Quickie upcycled craft, winetag.

We live in a neighborhood filled with great families.  The kind of folks you would choose to live by if you could, somehow, choose your neighbors.  (And by the way, I know I'm constantly gushing on and on about my family, my in-laws, my friends, my folks, now this...but, sorry, nice people abound in my life.  And it's good because it makes me try to be a better person to deserve them.)

It is not at all uncommon for the phone to ring on Saturday morning with a casual invite from this or that household, asking if we are free for supper later that day.  Somehow the invite always seems to fall on a day that I could especially use a night off from cooking. "Bring the kids" they'll say, knowing that a babysitter can wreck our solo-income budget. 

We try to reciprocate hosting but are way, way, behind.  And because I know our various neighbors well enough to know (and appreciate) that they will continue to have us over many more times before we could ever settle the score, I wanted to have some wine tags ready--we try to at least bring over some decent wine...and a dessert, too, if I'm allowed.

I found some hang tags in my stash of things to upcycle--I think they came off of some flip flops from last year.  I thought they were super cute so I mod podged some decorative paper to the backs and brushed on a few layers of chalkboard paint on the fronts.  There.  Done.  Quick, easy, no fuss allowed--just like these neighborhood dinners.  And as an added bonus, the tag can be wiped clean and reused by our neighbors when they're inevitably invited up the street...

 

Bucilla.

Right about now, during the clean up from massive merriment, I'm pretty much ready to put away the Christmas things until next year.  But there is one item that I usually keep out and move to my sewing room--Max's stocking. 

It is made from a Bucilla kit and it took me quite a bit of time to finish.  I absolutely adore it.  Once I finally hung it on the mantle, Charlie asked, "are you actually going to let Max touch it?"  Hmmmph.  Charlie had sat on the couch next to me for countless nights as I toiled away during TV time, so I guess it's not a silly question.  But of course Max is allowed to touch it.  Carefully.  And of course he'll eventually get it.  When he's married and has a wife who will take care of it. 

I don't put the stocking away for a few reasons.  One, it extends the season a bit, not too much, but just enough.  Also, I want to back it with something more substantial than the flimsy felt that came with the kit.  There is a better chance of this happening if it's out and about (though this strategy has yet to actually work).  And last, hopefully seeing it will motivate me to get going on Leo's stocking.  He has patiently waited and pretended to like his Target stocking just as much as Max's "fancy" stocking for the last two years.  It's pretty pitiful, actually, and he really deserves his own.  And of course there's also Will's.  And maybe, maybe, one for Charlie and myself.  But frankly ours are holding strong in the eventually column.

Have you ever seen a Bucilla kit?  My best friend from childhood got me hooked as she had one growing up, made by a crafty aunt.  And even then, when most high-school girls aren't too impressed by such things, I coveted it very much.  In case you're inclined to give it a go, here is a shot of Leo's kit.  It can be pretty daunting when you get this pile of...stuff...unless you know what you're getting into--and I remember searching the web for info about it with no luck a couple of years ago.

I also remember dumping out Max's kit and muttering something not too very Christmas-y.  *I know I mentioned I cursed during my recent Christmas quilt-a-thon, too, so I feel the need to point out that I actually hardly ever curse (married a Marine--he does it for me), but there are exceptions. 

The stockings I picked were designed for Bucilla by Mary Engelbreit, which surprised me.  Because although I do think her stuff is darling, it's usually not quite my style.  I'm fickle in that I like country stuff but only in certain ways and in little doses.  And it's really more cottage style that I like, think weathered wood, rustic...simple.  My mother sometimes tries to pick up things for me thinking I'll like it because it's "country" but I tell her, "no, that's country chicken and I don't like country chicken."  Unfortunately no one really understands what I'm trying to distinguish between so I sometimes end up with gifts with miniature feed sacks in them. 

Okay, back to little Ms. Mary.  Even though I typically don't go for her stuff, I absolutely flipped over the folksy feel of this kit.  With most Bucilla stockings, you do a lot of detail with sequins and beads.  But with the Engelbreit-designed kits, it's all in the stitching.  For instance, the very first bit of embellishment I did was on Santa's boot--two colors of thread twisted to make a candy-cane effect for his laces.  And all of the trim on Santa's coat was embroidered...in fact, just about everything is embroidered versus beaded.  Here is a close up of Santa's coat and boots...

and the snow-child's cap...

