{ Busy day }

I am so happy with our temperatures right now.

Woke up this morning to a wet yard, puddles leftover from overnight storms, and 47 degrees outside.  For the first time this year, I actually pulled out my sweat pants and my fingerless mittens.  *sigh*

Sun just starting to come up

My wonderful husband has already been at work for a couple hours, the children are still fast asleep, all snuggled in bed

First order of business for me is a hot cup of coffee, I can't quite seem to get going until I've had at least one sip.

I started this cowl last night, actually made it while watching the new show on AMC called "Hell on Wheels", which by the way if you haven't seen it or heard of it, it was fantastic.  Watch the preview here.

Hell on Wheels is a contemporary Western that centers on former Confederate soldier Cullen Bohannon, portrayed by Anson Mount, whose quest for vengeance has led him to the Union Pacific Railroad's westward construction of the first transcontinental railroad.

Just my kind of show :)

Anyway, so I crocheted during the show and all I had left was one row, which is what I went ahead and did this morning.  I followed this pattern, but next one I make I will have to add a few more stitches to the chain because I had a hard time slipping it over my head.  I also didn't use two strands of yarn, just one, I much prefer the cowl to look this way rather than a huge thing around my neck :)

I am so thrilled with the way it turned out ♥ ♥

After a quick breakfast, the dishes unloaded from the dishwasher and a load of laundry started, I decided to go ahead and give another craft a quick try.  I absolutely adore blue mason jars!

So when I saw this tutorial over at Craftberry Bush, one of my favorite blogs, I immediately bookmarked it.

Now I will tell you that it was easy to make, I had everything I needed and I love the way everything turned out, but, oh yes, there's a but in there............you can clearly see that it was my first attempt because I ended up with some streaks and some globby glue drips, which you can only really see if you're right up close.

Still, I love them and just have to remember that it takes practice and next time all will be better.

Are you ready to make some yourself????  It's so simple you won't believe.  You MAY want to grab a cup of coffee or tea, there are quite a few pics because I couldn't help myself.

1 teaspoon of Elmer's Glue, 3 drops of food coloring, 1 and half teaspoons of water.  Mix with a paintbrush.  That's IT for the mix.

Start painting the jar, from top to bottom.  Lucy advises not to go over it too much so the glue doesn't start clumping together and she does say this part is frustrating and I have to agree, but I guess that's why mine didn't turn out exactly perfect, practice practice practice.

I did 4 different size jars, though for the last one I did have to make a little bit more of the mixture to finish it.  Here they are drying on the window sill.....

The more coloring you add in the darker the stain, but I am really happy with my light blue wash :)

They will dry for 24 hours and then tomorrow morning, I'm going to pop them in a 325 degree oven for about 40 minutes, on a cookie sheet.  It will help set the stain color.

And while they were drying, I pulled out my wire cutters and a little mason jar that I have laying around and make a quick hanging jar to hang from a door knob.

Just wish I had real flowers to put in there, but I'm thinking I'll pick some up at the store :)

Yes, I think I like it, matter of fact, I think I love it :)

I have a few more projects to get done, lots of Christmas presents to get started on, and my wonderful Beast of a ripple to plod through.

I think I'll go sit down with some tea, my beast and Hart of Dixie.

Sorry about all the photos folks, I hope I didn't put anyone to sleep.

God bless,

♥♥♥

{ My Crafty Corner - Crocheted Pincushion and Purse Organizer }

I just sewed on the buttons a few minutes ago.

Would you believe me if I told you that I made the pincushion last night in 30 minutes???  Or it may actually have been less, these whip up SO SO fast.

The original idea came from Liselotte in Denmark, check out her blog.   Terri over at Purple and Paisley was kind enough to translate the pattern into English, be sure to go on by and check out her blog as well.   Mary Grace over at Hooked on Needles helped Terri with the pattern so here it is:

Liselotte's Crocheted Pin Cushion in English, via Terri and me!

Start with magic loop of 6 (video of Magic Loop Method coming shortly!)

NOTE: Do not join rounds. Put a marker or piece of scrap yarn in the first stitch of each round to help keep track.

