Wishberry Blossoms

Merry Christmas, Dad!

2012-02-18T21:36:00.000-06:00

My dad is a runner. And he races a lot. As those of you who also torture yourselves in this manner know, you end up with a lot of race bibs. Bibs are those paper numbers runners have pinned to their shirts. I saw a nifty holder for these things on Pinterest (where else?), but as usual, I had to tweak it. Just a little...

I started with a wooden plaque from Hobby Lobby. They're in the unfinished wood aisle. I think it was $2. Then, I painted it. Sanded it. Painted it some more. Scuffed it. Listen to my kids shriek "MOM! WHAT ARE YOU DOING???". heeheehee. It was fun. And I stenciled the word RACES at the top.

The biggest and bestest change from the original (hey, why is bestest underlined in red? There it is again. That's totally a word.) was the use of paper clamps. I put two screws in a few inches apart, then I hung the paper clamps on there. This way he can clip any number on no matter the size or hole placement. And he doesn't have poke holes in the bibs either.

Maybe if we're really nice he'll let us know if it works. Hey Dad......

It's like a sickness.... {Coffee Filter Art}

2012-02-15T21:12:00.000-06:00

Coffee filter crafts are not the sickness, it's just a symptom of a much larger disorder. You know how expectant moms nest frantically before the baby comes? (All of you who know me in real life can relax and clean the beverage you just spit out off the computer screen. I am NOT expecting....) So, nesting....crazy, frantic "Oh-my-goodness-I'm-never-going-to-get this grout-clean-and-I-can't-raise-a-baby-like-this!" nesting.....That's kind of how my brain has been functioning for the last couple of weeks, but it relates more to crafting.

I'm antsy. I want to craft. But I can't make up my stinking mind about what to do! I want to knit. Can't decide on a pattern. I want to paint. Can't decide what to do. I try loom knitting. It really really hurts my thumb! I guess it's like being on steroids and having ADD at the same time. I have managed to sew a curtain, four throw pillow covers (although I could swear I made five), and a skirt (for The Big One. It isn't finished.). And I don't even like to sew.

Coffee Filter Art for my kitchen seemed to fit the bill. I had a ton of filters and a blank wall. Plus, it was a weekend afternoon during rest time. What else am I going to do? Nap???

Here's my take on the trend....

1. Find some cardboard and cut it to the size you want your finished project to be. I duct taped the edges to hold the front and back of the box together. It adds stability and covers up the cardboard too.

2. Glue a hanger on the back. This is an actual picture hanger that I found in the deep dark depths of the junk drawer. If I had a pop top tab I would have used that. I just hot glued it on. It's cardboard and coffee filters, hot glue should hold, right?

3. Fold a ton of filters. The Little One helped with this part. She did great!

I told her to fold it like a taco. Then, fold it like a pizza.

4. And we glue........

...and glue.

I ended up doing mine in vertical columns. I didn't really want it to be that symmetrical, but what are you going to do? YOU should do random patterns. (You're welcome, Sarah T.!)

And there you go. Cheap and cheerful artwork for the kitchen. Not to mention a temporary fix for this craft-inducing-insanity thing I've got going on. Anyone know how long this lasts??

Are You Smarter ..... Than Your Scissors?? Than Paper??

2012-02-12T05:38:00.000-06:00

**Now taking suggestions for a title to this post!!**

Somewhere on the internet (99% chance it was on Pinterest) I saw a tip about cutting paper. You know when you (and by you I mean ME!) sit down to trace and cut out a dozen or so hearts? And you wish you could cut them all out at one time? And you try it even though you know the paper is going to slide around and you'll end up with two good hearts and a stack of heart disease and you'll have to start all over??

So, the Pinteresting tip was this: STAPLE IT! Trace your shape, staple a stack together, and cut 'em out.

IT WORKS!!! HALLELUJAH!! Want proof? I took pictures. Just for you. ;)

Trace.....

Staple....

Cut....

Voila!

That stack is three sheets of construction paper. I wonder how many will work... hmmm......

We Represent The Lollipop Guild....

