Tie One On ~ Apron for a dolly type friend

Here is my Bride of Frankenstein doll in her new apron! The fabric is black with white spider webs and on the lower right corner I stitched on a plastic spider I got from Barb's package.

close-up...see the spider?

Mrs. Frankenstein is new to baking but is trying very hard. She heard about my making croquettes and made up her own recipe for roachettes! Would you like a sample?

Potato CHIP Cookies

I have been really into tricking the victims lately with desserts. Dacia sent me this neat recipe among all the other goodies in my Second String Swap package for cookies made from potato chips. Yes! (insert evil laugh here).

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POTATO CHIP COOKIES

1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 cup crushed plain potato chips (I used 1 whole cup)

Blend butter, sugar, vanilla. Cream well. Add in flour, potato chips. Drop by tsp on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake @ 350 degrees 12-15 min. Top with powdered sugar.

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I was able to trick the victims succesfully with these cookies, they had no idea that they had potato chips in them. They really liked them as well. I do think my victims are getting a bit tried of my shannigans so next week I am going to have to make something 'real'.

Vintage Revamp

Last Friday was Dixie Doll Heather's birthday. She loves Tiki/Hawaiian bamboo stuff so for her gifts, I took a plain vintage bamboo purse that I got at a thrift store and snazzed it up a bit along with a matching flower hair accessory.
For the revamp of the purse I made a black fabric interior liner (so things wouldn't fall through the slits) and then attached the flower on to the exterior. For the hair accessory, I hot glued black ribbon and a flower on to a hair clip.
I wish I would have brought my camera to get a picture of her with her gifts! She was all dolled up and looked soo adorable!

Interesting Package

Look at this interesting "package" I got this weekend! Barb sent it to me! And look at all the stuff she was able to squeeze into a 3 liter bottle! She knows how much I love Halloween and sent me all sorts of gross and cool things.

Okay, here are all the goods: plastic spiders, Halloween ribbons, handmade Halloween shrinky dink pins (very cool barb!), small pumkin tablecover, red and pink edible glitter, candy teeth, squishy gross ball with blood and bugs and maggots, cute tissues with monkey faces, wooly willy magnetic hair game (I have always wanted one of these!), flashing teeth, very interesting candy called ' butt ugly Martians', pattern for a large soft tooth, Halloween iron-ons, and recipes for neat Halloween inspired treats! Whew! If something is missing Barb, it's because pumpkinbutt thought these were things for him and took off with it!

Thank you soo much Barb!

Appless Pie

I have had a recipe my grandma, Mawmaw, gave me for something called Appless Pie for some time now. In 1991 she made me a little cookbook up of all her favorite recipes and the stories behind them. Here is what the card says:

"This recipe, I have had more fun with. This friend and I used to make what we told everyone was an apple pie. After we gave them a piece of apple pie, they say sure was good apple pie. We would tell them that is wasn't apple pie and they thought we were lying. I wrote this before the recipe in case you want to have some fun"

Well, I'm always up for a bit of fun and trickery, so I made this for dessert last Sunday.
I learned that you can't get one over on my victims...I served all a slice of the pie and waited about 10 minutes after they ate it till I asked them "So how was the apple pie?" the first victim piped up immediately "Was that a mock apple pie?" DAMN IT!!! Then everyone pretty much just agreed with her...I think what gives it away is the texture. The mock pie filling is very smooth. Everyone did agree that the pie was very good, just not quite believable as an apple pie. Maybe a better way to go about this trickery is to just serve the pie and not claim it as any flavor. When they ask, get all defensive and say "You couldn't tell? What do you think it is?" and as they grasp for an answer and squirm in their seats, you can get your laugh!

Here is the recipe, in case you ever want to have some fun:

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APPLESS PIE

1 1/2 cup sugar
2 tsps cream of tartar
cinnamon
butter
2 cups water
23 Ritz crackers
pie shell

Boil sugar, water and cream of tartar one min. Drop in crackers. Do not stir. Boil two mins. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Put in butter and sprinkle cinnamon on top. Put on top pie crust and bake until brown at about 350 degrees.

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She didn't say how much butter or cinnamon, so do whatever you feel like.

At the end of the recipe card she wrote:
"In case you ever decide to trick someone, I want to know how it turns out, ok?"

I ask the same of you all too...

