tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64927821769823666102024-02-21T10:07:28.154-05:00Becky Ann Designsbecky @ becky ann designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432026124239149851noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6492782176982366610.post-65608084517230337942012-08-18T19:35:00.001-04:002012-08-18T19:41:55.826-04:00Forest Life Twirly Skirt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiklP3wcLlpAGq1O2FltZLE02Q0rUm5z8mqqmDttsVj5JmzwVGZ8lHd-qc7xR-nJfSkWvIL4fcYBCHzuSzB4geIpLR5F8C8xe0K2DeMxlPFVT48Cn7iwJ7n_epaRhp4sopORx13sNcO7ak/s1600/untitled+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiklP3wcLlpAGq1O2FltZLE02Q0rUm5z8mqqmDttsVj5JmzwVGZ8lHd-qc7xR-nJfSkWvIL4fcYBCHzuSzB4geIpLR5F8C8xe0K2DeMxlPFVT48Cn7iwJ7n_epaRhp4sopORx13sNcO7ak/s640/untitled+(2).jpg" width="360" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I have made a skirt from this pattern before, but had lost my instructions for it. <a href="http://fromanigloo.blogspot.com/2010/06/tea-party-ruffle-skirt.html" target="_blank">http://fromanigloo.blogspot.com/2010/06/tea-party-ruffle-skirt.html</a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Spent about an hour searching the internet to find the tutorial for it yesterday. I decided I should post it here on my blog so I will be able to find it the next time I decide to make one. The instructions are great and she tells you exactly how to measure to make it just the right size for your child.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I made Abby's first one from the dimensions she used for her little girl and it fit her from about age 4-6. It still fits her in the waist now, but is too short to wear without leggins underneath. Abby is just a little over 4 ft 3" tall now and her waist is about 26". Here are the dimensions for the one pictured here:</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Waistband- 4 3/4" x 36"</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Ruffles- 7 1/4" x 72"</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Connecting strip- 5 3/4" x 39"</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVdmc_pdwCfytGpSCqE5aBMty5PlY2hRt5Tpsbh290VzLXb81stFDUeYESp0CPAH28SxuCukGAhH1I74c31YV8z2ckGzAHMpSHZyrY1tI1FGOo9rsPX_uwxl7EkSaWyQGkDwObh0vMMJo/s1600/486593_4396417758194_1024996702_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVdmc_pdwCfytGpSCqE5aBMty5PlY2hRt5Tpsbh290VzLXb81stFDUeYESp0CPAH28SxuCukGAhH1I74c31YV8z2ckGzAHMpSHZyrY1tI1FGOo9rsPX_uwxl7EkSaWyQGkDwObh0vMMJo/s400/486593_4396417758194_1024996702_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">I made myself a new zippered pencil pouch using strips of the selvage. With the girls getting all these new school supplies, I thought I deserved a little something new for my last year of nursing school. </div>becky @ becky ann designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432026124239149851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6492782176982366610.post-28840218863399587372012-06-10T08:41:00.001-04:002012-06-10T08:41:49.521-04:00Baked BeansNot that I really think anyone is reading a blog I only post on once a year now, but if I don't put the recipe here, I know I will lose it. And heaven knows I won't remember it the next time I'm ready to make them even though I can tell myself I will remember and don't need to write it down. <br />
<br />
Finally made baked beans that we all liked. Sorry, no picture.... I realize this is a massive amount of beans, but I started with the huge #10 can of pork and beans from Sam's because that is where I was and honestly, they only cost $3.88 so I would have spent the same amount of money buying several smaller cans somewhere else.<br />
<br />
# 10 can pork and beans<br />
2 cups bbq sauce (I used 1 cup Jay's mustard sauce and 1 cup original sauce)<br />
1 onion (diced)<br />
2 cloves fresh garlic (minced)<br />
½ cup brown sugar<br />
6 slices bacon<br />
1 tbsp chili seasoning<br />
1/8 tsp chili powder<br />
<br />
Fry and chop up the bacon. Remove from pan. Add 1 tbsp oil (or bacon drippings) to a pan and sauté diced onion and minced garlic over medium heat until onions are soft. Mix together bbq sauce, brown sugar, chili seasoning, and chili powder. Drain most of the juice from the pork and beans. Mix beans, bacon, bbq sauce mixture, onion, and garlic together in a baking dish. Cover and bake @ 300F for 1 hour.<br />
<br />
Notes:<br />
* I would have added some diced jalapeno or other pepper if I had any already, but I didn't and didn't want to buy 10 at Sam's when I would only use 1.<br />
* I might try making beans from scratch next time, just because I felt they were kinda mushy and overcooked by the time I cooked them long enough to let all the flavors mingle together.<br />
<br />becky @ becky ann designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432026124239149851noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6492782176982366610.post-56479990765836296352011-07-11T11:44:00.000-04:002011-07-11T11:44:08.834-04:00Happy Birthday<div style="text-align: center;">Happy Birthday to me!!!!!!!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghDww93c45BnRw5g_I_cl_5l2pe2hNnyJCJsTKjIbcbdkb8f_phaL9TjBE7DF2qwK2B4EohrFHoTuY2g54zTi3xQr2Fi76LXzDAF7jOk3Q1isJveAXggqtLeQYfqimgTioZUmFWvQibPA/s1600/cupcake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268px" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghDww93c45BnRw5g_I_cl_5l2pe2hNnyJCJsTKjIbcbdkb8f_phaL9TjBE7DF2qwK2B4EohrFHoTuY2g54zTi3xQr2Fi76LXzDAF7jOk3Q1isJveAXggqtLeQYfqimgTioZUmFWvQibPA/s320/cupcake.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div>I whipped up a batch of cupcakes this morning and used my buttercream frosting recipe but used a combination of regular milk and lemon juice for the evaporated milk. Not an overly lemon flavor, but just a himt to make it a little different. Why, because it's my birthday and I can do whatever I want, that's why. I love my birthday!<br />
<br />
Abby was mad when she walked in the kitchen and asked what I was making and I said cupcakes. She told me she should be making the cupcakes for me since it was my birthday.becky @ becky ann designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432026124239149851noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6492782176982366610.post-87362511878554306172011-06-27T19:55:00.001-04:002011-06-28T16:38:31.872-04:00Homemade YogurtI love homemade yogurt, especially when it's mixed with fresh fruit or homemade jam and topped with nuts or granola. I am happy I decided to acutally post and not pretend like I can remember exactly how I did this for the next time I want to make yogurt. Now, I can come straight to my blog and find it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt5FKKAF9gaId9r9Bc_ni5u8Xd9-lSyMi5MzFP9o3LLmbP0fW5nELy_yUS93Ryh6LJEfXsycropwjImm-w-8al6fv6FW0Uroo8i-bbm6HBfseCP7yJfofn-g-9RfbAqF_i3l3rjh8IYe8/s1600/2010_08_25-YogurtCup2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt5FKKAF9gaId9r9Bc_ni5u8Xd9-lSyMi5MzFP9o3LLmbP0fW5nELy_yUS93Ryh6LJEfXsycropwjImm-w-8al6fv6FW0Uroo8i-bbm6HBfseCP7yJfofn-g-9RfbAqF_i3l3rjh8IYe8/s1600/2010_08_25-YogurtCup2.jpg" /></a></div>I made my best yogurt ever yesterday. I used greek plain yogurt instead of the regular plain yogurt which I have always used before. I only used it because I really really wanted to make a new batch of homemade yogurt and it was the only kind that the store I was in that day had in a small container that wasn't flavored. I think it was Yoplait brand. I used 6 cups skim milk, 1/2 cup powdered milk, and the whole small container of yogurt. This time, there was no whey left floating on top; it all got absorbed into the yogurt. And the texture was very smooth and creamy like store bought yogurt, not grainy at all. <br />
<br />
<br />
6 cups skim milk<br />
1/2 cup powdered milk<br />
6 oz plain greek yogurt (Yoplait)<br />
<br />
Warm milk in microwave to 175 F. 2 min each time with about 1 min to 30 second break and stirred in between each cycle. Once the milk is warmed, stir in the powdered milk. Cool milk to 105 F (I put min in the fridge to speed up the process). Add 1 cup of the warm milk to yogurt and gently stir until combined. Add 1 more cup of warm milk to yogurt and gently stir until combined. Pour milk/ yogurt mixture into the rest of the milk. Pour into 3 pint and 1 half pint jars with lids (or whatever combination will fit in <u>your</u> crock pot). Put the jars in the crock pot, fill with warm water to the rim of the pint jar. Alternate crock pot between warm and off for 6-8 hours. I think I did warm for hour then off for hour cycles, but not really regularly just whenever I happened to walk through the kitchen and think about it. <br />
<br />
Ideally, you want the water temperature to stay consistent between 100-110 F, so you can put your thermometer in the water and use it to help you know when to cycle the crock pot on and off.becky @ becky ann designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432026124239149851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6492782176982366610.post-66059404117337168602011-04-30T10:29:00.000-04:002011-04-30T10:29:43.645-04:00Subway Art<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">My classes are over until Fall, so lets get down to some serious crafting! First up, some cool subway art I made today. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOMGvYOBXWyMA21ZQ1Qc5q03llMEJsTpQjkmMEV2L8dI_utEgqSu6rYKW9t2qKPu0VK05QF1Ochah5clTJcSoAQA835cXZG_dAQY939jh9p1IMbkt0Lgtj8kZbXoVbxAoDqOlQIjML7s/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTOMGvYOBXWyMA21ZQ1Qc5q03llMEJsTpQjkmMEV2L8dI_utEgqSu6rYKW9t2qKPu0VK05QF1Ochah5clTJcSoAQA835cXZG_dAQY939jh9p1IMbkt0Lgtj8kZbXoVbxAoDqOlQIjML7s/s400/Capture.JPG" width="316px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I'm not exactly sure what I will do with it yet, but it was fun to sit down and create it this morning. I will probably get it printed out and then put it in a thrift store frame when I find one the right size. Here is what the girls were up to this morning while I got creative. They went outside and built this awesome fort from some big boxes we had. Abby was not in the mood for me to take her picture because it meant I interrupted her play time.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsMrCHYPrqkwBJwF9KHdvks5QSjH2mK-fbboSFwWQcaxpM56IC6I73bHi0FxddEA4wyGE2bvxGr3LLrmvBFWquxjvyQZmTmftCWjCQiHKgQRkfelKxY2QLUDxB2tx7NOdJd-xk2sIWJE/s1600/untitled+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250px" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsMrCHYPrqkwBJwF9KHdvks5QSjH2mK-fbboSFwWQcaxpM56IC6I73bHi0FxddEA4wyGE2bvxGr3LLrmvBFWquxjvyQZmTmftCWjCQiHKgQRkfelKxY2QLUDxB2tx7NOdJd-xk2sIWJE/s400/untitled+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400px" /></a></div>becky @ becky ann designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432026124239149851noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6492782176982366610.post-4629490563251431172011-03-20T18:49:00.001-04:002011-03-20T18:51:33.678-04:00Abby's Haircut<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Today- after the new short haircut. I pinned her bangs to the side with a bobby pin. She loves her new haircut and apparently there was a whole new attitude that came with it. She loves how it looks, and I love that it is short and will have less tangles because the girl's head is super tender. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXgy_iFX-hq_ITwJgRkzAXjF9AZ-u23x39yL1GOHN1GeAPB6LYtd23XlKGie92hKvPrB8P2AMXGT7y5EdPpl3lmvTxwbK2z-DB5uE4tyf8KaF6mx4_sxKnHL0wElwN_TIlqjxnJPvgOA/s1600/untitled.