A fun snack for Christmas Day.. for you to make

Fairy Dust Snack Mix
Edible glitter- fine (get at baking supply or craft store)
Use up all your leftover:
Cereal
Pretzels
Dried fruit (we love coconut)
and whatever else you need to use up
Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl, sprinkle in glitter and toss until you get the desired effect.

Question: What is a #@%*@**?

Quite often we ask ourselves hard to answer questions, like "What is a @*%@%**?" (You fill in the Adjective)

And we wax philosophic with metaphysical postulations, incomplete aphorisms, and inconsistent sophismsthat make one more and more sure that the only true thing is that a picture is worth a thousand words.

In this photo, the guy on the right is a member of a bomb squad in the middle of a deactivation. The guy behind him, well, he's a %*@#@*@.

Grandma's Needlebook Tutorial from Vintage Threads

Step One - Create the needlebook's base by cutting cardstock or manilla file folders into the desired size. FRUGAL and TIME-SAVING TIP - I buy notecards at thrift stores for next to nothing and keep them on hand for crafting. I use fusible webbing to create custom cards by simply fusing on scrapbook paper, vintage sheet music and vintage graphics. Or I use them for cutting tags, making bookmarks, etc. They were perfect for these needlebooks. I didn't even have to score the fold!

Step Two - Cut fusible webbing to fit needlebook. You will need two sheets, one for the inside and one for the outside. TIME-SAVING TIP - If you're making more than one needlebook, fold your fusible webbing into as many layers as quantity needed and cut them all at once with a rotary cutter and ruler.

Step Three - Layer webbing onto card and fuse. TIME-SAVING TIP - You can fuse both front and back at once. The heat is sufficent to secure the back side at the same time as the front. Peel off paper.

Step Four - Cut two different fabrics the same size as needlebook, one for the inside and one for the outside. Then layer pieces like this: Fabric for inside of needlebook (wrong side up), card, fabric for outside of needlebook (wrong side down). Slip in a length of ribbon on each end between fabrics and card to provide the closure for the needlebook. Fuse all at once being sure all edges are even. Trim if needed.

Step Five - Trace your chosen applique motif onto fusible webbing. Cut roughly around applique shapes. Fuse to fabrics. Cut out on lines. Arrange on card front. Fuse into place.

Step Six - Cut felt to fit inside of needlebook leaving a bit of a margin. Spray felt with spray craft adhesive. Press into place on inside of needlebook.

Step Seven - Embellish front of needlebook. FRUGAL TIP - Instead of buying tags at scrapbook stores where they come in small quantities and premium prices, I buy mine in the office supply section of Wal-Mart. They are less than a dollar for 200 count.

Step Eight - Tuck in a few pins and needles into felt. Tie shut and it's ready for gift-giving.

Craft Apron from Kerri Made Blog

Crafty Tool BeltYou need:

¼ metre main fabric (you may need more if your hip measurement is over 46 inches. Just read the math section to make sure. Ditto for the accent fabric)¼ metre accent fabric1 pkg. SINGLE fold bias tape1 pkg.

DOUBLE fold bias tape

Math for Accordian Pleated Toolbelt

I’m sorry but you have to do some math. Just a little bit.Divide your hip measurement in 2. ____You need 15” to apply both pockets. So subtract 15 from your number. The number you have left is the width after pleating. ____Multiply this number by 3. ____This is the width of the material before pleating. **Remember this number, you need it later.Add the 15” back onto this and if you would like your apron to wrap around your hips a little more add 4” or so. ____
This isn’t exact, it’s just to give you an idea of the width of the apron piece you need to cut. I could get the width I needed out of 40” wide fabric. If you need to make one wider than the width of your fabric just divide the number in two and instead of cutting one long apron piece, cut two halves of your apron and sew it up the middle. Repeat this for the bottom trim as well.
Just to make sure you got the right idea. My math looked something like this:22-15=7x3=21+15+4=39 inch is the desired width of the apron piece.**if you are unsure how much width you need, cut it wider. You can always trim off some of the width after you add the pleats and before you attach the double fold bias tape trim.

