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Chalk Up Another Handmade Monday!

May 7, 2012 By 8 Comments


Running very late this Handmade Monday!  I actually did spend the weekend relaxing but also made a little something for a special little boy.  It’s an upcycle/recycle project.  I have been wanting to try using that chalkboard paint everyone else has already done a million things with, and I have had a jar of it on my shelf for, well, I don’t know how long.

I had a little clipboard that I used to use for school (for something, I don’t even remember what) that was too cute to get rid of, but I haven’t used it in forever.  I got the idea to paint one side with chalkboard paint and personalize it and give it to my grandson (my son’s stepson who is 8 and I think just the right age to love writing on things with chalk –plus he’s very into sports, I think he could keep score or something with it, but mostly, I just remember thinking writing with chalk was very cool when I was a kid).

It turned out to be really easy to work with.  The hardest part?  Finding chalk!  But I found a nice box that included white and some colors too at Target, after checking the office supply place first.

You can see what I did, with photos at Paint a Chalkboard.  Then you can go and check out Handmade Monday, which I understand is also going to be moving very soon.  But don’t worry, I will be sure to give you a good link when that happens, I wouldn’t leave you high and dry!

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Raining and Cats and Dogs

April 30, 2012 By 5 Comments

First I’m tired of rain.  I know it has a job to do, but it also brings headaches and too much time indoors.  However, I have managed to make a couple of things, so maybe being confined inside has an upside.

The tutorial is about a sweater cat but I also made her a little friend because there was so much fabric left over.  I seem to be obsessed with these little creatures.  The funny thing is, I get an idea in my head and I just have to get it out, and the only way to do it is to make it.

I’m a little late getting this posted.  I actually have a good excuse, as we went down to get dinner out and the car battery was dead when we were ready to leave.  So, we went and had a coffee while we waited for AAA and by the time we got home it was too late to get started.  The truth is, it was fun sitting outside (under cover of course) watching the rain, playing on our IPads, drinking coffee.  We don’t do that very often, and it felt very, oh, I don’t know, vacationish or something.  But, that’s my excuse.

Anyway, also don’t forget it’s Handmade Monday and you know good and well they have very cool and interesting things to check out, so please go there and see what’s going on.  But before you do that, click on the Sweater Cat and Template and see how you can make one of your own.  And if you do, send me a photo.  I’ll even post it if you give me permission.  Wouldn’t it be fun to have a whole page of them?  🙂

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A Horse of a Different Fabric

April 23, 2012 By 13 Comments

Another stuffed critter.  I made this little horse for my oldest friend.  We met the first day of 7th grade and have been friends since.  She always was better at any sort of artistic stuff than I, and in fact I made her this horse because I remembered one she made when we were probably in Junior High School.  It also had a yarn tail.  I also made it for her because we used to go ride my horse together, so she can look at this silly little creation and it will remind her of all of those wonderful times we had together.  🙂

Anyway, it’s Handmade Monday and I’ve really been remiss (sick is more like it) but I’m back!  So, after you check out the little Sweater Pony, go on over to Handmade Monday and see what everyone else is doing.  I know they are doing wonderful things!

 

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A Fox & Socks & a Musicbox

April 1, 2012 By 10 Comments

Finally finished a project that I’ve been working on mentally for months and started accumulating what I needed for it almost as long.  There were a few problems with the idea, and a few ideas I had that I tossed out over that time because they didn’t seem to have good solutions.

I wanted to make a stuffed animal for my upcoming, now due any moment, grandson.  And I wanted to put a music box into it.  I found one that plays a tune with his name in the title, and my son requested a particular animal, a FOX.  Well, while I think foxes are cool, they are not the easiest thing to come up with a design for.

After pouring over various things online I did finally come up with something I thought would be easy enough for me to make.  I wanted something two dimensional, that is I didn’t want to have to cut out more than 2 sides!

Since my blog post is fairly long I won’t go into a lot of details here, just suffice it to say, he’s a little crazy looking, but I’m pretty pleased with the outcome.  I hope my little grandson will enjoy his fox and the nice thing about him is he has 4 long legs and a tail and a long nose which can all be handles to drag him around.  Plus he’ll make a nice soft pillow to lay a little head on.  And he’ll play a nice little tune.  And maybe it will make him think about his grandmother.  🙂

Now, it’s also Handmade Monday, so, after you check out my Plaid Stuffed Fox you should go check out all of the things they have done there too!  That will keep you busy. Have a great week.

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Who Doesn’t Like Meatloaf?

March 26, 2012 By 10 Comments

 

I always hear people make fun of meatloaf, but it was always one of my kids’ favorite meals.  I like to imagine it’s because I make AWESOME meatloaf, but I think it’s really because meatloaf is in fact just a big hamburger.  Well, anyway, I finally got around to making mine to share on my blog.  Mostly because an old and dear friend asked the other day for that recipe of mine for meatloaf with the cheese in it.

I hope this was the one she meant, because I did so many different versions.  And it has evolved a bit through the years.  But this one is good.  And if you make it and don’t like it just like this, never fear, you can easily tailor  it to suit yourself.  It’s one of THOSE sorts of recipes.

