Inside My Sock Drawer

Recipe: Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Fina) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 17:44:00 +0000

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

Adapted from Martha Stewart’s White Chocolate-Butterscotch Cookies

Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup Crisco
1 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup dried strawberries, roughly chopped
1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries, chopped
1 cup white chocolate chips

Step by Step

1. Preheat oven to 350º Fahrenheit and prepare baking pans with parchment paper or silicon liners. Whisk together dry ingredients of flour, baking soda, and salt.

2. Cream together butter, Crisco, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in egg and vanilla and beat until well-combined. Slowly add in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in strawberries, cranberries, and white chocolate chips.

3. Scoop approximately 1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons of cookie dough and drop onto prepared baking pan, leaving about 2 inches apart to allow cookies to spread. Bake until lightly golden brown, about 12-15 minutes depending on your oven. Remove and allow to cool.

Christmas Crazy Quilt

noreply@blogger.com (Fina) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 03:00:00 +0000

This is my newest project...a Christmas Crazy Quilt. This is done on the embroidery machine and there are 20 different blocks. You can purchase this project from Molly Mine. There are 5 sets to this series. You can purchase the sets separately or purchase the entire project.

The finished project will (is supposed to) look like this....

Here are the two blocks that I've done. I used scrap fabrics that I had on hand. I'm happy with them but I think I'm going to purchase some new Christmas fabric since I only have a few pieces. Most of my scraps are solids and I'd like a little more variety.

Sorry about the not so great photos...I was in a hurry. I'll take some better ones later. Below are detail shots of the two blocks.

What I'm reading now

noreply@blogger.com (Fina) — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 14:56:00 +0000

Go Bears!

noreply@blogger.com (Fina) — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 04:12:00 +0000

Just finished this sock monkey for a friend who's daughter is starting her Freshman year at Baylor. Go Bears!

Love and Other Drugs Trailer 2010 HD

noreply@blogger.com (Fina) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:20:00 +0000

This movie looks funny! I'd love to see it.

Job Hunting

noreply@blogger.com (Fina) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 21:50:00 +0000

This is what happens when a teenage boy goes job hunting. We stopped for a late lunch at Whataburger....

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Chocolate anyone?

noreply@blogger.com (Fina) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 20:33:00 +0000

We just had frozen bananas dipped in chocolate. I think Felicity liked it!

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My Quest for Health

noreply@blogger.com (Fina) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 17:05:00 +0000

I have a confession to make...I'm a yo-yo dieter...and a sucker for infomercials!! I have decided to really get serious about my health...really...I mean it. I have been trying to lose 25 pounds for the past 10 years and it's getting harder and harder to do. I've tried almost every diet in the book...most with small degrees of success and I've bought all kinds of work out DVD's from infomercials (sadly these don't work if you just watch them...you actually have to DO them) but I haven't been able to keep the pounds off. And, even worse, I've gotten soft! I have been feeling horrible for the past few years...very low energy, lack of muscle, a sluggish thyroid (I think it was actually stolen by aliens one night because it doesn't seem to work...even though the blood work keeps coming back "normal"), more aches and pains than I care to mention, and elevated blood pressure.

So...I've decided to start taking care of myself. But I lack motivation and I fall off the diet wagon very easily because of the lack of accountability. So...being the "gadget" diva that I am, I got one of these...

It's a BodyBugg! I never knew something like this existed. Why would I? I was not health conscious. It didn't bother me that I stuffed myself silly with calories at every meal. I love food...I live to eat it...and that was, and still is, the problem. We got a new hire at the office and she's very health conscious...eats healthy, does yoga and other exercises regularly and keeps active. I was...jealous. Yes, the green-eyed monster poked it's head out. Why couldn't I be fit like that? Be active like that? Be healthy like that? New girl just lost 50 pounds...and she's keeping it off. She's only a few pounds from her goal weight.

