Loafin' around on a Sunday afternoon

Have you seen this book? I bought a copy for my brother for Christmas and after seeing( yet to taste) the loaves of bread he made and hearing the rave reviews, I had to have a copy for myself.

And I'm so glad I did! I've only made two loaves so far. The first loaf turned out, well, ugly. It didn't rise much either....still, it tasted pretty good. The second loaf turned out much better!
After a couple days in the refrigerator the dough was easier to work with, it did better rising, and the flavor even improved!
Even though the book explains the process in detail and in such a way that even a kitchen doofus such as myself gets it, I'm still slightly shocked that I made a loaf of tasty homemade bread without much effort.

The loaves I've made so far were from the basic and least complicated of the recipes, but the others don't appear to be overly complicated. However, I am going to keep working on perfecting this basic recipe before I move on to any of the others. It's good, y'all. Crunchy crust and chewy inside...just the way I like it.

There's a related blog and I intend to spend some time there getting tips and additional recipes.

Flashback Friday

Am I a complete dork for thinking Thomas Dolby was cute? It's that nerdy boy vibe he had going, I guess.

I'm so tired, but I'm finished! Well sorta...

11:00p.m. here in the Bluegrass on a Thursday night and I seriously need to get some sleep. BUT, I have spent the evening finishing up this quilt top that I started on Monday and by golly, it's gettin' blogged!It's nothing fancy, but I'm comfortable with strips and thought that would be a good way to get some momentum going quilt-wise. I do realize that a pieced top does not a quilt make, however. THAT will have to come later when I can find a walking foot for my Kenmore and some courage to go with it.

I also attempted my first artisan loaf of bread tonight. No, it ain't pretty! I definitely need more practice with this. Although it didn't taste half bad slathered with honey butter.

A giveaway!

Not Quite June Cleaver is giving away a WONDERFUL book(and an apron!) that you will want to send to me immediately if you win! Go, enter.

Quiltspiration

If I spend as much time quilting as I have surfing flickr for photos of quilts and googling for Scotty Dog and Robot quilt block patterns, I might actually have a quilty year.

Still, these are the kinds of quilts I'm sort of drawn to and would like to make. I've already made known my love of 30's fabrics, but I also am drawn to modern styles. I have thing for log cabins and pinwheels and someday I will make a quilt using those.

And I must make a Scotty dog, a robot, and a sunbonnet sue quilt as well...


1. Henry Quilt Finished, 2. Emma's Baby Quilt, 3. completed turning 20 quilt, 4. heather bailey rag quilt2, 5. Birds & Blooms baby quilt, 6. scrap 9 patch, 7. sunbonnetsuequilt, 8. Spots quilt top, 9. mini quilt, 10. Baby quilt , 11. Exotic, 12. Whirlygiggles Quilt Top, 13. scottie quilt from threadheads, 14. bird quilt, 15. hourglass quilt, 16. Hanging Quilt, 17. Pinwheel Quilt II, 18. Finished Cherry Quilt, 19. DQS5, 20. For Zeke

Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

A quilty year?

I had big quilting plans for 2008. After all, in October of 07' I made this quilt to my satisfaction and without much difficultly.

(my first quilt)

I got very excited at the idea of becoming a quilter and really thought that a year and a few months later I'd have some real quilting experience, not to mention some finished quilts, under my belt.

Um. Nope.

But I DID make three small lap quilts for Christmas 08...

(Scott & Jackie w/their quilts) (Shea's quilt)

and I ALSO completed the quilt top that I started in a Nov. 07' class...

And there was that block of the month group that I joined but only half way participated in.

So I accomplished a little here and there but overall, 2008 was not a very quilty year for me.

So I'm calling it here and now. 2009 will be my quilty year.

I have plenty of books and magazines to get me going. I have a box of fat quarters and stack of fabric waiting to be made into a quilt. I even have about six blocks started for a scrap quilt. I am ahead of the game, right?

I've come across a few blogs that I can turn to for inspiration in my year of quiltiness. Many of these blogs feature other crafty goodness as well. Blogs such as:

• Happy Zombie
• Crazy Mom Quilts
• Melly & Me
• Tallgrass Prairie Studios
• Bad Gal Quilts
• Anyone Can Quilt

I'm sure there are many more out there to be discovered. I'd love to hear about them!

