Monday, July 23, 2012

Target Practice

Can you guess what these are used for?  They are cut from vinyl on the cricut.
If you have a little boy in the house you NEED these for.....

Target practice.
To apply, cut the water off to the toilet and flush until the water level is at it's lowest.  Dry area you want to put the decal with cloth and then toilet paper.  No water can be on the surface!  Apply decal to the toilet and rub firmly til well attached.  Turn back on water.  Now your little man can FINALLY get his aim down.  
Diana 

Thursday, July 19, 2012

The Farm on Kenyon Road


 I have a new routine this summer.  First thing each morning after taking care of the girls in the hen house and weeding in the garden, I decide if I need to go to the market.  Not the big superstore downtown.  No, I look in my fridge and take inventory of the fresh vegetable bin.  Do I need more cucumbers or maybe some fresh blueberries?  About every third day I head 5 minutes down the road and shop at a new farm market that has opened in my rural neighborhood.  The Farm on Kenyon Road is a charming slice of country life. 
 Crissie, the owner, sells produce and goods she grows or that are produced within 25 miles of The Farm.  Organically grown vegetables fill baskets and canned goods line shelves.  Recipes cards are tucked here and there that feature the produce.  Baked goods, fresh eggs and cookbooks are also for sale.  Behind the market, chickens and goats keep busy in their pens and members of the family are tending the huge garden.  Crissie is quick to share her hard earned knowledge, when asked, about the many aspects of rural living.   Much as our ancestors use to gather in the general store, I am drawn to The Farm.  It is a place to chat about bees and the benefits of goat milk, zucchini and the best ways to control weeds and anything else that is on my mind.  I hope you all have a place like The Farm to connect with your neighbors and learn to slow down just a bit and enjoy the blessings of country life.  Diana

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Merit Badges From Shinkydink

Grandparent Camp is almost here and I am busy gettting ready.  This year it will be more organized and one of the ideas we will be using is merit badges.These were made with shinkydink paper!  The only thing I would do differently is make them with a color background so the pins wouldn't show through. 

This merit badge will be earned if the kids brush their teeth and shower everyday without being reminded!  Yeah!

I bought bags that I then embroidered a simple initial on for each child.  The badges will be pinned on the bags.  Now they will have their own tote for all our activities and recognition for all the fun things they learned and did at campI wish I had one....... whine.   Diana

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Why Didn't You Tell Me

So how long were you going to keep this from me?  Nuf said.  Diana

Monday, July 16, 2012

Petite Odile Quilt


I fell in love with this sweet fabric line from Moda.  It is called Petite Odile and the colors are so soft and muted.  Very comforting, which is fitting because the quilt I made from the fabric will be donated and auctioned off to help pay the medical bills for our airplane mechanic.  She has an aggressive form of brain cancer and she is such a good person, our hearts go out to her.  I purchased two charm packages and yardage from the line to make this quilt.  It is machined quilted on my sewing machine (oh how I dream of a long arm) and the binding was finally finished last night.  I am pretty happy with how it turned out though a few of my corners are a hair off of matching.  I did learn a trick from the Fons and Porter quilting show that should help me next time.  I will share the tip in another post. 
I hope this cozy quilt goes to a good home and raises lots of money for our friend.  Diana

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Crocheting in the Dark

Just thought I would show you all the dish cloth I crocheted during the power outage.  I didn't have a pattern because the computer was down, as was all the lights, so I winged it.  It is very similar to one I had done a month or so ago.It is going out to the cabin to brighten things up.  Diana

Friday, July 6, 2012

Recipe Tea Towel

It has been a while since we posted anything......living in the Midwest we have been busy surviving mother nature.  But now that things have settled down a little, (ie we have power on again and I am not worried every peal of thunder is going to cause it to go out again) I have been crafting again.  Today I have a cute tea towel that I machined embroidered.  The design is from Grama Debbie's Designs and she includes a printable recipe card too!The design is available for both the 4x4 hoop and 5x7 hoop but requires multiple hooping.  She has tons of recipes for all kinds of goodies.

I think this is such a clever idea and will make a great hostess gift!  Diana

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Peachy Sweet

We hav been having a heat wave so I have been indoors a lot!  One benefit of this is time at the sewing machine.  Friday I made this outfit for Abby, my oldest grandchild.  The fabric was from a recent business trip to New York state.  While my husband was at meetings I was shopping.......and buying.  I thought I would use this fabric for a quilt but the colors just begged to be made into a dress for the blond hair, blue eyed beauty.I used a simplicity pattern (4206) for a starting point, mainly for an idea of size, because Abby wasn't here for me to fit the garment to.  I added a flounce to the skirt.  The top was altered with a princess waist band and a bow in the back to make the top more fitted. 
I also left the casing for the elastic open so Abby's mom can adjust the fit.  I wouldn't want the elastic to be too tight.  Ouch.  Hate that. 
Diana