Recital Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Recital Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

This dress is so cute!

Purses

When I was college, some friends of our starting making purses out of placemats and selling them. I thought it was a neat idea, and I happen to have two of them so I thought I would check it out to do for some Christmas presents. Thankfully, I didn't even have to take one apart. I just turned it inside out:) I got my placemats from Pier 1. They were on sale for $1.80. How awesome is that? Pier 1 has the coolest placemats ever. Plus, I like the way they smell. They carry that Pier 1 scent for a while. So anyways, I made two of them. I thought they turned out well for my first attempt at this sort of thing. Especially since I am not a very straight sewer.



Again, I apologize for the terrible lighting. I should start taking these pictures during the day so my pictures are brighter. I liked that this one had this neat border on. It worked perfectly. The handles are navy blue, but you can't tell that because this picture is so stinking dark!



I really like this one. I should have zoomed in on the top. It has a beaded fringe that looks really neat. Plus, I really like the deal that I got on this one. Before it was on sale for $1.80, it cost $8! Ha!

In other news, I taught Pnut a new trick.



That is a Smartie stuck to her tongue. She is still mastering how to stick it on the very tip, but that is pretty good for her first attempt. Isn't she lovely ladies and gentleman?



And what post would be complete without a picture of this nut? I guess I am just impressed that she doesn't eat the bubbles like she does everything else!

I have almost completed an Abraham Owl from Lolly. Here is her tutorial on Abraham. Isn't he cute?! Unfortunately, mine doesn't look that good. Mine is a little chubbier. Less sleek. I have to work on sewing in circles too. I will put a picture of him up when I am finished. I'll talk about my stuffing then too!

Hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving holiday. Remember, we have so much to be thankful for! Even if you don't live in the US, I am sure that there is plenty for you to appreciate!

Blessings,
Shawna

Pilly's Baby Doll Quilt, First Night and some other updates

This is how far I have gotten with Pilly's baby doll quilt:



I am pleased since I started it tonight. Since the blocks are so small, it is going really quick. Cutting them out definitely takes the longest. I got a quilter's block tonight at JoAnn's so that really helped. I have realized that I really need to work on my straightness: Both of my cutting and my sewing. Not good! Of course, it shows up pretty well in this quilt. But Pilly won't care. I had to stop because I need to iron the seams, and since I decided that I shouldn't iron on my cutting board, I am stopping for this evening.

I think that I may have a problem....I really like to buy fabric. A lot. It makes me so excited! The poor little girls were very patient as we walked around JoAnn's for a long time!

Pnut update: She is gradually getting better. Yesterday was a little bit scary. I have never seen her act like she is with this illness. She was just so lethargic. She basically laid on the couch the whole day without moving, not even turning over. She wouldn't talk, just shook her head yes or no. Today, she was talking some and was interested in things. She was excited to watch Tigger and Pooh, and she was able to move around on the couch. Her fever was gone and she didn't vomit today. I took her to JoAnn's with me because she seemed to be doing better, and I think that she overdid it. Not by her choice, of course. After we came back, her fever came back. I am not sure if I just pushed her too hard. But it was only 100.8. Yesterday it was above 102. I hate to see her sick, especially since I can't give her stuff like with a cold or sore throat to help her feel better. I could just cry. I just want to sit and hold her. And poor Pilly doesn't know what to do. She doesn't understand why her sissy won't get up and play with her.

Joel and his brother and my sister's husband and a friend worked on our house today. They got a lot done. At least that is what they tell me. I am sure they did, I just haven't seen it. Is it weird that I have only been to our house two times? I kind of think it is. But we have one week left until we move. I really need to get on the ball with the packing. I packed some clothes last night. There isn't a lot of room to put boxes. I am excited with how much stuff I have gotten rid of so far and would like to continue that trend! Tomorrow, Joel and his brother are going to Baltimore to a discount building place to try to find some things we need. Like a back door. And a stove. I hope that they can since we have a very limited budget!

I hope that everyone is enjoying this Thanksgiving holiday. This is my favorite holiday! We have so much to be thankful for!!!

How To Get A New Outfit

We were at WalMart picking up some stuff for our house, including some paint! Pnut hadn't been feeling well earlier today, but she was better after Joel got home so we went out. While we were at WalMart, she laid down in the cart and stayed there almost the whole time. When we were in the curtain aisle, Joel asked her if she wanted him to hold her. As he was reaching for her, she threw up all over her coat and her shirt and pants. It was terrible. Joel got her out of the cart and she threw up some more in the aisle. We had to strip her and try to wash her hair out in the bathroom sink a little. I carried her just in her diaper across WalMart and put a brand new outfit on her. She, of course, couldn't put her coat back on and it is a cold night! Poor little girl. She got sick last year right after Christmas too. There is just something about holidays!

