Tots and Bottoms

Rocketship Birthday Party

2012-01-08T08:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we celebrated my son's birthday with a rocketship/space theme.

We made these cute little alien masks.

Tried to set off some rockets but it was so cold and muddy that once we set off the two big rockets with actual engines we opted for the Stomp rocket, which was a big hit Aunt Jeanette!

I love his expression when he saw these little dart guns.

We had a great time and thank you to everyone that was able to be there to help us celebrate.

Side note: this party was mostly possible because of Pinterest. Make sure to check out Pin Do Review to see my reviews, but give me a day or two to recover from the party.

A Letter To My Son On His Fourth Birthday

2011-12-27T08:35:00.000-08:00

Dear M,
Happy fourth birthday little man! Sorry your birthday is so close to Christmas, but it really wasn't my fault that you were ready to be born at 37 weeks. Did you know there was a big snow storm the morning you were born?

We are so lucky to have such a sweet and kind son. You take such good care of your sister and are always watching out for her. She is lucky to have such a great brother!

You love learning and can already read some books by yourself. You really want to go to school and since we didn't do preschool this year you have been busy working on school work from home. Your favorite thing to do is mazes and painting.

You have your own way of expressing your ideas that always make me smile. You have stories not dreams, you patiently wait for your pet crab to make his way back home and you are realistic about the lifespan of a pet chicken. You know Daddy can build anything and think the garage is his "house."

Here is a little more about you:

Your favorite color is green.
Your favorite food is spaghetti.
Your favorite book is any dinosaur book.
Your favorite show is Kipper the Dog.
You like orange trains, riding your bike and ice skating.
You drove your dirt bike for the first time by yourself on Thanksgiving.
Your favorite animal is the cheetah.
You often don't like doing something until we are done and then that is all you can talk about doing again - like camping.
You have big feet and no behind.

Thank you for helping me become the person I am today. We can't imagine a world without you.

Love,
Mom

Raviolis

2011-12-21T15:53:00.000-08:00

Today my Mother-in-law and I made raviolis for Christmas dinner. This is a 3 hour project that is best handled by a team. At the end of the process my daughter was up from her nap and my son was back from him bike ride with Grandpa and they were ready to help!

Child labor at its best!

Over 200 raviolis made, kitchen cleaned, floor mopped and take-out pizza for dinner on speed dial!

Blogging Question

2011-12-09T14:47:00.001-08:00

I received an error message when I tried to upload my new header saying I was out of storage space. Has anyone else experienced this and what are my options?

Chain of Service

2011-11-30T14:27:00.001-08:00

Yesterday we made a paper chain as part of our "holiday decorating with what we have." I want my kids to know that this time of year shouldn't just be about receiving cool gifts but is also about helping others, so written inside each chain is a small service they can help with.

It was a challenge to come up with 25 different services they could help with but we managed. Some of my favorites are:

Spend the morning at the local old folks home
Give the dog a bath
Write Great-Grandma a letter
Donate toys to children who need them more than we do
Bring food to the local food pantry
Help with dishes

Fingers-crossed that this is a small step in character building.

Mid-Century Modern Paper Ornaments

2011-11-27T13:12:00.001-08:00

This year I am determined to decorate my house for the holidays using what I have on hand. Luckily I have Pinterest on hand and inspiration is on overdrive most of the time. I love these mid-century modern ornaments and with a box full of card stock me and the kids got busy!

Here is the inspiration pin. You can find the original tutorial here from Design Sponge.

Source: enderbynest.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Cut and odd number of strips in gradually decreasing lengths, line up the ends and secure with staple or glue and repeat on other end, add string. The end.

I used a paper cutter and a hot glue gun. Mine are made with only 5 pieces of paper. If you want them to be really fat the inside piece should be significantly shorter than the outside layer.

To make the flower shape make a ball and then added a dab of glue to the center and flattened it.

Here are the ornaments hanging from my lights in the living room.

And in the dining room.

Total cost: $0 (since I had everything) but if you were to go out and buy it would be about $1 to make two. I should have saved this for a cocktails and crafts since it was so easy!

Homemade Paper Christmas Ornaments

2011-11-22T14:07:00.001-08:00

Source: howaboutorange.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Let me start off by saying that cutting on a line isn't one of my strengths. In sewing it isn't so much a problem because of seam allowance, paper on the other hand isn't as forgiving. I decided to make these cute paper balls because I wanted to do more to decorate my house for the holidays but don't want to spend money we really don't need to. I looked around my house and found a bunch of a paper and decided to find some cute decorations I could make.

I found this paper ball on Pinterest. It looked pretty easy and I had all the supplies already. You basically cut out 12 flowers, cut some slits and slide them together. It is a bit of a brain teaser but if you fiddle with it long enough it will come together. The original tutorial called for cutting it with a Silhouette cutter which I don't have. My flower shapes are more organic and less even.

I made the large orange one first and that turned out to be smart because it was easier to put together. I am going to make a couple more large ones and hang them from my living room ceiling lights. I might even go crazy and bust out the glitter.

After I "mastered" the large one I printed out some 4x6 photos on my home printer and combined them with some navy card stock. This one will go on our tree.

There is an even smaller template but I won't be trying that one any time soon. I need to work on my tracing and cutting skills to get that nice crisp image from the top of the post. When I get them all made and hung from the lights I will post some more pictures.

How to Make Farmers Cheese

2011-11-22T07:59:00.001-08:00

Holiday time at my husband's and my house means homemade pierogi. I grew up eating potato pierogi and he had cheese. Normally we would buy Friendship brand farmers cheese, which runs about $8.99 a pound, but this year we couldn't find it anywhere. Solution- make our own. We made mozzarella as a cocktails and crafts last winter and I remembered that the beginning of the process created farmers cheese.

To make your own you need four things:

One gallon of raw or pasteurized milk - not ultra pasteurized
Citric acid - I used powdered I had from making mozzarella but you could use a lemon or even vinegar
Something to strain the cheese. I started out with a cheese cloth but then switched to two strainers with small holes.
Heat

Sorry the pictures aren't that great, I was using my iPhone cause I was too lazy to get my good camera from across the room.

Put milk in a large pot.

When the milk begins to boil (small bubbles will first appear at the edges), turn off the heat. Stir acid into the milk, and the milk will curdle. You may need to wait 5 or 10 minutes.

Line a sieve or colander with a cheesecloth, and pour the milk through the cloth to catch the curds. What is left in the cheesecloth is the Farmer's Cheese. The liquid is the whey.

Wrap in plastic, or place in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator.

Different brands of milk will create different results. One store brand created worked perfectly with only one teaspoon of citric acid, the next needed three. Making your own cuts the price into less than half and gives you the satisfaction of saying you made cheese.

To get a printable version of this recipe click here.

Ice Skating

2011-11-18T09:51:00.001-08:00

We went to the skating rink at the outdoor mall last weekend. My son had a blast, but my daughter isn't in to the cold weather sports like the rest of us.

Look mom, no help!

Okay, maybe a little help is good.

Oaklet Shawl

2011-11-14T09:54:00.001-08:00

I said I would never knit or crochet a shawl but I couldn't help myself. I was getting tired or cowls and scarves and wanted to try something new. I had this great Malabrigo sock yarn in Playa and it wanted to be something just for me.

I am new to lace knitting and it is a challenge for me. There are so many distractions at my house that I have just come accept the little mistakes! My son helped me take the picture above and the one below, I love the perspective in the pictures he takes.

I don't think I will wear the shawl as an actual shawl but more as a scarf but I do want to show off how it looks.

Here is the link to my Ravelry project if you are interested in my making your own.

My Crazy Kids

2011-11-05T09:18:00.001-07:00

This was taken with my iPhone camera. I see either future Olympic divers or ER patients.

Evel Knievel Costume

2011-10-31T07:25:00.000-07:00

My original costume idea for my daughter was this cute crochet lamb costume but the more I thought about it the more I realized that it just didn't fit her personality - enter EVEL KNIEVEL!! I think all parents of toddlers can relate on some level to the humor of this costume. She had no fear and is my little stunt woman.

I took a white sweater shirt and sewed on the blue striping and then added white stars with puff paint. After she colored in the stars with Sharpie marker (heart break) I went over them again with red puff paint.

I made the pants following this tutorial from CraftStylish. I sewed in the blue panel and then puff painted the stars on the side.

The cape was made with about a half yard of white satin and I sewed sequins in a V shape. I used a freezer paper stencil to write EVEL on the side in case there was any question of who she is. She also has a helmet that I spray painted white and added sequins and Evel Knievel on the side. She refused to wear it and I was happy that I made a sequins headband last minute. You can kinda see the helmet in the picture below.

I am happy to report that Evel Knievel won 3rd place in the costume contest and Robot won 2nd even though he was screaming and crying by the time the contest rolled around!

Big Girl Bed

2011-10-26T05:57:00.000-07:00

My daughter moved into her big girl bed after she figured out how to jump out of the crib this past weekend. She had been asking for one for a while so the transition was really easy.

I scored the damask comforter at Ross for $10 and the hot pink sheets were $7. I am not a huge fan of pink but she loves them and for $17 we can afford to change our mind and not feel guilty.

While we were setting up the bed and taking down the crib my son asked when he was going to get a new baby sister for the crib. We asked him if he was sure he wanted another sister and not a brother and he was sure! So sweet, but I don't foresee that in your near future buddy.

The only hard part is now she has access to everything in their room and she sleeps with lots of books in her bed. Here are some ideas I thought might help.

Under the Mattress Book Holder

Source: holycool.net via Nicola on Pinterest

Ikea Spice Racks

Source: wonderfuljoyahead.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Fabric Book Shelves

Source: pennycarnival.typepad.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Cocktails and Crafts - Yarn Letters

2011-10-16T19:37:00.000-07:00

Three words - Cake Batter Martinis!!

The craft this week was yarn letters which looked so easy on Pinterest but once again in practice turned out to be a lot harder to complete (I am sure the martinis didn't help us out at all).

Source: bumpsmitten.com via Lauren on Pinterest

I don't want it to sound like ours were awful, just not as crisp as we thought they would be.

Here was our inspiration for the cocktail.

Source: howsweeteats.com via Sarah on Pinterest

This cocktail by far had the most alcohol in it, so the downside is that for a larger party it can get kinda pricey.

Cake Batter Martini:

makes a single serving, is easily multiplied

1 ounce amaretto

1 ounce Pinnacle whipped cream vodka (so good and I am not a fan of vodka)

1 ounce creme de cacao

1 ounce white chocolate liqueur

1 ounce whole milk or cream

assorted sprinkles (nonpareils work best)

I used some the milk to add the sprinkles on the rim.

I am sure cream would have been even better but we also had cheeseburger dip and cupcake fondue to indulge in. Isn't this a pretty drink?

This crafter went off the reservation and used mod podge to cover the letters in scrapbook paper. They turned out super cute!

I used the larger cardboard letters from Joann Fabrics and some stash yarn. For a 12-inch letter I used about half a skein of Red Heart. You just start wrapping the letters in the same pattern you would write them in. You have to hold the yarn tight to keep a nice crisp look.

