Give the Gift of BLOG for Christmas!

The holidays are here....Christmas is fast approaching and this household's attention has turned toward presents for family and friends.  Our family loves to make homemade gifts for Christmas. Besides being SEW cheap, they are from the heart, and mean more!!  This year, the ideas have been flowing in and I'm enjoying getting them ready.  I thought I'd share the ideas with y'all so YOU can enjoy them too!!!

This first idea is a little unconventional, but it truly is a gift that "keeps on giving"!  I have a friend who loves to quilt and another who is a homemaking, crafty, photograph taking, canning....you name it, she does it mamma.....To my surprise, neither one of them have a blog!  One of them didn't even realize the benifits of blogging, the other one just doesn't  know where to start.  My Christmas gift to them....helping them get a blog started!

Do you have a friend/family member who you think could benifit from starting a blog?

Here are some steps that might help you to "Give the gift of Blog" for Christmas!

Picking a blogsite:
There are many different places to go through when starting a blog...hubpages, wordpress...your own site and others.  Then, there's my favorite, blogspot!

Deciding a theme:
What do they like to do? Are they a quilter?  Do they make amazing meals? Are they bookworms? Are they weekend warrior DIY'ers?  Seamstress? Or maybe they could review products and have giveaways......show them some blogs that do things similar to their interests so they can see what others do....it'll get their creative juices going!

Designing(the fun part!)
Next, show them some neat sites with free blog backgrounds. A blog with an adorable background can mean more readers! These sites are usually pretty foolproof....(I know, cuz I can use em! lol)  They explain things in "See Dog Go" so even NON-computer geeks can understand.  Here are a few sites I have found to be good :

HotBiggityBlog

The Cutest Blog on the Block

Simply Blog it Backgrounds

Background Fairy

Now, why did I say this was the gift that keeps on giving?
Because, when their blog starts making money, it'll be like YOU'RE giving them the money.....a continuous gift!...here are some hints on how to get the moulah to start rolling.

Monetize:

Show them how to begin to make money on their blog.  Start by showing them how to get set up with "Adsence" if they're using blogspot.  Then, show them how to use amazon associates.  Next explain Adsence affiliates to them. 

These are just some basic steps to get them started on their trip into Blogville....there are, of course, many other things that can be done, but once you get them started, chances are, they'll catch the blog bug and take off !!!!

Dishcloth swap and Giveaway WINNER!!!

After a TOO LONG hiatus from internet in my home, I'M BACK!!! FIRST oreder of business: Pics from the dishcloth swap and notification of the winner!

The swap rules, in a nutshell...crochet 2 dishcloths and swap em w/ ur buddy. When all the swappings done, a winner will be chosen to receive 2 skeins of yarn and a crochet book....

 My "swap buddy" was "DONNALEE"   BUT, she didn't send me two dishcloths, she sent me 6! AND a set of adorable handmade oven mitts! (I'm using the other one...so its not in the pic!)

Also, Donnalee and I were the only two in the swap to "complete the transaction" , so, that makes Donnalee the winner! WHOOP WHOOP!

Show her what she's won Bob!....

IT's FRIDAY!  Time for a blog hop!  WOOHOO!!!!  Here's where I've placed my lilly pad today!

"My Favorite Friday!"

TGIF! WOOHOO!!!  Today, on "MY FAVORITE FRIDAY"  I'm featuring a favorite Blog site of mine:

Keeper of the Home !!!!

Her subtitle, which says "Naturally Inspired Living for the Christian Homemaker" is SO true!  Her posts inspire me to be the best "homemaker" I can be for my family and my God!

The current post up at "Keeper of the Home" is "Fun Frugal Memories to Make with your Kids this Summer"  What better post to put up in such a financially strapped time?  The ideas she has are wonderful! 

The most helpful post I've found so far has been Creating a Homemaking Binder. Here, she leads by example with this amazing binder.  I strive to be a more organized homemaker.  This post is easy enough to follow that I feel I can do it to!  I can't wait to finish my binder and begin my more organized lifestyle!

So, don't hesitate...>GO, NOW ....click HERE and check out this awesome "Favorite Friday" site!

