always a new favorite

a new favorite picture

a new favorite craft (I posted the details at the Simple Beans blog)

Bring on December 1st!

Oh boy, am I excited about this post! I decided last Christmas that I wanted to make an advent calendar when I saw this post by CraftyPod. I loved the idea of it. I love thinking how this will become a family tradition. Gregg thinks Lilly will have so much fun picking the ornament and hanging it up on the tree. And I had so much fun making this! I started this early to make sure that I would be done before December 1st. But I just enjoyed coming up with ideas for ornaments and decorating them that I couldn't stop and finished way before December 1st. It is all made out of felt, embroidery floss, and pillow stuffing. I got to really practice my embroidery skills too, perfect for my free form embroidery happiness.

The tree and backing are both wool felt. I used chalk to draw a tree shape then cut it out. I then pinned and sewed it on to the backing felt with a straight stitch with my sewing machine.


I still need to add pockets for each ornament and stitch on the date (1-25). I also need to figure out how to hang the ornament. I have two ideas. One follow Craftypod and use velcro. Although I am not sure I want to see 25 little velcros on the tree when we start, just doesn't seem that pretty. I could use 25 buttons and hang the ornaments like I saw at Sunshine Creations. Which do you think? Velcro or buttons?

Ornaments:

1. Christmas light
2. heart
3. snowman
4. snowflake
5. candy cane
6. bird
7. tree
8. mitten
9. ice skate
10. bell
11. apple
12. stocking
13. M (for McCord)
14. santa hat
15. star
16. ball ornament
17. reindeer
18. sleigh
19. gingerbread man
20. ribbon candy
21. gift
22. elf shoe
23. baby jesus
24. candle
25. BIG angel for the top (i love her)

I found so many inspirations and ideas that I wanted to share in case you were feeling Christmasy. I know there are others then these but unfortunately I didn't book all of them. I did find that using Flickr is much better for finding crafty ideas then google images. In fact I might redo some of the decorations on the ornaments with some of the cool ideas I found on Flickr.

• Sunshine Creations Advent
• Sunshine Creations Felt ornaments
• Craft Elf
• Christmas Symbols
• Domestic Diva Christmas Ornament Post
• Flickr angel ornaments here and here

Halloween Beaded Socks are here!

From Socks

From Socks

Make Beaded Socks!

This tutorial is in the Etsy shop.

I have been making beaded socks for 9 years. I learned how to from a sweet lady that was a patient in the physical therapy office I worked in. I had never crocheted before but had a cute little niece that needed these socks. She spent just an hour teaching me the ins and outs. After 9 years, I have experimented with different designs, threads, and buttons. In making this tutorial I set up my camera and made socks as I normally would, detailing ever step with the camera. Since you can’t have my sweet patient to teach you, I think this picture tutorial can take her place.

This tutorial contains 43 pages with 87 detailed pictures and written instructions. It shows how to make beaded socks with buttons, pony beads, and tri-beads. It also gives two different patterns for adding a second layer to your socks. As well as just a simple ruffle pattern for socks. You do not need to know how to crochet to make these socks. The few basic stitches there are, the tutorial adequately explains.

Feedback from a buyer: "Thank you for the wonderful tutorial. It's full of great photo's and easy to follow directions. Have already made a couple for my granddaughter who loves them alot. Thank you."

This is an Adobe PDF file (3.77 MB) that will be emailed directly to you. Please include your email address with purchase. There are no shipping charges as this tutorial contains the pattern and instructions and does not come with socks, beads, or thread. You can buy this tutorial here. Or click on the button below!

a nursing cover

My new neighbor mom, asked me to help her make a nursing cover. We never got around to getting together before the new neighbor got here. So I got the pattern and materials and made it for them. I freakin' love these things!! Why did it not occur to me to make these when I was nursing Lilly? She was such a sweater under a blanket and I am too modest to not use one in public. But these are great, take an hour to make, and you could pay 25-35 bucks for someone else to make them. I think it will be my gift of choice for some baby mommas.

They are basically a rectangle of fabric hemmed all around with a stiff plastic on the top so you can see what is going on underneath but no one else can. This pattern even had burb cloths built in on the corners.
Little Birdie Secrets has a great tutorial that is almost like the one I used.

pictures that have nothing to do with pot pie

I tried three ways to cook and/or freeze chicken pot pie.

1. I made a fresh one and we baked it the same night.
   
2. I put together the filling and froze it, to defrost and put it in a fresh crust before baking.
3. Finally, put together a whole chicken pot pie to freeze and bake later.
   