2012-02-08T05:14:00.000-06:00

You know those people you run across that you just know you'll keep? Anne called them kindred spirits. We have one of those. My girls adore her. She adores my girls. And I adore the whole situation! Almost every time my kids see her, she gives them a Dum-Dum. (They love her even when there are no suckers!) I decided that she needs a Dum-Dum tree. This a super quick and highly affordable crafty gift. Perfect for people who like to sugar up kids and send them home. (Happy Grandparents Day!)

Supplies: Flower pot, Floral Foam, Glue (I used Gorilla Glue), Suckers, a knife, a marker

First, put the foam in the flower pot and check the size. I wanted mine shorter so I marked line on the top to cut off.

Floral foam is really easy to cut. I used a paring knife with no trouble.

Put your glue on the bottom.....

...and shove it into place. You have to give it a good push to get it all the way down to the bottom of the pot.

Now, the fun part: decorating the tree! I started at the bottom and only pushed the suckers in far enough to have the head of the sucker stick over the gap between the pot and the foam. I worked my way up. When I make another one, I will start at the top and go down with the sucker sticks put in at an angle to avoid them bumping in to each other. I think I might be able to fit more in that way too.

Run out of suckers after bedtime and have a lollipop tree with male pattern baldness. :( So sad! I had two bags of suckers that should have equaled sixty four pieces of candy. Subtract as many as three little girls can pilfer without mom knowing it and you'll still need at least one more bag. If I were doing this again with these suckers, I would buy four bags.

TA-DA!!!!

Finally done. Isn't it cute! I love it.

Ok, so.......I ran out of suckers and thought I would need one more bag. I ended up needing three more bags. I also took the thing apart and put the suckers in from the top down. It works much better. And, yes, more will fit that way. Not a *plus* when you're likely to miscalculate the amount of candy you'll need, but it sure is cute!

What?!?!!??????? What the?!? WHAT??????????

2012-02-07T20:48:00.001-06:00

My mouth is agape! An old duct tape post has over 300 views. WHAT??!?!?!?!? Under The Table and Dreaming featured the project on their Saturday Inspiration and Ideas. Cool!!! I had no idea. I'm belatedly excited. Even cooler? I've wandered around her blog a lot and often. Great crafty ideas. And you should see the craft room over there! It's wow. Thanks, Stephanie Lynn!!

PS-
HI Y'ALL!

Are you smarter than your laundry detergent?

2012-01-23T07:36:00.000-06:00

"I'm smarter than that" is featuring laundry detergent today. I'm sure you have heard of this trick, but if you haven't yet tried it I want to assure you it really works!

When you get down to the end of a bottle of liquid detergent cut the handle and drain out the dregs. Just slice through it (carefully of course). I use a steak knife.

Look how much was still in there! (Note: This cup was from two bottles of leftovers.) Even from just one bottle, it's enough for one more load of laundry.

Bonus smarty pants tip: KEEP THE LID!! You might want to measure out your detergent . Especially if you drain out A LOT of leftover soap.

How Cute Is This?

2012-01-21T23:01:00.000-06:00

It's a 0-3 month size Shell Stitch Beanie done in white with a bright red flower. (The picture doesn't do it justice at all. I tell myself not to use Photo Booth anymore.....every single time I use Photo Booth!)

I think it's just adorable! This pattern is one of my favorites. It is well written and really easy to follow. I learned to crochet because I wanted to make this hat. If you want to, you can do it! She even has a new video tutorial to help. Who wants to make a beanie with me?!?

The Pancake Writer

2012-01-18T05:01:00.000-06:00

First, a confession: I don't love pancakes. Never have. When I was a kid, I wouldn't touch them. My brother helped make them and eat them every chance he got. Micah, you're welcome! I hope enjoyed all the extra pancakes.

But everyone else in my world loves them. And my kids will eat them. So I make them a lot. We saw a man on a TV show making sculptures and pretty pictures out of pancake batter. It looked like fun. And you know what? It Is!! I still don't love eating the things, but making them is now an act of creativity!

Tips:

Make sure you get all the lumps out even if the box (that's right, I use the box!) says it will be lumpy. You don't want a clogged nozzle.