Banana Bread

I can't believe I haven't already put this on here. We love this stuff! I guess we have been eating all of our bananas for a while and not letting them get bad. This is the moistest banana bread recipe I have ever tried.



3-4 overripe bananas
1 egg
1/3 c soft butter
1 c sugar
1.5 c flour
1 t baking soda
1 t vanilla

1. Mash bananas until very pasty.
2. Add all other ingredients and mix well.
3. Pour into greased loaf pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes (depending on your oven) until toothpick comes out clean.

I will be having a piece of this as a very cute little 10-month-old ate MY bowl of cream cheese potato soup that I had gotten out of the freezer for my lunch. Of course, it was the last of the soup. She ate the whole thing. It's good too! I really like how pretty this bread turns out. It would be a good gift to give to someone.

House!

We bought a house today! The next two weeks until we move are going to be crazy! I have a lot of packing to do. Hopefully, I will be able to continue with my Christmas projects. I am enjoying making them so much!

Bagel Chips

I cannot take credit for these. They are my husband's doing. And they are delicious! I was a little skeptical of how they would turn out, but they are really great!

He brought home some bagels and sliced them into small pieces. Then he sprayed a baking sheet well with cooking spray and spread out the chips. He brushed olive oil over them with a marinating brush and put on garlic salt and sea salt. Our olive oil happened to also be garlic infused olive oil. In case I haven't said this before, we really like garlic. He then put them in a 275 degree oven for 20 minutes. The thicker your slices, the chewier they will be. We like them crispier.

These would be good with this tomato soup.

11 Handkerchiefs

I made 11 handkerchiefs tonight. When I got done on handkerchief #10, I thought, hmm, it would be so much easier if I just ironed all four sides and then sewed it all in one fell swoop. It was so easy. Of course, it was the last one. It only makes sense. But I am progressing with getting my zig-zag stitch a little better!

I am not sure that I should be ironing on my cutting board. I noticed that whenever I iron on top of it, it gets a little grainy on top like there is sand on it.

Last night, I took the night off. I read and then watched The Office and 30 Rock. I do have certain TV addictions.:)

Downtown Holiday Jacket and Pant GIVEAWAY!!!!

Downtown Holiday Jacket and Pant GIVEAWAY!!!!

Check this out! It is too cute!

Pay It Forward

Yesterday, Janelle from threadsoffriendship.blogspot.com did pay it forward, and I was one of the people who signed up first! Now its my turn to do it here!

So, how does this work? Well, for the first 3 people who will post a comment to this post, I will make you a lovely handmade gift each. But, you have to have a blog yourself, and be willing to pass the 'Pay It Forward' concept on. So you will then have to put it on your blog and make three gifts for other people. Let's spread some happiness and have some fun! So the rules state that I have 365 days (ample time!) to make a gift in. I'm more than happy to send something internationally - so everyone can be involved!!

What better way for everyone to join hands around the globe and share our crafty goodness!!!

So, who wants me to make them something - then you go and get to pass it on?

PS

Check back tomorrow for something exciting!

Handkerchiefs and beautiful children

I had to take a break from the rag dolls because I need to put their faces on before I sew the bodies together. I need to get some fabric paint to do this. I tried something fun tonight that I have been waiting to do. I made the handkerchiefs that Grosgrain did a tutorial for. I would put a link, but I don't know how to do that. This is the first time I have ever used a zig-zag stitch. It was fun! The trick is to not watch the needle! I had to concentrate on just keeping the fabric straight going under the presser foot.

A few tips:
1. Use a stiffer fabric. All of my fabrics were cotton, but some of them were a little stiffer than others. The not stiff ones bunched up a little under the zig-zag stitch.
2. It would be best to use a darker fabric. Even though the stitches are in a contrasting color, the not straightness of my hem was much more noticeable on the fabrics with the white backgrounds!
3. Backstitching is hard with the zig-zag. It can bunch up your material and make it get caught in your machine. Be careful!

Here are my three hankies that I made tonight:


Mine are 8 x 8. She calls for 12 x 12, but because I was not thinking, I told the lady I needed a quarter of a yard. Aren't they cute little fabrics?!

In other news, I have cute children. I am not sure if you noticed this from all of the pictures that from all of the pictures that I put on here so I am just letting you know. They are the best!



That little Pilly. Don't you just want to maul her and kiss those cute chubby cheeks right off of her face! I know I do. I would probably get a lot more done during the day if I didn't spend so much time cuddling this baby. She turned 10 months old Monday. I have to savor this babyness while I can!



Isn't this little Pnut beautiful?! She has such delicate little features. And such a fun personality! Well, you don't know that, but she does. She doesn't let me kiss her all the time like Pillster so I treasure the love that I can get from her:)

Also, I think that I would get a lot more work done if all of you people would stop having such awesome blogs. They distract me when I am supposed to be typing. One of the hazards of working from home I guess. I certainly don't want you to stop having your great blogs!

