Wednesday, December 10, 2014

My first tutorial: Sherlock clutch!

SO.. here is my first tutorial. Enjoy!! and feel free to let me know how it is and if you want more.

Here is what the tutorial is for.. a little pouch thing.. Sherlock inspired!

How To Make A Two Pocket Felt Pouch/Wallet/Clutch/Thing


Items Needed:
  (* means not pictured)
  • Two sheets of 9x12 felt- one sheet of each color* [found at craft stores, like this]
  • embroidery thread in desired colors (at least one color for edging, about 70” + more for sewing on snaps
  • snaps or velcro*
  • needle with eye big enough for thread. I used one from about 50 years ago, but quilting needles are generally too small. I recommend getting one from the embroidery section of the store)
  • pins, binder clips, or these handy Clover Wonder Clips found here to hold pieces together
  • scissors
  • ruler (optional)
  • wax for thread to help keep tangles from forming, optional but can be found here


IMAG0013.jpg


Directions:
First of all, please know this is by no means a hard project and in know way requires perfection. It could be as fancy or as simple as you desire.
  1. Decorate as desired. IMAG0002.jpgHere I was going for a Sherlock inspired look so I chose to do a smiley face with yellow embroidery thread. I used a split stitch to stitch it onto the patterned felt only. You could applique, iron on, or do any other sort of decoration you desire. There are also so many colors and patterns now of felt that you could really have endless options!
IMAG0006.jpg
Here is the embroidery from the back, a bit messy, but hey- it’s my first time doing split stitch.. seriously, anyone can make this!


  1. Sew the top snap onto the top of the flap.IMAG0004.jpgI sew the snap about half an inch down, centered along the top of the inside felt. Go through each hole twice and knot in between the layers.IMAG0003.jpgIMAG0007.jpg
  2. If you haven’t yet, secure the two layers together with clips. Make sure they are flat. It is more important that the top edges are lined up then the bottom. As you fold it over, the bottom edges will become uneven with one another, this is okay.IMAG0008.jpgI find it easiest to secure the entire thing laying flat then fold it over and re-secure the pouch area. Fold the pouch area up about 4.5”


  1. Start at the bottom corner and work your way around the whole pouch, blanket stitching the sides together. This may seem tricky if you have never blanket stitched before, but by the end you will feel like a pro. Everyone learns stitches differently so just google how to do this one. But mostly, its just going through all the layers and pulling the thread under itself before going back in again. And seriously, it does not have to be perfect. In shifts and wiggles around as you use it and all sort of blends in. I like to go in at the bottom right corner, tucking the knot inside, and finishing it the same way one the other side is reached. Around the area where the pockets end, I like to throw in a couple extra close stitches to keep it secure.IMAG0010.jpgFinish the edges by knotting and coming up through the inside of the pouch.

  1. Add the final snap.It helps to put a little bit of chalk on the top snap and closing it to make a little chalk dot to know where to sew the bottom snap on. Sew it only to the top felt piece so that you have two pockets inside. IMAG0011.jpg
  2. Enjoy your handy little pouch! I have used them for coupons, make up, pencils, glasses, phone.. pretty much anything as they are surprisingly sturdy!


Thanks for sticking around and checking it out! I hope it was all clear, but feel free to ask questions. :) -T

p.s. if you dont want to make one yourself, head on over to my etsy store..they are ready for shipping.. yay!  

Friday, July 18, 2014

Friday, again

Ah ha!
Today is friday!
How about a picture, for fun!
THIS adorable little thing.. is my keys after i painted them :) Its with nail polish! they still look pretty good. although two of them are gone and one is added now..
the paint is wearing pretty well. They could do with a refresher coat. except where i put the clear coat over- still looks good!
Brilliant people of pinterest.. youve done it again. a Win!
:)
Tomorrow, we test out the watermelon bars recipe found HERE
until next time.. T

Monday, July 14, 2014

tuesday

well, nothing super exciting for this blog
and congrats to you for still reading beyond that first line

im not really sure what to go on about
nothing too big has happened around here

save for a week or two of shingles. a family reunion. starting packing and then quitting because i ran out of boxes- did 8- and have no place to move to.

