Friday's Fabulous Finds...

I spy with my Etsy eye something...

cool blue

Clockwise, starting top left:

Vintage 1930 Dresser

Felted Slippers

Fine Art Print

"Eat" Sign

Family Rules Plaque

Have a wonderful weekend!

Friday's Fabulous Finds...

I spy with my Etsy eye something...

timely

Clockwise, starting top left:

2011 Letterpress 8x10 Calendar

2011 Pocket Planner

2011 Perplexed Birdies Illustrated Calendar 

Mid-Century Modern 2011 Wall Calendar

Large 2011 Town Calendar

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Kindle Case...

I must not have pouted, cried or shouted much last year because Santa brought me a myriad of wonderful presents for Christmas, and there was not one piece of coal (figurative or otherwise) in the bunch. {Thank you Santa!} One of the gifts I received was a Kindle reader. I've already downloaded a number of books to it, so I have a ready supply for my trip. Yesterday I decided to whip up a Kindle case to keep it protected...

When I design a new pattern, occasionally I am able to hit the nail right on the head the first time and create exactly what I have in mind, but most times I have to tweak the pattern once or twice before I get it "just right."

I'm not sure this pattern is exactly where I want it to be, but there are plenty of things I really like about it -- like those 4 little pleats and three cute coconut buttons...

The case if fully lined, and I applied fusible fleece to the outside fabric and lining for extra padding and protection. Also, I love the chocolate, turquoise and lime colored flowery fabric that contrasts with the earthy tones in the muslin. This fabric is the dream child of Alisha Place Frost from her collection entitled "Flourish."

I'm a little unsettled with the dimensions of the fabric strips, but I'm usually critical of a project right after I've finished it. I often need to step away from it for a time, and then come back to it when I'm refreshed. For the time being though, I think this is something I can live with ... ;o)

Enjoy your day!

Linked to:
Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest
Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous
Show Off Your Stuff Party @ Fireflies & Jellybeans
Hookin' Up with House of Hepworths
Show & Tell @ Blue Cricket Design
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage
Strut Your Stuff @ Somewhat Simple
Get Your Craft on Thursday @ Life as Lori

Strut Your Stuff @ Saturday Mornings
Cheap Thrills Thursday @ Black Kat's Design

Baby Burpies {the easy way}

I was perusing down my lists of blogs the other day when I hopped, skipped and jumped to a tutorial at "See Kate Sew." The post explained how Kate took an ordinary cloth diaper and made it into a not-so-ordinary baby burpie. I loved her uncomplicated approach to making a cute burp cloth for a little one!
 

Later this week I'm catching a plane to my new little granddaughter's house. As much as I loved the burpies I made in November, I knew the burpies at "See Kate Sew" were a cute, practical alternative to the more fancy-smancy ones I made previously, so I decided to make a few of the simpler version. Can a baby have too many burpies? I think not. I added a little ric rac to mine, but otherwise used her tutorial. Check out Kate's tutorial at "See Kate Sew" for general directions and a look at her adorable versions!

Supplies needed:

1 Pre-folded cloth diaper

1 piece of contrasting fabric about 6" x 20" **

Ric Rac (optional)

Thread

(**Make sure the length of your contrasting fabric is 2" longer 

than the length of the pre-folded diaper.)

I added ric rac to the burpies I made, so here are a few more tips if you'd like that addition. Press under 1/2" on the long sides of the contrasting fabric...

Then open up where you pressed the fold in your fabric and place your ric rac (I used "jumbo" ric rac) so the folded crease sits to the left of the dip in your ric rac...

Here's another picture illustrating where to place the ric rac. The solid black line shows where the pressed fold in the fabric is situated. (Remember the folded hem is opened up and laying flat at this time.) Note the dip in the ric rac is just to the right of the fold. The dotted line shows where to sew...

The old adage "you learn something new every day" is definitely true in the blogging world. The other day I found a tutorial at "TaDa! Creations" on how to apply ric-rac to a hem of a shirt. It came into my life just in time for this project! Go here for the tutorial!

When you have sewn the ric rac to the seam, repress the fabric along the fold once again. Your contrasting fabric will look like this on the right side of the fabric, and...

and it will look like this on the underside of the fabric.

Center and pin your contrasting fabric strip in the middle of the diaper. You'll have an overhang of about 1" on each end of the diaper.

