chiCK fashions and crafts: 2013

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Christmas Hat!

Happy Holidays!

Well, everyone at work is making fun of me right now, lol. This time of year everyone I know is buying those cute little santa hats, including most of my friends at work. They asked why I don’t get one, and I answered honestly. As I have often mentioned here, I have a big head. So, while they are adorable, those cute santa hats always dig into my head and leave deep lines in my forehead.

Never one to be deterred, I decided I was crafty enough to make my own. And you know what? I think it came out pretty cute.

I used a pattern I found on pinterest (link found here: http://www.favecrafts.com/Crochet-Hats-Scarves-Gloves/Crochet-Santa-Hat-from-Red-Heart-Yarn/ml/1 ). I followed it exactly for the basic form of the hat. (I even used the Size H 5mm hook).

For reference, on the hat I made, color A is the green and color B is the red.

Instructions:
Brim: With A, ch 11.
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, turn – 10 sc.
Row 2: Ch 1, working in back loops only, sc in each ch across.
Repeat Row 2 until piece measures 18 (20)" from beginning. Fasten off. Sew ends together to form a loop for Brim.

Crown
Round 1: With right side facing, join A with a slip st along one long side of Brim, work sc 60 (66) sts evenly spaced around, slip st to first st to join. Cut A.
Round 2: With B, ch 3 (counts as dc here and throughout), dc in each st around, slip st to top of beginning ch to join.
Rounds 3-6: Repeat Round 2.
Round 7: Ch 3, [dc2tog, dc in next 8 (9) dc] 5 times, dc2tog, dc in next 7 (8) dc, slip st to top of beginning ch to join – 54 (60) sts.
Round 8: Repeat Round 2.
Round 9: Ch 3, [dc in next 4 (5) dc, dc2tog, dc in next 3 dc] 5 times, dc in next 4 (5) dc, dc2tog, dc in next 2 dc, slip st to top of beginning ch to join – 48 (54) sts.
Round 10: Repeat Round 2.
Round 11: Ch 3, [dc2tog, dc in next 6 (7) dc] 5 times, dc2tog, dc in next 5 (6) dc, join, slip st to top of beginning ch to join – 42 (48) sts.
Round 12: Repeat Round 2.
Round 13: Ch 3, [dc in next 3 (4) dc, dc2tog, dc in next 2 dc] 5 times, dc in next 3 (4) dc, dc2tog, dc in next dc, slip st to top of beginning ch to join – 36 (42) sts.
Round 14: Repeat Round 2.
Round 15: Ch 3, [dc2tog, dc in next 4 (5) dc] 5 times, dc2tog, dc in next 3 (4) dc, slip st to top of beginning ch to join – 30 (36) sts.
Round 16: Repeat Round 2.
Round 17: Ch 3, [dc in next 2 (3) dc, dc2tog, dc in next dc] 5 times, dc in next 2 (3) dc, dc2tog, slip st to top of beginning ch to join – 24 (30) sts.
Round 18: Repeat Round 2.
For Size Large Only-Round 19: Ch 3, [dc2tog, dc in next 3 dc] 5 times, dc2tog, dc in next 2 dc, slip st to top of beginning ch to join – 24 sts.
Round 20: Repeat Round 2.
For Both Sizes-Next Round: Ch 3, [dc2tog, dc in next 2 dc] 5 times, dc2tog, dc in next dc, slip st to top of beginning ch to join – 18 sts.
Next Round: Repeat Round 2.
Next Round: Ch 3, [dc2tog, dc in next dc] 5 times, dc2tog, slip st to top of beginning ch to join – 12 sts.
Next Round: Repeat Round 2.
Next Round: Ch 3, [dc2tog] 5 times, dc in next dc, slip st to top of beginning ch to join – 7 sts. Fasten off.

Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Thread tail through remaining sts and pull to close. Knot to secure.

FINISHING
With B, make pompom. Sew to tip of hat. Weave in ends.