the shingles was fun. a nice bit of rash and some arm numbness. good times! i still have it, like the after effects i suppose you could say. its just the spots now, still a bit red/ pinkish. not sure how long until that is gone.. but hopefully soon! :)

the family reunion was nice. lots of good cooks :) ive gone nearly every year since i can remember.. and i still dont know peoples names/ relations very well. we are going to make a family tree/ name tag/ color coded system though for next year.. so better luck then!

ive got no new great products or recipes that are worth mentioning. OH wait. yes.. yes i do.
Bath and Body works! The store, yeah? Their body wash/ lotion. especially the smell called carried away. i got it in their 75% sale.. and really rather enjoy it! it smells like candy and the smell lasts a long time. its like a grown up candy though, you dont go walking about all day like cotton candy or something hehe. we have their little plug in wallflower things too, pretty nice. and of course, their hand soap.. which we have been addicted to and using for a bit over 5 years now. because it is magical. :)

that is all for this little blip of a 'blog' so until next time.. T

Friday, June 27, 2014

A very Hair journey

i have really, really curly hair. now, i dont know my full heritage, so im not certain what sort of hair it would be. but think Bellatrix, Lorde, that sort of thing. So here is a hair story...

Over these past few months, i have had hair awfulness.
it all started when i went to the beauty school to get it colored/cut. something i have done many many times previous.

(i should mention, im not really picky about my hair, i know it grows back, so i dont fret too much. i mean, the first time i had it colored i was somewhere around 14 or 15 and two girls from my spanish class came over after school, we got drugstore hair dye and went for it.. they even cut it.. so, not picky.)

So, at the beauty school, i asked for a small bit to be cut off the ends, just to make it a little neater (it was a tad uneven). they took INCHES off. INCHES! in straight hair, that might not seem like much. but in curly hair, with scrunch.. its a big deal.

let me explain.. the weight of curls tends to draw them down. so, for instance, when its wet, it looks longer. and when you cut it, there is less weight, so presto! it all springs up and looks short. short looks bad. Also.. there is a hair cut, the pyramid cut, i think all curly hair folk know it. its bad. they gave me that cut. i say they because the INSTRUCTOR came over and finished the cut. aka, he re did the whole thing.

so, i could get over a bad cut, a cut that would take about a year to regain the length/ better shape.
but then the messed up the color so bad... like.. bad bad

i asked for a few fun red streaks.
they did weave highlights. i say they.. yes, TWO separate students- one on each side of my head- did them. This resulted in two VERY uneven sets of 'streaks'. no even subtle differences.. like major insanely obvious differences. Now, curly hair is sort of its own monster, so even this i was willing to let go.  UNTIL..

a week later and it was still bleeding all over the house. Think pillows, towels, couch, clothes, everything. Now i've dyed my hair loads of times and can tell you, this was not normal after coloring sort of bleed and fade. It was never ending.

So, i went back to the school, asked them to fix it. i asked very nicely mind you. They, very rudely, said its my problem and unless i wanted to repay, they would do nothing. and so i thanked them and left. Because in case it was not clear in this blog previously, i am rather shy, awkward, and confrontation very last fan.

This all lands me to the beauty supply store.
a deep clarifying shampoo later- to get out the rest of the red- and it was looking rough.
The streaks were quite a bit more noticeable. But i ignored them and tossed some dark brown hair dye all over the place, and hoped for the best.
It went okay. But there were still streaks.

A trip to the salon at JCPenny followed- which turned out to be worse run and even worse at curly hair than the beauty school. I specifically asked for someone good with curly hair.
The lady doing my hair said, and i quote "Its not as bad as i thought" about mid way through brushing out my hair. That should have been my first sign to leave. but i didnt. an awkward and embarrassing 'consultation' later, which involved her bringing her friends over to mock my weird highlights, and she decided to just to an all over color of a dark brown. aka, what i pretty much already did. she also was going to use semi permanent dye, because apparently she thought i liked to change my mind often about the color and that that was the problem. i asked her to use permanent, or at least a demi permanent.

she used the semi. i found this out not long after when it started fading like crazy, looking dull, and making the streaks look like little blobs of gross. So, i got to sit there, in an unfriendly environment, pay far too much, and got (literally) zero out of it.  Oh wait.. no, i did get something. when she was washing my hair, she RUBBED THE ENDS TOGETHER. as in.. the one motion you try to avoid to NOT get split ends. REALLY?! It was at this point that i asked her about sulfate free shampoo and curly hair- which she knew NOTHING about. Didnt even know there was sulfate free shampoo. really? REALLY?!

okay. so, that awful lady aside.. and the beauty school aside.. i lived with the crap hair for a while. constantly keeping it pulled up in a bun as to not look like a fat monster, what with it being so short and triangular and dull.