Another co-worker of mine is in the same position I am. We try to keep each other motivated...but...darn it...that Burrito Bowl from Chipotle is just too tempting!! We were sort-of happy with ourselves until "new girl" came along with her brand new skinny self. At least, we were telling ourselves that we were happy about our body shape. And, yes, we do have shapely bodies...they just happen to be "round".

So "new girl" came to the rescue...she challenged us to lose the weight...not in a mean way...but in a motivational way. It's working somewhat. We've been on our "Fitness Challenge" for 5 weeks and I've managed to lose 5 pounds. It is a struggle but I've found that my BodyBugg makes it a little easier. I didn't start using this system until 2 weeks ago. You wear the armband on your left arm and the sensor should rest on the back of your arm. This little thing is nifty! It has a built in pedometer, measures the calories you burn, keeps track of your activity time and alerts you when you've reach a target that you've set for yourself. There is an online account that you log in to where you log your calorie consumption and there are nifty graphs which shows you your stats. I like it...a lot. The digital display wristwatch communicates with the armband to show you almost real time stats. The display is updated every 1 minute so I know exactly how many calories I'm burning and how many steps I've taken. Big bonus for me is that it really makes me watch the food I eat. I have never eaten this healthy in my entire life...and I've never had this much water. Water, water, water...and I HATE plain water. I'm a soda lover but they don't love me.

You create a "program" for yourself based on how much weight you want to lose and how fast you want to lose it. It tells me how many calories I'm allowed to eat and how many calories I need to burn each day in order to reach my goals...and it makes me accountable. I would highly recommend the BodyBugg system. You can learn more about it here: www.bodybugg.com.

Here's how I did yesterday:

As you can see from the screen shot above, my target calories to burn per day is 1950, my target calories consumed is 1000 and my target calorie deficit per day is 950 (which I exceeded). I set an activity goal of 1 1/2 hours per day for myself and my step goal is 10,000 steps per pay (very hard to do when you have a sit down job). If I follow my program, I should be losing 1.9 pounds per week. My target weight is 115 pounds by mid-September...it's do-able if I stick to the plan.

My oldest daughter and I have taken to walking the neighborhood each night that we can and that has helped us both. We've both started to tone up. I can "feel" the muscle definition in my legs. Pretty soon, I will have "legs of steel". I also got a stationary bike, a balance ball, a BOSU ball and hand weights and am incorporating these elements in to my daily life.

I had a little set back from this past weekend. We took an extended weekend trip to Turner Falls, OK, so I was in "vacation mode" and ate a little too much and didn't exercise much so I gained a pound. But I'm not discouraged. I'm back on the wagon this morning and my BodyBugg is strapped to my arm.

I'll be posting updates on my progress. Do you want to get fit? Do you need motivation? Why not join me and we can do it together.

Hello again...What in the world have I been up to??

noreply@blogger.com (Fina) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:57:00 +0000

I know it's been awhile since I've posted. You're probably wondering what I've been to? The answer? A little bit of this and a little bit of that.

I'm still working my full-time job, making sock monkeys, working on home projects (currently in the de-cluttering stage), trying to please 3 children with 3 very different personalities (an almost impossible task), trying to catch up on reading, and have some peace and quiet for myself.

I did indulge and I held out for a very long time (for me anyway) and bought myself an iPad!!

It is AWESOME!! Those who know me well know that I am a gadget freak...it is one of my vices. I love technology and am constantly fascinated with the speed in which it improves. I love the aesthetics of Apple products...they just have a certain "charm" to them...so sleek and oh so beautiful to look at. I would give my left arm (heck, I would give both my arms) to be given the chance to work for Apple. I even considered applying for a retail sales position in their Apple stores...but really...that would only go badly for me. I'd NEVER come home with a paycheck!!

My kids are equally as fascinated by the iPad. My youngest loves to watch streaming video from NetFlix on it and play games. I bought the Wi-Fi version instead of the 3G version because I usually have Wi-Fi access where ever I'm at...plus I just couldn't justify forking any more money over to AT&T for a 3G plan (boo on you AT&T). The iPad has changed our computer usage at the house. Before, the kids were all fighting for time on the iMac that sits in the living room. Now, they all fight for time on the iPad. And, of course, I am constantly hearing cries of "Mom, you have got to get me one of these!". Ha! To that I say, "get a job and you too can have one of your own". I get a lot of "oh, man!" and "that's not fair" in response to this. I think it's fair. I have to work for a living in order to be able to afford my "toys" so I think they should too.