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXgy_iFX-hq_ITwJgRkzAXjF9AZ-u23x39yL1GOHN1GeAPB6LYtd23XlKGie92hKvPrB8P2AMXGT7y5EdPpl3lmvTxwbK2z-DB5uE4tyf8KaF6mx4_sxKnHL0wElwN_TIlqjxnJPvgOA/s640/untitled.bmp" width="360" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Last Monday- the before hairstyle; basically, nonexistant. Just straight with bangs she wants to grow out. We were ready for a change because she is playing t-ball now and I make her put it in a ponytail, which she hates. But, if we just leave it loose, it ends up blowing in her face and she can't see to catch the ball.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOPP_6Q3MpQBFRLBD3dwlQmoUBEUuyqgVHAYfStBFLNXyV5FaQNJz3qs_y6cqd32TzwJ9Ia6iS-umqjk_yAlM9goD8_sYDkqtow9hclSRInGGCD2o96RG1TKVeuZ6-Fr3fav6dy2_F8J4/s1600/before.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOPP_6Q3MpQBFRLBD3dwlQmoUBEUuyqgVHAYfStBFLNXyV5FaQNJz3qs_y6cqd32TzwJ9Ia6iS-umqjk_yAlM9goD8_sYDkqtow9hclSRInGGCD2o96RG1TKVeuZ6-Fr3fav6dy2_F8J4/s640/before.bmp" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Notice the shirt? It is her favorite, covered with owls and not "floppy" on her. She wears it over and over again as soon as I get it clean.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">FYI it is REALLY hard to find pictures on the internet of cute little girl's haircuts that are short. This time I actually took some pics with me of things we didn't want and a couple that were sort of what we wanted. I have figured out showing them what I don't want helps a lot, so that even if it isn't exactly what we had in mind, we will still be happy with the result.</div>becky @ becky ann designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432026124239149851noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6492782176982366610.post-23879350797197781282011-03-12T15:39:00.000-05:002011-03-12T15:39:26.989-05:00Brazilian Lemonade<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I saw this recipe the other day and decided it would be a great afternoon treat for a warm sunny spring day like we are having today. Despite its name, it's actually made with limes not lemons. I followed the exact recipe from <a href="http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/05/brazilian-lemonade/">Our Best Bites</a>, but I will copy and paste it here for you.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs7wjVEABzYl51_M3pNEh4RxZYBA0wY0GRFXcxkIMN71OXAPqlx2XQN5IJwQ3yfniXRMW7kFJX0xItCI8I6X8pzwWxYaJ0MYkkrOcoHJPLU_p8WauwIenfMKaopXR19WvgnRbFrC8ZqUY/s1600/031211143339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs7wjVEABzYl51_M3pNEh4RxZYBA0wY0GRFXcxkIMN71OXAPqlx2XQN5IJwQ3yfniXRMW7kFJX0xItCI8I6X8pzwWxYaJ0MYkkrOcoHJPLU_p8WauwIenfMKaopXR19WvgnRbFrC8ZqUY/s400/031211143339.jpg" width="250" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><b><u>Brazilian Lemonade</u></b></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">4 juicy limes (try and find ones with thin, smooth skins; they’re the juiciest and the thin skin cuts down on the chance of your drink being bitter)</div>1 c. sugar<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">6 c. cold water</div>6 Tbsp. sweetened condensed milk<br />
<br />
Wash limes thoroughly with soap; you need the soap to get the wax and pesticides off of the limes because you’re using the WHOLE lime, baby. Cut the ends off the limes and then cut each lime into 8ths. You might need to do this next part in 2 batches depending on the size of your blender. Place the limes, water, and sugar in your blender, and pulse 5 times. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a pitcher (the one you’ll serve the lemonade in) and pour the blended mixture through the strainer and into the pitcher. Use a spoon to press the rest of the liquid into the pitcher. Add sweetened condensed milk and mix it in with a wisk. You may want to taste test it at this point. If it’s bitter, just add some more sugar and maybe a little more sweetened condensed milk. <br />
<br />
Serve immediately over lots of ice. The longer you let it sit, the more bitter it will taste, so don't mix it up long before you plan to serve it.<br />
<br />
The girls and I bought the ingredients this morning at the grocery store. We went to the produce department where I asked Abby to find me 4 limes. She is 6 years old and the girl didn't have a clue what a lime was. So, I did what any good mother would do, I told her I wasn't going to help her find them, and asked her how she could figure out what one was. I'm so mean.<br />
<br />
We were standing right next to the very nice produce man so he overheard our entire conversation. Finally, she got up the nerve to ask him what one looked like and he was very happy to help her. He told her they were green and shaped like a lemon, and then pointed her in the general direction. Hello, that's what he's there for child! They have been learning about community helpers at school and whether they provide goods or services, so I thought this was a great lesson for her to learn today.<br />
<br />
And, just because this recipe lacks pictures, here are some limes in case someone else doesn't know what they are either. Aren't they pretty?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GQ6U8wvwXDoBp-_wXTkG670h4ZPJx2oAvsKW3OcV1buSNXUBBlZa3qR3m_0hfowRr1eQBFlFhXr3JddznU4bfzSggolJDY-ZpI1lqU1CBXKbvPKIPTDMJaD8d9V8VJ6pM3eDwD3ueEg/s1600/untitled.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" q6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GQ6U8wvwXDoBp-_wXTkG670h4ZPJx2oAvsKW3OcV1buSNXUBBlZa3qR3m_0hfowRr1eQBFlFhXr3JddznU4bfzSggolJDY-ZpI1lqU1CBXKbvPKIPTDMJaD8d9V8VJ6pM3eDwD3ueEg/s1600/untitled.bmp" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">To read the ingredients, it might sound kind of gross at first with the sweetened condensed milk and limes instead of lemons, but trust me, don't knock it until you've tried it. At the store, Aly swore she was NOT drinking that nasty milk stuff in a can, yet when I held up a cup and yelled into the backyard "Girls come taste this!" she came willingly. Abby got a small sip and said "yummy", Aly took a sip, snatched the cup away and took off running so she could have the whole thing to herself.</div>becky @ becky ann designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432026124239149851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6492782176982366610.post-86462314747268871192011-01-15T09:42:00.003-05:002011-01-17T08:25:34.430-05:00Laundry SignLast weekend, the local news stations started predicting a pretty substantial snowstorm with possible power outages. I planned ahead with some craft projects to keep me busy even if we did lose power. In other words, something that didn't require a sewing machine. So, I decided to finally make a sign to hang over my Laundry Room door. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq7K9b_ovhj5S9LNudHHvH90uVGO9VOC4Rup0TLC31HlPIzwLCgZQeHlXd6AwcE_TCaMBFzlQVBxtPyrGWNEFn7nJJNbRkVzyb6FTHACHaOy0P-gTNcYljA2gG2sx-R3q-UAYL6TQz2jA/s1600/snow+%2526+laundry+sign+016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq7K9b_ovhj5S9LNudHHvH90uVGO9VOC4Rup0TLC31HlPIzwLCgZQeHlXd6AwcE_TCaMBFzlQVBxtPyrGWNEFn7nJJNbRkVzyb6FTHACHaOy0P-gTNcYljA2gG2sx-R3q-UAYL6TQz2jA/s320/snow+%2526+laundry+sign+016.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">My sign measures approximately 22.5" x 5.5". <a href="https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B3i1FEKszVtIY2UyNTkyMzUtZjRjOC00YjlkLTg1ZTYtODQ4MjVmM2FhNDcw&hl=en">Here is a PDF</a> of it in case anyone wants to make their own. The word Laundry measures 15.5" x 3.5" and Wash, Dry, Fold measures 15" x 2.5". I also included the word Room in the file in case anyone wanted to add that to their sign. ENJOY!</div> <br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">I was lucky enough to find a nice rough piece of wood in the scrap bin at Home Depot last week for a grand total of 51 cents. It was about 4 ft long so I had them cut it for me. I was happy to find out that they will even cut scrap bin pieces for free, not just full price ones.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6hlJBGNANUFid7oDwHxrPZCuAC7dbpRh81WT_uh1iWH5p48_fiA6ammQoA_JxnFaYPLpwroWEahEJO43I5o9baTjqGzfTG1_1V9xg3VAXnexfF9k0QxmlQvynq96LZsokFQCOccAXxw/s1600/snow+%2526+laundry+sign+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6hlJBGNANUFid7oDwHxrPZCuAC7dbpRh81WT_uh1iWH5p48_fiA6ammQoA_JxnFaYPLpwroWEahEJO43I5o9baTjqGzfTG1_1V9xg3VAXnexfF9k0QxmlQvynq96LZsokFQCOccAXxw/s320/snow+%2526+laundry+sign+003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I used a hammer and wrench to beat the wood up for a nice distressed look. Actually, I let the girls take out some frustration on it. They loved it!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1hFE-tuVBvpN48QXKWKne1WjOvdXRhxEDCF7_J4C0jU3NNoxLTd5piAkM0AcUAsrnzZ47G25zSZq5e3jlVvyMTABdh7uKgyJI2HemAMccMzD3W7ehP0LLm4xzd94HmjcMmdNlJw2hRQ4/s1600/snow+%2526+laundry+sign+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1hFE-tuVBvpN48QXKWKne1WjOvdXRhxEDCF7_J4C0jU3NNoxLTd5piAkM0AcUAsrnzZ47G25zSZq5e3jlVvyMTABdh7uKgyJI2HemAMccMzD3W7ehP0LLm4xzd94HmjcMmdNlJw2hRQ4/s320/snow+%2526+laundry+sign+004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Then, I painted it with a coat of light blue since I was running short on white paint and wasn't sure how much the wood would (giggle) soak up.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU1fyTYjSEryXUO0XKJhARuzbgc7A7ro3PdRGz2AktfaYTKKT7LL48ZIA3GPkL2y_NMqaKATJOxzdjN1n65LzApidgq5YuaCdU7YgnkwYiYjZsvpXvRIQzgnR81cUjpFWGp3RT0bVXP6w/s1600/snow+%2526+laundry+sign+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU1fyTYjSEryXUO0XKJhARuzbgc7A7ro3PdRGz2AktfaYTKKT7LL48ZIA3GPkL2y_NMqaKATJOxzdjN1n65LzApidgq5YuaCdU7YgnkwYiYjZsvpXvRIQzgnR81cUjpFWGp3RT0bVXP6w/s320/snow+%2526+laundry+sign+007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Abby was REALLY wanting to paint, and since I was going for a distressed look anyway, I let her paint the coat of white paint on for me. While painting, she asked me, "Mommy, is painting fun?" Almost like she wasn't sure if she was allowed to have fun while I was letting her work on one of my "real" projects. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikEm17_lZ3zV5OsO6HRewfwFq67Eapv6R8gvo5xFSEYitncT54EgErkMiqLiT4eXpLHZPCQJWVFIo3cweBH9RUC9dNjBlQLWqv1PbH1ocSAW4YTxGTUY0cO3u4HblwM8-HbgIbv0W48ps/s1600/snow+%2526+laundry+sign+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikEm17_lZ3zV5OsO6HRewfwFq67Eapv6R8gvo5xFSEYitncT54EgErkMiqLiT4eXpLHZPCQJWVFIo3cweBH9RUC9dNjBlQLWqv1PbH1ocSAW4YTxGTUY0cO3u4HblwM8-HbgIbv0W48ps/s320/snow+%2526+laundry+sign+010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I like how some of the blue is showing through from the first coat of paint. I think it adds a nice touch to the distressed look I was going for.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgykila-NhkyqEahMIiRYGI0pRtFHd7lU8l6wBo8VQZYopEE0Gpv29Y_8Tcehvhzn_Ikt8g4j_OdHCj6uCtd6xIrj5-wJDaizQsU2NNuvyKmhHdNGjyfzuStZi2HsxltRQINkkb5YTrQ1Y/s1600/snow+%2526+laundry+sign+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgykila-NhkyqEahMIiRYGI0pRtFHd7lU8l6wBo8VQZYopEE0Gpv29Y_8Tcehvhzn_Ikt8g4j_OdHCj6uCtd6xIrj5-wJDaizQsU2NNuvyKmhHdNGjyfzuStZi2HsxltRQINkkb5YTrQ1Y/s320/snow+%2526+laundry+sign+011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I printed out the words in a couple of different sizes of a font that I liked. I originally planned for it to say Laundry Room, but liked this arrangement better once I got it all laid out.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBhh5NEf6-SritRnVO0qiWtB0mD62LOLVnU7rfEy9yzKcahRWuPE1Qgd1vntGdBaJZH7aVqqJImSCA74FTVHeLaUmIealiwhNKS9-3ogbul-wGuo8exXHaRPlO7rPbAMSzJoDCnb_6ts/s1600/snow+%2526+laundry+sign+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBhh5NEf6-SritRnVO0qiWtB0mD62LOLVnU7rfEy9yzKcahRWuPE1Qgd1vntGdBaJZH7aVqqJImSCA74FTVHeLaUmIealiwhNKS9-3ogbul-wGuo8exXHaRPlO7rPbAMSzJoDCnb_6ts/s320/snow+%2526+laundry+sign+013.