What have we done?

   I sit here and stare at the giant hole that leads to the outside world in my bathroom wall and wonder if maybe this time I chose a project I am just not qualified for. The mould and leaking tiles chose me as their leader, they wanted out.
   Who's to say what will happen. I may have a hole there for years, not unlike the piece of vinyl that was a makeshift tile behind the bath tap, for years…
   Lately it's been on my mind to try scary things. I'm pretty sure this qualifies.

So if you would all just send me your well wishes on this project I will keep you updated on the progress! (And if you see Francis around, tell him he's doing a good job.)

Three cheers for Lacquer!

   Anyone who knows me, or has even spent an afternoon with me, has heard these words from my mouth: "That needs some lacquer", or "That's a  real nice lacquer".
Perhaps some of you thought it was a regrettable attempt at humour on my part. I am here to clear up any misconceptions. Nothing makes me more at peace than a carefully poured, perfectly set lacquer.

   I spent today finishing up some projects, one of which was a fun breakfast in bed tray make-over. I'm the only person I know who regularly receives breakfast in bed- yes, you can be jealous. I regularly phone my sister to remind her of this fact. Here's a tip though; if you own a sweet tray, you are more likely to be treated to breakfast in bed! I know this for sure, as our last tray broke down, and I was left sad and hungry.

It started life as a sorry white and natural wood coloured tray. After a coat of spray paint, I added some tape (to cover the new paint) and vinyl letters. Then I sprayed a bit of adhesive and covered it all with glitter. After the magical moment of removing the vinyl to reveal the shiny white letters, it's now time for…Lacquer.

 I love this stuff. Love it. Great for table tops, bars, really any surface in your house.

It's just so Shiny. 

(Just be sure to follow the detailed directions on the box.)

Now you to can cover all of your furniture in sweet sweet lacquer.!

   A new secret family recipe just established itself in our kitchen all thanks to my ideal husband;
Popcorn twist caramel corn.
 
   Many of you know that all of our secret family recipes are exactly copied from the handy and free recipes printed on the back of peanut butter jars and cracker boxes. Many of them have quite successfully gone on to represent our lineage and even convince an individual or two that we are in fact great cooks (with the exception of my Aunt Judy and late Aunt Ruth who really are/were great cooks). I guess it comes as no surprise that my husband should partake and carry on this important tradition (whilst I try to join the ranks of 'the Aunts').
 

 This popcorn twist caramel corn is (probably) no exception. So mouthwateringly sweet and salty, and will be a delectable addition to our afternoon picnic. Since it is already 26.5 C outside on this fine last day before fall, you needn't call, dwellers of warmer provinces. It is really warm here, no snow, so you will be met with disappointment when you ring me to see why we would possibly be considering a picnic at this time of year. So I saved you the trouble. Your'e welcome.

hand made clothing tags!

  People have big dreams; huge houses, nice cars, important jobs. Me, I have small dreams; winning the lottery, living to be a hundred and one, and having my own clothing tags.

   I'm still working on living to a hundred and one, and I'm sure the lottery is coming for me soon. Until then, I have taken my fate into my own hands and have been making my own clothing tags! They are a bit time consuming but when faced with the cost and steep numbers associated with ordering personalized tags, I figured I know somebody who is really good at making stuff who also seems to have excess amounts of time on their hands… ME!
   Ok, so they take longer than most people care to devote but lets face it, this project is not for most people. The important thing is that my tags can have pictures or logos, lots of colours, you could even put your grouchy face on it! All for the low price of an entire afternoon of your life that you will never get back and about $25.

   So I started with a PDF of my logo and in the 'Layout' tab is where I turn on the 'gridlines' as well as 'snap objects to grid' option. (This is so my logos are evenly spaced in rows so I can cut them with a rotary cutter or paper trimmer.) Then I use Avery Dennison brand iron-on sheets  ($17 at Staples) for Dark Fabrics even though I use a light fabric. Dark Fabric ones are so much better because you do not have to flip the image, the colours are much bolder and the edges of the image are crisp. Also, this brand washes and wears really well even through the dryer.