Fabric cutting:

Main Fabric: Apron - 8”x desired width. Cut 1
Accent Fabric: Waistband and Ties 4.5” x width of fabric. Cut 2
Bottom Trim 2.5” x desired width. Cut 1
Pockets 6” x 5”. Cut 4
Loopholes 1.5” x 6”. Cut 1

Getting Started:Pockets X2

Place two pocket pieces right sides together and sew all the way around leaving about an inch opening on one of the long sides for turning.

Clip the corners and turn right side out. Push out the corners and turn the edges of the opening in. Press. Topstitch along the long edge that had the opening about ¼ inch in from the edge. I stitched a long, narrow rectangle because I thought it would look nicer. Set aside.

Loopholes

Run through a bias tape making tool or fold under ¼” on the long sides and press. Fold in half along the length and press. Sew along the edges. Cut into two pieces and set aside. You could just use some double fold bias tape if you like.

Waistband and Ties

Pin two of the short ends with right sides together and sew. Press seam open. Fold in half with wrong sides together along the length and press. Fold ¼” along all edges and press. Set aside.

Assemble the Tool Belt:

Attach the Bottom Trim

Lay out the apron piece and the trim piece with WRONG sides together.

Open up the single fold bias tape and pin it along the edge. Stitch in the crease closest to the edge (approx 1/4”).

Fold the bias tape down to cover the raw edges and topstitch.

*If you would like a rounded Tool Belt you can now fold the apron piece in half. Draw a curve along the corner and cut.

Accordian Pleats

Mark the center of your apron piece with a pin. Measure ½ of that measurement you were supposed to remember and mark it with a pin. Now measure 1.5” from the centre and place a pin. Pin every 2” after that out to the last pin. Work out from the centre in the other direction in the same manner. Fold the fabric so the 1.5” pin meets the centre pin, pin in place. Fold the next pin to meet the edge of the fold you just made and pin in place, continue to form all your pleats. Repeat in the other direction.
Now test fit your tool belt. If you like it continue on, if not you can add or remove pleats, or trim excess off the edges. This is the last fiddling you will ever have to do.
Baste the pleats in place.

Apply the Double Fold Bias Tape Edge

Open up the double fold bias tape and lay the apron piece wrong side up. Beginning at the top right hand corner pin the bias tape with wrong side up along the sides and bottom of the apron ending at the top left hand corner. Do not attach to the top of the apron.

Sew in the crease closest to the edge.

Flip the bias tape to the right hand side and topstitch as close to the edge as you can.

Waistband

Open up the waistband piece and lay it with right side facing the wrong side of the apron piece. Sew in the crease. Flip the waistband so wrong sides are together. Turn under the pressed edge and pin in place on the right side of the apron. Pin the ties together as well. Starting at the top corner of the tie topstitch along the edge of the tie along the apron and the other tie ending at the top corner.

Attaching Pockets and Scissor Loops
Using one pocket and one loop pin the pocket at an angle on the side of the apron. Tuck the ends of the loop under the edge of the pocket and pin.

Sew around the edge of the pocket leaving the top open. Backstitching over the loops to secure them in place. Repeat for the other pocket.
Press your pleats and smile knowing you will never go searching for your sewing stuff again.

A Selvage Purse Project from the Ric Rac Blog :)

You guys know I collect selvage of course and I have been saving up for a big project.
But after making the notebook cover for Jem I decided to make one for myself using selvages.


So I started piecing them together and I couldn't stop. I seriously ADORE how they look together so as my piece grew I decided to turn it into a bag.
It occurred to me that a predominantly white bag wouldn't last long so I decided to cover it with PVC.



I really really like it ! It is a super simple construction and I had to hand sew the handles on (that was a bit of a chore and I actually had to dig out the the thimble!)

I would love to make a big quilt out of selvages - I know , this from a person who has yet to finish the one and only quilt....but hey a girl can dream.



This bag took almost 40 strips of selvage - can you imagine how many I would need for even a little quilt- and there is almost no fabric at my place with selvage still attached.


I don't even know why I like them so much, they just appeal to me.

