Brownies and my wall

What the heck is this? It's a precisely measured out school paper to fit in my 9x13 pan so I can make... brownies with a powdered sugar heart on each serving. That's all.

My sister came over and did this for me. Thanks Jessi. I still need to fill the frames with pictures but it looks so much better like this than it did before it was all up. I love it.

Missing out

So, I'm either gather from our long posting strike that we either don't craft during the summer cause it's too hot, or we don't have time to blog cause we have all the kids home. Take your pick. We'll be back up and running really soon.

You "crayon" do it!

For my kids' school teachers gifts this year, I got my idea here. So cute and easy. It took about a 24 pack of crayons for each letter. I printed out 2 copies of the letter and teacher's name on the paper. Then, I started cutting crayons to fit the shape on one of the papers. (This first paper will get crayon shavings all over it and not be used for the finished project) If you are so amazing, you could probably just glue them right on, but I wanted to make sure they'd all fit and look good first.

Sometimes the paper would rip and I'd just glue it back on.
Then I put the other printed paper (with a very light colored letter) inside the frame. You can get a cheap 8x10 frame at the dollar store or Walmart. Next, hot glue the crayons right onto the glass.

And Ta-Da!

Voila!

Jammin' in the Kitchen

1 hour start to finish for 8 1/2 pints of blueberry jam.

Almost 3 hours start to finish for 6 pints of orange marmalade.

I have made jams lots of times. It has gotten quick and easy. This was my first try with marmalade. I think it will be my last. It was a big sticky mess and lots of hot stirring, not my favorite. It does taste good however.

Twirly Skirt

We got the cute princess top at the Salvation Army for $1.25, but we needed a princess skirt to go with it. This is what I came up with.

The top section is 1.5 times the size of her waist and 5 inches long.

The lower section is 4 times the width of the top section and 12 inches long. I gathered it and sewed it to the top section.

The ruffle on the bottom is 2 inches by 2 times the width of the bottom section. I gathered it in the middle and sewed it with the bottom edge of the ruffle even with the bottom edge of the bottom section. I didn't hem it because it is knit and will not fray.

Then I folded over the top of the skirt and sewed it to make a casing for the elastic. Measured and cut the elastic to fit her waist, put it in and sewed the ends together. Super Easy! I made it in about 45 minutes. You could make this skirt to fit any size by just adjusting the length of the layers.

Knitting 101

Using this tutorial, I have learned to knit. Of course, I am still definitely a beginner, but it is so much fun. It was easy to learn the basics of knitting with her tutorials. My 10 year old daughter has learned also and loves it. Now when I need a lazy escape with a movie, I have another way to still be productive with my hands.

My kids love to wear beanies, not that we need warm hats much in the desert, so they think I am super cool now that I can make them hats by request. I hope to keep learning more about knitting and learn to make more wonderful things!

Deadly Upholstery

First you start out with a really stained dining room chair seat, get the fabric you want to cover it with, borrow someone else's staple gun, use it incorrectly and....

staple yourself in the leg, THROUGH your jeans, take a few pictures... finish your project and pat yourself on the back cause you are very pleased with the end result, minus the two holes in your leg.

There's nothin like putting sweat and blood into your work, right? Well, Jessi was helping me re-upholster my dining room chair. Thanks for the help and memories Jessi!