The iPad's been great for my kids. They use it over at their Grandma's. She doesn't have cable but she does have wireless internet so the kids use it to watch movies from NetFlix. I have not had that pleasure yet. Maybe one day soon, I will be able to enjoy it for a few hours myself.

I have had a chance to use it as a book reader...and it is great! I love to read and was a little leary about buying the iPad to use as an eBook reader. I just wasn't sure how it would "feel". There's a certain satisfaction for me in being able to physically hold a book and turn the pages. Would I get the same feeling holding and reading from the iPad? You betcha!!

While the iPad is heavier than most of the books you'll be reading, the experience is incredible. When held in portrait mode, you can read a single page at a time. In landscape mode, you'll see two pages at once like you would holding a real book. I prefer the portrait mode and I like the fact that I can change the brightness of the screen and the size of the text. My eyes must be getting old because I tend to use larger text on the iPad. I also like the fact that I can read in the dark and I don't have to turn on a lamp and disturb anyone. My husband and I "fight" over our favorite couch. He likes to lay on it and watch TV and I like (liked) to use it to read because there's a floor lamp next to it which provides the perfect illumination.

The other night, I surprised him because he didn't have to surrender our favorite couch to me. I started reading from my iPad and he asked if I needed the couch to which I replied "no, I'm good right here". Puzzled, he then asked, "do you need the lamp on?" to which I replied, "No, I can read just fine without it. I have a back light on my screen". I also love the fact that I can read several different books and the iPad will remember what page I stopped at on each one...that's just genius! I can carry a whole library full of books on this iPad! That will be great when going on vacation...no longer will I have to stuff a duffel bag full of books...and if I decide I don't like the book I'm reading after all...no problem...I just go browse the bookstore for another one. Piece of cake, I tell ya!

I don't even use the computer anymore to check my emails...they're all delivered on my iPad. Replies are quick and painless. The screen keyboard takes a little getting used to but I can type perfectly fine with it. Last night, I was watching a show and had a question about one of the actors...I remembered a bit of trivia but wanted to double check...so...out came the iPad and I was browsing the internet for my answer. I didn't have to go browse on the iMac...I did it right from my couch.

Of course, I think there could be some improvements. I'm sure the next model will include a camera (not sure why they didn't put one on this model), better USB support for peripherals, and I would love to see an SD card reader/writer slot on it....surely they can fit that in there?

All in all, the iPad works great for me and my kids and I don't regret getting it.

How to be "graceful" according to a 5th Grader

noreply@blogger.com (Fina) — Wed, 12 May 2010 20:33:00 +0000

Hey folks! I'm still around...I've just been a busy bee between happenings at work, the shop, and home but I wanted to share a story. I'm sure you've all heard the saying, "kids say the darndest things..."...and it's true...they do. I have the perfect example.

Last week, while I was driving home after picking up my youngest daughter from school (she's in 5th grade), I glanced over at the billboard sign that we pass on our way home. It advertises the amount of the Mega-Million Lotto that I play every now and then and I made the comment that someone must of have won because the jackpot had gone down. Little Cheeky asked me how much money I would need to retire and I replied that I didn't know and asked why. She then proceeded to tell me about a little plan that she and her best friend from school had come up with. Starting in June after school lets out, they are planning on opening their very own pet sitting/pet training business (they're quite the little entrepreneurs, aren't they?) and think that they'll be able to make a whopping $2000 a month! Of course, I started asking details questions like, "you can really make that much pet sitting?", and "what's the game plan?" but they hadn't gotten that far but the idea and the initiative were commendable. It was what she said next that made the momma in me smile and laugh. Little Cheeky said, "I'll give you money so that you can retire, momma. See how graceful I am?".