Sounds like an excuse to buy more fabric if ever I heard one!

Originally Posted by Jodie from Ric Rac :)

Pre-Holiday fun.. grab a cup and enjoy... a totally untrue story :)

Jasper and the Unbaked Yeast Rolls

Those of you who have/had animals will probably appreciate it more. It is a story that is hilarious in itself and the person that wrote it is a good writer and made the story even better. Enjoy...We have a fox terrier by the name of Jasper. He came to us in the summer of 2001 from the fox terrier rescue program . For those of you, who are unfamiliar with this type of adoption, imagine taking in a 10 year old child about whom you know nothing and committing to doing your best to be a good parent. Like a child, the dog came with his own idiosyncrasies. He will only sleep on the bed, on top of the covers, nuzzled as close to my face as he can get without actually performing a French kiss on me.Lest you think this i s a bad case of 'no discipline,' I should tell you that Perry and I tried every means to break him of this habit including locking him in a separate bedroom for several nights. The new door cost over $200. But I digress.Five weeks ago we began remodeling our house. Although the cost of the project is downright obnoxious, it was 20 years overdue AND it got me out of cooking Thanksgiving for family, extended family, and a lot of friends that I like more than family most of the time. I was assigned the task of preparing 124 of my famous yeast dinner rolls for the two Thanksgiving feasts we did attend.I am still cursing the electrician for getting the new oven hooked up so quickly. It was the only appliance in the whole darn house that worked, thus the assignment. I made the decision to cook the rolls on Wed evening to reheat Thurs am. Since the kitchen was freshly painted, you can imagine the odor. Not wanting the rolls to smell like Sherwin Williams #586, I put the rolls on baking sheets and set them in the living room to rise for a few hours. Perry and I decided to go out to eat, returning in about an hour. The rolls were ready to go in the oven.It was 8:30 PM. When I went to the living room to retrieve the pans, much to my shock one whole pan of 12 rolls was empty. I called out to Jasper and my worst nightmare became a reality. He literally wobbled over to me. He looked like a combination of the Pillsbury dough boy and the Michelin Tire man wrapped up in fur. He groaned when he walked. I swear even his cheeks were bloated. I ran to the phone and called our vet. After a few seconds of uproarious laughter, he told me the dog would probably be OK, however, I needed to give him Pepto Bismol every 2 hours for the rest of the night.God only knows why I thought a dog would like Pepto Bismol any more than my kids did when they were sick. Suffice it to say that by the time we went to bed the dog was black, white and pink. He was so bloated we had to lift him onto the bed for the night.We arose at 7:30 and as we always do first thing; put the dog out to relieve himself. Well, the dog was as drunk as a sailor on his first leave. He was running into walls, falling flat on his butt and most of the time when he was walking his front half was going one direction and the other half was either dragging the grass or headed 90 degrees in another direction. He couldn't lift his leg to pee, so he would just walk and pee at the same time. When he ran down the small incline in our back yard he couldn't stop himself and nearly ended up running into the fence.His pupils were dilated and he was as dizzy as a loon. I endured another few seconds of laughter from the vet (second call within 12 hours) before he explained that the yeast had fermented in his belly and that he was indeed drunk. He assured me that, not unlike most binges we humans go through, it would wear off after about 4 or 5 hours and to keep giving him Pepto Bismol.Afraid to leave him by himself in the house, Perry and I loaded him up and took him with us to my sister's house for the first Thanksgiving meal of the day. My sister lives outside of Muskogee on a ranch, (10 to 15 minute drive). Rolls firmly secured in the trunk (124 less 12) and drunk dog leaning from the back seat onto the console of the car between Perry and I, we took off. Now I know you probably don't believe that dogs burp, but believe me when I say that after eating a tray of risen unbaked yeast rolls, DOGS WILL BURP. These burps were pure Old Charter. They would have matched or beat any smell in a drunk tank at the police station. But that's not the worst of it. Now he was beginning to fart and they smelled like baked rolls. God strike me dead if I am not telling the truth! We endured this for the entire trip to Karen's, thank ful she didn't live any further away than she did.Once Jasper was firmly placed in my sister's garage with the door locked, we finally sat down to enjoy our first Thanksgiving meal of the day. The dog was the topic of conversation all morning long and everyone made trips to the garage to witness my drunken dog, each returning with a tale of Jasper's latest endeavor to walk without running into something. Of course, as the old adage goes, 'what goes in must come out' and Jasper was no exception.Granted if it had been me that had eaten 12 risen, unbaked yeast rolls, you might as well have put a concrete block up my behind, but alas a dog's digestive system is quite different from yours or mine. I discovered this was a mixed blessing when we prepared to leave Karen's house. Having discovered his 'packages' on the garage floor, we loaded him up in the car so we could hose down the floor.This was another naive decision on our part. The blast of water from the hos e hit the poop on the floor and the poop on the floor withstood the blast from the hose. It was like Portland cement beginning to set up and cure. We finally tried to remove it with a shovel. I (obviously no one else was going to offer their services) had to get on my hands and knees with a coarse brush to get the remnants off of the floor. And as if this wasn't degrading enough, the darn dog in his drunken state had walked through the poop and left paw prints all over the garage floor that had to be brushed too.Well, by this time the dog was sobering up nicely so we took him home and dropped him off before we left for our second Thanksgiving dinner at Perry's sister's house.I am happy to report that as of today (Monday) the dog is back to normal both in size and temperament. He has had a bath and is no longer tricolor. None the worse for w ear I presume. I am also happy to report that just this evening I found 2 risen unbaked yeast rolls hidden inside my closet door.It appears he must have come to his senses after eating 10 of them but decided hiding 2 of them for later would not be a bad idea. Now, I'm doing research on the computer as to: 'How to clean unbaked dough from the carpet.'And how was your day????