Sew the strip of fabric to the diaper about 1/8" from the edge, like this:

It's beginning to look a lot more like a burpie now. Just a few more finishing touches...

When you turn the burpie over you'll easily see the overhanging fabric. Take your scissors and trim the extra fabric along the edge of the diaper.  These diapers are not perfectly rectangular. If that bothers you, try to remember the purpose of a burp cloth and that should help put your mind at rest.  ;o)

Then zig-zag along the short edge of the burpie making sure you catch the contrasting fabric in the zig and zag!

 That's all there is to it!

I love this cute version of the burpie!

It's so easy to make, because most of the work is already done for you!

Linked to:
Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous
Show Off Your Stuff Party @ Fireflies & Jellybeans
Hookin' Up with House of Hepworths
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage
Strut Your Stuff @ Somewhat Simple
Get Your Craft on Thursday @ Life as Lori
Strut Your Stuff @ Saturday Mornings
Show & Tell @ Blue Cricket Design
Get Your Craft On @ Today's Creative Blog
Mad Skills Monday @ Support Blog for Moms of Boys!
Cheap Thrills Thursday @ Black Kat's Design

Friday's Fabulous Finds...

I spy with my Etsy eye something

wild & wonderful...

Clockwise, starting top left:

Little Red & the Big Bad Wolf Dog Leash

Red Hares Screen Print

Laptop Sleeve

Woodland Squirrel Clutch

"Cold"

"Bears Love Flannel Shirts" Print

Wishing you a happy & safe New Year's Celebration!

January's Plaque Attack is here...

Welcome to the Plaque Attack Club! 

January is a month filled with freezing weather, winter activities, and cozy evenings next to a fire. The wording on January's plaque reflects those events! Whether you plan on making the plaque in the next few days or later in the month, please request it now. On January 6th I will be wending my way to my new little granddaughter's home to spend a week with her and her parents, so I will be unavailable to send the plaque wording to you during that time! (Any email requests received for the plaque wording between January 6th - 14th, will be emailed by January 17th.)

Some of you have requested to be put on the email list to receive the plaque wording monthly. In actuality there is no "list." You'll need to check back every month and request the new plaque to receive the document. A number of ladies have sent me photos of their plaques or a link to a post after creating them. Nothing makes me happier than to see your wonderful and unique creations! It's fabulous to see the different spin people put on the same basic idea. Please feel free to share your creations!

 

If you would like to make this plaque just email me requesting the Word document. (If you are requesting more than one month, please make sure you specify the month(s).) My email address is at the top of my sidebar under "Contact Information". No purchase necessary. After receiving the document all you'll have to do is select a sheet of scrapbook paper, print the document off, and follow the instructions in this tutorial.

Important: By requesting this document you agree not to sell copies of this pattern or sell products with this pattern on them. You may make as many copies as you would like for personal use or gifts.

 

Remember,

if you would like to join in on the fun
and become an "official" member of the 

Plaque Attack Club,

just email me and request "January's Plaque Attack!" 

I will send you the Word document so you can make one for yourself!

To see past plaques go here! 

Linked to:
Fancy This Friday @ Truly Lovely
Get Your Craft On @ Today's Creative Blog

Get ready for January's Plaque Attack and more...

I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas! Today I am storming through the house putting away all of the Christmas decorations and getting the house back in order. Right after Christmas I always have an overwhelming desire to set things straight and simplify, and this year is no exception. It may take me a day or two to accomplish all that, but get prepared for a bevy of projects starting in January! I've made a list -- and it's long -- of items to create and share with you all! Later this week I will have the plaque attack for January up and running!

In the meantime, I will share this audio of a 911 call that our son tuned us into earlier today. This audio could be the perfect object lesson when you are teaching your children the importance of choosing a mate wisely.
Enjoy!

Friday's Fabulous Finds...

I spy with my Etsy eye something...

winter white.

Clockwise, starting top left:

Lemon Cake Roundies

White Bouquet with Wood Charm

Lavender Almond Sugar Cookies 

Christmas Ornament

Pudgy Snowbird

Winter Fine Art Photograph 

Wishing you a wonderful Christmas!

Easy Peasy Rocky Road...

I'm sure most of you are finished with any baking that you've done for the holidays, but just in case you need a really quick, easy sweet here is a fabulous recipe...

