Bits and Pieces

Winter Wearables-Recycle A Sweater Into A Cap And Mittens!

2010-11-08T16:28:00.007-06:00

Yesterday I pulled out some sweaters that I'd set aside just for this project. These were all given to me or cost somewhere between a dime and a dollar. I cut out and sewed 7 caps in half a day; the added touches took me a while longer! But don't worry...if you don't have diapers to change or bottles to fix and babies to feed and burp, you can get the mittens done,too, and add a button or bow here and there to make them your own!

I didn't get before pictures...didn't even think about it! But there are tutorials all over the web for mittens and caps. Here is my favorite for a cap made from a sweater, by Disney at Ruffles and Stuff. Thank you Disney! Isn't she sweet? And here's a mitten tutorial by Waxwing over at Craftster....thank you for the great tutorial, I love it:D

Here's what you need:
a sweater with a ribbed hem line and/or a turtleneck or cowl neck and sleeves that are ribbed at the wrist-make sure it's clean and dry
needle or sewing machine and thread to match
elastic thread
ribbon, fabric flowers, buttons- or whatever you choose to embellish your cap and mittens with
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I used the big old lid to my giant gumbo pot to use as my circle shape; you can use anything that's round and large or make your own circle. I drew around it with a washable marker.

Use your longest stitch on the sewing machine, or by hand, and make some gathering stitches, then pull them to gather. Use part of the ribbed hem band for your hat brim; cut to size, and sew back together.

Now pin the band to the cap, easing it all around, stretch it to fit nicely. Sew it with a long stitch on the machine, or sew by hand. Finish the raw edge with a zig zag stitch or blanket stitch.

You'll wind up with a cap like this. Embellish it with some fabric flowers or buttons or a ribbon bow...whatever you like.

I used some burned fabric flowers to embellish this cap and a pair of mittens made from the sleeves.

This little cap for my grandson was made from the shoulder of one of the sleeves and the neckband. He looks adorable! Which one is the monkey?? They both are :D

No! The one on the left is Zack and the one on the right is the monkey :D

Thi cap is made from a beige cotton sweater, it feels so soft and cuddly. It looks cute on him,too. This size would fit toddlers,too. I made it with the exact size of the gumbo lid, and the band is just a bit smaller.

The red cap and mittens are made from a cotton Christmas sweater, and I only used the back and sleeves and hem. The flower embellishment is made from red tulle and some clear seed beads. This is my niece Alisia modeling them :D

I made two purple acrylic caps, two blue Shaker knit acrylic caps, and two beige cotton caps and a pair of mittens. There's enough left for mittens out of the blue and purple, and a couple baby caps out of those sleeve tops.

They weren't hard, I just had other things that took me away from this project. You could do all of them in a day, or half day even :D I think they'd make a great gift!

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Zach is recovering, and thinks he has to be held all the time now! That's okay, I'll hold him all that I can....he's just little :D

Ya'll check those links and make your own. And if you're down South and get one of those freaky cold days and have no gloves or a cap...you know what to do!!

Go make some!
kudzu
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Ramona. I forgot all about the sequin embellishments from the Mardi Gras costume. Here's a pic, tell me if you want them and I'll be happy to mail them to you :D

My Poor Youngest Grandson

2010-11-02T16:06:00.003-05:00

He went from this Saturday night at my sister's house....and now...

He's in the hospital, since last night. They've run all kinds of tests, even a spinal tap. His temperature was 103.1 but he had a bottle before I left and was watching The Cat In The Hat.

Silver Spoon Bracelets and Apologies For Being A Bad Blogger

2010-10-30T06:55:00.007-05:00

I apologize deeply for not keeping up with my blog. Things are rough for everyone these days, so it's hard to just keep things going in my own home :D My daughter has a new baby, grandson #3, my fourth grandchild, and he keeps us busy making sure that he's spoiled rotten! My husband is gone, and my daughter just started work again now that the baby is 2 months old, so I'm watching the little precious precious. I don't have time to do everything I want to get done, I just want to sleep a lot, too,lol. One morning I woke up very early with a headache, and I got so sick for a few hours. Finally my sister took me to the emergency room and they took me right back; my blood pressure was extremely high so I got a few shots of demerol and phenergen, and when that didn't work they gave me something else...I don't remember. But they did give me another blood pressure medication and I'm still trying to find out if that's going to work. The doctor also told me my arteries had narrowed and I have an enlarged heart. Well, great. It sure is awful getting old! So try to bear with me, I may start a project but by nightfall I could have completely forgotten all about it,lol. I started some bracelets and finished some of them. Those were quick so I had time to start and finish in one sitting and I'll post some photos.