See? I've got a good start. In addition to the bloggy inspiration, I've joined Block of the Month again. This time, I got wise and chose the 1930's fabrics that I kicked myself for not going with last year. Not only have I completed the first block waaaay ahead of the deadline, I've finished my entire set of setting blocks for the first quarter. WooHoo!

I think the reason I never got into BOTM last year was that I SO disliked the civil war repros that I used. Which is weird because I loved using them in Shea's quilt(pictured above) but surrounded with off white fabrics, they made me want to strangle myself. THIS(though the colors appear washed out by my flash) makes me much happier!
Having Mom and Jackie join me for BOTM this year has also upped the enthusiasm. The three of us go to BOTM together, head out for a late breakfast/early lunch after and head to my house to work on our blocks together. Fun!

OK, I'm ready to get my quilt on!

Pete...the first Toy Society drop

This is Pete. I made him for The Toy Society. Pete loves hugs, gummy worms, playing peek-a-boo, and listening to his favorite band, Hootie and the Blowfish.


Today I drove him into town, fastened him to a lamp post in front of the public library, and just walked away....leaving him there, stranded.


I felt bad about it in a "I'm a hopeless dork" kinda way.

Mark drove into town FOUR hours later and poor Pete was still hanging there, homeless. I hope someone gives him a home soon! It's dark out and it's gonna get cold tonight.


The Toy Society project is part random acts of handmade goodness, part street art. How ironic that as I am dropping my toy I come across this...


Guess I'm not the only "street artist" in town!


If you haven't been yet, go check out The Toy Society or the Toy Society Flickr group where they're making the world a nicer place, one toy at a time.

As if I need more books and fabric.

I went on an online shopping spree last week and bought more fabric to add to my ever growing stash of fabric that I don't really need and can't bear to cut into. Sick and twisted, yes.

This may be the hardest fabric to cut yet and I have no idea what to make from it. I was thinking aprons when I bought it, but can you imagine a patchwork-y skirt! It's Heather Bailey's Pop Garden and it is GORGEOUS, y'all. The best part, it was on sale for cheap at Hancocks of Paducah.I also got a great deal on this quilt kit from Moda. It had been originally 88 bucks or something near that and it was on clearance for 39.00! I couldn't resist it. Here's a better look at the quilt pattern. These Swell fabrics by Moda are just as lovely as the Heather Bailey fabrics. If I make this quilt and it turns out OK, I am seriously thinking about changing my entire great room decor to go with it. I love the colors/fabrics that much.My addiction to craft books is nearly as bad as my fabric addiction. These are my latest fixes. I love the projects in both and have already picked out several that I want to try!Of course there are several projects in the twenty other craft books I have laying around that I want to try.

Hey...instead of collecting craft books, I could actually MAKE something from them! Such a novel idea! I should do a project from each of my craft books until I've gone through the entire stack. Hmmmm. I should do it, no?

Flashback Friday Popping and Locking

Going back to work this week hasn't left me much time for blogging, but I couldn't let a Flashback Friday pass without sharing another Dancin' Kim video.

It's the freshest new dance going down!

Don't Toy With Me

In my excitement over joining The Toy Society, I decided I should probably try my hand at toymaking once again.

I call this little fellow Puppy-Pain-In-The-Butt. I didn't think it was all that difficult until I started stuffing him. The more I stuffed, the worse he looked! He is supposed to be standing, not squating and don't even get me started on the pipe cleaners that ended up all wadded in his ears! I would love to know if anyone else at there has tried(or is willing to try) this pattern and let me how it turned out. I don't know that I have the patience to try it again! Still there is something about him...Next, I went for something that I thought might be a bit easier. And it was...only two pattern pieces. This pattern is McCall's 6907. He's OK, but I think a fluffier, furrier fabric would have been more suited. I used a fuzzy felt(not wool felt, can't afford it)and it sheds like crazy, makes the weird crease in his forehead(that I can figure out the reason for) show up too much and again, it's not fluffy enough for a teddy bear! Still, he is kinda cute. Finally, I gave up on patterns completely and just made a monster. I drew him on the felt and started cutting. He's my favorite of this lot and the one that might be good enough for the Toy Society. I think the reason I'm happiest w/this one is there was no pattern to follow and nothing for me to judge myself against. So even if he's a tad on the wonky side I can say he's supposed to look like that! I'll call him Lars....I think he's got a bit of Scandinavian heritage in there somewhere. That's a pompadour on his head, not a bow...although a girlie monster might be kinda fun too!