Simplify Giveaway

http://camilleroskelley.typepad.com/simplify/

She is giving away a quilt. You get to pick the pattern. So cute!

Arms and Legs

So all the arms and legs are stuffed now. Now comes the hard part. I haven't quite figured out the instructions yet so...hopefully they turn out alright. Joel said that he hopes the girls don't end up with finger warmers:)

What I Have Had to Resort to

To keep her from waking up her sister from nap, I have to put the gate across the hallway now. This is ridiculous. If I don't have it there, she crawls back the hall with frequent checks to see if I am looking. If I tell her no, she smiles and crawls a little faster. If I get up to get her, she makes a last burst to get to the door and at least smack it with her hand before I get to her. So now since she cannot get back the hall, she is standing at the gate yelling. Maybe that will wake Pnut up. Next, look for a picture of a baby with duct tape across her mouth:)

I think I may have been more firm with Pnut when she was little.

Doll Progress

This is where we stand now. I have two arms and two legs sewn, and the two arms are stuffed. It is hard to stuff those things! They are tiny, and doll stuffing doesn't really just roll right up and slide in. But it is progress, and I have hope again for these dolls! They will be fun if they turn out right:)

Pnut comes home today!

We are very excited because we are going to get Pnut today! She spent the weekend with her Auntie Randa and Uncle Eric and cousins, and we are sure she had lots of fun. However, she was greatly missed here! I didn't have my little helper, Pilly had no one to play with, and it was really quiet.



Pilly had to find things to do to entertain herself so she thought that taking every single food item out of this cupboard was a good idea. Every time I took her into the living room she just came right back out so I eventually gave up.



This was cute! Pnut had actually done this earlier in the day, and Pilly tried to get in the box with her, but it was too small. So that evening she emptied it and got in by herself! We aren't sure how she got in without falling in on her head. What a silly girl!

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

8 oz spaghetti
1 can cream of broccoli soup
1/2 c sour cream
1/4 c milk
1/3 grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 c frozen broccoli, thawed
2 c chopped cooked chicken

1. Preheat oven to 350. Cook spaghetti as directed on package, drain.
2. Mix soup, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, and pepper in 2-quart casserole dish. Add spaghetti, broccoli, and chicken, mix lightly.
3. Bake uncovered 25-30 minutes or until heated through.

I made this the other night for Carolyn and me. It was so good! We were having a special dinner that I wouldn't normally get to it since it had broccoli (horror of horrors) mixed in with it. We both thought it was really good! Pilly liked it as well. I tweaked the original recipe some, it called for turkey (disgusting) and more sour cream. It is not very much work, and turns out really nice!

A Snag

I have run into a little snag with my Christmas present making. I started sewing the girls dolls together tonight. I cut them out of linen. I sewed the arms and legs together, and then I started flipping them right-side out. I am not sure if I trimmed too close to the where I had sewn it together, or if it is just the linen material, but they just ripped right apart. Does anyone have any advice? I will talk to my mom tomorrow and get her opinion too. I am disappointed because I hoped to make some real progress on those tonight.

In other news, Pnut is going with my sister to stay for the weekend. She is leaving tomorrow right before nap time. I am not sure what I am going to do. Or what Pilly is going to do. The only time she has been away is when we had Pilly, and we were rather busy at the hospital so it wasn't a big deal. Oh boy. I am going to miss that girl!

Last Tutu

I did Laine's tutu tonight, and it is really cute. Poor Pilly has the plainest one. Pnut and Laine have two-tone tutus. I thought Pilly's was going to be like that too, but I guess there wasn't enough contrast between the two shades of purple. I took two shots of it, one without the flash because I was trying to show the richness of the dark green. I don't think the pictures do it justice. It is really cute.





As I said before, I am willing to make them for anyone who wants one. I think I would charge about $15 per tutu. That should cover materials and time. I would need the measurement for the waist. They should fit for a while since the waist is very elastic. We saw tutus at Target this past Saturday, and they were $16 and weren't nearly as full or cute.

Cream Cheese Potato Soup

I forgot to take a picture after it was done so this is a beautiful leftover container. :)

This stuff is awesome! I love potato soup, and my sister dropped by Monday and said her work was serving this that day so I had to try to find a recipe for it! I added corn to the original recipe and didn't use the red pepper or onion because I didn't have them. It was still great! I also cut the recipe in half, and there was still plenty.

4 cups of chicken broth
4 cups of potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup onion, minced
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cut into chunks.

1. Combine broth, potatoes, onion, and spices.
2. Boil on medium heat until potatoes are tender.
3. Smash a few of the potatoes to release their starch for thickening.
4. Reduce to low heat.
5. Add cream cheese.
6. Heat, stirring frequently, until cheese melts.

