NO-SEW PET BED



A lot of us have used a similar pattern to make the double-sided fleece blankets for ourselves and friends...now you can make your 'best friend' a pet bed out of the soft, comforting fleece!

In case there is someone who doesn't remember how to make this blanket, here are some easy instructions for the bed!

All you need is a yard of fabric fleece, a bag of stuffing, and a pair of scissors, and you're on your way to making a custom pet bed! I used two different patterns for each of my beds, but you can definitely make one from just one yard in one print. I had enough left to make two more beds!

Speaking of which:

I used 1 yard each of two different prints of fleece per bed. One yard will actually make two of the size I have, but you may want to make yours bigger or smaller! Also some batting to fill it. I used less than one of a bag to fill two.

Decide what size bed you want and add at least 8" all the way around. This is because we are going to cut 4" strips to tie together.

It's easiest if you cut the two layers at the same time. That way they'll be sure to line up perfectly!

First I cut the selvage edge from the fleece - it has the test printing on it.

Then I cut the fleece to half its width.

Next I measured 4" in from each corner and laid a ruler across this line.

I cut a slit every inch until it reached the ruler. This was much easier than drawing a bunch of lines first. (See picture 2)

You will end up cutting out the corner pieces.

Starting at one corner. tie the two sides together strip by strip. Use a double knot to make sure it doesn't come undone.

Tie together all of the strips, leaving an opening large enough to stuff with the batting.

Fill the bed with batting and tie off remaining strips.

You're finished! All that's left is to introduce your pet to it's new bed. Hope you both enjoy!





Shaker Salads!

This is from a great blog...fat girl trapped in a skinny body - http://fatgirltrappedinaskinnybody.blogspot.com

Secret Recipe Club time, holla! There are a ton of us in this, not so secret club, now. It's rad! I look forward to 'reveal day' every month to see all the fantastic recipes that have been made. And quite honestly, I also look forward to seeing who got my blog. Of aaaaall the recipes they could have picked, why THAT one? I can't help but think that...

So then, why do I chose the recipes I do? What made me pick THIS recipe, of aaaall the recipes on Creative Kitchen Adventures, why a salad dressing??? I love salad, period.

After reading pretty much every tidbit on Denise's blog I concluded she's an amazing woman, mom and wife.
By the way, using words like 'concluded' make me feel like I'm writing a paper for college...I digress... She does the best she can to feed her family well. And by well I don't just mean 'down home cookin.' I mean well, like healthy well. I appreciate that, so much! GO DENISE! Given that, I decided I needed to make a salad. Ok wait, I did make hercaramelized onion and cheese omelet too. But I scarfed that before I could take a picture. And her brownie cookies, I think I had a dream about them on Thursday night. Those will for sure be made in the very near future!

One of the great things about the SRC club is you can modify the recipe you choose. While I didn't modify the vinaigrette, I did modify the actual 'salad' ingredients. I modified simply because well, I used what I had on hand. That's all. Don't think for a second I wouldn't LOVE the spring mix with apples and raisins…do you know I'm like REALLY into raisins? I can't be trusted around them,. I'll eat an entire pack. And not the little snack size 'I got my hand stuck because the boxes are so small' size. I mean the jumbo bags from Costco.



A few notes on the dressing:

1. I added all the dressing ingredients in a blender to see what would happen. I mean, besides the obvious, it would blend. Duh. I wanted to see if blending it would prevent oil/vinegar separation. You know how at restaurants their salad dressings seem to not separate? How do they do that? Well, my little experiment shed light on their secret: a blender. At least for me, when I added these ingredients to a blender, cranked it up for only about 30 seconds, my dressing stayed almost 100% mixed for an entire week in the fridge.

2. My mom taught me a few years ago that adding water to salad dressings help save a buck. Add a little water, which is practically free, and it will help spread out your dressing for another couple salads. Th water isn't 100% necessary, although, it doesn't impact the integrity of the taste of the dressing and it saves a few pennies, soooo, it's worth a shot.

3. You can add any 'flavorings' to the dressing. Roasted garlic, basil, shallots, onions…This is a great dressing as is, or as a base for adding additional flavors.

Balsamic Vinaigrette
Recipe from Creative Kitchen Adventures

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1-2 tbsp water (more or less depending on the consistency you want)
2 tbsp honey (can be replaced with agave or brown sugar)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions
Place all ingredients into a small jar (canning jar). Anything with a lid works well.
Shake to mix thoroughly. Stores in fridge for 1-2 weeks.

*Or use my blending method: throw everything in the blender, blend for about 30 seconds, then store in a jar for 1-2 weeks.