I also tried something else I’ve never made before, golden beets.  I added a link for the recipe I used (not my own) because they turned out really good.  Even my husband, NOT a beet lover, liked them.  I think the golden beets are a little less overwhelmingly “earthy” than the red beets.  By that I mean they don’t taste as much like dirt.  Yes, I said it.  I think beets taste like dirt.  I don’t hate that myself, but I can see why some people don’t like them.  The golden beets have a lighter taste.

Anyway, if you want to try my meatloaf recipe, which has oatmeal instead of breadcrumbs, so has no wheat, and isn’t cooked in a loaf pan so has a nice crispy outside AND has cheese, well, here you go:  Awesome Meatloaf.

And it’s Handmade Monday, which I’ve missed two weeks in a row, so, I’m going that way now, myself.  Please head over too, and check out what they’re doing, they always do such wonderful things, crafts and some recipes and everything!  Thanks for stopping by.  🙂

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I Forgot My Homework

March 5, 2012 By 8 Comments

I got up this morning and realized I had nothing for Handmade Monday!  I did finish something last week and had a fleeting thought of saving it for today, but clearly that thought didn’t last long and I posted it on Friday.  Over the weekend I never gave it another thought, as we ended up watching a couple of movies (Hugo was awesome!) and here I am, Handmade Monday-less!

So, I have a couple of options. First option, ignore Handmade Monday.  Clearly I didn’t choose that one, or you wouldn’t be reading this. If I did that I would be bugged by it all day.  All week in fact.  Second option, and clearly the better one, admit I didn’t have anything else and link to Friday’s post.  And that is what I’m going to do.

I finished a rag doll I have been working on since before Christmas and got her sent off to my Sister in Law, who has named her Stella.  I struggled with her (the doll, not my Sister in Law who is the sweetest person ever) but learned a lot and hopefully my next one will be much better.  You can see all the details and photos here.

That’s really all I have, so now I’m going to head over to Handmade Monday and see what everyone who planned better than I did is up to!  🙂

 

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It Takes Guts

February 27, 2012 By 10 Comments

When I got all the old stuffed animals from the attic last fall one that I put aside to do something with was a patchwork fabric giraffe. He had several small holes along the seams and one very large rip at the neck that looked like a dog had tried to take his head off. In addition he was filled with chopped foam, and after at least 30 years I didn’t feel good about that at all. I don’t know about you, but sometimes if I’m afraid something will turn out badly I put it aside to think about it later. You know, like Scarlett O’Hara, I’ll think about it tomorrow. Well, finally, tomorrow had come.

Amazingly, other than the actual washing and drying, the project didn’t take much more than an hour. Why did I put it off? Let me think. Worst case scenarios. I started taking out the chopped foam and horrible creatures crawled out? REALLY? Hey, if that happened I would grab my camera and start taking photos, that wouldn’t exactly be a BAD thing. Worst case scenario really would have been he didn’t survive washing. But that was going to happen if it was going to happen. Waiting didn’t make that any less likely. And the sooner I found out, the sooner I would know.

I opened the neck seam with the already big hole a bit larger and dumped all of the very old dried out foam into the trash, turning him inside out as I went. I had to scrape him out as the foam tends to stick to the inside. Then, into the washer on delicate cycle and I held my breath. But, he came through with flying colors. I went ahead and put him into the dryer on low to get a head start on drying, and finished drying overnight hanging over the shower door. When I turned him right side he looked fine. He seemed none the worse for wear, and I wish I had thought to take a photo, but I didn’t.

I did find a little puncture in his nose, which supports my dog at the throat theory and so my first order of business was to patch that. It was big enough to get your pinkie finger in and I knew it would do nothing but get bigger. I simply put a patch with white muslin on the inside, and then stitched it to reinforce. It doesn’t really show unless you look hard because the fabric is patchwork looking anyway.

I could have repaired the small places where the seams had come unstitched by machine but I decided not to bother and just hand stitched them (from the inside).
The hard part was his neck. There was clearly some fabric missing. It was like surgery and I had nothing to do a graft with. So, his neck will forever be a little skinnier at the top. It’s like he got a little jowl lift!

Then I stuffed him with nice fresh hypoallergenic batting, not too full so he would be soft and huggable, finished hand stitching his neck closed, and I have to say, he looks fresh and dare I say, happy! I’m starting to love giving old stuffed animals a new lease on life. 🙂

BTW it’s Handmade Monday again! Let’s all run over and check it out. Well, actually, it’s so much easier than running, we can just click on the link above and don’t even have to get out of our chair! Let’s go!

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Add a Little Spice to Your Life

February 19, 2012 By 11 Comments

One of the things I miss the most about New Mexico is the food.  And so we have to cook it ourselves because most of what passes for Mexican food out here is… well, something else, but it’s not really Mexican food.  I’ll leave it there.