Here's a very pretty monogrammed handle with freshwater cultured pearls. The handle was from a gravy ladle, and the pearls from an old broken necklace. I love the look the two make together. It has a nice toggle clasp.

My daughter in law Michelle gave me these turquoise glass beads, and they go great with the silver handle of this spoon.

Two silver handles make this bracelet with a large swarovski crystal and silver beads in the center.

Two silver handles with some smaller swarovski crystals. I love these crystals, they're so sparkly!

An old silver handle with black sparkly beads individually placed along a silver chain.

A very pretty floral silver handle with freshwater cultured pearls and a toggle clasp. I may have enough of these pearls for one or two more bracelets.

This is another string of turquoise glass beads Michelle gave me. They're on a silver handle with a toggle clasp.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I made this pink bracelet in honor of it. Assorted beautiful pink beads with a heart shaped toggle clasp.

I love to use old broken jewelry. Here's a silver handle with vintage pearls and a toggle clasp.

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Look what MeMe Aunt Patsy got little Zach!

Zach aged 2 months....."when God created Grandmas...

"he gave the best to me"....awwwww! and he's just adorable in it!

See how happy he is!

Such a doll! Yes, his hair is all falling out. He helps, he found his hair and rubs it and pulls it all the time! It looks like the new hair is coming in very dark, almost black.

Witch Lantern Tutorial

2010-10-15T18:35:00.006-05:00

Here it is...my Witch Lantern Tutorial! I didn't come up with the idea; a while back I saw some Fairy Lanterns made like this out of old oil lanterns, and I loved the idea so much, and I happened to have a huge collection to play with, so there you are :D

First of all, gather your supplies. You're going to need:

an old oil or kerosene lamp, nice and clean
some "nesting" material, such as excelsior or moss or shredded up paper
an image; use a photograph of your child or grandchild or a vintage image
black paper for your witch's hat
fabric or tissue paper for your witch's cape
odds and ends that a witch might like, to scatter in the lantern, such as a button, a penny, a feather
glue and glitter and sequins
ribbon
flower
paint to paint the lantern if you like

Remove the glass chimney by lifting up the lantern lid on top and tipping over the glass chimney. Push the wires down(if it has wires) and slide it out, clean it with some glass cleaner. Paint your clean lantern now if you wish. Use a small paintbrush or your finger and spread around some glue on the back half of the chimney and sprinkle on some glitter. Set it aside and let it dry.

Cut a small oval out of black paper and then cut a curved slit in it, and cut a triangle, for the witch's hat.

Print out your image-I use the 4x6 size-and cut out a small strip of sturdy cardboard to glue in back to hold up your image in the "nest".

I'm going to sit my little witch on a mushroom, so I printed out 2 mushrooms. One will be the background, and I'll cut the cap off of the 2nd one and use a small piece of foam tape to make it appear a little more lifelike. Add some glue and glitter as you like.

Wad up a small bunch of nesting material, and place it on your lamp. Use a little glue to keep it in place.

Cut a small piece of fabric or black tissue paper, or whatever you decided to use, for the cape. A nice little square or rectangle should be just right. Gather up a little on one side and glue it down around the neck of your image. Cute!

Glue the little strip of cardboard to the back of your witch to help it stand up sturdily. Add some glue to the bottom of the cardboard to stand it up in the "nest". Push it down in there til it hits the bottom so it has something to stand up on! lol Check and double check on your height and make adjustments. Now add your little bits and pieces to scatter around. I always throw in a shiny new penny for luck. Let the glue dry.

Once it's dry, tilt it over and slide the glass chimney over your little scene. Make it fit by trimming or cutting whatever you need to. Now set it upright.

Get your bow ready. Here's how I do a quick and easy fluffy bow.

Isn't that adorable?? Add some silk or dried flowers if you wish. Throw in some sequins...stars are pretty!

Trying Paypal;My Turquoise Necklace Progress Time For Fall And Halloween Fun;

2010-10-08T01:39:00.010-05:00

I recently decided to go ahead and get myself a Paypal account, thinking "why didn't I do this sooner?" and start selling some of my crafts. Well, I just keep getting a headache because of it now! I have to admit I don't know the first thing about Paypal so I'm not at all familiar with "that stuff", but right away I get an email from them-on my NEW account-that says "locked", and to contact so-and-so. GAH! no return calls yet! So I go ahead and decide to take my daughter up on the offer of using her Paypal account. Yep, you guessed it-her Paypal account says "locked",too! What the heck? Both of us are still trying to work this out. Is this a common problem, or a recent problem?? How many times do you have to keep giving them your important information? GAH! okay, enough of that stress :D
Ya'll must be getting tired of Book Purses by now, but here's a few more.

