Honeymoon Afghan

A wonderful woman I know has recently gotten engaged and I thought it would be great to make an afghan for her and her fiance.  When I looked at various patterns on Ravelry, most afghans have a finished dimension of approximately 3 ft x 4 ft.  A great size for one but not for snuggly newlyweds.  So, I pulled out my trusty knitting stitch pattern book and went in search of an easy pattern that  I could adapt to an afghan. I found this lacy vertical zig zag pattern.  Simple enough for TV knitting!

So, now it was just a matter of casting on and knitting up an afghan.  My finished measurements are 51" wide by 57" long.  Perfect for some snuggly newlyweds.  Since it is so large, I decided not to add any fringe.  Take a look!

Do you think she'll like it?  It took about 2 weeks of knitting....I think I'll be knitting another one.  Here's the pattern in case you'd like to knit one up yourself!

Honeymoon Afghan

Materials:  

• Sample Used 18 skeins of Nashua Creative Focus Bulky (54yds/skein) but you could also use 9 skeins Wool Ease Thick & Quick (108yds/skein)
• US 15 (10 mm) 29" or longer circular knitting needle
• Tapestry needle

Gauge:

• 2 stitches to 1 inch in stockinette

Finished Dimensions:

• 51" x 57"

Knitting Abbreviations:

• K - Knit
• P - Purl
• YO - Yarn Over
• K2tog - Knit 2 Together
• PSSO - Pass Slipped Stitch Over
• Sl - Slip one stitch purlwise

Instructions:

• Cast on 108 stitches
• Knit 4 rows
• Begin 4 row pattern
• Row 1 (RS):  K8, *YO, Sl, K1, PSSO, K4 repeat from * to the last 4 stitches, K4
• Row 2 (WS):  K 4, Purl to the last 4 stitches, K4
• Row 3 (RS):  K8, *K2tog, YO, K4 repeat from * to the last 4 stitches, K4
• Row 4 (WS):  K 4, Purl to the last 4 stitches, K4
• Repeat the 4 row pattern until your afghan measures approximately 55" (For me, my final 4 row pattern repeat as one right after I added my 18th skein of yarn).
• Knit 4 rows
• Bind off
• Using your tapestry needle, weave in ends

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Help Jill Get to 400 Followers and Have a Giveaway!

My Friend, Jill of Two Yellow Birds Decor is ssssssooooo close to having 400 GFC followers.  She's just 9 followers away.  Once she reaches 400 she has some great giveaways planned.

If you've never been to her blog before, you should stop by.  Here's some of what you'll find while you're there.

Some Great Free Printables

"Soda" Want To Be My Valentine

"Believe"

"Let It Snow"

Crafts

P.S. I Love You

Crayon Wreath

Spice Planters

Recipes

Fruit Pizza

Easy Lasagna

Healthier Banana Bread

And so much more!!

So stop by and see Jill and follow along if you aren't already doing so....then, soon,  it will be Giveaway Time!  YEA!

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Bloggers Against Drunk Drivers Feb 4-8, 2013

My friend, Kari Reynolds, blogs over at Newlyweds on a Budget.  She shares ideas about crafting, home improvement, and how to live on a budget.  If you haven't met her, you should stop by sometime.

Last spring, Kari was in training for a marathon.  She was a 23 year old and in great shape.  On June 30, 2012, she was finishing up a 9 mile run when she was hit by a drunk driver and very severely injured.  I am happy to report that although she is not 100% back to her old self, she has made a remarkable recovery to day.  She has even recently updated her kitchen!

To help awareness of the impact drunk drivers have on innocent victims, Kari is hosting Bloggers Against Drunk Drivers Campaign the week of February 4-8, 2013.

Stop by the Bloggers Against Drunk Drivers Facebook Page to see how you can get involved.

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DIY Inspiration & Tutorials

My friend, Kari of Newlyweds on a Budget just did a great makeover of her kitchen for under $50.  Yup.  Isn't that amazing?  Check out this after picture of her kitchen makeover on a budget.