Book Sale Blahs

Last Friday was one of my favorite events of the year, The Friends of the Library Book Sale! I generally find lots of vintage books on cooking, crafts, decorating and children to add to my collection. This year was a big let down. I didn't find much of nothing. But for what it's worth, here are the few cool items I did get. Shown above is a little recipe booklet for the use of those aluminum molds that are always at thrifts.

I don't have a pressure cooker...But I liked the illo on the cover of this little owner's manual/recipe booklet. Don't you love how every cooking implement claims to make cooking easier? The only thing that will make cooking easier for me is to have someone else do it!



This was the find of the sale! The Good Housekeeping's Ten pm Cook Book as seen in the ever hilarious book The Gallery of Regrettable Food by James Lileks. I already have quite a few of the cook booklets that Lileks highlights and I try to collect the others in his book. His chapter on The Ten pm Cook Book makes me laugh every time I read it. Example:

This is the image on the back cover of the Ten pm Cook Book.

Lileks declares, "How can you make sure a 10 pm party doesn't last past 10:06? Serve them this."

Tell me that's not funny....

Here are the rest of the books I got....On many an exciting topic such as the Joys of Jello and How to work wonders with a Hamilton Beach Liqui-Blender. I picked up a couple of ones that I already have for a friend as well.



The book sale also carries a few other paper type items. I found this very unusual little portfolio of cards that are meant to be sent, I'm guessing to a child, during the time they are sick...But the catch is they have to be sick for 7 days to get all the cards...How would you know they are going to be sick that exact amount of time? I find this very peculiar. Maybe that's why it was never used after all these years. I just bought it for the cute little bear illustrations.

Like I said, this sale was really blah...I guess I should look on the bright side... Now I at least have the recipe for that awful looking pink lobster dish...Don't invite yourself to my house around 10pm cause I have plans!

Aprons for all!

For the next TOO, the challenge is to make an apron for a doll type friend...So I decided to look around the web a bit for some victims...I found lots of little cuties that I would love to dress up!

scary girl by Nathan Jurevicius

those little birds are such darlings! And I love the black/white color scheme...Oh, and the octopus on her dress and her eye patch....

Lucky Doovoo

"Make a secret drawing, write the name of someone you love or make any wish you want come true by using his enchanted blackboard. Comes with three magic trinkets.

Lucky Doovoo is part of The Good Wood Gang, a series of beautifully detailed modular wood toys from Friends With You."

I like the idea behind this toy...And I could really could use that enchanted blackboard! I don't think DooVoo would look so great in an apron though.

Jeero

Jeero has always been my favorite of the ugly dolls. I think he would look quite nice in an apron like his friend wage .

Helper by Tim Biskup

I think Helper and mini-helper would look smashing in matching attire!

I really love these kind of 'toys'...so dang cute! But alas, I will need to pick a friend that already lives with me...Just none of them have raised their hands and look too excited about wearing an apron..

Scrap Crafty~ baby sock rabbit

Here is my little tutorial on how to make a little bunny from a baby sock. I got the idea from a parenting mag where they used a much larger sock and tied a cute bow around the neck.

First lay out and cut a slit down sock til where the back of the head would start.

Next, stitch up the ears with embroidery floss. A contrasting color looks neat. I didn't get too adventurous with this one. I used navy blue floss.

Cut and bend pipe cleaners. Insert into ears. They don't have to be red..It's just what I had on hand.

Stitch on facial features. I used the same blue embroidery floss for the little mouth/nose and buttons for eyes. Stitch pompom on back for a tail.

Next stuff the little guy. Do a purse string stitch to close the bottom off. It may not close completely and still look right so just cut a little circle of felt and insert for the bottom to cover up any exposed stuffing.

DONE! These little guys don't really take too long and it's a great project to do with kids of an age to understand these instructions. I can't tell you what that age is, all I know is what a 2 year old can do and this is not it!

These directions are only a 'serving suggestion' so by all means try using other items such as felt for the eyes or even making some whiskers from embroidery floss or using different sized socks. For this bunny I used a very small sock meant for a 3 month old, on the other bunny I used a 12 month old sock. I don't think this new one turned out as cute the first one, but hey....whatever! If anyone makes one, let me know, I'd love to see your bunny!

Mail makes me smile!

I got a package in the mail today that I was not expecting! It was from Julia and was suppose to be just a check for a necklace and a pair of earrings!!!! It was much bigger than what a check would come in!!! Upon opening it I was surprised to find that besides sending a check she also sent a bunch of fabulous things to make me smile!!!!