Dr. Seuss-One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish-

My sister Patsy brought over an armload of books, including some of my nieces' old accounting books. So this one is for my niece :D

FINALLY finished this Anne Rice one in a way I' m happy with.

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Last week or so I came across this gorgeous necklace and knew I wanted to try one for myself out of some turquoise Twin(Gretchen) gave me years ago. I'm adding some hematite beads from an old necklace to them, too. This is one I'll wear a lot,lol.
Thanks to Cyndi for her tutorial over at Beading Arts, I'm so inspired to relax with some beads and create a pretty :D

We're still gathering up our usual Halloween decorations; I never remember where I put them. I;ve been doing a little research(fun!) and will try some out.

kudzu

New Book Purses

2010-09-24T03:09:00.007-05:00

I finished a few more book purses and I have a few mostly finished. I just have this little problem trying to stay awake,lol!

Tom Clancy Rainbow Six-a nice dusty blue mini toile for the lining and matching beaded handles. Also has a blue burned fabric flower on the front.

Anne Rice-Taltos...pretty black with lavender and white print lining, matching beaded handles and a rhinestone applique.

Louis Lamour-Last of the Breed with a red bandana lining, matching beaded handles, and a pretty silver button closure.

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Fall is here and I look forward to cooler weather and the smell of burning leaves! I also love fall decorations and Halloween....I hope to have a post with some simple and inexpensive make-it-yourself pretties very soon :D

A Beautiful Bracelet From Your Leftover Beads; A Book Purse;Grandson's Teddy Bear Shoes

2010-09-15T06:25:00.009-05:00

Zack....wearing his little teddy bear shoes...look at those short little legs and huge feet :D His baby head is so big he wears size 6-9 months shirts so they'll slip over his head, but he has a teeny weeny little bottom, and wears newborn and they're loose and the legs are too long!

I made a few more book purses, and I'm working on some more this week.

A Roget's Thesaurus with thrift store handles and a vintage paisley shaped rhinestone button clasp. It has a cute paisley lining, and I love how everything matches no nicely.

I took a break from purses one day and made a bracelet I saw on CraftBits. I love it, and I'm going to try a few more. Check out their site and see all the wonderful ideas and projects that they have. A lot of inspiration there!
I had a little jar with some leftover beads in it that I wanted to make something out of; this was the perfect bracelet for them. I even have enough left to make another bracelet or two, and some earrings to match.

I decided to try it with Stretch Magic clear string.

Here's how you start off. I used 3 large beads just like CraftBits project.

This is about long enough for me.

Beautiful! And it matches so many of my clothes :D Go check out CrafttBits and get ready for Christmas by making gifts :D

Granny Made Quilts and So Did I- Check out sections of Louisiana Market Bulletin from 1962

2010-09-11T06:37:00.011-05:00

In my fabric stash are some old quilt blocks made by my maternal Granny. You can see some of the fabrics had to have been feed sacks, and some were probably Grampaw's shirts and Granny's dresses. One of the interesting things about Granny's blocks are the squares of an old Louisiana Market Bulletin from October 1962 that she sewed them to. I scanned these directly so they could be enlarged enough to read what was for sale or trade and going on back then. Click on the photos and read what farmers bought and sold, and what housewives sold to get "pin money". My understanding of "pin money" was the little extra money a housewife managed to save from the household expenses and extra money she earned by selling eggs, butter, milk and home baked breads, pies and cakes and honey. We're lucky to be able to go buy packages of needles and pins very cheaply these days; but years ago, these were precious items that cost a lot of money. Each pin was hand forged by a tinker, who could be the traveling salesman himself, and the woman of the house had to make sure she had enough pins to last a whole year, or til the next time the traveling salesman would be coming around. You can be sure she took good care of those pins,too! After all, she had to sew everything for her family...pants,shirts, undergarments, towels, sheets and pillowcases, a baby's layette, curtains, aprons!...and usually she'd have to buy all her calicoes, shirting and domestics from him,too. Nowadays, when I think of "pin money", I think of it as a little extra money for some small luxuries. "Pin money" could also mean the custom of money pinned to a bride's wedding dress to start her out with...but that's a story for another day :D
So, take a minute and read the want ads in the Louisiana Market Bulletin that my Granny used to sew her quilt blocks to!