Here are our "finished" letters. Please note the time on the clock 11:25 p.m.! This was a long but really entertaining craft night.

Robot Costume Tutorial

2011-10-10T09:30:00.000-07:00

Homemade Halloween costumes are the best!!! This year I made my son a robot costume and my daughter an Evel Knievel costume. You can check out the robot tutorial over at Hideous! Dreadful! Stinky! It is a great blog with lots of tutorials and fun writing.

Go check it out!!!

p.s. I will have the Evel Knievel costume posted once I remake the parts that my daughter decided to cover in black Sharpie!!!

A Letter To My Daughter On Her Birthday

2011-09-28T07:23:00.000-07:00

Happy second birthday Little Girl!

You are my child of extremes, my saint and my sinner. Strong willed is and understatement!

You love your brother and want to do everything he does at the exact moment he is doing it. At the same time you don't let him push you around and that will serve you well in life.

Your favorite foods are pizza, fresh pick raspberries and waffles. You also love to steal sips of my coffee even though you have no need for caffeine. Your favorite book is the baby body part book. You love your cowboy boots.

I don't think you feel fear when it comes to testing your body's and gravity's limits. You love to jump off just about anything whether we are ready to catch you or not.

We are told how beautiful you are almost every time we go out, but you refuse to let me take a picture of you smiling- or your face for that matter. You are beautiful even when you are pouting.

You love your baby dolls, but not one in particular, and get excited when you see horses, dogs, cats, and big trucks. You love having your toe nails painted and desperately want to wear earrings. You have been banned from using crayons, pens, pencils and markers unless you are under direct supervision because you love to decorate any flat surface that isn't paper.

You are my spitfire, hellion and stick tight. I cant imagine our lives without you. We love you so much!!

Happy birthday little bean.

Bubble Party

2011-09-26T05:45:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday we celebrated my daughter's second birthday with a bubble party. I made two homemade bubble solution recipes, giant bubble blowers, a human bubble and bought a ton of bubble blowers from the dollar store.

Here is the bubble skirt I made using the new Children at Play fabric from Michael Miller. So easy to make! I will try and post what I did to make it later this week, but trust me it was really easy!

Love the cowgirl boots!

We also tried our hand at bubble painting. I read that you just take water soluble paint, add baby shampoo and water, but I think my version had a tad too much water. The kids had fun blowing bubbles into the solution and then you put a piece of paper on top and the bubbles pop on top. Going to try this one again on a rainy day - less messy than finger painting.

Here is a small portion of the bubble paraphernalia. Thanks Dollar General for having all your summer stuff 50% off.

I also tried cake pops - don't try and make these with small kids. The mixing part was good for them to help but the melted candy part... not so good. I did use peanut butter instead of frosting to hold them together and that was yummy!

This is the tutu I made her. I would post a tutorial but I think there are about tthree million out there on the interwebs, so go find one of those. They are really easy and the only thing I did slightly different was not sew the elastic together but opted to add a satin tie on the ends of the elastic.

This was my view of the present opening chaos.

I love her expression in this picture. Grandma got her a real pretty that she will get to enjoy when she is older and has outgrown (or broken) all her toys.

There isn't a picture of it but we also fried whole chickens (no, not my pet chickens) as the food. We could fit two into the turkey fryer and they took about 20 minutes to cook. They were sooooo good. So good in fact that the crowd may not have noticed that chicken and cake was all we made to eat.

Here is a link to the one of the bubble solutions we tried and how to make those big bubble blowers.

Source: rhondas3boys.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest

We also tried this and it worked but eventually the pool got dumped because it turned into a swimming pool and apparently a pool filled with soap and young children doesn't mix too well (especially in the eye area). Also want to try this again. I am bummed that I didn't get to take the kids pictures inside a bubble.

Source: onecharmingparty.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Here is the other bubble solution/giant bubble blower tutorial I referenced. This solution didn't work as well for me, maybe because the cornstarch didn't dissolve.

Source: designdazzle.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest

I think the bubble party was a hit, especially with the birthday girl. This may also be the only party where the kids left cleaner than when they arrived, or maybe just ready to be cleaned since they were completely covered in a thin layer of soap.

My Monochromatic Flock

2011-09-15T15:21:00.000-07:00

We got two new Silver Laced Polish hens (hopefully hens)! All our chickens are some variation of black and white. Not something I planned but they do look pretty all together.

The two new ones are still teenagers and going through their awkward stage.

We named one Stewart, after one of my favorite Polish ladies, Martha Stewart. I couldn't go with Martha because that is my grandma's name and she might not take too kindly to that.

The other one is named Bock as in the sound a chicken makes - bock bock bock

They are insane looking and we already love them!

Crock Pot Italian Beef

2011-09-15T06:38:00.000-07:00

Looking for a quick and amazing meal to serve at your next family reunion or birthday party. MAKE THIS. It is soooo good, I can't even begin to tell you how good it is. My friend Jayna gave me the recipe. Here is her email that she sent me while I was in NY on how to make it - word for word.

Cracks me up every time I read it.

**Please note that If I'm serving this for lunch, I start this about 8pm the night before).

-big piece of beef (rump roast or whatever)
-2 packets of dry Italian seasoning (the kind you use to make your own Italian dressing.
-1 jar of pepperoncini's. You can use whole or cut. If you use whole, you need to slice them yourself
-Water
-random dry Italian seasonings found in your cupboard (parsley, basil, etc)
-Salt and pepper

-buns
-sliced provolone

******

You'll need a crock pot. Put the giant beef in the crock pot and fill with water leaving about 2 inches without water. It's okay if the water doesn't completely cover the beef. It's important to note that I cook this with the fat on the beef. Sarah, I can only imagine how grossed out you're going to be, but don't worry, you'll take off the fat later. Turn crockpot on high. Dump in peppers, juice, seeds and all. If you're slicing your own peppers, the juice inside the peppers is especially tasty. You need to slice off the tops and discard. Empty packets of Italian seasonings into water. Put in some salt and pepper. Look through your cabinet to see what other Italian seasonings you have. NOT a bay leaf. Not that its Italian, but you don't want that sh!t in there anyway. I suggest parsley, basil...things you would put on your pizza.

Bring up to temperature (you know...hella hot). Lid on. Turn down to whatever temp is good on your crock pot for an overnight cooking. When you wake up the next day, turn the beef over. Cook for remaining time on medium or so with lid on. About 2 hours prior to serving, you can pull the fat off the beef. Do this before pulling apart the meat. It should come off pretty easily in one or two pieces. I know, gross. At this point you can take 2 forks and pull the beef apart in big chunks. Right before serving, shred even more, right in the crock pot. In Chicago it's customary to dip the bun right into the juice, but again..you're out East and I'm sure they're not cool with that.

Serve and enjoy!!
Jayna

When I made it I didn't have to flip the meat and I missed the whole part about turning the temperature down and it still turned out great.

Here is a printable version without Jayna's commentary. Now go and make this and your family will be very happy.

Our Potato Project - Part Three

2011-09-08T13:38:00.000-07:00

While I was in NY our regular potato sprouted some roots and started to grow. I guess there goes our theory on conventional potatoes not growing. The only reason we got it to grow was because I was lazy and didn't throw it in the trash before we left.

Granted, I am not sure I want to eat a piece of food that took over a month to do what the organic sweet potato did in two weeks. Maybe it had to soak for over a month to get rid of the chemical on it (??).

Here is the proof for your viewing pleasure. The organic one is on the left. They have outgrown their water cups and we are going to head to the thrift store to get planters for them. I am hoping that is what I am supposed to do with them now!

We Survived Camping.

2011-09-06T06:02:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone enjoyed their holiday weekend. We braved a 6 hour car ride to do some back (and I mean BACK) country camping near Gunnison. It was so beautiful and so exhausting. Ever try sharing a sleeping bag with an almost two year old???

Can you see the elk?

mmmm Marshmallows

This was right outside our tent!

My two little camping monsters.

Button Monogram Tutorial - Cocktails and Crafts

2011-08-25T15:04:00.000-07:00

Today we got back on track with Cocktails and Crafts. It has been forever because people were busy having babies! Now that all the new people are here we are ready to craft and drink.

The drink today was a classic mojito. Here is Food Network's recipe.

Ice
6 ounces light rum
12 mint sprigs, or spearmint, 8 roughly broken apart
6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 tablespoons sugar
Club soda
4 slices lime

Place ice in beverage shaker then add in the rum, 8 broken up mint sprigs, lime juice and sugar. Shake well and serve over ice in a high ball glass. Top off each glass with a splash of club soda.

Garnish each with a slice of lime and a sprig of mint.

Today's craft was button monograms. We saw some great ones on Pinterest and knew we had to give it a shot.

Step One: Create an outline of your letter. I used Photoshop and printed it on card stock. I think a block letter works best for this craft because it would be hard to get a lot of detail unless you had really small buttons and a really big letter. The big splotch in the middle is mojito!

Step Two: Using a hot glue gun, add buttons to the inside of your letter, making sure not to go over your outline. Also helps to keep a cup of ice water to dip your burned fingers in.

Step Three: Repeat Step Two until you have a couple layers of buttons.

Look how beautiful it is on fabric!!

New Chairs

2011-08-24T11:42:00.000-07:00

So they aren't exactly "new" but they are reupholstered and monogrammed by yours truly. Here is a before and after shot.

We received our table and chairs as an engagement gift from my in-laws and at the time white padded chairs seemed so grown up and practical. Once my son came along with his sticky fingers, dirty feet and generally sloppy eating habits I knew that something was eventually going to change. Fast forward three and a half years when we are now high-chair and booster seat free and it was high time to recover these bad boys.

I found some very inexpensive dark denim at a wholesale home decor fabric place in Northern Colorado. I think it was about $8/yard, which for home decor fabric is practical free! It was really easy to get the staples out of the chair once I had the correct tool (offset pliers). I then measured the grimy fabric and cut the denim to fit (25 inches x 25 inches). I probably could have gone even smaller (21 inches x 21 inches) because the denim stretches a lot but it doesn't really matter unless you happen to be at my house and decide to look under my chairs and see all the access fabric.

Once they were all covered I printed out the first initial of our names in Cochin font and traced them on freezer paper. Ironing them on was a little hard since there is a slight curve in the chair but it worked. I know some of you might be thinking, "Gee - I have a Silhouette machine that does that, only better!" To which I would reply, "Suck it!" (unless of course you are Silhouette representative or a craft benefactor that would like to gift me a free machine!)

Since my edges weren't as crisp as I wanted I took a black Sharpie marker and outlined each letter. Set the fabric paint with your iron and you are done. Oh, I did one more step - I broke down and bought theses bad boys to save me from having to do this process in the near future.

Two-Tiered Simple Skirt

2011-08-21T19:21:00.000-07:00

I am back home, unpacked and busy going through all my photographs. I had a great time but it was a looooong trip! I plan to entertain you all with my favorite photographs from the trip but until I have gone through them you will have to wait. It will be the modern version of someone getting out their screen and slide projector when neighbors come over.