2 sc in each sc - 12 stitches
*1 sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc* Repeat from * to * around - 18 stitches
*1 sc in next 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc Repeat from * to * around - 24 stitches
*1 sc in next 3 sc, 2 sc in next sc Repeat from * to * around - 30 stitches
*1 sc in next 4 sc, 2 sc in next sc Repeat from * to * around - 36 stitches

Continue increasing in this manner until you have 72 stitches, or until the piece is the size you want it.

Make another one in the same manner and the same size.

Join the 2 pieces together at the outside edges, using single crochet with wrong sides together. Before closing up the last 10 stitches or so, stuff pretty firmly with polyester fiberfill, then continue crocheting the opening closed.

Using a doubled piece of yarn, wrap the yarn from the center, around the outside, making pie-shaped wedges spaced evenly around the outside. Pull each one tightly to make the petals puffy. Tie off yarn securely and embellish as you like.

I used re-purposed buttons on the top and bottom of mine. Terri crocheted a little flower for her center. Here are her directions for that:

Start with magic loop of 5 (or how ever many petals you want)
Join with sl st to first sc of the 5 sc in your magic loop.
In that same st, sc, 3 dc, sc and sl st - 1 petal made.
Sl st into next st, sc, 3 dc, sc and sl st - 2 petals made.

Continue around until all petals have been made.
Finish with a sl st in the first petal.
Attach to center of pin cushion.

So let me show you mine.

Stitch Markers....what a pain in the behind, I know many like them but they actually confuse me and seem to always get in the way, and after a run in with a closed marker when I first started crocheting, I just decided to do away with them forever.  Yes, I ended up stitching the marker into the crochet LOL

Easier way is to grab a piece of yarn and just drape it over your row of stitches, keep crocheting all the way around, when you get to the beginning, drape it back over again, you'll find that you will either be laying it to the back or bringing it to the front, but anyway you end up with that row of stitches.  Just pull one of the ends and it will come right off :)  (Just make sure it's a contrasting color)

I'm so thrilled with the end result, this was so easy to crochet and so quick too, I am telling you I don't even think it was 30 minutes.

Now because this was the first one I made, I will admit that I got so confused with the last part of making the wedges with the thread and I ended up with 8 wedges instead of 6, but really, what does it matter?

The best part about these, is that they're reversible, this is the other side.

I kept this one simple with just one button.....

Ahhhhh such prettiness......

So there you have it, another really simple and spectacular project which would make great Christmas gifts too :)

Now I'm going to pull out my sewing machine and work on another Purse Organizer.

This pattern comes from The Giving Flower in Germany and it's another that you can make really really fast, it's so simple and the results are magnificent.

I hated having all my stuff just floating around the bottom of my bag.....this keeps them all organized and easy to reach for.

These are the ones I made it for, but I'm going to make a second one today for other random odds and ends and you know being a mom there is ALWAYS some random/weird/unexpected stuff floating around the purse.

Look at all that extra room inside....makes me so happy to see things organized.

Alright, I'm out of here, have another organizer to make and maybe some other stuff, not sure yet what :)

Hope you're all having a great Sunday and by the way, I'll be choosing the winner of the Mollie Makes Magazine tonight :)

Stop wasting money!

Don't know about you but when someone says that to me, I get happy because it usually means that they're going to follow that statement with some idea that will help me save.

As much as I love a simple life and have said often enough here that I wouldn't mind living in the old days and how technology is such a pain in the behind and ruins so many things, I have to also admit that the internet is a thing of beauty, or more specifically, Pinterest and my Google Reader are a thing of beauty.

I find myself constantly inspired by such amazing women out there, always pushing me to be the best mom and wife, homemaker I can be.  And then I get emails daily from my blog readers telling me that I'm one of those women and that just touches my heart, because I really don't feel like I am, I don't even think many read the blog LOL

But, putting me in the same category as any of these other ladies, is such an honor, so thank you to those of you (you know who you are) that constantly send me words of encouragement and praise, you hold a very special place in my heart  ♥

Now I don't have much time to sit on pinterest, honestly when I first found it I was so addicted to it, I couldn't stop myself, I spent every spare moment pinning and browsing and drooling over SO many things, nowadays, I am able to make it over there every two weeks if I'm lucky and this morning was one of those days, and the minute I opened it up I saw something on the front page that made me jump up and grab what I needed.