Yes, she certainly is "graceful"...and quite "gracious". I think about that short exchange a lot. It makes me think that I must be doing something right every now and then for her to turn out so lovable and thoughtful.

Sock Monkey Wall Art

noreply@blogger.com (Fina) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 14:13:00 +0000

I know it's been a while since I've posted but it's been an extremely busy few weeks. I've had dozens of ideas and have been scouring for supplies and working on prototypes. Most of the items I've been working on I can't share yet but I can share this one...it's an appliqued sock monkey mounted in a wooden hoop to be used as wall art. It's very cute...the photos don't do it justice.

It's perfect for either a boy's or girl's room and is available in the shop now. I'll be making several variations of these and, of course, it can be customized to include an embroidered name.

The face is made from the Original Rockford Redheel Sock that I use to make my sock monkeys with. The hat is red fleece and it has a yarn pom-pom on top! The finished size is approximately 10 1/2" in diameter.

The Sock Monkeys are Famous!!

noreply@blogger.com (Fina) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:31:00 +0000

Okay...so maybe they're not quite FAMOUS...but they did get recognized in Issue 14 of Sew Hip...a British magazine! How cool is that??? Here they are on page 12...

And a close-up so you can read the little blurb...maybe...

Of course, you can see all of the sock monkeys available at the shop!!

Tattooed Sock Monkey

noreply@blogger.com (Fina) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 14:25:00 +0000

Look who I spotted hanging out in the garden! It's my very own Tattooed Sock Monkey. Okay, so I didn't really just "spot" him hanging out there...I put him out there...but hey...I needed to take photos of him.

This sweet little monkey is just in time for Mother's Day. What better way is there to say "I love you, Mom!" than to give her one of these?

He's available now in the shop but there will only be a limited number of them available for Mother's Day...I can only make so many of these by myself...so hurry and reserve yours today.

Balance...I don't have it.

noreply@blogger.com (Fina) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:12:00 +0000

I am unbalanced and not able to find a happy medium. I know a lot of people can and are great at balancing work, family and hobbies but...with me...something always seems to be suffering.

Maybe I'm going about it wrong but I only have so many hours in a day and apparently I need more than 24 of them. I work a full-time job, have a husband, 3 kids, personal hobbies and interests, an Etsy shop and, believe me, 24 hours is not enough...especially when you factor in sleep. I would love to be able to work on my shop stuff full-time but that is out of the question right now.

So, something always suffers...and it's usually my blog. For that, I am sorry! I am a horrible blogger! I admit it. My blog posts have been slowly dwindling and I did start this blog with the best of intentions so I have resolved to do better.

My mind has been brimming with ideas but time has been my enemy. I am so very glad that we are almost done with the school year...I'm sick and tired of homework...but my youngest one needs more help than the average student due to cerebral palsy. She is doing very well and has been more independent lately but we still are very watchful. And...there are TWO teenagers in the house...that's enough to make anyone want to pull out their hair! One is your typical teenager...the other, not so typical and we have had a very strained household for the past year. But not everything is bad...there is hope and there is light at the end of tunnel. My faith has been sorely tested for the past year and I've been more emotional than ever but there is a bright side and everything will work out in the end.

I found myself reminiscing the other morning while I was getting ready for work and I found myself thinking of the oddest things. I remembered that a few years ago, my husband took the girls shopping for a Mother's Day gift for me and they came back with the oddest assortment of items. I remember my husband being a wreck because they were gone for about an hour-and-a-half (and he hates shopping). They went to good old Wally-World and the girls dragged him from one end of the store to the other....several times. They looked at make-up because my oldest was just as the age where make-up was interesting but my husband had to remind them that I didn't really wear make-up. So they went to shoes (another interest for BOTH girls) and they looked at shiny, high-heeled, pointy-toed shoes...and my husband had to remind them that I don't wear shoes like that (I like flat round-toed comfortable shoes). After a frightful hour-an-a-half, the shopping expedition was finally over and what I remember most from the bundle of miscellaneous gifts they gave me is the small skein of bright shiny gold yarn I was given. I'm not sure what they thought I would make with it but I remember smiling because I thought it was one of the most precious gifts I'd been given. I still have that yarn and one of these days, I will find the perfect thing to make with it.

