She's a Big Girl Now.

The time has finally come for us that Princess Newbie is done with her baby highchair. She kept climbing out of it (and in it). So it was no longer safe to have around, as it was. We asked our parents to get her a booster chair for Christmas but they all kinda balked at it. You could tell they had toys in mind for her gifts, not a booster seat.

This is the chair before:

This is the chair I picked out when I was pregnant with Princess Girly Girl, six years ago. I knew I wanted a wood chair so it would last through all my kids and hopefully be saved forever. That's the sentimental pregnant woman brain, thinking about things for kids lasting forever. HA! Now I know better. Things for kids do not last. While this chair has lasted for years, the varnish was wearing off and it was getting harder and harder to get food off the wood and the tray was now launching springs across the kitchen whenever you took it off the highchair. I could have never sold this thing, I would have had to put it on the curb, squashing the memories and love.

So I decided to redo it and I did.... while Damion was at work.. without telling him. I think he's growing to love my surprises. I'm growing to love the jigsaw he got me for valentine's day.

I cut off all four legs with the jigsaw to make it short enough to fit under the lip of the table but still high enough to give her a little boost. Then I painted it green but ran out of paint before I finished it. When I got to the store to pick up more paint, they had a color called London Gray on sale for only $2 per can of spray paint. So I changed the color and picked up the gray. I painted it and then Mod Podged scrapbook paper onto it to break up the color some. Don't we all love Mod Podge? I want to build a house out of Mod Podge. Finally I distressed the edges so a little of the green still comes through and gave it a good coat of varnish.

Now this little chair is around to stay for awhile. 

It makes me happy but it makes Princess Newbie even happier. I'll do anything to keep the biter of the family happy.

Peg Doll Nativity

This is a great Nativity to make for your children to play with and much cheaper than the plastic ones from the big box stores. I made this one for about about $6 using fabric scraps that I had on hand.

Later this week I'll post a tutorial for making peg dolls sans fabric clothes. If you want to make these, come back to learn how to make the faces and then add fabric clothes using your glue gun. Unless you're the Pioneer Woman because I heard she doesn't even own a glue gun! Oh the travesty. How does she survive?

I'm linking here: Go check it out for other great crafts.

The Black Friday Mission.

I am a Black Friday shopper.

To say that I celebrate thanksgiving is but a part of the truth. Thanksgiving is like Christmas Eve, the moment of great anticipation before you rip into presents the next morning. To the real bargain shopper, it is pay dirt. The BB gun is to Ralphie in The Christmas Story as Black Friday is to pure frugalistas. Everyone else out there on Black Friday is just wearing a pink bunny suit.

Many comment that Black Friday is not worth the $20 of savings. If I only saved $20, I would consider it a great failure. 2002 was my best Black Friday year so far. I became a legend, somewhat in my own mind, when I came home with three shirts, one sweater, and one baby dress for only 15 cents. I saved the receipt in my wallet for weeks, showing everyone that would take a glance. Recounting the story numerous times of the saleswoman saying that she had never seen that before in her life. Apparently she had never met a true bargain hunter before.

There's rules to Black Friday.  First is to know your route and what you're looking for. Lists are made of deals at each store and the time the store opens so you can make a schedule and decide what your true priorities are. If you're standing in line outside a store, make friends with the person next to you and hold their place in line if they need to run to their car. However, if you are in line to pay in the store, no one will hold your place. If fact, they will call everyone they know on their phone and invite them personally to come take your place in line.

 Bed head mixed with the perfect mix of left over mascara is the official Black Friday uniform. You can always tell an impostor just by looking at their shoes first and their makeup, or lack there of, next. Heels will not cut it in the fast pace world of Black Friday. Dr. Scholls may be considered older generation but the perfect foot love will equal greater success. To put it simply, on Black Friday, make up and matching clothes are for sissies. If you have to get dressed in pure darkness and sneak out of the house like a covert operation than you will be a success.

Buyer beware, the Black Friday ads are slowly starting to be released. If you will be shopping in Fort Worth this coming Friday, you better watch out. The crazy woman in the white van that is wearing monkey pajamas and day old make up is one the loose and I've already made my lists.

Hostess Gift Idea: Scented Hot Pad Tutorial

I have a secret, not the same one from yesterday but a different one. This one I can tell you but I'm a little ashamed of it. I never cook thanksgiving dinner. Every single year we go to my aunt's for dinner. I don't even know how to make stuffing from scratch. I'll stick with crafting, you stick with stuffing and the world will be a happy place.

So today I'm sharing this tutorial with you for a scented hot pad. It's a great gift to take to the person who is hosting you for thanksgiving if you are not cooking yourself. Plus it's also a great gift idea to take to neighbors this coming Christmas. You can wrap it up by itself or put it in a basket with some tea bags and a small tea pot.

The best part is one that you can't see. This thing smells amazing, even Damion commented on it. Then when you add a nice warm dish to the top of it, the smell radiates even more and it's wonderful and homey.

So for this project you will need:
1 piece of cotton fabric - 3ft x 3inches
1 piece of flannel - 3 ft x 3 inches
uncooked rice
cinnamon oil or candle fragrance
plastic baggie

The very first step you need to do 24 hours in advance, so make sure you add that time into your equation. Take two cups rice and add 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon oil or fragrance and then sprinkle with actual cinnamon. Put in well sealed container and let stand overnight or for 24 hours.

When your rice is ready, cut your fabric into two strips that measure 3ft (1yrd) by 3 inches.  Lay the cotton fabric, right side up on top of the flannel.