Read more at http://www.favecrafts.com/Crochet-Hats-Scarves-Gloves/Crochet-Santa-Hat-from-Red-Heart-Yarn/ml/1#HLe2MIgqyEfQGTeE.99

Instructions:
Brim: With A, ch 11.
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, turn – 10 sc.
Row 2: Ch 1, working in back loops only, sc in each ch across. (Please note that I did HDC here instead of SC. I hated the idea of working 20+ inches of SC. I guess I'm lazy, lol)
Repeat Row 2 until piece measures 18 (20)" from beginning. Fasten off. Sew ends together to form a loop for Brim.

Crown
Round 1: With right side facing, join A with a slip st along one long side of Brim, work sc 60 (66) sts evenly spaced around, slip st to first st to join. Cut A. Also, I think this step is a touch unclear. Basically, just SC around the entire band, working 3 SC in each corner. Also, if you hate sewing things together like I do, ignore the "sew together" step above, and when you are doing the edging for the SECOND short side, use a joining st (like you're doing attachment crochet) and work the two ends together. IMO, it makes a stronger piece. You know that stitching isn't going to come out unless the entire edging comes off. But that's just me. ONWARD WITH THE PATTERN!
Round 2: With B, ch 3 (counts as dc here and throughout), dc in each st around, slip st to top of beginning ch to join.
Rounds 3-6: Repeat Round 2.
Round 7: Ch 3, [dc2tog, dc in next 8 (9) dc] 5 times, dc2tog, dc in next 7 (8) dc, slip st to top of beginning ch to join – 54 (60) sts.
Round 8: Repeat Round 2.
Round 9: Ch 3, [dc in next 4 (5) dc, dc2tog, dc in next 3 dc] 5 times, dc in next 4 (5) dc, dc2tog, dc in next 2 dc, slip st to top of beginning ch to join – 48 (54) sts.
Round 10: Repeat Round 2.
Round 11: Ch 3, [dc2tog, dc in next 6 (7) dc] 5 times, dc2tog, dc in next 5 (6) dc, join, slip st to top of beginning ch to join – 42 (48) sts.
Round 12: Repeat Round 2.
Round 13: Ch 3, [dc in next 3 (4) dc, dc2tog, dc in next 2 dc] 5 times, dc in next 3 (4) dc, dc2tog, dc in next dc, slip st to top of beginning ch to join – 36 (42) sts.
Round 14: Repeat Round 2.
Round 15: Ch 3, [dc2tog, dc in next 4 (5) dc] 5 times, dc2tog, dc in next 3 (4) dc, slip st to top of beginning ch to join – 30 (36) sts.
Round 16: Repeat Round 2.
Round 17: Ch 3, [dc in next 2 (3) dc, dc2tog, dc in next dc] 5 times, dc in next 2 (3) dc, dc2tog, slip st to top of beginning ch to join – 24 (30) sts.
Round 18: Repeat Round 2.
For Size Large Only-Round 19: Ch 3, [dc2tog, dc in next 3 dc] 5 times, dc2tog, dc in next 2 dc, slip st to top of beginning ch to join – 24 sts.
Round 20: Repeat Round 2.
For Both Sizes-Next Round: Ch 3, [dc2tog, dc in next 2 dc] 5 times, dc2tog, dc in next dc, slip st to top of beginning ch to join – 18 sts.
Next Round: Repeat Round 2.
Next Round: Ch 3, [dc2tog, dc in next dc] 5 times, dc2tog, slip st to top of beginning ch to join – 12 sts.
Next Round: Repeat Round 2.
Next Round: Ch 3, [dc2tog] 5 times, dc in next dc, slip st to top of beginning ch to join – 7 sts. Fasten off.

Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Thread tail through remaining sts and pull to close. Knot to secure.

FINISHING
With B, make pompom. Sew to tip of hat. Weave in ends.

After I finished, I went to the row where A & B meet (where the band meets the actual hat) and I reconnected my band yarn. I did a row around of sc, sl and join. Then for the second row I did a basic wave type of stitch (not that you can see it well in the pictures, but I wanted it to have that “elf” look with the jagged edge). I did *sc, hdc, [dc picot dc in the same st] hdc, sc, sl st to previous sc row* and repeat around.

Then, I took a bit of green yarn and tied little jingle bells to the ends of the points (this also weighed them down so the little points didn’t stick straight up, lol). Then I used the fork method (if you’re not familiar with it, check out this great video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRWmDcqVmPc) to make little bows out of shoestring ribbon. Instead of tying the bows behind the fork, I put the fork behind the bell and tied the ribbon around the bell and left the ends dangling. That’s it!