FYI.....Here's where I'm hoppin this weekend!:

My Wish list...or I SEW wish for these....!

 I have been on a FREGGIE crave lately.  I have no desire for pasta, burger, steak, chicken....(still want fish!) right now....I'm not vegan, nor am I a raw foodie, YET....(I'm secretly a raw food wannabe!)  Having a family of 7 makes going raw difficult, to say the least.  However, my body is telling me that I totally need fruits and veggies right now, and I'm listening!  That being said.....I have a Freggie wish list!....Lemme share it with y'all:

1.  A dehydrator!

I can't even tell you the ways I could be SEW cheap in the long run with this puppy!

Imagine the money I'd save on fruit leather alone!

AND....you should see some of the awesome things you can make like: Pizza  or Cookies!

2.  A Saladacco or Spiralizer!

After seeing videos using both, I think I would preferr the Saladacco (plus it's cheaper!)

But, I would get this spiralizer too...whichever one I find at a yard sale first!

3.  A Juicer!

I would love to have something to turn my Freggies into a drinkable delight! Plus, I want to add greens to them!



SO, this is my current wishlist....If/when I get them...from some yard sale or resale shop,most likely, I'll review them on the site and let you know how they work!

Borrowed Book Review #2: Round Robin

I finished the second book (novel) in the Elm Creek Quilts series...I got it Friday, finished it last night. I couldn't put it down.....well, not literally, I had to read it between, schooling 5 kids, mushroom picking with my parents(found NONE!), fixing boo-boo's, church twice and choir practice on Sunday,.....and a "FEW" other things....but when I COULD pick it up, I couldn't put it down!   I LOVED it!

SO, here's my SEW cheap  but SEW good borrowed book review #2!

Round Robin

by: Jennifer Chiaverini

     "She chose green and blue for the colors of the Elm Creek Manor. She chose blue for truth and green for new beginnings............

       She pieced a border of pinwheel blocks- pinwheels for her windblown life, which with faith and perserverance she tried to stitch it into order.  The pattern was a four patch, a square divided into four smaller squares, which were in turn divided into two equal triangles, one light, one dark, like the darkness of the past week and the light hope of the future.  She wanted to believe in hope."

-----A round robin quilt is made by a group of friends who take turns making the different layers/parts of the quilt-----just as the friends of  Elm Creek Quilts decide to do as a surprise for their dear friend, Sylvia....

As each woman takes her turn at each layer of the round robin, we are taken deeper into their lives, adding their stories to the ever-changing history of Elm Creek Manor............Getting to follow each character through their heartaches, happiness, and growth, made me feel as if I was becomming part of the "Elm Creek Quilters" .  I actually felt as if my story would fit within these other ladies' stories and could see where my layer of the round robin would meld with the others..........

This book is a MUST read...after book one (The Quilter's Apprentice), of course!  I finished this book wishing I had borrowed the next book WITH it so I could start reading it right away!

Friday Blog hopping...and VERSATILE BLOGGER!!

It's Friday and I'm hopping!  Also,  The How To Mommy has given me my 2nd "Versatile Blogger" award.....which means....time to spread the love!!!!

The rules of the Versatile Blogger Award are as follows:

• Leave a comment to thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post.
• Tell us seven things about yourself
• Award fifteen recently discovered new bloggers

SO...time to follow the RULES!

1.  I'm currently TRYING to do a Couch to 5k program
2.  I'm celebrating because my 5year old is READING words!
3.  I have a deaf/Albino Great Dane named "Der Hund", but we call him "Hunder"
4.  I took German in School....but mostly only Remember how to sing "Jingle Bells"!
5.  I have MAJOR redneck tendancies....and I LIKE em!
6.  I can't go into a store without taking pictures with my cell of things that "I could make cheaper and better" !!!!!
7.  I love hunting and guns....(more redneck stuff!) and am a better shot than my hubby!(SHHHH!!!)