This is one of the old quilts blocks she made. Check out that poison green print and that pink print looks like it may have been feed sack...do I recall an apron made from that one?? why are there 2 red squares and 2 beige-ish squares? Did the 2 lighter ones used to be red, but faded?? Maybe....or maybe it was a planned design.

Look at these fabrics. All four of those triangle are red; maybe that other block meant to have different colored squares....the material looks to be mostly shirting. There's more of the poison green, but it doesn't border all edges of this block.

Some of the same fabric from the first block, but there's a little lavender striped fabric on this one.

A better shot of the green fabric.

Here's part of a quilt I started called Road to Florida. I only made one strip and must have gotten distracted by something shiny and forgot all about it. Looks like silverfish and mice got a hold if it. But check some of the fabrics. I made this in the early '80's......'82 or '83 when my daughter was a baby. I used some older fabrics from the '60's and '70's in it,too.

Here's another section. Just three pattern pieces that when sewn together creates a star.

One section...

A sample block I made years ago. Snow white muslin and pretty pastels. This one is called "Nose Gay". It's four Nose Gay blocks sewn together with the bottom tips of the cornucopia or cone touching in the center. This one was hand pieced.

This is another sample block I made, I think it's called "Whirlygig". It's handpieced, and it appears I used different scraps of muslin and some have changed colors over the years, and are different shades of white.

I cannot remember the name of this block for anything...but it would have been completed with just squares and triangles to make the block. A mouse found it and naturally started chewing in the center, lol.

I actually made a full sized coverlet from these yo-yo's, but I never lined it. It began falling apart so I turned a square into a tablecloth, and used some in crafts....I still have large pieces of it around here.

All of the blocks I made came from old quilt pattern magazines that shall remain nameless. Each quilt I finished and photographed and sent in was deemed not good enough and I promptly stopped those subscriptions! Yeah, that's pretty petty of me,lol :D But maybe they should word the rejection letters a little better for ultra sensitives like me P""" (um, that's a raspberry or bronx cheer there, LOL!!)

Well, I hope you enjoyed looking at the old ads and quilt blocks. Maybe someone out there can tell us the names of the other quilt blocks :D

Making Your Own Distressed Jeans; Wardrobe Refashion Long Sleeved Blouse To Peasant Top

2010-08-29T19:55:00.009-05:00

Once I read the blog post over at Made By Lex on how to distress jeans, I knew which pair I was going to practice on....a nice pair of very dark blue-like brand-new-got from Freecycle-Levi's for my granddaughter. They look exactly like the $300 (yep...$300!!!) jeans in the stores.
I used these nice dark jeans, but next time I'll use older jeans, which will be yard sale or thrifted or freecycled items. And next time I want to drip some bleach, or try the bleach stencil technique. Wouldn't that look great?? (Okay, I guess you can tell I want to bleach stencil SOMETHING!! and I'll get back to you later with that, as soon as I remember to buy some bleach gel or soft scrub... haha!

Now gather up:
old jeans that fit, or are slightly loose- yours or your ex's or your cousins or brothers
a pumice stone
sandpaper
cheese grater
scissors or craft knife
bleach-if you want

Follow the how-to's at Lex' blog. It's very easy and quick! Here's something extra I did: I used the edge of one of my scissor blades to go along the pocket tops. And-after I washed them, I took them out and while still damp, used the pumice stone again, which worked even better on the wet fabric for making lighter patches on the jeans. Next time I might just keep the jeans on while I work on them! The sandpaper works great for this while the jeans are dry, it sands off some fabric to soften it, so be careful when you do that part.

The next pair I try, I'd like to use bleach. I think I'll take the jeans out of the washer and drip some bleach on them while they're damp. Wash them again after you finish bleaching them.

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I also refashioned a long sleeved button down blouse into a peasant top. A very easy project. Just trim off the collar, then trim it into a scoop shape in the front, leave some hem allowance,too. Trim the sleeves also leaving enough to hem. Now put some elastic thread in your bobbin and sew just below the neck hem and sleeve hems. Pretty! Add a bow if you like, at the neck and maybe on the sleeves.

And...I'll wear this one now! It was free, Twin gave it to me; so even better!

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I had trouble finding time to sew or craft, but one day decided to pull out the sewing machine and get going. BUT...found out quickly the puppies had chewed through the cords on the foot pedal. Luckily it was unplugged, and luckily my nephew was here and fixed it. I have other machines, this is just my favorite, lol!