My next toy project: Wee Wonderfuls Spaceboy & Robot.

Thanks for stopping by!

Un-Resolutions for 2009

I have a subscription to Real Simple magazine. Despite the fact that when I browse through it's pages I sometimes feel like I have a complete sloppy mess of a life, I love this mag. I find it very inspiring and somehow calming.

Quite frankly I fantasize believe that simply having a copy laying on my cluttered coffee table will at some point magically transform my home into a shiny, gleaming, perfectly decorated cottage where everything has a place and everything is in said place. In addition, the fact that I am a subscriber will magically transform me into an organized, healthy, budget savvy, snazzily dressed but minimally make-uped, green, crafty and otherwise "real simple" kinda gal.
Therefore, rather than painstakingly read, study and take notes of each article, I merely gloss over the pages and read one or two of the articles before I blow the dust off last month's copy and replace it with the shiny new copy. Because, I know the magic will happen, eventually.

As I was glossing over this months articles I came across a Not-to-Do list. Rather than listing resolutions for the new year that may or may not be met, the mag asked readers to submit things that they would not be doing in the new year.

Brilliant!

Being one to never stick to new year's resolutions, I decided that what I need is a not-to-do list of my own! Un-resolutions, if you will.

And so in 2009 I resolve NOT to:

• Go on another stupid diet. I'm tired of it, you're tired of it and we all know I won't stick with it. So there. I can eat less and I can exercise more but I will NOT be announcing to anyone that I'm going on a diet this year. Man, I feel better already!
  
• Be bored when I'm at home.
• Fuss at Mark for taking out the trash/doing the dishes/making the bed in a way that I wouldn't. If he does any of those things, even if he does them"wrong", I'll be appreciative.
• Worry about things I have no control over when prayer works much more effectively.
• Be so hard on myself about things that don't really matter in the big picture.
• Spend so much time thinking about what I have to do "tomorrow".
• Forget how truly blessed I am

Flashback Friday...How to do the Robot

Finished Sewing Projects! Yep, I did something.

First up, aprons.

Made this for a friend to give her mom for Christmas. McCall's 5643This one was for a gal at work who is in her fifties and celebrated Christmas for the first time this year(er, that would technically be last year, huh?). She needed a Christmas apron, don't you think?? This pattern is called Four Corners.I made this apron for my Etsy shop, but it never made it that far. I took the inventory from my shop to work w/me and sold out in a day! Yay! But I wouldn't have minded NOT selling this one...my own design.Next up, a knitting bag for my sister for Christmas. A friend of mine is a knitter and gave me some advice before I started on this bag...a wide bottom, plenty of pockets and sturdy handles. I took a bag pattern that I had on hand w/a fairly wide bottom and modified it to meet her other suggestions. I was pleased at how well it came together! And as a last minute decision, I made a roll up needle case to match the bag. When I bought these Amy Butler fabrics i had no idea what I was going to do with them(but I couldn't NOT buy them). I think they were perfect for this project! Aren't they yummy?

Cowboy Caviar

...also alled Texas Caviar, also called Poor Man's Caviar. This is my version of the recipe...we've just been calling it bean dip around here. Call it what you wish, this stuff is good!



Here's what you need:
1 can black-eyed peas, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
2 cans Rotel( I use one mild, one chili-lime)
1/2 to 3/4 cup Italian-style salad dressing
1/2 to 1 tbs minced garlic
juice from 1/2 lime or lime juice to taste
chili powder, salt, pepper to taste



Here's what you do:
Mix it all together in a big bowl and let it sit overnight for the flavors to combine. We like it best w/Tostitos Jalapeño Scoops or homemade tortilla chips.

For the homemade chips, just slice a few corn tortillas into your preferred chip shape, sprinkle w/chili powder and salt or Lawry's. I usually spray my cookie sheet w/olive oil spray and bake @ 400 for 10min. or so, untill crunchy.

I've made it twice now and I think the lime juice makes all the difference...second batch didn't have any and it wasn't quite as good. I also think it's better when at room temp rather than right out of the fridge.

