Updated Garland On The Cheap (...Okay Free)

I know it's not really original but I thought I would share how I fancied up my $2 garland from Walmart for free.  First off the garland was 9 feet long.  I though it was long enough but when I got it home discovered the ledge in our front room is more like 10 or 11 feet long.  Luckily I already had filler I planned to use around the garland (the bells).  Out came my wire cutters and I snipped the garland into 3 separate pieces so I could spread it out.  I wanted to add some embellishment to it.  Conveniently, I had leftover pine cones from our bird feeder activity so I added these on.

Wash and bake your pine cones on aluminum foiled cookie sheet prior to using for decoration.  I washed mine in hot water and then baked them at 250 degrees for about 30 minutes.  They didn't have sap on them to worry about thank goodness. 

Next using fishing line or possibly jewelry string (I used fishing line), tie it around your pine cone first wiggling it into the center to get a tight hold.  Secure this with a square knot leaving a few inches on both sides of the knot.

Then attach the secured pine cone to your garland with the excess line.  I wrapped mine around the metal center but you would place them on stems of the pine also.  Make sure to tie a couple square knots so it doesn't come lose.  Trim off excess line. 

Somewhat close up of the pine cone attached.  The larger pine cones were also found (last year)...these required more washing and baking than the smaller ones.  Also, I promise my wall isn't so distastefully green as it looks, although I've been dying to paint it since we moved in a year ago. 

Last of all, love yourself for saving money this season...Merry Christmas!

Pine Cone Bird Feeder

Simple.  Easy.  Kid-Friendly.  This was our afternoon project today.  We collected pine cones at the park last week.  No need to clean or bake them.  Just tie on a string or twine then apply peanut butter.  I would advise a couple large spoonfuls in a bowl unless you have a jar that's almost gone.  Roll in or sprinkle with bird seed and you're set.  I imagine wild bird seed might be better for this project (for the birds) but we used what had available.  The girls loved it.  Although so far we haven't seen any birds (darn it!)...maybe it was too late in the season. 

What's New On Etsy: Child Aprons

Well I did it again.  I participated in a holiday boutique with my good friend.  It was much more successful.  I was able to clear out some of my stash of towels and I added a new item this time.  Children's aprons.  I figured they were a simple project and a good way to use up some of my larger scraps of material.  They have elastic in the neck straps and snap closures at the hip for the back strap...making it super easy for children to put on and use without too much help.  I'm thinking that my girls will definitely be getting their very own this Christmas.  In the meantime here are some great pictures and the aprons are available here at my Etsy shop.

Trying Something New(ish)

It's not completely new to me but I haven't crocheted anything beyond my simple scarves a couple years ago for my kiddos.  I learned to crochet very basically around age 13 and didn't keep it up.  Pretty much the only stitches I know are single and double crochets and chaining.  But my sister has taken a renewed love of it and is trying to reintroduce me to the art as well.  She is a fan of Ravelry.com and now so am I.  Granted I can't do a lot of the projects I want to yet but I'm going to learn some things for sure.

Here is my first project via Jennifer Dickerson.  I started out easy with what she calls a modified granny stripe.  It was soooo easy and fun to remember.  Plus I learned a little more about reading patterns...which has been a mystery to me.  I finished this one in a few hours and now I'm ready to try something different and learn some new stitches.

*Update (10/06/13):  How flattering...I received a message on Ravelry that they want to feature my photo/scarf as a project done with the pattern.  I must have done pretty good for my first project haha

Fall Crafts for Toddlers

*I've been collecting fall crafts ideas.  I thought I would share some that I plan to do in our house.

1.  Fall Sticky Trees by  Two-Daloo.  Love this blog.  She's a speech-language pathologist and focuses on sensory play and fun. 2. Sun Prints at Parents.com.  3. Leaf Lantern by 5orangepotatoes.  4. Leaf Printing at thisisloveforever.com  5. Salt Dough Prints at thatartistwoman.org.  

My Review:

- Sun prints (#2).  This was super easy and turned out pretty cool also.  We want on a nature walk and picked out leaves and other fall objects (acorns, etc).  My girls enjoyed this.  Then we used a glue stick to attach them to construction paper (Dollar Store) and stuck them up in a sunny window for a couple days.  We then put them in frames from a thrift store.  They turned out great.  I recommend this one.

- Leaf Lantern (#3).  I did this with fake leaves from the Dollar Store and Modge Podge.  This didn't work so well and I wasn't a fan.  This project wasn't completed.  Maybe real leaves would work better.

Tasty Tuesday: Half and Half Homemade Pancakes

Half n' Half Homemade Pancakes 

1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
1 1/2 C white flour
1 T baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 T white sugar
2 1/2 C milk
2 eggs
3 T melted butter

Mix all of your dry ingredients together.  Add milk, eggs and butter and mix until smooth with a whisk.  You may need a little more milk.  Drop batter onto a skillet approx 350 degrees F.  I like to use a measuring cup for ease and uniformity.  Once edges dry a little flip and cook both sides until golden brown.  These are also good to make in bulk and freeze.

*You can do this recipe with all whole wheat flour or all white flour.  I like to do half of each, thus the name of the recipe came to be.

Tasty Tuesday: Homemade Gyoza / Potstickers

I'll be honest I don't know the difference between the two.  I love them both.  Menus where I live seem to list both names almost synonymous with what shows up on my plate.  So call it whatever you want and I'll call them delicious.  This recipe comes from my sister who lived in Japan for a time teaching English and conversational English.

Homemade Gyoza / Potstickers

1	Cabbage (Naptha supposedly works best; I used standard my first time making it)
1/2 lb	Ground pork or turkey (I used 1 lb ground turkey)
3 tsp	Sesame oil
3 tsp	Soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp	Ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp	Ground garlic
1 1/2 tsp	Salt

2                packages of wonton wrappers

Cut up cabbage into very small pieces. Put in bowl and add salt. The salt helps to purge some of the water out of the cabbage.  Squeeze cabbage to remove excess water before mixing with meat.  I also placed it on paper towels to press some of the water out. 

Mix remaining ingredients with cabbage.  You'll want to use your hands for this to be effective. 

Put a small amount of the mixture in the middle of wonton wrapper and fold.  The square type wontons fold over into a triangle and then connect the two corners.  Use warm water to seal the wontons and avoid getting the mixture on the edges. The back of  most packaging has helpful instructions and pictures.

Freeze if desired.  Flash freeze first (on a cookie sheet or flat surface) until frozen and not sticky.  After flash freezing you can place them into ziploc bags.

COOKING: Add 1 to 2 T oil to pan and heat over med-high. Fry bottoms of gyoza until golden brown. Add water to pan until bottom is covered but not too deep (1/4 c or less). Cover with lid and cook for 7-8 min or until bubbling sound changes to a sizzle. Serve with rice.

DIP: soy sauce and couple drops of chili oil (or even tabasco) and small amount of vinegar to taste.

* I made approx 1 gallon size freezer bag of gyoza / pot stickers with this recipe.  It works great for freezing...just add a couple more minutes of cook time.  When I cook mine I'll try to remember to add a couple more photos.