By far and actually the easiest way was to bake a fresh one. I read some reviews that if you freeze the pie dough with the filling it would become soggy during the baking process. It was suggested to use an egg wash to keep a barrier between the filling and the dough. I didn't try the egg wash and didn't experience any sogginess. The problem I found with this method is it just takes too long to bake, an hour and a half. A fresh pie takes 45 minutes. The goal with freezer meals is to have an easy dinner on a work night and provide a lot of left overs. We had to bake the frozen pot pie on a weekend when I could have just spent the time to bake a fresh one. Using frozen filling seemed kinda silly when it really doesn't take anytime to put it together. However, the frozen pot pie and the frozen filling were helpful to avoid having to cook up chicken for this purpose only. So in that respect I would rather defrost the filling, make a fresh pie dough, and bake on a Sunday evening. I get time in the kitchen to bake and then provide 3 easy leftover meals for the week. wah lah!

I used the Toby Shows Chicken Pot Pie filling recipe with a cup each of frozen peas and fresh carrots. And I used the Barefoot Contessa's Pie Crust Recipe (my favorite recipe thus far).

Perfect Pie Crust:
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening
6 to 8 tablespoons (about 1/2 cup) ice water

Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. Repeat with the top crust.

Yield: 2 (10-inch) crusts

Beaded Socks

Just some of the beaded sock combinations to choose from. Please go to the Etsy store for all that available. and don't forget I LOVE custom orders!

a need to sew

Two weeks ago I got this amazing urge to sew clothes. I wanted to sew myself a top, a flowy top. I went to JoAnns for a pattern and fabric but I just couldn't justify spending 8 dollars on a pattern, I have a craft budget limit you know. I decided to try making a wrap top with a pattern I found online for a toddlers wrap dress. I am not going to show it to you because I can't decide if it looks like a straight jacket or not. And if I showed it to you and told you I thought it looked like a straight jacket and you told me you agreed but then I changed my mind and wore it and loved it, you would feel bad that you said it looked like a straight jacket. So I will spare you that awkwardness and just show you later.

I also decided to make a taggie blanket for our new neighbor (he is a week old and supercute) and a new softer monster.

This monster has a hairdo and a tail. Sadly, Lilly doesn't understand that there can be two monsters. This new one has been thrown into the corner and told severely that he is just not welcome.

a need to sew

Two weeks ago I got this amazing urge to sew clothes. I wanted to sew myself a top, a flowy top. I went to JoAnns for a pattern and fabric but I just couldn't justify spending 8 dollars on a pattern, I have a craft budget limit you know. I decided to try making a wrap top with a pattern I found online for a toddlers wrap dress. I am not going to show it to you because I can't decide if it looks like a straight jacket or not. And if I showed it to you and told you I thought it looked like a straight jacket and you told me you agreed but then I changed my mind and wore it and loved it, you would feel bad that you said it looked like a straight jacket. So I will spare you that awkwardness and just show you later.

I also decided to make a taggie blanket for our new neighbor Fischer (he is a week old and supercute) and a new softer monster.

This monster has a hairdo and a tail. Sadly, Lilly doesn't understand that there can be two monsters. This new one has been thrown into the corner and told severely that he is just not welcome.

Gregg has his half marathon this morning! Go Gregg!


I love this picture of Nonni, Lilly, and Pabro! How cute is it that Lilly was holding both of their hands? What a simple way to make them feel so special!

flour sack towels and cheese muffins

Embroidery is addicting. But there are only so much hooped embroidery you can take on a wall, so I turned to flour sack towels. I love them. A gal at work is getting married and I wanted to give her something so I am working on a couple of these. The cherries are for her but the pears were my practice. I asked Gregg what I should embroider, he said pears. I like to think that one pear is him and one pear is me (Gregg is the meaty pear, I am the half curved one with the cute butt, per Gregg).
Gregg thought the result was exactly what he had envisioned.

I used the towel to keep these babies warm for a bbq we went to. Cheese muffins are definately where its at!

flour sack towels and cheese muffins

Embroidery is addicting. But there are only so much hooped embroidery you can take on a wall, so I turned to flour sack towels. I love them. A gal at work is getting married and I wanted to give her something so I am working on a couple of these. The cherries are for her but the pears were my practice. I asked Gregg what I should embroider, he said pears. I like to think that one pear is him and one pear is me (Gregg is the meaty pear, I am the half curved one with the cute butt, per Gregg).
Gregg thought the result was exactly what he had envisioned.

I used the towel to keep these babies warm for a bbq we went to. Cheese muffins are definately where its at!
air raspberries, Lilly's newest obsession