Use of Time

We have been in and out of town a lot in the last few weeks. Life has been hectic, as usual, and I haven't had the time to post here in a while. Well, that really isn't true. We all have the same amount of time in a day, 24 hours, and we all get to choose how we spend those 24 hrs. I have chosen not to post blogs but instead have chosen to spend time with friends before I move, keep my house clean for showings, and do some crafts.

The baby blanket on the left I made for my childhood friend who is having her first baby. The one on the right is for my niece who is having her 3rd baby.

Every year I think "I'm going to make teacher appreciation gifts early" and every year teacher appreciation week comes up and I have nothing. This years gifts I made pretty quick. I took composition books and re-covered them with paper.

The other gift I made but forgot to take a picture of was a sweet thoughts bowl of chocolate. I went into the kids classroom and spoke with each child and asked them what their favorite thing was about their teacher. Then I went home and printed off what they said on mailing labels. I then put the labels around a piece of Hershey's nuggets chocolate. All the chocolates went into a glass bowl I picked up at the dollar store. I then made a flower and had it stick out of the bowl. "Sweet thoughts for a sweet teacher" was written in the center of the flower. It was a big hit.

 I have finally finished crocheting an afghan for my father for his birthday. I will have to post a picture of it later because I don't want to spoil it for him. However, here are a few teaser pics.

 

Still Here

I'm still here. I have had a busy past couple of weeks and have not been able to blog as often as I like. I'm in the middle of a few projects too. I'm currently participating in this and have people coming over twice a week to work on it with me. I am also working like crazy making baby blankets and such for all the new babies my friends are having. So far I think this pink blanket has been my favorite.

I just started chaining until I felt the blanket was wide enough and then did a sc row followed by 4 dc rows then another sc row. I repeated the pattern until it was long enough. The flowers I got from this book. The hat pattern I got from McKinley's Closet. I think it is my absolute favorite hat to make. I attach the flower to a french hair clip so it can be removed and added to a head band, or other hats.

I also made this pumpkin hat for myself. I needed something to wear to my church's trunk or treat so I found the pattern I loved and bought it. Sorry for such a bad picture but you get the idea.

Hopefully I will get back on track with things but seeing as we are heading into the holiday season I think things are only going to get crazier.

Homemade Play Dough

What do you do if it's raining outside and your kids need something to keep their hands busy? Have them play with play dough. You don't have any on hand? Not a problem. Make this homemade play dough in as little as 10 minutes. My children love to play with play dough. They will sit for hours creating snakes and cookies. It's fun for them too because I let them help add the ingredients.

Play Dough
1 C. flour

1 C. water
1/2 C. salt

1 Tbsp. oil
2 tsp. cream of tartar

Mix together in 2 quart pan. Add food color if desired.
Stir constantly over medium heat until the entire contents form a ball around the fork or whatever you stir with.

Take off stove; pour out to floured surface. Carefully knead to smooth texture. Kids love to watch and play with it warm.

Keep it in airtight container and it will last longer than the store bought kind.

I have my children play with the dough on plastic place mats for easy clean up. I don't have the mess on the table and all I need to do is wipe down the place mat.

What I've been Working on

I found a new crochet hat pattern I love to do.

Cute as a Bug Card

I previously mentioned a new stamp set I got in a post about the phrase "cute as a bug." I finally got to use the set today. It takes me forever to make cards when I'm the one designing it so, I cheat and copy cards that other people have made. This card I copied from megala3178 who posted it at Splitcoast Stampers. I love, love, love it and, I think it is way cuter than a bug as is the baby whose mother will be receiving this card.I'm grateful to those of you who share your creative genius so I can re create it myself. I used different colors and paper but the layout is basically the same.

Teacher Appreciation Gifts

I always procrastinate doing teacher appreciation gifts but really, not by choice. The school always lets us know the dates the first day of the week and then I work frantically all week long making the gifts.


For Na's teacher we actually gave her the ABC Scentsy warmer and 2 bars of wax instead of something homemade. Unfortunately she can't use the warmer at school but she still loved it and I'm sure her home will smell great during the summer.

Bub's teacher will be receiving a cute box filled with some homemade cards. His teachers aide will be getting a clipboard.

