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Setting Goals Backwards Journal

Crafts, Organization, Traditions, Tutorials, , , , , ,

I have been in a bit of a funk lately and I just could not seem to shake it.  I just kind of felt like I was spinning my wheels and not going anywhere.  I don’t know if it is just this time of year, with Christmas over and the start of a brand new year and thinking of all the expectations that come with that.

I tend to set a lot of resolutions every year and then they seem to fall by the wayside after about a month or two.  I think that as women, we tend to beat ourselves up for all the things we think that we do not do.  I was reading a post the other day from here, and she talked about setting goals in reverse and how instead of listing all of the ways that we failed to accomplish last year’s goals, we should make a list of all of the things that we actually do right during the year.  Well I  thought about that quite a bit and decided that I really liked that idea, but I wanted to take it one step farther.  I made a journal so that I can record the things that I have accomplished or overcome every month and then I can realize all the things that I did do, and not beat myself up for all the things that I did not do.  I would not make a “to do list” of resolutions but rather an “I did list!”  I would then concentrate on the “half full glass rather than the half empty glass”.  I think it will be a great thing to be able to look back at my achievements each month.  Then I decided that if I dated my entries I could look back over several years at a time!

So do you want to make a journal to record all of your goals that you set in reverse!

Start with any notebook.  I used a good old composition journal, but you can use any type of journal or notebook.Cover the front and the back.  I put the book on top of the paper and just traced around it.  I  just went to the black strip with my paper.  Ink the edges if you prefer and then adhere paper to the front.Next cut your tabs for the dividers 1 1/2″ x 3 “.  I used six coordinating  patterns and cut two of each, so that I had twelve tabs, one for each month.I wrapped ribbon around the front of my journal and glued it to the inside cover.  If you want to add ribbon you will need to do this step.Next, cover the inside of your journal.  Again I just put the cover on my paper and traced around it.. You want to leave a very little space on the inside, so that your book will close properly.  Cut out and ink the edges.  Adhere to the inside cover.  Repeat this step for the back cover.

To add your tabs to the pages, fold tabs in half to make a 1 1/2″ x 1 1/2″ square.  Ink edges if desired.  Put one sheet of paper in between the tab and glue it so that about 1/4″ is sticking out beyond the page. The tab is showing  on the front and the back of that page. Space evenly so that you can space 6 tabs down and then 6 more behind that.  I had a 100 page journal, so I spaced the tabs every 8 pages.  That left a few more at the back, but  that does not matter.  (You could add  a title of  “NOTES”  to the last few pages if you wanted to.)  Then number the tabs from 1-12 for each of the months.
Decorate the front anyway that you would like. I wanted to make this a fun book that I would want to use over and over again, so I decorated it up by adding this flower and ribbons, which are pretty dimensional, but I am going to keep this book out on my desk, so that I will see it often and try to remember the purpose of this book.  If you are going to keep it on a shelf, you will want to keep the front pretty flat.  But just remember that the outside of the book is not what is important, but what you write in the inside!On the inside cover you will want to add this label.  It tells you how you should use this journal in setting your goals backward!Here is a printable for you to print for the inside cover of your journal.  I kept it pretty simple so that it would match with whatever color you use.  I matted this label with a green to match my book.  To print, just right click and go to copy, open your favorite program, like word, and right click again and to to paste.  The original size is 4″ x 6″.

Now I need to go and record that I got my closet completely dejunked and cleaned out and donated clothes to a worthy cause.  I spent time with my husband, and some of my grandchildren, which is time very well spent.  I also exercised 3 times this week!  So instead of beating myself up, I am going to try to look for all the good around me!

English Toffee

Christmas, cooking, Gift ideas, Recipes, Tutorials, , , , , , ,

Ok, so this is the last candy post, at least for this week! :)  I am starting to feel the sugar high a little bit too much.  I started making this candy at 7:30 am and my husband was wondering what in the world I was doing and I just replied, “Oh, I’m just working on my blog!”  He just shook his head!

This candy is just the right combination of chocolate, nuts, and toffee.  I am also having the hardest time staying out of it, it is probably one of my favorite candies!

So let’s make English Toffee today!

Start by lining a cookie sheet with foil and then butter the foil.  Spread 1 cup chopped nuts on the cookie sheet.  ( I used pecans, but you can use whatever you have)

Mix 1 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, 1/8 tsp salt, 3 TLBS water, and 1 tsp vanilla.  Put in a kettle and bring to a boil.

 Reduce heat to medium and stir constantly until mixture is light brown in color and crack stage has been reached (300-310 degrees on candy thermometer) If you want to know how to test for crack stage, go to the Anise Candy post.

