Hooray! More finished objects!

Josie helped me decorate the Christmas tree......

Her idea is to just sit in one spot and put everything right there, lol. But what can you expect from an almost 3 year old.

I finished this Christmas gift, I'm not too sure I like the way it turned out, but it sure is cozy.

Not really loving the way it looks buttoned with both buttons.

I finished these as well, PJ pants for my sisters little guys. She has three boys, 5, 3, and six months. I used the leftovers to make the littest ones pants, I hadn't even thought of making him some till I saw the scraps laying there and thought it would be cute.

The Cookie Swap!

This went well for our first year and all... it had a HUGE turnout, 20 people! Although, I'm wondering what went wrong with my math skills, because we were short cookbooks, cookies, and somebody didn't show up even. I also forgot to put two peoples recipes in the book, talk about a mommy brain moment.

There were 19 cookbooks in a row here, I think I should have stolen that camera on the table to take pictures, because mine from my cell phone, are total crap, but you get the gist of it, lol.

OMG that pail on the table there, some lovley lady brought one of those for Patty (the other hostess, who was nice enough to host it at her huge house) and for me. It's a bucket of sented sidewalk salts! How cute is that??? I can't wait to try them. Right now our sidewalk needs a good shoveling, since it's been -54 degrees C with the windchill, BRRRRR!

The spread, we had other yummy snacks, like cider, wine, Patty's home made spinach dip, a veggie tray. I made sushi, a cheese wreath, and homemade eggnog, mmmmm.... Why did I not take better pictures? I hope Santa brings me a camera for Christmas!

We had the following yummy cookies/candy/bars:

• Ricotta cookies
• Nanaimo bars
• Chocolate cookie sandwhiches
• Whoopie Pies
• Cow pies
• Chocolate Crackle cookies
• Peppermint Chocolate filled Meringues (mine!)
• Peppermint Twist Kisses
• Cranberry Hazelnut Biscotti
• Caramel Squares
• Cracker Candy
• Kris Kringle Cookies
• Gooey Ginger Cookies
• Winters Best Gingersnaps
• White Chocolate Cookie Bits
• Banana Oatmeal Cookies
• Toffee Snowballs
• Good ol Chocolate Chip
• Black Forest Cookies
  
  
  

I did these up for Poppa to take to work with him. Yet another terrible picture.... I made the Gooey Ginger cookies that somebody brought to the cookie swap. I printed the recipe on the other side of the tag.

The Gooey Ginger Cookies

Christmas projects

Wow, I must be the worlds worst photographer... but anyways, I finally got a couple Christmas projects done, this is my tree skirt, it's only a little over half of one, but that's all the fabric I had, and I didn't feel like going back out in minus 54 weather to go get more, it looks great though, our tree is always in a corner anyways.

A close up look, I put a stitch from my fancy new sewing machine around the top on the white part.

I actually made this stocking two Christmasses ago, but I thought I'd show you anyways, since I made a new one for our second daughter.

This is Ellie's new stocking. I didn't use a pattern, I just freehanded it, I like the way it turned out. It just needs a bell on the toe and it'll be totally done.

Gotta love giveaways!

I was browsing the blogs I follow, and A la mode Fabric is having a give away! You should check it out it's some very pretty stuff! I want the owl fabric, if I dont win it, I have to find some!

A couple of finished things

Ok so I officially need a new camera, no matter what I try latley, all my pictures are slightly blurry and look like crap, but anyways, here are a couple of my latest projects! I put a recipe card pocket for the few favorite cookie/other recipes that whoever this is for uses the most. I used left over fabric from the apron that I made, and some brown that I got in the reminant bin at Fabricland. The inside is lined with brown and rust colored, so it could be reversable if need be. On the recipe card pocket I stitched across with a neat flower stitch on my new machine, but I forgot to take a close up picture of it....

This is my kitchenaid Stand Mixer Cozy that I made for a Christmas present. I didn't have a pattern, just used measurments from my own mixer.

This is the matching Apron... I almost wish I had done the midrif in the same orange as the ties, it's too much of the poppy fabric. I used a pattern for this, I can't remember the brand but was was something like "pretty it could be a dress" and I bought it at Wal-Mart.

This is a knitting needle case I made from this tutorial , it turned out great, and I ordered some accesories for it off of Etsy for a gift for someone as well..... I want this stuff, I always give everything away!

With the flap open, there's three rows of spots for needles, and the shortest row has extra wide pockets for bigger things, and a tie for knitting markers.

These are some dish scrubbies I knit from this tutorial, I made them a little shorter, I like little square scrubbies, I didn't feel the need to make them longer.

That's just part of what I've been so busy with, and still sooo much more to go.....

Sooo busy!

I haven't posted anything new for awhile, even though I have a load of finished stuff! I'm scared that the people I made the stuff for will find the blog and find out what I made them for Christmas, lol. I now have my Mom and Mother in Law's presents done, as well as my sister and sister in law's. I made a list with dates that everything has to be done by, and so far so good! I'm looking forward to the wreath decorating mommys night off on Saturday. I'll post about that, since that's not a gift for anyone. Also we planned a cookie swap for the 11th, I was hosting it here, but the invite list got HUGE so my friend offered to have it at her house, thank goodness. I'm not sure what cookie I'm going to make yet.