My mom said she would have liked it better without the corn, but I really like the corn in there. I also think bacon would be good in it.

Fabric Fun!

I finally got to go get my fabric for my Christmas gifts this past week. My dear friend Carolyn went along to help me pick it all out, which was good because otherwise I would have been there for hours!


This is fabric for handkerchiefs. The one on the end, the reddish one, didn't show up very well. That is my favorite one. Our lighting isn't very good in here.


This is the fabric for Pnut's baby doll quilt. The striped fabric is sparkly. She really likes it.


This is for Pilly's quilt. It is really bright, but she is a sunny little baby!

GrosgrainStore.com Grand Opening & Giftcard Giveaway!!!!!!!!

GrosgrainStore.com Grand Opening & Giftcard Giveaway!!!!!!!!

And you should check out the store at http://www.grosgrainstore.com/

More about tutus

I finished Pilly's tutu last night so I thought I would put up some more pictures!

This is a bad shot of the waist band. I sewed it twice to make it extra secure. Sorry my pictures are not that great. Joel is the photographer...not me!


Here is Pilly in hers. I was a little disappointed with the purple. I picked two different shades and hoped that it would show up better. I think it just looks purple. I guess there wasn't enough difference between the two. Joel, in his manness, thinks the two tutus look the same.


Here are the girls together. Pnut really wanted to wear hers again. I was hesitant because it is hard to get her to take it off. They are "laughing" I was informed by Pnut. To me it sounded like squealing and screaming!


Just one more picture because I think thse are the cutest kids ever! P.S. Do you like the naked baby in the background? All of the baby dolls in our house are chronically naked.

Tutus

I made this tutu last night as part of Pnut's Christmas presents. She is wearing it just for the picture and then it will be a surprise again at Christmas! It was super simple. It took me about an hour to do everything...cut it out and tie the pieces on. Pilly is going to get a purple one. I think my niece is going to get one as well. I think they are lots of fun! If anyone is interested in having me make one, let me know!

Chocolate Milk

Pnut got chocolate milk from her dad this morning. She loves chocolate milk. He puts like 1/4 cup of chocolate syrup in, no wonder she likes it. For some reason, she let Pilly have her cup. There was at least a quarter cup of milk left. Pilly sucked it down! She has never had milk or chocolate before. I was waiting until she was 1. Throw that plan out the window.



Pnut said, "I need a different drink now." I guess she didn't really expect Pilly to drink it all!

Mini Meatloaves

1 lb ground beef
1 pkg stuffing mix (or bread crumbs soaked and drained in milk)
1 c water (unless using milk bread crumbs...then don't add water)
1 t garlic powder
3/4 c bbq sauce
3/4 c shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix meat, stuffing, water, and garlic until well blended. Press evenly into 12 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray. Make an indentation in each with the back of a spoon.
2. Spoon in bbq sauce evenly.
3. Bake 30 min or until meat loaves are cooked through. Top evenly with cheese, continue baking until cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

I cut the recipe in half because we don't need 12 meatloaves. Joel and I each eat 2 usually. We do the milk-bread crumb thing, I think Joel learned that on Food Network. The bbq sauce is a nice change from the usual spaghetti sauce. I made the biscuits from a recipe on www.ThePioneerWoman.com. It was something like No Knead Dinner Rolls. However, because I am a chronic yeast killer, mine didn't turn out so well...kind of heavy! I recommend lining the muffin tin with aluminum foil if it will go in nicely because cleaning up the muffin tins can be a little challenging.

Picture update

Pilly had her hair in a ponytail for the first time tonight!


Pnut will take pictures for her dad!


My handsome husband and the two girls who think he is the best!


A picture with me looking pretty strange!


There is a baby under there!


There she is.


What a cutie!!

Impossibly Easy Mac and Cheese Pie

This is a popular and super easy supper at our house. Even Pnut ate it and asked for seconds tonight. She saw me putting the cheese in so I think that helped!

1 c uncooked elbow mac
2 c shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 c Bisquick
1.5 c milk
2 eggs

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 9 inch pan and put in macaroni. Cover with 1.75 c cheese.
2. In medium bowl, stir remaining ingredients except for 1/4 c cheese. Pour into dish.
3. Spray sheet of foil with cooking spray. Cover pan with sprayed side down. Bake 20 minutes. Uncover and bake 5 to 10 more minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

The bottom comes out a little bit hard...not what we expected the first time we ate it, but it is good. There is so much wonderful cheese in it! I forgot to take a picture before we ate!

Cute bag giveaway!!

Threads of Friendship is giving away a really cute bag...and you even get to pick the fabric!

http://threadsoffriendship.blogspot.com/