Oh, and let's not forget the cute dimensional work from the design--the snow-child in Santa's arms is a little stuffie you make then tuck into his arms...

Here is what Leo's stocking will (eventually) look like.  It's another Mary Engelbreit design--wish me luck!

A keepsake quilt.

I've wanted to make a special Christmas quilt for my mother-in-law for a very long time.  I actually bought the fabric for it when I was pregnant with Will two years ago.  Since she is a mother of all boys (and her two boys have all boys!), we have a lot in common.  Specifically, I know what it's like to live in a house where the majority of the occupants don't get all worked up by the nice linens and other whatnots that adorn their home.  It's a big deal when my MIL or I visit the other's house because when we haul out our pretty kitchen and bath towels, for once, someone else notices.  So I wanted to give her something pretty.

I also wanted to make her a quilt because, quite simply, it's hard to express just how grateful I am to the woman who gave me my husband, and in turn, my family.   

So this year, when a blizzard came to town the weekend before Christmas, I decided not to freak and fret over the snowed-in weekend and no-go errand runs.  Rather, I tallied up the suddenly free hours from two rescheduled Christmas parties and had a crazy thought.  While the older boys played outside until they were blue... 

I found my stash of fabrics...

and cut and sewed and ripped out stitches and cursed and sewed some more...

I decided on a crazy quilt because I didn't have time to plan any blocks.  Morgan's quilt for her newest little one, over on One More Moore, provided the inspiration for the design.  I just cut the fat quarters into 2 1/2 inch strips, then sewed three different strip patterns together.  I then cut the pieces into 6 1/2 inch square blocks and pieced them together, alternating their orientation.  I originally planned to make the quilt the size of a throw, but Charlie convinced me that that's basically a useless size for snuggling on the couch because throws can keep a full-sized man's upper or lower body warm, but not both.  Noted.  So, to increase the size, I added a border of white and made some blocks for the corners.  It was all done on the fly and I'm sorry that there are no pictures of that--sort of short on time as it was--but here is the finished quilt top.

I continued to de-stash by piecing two fabrics together for the backing and used some store-bought tape for the binding--which I sort of hate but whatever.  I almost went through the roof when I came up four inches short of completing the binding.  Seriously, four inches.  And in case it's not obvious, that is when the cursing occurred.

Luckily, after my in laws arrived on the 22nd, I was able to pop into Joanne's to pick up another pack of binding to covertly finish the quilt after everyone went to bed on Christmas Eve.

Here is a shot of the backing.  You can see that I just quilted in the ditch--practicing free-motion quilting is on this year's to-learn list as I have no idea how some of you do such a lovely job of it!  I used organic cotton batting and made sure to prewash my fabric, but not the batting, so that when I washed the completed quilt, it would get all wrinkly and yummy. 

In the corner, I placed a little poem that Charlie helped me write.  To print it on fabric, I ironed white cotton fabric onto freezer paper, then cut it down to 8 1/2 x 11 inches so it would feed into our ink jet printer.  I printed the wording directly onto the fabric and heat set it with my iron.  Before turning it into a patch for the back of the quilt, I prewashed it to check for color-fastness.  I was very happy to find it held up perfectly in the wash. 

My mother-in-law absolutely loved the quilt and I was so happy we could be with her the year we gave it to her!  This was the largest quilt I've made to date...before this attempt, I'd only made a handful of baby quilts.  But now I think I'd like to make quilts for the boys' beds.  And I fully intend to give myself more than a few days to do it!

ETA:  I'm linking up to Kimba's DIY day here.

ETA:  I'm linking up to Kimba's DIY day here.

Rudolph and Christmas Tree cake pops.

I made these for the kidlets "Gingerbread" House decorating party.  The kids loved them.  Most of the grown ups did too.  In fact, I'm pretty sure I remember one mom refusing to share her tree pop with her adorable children because they already had theirs.  I won't name names but you know who you are.