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">I colored on the back of the printed words with a pencil, then taped it to my board, and traced over the letters on the right side to transfer the image. Wish I had thought to pick up some transfer paper to make the job a lot faster and easier.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5YqA8sbrFhkyV4TbmEVk4Me1QaXM2SmTfgnGoh2tVl1GVJZeWtX2eZfVQt9EcMSxpr0-4y_xSRJkj_ARdMrYZpfbW_aUfV_84pYQTdRHBo6flYWisslPhWtChlmwl97ol44cgAIeR3s/s1600/snow+%2526+laundry+sign+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5YqA8sbrFhkyV4TbmEVk4Me1QaXM2SmTfgnGoh2tVl1GVJZeWtX2eZfVQt9EcMSxpr0-4y_xSRJkj_ARdMrYZpfbW_aUfV_84pYQTdRHBo6flYWisslPhWtChlmwl97ol44cgAIeR3s/s320/snow+%2526+laundry+sign+012.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">All that was left to do was to paint the letters in. While this was not quite as elaborate as some of the things I have painted before, I really like it and think it looks great against the red wall of my kitchen.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguliTcRIjkwDUxSjc3adQwim15oc-UroxLcOtvB-oX2s389Pv3RFvvAyvlUbrJXyHnzOakfjCaIE19yc1C_Ir5h1vm9RRYegnaNNbg8muyUVuijBiu5qN2ZxMHWaY7menHydLhxg8TDSg/s1600/snow+%2526+laundry+sign+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguliTcRIjkwDUxSjc3adQwim15oc-UroxLcOtvB-oX2s389Pv3RFvvAyvlUbrJXyHnzOakfjCaIE19yc1C_Ir5h1vm9RRYegnaNNbg8muyUVuijBiu5qN2ZxMHWaY7menHydLhxg8TDSg/s320/snow+%2526+laundry+sign+015.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><a target=_blank href="http://www.skiptomylou.org/"><img src="http://www.skiptomylou.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/button2.jpg"></a><br>becky @ becky ann designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432026124239149851noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6492782176982366610.post-28988876709121487322011-01-02T18:49:00.000-05:002011-01-02T18:49:57.090-05:00How Did I Do Meeting Last Years Goals?1) Organize my craft and sewing supplies.<br />
<span style="color: blue;">This one still needs a ton of work. I have moved and re-organized lots of things, but it is a never ending process.</span><br />
2) Organize my work stuff- no more cardboard boxes everywhere.<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Doing better on this one.</span><br />
3) Finish at least 1 quilt.<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Yup, finished 2 actually. 1 for myself and 1 for my Mama.</span><br />
4) Spend more time actually playing with the girls and let them sew more too.<br />
<span style="color: blue;">We definately did more sewing during the spring and summer.</span><br />
5) Get more exercise. (the new Wii the girls got for Christmas should help)<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Did great in the spring then I had a much harder semester of school and just didn't have time to go to the gym like I did before. Studying was more important.</span><br />
6) Manage my time better. (an absolute must since I'm going back to school)<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Definately accomplished this goal!</span><br />
7) Cook from scratch more and do a better job of menu planning so we eat healthier.<br />
<span style="color: blue;">Not so much, need to keep working on this one.</span><br />
8) Last but not least, find a church to go to. Especially for the girls to be in Sunday School. We have just been lazy about going and finding a church we like since we moved here 2 1/2 years ago. (Angel, we would love to visit yours sometime.)<br />
<span style="color: blue;">The girls and I have been going to Pendleton United Methodist Church whenever the girls are in town, not visiting their Grandparents. We really like it there. It is small and it feels a lot like the church I grew up in, Olivet Presbyterian Church.</span>becky @ becky ann designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432026124239149851noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6492782176982366610.post-2600349554039205292011-01-01T19:14:00.000-05:002011-01-01T19:14:54.684-05:00Mama's Whirlygig Quilt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="265" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQx9qwkGYs7x7y5Rz6yzx28PoBh6Zg6a9lB4coCbVOAE6Twr96iObF2RpomZfU6XnjFQSSPcCWhxdqx2JUNPzlGwEa3xZee4bJ44DcGkmT-3566PNiKHAvDDq8E8bbyKcc7AL8tU3DF38/s320/Quilt%252C+Halloween%252C+Christmas+001.JPG" width="320" /> </div>First I have to say it was VERY hard for me to not let Mama know I was working on this quilt. I usually keep her updated every step along the way from the inspirational design, choosing the fabric, how many blocks I have finished, making the sandwich and doing the quilting, then finally making and sewing on the binding. I only almost told her I was working on a new quilt once and thankfully she wasn't paying too close of attention and didn't comprehend what I said.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYb-69DesuJrJcRjtuNOLyI4o1NhimkxjU004KHMSri_X_QIVDF25DuG_8y0vpMOCEEGNm-EiDp8ljXjqxA1fZVETgQityuvfH7YNx8tCJucUv2FRyXS-Ay_Qrmhmw9bfbdXpu19PKkmU/s1600/Quilt%252C+Halloween%252C+Christmas+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYb-69DesuJrJcRjtuNOLyI4o1NhimkxjU004KHMSri_X_QIVDF25DuG_8y0vpMOCEEGNm-EiDp8ljXjqxA1fZVETgQityuvfH7YNx8tCJucUv2FRyXS-Ay_Qrmhmw9bfbdXpu19PKkmU/s320/Quilt%252C+Halloween%252C+Christmas+002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I even had this quilt finished before Thanksgiving and kept myself from giving it to her early. Needless to say, she was VERY suprised when she opened it. It is a lap size quilt measuring approximately 51" x 59". I forgot to measure it once it was all finished, but that was the last measurement I took when I had the top completely finished. <br />
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The print fabrics are from a couple of fat quarter bundles of Donna Dewberry fabric I picked up at a craft show a few years ago. The cream is leftover fabric from when I made quilts for my 2 girls.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxdmSuf2fjYoqy_Sm_eg6z4MuQtaC9znTaJUxRGPqDtF3SR2mQ0aWgs5f-mGFmOSHtswPAQOqFhIBO3AmQeH_Wcy_KZbV7uA0E9CjUMHkfo6ekCx9H2weGJILlj73LP_CQ5XCCNXtpZs/s1600/Quilt%252C+Halloween%252C+Christmas+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxdmSuf2fjYoqy_Sm_eg6z4MuQtaC9znTaJUxRGPqDtF3SR2mQ0aWgs5f-mGFmOSHtswPAQOqFhIBO3AmQeH_Wcy_KZbV7uA0E9CjUMHkfo6ekCx9H2weGJILlj73LP_CQ5XCCNXtpZs/s320/Quilt%252C+Halloween%252C+Christmas+003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I think I found my original inspiration from <a href="http://turtlehillquilter.blogspot.com/2010/02/large-whirlygig-directions.html">Quilting on Turtle Hill</a>, but there are lots of free tutorials out ther if you just google whirlygig quilt.</div>becky @ becky ann designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432026124239149851noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6492782176982366610.post-37184650295277213522010-12-27T22:05:00.002-05:002011-01-12T21:26:27.687-05:00Slushy SyrupAbby was very happy to get her very own Slushy Machine for Christmas. She requested a blizzard maker, but since we already have 2 different types of ice cream churns, I'm glad her grandparents decided to go with this instead. You can get one at Toys R Us. We tried it out on Christmas night and it did a great job of shaving the ice. Much better than doing it in the blender like we have tried before. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzpZUwCaDSnGDpzyse7YFOMQib1EFg9L4x0okaMLgvudr4xg3XdH7r5CPkS25jzBZLdYS9fQC33TcA65SItcPV8Dtf8-JtU_FpezoLG2oOU0Q4l9gBKbudxM0Q5EeGEzzHz8mGhw51aE/s1600/pTRU1-7376587dt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzpZUwCaDSnGDpzyse7YFOMQib1EFg9L4x0okaMLgvudr4xg3XdH7r5CPkS25jzBZLdYS9fQC33TcA65SItcPV8Dtf8-JtU_FpezoLG2oOU0Q4l9gBKbudxM0Q5EeGEzzHz8mGhw51aE/s200/pTRU1-7376587dt.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXeLW6icuKbiqxG3QB2sz8AEsDu5_FEbm_ox7XucFUOuw24efTGhvfNDU_8rY1po8yBES6t_4NQ0jdJgo_yQvIzJB6m2WaLM37PEGdCXMtSXuLutxH6QNXNzvgW1R0aNZPRisxIttCujw/s1600/slushy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXeLW6icuKbiqxG3QB2sz8AEsDu5_FEbm_ox7XucFUOuw24efTGhvfNDU_8rY1po8yBES6t_4NQ0jdJgo_yQvIzJB6m2WaLM37PEGdCXMtSXuLutxH6QNXNzvgW1R0aNZPRisxIttCujw/s200/slushy.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
The syrup mix on the other hand was disgusting. What a letdown for a kid that just made her first slushy. We tried the orange flavor and it tasted slightly orangey and very chemically. So, today, I made my own syrup using the recipe below, and we all had wonderful grape slushys for an afternoon snack. Abby was a very happy little girl.<br />
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<u>Slushy Syrup</u><br />
1 cup water<br />
1 packet unsweetened Kool Aid mix<br />
1 3/4 cups sugar<br />
<br />
Put everything in a small pot on the stovetop and heat on medium until the sugar is completely dissolved. Allow it to cool. We re-used a water bottle with a sports bottle top to store ours in and make it super easy to pour over our shaved ice.becky @ becky ann designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432026124239149851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6492782176982366610.post-4912562301197768702010-10-29T22:42:00.002-04:002010-10-29T22:46:25.501-04:00Grape SaladOk, since I keep having requests for this recipe, I thought I would put it on my blog so you don't have to call, e-mail, or text me and then wait for me to find the recipe and then actually remember to send it to you. Sorry, I don't have a picture to post with it right now. And for anyone who hasn't eaten this whenI have made it, I only call it salad to make it sound healthy. It is soooo yummy!<br />
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<u>Grape Salad</u><br />
<br />
<u>Filling</u><br />
2 lbs grapes (1 lb red & 1 lb green)<br />
2- 8 oz pkgs cream cheese or neufchatel cheese<br />
<br />
1 cup sour cream <br />
1/2 to 1 cup sugar<br />
1 tsp vanilla<br />
<br />
Mix cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla with mixer then stir in grapes with a spoon. Put in refrigerator.<br />
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<u>Topping</u><br />
1 cup pecans (can use more)<br />
3/4 of a stick butter (use more if needed depending on how many pecans you use)<br />
1/2 cup brown sugar<br />
<br />
Melt butter, add brown sugar and nuts. Bake at 350 F for 15 - 20 minutes (do not overbake or it will be so hard it will break your teeth once it has cooled). Cool mixture a few minutes then sprinkle over grape mixture. Can be served right away, but I like to refrigerate mine until the topping gets hard first.<br />
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And just to be clear, I am not the original creator of this recipe. It was given to me by Glenda Easley, a friend of my hubby's parents. By far one of my favorite recipes I have ever recieved.becky @ becky ann designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432026124239149851noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6492782176982366610.post-48537888672681389532010-10-22T18:59:00.000-04:002010-10-22T18:59:20.147-04:002nd Grade Catapult Invention<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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As we were walking in the house after school yesterday at 3:00, Aly says "I have to take my catapult to school tomorrow" My response was Uummm, what are you talking about? What catapult? We don't have a catapult." Then she tells me she is supposed to make one. Apparently she got the note about it from her teacher on Monday or Tuesday and just forgot to tell us about it since it wasn't put in her regular folder that we check every day. <br />