 Spread cooked candy thin over nuts.

Sprinkle 11.5 oz package of chocolate chips on top. ( I used milk chocolate, but semi-sweet would be good also, totally your preference!)

When melted, spread over all of the toffee.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup chopped nuts on top of chocolate and press down into the chocolate with your fingers.

Break into pieces and enjoy!  This is another candy that is great to give as gifts, to fill a candy dish with, or just make for a treat for yourself!

Here’s the recipe:

English Toffee

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1/8 tsp salt

3 TBLS water

1 tsp vanilla

Combine in a kettle and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and stir constantly until mixture is light brown in color and crack stage has been reached (300-310 degrees on candy thermometer)

1 1/2 cups chopped nuts

11.5 oz package chocolate chips

 Place buttered foil on cookie sheet and spread with 1 cup of the chopped nuts. Spread cooked candy thin over nuts. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Let melt and spread over entire candy. Add remaining 1/2 cup chopped nuts on top. (I pressed them down with my fingers into the chocolate)

Break into pieces when cool. Enjoy!

Ruffled Skirt

Christmas, Crafts, Patterns, Sewing, Tutorials, , , , , ,

I think that I have had ruffles on  the brain lately, but  you can never get too many ruffles, right?  Ruffles are still such the rage in the fashion and crafting world and I love it!

This a great little skirt that you can dress up or down, and it is knit fabric, so it is very comfy.  It does not wrinkle so it is great for travel, and it camouflages all your flaws with all the ruffles!  It doesn’t get any better than that!

You start with this fabric that is already ruffled!  It is kind of pricey, but you only need your length.  I am kind of tall and I bought about 30″ for a skirt that is mid-calf.  It only cost me about $20 for everything, and where can you buy a cute skirt like that for $20?!

I bought my fabric at The Material Girls Quilts in South Jordan, UT.  They also have this ruffled fabric in Gracie Lou’s Quilt Shoppe in Salem, UT.  I know that a lot of the finer fabric and quilt shops are now carrying it, so you should be able to find a place near you.

The fabric is  wider than I wanted,  so I cut off about 6″ from the width because I did not want it to be that full.  With all of the ruffles, it is better to have it a little bit more fitted, so you do not add bulk where you don’t want it. (If you know what I mean!)

This skirt is sooo easy as in one seam and sew the elastic to the top!

So let’s make a fun ruffled skirt for the holidays, shall we?

The most time consuming part of making this skirt is pinning all the ruffles so that they match!  You have to just match each layer of ruffle and pin it in place like this…

This is what it looks like when it is all pinned and ready to sew.Sew a 1/4″ seam all the way down, if your machine will sew over the pins, I leave them in, so that it will stay matched up nicely.I then serged the seam to trim off all the edges and to make a nice finish on the seam.  You could just serge the seam, but I really liked leaving my pins in, so I sewed the seam on my machine and then serged the edges.Look how nice it looks.  If you do not have a serger, you could also zig zag the seam and trim off the edges of the ruffles to make a finished seam.Here’s what the seam looks like, and from a little distance, it is hard to really even see where the seam is.  So is it important that you pin all of those ruffles down!I used 1 1/2″ wide elastic.  I just got this at Wally World, but you can buy it at most fabric stores, by the yard.  I couldn’t decide on black or white, so I bought both!  The black one finally won out though!Measure your waist, and subtract about 2″.  Just put it around you and when it feels right, that is where you want to cut it!  You want it to be a little bit snug, because like I said earlier, it is better to be fitted with this fabric!

Sew the elastic into a  circle overlapping about 1/4″ and zigzag down the middle to secure it good.  I went down and back up once.

Then mark your circle into fourths, using pins.

Do the same thing with your ruffle fabric.  Mark into fourths and mark with pins.There is a small amount of fabric between each of the ruffles and that is the part that you are going to sew on.  Matching pins and stretching the elastic to fit, sew the elastic to the right side of the skirt, using a narrow seam.This is what it will look like with the elastic all sewn on!  And guess what!  You are all done, because you do not need to hem this skirt, there is a ruffle on the bottom and it is knit fabric, so you are all done!!!

Pair this up with a cute knit top, a funky belt and some boots and you have a great Christmas outfit for your parties, a Christmas date, or for Church!

I hope that you can go and get some of this ruffled fabric and see how fun it is to sew!  I know that you will love it!

Happy Sewing!

Ruffled Christmas Pillow

Christmas, Crafts, For the Home, Sewing, Tutorials, , , , , , ,

I made some of these pillows for gifts and I love the way that they turned out!  It took me a little more than a hour to sew each one, so it is definitely a project that you could do in an evening!