I did manage to get in a little sewing when I was home. I made my favorite niece this colorful two-tiered simple skirt and matching headband. Her mom picked out the beautiful fabric and I can't tell you the designer.

I added a cute stitched hem of course!

The headband I made by creating a bias tape and then used some of the left over elastic attached to the bottom to give it the necessary stretch.

You can find the tutorial here. I didn't exactly follow her steps because I was too lazy to pull them up but I got a super cute skirt.

The best laid plans.

2011-08-18T04:56:00.001-07:00

Note to self: NEVER, never, never travel at a time when your children should be in bed for the night!

This has been one of the worst travel experiences of my life, heightened by having two small children along for the ride.

We we were supposed to leave NY at 6:30 pm last night, have a one hour lay-over in Atlanta and then be in Denver by 11:00. Not ideal, but doable.

Our plane was delayed and hour and a half but with so many passengers trying to make the same connection they told us they would hold the plane. They were big fat liars!

Dammit, I would have just stayed in NY an extra day if I knew I would have to drag two very tired and sad kids around Atlanta at 10:00 at night. The worst part, the first flight they can get us on is 9:30 pm the next day.

I love my husband because when I called him in tears he gave me some tough love and told me to make do and get a hotel - no pity parties on that end of the phone. By the time I got to the hotel my son was crying because daddy wasn't here and I just wanted a stiff drink and a soft bed.

We got checked in, stripped down to our undies because we have nothing with us (sorry going out to whoever has to sit with us on the plane tonight), and got in bed.

We called and said good night to daddy and he was much sweeter telling me to buy whatever was necessary to survive the next 24 hours. Having no car or car seats leaves me at a bit of a loss on how to do that.

Plan B is to visit with my husbands family that lives here, but that may be hard given that they had no notice...

Update: they just called and are going to come get us! Yay!!!!!

So now we wait until they get here. Should be easy for these two very tired kids.

Wish I didn't check my knitting! Maybe I will get to see Project Runway tonight.

Two more days

2011-08-15T07:41:00.001-07:00

We have two more whole days and then I can rest at home from my vacation.

We tried to take a sweet picture to send Daddy but all we could manage were these:

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

County Fair

2011-08-09T18:52:00.001-07:00

I am in upstate NY with my family and tonight we visited the county fair.

Mmmmm fried dough.

Fried waffles, which I have only seen on the east coast. They aren't really waffles but batter that is placed on an iron design and then deep fried and covered in sugar. So good.

Fried pizza logs (I didn't make that name up). Is there anything that isn't good fried? After taking this picture I realized it resembled something a little less pizza-like and more Georgia O'Keeffe-like.

After the food the poultry tent was our next stop.

I want one of these Cochins. Don't know much about the breed yet but they are a round ball of a bird that isn't a heavy layer but super friendly.

My niece checking our where they sheared the sheep.

My daughter loved the goats. On my good camera I have pictures of her kissing a friendly goat.

I must be spoiled in Colorado because the home arts section was...lacking. There were some beautiful flowers but only one knit blanket, a couple quilts and one crocheted blanket.

And to round out the trip- one of the many creepy garbage can.

We have one more week here and the kids have turned their whine on to full blast and I am looking forward to not sharing a bedroom with them. Apparently vacation for a toddler and a preschooler means testing the patience of their mommy to the extreme limits.

Our Potato Project - Part Two

2011-07-31T12:31:00.001-07:00

Two weeks ago we started our potato project. The results are what I feared and expected, if that makes any sense. The sweet potato on the right sprouted roots about a week into our project and then a couple days later started to sprout. The potato on the left started to grow mold.

I guess the jig is up. The potato on the right is the organic one.

It took longer for it to sprout than I expected but at least something happened.

The mold isn't super clear in this picture but if you look at the toothpick in front and then down to about the 4:00 position that little spot is mold.

We are wondering why all our conventional potatoes (the russet and red variety) seem to have no trouble sprouting in our cupboard. Do they not apply the same chemical to those varieties? I am definitely switching to all organic tubers.

The Loot

2011-07-30T20:05:00.000-07:00

Today I went to Denver to run a work errand with my husband and he surprised me by agreeing to go to Ikea when he was done. Originally I went to have about two hours of uninterrupted crocheting time while I worked on a new pattern, but when he said we were going there I felt like I had won the lottery.

The traffic and parking were pretty nuts which I guess is to be expected the first full weekend they were open. But we found parking pretty quickly and made our way to the store. The place was jam packed but not to the point to the point of claustrophobia. I was even able to run into a best friend.

Seeing as my husband is a carpenter, he isn't impressed with the furniture but even he admitted that the accessories were nice and even some of the furniture had improved since our last trip to an Ikea (10 years ago in New Jersey).

TITTA FOLK Finger puppets - $4.99 (for our upcoming airplane trip)

TITTA DJUR Finger puppets - $4.99

2 DIGNITET - Curtain wire, stainless steel - $12.99 (one is for a shower rod and the other is for a super awesome craft project for later)

2 DIGNITET - Curtain ring with clip, stainless steel - $4.99 (to go with above)

SKURAR Plant pot, off-white - $3.99

2 ORÄDD Plant pot, beige - $0.49 (fo' real)

2 Chocolate bars - one milk chocolate the other hazelnut. The hazelnut was to die for, wish I bought more of those suckers.

Isn't this beautiful? A dear friend of mine gave me a basil plant that will soon live in here.

My original goal was to find cute photo props but with so many people in the store I had a hard time taking it all in and left with a couple things for around the house.

Here are the things I am thinking about getting, either for our house or to use as photo props.

Source: ikea.com via Sarah on Pinterest

New Quilt Shop In Town

2011-07-29T14:57:00.000-07:00

I rode my bike down to pay my water bill and was met with this pleasant surprise.

A new quilt shop in my little ole town! They must of thought I was a crazy person taking pictures through the window...

I found their web site and it looks like they will be carrying fabric that is more in line with my mother's sensibilities. It is great to see new business come to our shrinking town and the space they picked is great. Even though I prefer more modern/bold/non-tiny-flower-like prints it is wonderful to have a local place I can walk to in a couple minutes.

I wonder if it is too much to hope that one day they carry yarn too!!! They could easily get rid of that shelf of Yankee Candles and put up some shelves full of yarny goodness.

Seriously, did that just happen?

2011-07-28T11:16:00.000-07:00

If you walked into my house right now you might think I was canning some tomato sauce because it smells great in here. The truth is much messier. While getting out a box of mac and cheese to make for lunch my blood pressure must have dropped and my eye sight blacked out when I had my hand raised above my head reaching for the box. While I was waiting the 5 seconds for my vision to come back, I managed to drop a glass of spagetti sauce on the floor and it shattered.

Am I the only one that sees a big mess and immediately thinks to grab my camera? Such a waste of organic tomato sauce that the dog can't even help me clean up because of the glass!

Luckily the whole jar didn't shatter but enough of it did to be a pain in the dupa. This must have been magic traveling glass because it ended up in three different rooms.

Some how the jar also managed to shatter on the way down because it cut my leg on the glass before I even started to clean this disaster up.

At least my house smells like I was cooking all morning.

Trip to NY Project

2011-07-25T05:58:00.000-07:00

In one week I will be flying with the kids to NY by myself! I did this same trip last year but my daughter was less mobile and smaller; should be an interesting time. I am looking for an easy project to work on while I am out there and need your help deciding.

The first two are blankets that I was thinking I could make large enough for a twin or full sized bed for my daughter and the last two could be photo props for upcoming newborn shoots.

Summer Garden Granny Square by Lucy of Attic24

Source: ravelry.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Neapolitan Ripple by Michelle Tang

Source: greetingarts.typepad.com via Sarah on Pinterest

The Baby Cozy by Jennifer Pedersen-Giles

Source: windrosefiberstudio.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest

And last but not least - a knitting project.

Baby Envelope by Joanna Johnson

Source: ravelry.com via Sarah on Pinterest

I love the granny square blanket but worry it might not be mindless enough for vacation since I have never attempted one!

T-shirt Shag Carpet Photo Prop

2011-07-22T19:37:00.000-07:00

I saw this great little pillow and thought, "Hey, that would be cute as a rug for photographs!" While it is really cute it was a pain in the butt to make.

Here is the original inspiration:

http://www.vanessachristenson.com/2011/04/v-and-co-how-to-shag-pillow.html

Here is my end result. I know it is hard to see in this picture but it had the desired effect of a textured blanket.

I was attempting to make it one square yard but got to a half-yard and was about to commit myself to the loony bin so I called it quits. With the strips only going half way up the material, I folded the material over it and sewed it up like a pillow. It is about the size of a nice bath mat.

Isn't she gorgeous... not that I am at all biased.

Birthday Fabric

2011-07-19T13:28:00.000-07:00

I am thinking about placing my first order with Spoonflower. I want to make G a cute skirt or dress for her birthday and have been toying around with this idea:

HALF BRICK

HALF DROP

MIRROR DROP

I am leaning towards the Half Drop.

Another Cocoon Idea

2011-07-18T05:48:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture from the weekend newborn shoot I did. This is using a larger sized cocoon (two more rounds of increases) and the mom was holding the cocoon from the top. If you want to see more of my photos you can check them out here.

The link to the original pattern is found here.

Our Potato Project

2011-07-14T12:35:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the video going around that shows a little girl talking about how she couldn't get a conventionally grown potato to grow and even the organic one was kinda puny? It isn't until she picks one up at a certified organic market that they get a lush potato plant.

This seems like a simple project for my 3.5 year old and we started it today. I haven't been to a farmers market recently but I did manage to pick up an organic sweet potato and a conventional one at our local grocery store.

I am not going to tell you which one is the organic potato, but I won't stop you from guessing. They sat in my car for an embarrassing long time so hopefully that didn't ruin them.

Here is the original video. Clearly she has been coached but regardless of the message's delivery I am excited to see if we get the same results.

If you want some additional reading check out:
Residue Levels of Chlorpropham in Individual Tubers and Composite Samples of Postharvest-Treated Potatoes

Pesticide Information Project of Cooperative Extension Offices of Cornell University

EPA's info on Chlorpropham

I am going to try and post a picture once a week to track our potato growing progress. Has anyone else tried to recreate the video?

The Everchanging Maxi Dress - (sorta) Tutorial

2011-07-13T13:19:00.000-07:00

I think it is safe to say that I prefer patternless sewing. I made this dress/skirt this afternoon just using a couple measurements, and you can too! The best part about the outfit is that it can be a dress or a skirt and with the ties you can change the look pretty quickly to suit your mood.

Sorry for the less than stellar pictures - I am all packed and ready to go shoot my next birth and don't want to mess with my camera bag until that baby gets here! These were all taken with my iPhone.

Step 1: Measure your waist and times by 1.5. So if your waist is 32" your measurement with be 48". That is the width of your dress/skirt.

Step 2: Determine how long you want your dress and that with be the length.