I think it came out really cute, and I’m THRILLED to have a hat that fits my big ole head, lol.

And don’t think I’ve forgotten about blogging my crafts. I started working on Christmas presents in September. So, aside from the few pieces that were ordered in during that time, I’ve been working since the fall on gifts. I don’t want to blog my family’s gifts, so I’ll have a few posts to share after Christmas.

Happy holidays everyone! I’ll catch up with you in the new year!

And here I am in my new hat! Merry Christmas from ChiCK Crafts!

Monday, November 4, 2013

Little Cowboy Full Outfit

Once again, my mom has an employee who is having a baby. :-) This time, mom's friend requested a specific outfit. She had seen a picture of a pair of crocheted pants that looked like chaps. From what I could tell in the picture, I figured I could do one better. I purchased this pattern (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cowboy--cowgirl-accessories) from Carolyn Van Ostran on Ravelry. I did not use the exact pattern, but made some adjustments.

Her original pattern had the chaps tie in front, which I didn't love. I saw another version on pinterest that used a belt and belt loops, so I modified the purchased pattern to match. I also copied her styling and accents (I thought it was adorable) and added them to the pattern. Here is the version I found on pinterest (http://www.pinterest.com/pin/171207223308309878/) and here is what I did:

As you can see, I copied her styling pretty closely. The pattern I bought also included instructions for the vest, which I think came out realy cute (although I did not add the fringe or leave the attachment points for it). Mostly, I just needed the dimensions for both the chaps and the vest, and the pattern was pretty inexpensive.

To add the stars on the vest and chaps (also, there is one on the butt of the diaper cover that shows in between the chaps in the back) I modified this pattern (http://rubyandcustard.com/free-stuff/easy-crochet-star-pattern-and-tutorial/)

This is the above pattern with my changes marked

Round 1 – Make a ring using the magic ring technique, chain 2, make 9hdc into the ring. Pull the ring closed and slip into top of the 2 chain to create a complete circle. (10 stitches)
Round 2 – Join new color, chain 2, hdc into the first stitch. Chain 1, bobble stitch, and continue with chain 1, bobble stitch until last stitch. Slip into top of first stitch to join the circle. (20 stitches) I made one star using the bobble stitch, but I did not like the way it came out. So I instead did 2 HDC in place of each bobble. Also, I made them all one color.
Round 3 – this round is broken down into 5 sets of stitch groups each worked across 4 stitches. Join new colour. (Sc, hdc) in first stitch, (dc, trb, chain 2) in second stitch, (trb, dc) in third stitch, (hdc, sc) in fourth stitch . This creates the first star point. Follow the same pattern across each set of four stitches to create 5 points.

I also wanted to make some little cowboy boots to go with the outfit, and I used this pattern (http://www.thecrochetcrowd.com/en/baby-crochet/623-baby-cowboy-booties-crochet-pattern.html) from The Crochet Crowd. I used the pattern as written, excluding row 5 (because I didn't like the boot heel) and I did not use her accenting. Instead I made a little star (which looks a little bit like a flower, but who is counting?) and put one on each boot. Overall, the pattern was easy to follow, and I'm happy with the results.

To make the little star flower thing, I used the same basic structure as the star above, but scaled down. In a magic circle, I did: ch 2, (sc, hdc, hdc, sc) x5, sl st to the beg ch, fasten off. Make sure to leave a long enough tail for sewing in later. I think next time I might do (sc, hdc, dc, hdc, sc) instead. But obviously I was okay enough with it to use them, lol.

Hopefully I will get a picture of the little cowboy and I can add it to my blog and you can see it in action. :-) Let me know if you have any questions about any of it.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Another Dinosaur Hat

So my adorable little niece (2 and a half) is in daycare at a church. Instead of having a Halloween party, they are throwing a Noah's Ark party.

Whatever.

So, my sister asked me to make her one of the dinosaur hats I've made in the past for the sweet kiddo. She wanted a girlie dinosaur hat instead of a "boy" one, lol, so here it is.