I'm trying to handmake atleast a portion of everybodies Christmas presents this year. So far so good.

Our Halloween

I hope everybody had a great Halloween! We went to an awesome party on Friday, with all the little ones, and to the mall on Saturday, and gave out Candy that night. We don't get alot of trick-or-treaters on our side of the street since we don't have a sidewalk, and we happened to have a huuuuge puddle at the bottom of our driveway thanks to the crazy weather :(

Josie all bundled up to go out to the whole three houses we made it to. And our pumpkins, I was all tuckered out by the time we did them, so they are by far the least creative pumpkins I have ever done.

Eating her treats.

Ellie at the party in her Daisy duck costume, I used dye to do the tights yellow, and they turned out awesome!

I made her a beak, and I stuck a lolly pop in the back so she'd hold it in her mouth for pictures, lol. I didn't want to attack her little head with any more elastic, seeing as she was wearing a headband with the bow/feathers already and that was hard enough to keep on.

My last minute costume, I ended up helping a friend make her viking costume dress, so I put this off till the last minute. I bought the dress at Winners for 2 dollars on clearance in the spring, and I made the apron and sewed it on. Then I used some funky colored girls tights for the arms, and I had the knee socks already. I made the wig at 1am the night before the party, but it all turned out not to bad for a last minute effort.

All the kiddoes at the mall, we went with two other mommys, and their little cutie pies.

My friend took this picture, I love how Lunette the clown is in the background on the TV, lmao.

My most favorite cookies in the whole wide world....

I made a plate for Poppa to take to work, and a plate for the halloween party we attended.

Here is my family recipe, mmm....:

Holiday cookies

• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened.
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1tsp Vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1tsp Allspice
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp baking Soda, dissolved in 2tbsp hot water.

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugar together, then mix in egg and vanilla. Add dry ingredients, start mixing, then add the water/baking soda mixture. Stir, place on wax paper and make into a log or disk, and refridgerate for 1/2 hour to a few days, you can also freeze it and use it another day.

Roll out to 1/4 '' thick, bake on ungreased cookie sheets for 9 - 10 minutes, till lightly browned, cool on wire rack.

Excuse me while I go mop up my drool.....

Ladies Craft night

How exciting, to get out of the house without babies for once! We got together to make a new craft again, the last one was a month ago, far too long for me between craft nights. The hostess found a cupcake clip at some expensive boutiqe here for $10, this is maybe the size of a quarter, and decided we should all get together to make them ourselves for much cheaper! There were 5 of us and one breastfed baby who was very well behaved. I can't wait for the next one!

I was the only one to get two of each done of course, because I'm a crazy crafter, always in craft mode, and the rest of the ladies were just learning, it was still alot of fun.

Halloween costume time!!

My older girl decided Minnie Mouse would be the most exciting thing in the world to be for Halloween. So I ordered this fabric on Etsy to make her dress with (plus some owl fabric for meeee). Maybe an hour after I received this package in the mail... how exciting to get something other then bills again, I LOVE Etsy.... I was sewing away.

I looove Owls.

Josie modeling it for me to check for length and how easy it was to put on. This was after I shortened the bodice by 1 1/2 inches and the skirt by almost 3 inches. Perfect!

Ta da! I'm done already. It turned out so cute, and I made her some "poofy panties that go poof" as Josie calls them, to go underneath, lol. Now just to find some shoes to go with it, I think I'll be making them, but not till the other stinkers costume is done!

Grosgrain: Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

Wow, I am still amazed with how beautiful these dresses are... and she's giving them away! Grosgrain: Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

Grosgrain: The Pleated Poppy GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

And then I looked up and there were more givaways! How exciting! Grosgrain: The Pleated Poppy GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Needle felting, my very very first attempt EVER, sooo exciting!

I bought this contraption, it was the only way to get needle felting needles, without waiting forever for them to get here in the mail! I think I got ripped off, it was $22.00.... it has 5 needles in it, and a saftey thing that keeps you from poking yourself when your not using it, which is kind of nice. I took a needle out to try it that way though.

Very scary, very sharp, but so fun!

My silly girl wanted to hold the ball for the picture, I had to hold her hand still I just kept getting blurry ones.

I stole it away for a minute for a better picture, I don't know why I chose to make a blue ball with green dots.... but it's my first thing, and I'm so excited to try more!

Dyeing Sheep roving!! With Koolaid!!

I started with green, lemon lime koolaid, since green is my favorite color... here it is on the stove, you dissolve the color in warm water, rinse your roving in the sink gently, and then place it in the pot, and fill it with water just to cover. Then you bring it to almost a boil, and take it off the burner and let it sit for half an hour. You know it's done when the water is pretty well clear.

The finished green! (this was the middle of the night so, a terribly lit picture)

Then I tried "Icy blue raspberry". I was a bit worried it wouldn't work because the mix was kind of a milky color, but it still sucked all the blue out of it, and left white milky water.

The finished blue...

Both beside eachother, I think they go well. I have purple to try as well, there wasn't a very good selection at the store I went to, so I'll keep my eye out for some more colors.
I can't wait to get some needle felting needles and try it out!

Party Decor

This was the set up for the craft with the bags and felt peices.

Some finished crafts!

The paper cut out leaves I got to decorate, and a leaf garland.

The banner I made, I wrote the letters in pencil crayon, I tried to copy them from the font on her invites.