Step 3: Using a gathering stitch on the top edge of your dress. Pull your gather to the width of your waist (32"). This was so easy using the spandex/knit I got on clearance at Joann Fabrics. Then using a zig-zag stitch go over your gather so they don't move.

Step 4: Sew up your side seam using a zig-zag stitch

Step 5: Cut out a piece of fabric that is the width of your waist (32") and how ever long you want the top section to be. The longer you make it the more if can fold but can also get bunchy. I made mine about 12 inches.

Step 6: Attach the wrong side of the skirt section to the right side of the top section using a zig-zag stitch. I know that seems a little wonky, but when you put it on the top part will then fold over.

Step 7: I then cut a piece of material that I could easily wrap around myself two time and have length to tie.

Step 8: Sew the strip of material to the middle of your top section.

Step 9: If you used a knit like I did then you are done - no seams to finish!!

Now go stand in front of a mirror and practice all the ways you can tie it.

I love the way the tie adds some support when you are wearing it as a dress. It feels really secure.

Sneak peak

2011-07-12T07:53:00.001-07:00

Here is what I am working on, any guesses what it is?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Gocco Discovery

2011-07-10T07:35:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts. I am a doula and photographer and have been either waiting for a birth, attending a birth or editing some beautiful birth pictures. I would love to share the photos but that is a big ole no-no until mom and dad give me the go ahead.

But I am back, with a new obsession. I was cruising around Pintrest (my newest addiction) and found something called Gocco. Picture this little toy looking machine that allows you to make your own screen prints easily! I have wanted to get into screen printing but just haven't had the time to make or buy a screen. I want this.

Source: sharesomecandy.com via Sarah on Pinterest

If you want to see how easy the process is check out the web site www.SaveGocco.com.

The problem I am having is actually finding a machine for sale. A Google shopping search shows that they run anywhere from $150 to over $700. That makes me nervous. Definitely have to do some more research on how to buy one.

Source: ohsobeautifulpaper.com via Sarah on Pinterest

The process looks easy enough. Draw your image using a carbon pencil, burn it onto screen using the poison lighbulb and then add ink and press. If anyone has used one of these machines or knows a reputable place to buy one I would love to hear from you!

Source: offtopicsite.blogspot.com via imma on Pinterest

Cake Mix Doctor - Strawberry Refrigerator Cake

2011-07-04T13:56:00.000-07:00

For my birthday my Mother-In-Law gave me the book The Cake Mix Doctor Returns, by Anne Byrn. When I opened the book I knew immediately that this was the first recipe I was going to make - The Strawberry Refrigerator Cake.

It is basically a yellow cake with cream cheese and vanilla added to the mix and then sour cream and whip cream icing. I made my own whipped cream since it is better and I can pronounce all the ingredients and for the Fourth of July I added blueberries.

In writing this post I found out Anne Byrn has a whole web site with recipes including the one I just made! Click here to be whisked away to cakey goodness.

Byrn has seven other books, including a gluten free cook book, dinner cook book and a pot luck cook book. I can see these making their way to my bookshelf soon.

To Tweet or Not to Tweet

2011-07-03T13:02:00.000-07:00

Do you have a Twitter account?

Do I need a Twitter account?

What does Twitter provide that a Facebook page doesn't?

When do you just say no to social media?

Repurposed T-shirt Dress

2011-07-01T12:14:00.000-07:00

A couple months ago I found this tutorial on how to turn an old t-shirt into a little girl dress and decided I wanted one for myself. I have these great double layered t-shirts that Target used to sell and even with a big ole stain on it I couldn't stand the thought of getting rid of it.

I love the pleat detail at the top of the skirt but wish it had a little more structure, maybe that is what interfacing is for???

At first I didn't want a big bow, but in hindsight I should have kept that since the belt I created doesn't fit as snugly as I like and was difficult to attach without a dress form or extra set of hands. Maybe if I find this dress sitting in my closed not being worn I will remove the belt and try the bow.

My husband says it "looks better than expected" and I learned how to put in a zipper (thanks once again Jayna)! Maybe one day I will actually use a pattern for myself, but I doubt it.

Change Is Good

2011-06-30T07:39:00.000-07:00

One Painted Lady has started her metamorphosis and looks like two others are right behind her! I don't know who is more excited, me or my son.

Sock Bun Curls

2011-06-28T09:14:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Pintrest I have recently been inspired to try new hair styles. I have found a bunch of cute styles that are fast and look like I made a bit of effort to be presentable.

Source: None via Sarah on Pinterest

Last night I attempted the sock curl. Basically you put your dry/damp hair in a high pony tail (kinda loose) and then using a sock you roll your hair up into one big curl. I tied the two ends of the sock together and went to bed. When I woke up I just undid the whole thing and used a little shine spray to cut done on the frizz and we were done. Mine doesn't look as amazing as that chick but I am pleased with the results.

A little bit of effort and I am rewarded with feeling better about myself and think I have a better day. Next time I might try using thinner socks and adding one or two more to see what kind of curls that creates.

My son took these pictures and I think he did a pretty good job!

Simple Skirt

2011-06-27T14:47:00.000-07:00

I attempted to make a modified circle skirt this morning using a wide piece of elastic and let's just say I had to move to Plan B. I have made this simple skirt for my daughter about three times now and each time I get faster and faster.

I found some gray fabric with little gray and lime green cars on it at Joann Fabrics and think with a coupon I paid a grand total of $8 for two yards.

It does look a tad little girlish but I expected that. It is comfortable and something easy to put on while we enjoy 90 + degrees here. The best part is when my son saw me in he told me how pretty I was!

Butterfly Garden Excitement

2011-06-24T10:40:00.000-07:00

Insect Lore's Butterfly Garden has been my go-to birthday gift for the past year. I love that the gift teaches and the excitement lasts longer than one day. I finally bought one for my kiddos and its arrival was pretty exciting!

M saw the box and knew immediately what was in it!

It was like Christmas morning. I told M that it would take a little while before they turned into butterflies to which he responded, "Yeah, it will take about 9 minutes."

This week's library books are all about butterflies in anticipation of their arrival.

Love the serious expression!

Godzilla baby wasn't so gentle and lost holding rights pretty quickly.

We are keeping a journal of their transformation and hope we can even get the butterflies to lay more eggs for us. If anyone has tried other Insect Lore products I would love to hear about them.

Items May Appear Smaller At The Store

2011-06-23T07:32:00.000-07:00

On my last trip to Joann Fabrics I saw on the clearance rack a flower I had previously passed up, because it wasn't worth the $4.95! It was on sale for a buck and some change we were in business!

I cut the flower off and hot glued it to an alligator clip. It turned out exactly how I envisioned it except about twice as large as I had hoped. Don't get me wrong, I am still going to wear this baby out, but it is a much bigger statement piece then I expected. More of a hat/facinator than a simple hair accessory.

I swear I can't accurately gauge the size/quantity of an object at the store. This can also be applied to clothing I am buying myself and food I put in my shopping cart!

The Superhero Federation Wants You!

2011-06-21T12:40:00.000-07:00

I recently made all my nephews and niece superhero capes. I am not going to go into detail on how to make them but if you Google "Superhero Cape Tutorial" you will come up with about 1,020,000 results. What I will share with you is how I made the arrival of the capes in the mail a little more exciting.

Rather than sending them from Aunt Sarah, I sent them from the Superhero Federation. Here is how I did it.

I whipped up a logo on Photoshop and then I wrote the following letter:

I also added the logo to the return address label. They were mailed out last week and I was please to see pictures of my nephews wearing them with pride, knowing that the were singled out by the Superhero Federation. I heard they even had an initiation ceremony!

Now you can send out your own Superhero Federation letter using the following links:
Superhero Letter (Word Format)
Superhero Federation Logo

Hope your little Superheros enjoy it as much as mine did!

My Crafting Space

2011-06-16T13:32:00.000-07:00

If you read or follow craft blogs you might have noticed the trend to post about your awesome craft room and show how neat and tidy you keep it all the time. If that is the kind of inspiration you are looking for, I suggest you stop reading the rest of this post. If you are looking for ways to store all your craft/yarn/fabric stuff without your house being taken over by storage totes then you should continue to read.

While I didn't have the ~~guts~~ foresight to take a before picture, you will just have to take my word that it wasn't pretty.

So without further ado... my craft space.

Now I know what you might be thinking - "Wow, that looks just like a dining room!" And I would say, "Correct!" I do all my sewing and general crafting at my dining room table. See my sewing machine against the wall in its hard case? So glad I got the case.

So that brings us to the storage part. Like I mentioned before, imagine a small walk-in closet filled with storage totes (and some clothes). I could never find anything and if I did find what I was looking for, getting it out was hard physical labor.

Enter the storage piece...

Isn't she beautiful? I picked her up for $30 at my neighbor's garage sale and decided I was tired of all the white, brown and green that makes up my home's decor. This is Behr's Starless Night in semi-gloss. I love it, my husband is not sold on the blue.

The top two drawers are for knitting, crochet and sewing notions. The first two large drawers are for yarn (good yarn in one and not so great yarn in the other) and the next to drawers are for fabric scraps and uncut yards.

I still have some random supplies around, like patterns, random craft tools I picked up for Cocktails and Crafts and stuff I have no idea what to do with but feels like a waste to throw it away. Right now that is all under my bed.

I am learning more and more that in a small space organization in key to keeping your sanity. While I do love my new blue beauty I can still dream about my ideal craft room (and third bedroom, playroom and basement).

Source: thenestuk.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: onelittleword.typepad.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: None via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Must Make These!

2011-06-12T19:10:00.001-07:00

Source: coolmomtech.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Crochet Sausage Links Pattern

2011-06-08T12:29:00.000-07:00

You made have heard (or read) that my family loves sausage! My kids wanted to help but clearly couldn't with raw pork involved so I came up with this solution. Now they can help make and cook sausage.

Crochet Sausage Links Pattern
Hook: US F5/3.75mm
Yarn: Worsted weight. I used Red Heart Eco-Ways in Cinnabar.

Step 1: Chain 5
Step 2: 6 Single Crochet (SC) in second stitch from the hook, join with slip stitch to create circle (6 stitches)
Step 3: 2 SC in each stitch (12 stitches)
Step 4: 1 SC in next stitch, 2 SC in next stitch - repeat around (18 stitches)
Step 5: SC each round until you get the desired length of sausage (18 stitches)
Step 6: To start decrease: 1 SC in next stitch, Single Crochet 2 stitches together (SC2tog), repeat around (12 stitches)
Step 7: SC2tog around (6 stitches)
Step 8: SC2tog around (3 stitches)
Step 9: Chain 5

Repeat Steps 2 - 9 until you have the desired number of sausage links.
I took some stash yarn and tied little bows since in my mind that is how sausages look, even though we personally don't make sausage like that.

Sausage Links by Sarah Boccolucci is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Puff Daddy's Baby

2011-06-07T13:13:00.000-07:00

I finished up a sweet little photo prop last night - Puff Daddy's Baby by Anna and Heidi Pickles.

