Little Girl Purses

Just a quick post this morning, but I had to add a few pics of "too cute" purses for little girls.  They were made out of used jeans and some fabric from Mom's scrap box.  Enjoy your day!  Oh, yes... the pattern idea came from a pouch found here http://www.skiptomylou.org/2010/04/27/pleated-pouch-tutorial/

Opps...forgot to turn the photo before adding :( 

Opps, again!

Cindy Apron

About three or so years ago my sister, Cindy, came to visit me.  We enjoyed our time of laughing, talking, laughing, shopping, and just spending time together. At a small shop I was admiring an apron, and as we were checking out of the store I noticed Cindy had the apron in her hands, saying she wanted to give this apron to me.  It has been worn and washed so many times that it is looking quite faded.  Two years ago in March, Cindy died as a result of breast cancer.  Every time I wear the apron she gave me, I am reminded of the love and encouragement she shared with so many people.  Because the apron has gotten quite faded and stained (and surely destined to become garden only apron!) I decided to make a new "Cindy Apron."  I took the basic pattern idea of the original one, and using one of those cotton tea towels for the white fabric, and several floral fabrics from Mom's scrap box, this is what I came up with...

The original apron -- very worn and stained!

After cutting the tea towel to size, I added a few pleats in front.

A plate does the trick as a pattern for pockets!  

If I do this pattern again, though, I'd make them a bit larger.

Fabric from Mom's scrap box for the ties and neck band.

An invasion of flower petals!

I thought it was finished, but decided to add a ruffle to the bottom to give it a bit more color.

Love these flowers!

 Remembering Cindy, with love.
Cary

Spring Break is here...

It's hard to completely get away from school ... in my mind, that is.  The long-awaited for spring break has arrived and I find myself reflecting on what I've just finished, and thinking ahead to the final nine weeks of school.  I think some crafty projects are just what I need to help turn my mind off of school for a few days. I must share a very creative idea, though, that happened in my classroom recently -- and not by my doing!  As a special education teacher, it is a true blessing to have a talented and creative teacher assistant.  I really think she is the "Queen of Crafts!"  Several of my young students recently had Z as the letter of the week in their classroom, so I handed my assistant a bag of animal foam stickers and asked her to aid them in making a Zoo to go along with the Z books and writing they were doing.  Take a look at this great zoo!

A "birds-eye" view of the inside of the zoo.   Before decorating the inside of the box, a hole is cut on one end of the box (see right end.)  Foam stickers are placed around the edge of the inside box, and placed on folded card stock to help the animals stand upright.  

What a fun zoo! 

On this picture you can see the lid.  The center of the lid is cut out, and tissue paper is glued onto the bottom of the lid covering the cut out section.  It is placed on the box.  When you look through the hole light shines through the tissue paper, giving a wonderful perspective to the scene.

This is the box from the outside.

Thanks, T, for allowing me to share this great idea!

Sticky Buns -- Oh, so yummy!

Today we had a retirement breakfast for a co-worker at school.  While it's never fun to say "so-long" to someone we've worked with daily, we certainly did enjoy a great breakfast.  I probably shouldn't eat for a week after this one!  I had a request for the sticky bun recipe, so thought I'd post it here for anyone interested.  They are so easy to make, and very sticky, gooey, and just fun to eat! :)

2 loaves frozen bread dough, thawed (any brand)
1 c. walnuts, pecans or raisins (or mixture of nuts & raisins)
cinnamon

Sauce:
1 large pkg. vanilla pudding (not instant)
1 stick butter (or margarine -- but I like the REAL stuff)
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. milk

Place nuts and raisins in a greased 9 x 13-inch pan.
Cut or pull bread dough into little balls (12 per loaf) -- I find it easier to cut mine -- once lengthwise and then 6 across.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and place on top of nuts in pan.
Mix pudding, sugar, milk, and butter on stove just until heated through (do not overcook.)
Pour warm sauce over dough balls and cover.  (I grease a piece of wax paper with butter and cover with that.)
Leave in refrigerator overnight.
The next morning, bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

These are great to prepare for company.  Mix it all up at night, and just pop them in the oven in the morning.

Happy Eating!

Drum roll, please ... It's a ....

MUG RUG!  And it is on it's way, and may have already arrived at the home of my daughter-in-law.  I couldn't resist when I saw the pattern for this cute little squirrel on http://bunnyhillblog.com/free-patterns/.
Knowing she enjoys her "neighborhood" squirrels, and that she enjoys her coffee in a mug -- I thought I just had to make a mug rug.  So there you have it ... the mystery is solved!

My most recent bit of creativity was to make a zippered clutch for my school auction.  I tried a different type of fabric and changed the design a bit on this one.  I'm not too sure how I feel about it yet, but here it is...

The inside lining on this one is in the same fabric as the band on the front.

Clue Two... and assorted other things!

I STILL have red vines over my window.  I put them up before Christmas, and am thinking it's time for a change.  Maybe tomorrow!

I've been lazy; that's all there is to it!  At least, lazy once I get home from school.  I did however, finish my little mystery project about a week ago.  A few people have guessed a placemat.  Close, but that's not it.  Here is Clue Two...

Hmmm...now what could this be??  And to whose house will it go????  Someone will get a little package in the mail, and they will surely understand once they see it.  ;)

Other tidbits for the day...

My three most worn aprons!  I call the blue and white one my "Cindy apron."  I'll share more about that another day.  The middle one is my sturdy wear for anything apron, and the pretty (new) one on the left was the one made by my niece.  There is a spot for one more.  That is the one I'll tell you about later -- a new "Cindy Apron."

What is it?

When I recently visited my Mom, I came home with a box of fabrics she had used for quilts.  They were all neatly organized by color in the box -- and so far I've been able to keep them that way! So... my first project from the "neatly organized scrap box" is going to be ...

ANY GUESSES??

Stay tuned -- another clue will follow.

Hmmm..."Scrap Box Creations" -- I may have a challenge for myself!