Put a Ring On It

Pinch pleat panels topped with wooden rings

2 panels for the French doors

Floor length panels on both sides of fireplace

Close-up of fabric pattern

Wooden rings on pinch pleat panels

Evidently pinch pleat curtains are back in style. I've had several requests for them. To make them more modern, I added large wooden rings on top. I think these were 3" across. I hooked the rings to traditional curtain hooks behind the pleats instead of sewing the rings to the top. This created less stress on the fabric. These are heavy panels with insulated lining. The room called for something large and dramatic because of the vaulted ceiling hence the large gold rings and rods. She picked fabric with the same red as the wall color but with an off-white background which lightened up the room.
I made four pair of pinch pleat curtains for this room. I keep saying "this will be my last pair!" but I keep making them. If it's sewing or cooking, "yes" comes out of my mouth so fast that I don't realize it 'til it's too late. That's okay because I love sewing and cooking. My family loves to eat so making a living sewing then cooking the groceries I buy kinda go hand-in-hand. Did I mention I still do a little catering?  More on THAT in another post. I can explain, really! Hors d'oeuvres for 200, anyone? I'll take pics.
Back to the curtains. Sometimes it's just hard to get back to a client's home to get photos of work. In this case, I din't get back to her house for a couple of months! Things happened with her, things happened with me. Life just happened. And then... Christmas. Need I say more! That's ok because she lives locally so we both knew I would be back over there at some point. And from what she told me this day, I'll be back again... for a couple more rooms with bare windows.

"Clean out the Cabinet!" Bark

 Yes, I know. You're saying, "you should've posted this before Christmas!" As I said last week, the entire time between Thanksgiving and last week, things have been crazy!
Christmas always seems to bring out the urge to make sweets in me. Of course I didn't exactly have everything to make what I wanted so I decided to "just WING IT"! I would use that as my slogan and my life's mission statement but I'm afraid Nike would sue me. I call this "Clean out the Cabinet" bark because that's pretty much what I did. It's very festive, don't you think? You could make this for Christmas, birthdays, Easter.... I just used what I had so it was multi-colored mini m&m's but feel free to use red and green m&m's or chocolate chips or Reese's Pieces or sprinkles.
Here is the recipe:
-1 (16 or 24 oz) package milk chocolate bark
-1 (16 or 24 oz) package of white chocolate bark
- half cup peanut butter (optional )
- 15 oz bag pretzel sticks, broken into pieces (you won't use the entire bag, maybe half unless you're a pretzel fanatic)
- chocolate candies (m&m's, Reese's Pieces, whatever you like)
Line a 10"x15" jelly roll pan (it looks like a cookie sheet with sides) with wax paper. Break up the pretzel sticks and place a layer on wax paper. I didn't put a quantity because you may want more pretzel pieces. I just spread them out in a single layer. In the top of a double-boiler, melt the milk chocolate and peanut butter. If you don't have a double-boiler, you can melt chocolate and peanut butter in the microwave. Just microwave 30 seconds, stir, repeat until all melted. Pour over pretzels. Let this layer harden. Melt white chocolate and pour over hardened milk chocolate. While the white chocolate is still warm, sprinkle m&m's or whatever your choice of candies over white chocolate. Let this layer harden. I know, it'll be extremely hard to wait! When the top layer has hardened lift out of pan by the wax paper and break into bite size pieces. Enjoy!!

Pour melted chocolate/peanut butter over layer of pretzels in waxpaper-lined pan.

Close-up of chocolate (gotta have a close-up of the chocolate!)

Layer of white chocolate with mini m&m's sprinkled on top

Break into pieces when all hardened. YUM!

A Rose by Any Other Name

My finished baby washcloth bouquet

The far right and far left "flowers" are bibs.

Close-up of washcloth "flowers"

I know what you're thinking, she's fallen off the face of the earth. Lots of stuff going on with the kids, my health, unexpected death of a friend before Christmas, home break-in, blah, blah (I won't go into the details). It's just been chaos. My apologies for not keeping up-to-date here.
I've been plum worn out! My little escape has been Pinterest. Not feeling very creative, I decided to poke around Pinterest to see what other people are up to. Check back next week as I make my "thumbs up" and "thumbs down" review.