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Normally, this wouldn't have been an issue, but yesterday, it was because Abby's music program started at 6:00 which I had also forgotten about until Abby mentioned it on the way home from school. That meant I had 3 hours to fix after school snacks, do homework, get everybody ready, figure out how to make a catapult, and actually make the darn thing. <br />
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Oh, and Abby said her teachers told her she HAD to take a bath or else they wouldn't let her sing, and that she had to dress pretty and have her hair fixed. After all, she was going to be singing on stage and standing on risers. Huge deal when you are 5 years old apparently. I think in her mind, if she tells us her teachers said she had to do something then we are much more likely to actually let her do it. <br />
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So <a href="http://www.stormthecastle.com/catapult/the-little-ogre-catapult.htm">HERE</a> is the catapult we would have liked to make, but since I had NO wood to work with at our house unless you count some half rotten tomato stakes and landscape timbers. <br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSdvGZdMsQ32_UVGk0ekP5TqOfgWuhPpYf_hT9oQBDxI-aXXdrP7QPLlQCk8Vk1Wsa1LBagazP-gBn_PaZEOvHkOP9JYN8fnCLHcpvj0w5QJatUGnTAxQYokFuD-4-N100bDPsx8NmUIg/s320/john-h-ogre-catapult-1.jpg" width="320" /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">They had been learning about a man that made lots of inventions and they were supposed to build their own catapult as an invention. While I would have loved to build the nice fancy catapult we found online, ours was definitely more inventive, which I have to keep telling myself was the whole point of this assignment. There were really no rules, the note just said encourage your child to build a catapult and help out as you see fit. They were having a marshmallow shooting contest with them at school today.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;">And this is the catapult Aly and I actually built yesterday. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUoOblmyISk0S00ENciRzdkTKshNd4ozRaNfH98xn8erkI3vxpODM6OqXrXZ3SwaLZCZUZPsFeXEsIZKRjWoZCsvwCy8ch6Lr5nO4aSy199eeoygEQB_ozRtuXFnI4Vng7wLmJ02eJcv8/s1600/untitled.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUoOblmyISk0S00ENciRzdkTKshNd4ozRaNfH98xn8erkI3vxpODM6OqXrXZ3SwaLZCZUZPsFeXEsIZKRjWoZCsvwCy8ch6Lr5nO4aSy199eeoygEQB_ozRtuXFnI4Vng7wLmJ02eJcv8/s320/untitled.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">After looking for a few minutes online and not finding anything we had all the supplies for, we set out to invent our own catapult. I had the idea to use a popsicle stick and the chip clip. After playing with these 2 things for a minute I told Aly I didn't think the popsicle stick was strong enough and we needed to find something stronger, she suggested we try using 5 or 6 popsicle sticks. Way to go my inventive little girl. The problem was, how to stick them together. I was almost out of tape, and had NO hot glue sticks left. There wasn't enough time to let wood or school glue dry. Bring on the rubber bands! First we rubber banded all 5 popsicle sticks together, and then we used more rubber bands to attach them to the chip clip. Aly said we should use my coke bottle lid to hold the marshmallow, but when we tried it, it was too small. They were going to use regular size marshmallows at school. We went with a Gatorade bottle lid instead and it was the perfect size.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">So, we had our catapult, but it was a little hard for Aly to use. She said we needed to glue it to a board or something so she would have something to hold onto to make it easier to shoot the marshmallows. We screwed 2 pieces of rotten tomato stakes together and then used more rubber bands to hold our catapult to the wood block. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Success! Our first marshmallow flew from our dinner table, over the refrigerator and landed somewhere in the kitchen where we never found it. They all had fun shooting their marshmallows at school today. And while Aly's didn't shoot the farthest, she did come in 3rd place and she was very excited that hers hit the ceiling in her classroom.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Aly posing with her catapult.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXV728jtTwvaGkvl9NsGjUI68bmJPf65CHogXkc4XjodkxmVgNZ7QfyfeW6e0y80ghj95NHS5jIAzAwB_X-0uyFyFjfzE-qc5AoNyaccHzgmVlJ8wPU5oWWsUktYSbKJA9RG2SYpPu1Rc/s1600/Abby's+music+program+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXV728jtTwvaGkvl9NsGjUI68bmJPf65CHogXkc4XjodkxmVgNZ7QfyfeW6e0y80ghj95NHS5jIAzAwB_X-0uyFyFjfzE-qc5AoNyaccHzgmVlJ8wPU5oWWsUktYSbKJA9RG2SYpPu1Rc/s320/Abby's+music+program+015.JPG" width="223" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> Being such a great big sister helping Abby hold the catapult so she could shoot it better.<img border="0" height="320" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDwzVuV2P_v0ZwFwEtM4VO5lBxng7B5tYTA2rKaMIm-lLlnzNkhAv9ZJsd-geRDA5VAAUMTu0dzR3rXjgGKScGg5oaQM_SU04HD4_X1IR2WD_vQH2yZOHHSzWEMeLKUxIhoe1eudEohko/s320/Abby's+music+program+019.JPG" width="296" /></div>becky @ becky ann designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432026124239149851noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6492782176982366610.post-28905023760263573692010-10-19T20:29:00.000-04:002010-10-19T20:29:23.195-04:00Wood Halloween Pendants<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Wow, 2 posts in one week. School has been keeping me very busy so there has been very little crafting in my life the past couple of months, much less blogging about what I make. Here is a super quick and easy craft just in time for Halloween. I will be making some more durable Christmas ones to sell at a craft show on the weekend after Thanksgiving in McConnells, SC. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Supplies (all from Hobby Lobby): Mod Podge, Scrapbook Paper, 1" wooden disks, and larger jump rings. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD7A-IlAWhmGOHKZ5L5Gh2k9q5sg8B-gfxNl_28FLNZWlky6L5QIFmYZ85k6SeK0T64CMjYwOj8rYPZIxHmLV_f2ysczwiuytwYmGwGWRoKyDWxtiergPyCcMB92hvEeimM5iuvOiFKzU/s1600/halloween+necklace+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD7A-IlAWhmGOHKZ5L5Gh2k9q5sg8B-gfxNl_28FLNZWlky6L5QIFmYZ85k6SeK0T64CMjYwOj8rYPZIxHmLV_f2ysczwiuytwYmGwGWRoKyDWxtiergPyCcMB92hvEeimM5iuvOiFKzU/s320/halloween+necklace+001.JPG" width="198" /></a></div>Cut out round pieces about the same size as your wooden disks. I glued them down with Mod Podge. Then I sanded down any edges that might be hanging off. That was easier than getting the circles cut perfectly. I put 2 coats of Mod Podge on top of each one. Use Triple Thick on top if you have the 3 or so days to wait for them to dry. It will be more durable than Mod Podge, but since it is already so close to Halloween, I went the fast route for these.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYkl7YcihX9GvIvmDGxpQi8k3L7orkjlzSjfdxa1rm3H3qManwdqeYd9LXt_3PUc8oq5g4j0bQq2hYTftqBn4-0ZyqeHzR7bjG62Z6m0UR17ARn60Jxpn49xt9PM5pM6vt1qVZbIVahE/s1600/halloween+necklace+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYkl7YcihX9GvIvmDGxpQi8k3L7orkjlzSjfdxa1rm3H3qManwdqeYd9LXt_3PUc8oq5g4j0bQq2hYTftqBn4-0ZyqeHzR7bjG62Z6m0UR17ARn60Jxpn49xt9PM5pM6vt1qVZbIVahE/s320/halloween+necklace+002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Drill a small hole close to the top, slide your jump ring through, and pinch closed. My jump rings were big enough and bent easily enough I didn't even have to go find pliers!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgW0sM59V9KmEtbxEizJtQsCg_56H83a6VzSeiMbwkzO4uLQziiiYB85IAUgXOEQC4S4Yr8F26YS7sR_-2VQxf3yrlS08RMAYaiZWCXcOhhQmH77HvB79GUJyRPwGoKSip0dDD4htAkik/s1600/halloween+necklace+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgW0sM59V9KmEtbxEizJtQsCg_56H83a6VzSeiMbwkzO4uLQziiiYB85IAUgXOEQC4S4Yr8F26YS7sR_-2VQxf3yrlS08RMAYaiZWCXcOhhQmH77HvB79GUJyRPwGoKSip0dDD4htAkik/s320/halloween+necklace+003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Slip them onto a piece of cording and pass them out to your little girls best friends who just so happen to live in the neighborhood. Pumpkin for Abby, Bat for Aly, Ghost for Taylor, and Frankenstein for Evelyn.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmuoCaliiyUUIZpsj_8EjRI67TsmbJlg8AHWWX1ITkJAqQY87db_Ho_rJEISpcnjn15n0TsaOeWVMTQCRa4zIZOaOzGWEVkKAX0LKc8s8eRNppT8XAL10bkCnoOW-KrTI3NDUz_sDCIM/s1600/halloween_necklace_004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcmuoCaliiyUUIZpsj_8EjRI67TsmbJlg8AHWWX1ITkJAqQY87db_Ho_rJEISpcnjn15n0TsaOeWVMTQCRa4zIZOaOzGWEVkKAX0LKc8s8eRNppT8XAL10bkCnoOW-KrTI3NDUz_sDCIM/s1600/halloween_necklace_004.JPG" /></a></div>It took me just 3 hours which included driving to the store where I saw the inspirational halloween scrapbook paper, tracked down wooden disks and jump rings, picked the girls up from school, made an afternoon snack, did homework with both girls, cooked supper, found the drill, charged the dead battery for the drill, and finally delivered the finished necklaces.<br />
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Total cost not including Mod Podge or cording $4.42 and you will have enough to make 12 with lots of jump rings left over.becky @ becky ann designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432026124239149851noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6492782176982366610.post-20422809123317672042010-10-17T19:30:00.000-04:002010-10-17T19:30:09.380-04:00On the Machine<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">A <a href="http://www.burdastyle.com/projects/wiesn-dirndl">German Dirndl</a> for my friend Angel. Finally something fun and slightly challenging for me to make. I am having so much fun with this project for some reason. Hopefully it turns out well and Angel will let me post some pictures of her wearing it. I am using the BurdaStyle 6038.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSc9cvJr0b8HABuqx0KD_sYao1GgJkEGLd4Jeexz77ZBbcCGT8F-FU70j8D-f1d4kPKSXXhpHaICcLGBTO3dBgCV1pKttcbmMNFtsrT1WrGt0V7e2wqiPaFdgHozNKXjPf_mVw3AtYvm8/s1600/blog+pics.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSc9cvJr0b8HABuqx0KD_sYao1GgJkEGLd4Jeexz77ZBbcCGT8F-FU70j8D-f1d4kPKSXXhpHaICcLGBTO3dBgCV1pKttcbmMNFtsrT1WrGt0V7e2wqiPaFdgHozNKXjPf_mVw3AtYvm8/s1600/blog+pics.PNG" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I have mixed feelings about the pattern. The pieces are going together great. That is after I finally figured out how to put it together pretty much by myself. The instructions that came with the pattern are probably the worst instructions I have ever seen. EVER! </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYh2Csr920K9hJ3WnC9RNGPtdhN0mM7HvhnkSnw9qo8sxm139mTD-JV8-H2SPU8nHT-rQOUM8w7gGuCHqZkQDJlBRGSGpOF4NsBbiK_F5SbOSIur6p503vuM7njhd9oHqIlTdEmwVx0ZE/s1600/Capture2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYh2Csr920K9hJ3WnC9RNGPtdhN0mM7HvhnkSnw9qo8sxm139mTD-JV8-H2SPU8nHT-rQOUM8w7gGuCHqZkQDJlBRGSGpOF4NsBbiK_F5SbOSIur6p503vuM7njhd9oHqIlTdEmwVx0ZE/s320/Capture2.PNG" width="297" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Thankfully, <a href="http://www.burdastyle.com/projects/the-wiesn-dirndl-reinvented-by-grosgrain/instructions/1">Grosgrain</a> has made her version/ interpritation of the dress and posted some wonderful instructions. She added piping to the front seams and also put a zipper in the back, but you can still pretty much follow her directions and just leave out the zipper and piping. Changing her instructions is definately easier than trying to follow the ones Burda gives you with the pattern.