I went to one of my favorite stores today, Hobby Lobby!
I literally walked around for hours. They have so many neat things, and so many things that I like! The women in the fabric department are always so sweet and helpful. I picked up some things today and had so much fun!
This is the lot that I came home with today..
I love their new " Living Faith" costume jewelry. I found a pretty pendant with a bird on it. Now that I am getting more into embroidery I picked up some more of the Aunt Martha's towels. I purchased muslin (thinking about making some sort of doll soon)..and I also bought some other fabrics. I found the cutest little pink tote for my stitching, and a set of micron pens for my embroidery tracing. I found Crochet Cotton in white, hoping I can eventually make some pretty snowflakes..I am determined to learn!
Crochet steel hooks to go along with the cotton. :)
Then, of course I had to get more yarn! A spool of thread, DMC , and Pearle cotton, and rick rack too!
I am set for a little while I think. :)
It is a beautiful day here in Florida!
I was hoping to attract birds to our back patio by putting out some seed..and....
it worked!
I have already seen Tufted Titmice, Cardinals, and Doves.
They all seem thrilled that there is food waiting for them every morning.
I hope to pick up a bird feeder soon to put on a shepards hook. For now, I am putting out a container of water and throwing seed all around.
They don't seem to be complaining! :)
I am going to pick up some black oil sunflower seeds for my wild feathered friends. black oil sunflower seeds have a soft outer shell which makes them easier for the birds to crack open, and are a high source of protein . With these seeds you can attract many different breeds of birds. These types of seed are a favorite among smaller birds.These seeds also have a high concentrated of oil which is important to the birds during the winter time.
I even had a squirrel visit me this morning. I made sure I put out some yummy treats for him also (nuts!).
I truly enjoy watching all the wildlife in my backyard. I would like to get some better pictures..but for now, I have to take them from the back window..This is the only way that I will not scare them away!
Last evening I decided I was going to take down the lace curtains by the front door. There is three small windows beside our front door, and the previous owners had a very thick lace for each window as a curtain. I wasn't fond of the look, so I decided to pick up some pretty green and tan check homespun fabric and sewed my own curtains. This is more to my decorating taste! I love anything country :)
I did not put a lining in the curtains, I wanted a little bit of light to come through if any. I think they look much better than the lace that was there before.
I have more curtains to sew for our new house, and I will tackle one at a time. I still am very much in love with the colors green and red for my house. (sounds very Christmas like) :) I love gingham and anything primitive of the sort!
My husband and I found a new antique shop that we visited recently.
Oh my! It is wonderful. The way it is decorated is gorgeous. Next time I stop in there I will bring my camera along with me and share photos with you. The shop is located in Northern Florida and is called Enchanted Antiques. I have never seen a shop more beautifully decorated in my life!
I noticed this cute pumpkin on the way into the shop, and I could not leave without him! He looks so adorable among my Fall decor.
Soon I will be baking more, I just hope I don't eat as much as I bake! ;)
My husband is working on building a craft/sewing room for me. I cannot wait for it to be finished.
I look forward to setting it up and getting all my things in order. It will be nice to have my own little haven again for all my stitching, sewing and creativity.
I haven't had my own little space for many years now. It will be so enjoyable when it finally comes to be. :)
I was busy crafting today. I accomplished a lot too... I finally put the binding onto the Valentines Table topper that I started LAST year. :) I also finished up the hand quilting on it too...
I decided to stitch up this beautiful design that is a freebie from The Stitcherhood. It is called "Love". I used DMC threads for this piece...they are variegated in color and oh so pretty! I wasn't sure how to finish this piece, but found some fabric in my stash that I knew would look so perfect with it.I decided to make a pretty little pillow.
If you would like to stitch this design, just click on the link for the free chart! :)
I finished up a pretty new scarf for my beautiful niece for her birthday. I really enjoyed working on this one. It is so soft and so warm. :) I used Red Heart yarn and baby sparkle yarn to make it extra pretty. I can't wait to see my niece pretty in PINK! :)
Here is a baby blanket that I finished recently...again, I used Red Heart yarn and baby sparkle yarn. Made a big granny square and put a tassle on each corner. Looking forward to sending it out for a new baby to be! :)
My daughter has a project coming up for Social Studies on the Declaration of Independence. She is in a group of five and they will dress up for the video they will present in class. I have been helping my daughter with sewing vests and making Powder wigs from that time period. Thank goodness for the internet! Such great ideas are out there if you search. One of the Mom's offered up her house to decorate as the backdrop for the video, and I am helping with the costumes. They plan on putting up a huge American Flag..and I am sure they will be using other props too. I am sure it will be a lot of fun for the students :)
We had searched everywhere for painters caps for the wigs..but it doesn't seem that they have them available anymore, I checked a home improvement store, paint store, craft store, party store. I wound up going to Walmart and buying clearance baseball hats to use. The hats are now covered with cotton balls (dollar store)! For the vests, I took a trip to goodwill. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on fabric that I knew would only be used for a costume that would be used once. You can find some amazing finds at goodwill! I found the most perfect color sheet for the vests that were to be used for sewing the vests. Nothing like getting to re-use an item a second time! :)Plus, an extra bonus..I met an amazing woman there while I shopped. I believe God puts certain people in our paths for a reason.
Geneva, what a special woman, I am so glad I met her. She is such an inspiration, and such a light to this earth! Happy day Geneva!