I had a baby shower to attend so I looked around. Found some cute ideas. I always modify the ideas on Pinterest. I don't know why. Just think of cuter or tastier or more efficient ways of doing things. Things I've done for years, they are "new" ideas there. Maybe I should've written a book. Anyway, I found an idea to make a bouquet out of baby clothes. Ah shredded paper in green and yellow. You can also cover the butcher paper with a baby blanket or towel but I forgot to buy one.  Notice that I did use 1 floral stem that I kept the flower heads on. I just thought it would add a little fullness. I cut each stem (there were 6) to intersperse in floral foam around the entire bouquet (sorry I didn't make photos of that). You can sort-of tell from pic of final product. It was the only bouquet at the shower! Just something different    to make since everyone is making the diaper cakes now. I made a diaper cake for a shower 8 years ago. Guess I should've gotten photos and started a business before it became popular!

Here is how to make the washcloth flowers: fold 1 washcloth in half, then fold again halfway, leaving open edge.

Start at 1 short end and roll up, making "center" stick out a little like a rose bud does in the center.

Bind one end with a kid-size ponytail holder. This makes your rosebud.

Roll down some of the edges to make your petals. The end with the ponytail holder goes into the floral stem.

Soup Supper: Cowboy Stew and Cornbread

Brrrrr! It's been chilly here (I know, if you live up north you're calling me a sissy!). I cook a lot of soups and stews in the fall & winter. This also gives me an excuse to make cornbread.  They're so easy because you can ad lib on ingredients or change the type of beans (or meat or other veggies) if you have a preference. Just use what you have! Soups are easy to cook in the crock pot too.

This is the chili sauce I use but Heinz is good too. Look for it near the ketchup.

Everything combined and simmering in the dutch oven.

I used to have a recipe for Cowboy Stew that uses chili sauce. Moving several times, I've misplaced some cookbooks. Well, technically I haven't lost them. I have them somewhere in the black hole that is our storage unit. So I did what I usually do when I don't have the instructions or I've never done it before....I WING it! I have a habit of making up my own recipes. I like to grab whatever is in the pantry (it's a long drive to town!). So here is my rendition of Cowboy Stew. I've never found another recipe that uses chili sauce. My "new" one does! You can find chili sauce in the ketchup aisle. I use Kroger brand but Heinz makes it too.

Cowboy Stew

- 1 lb. ground beef (or ground turkey)
- 5 medium potatoes
- one 12 oz. bag frozen crinkle cut carrots (or if you want to use fresh, baby carrots)
- one 12 oz. bottle chili sauce
- 1 beef  bouillon cube
- one 15 oz. can pinto beans, drained (you can sub chili beans, baked beans, etc)

Peel and cut potatoes into large bite-size pieces. Place in large saucepan with carrots and enough water to cover. Add beef bouillon cube. Par-boil ( until they're almost soft when you poke them with a fork). Meanwhile, brown ground meat in a dutch oven. Drain fat and return meat to dutch oven. Add entire bottle of chili sauce. Add entire pan of potatoes, carrots, and cooking liquid. Stir. Add beans. Simmer about 15 minutes or until potatoes are completely soft. I serve mine with cornbread but the stew is good with yeast rolls or biscuits too! This makes a dutch oven full, 6 servings if you're really hungry. And you will be when you smell this cooking!

Thought I'd make you hungrier and get really close up!

Smells Like Fall Y'all! Our Favorite Muffins

Our favorite breakfast muffins: chocolate chip pumpkin spice muffins (yes,  I know, that's a long name for a recipe. That's why I call them favorite muffins!)

Biker Chick

I had a very busy weekend coming up and the "bug" hit me! No, not a stomach bug, the "crafty bug". 

It seems to hit me at the most inopportune times. I had 2 baby showers to go to, a t-shirt quilt to finish, house sitting for a friend, fabric and thread to pick up, drawing a pattern for a lap top back pack. Then there's the issues of the family wanting to eat and have clean laundry (so demanding aren't they!?). I found a blog: www.sweetaprils.com with a cute idea for a diaper bike. I was looking for a twist on the diaper cake for the shower gifts and this was really cute! I made some changes in the details but followed the general assembly directions. My niece, Amanda, has a jungle theme nursery and my niece, Nicole, has a frog theme nursery.  Here are some changes I made below. 

The original directions are on : www.sweetaprils.com.  

Amanda's diaper bike with a lion

Oh Baby!

Baby girl quilt made from onesies

Close-up of square on baby girl quilt

Baby quilt for a boy with camp fleece back. Dad likes to hunt! The plaid shirt squares were from one grandfather who passed away before the baby was born. Camo square, as well as the "Screamin' Eagle" patch, from other grandfather. I made a matching throw pillow too. Baby will have a memento to treasure from his grandfathers.  

The back showing the camo fleece