That was all a few months ago.
So, lesson learned, i went to the beauty supply store and got my own things, exactly two days ago.

I now sit here, with love for my new hair. It is a lovely shade of dark brown, still a nice natural hue to it. And....drum roll... it has purple streaks! three. One bigger one sort of from the side, where i have always wanted a streak. i think eventually i'll make it a grey or platinum streak.. but for now im digging the darkish purple. I also tucked two little streaks on the opposite side, sort of on either side of my ear. Mostly because i hate things not being in threes.

So thats that. I hope you got enjoyment out of this little story.. and at least it is funny now. except the fact that it pretty much wasted a ton of cash.  and, as always, im not re reading this mess. mostly because i am lazy and bored of my own writing. so enjoy the grammar mess, rambling, ranting and over all massacre that is this post.

Until next time.. T

Thursday, June 12, 2014

i, dont know

so, it has happened again.. a ton of time where i post nothing. and now, you'd think id know what to say, but i am at a loss.
perhaps you would like to know that i hit a HUGE road block on the book i am trying to write. and am essentially going to have to start over now.
Perhaps i will follow the advice of Hemingway and write drunk?
kidding?

i am currently in a very.. freeing.. mindset. like the ask me anything and ill tell you no lies.
do i have any readers?
if i do, feel free to ask me things!

would you, probably non existent, readers like a photo?
it's a bee. on a flower. near a waterfall. 
have i showed you this before?

lets think of a fun title. how about.. hanger on? breezy easy? i got a new camera and was having fun?

anyway.. thats all for tonight. 
until next time -T

Friday, June 6, 2014

Peach Pie

Just made this little gem: Sour Cream Peach Pecan Pie
Sour Cream Peach Pecan Pie Recipe
Yeah... that is their (Taste of Home) photo, but it looks pretty much like that. Except the crust.. i am pants at crust.

I mean..come on.. beautiful! and the smell.. MMM... i wish there was computer smell-o-vision.. because it smells positively divine!

anyway.. i havent tasted it yet, but if it tastes even half as good as our house smells... i think we are in for a treat! ;)

Anyway.. tomorrow morning we are going to look at a house! It would make us first time home buyers if we buy it.. so no pressure there!
It is stunning inside, and while a tad over what we were hoping to pay, i REALLY, truly, hope it is as lovely as the photos and we get it.
I feel like God is working here, and that He knows whats best. But it really feels like He is making this happen, like dropping the price so much and it comes with all the appliances... it just sounds too good to be true! So either way, God's up to something!!
On that, i will keep you posted ;) we are trying to not get too excited about it, since a LOT of things could go wrong.. but its so pretty!

Anyway.. i realize i have said anyway three times now. and for that i do apologize. but like any of these goofy and nearly pointless blog posts.. i am not rereading or proofreading this crap. because that takes the fun out of rambling. so goodnight all :) until next time.. T



update: The pie was good, BUT needed more peach flavor. possibly because my peaches weren't quite ripe enough?
also, if you are worried about buying a whole jar of peach preserves for a little bit in a pie. Buy a tub of vanilla yogurt with it. then you can mix a bit into the yogurt for snack time ;)

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Sharpie Mug!



So Pinterest pulls through again.. with their little sharpie mugs. Draw, bake, presto!

SO i did.. and made a Slytherin mug from a plain white thrift store mug.

i've used it a few times, and its fading in a few places, so that stinks. but otherwise.. it worked!

So the front side is the Slytherin crest.. (the one from Pottermore... Slytherin pride!)
and up on the opposite side of where i drink is the word Always. with the hallows symbol as the A and a lightning bolt as the S. Also, on the handle is the three little stars that are on the (American version) of the books page corners.