Some adorable Michael Miller retro fabric and some AWESOME cook booklets! I have to say I am very excited about the 'FUN with Coffee' one! I tried to make a coffee cake a number of months ago. Not a cake to eat with coffee but a cake made out of coffee. I made a chocolate cake as the base and added lots of packets of cappuccino coffee mix to that. I thought it would turn out like a chocolate coffee flavor...No, just the chocolate came through. I honestly don't like coffee in it's typical hot form (but i like it in ice coffee and ice cream) but am intrigued with the idea of using it for cooking. Of course, a smart gal would have looked up a recipe online...But I didn't, I was trying to come up with something myself. I don't mind getting some help from vintage sources though.


on the last page of the 'FUN with Coffee" booklet it says:

...And there's still MORE fun with coffee...

* A fine reward for a good boy or girl is Coffee Junior- a big glass of milk turned into a prize by addition of a few tablespoons of hot coffee. Remember when you enjoyed Coffee Junior on Sunday mornings long ago?


I don't recall ever having this...Does anyone else??



Thank you so much Julia! I know you are out of the country right now so that will give me some time to get your package together!

RECIPES!!

I have been really wanting to do some work on my template and today I got a moment...I have done a bit of tiding up and have all the recipes organized over to the right. I plan on doing this on a few other items of interest and adding to my linky doo's section. For the recipes, I linked up through my flickr and underneath each picture is a link to the corresponding post. Let me know if it doesn't work or I messed anything up!

The Housewife's Tarot

This is the coolest thing ever! A vitual tarot card reading that is all housewife-ish! There are even mystic inspired recipes and neat desktop freebies! The actual tarot cards can be purchased as well! I will be getting a set of these! Go get your reading and worry no more about making life's decisions! Let the cards tell you what to do!

Enjoy!

Second String Swap landed

My second string 'make-for' partner was Two Rabbits. She is a very cool chic and I'm glad she was mine to make for! This swap was very interesting to me in the fact that first off you had to make your gifties out of things you already had on hand and they had to reflect yourself in some way and of course , be something your partner would like as well. I spent alot of time thinking and planning for what I was going to make for her. For the small (desk-sized) stuffie I went with this idea I had torn out of a parenting mag a long time ago...It just happened to be a rabbit and it's made from a baby sock. I am into recycled crafts so that was the part that represented me. I read in her blog that she and her husband really love Japanese art/tattoos. I myself, like Japanese art and tattoos...I don't have any of either but still...You guys are surprised right? Believe it or not, I don't run around my house all day in heels and pearls dusting! Ha ha! I have many other interests than just vintage housewife stuff..It's my main thing though. Okay, back to the swap stuff...I was in art school getting my bachelors in Fine Art a number of years back and I learned book making/ binding. The main part of this swap was to make an organizer. I decided to go with a blank book because it can be used for many an organizing need.

cover

spine

inside- front

inside- back

I didn't mean to go so overboard with the rabbit theme it's just that I kept finding great rabbit images. The one used on the front interior had 2 rabbits in the shades of hers so I had to use it! (BTW, on the little horizontal piece on paper I handstamped her name but I edited it out just in case she doesn't want folks to know her name, didn't want anyone to wonder what the hell is up with that sliver of paper! ). It has been over 7 years since I made a handbond book and this one didn't turn out perfect by any means.. I enjoyed making it ; it brought back alot of old art school memories.
The third part of the swap was to include things about yourself...Whether it be your town, your interests, your favorite past time, your love of pickled pig's feet... I went with a 'MEME' type book with photos, stories and other odd's n' ends.

cover


first page

I'm not going to bore everyone with putting up every single page. That is if you have even made it this far without nodding off! Ha ha!

The last part of the swap was 'stuff from your stash'...Craft wise. I sent a bunch of buttons, trims, some Japanese candy called 'white rabbit' (again with the rabbit theme) and the extra iron-on I made of the geisha girl on the cover of the book.

My gal told me she loved everything and it absolutely made my day that she did.

p.s. I will work on doing a tute or at least a 'how-to' on the little bunny!
p.p.s I don't like pickled pig's feet

Pumpkinbutt's Second Throw Down!!

This past week was Pumpkinbutt's second birthday!! He had a classic car/ kustom hot rod themed party . He LOVES cars! Shown above is the cover of the invites I made. They actually had Pumkinbutt's real name on them, but for identity protection I changed it for your viewing pleasure. I scanned an image of an old pulp novel, cleaned up the image best I could, then added his name and the 'second throw down' part. I used my piece o' shit paint program....One of these days I WILL get Photoshop....