My daughter's science teacher asked the students to bring in play dough for a project they will be working on in class. She said it would be better if they made their own play dough with items they had in the kitchen. We found a great recipe on the internet, and colored the dough with food coloring. It was lots of fun making the play dough, and I think I had more fun playing with it than my daughter did :P
This was very easy to make and the recipe is as follows:
step 1 Ingredients Playdough is a classic childhood toy everyone can have fun with, and it's so easy to make at home you'll never buy that stinky store variety again.Basic ingredient ratios:*2 cups flour *2 cups warm water *1 cup salt *2 Tablespoons vegetable oil *1 Tablespoon cream of tartar (optional for improved elasticity…
step 2 Mix and heat Mix all of the ingredients together, and stir over low heat. The dough will begin to thicken until it resembles mashed potatoes. When the dough pulls away from the sides and clumps in the center, as shown below, remove the pan from heat and allow the dough to cool enough to handle. IMPORTANT…
step 3 Knead & color Turn the dough out onto a clean counter or silicone mat, and knead vigorously until it becomes silky-smooth. Divide the dough into balls for coloring. Make a divot in the center of the ball, and drop some food coloring1 in. Fold the dough over, working the food color through the body of the play dough…
step 4Play and store Play with your playdough- I really don't need to help you there. It's entirely edible, if a bit salty, so it's kid-safe. When you're done store it in an air-tight container. If it begins to dry out, you can knead a bit of water in again to soften the dough back to useability.
We are supposed to get snow tonight. WOOHOO!!! Wonder if school will be closed for tomorrow? My daughter really won't get a break from school..the teachers made sure they gave out plenty of reports and projects that are due next week. This weekend will be full of work for her :(
Peter Rabbit has pretty much taken up residency inside our home..he hasn't been outside in quite some time now..it is just too cold out there. One spoiled bunny if you ask me!
I have been busy creating today :) I pulled out an old book I had from years ago. It is a book titled "Dough Goodies" with decorator's recipes inside. I had so much fun today! I plan on making more items soon..perhaps give these items as gifts for the holidays coming up. The recipe I used made all of these items pictured here... The recipe is as follows:
Dough Recipe: 1 Cup Hot Water 1 1/2 Cup Flour Egg Whites, stirred 1/2 Cup Rolled Oats 1 Cup Salt
Combine hot water and salt. Let stand for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add flour and oats. Work dough with hands, adding more flour if still sticky, until it is easily pliable. Glaze with egg white Bake in a 325 degree oven on greased cookie sheets (I used Pam spray) Let cool. Spray with Crystal Clear Acrylic if desired.
Bagels: One batch of dough makes about 5 bagels Materials needed: poppy seeds Roll dough into 3 1/2 inch balls. Press thumb into center to make a hole. Glaze with egg whites. Sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake for 2 hours or until completely hard...(I baked mine for about an hour!)
Cinnamon rolls: One batch of dough makes about 8 cinnamon rolls. Materials needed: ground cinnamon
Roll dough into a 3/4 inch by 12 inch snake shape. pinch one end of snake and wrap around, forming a roll. Dust top with cinnamon. Glaze top with egg whites. Bake approximately 1 hour or until hard.
****I put coarse SEA SALT onto the cinnamon rolls after I glazed them with egg whites :)
This is such a fun craft! Makes a nice gift when put in a basket with a big bow on top...looks pretty as a display on any kitchen table :)
My daughter is reading a book for school by Robert Peck, "A day no pigs would die". Her teacher is having the class do many projects that would go along with this book. Posters, power point presentations, oral reports...(the list never ends!) And also, a model was to be made of a pig. A brochure is due on Monday about the life of a Butcher, she managed to get that done tonight. She finished the Powerpoint project tonight also, that will be due on Wednesday next week. I am glad, was worried she wouldn't have fun on Halloween tomorrow. I was impressed how my daughter knew so much about powerpoint! The pig is adorable. We will package him up in a tidy little box to be shipped off to school on Monday. I never knew that American Yorkshire Pigs were actually white in color, not pink! But, they do have a pink hue to them.... The movie "Babe" Featured an American Yorkshire pig. They are quite cute :)
I had such a nice day today. I spent the whole day with my wonderful husband. We went out to a lovely lunch at an Italian cafe. It was so nice to spend the time just the two of us! The weather is so beautiful outside now. I just love the chill in the air! The leaves are already starting to fall from some of the trees. I wonder if we will get enough snow this winter to build a snowman. I so love building them with my daughter.
I have seen some pretty bobbins on other blogs and wanted to try making some myself. I have done so, and am quite pleased with the results. I have used fabric scraps and adhered the fabric onto cardboard bobbins with Steam -A- Seam and ironing. It worked out well. After adhering the fabric to the bobbins, I then trimmed around the bobbins and then used a hole punch to punch the hole, then laced with ribbon. So pretty!
Hoping you had a beautiful Sunday today, Blessings to you my friends! Raggedystitches,
I have poured the solution from the glass jar out after 2 days, and set the pins onto some paper towels in the sun to dry for a couple of days. I did get Rust! I thought perhaps they would have been a little bit more rusty than they are, but they do seem to look pretty good. I am thinking of leaving them outside to weather and age a bit more in the elements (rain, sun, etc...)
The picture shows the final results! (click on photo for larger picture)