</div>becky @ becky ann designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432026124239149851noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6492782176982366610.post-4968578846635677492010-08-17T18:05:00.000-04:002010-08-17T18:05:27.129-04:00First Day of School- Michael Miller Style!<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">GOOD MORNING TO MY CUTIE PIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmwBSUr7w_W3cXG1g_ZWK1DzY0ZDarS4fdsVEubPWFex5RtllvszTb-ciBOeI18YovsyKuhysTDEu5XYw15xXhB_YU3g1K6BMfONfTtw75TMySkuyQ4ZdMg2WtixkVazoKgt4zTvGIIFI/s1600/2010+School+048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmwBSUr7w_W3cXG1g_ZWK1DzY0ZDarS4fdsVEubPWFex5RtllvszTb-ciBOeI18YovsyKuhysTDEu5XYw15xXhB_YU3g1K6BMfONfTtw75TMySkuyQ4ZdMg2WtixkVazoKgt4zTvGIIFI/s320/2010+School+048.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Aly</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfh90uXgoHcYUm31XqD5uVafxe2-VTwvotCyHqpqSRHbx_tIXHDhJmRaTiw_PLXufsw2klbKHbFkr5N9BT9Tovu5-WRwzS5Dgr4gdKa2vx0dPKMDi3mPqPy4kElKBvmj7apkABb8J2mFE/s1600/2010+School+050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfh90uXgoHcYUm31XqD5uVafxe2-VTwvotCyHqpqSRHbx_tIXHDhJmRaTiw_PLXufsw2klbKHbFkr5N9BT9Tovu5-WRwzS5Dgr4gdKa2vx0dPKMDi3mPqPy4kElKBvmj7apkABb8J2mFE/s320/2010+School+050.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Abby</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Sorry for the horrible pictures, but it was 7:00 am with low light and a camera with a foggy lens because of the humidity.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ1rJ08h5yKikVOM4iWWBSfxJrFVWsDPgJq4R4Fp8iDrCO_1ttm5vt_CryOKSolI4gJf_5-RSvTInBxfrlStMk7Fwgb12u9Dl-2qoil9pXwFiIol6w_MUm5zxc_C3W7mwVbJkI65IwqkU/s1600/2010+School+053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ1rJ08h5yKikVOM4iWWBSfxJrFVWsDPgJq4R4Fp8iDrCO_1ttm5vt_CryOKSolI4gJf_5-RSvTInBxfrlStMk7Fwgb12u9Dl-2qoil9pXwFiIol6w_MUm5zxc_C3W7mwVbJkI65IwqkU/s320/2010+School+053.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Mama made Aly's outfit on Saturday. She used <a href="http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m6062-products-10873.php?page_id=486">McCalls pattern number 6062</a> for the top and the shorts are from a scrubs costume pattern she bought a few years ago that I can't seem to find the number for, sorry.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioU6kG2bzvazIs4Y_iM8AsUTWceyH_e7rJlLxoquVK0RwS6In0oGgxc4V1zqWPiF_VPpN2WrSIuJS4Tr5JEt6OkAHlW-i07dZf-fkSCpdWB9CWFAIAKKA9ADKFfPASRXsL0XWrBgXRwgY/s1600/2010+School+051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioU6kG2bzvazIs4Y_iM8AsUTWceyH_e7rJlLxoquVK0RwS6In0oGgxc4V1zqWPiF_VPpN2WrSIuJS4Tr5JEt6OkAHlW-i07dZf-fkSCpdWB9CWFAIAKKA9ADKFfPASRXsL0XWrBgXRwgY/s320/2010+School+051.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjJvs0Hs2wyUgUpnBCJMR8vR8vUnRk1xO1lNVzi8daLz1SkRfdw15qCNOkwgS5WFLhct05y891LLiudCbZhPSZd4EE3eJa2wSEKuZCMMI3weZrbfEZXTy0lnjyCWrGPxUi9M5_bXVrkE/s1600/2010+School+055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjJvs0Hs2wyUgUpnBCJMR8vR8vUnRk1xO1lNVzi8daLz1SkRfdw15qCNOkwgS5WFLhct05y891LLiudCbZhPSZd4EE3eJa2wSEKuZCMMI3weZrbfEZXTy0lnjyCWrGPxUi9M5_bXVrkE/s320/2010+School+055.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Abby's skirt is my version of Pink Fig's Girly Stripwork Skirt. I take my basic starting point from her pattern measurements, but then change pretty much everything there is on it. This skirt was actually made for Aly, but the girls are so close in size now, that they agreed to share skirts so they could both have more styles to wear.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQIwgN9VJda9q9IQ_fIB_0900n5a_aN6HzKiuM7WgyE2PJJ8iu0OMSPVyRIri0i2zQkgls1R3KztAnXsUPgg1__1I0alzrjXOBqnqseayZ2g4sZV2d2PS13qYsh-BPbbKLSRwg3Gm56uE/s1600/2010+School+056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQIwgN9VJda9q9IQ_fIB_0900n5a_aN6HzKiuM7WgyE2PJJ8iu0OMSPVyRIri0i2zQkgls1R3KztAnXsUPgg1__1I0alzrjXOBqnqseayZ2g4sZV2d2PS13qYsh-BPbbKLSRwg3Gm56uE/s320/2010+School+056.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">They do love each other, sometimes anyway!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UehUeNPTb01XoGdDm7c6RlvGcal8aga01mw4YnYl6TwVUQWyMzFEJzAxaV1oOgTh-LLGUS1Gr2tpKqZWMwKWkK4IrpOkStjc2Hu8Aby5PaCBoej7d8TJS0cW2TVlwW_ypNtl7pA2FnI/s1600/2010+School+057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UehUeNPTb01XoGdDm7c6RlvGcal8aga01mw4YnYl6TwVUQWyMzFEJzAxaV1oOgTh-LLGUS1Gr2tpKqZWMwKWkK4IrpOkStjc2Hu8Aby5PaCBoej7d8TJS0cW2TVlwW_ypNtl7pA2FnI/s320/2010+School+057.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgRG5nTRUrl3zGOLSGp_hVv-RIJdCZoBOBJFMZVIcdnICfSjjFlF2B-BNJ-4OevYev1JUGxOw6x5qVjUs3dc9RR6FAxrOpDD33Go1kOKDzyah0-EDWHdbo_yw3pTM0dDmjj2tGbpKfztQ/s1600/2010+School+058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgRG5nTRUrl3zGOLSGp_hVv-RIJdCZoBOBJFMZVIcdnICfSjjFlF2B-BNJ-4OevYev1JUGxOw6x5qVjUs3dc9RR6FAxrOpDD33Go1kOKDzyah0-EDWHdbo_yw3pTM0dDmjj2tGbpKfztQ/s320/2010+School+058.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Me, my Mama, and the girls had a great visit to Mary Jo's Cloth store last Friday. It was so much fun and I got to pick out some Michael Miller fabric which I can never justify paying $9-$10/ yard for at the quilt shop. Mary Jo's sells it for less than $6.49-$6.89/ yard so I went a little nuts. I ended up with 10 different Michael Miller fabrics. I was one happy girl! Still am since I still get to decide what else to make.</div>becky @ becky ann designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432026124239149851noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6492782176982366610.post-52611506145788443692010-07-27T15:46:00.000-04:002010-07-27T15:46:19.482-04:00New Insulated Lunch Bags<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Well, it's almost that time again. Everywhere you turn there are back to school sales. I have completely finished buying Aly's supplies and have most of Abby's taken care of too. Just a few things like Clorox wipes and Dixie cups left to buy for her, not the actual school supplies like crayons, markers, glue, etc. I try to stock up on those things each year when they are really cheap so the next year I can just pull them out of my file cabinet drawer and not have to spend so much money all at once on everything either. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8dPkx1D0xEwSCm5ZF99o19mqUnR8mjG0PZsI84JARUb8TNni5fc6rQNmlG-aSDPsyEAivKwmzaFVD01mH5mq7UuQ_pTlkBDB8fpbakax4ApGPPlS-1SRYKrAkANSIClAiJIgLd1kRkZk/s1600/536-eventphoto-Back%2520to%2520School%2520Crayons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8dPkx1D0xEwSCm5ZF99o19mqUnR8mjG0PZsI84JARUb8TNni5fc6rQNmlG-aSDPsyEAivKwmzaFVD01mH5mq7UuQ_pTlkBDB8fpbakax4ApGPPlS-1SRYKrAkANSIClAiJIgLd1kRkZk/s200/536-eventphoto-Back%2520to%2520School%2520Crayons.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">With everything else mostly taken care of, I got this bug to make the girls both new lunchboxes for school this year. Not that there was anything functionally wrong with their old ones, I just wanted some to better fit their personalities, and not be some cartoon character.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>I started with a 99 cent McCalls pattern. I made one from the pattern, and it turned out just ok, not great, just ok. Then, I altered the pattern to make a smaller one with a shorter handle and better insulation. And, while I liked the finished product, they made it way harder than it should have been to make that style bag. So what did I do? <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcFKtWiTSk8QAQ0zJBXBG4LUpBJ963XBsLP27gXcQNdswsHFmm4wnFihLQtwH9R2VtKcg8fc5RtbURWaKtbQvBLfq3kgkDzWEqGsKsjvTtq1oI4uILsIp5GgVNR-Di9PYU2QEtAfYf8Ek/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcFKtWiTSk8QAQ0zJBXBG4LUpBJ963XBsLP27gXcQNdswsHFmm4wnFihLQtwH9R2VtKcg8fc5RtbURWaKtbQvBLfq3kgkDzWEqGsKsjvTtq1oI4uILsIp5GgVNR-Di9PYU2QEtAfYf8Ek/s320/002.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Drafted my own pattern for the bag in 2 different sizes. Then I got all technical (for me anyway) and scanned my pattern pieces and wrote up step by step instructions with lots of pictures and made that into a PDF pattern so I could put it in my Etsy shop. Pattern available <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/52281235/insulated-lunch-bag-pattern-quick-and">HERE</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPsgkRVaf8s8hblPU0kGtoi5JS3Sn8IqewDsjGBrTzycEcARvLDEFGhwpCyGdhyphenhyphenIV7Z1te-ILIWpVEKEaS_412H-F_NXw-8SXkM0FXfewnHDeYd-ZurSuHrX5haxSFkrfrnJ4mqSEhdk8/s1600/Composition+Cover+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPsgkRVaf8s8hblPU0kGtoi5JS3Sn8IqewDsjGBrTzycEcARvLDEFGhwpCyGdhyphenhyphenIV7Z1te-ILIWpVEKEaS_412H-F_NXw-8SXkM0FXfewnHDeYd-ZurSuHrX5haxSFkrfrnJ4mqSEhdk8/s320/Composition+Cover+005.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I got one of the $1 fat quarters from Wal-Mart for Aly's. Abby picked out her Owl fabric from Hancock Fabrics. I like owls, but Abby LOVES owls. Anything to do with them, reading books with real facts about them, cartoon owls, clothes, literally anything. We found this fabric within 60 seconds of entering the store. I tried showing her some really cute fabric with birds in birdcages on it and all she said was "those are birds, not owls". That's Abby. There were several other cute owl fabrics, but she kept hugging this one tight saying she wanted it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUqcH6siJBfxjRl7nMnVKk2dlo_r6yZ9TKI0uY9tUm0RcNUV5VdX_1kgehPklqS99McLWjZJCDfVcU7yCfh9J4qPBs-9YW3cbz171fnIR1MWbE5SMeK1A9OFmr1O5Db7_SVWD3Kt-r9u8/s1600/Composition+Cover+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUqcH6siJBfxjRl7nMnVKk2dlo_r6yZ9TKI0uY9tUm0RcNUV5VdX_1kgehPklqS99McLWjZJCDfVcU7yCfh9J4qPBs-9YW3cbz171fnIR1MWbE5SMeK1A9OFmr1O5Db7_SVWD3Kt-r9u8/s320/Composition+Cover+007.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">I made both of these in the larger size since we use re-usable containers for drinks (way cheaper and better for the environment). The smaller size is great if you are sending juice boxes or capri-sun type pouches. And no, I won't hold it against you if you choose to send those, it's just not what we choose to use.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAXkyIZJk4y1t43uWOcySDcJPVw5YUvxumUTF2nHT7cuWuFxfg0vfFckjYHX25vKc5Yxc4oe1nxOp-tDDtC0di8ncPsO4QpcZV9cQshE_SIWtL4kQJiYs_TDdl87i7MWvthYpY2flsUms/s1600/Composition+Cover+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAXkyIZJk4y1t43uWOcySDcJPVw5YUvxumUTF2nHT7cuWuFxfg0vfFckjYHX25vKc5Yxc4oe1nxOp-tDDtC0di8ncPsO4QpcZV9cQshE_SIWtL4kQJiYs_TDdl87i7MWvthYpY2flsUms/s320/Composition+Cover+006.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">I just need to make some matching luggage tags to hook on the strap so I can put their names on them. I just can't make myself Sharpie their names over all this cuteness!</div><div align="left" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>becky @ becky ann designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432026124239149851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6492782176982366610.post-10881621289692732742010-07-11T09:26:00.000-04:002010-07-11T09:26:53.983-04:00Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">I ended up just printing these out to choose a winner since there were only 10 entries.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH5vNYofHOeW_lUPJiSMpnJJIUIGhmJmsX2LYt0O-hdCVt6QPQxsUVvfVjHajpkiK8f1pSE_D-iJiDOCKUamXsBh1a1Js756L-1bIX3qhpkfTHTpeME50Rcs3svW5LFk6k9lAFT-28000/s1600/Birthday+Giveaway+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH5vNYofHOeW_lUPJiSMpnJJIUIGhmJmsX2LYt0O-hdCVt6QPQxsUVvfVjHajpkiK8f1pSE_D-iJiDOCKUamXsBh1a1Js756L-1bIX3qhpkfTHTpeME50Rcs3svW5LFk6k9lAFT-28000/s320/Birthday+Giveaway+001.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">I cut them apart and folded into itty bitty squares.