The 15 AWESOME bloggers I've Chosen:

 1.Design it Chic
 2.My Silly Life
 3.My Lil Cadebug
 4.My Tot Learning Time
 5.Sew Happiness
 6.Shanimals Crackers
 7.Dear Q Love Mrs.
 8.Mom's Bookshelf & More
 9.Dishes and Socks
10.Mommy 2 two Girls
11.The Adventures of J-Man and MillerBug
12.Confessions of a Frugal Mind
13.Wentzell's Creative Designs
14.Food Floozie
15.Scraps and Scribbles

I'll have to send out my "awards" to the peeps in person later!

Review: The Quilter's Apprentice

I'm not sure if I've mentioned, but I LOVE to read.  There just doesn't seem to have been enough time the past, oh, I don't know....FIFTEEN years!  This last year, however, some changes have happened which have allowed me to feel free to take up this beloved hobby again......

That being said....I AM cheap....so...I borrow my books from the library!  I live in Michigan, so I have this wonderful program called MEL-CAT (a STATE wide lending library!), so, if I can't find a book at MY library, I have almost all of Michigan's librarys to choose from....FOR FREE!!!!  SO....Without further Adieu....



The Quilter's Apprentice
A Novel
By:  Jennifer Chiaverini

This is the First in the Elm Creek Quilts Series.  In this book, we are introduced to the Characters: Sarah McClure, A young married woman, previously employed as an accountant, but now unemployed and searching for work in a new town, Matt McClure, Sarah's husband, a previously unemployed Landscape Architect, now employed in a college town called Waterford, Pennsylvania., and Sylvia Comstock, a wealthy, elderly widow who has returned to Waterford to settle the estate of her recently deceased, estranged sister.

As the story begins, we find Matt taking his wife, Sarah out to the grounds of Elm Creek Estates, where he has been contracted to do some major landscaping/repairs for Sylvia Comstock.  After a not-so-lovely first meeting with Mrs. Comstock, Sarah is asked back to the estate and offered employment with the somewhat harsh woman.  She accepts the job helping to clean/organize the beautiful estate and the story unfolds.

The story uses the talents of local quilters as well as the most talented quilter, Sylvia Comstock to tell the story of the Bergstrom family from it's roots in Germany till present time. The quilts/quilt blocks themselves tell stories as well.   The personalities of each of the characters are destinct and very picturable, as are the descriptions of the quilts and Elm Creek Manor.

 I couldn't stop reading this book, from beginning to end it was amazing!  Each character was believable, each story very viable.  The end of the book was CLEARLY just the beginning of more.... I can't wait to read the next book!

If you're interested in these books, you can go right to the source, the Jennifer Chiaverini's webpage!  You can become part of her "World" by joining the Reader's Circle.....She even has patterns for making the actual quilts made in some of the stories!

Thrifty Thursday!!!!

Saved By Love Creations Is having a Thursday blog hop, and , seeing how I still can't figure out how to fix my LOVELY serger......I thought I'd  hop around too!

Wordless Wednesdays

It's Time for "Wordless Wednesdays!"

There are just 2 simple rules:
1. Follow the host (God's Perfect Promises) and I  on GoogleFollow widget in the sidebar.
If you're a new follower please comment so I can follow back.
2. Grab & post the hop button on your blog so we can spread the word! (Found at God's perfect Promises)




Here's the linky!

Time to Crochet, swap and WIN!!!!

I have good news and bad news.....the bad news first.....If you haven't already signed up for the swap and giveaway, you're too late...SORRY!!!

Now, the GOOD news....for those of you who DID sign up....Its SWAP and GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!

I'll post who your partner is and then you can go to the comments from the "RULES" post to find out their likes/ dislikes  and find out how to contact them for their address to send off their goodies when you're done!  Won't this be a FUN mothers day gift for our E-friends????

Ok, here are your pair-ups:

Tiffany with  Sew Happy Stacy

Couture Cat with Volleysoft (ME!)

MusingMom6 with Ellie Mae

365 Bags  with  redhead

Ok girls, have at it!  You can do just about anything...as long as it's a dishcloth!  You're making two, so you can make one with what THEY like and one with what YOU like.....you can make one with what they like and one that molds the two of you together.....you can make a surprise one......whatever you do is up to you! 

