The potatoes are ready for Big Martha's Mashed Potatoes. The apples have been roasted for Roasted Applesauce. The pie crust is in the fridge for Pecan Pie.
I love to read recipes, love to look at recipe books, love to collect vintage recipes. You too? You'll love a post from Liz at Mabel's House...it's very good.
Wishing everyone a happy and pie-filled Thanksgiving.
I had a lot of work to do this weekend to make my actual inventory match the inventory list I submitted to the RockandRollCraftShow. Not a problem. I was almost done and had until Wednesday to get everything checked-in to the show. I took a break to watch football and it suddenly occurred to me that the check-in had to be Monday not Wednesday. A quick look at my email confirmed that it was Monday. So...
I stayed up way past my bedtime getting inventory tags ready and finishing an altered suitcase. The stitched notebooks? I stitched those in a frenzy Monday morning. When I left the house with everything, I left behind a floor covered in paper, thread, baker's twine...stuff everywhere. My aunts used to have "Ding Dong School" to make crafts (a reference to a TV show before my time) and that's all I could think about while I ran around like a ding-dong crafter. Sheesh.
The good part of all this:
Here's a peek at a few of my favorites for the show.
My most blog-worthy item from our recent church garage sale...vintage Avon perfumed talc. There was a whole box of Avon stuff but I didn't pay that much attention to it for the first few days. I finally really looked at the items while waiting for my daughter to look around. I'm not even a "pink" girl but this pink is pretty and the "Here's my Heart" graphics are sweet.
My mom is always buying dangerous lawn chemicals at estate sales...saying stuff like "You can't buy this anymore". hmmm....I wonder why Mom? I think it might be the same for talc...for decorative purposes only.
My attempt at a 'bench monday' shot...it was way harder than I thought...lots of questions and a refusal to take a photo of me. Do you know where it is? The first one to guess the right answer wins a prize...how about the clipboard from my previous post?
Well, guessing where was way harder than I thought too...sorry about that! So, here's a clue...
My son Ross and I traveled to Memphis last weekend for a soccer tournament. I know you don't have to pay money for memories but this is one that I know Ross will remember...ordering food without having to share with his brother, playing soccer, running around a nice hotel with his friends, and a visit to the ultimate "man cave".
Gina got it...it's Graceland. Had to be the man cave clue.
Patchwork clipboards are really easy to make. Of course, they can be made in many different ways but this is my method...they are pretty, simple, totally usable....and very gift-able. I hope seeing a few steps sparks some ideas that you'd like to try.
First, gather the supplies:
Cut the paper stack or scraps into several 3x6 and 3x3 pieces. I used a paper stack this time...it's an easy way to work with coordinating papers without much thought.
Arrange the cut papers. Keep the layout as shown but put them together the way you like. Include two small squares for the top of the clipboard.
This is the only hard part of the project. Cut a small strip from one of the squares and place it on top of the clip hardware (the part connected to the clipboard). Use your fingers to press the paper around the clip, lift it up, and cut around the indentations you made (it helps to look at the back of the paper to see the indentations a little better). You should have a piece of paper that fits perfectly. Do the same thing on the other side of the clip.
Now we're ready to glue the pieces to the clipboard. Use an old catalog or magazine...lay a paper piece on the catalog and use the foam brush to apply the decoupage glue to the back of the paper. Place the piece on the clipboard and smooth it with your fingers. With the arrangement I've shown, the pieces will overlap slightly in some places. Flip the page of the catalog and repeat with the rest of the patchwork pieces. Let dry.
The next step is important. Sand the edges of the paper over the entire clipboard. This gives a finished look to the edges and a little life to patchwork pieces. I use a sanding sponge that you can find at any hardware store in the paint supply aisle. I put the clipboard in my lap to do the sanding...paper dust gets all over my clothes and on the kitchen floor. Here's a before and after sanding comparison:
See how much better the sanding makes it?
The next step is to seal the papers so they are durable and ready for everyday use (one of my clipboards fell into a crockpot of chicken soup once and I just had to wipe it clean). I hold the clip open, apply the glue under the right side, and slide a pen under the left side to keep the clip open while the glue dries. Do the same thing for the left side. Put a good coat of glue over the rest of the surface being careful to hit the edges too. Let dry and give the entire clipboard and edges a light sanding.
We're almost done. Adding the buttons is not necessary but it's a nice way to hide the brand name on the clip hardware. I used three vintage buttons and threaded the middle one with a piece of baker's twine. Glue the buttons to the clip with a strong craft glue (I use a version of wackytac).
I got the good news last week...I'm a certified math teacher. Big sigh of relief (and a big thank you to everybody for the always positive input). I know the whole teacher + apple thing is probably annoying to most teachers but I couldn't resist this apple at the thrift store. When I have my own classroom, it will be cute.
Thanks for the Penny love this week. Things are settling down a little bit with our other dog and two cats...slight downgrade in the growling and hissing. I've done a little shopping for Penny on etsy and will share the tiny treasures soon.
Finally, I created a tutorial for a regular-size patchwork clipboard that I'll be posting tomorrow. It's very easy and, best of all, very giftable.
Logic can't be applied to some decisions. Like bringing a new dog home. But we do it anyway.
Penny came home with me after a somewhat random stop at the Humane Society last week. We've been talking about getting a "little dog" and she fits the bill at three whole pounds. The picture is a crazy blur taken with the MacBook within minutes of the kids meeting her.
Her cuteness cannot be put into words...letters maybe...like ooxxooXoXXx.
I love November. I love November except for two things; leaf blowers and holiday ads. They each bring me to the brink of insanity.
How are you supposed to keep things in perspective and not be marketed to...especially with kids? It's hard. One of the best things that works for me is to plan. Take a few days to look through magazines and books. Gather a few ideas I'd like to try and put them in a folder. Then, before December, I put all of the "idea" sources away so I'm not tempted to try "just one more thing". One of my favorite bloggers is bitter betty and she has a very wise post that I'm going to print and stick on my "to do" list.
November. The weather here is gorgeous. The trees and streets in our neighborhood are a mess of pretty colors. My blog anniversary is today (really!). My birthday is in a few weeks. I love Thanksgiving. I love November.
Now, about the picture. Have you ever seen such tiny flower frogs? They are only about an inch in diameter...today I'm going to make a tiny bouquet with stuff from my yard.
My son is on his school's soccer team and I've traveled to just about every high school in St. Louis over the last few months. This, combined with a major highway closed for construction, has sent me down roads that I don't usually travel. I've worn a path down one road in particular...but it's kind of fun because I spotted the house featured in one of my favorite Mary Engelbreit books. The house is unmistakable...it somehow manages to be the prettiest house on a street full of pretty houses. The many eyes-off-the-road passes inspired me to look at the book again. And you know what? There's still something new to see each time.
Do you have a favorite book? Revisit it...maybe see something new.