That is a photo of the back, a bit of a swirly design with a crown. and the words 'success is the best revenge'
because why not?

thats all for today! Later gator!!

p.s. Twinings tea is the best. hands down. maybe more on that some other time.. ;)


Tuesday, May 27, 2014

number 10!

Happy Tuesday E'rybody!

Yesterday involved just a bit of yard work
Today involved just a bit of relaxing
and getting sunburn walking the dog. awesome.. so pale! :)
got to love living the pale life!

so tomorrow is going to involve the start of walking in the mornings, for exercise. weird. but exciting!
and for your photo of the day...


theres a heard in the foamy bit of my tea leaves! 
how cool is that?! 
its amazing tea..
organic and home grown stuff from Etsy.
It has all sorts of lovely things in it :) Its relaxing and sleep inducing..  the perks of not taking a lot of medicines is that even the smallest bit of things are effective! 
Got to love it!
Love me some tea!! 


Sunday, May 25, 2014

monday

sorry this post will be short
i am in a really rather foul mood
i need to be sleeping but even the sleeping pills are refusing to work
sleep hates me, i think it thinks we broke up. but i really quite like it. quite in the american way, not the brit way meaning not at all. i like it a great deal. maybe to the point of love. and thats saying something.
now. nothing cool to report or post.
so how about this photo of stuffed shells. because seriously, they are some tasty stuff, yo!
i love how you can make real, yummy stuffed shells. or be lazy and just shove meatballs in them then dump cheese and sauce on top. good stuff!

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Ahha!

I dont know what to blab on about today.

Have you ever looked at your playlist or music library, wherever that happens to be, and thought man, i have an impeccable taste in music? You see, this frequently happens to me. Aside from those guilty pleasure songs, of course. Of course.


Time to be a bit loquacious! {ohh word of the week ;) }currently, i am listening to Passenger. And he is just great is he not? So mellow, but also opinionated and fantastic at story telling. And we all know, I love me a good story song! I blame Regina Spektor for this. Just picturing her sitting on a porch somewhere, watching people, making up stories that later turn to song about them. Its lovely.

I dont know where i picture Passenger writing music. Maybe in an old VW van, driving down some back roads. Ed Sheeran, i picture him writing from all sorts of cramped spaces.. like hey mate, clear out that little cubbie near the telly, I need to write! kidding, kind of.. he probably writes on his bus now, kids gotten all sort of popular! and good for him!
How about Birdie? She could write somewhere really feminine and beautiful, maybe a field or an old book shoppe. Somewhere with really weird patterned wallpaper that is coming down in a few places, but still holding strong. a wooden chair with a velvet covered seat and foot stool tossed in a corner somewhere. some old sheets of music just tossed about.

And what is youtube up to, giving me french and spanish adverts? Just got my first french one, it was delightful, dont get me wrong, but what cookie or creeper technology gives them the idea that i want that? (( If you are getting this youtube, please know.. i understand a small handful of spanish, and even less of french. that being said, i prefer these foreign ads, so keep them coming! especially the french! How fun! ))

Anyway, this is enough worthless nonsense for a day right? I am absolutely pants at doing this everyday. do you want a photo, a nice little send off? Right. how about this:

i mean come on.. how beautiful is everything about wine?! it is so much prettier than it tastes. The barrels, the grapes. the soil, the whole thing. These two photos are from Breitenbach Winery in Dover, ohio. Check it out, its a wonderful place! The tour and tasting is ever so fun!!



"Wine is sunlight, held together by water."  -Galileo

 
Okay, i am still learning formatting and making it pretty on here. Will this color look alright on the background? perhaps i should opt for something lighter? 
Oh well.. enjoy that beautiful ending quote! Until next time -T

Monday, May 19, 2014

Favorites Friday.. late.

SO things got crazy, thus today is Monday and Im finally posting Friday!
And as it is favorite things Friday.... here are some of my favorite things..

Firstly, i just discovered this lovely foundation (with the help of a kind lady at Ulta.) its a bit more than i like to pay for make up since i dont often wear it, but its super nice! It has sunscreen in it too.. and being super pale.. thats awesome! It makes my skin really soft too, which is nice! IT is called Hope in a Jar. and is by the brand Philosophy. Looks like this: (photo copied from nordstroms website)
Anyway, its good stuff! Its somewhere around $25 a bottle.. but it seems like itll last a very long time, since a little goes a long way.. so worth it!