Consider adding extra water/milk to your mixture to make it thinner. It's easier to squeeze.

Add food coloring for colored pancake pictures.

You can make your own pen by cutting a wider tip on a regular condiment squeeze bottle!!

Fancy pancakes for everyone! (except me please)

Are you smarter than a band-aid?

2012-01-16T07:53:00.001-06:00

My kids love band-aids. LOVE band-aids. The little one likes to wear them much the same way you or I would accessorize with jewelry! Someone once asked in such a concerned way what she had done to her head. You see, there was a very large pink bandage on her forehead. What had she done? Absolutely nothing! She just likes band-aids.

But then, there's the issue of removing the band-aid. You know what I'm talking about don't you? You remember pulling them off as a kid and your mom telling you "Just do it as fast as you can. It'll hurt less." don't you?? But it never did hurt less. My skin is aching as I think about pulling off a band-aid. Ugh!!

Here's a secret for you: To make removing the beloved bandage less traumatic, rub some hand sanitizer on the back. The alcohol in the sanitizer dissolves (I guess!) the adhesive and they come right off.

I think I loved this tip most when my kids were babies. They would come home from the doctor with four band-aids on their teeny tiny legs from immunizations. Removing those suckers was worse than the shots! Hooray for Purell!

What about you? Any band-aid tips?

Wonder Knit Headband

2012-01-10T06:24:00.000-06:00

So you heard about the Wonder Knitter my daughter got for Christmas? It's a great little gadget. I managed to make about five feet of i-cord in roughly 1/3 of an episode of White Collar. Do you know how many hours it would take me to knit an i-cord that long??? Forever and day because I DON'T DO I-CORDS. I hate them. Hate them enough to avoid projects that use them or change up the project to avoid them.

(Ok, Ok, I hear you...."What's an i-cord??" An i-cord is a knitted (usually) length of yarn that can be used for things like purse straps. Round-ish shoe strings and nylon rope or cording for crafts usually look the same as an i-cord. Generally speaking, you cast on a few stitches on a double point, knit them, slide them to the other end and continue knitting for eons and eons and eons until you have a really long piece of string that's fancier than just using a string. There's also applied i-cord, but we are not going to talk about that.)

So, we she got this gizmo for Christmas. I googled and Raveled projects for this thingy, but didn't find much that I really liked. But why let that stop me?

I made this

...and you can make one too! Using worsted weight yarn (I used Caron Simply Soft that I have leftover from a baby sweater I made years ago) and the pink disk, make 4-5 feet of cording. Then, using the knot instructions found here tie a nautical knot. You will need to back the knot with something to stabilize it. I used a scrap of (purple of all things) felt and hot glue. You'll also notice strings hanging from the ends. Knot and tie those off, then cut 'em.

I made a second head band with two knots. I just made a longer cord and tied the second knot near the first by placing the first knot on the right when I started the second. Wow, that makes a ton of sense. Let's see......I put it on the tail end of the rope with the first loop above it when I made the other knot. That's better. Clear as mud now??

When you make one (HA! One?!?! Yeah Right. I'm betting you'll make four.) I want to see it! Post a pic in the comments. (Is that even possible?)

Are you smarter than a Wonder Knitter??

2012-01-08T08:15:00.000-06:00

The Medium One got one of these little Wonder Knitters for Christmas.....

It is an easy way to make an i-cord. The pink disk makes a skinny cord (it's three pronged) and the yellow disk makes a less-skinny cord (six pronged, but still, it's pretty skinny).

Here's the thing: The directions do not include anything about how to change the disks. Do they stack up? Is there a button to push? Do I use the green thing to pop 'em off??? Come on, Clover! You know better than this. Include everything in the directions because people like me will want to know.

So here ya go.....To change the disks, grab the bumpy edge of whichever disk is attached and gently tug it free. Don't worry, it shouldn't break. (Although I do not have Clover's word for that. Don't blame me if you break yours!) The other disk just snaps on. Easy as pie, but it would have been nice to know that while I stressed out about breaking the thing.

Happy Cording!

PS
Stay tuned.......I have a nifty little Wonder Knitter craft to share with you tomorrow!

