Corners of Mom's (and Dad's) home

I was out at my Mom's today. I took my camera with me because every time I don't I wish I had it. I was there alone for about half an hour because she wasn't back from town yet-so I went around taking photos of 'stuff'. I'm thinking about making her a 'corners of my home' book. So when she got home-naturally I lied (must be going back to my days of youth)-when she asked me why I had my camera. I say-Oh, I thought I might take some pictures later today. And when I left I said-Well, I guess I didn't get any pictures taken. Oh, well.

So this evening when I thought I'd put some photos on the blog I thought I'd better give her a call and ask her if she minded. So I confessed that I had taken pics before she got home and-can I put some on the blog? She says-Oh yeah, I guess. What did you take pictures of? And I say-Oh, just stuff. So, she didn't really ask questions and I guess it doesn't really matter if she suspects that I'll be making her a book.

Are you still with me???

Anyhow-I just wanted to say-Local friends, I don't take my camera in your home and secretly take pictures of your stuff. I promise. Wink wink. No really-I promise!☺

30 Days of Beauty-28

Oh-hello there. I'm just here at home hanging with some of my peeps today.
I think they're just the cutest things since....I don't know what.

Funnily enough-I love to look at peeps, but I don't like to eat 'em. Yep-tried one this morning. Nope-still don't like 'em. That's okay though. Sugar is not something I need more of in my diet!

Have a great day-my other peeps!

30 Days of Beauty-27

Saturday's
sunshine
streaming in my home.

How lovely!

Color inspiration

::hook and loom
::macintosh apple
::little blue pitcher
::watermelon pottery
::orange marmalade
::wrapping paper

I was trying to think of which color combos would look the best for my little potholders. So I just sat there on my dining room floor, looked around and inspiration was everywhere.☺

I think I'll give these out as little gifts at Easter time.

Except the black and white ones. They're going to a bride-to-be along with some money. Her colors are-well-black and white.☻&☺

Happy Friday to ya!

Adelaide's pillowcase dress

Yesterday, I worked Adelaide's pillowcase dress from Handmade Home. Why did I not know about these when my child was little??? These dresses are sweeter than a five pound bag of sugar!

I have a thrifted purple pillowcase just exactly like this yellow one (except-well-it's purple!). I specifically set it aside so I would know where it was for this project just a few short days ago. Guess what-I can't find it. So I went with the yellow. That's okay-I like yellow.

I had a good bit of trouble sewing on the bias tape (to cover up the raw edges). I cannot for the life of me sew on narrow seam binding. And the zig zag stitch and I do not get along. I think I screw up the settings on my machine and ...... what a mess. Rip, rip, repeat.☺

Sooooo-I ended up making my own w i d e r bias tape from left over pillowcase and used that. I used the narrow bias tape to make the ties. (Dang-I can't sew a straight line to save my life. I do much better when stitches are hidden.)

So anyhow, it's done. I'll probably keep it out for a while so I can look at it's sweetness. Then maybe I'll put it away for future a granddaughter or grandniece. Hehe!

***On a related side note-my daughter will be wearing a dress soon for the first time in 15 years. Yes-that's right-no dresses on that girl since the age of three. Yep-it's soon PROM TIME.

Don't worry-I'm sure there will be photos to document this momentous occasion!

The power of suggestion

I don't know about you-but sometimes I see things on other blogs and it makes me want them. Mostly it's food and books.

In this case, it's food.

I was reading this post from Beauty That Moves. She mentions she made this Six Minute Cake from a Moosewood Cookbook. So I googled it and I think this is the cake she was talking about. Scroll down a little-it's called Vegan Chocolate Cake. No eggs, no dairy, you can mix it in your baking dish!

So I made it this morning in my pretty little pink Pyrex. (I didn't make the glaze-too lazy!) I love pink and brown/black together!
It's a tasty, chocolatey, soft but crumbly, little cake.

And now I must go-it's nap time! Darn those carbs.☺

30 Days of Beauty-26

Rainbow loopers.
Rainbow scraps.
Rainbow potholders!

What do you do when you realize you don't have a thrifted purple shirt and you need one to complete your rainbow? You raid your own closet, of course. That shirt looked dumb on me anyhow!
And I wanted to say happy birthday to my hilarious cousin Michelle (aka-Melsie). Happy Birthday! (And doesn't her card tie in wonderfully with this post???)

100% recycled t-shirt potholder rug

I finally finished up my recycled t-shirt potholder rug that I started last August. You can see when I started here and here and here.

So by my calculations-about 10 red t-shirts, 630 loopers, 35 potholders and 1 callus make a new rug for in front of my kitchen sink.

I stitched the potholders together with thin strips of t-shirt and a large needle. I hope it will stand up to washing-it will need it quite often.

I think it turned out great!☺

30 Days of Beauty-24, 25

I was outside knocking down last year's bee's/wasp's nest and I looked closely at them and thought to myself how amazing and yes-beautiful-these little intricate works of art are!

Bees, you are annoying and painful at times-but you do beautiful work!

Ahhhh-this 'stuff' is beautiful to my eye!

What's not to love? Books, buttons, crayons, paint brushes, pine cones, candles, crocks, glass jars, toys, coasters, and doilies. I say there's nuthin' not to love!