I love the plugins, I love that I control how strong the scent is and that every single room can have one going all the time.  One thing I DON'T love?  The refills, having to buy them all the time and they're pretty expensive, almost 3 dollars each one and that adds up.

So what if I told you that you can make your own?  No I'm not kidding!

Holy Crickey is a tumblr website dedicated to DIY's and showing us great ideas on how to save money and do make stuff at home.  MY kind of place :)

So here we go, let me show you how easy this is, you'll be as shocked and happy as I am.  My husband thinks I'm a genius and then I have to remind him that I didn't come up with this, but he doesn't care, he likes the fact that I'm saving us money LOL


:::: Grab your empty refill bottle.  

:::: If you look at it closely or feel around the top, you can see a little groove that allows you to pop that whole top right off.  It's pretty tight on, so I just took a small knife and gently (PLEASE be careful), popped it out.

:::: Then wash it out really well.    Grab your favorite essential oil, I'm using Jasmine but I am going to do Lavender, Warm Vanilla and a few others for the remaining ones in the house.

:::: Pour the oil into the bottle, about 1/3 of the way.

:::::  Fill the rest up with water, just don't go ALL the way to the top otherwise when you pop in the wick, it will splash all over.  Shake it up nicely to mix the oil with the water.  Don't worry if it doesn't exactly mix all the way, you can always give it a little shake now and then. 

Now pop it back into the plug part and plug it in. Ahhhhhhh!

Cheaper, and much healthier. I haven't told you this yet but I'm about to shock some of you with what is in these things.

VOC stands for “volatile organic compounds” and they are highly toxic chemicals with a low boiling point.

VOC cause all sorts of problems in your body: infertility, headaches, nervous system disorders, memory loss and cancer for both your pet and you.   Ummmmm yeah I don't think I want these things in the house anymore.

So thank you again to Holy Crickey, I feel much better knowing that my house is being freshened with the good stuff that won't affect your health.

Because it bears repeating..........

Reuse, Reuse, Reuse.

I know that we all have busy lives and I also know that sometimes it's easier to just throw something out without even giving a thought as to what other uses we can still get out of it.

Over the years I have learned to look at things twice before I decide that I no longer need it nor can I use it for anything else.

One of my favorite new fashions of the moment are the Hipster Scarves, they are so neat and I love that you can wear them in winter, and you can wear them in summer over a tank top.  They make a statement but more than that they are just cute to boot.

As I was going through my closet getting rid of clothes that I no longer wanted, don't fit, or I've just outgrown, I remembered to set aside old t-shirts because I've been bookmarking all sorts of great tutorials on refashioning your wardrobe.

Hipster Scarves made from old T-shirts and so quick and easy to do that in less than 5 minutes you will have yourself a super cool fashion accessory.

I grabbed inspiration from a couple of places online like here and here.

Grab one of the old t-shirts.   Cut off the hem, and set aside.

Now start cutting the shirt horizontally into strips,  about 1 inch thick or so.  It depends, you can make them a little thicker or even thinner and it will change the way it looks in the end :)

Cut all the way to just below the armpit.

Now take take each loop (strip) and give it a good stretch between your hands.    The fabric will curl up and almost double in length.

Grab all the loops in one hand, wrap the hem piece around the whole lot and then tie a knot to secure.

Ta-da! 

I love the fact that I can try different things, either all one length or a few differing sizes.....or even put two colors together to make it more fun :)

So before you throw out all your old shirts, why not turn them into something cool????

Jasmine grabbed the dark one already and claimed it for herself.  Guess I need to make more.

Clementine Candles

Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.

One of my favorite quotes EVER!  I really do try to live by this example, so I spend quite a bit of time looking for ways to use everything I have in my home.

When I came upon this idea online a while ago, I just knew that it was definitely one I would be trying.

Thankfully I have a good memory because I completely forgot where it was and ended up not bookmarking it either.  Doofus that I am.  I'm quite positive it was on Pinterest though.

The best part of this is that you don't need wax, or candle wick or anything that you don't already have in the house.

So here we go...........Clementine Candles

Cut through the skin around the whole clementine, don't go too deep, besides you can enjoy the yummy clementine later.