So, how do you super-human people do it? How do you balance all of the daily needs of your family along with your own personal needs?

Something I Cherish (and it's a cool craft project too!)

noreply@blogger.com (Fina) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:21:00 +0000

A few months ago, Felicity had a Spanish project. She had to write a paragraph about her family and then create an art piece to go with it. The photo above is what we came up with...and I think it's cool!

It's actually an 8x10 canvas board with a painted background. We then created the figurines using the Sitting Pretty templates from Martha Stewart. I printed the templates out on card stock and then we went thru my bags of fabric scraps and used them to make the clothing. We took photos of everyone so we could have a "head shot". I used my Xyron sticker maker to adhere the clothing to the card stock and made myself a ruffled skirt. We used foam stickers to adhere the bodies to the canvas board so there's a little 3D effect.

Her brother isn't really the shortest (he's actually the oldest and tallest of the 3 kids) but we had fun making him the "shorty" of the bunch.

Add some ribbon and flowers and Ta-Da!...you now have a family heirloom piece...almost! Although it's not museum quality artwork, it is one of my favorite pieces of art and it hangs happily in our kitchen.

Recipe: Crack Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Fina) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:38:00 +0000

Yes! It's really called "Crack Pie" but not because it has Crack in it but because it can become addictive. I made this pie last night (the photo above is not an actually a photo of my pie and I can't remember where this photo came from but the pie did actually come out looking like this) from the recipe posted here: The Boston Foodie.

I didn't have 10" pie pans and used (2) 9" foil pans instead. The next time I make it, I will make a couple of changes:

1. I'm not going to use parchment or wax paper to line the cookie sheet. Parts of my cookie crust became stuck to the paper and it was quite a bit of work to get it unstuck.
2. I think I may try to double the filling portion of the recipe because even though I used smaller pie pans, there didn't seem to be enough filling. You can see from the photo above that it's a very flat piece of pie...I want more filling people!! Remember those old Wendy's commercial with the old lady yelling, "Where's the beef?". I felt like that only I was saying, "where's the filling?".
3. I'm also going to try using a little more salt, baking powder and baking soda.

I did have to cook it longer than what the directions called for. It said to cook at 325 degrees for 15 minutes to set the filling. It took about 25 minutes for the filling to properly set and then an additional 20-30 minutes for the top to brown after to turn down the temp to 315 degrees.

You do have to cool this pie completely to get the right consistency. I couldn't wait to taste it of course so I cut myself a little piece after it had cooled for about 15 minutes on the counter...it was still a little runny since I didn't cool it in the fridge...but it was heavenly. The oat cookie crust is outstanding! It reminds me of a chess pie...it's a little custardy and it is sweet but not too sweet. I can't take the sickeningly sweet stuff and this is just about right. I would definitely make this again.

I've created a PDF of the original recipe which you can download. Go ahead...give it a try.

Quick & Easy Easter Craft

noreply@blogger.com (Fina) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:38:00 +0000

Remember my Easter Tree from last year? Well, it's that time of year again. I know, I know...we haven't gotten to St. Patrick's Day yet but I wanted to post this so that those of you who might want to do this would have time.

This is a very quick and easy crafting project. I don't remember how many of these stuffies I made but there were A LOT and it only took a few hours to finish.

So...how do you make these? Easy peasy...all you need is some felt in multiple Eastery colors, ribbons, and stuffing. Oh, you'll need some pinking shears too!

Step 1: Trace the Easter Bunny and egg templates on to your felt. PDF template is available at the end of the post.

Step 2: Cut out the shapes and embellish the front halves of the eggs with ribbons, flowers, buttons, etc. You could embellish both sides but the backside is usually hidden.