There's lots of room to play w/this recipe, fresh tomatoes & chilis vs. the Rotel, addition of red, yellow peppers, more Italian dressing, etc. Would love to hear how it turns out if you try it!

Enjoy!

The Toy Society

I happened upon Odd Dotty Dollymaker earlier today and read a post about a Christmas project the blog author was involved in. I was immediately smitten by the idea of The Toy Society. And Odd Dotty's dolls are beautiful, by the way.

The Toy Society began as a street art project by a toy artist and blogger in Melbourne Australia. In the words of the originator:

It came about from a love of "street art" but a recognition of my lack of artistic skills. I really wanted to contribute something to the street scape. I'd watched a friend put his work up about the place and got such a buzz walking past random walls in the city and seeing his work. I thought maybe I could sew something instead. And so The Toy Society was born.

I planned to leave toys around the streets to brighten up the place and give people something interesting to look at. And then I imagined what they might look like if they were still sitting on a light pole 5 weeks after they were put up...all faded and manky and rotten. So I thought I should invite people to take them home, share the love and all that.

What a way to spread joy & happiness around the world! And yes, the project has spread from Melbourne and toys are finding homes and spreading love all around the globe.

All it took was me reading this letter from a woman who found one of the toys to know that I wanted to be involved.

I wish I had been aware of this project before the Christmas Drop, but I'm still so eager to get started on a toy! I have only made three toys(successfully) since I started sewing. These, this one and this one, so this will be a challenge for me, but I am SO ready for it!

Want to know more? You should head on over to The Toy Society. Be prepared for a big dose of happiness while you're there!

He's a good Santa...

Mark got me this for Christmas and I'm so proud of it, I must show it off. We actually got it a couple weeks before Christmas due to a mishap w/my original wedding ring. But still.He's a good Santa, that husband of mine.

I have some more fun Christmas goodies to share and *gasp* a completed project or two and a recipe, so y'all come back!

What did Santa bring you?

Flashback Friday...How Did This Happen?

I think I must have listened to the Rebel Yell album 38,522 times in high school. I don't know what exactly it was/is that made it so appealing to me. I wasn't really into any other hard rock type of music in the 80's. But Billy Idol, I dug. I had a big Billy Idol poster over my bed, watched all the videos, knew all of his songs and whenever I was mad or upset Rebel Yell was my go to cassette tape for blasting on the boom box. So yeah, I considered myself a fan(and still do).

This is the way I prefer to think of Billy Idol.




Or like this...from the album Whiplash Smile.



Imagine my dismay when my brother recently made me aware of this. I'm afraid no amount of watching Billy's 80's videos will get this image out of my head. I hope it was his intention to do a cheesy, tongue-in-cheek kinda thing w/this. Please let that be it.

Vintage Thingies Thursday-Christmas Cards

I posted a few pics of my recently aquired vintage Christmas Cards a few days ago, so some of these photos might look familiar to a few of you.

Still, I did hold back a few for Vintage Thingies Thursdays. ...and might I add I was glad to learn that it is still alive and well thanks to ColoradoLady!

I mentioned in that earlier post that my husband bought some vintage Christmas cards at the Goodwill store a while back. Thus beginning my Holiday obsession. Here's what he brought home:

These, I think, were meant for children. The inside sentiments are childlike in nature. Very Sweet! These three were in the box w/the ones above. Definitely later. They remind me of a birthday card I once received. There were three matching turquoise envelopes in the box w/them. I wish there would have been more than just three...A while later we were at the Famous 4H Flea Market when I scored another stack, some of which are pictured here. Many of these had glitter on the front and/or some type of illustration included on the inside.THEN I had the bright idea to buy up more. I decided I wanted to send vintage cards for Christmas this year but the ones I had collected thus far did not have envelopes. SO I went on ebay and paid a highly inflated price for cards that started out life at $.49. And no, I didn't think of making my own envelopes until after I bought these. But they were so worth it.

As you might imagine, once they arrived and I sat down to look at everything, I suddenly realized I didn't want to give them away! I mean, look at them! They're fabulous!But after much thought I decided I was being silly since I bought them with the intention of sending to my friends and family. Doggone it, that's what I was going to do with them! Some people that receive them may not "get" how special they are, but it gave me great joy mailing them!