Here is the cake table. I wanted to make a cake stand out of pistons but it didn't quite work out. I used the pistons for balloon weights/decor instead. I also strewed spark plugs all over the table. I scanned and printed out a bunch of images of old cars and hung them up everywhere along with placing them on the edges of all the tables. I ordered a bunch of balloons with checkered flags and plastic cups with flames from oriental trading. also made a mixed CD with hot rod music to play during the festivities.

Here is his cake...It is a white wall tire! I know things look a little strange/missing on it but I 'paint programmed' out his name. It would have been on the top part of the hubcap. I strategically put the two candles in the same place as a valve stem. The side of the cake was tire tread textured, but it's hard to see in the picture (I used a plastic fork to achieve that). I wanted to bake the hubcap part of the cake in an actual hubcap, but I then realized that would have been waaay too big in comparison to the tire part of the cake, even if I cut down the hubcap part, it still would have been too big. I instead, just used icing and mounded it in a point in the middle (not noticeable in the picture though). I still want to try out baking a cake in a hubcap, one of these days.
This is a view of the balloons along the edge of the patio. On most of the stakes, I put images of cars. Off the subject but...How do like the still-down-from-hurricane-Dennis fence? Can you say white trash?
detail of one of the stakes.



Here is pumpkinbutt enjoying one of his gifts post birthday cake...

After his party at the house he got to take a car cruise over to a car show in town. He excitedly pulled me around to all the cars pointing and saying "car, car, ooohh! car!". He really had fun there.

I will admit that the first part of his party was not fun...I am very pissed off about it still. My cousin decided to bring 3 of her friends that I have never met and were not invited (they looked VERY suspicious...Like....Would break into my house to steal the DVD player for drug money suspicious) ! When pumkinbutt saw them he started crying and didn't even get to enjoy seeing his party all set up with the balloons and all the cars when he first arrived....It was THE moment I was wanting to see happen but because of my cousin's need to hang all over her boyfriend at a 2 year old's party it's a moment lost forever. After my cousin and her friends left Pumkinbutt came back outside for the rest of his party. The last part went just fine..Except for me totally forgetting to get everyone to sing happy birthday to him! I was so into watching his reaction with the candles that it slipped my mind.

Second String goodies!

Here are all the goodies I received in the mail yesterday from my swap partner Dacia. For this swap there were 4 requirements: an organizer, a stuffie, some items from your craft stash, and some things about yourself (i.e. town, interests, daily stuff, ect) AND it had to be from stuff you already had. First off, Dacia actually made me 3 organizers! Below (far right) is a ribbon organizer. Inside is a dowel rod that spools of ribbon are placed on and then the ribbon is threaded to the outside via rivets. All nice and tidy! Far right is the cutest stuffie bunny...Only, he isn't just cute, his little belly pouch opens up and is a small sewing organizer!
In the front middle are lovely hand stamped and machine stitched cards. These were a 'just because' kinda deal! She also included her handmade stamp, notice how the flower matches the fabric print! Very clever!

This is the third organizer (the sides actually go straight down but the best area in my house for lighting was were I had to prop it up which makes it appear to have a waist). She made this for me to organize my jewelry making supplies. Let me tell you..they need some organizing! It has many pockets in varying sizes which is perfect for anything really.
This is the back. She was concerned I wouldn't like the fabric because I didn't list these colors as fav's, but I actually think they look great together.


These are the 'about her' and stash items. Bundles of fabrics, a bracelet with details in one of my favorite colors (chartreuse), a very cool Japanese mango tea tin, a cellophane pouch of neat snippets of papers and imagery (I really loved those Dacia!), postcards, neat advertising from a new York pizza place, a pamphlet from an opera called Kirov Cycle (very interesting costumes!), and a menu from a Japanese tea house called "TenRen's Tea Time". I really liked looking at the menu for the fact that all they serve is tea and a few snacks. There are some interesting sounding teas ...Tapioca Fruit tea that can be served iced, warm or hot in flavors such as Kumquat Lemon, Passion fruit, star fruit (sounds REALLY good) and lychee (I'll have one of those too!). If I ever make it to New York, I think I will be looking this place up.

Everything is soo well made and lovely! Thank you Dacia for everything!

sidenote: Dacia has a few extra pic's up on her blog of all the goodies and some extra info and background!