Step 3: Put 2 pieces of your shape together, right side out because you're going to sew a simple seam along the edges and there is no need to turn these out (that's the beauty of working with felt). Pin the shapes together and don't forget to put a small piece of ribbon for hanging at the top (if you're going to be hanging them).

Step 4: Using the same color thread as your felt (contrasting thread is cool too), sew the pieces together using the outside edge as your sewing foot guide. Be sure to leave a gap of about 1 1/2" to 2" inches for stuffing.

Step 5: Stuff, stuff, stuff.

Step 6: Sew the gap closed. Use pinking shears to create a decorative edge by cutting along the edges...be careful not to cut your stitching. That's it! You're done!

So what can you do with these? You could make an Easter tree like I did, place them in Easter baskets for the little ones, leave the hanging ribbon off and you can use them to decorate a wreath with...the possibilities are endless!

So what are you waiting for?? Go get you some felt and ribbon and get to work....

Trip Down Memory Lane

noreply@blogger.com (Fina) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:19:00 +0000

I was cleaning up my work area when I came across the CD I made for my husband's family reunion back in 2003:

This reunion was awesome and I had a lot of fun working on this project. My husband's Uncle Don (they were really more like brothers because they were so close in age) spent years gathering family photos and histories. He was the genealogy expert of the family. He had an awesome memory and could spend hours telling you wonderful colorful stories of family members. We had this reunion at his home in Georgetown and the turn out was great! I spent about 3 weeks scanning in photos and typing up family trees and histories to make this CD. It contains all of the scanned photos, the family tree for both the Cardwell and Lassiter Family's, and I also created a photo slide show that we ran on the television through out the day. It was really neat for me to see all of the old photos and to hear the stories that went along with them. I made about 40 copies of this CD and each family member was able to take one home as a keepsake along with a family address book that was put together by one of the cousins.

It was a great weekend of "meet & greets", love, laughter, scrumptious food, and great story telling.

I wanted to share the slide show so that you could see some of the great photos we had. The video posted here isn't the greatest quality and the transition between the photos is abrupt but I think that's because of the way Blogger compresses files but the photos are still great. Please enjoy!

Amigurumi

noreply@blogger.com (Fina) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:57:00 +0000

I was at Borders Books and Barnes & Noble recently (two of my favorite stores), when I decided to take the plunge and buy these two books by Ana Paula Rimoli:

These are some seriously cute toys and she is SERIOUSLY talented! I've seen amigurumi books around for years but have always been a little too intimidated to try it...it looks difficult...especially to someone who can barely crochet. But I couldn't help myself. I had to have these two books. All of those little guys pictured on the covers are soooo darn precious, I'll have to start a collection of my own.

I decided to try to make the Momma Turtle and her babies (pictured on the second book). Here's how my baby turtle came out:

Not too bad...but, um... I think I have the head turned inside out. I don't know...and I'm not sure. I should have used a lighter brown yarn but this is what I had. I also need to work on making my stitches tighter. Cheeky (that's my youngest daughter's nickname) came across the books and started flipping through them...she wanted almost every single amigurumi pictured in the book so I'll be getting plenty of practice.

They are more time consuming than I thought they would be. You have to crochet each piece individually and then sew them together so some of these are really not "quick" projects but they are fun to create. If you can crochet, I would recommend giving these little guys a try...you won't be sorry.

You only have to know basic crochet to work most of these projects. The baby turtle was nothing more than the single crochet worked in the round and there are illustrations of the stitches used in each book.

I'll be working on some more of these guys and hopefully my skills will be improving.

And...in other news....

My husband and I just recently found out that we're having some new additions to the family! Yes...I said "additions"...as in plural...as in TWINS!! But let me clarify...I'm NOT having them...my daughter-in-law is. So now I'll be on the hunt for baby projects: baby booties, blankets, bibs, etc!! I just love, love, love baby stuff....everything is so darn tootin' cute!!!

Until next time....happy crafting everyone!!