Gently peel the skin from the clementine.  You want JUST the skin, the way I do it is by gently sticking my thumb in between the skin and the fruit, then work my way around.

When you get to the end, stick your finger gently into the middle of the clementine and make sure you remove as much of the white piece that extends from the skin into the middle of the fruit.   THAT is your wick so try to get as much of it as possible....if you accidentally break it or don't have enough, you going to have to try with another one.

At this point, peel off the other half of the skin and score it with a little knife, you want whatever shape you wish, I made a start but I've also made hearts before or initials or whatever.

Take some olive oil and pour a little bit into the bottom, you don't need a lot at all, just a tiny bit into the half that is going to be lit.  You want about an 1'8" to 1'4" of the wick above the olive oil.

Take a lighter or a match and hold it lit to the wick for a few seconds....because the wick is wet you'll have to hold the flame there for a few.

Once it stays lit, then you can cover with the other half.   The bottom half will last quite a long time because the olive oil seeps into the skin.  As with every other candle, KEEP an eye on it, don't just light it and walk away.

It's so cute and it smells really good too. :)

NOTE:  You can also use oranges, grapefruit etc.  I've wanted to try with a lemon but because of it's shape I don't know if I could make it work, but I'm TRYING :)

Fabric Pumpkins

I started seeing these cute pumpkins pop up all over the internet in preparation for Halloween.  I can tell you that the minute I saw them, I fell in love and knew I just had to try my hand at them.

The first one I made is still adorable but not exactly what I wanted, but by the time I got to the second one???  Yeah I was head over heels in love.

I have four right now and two just waiting for me to finish, let me tell you, if you're looking for a quick project that takes but a few basic sewing stitches, then these are the ones to try.

I used a couple tutorials, like this one and this one as my guides, but I changed some of the steps in mine.

Can I say how irritated I am that Walmart is getting rid of all their Fabric Departments?  I mean really????  Anyway, I was able to find some fabric quarters in a basket near the sewing stuff, seems like they were the last they had.



I love my sewing machine, it's very therapeutic hearing the brrrrrr of the machine as it zips through the fabric.

So basically you're cutting your fabric into a rectangle, you can follow the sizes on those tutorials above, or you can just wing it like I did.  I did smaller rectangles for smaller pumpkins.

Fold your rectangle, right-sides together.  Stitch down the long-side (side to the right) with a regular straight-stitch.  Then run a gathering stitch around the bottom.  Pulling on the bobbin thread, gather the fabric as tight as you can, be careful not to pull too hard so you don't break the thread.  Tie your thread ends together.



Turn inside out and fill with fiberfill or whatever stuffing you have on hand.  I actually popped a cinnamon stick in two of mine just to give it a little scent.



At this point I made the stem, all you need is a small 4in x 2 1/2in rectangle.  Fold in half, right sides together and sew an "L" shape, top edge and side edge, leaving bottom open for stuffing. Turn stem right side out and stuff stem with fiberfill.



After I filled mine, I took some embroidery thread in a matching color, and sewed a running stitch along the top, leaving about half an inch edge. The way I do it is to leave a long tail and start sewing, when I get back to the beginning stitch I cut the thread leaving another longish tail.....then I grab both ends of the thread and start pulling gently to gather the material.  When it's as tight as I can get it, I tie a tight knot and cut the excess thread.



Take some twine or embroidery floss and wrap it around the pumpkin (very tightly).  Do this as if you were wrapping a present.  Loop it around, then cross-over, around and cross-over.  You will cross-over at the top and bottom of the pumpkin.  Go back and forth until you have sections on each pumpkin.  Finish by simply tying in a knot.
Attach the stem to the pumpkin making sure to cover the puckered edges where you gathered the fabric.  I used a blind hem stitch, or just do whatever, just remember that you'll tie a ribbon on afterwards to hide any imperfections.

I made these 4 pumpkins in 1 hour and that is because I kept having to stop to take care of the kids and dinner etc.  They whip up really fast.

I still have another two just waiting for the stems to be attached.  I think I'm going to go through my fabric stash and make a bunch more, I want a huge one and maybe some tiny little ones too.



Just have fun with it and if you do make some, please come back over and let me know so that I can come and see them :)