   This is Stan, 'helping'.
Best Pinterest tip ever: anywhere a cat is bothering you, I mean helping you, put down a cardboard box! He just cannot resist it, it's even better than rubbing his face on my face apparently.

  Once they are cut, they could be ironed-on to the project as is. I prefer to put them on a soft pre-washed fabric, then cut them out again only to sew them on by hand. I just have a thing for making crafts more mingled (complicated).

It's Important to keep the ironing surface cool so when you place an image on the fabric, it doesn't start to react before you get your iron on there.
This system of two rows also allows ones to cool while you work on the next. If you peel the paper off while hot it smudges all ugly like. Then they get yet another trim to square them up.

   And here they are all sewn on! How nice.

Sewing my pockets together…oops.

   My dream for today was to occupy my morning sewing a fancy new skirt for myself while sipping tea and listening to the radio. Maybe squeeze in a call to my sister to report all of my spare time and peace & quiet. Sounds good right? It was! I was on track to wear my fancy skirt to my weekly visit at Len's house (Francis' Grandpa), when I did something that made me feel fifteen again. Young, stupid, and all for the wrong reasons. As a adult I always hoped that to feel young again would be for something exciting and fun! But the sad point is this; I sewed my pocket openings together.

So instead of posting a picture of said skirt, I have killer dinner nachos! Because why not nachos and rice beer for dinner?

I did however learn a technique to make a tiny hem! Very neat and pretty small. 

 First you fold and press.

Then sew very closely to the edge.

Trim the excess off carefully (as close to the stitching as possible).

Then press again folding the edge inward, on top of itself.

Then topstitch!

That simple!

 OOh, so pretty and so tiny!

   No matter how old I get the Waterpark always makes me tired. Today was a hectic day jam packed with so much fun I don't think I can handle it anymore!
  I got home so exhausted, it happened. I made a casserole.
  I feel similar pity to the casserole as I do the colour brown. Something that once was good, then got all mixed up beyond recognition. New and un-improved. All of the elements of a casserole are delicious on their own and then we have to mash them all together into a pot of suffering until all trace of texture has been distorted to a featureless pulp.
  With that in mind, I actually made a casserole I enjoyed!
It all starts with Million Dollar Spaghetti- if you have never tried it, Do it. (It's on my Pinterest on "My Style" or you could probably just search it.) Bacically spaghetti with a layer of a cream cheese, sour cream, and cottage cheese mix between the noodles and sauce.  Finally a spaghetti I can get behind! Then comes the casserole part. I swapped the noodles for rice and added sautéed mushrooms on top! So good.

   I tried to take a picture but of course it turned out looking like a pile of mush, like every casserole. Then my computer won't load my crappy picture anyway so, no disappointing picture today!

   Today I awoke,stretched out my arms, had a cup of coffee, and sewed five fabulous summer dresses.

   Ok, maybe I didn't, maybe I have been fixing my glossy gaze at pinterest since five this morning, scheming my way to a better bathroom. Maybe I made some of these a couple years ago. However I did have a mad frenzy of sewing this year and made four dresses with two more loyally  awaiting my handiwork.

In this picture I made the one on the right.

I can now turn out a dress faster than I can shop for one, and shopping is on my list of skills. I am guaranteed a great fit, colours I love and natural fibres No Polyester Lining!

   Here's my secret; I use the same pattern over and over. I chose a very versatile pattern that offers different details (like collars or sleeves) and include co-ordinating accent colours for the waistband or collar. The combinations are so endless that I've made nine, eight of them for me, and I'm not sure people have caught on! 

  

   The second secret; I make them sweatshop style now. After making one or two dresses to establish fit, I go to the store and buy two meters each in assorted cotton fabric, (on a Sale day don't forget). I then wash it all, iron it all, and cut out pattern pieces for three or four dresses in different colours. Then it gets pretty fast to turn out three collars one day, then all three bodices the next. My mistakes are fresh in my mind so I never make them twice. Pretty soon you have three brand new dresses! 

   -Be forewarned: if you cut them out and sew them one at a time, it increases the risk of every crafters dreaded condition, Unfinished Projects Disorder.

Whoops, there's another one! They are everywhere!