Warm Hands!

2012-01-07T09:34:00.000-06:00

I just found this pattern on Ravelry. It's a pair of felted mittens. They ought to keep my hands warm in this wicked Texas winter. Don't'cha think?!?

I'm Smarter Than That.

2012-01-02T07:53:00.000-06:00

I have decided to start a new series on the blog entitled "I'm smarter than that.". It might only last for two posts, but we'll see. :) Before Christmas, I had a moment where I realized "Well now, DUH! I'm smarter than this." so I thought I would share.

Are you smarter than your kid's stickers?

The week before Christmas we gave our class of two year olds stickers to use for a project. Kids love stickers plus they're really good for fine motor development. They each had a full sheet of fairly large stickers to use. Exciting and fun, right?! For the first five minutes my co-teacher and I ran around like maniacs trying to help a dozen toddlers pull their stickers from the page. They couldn't get them started. Some could start them, but would tear the sticker and get mad. That's when it hit me: "I'm smarter than this!".

Sticker Tip For Toddlers: Pull the backing off from around the whole page of stickers. Then, they only have to deal with pulling the sticker off, not with separating it from the backing as well. (Sorry, I don't have any pictures for you!)

We spent a glorious five minutes telling the kids "Just a minute. Just a minute. Just a minute." as we fixed all 12 pages. Whew!! That's better.

What about you? Any sticker tips??

Socks and Needles

2011-12-29T07:53:00.000-06:00

Happy Holidays!! (I'd say Merry Christmas, but that ship has sorta sailed.)

For Christmas (or her birthday...it's all kind of hazy now) I made my mother a pair of hand knit socks per her request. My first socks!

This sock has a mate I PROMISE! But the pics are on my husband's phone.

For me for Christmas, my mom got me these needles....

They are Knit Picks 4 inch wood double points otherwise known as "those really expensive fancy toothpicks I got you". They made a huge difference in getting her socks finished! I had been knitting on my regular ol' dps which are twice as long. So I'd knit fifteen stitches, shove the needle down, pull the other needle forward, flip the third needle over and push it back out of the way, then knit the next fifteen stitches, and then repeat the whole process. It took forever just to move from one needle to the next. With these, there's no flip-flopping about. And they are plenty long enough to keep the stitches from falling off the end. I read some reviews and others took issue with the needles poking them in the palm of the hand. I did not have that problem, but I'll try them out again just to be sure!

A note about socks:

If you're a knitter who hasn't made a pair of socks because.....well, there are lots of reasons aren't there?

1. They're too hard.

2. Why waste time on something to wear on your stinky feet?

3. The needles are too small.

4. The yarn is too small.

5. Etc. (I could keep going you know....)

Knitters, let me share a little secret with you socks aren't hard at all! SHHH!! Let's put it this way, keeping up with where you are in a lace pattern is a million times more difficult than knitting a sock. I found the most difficult part to be starting at the toe. You knit a very small rectangle and then pick up the stitches around and start increasing. It's the same method that a lot of triangular shawls use to start. I am never sure I've picked up the right stitches or the right number of stitches. In fact, I think on both of these I picked up one too few and just added a stitch when I started the round rather than try again! For my next pair I will try a top down sock and graft the toe together.

So my advice is to knit a sock. On big needles with bulky yarn if you must. Because you can!!!

On A Serious Note.....

2011-12-20T19:09:00.000-06:00

How do you knitters in lands that are cold manage to knit in the winter?? I am working on a **&^ *& !@#$% (it's a surprise) and can only knit for ten minutes or so before my hands start to freeze and I take a warm-up break.

This just in: I LIVE IN TEXAS AND IT ISN'T REALLY COLD!!!!

So how do you do it? Is there a secret I don't know? Am I just a wuss??

Christmas is Coming At The Nesting Spot

2011-12-16T06:25:00.000-06:00

Go visit my friend Jocelyn at The Nesting Spot. She's doing a great series this week on Christmas gifts. Mostly crafty, affordable, super cute Christmas gifts! She rocks!

Mittens!