Dinosaur hat:

To make the actual hat, I once again used this earflap hat pattern from Micah Makes. http://www.micahmakes.com/blog/free-pattern-versatile-earflap-hat-pattern (sorry, blogger isn't really working with me right now, so I can't imbed the link. My bad, folks).

So, make the basic hat (I used the toddler size). I always add a couple of extra rows because I think the actual pattern is a little short.

Stop before you add the earflaps.

My niece is almost 3 feet tall, and I wanted the hat to be pretty long on her. So, I made the long part in the back with dc instead of the hdc that is used throughout the rest of the pattern.

When you finish the final round, ch 2 then dc 35 around. Then we start the gradual decrease. You don't want it to dec too quickly because it will kill the length, so here is the dec pattern:

Row 1: ch 2, DC in next st and in next 34 across.

Row 2: ch 2, dc2tog then dc across.

Row 3: ch 2, DC across

Row 4: ch 2, DC across, for last two sts, dc2tog

Row 5: ch 2, DC across

Repeat.

If you're going it right, then each dec should be on the opposite side as the other dec, keeping the dec even throughout.

When it gets to about 8 sts across, do 2 rows of just DC across.

Last row: sc2tog, hdc, DC picot DC, hdc, sc2tog.

SC around entire piece to create a border, working 3 into each corner. Tie off and you're done with the basic hat and tail.

Next we're going to add the spikes, which make it an awesome dinosaur hat instead of just a weird beanie with a tail. At first I wanted to make all the spikes purple, but then I ran out of dark purple, so I decided to do half of them in pink. So, in this first pic, that's why all the spikes are purple.

To make a spike use this pattern that I found from: http://www.theboytrifecta.com/2011/01/dino-spike-crochet-pattern.html

She works in the round, which I don't. I prefer to work in rows. Your choice, either way.

Round 1: Make a magic loop/ring, and do 6 single crochets in the loop. Pull tight. (6 sc)

Round 2: Single crochet around (6 sc)

Round 3: 2 single crochet in first stitch, 1 sc in next stitch - repeat around (9 sc)

Round 4: Single crochet in each stitch (9 sc)

Round 5: 2 single crochet in first stitch, 1 sc in next stitch - repeat around (14 sc)

Round 6: Single crochet around (14 sc)

Round 7: Single crochet around (14 sc)

Round 8: Single crochet in 1st and 2nd stitches, 2 single crochet in third - repeat around (18 sc)

Round 9: Single crochet around (18 sc)

Round 10: Single crochet around (18 sc)

Round 11: Single crochet around (18 sc)

Fasten off and leave a tail to sew spikes to hat (I wrapped the yarn around the base of the spike about 3 times and that was the amount I needed).

It took about 10 spikes to get the job done. The two closest to the face I made smaller by leaving off some of the last rows.

And there you have it!

I'll try to post pictures of little miss wearing it so you can get a better sense of what it is supposed to look like.

Friday, October 25, 2013

Halloween How To: Bloody Nails!

Oh Halloween! Definitely one of my favorite times of year. Down here in Texas the heat is finally starting to break, and everything is so fun and exciting! I kind of geek out a little bit, lol.

Anyway.

So today is a simple tutorial and not really a craft. I like doing my nails in ways that are VERY easy, but look cool. This is definitely one of those styles.

Dripping Blood Nail Job:

Paint nails white (I had to use about 3 coats to make a solid white color...I also buy the cheapie polish from the dollar store, lol).

Using a dot tool, add a dot of red (I lucked out and found a bottle of red china glaze at the bottom of my nail polish bowl) somewhere around the middle of the nail and drag upwards to the tip. After you've added one or two blood drips, paint the tip of the nail red. Doing this after the blood drips allows you to cover the ends of the drips and makes it look like the blood is dripping from the tips. Repeat x10. lol

Next I covered mine with glow in the dark nail polish (for the halloween parties, duh!) then a top coat.

I don't think they look too terrible. And they were VERY easy to do. I've gotten a ton of compliments on them, so that's good enough for me.

Happy Halloween!

P. S. I'll be back soonish with a new crochet tutorial. Check back sometime after November 1st.

Friday, August 16, 2013

More Crayons and a Bright Knight

While I was working on the first crayon blanket, I had a friend at work happen to see it. She told me she was hosting a baby shower in September, and wanted to know if I could make a crayon blanket for her gift to her friend. I was thrilled because I think the crayon pattern is just so damn cute.