HINT:  Try to leave a note explaining WHY you made each one.  It'll make it more awesome for your partner!

Dishcloth swap and Giveaway EXTENSION!

I've had enough interest in the dishcloth swap that I've decided to extend entry till the 10th!  Those of  you who've already entered, I'll be matching you up on the 11th!!!  For those of you who haven't seen the giveaway, go HERE to find the rules and to sign up!

Dress making update - Sew NOT cheap!

So, the making of the plethera of dresses has been stalled because my SERGER BROKE!  More specifically, my lower looper thingymabober (technical term!).  To make matters worse, after checking around the internet, I find a ton of these parts at between 11 and 23 dollars, however, the part for MY particular model is, at its LOWEST....$33 dollars!  Sew NOT cheap!

I'm SEW bummed that part of the side cash I'm going to make for these dressis is going to be used to cover for the money I had to spend on this part!  However......(glass half full approach....)  It COULD have been a part that wasn't replacable without replacing the whole machine.....coule be worse!

So, as far as the dresses are concerned.....to be continued!

"God will take care of me....."

Friday Blog hop time!

It's Friday and I wanna HOP!!! I'm gonna hop all over the place this week! I'm gonna visit a TON of new lilly pads!

*NOTE* While you're here, check out my "Dishcloth Swap and GIVEAWAY!"

Wanna hop too? Link up and get hopping! Like me?  FOLLOW ME!! hehe



Here are some lilly pads I'm hoppin around on:

Crochet Dishcloth Swap "Rules"! AND...SURPRISE...a GIVEAWAY!!!

The goal of this swap is to produce and receive little pieces of crocheted art.

Use beautiful yarns, color combinations, and patterns. Don't feel pressured to be perfect

, the fun is in the cute little gems that show up in the mail, like little surprise gifts from blogville friends!

If you want to be in the swap, the rules are simple....First.....reply to this post with your numbered answers to these questions: (helps your fellow swapper know what you like)

1) Your google name/or other contact name?

2) What are your favourite color combinations (more than one combo if possible!)?

3) What are your favorite shapes?
4) When you are not crocheting, what is it that you love to do?
5) Name three things that you like.

After y'all post,you'll be given another blogger to "make for". You can then get their info,  Use the answers from the questionaire post to make two dishcloths for them! You're swap is complete when 1. You have sent and received your dishcloths and 2. you've either posted pics on your blog with a link back to this site or, if you don't have a blog, email the pics of your received dishcloths to me so I can post them FOR you!

Then, when you've completed your swap, ONE of you will receive this "Giveaway":

Two skeins of crochet yarn, one crochet hook, and a crochet pattern booklet!

 *NOTE* Winner is chosen by writing all names on a  scrap of paper, placing them into a bowl, and having my 3yr old or 5yr old pick one! (Technical, I know, but I wouldn't have it any other way!)



Not sure what you want to do?  I'll help ya out with some links at the end of this post...sky's the limit!  Those of you who don't crochet much, or never have, dishcloths are the PERFECT starter project!

Material choices:  Cotton yarn is the most frequently used material, however, many people mix it with felted wool for a scrubbier cloth, and/or tulle(netting) cut into strips for a scrubbie!

Most of the time you don't have to worry about guage size or crochet hook size with these little beauties, it's usually more about getting the right sized finished product!

Links for FREE dishcloth patterns:

Crochet Pattern Central has a TON of them in a basic directory, I love this one!

Tipnut has some nice ones with picture thumbnails.

Shh...I'm Counting! has tawashi patterns..(love these!)

This one is  from Crochet Pattern Central for "scrubbies"

Hope these help!

I'm on READ MY FEED!

I'm a guest host on Read My Feed at Coupons are Great !  Wanna join the "Read My Feed" blog hop?  It's a great way to get to know other great blogs!  If so, check it out HERE:

Crochet Dishcloth Swap!

I'm RE-posting the crochet dishcloth swap! I have one person interested. I would like to get a couple more.....anyone interested?????? It'll be funsies! (yeah, I really DID just type "funsies"!)
As you can see from the following pics....I LOVE makin them...(and my daughter too!)