I think I will make another that is fatter and shorter so I can make sure all newborns will fit on the cushion. The pattern calls for it to be knitted flat and then seamed but I wasn't up for that so I cast-on with smaller needles and more stitches (US 17 - 12.75 mm and somewhere around 40 stitches).

To make this size took three skeins of Jiffy held together. I could even gotten away with using two since I created a gray pillow case to hold the polyfil - I hate seeing the white polyfil peak through. I also seamed one end using elastic so I could pull the pillowcase out for easy cleaning, newborns can be unpredictable like that.

My son loves it and I think a whole set in rainbow colors would look great.

You can grab the pattern here: http://www.pickles.no/puff-daddys-baby-eng/
or
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/puff-daddys-baby

Grandpa's Smoked Sausage

2011-06-06T14:11:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend we made homemade elk sausage from a recipe my husband got from his Grandfather. Homemade smoked sausage is better than anything you can find in the store. We load it up with enough garlic to make our house stink for a couple days and we loooove it.

We are lucky enough to also have his old Stimpson meat grinder that has the sausage attachment. This thing weighs a ton but gets the job done.

We made about 45 pounds of sausage! Apparently, my husband and I don't believe in cooking small batches of things we love. A batch of homemade raviolis has been known to number in the 400s.

Here is the most important part - the smoker. We use hickory chips and smoke them for about 30 minutes. They aren't cooked through but have that delicious smokey taste. All of our windows were open yesterday so now everything in our house also smells like smoke... delicious smoke.

Here are the finished smoked sausages. Mark Zuckerberg would be proud. We got 31 meals (5-6 sausage) this go around. You know what we will be eating at least once a week.

The Recipe:
75% Pork
25% Elk
Casings (local butcher shop can get you how much you need)
For every 15 lbs of meat:
1 tablespoon black pepper
3 tablespoons salt
3 cloves of garlic (or 5-6 if you really like garlic)
2/3 cup warm water
Hickory chips

Cake Wreck

2011-06-03T16:29:00.000-07:00

I made this super yummy white cake today and had visions of what the photograph would look like. Nicely frosted with chocolate frosting and fresh raspberries, placed outside on our patio set. That isn't what it looks like at all. It looks like my golden retriever tried her hand at cake decorating. I am pretty sure my three year old could have done a better job than this.

Don't be fooled by the picture, the cake tastes amazing. I failed to grease the pan enough or let them sit too long before getting them out of the pan. I tried some surgery with frosting but frosting couldn't save this disaster.

If you can get past the photo and take my word that it really does taste good then check out the recipe after the picture. It is my take on a white cake recipe from AllRecipe.com.

Ingredients:

2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening

4 eggs

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans.
Cream together sugar, butter and shortening.
Beat in one egg at a time.
Add vanilla, baking powder and flour
Add milk.
Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes

3 cups all-purpose flour

3.5 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 cup milk

Project Intervention

2011-06-01T12:09:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like you project list is just getting longer and nothing is ever crossed off? I was taking stock of all the projects I have either started or bought the materials for but haven't started and it is slightly embarrassing.

1. Cathedral window quilt
2. Knitting photo prop
3. Two Tunisian crochet patterns I need to commit to paper
4. Refashioned t-shirt dress
5~~. Anchor t-shirts for pirate themed birthday~~ (wow, one I can actually cross off)
6. Zig zag quilt
7. Refinished dresser to house all my craft supplies (in progress)
8. Bird fascinator - oh yeah.

I feel like every time I start a project it inspires another project, especially those involving yarn. Maybe I need a craft intervention?

I Heart Coconuts

2011-05-27T11:59:00.000-07:00

I really do love all things coconut. Coconut oil, coconut milk, Banana boat... but I may have to draw the line at baking with coconut flour.

I bought some in bulk at Sprouts earlier this week and have been desperately trying to love it. I tried this recipe for coconut flour blueberry muffins and while they were good, they didn't meet my muffin requirements.

This morning I tried coconut flour pancakes and while the kids gobbled them up I thought they texture was all wrong. So sad especially when the web site mentioned them tasting like donuts. sigh.

So please send me coconut flour recipe that you have tried and love!

Something Is Brewing

2011-05-26T19:59:00.000-07:00

Without going into a ton of detail, I just submitted a design for a crochet book. I have had this idea for a while and I was able to flush it out today. Luckily the deadline is near so I won't have to wait too long to find out if the publisher likes it. If they pass on the idea, have no fear I will find a home for it.

Bad Year For Chickens

2011-05-25T08:10:00.000-07:00

This morning I saw a sparrow carrying off a feather and thought "Ahhh, how sweet. She is using a feather for her nest." I then go to bring out water for 3.2 only to find feathers everywhere.

Two words - Owl Attack!

Sigh... It is my fault for not bring her crate in last night but I thought she had enough cover under her favorite bush. I was wrong. Very, very, very wrong.

That poor chicken. First she gets scalped and now this. Little Man cried for awhile and seems to be over it. This was a very bad year for baby chicks at my house. I need to stop writing this post and get outside and clean up the rest of the feathers. Hopefully I will have more cheerful chicken posts in the near future!

iPhone 4 + Mom = Happy Family

2011-05-18T12:53:00.000-07:00

For Mother's Day my family got me the iPhone 4 and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! I should also mention that I am not really in to jewelry, designer clothes or purses but I love gadgets. Give me an electronic as a gift and I am happy girl. Maybe this is the ying to my crafty yang.

I had a ipod touch which I loved but didn't love that I had to be in a free wifi area to make use of all its awesomeness. It is also handy to have a little camera to capture moments that would otherwise be lost because I don't carry my real camera everywhere I go (although I often wish I could). The quality isn't great but it works. I recently discovered I could upload images to Ravelry using my iPhone which is nice when I have a WIP, which seems nicer than the blank square that normally fills that space.

Here are some of the recent images I took.

You shouldn't eat dandelion seeds.

As I was writing this is made me giggle that I am complaining that my phone/computer/gps system/arcade/encyclopedia/camera doesn't take better pictures.

More craft projects are in the works... stay tuned.

Chicken Injuries

2011-05-13T12:55:00.000-07:00

We had bad luck with chicks this year. After losing one chick when it was few days old, we lost our Golden Campine about a week ago. I am not sure what was wrong with her but I did notice that she seemed to have stopped growing. The other chick was growing great and I decided it would be a good idea to move her to the big coop now that she was alone.

Because chickens are stupid, I put her in at night and hoped they would all wake up and just think she had been there all along. I checked on her a couple times before going to bed and all seemed to be okay. In the morning she was still nervous but alive and uninjured.

Fast forward to after lunch... I open the coop door to find one of my White Orpingtons covered in blood, not a great sign. The poor teenage chicken had been scalped. While I am tempted to insert a picture, it is pretty gross and trust me when I say you could see bone. No feathers, no skin just grossness (and I have a pretty high tolerance to blood and guts). So after I was done crying and feeling really, really bad for this chicken I covered the wound in antiseptic cream and waited for my husband to come home and "take care" of this poor mortally wounded chicken.

During those long four hours I talked to one of my parent's neighbor and friend's husband to learn that this type of injury isn't that uncommon and if they live through the night they will probably live. My husband came home to find her eating and drinking with copious amount of cream on her head and decided she didn't need to meet her chicken maker.

Fast forward a week and she is doing great. She has the most nasty looking scab on her head but other wise doing great. She looks like a vulture. My husband bought a crate for the next time we try and introduce her into the flock and my neighbor gave me some additional tips like letting her bond with one of the friendlier chickens in the flock prior to introducing her to the rest and taking out the mean chicken for a couple days when we try again.

The friendly Light Brahmas

In summary - chickens are mean to each other. Chickens are stupid. I am not the type of person that can kill an animal to end its misery.

Oliver + S Family Reunion Dress

2011-05-06T13:46:00.000-07:00

I saw this pattern when my mom was visiting and knew I was going to make it. Like all of the Oliver + S patterns it is classic and modest, two features I appreciate when looking at little girl clothing.

I found the vintage-looking fabric at a local quilt shop but didn't stop to look at the name. It was only $4/yard that day so I got enough to also attempt a matching doll dress (eventually).

Oliver + S Family Reunion Dress

I also played with some of the decorative stitches on my Janome DC2010. I had to stop myself because I could just keep adding and adding all the way up the dress.

There are pintucks that you can't see that great because of the busy pattern, but I know they are there!

At our last fitting Baby Girl screamed and threw herself around fighting even putting on the dress. I know it is too big for her but that is better than being too small. Maybe she just needs to see the finished product to appreciate all the hard work her mama put into her new dress.

Tunisian Crochet Camera Strap

2011-05-01T15:48:00.000-07:00

About 6 years ago my mom sent me a bag of strange looking crochet hooks that on first glance I thought were knitting needles. Having no clue what they were for I put them away - way, way, way back in my closet. I learned what they were really for about a year ago and since then I have had "Learn To Tunisian Crochet" on my list of new techniques to learn.

First thing I did was watch a couple YouTube videos on Tunisian crochet and then I bought the book Tunisian Crochet: The Look of Knitting with the East of Crocheting, by Sharon Hernes Silverman. After having the book sit on my shelf for a couple month I finally got motivated to give it a shot.

Using the basic Tunisian simple stitch, also known as the Afghan stitch, I made myself a camera strap cover. With some trial and error I found the right width to fit my strap.

Materials:
Size 6 Tunisian Crochet Hook
Worsted Weight Yarn - I used Malabrigo - Hummingbird
Understanding of Tunisian Simple Stitch

Gauge: 6 stitches per inch

Instructions:

Create a foundation row of 20 stitches - I would recommend testing the width after a couple of rows to make sure it fits your specific strap
Work TSS for the entire length of strap
Turn work with right sides facing each other
I used a crocheted slip stitch to seam the edge
Turn half your strap inside out and work camera strap into cover
Unfold strap and pull the second half through

Dollar Store Craft - Garden Marker

2011-04-25T13:35:00.000-07:00

So the Dollar Store Craft Challenge wasn't the smashing success I was hoping for but my friends and I still had a great time creating our own! After stalking the dollar store's aisle for about a half hour I decided on my craft only to have a better idea the next day and had to drive back for the new supplies.

I decided to make garden markers to indicate where all the new plants my mom and I planted last week were located.

All you need is:

Craft sticks - $1
Wood shapes (I used two packages) - $1 each
Hot glue gun and glue - Had on-hand but normally run about $3
Sharpie pen or paint - depending on how fancy you want to get - $1
Mod podge and paint brush - Had on-hand
Optional - Paint to color your markers (If I had more time I probably would have spray painted them before writing on them)

Step 1: Crack open your wooden sticks and shapes and attach them together with the hot glue.

Step 2: Using your Sharpie write the name of your plants on the wood shapes.

That is my mom's nice handwriting, not my chicken scratches.

Step 3: Adorn with crayon or anything else you like. I had crayons handy so that is what I used.

Step 4: Coat each marker with mod podge and let dry.

Step 5: Place in dirt and take heart that you can now identify all your plants.

I don't know how well they will hold up, but for a the total purchase price of $4.00 I don't really care if they only last one year.