This one I made on traditional crayon colors, unlike the last one which was fun pastels. I am in love with the way the standard colors came through. I think I might be making another one as a gift for a teacher friend...but we'll see. I hate making too many of a particular pattern one after the other.

To go with her blanket, my friend also asked if I could make her one of the knight helmets that I made for Happy Hats at work. She was a part of that event and loooooved the way the hate came out. She asked that it be made to match the blanket instead of in traditional colors (like grey to simulate armor). I was fine with that, and I think it came out adorable.

Here is another pic with the visor up on the forehead. I didn't make this one with a button, and instead just sewed the visor on at the corner. I think it looks fine that way. Also, the little baby is going to outgrow it quickly, so I didn't think that the buttons made a ton of sense.

Had a lot of fun with this project. Both the blanket and the knight's helm are some of my favorite patterns, and I enjoy getting to make them for friends and little babies.

Friday, August 2, 2013

Crayons & Hippos and a pattern review

One of my mom's employees is having a baby, and she asked me to make a baby blanket to give to her. I had, just that day, stumbled across this pattern on pinterest, and I knew I *had* to make it for the new baby.

As you can see, I chose pastel colors instead of traditional basic crayon colors (although I have an order for another crayon blanket, which I very well may make in standard crayon colors...stay tuned for pics in September or October). I love the way this one came out. The crayons were simple to make, and I sewed them attachment style with 2 rows of sc around each piece. After it was finished I added another row of sc all the way around (doubling back on the bottom for a total of 3 sc rows along that edge). Otherwise, I used the pattern as written. No modifications.

US Instructions

Row 1: In red, ch 27, hdc in 3rd ch from hook, hdc in next 24 ch, turn. (25 sts)
Rows 2-8: Ch 2, hdc in each hdc, turn.
Change to Black.
Rows 9/10: Ch 2, hdc in each hdc, turn.
Change to Red.
Rows 11/12: Ch 2, hdc in each hdc, turn.
Change to Black.
Rows 13/14: Ch 2, hdc in each hdc, turn.
Change to Red.
Rows 15-30: Ch 2, hdc in each hdc, turn.
Row 31: Ch 2, hdc in next 9 hdc, hdc2tog, change to black, drop red, 2 hdc in next hdc, hdc in next hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc, change to red, drop black, hdc2tog, hdc in next 9 hdc, turn.
Row 32: Ch 2, hdc in next 8 hdc, hdc2tog, change to black, drop red, 2 hdc in next hdc, hdc in next 3 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc, change to red, drop black, hdc2tog, hdc in next 8 hdc, turn.
Rows 33-58: Ch 2, hdc in next 9 hdc, change to black, drop red, hdc in next 7 hdc, change to red, drop black, hdc in next 9 hdc, turn.
Row 59: Ch 2, hdc in next 8 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc, change to black, drop red, hdc2tog, hdc in next 3 hdc, hdc2tog, change to red, drop black, 2 hdc in next hdc, hdc in next 8 hdc, turn.
Row 60: Ch 2, hdc in next 9 hdc, 2 hdc in next hdc, change to black, drop red, hdc2tog, hdc in next hdc, hdc2tog, change to red, drop black, 2 hdc in next hdc, hdc in next 9 hdc, turn.
Rows 61-70: Ch 2, hdc in each hdc, turn.
Change to Black.
Rows 71/72: Ch 2, hdc in each hdc, turn.
Change to Red.
Rows 73/74: Ch 2, hdc in each hdc, turn.
Change to Black.
Rows 75/76: Ch 2, hdc in each hdc, turn.
Change to Red.
Rows 77-80: Ch 2, hdc in each hdc, turn.
Row 81: Ch 1, hdc2tog, hdc in next 21 hdc, hdc2tog, turn. (23 sts)
Row 82: Ch 2, hdc in each hdc, turn.
Row 83: Ch 1, hdc2tog, hdc in next 19 hdc, hdc2tog, turn. (21 sts)
Row 84: Ch 2, hdc in each hdc, turn.
Row 85: Ch 1, hdc2tog, hdc in next 17 hdc, hdc2tog, turn. (19 sts)
Row 86: Ch 2, hdc in each hdc, turn.
Row 87: Ch 1, hdc2tog, hdc in next 15 hdc, hdc2tog, turn. (17 sts)
Row 88: Ch 2, hdc in each hdc, turn.
Row 89: Ch 1, hdc2tog, hdc in next 13 hdc, hdc2tog, turn. (15 sts)
Row 90: Ch 2, hdc in each hdc, turn.
Row 91: Ch 1, hdc2tog, hdc in next 11 hdc, hdc2tog, turn. (13 sts)
Row 92: Ch 2, hdc in each hdc, turn.
Row 93: Ch 1, hdc2tog, hdc in next 9 hdc, hdc2tog, fasten off and sew in ends. (11 sts)
Work 2 Rows of sc in black evenly around the edge.
Make 5 more “crayons” in different colours and sew them together.