******If your dog does eat yeast rolls... Please consult with your Vet.. could be harmful for them!!!!!

Oh Fransson.. offered this Tutorial.. Isn't it fun???

Selvedge Quilt Blocks

My selvedge quilt project is off to a slow start. Here are two nine-inch blocks, each using 19 pieces of selvedge.

I've seen several approaches to sewing down the selvedge strips. I opted to layer them, like shingles on pieces of linen/cotton blend. (The weave is a little looser than all cotton and I thought it might be more forgiving for doing the precision stitching along the edges of the selvedge strips.)

In the course of making these squares, I've noticed that almost all of my fabric is from two or three manufacturers -- I think I could probably make an entire selvedge quilt just using Alexander Henry selvedge! Before I do any more squares, I need to sort my selvedge by manufacturer, so I can parcel it out evenly among the squares!

Sweet little apron Ornament Tutorial- Author at bottom of post

Made especially for My little kitchen tree..but I thought it would be fun to share. I know. I'm a dork.
Quick to make..great to give as gifts!
okay..let's go-

First cut your a template. Mine is about 5 inches tall. Just make it so it looks right to you. Trial and error will help you arrive at the perfect shape!

Next cut your bias strips. I'm such a cheater I just 'eyeball' them, but they should be about 1" or a little less. A rotary cutter is great for this. This is great project for practicing with bias.
If you want to use scraps and you need to connect them here is a handy way to do it.

Voila!
Attach the bias to the neckline first.

Fold over and stitch.

Here is the FUN part!
Attach your strip of bias to apron. I iron constantly and use alot of spray starch. I've found it's easier to NOT pin during this step. I do start sewing at the bottom of the apron though and sew up on either side with a very small seam allowance. Sew RIGHT SIDE OF BIAS to WRONG SIDE of apron. This will allow you to topstitch on the front which will look neater where it counts.. :)

right side..just in case you really needed to see it.

Fold, iron and pin bias strip, aligning it a bit over your seam (shown above)

Top stitch bias down..slowly and carefully.

You're almost finished!!! Simply fold over strap ends and stitch. Cross them and stitch again.
From here you can embellish the apron--add pockets, buttons, embroidery! The sky is the limit!
enjoy!
Merry Christmas!!

http://www.pumkinlittle.typepad.com/