Little Crochet by Linda Permann

2011-04-21T21:00:00.000-07:00

I never win anything. Until last week...

The stars aligned and I was the winner of the Slate Falls Press giveaway for Little Crochet by Linda Permann.

Going through the book this afternoon I found myself saying over and over again, "I think I will make this first." I love so many of the patterns but think I narrowed it down to:

The Hooded Capelet, Sock It To Me Sweater Vest OR Swing Set Sweater

All the patterns seem easy to read and good for beginner-intermediate crocheters. I might even try my hand at reading charts. Definitely will keep you posted on future works-in-progress. My Ravelry queue keeps getting longer and longer!

Mousey the Mouse

2011-04-18T20:31:00.000-07:00

I found this cute little pattern on Ravelry for free and thought it would be a great toy for the kid's Easter baskets. Unfortunately, my little man saw me working on it and the cat was out of the bag... sorry little mouse. I don't really mind because he loves Mousey.

I changed the pattern slightly, creating i-cords for the arms and legs using 5 stitches. I wish I had made it with a couple more stitches. The bow tie was made using the following:

Cast on about 15 stitches
Knit 2 rows
Cast off

Cast on about 8 stitches
Knit 8 rows
Cast off
Wrap extra yarn around the middle to create the bow and attach to first section.

I am a slow knitter and I created this guy in about one hour start to finish. I need more practice seaming pieces together but all in all it turned out great. I think Baby Girl will be getting a white one in near future.

Kite Festival

2011-04-17T15:15:00.000-07:00

Today we went to a kite festival. There were so many young kids there and best of all it was free! They let the kids decorate their own kite but Grandma ended up buying a beautiful kite with a really really long tail. It was soooo windy that we had trouble getting the kites to stay up. I foresee this being an annual event at our house.

I tried a new Photoshop technique in the picture above. I adjusted to color curve using the solarizing tool. Unfortunately, I keep getting an obvious edge around G's face. If anyone has any suggestions I am ready to hear them!

We have been calling this her cupcake dress all day because it has such a full skirt. I am not sure she was a fan but it is now 4:15 pm and she is still wearing it.

Butterfly Pavilion

2011-04-14T17:17:00.000-07:00

We went to the butterfly pavilion today. Crowded with field trip kids but still very nice.

My little man was braver than me and held Rosie the tarantula. My kids surprise me everyday.

Chicken Puberty

2011-04-11T11:57:00.000-07:00

When we first got chickens I wasn't well prepared for how ugly the adolescent chicken is. They are so awkward! They out grow the cute baby chick phase pretty quickly (a week or two at most) and then spend what seems like an eternity looking like this:

Some day I will grow into my comb!

Who do you think you are!

She will be a pretty chicken by the end of summer.

I sympathize with you little chickens. You just have to trust that puberty does end and by the end of summer you will be as beautiful as a chicken can be.

Owls, Bowties and Mustaches, Oh My!

2011-04-09T06:31:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed trends in the crafting world? First it was bicycles, then owls, followed up by mustaches and lately bow ties. Let's not forget over sized cowls, ruffles, flowers on everything and fingerless gloves. Everywhere I turn in the blogosphere and Etsy these motifs are unavoidable. Don't get me wrong, I love them (at least for a little while).

Sometimes they are even combined!

So then I started thinking what the next big trend will be. Here is what I have come up with:
1. Hour glasses
2. Keys
3. Skunks
4. Binoculars
5. Rabbits
6. Teapots
7. Thought bubbles
8. Chickens (fingers crossed that this one will really take off)
9. Granny Squares
10. Fringe

What do you think the next crafting trend will be? I would like to say I could offer a prize but all you get is bragging rights to saying you called if first.

Small Victories

2011-04-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

When I was pregnant the first time I knew it was a boy even though we never had it confirmed. My second pregnancy I had no idea what I was having so I stayed up at night worrying about things like:
1. What do you do with a little baby girl
2. If it is a baby girl who will teach her how to wear makeup - cause I still haven't figured it out.
3. I don't know how to french braid!
4. What if she wants to take dance lessons, how will I feel about that? (I used to train professionally to be a modern dancer, but that is a story for another time.)
5. What if she likes or even loves the Disney Princesses?

Today I can happily report that I can cross number 3 off the list! It isn't pretty but I did manage to form some version of a french braid in my own hair after being inspired by a hip mom at Costco this past weekend. I loved her hair style so much I had to stop and tell her (who doesn't like a random compliment?) She told me her secret was to pull from only one side of the braid! Stroke of genius I tell you!

Thank you random hip mom from Costco. You gave me the courage to try again and with only minor whining and arm fatigue I was able to cobble this together. Sure it is a little messy but it is identifiable as a french braid. I wasn't sure what to do with the braid when I was done so into a low bun the braid and the rest of my hair went.

Cocktails and Craft Challenge and Giveaway

2011-04-01T06:55:00.000-07:00

Are you ready for some crafty challenge awesomeness? Join me for the Dollar Store Craft Challenge and have a chance to win an adorable crochet or knitting pattern from HandMadeAwards. Look at these cute rabbit pattern they offer - perfect for Easter!

Details:
Create something you love using items purchased at your local Dollar Store. Your total purchase should be under $10. You can use items you already have at your house (scrap fabric, yarn, scissors, sewing machine, drill, glue) but the main items for your project have to be purchased at the Dollar Store.

Link up your project below and a panel of guest judges will pick a winner. Be sure to mention how much you spent and tutorials are encouraged.

We will also have one winner picked at random from our followers. So if you don't feel like being crafty but want a chance to win one of the patterns, become a follower and/or join me on Facebook. Leave a comment letting me know you would like to participate in the drawing.

Looking for some inspiration? Check out the site Dollar Store Crafts. They have projects and tutorials that show how incredibly talented and resourceful people are.

Winners will be selected on Friday, April 22nd. Go get your Dollar Store Craft on!

Perfectly Paired Girl's Dress - Crochet Pattern

2011-03-25T13:06:00.000-07:00

Perfectly Paired Girl's Dress

I have been wanting to make G a dress that combined crochet and fabric. I love crochet/knit dresses for her but if we are being honest here, I am wanted something faster because I can be lazy. I thought of making a formal pattern but 1) I didn't take super great notes when I was creating it and 2) I don't have the time to create a bunch in varying sizes. So consider this a semi-tutorial and do with it as you will.

Materials:
I used cotton yarn and cotton fabric.

I think I used a size 5.5 mm/I hook - but the kids ran off with it so I can't confirm at the moment.
One yard of fabric
Buttons

Step 1: Measure around the chest of the gal that will be wearing this fabulous new dress

Step 2: Create a chain as long as your measurement from Step 1 and then add an inch or two - depending on how loose you want it.

Step 3: I did three rows of single crochet

Step 4: Decide where you want the button holes to be and then single crochet to that stop, chain 2, skip two stitches and continue. When you get to same spot on the opposite end, chain 2, skip two stitches and continue with single crochet to the end. Add another row or two of single crochet and bind off.

Step 5: Fold your rectangle in half to find the middle. Decide how wide you want the apron top to be and pick up equal amounts of stitches on each side. I did two rows of single crochet

Step 6: Sc2tog on the first two and last two stitches of each row. This will create the taper. Repeat this until you have the top to your desired width. I then added two more rows of single crochet. Bind off.

Step 7: I used a contrasting color and picked up stitches along the edge. I just used a simple single crochet edge. Bind off.

There the crochet part is finished! My sewing skills are pretty basic so I needed something simple. Shall we carry-on??

Step 8: I took one yard of fabric and cut it half (selvage to selvage). Create your hem, I added some fancy-shamancy stitches just so I could test out my new machine.

Step 9: Using my ruffler foot (or a gathering technique) I created a gather along the top edge. I then went along the top with my pinking shears to prevent fraying.

Step 10: Sew the top of the skirt to the bottom of the crocheted bodice using a straight stitch on my machine. I just laid the bodice on top of the fabric and pinned - not right sides together like you would normally do with sewing. Sew up the back seam until you reach the bodice. Sew up the bodice using your preferred method, I used a slip stitch. Weave in ends.

Step 11: To create the straps I made double-fold bias tape and top stitched around. To get the length I measured G from the top of the apron to where the button holes are. I wish I had then added two inches so I could add more buttons as she grows, but that is for next time. I then sewed those to the crocheted bodice.

Step 12: Add buttons.

Step 13: Step back and admire your hard work.

I am hoping that G can get two years out of this dress since I made it with crisscrossed straps.
If you have any questions let me know. I know this wasn't the greatest tutorial but consider it a chance to break out your artist license.

Perfectly Paired by Sarah Boccolucci is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Simple Baby Cocoon - Photo Prop

2011-03-22T13:41:00.000-07:00

Simple Baby Cocoon - Photo Prop

If you are interested in purchasing a completed cocoon let me know. For $30 I will create one in the color of your choice.

I updated how the pattern was written on April 4th, 2011 to hopefully make it easier. If you have any questions be sure to either email me or let me know how to contact you in the comments section.

This pattern is worked continuously, without a seam.
Finished size - 12 inch opening, about 9 inches deep. The baby in the picture weighed about 8 lbs and was 18.5 long.
Hook - 10 mm/P
Yarn - Bulky/12 ply (one skein of Lions Brand Wool-Ease Chunky)
Stitch marker

Hopefully this goes without saying, but please don't leave baby in the cocoon unattended.

Chain 6 and join with slip stitch (6)
2 HDC in each stitch (12)
1 HDC in first stitch, 2 HDC in next stitch - repeat around (18)
1 HDC in next 2 stitches, 2 HDC in next stitch - repeat around (24)
1 HDC in next 3 stitches, 2 HDC in next stitch - repeat around (30)
1 HDC in next 4 stitches, 2 HDC in next stitch - repeat around (36)
1 HDC in next 5 stitches, 2 HDC in next stitch - repeat around (42)
2 rounds if HDC (42)
In the pictures I then switched to single crochet for 2 rounds which makes it possible to thread a ribbon and change the look easily.
2 rounds of HDC OR 2 rounds of SC. (42)

If you don't have a newborn handy you might want to leave a long tail and add more if you want more coverage around the baby. I did that and I was able to add the last two rounds in about a minute.

Bind off and weave in ends.

COMING SOON! - I am planning on creating the same cocoon using fingerling or lace weight for an airier version.

If you are interested in selling these beauties consider making a donation. Half the donations from this pattern will go to St. Jude's Research Hospital.

Baby Cocoon by Sarah Boccolucci is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Based on a work at totsandbottoms.blogspot.com.

Grandpa's Hot Rod

2011-03-16T11:56:00.000-07:00

Grandpa has a burgundy 1957 Chevy that Little Man loves. Grandpa sent M a shirt with a hot rod and for Christmas they put together a model.

On a random side note - I was able to download the DNG converter for Photoshop and can now access RAW files. I wasn't sure how big a difference it would make but now I am a believer. Now I have to go get some bigger memory cards.

February 2011 - One Day, One Photo

2011-03-15T15:45:00.000-07:00

I know I am a little late on this post seeing as March is half over. I said one photo for each day, not timely posting of said photographs.

