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Showing posts from April, 2012

Teacher Appreciation Week - Day 1

In honor of Teacher Appreciation week, which is fast approaching, I'm going to detour from my normal posting schedule. Instead, I'll be sharing with you the projects I am working on for my kids' schools. Somewhere in there I'm also supposed to come up with a Wedding Cake for a Romeo and Juliet Party, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there. First up - Scissors! What  teacher doesn't need scissors? I know mine disappear all the time. With this little project, your teacher will have their own personalized set of shears to admire. This is a super easy and inexpensive gift that is also very useful.  All you need is some scissors, Mod Podge, and some scrapbook paper. Cut out the paper to match the blade. Apply a layer of Mod Podge. Place the paper on top of the paste. Apply another layer of Mod Podge on top of the paper. Let dry and then repeat on other side. That's it. After letting it dry, I started thinking about covering the enti

Star Flower

It's Friday and time to start crafting! As I clean out all this yarn, I'm finding lots of little scraps. I hate to throw it away, but there's not enough to make much. Actually, it only take a very small amount to make one thing...flowers! There are so many varieties that you can make and you can do things with them such as embellishing clothes, bags, or headbands.  I came up with this little pattern to use up my smallest amount of yarn.  It's a star flower. You can use any type yarn, but this flower has both worsted weight and bulky weight yarn.  I used a H-size hook.  This is a forgiving pattern, so use what you have and go with it. 1. Chain 4. 2. Join to make a circle. 3. Make 11 sc into circle and fasten off. 4. Join second color in next sc. 5. Chain two.   6. Complete 2 hdc and 1 sc into same opening.  Petal made. 7. Skip one sc and repeat step 6 above around the circle. Join in first petal. Fasten off and leave a long tail.

ToT Training Week 4

It's hard to believe that I'm already four weeks into training for the  runDisney   Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-miler .  I had a really good week.  The weather was perfect for running.  The Tampa area experienced a little cold front which brought in cooler temps and lower humidity.  Plus allergies were better. I don't think I really ran 4.17 miles; my GPS was off a bit.  I think it was closer to 4 miles.  Either way, I met my goals for the week, so I'm super happy.  One more week of 3.5 miles for the long run and then I go up to 4 miles for "real".   One thing I have noticed is my increased appetite. It seems like I'm hungry all the time.  I'm hoping that running more is kicking my metabolism in gear since it is all but dead from my radioactive iodine treatment on my thyroid.   No races scheduled at this time.  There are quite a few coming up in the fall that I want to do, but the weather here in the summer don't trigger any desire

Surprise Package

I came home last night to find this box on my table.  Hmmm....I don't remember ordering anything.  Even hubby was saying, "what did you order this time?" Even more of a mystery is that is was from Joann's.  I know I didn't order anything from them - I usually just go to the store. What could it be?  Who sent it?  Did I win something? Ta da!  Remember last week when I showed you how to wind your own yarn using a stick?  I had also mentioned how I wish I had a winder, but it was a frivolous purchase that would have to wait. I set it up as quick as I could. It was so easy.  Then I just threaded the yarn. With a turn of the handle, I was winding yarn! Look at that! Here's another one I did.  The one on the right I did by hand.  Looks good, but I tend to pull my yarn too tight when I wind and that stretches the yarn.  With the winder, that doesn't happen. It didn't take long for me to knock out three wound balls.  Look how nice thes

Spring Cleaning - Brushes

Alright, ladies, it's springtime, so time to get to cleaning. But not this: Real Life Housewife Blog Let your hubby do it (I did!). No, I'm talking about your makeup brushes. Go ahead, look at them.  Pretty gross, huh? HowToCleanStuff.net says:   Makeup brushes can become coated not only with makeup residue, but also with body oils and dead skin, making them havens for bacteria that will decrease the life of your brush, negatively affect the proper application of makeup and can also cause skin problems and possible infection. It is recommended that you clean your makeup brushes after each use and that you give them a thorough cleaning at least once a week.    Eww..gross.  And uh, no. I don't think I have the time to clean after every use. However, I think twice a month will be much better than what I have been doing, which is never. Here's what you need: your dirty brushes 1/2 cup warm water 1/2 cup white vinegar small amount of dish soap

Fairy Houses

In honor of Earth Day yesterday, I thought I would share with you some cute, little,  Eco -friendly fairy homes.  We found these little treasures on a recent trip to EPCOT to see the Flower and Garden Festival.  It so adorable how they can make these little homes out of different materials. They can be very simple or quite elaborate. We are hoping to make a few of our own to add to our butterfly garden. It just makes me smile when I see these cute little buggers. Now that I have the inspiration, I just need to find the energy to get it done. I feel another craft post coming on...well, maybe soon.  I have several other projects that I'm currently working on.  Just not enough hours in the day. I hope you enjoyed this little nature walk.  Maybe it has inspired you to recycle something of yours into a whimsical yard decoration or bird house? The spring showers are starting, so it's time to get that yard back into shape!  Happy Earth Day!