I also made a clipboard for the art teacher and the GT teacher. Next year, or maybe next week, I will make boards for the music, PE, and Science teachers. For instructions on making the clipboard go here.

Want something smaller? For a tutorial on making a chocolate nugget box go here.

Learning to Crochet

A couple of weeks ago I won an adorable crocheted hat from The Mommy Trials. It inspired me to learn to crochet... again. I learned to knit a year ago and I tried to teach myself to crochet in December but gave up because I couldn't get my fingering or tension right. After receiving this little masterpiece I knew I couldn't give up forever. So, I got lots of books from the library and set myself to task. The book that helped me the most was How to Crochet for Dummies.

I'm now feeling more confident in my crochet abilities and can't stop crocheting.

The first project I crocheted was this adorable cap. I couldn't stop at one though so I actually made 3. Here Kmae is modeling the hat I made for her.

Assured in my hat making abilities I switched gears and made this baby blanket for a nephew that will be joining the family this summer.

I'm excited to see what other patterns I can find and make.

My friend tells me I have crossed to the dark side now that I'm doing a lot of crochet. I still prefer knitting because I think it is easier to do the different designs and it looks prettier. However, I can finish a crocheted piece much faster and it is so much easier to fix my mistakes.

If you don't know how to crochet you can still get your hands on hats like the one I won above by visiting Mommy Trials Etsy shop Stylish Sweethearts. She also sells some beautiful car seat covers too.

Fear

The only thing we have to fear is fear it'self - nameless, unreasoning, unjustified, terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance."---- FDR - First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1933

According to the Miriam Webster Dictionary Fear is defined as follows:

1 archaic : frighten
2
archaic : to feel fear in (oneself)
3 : to have a reverential awe of

4 : to be afraid of : expect with alarm intransitive
verb : to be afraid or apprehensive
— fear·er
noun

Often, when people feel/have fear they let it hold them back but, when
they finally face their fear and overcome it they become stronger. They
have more knowledge and don't fear the same thing as much. I have definitely felt some apprehension and fear in myself over the last several months with a project I have been working on.

I learned to knit almost a year ago. I have completely become obsessed with it. Last fall Bernat decided to host a Mystery Afghan knit along and I decided to participate. I had been wanting to make an afghan for some time but couldn't find a pattern I liked or felt I could make with my limited knitting skills. When I came across the opportunity I figured it would be a great adventure. I quickly enlisted my friend in the journey as well. She lives 4 hours away and we figured this would be a great way for us to work on something together even with the distance between us.

The first several mystery patterns were pretty basic and easy. Then the stitches starting getting a little more complicated. Lace patterns were the first hurtle I had to face. Then it was cables. Then the patterns called for cables and bobbles. Bobbles, that was an adventure. When I first looked at what I thought would be a difficult pattern I would post pone working on it because I was "afraid" I wouldn't be able to do it. Eventually though I would pull it out and really study the pattern, read what others had to say about it, and give it a try. I had to frog many rows but eventually I figured it out and completed block after block.

Finally the last clue came, the border. I postponed doing the border almost a month because I feared it was going to be too much. Looking at the pictures that demonstrated what to do scared me. But, the time came to face my fear. I could no longer put it off because the contest deadline was fast approaching. I sat down and studied all the instructions. I figured I just had to give it a try. Well, after the first 2 stitches I realized the fear was all with in myself. It really wasn't hard at all and 2 days later I was done. I did it. I completed my first afghan, learned new skills, and my confidence in my ability to knit has grown.

While this knitting fear of mine seems small (I'm sure I've faced bigger fears) it was fear nonetheless that held me back from completing the task faster. To any of you with a fear, I challenge you to face it head on and see how much you have grown when you reach the other side.

Eleanor Roosevelt:
You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.

Decoupage Clipboards

I love to do crafts and this one is so easy I thought I would share. It also makes a great teacher appreciation gift.

Get a Clipboard and make sure it is dust free.

Paint a base coat of paint on the clipboard if you are not covering the entire board. Keep in mind that most of the board will be covered so you only need to paint the portion that won't be.

Apply decorative paper, wallpaper, photos, etc. to the front of the board using a decoupage medium like Mod Podge. Use the edge of a popsicle stick to press against board to remove any air bubbles. Make sure it dries completely. Flip over Board and apply paper to back if you would like.