So, let’s make a pillow or two!

Supplies:

12″ x 16″ pillow form

5″ x 32″ strips- you will need five different fabrics

1/2 yard fabric for pillow front and back (I used white on white fabric)

1/2 yard ric rac or ribbon

Cut one pillow front 12 1/2″ x 16 1/2″  rectangle, cut two 12 1/2″ x 10 1/2″ rectangles for the back.  Cut ruffles 5″ x 32″.  Fold ruffle strips in half lengthwise, wrong sides together and press.

Sew a gathering stitch 1/4″ from edge along the long raw edge of the ruffles.  Pull gathers until ruffles measure about 12 1/2″ long.
Next, mark on your pillow front fabric:

1st row:  3″ from edge

2nd row: 4 1/2″ from edge

3rd row:  6″ from edge

4th row:  7 1/2 ” from edge

5th row: 9″ from edge

I marked on both edges and down the middle.  Beginning with the first ruffle, line up the raw edge with the marks that you made and stitch gathered ruffle to pillow .  Continue sewing on all five ruffles matching the raw edge with the marks you made.After all five ruffles are sewn on, you can cover the last seam with ric-rac or ribbon.  Or you could  just leave the raw edges. Next take the two back pieces and on the 12 1/2 ” side, fold down to the wrong side, 1/2″ and press and then fold down 1/2″ again and press.  Stitch close to the inside edge as shown.Pin all of your ruffles so that they are even with the edge of the pillow.Place one of the back pieces onto the pillow.  Right sides together and pin.Then pin the other side overlapping the first piece by about 2″Stitch all the way around the outside of the pillow and trim the corners.Turn through overlapped opening and gently poke corners.

Woot, Woot!

You have made a ruffled pillow!  All you have to do is insert the pillow form!Now all you need to do is find a nice warm blanket and a good book, or movie and you are set!

May you all find a moment to wrap up with a pillow, blanket and hot chocolate and remember the true meaning of Christmas & the real Reason for the Season!

Fall Bunting

Crafts, Fall, Sewing, Tutorials, , , , , ,

I promised everyone that I would have an idea to go with the fall banner that I posted here.

This is a fun, super easy fabric fall bunting.  They are quite the thing right now and I can see why so many people love them.  They are fast, easy, inexpensive and they add so much to your decor or to any party!  You can make a bunting out of fabric, paper, wood, metal, or just about any medium that you can think of!  Here is my bunting on my fireplace, but you coulld hang it above your Thanksgiving table, drape it over a picture or a chalkboard, or in a window.  So many possibilities!

So let’s get started making a fabric bunting!  I made this bunting double sided so that if I hang it over my island in the kitchen, it looks great from both sides.

First make a pattern.  I used a 7 inch triangle.  Pin to your fabric with wrong sides together. Right sides out obviously:)This is  a great way to use up all of your fabric scraps, and you can make your triangles as big or as little as you want them to be.  I did and odd number of triangles (11) because to me that just looked better.

 Cut around your pattern with pinking shears if you have them, if not regular scissors or your trimmer blade will do. Next, sew 1/4 inch seam all the way around through both layers of fabric.You will need one package of bias tape, this is the extra wide width and I liked it because it was easier to work with.Find the middle of the bias tape and the middle of one of your triangles.  Pin the triangle inside the tape.  Make sure you have the shorter width of the fold on the front where you will be sewing so that you make sure to catch it in the back when you sew the seam.Pin all of the triangles in the bias tape according to how you want them placed.Sew your seam close to the edge of the bias tape edge making sure you catch the triangle and the back of the bias tape. This really is simple if you have pinned it all ahead of time.  Make sure the triangle edges are touching each other, you can overlap them a bit if you want to, but I just made sure that they were butted right up to each other.See how simple and easy that was, and look how much they can add to you fall decor!Here is a picture of my bunting with my fall banner that I posted earlier.  I think that they look so cute together!  I just think that the possibilites are endless with these buntings!You could totally do this bunting with no sewing.  Make the triangles only one layer and glue, staple or tape to a fun ribbon, ric rac or cording!  Oh the possibilities!

What are some of the fun ways that you decorate for fall?  I would love to here from you!

 

Apple Pie Caramel Apples!

cooking, Fall, Gift ideas, Tutorials, , , , ,

We made our caramel apples last weekend.  They are so yummy and really quite easy to do.  My family all prefer these caramel apples to the ones dipped in milk chocolate and candies.  So this year, this is the only kind we made.  But you could definitely use milk chocolate instead of the white, and candies or nuts, instead of the cinnamon/sugar!