Applique Madness - Necktie shirt and Chick

2011-03-10T12:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I sewed this cute little chick I created in Photoshop. Applique takes patience, which I am slightly lacking in, so they are good projects for me to better my sewing skills. Click here if you want to download the line art for this applique. I simplified the feet in the version I sewed but just cut that freehand.

While going through my favorite pile of scrap fabric Little Man took a piece of fabric and tucked it in his shirt and told me it was his tie. I am not sure where he got this idea since I can count on one finger how many times his dad has wore a tie since he was born. He even wanted to wear it to bed. I decided to let him pick out some fabric to make and applique tie. He went straight for the dragon and never veered from his choice. Trying to get the whole dragon in the tie wasn't that easy but he is a happy customer and insisted on wearing the shirt immediately.

No pattern - I just drew it out on the heat and bond and then did a satin stitch around the edge. I little messy but acceptable to wear out in public.

How To Make Molasses Popcorn Balls

2011-03-06T07:50:00.000-08:00

I got an hankering (yes, a hankering) for my Grandma's molasses popcorn balls last week. Seeing as she lives 1400 miles away I knew I would have to take things into my own hands. Using a recipe I found online that had all the same ingredients as her recipe Little Man and I wiped up a double batch in no time flat. Why make one batch when you can make two?

Grandma's Molasses Popcorn Balls

2 quarts popped popcorn (About 1/2 cup unpopped)

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Pop the popcorn.

Dump popcorn on a table or counter.

Fluff the popcorn to make the hard unpopped kernels fall to the bottom. This is a great step for kids to help.

This is how much we had after popping one cup of popcorn.

Add the rest of the ingredients, minus the baking soda to large sauce pan. Do not stir - not sure why, but it said not to.

Bring mixture to 235 degrees or soft-ball stage. Soft-ball is when you place a small amount in a cold cup of water and you can roll it into a smooshy ball in between your fingers.

Add the baking soda and watch your mixture double or triple in size and turn a lighter color.

Pour over popcorn and stir.

Wet your hands with cold water and form into ball. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Place in plastic bags to store. I am not sure how long they keep because I ate them all in a couple days.

My husband isn't a big fan or molasses, Little Man didn't like to be sticky and Baby Girl like them but I was afraid of her choking so she only had tiny pieces. Sooooo maybe I didn't need to make a double batch... Who am I kidding, I love them and feel no guilt that I ate them ALL (diabolical laugh), minus the three I mailed to my Grandma.

Three and Four?

2011-03-02T10:47:00.000-08:00

On the way home from the farm store with our new chicks (see previous post) M told me that their names were Three and Four. By the time we got home I realized that he named them after the book Big Chickens Fly The Coop by Leslie Helakoski (Author) and Henry Cole (Illustrator).

Each page starts with "Four big chickens..." He picked that name Four first and then I guess he figured Three was the next obvious choice. Here he is reading that book to Three and Four.

Here is Baby Girl just hanging out with the latest additions.

My Brood Is Growing

2011-03-01T12:55:00.000-08:00

After many phone calls to the local farm store this weekend we finally got our chicks this morning. I called them at 9:05 this morning and got there around 10:00 armed with my list of the breeds I wanted to get. When I called the store they said they have about 10-15 chicks left of each of those breeds, but little did I know the elderly Korean couple in front of me was going to buy EVERY SINGLE CHICK in the breeds I had decided on. Seriously, what are you going to do with 60 chicks?? Don't people that buy that many get them in the mail? After pleading the sales man to ask them if we could have one New Hampshire Red and one Araucana he said they don't speak any English. First come, first serve is fair but I feel like to get the chicks you want (in small quantities) you have to camp outside the store.

Now I am thinking, "Crap, I can't bring a three year old and tell him we are buying chicken, show him the chickens and then have to explain that he has to wait a week to (maybe) get the chickens we want."

On to plan B... call up Hilary and make her Google search the remaining breeds to see if they are a match. Unfortunately, I get her on the phone and can't articulate what characteristics I am looking for and she is just reading off a bunch of random notes about the breeds.

I am sure at this point the sales man is thinking, "Is this lady for real? Real farmers don't need Google and cell phones to pick out their chickens." Maybe he is right, but we aren't real farmers, we are just backyard chicken enthusiasts that were 5 minutes too late getting there because I just had to take a shower. With all my research out the door and pleading looks to the elderly Korean couple to please leave some for the rest of us we purchased our two newest chicks. Thanks Hilary for being able to get me the info I want (cold hardy and good egg layers) even though I couldn't speak concisely on the phone.

Without further ado please meet Three and Four (M named them).

Three - The Black Australorp

Four - The Golden Campine

Campine is an older European breed that is a descendant of the Kempishe Brakel. They are named Campine because they originated in the north east area of Begium called Campine. People in that region say the Campine has been around since the time of the Roman cesears.

They lay and an average 3 eggs per week. While they are considered a egg production hen, they are primarily kept for ornamental purposes. Campines tolerate confinement they do much better if allowed to free range. (Source: Backyardchickens.com)

According to Backyardchicken.com:
The Australorp Breed was developed in Australia at the end of the nineteenth century with Black Orpington stock from England. The breed also has genes from Rhode Island Red, White Leghorn, Langshan and Minorca crosses. The purpose of the breed was as a “utility” chicken for both high egg production and meat. It was originally known as the Black Utility Orpingtons. The breed was standardized after World War One and admitted to the Standard of Perfection in 1929 in England under the fitting name Australorp. By the end of World War Two, Australian poultry breeders wrote up their own breed standards, which have been accepted worldwide. Historically, Australorps have been egg-laying champions: an Australorp hen once laid 364 eggs in 365 days. They are an exceptionally beautiful bird, quite big, with black glossy feathers that have a green sheen and huge black soulful eyes.

They are friendly, quiet and very good egg layers, laying as many as 300 eggs a year. They do well with other breeds and weather the winter months well.

Here is what they will look like when they mature.

Australorp

Image Source

Golden Campine

Image Source

Dirty Kitchen I-Spy

2011-02-23T14:59:00.000-08:00

Ever get to that point where you just can't handle the clutter? I reached my breaking point today and decided it was time to remove stuff from my kitchen that I rarely or hardly ever use. Looking at the before picture it reminded me of an I-Spy book.

Can you find:

Beer bottle

Coffee can

Old shoe box

Diaper cream

Egg carton

Spool of thread

The after. I am pretty proud of what I got accomplished. Notice the new hanging fruit/veggie basket. I love that it fits right on my pot holder. Maybe tomorrow I will work on actually putting away all the clean laundry - no promises.

Cocktails and Crafts - Mozzarella and Moxibustion

2011-02-20T12:27:00.000-08:00

Last Friday we made mozzarella! It was so easy I am not sure why anyone would buy it in a store after they learn the process. Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver is one of my favorite books. She offers a free 30-minute recipe here.

There are many different recipes out there for mozzarella and you can also make ricotta out of the leftover whey but we stuck to this simple recipe to keep the time manageable for a group.

Since most of the group is pregnant I was the only one drinking. I kept it simple with some good ole fashion Colorado Coors - conveniently already located in my fridge.

Okay - on to the mozzarella...

Heat up the milk to 55 degrees which takes about 30 seconds.

Add citric acid and watch it curdle. Science is awesome.

Add the rennet and once the curds have separated from the whey you strain out the curds.

Knead the curds to remove access water.

Pop it in the microwave for about a minute and start to stretch it. Holy crap - that looks like mozzarella!

I forget (then and now while typing) that you add the salt before kneading the cheese. I also read that you can store it in a salt brine. We added some the whey back to a container for storage.

Not really related to cocktails and crafts - but we also had a moxibustion session to try and turn a breech baby. You light the cones and then hold them to the outside of the pinky toe until it is warm and red. We did have a licensed acupuncturist administering the moxibustion.

The baby didn't turn at my house (damn). It does smell like an illegal substance (unless medically necessary) so I am sure anyone walking by my front door would rightly assume that this is the party house on the block - just not for the reason they are thinking.

Now go make some mozzarella. You can get all the supplies at Whole Foods, probably Wegmans, Trader Joes or Amazon.com.

It's Been Nice Winter... (now leave)

2011-02-18T13:06:00.000-08:00

We have been enjoying a warm spell here in Colorado and it is making us all ready for short-sleeve weather.

Here are some recent pictures taken in our backyard.

Roma enjoying the nice weather.

This White Orpington is spicy! She was ready to attack my camera.

Baby Girl feeding the chickens some scratch.

Slime and Snails

2011-02-14T11:03:00.000-08:00

Nothing says Valentines Day like the gift of crabs!

M has really been into the book The Legend of the Golden Snail by Graeme Base so I thought what better gift for a three year old boy than a couple snails. After talking to my Sister-In-Law I learned that there are also small crabs that live in aquariums so I quickly added a crab for my sweetheart's Valentines Day gift. I bought one Mystery Black Snail (I think has already met his demise, rest his little snail heart), one Mystery Blue Snail and one Red Clawed Crab.

I asked M what he wanted to name them and the snails are Shell and Another Shell and crab goes simply by Crab.

G loves them just as much as M but has a harder time understanding that we don't put our hand in the tank.

I love how much they love them and hopefully we can keep the two survivors alive longer than a week. I do foresee another trip to the pet store because M asked me where the fish were. I did read this morning that I have to get fast moving fish because the crab will eat them (someone should tell the people at PetSmart that since they said the crab would never eat the fish/snails).

Putting Yourself Out There

2011-02-12T12:02:00.000-08:00

My dear friend asked me to photograph her beautiful pregnant belly. I am both honored and inspired to put myself out there more. I hope this can be an inspiration for you to step out of your comfort zone and have faith that you have something special to offer the world. I know that is a bucket full of sap, but it is exactly how I feel.

Her belly was painted by my friend and first doula client, Helenbeth. Isn't it beautiful?

I love shooting into the light to get this type of photograph.

So Proud!

2011-02-09T14:33:00.000-08:00

My little man wrote his name for the first time today! He has been expressing a desire to learn to read and write so each day we practice a couple letters. He now knows the sounds of all the letters and we have started to blend them to make words.

Looking at Exhibit A you might not see it but I can (you have the turn the page while you read).

He wrote it on the back of one of the printables from Confessions of a Homeschooler. I highly recommend that site if you are looking for a curriculum or just enrichment ideas.

Cat Burglar Cowl

2011-02-06T11:58:00.000-08:00

This pattern was designed to give as a birthday gift. I wanted a simple black cowl that had some interesting textures for the edging. I hope she loves it! If you are reading this Hilary - SuRpRiSe!