If you've never made cake pops before, be forewarned that once you do, you'll be hooked.  You'll start looking for all sorts of reasons to make them.  Flag day?  Cake pop.  Kid stubbed a toe?  Cake pop.  They're a bit of work, but worth it.  When I make a batch, I usually also make an extra batch and freeze them undipped (yes, I freeze everything).  So right now I have two dozen naked cake balls waiting to be dressed for Christmas.  We'll do more Rudolphs and trees, and I'm also thinking of doing a Santa and some angels.  I also might make them for our neighborhood New Year's Eve progressive dinner party...but I need some ideas.

Check out the how-tos over at Bakerella, who started the phenomenon.  She gives you directions on how to use a box mix and store bought frosting.  I personally think they taste better with homemade cake and frosting but will admit, the cuteness factor is what makes them special.  One thing to note, however--if you do go homemade, make sure you use a frosting that can be left out at room temperature, i.e. doesn't require refrigeration.  Some brands of dipping chocolate recommend you don't refrigerate and since these hold fine for a few days (I've gone up to 5) at room temperature, that's what I do. 

ETA:  I wrote some details as a response in the comments section, so be sure to check there for more tips...

Well hello there.

Hiya.  Blog much?  Didn't I mention I was going to take a wee break during the holiday crunch time?  Oh, right.  That's because it wasn't exactly planned.  Let's just say I'm tired of the rousing game of duck duck cold we've played these past couple of weeks.

Looking on the bright side, I sure am happy that the bitty bouts of sickness seemed to pop up between activities and special days.  Shockingly, everyone was in good health, and even better spirits, for our annual kid's "gingerbread" house decorating party.

I use graham crackers instead of baking gingerbread and sugar "glue" to pre-build the houses.  I learned last year that using royal icing for the mortar wasn't strong enough for excited little hands.  So this year I went with the heavy duty stuff--melted sugar.  I got the idea from the December '09 Better Homes and Garden magazine.  It really is stronger and, as an added bonus, it's a lot faster if you're building, oh, a gazillion.  You just melt some granulated sugar in a heavy bottomed pan (I use my enameled cast iron) then dip the edge of your graham cracker in it, then join with another cracker.  Be careful--this is definitely not a step for the munchkins.  For clean up, let your pot soak in hot water to dissolve the sugar.

Another important thing I should point out--unless you are very careful about how far you let the sugar carmelize (and you can see from the above photo that I was not), it won't taste good.  In fact, it tastes pretty awful because burnt sugar tastes pretty awful.  It's no problem for us because the houses are merely a prop for the pounds and pounds of candy they support.  And also, the kids don't eat the houses because these things sit around until after Christmas and get pretty stale.  I do, however, let my kids pick a candy or two off every now and then.  Okay, daily.

Here's a photo montage of the basic assembly process--I think it's pretty self explanatory.  Some tips:  when creating the gable, use a serated knife and gently saw back and forth.  Also, if crackers break (oh, and they will) set aside the pieces to doctor--just dip in the sugar & glue back together and lay aside until it sets up.  Don't stress about making these look perfect.  They're kind of cute crooked.  And kids love crooked. 

A few other things we like to do for the party:  cut down cardboard boxes (you know, all those you're getting daily from Amazon right now.  Right?  No?  Oh--it's just me?  Fine.) and cover with foil to make freebie cake boards for each party guest to tote home their masterpiece; ask guests to bring a bag of candy to share for decorating; make individual frosting piping bags by putting a big dollop of frosting into sturdy ziplocs and either tape or rubber band them right above the frosting to assist little hands with applying pressure while squeezing; and use colorful cereal to inexpensively round out the candy supply--especially great for walkways and "stone" accents.

But most of all, have fun.  Even the youngest of ones will actually sit still and do this activity with some help--we were so amazed at little Will's efforts!  All the kids did great.  We had over 25 taking over the kitchen and the house decorating portion was certainly the quietest time of the entire party.  Here's to making memories...

 

p.s.  Get more DIY ideas here.

DIY Holiday wreath.

We've been laying low these last few days.  Thanksgiving was wonderful--my parents did a great job.  After the big meal, the day mostly consisted of more eating and lots of cuddles.     

I think it was Will's first experience of an uncomfortably full tummy. 