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyoy_R8-M4V7hzGOfR8PSmFaKVvCEYguCH5IYO8SssPbQlhMVgaiLzspj-cGRIDbIVSYAya1dmtzbEmIFQi2Xfl80G_8psazMgNg7i_pSrk04dZ_LGdnQ4Ou8qqIw5EcAz9m1N6ZKXbhM/s1600/Birthday+Giveaway+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyoy_R8-M4V7hzGOfR8PSmFaKVvCEYguCH5IYO8SssPbQlhMVgaiLzspj-cGRIDbIVSYAya1dmtzbEmIFQi2Xfl80G_8psazMgNg7i_pSrk04dZ_LGdnQ4Ou8qqIw5EcAz9m1N6ZKXbhM/s320/Birthday+Giveaway+002.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Put them in a lovely plastic orange bowl and gave them a few tosses to mix them up good.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLUF3IvIN2yQOVCU6sRcUXlrd-mCY5ct9b6b99o9OlZhwmTgT90rX4a-j_mGI3P714nFuwuozTGmPMVvPNWUoijq9qKp8pSjDdQ8xjg3GZIOOg38k-LEhFNlJPcbWPGkgz6Ux2HKL2OA/s1600/Birthday+Giveaway+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLUF3IvIN2yQOVCU6sRcUXlrd-mCY5ct9b6b99o9OlZhwmTgT90rX4a-j_mGI3P714nFuwuozTGmPMVvPNWUoijq9qKp8pSjDdQ8xjg3GZIOOg38k-LEhFNlJPcbWPGkgz6Ux2HKL2OA/s320/Birthday+Giveaway+003.JPG" /></a></div><div class="" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Then I found an unsuspecting kid that can't read big words yet...</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqyt9lJb8LzuqwE6eSmlRF6CcOvXZQyiVagQLlKrCB5ltObA7ObmzkuwAMIG27e_DPv_M-zoo-BO2kMhjRTP4G1BUQU_O7jbO6cXGQkCd_4wDi3OX3aBe8NxIbKispkwwJUkg5LUqaSFE/s1600/Birthday+Giveaway+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqyt9lJb8LzuqwE6eSmlRF6CcOvXZQyiVagQLlKrCB5ltObA7ObmzkuwAMIG27e_DPv_M-zoo-BO2kMhjRTP4G1BUQU_O7jbO6cXGQkCd_4wDi3OX3aBe8NxIbKispkwwJUkg5LUqaSFE/s320/Birthday+Giveaway+004.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Stood directly between her and the TV with cartoons on it....</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">(no I did not pose Hoot there, she drags him everywhere, makes this mama so happy to see them love things I make for them!)</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnlNrgvJaHoSkSC0ZkqfrIsY6ASGBxJPHWAzSpq1hK7p9mCAC1cOOqi4NgNWE-h5UFD3rKvUBYbKzYwbQZWn_whs1C77AVfk5NTXUdIOmCyrWD9xhdJlZWq9NzMIAPDZVykysphnvIDho/s1600/Birthday+Giveaway+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnlNrgvJaHoSkSC0ZkqfrIsY6ASGBxJPHWAzSpq1hK7p9mCAC1cOOqi4NgNWE-h5UFD3rKvUBYbKzYwbQZWn_whs1C77AVfk5NTXUdIOmCyrWD9xhdJlZWq9NzMIAPDZVykysphnvIDho/s320/Birthday+Giveaway+005.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Told her to choose one piece of paper...</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfcz7bryJ60xlHLYNW2C0m_c1f-0WqUV3HSG3KDBViMdsYuJX6V18Chl5uj07M_gEpbsnYC-IXVCsdk5RZgmkvtub1UiqepzSmC9KaW9SCggPbnD0XptFWcYAPUisowhWTjl4aQsLiRb0/s1600/Birthday+Giveaway+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfcz7bryJ60xlHLYNW2C0m_c1f-0WqUV3HSG3KDBViMdsYuJX6V18Chl5uj07M_gEpbsnYC-IXVCsdk5RZgmkvtub1UiqepzSmC9KaW9SCggPbnD0XptFWcYAPUisowhWTjl4aQsLiRb0/s320/Birthday+Giveaway+006.JPG" /></a></div><div class="" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">And she unfolded it to reveal......</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-4zJlcHsjx7z7b4qjRXONQ4tjJTOR6EPdSSSZ7HexxDHdcqR5lzUEOmqQAcCSrKD62ycWm3CjKtv0Ctmj6x65X4WoiXqLtiwxi3HW71yP06cPttUGhM8SQt6zZB2et-MViIXgqE6tcE/s1600/Birthday+Giveaway+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-4zJlcHsjx7z7b4qjRXONQ4tjJTOR6EPdSSSZ7HexxDHdcqR5lzUEOmqQAcCSrKD62ycWm3CjKtv0Ctmj6x65X4WoiXqLtiwxi3HW71yP06cPttUGhM8SQt6zZB2et-MViIXgqE6tcE/s320/Birthday+Giveaway+007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">So, Pamela, let me know if you want the orange or white ribbon and I will make sure you get it!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>becky @ becky ann designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432026124239149851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6492782176982366610.post-90582611029529362652010-07-05T08:23:00.001-04:002010-07-09T21:40:24.227-04:00Birthday Boquet<div>Linked up for <a href="http://www.amylouwho.com/">Sew and Tell Fridays</a>. Remember to enter my giveaway; I'm taking entries through Saturday.<br />
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If you haven't figured it out yet, I really, really, like to stretch out my birthday for as long as possible. I'm getting an early start this year! I made myself 2 gifts already.<br />
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<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPnzGqBFJfFHFd0PkaDJV-nd7NhNQ2s3-3fc9EVdP18odkd_FKJkFwD8ETXKAksZ_IwAw3_8HOLXr2vFr-EAblE1tUZeg03Hi0SvjCivAxNDLiS-uJvI2nxdNXR3sgyh7amnhfPtH0ZoQ/s1600/my+flower+%26+scrabble+006.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490092137344832722" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPnzGqBFJfFHFd0PkaDJV-nd7NhNQ2s3-3fc9EVdP18odkd_FKJkFwD8ETXKAksZ_IwAw3_8HOLXr2vFr-EAblE1tUZeg03Hi0SvjCivAxNDLiS-uJvI2nxdNXR3sgyh7amnhfPtH0ZoQ/s320/my+flower+%26+scrabble+006.JPG" style="cursor: hand; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a></div><br />
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<div>The first is this adorabl little hair pin. I used one of the few little slivers of fabric I have left that used to be my Great Aunt Bertha's. You can find the super easy tutorial at <a href="http://poppychic.blogspot.com/2010/06/sweet-gathered-roses-my-grandmas-magic.html">Poppy Chic Designs</a>. She used a 4 x 4 inch square, but the biggest size I could cut was 2 1/2" x 2 1/2". It turned out the perfect size. When I was finished, I just hot glued it to a hair pin with a little disc on it.</div><br />
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<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcsiVL-nB87xaTm8-vdioIk9JIdVoYPxyBYDn_6POMH3Dp0sfkrdwmNft75Em0na_cy2VFLAXHrtTQR2l3MGpqUHLOAHaYFXisavvKG-2k1_F2Xo61qaVRp01ceKSinzhQtVrM76TApk/s1600/my+flower+%26+scrabble+007.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490092122543799234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcsiVL-nB87xaTm8-vdioIk9JIdVoYPxyBYDn_6POMH3Dp0sfkrdwmNft75Em0na_cy2VFLAXHrtTQR2l3MGpqUHLOAHaYFXisavvKG-2k1_F2Xo61qaVRp01ceKSinzhQtVrM76TApk/s320/my+flower+%26+scrabble+007.JPG" style="cursor: hand; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a></div><br />
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<div>The second, I finally got around to making myself a scrabble tile pendant. I just love the design on this one. Actually, I love just about anything vintage, especially fabric. This was a fabric swatch I saw online this morning and just fell in love with it. Granted the original is much prettier, but, $18 a yard is just slightly out of my price range, so I went with this instead. I still have to wait 3 days or so for the glaze to dry, but it will be ready before my birthday!</div></div><br />
<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcsiVL-nB87xaTm8-vdioIk9JIdVoYPxyBYDn_6POMH3Dp0sfkrdwmNft75Em0na_cy2VFLAXHrtTQR2l3MGpqUHLOAHaYFXisavvKG-2k1_F2Xo61qaVRp01ceKSinzhQtVrM76TApk/s1600/my+flower+%26+scrabble+007.JPG"></a></div><br />
<div></div>becky @ becky ann designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432026124239149851noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6492782176982366610.post-18848144480589966512010-07-04T13:51:00.002-04:002010-07-06T07:41:45.972-04:00Birthday Giveaway!So, exactly one week from today is my birthday! 7-11, you know, just like the convenience store.<br />
<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg062MWcSQ19MNZQ-GCmUh0MT1olbrXdVn4e4E-CEiIfAfmFCDo2Uhn2oaHT9cJosvLhH6ZdctdBbWr2tos8K2TXbkRMI0zEweMBoxJMbRV9CyFAnCxqpbu3ozpJTZfI01WBcW3utR9Lk0/s1600/7-11+sign.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489739952007234866" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg062MWcSQ19MNZQ-GCmUh0MT1olbrXdVn4e4E-CEiIfAfmFCDo2Uhn2oaHT9cJosvLhH6ZdctdBbWr2tos8K2TXbkRMI0zEweMBoxJMbRV9CyFAnCxqpbu3ozpJTZfI01WBcW3utR9Lk0/s320/7-11+sign.jpg" style="cursor: hand; height: 138px; width: 143px;" /></a></div>Ok, so you want to see what you can win and how to enter?<br />
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You can win, this adorable little orange owl scrabble tile pendant with the letter S on the back, and choose either the orange ribbon necklace shown here or a white satin cord necklace to put it on.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSOQlYLk3NCC_7wkGdbbp4SS5_7gkVeyFB2OilWQz5E7B3bC9XBniz_wlYEt-V542mQZqNqvsd5qUShlYBWav6osbIYO_Le49UV3z17FtcY4dlHvBRGnA3RiDkMm645eNJib13e5km1OU/s1600/Scrabble+2+024.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489743438832672626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSOQlYLk3NCC_7wkGdbbp4SS5_7gkVeyFB2OilWQz5E7B3bC9XBniz_wlYEt-V542mQZqNqvsd5qUShlYBWav6osbIYO_Le49UV3z17FtcY4dlHvBRGnA3RiDkMm645eNJib13e5km1OU/s320/Scrabble+2+024.JPG" style="cursor: hand; height: 239px; width: 199px;" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjZ-OpECWhNRpaTy8uwdYbfqWJHetLwUMQWBg0GEN30ZbJ-D9r369zBreP7SFhVfDEy_IF4_DSDx8MtlnXBwe4koZndRQTJy6KYHJpZXioXfsg99J8K4J7x-8OQBqeR0QBUqXy4Ytviw/s1600/Hoot+and+Scrabble+Necklaces+011.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489743102034544466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBjZ-OpECWhNRpaTy8uwdYbfqWJHetLwUMQWBg0GEN30ZbJ-D9r369zBreP7SFhVfDEy_IF4_DSDx8MtlnXBwe4koZndRQTJy6KYHJpZXioXfsg99J8K4J7x-8OQBqeR0QBUqXy4Ytviw/s320/Hoot+and+Scrabble+Necklaces+011.JPG" style="cursor: hand; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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Earn one entry for each thing you do!<br />
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1. Leave me Happy Birthday wishes.<br />
2. Visit my Etsy shop and tell me what your favorite item is.<br />
3. Blog or let your friends on facebook know so they can enter.<br />
4. "Like" <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Becky-Ann-Designs/119512858093042">Becky Ann Designs </a>on Facebook.<br />
5. Become a follower or subscribe to emails. If you're already a follower, make sure leave a comment to tell me.<br />
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Make sure to leave me a separate comment for each thing you do. I will use random.org to pick a winner. And make sure I have a way to contact you. I will accept entries through Saturday, July 10th and announce the winner in a post on my birthday. GOOD LUCK!becky @ becky ann designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432026124239149851noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6492782176982366610.post-10172238993697585702010-07-02T16:50:00.005-04:002010-07-02T18:18:56.721-04:00Fabric Key ChainsThese are so much fun to make! And the best part is, you don't have to order any supplies online to make this version. This is a very basic tutorial showing the first one I made. Feel free to make yours longer, shorter, wider or thinner. I plan on making lots more to sell in my <a href="http://http//www.etsy.com/shop/beckyanndesigns">Etsy</a> shop and at the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pendleton-SC/Pendleton-Farmers-Market/123792054302940">Pendleton Farmer's Market</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGT0KoNuCIIHZ7RpdLWm9xfEfYqUqOet6O7aEHzH_fCc8KfrwBkOhuCHBTlSh2Zb8sqoBwt0rmCdee7T0Y9SSbUcWJtbPHqva-T0Am25jz-7_vFYgYmCTSGJe6tLvh0PXRfSGoF-Mej7o/s1600/Key+Chain+013.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489415731090287602" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGT0KoNuCIIHZ7RpdLWm9xfEfYqUqOet6O7aEHzH_fCc8KfrwBkOhuCHBTlSh2Zb8sqoBwt0rmCdee7T0Y9SSbUcWJtbPHqva-T0Am25jz-7_vFYgYmCTSGJe6tLvh0PXRfSGoF-Mej7o/s320/Key+Chain+013.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Supplies:<br />Scraps of Fabric<br />Fusible Interfacing- medium to heavy weight<br />Oval Ring<br />Key Ring<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZR96RrE6j4zk97W_mKQzSNojVqg0zGmElU4H7zADJM53_1vUmPwLeLF6XDbxwEEcmIEcmpKnWqIHVlPUu_6oBKa9_k0sWV_rGf-Oz9_mrO79oWENfJU3Iqh9poMKvgeywdFApmBGYKUM/s1600/Key+Chain+003.