Fina

FREE Doll Template

noreply@blogger.com (Fina) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:39:00 +0000

Remember these dolls? I haven't been selling these for a while in my Etsy shop so I've decided to make the pattern available as a freebie. Now you can make your very own. Mine had embroidered faces but you can make one and paint a face on to give her your very own personality.

So...here's a PDF with the templates and all of the necessary instructions.

Happy Crafting!

P.S.: I'd love to see some photos of the dolls you make.

Crazzzzyyyy Texas Weather!

noreply@blogger.com (Fina) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:18:00 +0000

I've lived in Texas for most of my life and you would think that I would be used to the weather around here but sometimes, I still find our crazy Texas weather just that....crazzzyyy!!

It has been cold here but the snow that came in last Thursday was not what we expected. This snowfall actually broke a record that has been standing since the 1960's (can't remember the exact year right now).

Here are some photos of my house and the 3rd one is my garden...under snow...

The snow is just about gone now but it's still cold outside. There are only a few patches left but the kids had fun with it while they could.

Cross Stitch Project Update: Grandma Moses, Hoosick River, Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Fina) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:52:00 +0000

Hello again crafters and stitchers!

Just wanted to update you on my latest cross stitch project. As I mentioned in my last post, I was able to reacquire the cross stitch pattern for Hoosick River, Summer by Grandma Moses. I have wanted to do this pattern for a very long time but it is a large project and very daunting to look at. Anyway, I took the plunge and here is how far I've gotten. Compare it to the photo below:

Not bad, eh? It took me hours and hours to get where I am and the middle finger on my left hand (yes, I'm a leftie when it comes to stitching) is sooooo sore. I don't own a thimble so the needle kept pressing in to the side of my finger. I've had to resort to wearing one of those rubber fingertip things (pictured below) and it has worked out great! I actually cut the tip off so my finger could poke thru so it's more like a finger sleeve.

I have almost gotten to the point of being obsessed with this project. I carry it around with me everywhere and any chance I get to work on it, I do. An hour at lunch, on my breaks, while I'm sitting at the table watching/helping the kids do homework and in front of the TV...it's in my hands. I have to confess though...I'm just about sick to death of working on that large patch of green in the middle. I have to switch colors every so often so I don't grow bored with it.

My oldest daughter says that I have too many hobbies and I like to do too many things but, hey, variety is the spice of life, isn't it???

She, on the other hand, is not interested in doing anything except talking on the phone and texting. Sounds like a typical teenager right? She used to be very artsy and creative but somewhere along the way she's lost herself and I keep trying to help her find her way back. We went to see The Lovely Bones last weekend and the father in the movie builds ships in bottles...which she thought was way cool. So naturally, I bought us a ship-in-a-bottle kit to work on together...because...I just don't have enough going on right now. And, naturally, I'm the only one working on it. It didn't hold her attention because it was "too difficult". I bought this kit from The Ancient Mariner. They have a ton of super cool models to choose from...in the bottle and out of bottles. I bought the Hannah kit by Amati (pictured below).

The ship itself measures only 4" long from end-to-end of the keel. The hull is approximately 2.5" long. Here's the progress on my ship so far (this was about 2 days worth of work).

The kit has detailed instructions and the ship is a combination of wood and brass parts. You do have to construct the hull from pieces of balsa wood in layers and there's a lot of hand sanding involved. This weekend, I hope to finish rigging the masts, touch up the paint where needed and get it in to the bottle.

I'll update again soon. Until then...Happy Crafting!!!

Fina

Cross Stitch Project: Grandma Moses, Hoosick River, Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Fina) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:41:00 +0000

I was recently able to re-acquire the cross stitch pattern based on Grandma Moses' painting of Hoosick River, Summer. I actually bought this pattern back in the early 80's and lost it through divorce...long painful subject there. I used to be an avid cross-stitcher and was a junkie...I had all of the colors of floss and specialty threads, tons of books and patterns, materials...you name it, I had it. After my divorce, I strayed away from cross-stitching and have only recently thought about picking it up again. I truly did enjoy it...it just held bitter memories for me. Now I'm working on replacing those memories.