Once it has dried completely you can layer with more paper and embellish.

Once you have applied all the paper you wish then put a couple of layers of Mod Podge over the paper to seal it. Once it is completely dry you are finished. I like to tie ribbon to the metal clip to add a finishing touch.

Here is another board I completed. Sorry for the bad lighting.

Back

Front

How to Make a Chocolate Nugget Box

This little box is fairly easy to make and is perfect for thank you gifts, Valentines, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Easter, teacher appreciation, etc. You can use it for so many different things by just changing how it is embellished. The easy way to create this box is copy the pattern onto your card stock and follow the instructions on the paper. I tried to figure out how to insert a copy of the pattern here but couldn't figure it out so, if you would like a copy, leave a comment with a way I can contact you or send an email to annewithany2 at hotmail dot com. The printed instructions for the box will be visible after assembly underneath the nuggets. Simply cut out a piece of card stock to fit down inside to hide the writing.
I was going to create a step by step photo guide on doing it then came across a video on You Tube and figured I didn't need to re-invent the wheel. The video is how to make a nugget box that holds 3 pieces of chocolate. The pattern I have is to hold 8 pieces of chocolate. You will notice in the video she has covered her chocolates with decorative paper. I usually stamp address labels and wrap those around the chocolates but I wanted you to see the type of chocolate to use. You can stamp images or print sayings on the labels to go along with the event you are giving the chocolates for. Hope you enjoy making these as much as I do.

What you will need to make these boxes
Coordinating card stock
Decorative paper (if desired)
Stamps/stickers for embellishing
Scissors
Double sided sticky tape
other adhesive
8 Hershey chocolate Nuggets
mailing labels
any other embellishments

How to Make Tissue Paper Flowers

Spring is in the air. I know we are still in February but the sun is shining bright today and it makes me think of spring. So, here is a fun little craft you can do with your children to help you decorate for spring.

Take different colors of tissue paper and lay them one on top of the other. Then fan fold them. Once it is completely folded up tie a pipe cleaner around the middle. Gradually pull apart the layers of tissue and fluff them up. Now you have a beautiful Fiesta flower.

1st Knitted Afghan

Sometimes I don't get to write on this blog as often as I would like but that is usually because I'm knitting. I learned to knit a year ago and haven't been able to stop. I've made dozens of hats, several baby blankets, some scarves, and some washcloths. After working on things for others I've finally decided to work on something for myself. I'm making my first afghan. It actually a Mystery Afghan knit along sponsored by Bernat yarn. It is part of a contest you can find at their blog. I finally finished all my squares. I'm working on blocking them (fixing the shape and dimensions) but once that is finished I should be able to start piecing all of it together at the start of next week. Once they are all together I'm going to put a border around it.

I have learned so many new techniques, cabling, bobbles, lace patterns, SSK, and many more. It has been well worth my time and I feel I have grown as a knitter over the last 3 -4 months of knitting. I'll be grateful when I finish though. I have 10 friends that are all expecting little ones which means I've got to get going on some baby gifts. So, if you are new to knitting or looking to expand your skills, I highly recommend this afghan pattern. It starts out basic and works it's way up to experienced knitting levels.

Knit Yourself Thin

I read an article the other day I found online and it said you could burn 500 calories in an afternoon of knitting. I think they figured you burned 100 calories per hour. Who knew my new hobby would be so good for my weight. So, now I feel I can justify the days I don't go to the gym because I want to stay home and knit. I didn't gain any weight over Christmas Break and it must have been because I was feverishly knitting hats for all of my friends. Now I'm working like a crazy woman to finish the Mystery Afghan I'm doing with the Bernat blog and making baby blankets, hats, and booties for my pregnant friends. I'm not just a couch potato anymore, I'm a knitting, calorie burning machine.

This picture is of a square I'm making for my afghan. It is my first time doing such elaborate cables. It took me about 3 hours to get that far (still learning remember) so, I figure I burned 300 calories and by the time I finish it I will probably have worked for another 2 hours so, this is a 500 calorie square for me. And, I'm not snacking while my hands are busy so that is an added benefit too.

If you are interested in learning how to knit, I highly recommend You tube's Knit Witch and the book Kids Can do it Knitting.