Craft♥Advent - Shortbread Cookies

We are so happy to be joining in with Emily at The Nest for Craft♥Advent.

Today, we are making shortbread cookies...which just so happen to look like tree ornaments ;)  Fancy, right?  ;)

These have got to be my very most favorite cookies for the holidays...although I am not quite sure whether this is cause they are so tasty, or because they require all of three ingredients - not counting the decoratives. :)

And what are these ingredients, you ask?  Butter, flour, and sugar.  It doesn't get much simplier than that! 

And to aid in the work, we have the Kitchen Aid mixer, a hand-me-down from my grandmother (haven't a clue how far back it dates....), and the my trustee Betty Crocker CookBook (aka.  my bible - no offensive intended...).  Delightful friends, they are!

Once the three very important ingredients are mixed up, it is on to the cutting board with the handheld roller.  A fun, but messy part....leaving my kitchen kinda covered in powdered sugar...

I was kind of a slacker in cutting the shapes, using a simple drinking cup to cut the circles...but, in public, I will say that I didn't lose the cookie cutters...I was planning to make circles....really, I was... ;)

As a side note...these have green food coloring added to add some holiday cheer...and my kids did ask me why I was cooking Play Doh.  And later ate said "Play Doh"...hmmm....

For decoratives, I simply added a smattering of peppermints with sprinkles...

And...Ta Da!  15 minutes in the oven...and they are DONE!!

See?  How easy is that?

If I can do it, anyone can! 

As a bit of a sidebar...for those of you who may not be in the know...in our house, when the smoke alarm goes off, my son calls up "Is dinner ready?" and then grabs a pillow to aid in fanning the detector....Yup - that's us!

For other adventures in Craft♥Advent, check out Emily's site at The Nest!

Happy crafting everyone!!

A Handmade Holiday & Craft♥Advent - with fabulous pairing!

Hi everyone!!  It is Monday yet again...but I am excited to be joining in with Tonya at Plain and Joyful Living, for the Handmade Holiday

-AND (!!!)-

with Emily at The Nest for Craft♥Advent - Day 5!

Each year, we gift a bundle of goodies to our families to be enjoyed with the holidays.  And since the celebrations are nearly upon us...Sunday was all about these edible creations :)

One of my favorite goodies to make are some of the most simple.  And...you can never go wrong with chocolate and pretzels - a most fabulous pairing!

To start, I set up a mock double boiler out of a sauce pan, a Pyrex measuring cup, and a canning ring for which the glass to stand upon.  Don't want to burn that chocolate!!

After a few minutes, the chocolate was melted and had taken on a glossy sheen.

And then, it was time to bring in the salty friends!!

The key to this fun is to keep the chocolate warm.  Don't boil and don't cool...just a nice even kneel.

Then, it is all about the dip and twist :)

I don't know about you...but they look delicious to me!

The pretzel twists get a different treatment....a recipe for a delicious bite of fun that I learned from of a friend this past summer.

First, a generous dollap of chocolate goes into the center of each...

And then...we add the M&M's

Then...the only step left to do is to bag them up!  And, of course, hope my little ones don't find and eat them all up!!  :)

For more fun, head on over to Tonya's site, Plain and Joyful Living and Emily's at The Nest for Craft♥Advent.

I will see you there!

    

A little holiday decorating!

Hi everyone!!  Once again, I am early...but here we go!  Onward to join in with Tonya at Plain and Joyful Living, for the Handmade Holiday!!

And this week - we are all about holiday decorating!

We have never really gotten into decorating the outside of the abode for the holidays, but this year, we are making an exception.



Along with little fairy lights, we used the trimmings of a fir tree at the border of our property to gather fragrant boughs.  They were twined up with the bindings of the last bales of hay (upcycling as its best ;)  ) to secure to the plant hangers attached to the porch columns.

And, to top it all off - an older and unused pillowcase was taken apart and used for decorative bows.  I am loving the plaid :)

For more fun in the Handmade Holiday venue, head on over the Tonya's site, Plain and Joyful Living.  I will see you there!

Handmade holiday...just a bit early....

OK....I am a bit early, but....it is the week of Thanksgiving....and the holidays are nearly on the doorstep....and I just couldn't wait anymore.

So, here I am - early...and joining in with Tonya over at Plain and Joyful Living, for the Handmade Holiday!!

I actually have some projects to share!  Now that the emerald shawl is complete, I am moving towards two other projects - a second shawl, to gift to another close family member, and the felted slippers I have been planning for over a month.

