Say "THANK YOU"....

This is a salute to all those incredibly courageous and giving soldiers out there that give their freedom so others can have theirs!

Sometime ago I started "Thanking" any person that I saw in a military uniform. If I'm shopping, pull up to a red light, pretty much anywhere. I stop them and say, "Thank you" they really act surprised, and sometimes embarassed.

It really is the least I can do. I am proud to say I have several family members that have been Fulltime and Reserve US Military. They served their country proud, and I am proud of them.

I thought I'd share a couple pictures of a sew sew suck ur toe gnome that made it's way to Kirkuk, Iraq. This soldiers daughter bought this gnome from me to go in a box that was being sent to her Dad for Christmas.

I hope he brightens this soldier's day, and puts a smile on many more. I would like to say "THANK YOU". May God bless you and always keep you safe and quickly bring you home.

First pic is in the "sand pit" self explanatory, and breakfast in Kirkuk doesn't look too bad!

Make your own very cool printed fabric

I've been interested in doing this for sometime and with my growing love of fabric it was time to learn how to design my own.

Here's what you will need:

Fabric (you choose color and maybe even one with a design already)

Paint (if the item isn't going to be used for clothing use acrylic otherwise buy the fabric paint)

Stamp (be creative here!)

Imagination

I decided to use a swatch of fabric from a repurposed white sheet. It was already washed so no need to do this before stamping. I'd play around on paper first before you get going on the fabric. (It's better to make mistakes here first!)

I applied the acrylic paint on the stamp with a paintbrush. I stamped all the black patterning first than washed my stamp and paintbrush. After drying stamp with towel I applied the green paint and stamped the green patterning.

Super simple to do and you don't have to be too precise! YEAH! My kind of creating! The subtle stamp imperfections work well with the paisley mandala stamp.

I've used acrylic paint on fabric before and as long as you don't use thick amounts it washes up nicely and stays on forever. I do like to wash the fabric after completion it softens up the design and gives it a feel more like screenprinting.

CAUTION: If using acrylic paint on fabric DO NOT IRON without a towel covering the design.

The picture above is my first swatch. I am going to use this fabric for a journal cover. I think a nice green velvet ribbon would make a nice closure....hmmm...we'll have to see!

This is incredibly simple to do, and affordable. The possibilites are limitless!

Now go get creating!!!!

VIVA LE MOUSTACHE!!!!!!!!!!

I just love this moustache craze!

I've been in Christmas gear all week so I decided to add a little manly style to the traditional stocking design.

This is totally ecofriendly! I used repurposed men's wool pants, and repurposed linens for the inside and an ecofelt that is made from recycled plastic bottles.

I wish I could say I made it on my hand crank sewing machine, than I would have even been off the grid....hmmm....maybe for the next one!

back to where it all began....

it was almost a year ago now that i hit the ground hard to put my sewing designs into product (hence the formal launch of sew sew suck ur toe.etsy)....i've had design ideas floating around in my head for years...finally...YES! FINALLY! i am actually making the product. i opened my sewing store for a few months with just a couple of products...really trying to get my feet wet and establish my design style. now, i revisit an old design favorite in fall colors...."eye am happy" bag. this design was one of my firsts. i like it...i hope you do too!

let's digress just a bit...

i think i missed my real calling...i should have been on some Manhattan project "design think tank group" or some crazy group of people that they put in a cave underground somewhere in a dark room with one lone light bulb overhead tied to a chair and forced to develop a new design everyday or face true creative ruin. i think i could have thrived in that environment.... and used my "genius mind" to pull all the creative inmates together and somehow overtake the place. ha! where do i come up with this you ask??? i think my mom was anal probed by aliens while being pregnant with me and it somehow distorted my mind. possible??? not probable though. i'll blame it on too much polyester clothing in the 70's.

does this digression...show my "inner happiness" you ask??? maybe not, so i shall bring it about by canvasing the world with my "eye am happy" design!

Acorns...gotta love'um!

so i have this "thing"...or should i say addiction to acorns. i don't think my family is planning an intervention at least not now that i am aware of. gosh darn it, they are just sooo cute! i missed harvest here and super bummed about that. it's always a fun time getting all the family out for a nice day outside enjoying the first signs of fall. last year we harvested the most gorgeously perfect acorns and soo many darn cute baby ones. (those baby ones led to the 'pet acorn in my pocket' design)

with no acorns for any of my projects i had to begin the internet search for acorns. i am telling all you entrepreneurs out there....SELL ACORNS. i could only find one site to buy them from. i found a terrific gal in Wisconsin that sent me a nice sized ziploc bag full for $5. i was HAPPY!!!

are you looking for acorns too??? acorns by the pound helped me out! YEAH! thank you Stacey!!!! (for some reason I can't seem to get this link to work) check my rotating list of goodness!

so this years acorn design was a little more hip and a little less cutesy but still great none the less. gotta get a pick of a bowl full!

i wish you many happy moments with acorns! okay, did that sound disturbing???

pancake HAPPINESS

Need to impress an overnight house guest??? Or take that fundraising pancake feed to the gourmet level??? Here's the recipe for you!!!

My sis (Nat, the best chef in Kansas ) made these for me a few years ago. The recipe is titled "Best Ever Pancakes" and they really are. I add sliced bananas and crushed pecans or walnuts (whichever I have in the pantry).

I had to have these this morning. Of course, I got all the ingredients together (or what I thought to be all of the ingredients) started the mixing up and realized I didn't have any eggs! ?*!! @ Does that happen to any of you??? So my quick breakfast took a little longer because of the trip to get eggs. It's moments like these I wish I had a chicken coop in the back yard. Take a peek at the pic...it was worth the extra effort. Oh...it's a family of 7 at our house so I double the batch and keep the leftovers in the fridg. They make a great quick breakfast for the kiddo's. Nat shared this goodness with me and now I must share the goodness with you.....

I cook them in a large cast iron skillet (I don't have a cast iron griddle). The trick I've found with these is cook them slow on a low heat. It really keeps them fluffy, and keep the stirring to a minimum. These yummylicious cakes don't like a lot of stirring it pops the air bubbles that keep them light and fluffy. And need I say, use the real dealio syrup...ya know the kind that comes from Maple trees???

"Best Ever Pancakes"

1 3/4 cups flour

2 t. sugar

1 t. salt

1 1/2 t. baking soda

2 eggs well beaten

2 c. buttermilk *

2-4 T. melted butter

Sift flour before measuring, then re sift with sugar, salt, baking powder and soda. Beat eggs, then mix with buttermilk. Combine the dry and liquid ingredients with a few quick strokes. Than add the melted butter. Mix ingredients well but with the least amount of strokes as possible. Batter will be lumpy. Bake on a hot griddle until browned on both sides.

YIELD: about 20 4inch cakes

*(I use Bob's Red Mill powdered. Just follow the directions on the back of the package)

Eat and enjoy!!!!!!

ATTENTION ALL CREATIVE JUNKIES.....lots of groovie goodness to come!!!

welcome to this rockin' blog! check back often it's sure to have some fun stuff you'll love to read and explore!!!!!!!!

Hi Ho, Hi Ho,
it's off to work i go....
i'm very new at this whole stuff, but sure to have a blast with it...
Hi Ho!