One of the best things about Mexican food is green chiles and several years ago a friend of mine sent me several packages of frozen Hatch green chiles.  These are famous and with good reason.  They aren’t the only good thing about Mexican food but they are one of the better ones.  If you can get your hands on some (and you can) you should try some of the real stuff.  I have a stash in my freezer.  At any rate, when I used up the ones she sent me I had to start ordering my own, so I found a source and discovered that it works perfectly.  They come frozen and ready to stick in your freezer and use whenever the chile bug hits you.

This recipe is simple although the corn takes a little preparation.  But it’s OH so worth it.  I will warn you, it’s SPICY.  Ok, what I mean is, it’s HOT.  I personally think spicy food is good for you.  It clears your sinuses or something.  Well, maybe not, but I still like it.

So, go indulge your inner chile monster and check out Roasted Corn & Green Chile Chicken.  Then be sure and check out Handmade Monday because believe it or not, it’s that time again!  Thanks for stopping by.

 

 

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Some Things Seem So Easy

February 12, 2012 By 23 Comments

Do you ever think of things that seem so easy, but when you try them they thwart you at every turn?  Yeah, me too. I had seen this recipe for making marshmallow peeps awhile back and wanted to try them –I think I was going to try Halloween ghosts but never got around to it. So, later I thought, “Oh, Valentine hearts, that will be cute and easy!” Oh, I’m so misguided sometimes!

Maybe if you’re a pastry chef.

I’ll just cut to the chase.  I made it work but if you’re going to follow my directions you don’t need the pastry bag and tip.  Unless you just want to try it that way.  Or you’re a pastry chef.

Anyway, it’s Handmade Monday again!  Yay, now THERE is something that works right every time.  🙂  So, after you check out my Heartmallows go check out what everyone’s doing for Handmade Monday! See you there. 🙂

 

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Snips and Snails and New Tools

February 5, 2012 By 16 Comments

 

I did a few small things this week, no big projects.  But it’s Handmade Monday again and there is only one more before Valentine’s Day! Plus it’s the 52nd one, which means we’ve been doing this for an entire year. I got in almost at the beginning of it, so I’ve been doing this for just short of a year too. I’m sure everyone has made all sorts of cute things with hearts and things, and I can’t wait to go see what they’re doing.  Click the link and check it out after you’re done here.  🙂

I posted a candle in a cup I did using Penny’s method, so if that interests you, please check it out here.  It turned out so well, as you can see from the photo here (I did finally light it!) I’ll share it again!

I get so many good ideas from other bloggers.  Penny, at Planet Penny has such a fun blog, and in addition to good ideas and beautiful things to look at, it’s always fun to read.

I have also been working on a little jar for a young boy for Valentine’s Day.  It’s a little difficult to make things for boys for this particular holiday.  Girls are easy, jewelry and well, everything just fits.  I ended up making something not all that Valentine-like but it came out cute enough to share anyway.  I didn’t take photos as I went, but it wasn’t rocket science so, I’m really just going to share a photo of the best part.  The jar is a plastic jar that shaving cream comes in, then Mod Podged with green tissue paper.  I put the boys name on one side and “Stuff” on the other –both cut with the Cricut of course because I could never cut letters out by hand.

I then made a little snail with Sculpy and made him some antennae with copper wire I had in my jewelry making box.  I used 2 little beads for eyes.  I made the shell and body separate so I could paint them different colors easily, using acrylic paint.

I attached him to the lid with hot glue, but he came off once, so I cleaned the hot glue off of everything and reattached him using hot glue and then put white glue around the edges.  Hopefully he will stay put.

He is so cute, I’m thinking of making some more and maybe painting a little smile on his face!

I also made a Valentine’s Day card.  I’m not going to mention who it’s for in case they see this (and this person does sometimes read my blog!).  I’m not quite done with it, but I wanted to share what I have done so far because I thought it turned out not too bad.  I really didn’t have much in mind when I started except that I had a bag full of red hearts of various sizes I had cut with my Cricut and I had a new tool (which I will tell you about in a minute) and some red ribbon.

I started with a precut white cardstock (the kind that comes in sheets with 2 cards per sheet and you feed them through a printer–I have a package of them for making cards on the printer).  I used my cool new tool and cut out a heart “window” toward the bottom.  I had a piece of red woven something that is, well, I don’t really know what it is.  It feels like something between paper and fabric.  I can’t remember where I got it, but it’s been in my “stash” for a long time.  I glued it behind the heart “window” and then decided to try cutting a heart out of it with my new tool.  That worked, altho it left the edges fuzzy and I had to trim it a little.

Then I just added hearts until I liked the way it looked.  I put the heart from the “window” inside one of the bigger red hearts, and let everything dry.  Then I made a bow with some organdy ribbon and sewed it on.  I hope I can mail this without crushing the bow too badly.

Oh, my new toy, er, tool is a Fiskar’s Squeeze Punch.  They are a little pricey, but they were on sale so I bought a couple of different ones.  I love them because you can cut “windows” OR you can cut shapes.  Just one more fun thing, and very, very easy to use.

Only one more week until Valentine’s Day, so I had better get these things in the mail!

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