First you need to wash your apples to get all of the wax off.  You can use warm soapy water.  Then make sure that they are completely dry.  Put a wooden stick in the center of each apple and then refrigerate for at least an hour to make sure the apples are cold. I used Fuji apples because they are my very favorite kind of apples!

To make “Apple Pie” caramel apples you will need this yummy Peters Caramel that you can buy here.  I also used the Guittard Vanilla Flavored  white chocolate from the same place.Cut off about 1/4 of the loaf of caramel and put into a large microwaveable measuring cup or bowl.  I like to use a 1 1/2 quart bowl that I have because it is kind of skinny and tall, just right for dipping an apple into!  A 4 cup measure will work also.  Melt your caramel in the microwave.  Cook on high for 1 minute.  Stir.  Cook on 50% power for 1 minute.  Stir again.  Repeat at 50% until thoroughly melted, being careful to avoid scorching.  Dip apples into melted caramel and let caramel drip off the end of apple.  You can dip all the way or about 3/4 of the way, whichever you prefer.  I take a spoon and scrape off the bottom of the apple so there is no carmel on the bottom.  This helps so there is not a big puddle of caramel on the bottom of the apple. Repeat until all the apples have been dipped in caramel. Place dipped apples on a parchment covered baking sheet. Depending on how many apples you are making, you may have to melt more caramel.  A 5 pound box of caramel will cover about 15-18 large apples. Put apples back in fridge to cool.Prepare a bowl of sugar and cinnamon mix.  I used about 3/4 cup of sugar to 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. (That is really just a guess, because I just dump until it looks good!  I like quite a bit of cinnamon in mine.) Melt your chocolate in microwave on 50% power for about 1 min.  Then stir.  Repeat until chocolate is melted.  Be careful not to burn!  Dip the caramel apples into the chocolate and let the excess drip off.  Then immediately spoon the sugar/cinnamon mixture over the chocolate.  I do this over a wide bowl, this is like sprinkling glitter onto glue.  It will only stick where the chocolate is.

Put some of the melted white chocolate into a ziplock baggie with the corner cut off very small, or use a pastry bag with a small tip.  Pipe squiggly lines up and down the apple to make it look oh so pretty! Let all the chocolate set up and then you can tie them up in a cellophane bag with a cute ribbon!   YUMMM!

This is a great gift idea for teachers, friends or heck, is there anyone who would not love to recieve one of these?Next is how to cut a caramel apple!

First you cut on both sides of the stick, along the core.Then turn the apple 90 degrees and cut again on both sides of the stick, along the core and you have perfect little wedges that are just the right size for serving and EATING!

T-Shirt scarf

Crafts, Family, Gift ideas, Tutorials, , , ,

My sister and I were at our dad’s house, and she showed me how to make this cute t-shirt scarf.  (Dad was a good sport and went along with all this bloggy stuff!)

Take an XL t-shirt and cut straight across the body from side to side, right under the arms.Like this!Then fold the t-shirt over so one side is about 1 inch away from the other side.  Cut off the hem.Start cutting 1-2 inch wide strips and cut just past the fold ..like this.Continue cutting the entire length.Hold on to the uncut part and pull each strip out and stretch it out all the way.  This curls the edges.Then open up the circle, so it looks like this.Take a piece of the cut off hem and tie a knot  around it. Tuck the ends into the layers.

And there you have it!  An easy, cute, inexpensive infinity scarf!

This is another version of the infinity scarf…I cut all the way across the  t-shirt into 1-2 inch wide strips and stretched them out, so I had several separate loops, then just hooked them together with a cute pin!  You can make this one as full as you like. In this version, you could actually get 2 scarves out of one t-shrt!  One for you and one to share!

Then the girls and I made these ruffled t-shirt scarves! I saw this idea on Pinterest here. There is a full tutorial there if you want to see it. But basically all you do is cut 8-12 circles out of an XL t-shirt. (Just trace around a 9″ paper plate)

Then you will cut each of the circles into a spiral.We had lots of helpers, this is our littlest princess, (Isn’t she a doll?)This is what the spiral will look like. Then Just stretch each spiral out and pull along the length of it to curl the edges. That is what makes the ruffles.  I forgot to take a picture of the next step, but just take two pieces and glue together end to end with fabric glue, to make a long strip.  Let dry, then lay all the strips out and using one of the strips, tie them all together in the middle and just let the ends hang down with the rest of the strips.  Easy Peasy and NO SEWING!  These would make darling gifts for the Holidays!  (If you are having a hard time understanding this last step go to the link for a better tutorial.)So what do you thiink?  Do you want to try one now?I added a cute little pin to mine and this is about as dressed up as I will get for Halloween!