Salad
Makes 2 salads (Salads pictured were made in 32 oz mason jars)

1 cup cooked quinoa
2 big handfuls spinach
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/2 red onion, diced
4 tbsp balsamic vinagrette

Layer the ingredients in the jar as follows:
dressing
onion
mushrooms
tomatoes
quinoa
spinach

The most important part of the layering is making sure the dressing and the spinach (or whatever 'leaf' you choose) don't touch. As long as they stay separate, these salads can be made up to 4 days in advance and will stay fresh in the fridge with a lid on. This is one of my tricks to eating salad everyday for lunch at work. I make a few jars on Sunday night and just grab one to bring to work everyday. When you're ready to eat, just shake it up.

Remember the McSalad Shakers form Mc Donald's? Now THAT was a great idea! Ever since then, I shake my salads.

Doesn't get much more efficient than this!

This is ingenious!

QUICK TIP

Stretch a rubber band around an opaque container of coffee, oatmeal, and such. Each time you scoop out a measure, move the band down to mark the supply level. While making your grocery list, you can see how much is left in a snap!

"Things Go Better With Coke"

Remove Tough, Greasy Stains from Clothing with Coca Cola

If you've got some greasy, difficult stains on your clothing, it turns out Coca Cola might be able to solve the problem. Clever list site Listverse suggests that adding a little to your wash will make the difference:

Grease stains are famously difficult to remove from clothing and stain removers can be very expensive. Here is a cheap solution: empty a can of coke into your wash along with the usual detergent and run it through a normal cycle. This is also quite effective for removing blood and it helps to deodorize smelly clothes.

The reason it can break up stains is thanks to the carbonic and phosphoric acid inside. Most people hear about this ingredient and wonder how Coca Cola is safe to drink, but as Snopes details the amounts inside are too small to have any impact on your tough stomach—just your dirty laundry. While you might not want to drink a ton of Coca Cola thanks to the (real or artificial) sugar and sodium content, you and your soon-to-be clean clothes will be just fine.

From Listserv

Eric Clapton -Autumn Leaves

Homemade Mayonnaise in 2 Minutes or Less

You might remember your grandmother using a mayonnaise maker - a jar with a plunger that she plunged up and down...well, here you go...the easiest way to make mayonnaise in the world! No more jars with blue or yellow lids and LOTS of weird ingredients...make it soon!

Get it? It is essentially sucking down oil in a thin, steady stream, saving you from having to do it yourself. In no time flat, you end up with a cup full of creamy, perfectly emulsified, real-deal, better-than-anything-you-can-buy mayonnaise, and you've pushed yourself up to a 100% success rate (with the option of making small batches, to boot!).

Of course the best part of all this is that you get to flavor it however you'd like. Most often for me that means garlic (I microplane one clove into the mix per egg yolk I use).

Pro-tip: Be Careful With Your Extra Virgin

It's possible to make a truly tasty mayonnaise by using high quality extra-virgin olive oil, but there's a problem: Blenders, food processors, and hand blenders are too powerful.

You see, extra-virgin olive oil droplets are composed of many tiny fragments, many of which are bound tightly together, preventing our taste buds from picking them up. Whip the olive oil with enough vigor, by say, using a food processor or blender, and you end up shearing those bitter-tasting fragments apart from each other. The result is a mayonnaise with a markedly bitter taste. Not only that, but these tiny fragments actually decrease the efficacy of emulsifiers like mustard or lecithin, making your sauce more likely to break.

So what if you want to have an ultra-stable mayonnaise that's still strongly flavored with extra-virgin olive oil but has no bitterness? The key is to use a neutral-flavored oil like canola or vegetable to start your mayonnaise. Once it's stable, transfer it to a bowl and whisk in some extra-virgin olive oil by hand. You'll still get plenty of flavor, but none of the bitterness.

And this, my friends, is how great sandwiches start.

From Life Hacker...via The Food Lab

Look What I Made!

I have been in the 'nesting' and crafting mode of late and really enjoying my home and sewing room! I have been making rag bracelets (dozens of them!), hobo style bags from a pattern I found online, and bracelet pincushions (so handy when you're cutting out a pattern or using your machine and need your pins nearby).

I have decided to try to sell my items and my little 'store' is called 'The Rag Bag Hag' as I make most of my items from the rag bag! I love to use old textiles and clothes from the thrift store to make something beautiful from somone's cast off items! Saving the landfill from filling up AND the world's resources one item at a time--not to mention the money savings ! I'll admit it--I'm cheap! But I really think of it as Thrifty! I'm having fun and hope you like what I have made!

Contact me at ajoneswallace@charter.net if you are interested in any of my items.

Look What I Made!