2011-12-07T21:40:00.000-06:00

The Medium One was with me shopping for yarn months ago. She saw this yarn and pleaded for mittens. Poor baby! It took me months to start these things and only a week or so to finish them up. The yarn is Patons Kroy Socks in Mulberry Stripes. The picture above is completely inaccurate. I took with Photo Booth. I know, I know...I have to stop doing that. It's just so easy....

There's a pink stripe, a peach stripe, then navy and brown. She thinks it's just "SOOO PRETTY!!!". Frankly, I'm surprised she likes the colors as much as she does. But I'm not going to mention that.

I used a free pattern from Patons and made the toddler size. They're just a little bit snug. I think I would cast on the 'kid' size next time.

It's cold here in Texas today. She'll be so excited to have new warm mittens in the morning. (It's supposed to be cold in the morning...right??)

G'night!

WAAAAH!!!!!

2011-12-05T12:42:00.000-06:00

There's a hole in my slipper, dear Liza, dear Liza. A hole in my slipper dear Liza, a hole.

Tragedy has befallen my wonderful French Press Slipper. I am so sad. And so conflicted. Should I remake one new slipper or make myself a new pair?? I know, that seems like a dumb question...make a new pair of shoes, duh! But I really like the color of these and I'm kind of attached to them because they're the first ones I made. Sentimentality ruins my thinkin' sometimes. Plus, there's the issue of time, cold weather and color/button choice. That whole color/button thing takes me an INSANE amount of time. To quote the American Cinema Classic Girls Just Want To Have Fun "Decisions are the worst!". Ok, ok, I'll make a new pair. Now what color........

If you ever have the inclination to knit yourself some felted slippers DO IT! They are so warm and cozy. In fact, my one toe is freezing right now from being exposed in just its big fat sock. I love my slippers. Rest in peace, poor right shoe (after I completely wear you out because let's face it, you aren't going to be replaced this week).

Coconut Ice Cream

2011-10-29T05:51:00.001-05:00

The Medium One's pre-k class will be working on the letter I next week. You know what 'I' stands for, don't you? ICE CREAM! They will be making ice cream in zip lock bags. The real recipe calls for 1/2 cup milk, 1 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla. That's it! We can't do real milk though, so her teacher gave me the instruction sheet to try out at home. We just used canned coconut milk in place of the real milk. (We also used two different sizes of plastic bowls because someone doesn't have enough baggies in all the right sizes for ice cream making.)

VERDICT:
This stuff is GOOD! Even to me. And I almost never like her fake foods. I highly recommend coconut milk ice cream. YUM!!!

The Pumpkin Pickle

2011-10-28T09:47:00.000-05:00

I need baking help! The Big One love love LOVES all things pumpkin. Specifically, pie. She even likes it without whipped cream. (I totally thought she just liked the topping. Until I gave her pumpkin cream cheese. She gobbled it up!) Problem: The Medium One and The Little One have issues with dairy. In that they are allergic to it. Throw-up-in-your-sleep allergic. I've come across lots of recipes I'd like to try, but they all include cream cheese and/or evaporated milk. I haven't yet come up with a good substitution for either of those that doesn't involve the words "Tofutti". (ew!) Any suggestions?? I'm thinking of making this...

Maybe not your typical World Series snack, but I'm going with it!!!

using coconut milk, but I'm not sure how much to use. What else can I use? I've thought of using mayonnaise since it is thick and creamy and non-dairy. I'm not sure if the 'tangy' flavor would work though. What are some other options???

Let's Go Rangers Let's Go!

2011-10-26T00:48:00.000-05:00

My girls are HUGE Texas Rangers fans. ('Huge' being relative....I don't think they could name another baseball team. Anywho.....) They are very excited about the World Series. And I am excited for them to root for something. They're all pretty little and haven't had much opportunity for this sort of thing. So the Rangers are one game away from winning it all, and the next game it tomorrow night....at bedtime! The girls might get to watch an inning or two before I send them off to bed. But I don't want them to miss out on all the excitement should this game be "the big one". Here's my genius plan: TIVO the last three innings of the game! And if when they win, I'll have it all ready to go for a special Thursday night baseball game/dinner-in-front-of-the-tv night! We can experience the victory together and no one will be cranky at school the next day. At least, not because their mom let them stay up to watch the game!