Pieces that I could find of the cord...crazy silly puppies!!

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oh!! and another pic of new baby Zach! he's 2 weeks old now...

Baby Sock Roses Bouquet

2010-08-25T16:17:00.005-05:00

Here's a great gift for someone having a new baby! Very inexpensive and quick and easy to make.

Here's what you'll need:
I used 6 roses for the one pictured, so that's 3 pairs of socks-$1 to $3 or more
small floral bush--$1
2 sheets tissue paper
curling ribbon
small piece of floral foam
floral wire
floral tape
hot glue gun
small basket or small covered can
decorative marbles for weight, if you need it
I already had the last items, so those were free.

I couldn't decide on the basket or the can (that I was going to cover in the green mylar wrapping paper), and ended up using the small white basket. Use what you have :D

I followed some the tutorial here at Plan The Perfect Baby Shower .com. i didn't insert the wire into mine,though. Instead, I wrapped and twisted the wire around the bottom of the baby sock, then wrapped floral tape around that. I used short pieces of wire, then wrapped a finished sock rose to each floral spray with floral tape. To fill it out even more, I took out 2 sheets of tissue paper, folded them down to small squares, about 5" or so, and picked each sheet up by the center( sort of pinching it) and inserted those into the bouquet. Very pretty! I added a curling ribbon bow to match. If the container seems top heavy, add some decorative marbles. Place some into zip loc baggies and into the basket or can.
You can make a much bigger bouquet with more socks. Make it an even dozen roses!

Go make some!
kudzu

Give and Get is Here!

2010-08-18T08:47:00.001-05:00

Give and Get is Here!: "Enjoy 30% off from August 26-29 at Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy and we'll donate 5% of what you spend to a non-profit."

click and print out a coupon and also ue the coupon online! Twin works for the company and told me about the good deal :D

kudzu

Baby Washcloth Roses

2010-08-17T21:48:00.004-05:00

My daughter will be having a baby any day, so in honor of the occasion here is a simple, inexpensive and useful gift!
The instructions are here at Creative Baby Shower Ideas....and they have a lot more cute ideas for baby gifts and having a shower for a new baby or a sprinkle for moms having another baby :D

Follow directions found in the link. I used double sticky tape to hold my washcloth together before I folded it.

After I made the rose, I used the double sticky tape to put leaves on the bottom, and I used bamboo skewers for the stems.

This is a pretty metal vase I decided to use, and I set some florist foam in the bottom on top of some colored tissue paper.

Finish it off with some pretty silk flowers to fill it in...and a pretty fluffy bow.

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Things have been hectic around here lately! We've painted and set up the crib and I'm waiting for my new grandson now :D This will be grandbaby number 4...yay!

Til next time,
kudzu

The Newest Book Purse; And Guest Chalkboard Poet/Artist

2010-07-28T22:12:00.003-05:00

Bonfire of the Vanities. I found it at a thrift store, and it had very dirty pages but a good dust jacket kept the book boards clean. It also had a photo of a doggie someone was using as a bookmark. Sad. I made the handles to match :D

Grandson #2 is very wise for a 6 year old. "Eat more ice cream".
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My puppy Wanda has been swimming in mud puddles lately. She's making me tired!

What did you do today?

Hope you had a good day :D
kudzu

Wardrobe Refashion-Tank Top Dress

2010-07-26T22:00:00.006-05:00

This is so cute, my favorite color is lavender and this is very close. I was going to turn it into a maternity top for my daughter, but it was too tight...she's HUGE-that's because she has a 13lb. boy with a ton of red curls, I just know it...but it worked out great paired with this like-new white-I-never-spilled-anything-on-it-yet tank top. The tank top shrank and was too short,though.
So here's what I did, and it's easy enough for a very first sewing project, so think about doing this,too! I cut the skirt off of the lavender dress, and cut off a little bit off the bottom of the tank top. If the skirt part is too long, cut off enough of the raw TOP edge to make it the length you want. Now use your longest stitch on the sewing machine and make 2 rows of gathering stitches along the top of the skirt. Make sure the skirt is right side out and lay it down in front of you. Turn the tank top wrong side out and pin the side seams of the tank to the side seams of the skirt. Find the center front of the tank top and pin it to the center front of the skirt; do the same with the backs. Pin it pin it pin it to death :D Trust me!

Pull your gathering threads to the correct size, stretch the tank top slightly; the way it would stretch when worn.
Using the same color thread as the tank top, sew the top and skirt together. Nice! Now trim that seam evenly, and go back over it with zig-zag stitching.