Meet my sister, Bridget. She made these wonderful hobo bags, silk flowers and fab fall pumpkins! The pumpkins are made with luxurious fabrics (velvets, tapestries, linens--not your ordinary fall decor.) She uses natural vines and wood for the stems. Bridget has been sewing since she was a teenager, and does quality work! Our mother was a great seamstress and Bridget 'got the sewing bug' from her at an early age. I know mama loved it that Bridget followed her around trying to learn to sew because I had no interest at all! I am now trying to play catch up and learn from Bridget! She is a lovely sister, enjoys camping, her home and family, and especially CATS! She rescues cats and has too many to count!

Always mindful of the tremdous waste of resources today, Bridget uses recycled and natural materials whenever possible.
All these items are for sale at a reasonable price. Bridget's email is barrington@greshaminc.com.

Look What I Made

This from Sister #337, Paula Grimstead--"My daughter Rachel is trying to be a stay at home Mommie, by babysitting and sewing to supplement their income. I am so proud of the aprons she is making. Here is one style. I will have more pictures as she sews and will be bringing them to our Sisters on the Fly campout in Alabama--'Southern Fried.' She actually thanked me the other day, for teaching her how to sew. Did my heart swell with pride, you bet!!!"
Rachel's contact email is simply_blessed2011@yahoo,com , and she's also on facebook! She's happy to do special orders!
As a crafter, I'm so happy to see young women having an interest in home, sewing, and crafting!
Way to go Rachel!

Needle Felting!

Check out these adorable needle felted dolls I found today on Mary Jane's Farm!
Needle Felting is such a crazy, cool craft!
Its popularity is sweeping the world. Nearly anything that one can imagine can be created from wool using only single barbed felting needles!
Felt Alive dolls are fully jointed, solid felted wool and require no sewing, no stuffing, no painting, no knitting or crocheting, no patterns and no wire armatures! That's right, none of that! Shaping and sculpting fluffy, unspun wool with barbed felting needles is nearly like magic. Check out the website at http://www.feltalive.com/
to learn more about the craft! I want to learn!!

Look What I Made!

"This is my latest embroidery project. My grandmother, Madeline Sanders taught me how to embroider when I was a child. She, my Great Aunt Daisy Meade, and I would sit and embroider for hours. Those are some of my favorite childhood memories! It's not just about learning a craft--it's about making memories that will last a lifetime!"
Laura-- Chattahoochee Hills, GA

Note: Laura is making these pillowcases to sell as well as jewelry, sock animals, decorated vintage train cases, and some beautiful fabric pins! She is a talented crafter and we'll add more photo's of her crafts a little later. Contact her at questover@bellsouth.net

Happiness Is!

Happiness needs no accessories, for it is in itself omnipotent. It takes hold in the heart, builds its nest, and brings forth its own birds to sing for you! --Mary Brooks Picken
I thought I should introduce my friend, Paula Bush to you with this uplifting quote from Mary Brooks Picken who founded The Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences in 1916. Our new blog is devoted to women, hearth, home, and happiness! Much as we love to wander, Paula and I find much joy being at home -- reading, learning, creating and sharing with each other. Nothing gives us more joy than 'feathering our respective nests'! Please join us in this journey as we learn from each other. This is your blog--created to share ideas, tips, patterns, and 'how to's' to make our lives better and more beautiful. We are all about 'making something out of nothing' and 'trash to treasure' crafting! By doing so--we not only save money but we are saving the environment by reducing waste in the world's landfills and reducing our carbon footprint. Read much more on the subject at http://www.sew-green.org/sew_about.html
We are also passionate about 'passing the torch' to the younger generation of women--so the art of 'makin do' that many of us learned from our mothers and grandmothers is not lost.
And I will end with another quote from Ms. Pickens:
"Cheerfulness is much more to be desired than riches. Those who possess it have something riches cannot buy--a great possession because it created goodwill and makes for real happiness!"

Hearth and Home

"One man's junk is another man (or woman's) treasure"...how true!

We love to up-cycle & re-fashion vintage and gently used clothing & linens; we also

embellish clothing, aprons, handbags and other wearable accessories as well as pillows, tea towels, and the like for the personalized, sustainable home. Many of us heard our Mothers and Grandmothers say, "use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without"...a great idea, don't you think?

Some of us paint, some sew, others crochet or knit...we are all crafters, and with a burning desire to teach younger women the art of hearth and home with an emphasis on frugality and sustainability.

Sustainability is the capacity to endure. In ecology, the word describes how biological systems remain diverse and productive over time. Long-lived and healthy wetlands and forests are examples of sustainable biological systems. For humans, sustainability is the potential for long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of stewardship, the responsible planning and management of resources.

Wikipedia

...and do we love junkin'? Yes, indeed, we do!