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489418903072161954" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZR96RrE6j4zk97W_mKQzSNojVqg0zGmElU4H7zADJM53_1vUmPwLeLF6XDbxwEEcmIEcmpKnWqIHVlPUu_6oBKa9_k0sWV_rGf-Oz9_mrO79oWENfJU3Iqh9poMKvgeywdFApmBGYKUM/s320/Key+Chain+003.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Cut out all your pieces.<br />2 pieces of fabric 1 3/4 x 9" (make the width the same as your oval ring)<br />2 pieces of interfacing 1 1/2 x 8 1/2 (this cuts down on bulk in seam allowances)<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKX7o5H9JWMOhBbHq7-U3a5Mwnvx4PFSdS4Xh3kxRBCOcvFRNIST4Uzn3xoxil6f207Ii7eIne-XddnoTtcSHFaEbgCgosCaqSAuR8IFkPZjDzF8dh3BZxC3a2J33yOJT7zTErtH4iso/s1600/Key+Chain+004.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489418898805524850" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKX7o5H9JWMOhBbHq7-U3a5Mwnvx4PFSdS4Xh3kxRBCOcvFRNIST4Uzn3xoxil6f207Ii7eIne-XddnoTtcSHFaEbgCgosCaqSAuR8IFkPZjDzF8dh3BZxC3a2J33yOJT7zTErtH4iso/s320/Key+Chain+004.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><br />Fuse your interfacing to the wrong side of your fabrics.<br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWcS3MjYXxlywybO9mGkeGR9sULc_RQUerhyItPfvRJ7uURlmKRsr7x2QnSwgxTeT5Ca8y_P7tSm4cwObCj5xFrdqcAE6wzfdmikOs8bYve7TYPSTkASq30NK3rJv9lpiPbHx57YD0hu4/s1600/Key+Chain+005.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489418891175885714" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWcS3MjYXxlywybO9mGkeGR9sULc_RQUerhyItPfvRJ7uURlmKRsr7x2QnSwgxTeT5Ca8y_P7tSm4cwObCj5xFrdqcAE6wzfdmikOs8bYve7TYPSTkASq30NK3rJv9lpiPbHx57YD0hu4/s320/Key+Chain+005.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwKJl2EWVfGA9dOJPDn15HPgREA_CB-5xw7xv7DZymchw8H0nrtWYtsoKjPY4mfkQJACxCrZjoIFws68V-g_Sutf8p-c3NebTlG1x1VQoq7isk9cLNKYBDm0PEbAwEN_I05zbvnWY8gr8/s1600/Key+Chain+007.JPG"></a>Put fabrics right sides together and stitch down both long sides, leaving both short ends open. Turn it right side out and press. This is where you should topstitch down each long side. I am pointing this out because I forgot to do it on mine and it is bugging me now. </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Another option if you are making narrower keychains, is to sew just 1 long side, then press under the seam allowance on the other long side and stitch it up. I'll try to post a picture of what I'm talking about here later when I make one that way.</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17PpIGp459w8BsAyhvuz9VIVwXs1gv-w0sg4hlcwGZSsfWf5x8v4vwOxO9NcduGzAlSfXclchAsYjlcWvdF0au7AhOHj27gr1nBNqr-rdsFhlSSPPDQMD_8V6pV2MOnakUeBd8QMDSew/s1600/Key+Chain+008.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489418881489370002" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17PpIGp459w8BsAyhvuz9VIVwXs1gv-w0sg4hlcwGZSsfWf5x8v4vwOxO9NcduGzAlSfXclchAsYjlcWvdF0au7AhOHj27gr1nBNqr-rdsFhlSSPPDQMD_8V6pV2MOnakUeBd8QMDSew/s320/Key+Chain+008.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><br />Now, put the fabric strip through your oval ring and fold it in half. Tip: put the side of the oval ring where the ends meet towards the outside. Stitch the ends of the strip together.</div><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih3j-Xj6tIOhyAF6igKV3Yh6oXIncs-IKUVGRLgvFhxhLh2javS9mCvBxJpUXB7MdA6EVxoCWQGUB7rQBrIUSzUVlyDnEf8y26xtKYYKgrxpecaK-jD08T6UZJYxkOCcoS-J1MzkZG5bM/s1600/Key+Chain+009.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489415748985853730" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih3j-Xj6tIOhyAF6igKV3Yh6oXIncs-IKUVGRLgvFhxhLh2javS9mCvBxJpUXB7MdA6EVxoCWQGUB7rQBrIUSzUVlyDnEf8y26xtKYYKgrxpecaK-jD08T6UZJYxkOCcoS-J1MzkZG5bM/s320/Key+Chain+009.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div> </div><div><div><div><div><div><div>Now, turn it so that the seam is on the inside. I scooted my seam down a little bit so it wasn't directly on the top.</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMXqTHv6kHSG0wgSAmAVAvBnESLZTL6NFdnxgu0GC_ffyVv8TpxrHUklV0V6_8QVd6xTQv13444SjnXCUyBr4GpzoffFECRzWH8exhoSxDmyjeyX1rDc7NQXLTDd286EsZL_20gbv2Z4I/s1600/Key+Chain+011.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489415740804227090" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMXqTHv6kHSG0wgSAmAVAvBnESLZTL6NFdnxgu0GC_ffyVv8TpxrHUklV0V6_8QVd6xTQv13444SjnXCUyBr4GpzoffFECRzWH8exhoSxDmyjeyX1rDc7NQXLTDd286EsZL_20gbv2Z4I/s320/Key+Chain+011.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div><br />Topstitch over the seam close to the oval ring to hold everything in place.<br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh63ibwL3Tn0tiAdcepxqGhytKNQJ0yWsi_lBxo65rUukDiWfwLiW5jl4gkgPlC_84gKN0z-N-1aM27jZkgsk_PcDjGCORPoW3HODcULJBQpklLadt1EuasDA8mL8ZtqjaQ0niCM_imiwo/s1600/Key+Chain+012.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489415734547982226" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh63ibwL3Tn0tiAdcepxqGhytKNQJ0yWsi_lBxo65rUukDiWfwLiW5jl4gkgPlC_84gKN0z-N-1aM27jZkgsk_PcDjGCORPoW3HODcULJBQpklLadt1EuasDA8mL8ZtqjaQ0niCM_imiwo/s320/Key+Chain+012.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div> </div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdSlK0vUp_DWj7xAZ-xRIqH3bO30xkz99vOf7VCJQi4uijzC_3bzl7-zBjh3vY4oVoOvSmB4vLl150VjPPXzL6vl3E0Vt_ght3lduuqqIPXR4Q3bEMu5c2pk7uC5jXes2mhPqXLi0sD00/s1600/Key+Chain+014.JPG"></a></div><div>Add your keyring and keys and you are all done!</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdSlK0vUp_DWj7xAZ-xRIqH3bO30xkz99vOf7VCJQi4uijzC_3bzl7-zBjh3vY4oVoOvSmB4vLl150VjPPXzL6vl3E0Vt_ght3lduuqqIPXR4Q3bEMu5c2pk7uC5jXes2mhPqXLi0sD00/s1600/Key+Chain+014.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489415718943368114" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdSlK0vUp_DWj7xAZ-xRIqH3bO30xkz99vOf7VCJQi4uijzC_3bzl7-zBjh3vY4oVoOvSmB4vLl150VjPPXzL6vl3E0Vt_ght3lduuqqIPXR4Q3bEMu5c2pk7uC5jXes2mhPqXLi0sD00/s320/Key+Chain+014.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>A few things I noticed only AFTER I looked at this picture: </div><div>1) What is that blue plastic thing and how long has it been taking up space on my keychain?</div><div>2) I forgot to topstitch and it is really bugging me!</div><div>3) Why do I have to have 10 different discount cards just to get the sale prices at stores. Ok, so 1 is my library card, and 2 of them I only shop at a few times a year, but don't want to have to fill out another form every time I go. </div></div></div></div></div></div>becky @ becky ann designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432026124239149851noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6492782176982366610.post-79941853566780505672010-06-29T07:38:00.003-04:002010-06-29T09:28:17.044-04:00Freezing Corn on the CobFirst, get yourself a big 'ol bag of FRESH corn from the farmer's market or roadside stad. Grocery store corn is NOT acceptable to this farm raised girl. I would rather not eat corn at all than eat grocery store, over ripe, starchy, who knows how many days it has been picked for corn. I robbed from mine my brother's corn field early in the morning with a little help from the girls.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_-QsJ2PWq9JAqEnaW_Eb1S4WZ4IyxT9vNCwDvhj6Va7mhQrdP-OERtjM6518flIiwnRmUSVpEtbL_i9yA9B-uKx0ZBqRVqxQDe372XUFAx4S9tT1WShXHlhiO-MNzuJIDXcdeB_muv9s/s1600/June+2009+037.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488160061294828130" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_-QsJ2PWq9JAqEnaW_Eb1S4WZ4IyxT9vNCwDvhj6Va7mhQrdP-OERtjM6518flIiwnRmUSVpEtbL_i9yA9B-uKx0ZBqRVqxQDe372XUFAx4S9tT1WShXHlhiO-MNzuJIDXcdeB_muv9s/s320/June+2009+037.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Shuck and silk the corn and cut off any bad spots. Bring a huge pot of water to a boil. When you put your ears of corn in, it will stop boiling. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn3Frm9Q4xX_-kEAy-lrs7-0UcQcQNefwYqIz7INRJvbWojM3M0qQUNef9Zc_SCATGTTcdTDntEm2-Vvert7lD6Ysgd-K6jyIf7btphXbE_zUm-0vJIef-bmS0gY3sEvU9c4ZXJx2s67c/s1600/June+2009+039.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488160076469865650" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn3Frm9Q4xX_-kEAy-lrs7-0UcQcQNefwYqIz7INRJvbWojM3M0qQUNef9Zc_SCATGTTcdTDntEm2-Vvert7lD6Ysgd-K6jyIf7btphXbE_zUm-0vJIef-bmS0gY3sEvU9c4ZXJx2s67c/s320/June+2009+039.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />When it starts boiling again, it's time to take the ears out. Immediately put them in a large bowl or your sink filled with ice water to stop the cooking process. This was my last batch below, so just pretend like there is WAY more ice in there.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0iLUTNgE9NwJUJKRN-i2hY3i00OtACfoLDyC5rObCt7oFV080q20NLNgTOsBzLL8yY5qWx3MZTOmkF5XrfErgNDXkDqDEAsLGm4KBe7JO_Ljz2e5JU0D3OQJGNodW9aHrB6lCQWHyoV4/s1600/June+2009+040.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488160065242224546" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0iLUTNgE9NwJUJKRN-i2hY3i00OtACfoLDyC5rObCt7oFV080q20NLNgTOsBzLL8yY5qWx3MZTOmkF5XrfErgNDXkDqDEAsLGm4KBe7JO_Ljz2e5JU0D3OQJGNodW9aHrB6lCQWHyoV4/s320/June+2009+040.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Line them up on a cookie sheet and put it in the freezer. It's ok to stack them on top of each other. I set mine down in the deep freezer as soon as I get the first batch done and just add to it as I go. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwI1FFOIlcmDvAkeyZAr3gMAGc4Ufv-bxcDzXyL_WqIHiuInuQd0QbTPesFYY5DdDWRbtgytG9STVQ1-iXdFyPCxwiGeC-wqxiHjOJRjfPV7Pz53svR41lJUFytlOd92fLpsFgpB35B90/s1600/June+2009+050.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488160076091003362" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwI1FFOIlcmDvAkeyZAr3gMAGc4Ufv-bxcDzXyL_WqIHiuInuQd0QbTPesFYY5DdDWRbtgytG9STVQ1-iXdFyPCxwiGeC-wqxiHjOJRjfPV7Pz53svR41lJUFytlOd92fLpsFgpB35B90/s320/June+2009+050.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Leave them in there until the next morning so they get nice and frozen solid. Then, just throw them into freezer bags.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60gseS5fNn3a1fXObfMfxv0Rz7V_Ko5nXaHMbnQa4Aw2TTSEdDabrxTSL-_N8HOQ7UI8DCfCKEI-aUiCoZDK2FGY4ZNv2oaIxAtmTuuaPzMlgZqD9qDbowRlzCWs-TnRYygv2EHy1A60/s1600/June+2009+051.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488160053988300770" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60gseS5fNn3a1fXObfMfxv0Rz7V_Ko5nXaHMbnQa4Aw2TTSEdDabrxTSL-_N8HOQ7UI8DCfCKEI-aUiCoZDK2FGY4ZNv2oaIxAtmTuuaPzMlgZqD9qDbowRlzCWs-TnRYygv2EHy1A60/s320/June+2009+051.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />I use gallon bags so I don't have so many floating around getting lost in the freezer. And since they were frozen in layers, on the cookie sheet they won't be all stuck to gether in the bag and you can just pull out however many you need for each meal.becky @ becky ann designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432026124239149851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6492782176982366610.post-25755596821956021102010-06-26T09:54:00.009-04:002010-06-26T10:56:23.077-04:00Monkey Munch<p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuINV9dQ_V89lud3R0OHSKmWtburyKHypkgl3hFQw1JV8Q9cjipvE_uncXkbXMqzWW-hVbaqp9l6akup844kqKiBrnLThNHCNk1SScKZGx6YQOsXkArKHbzG8iBHXtrybLKiZmCAvBCww/s1600/Pizza+Sauce+%26+Monkey+Munch+009.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487094582466120450" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuINV9dQ_V89lud3R0OHSKmWtburyKHypkgl3hFQw1JV8Q9cjipvE_uncXkbXMqzWW-hVbaqp9l6akup844kqKiBrnLThNHCNk1SScKZGx6YQOsXkArKHbzG8iBHXtrybLKiZmCAvBCww/s320/Pizza+Sauce+%26+Monkey+Munch+009.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><div align="center"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Gsa9hT_bbWHghbmCOWQISoH78jF_7RYf1MYq00Ti8oBYorE7nQhlKBasUbKkLCjI5tqZTiowuHo938l6YSU58sQ1mi8jfKY-zDOkbqtthB79W8TvZYq0BtzIPUiD-4rMqd2mqsbulJ4/s1600/monkey.