30 Days of Beauty-20, 21, 22, 23

I took the camera out this afternoon-looking for some beauty near my home. I think I'll name my photos just for the fun of it.

I call this one 'pond'. Obviously.

This photo's called 'yellow flower'. Naturally.
Not surprisingly, this photo is called 'fern'.
I think I'll name this one 'weathered cattails'. Original-I know.

Spring is in the air, and beauty's everywhere!

Hey-I'm a poet and didn't know it.☺

Bed of flowers

Yesterday I found this springy full size fitted sheet at Goodwill-it was on the 1/2 price rack for a $1.50. I was really tickled because I love this print and it was full size (rarely do I find nice full size fitted sheets) and bonus-it's not worn or thin. Score!All of these sheets and pillowcases are from Goodwill. Dawnie actually gave me the blue shams (they're Tommy Hilfiger-ooh la la). But I know she got them at Goodwill. I think she intended for me to use them for the material. But they are in perfect shape and I love them. I'm not cutting those babies up!

I washed my bedding last night and I slept sooooooo good. Do you sleep better after you wash your bedding???

Portrait bookmark

Last night I made the portrait bookmark from Handmade Home. The idea being that you have your child draw a portrait of someone, then you embroider it and make a 'portrait' bookmark.

I looked around me and.......no children here at the moment-so I drew (traced) the portrait. I printed out a silhouette of a lab (somehow this lab has lamb-like qualities) and traced it then embroidered it. I'm giving it to my niece. That's why it says Bear. And that's why it's a lab. She has a lab named Bear. You understand!
Here's the back.
Now I'm off to clean a friend's house. I'm drinking some mocha cocoa (add a teaspoon of instant coffee to some hot cocoa) for some much needed caffeine and sugar! Got the idea from somewhere at Life in a Shoe.

30 days of beauty-17, 18, 19

Top o' the morning afternoon to ya! I'm going with a green theme today. Here's a patch o' green moss for ya!Hubby's gator trail. Pine with baby cones. Cute!And thrown in for good measure and because it's green-one of my thrifting finds from today. It looks hand painted!

You have a great St. Patty's Day now, ya hear?

30 Days of Beauty-16

Spools of thread (especially the wooden ones) are a thing of beauty.

In my opinion anyhow!

I'm getting behind with my 30 Days of Beauty-I better keep looking.☺

30 Days of Beauty-15

I bought this yoyo runner at an antique shop (it's not an antique, but the owner did hand make it) a couple years ago. It's 8 yoyos by 22 yoyos-so that's 176 yoyos for 20 dollars. Yoyos are not easy or quick to make-so paying 20 dollars was well worth it.

It's a beautiful thing!

Birthday boy

It's hard to believe that my favorite nephew (my only nephew) turns 16 today.

When he was born-he was quite scrawny with stick legs and a big head! (I say this with lots o' love!)
He's scrawny no more. He towers over all of us now!
(Patrick and his mommy)

If you live in the eastern part of the U.S.-you may want to practice your defensive driving skills-he'll be on the road soon, I'm sure. (Oh, I'm kidding-I'm sure he'll be a wonderful driver like his Aunt Holly!)
Happy birthday, Patty! (I love to call him Patty!) We love you.

Taco dip

Now, I know this looks like cheese and lettuce-but it's taco dip-I promise. And it's good-I promise.

I had a request from my nephew to make this for his 16th birthday party, and when I get a request I try to oblige.

So, I'm thinking this is a pretty common recipe, but I thought I'd share, just in case.

Taco dip

(The below recipe is for a single batch-use a pie plate or something similar in size.)

(The above photo is a double batch-I used a 9x13 dish.)

1-8 oz brick of cream cheese, softened

1-8 oz bottle of taco sauce (hot, medium, mild, whatever you like)

Mix these two ingredients together with a mixer until smooth. Spread in pie plate.

Here's what I like to top it with (but ,really, you can use anything you like):

tomatoes, diced

bell pepper, diced

onion, diced

lettuce, shredded

shredded cheddar cheese

Serve with tortilla chips.

Enjoy, now, ya hear!!!!!

I made a desk

Kind of. Sort of. (And please don't make fun of it!) It's kind of a mish mash of different things that came from needing a desk after our particle board eyesore of a desk fell apart as I was trying to drag it outside to paint it.

It started with a free curbside find-a little table/desk. But it was actually too short to use as a desk. So I asked hubby if he would help me change out the legs. I had brought home some spindles from when my mom and dad tore down their old deck-so we used those after I spray primed and painted them and the desk top green. (I also took sandpaper to it and wiped it down with brown craft paint on a damp cloth.)

But guess what-the darn thing was too tall then-so I took the hacksaw to the legs and cut them down two inches. That was fun!!! Not!!!

Then I wanted to skirt it to hide the tower and the millions of cords underneath. Those things are so ugly! I tried several different ways and different fabrics to do this (they didn't look right at all). I finally settled on using this cutter quilt tacked along the inside. I thought the quilt against the floor looked weird so I stitched this cotton lace (saved from old curtains) along the bottom.

Whewwww!!!!! This whole process was a long and hard one-but I do think it actually looks better than my old particle board desk!