Kari's project has me inspired to do some home improvement projects.  So, where do we all look for inspiration?  Pinterest, of course.  Here are some great tutorials I found that you might like.

How to paint chevron stripes on a textured wall from Casa Cullen

"Hardwood floor" from plywood from Tidbits from the Tremaynes.  Who'd have thought you could do this!

A great Upholstered Head Board Tutorial from Our Vintage Home Love

I think this Paper Mache Animal Head from Lil Blue Boo is pretty cool!

Thrifty Decor Chick shares her tutorial for this awesome Planked Wall.

The DIY Network shares 8 Things You Didn't Know You Could Paint and one of them is this counter top that was painted using Thomas' Liquid Stainless Steel (I've got to try this)

How cool is this Sliding Barn Door tutorial from Baby Rabies?

Floating Shelves are so sleek and this tutorial from Sand and Sisal will have you building your own!

Centsational Girl shows how she turned Billy Bookcases (from Ikea) into Built-ins

Washer and Dryer Pedestals - See how to build your own at Just a Girl.

How about a Wood countertop for just $10!  Cleverly Inspired shows you how!

Are you inspired yet?  I sure am....now where did I put my measuring tape?

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Guilt Free Mounds Bars (Make Your Own Yummy Solid Lotion Bar)

Okay, I admit it.  I have a problem.  It's a "new crafting/creating" turned obsession problem.  Do you suffer from this as well?  (*wink* I hope so because I don't want to be the only one who suffers from this affliction).

So, what is my current obsession?  It's making your own health and beauty products.  I never knew how easy these things were.  Trust me!  Just a few ingredients and a little time (and I mean a little time) and you can make some high quality products.  Recently, I've shared with you my first two products:  peppermint vanilla lip balm and 3 ingredient body butter.  Today I'd like to share with you my first attempt at making solid lotion bars.

I perused both the internet and Pinterest and all of the recipes I found followed this type of formula.

• Use 1 part, by weight, oil (coconut, almond, and olive are most commonly used)
• Use 1 part, by weight,  butter (shea or cocoa butter)
• Use 1 part, by weight,  beeswax

A couple of other points I'd like to share with you.

• Bars that used a liquid oil (almond and olive) took longer to set up than a solid oil (coconut)
• Some recipes added essential oils for either aromatic or therapeutic purposes.

So, I here's the solid lotion bars I made....they really do smell like Mounds Bars!

Mounds Bar Solid Lotion Bars

Ingredients:

1.5 oz virgin/unrefined coconut oil

1.5 oz. beeswax (pellets or grated)

1.5 oz. raw coconut oil (robust aroma)

Directions:

Weigh out your oils.  First place a bowl or measuring cup on your scale and zero (top left picture).  Weight out 1.5 ounces of each of your oils.  Moving clockwise, I measure out the beeswax, cocoa butter, and coconut oil.

Now we need to melt the ingredients.  Fill a pot part way with water. Add the coconut oil and beeswax in a heat safe bowl/jar/measuring cup and place in your pot (far left picture)...like a double boiler. Heat on the stove.  Once the beeswax and coconut oil melt (middle picture) add the coconut butter (far right) and melt. Stir together.

After the oil/wax/butter mix is melted, pour into a mold.  You can use soap molds or silicone molds.  Since Valentine's Day is coming up, I used a silicone heart baking mold.  (FYI, these hearts are just about the same size as mini-muffins and this recipe made 8).

It's winter time here and my house is about 68 degrees F.  It took about 25 minutes for the bars to harden.  Once hardened, pop them out of the mold.

You want a tough critic, take my husband.  He's not a big fan of various "foofy" toiletries.  Well, he LOVED how these smelled and it felt on his chapped hands.

I super psyched with how these turned out.  I'm trying to decide if I should feed my current obsession with making more of these goodies or trying something new.  What do you think?


Update 2/1/2013

Many people have asked where they can purchase the ingredients needed for making solid lotion bars.  You can find a lot of these ingredients in health food stores and various online stores.  I have provided links to amazon below for your convenience.  Please note that I have included 3 different links to beeswax.  All 3 will work since they are all cosmetic grade.