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487092475048045042" style="WIDTH: 66px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 67px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Gsa9hT_bbWHghbmCOWQISoH78jF_7RYf1MYq00Ti8oBYorE7nQhlKBasUbKkLCjI5tqZTiowuHo938l6YSU58sQ1mi8jfKY-zDOkbqtthB79W8TvZYq0BtzIPUiD-4rMqd2mqsbulJ4/s320/monkey.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><p align="center"><u>Monkey Munch</u> </p><div align="center">9 cups Chex cereal (any variety)<br />1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips<br />1/2 cup <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=460">peanut butter</a><br />1/4 cup <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=141">butter</a> or <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=421">margarine</a><br />1 teaspoon <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=350">vanilla</a><br />1 1/2 cups <a href="http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=140">powdered sugar</a> </div><br />Put chex in a giant bowl with a lid and put aside. Place chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter into a microwavable container. Microwave the mixture uncovered for a minute on high. Stir the mix again and continue to zap in thirty second intervals until it mixes smoothly. Add the vanilla and stir. Pour this combination over your chex in the large bowl, put the lid on and shake! This is a great time to let the kids help out. Just make sure you get all of the cereal coated. Remove the lid, and add the powdered sugar, seal the bowl and shake again. Spread Monkey Munch out on wax paper to cool and dry. Or, do what I do and leave the bowl sitting on the counter without the lid. Walk by every few minutes and toss it gently until it is completely cool. Keep in an airtight container for storage.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhctRz4dQaDS_va1LlVbZNio_Lr-Yc4rNd-a0UTPTAqpQ14Kq6uImdqT18HA7qaNZQqYTMmPYH8voPh2TzJ56Do8tRYfms6oudBslo9OU0h8E93dK-NnyGaJMRGXLCiT8prnG4-dmlks98/s1600/Pizza+Sauce+%26+Monkey+Munch+006.JPG"></a><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNccnT4J7cNbhNBVtuMK43pCpqBB4Ib52uzrt9saCchyd1URXZ7HT2LA18h_Xko3rqZTPQ1HZh887U9SNer27gHE73AJLIZMjsZVhQVnQVJyzJ__NUKZAgAaCEkauP9OEJebPnSxmMnhw/s1600/Pizza+Sauce+%26+Monkey+Munch+007.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487093995898475042" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNccnT4J7cNbhNBVtuMK43pCpqBB4Ib52uzrt9saCchyd1URXZ7HT2LA18h_Xko3rqZTPQ1HZh887U9SNer27gHE73AJLIZMjsZVhQVnQVJyzJ__NUKZAgAaCEkauP9OEJebPnSxmMnhw/s320/Pizza+Sauce+%26+Monkey+Munch+007.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p align="center">Sit back and watch your little monkeys enjoy!</p>becky @ becky ann designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432026124239149851noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6492782176982366610.post-28941058226274187242010-06-02T19:49:00.009-04:002010-06-02T20:12:26.818-04:00Pillow Box- Last minute gift wrapSo, here it is the night before the last day of school, and what have I done, but procrastinate as usual. I intended to buy some cute little gift bags at Dollar Tree today for the girls to put their teacher gifts in for tomorrow, but my day did not go nearly as smoothly as I planned. So, I did something I am thankful to be pretty good at; I improvised!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6o9E02wCU_a_z6McBVW50bJ8MMAmOxEgTDHNj2zLBuhMamcFqv77a9JtejxcGXZFplnGjvmzbvS05C0NUWB25RYdE8R6CPcCYwOYkFcVLZ10K4zpBOeFKiPJUuPRabWCJUqIe-YKdII/s1600/Abby+4K+awards+003.JPG"></a><br /><br /><br />Click on the template image for the link to a printable template.<br /><a href="http://www.carolynsstampstore.com/catalog/members/pillow_box_template_large.pdf"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478328841333782754" style="WIDTH: 145px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 129px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYtSYOuX7qYKcJVC31pfmUYHiEHHHYqdiV6MZmaMQCK9Ci388Nv9LLOqqDjEXG7wilbTKD2xk09efD2tu-evXZBTiWDCvKe_JU0I68IKI1-L8LPNqk4BOQXFIAzzbsk17Cxpibt5_YAM/s320/images.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p>These go together really quickly. I used some lighter weight cardstock I had on hand. Heavier cardstock is a little harder to work with, but will be more durable. We didn't need these to last forever though, just make it through a trip to school in the girls bookbags. </p><p>I just traced around the template and cut it out, then I used the pointy end of one of my knitting needles to score the dashed lines onto it. Then had Abby write the names on them.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU90DqXdAoDPmj4Pd5TxLafVYbdlRlkKtj3-N_jFU_w1dqIk7PH6Fgx9i12a5BYpJSTpaz-9zupQ75JcJX2OYcvP2OHvxLOL3qEbKa7WR1-wnpuPM77pMdXMT2i2r1wCnWAnSH_ARkzC0/s1600/pillow+box+001.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478329969842654306" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU90DqXdAoDPmj4Pd5TxLafVYbdlRlkKtj3-N_jFU_w1dqIk7PH6Fgx9i12a5BYpJSTpaz-9zupQ75JcJX2OYcvP2OHvxLOL3qEbKa7WR1-wnpuPM77pMdXMT2i2r1wCnWAnSH_ARkzC0/s320/pillow+box+001.JPG" border="0" /></a></p><p>I found it easier to go ahead and pre-fold all of your creases before you do any taping. It's easier to get it to go together smoothly this way.</p><p>Tape the edges together.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZz2hq-7H4d85uPum8I5BOGsCYB5UCS8VD9ktca81fFhrjNxaHBeyBKJEijfzJjgl6cRi3Fbx5lL3v1MKnm7Ao-2585dnpyH846hOir81KmmNdQG_ikefZyPPRuX3iwP720n_dvXbjRU/s1600/pillow+box+005.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478329975249648466" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZz2hq-7H4d85uPum8I5BOGsCYB5UCS8VD9ktca81fFhrjNxaHBeyBKJEijfzJjgl6cRi3Fbx5lL3v1MKnm7Ao-2585dnpyH846hOir81KmmNdQG_ikefZyPPRuX3iwP720n_dvXbjRU/s320/pillow+box+005.JPG" border="0" /></a></p>Fold in the ends.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYvoPwyiMOD9m3yi3RN6Aa1lJH0UNhRsRrCrHUmxiccJatqWGXy1v2dmEB9P_QtUJ2NKTD79PqrawJLMK4K_OgGEgpC_cWSIkVjoNkMNZaYprv7q1y5UhMOepogBi04VU_7lVb4q5Oi0/s1600/pillow+box+007.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478329983205202482" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYvoPwyiMOD9m3yi3RN6Aa1lJH0UNhRsRrCrHUmxiccJatqWGXy1v2dmEB9P_QtUJ2NKTD79PqrawJLMK4K_OgGEgpC_cWSIkVjoNkMNZaYprv7q1y5UhMOepogBi04VU_7lVb4q5Oi0/s320/pillow+box+007.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Tie a ribbon, or piece of string around it to keep the ends closed or just tape them.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOpHN2WdlVlLkbj0eD06tZp-JSvK02jp9ojtAu-uTfJHiUdK6AZwGe6FW3Yy7WWZiIqhjuuyQGBiRwGT4xBe4BwC9-WF_Kw0ghlgEDjLOfYsh-0heRDIu7pQEtOtgFB5IK9PylffxHd6o/s1600/pillow+box+008.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478329992601192706" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOpHN2WdlVlLkbj0eD06tZp-JSvK02jp9ojtAu-uTfJHiUdK6AZwGe6FW3Yy7WWZiIqhjuuyQGBiRwGT4xBe4BwC9-WF_Kw0ghlgEDjLOfYsh-0heRDIu7pQEtOtgFB5IK9PylffxHd6o/s320/pillow+box+008.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />DONE! Now that was easy wasn't it?<br /><br /><br />We made fabric bracelets similar to this one for all of their teachers this year. I took the girls to Hobby Lobby and let them pick out whatever fabric they wanted for each teacher. I stitched up the fabric tube and then they pretty much did the rest of the assembly themselves.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6o9E02wCU_a_z6McBVW50bJ8MMAmOxEgTDHNj2zLBuhMamcFqv77a9JtejxcGXZFplnGjvmzbvS05C0NUWB25RYdE8R6CPcCYwOYkFcVLZ10K4zpBOeFKiPJUuPRabWCJUqIe-YKdII/s1600/Abby+4K+awards+003.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478328411641693746" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6o9E02wCU_a_z6McBVW50bJ8MMAmOxEgTDHNj2zLBuhMamcFqv77a9JtejxcGXZFplnGjvmzbvS05C0NUWB25RYdE8R6CPcCYwOYkFcVLZ10K4zpBOeFKiPJUuPRabWCJUqIe-YKdII/s320/Abby+4K+awards+003.JPG" border="0" /></a>becky @ becky ann designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432026124239149851noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6492782176982366610.post-39862351051297362562010-05-30T15:11:00.005-04:002010-05-30T15:37:43.318-04:00Buttercream Frosting<span style="font-size:85%;">After our scrumptious hamburgers for lunch today, the whole family decided we needed something sweet for an afternoon snack. We hadn't had cupcakes since Aly's birthday at school, so we all agreed on those. </span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKIdg5xoDDyvAThSgSKPLU9hzNk2IAZA8IF_XcKpwMxL4GWM4yWeCH_6jl6r6EZ42pm_c9w5AXj8KbOomEeqKa6L1aGhiz96-TIxV_XGefqVt4r1MV4oKKA8bt_4YtqddUvQD624VArA/s1600/Frosting+003.JPG"><span style="font-size:85%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477143755034042226" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKIdg5xoDDyvAThSgSKPLU9hzNk2IAZA8IF_XcKpwMxL4GWM4yWeCH_6jl6r6EZ42pm_c9w5AXj8KbOomEeqKa6L1aGhiz96-TIxV_XGefqVt4r1MV4oKKA8bt_4YtqddUvQD624VArA/s320/Frosting+003.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">I used a new frosting recipe this time and it is definately a keeper! I forgot that I was out of regular milk, which I use in my usual go to frosting recipe, so I substituted evaporated milk. I don't know if it was that substitution or if I just got the proportion of butter to shortening just right this time, but this is definately better than my usual frosting. Also, I don't usually (ok, so I never) sift my powdered sugar, but I did this time.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><br /><u><span style="font-size:85%;">Buttercream Frosting</span></u><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">1 stick softened butter</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">2 tablespoons shortening</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">1 tablespoon vanilla </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">4 cups powdered sugar- sift after measuring</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">2 tablespoons evaporated milk</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">I use my paddle attachment on my Kitchen Aid stand mixer for this. I love that I can turn it on and just walk away. Beat the softened butter and shortening together for a few minutes to be sure they are well combined and creamy. Add the vanilla. Measure out 3 cups of powdered sugar into your sifter and sift that into your mixing bowl on top of the other ingredients and beat well. Add your evaporated milk, beat again. Add the remaining cup of sifted powdered sugar and just let that whip for a few minutes. Check to make sure the consistency is what you like. Mine was perfect but if it is too stiff, add a tiny splash of milk, if it is too thin, add a little more powdered sugar.</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7AwgeHJFz6iLuNUBlT2mqLTw2DyMRl-BUBAMo19Yb6-fgrhSANReyJpnl11wBqxHeIptc2CiiuVr90ofqX-m5mphVlRFxjs2hQzj-DI7AIK3T_SzHLdak0GpGOOja4wZtYHl5ElT6uF8/s1600/frosting+004.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477148131957900034" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7AwgeHJFz6iLuNUBlT2mqLTw2DyMRl-BUBAMo19Yb6-fgrhSANReyJpnl11wBqxHeIptc2CiiuVr90ofqX-m5mphVlRFxjs2hQzj-DI7AIK3T_SzHLdak0GpGOOja4wZtYHl5ElT6uF8/s320/frosting+004.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">I love how pretty they are too. The girls said they looked like blue roses. I just used a Wilton 2D tip and piped it on really fast, not trying to make them look professional or anything. I am so much faster with piping than using a knife or offset spatula to frost cupcakes. And these are definately prettier.</span>becky @ becky ann designshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06432026124239149851noreply@blogger.com2