We had an unusual spell of warm weather last weekend.  And so we tried to make the most of it by spending as much time outdoors as possible.  This means I did not get the house decorated for Christmas yet--so now I feel like I'm already behind.  But the calendar says it's just Dec 1st so I guess I'm okay.  But I'm still fretting.  We have our gingerbread decorating party in less than two weeks!

I did manage to do a little decorating though.  I was inspired after a girls night last Sunday (before husbands and babies, a group of my friends and I held a regular girls night and we're trying to get it going again).  A friend told me about one of her Thanksgiving traditions--a relative brings her greenery clippings so that she can make a holiday wreath.  And it just so happens that Charlie trimmed several holly bushes over the weekend--so I whipped up a wreath while the boys played outdoors.  It was so simple and took less than 30 minutes!  I think we'll adopt this tradition, too--thanks Katie!

Here's how I did it:

1.  Gather clippings and trim down to 4-6 inch sections.

2.  Gather wire and wreath form.  I used a grapevine wreath I had on hand.  Lay clippings on form and wrap with wire.  If you are using a grapevine wreath you can poke your clippings into the wreath to help you with placement.  Then, working downwards, overlap wire with new clippings and wrap with wire again.  Continue until your form is covered.  Secure wire.

3.  Hang on door (you'll want to mist with water occasionally to keep it fresh).  Make boys come over and give plenty of oohs and ahhs, even though all they really want to do is ride their bikes.

For more DIY ideas, have a girls night and get ideas from your crafty friends!  Also be sure to check out Kimba's DIY post on A Soft Place to Land today. 

Easy DIY paper tray tutorial.

Setting aside special events and milestones, there are typically just two types of 'everyday' days that stay with you.  One is when everything goes your way.  For me right now, that means primo parking spots with each errand stop, long naps for the kidlets, dinner planned and ready, nice (enough) weather for walks and outdoor play, cookies for snacks.  Oh, and let's not forget impromptu dance parties instead of tussles with the siblings.

That was my kind of day. 

My friend had the other kind--potential worrisome news about a pregnancy, job calamity, dishwasher tanking with a house full of company inbound for a holiday.

You can offer to take the kids, come over to clean, bring over margaritas... whatever.  But you'll probably be stubbornly waved off, like I was.  So I decided that the least I could do was bring over some dinner and cookies, with the silent hope that some good mojo would tag along.

The dinner could go in a throwaway foil tray.  But I wanted to package the cookies in something cheerful while also disposable.  I've seen some of the cutest little takeout paper trays and wished I had some on hand.  When I spied my empty english muffin packaging destined for the recycling bin, I realized I had the next best thing...a ready-made template!

I wanted to use 12 x 12 cardstock paper, so I cut the english muffin tray down to size and taped.

I traced with a pencil, but went over it with black marker so it would photograph.  For future trays, I'll stick with pencil to minimize markings.  Don't forget to mark where to place the slits for the tabs like somebody did.

Cut out, score on folds (referring to your template as a guide), fold, tuck, and embellish if you desire.  I desired. 

Deliver, give hugs, and scheme with others on more ways to help.

For more ideas, check out DIY day over at A Soft Place to Land. 

 

Turkey-hand hand towel.

One more Moore had these turkey tees on her blog and I just love them (just as I love everything she does).  We plan to do t-shirts later in the week as part of a play-date craft activity.  In the meantime, I thought I'd send some love in the form of an embellished tea towel to my wonderful mother-in-law.  We'll see them at Christmas, but we'll miss them over Thanksgiving.  Hands on a hand towel...granted, it's a bit on the nose but it makes me smile. 

Here's an easy tute:

  

 

Check out more ideas over at DIY day at A Soft Place to Land.

Cheers,

 

Baby steps, knitting.

I mentioned in a prior post that I picked up my knitting needles.  Again.  But I think--I think--that this time it finally clicked.  Actually, scratch that.  You know how sometimes you dare not say things out loud for fear of jinxing it?  It's like that.

My grandmother, on my father's side, was of German descent.  And she taught me the basics of knitting when I was a child.  I was ten or so, I'd guess.  She taught me in the Continental style because that's what she did.  Sitting beside her, I managed to knit some dish cloths and pot holders.  Even a wallet, though my stitches were so loose and uneven that the coins fell right out--talk about a bummer, not to mention a lesson in irony. 

