Show Your Love

Hiya folks! Here's a fun little sewing project that you can do for Valentine's Day so you can "show your love." What you need is a sheet of felt, a sheet of paper, sequins, seed beads, thread, a needle and a safety pin.

First, cut heart shape out of the piece of paper. If you aren't real good at drawing hearts you can trace one from a cookie cutter or whatever else you have. Next trace the heart onto your felt. You want to cut out 2 hearts. Next, you want to begin sewing sequins and beads onto the top side of one of the hearts. Once you have the entire heart covered you'll need to whip stitch the other heart on to the back of the sequined heart to both hide and protect your stitching. When you are finished stitching around the outside of your heart be sure and run your needle into the back to bury the final thread after you knot it. And last, thread your safety pin in to the back of your heart and apply to whatever you wish!

I found the safety pin that is shown at a local craft store in the jewelry supply department. If you are using a regular safety pin you can stitch it on to the back heart before sewing the two hearts together.

I hope you enjoy showing your love!!

Hey Look!! It's me!!

Gee whiz y'all... I have just been refusing to blog. I don't know what it is. I've been busy cooking, crafting, creating, and renting the heck out of library books! I call it renting for some reason. I was always intimidated by libraries... I think it was the fact that I had to be quiet that pushed me away. I do remember to silence my cell phone every time I go in and I have become quite the regular at our tiny local library. Even a tiny library houses tons of books I've found. I have been glued to my latest rental... Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafting. Wow. The things I never knew. I got out my post it notes and started tabbing pages. My grocery list has grown this week too as far as crafting supplies goes.

I wanted to share some pictures of what I have made so far. You'll have to rent the book to find out how to make them yourselves... evil I know. But I have been having so much fun. Last night I read about marbleizing, like on paper or anything for that matter. I think I'm just going to have to ask for this book for my birthday. It's a good one.


I am sad to report that I may just get kicked out of the library yet because as I was picking the book up off of the copier from imaging a recipe for bath fizzies I tore a page. Talk about the gasp heard round the world! Yeah.. that was me. I feel like such a common criminal. They are sure to revoke my library card when I tell them what I did. I'll probably leave out the copying part but I for sure can't hide that tear... it's a big one. Mama always said I can't do anything halfway. They probably have some of the acid free tape that's better for the books.


P.S. Please don't tell Martha.

Forcing Spring

Hello all! Well if you are anything like me then you just can't wait for spring to arrive. I asked my Mister this morning if he remembered when we planted potatoes in the garden last winter. I remember getting the last bag of potato sprouts last year because I almost waited too late so this year I intend to be on my toes...garden wise.

Back to the subject of spring. I wanted to share a little trick that I tried last year of forcing spring blooms indoors. Yesterday, here at work, I noticed about a three foot branch on a forsythia bush had gotten broken by someone opening the fence. I snagged it on my way in from my walk to the mail box, trimmed off the small twigs from the bottom and stuck it in an old soda bottle with water in it. Hopefully I will have blooms in about ten days. I can already see a little green from the buds.

Last year I read about this trick and wound up trying twigs from several different trees and bushes that I know flower in the spring. I remember specifically the forsythia, dog wood and Bradford pear working well. Try it out for yourself! Bring a little spring indoors.

Simple Yummy Syrup

Good Tuesday afternoon all! I have been such a blog ignorer! Not that I haven't been thinking about blogging for you, I've just been slammed and haven't had the time. I will tell you that my bloggy thoughts are jamming up in my head like traffic! I do hate to report that this will be a quickie but none the less a goodie!

So this past Sunday, while indulging in sweet chocolate thoughts I whipped up a batch of my Mother's famous chocolate syrup that goes so well over a bowl of vanilla ice cream and thought I would blog the yummy recipe for you! So here goes:

Mom's Chocolate Syrup

5 1/2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
4 1/2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk
2 Tablespoons white Caro syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1cup sugar

In a saucepan on the stove top, melt the butter and mix in cocoa. Add milk and let boil until a little thick... about 6 or 8 minutes stirring constantly. Add sugar, syrup and vanilla and boil for one minute. Pour into a container that can be kept in the refrigerator. This makes about a cup or a little more (I've never actually measured) and can be kept in the refrigerator for several weeks. Pop it into the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds before pouring over ice cream. Maybe even ice cream on top of a brownie.

I can remember as a child when my Mother would make this recipe I would sneak into the fridge, spoon in hand, just for a taste. It's very rich and very yummy!