A Ladybug Tote

For the last few days I've been designing and sewing a tote for my Mother-In-Law. It's theme was focused around ladybugs. First the measuring and drafting if a plan that fits a 10 x10 book.



From the picture you can see I'm planing to have a see through pocket. Sewing decorative vinyl is extremely time consuming because you have to be patent and slow. It took me two pieces and lots of failures before I managed it. Next was sewing the inner pockets that are designed to hold pens and note cards.



After that I assembled all the pieces and sewed in a nice brite red lining.



My final step was to stitch around the top to insure durability as books are pulled in and out.

It's A Cookie Monster Day!

Ok I've been asked about my healthy cookie recipes for a while now. I've created two recipes that use whole grain white wheat flour and natural sugar when I can find the ingredients. My family loves the taste and loves helping me make them. That's so worth the energy.

First off is my modified sniker-doodle. Or as I like to call them smacker-doodle. I make these for my husband specifically. He's a sugar cookie fiend. These always help fix his craving.

Recipe:
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
2 1/2 cup whole wheat white flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda

Cream butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add flour, salt, soda and cinnamon then mix well. Scope and flatten spoonfuls on cookie sheet . Bake at 350• for 15 minutes. I like to roll my cookies in cinnamon sugar before flattening them in baking pan. It makes them taste more sinker- doodlie.



My peanut-butter oatmeal cookie are my kids favorite. Greate after school snake.

Recipe:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 egg
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
Dark Chocolate Kiss for decoration

Cream sugars, egg, butter, and peanutbutter. Add in dry ingredients. Spoon on cookie sheet. Thes expand so give room between. Bake for 350• for 13-15 minutes. Pull from oven and garnish with chocolate kiss by gently pressing into center of cookie. Cool before serving.




Give these a try and see what you think! I'd love comments on how they taste.

Beads & A Little Scrap Fabric....

Today's project.... A hand made small tote bag. Totes are such handy things to have around. You never know when you might need one. From small to large sizes the pattern can be quite easy to make. But to jazz up this small tote I added a little beadwork. Take a look!



- FKB Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Bear That Ate My Daughter

Today's massive project make a boutique bear. This is a trial run of the pattern I plan to sell at the Nov holiday bizarre. Only each bear will be slightly different. So my first part of the project is the cutting out and modifying of an old pattern I picked up. This process is so time consuming and always a big wager on wheather or not it works. But it allows me the chance to personalize the bears.


Here you see my brown accent material. The main section of this bear is pink with brown dots. I'll have another that will be brown with pink accents. In the end I had way more pieces then I knew what to do with.


After finaly locating all the body pieces and losing 5 hours of my day I had the body done.


Then after over another hour I finally got the head attached. I must admit that the first try saw the head on backwards. My husband dubbed it the exorcist bear. But I managed to get it on right only for it to be clamed by the prima of my house. Too bad she's going to have to give it back for stuffing and facial surgery tomorrow.



- FKB Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Bangle Thing

I've been beading a new necklace for the last few weeks. It started out with me discovering these gorges black & orange miyukie beads. So I began a modified pattern of black and orange stopes.


This formed my base chain. After about a week of beading I completed a 20 inch chain. Why so long, well honestly it because I only do about 3 inches a night while watching tv. This keeps me from being bored.


My next issue was finding a nice focal point for the chain. I lucked out at JoAnnes one Sunday by finding this gorges tiger striped heart.


After beading an attachment loop the heart connected to my chain. I'm very happy with the completed piece.


-FKB Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Crazy Computer Will Not Defeat Me!

Well my computer has been down for almost two months! It's not that it doesn't work, but more that it won't connect to the web. Since then I've perfected my bread recipe, started experimenting with whole wheat cookies, and sewed all sorts of crazy things. As my blogs finally update you will be able to see the fun I've had. Enjoy!


- FKB Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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Busy Night Dinner!

Ok today I need a croc-pot meal because of my insane schedule. So this afternoon I picked up stuff for a stew. Took me 30 minutes to prep the ingreadents and get them in. But before I started I put in the beadmachine the makings for my soft wheat rolls. Hit dough cycle and walked away for 145 minuts! (I love that cycle!) Started flouting and browning 2.5 lbs of meat. Peeled potatos between fliping the meat. After dropping the meat into the crock, I chopped potatos and half a onion. Dumped the veggies & a bag of ruffled carrots in with 6 cups of water in the crock. Put the lid on and walked away.



Mean while I finished the bread by shaping rolls and completed 1 hour rise.



Now at the end of the night after running around crazy doing kids activities we ate fresh stew and bread! The best end for a long day!

- FKB Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

A New Dress

I've been in a sewing kick the last week. The only thing that I have to show for it is my daughters dress, too bad it is two sizes to big. At the rate she is growing she will be in it next spring. I am ok at sewing. I just wish I could get sizes right. I've miss judged a skirt for me and now my daughters dress. The good thing is it's such a heavey material that it could go for winter with a long shirt under.



- FKB Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Cornbread? In What?

Ok been hard at work on programing which has left a void in crafts. Normaly I wouldn't complaine, but lately I'm craving cornbread and orange pound cake. So being a women of sound mind and little time, I'm trying my homemade cornbread recipe in my breadmachine. I have no idea how this will turn out, nor if I will overfill the pan. So far the mix cycle looks good.


During the rise period the bread will be resting, which I hope makes the corn meal more tender. The bake time is still the same. Overall if this works my family will be happy. I don't make cornbread enough for them. To go along with the southern theme I put a pork rost in the crock.


- FKB Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Experiment In Bread

Found this really cool recipe for artisan bread that you mix and store in the refrigerate for up to seven days. You just cut of a pieces as you need them. So being in the experimental mood I gave this a shot.

Step One: Gather up your ingredients, bowl, and utensils.

Step Two: Measure out 6 1/2 cups flower, 3 cups h20, 1 tbs salt, and 1 1/2 tbs yeast.

Step Three: Mix the dough by hand or with a mixer until it forms a sticky gooey clump. If you use a mixer don't mix longer then 60 seconds or you will cause the flower to have a elastic effect that ruins the breads texture.

Step Four: Gently shape into a ball in the bowl and cover. I used a little butter spray on the top and sides of the ball and bowl to help prevent sticking. Let sit in a dry place for 2 hrs.

Step Five: Punch down the dough and move the container to the refrigerate. Let set anther 2 hours at least. At this point if your container seals you can just set in the refrigerate for up to 7 days, but as it ages it turns into sourdough so be prepared for this.

Step Six: Divide the dough into a loaf or ball and let rise 45 minutes. Place remaining dough into refrigerator. After its risen bake in the oven for 25-35 minutes at 450*. If you want a chewy crust add a pain of h20 under the baking dish on the lowest shelf. The water will evaporate into steam and make a great crust. Another trick is to invert a metal baking dish over the bread to form a steam done.

Overall the recipe was fun and easy to make. I made a crock-pot of homemade stew to go along with the first bread loaf. I plan to try this recipe again after we use up all the dough I made.