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English Toffee - It's Easier Than You Think

My daughter recently discovered Heath Bars and totally loves them.  They are definitely one of her favorite candy bars.  Knowing this, we made some homemade english toffee and she TOTALLY loved it.   I love how extremely easy it is to make.

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I thought I'd share our toffee recipe with you.  I realize it's not a traditional Valentine's treat but if your sweetie loves heath bars, why not whip up a batch of these goodies for them this February.

English Toffee

Ingredients:

2 cups butter

2 cups sugar

1 Tbsp white corn syrup

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

1 cup chopped almonds (optional)

Spray oil or extra butter

Directions:

Prepare a 15 x 13 pan with spray oil or butter and set aside.  (I lined mine with parchment paper and then sprayed the paper with oil).

Place the first 4 ingredients in a heavy pot (butter, sugar, corn syrup and salt).

Cook, stirring constantly, on medium high heat until it reaches 295 degrees F on a candy thermometer.

This is a picture of how your toffee will look when it first begins to heat up. See how the butter floats on top?

After a few minutes, 

And here is what it will look like when it reaches 295 degrees F. Turn off the heat and pour the mixture on your prepared 15 x 13 pan. Working quickly, spread the toffee mixture so that it is about 1/4" thick.  If desired, sprinkle chocolate chips (the heat from the toffee will melt them) and spread the melted chips over the toffee.  If you would like to add almonds, sprinkle them on the chocolate before it sets up. 

Once the toffee has cooled and the chocolate has set, break it up into pieces.  Enjoy!

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Laundry SOS

(free laundry printable)

Okay, ladies.  What is the one household chore that never ends?  Yup.  It's laundry.  No matter how many loads you do, there's always more.  Have you ever been tempted to do the laundry in the buff just so you can say everything's clean?  This is a bit extreme but here's some ideas to help make laundry less of a "chore".

My personal tip.

My husband and I have 3 children, two of whom are in college.  This past Christmas break, the laundry was huge....and the sorting of socks and clothes...UGH!  Here's what has helped me a lot.  We have two "communal" laundry baskets upstairs.  One is for towels and one is for jeans.  Then, everyone has a laundry basket in their room for their own dirty clothes (socks, underwear, shirts, etc).

Now, I can grab a basket of towels, a basket of jeans, or a personal basket when doing laundry.  The sorting is so easy now 'cause it's either just towels, just jeans, or only one individual's clothes.  No sorting through tons of socks where I not only find sock mates but also determine who's socks they are.  Nope, the folding and sorting process is so much quicker and easier now!

Here are some other ideas for you.

From marthastewart.com

You will find Tips for perfect laundry that includes a printable Stain Removal Guide

Homemade Laundry Stain Stick

If you make your own soap from scratch, this homemade laundry stain stick may be something you'd like to try.

Becky shares her laundry day tips

You can build you own laundry basket organizer

You can "upscale" your laundry experience by beautifying your laundry detergent dispenser

I'd love to have a drying rack in my laundry room, wouldn't you?  You can find the tutorial to make this great rack here.

What are your laundry tips?  I'd love to learn ways to minimize this "chore" so I have more time for crafting, creating, and cooking!

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Creamy Mexican Chicken Soup - In 30 Minutes!

Brrrrrr, I am so cold today.  When I woke up this morning, it was 8 degrees F outside...yup!  You heard me...8 degrees F!  The high was a "balmy" 15 degrees F!  Oh, I can't wait until spring gets here.

My husband had clients in today and I whipped up my super quick and easy Creamy Mexican Chicken Soup.  If you like Mexican food, I bet you have everything you need in your pantry/refrigerator to make this for dinner tongiht.  It is super easy and quick and let me tell you, everyone LOVES it!    This soup will warm your bones and everyone will think you slaved for hours (ssshhhhh it will be our secret just how simple this is).