My next favorite thing is the brand NYX. most specifically.... their matte lip gloss! Its so nice and soft and doesnt smell weird or taste gross! I found it looks best when i blot it a time or two after putting it on, but thats just me. IM not big into the made up look, so this is perfect!


Finally, my last favorite thing is... Polyvore! I am officially addicted! i have been on it for a year now, and still find it entertaining and a good way to kill time!

anyway in true blog spirit, im not proofreading or even re reading this. so have fun with this mess. until tomorrow :)

Thursday, May 15, 2014

5-15-14; throwback thursday; happy articles

SO, it's thursday. And i think i just go with the flow and observe 'throwback Thursday'
and so, for today, how about sharing an article i love from January of this year. It is positively adorable! A little girl asked scientists for a dragon, and they gave her a standing job offer.. and a dragon! So sweet! The story can be found here!
Also, since its also on theme of cute little kids.. how about THIS story. about a little girl who cut her hair for charity, and had her Rapunzel (Tangled) doll get her hair cut too! WHAT so cute! :) Especially since Tangled is tied for the best Disney movie around (tied with Beauty and the Beast.)
How is that for some feel good stories of the day? Maybe one more you say? Okay!!
Here is one final story, a video, of a little ADORABLE girl singing so amazing. she's seven, barefoot, and so stinking cute! check it out here!
Thats all.. may your day be happier! :)

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

5-14-14; Whatever wednesday

AH. so i decided that today will be whatever wednesday because i dont know what else it would be. maybe what the what!? wednesday.. but that seems to promote complaining, so i nixed it straight away!

So how about for today.. i first tell you how excited i am that in aprox. 18 hours the finale of Rosemary's Baby will be on tv?! There are a few good reasons to watch this show... Zoe (the main actress) and the director are amazing. The story is rather intriguing. The thing is set in PARIS! And it looks like tonight they are going into the catacombs (like in the movie as above so below- which looks terrifying!) And also, because Jason Isaacs is in it, and hes just too brilliant what with his little smirk and all. He is pretty much the ultimate (sophisticated) baddie!

And for more of this whatever Wednesday.. i will tell you how much i love Chick-Fil-A chocolate chip cookies. And their spicy chicken sandwiches! Can you guess what was for dinner this evening? ;)
What.. i went shopping and was too lazy to cook. I had to buy new pillows (because it's cheaper to buy new ones than to wash them.. and how pathetic is that?! $6 a load to wash, or $3 for on pillow. Yep.) I had to get stamps too, and some make up remover. because im currently in a make up kick. Wait to friday to hear all about some of my favorites (what.. its favorite things friday.)

Anyway, i think ill be pretty busy tomorrow, which is nice. aside from watching a two hour finale tv show (we dont have dvr, so its watch it or miss it!)... i plan to wash/vacuum the floors, baseboards, windows, walls, and doors. and then spray Raid all over creation because i hate bugs! and right now we've had a few ants creeping around. I thought if i didnt kill the creatures while walking outside, they would be nice and stay out there this summer. apparently they dont understand karma. and they are now getting sprayed.. because an ant crawling up your leg in the middle of the night is NOT a fun way to wake up!

Okay, well i guess thats enough for tonight. Have a happy Thursday everybody!! :)

5-13-14 - crockpot meal

So this week, i made my first crockpot meal in about three years! I got the recipe from pinterest (of course). The meal is called slow cooker taco chicken bowls and is from budget bytes. (can be found here!)
Anyway.. it was AMAZING. it was so easy and tasty! it also made so very much!
i used a reynolds crock pot bag so there was almost no clean up, which i LOVE.
We used basmatti rice, and added sour cream
i also didnt have frozen corn, so i just tossed in a whole can of canned corn. also, we didnt have quite enough chili powder so i just tossed in a bit of red pepper flakes. We used a mix of Aldi and Giant Eagle brand medium salsa (i am convinced they are made by the same people, they are IDENTICAL).

the chicken was positively falling apart it was so tender and yummy! We tried it plan, with nachos, and with fritos chips. It was amazing all three ways. i think it would be really great inside a burrito too, but didnt try that one.

i can not say enough good things about this meal and am now hooked on crock pots and cant wait to try something else!