Thanks for stopping by and remember, there's more vintage thingies fun to be had over at Coloradolady's place!

You know you want some super absorbent house slippers with non-slip soles!

Two posts in one day...have I lost my mind? Perhaps. But folks, I knew I had to post this. I saw it on my friend Fiona's blog and nearly had a heart attack from laughing! And well, I felt the need to induce a heart attack or two myself.

Y'all know that I like to make handmade gifts, right? I think I've found the perfect gift idea for next Christmas.

There are actual direction for how to make these. You can find them here.

I'm a Barbie Girl.

We did an adopt-a-child for Christmas at school...our Family Resource Center Coordinator got a list together of children who would otherwise miss out on Christmas gifts. We were to buy two toys and two outfits. I had a ball shopping for little size 6 girlie clothes, let me tell ya.

And then came the toys...

As a little girl, I loved Barbies. The extent to which you can't imagine. In fact, I was probably in 7th grade before I truly stopped playing with my Barbies. Times were simpler then and we didn't have a lot of technology to entertain us nor all the crap that kids have to deal with today to distract us from staying kids...that's my excuse, anyway.

Needless to say I was really excited to get a a little girl who, along w/Polly Pockets and Bratz, had Barbie on her wish list.

So I head to WalMart to check out the toys. Mind you I haven't shopped for girl toys since my sister was little. Bratz dolls...ick and hideous...even the smaller ones were gawd-awful. But I bought one...after all this wasn't my Christmas list!

Polly Pockets...CUTE cute cute! I couldn't resist buying a set. I don't know if they were around when I was a kid, but I imagined I would have liked those too.

On to Barbies...I was so excited to shop for the perfect Barbie. And then I picked one up. What happened to her? First of all, her head looked enormous to me(not as big as a Bratz, thankfully), and her face just didn't look right. The eyes, the mouth, the make-up, even the hair, it was all wrong. I couldn't buy one. And who designs the clothes for Barbie these days? Hookers R' Us? I walked out of WalMart Barbie-less!

This is an example of a Barbie of my youth...the sweet, normal headed, fluffy haired, toothy grin, lovely Barbie wearing a lovely, modest dress. I guess I was expecting to see this version or something at least near this version of a Barbie. She's Superstar Barbie from 1977 in case you're wondering(she was a favorite and I had the giant size one too). So jump to the weekend when I went shopping again and was determined to get a Barbie for this little girl. Driving for 40min, I had time to think...about Barbie.

What it all boiled down to is that Barbie didn't look like MY Barbies or even the Barbies my sister played with 14 years later. And it's been the mid 90's since I've shopped for a Barbie, so it bugged me to see Barbie looking all 2008. Still, I realized, the Barbies I'd bought for my sis in the late 80's & 90's were a far cry from my 70's Barbies. Of course MY Barbies were a far cry from the Barbies 20 years before me...those Barbies of the 50's & 60's with their weird fuzzy hair and slanty eyes and clothes that would have looked strange to a nine year old in the 70's. Of course when I got older I appreciated the old style of Barbie. I even have several 50's & 60's repros and I adore them, but as a little girl I would have thought "ugly, ugly, ugly".

Barbie, I realized is a gal who changes with the times. She is truly the "It" girl of every decade. And who am I to scoff at her for being able to change with the times? This, I suppose, is what makes Barbie so timeless and so popular.

And the SuperStar Barbie, pictured above...she was a re-do in her heyday. A change from the "old" Barbie of someone else's youth. SO I went into Toy's R Us and spent a good 30 min. in the Barbie aisle. I enjoyed shopping for Barbie this time around and found a fun set that included lots of little outfits. Cause the most fun thing about Barbie is brushing her hair and changing her clothes(even if they are trampy)! I saw Barbie in a whole new light. Actually an old light...the same light I saw her in 30 some odd years ago. She's a girl of the moment and yet she is timeless. And she can do anything she wants to do...drive a pink convertible, live in a town house, have pink hair and wear the latest fashions, be an astronaut, a "TV Chef", a ballerina, or even a teacher. I fell in love all over again.

And Santa...if you are reading this, Superstar Barbie is now a repro and available for purchase. I've been really really good this year and so if you could bring her to me this Christmas, that'd be great!