Well, Miss Fran and I have been plugging along 1-2 times a week with our friend, Gordon.
This week, I got to trim and clean up some of my work, and finally got to glaze my yarn bowl!
Here it is! In all of its first firing glory.
Glaze! which is different from paint in that glaze goes through a chemical change when heated to certain temperatures.
This will actually turn out more mossy green on the outside and beige on the inside.
Pics soon!
What a weekend!
I tried on costumes for my show, I went thrift store shopping and made great finds, I went to the movies with a friend, I potted, I dressed up like Dorothy Gale and read to children at the library, and I had game night.
Whew!
And no game night is complete without food!
I was putzing around the internet one day and found this recipe. This chick is really in to Panda Express, which I am not, but I do love wontons, and I liked they way she rolled them.
So I changed it up a bit and here is what I did!
Yes to 1 package of cream cheese.
I put that in my kitchen aid.
And then I chopped up a handful of green onions.
I put that in my kitchen aid.
Then I grabbed the Sriracha.
I put that in my kitchen aid.
Just a liberal squeeze.
I also cooked about 3/4 lb of ground turkey (not the full package) in some soy sauce.
I didn’t want just cheese in my wontons…it tends to make the bf and I feel gross.
This gross looking mixture was the tastiest thing ever.
So then I put a bit in the center, rolled, and pinched. I ended up folding over the flap, because they were cooking too fast and burning (You’ll see in the next picture).
So good. Game Night friends were happy!
Have you made wontons? What is your favorite recipe?
Well, this weekend I may have out done myself. I made the cutest thing.
Ever.
And I made the yummiest treat.
Ever.
The treat you can read about in my next post.
This one is just about my love for Perler beads and the great things you can make with them.
They are great for kids, great for hand eye coordination, but mostly, they are great for 8-bit designs.
You may remember (because you follow me on Instagram) back in December I made a bunch of 8-bit Mario tree ornaments.
We had the best Christmas Tree.
Anyway, I decided to bust out the beads once again, but this time, to make something new and exciting!
And usable!
Adorable hair bows.
So you put the beads on the board, Iron, and then glue a clip on the back!
Not too hard, right? I plan on adding these, and a few smaller ones, to my collection being sold at the Flying M Super Summer Market this June!
#ANTM
Have you ever used Perler Beads before?
Update! Here are some new purses I made. 🙂
Do you remember a few days ago, when I made banana muffins?
Okay, check out this post and then come back.
Okay?
Okay.
I made banana muffins, which are one of my favorite foods. And those muffins were pretty good…but after a few days, they got really dry 😦
I eat muffins every morning for breakfast. I make them on Sundays and I’d like for them to still be delicious by Friday.
So back to Google to find another recipe!
This week, I tried this one.
I figured since my grandma’s weren’t the baking types, I should go to someone else’s granny for answers.
I wasn’t nearly as intense about only dirtying two dishes as the blog writer was — I just threw everything into my KitchenAid and turned it on.
So here we are, Thursday morning, and they are still moist and delicious.
They are a bit sticky….but spongy and moist.
So as of right now, they are indeed the best banana muffins 🙂
I made a dress!
Shocking.
for someone else!
What?
I have people ask me, “Will you make me a dress?”
Sometimes I say yes, and most of the time I say no…because sewing for other people is stressful.
My dresses may look cute on the outside, but on the inside, they are taken in here and there, with exposed edges, and I just don’t care.
For example, the facing on the collar of my birthday dress is wonky…because I lowered the neckline, but didn’t change the length of the inside piece.
But I don’t care. It’s inside.
But if someone pays me, they might want it done right.
Or zippers…I insert zippers my own “special” way – special because I didn’t have a zipper foot…okay, I did have a zipper foot but I didn’t know how to use it. (If you know just how easy it is to use a zipper foot, don’t you judge me).
So people paying me for clothing scares me.
But I have this friend.
She’s pretty cool. I kind of want to be her when I grow up.
And she needed a white dress for a fundraiser.
And white dresses are just so awful. I agreed to help her.