Creamy Mexican Chicken Soup

(adapted from Mexican Chicken Soup in Tortilla Bowls - BHG Hot and Spicy Cooking)

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil or butter

1 cup diced sweet onions

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

12 oz boneless and skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

1  can diced tomatoes

1 small can diced green chili peppers

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 - 1 tsp ground cayenne or chipotle pepper

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

2 cups milk

Serve with:

Shredded Monterey Jack or Chihuahua Cheese

Tortilla chips

Directions:

1.  In a heavy pot, heat the olive oil/butter.  Add the diced onions and cook until the onions are beginning to soften:  about 5 minutes.  Add the minced garlic and chicken breasts and cook until the chicken is cooked.

2. Add the corn, tomatoes/chili, green chilis, oregano, cayenne/chipotle and mix well.

3.  Next add the cream of chicken soup and mix well.  Then, add the milk and cook until your soup is heated through.

Top your soup with cheese and tortilla chips. Enjoy!

This recipe will make 4 main dish servings.

Stay warm!  For all of us in the northern hemisphere, spring will be here before we know it! (I hope)

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Easy Lip Balm - Peppermint Vanilla

I'm always so surprised that no one has nicknamed me "crocodile lady" this time of year.  Why?  Because my skin and lips are ssssssoooooo dry.  A lot of commercial lip balms are more waxy than moisturizing.  However, I was recently turned onto EOS lip balm.  It inspired me to try my hand at making my own lip balm.

I looked at a lot of various recipes and what I learned is that most lip balms are comprised of 2 ingredients:  beeswax to harden the balm and a carrier oil to moisturize your lips.  Here's how my first batch of lip balm turned out.

Peppermint Vanilla Lip Balm

Ingredients:

`1 Tbsp beeswax (pellets or grated)

3 Tbsp almond oil

2-3 drops of peppermint essential oil

Small pinch of vanilla bean powder (approx. 1/16 tsp)

2 altoid mini tins

Directions:

Place the beeswax and almond oil in a microwave safe measuring cup (this will aid in pouring balm into the altoid tins).  Microwave on high 1 minute.  If the beeswax is not completely melted, place back in the microwave and heat in 10 second intervals until the beeswax is melted)

Once your oil/beeswax mixture is melted, add the vanilla powder and peppermint essential oil (too much peppermint oil will burn your lips so just add 2-3 drops.)

Pour your liquid balm into the altoid tins being careful not to overfill.  The "hinge" has holes on the tin which will result in your balm leaking all over the place if your overfill.

It's a nice hard balm that would work very well in a lip balm tube. However, I didn't want to invest in tubes until I tried a batch to see how it worked out.  I think "lip balm tubes" are going to be my next crafting investment.

Make a batch for yourself...you'll have soft lips in time for Valentine's Day!

Update 2/1/2013  People have asked where they can find the ingredients for making this lip balm.  Many helath food store carry these ingredients or if you'd like to purchase them online, check out these links to amazon.  (I included 3 choices for beeswax...they are all cosmetic grade and would work in with this project).

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5 Minute Key Chain - Pandora Style!

Have you seen those gorgeous pandora  bracelets?  The beads you can chose from allow you to make simply stunning bracelets.....at a hefty cost.  I was super psyched when I saw this pandora inspired bracelet created by Adrianne of Happy Hour Projects.

Isn't is beautiful? But that's not all!  It's super easy and affordable.  I've been dying to make one for myself.  Well, I was at JoAnn's yesterday and their beads are 40% off and their jewelry findings are 25% off (all this week).  Look what I picked up.....some cool beads and 2 key chain sets.

Here, you can see the key chain sets better out of the package.  I'm pretty pumped!

The first thing you do is unscrew the bead "post" from the end that is threaded onto the key chain.

Just thread on the beads you'd like onto the post. Once you decide on the beads/layout just screw the post back into the other silver end.

 Yup, that's it.  Easy peasy and oh, so elegant.  What a great way to make a special gift in no time!

I think I need to go back and pick up some more beads and key chain kits!

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