After I learned to knit, I'm pretty sure I liked the process well enough.  And my grandmother was certainly an inspiration, turning out beautiful items.  But still, I remember not really loving some of the end products, and I'm not just talking about kid-mangled worthless wallets.  No.  My grandmother, being a grandmother and all, was a prolific knitter.  And to keep things economical, she tended to knit with acrylic.  So although I believe I always respected the effort that she put into knitted garments, I didn't exactly treasure them.  I thought the acrylic felt funny.  I know that sounds harsh but I swear I had things that squeaked (acrylic yarn has come a long way). 

I forgot about knitting for a long time, then tried again--for about five minutes--in law school.  I devoted another minute during my last pregnancy.  Both attempts were disasters and I put away my knitting needles once again.  But I wasn't giving up for good.  I knew I'd try again.  I like to think it's part of me, somewhere. 

Flash forward to the present.  It's getting consistently cold here.  And last week, as I reached for the stash of winter garb, I was struck by what I have on hand.  Mittens and hats and scarves--all machine knitted, all mass produced, all so very blah.  What I wouldn't give for one of my grandmother's lovingly knitted items now, acrylic or not.  So I decided to try. Again.

This time, I turned to some books for help.  And I decided to try the English method, since the author of the book I'm using says it's her favorite.  The book is Stitch 'n Bitch, and I, like so many others before me, sing its praises. 

I find that when I knit in the English style, I control my tension a bit better.  I also believe it's easier to follow along with written materials and online knitting tutorials, as most seem to show the English method.  I'm not saying that I'll never go back to Continental.  I do think it's faster.  But I'm very happy that I now know how to do both styles.  Because I feel like learning both really helped me to finally understand how a stitch is constructed.  And yes, I'm a craft nerd but this time it's coming in especially handy as learning how a stitch should look--how it should sit on a needle--means I can now fix a mistake without resorting to ripping out rows and rows of work.  Can I get an amen?  Because I'm pretty sure that the very thing that killed me the most during prior attempts was the inevitable (and frustrating and curse-inducing) cycle of knit, rip, repeat.

I practiced a few nights this week.  Nothing fancy, just knit and purl in different combos using yarn I already had.  I'm just trying to achieve the right tension and find my groove.  I'm excited by how it's feeling and have to resist diving into a project that is too complicated.  Rationally, I know that the last thing I need is to get in over my head.  So I just need to stay off of The Purl Bee and Ravelry.

Over the weekend, I hope to continue knitting and maybe even visit a local yarn shop or two--just to look! 

Halloween 09 recap.

So this week I immediately opened my Google 2010 calendar and wrote the following, in bold, across the first week of October:

Finish boys costumes by the 15th.  Seriously.  Do it.  And while you're at it, figure out your costume (and Charlie's) if you're going to the grown-up neighborhood party.  Do not wait until the day night of the party to make something--it makes you grumpy.  

It's not as if I didn't get everything done.  That's the thing with Type A procrastinators--we're good at it.  And we usually pull it out so never really learn our lesson.  But next year will be different!  And yes, Type A procrastinators are also typically optimistic.  

Max was Clifford, Leo was Snoopy, and Will was Eeyore.  My sewing room is covered in fur and felt bits.  It's even sticking to the walls.  In one of the pictures below, I tried to capture Leo wagging his tail, which he did every time he got some candy.  He did not break character all night and it was the cutest thing.  I also whipped up some very last minute grown up costumes because one of our neighbors throws a party that begins after the munchkins are tucked in.  My parents came over to babysit so Charlie and I could go.  We went as sushi--he was a salmon roe roll and I was shrimp nigiri.  I forgot to take a picture but if I get one from the other partygoers I'll add it later.

As for treats, cake pops were made.  The kids loved the happy witches and Frankenstein Jrs.  The eyeballs--not so much.  I think someone at the party told them that they were cow eyes and they just couldn't get over it.  They did look pretty realistic--red edible marker for the veining was key.

Can you believe it's November?  How did that happen?  I've pulled out several UFOs (unfinished objects) from last year.  And I'm trying to get back into knitting.  Which makes perfect sense because, as I'm sure you know, there is always so much extra time around the holidays.  We shall see.