I had a little bit of yarn left over from the blanket, and I decided to make somethign else with the scraps. Sorry about the crop on his nose. But this is Happypotamus (as the pattern calls him). I actually purchased this pattern from ravelry. It was only $6.50, and worth EVERY penny!! The instructions are marvelous, with pictures for every step. Not one thing about it is confusing. I highly recommend that if you're interested you purchase this one. I will say, though, that Mr. Happy came out HUGE! I was expecting maybe a 1 foot hippo. Using a "g" hook, this guy in the photo came out to a whopping 25" long, or just over 2 feet! I think he's a little big for a baby, lol. But hopefully mom likes him any way.

All in all, though, I couldn't be happier. The hippo came out great and matches the blanket very well. I think it is a successful gift :-)

Monday, June 10, 2013

Freezer Frenzy!

Recently my little sister finished her master's degree and moved back home. She starts her new job this week, and wanted to make several freezer meals to help ease the transition from student to adult with a job :)

I've been trying to make extra when I cook and freeze it as I go so that on days I don't have time to cook I can just pull something out of the freezer. It has been working pretty well for me, but I was open to doing a marathon cooking session, too.

We decided that, as we are both married with no children, a "typical" family recipe for a family of four would feed each of our small families for two dinners, we could make a month's worth of dinners and only need 2 pre-made dinners per week (we do a family dinner on Sunday, so no cooking, and we figured the other two days could either be a date night or spaghetti/taco nights) for a total of about 10 dinners each.

We picked several dinner recipes we liked, put together a master grocery and prep list, and removed items we already had (ex. I already had some chicken breasts and a gallon of milk, etc) then went shopping. In total, we spent $210 (split two ways to $105 each) including non-food items we needed, like foil, gallon bags, tupperware and jars. We ended up with 20 dinners, 15 lunches, and 15 breakfasts for a total of 50 meals!

Here's what we made:
Breakfasts were simple. My sister made her and my husband kolaches by taking sausages (the ones that look like hotdogs) and rolling them in crescent rolls. Then she topped them with fajita seasoning and baked them until crescents were done.
I'm not a kolache fan, so I just made some quick wildberry muffins (from the mix) to eat this week.

For lunches, 15 jars of cheeseburger soup. We doubled the recipe, traded 1lb of beef for ground breakfast sausage, and put into jars. We're going to eat them this week, so into the fridge they went.

Dinners were:
Easy Cheeseburger Sliders x2 (made per the recipe)
Beef Stroganoff x4 (kind of sort of...we couldn't find any cheap roast or stew meat, so we got a couple of extra lbs of ground beef and made meatballs...so they are kind of a hybrib of sweedish meatballs and beef stroganoff. Hubby and I are trying it this week, so I'll let you know how they turned out).

Country Club Chicken x2 (this was a pain in the behind, and I may not be making it again...also, forgot to get an apple, so we didn't add it)
Taco Soup x4 (made per the recipe...note! the linked recipe makes 2 gallon bags, so if you want 2, only make 1 of the recipe. We actually double the recipe and ended up with 4 freezer bags)
Beef and Bean Enchiladas x4 (We used corn tortillas...because who uses flour tortillas in enchiladas????? Also, her recipe called for WAY too much refried beans, so we cut it in half and used 2 cans for 4 lbs of meat. We also didn't include the chiles, and added a little bit of cheese to the beef/bean mixture before filling.)
Pesto Chicken Alfredo x5 (made per the recipe...OMG THIS WAS AMAZING! lol. Because it called for cooked chicken, we were able to taste this one. It was super simple and so omg good. I can't wait to heat it up this week!)

