeville, LA to help repair houses for families in need. Dean's group worked somewhere in Hammond but they had groups working all over.

Dean took lots of photos of his work group but since I don't know all the kids, I'll just show a few....

When they got there, a band was playing ...everyone said they are awesome. The name of the band is "Heaven's to Betsy."

they all worked hard...it was soooo hot.

but each night after worship service they got to play hard too.....

apparently, they were well fed...

Everyone came home exhausted....but happy they helped those in need....and eager for next year's WOC!

Mosaic Monday

2011-08-01T04:04:00.000-07:00

Here is another "potter person".....this guy was one of my favorites.

I named him Mr. Fu.

peace in the house

2011-07-30T04:13:00.000-07:00

Over the course of a few years, our sweet Leo

has turned into a tyrant

When we adopted him, we really had NO IDEA what we were getting into. I'd had several cats throughout the years but they were mainly outdoor cats and barn kitties.

Between furniture shredding, closet and other stuff spraying, dog pouncing (in their sleep of course) and Suki bombarding, he has shown us the really bad side of cat ownership.
Throw in an unhealthy dose of "being high strung" and you get the picture that Leo is one neurotic cat.

He's been on meds and Feliway...you name it....and quite frankly, I was sick of it. Leo had worn out his welcome. I decided to give him up for that and another more serious reason...the dogs.

Ginger who used to lovingly clean him and play with him now wants to kill him. Once her attitude toward him changed Mojo picked up on it. They would growl at him and charge him. I knew it was just a matter of time before they teamed up and took him out. The thought of coming home to shredded cat wasn't very appealing.

Before that could happen, I decided to put Leo outside part of the day. I put his old collar back on and basically tossed him out. He had been out with us before lots of times...but never on his own.

I called the shelter I got him from and since they've known what has been going on, they said to do it. They didn't think anyone would want to adopt a high strung, mean tempered cat who only had eyes for yours truly. (he'd even started hissing at Dean and the kids...not good....not good at all.)

The good news is that "King kiss my butt" Leo has turned back into "I'm so glad to see everyone" Leo.

Now he goes in and out of the house with the dogs throughout the day....which totally cracks me up. Most of the time he stays outside...sometimes until 11 PM. He doesn't even mind the rain.

He loves to lie in the sun on the patio..

but when it gets too hot or starts to rain he gets up under the baker's rack...way at the bottom, there is even a tiny dish under there with water in it...for the toads....
I wonder if he drinks out of it?

All our poor lizards have half tails right now...should have warned the poor beasties...a few have become kitty chow...
here he is stalking one now...

Leo hasn't left the backyard yet. He hasn't jumped the fence but I know he might one day. He has been out for three months now and so far, he's been content to stay put.

He walks the fence line and then finds a sunny spot to relax...and watch the squirrels...he almost caught one the other day....he is getting pretty quick.

sometimes he plays with the willow branches when it is windy....he looks like a kitten when he does that.

When he comes in, he greets everyone lovingly...then he'll eat and promptly go to sleep.

All the other fur babies are happier too. Ginger and Mojo greet him now instead of growling at him.....whatever bad vibes he was giving off are gone.....so far...

I hope for good.....

peace is good.

Must be love

2011-07-29T04:04:00.000-07:00

So who do I see hanging with my gnomie the other day? None other than Suki....again....

no doubt she's in love......remember this post from February? Glad they found each other.....

but WAIT!

Seems like little Suki snuggles up to other men in the household...

and Dean? He doesn't even LIKE cats (not really...)

ARGH!

2011-07-28T06:10:00.000-07:00

I'm rejoining the ranks of those who moderate their comments.....again.....

Sorry about the inconvenience to all my friends who leave real comments. But I'm tired of the "comments" promoting ED cures, someone's art supply store and Bollywood just to name a few....

Ironcraft #30 "Hot"

2011-07-27T04:44:00.000-07:00

For this week's ironcraft challenge I made a sarong to match an existing bathing suit.

I had already purchased some material that matched (back in MAY) but it sat on my sewing table while I did other things.

Thanks to this challenge, I got busy and crocheted a trim and made the sarong....which matched the bathing suit quite well.

Then I got carried away because the sarong turned out so well...so I made a top.
It isn't complete though....not enough time.
I have to add ties which will improve the look under the bust line....the edges stick out in the photo.

close up of the crocheted trim I made.

no more over sized t shirts for me :-)

GIVEAWAY! Winner...