When you're done with that, turn the dress right side out and pin it so there is a "lip"(for lack of the correct term right this second,lol!!) and topstitch the tank top hem to the skirt. The photo will probably let you know exactly what I mean to say! It will look like you are wearing a 2 piece outfit when you're finished.

Now that wasn't so hard! Go make one!
kudzu

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oh yes, here's a close up of my lavender and copper paper beads knotted into a simple necklace. It matches the dress; and I had earrings ready to make, but can't remember where I left my jewelry pliers!

I just wear them like you would your winter scarf...so it's adjustable and I don't have to add a clasp. I just slip it over my head.
Have fun!
kudzu

Paper Bead Necklace

2010-07-25T20:22:00.002-05:00

As soon as I found an article about paper beads, I was hooked. There's paper EVERYWHERE...torn pages from books, newspapers, magazines, old giftwrap....like I said, EVERYWHERE :D I've made hundreds of beads but not much jewelry yet. Then the other day I was wandering the 'net and saw a video tutorial from Threadbanger and just loved the necklace tutorial they showed, so I finally made myself something!

Check out the video tutorial by Threadbanger here.....then go to Hiraeth.com here, to see how to cut out different shapes and read some fun facts about paper beads :D

I'm cheap, so I use a coat or two of clear nail polish (something else that's always around the house!) to get mine super shiny. But try some clear gloss spray to cover them all at once.

And now...here's my version of Threadbanger's necklace. I used rice paper and black hemp, and a couple silver colored beads on the ends. I love it! You can make it any length it needs to be. Probably not good for young children because of a choking hazard!!!

Now go make something!
kudzu

Make Your Own Beaded Wire Purse Handles

2010-07-25T00:54:00.004-05:00

I found this GREAT tutorial on Craftster. Very handy since I've been making some purses that are much cuter with beads to match:D I looked around for some suitable(cheap)wire, and found some at Walmart in the hardware department...check it out...100 feet of galvanized wire for less than $4. Make sure your beads will fit over it; the pony beads work great, so use beads with a similar sized hole. If you don't already have pony beads, you can buy some at Walmart for $2. I buy them at yard sales when I see them. If you have some strung bead Christmas garland, those work well,too.
So gather your things:
wire-make sure it's strong enough for your purse handles
beads that fit over the wire
vise grips
pliers
Mine are still not perfect, but I'll keep practicing!

These work great for the book purses I've been making!

These particular handles were purchased at a thrift store, but you can see how yours will look when they're done! Just follow instructions for the beaded wire handles at Craftster and save a lot of money:D

Go make something!

Baking Soda and Vinegar-Natural Cleaning Products

2010-07-19T05:40:00.005-05:00

My great-niece and grandson #2 used a half dozen boxes to make "space rocket boxes". Here they are sitting in the space rocket box watching cartoons! So much fun!

My sister gave me an avocado seed and I put it in a glass jar for my grandson, who quickly lost interest,lol! But I can't say anything ,I forgot all about it..that must be why it's still alive! It's even bigger, still in the glass jar :D
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I thought I'd share these great tips. This saves the planet, and saves money! Here are some links from The New Homemaker I came across. This page is about cleaning with baking soda. I use it myself, but didn't know there were so many other ways,too!
Baking Soda Cleaning Tips
I've been using it in my laundry for years. It helps remove the nasty odors from your clothes. And I've always used it as a cleanser to scrub away spills. I refuse to use it as a toothpaste...can't take the taste, bad memories of using it as a child,lol!...but it's great for that! Now I use it to clean up after the bad puppies who pee on my wood floors. Just sprinkle it on after you mop and let it absorb the remaining stain. Leave it there a while. And soak your plastic storage containers with baking soda and water to remove the bad smells from them, too. Sprinkle some on your stinky puppy and brush it through his coat to remove some mud and odor before you bathe him,too, or use it between his baths.
Vinegar Cleaning Tips
This is also great for cleaning up puppy messes. After mopping up after them, mop with vinegar. I like to wipe vinegar on it and leave it a while. And I'll fill bowls with vinegar and put around the house to get rid of bad odors(those silly puppies are a lot of work!) I use vinegar in my laundry sometimes in the rinse water, it removes the rest of the soap residue and odors. I use it to set colors in new clothes...no one likes their new red shirt to turn their jeans pink :D Fireants! ....we have a huge problem with those down here. If you're bitten, wipe the bite with vinegar to reduce the sting and resulting bo-bo's! And if you have ants coming inside, spray with vinegar to shoo them away. Vinegar will kill weeds!