Dress #1...Pt 2!

I did the finishing stitches on lil "l" 's first dress!

I opted for one pocket instead of two....and added a rosette with a button at the waist!

Couldn't decide which button to use though....

haven't gotten pics with the dress on lil "L" yet...i'll add them soon!

My daughter's Tubby Washy - Craft a Day #4

I'm featuring my daughter for Craft a Day / National Craft Month..AND for National Crochet Month!

I gave my oldest daughter, Raegan (14) a skein of verigated cotton yarn as a thank you

for watching her siblings for me. She made a purse and this:

The pattern was "nonexistant" in other words, she shot it out off the top of her head!

She gave it to my mother as a bath cloth.  However, my mom liked it so much that

she decided it needed to be a doily.

I know I'm partial, but I think its AMAZING!

Dress # 1, MAYBE....

Ok, I finished Dress #1....a dress for the younger "L". .....sorta maybe.....I liked it, until my bubby decided he didn't ......now I'm unsure of whether it looks good or not.  I'm going to have to have my friend look at it and if she doesn't like it, I'll take it apart, no biggie........but Here it is (I'll post better pics tomorrow, IF she likes it...)

Here is the fabric I have for lil "L".  

Watermellon Seeds, and...

Aqua/White polka dots

Close up of the front...

Little further away.....

REALLY far away...hehe

Close up of the back...

and a distant pic....

Tomorrow I'll add pics of it ON her.....IF her mom likes it! ...>What do YOU think?

(might add polka dot pockets!)

UPDATE:  She likes it!  My friend has given the go ahead, so now it's time to do all the fancy stitching and add the pockets. 

Update #2....I have the second dress cut out for lil "L"....I hope to have them both finished tomrrow!

8 dresses , 4 girls, and 8 more doll dresses!

My friend has commissioned some dresses(well, jumpers) from me for her 4 gorgeous daughters.

She want's two dresses per child and, if there is leftover fabric, matching doll dresses (16 total) 

She did something AWESOME that has gotten me excited and my creative juices rolling...

She gave me "full creative liscence"!!!!!  She created a monster!  WHOOP WHOOP!

So, here is the fabric she handed me:

Here is the ribbon and thread she purchased:

#1

This is the fabric for "L" (leaving names out to preserve privacy)

She chose a muted Tan and a bright orange.

This daughter is too old for girly girl dresses, but to young

for revealing or too tight dresses.

This one will be a challenge

#2

This is the fabric for "K". She is an older young lady.  Her dresses

need to be lovely, modest, and fun! I have ideas brewing

for her dresses and am TOTALLY excited!

#3

This fabric is for "R".  She is an adorably beautiful little girl

with a funky personality. Her dresses can be slightly "little girlish"

but not too much.  I also have my ideas for hers, WAY geeked!

#4

Last, but DEFINITALY not least is the other "L" 's

fabric.  This little beauty is a ball of energy! She chose the

blue polka-dots and the watermellon seeds...and YES...I

have a vision of what to do for this one....CAN'T WAIT!

I'll post follow-ups as I finish them!  The challenge is finding enough fabric for two girl dresses AND matching doll dresses with just 3yards per fabric(6yd total per child) yet still keep them cute and original!

Today's Crochet Projects...more dishcloths! Craft a day #3!

I LOVE, not like LOVE....dishcloths!  They are the perfect project!  They're quick, easy, useful, and there are more pattern possibilities than stars in the sky!  Here are the ones I popped off today!

NOTE:  I'm cheating and making today's crochet post my craft post as well....gotta lotta sewing to do, no
extra time!

This one was simple, but adorable and fun! (love the pink/green camo!)

I made this one using a simple sc1/ch1 pattern, fast, easy , and cute!

I thought they looked cuter together!

Pictures do NOT do this one justice!  It is SEW cute!

I did a sk1, 2dc in next two, back post dc into skipped chain pattern on this one.

Then, on the last round, I: sk1, dc1, bp dc1,  all the way around.

My daughter wants me to make one with a bigger center for a barbie skirt!