2011-07-25T04:26:00.000-07:00

Last Monday was my birthday and I was so spoiled!
Dean and the kids gave me some wonderful goodies....like Julius pjs and notepads....I adore JULIUS!

my big surprise was this lovely watch...

My sister Sheri gave me this enchanted toothpick holder. I also got a hat from my sister Page but don't have a photo of it.

Dean surprised me with my favorite cake from Ambrosia Bakery in Baton Rouge. This is the cake that inspired my own fresh strawberry cake.
He ordered it and a friend (Joe) brought it back. It was so good!

Notice the greeting?
Yep....Joe is Jewish and thought this would be funny.....and it REALLY made me laugh.
Joe didn't know my own family has a history of doing funny things like this. Poor guy, he thought he was going to catch me off guard! No such luck.

I am so wonderfully blessed...I have such a loving family and great friends....many are bloggy friends!
I get to spoil my family all the time but not those who stop by to read my ramblings.......

That being said, I think its time for a giveaway! I'm giving away a fairy land starter kit*** (or apron) UPDATE 8/8/11: TAMMY WON!

This little kit is complete with a little toadstool plant poke, a fairy fireplace and a small fairy house all made by me.
I'll also include essentials that are sure to entice fairies to their new home!

There are several ways to get your name in the hat.

For the first entry, become a follower of mine here. If you already are, just leave me a comment, letting me know.
For a second entry, go to my new etsy shop and look around a bit. Then come back here and leave me a comment telling me what your favorite item is.
For a third entry "like" my Yarnigras page on facebook.
For a fourth entry, do a post on your own blog telling people about the giveaway.
For a fifth entry, post a comment on your wall telling people about the giveaway.

Leave a separate comment for each thing you choose to do.

I'll draw a name and announce the winner on Monday, August 8th so please be sure to leave me a way to contact you!

***If you win and fairies aren't your thing, I'll be happy to make you an apron instead, just leave it in the comment!***

fairy bells....

2011-07-23T04:07:00.000-07:00

Do you hear the bells?

They're overgrown now but the fairies can hear them...

and they come out to play...

if you are quiet you can watch them here...

they love to play hide and seek in the deep recesses of the vines...

they explore secret hideaways...

and snoop around their neighbor's house when no one is home...

sometimes, they fly across the yard to play in Guido's hair...

or tease the gnomes that live nearby...

and when they grow tired of playing, they go home to rest...its not very far.

but when they hear the bells tomorrow morning, they'll be back...

come back with them on Monday...I'm hosting a giveaway perfect for fairy lovers of all ages......

getting older

2011-07-22T04:06:00.000-07:00

Mojo isn't as tough as he used to be.
Thunderstorms scare him now.
They never did before.
I think its because his eyes are getting a bit cloudy. The vet said he doesn't have cataracts so not to panic...yet.

The thunder was really loud last week so here he is under the computer desk, hanging out while he waits for me to finish typing.

Being a herding dog, he is very independent...but now he shadows me like a puppy.

I adore the affection but it breaks my heart because I know the reason behind it is insecurity.
I much prefer seeing him play...dragging his blanket behind him.

We really missed the boat on his name...should have been Linus!

Ironcraft # 29

2011-07-20T04:05:00.000-07:00

This week's ironcraft challenge was to make something using buttons.

I went through my buttons and when I saw this little triangular shaped one, I knew I was going to make an owl.
It didn't take long. I just crocheted the background and then added the features using vintage buttons.

I wired the little owl to the twig (after baking it a bit to kill any wee critters....) and then added the flower and leaves. I finished it with a sprinkling of white glitter to give it a bit of sparkle.

After making the owl, I decided to try making a button fairy. I had wanted to make a water sprite to fit this month's YOE theme.

I found a lovely zeigfeld girl for the torso and went from there, then wired the buttons so they would hold their curve...
Here is my inspiration for the fins. I used wine bottle foil for them...and some glitter. I originally had them curled but decided I liked them better wavy.

Mosaic Monday

2011-07-18T04:02:00.000-07:00

I could never keep anything alive in this strawberry pot so I did mosaic work on it out of frustration.
It turned out to be a great idea.

Now it is insulated enough that the water doesn't leach out too quickly.

The plants in it have been there since 2003!
Each time we move, I think they'll die and I'll have to re plant but it never happens....they are always thriving.

In fact, the long plant trailing down the right side has to be trimmed by half at the end of each summer.
It is now one very happy strawberry pot!