I have always loved this pattern. The idyllic farm scene appealed to me even though I've never lived on a farm. I think I would enjoy it. I love the quiet life...big cities just aren't for me. I once thought about owning a ranch and sometimes I still think about it. But...alas, I've never even been on a darn horse so I probably wouldn't make a very good rancher, would I?

It is a very large project. The design area itself if 13 1/2" x 19 3/4". This is going to be one of those projects that will probably take me a year or more to finish since I have to fit it in between everything else I need/want to do.

I'll be stitching this on Aida 14 cloth and I've managed to acquire almost all of the floss needed for this project. I'm missing a few colors because they were out of stock but I've got more than enough to get me started. I'll post periodic updates on this but don't be surprised if you don't see much progress for a while.

Until later...Happy Crafting!
Fina

What I've Been Up To

noreply@blogger.com (Fina) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 19:36:00 +0000

The holidays are over and I've been having a very, very hard time getting back in to the swing of things. I'm enjoying the lull but our household has also been sick for the past month and I'm afraid I'm a little depressed. There are things going on that I don't care to talk about on my blog because I try to keep it upbeat but I also want everyone to realize that I'm not intentionally ignoring my blog. Circumstances just haven't permitted me very much time to blog. I've been in a very subdued and thoughtful mode so my sock monkeys have been tossed aside for the moment. I've been occupying my mind and my hands with embroidery and reading. I find that embroidery helps to keep me calm and give me a chance to ruminate about my problems while also making me productive. I could very easily turn in to a couch potato (and I have before) but I would much rather be productive.

I do want to share my latest finished project...bet you thought you'd never see one of these, right??? I'm really, really bad about starting a project and then starting another project and maybe even another project or two before I get the original project done...uh...is anyone else out there guilty of this also?

Before Christmas, I ordered the cutest little embroidered pincushion kit from another Etsy seller, Lorna Bateman. This is her Counting Sheep Pincushion and it is a fabulous kit! Below is a photo from the kit of what the finished embroidery should like. I have a weakness for all things sheep and this pincushion was just too precious to ignore.

Each of the sheep are worked in different embroidery stitches. Her photo shows the drizzle stitch, french knots and couching. All of the materials and very detailed instructions were provided in the kit. This is just a little taste of stumpwork embroidery. I've been reading more and more about stumpwork embroidery and some of the examples I've seen have been absolutely stunning!

Below is my finished pincushion. It is roughly 3 1/4" in diameter when all put together. I elected to use the bullion stitch on one of my sheep instead of the drizzle. I spent an entire weekend on it and my husband likened me to a painting of a little old lady doing needlework. I can't blame him...he was absolutely wonderful about the fact that I did nothing but embroider and only stopped to eat or use the restroom. I think there might have been a little nap or two also. A girl's gotta take a break every now and then.

Here's a close-up of the french knot sheep:

The couched sheep:

The bullion sheep:

You've probably noticed that my edging is also different from the kit photo provided. I started stitching the grasses and flowers but I didn't like how my stitching turned out so I decided to use french knotted flowers instead. I also added some pink thread to my pincushion to give it a little more color. The piece is finished but I think I may try to find some cording to wrap around the base of the pincushion where it meets the wood stand just to polish it off a little more.

What do you think?? Pretty nifty, eh? Lorna's shop is on a temporary hiatus at the moment. It will reopen February 5th. She has other patterns that I'm also interested in so I may be making a few more purchases soon.

Until next time....Happy Crafting!!
Fina

Lookie!! It's Mr. Spock!

noreply@blogger.com (Fina) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:44:00 +0000

Well...Mr. Spock has done it again....he's gone and gotten himself featured on yet another website. Yesterday, I had a crazy amount of sales for the Do-It-Yourself Spock Monkey Kit so I went and investigated and this is where I found him: http://scifiwire.com/2009/12/do-it-yourself-spock-monk.php

Thanks, Sci Fi Wire for featuring him! I love seeing my version of Mr. Spock out on the web. It makes me crazy happy that other people are loving him!

Happy Holidays!

Fina