Fit to be Tied...

Did you know that you can actually dye Easter eggs without using vinegar?  AND you can do it in an amazing pattern as well!

Supplies needed: Raw eggs, silk cloth, cotton cloth (6 inch squares), rubberbands, kitchen pot

1.  Step one, go to your local Goodwill and buy the cutest, least disgusting ties you can find.  Try not to think about the fact that ties are the dirtiest item of clothing that humans have.

2.  Take ties home, remove tags and cut them apart into about 6 inch strips.  You really only need the wide part of the tie, so go ahead and toss the skinny part.

3. Take a raw egg, and wrap the egg tightly with the silk fabric.  I twisted the ends of mine like a giant piece of candy.  Then, fold the ends over and place in the center of a cotton piece of fabric (mine was about 6 inches square)  Pull up all the corners and secure with a rubberband.

 4.  Take all of your little packages and put them in a pan big enough to hold them all.  Fill the pan with water until it covers the top of your eggs and boil for 20 minutes.  You'll notice that the water in your pan changes colors--don't worry.  I found that this did NOT affect the coloring of my eggs.

5.  After the 20 minutes, rinse your eggs in cold water as you unwrap them--I was too excited to wait until they cooled off!  Check out these beauties:



Just a few hints: 

1. I found that if you choose NOT to wrap your silk covered egg in a cotton cloth, the ink colors will bleed and you will be left with a less distinct pattern.

2.  Feel free to use multiple patterns within the same pot--the colors don't bleed between eggs.

3.  You can reuse the silk egg after egg.  I've put mine away to use next year too.

Hoppy Easter!

Bee calm, Have some Tea...

I have this natural tendency to want to "mother" people.  If they're sad or mad or just having a rough time, I do what I can to make things better.  I do it to my students, my friends, and my family members--whether they want my help or not.  I'm not really sure if this is a good thing or not.  Sometimes it's really frustrating when I try so hard to cheer someone up or change the subject. 

Recently, I created this little knitted project to gift to my mom.  She's been going through a lot lately.  I was hoping to see a little spark of excitement, happiness...I don't know.  It didn't really work, but I'm pretty proud of it.  This little tea cozy is my own design.  I didn't follow a pattern and didn't get the idea from something I'd seen.  It's exciting for me when I create something using just myself.  I especially love it if something I make makes a difference for somebody else :)

Pinterest CRAZY

I'm pretty confident that I've officially become Pinterest CRAZY!  Nothing to do? Browse Pinterest. Can't sleep? Browse Pinterest. Don't want to work? Browse Pinterest.  I have though {at least} made or made a version of things I've pinned.  My cricut Imagine has been a big help on some ;)  I've melted crayons, trapped my children in soap bottles made snow men out of dragon's tears, cooked several meals and even made Valentine flowers out of my children's hands.

I'm not really sure where I find the time (yes I do, my house is a mess).  I hope you get a little extra time to try something you've pinned, too!

Valentine's Day Crayons

So I'm a little wierd about my kids eating tons of candy.  On halloween, I would so much rather give out toothbrushes and animal crackers than a load of candy--too bad it's so expensive.  Anyway, I was stalking Pinterest the other night and ran across this really cool idea for turning regular crayons into heart shaped crayons.  Plus, I knew Lilah would love to do it with me.

First, I should probably confess that I'm a bit of a crayon snob.  I HATE crayons that aren't crayola.  However, I forced myself into spending $1.96 on a box of 96 Crazy Art crayons instead of $3 for Crayola, in case it didn't work.  Once I got home, I threw in a couple of Lilah's crayola's that were laying on the floor because I didn't want to carry them to her room. HA!

I soaked all of the crayons in warm water for about 20 minutes to get all the paper off.  Here is where I recommend Crayola--The paper came off SO much easier than on the Crazy Art's.  Crazy Art must use some kind of super duper crayon glue--a royal pain in the tush!

Once all of the paper was off, I chopped up the crayons using a big knife and cutting board--I'd say each crayon piece was 1 inch or less.  Lilah filled each of the hearts in the silicon tray about halfway full of crayon pieces.  We put them in the oven at 275 degrees for 10 minutes.  We removed them from the oven and let them cool for about 20 minutes and Voila!  We had perfect crayon hearts to take to preschool to go with her Valentines.  (If they last that long)  The whole project cost $3 total--$.97 cents for the silicon heart tray at Walmart.

Mac and Chicken

I invented a recipe tonight that Logan has dubbed, Mac and Chicken.  It was a big hit with everyone.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1Tbsp Slap Yo Mama seasoning
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
1 block cream cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded Mozarella cheese
1/2 onion, chopped
1-2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 small tomatoes
2 handfuls raw baby spinach
2 cups whole grain rotini
italian bread crumbs if desired

Cook rotini noodles as directed on box.  Set aside.

Saute olive oil, chicken, garlic and oil until chicken is cooked thoroughly.  Dice tomatoes and add tomatoes and a couple of handfuls of spinach to your saute mixture.  Allow to simmer (covered) until the spinach is wilted.  Add the block of cream cheese.  Continue cooking until cream cheese is melted.  Add the tablespoon of Slap Yo Mama seasoning and mix.  Add rotini noodles and mix until they are covered with cheese/chicken mixture.  Add entire pan to a 13x9 baking dish.  Cover mixture with mozarella and sprinkle with break crumbs.  Bake in 375 degree oven for 15 minutes.

It was SOO yummy!!

The Start of Something Great...

I decided to begin this blog to share my love of crafting with others and share some of my favorite recipes or unique patterns or discoveries.  I use crafting as a stress reliever--and boy have I been using it lately!  My latest creations have involved what I like to call coffee mug sweaters, although I have seen them called mug hugs on Etsy and my new love, Pinterest.  Below is a coffee mug sweater that I made for my friend, Cathy as a thank you for watching my son every morning.

I used a pink yarn with sequins sewn into it AND Martha Stewart's hot pink glitter eyelash yarn to begin.  I cast on 40 stitches on circular needles.  Using the magic loop method to connect, I knit 4 rows.  Next, I cut the glitter eyelash yarn leaving about a 6 inch tail.  For added security, I tied the glitter eyelash to the pink yarn with the sequins.  Then, no longer knitting in the round, and working my 6 inch eyelash tail into my work, knit in Stockinette Stitch until you've almost reached the height of the coffee mug you're making the sweater for.  Mine was about 4 inches high.  Knit for 3 rows to keep the top of your sweater from rolling.  Cast off all stitches except for the last stitch.  Use that stitch to cast on 30 more stitches.  After casting on, immediately bind off.  This will make a "tail".  Fold the tail in half and secure to sweater to make a loop.  On the opposite side of the top of the sweater, sew on the button of your choice.  The loop will fit over the button, securing the coffee mug sweater to your mug.  Happy Knitting!