There are tons of other ways to use these two all-time favorite staples besides cooking.

Hydrogen peroxide is also good around the house. It removes blood stains, and you can use it as an all purpose cleaner around the house. It's a great anti-bacterial cleaner,too!

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I've been bad about posting. My life has been completely changed, I'm single now after 32 years, but all is good! I'm dealing with it and looks like I'm able to handle it better than I thought I could:D So that's that, and back to the good stuff!
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I have been making things here and there, and taken photos, just never seem to find time to sit down and blog about it or go through the photos for the good ones. I've made a lot of paper beads, they're so relaxing to make. I have little cups of all different shapes and colors and I really need to string some up! But I'll probably wind up with hundreds more before that happens:D I cut a purple tank dress and refashioned it into another dress. I've been making journals. One to write in with my red pen(LOL) and one for my craft ideas. I'll have some tutorials later. And I'm making more book purses and will share a beaded wire purse handle tutorial I found on Craftster.
We're waiting for my new grandson, about 4 more weeks to go! So I need to make some baby things with all the ideas I've found out there. I bought some sweet yellow terry on clearance I'm going to be using.

Look for new posts soon for craft projects!

kudzu

Take One Of Grandma's Old Scarves And A Bangle Bracelet And Make This!

2010-07-07T21:55:00.005-05:00

Not long ago I spotted a bundle of bangle bracelets for $1 at..duh!..the Dollar Store. And there's 10 bracelets in each package...lot's of crafting potential there, besides looking cute with almost any outfit!

Here's a quick project to take with you when you don't want your whole purse, maybe to the movies or the casino, or strolling the Farmer's Market, and show off your favorite scarf.

Open the scarf up and lay flat, right side down. Lay a bracelet down on the center edge and grab a corner and put it through the top of the bracelet and around to the front again. Do the same with the other corner.

Now tie the corners into a nice knot.

It will look like this. Now do the same to the other side!

You'll end up with this. Add your ID and whatever you need, and slip it on your wrist.

Now go make some!

kudzu

Quilted Pillow Sham Purse; Butterflies

2010-07-05T18:17:00.003-05:00

A while back I found a pair of quilted pillow shams at the thrift store for .99. Had to buy them :D

I cut off each long edge, and then sewed them together, then sewed across the bottom to make it boxy. Then I sewed the edges I cut off together, along with some of the blue cotton backing, and made the handle; nice and comfy with the cording and quilting.
The lining is made from pink and white striped cotton chambray. The bottom is reinforced with heavy corrugated cardboard with batting and the chambray covering it, hot-glued down. I can remove that for washing the purse. It's embellished with a few ragged rolled roses and a couple torn fabric leaves. What's missing is the rest of my idea...buttons and more trims, lol...ya'll know I'm easily distracted! But I'm using it now, and I love it...and I have one more sham to play with :D

I tried to sit on the porch while they set off fireworks...too many deer flies and mosquitos...but I managed to take a few pics of this crazy butterfly. It did NOT want its photo taken. You should've seen me hobbling around this butterfly bush trying to take a picture of its back....I snapped a bee,too! And found a serving piece I hammered for a windchime and forgot about!

Hope you enjoy!
kudzu

A Guide I've Created To Prepare My Daughter For Labor

2010-07-04T11:01:00.008-05:00

Just a silly post today, especially for my daughter who doesn't want to have another C-section!
This is a ceiling medallion I'm going to put up in the kitchen.

The opening is only 4" across, so I thought it would be a good comparison!

Oh, I should mention my son weighed 8lbs. 2 oz. and my daughter weighed 10lbs. when she was born... and daddy weighed 12lbs. when he was born. I weighed 97lbs. when I got pregnant with my son.....110lbs. when I got pregnant with my daughter. I don't know what happened to me after that :D , I've put on a little weight!

So here is her baby boy, he's 62lbs. right now, so Celeste...he's probably HALF the size the new baby is going to be.

You'll hear "the baby is crowning!"....and this is Aiden's 6- year old boy head; the new baby's head is probably the size of a basketball right now. But don't worry, you have 8 weeks to go, his head will get MUCH bigger...

Then you'll hear "there's his head!"....and again, this is Aiden's 6 year old head, not the new baby's 13 lb. head....

What if it's a breech birth you ask?? Well, this is what it may be like....but Aiden is so small. Let's see...what can I compare the new baby to??? Oh, I know...imagine you're giving birth to the recliner. Yeah, that's about right.