Thats all for tonight, it was a busy day so this is just a quickie blog. Any way, until tomorrow, -t :)

Monday, May 12, 2014

5-12-14; make something monday- computer bag!

Okay, so today is Tuesday, but in my fun little sleep schedule, it is still Monday! SO how about a 'make something Monday' blog?

How about my computer bag, it is Harry Potter themed! I wanted it to open envelope style, instead of a zipper, and that lead to the idea of an envelope. which naturally led to Potters invitation to Hogwarts! The letter is a little diddy bag for my bamboo pad/pen. And the little owl is to hold my headphones.

The main fabric is from Joanns and is a basic fabric from the muslin section. The lining is a basic green square pattern, for Slytherin pride. There is some foam inside for cushioning because im a bit clumsy. I drew the logo and writing on with fabric markers. For the pattern, i de-constructed a regular envelope and made a giant edition from wrapping paper. I used a giant red button (also from Joanns) for the wax seal, and use velcro to keep it all closed down. The bag is roomy enough to hold my laptop and charger cable, so i love it! I wish the penmanship was better, especially with the green marker since it was felt tip and a bit harder to control. The letter bag has a little elastic loop on the seam inside to hold the tablet pen and it too has velcro at the top to keep it closed. The little owl was made with shrinky dinks, with the ear buds as little eyes and a slot in the wing to hold the plug end. 

So hows that for my very first make something monday? i hope you enjoyed, all you non existent readers! Tomorrow is Tasty Tuesday! so i hope you are excited for some random food talk! :)

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Post 1; 12 May 2014; Glamorgan castle

Ah ha! This is the first blog post and i feel rather behind the times at that. But hey, got to start somewhere. As such, i have decided to make a blog showing off all the little crafty things i make or do about the week. It will probably be pretty random, but include things like quilting, cooking, card making, nails, and other random crafts. Its not to brag, but to show what people can do. i love looking and seeing what other people have made, and thought maybe someone would be inspired to make something by seeing what i've made? anythings possible, right?! I think it will also involve various opinions, travels, and other things i enjoy (like books and music). So lets see what happens! For my first little post, how about the full size photo of the current header picture. It is of a couch at the beautiful Glamorgan Castle in Alliance, Ohio.
and perhaps another of their chandelier, because it is positively stunning!
seriously, its beautiful, right? And here is a chair. While rather worn, it seems like it would be a great dining room chair. Can you imagine, sitting in this with your impeccable manners eating some meal you can hardly pronounce? Maybe drinking a bit of wine from crystal stemware and laughing about something or another as you try to make shapes in the wallpaper designs? 
a little gated door with their (essentially made-up) crest gracing its center.
the ladies sitting room/parlor area i believe. Complete with a Downton style pull to summon the help.
this amazing ceiling, with little lion heads in the circles. a light shade of blue made it seem so clean and polished. And probably a bit brighter. This was in the library/ study type room.. seriously, who wouldnt want to read under such beauty?!
and this little gem, just under the ceilings as the molding. little carved treasures, little faces and fairy tale creatures to inspire your reading adventures!
a clock, for when you look up and realize you've been reading for five hours, again.
these chairs were just cast off, but you can tell that in their time they were really something special!
A portrait of the exterior.
Marble and velvet.. sure! This felt princess like to walk down, so elegant!
again, that chandelier! 
part of a printing press set up, just tucked away in a dark corner of the castle. Since the whole thing is not finished and set up, there were little treasures throughout to be seen. 
Like this light fixture that made you want to grab an ale, sit down at a round table, and plot.
here is the ghost photo.. not sure what happened here, but thats cool. Three photos came out like this, all in this area. 
this used to be a swimming pool, and a bowling alley prior that. A bit sad to see it all junked up, and the paper all beat down.
A little room on the outside, by the entrance . Not sure what it was for, but i feel like it would be the room i would always want to get lost in. A good book and a cup of tea and you could watch the interesting people come and go all day long. And that's that! Hope you liked Glamorgan castle! There were so many beautiful little things there, and i have so many pictures it was hard to choose. It felt like a tucked away treasure that wasnt quite ready for its debut. Nevertheless it was fun to tour and i'd recommend it to anyone in the area for a cheap afternoon adventure!