Houston, We Have A Problem

2011-10-19T19:52:00.000-05:00

I really really really feel like I should insert an Astros joke here. But I won't. Mostly because I can't think of one right now.

This morning I realized that my thumb was numb. It's still numb some ten hours later. It's the outside of my left thumb across the knuckle and down to the lowest thumb joint. There isn't really any pain, but it sure it concerning. I noticed this just after knitting a bit. Surely the two are not connected. Right? I mean, RIGHT?? Totally unrelated. Working on my hat should take my mind right off this.....

Seriously though, any advice??

World's Single Most Ridiculous Way In Which To Knit A Hat

2011-10-19T06:20:00.000-05:00

A funny thing happens when you cut off your hair: There's no insulation for your neck or ears!! I live in Texas and it is not cold here yet. Not even close. But it is cooler than usual and walking to school on breezy mornings makes my ears hurt. And riding the train early in the morning makes the back of my head cold. The solution is obvious. Make myself a(nother) warm hat and something(s) for my neck. No problemo!

I thought I had half a skein of big fat cream colored yarn leftover from a baby sweater. Talk about warm!! As it turns out, I have a full skein of said yarn. Woohoo! I Raveled and Raveled and finally decided on Shroom. But I did not want the rib section to be that long. Easy modification. Fairly simple stitch pattern. Let's go!

And so began my foray in the world of ridiculous knitting methods.

Step 1. Hurriedly read through the pattern paying no real attention to the needle sizes called for because you've assumed you'll need your size 13 double points. In actuality, said needles will be too short and you will drop stitches. Repeatedly. Additionally, said needles were supposed to be size 11. Not 13s.

Step 2. Find a size 13 16 inch circular needle and intend to move all stitches onto this new needle in order to solve all of life's problems. Discover that intended circular needle is actually a size 11. Determine to press on.

Step 3. Move all stitches onto the circular needle with the intention of using the size 13 double point as a working needle and the circs as a holder. Wonder, at this point, why you aren't a drinking woman.

Step 4. Knit from size 11 circ onto size 13 double point. Continue the round. Frequently move stitches off the double point and back onto the circular needle. Desperately wish for a cupcake. Or 12.

Step 5. Throw in the towel. Continue knitting the hat using solely the size 11 circular needles that the pattern called for in the first place. Consider knitting loosely in order to closely mimic that stitch size created by the size 13 needle.

Step 6. Try on unfinished hat and determine that it looks a whole lot like one of those white head coverings Amish girls wear. Lay knitting aside in the interest of preservation. Both self and product.

*sigh* I think I hear a chocolate covered donut calling my name....

FORK IT!!!!

2011-10-18T02:41:00.001-05:00

'Cause I am DONE!!! For this week at least. I have finished up two classes this semester and I think I have a week off before I start the next class. You know what that means? KNITTING, CROCHETING, CLEANING, ORGANIZING, NAPPING! Woohoo!

Here's my yarn-related to-do list:

1) Super Bulky hat for me.
2) Mittens for The Medium One
3) Shrug/shawl/cardigan for The Big One
4) Blankie for The New One (She isn't mine, FYI)

And that's it so far. There's more on the list, but I don't think I'm even going to finish the first two so I'll just not bother with the rest for now.

I also need to work on this here blog. You see, I can't really read it when I don't have my glasses on. And I don't love the layout of all that side stuff. And then there's the issue with the comments section. So I'll need to work on figuring out how to change all that too.

OH! One last very important thing: Ysolda will be at The Woolie Ewe this week. I want to go. Ok, that's it for now. Pictures of the knits to come.....

Testing. Is This Thing On?

2011-10-17T05:35:00.000-05:00

Dear Jocelyn,
I checked out my comments settings and took the word verification doo-hickey off. You might be able to leave a comment now. Will you try it for me and let me know what you find? Thanks!
Love,
Brandy

PS
Everyone else, please try the comments section and let me know if it works for you. I will moderate them so they won't just pop right up. But I will check back soon and put them up. Thanks!!