So, this is for my sweet tiny baby girl sugar pot dumpling hunny-bunny!

kudzu

Happy 4th of July!!

Ohhhh...I Accidently Deleted Blogs I Follow!! ack

2010-07-02T10:07:00.001-05:00

okay, hang in there, and let's hope i can find them all and get them back up!
kudzu/cherry

Make Some Fans For Your Cook-Out In 5 Minutes!

2010-07-01T19:14:00.004-05:00

Check it out....perfect for an outdoor get-together, and you can make them in about 5 minutes! I remember fans like these at my friend's Baptist church, and I seem to remember Jesus and lambs and verses on them. We didn't have these at our Lutheran church, so I probably spent more time admiring the cardboard with the pretty pictures glued to the flat wooden stick!

You're going to need some old albums and some paint stir sticks, and a glue gun. I cut my paint sticks in half and used one half on each fan. Now, fold a sheet of paper in half and come up with a shape you like. I looked it up on the 'net, and they still make these; it seems some politicians use them for their campaigns....although I haven't seen them down here where they SHOULD be...LOLOL. But anyway...I saw round, football, diamond, stop sign shaped,...you name it. So I went with the two shapes I remember from way back in the day.
After you have the shapes cut out, glue all around the edges except where the stick goes. Once the glue on the edges has cooled, now open it up, squeeze in some glue, and push in the stick. Ta-da...you're done! You might want to make some with just the one cardboard shape. Well, just glue the stick about an inch up in the center bottom. If you want, you could glue on a small ribbon, either in a bow, or knotted in the center; maybe red/white and blue! Great little party favors :D
Keep these in mind for outdoor weddings,too. You could print out the invitations and glue them to fans. Or the couple's new monogram...something along those lines :D

So
Go make some!
kudzu
***FOUND THIS ONE THIS MORNING, YOU CAN PRINT IT OUT..COPY OF OLD CHURCH FAN!
AT INSTRUCTIBLES :D

Grandchildren

2010-06-30T18:57:00.005-05:00

A visit yesterday with my grandchildren! We had spaghetti....AND...red beans and rice from Monday, and peach cobbler with whipped cream :D
Here they are being themselves....

first there is hair pulling...

then tickling....

and here's my other grandchild...hiding inside my daughter, Celeste..

7 more weeks to go!

Hope ya'll had fun,too!

The Original Teflon-A Cast Iron Skillet

2010-06-28T18:18:00.004-05:00

I found this not long ago at the Goodwill for less than $5. My own cast iron pan I'd been using for YEARS went under the sink with the other seldom used pieces, since this one was much nicer than mine. It's a Griswold,too.

It stormed last night, the house shook and buckets of rain came down. Of course I left the rug out on the deck rails...for a few months now!!oops!! But I reallllly meant to bring it in yesterday...and forgot. So this is what I saw at 7:32am this morning when I let the puppies out. The sun nearly blinded me and I wasn't sure I was really seeing this...maybe my eyes were just blurry :D But sure enough, steam was swirling off this rug...in fact, I went back in to get my camera to take pictures of it. I had to wait for the fog to dry off my camera lens then,lol...but while I took the pictures I noticed the big droplets of steam all around me. And I MIGHT have even heard it sizzling....yep. It's hot here in South Mississippi this year.

Look what I found in a mosaiced watering can on my front porch...a birds' nest! You know what this means...snakes! They love tasty baby birds.

Kudzu

Make A Patio Light In Less Than 5 Minutes!-A Rusty Stuff Project

2010-06-26T18:23:00.004-05:00

You probably have all 3 of the things you'll need for this and be able to make it before dark tonight!

I took an old rusty bed spring, and an equally rusty cottage cheese mold and slipped the bed spring through one of the holes in the bottom of the mold. Mine stayed upright and secure all by itself, but you might need to bend things around with a pair of pliers. Pop in a battery operated votive, or a votive candle in a glass container, and there you go :D Easy peasy.

Here's a close-up of the top of the bed spring inserted in a hole in the mold. The candle light fits inside just right! If you wanted to use a glass holder and a votive candle, maybe use some wire across the back of the mold to keep it secure.

Ta-da! Maybe it only took 2 minutes....

and here it is inside so I could take a photo of it lit up. Don't you love the star pattern? Wouldn't these make nice decorations for the 4th of July?
You could hang the molds from a string of lights, that would be pretty,too, or hang the molds from wire around the roof of the porch, or on the ground along your walkway.
Go make some!
kudzu