I also made 1 cheeseburger soup for the freezer. We cooked the meat and chopped the veggies, then added the seasonings to the bag. On the day of I'll have to add all the other stuff (chicken broth, milk, cheese and sour cream) but I won't have to brown the meat and chop the veggies, so it helps!

This was my grocery list. Note I'd removed items I already had, like milk and seasonings.

Master shopping list
Meats
15	Ground beef (lbs)
2	ground sausage (lbs)
12	stew beef/chuck roast (lbs)
8	chicken breasts
1	bacon (lb)
8	cups chicken
Produce
15	onion
4	carrots (cups)
4	celery (cups)
2	potatoes (bag)
38	mushrooms (oz)
32	frozen corn (oz)
6	fresh baby spinach (cups)
Cans
4	crushed tomatoes with chiles (cans)
2	crushed tomatoes (15 oz cans)
4	black beans (cans)
4	kidney beans (cans)
3	cream of mushroom soup (cans)
6	enchilada sauce (19oz cans)
3	refried beans (16oz cans)
2	alfredo sauce (15 oz jars)
2	prepared basil pesto (5-8 oz jar)
liquids
6	beef stock or broth (cups)
1	dry white wine (cup)
dairy
1	velveeta cheese
1	sour cream
32	cheddar or colby cheese (oz)
8	italian blend cheese or other white cheese (cups)
dried
4	taco seasoning
2	penne pasta (16 oz pkgs)
bread
	large pack of corn tortillas
utensils and pans
	crockpot bags
15	wide-mouth jars
8	9x13 foil pans

I cleaned out my freezer before we started, and this is how it looked after.

We actually made more than my freezer could hold at first, so until little sis took her food home, we overflowed into the fridge.

So, all said and done, we spent $210 on 50 meals for an average cost of about $4.20 per meal. We'll definitely be doing this again.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Earth Day Craft!

Hello everyone!

I know I have been gone for a while, but things have been a little crazy around here. We had a really nasy hail storm out of the blue, and my car took some pretty serious damage. So, we've been dealing with insurance and body shops and rental cars...what a nightmare!

On top of that, my work does a huge Earth Day event every year, and I've been pulled in on several different committees to help with things. One of the committees involves a Recycled Styled Fashion Show (fun!!!) and I'm the committee seamstress. Which means mostly consulting and helping groups get their outfits together. I've also been tapped to make the men's costumes (we are going for a rat pack theme with fedoras, and vests [because suit jackets made from paper were pretty hard, lol]). So, I'm working on those right now, and may post a few pictures when I finish them.

Another organization I'm involved with is doing a recycled art silent auction. This is an idea I'm absolutely in love with, and another thing I've been super busy with.

I wanted to share one of the crafts I made for the Earth Day Art Auction (which sounds a lot fancier than recycled crafts show, haha)

This piece of art uses old magazine ads/junk mail to create a really cool layered look. My pinspiration comes from this blog post. At first, I was really upset because my piece didn't come out as nice as her's did (even though I think mine looks great, and, like most art pieces, looks wonderful from futher away, haha). After I had finished, I really started looking at her pictures, and I'm pretty sure she cheated. If you look at her stain and paint brush strokes, you can see where they continue behind the magazine scrap image. Once I explain how the craft is made (if you haven't already read it on her blog) then you'll see how this doesn't make any sense. I think she painted her canvas and then glued down her magazine scraps to make it look nicer, which is fine because it looks great. But, if that if what you are going to do, then blog about how to do that. Don't set up unrealistic expectations for a craft that you yourself couldn't even do. All of my crafts are 100% real the way I explain them. The only liberties I take are photoshoping to brighten the colors because my shitty camera phone makes it hard to see the details sometimes. I don't edit away parts I don't like, or lie about my process. What you see from me is totally real.

Okay. Sorry about the rant.......

Let's talk about how to make this recycled piece.

