The past couple of weeks, I’ve been working to complete a major Christmas project. I had purchased the flannel for the project from Hancock Fabrics a week or so ago but when I went to iron it to get it ready to use, I discovered several flaws in the fabric itself. So I had to make a trip to Hancock’s…
For our first Christmas on a Budget Series project, we start with a simple little no cost craft idea. Each year, I buy small Christmas themed boxes of tissue to put out for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. They are a little more expensive than regular tissue so I only buy three, one for the living room and one for…
I know, I know, it’s March and Christmas seems so far away. But if you’re planning on making gifts and Christmas decorations, etc the sooner you start… the more organized and relaxed your holiday season will be. Starting now and going forward, each month on the 25th I’m going to be posting budget saving holiday ideas. Budget Saving Idea #1…
Do you like building puzzles but don’t have space where you can build them? A puzzle mat is the perfect solution! It can be laid out on the floor or dining room table, then when you’re done working on it for the day, it can be rolled up and put away for later. The only problem with the Puzzle Mats (<<affiliate…
For the past week and a half, I’ve had to move my sewing machine back to the dining room table while my husband worked on refinishing and modifying a vintage sewing machine cabinet that I picked up at a local thrift store a few years ago. It is solid wood with a cherry veneer and was a bargain at $30.…
I was so pleased with the way the embroidered gift bag in this post turned out that I decided I wanted to make some more. To that end, last month, I stitched up three more embroideries. The two done in redwork were turned into these gift bags which were completed late last night (or rather very early this morning): The…
One day last week, I was tracing some embroidery patterns onto muslin with the pattern and fabric taped to the window of the back door. I commented how much easier it would be to trace them if I had a light box and wished there was a way to make one that wouldn’t cost too much. A few minutes later,…
One way to keep energy costs down is to make the most of your oven each time you use it. For example, I rarely bake just one loaf of bread. Five loaves will fit on my oven racks and so that’s how many I bake at a time. Another way to make the most efficient use of the heat in…
It’s been months since I posted. Some major life changes have taken place in those months and most of my energy, creative and otherwise has been focused on absorbing and adjusting to those changes. But I do have some things I wanted to share so I’ll begin this first post of 2011 by showing you what I’ve been working on…
Last year for Mother’s Day, Dave and our son gave me four strawberry plants which I transplanted into one of our square foot gardens in the backyard. Now according to Mel Bartholomew’s book, All New Square Foot Gardening, you shouldn’t allow the shoots to take root because they sap the energy from the mother plant. So throughout the spring, summer…