If you try this out I would love to see what you have done!  What other crafty things have you been doing?

Quilt Binding Tutorial

Quilts, Sewing, Tutorials, , , ,

The binding on a quilt can really finish off a quilt and make it look professional.  It is a fairly simple thing to do and if you know a couple of techniques, it makes it really quite easy!  We are going to do a binding with mitered corners.  The first thing you need to do is to cut your fabrics into strips.  I am doing straight strips on this quilt, but you could also do bias strips, especially if you are going to do rounded corners or scallops.  I cut this binding into 2 1/4 ” strips.

Cut off all the selvages.Pin two strips right sides together.With right sides together, sew a 1/4″ seam.  Continue sewing all the strips together into one long strip, until you have enough to go all the way around your quilt.  I used 6 strips for this quilt. It is just a small lap quilt.Then fold the strip in half wrong sides together and press with a steam iron.  (Don’t you love the ironing board cover?  I guess it is about time for a new one, but you can tell that it has been well loved!)  :)Roughly measure the strips all the way around your quilt, making sure that you have no seams meeting right at the corners.  Adjust where you start, if a seam meets at a corner.Pin where you started marking the binding.  You do not need to pin all the way around you just need to pin the start.  You will want to start sewing about 6-8″ away from the end of the strip. (This is so you can finish off the end of the binding)Start sewing the binding on with 1/4″ seams. Sew to within 1/4″ of the corner.You are going to turn your quilt, but not with the needle down.  Lift the needle (You do not cut the thread either)  turn the quilt and binding  and lift the binding to make a 45 degree angle to the corner.Then fold the binding straight down on top of the 45 degree angle.Put your quilt under your pressure foot and start sewing a 1/4″ seam down your second side.Repeat this process for the other 3 corners and sides.  When you get back around to where you started, quit sewing about 6″ before you get to the other tail.Take quilt out from the machine holding both strips together put a pin in where they meet.Cut off the excess binding 1/4″ away from your pin.Like this.Then open up both of the binding ends and with right sides together you will sew a 1/4″ seam.  This is a little bit hard especially if you have not left enough room to work with.  But just bunch up the quilt a little bit until you can stitch the ends together.Then refold the binding and I just do a finger press here.  Continue sewing the binding to the quilt and it will come out exactly to the right measurement!Next come the most time consuming part. So plan for a good tv show or an evening or two to sew around the binding by hand.  You will want to pin as you go to hold the binding in place.  You are wrapping the binding around to the back and doing a blind stitch on the back of your quilt.  Be sure to take tiny stitches!  Like I said this is the most time consuming! When you come to the corners, they will just automatically lay into place.  Fold one side down and the other side will fold to a point!   How cool is that!So there you have it.  Not so bad Huh?  And look at how beautifully it finishes the edge of a quilt!  (My quilt was machine quilted, and my quilter always sews a seam all around the edge and trims it for me.  If you are quilting your own quilt, be sure to do this before you start to put the binding on, so that the top and bottom are even.

Happy sewing!  I would love to hear of your quilting projects if you are willing to share!

Imelda Marcos’ Worst Nightmare!

Crafts, Fashion, Tutorials, , , , ,

One of my husband’s nickname for me is “Imelda” and my reply to that is, “I wish!” But I am sure that this post would be her worst nightmare…

A SHOE MAKE-OVER!

My niece told me about a shoe makeover that she had done and so I decided to try it out.  I had this cute pair of shoes but I had only worn them a couple of times because of the color.  They are not pink and they are not lavendar, they are somewhere in between, and while the color is ok, I just did not have anything to wear them with, thus, the makeover!

First, you have to tape all around the sole and the inside of the shoes.  This part took the longest by far.  I had a hard time getting the painters tape to stick to the rubber sole.  I had to just use little pieces to make them contour around the toe and the heel.  You will also want to tape the inside so your foot is not touching the spray paint.  I covered the buckle because I wanted it to remain the same color.I used this ultra cover paint because it really does cover better than the regular spray paint. (And the fact that I already had the paint, so this make-over cost me nothing but my time!  My husband also really likes that.)I gave them three light coats with quick, short sprays.Remove all the tape and enjoy a new pair of shoes!

This next picture reminds me of the book series “No.1 Ladies Detective Agency” where Mma Mukutsi says that her shoes talk to her and they compliment her or give her advice.  If these shoes could talk I think that they would say “we look great, thanks Mma Mukutsi!”So what do you think!  They match this sweater perfectly and I have a whole new looks with these shoes!

These shoes are fun, but I am afraid that the paint is going to scratch easily, so I will not wear them for every day. (but I can always touch them up with another quick spray of paint if I need too!)