Cat Burglar Cowl

Materials:
I/5.5mm hook
About 150 yards (more likely less) of worsted weight yarn
Tapestry needle to weave in ends
Stitch marker - cowl is worked in continuous rounds

Instructions:
Cast on 95 and join in circle
Round 1-3: Single crochet back loop only
Round 4: Front post single crochet around
Round 5: Double crochet around
Round 6: Single crochet back loop in first stitch, single crochet front loop in second stitch - repeat around
Repeat round 6 until you have the desired width. (Mine is 20 rows)
Round 27ish: Repeat Round 5
Round 28: Repeat Round 4
Round 29: Repeat Rounds 1-3
Bind off.
You can be done here or...
I added a Crab Stitch edging to the top and bottom. It was my first attempt at this edging and I had some trouble keeping my tension the same around but liked the results.

This is a great project to try out some new techniques.

Note to self: Black is hard to photograph!

Cat Burglar Cowl by Sarah Boccolucci is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

January 2011 - One Day, One Photo

2011-02-02T08:20:00.000-08:00

One month down, eleven more to go! You can read about my New Year's Resolution here but the concept is pretty simple - one day, one photo.

I realized when I was creating the video that my computer sorts the photos by import date and not the day the picture was actually taken, hopefully I got all the days correct!! For February I will be sure to import my card once a day to make it easier.

Design Your Own Cross Stitch Pattern in Photoshop

2011-01-31T20:07:00.000-08:00

I got this crazy idea that I wanted to relearn how to cross stitch. The last time I tried my hand at cross stitch I was about eight years old, so it only made sense that I would not only try cross stitch again but I would also design my own pattern in Photoshop.

I search Google and found this site and I tweaked their directions so it would work for me.

Original Photograph. I deleted the background.

Step 1: Click Filter-->Pixelate-->Mosaic.

I set my cell size to 80 for this image. You need to play around and decide what works best for you.

Step 2: Click Image-->Adust-->Posterize

Play with the different values to decide what looks best for you. The higher the number the more colors of floss you will have.

Step 3: Open up a new file that is the same width as your cell size in Step 1.

With a transparent background and using your pencil tool set to 1 pixel draw across the top and down the left side.

In Photoshop Elements I am able to save this as a pattern.

Press <ctrl>A to select all. Click Edit-->Define Pattern.

Step 4: Go back to your original image. Select all --> Edit --> Fill Selection

Select Pattern from the and then select your pattern that you created in Step 3.

This will create a grid on top of your image.

I converted my image to black and white and then I added a blue hue because I thought it would be easier for me to see the color variations. Because my image was small I split the image up into quadrants and printed them out individually. I then hand numbered each square with the corresponding floss color. I know there has to be an easier way, but I haven't figured it out (yet!)

My finished portrait came out so tiny. It was to, shall we say, tedious to take up cross stitch and work on the size 18 aida cloth. Now I just have to figure out what to do with it!

Do You Hear That?

2011-01-29T06:33:00.000-08:00

Do you hear that? It sounds like... angels singing.

For two nights in a row my baby girl has slept THROUGH THE NIGHT! I feel like a completely normal person right now.

I would like to take a moment and thank those who made this possible:
Sleep Sack - We couldn't have done this without you!
The Baby Jesus - He heard my prayers!
Mom - For the light bulb moment on why she isn't sleeping.
Hilary - For listening to my whining, sleep-deprived hysterics.
Jayna - For all that tough love!

Special mention goes out to my son who had to endure all the screaming while he tried to get a good night sleep and to my dog Roma who faithfully got up with me every night to help out.

Joann Fabrics must have also heard my plea because fleece is on sale for $3/yard right now so I am ready to make a dresser full of sleep sacks.

Life is good.

Water Boarding Is For Sissies

2011-01-27T16:35:00.000-08:00

DON'T BE FOOLED!

This baby has been trained in acts of torture. Her speciality - sleep deprivation. I think in the 16 months that she has been on this earth I have had a combined total of 20 days I have been able to sleep through the night.

I have always nursed her on demand but now we are trying to cut it down to 3 to 4 times a day and no more at night. She is strong though and is giving me a run for my money. We think she might be cold too but after having a serious scare with a space heater in the kid's room I went out today and got a sleep sack for her. I know I could sew one for a lot cheaper but I am desperate people. I don't have the brain cells to cut out a pattern, let alone bust out the sewing machine.

Really my son has it the worst since they share a bedroom. He has figured out that he fits comfortably in our king sized bed and escapes the screaming when he can't take it anymore.

Wish us luck tonight. I am afraid to see what other tactics this little one may have up her sleeve.

Second Book Ideas

2011-01-22T07:03:00.000-08:00

So I haven't exactly finished writing my first craft book but in true Sarah fashion I have already started thinking about my next idea. I want it to be a craft book all about babies and kids. Not really crafts for the kids to do, but stuff to make for them - blankets, room decor, toys, etc.

Laying in bed last night I thought about using the word virgin in the title. Something like Virgin Cocktails and Crafts for the Non-virgin. That seemed like maybe, just maybe, it crossed some line so then I thought - Cocktails and Crafts - Baby and Kid Edition but that sounded like we were going to be serving drinks to babies and kids and is a little boring.

I want the book to give you a peek at my sense of humor but I don't want to offend anyone. Maybe I need accept that I can't make everyone happy and have to decide if I want a little shock or mass appeal.

Do you have any suggestions for a title? If I use your title you will for sure get a mention in the book and a free copy - you know... when I actually have it written and published.

Baking With Kids

2011-01-20T14:52:00.000-08:00

Today I am watching my friend's two girls. When faced with cold weather and four kids, ages five, three, three and one, what better activity is there than cooking! Wow - two cookie posts in a row. Really not all that surprising since I can't say no to a cookie to save my life (or waistline).

There was a lot of counting and turn-taking to mix all the ingredients for our oatmeal-dark chocolate M&Ms - walnut bars.

I love Little Man's face in this picture. It looks like he is doing an impression of Popeye.

Baby Girl couldn't be left out!

She added all the crumbs on the counter and then tried to stir - so freakin' cute!

The Cookie Date

2011-01-13T12:48:00.000-08:00

While Baby Girl was taking a nap today I thought it would be a good time to bake some cookies with my son. Anyone that knows me well knows that I am covered in baking wounds that all revolve around hot pans and apparently this is a genetic trait I am passing on to my son. I don't mean to make light of any injury but since he is doing fine and barely shed a tear I thought I would recap the events for you.

Testing the sugar - yup it is good!

The more serious side of cooking making

Patiently waiting

First cookie picked out of the batch

cookie bliss

So this is where it gets a little sad. After the last pan was pulled out of the oven he ran over to the counter, jumped on his chair and proceeded to put his chin on the hot pan! Have no fear, two cookies later and we were all better.

Baking injury

Baldy Baby Hat - Crochet Pattern

2011-01-11T14:11:00.000-08:00

Tired of everyone asking you when your baby is going to grow some hair? I have the product for you!

Click Here for Baldy Baby Hat Pattern

This free crochet pattern will cover your baby's bald head with thick locks of yarn. This pattern works up incredibly fast and I hope your family gets as many laughs as mine did.

Your baby can go from this:

To this:

Baldy Baby Hat by Sarah Boccolucci is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Love this free pattern? Consider donating via PayPal so I can keep 'em coming.

Next American Crafter Contest

2011-01-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

I am not one to enter giveaways or contests very often but I thought this was a cute idea and some of the blogs I follow have signed up to judge.

I used my yarn snowball tutorial for my first entry. Fingers crossed!

Facebook Archive

2011-01-10T12:24:00.000-08:00

Did you know that you can download your complete Facebook account and save it? I love this because I am bad about filling out baby books and journals but good at posting important events in my status.

To get your file click:
Account
Account Settings
Download Your Information

You will get an email and then you will have to fill in your password and then identify some of your friends in their pictures - so I hope you know all your friends well enough to complete that step!

You then get a zipped file with EVERYTHING you have posted in Facebook, I kid you not!

Now the question is what do I do with all this data? Any suggestions?

Cocktails and Crafts - Embossed Cards

2011-01-07T10:06:00.000-08:00

Last night my friends and I attempted to emboss cards and drink Brandy Alexanders. We were successful at the drink and did manage to produce some descent looking cards.

Brandy Alexander Recipe:
1 1/2 oz brandy
1 oz dark creme de cacao
1 oz half and half
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass.

I thought these tasted just like a White Russian and would be hard pressed to tell the difference. Be careful - they do go down easily!

My goal is to add the embossed card instructions to my Cocktails and Crafts book so I am not going to go into great detail here, but here is the gist:

Stamp card stock with ink, sprinkle with embossing powder and then hit it with the embossing gun. It is oddly satisfying to watch the powder transform to the glossy finish under the heat.

I hit this one a little too long with the heat gun but still liked the effect.

If you are looking for a quick craft to fit in during your kid's nap this is it!

This is how I found my son when everyone was getting ready to leave. He had snuck out of bed and was lying in front of his bedroom door with the blankets over his head.

Resolutions

2011-01-02T12:05:00.000-08:00

Like most people I know I have given up on self-improvement resolutions. This year I am opting to make a resolution that I will enjoy and am pretty sure I can live with for a whole year.

2011 will be the year of:

This should be pretty easy for me since I have my camera out almost everyday already (talk about setting the bar low!) I want to be that person that can keep a detailed journal but I am not. Hopefully, this will be a nice substitute for me. I plan to make a short video for each month and post it here.

Some other resolutions that I considered and then set aside were:
1. Finish writing my book
2. Keep the house organized
3. Knit a sweater for myself
4. Exercise (ha!)

I still hope to do all of those but I don't want them to feel like obligations. What resolutions have you made or not made for yourself?

My Little Man is Three

2010-12-28T09:44:00.000-08:00

We celebrated by son's birthday yesterday and I was feeling some twinges of guilt because of the lack of effort dedicated to this big day. Here is what I was able to pull together.

The Chasing Fireflies catalog has great number shirts but not having $30 to spend on a t-shirt I opted to make my own out of a $3.50 shirt, freezer paper and some fabric paint. I really like this method and I love how it turned out!

To make your own cut your design out of some freezer paper. Place the waxy side on the fabric and use your iron on a medium setting to attach, then go crazy with the fabric paint. I put a towel in between the two layers of the shirt in case I went too crazy with the paint. Let the paint dry and then set the paint with the iron.

For M's gift I wanted to make him a tent that he saw at my friend's house. I am going to try and post a tutorial on this once I recover for the holidays. I used nylon and in hindsight I think it would have been better with canvas. It is a bit bigger than originally intended, but M loves it and three kids can easily fit inside.

Testing out the new tent.

Grandpa got M his own flashlight - a BIG BIG hit.

We took him ice skating and he did so well and I didn't do so bad myself!

I wanted to make M a train cake and had big plans to carve a train but after realizing that it took a sheet cake to create and we weren't going to have a big party I scaled down the design. I made marshmallow fondant and it was great! I was a little rushed cutting out the train but it is identifiable.

I then had my husband cut a three inch piece of one inch PVC pipe and cap it off. I added some water and dry ice to make the train smoke. I was pretty impressed with myself!

Here is a close up of the smoking. Next time I will make sure to add enough dry ice to make it more dramatic but I was too chicken this time.

Having a December birthday is tough, especially so close to Christmas. We have already started to debate having a summer half birthday. Any people out there with December birthdays that care to weight in?