Next fold the fabric over until the ride sides are touching and stitch a line along the edge.

After you sew one straight stitch, go back and use a zig zag stitch along the edge to prevent the seams from busting when you add the rice. If you have a serger, that would be the best option. If you don't zig zag the seams, you might regret it.

I plead the fifth as to how that happened.

After your seams are sewn, it's turn to turn it inside out. I used a coat hanger with one end bent to help turn the fabric to the ride side facing out.

Next you need to stitch one end closed and then start filling with rice. I did not use the full two cups of rice, you will just have to play around with it.

Then it's time to start the rollin'.

To start, measure about an inch from the end and make an indention with your fingers, moving rice out of the way. Now turn it back onto itself to start the spiral. Do this one more time for the next turn and then it should start spiraling easily.

I started the spiral and then went back with my needle and thread to start sewing it once I had it layed out. I used a needle and thread to tack it down to itself from the inside every inch or two so that it would hold the spiral shape. I also hid the seam inside the spiral.

Tack it from the inside and no one will see your stitches! Keep going until you get to the end and then stitch that down to finish your scented hot pad.

Now you can sit down and enjoy a nice cup of tea.

Remember to always store your scented hot pad in a plastic bag to maintain the fragrance.

Tutorial: How to make dipped strawberries

Chocolate covered strawberries are my delight in life. My mother in law had some last weekend when I visited but I only got one before I thought they had all disappeared. Really I found the rest of them in the way back of the fridge before we left. So the sad news is that I only got one. The good news is that I know how to make more and now you will too.

First you need Almond Bark.  I know you can buy the little tubs now that you just microwave but this is pretty much the same thing and you get a huge hunk of it for the same price as the little tubs.

The most important thing that I can tell you is that when working with this stuff, moisture is your sworn enemy. The slightest drop of water or spoon with a drop of moisture on it and it will clump and your fun will be over. Make sure everything, including the strawberries are washed and thoroughly dried. I wash my berries, dry them, and then dry them again with a paper towel.

Follow the instructions to melt the almond bark. You can do it in the microwave but I find that sometimes you have to rush to get the berries dipped before it starts to harden. So I melt mine in the fanciest double broiler that I can fine. In other words, I just place a beat up old metal bowl on top of a pot of boiling water. perfect. That way I can set the water to a low simmer once I have the chocolate melted and it will stay at the same consistency for a long time, or until I accidentally get some water into it.  If you are going to be using it for dipping berries, pretzels, or oreos (my favorite) then you might want to add a teaspoon of shortening to thin it out some.

When your chocolate is melted, place the berry in the chocolate and slowly dip the edges in to cover it to the top with chocolate. Then scrape the bottom on the edge of the bowl to remove the excess chocolate and place it on wax paper to harden. Simple huh?

Now you can get all fancy and if it's close to the 4th of July, patriotic.

Next you can use gel food colors to tint the chocolate. Do not use liquid food colors as moisture is still you enemy, it must be gel.

You could do it the right way and use separate bowls for each of your colors or not.... Your choice

If you want a simple second color than just dip it in one of the other colors once your white chocolate has cooled and hardened. It's simple but cute. Red, white and blue, perfect for this upcoming holiday.

Or you could get fancier and paint on a design using a small food safe paintbrush. Any new paintbrush that has been well washed and dried ( no moisture remember) should work great. Don't pick an intricate design or go for ultimate perfection because this way is a little more difficult.

Finally sit and enjoy the fruits of your labor...

oh and a chocolate covered oreo...

Freezer Paper Stencils

Sometimes it's hard to find a dinosaur shirt for girls. I know that might sound pretty crazy but it's true. It was a great day when I stumbled across Freezer Paper Stenciling. It's easy and quick and a great way to make personalized items.

To start, gather a roll of freezer paper, Tulip Soft Fabric Paint, an iron, a paintbrush, and a tshirt or other fabric surface to paint.

Step 1: Draw or print out the item that you would like to use as a stencil. You can print directly onto freezer paper if you cut it down to paper size and remember to print on the paper side. Do not print on the wax side or you will have a huge mess. Just trust me on this one.

Step 2: I decided to make Princess Girly Girl a kitty cat for her tshirt. This one was a little tricky because I wanted the lines be the painted areas. I'm used to cutting on lines like we learned in elementary school so I kept cutting straight through the white parts that I needed intact in order to get to the lines. I had to redraw this cat a few times before I was able to cut it out correctly. If this is your first project, just choose a large shape such as the dinosaur on Princess Goofy's shirt. That will be easier to cut out and get the hang of.

                                                    

Step 3: Iron the freezer paper directly onto the tshirt. It will stick to the shirt. Place a piece of cardboard or cardstock inside the tshirt to keep the paint from bleeding through once you start painting.

                              

Step 4: Now you're ready to start painting! Do three light coats of paint, letting each one dry for awhile in between.

On a random note, this was the cleanest project that I have ever completed in my life! Look at that paint! Not a drop of it got on the table or any other surface. I was so proud.

Step 5: Let the shirt dry overnight and then peel off the freezer paper. Toss in the dryer for a bit to heat set the paint and then wash and wear as normal. If you are one of those freaks that likes to iron everything, do not iron directly onto the paint. Turn the shirt inside out before ironing.

The girls loved their shirts and the dinosaur shirt was the perfect shirt for Princess Goofy to wear when we took her to the science museum to see the dinosaur fossils.