Rocky Road

17 to 21 ounce bar of milk chocolate or dark chocolate 

3 cups miniature marshmallows

1 cup coarsely broken walnuts

Break up chocolate and melt in microwave. Heat in 30 second intervals until chocolate is completely melted.  Stir until smooth. Stir in marshmallows and walnuts. Put in an 8x8 inch pan that has been lined with plastic wrap. Refrigerate till set. Cut into serving pieces. (Option: You can also use a chocolate with almond bar and forgo the walnuts!)

I use Rocky Road as a "filler" on goodie plates for our friends and neighbors. It's so quick and easy to make and it adds some necessary chocolate to the mix...

This is such a fabulously easy recipe and it tastes sooo good.

Enjoy!

Heartfelt...

Do you have a minute?

Scoot on over...

let's talk.

There's been some wild happenings over at The Blog Guidebook of late. Who needs reality TV when you can watch a good show via a great blog? Yesterday the competition got a little ugly interesting. Three blogs are now duking it out for the Top Blog of 2010 position. Just Another Hang Up is not one of them. My blog is in a dead heat for last place. I'm beginning to like it there -- it's safe from the fray of battle. One can find all sorts of intrigue in this campaign for "the best blog." There's a dash of treachery, a pinch of debauchery, some outright covetousness, and all manner of rivalry happening. Not from the creators of the Top 5 Blogs, mind you, but from their loyal readers. (Ya gotta love 'em!)  At first I was a little shocked by it all...

Then, and this shows my true nature, it began to amuse and entertain me. I especially appreciated "Buck McNutt's" comment on Campaign Finance Reform. Oh man... that was a good one! 

There's nothing like loyal readers to make the creator of a blog feel like the time and effort spent in creating amusing, heartfelt, or informative posts is well-spent. It's obvious that each blog in this competition has individuals that are committed and faithful readers! I just want to say "thank you" to mine. Thank you for your kind, heartfelt emails of appreciation. Thank you for your warm, encouraging comments. Thank you for being creators of blogs that inspire and teach me and enrich my life. And thank you, Julie, for nominating me for the Top Blog of 2010. You guys are the best!

Have a wonderful day!

Who knew?

For the last 20 years I've shied away from making any kind of candy that required a candy thermometer. I tried making a pecan log shortly after I was married. To this day I don't know what went wrong, but a sledge hammer wouldn't have made a dent in the hardwood I created. I decided for the sake of our dental health to stay away from future endeavors of the candy making variety. That is until a favorite friend of mine presented me with some See's Peanut Brittle last week. When she gave me the box I asked her if I needed to share it with my husband. (He was on a business trip at the time.) She implied that, yes, it would be a good idea if I saved some for his return. I believe there were four puny pieces remaining in the box when he came home. I offered him two. I felt a little guilty after that and decided I would ignore my candy making ban and try my hand at creating some peanut brittle. After perusing the internet I realized that most peanut brittle recipes are exactly the same. I used this one at allrecipes.com. I doubled the recipe, which made a full cookie sheet of the scrumptious stuff!

I am not a fan of thin, hard peanut brittle. I like the thicker more air-filled variety and this recipe was just the ticket! Never having made it before, I was surprised how long it took to have the temperature of the sugary mixture rise to 300 degrees. I stood stirring that sweet concoction for the better side of 20 minutes in order for it to reach the desired temperature. (That may be due to the high altitude where we live.)

When the sugary mixture reached the correct temperature I poured it into a cookie sheet and waited for it to cool...

I was a little reluctant to taste it (fearing the worst), but when I gathered the courage to give it a try it was incredibly delicious. Incredibly. Delicious. 

If any of you out there thought making peanut brittle would be tricky, rest assured, it's not. This recipe is sure to become a family tradition!

I used lightly salted dry roasted peanuts because I love sweet/salty mixtures. The only thing I would do differently than the recipe indicates is add a few more peanuts! 

Delicious! 

For those unaware, "Just Another Hang Up" made it to Round 5 for the Top Blog of 2010. If you feel inclined please vote for my blog on The Blog Guidebook's Top Blog of 2010 contest by leaving a comment on this post. I would appreciate it! Please remember that you can't vote "anonymously". If you don't have a blogger account, you must put in your name. Two blogs are duking it out for first place, but I wouldn't mind a few votes either. ;o) Thanks so much!

Have a wonderful day!