What you're going to need is:

A canvas (of any size)

An old magazine or a pile of junk mail (probably about a week's worth, if you get as much as I do, haha)

Mod Podge

Scissors

About half a bottle of paint (depending on your canvas size) (I used some leftovers from another project)

Stencil paper (like this I picked up at Michael's for another craft)

A silhouette of your choice

First, cut your magazine pictures up. We did strips, but you can also do blobs or whatever you feel comfortable with. You want to pick bright colors, and cut out any white spots. You should also avoid colors that are the same as whatever paint you are using, because it will hurt the image later.

Next, start glueing them down with the Mod Podge. I found that if I layed down a thin layer of Mod Podge, then put down my strip, then put another thin layer on top of that, it worked great. Cover the entire canvas this way. (note, my sister, niece and I made 3 of these. The first one we randomly glued the strips down. The second and third we tried to mostly stick to straight lines, and this worked much better. However, the pictures are from the first canvas where everything is glued down randomly)

Also note: the strips are going to pucker up. This is totally okay. Do not worry about making them lie flat!!

Set aside and allow to dry. (the first one died over night because we were tired, haha. The next two we did within 20 minutes I think. As long as the Mod Podge has turned clear, you are good to go for the next step).

While drying, print out a silhouette you like. We just googled "bird silhouette" because we knew we wanted to do birds.

This was the silhouette we picked, and I love how pretty it is. =D We actually ended up using two different ones because we had a large canvas. But we basically just flipped this one upside down and stracedit from a different angle to get the two different branches.

Then, trace onto your stencil paper. It doesn't have to be perfect, mine obviously wasn't. (ignore the stuff in the top left corner. I made a mistake the first time and just reused the sheet, haha). Note that I did not like the way the heart-shape leaves looked when I traced them. Even though I loved them in the silhouette, they just weren't working, so I decided to go with more traditional leaves.

And cut it out. (I think this picture is actually the second tree branch we did. The above pic is the flipped image, this is the original image. If you look, you can see they are the same tree branch, just upside down from one another...I'm all about the easy way)

By this time your Mod Podge should be dry, and your canvas is ready to paint. The reason I chose this stencil paper is because it is adhesive. So, peel off the paper backing and stick the stencil down on your canvas, making sure to go back over and rub out any air bubbles that you see. Leave a little bit of the base of the branch hanging off for easy peeling later.

Once your stencil is pressed down nice and tight, paint over it. It took 2-3 layers of paint to get a good cover on the canvas. On the first one, we only did 2 layers, and we had some magazine color show through. I loved it! On the other two we wanted a more striking image, so we did 3 coats, which completely covered the magazines.

You can see where the permanant marker we used to trace on the paper started to rise up through the paint. I thought that was kind of neat (easily amused, lol).

While the paint is still damp (not wet, but definitely don't wait until it dries!!) peel the stencil off.

Touch up any areas that may have had problems, and you're done. Note that on one of my birds, I didn't press the stencil down enough, and I had a little leakage. So, I killed the bird, so to speak, and painted over it after I was finished. I also had the problem that I didn't press one of my branches down enough, and paint obscured part of it. So, I took a few different colored permanant markers and filled it in with color blocks. You can barely tell. I bet you can't identify where on the canvas I did it... lol

On the first canvas (the one pictured above) we also went back in with some sandpaper and sanded over the wrinkles. It gave it a little more of a distressed look, which I love!

These are the next two that we did.

For this one, we actually did another one first, and my sister HATED the way the image came out. So, we decided to start over and junk the whole thing. The problem was that we felt guilty just throwing out a canvas, so we stripped off all of the magazine strips. They left behind some color reside from where they were glued down, and I loved the way it looked. We decided not to glue down new strips and just paint over it the way it was. While the red was still wet, I added some paint splatters in a cream color. This one is, easily, my favorite... I'm glad I decided not to trash the messed up canvas!

I like that this one gives you a sense of how we glued down the strips after the first canvas. If you look closely, you can see that we started in one corner and then fanned out our strips from there. It gave the image a really cool striped look that I think gives it some character. It is very different from the first one, and still very beautiful :)

So now you have it. An easy earth day project using recycled magazines or junk mail. This one can easily be done with kids, and comes out really beautiful (I think).