The projects are moving along faster, with the shawl in a fishnet stitch, and the slippers crafting up in a bulky yarn.  My only issue is that I ran out of yarn for the slippers before I was finished!  Back to the yarn store we must go!

For more fun in the Handmade Holiday venue, head on over the Tonya's site, Plain and Joyful Living.  I will see you there!

A handmade holiday....the count down is on!

So....now that it is November, the Christmas commercials have taken over the television, and you can tell....the count down is on!!

The days until the holidays are ticking away.  And I am realizing that I need to bring my focus to the larger items that I am planning to gift, so that I can be certain they will be ready for their new homes... 

Therefore, on this great day, I am psyched to be joining in with Tonya over at Plain and Joyful Living, for the Handmade Holiday!!

The large project that I am speaking of is the emerald woolen shawl I am working on.  The pattern is coming to me more naturally, the more that I work on it, and I am already thinking about trying in again after this shawl is complete, in a different fiber.  Something with a bit more shine, perhaps? :)

For more fun in the Handmade Holiday venue, head on over the Tonya's site, Plain and Joyful Living.  I will see you there!

A Handmade Holiday in October...

We are joining in with Tanya at Plain and Joyful Living for the Handmade Holiday with crisp October morning.  And I do mean crisp - frost is glittering on the grass, and windshields may need a solid defrosting this morning!

But hey, it does start to bring rise to a holiday spirit - and snow is even on this week's forcast!

It has been a great week for crafting on our little corner of Vermont.  I have been continuing to work on the green shawl that I will be gifting come Christmas, but its growth has been slow.  The pattern is much more intricate than others I have worked on, and I need to keep a constant eye on the instructions.  Definitely not a project for when the kiddos are raising a ruckus.

I have continued to work on felting and am really excited on how it is turning out.  This week I took on a small project, that is actually part of a fall birthday gift, but is good practice for the slippers I have planning.

Using some left over woolen yarn from a past venture, I crocheted this little bag and flower.  Once complete, they dove to a hot washer until shunk and felted to a near solid fiber.  It will be used to hold the birthday gift (which, sadly, is not handcrafted), but I am excited that I was able to craft a little keepcake instead of spending a few dollars on a paper gift bag that would eventually end up in the recycling. 

This week, I am planning to do a little fiber shopping to get what I need for slippers, and also find some crochet thread to try my hand at some Irish lace.  It should be a busy handcrafting week!

For more great ideas for a Handmade Holiday, stop on over at Tonya's site, Plain and Joyful Living.  I will see you there!

A bit of the unexpected....

So, the weekend hasn't quite turned out the way that I have planned....

And I have a skunk who may want to be my pet.

But, I get ahead of myself...

We had thought that we would be working on the expanded garden this weekend.  See, our garden is currently about 20 ft by 50 ft, or 1,000 square feet.

Next year, it will be a quarter of an acre.  Huge!  And I can't wait, so I want to get a start on it.  My husband hired someone in the area to come a rototil the area this weekend.  Once complete, we are heading out to start raising beds and adding compost for spring.

But, it appears that many others had the same idea....and the person is very busy....and may not be here for several weeks.

So, the garden is on hold. 

Then, on Friday evening, my daughter received an invite to a birthday party on Saturday.  Needless to say, we did not have anything for the little girl who was having the celebration. 

And my daughter wanted to give her something homemade.  So, I went to the bag to see what was a on the hooks....and found a baby blanket in process. 

So, with a bit of inspiration, the blanket was turned into a purse for the little girl.  And, to go into the purse, my daughter crafted a paper cat....and then we whipped up a matching hat.  Needless to say, no pictures were taken of the hat, as I was literally tying it off as I was telling the kids to get in the van and buckle up....

The day that followed was great - just me and my son, foot loose and fancy free.  We visited the local video store, we hung out at the library....great times!  And the evening was finished out with my completion of slippers to felt in the morning!

However, that didn't quite work out....I tried to felt them...but only thought that I was working with pure wool.  But, having lost the label a long time ago, I was obviously wrong.  And now I have some super large grey slipper shapes....Not quite the plan.

And to go full circle, I now have a skunk in the hay shed.  And he doesn't seem to be in any great hurry to move out. 

So, everything in the hay shed is all over the chicken yard, the kids are barred from the backyard, the chickens probably ran away and moved in with the neighbors, and we have a play date starting in 45 minutes!!!!  And that doesn't even include the son that refuses to get dressed, but is asking me to call his friend's mother every 5 minutes to find out when they will be here.

So....I will finish my breakfast, make another cup of coffee, and take a deep breath.

