Awesome Cookbook

I found this cool cookbook on one of the blogs that I absolutely LOVE. Check out her website sometime:http://rosylittlethings.typepad.com/

The cookbook can be downloaded for free at this link:http://www.archive.org/details/bookofpracticalr00chiciala

It is a cookbook that is compiled with 13,000 housewives from back in what I would assume were the 50's or so. It has some really nice recipes and plus, it is FREE.Hope you enjoy it as much as I have already in just one day!!!!!

Sock Monkey Madness

I finally completed a project!! I had so much fun making this. He isn't anything fancy but I wanted something simple. I hate my tomato pin cushion and wanted to make a new one. I found some sock monkey material and HAD to use it. There is a story about my husband when he was a young boy strangling his sock monkey and saying, "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit". So, it always makes me smile to see a sock monkey. Since my husband refused to wear anything made in this material, I thought about what I really wanted.... a new pin cushion. I traced out the pattern I wanted, attached buttons for eyes, sock for the mouth, ribbons for the legs/arms and sock for the ears. I took a before and after pic. Enjoy!

Preparation = Perspiration

I don't know about anyone else like me, but I think the act and planning of a project actually takes longer than assembling the project itself!! I have spent so much time researching certain projects, drawing them out and organizing my craft area - that you would think I worked for a major research company!!!! I am still trying to organize a flow in my craft area that will work and I still have not found the perfect table. Which means, I drag a lot of stuff out to work on a project just to have to clean it up again. Yuck! Then I get frustrated because I have a list of things I want to get on the blog, but I am still getting the project together so I can sew it. Perhaps less obsessing would be good.

I also get sucked in to websites and blogs, which leads to another one and so on. Do you feel my pain?? There is just too much good stuff out there to do right now. I must focus! Does anyone else find this hard or I am a lone duck? Any tips?

Projects:

1. Sock Monkey pin cushion (too cute)
2. A gift for a friend
3. Yoga Mat Bag
4. My Sassy Apron Swap project
5. Refashioning project - challenge on one of my blogs I read - so much to choose from, so little time
6. Curtains
7. Two Dresses
8. Hems and minor adjustments - CRAZY!!!

Home for Christmas

My favorite hobby is to sew and I am slowly getting better at it. Most of my projects have slight mistakes in them, but I am the only one that knows where those mistakes are located!! With each project, I am getting better. I have several projects going right now and it may be a couple of weeks before I get any others posted. I am starting school back up again this week so my time is becoming stretched thin again. I did complete a cross stitch project for my mom for Christmas.

In the next several weeks I am hoping to work on three projects:

• My mother-in-laws picture quilt
• Pin cushion people
• Yoga Mat Carrying bag

Thanks for looking at my crafts, and hopefully you will see my progress as well!

Easy Photo Frames

I made these frames for Christmas presents this year. They are real simple. I bought the frames and then cut out the shape of the frame from scrapbooking paper. I spread glue on both sides until completely wet with glue. I allowed the glue to dry and then attached ribbons around inside edge of frame using the same glue. I used a glue gun to attach the buttons in the corners. I used the glue again to attach the metal word sayings. It took me one day to finish these frames from beginning to end. They were fun to make but I have to say I didn't enjoy cutting the paper out. That was stressful and frustrating, but they sure did turn out cute!!

Child's Craft Apron

I made this for my second cousin. She has recently started drawing and really enjoying crafts. I would love to see her continue this passion that I share as well as she gets older. I bought all the supplies at Hobby Lobby and it only took about an hour to make. I bought the apron and purchased come pink lace. I sewed the ribbon around the top, then hand stitched the little bows on the corner. I ironed on the letters for the name and found an iron butterfly patch too. It would have been real easy to get carried away decorating, but I wanted her crafts to be the highlight - not her apron. Maybe one day I can post some her work on here!!!!