One Stitch Two Stitch

Waving Goodbye to 2010

 

The Swing by Majalin!

I think this illustration is fitting to describe my feelings about this past year. Personally, there were some wonderful highs, and some sad lows. With these lows came great life lessons which for me is reaffirmation of how certain experiences are needed to move forward. On a professional level it was quite thrilling; I moved to a new school site and into a spacious classroom. Creatively, I explored different project ideas for my shop, branched out and experienced my 1st craft show, and I was more labor intensive with my crochet and sewing endeavors.

I wave goodbye to:

- my tiny 1 bedroom apartment

- the spectacular view of the city from my bedroom window

- elevator rides

- the disappointment and melancholy of this past summer

- my 20 minute morning commutes

- "I wish I had a sewing room" rants

- random downtown treks

Good bye 2010! Sue

Crafting into the New Year

My hands are a bit tired today. I've been working, on and off, on a lap blanket since August. You can see my 1st square of "tie-dye suns" here.

I need 25 squares before I can begin joining them and I'm on my 22nd! My goal is to complete the squares before the 31st, so cross your fingers for me (I won't be able to since I'll be crocheting).

I also began working on a new group of sock monkeys! Here's a sampling of the scheme of colors I'll be using. Some are more Valentines and others are more spring-y. I'm aiming to complete them by the 2nd week of January. We'll see . . . As always, I'll keep you updated on these and other projects (I have loads of new ideas for the new year, can't wait to share!) Sue

Eggnog Bread Pudding Recipe (1 for you & 1 for me version)

 This is by far the yummiest bread pudding I've ever had and, to boot, ever made. Plus super easy to prepare. The recipe yields enough to make one for yourself and one to share. Enjoy!

Servings per pan: 6-8

Ingredients:

2 cups of eggnog (either regular or low fat)

3 eggs

3/4 cup of castor sugar

10 slices of raisin/cinnamon swirled bread

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground nutmeg

Steps: 1- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat two 8x4 in. foil baking pans. Set aside.

2- Using and electric mixer, mix eggnog, eggs and sugar on medium speed for about a minute; then add in vanilla extract and nutmeg, and mix for another 30 seconds. 

3 - Cube the slices of bread and add them to the eggnog mixture. Mix on low-speed for 30 seconds. Let the bread/eggnog mixture sit for at least 10 minutes (this lets the bread absorb all that eggnog goodness!) 

4 - Pour bread mix evenly into prepared pans and bake for about 40 minutes or until knife inserted near centers comes out clean. Cool for at least 20 minutes.

You can either enjoy this scrumptious pudding on its own or with a dollop of whipped cream.

Happy Eating!! Sue

My Tiny Tree and Trimmings

I thought it would be nice to share some pics of my tree. I figured that if I had shown you my pom pom garland, it would only be fitting to also share how the garland looked on my tree!

 

A student's mom gave me this adorable owl ornament. I think it makes the cutest tree topper!

The same mom gave this fox ornament too. I really love it!

Well, that's enough pics for now. I'll be back with my eggnog bread pudding recipe! Sue

Two Day Sewing Spree

The last 48 hours can be summed up in one word: madness! Yes, sheer chaotic sewing madness to be exact! I hadn't enough time during the past weeks to work on my gifts, so for the last two days I dedicated myself to making two sewing machine covers and two plastic bag casings. I finished last night at 2:30 am leaving a trail of fabric scraps and trims throughout my apartment. Here are some pics:

I used a ready-made doily and added it as an embellishments to one of the sewing machine covers. I used a fuschia-colored embroidery thread to add decorative stitches to the cover.

I crocheted this flower and used the same technique to embellish the cover.

These casings to store plastic bags were actually faster to make than the covers. I really loved how they came out!

I made these bows as hair clips for a special gal. They're so adorable!

Now I can relax!! Hope your getting all your gift-giving projects (or shopping) completed! Sue

Weekend Rush

My winter break is here and as much as I anticipated the rest, it's turned out to be a pretty busy weekend! On Friday, I spent the majority of the night baking my favorite bar cookies "revel bars," they're a cross between an oatmeal cookie and fudge brownie - so yummy. Then on Saturday morning, I baked "eggnog bread pudding". I cut out the recipe from an eggnog carton and made a couple of changes to the recipe (I'll be posting the recipe w/pics soon!) My bf and I took the baked yummies to my friend's house for her fried turkey soiree. If you haven't tried fried turkey, it's a must-have . . . it is sooo juicy!

I also got the chance to view the lunar eclipse tonight. I had never seen a red moon. Absolutely spectatacular!

Holiday Finds!

I don't know what I love more a great deal or a whimsical find. When I do find both, I'm doing somersaults inside my head! Today was one of those days when I accidently stumbled upon the things I needed for my holiday to-do list, like . . .

Christmas cards! I fell in love with these. They're all glittery and the artwork is so whimsical!

 And more cards! I have lots more people to give cards to this year (the teaching staff at my school has doubled this year!) This lot was only $6 for 20!

All things Santa! This adorable Santa fabric was 50% off (great to make kitschy stockings with) and the tin was only $2 (perfect to gift my baked yummies in!)

Well that's it for now. I've got to get crackin' on those Christmas cards! Sue

DIY - Crochet Tree Ornaments

 Today I started working on my gift list. As I made these cute ornaments, I decided to turn my project into quick tute you can follow as well. These little ornaments can be made in your choice of colors and can also be made into a garland. Keep in mind that this DIY does require beginner crochet skills. Enjoy!

 Supplies: 1. yarn - whitefor the triangles, 3 contrasting colors for the braid 2. gray embroidery thread 3. scissors 4. pushpin 5. yarn needle 6. embroidery needle 7. silver glitter 8. cardstock 9. glue

Crochet 5 single crochet triangles.

Using the contrasting colored yarns, weave a 25" long braid. Tie a knot to only one end of the braid.

This take a little patience, but thread the open-ended braid (the end that wasn't knotted) through the yarn needle. Run the braid close to the top of your crochet triangle. Weave through the triangle in a zig-zag pattern. Make sure to leave a 5" tail, so you can make a loop to hang your ornament.

 Cut some mini triangles from cardstock and paste them to form stars. Once they're dry, apply a thin coat of glue to each star's surface and generously sprinkle glitter onto the stars until they turned into glitter hillets. I let them sit there for a bit and then removed the excess glitter. With a pushpin, I poked two holes in the center of each star.

Loop the braid's tail end and hide it to the back of the triangle. Sew the stars to the top of each traingle with the embroidery thread, making sure to stitch in place the end of the braided tail.

And that's it! A super cute gift that's simple and quick to make!

Gift To-Dos

Yes, December is finally here! As excited as I am, I'm beginning to feel overwhelmed knowing that I have a very long list of to-do projects that I have to squeeze into 2 weeks (yikes!).

So starting tomorrow I will begin that harrowing task of working on my list. I'll make sure to update my progress here, so stay tuned! Sue

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