What's the worse that can happen?  A pet skunk isn't the end of the world, right? ;)

A list to tackle....

So....it is Friday again.

And I am feeling a bit overwhelmed.

But excited....

It just occurred to me how much I need to get done over the next few days...makes working at the office look easy.

It is currently 5:30 am, and I been up for over an hour.  The husband has been fed, packed, and is off to work.  While I should be up and active, I am instead crocheting yet another pair of slippers - this time in a bulky gray wool that I *hope* to be ready to felt much later today....

What I should be doing, however, is much more....

-laundry needs to be folded and put away...
-dishwasher should be emptied and loaded again....
-cat litter needs to be changed....
-chickens need to be let out of the coop, and the freshed with food, clean water, and fresh hay for bedding....
-school fundraiser information need to be reviewed for Christmas present possibilities...
-expanded garden needs to be staked in case the rototiller arrives today...

And of course, the kids need to be up in less than an hour, I need to get my tush in gear for a day at the office, and we need to be out the door by 7:30am.

So, I am left wondering, why am I sitting here, writing and crocheting, when so much needs to be done?

Well, I can think of several reasons, first being that this blog is a bit of my mind's filter.  Once I type this all out, the list looks clearer and more managable.  I may not be able to get it all done before we need to leave for the day, but the key items will be handled and the rest will be ready to tackle once we arrive back home in the evening.

Second....well, I really like to crochet.  Like, really.  So, of course it is what I want to do in the morning! 

However, I have been thinking a bit more about what I am making....  See, I have a husband and two kids, but the husband has absolutely no interest in anything handmade and the kids already have lots. And I love to make little things, like hats and small blankets, but I run out of recipients.... 

So, I am thinking about opening a small Etsy store, and maybe selling a few items.  I know very little about selling handmade items, and have only been a buyer via Etsy, but is is fun to contemplate.  Something else to ponder....

But in the meantime, I must stop pondering the future and get moving.  It is now 5:40am and my window of opportunity to be productive before the kids awake is growing smaller and smaller each moment.

Yikes!  Gotta go!

Felting!

So....I was so completely excited last night over the slippers that I hauled cookies and finished them up!  And then felted them!

It was amazing!!

Before:

After:

I am completely shocked by how easy it was!  Just some time in a hot washer with a tad bit of detergent....and ta da!

That being said - I did learn quite a bit from the experience, and this will not be the end...  I found the fiber I used to be awesome, and I love the colors.  However, in the slipper itself, I need to make the toe wider and the sides and back higher.  Right now, these fit like slip-ons, but ideally, the next ones will be a more secure fit.

That being said - I love them.  Now, where's my hook?  Let's go another round!!

Coming along....

Yarning along with Ginny today.....and the work in process is still coming along....

Only, my daughter wishes it was coming along sooner....It is only a quarter done, but each morning, she checks in on the progress that I have made over the night.  She is quite insistent!

But, it is coming along, and I am hoping to make alot of progress this coming weekend.  The husband and I are celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary this week, and will be indulging in a significant amount of relaxation.  A three day weekend, no less!  And to me, that means plenty of reading and crocheting. 

Ahhhh...sigh.....happy :) 

And speaking of blankets....both of the kids were wanting blankets over the weekend, feeling that they never got anything handmade from me...so, I trudged upstairs, and found these!  Blankets that I made for the kiddos, which have been put away and unused for years...

Well, I am happy to said that it is no more!  Now that these little "treasures" have resurfaced, they have become much loved. 

Which is such a good feeling for this momma!

Well, that is all on the fiber front for day....looking forward to lots of handcrafting in the next few days and much to share next week!  Check back to Ginny's site for more fiber crafting ideas :)

One lonely sock...

So...after 5 days...

4 attempts...

3 do-overs...

and 2 headaches...

I finally have 1 sock.

Here's hoping its mate will be a tad bit easier...;)

What to wear...

I want to make more of my own clothing.  It is way too often that I find something that fits perfectly, except......  You know, it is great, except.....

For once, I want something that is perfect for me.  Fits me.  Was made for me.

Well, OK - that sounds a bit selfish....a few too many "me's" in those sentences.  But you understand what I mean....I know that you do.

So, I am going to try.  I am not sure where to start, but I will find a starting point.  Maybe a new shawl for the fall, or some wide leg comfy pants.  Or both!  And I can wear them together!

It's a plan.  Well, one of many, I guess....  But, definitely a plan!

OK - enough.  Going to bed.  Now...really....truely I am...  ;)

'Night y'all!