She went out and bought the fabric and knew what she wanted…it was adorable. Purple buttons and tulle on a white dress (that matched my birthday dress — bc that dress is just awesome).
She has a high standard of excellence, so I took my time and did the collar properly, and even added a hook and eye to the top of the zipper, which I never do, which is way my dresses always look like they are unzipped.
I didn’t take very good pictures of the process…I don’t know why.
But here I am sewing the front button piece:
Oskar even got in on the action.
Tulle! 
And look at my awesome friend, being a babe! 
When I delivered her dress, another friend said, did you just add that stuff to the white dress, or did you make the whole thing?
Please! I made that whole thing. Because I’m awesome.
The dress. The infamous sheet dress.
One of the main projects I wanted to accomplish during #MakeAThingADayMay was a dress made from a sheet that I acquired from Treasure Valley Children’s Theater.
I also wanted to try out French seams.
So here we go!
Sheet!
But it’s a fitted sheet, so cut off that elastic so your fabric will lay properly!
So I got my pieces cut out and then started on my fancy seams, sewing the wrong sides together at 1/4in and then pressing, and folding right sides together.
Lost yet?
It’s not so bad.
Look at those clean edges!
BUT! Math.
The seam allowance on a French seam is greater than a traditional seam. So I got to try on the bodice and EEK!
I was an encased sausage!
Time to seam rip it all and start over.
I sewed it traditionally the next time around and it turned out great.
Then I wanted to add a cute lace and ribbon detail along the bottom.
Isn’t that the cutest?
Then you know what happened? I only had enough to go around 1/4 of the skirt.
Damn.
Change of plans!
So I add some rickrack to my underskirt to give the illusion of ruffle.
And again, turn to Facebook to get the opinions of the masses.
Buttons or bows.
I, of course, disregarded their answers (which was a unanimous button vote) and went for bows. I think I made the right choice.
Do you?
#ANTM #TooShortToBeARockette
If you follow me on facebook (Which you should) then you might remember seeing this forlorn tray.
I asked for your opinions, what to do to make this tray the best tray it can be.
There was talk of chalkboards, pennies, bottle caps, ribbons, painting…all sorts of great ideas!
But since I wanted to make sure I didn’t have to buy anything for the project (#UsingMyStash) I went with chalkboard.
About a million years ago, I bought some Chalk Board spray paint. I think I had a plan for it, but have since forgotten it, there for, the tray it would be!
First I cleaned the tray. She was sticky and her paint was chipping, but not in that cool faded way.
She got a good sanding as well.
Now for the paint!
I really think that Chalk Board paint is just matte black paint. But I sprayed on several good coats, letting each one dry thoroughly.
Then it sat there…for almost a week…because I couldn’t decide how to paint the outside.
Then one day, inspiration struck!
I used my round foam sponges and dotted along the edge. then decreasing in size and concentration, I continued.
Cutest!
What do you think?
Today I used my stash! I grabbed some fabric I had, and a purse frame, and some glue.
I put them all together and got this little gem that will soon be going to visit my Auntie in Nor Cal. She teaches ballet, is amazing, and deserves all the gifts I can think of!
First I laid the purse frame on my fabric and traced a shape around it.
I then cut out four of those shapes — 2 for the outside and 2 for the lining. (I didn’t really have anything else I wanted for the lining.
Then I squared the bottom corners. About 8000 years ago (Circa 2004) I found Craftster.org. And they have an entire thread devoted to purse tutorials.
And this one was just the best. I learned so many techniques from the Jordy bag…I still carry one or two of them. But it’s where I learned how to do square bottoms.
Some more sewing.
Once the pouch outer and lining were finished, I glued the frame to the open edge. I think I followed another craftster tutorial for that, but I don’t even remember which one.
And hurray! It worked!
Yahoo for blurry pictures!
We’re going nice and easy today.
I started a baby blanket for one of the many babies to be born soon to friends of mine. Here it is!
It started out as a baby ball of yarn, that grew and grew…
And then shrunk and shrunk!
Emo kid baby blanket! I hope they like it!
Swingin Martinis Designs 