Scarves.

Here is the blog where I show off the gifts I made for Christmas. And, as it turns out, all of those gifts are scarves. Impressed? *rolling eyes*
I was quite disappointed at the gifts I gave this holiday. I wanted them to be amazingly creative, they weren't.
I didn't take picture of the hand-made gifts I gave my husband (scarf, of course; and a pair of gloves, which I am quite proud of...they were a lot easier than I thought they'd be.)

First up, the first scarf I made. It's a quilted scarf (inspired from here) made from some thrifted fabric and some scraps that I had. I made it for my mom and adding a decorative flowery stitch.

Jill's scarf. All of the fabric I had on hand, I actually made her a bag (that I gave to her for her birthday in July, but she asked me to change the snap and I have yet to do it, and therefore it is still sitting in my sewing area) out of the cherry and black polka dot fabric. The red polka dot fabric I bought to do a self-portrait awhile ago. It is Joann brand and it is stiff and uncomfortable. I don't like Joann brand fabric. It all seems that way.

Jo Anna' scarf. I didn't have any fabric that I thought would suit Jo Anna, so I went out and bought some cat fabric and some rainbow stripe fabric. I like it. I also employed fibonacci numbers for the fabric stip sizes.
Both my sisters separately told me that they scarves look like priest stoles. Great. Here is a demonstration:
Oh, and a picture of my Dad's scarf. Simple seed stitch knit project. No picture of him wearing it, since, as of my last visit on Sunday, it is still sitting on the end table in their living room.

PS I promise to take better, more thoughtful blog pictures.

Cookie Exchange.

I hosted a cookie exchange on Friday night. I know, the smartest thing to do just after starting Weight Watchers (again.) But, I did, and I'm glad because it was fun. I learned about some things that I just didn't need to: something that involves a glass inserted into an area of the body...I'm just gonna leave it at that, and that the I am a very lucky lady to have wonderful, talented friends and family, a kick-ass husband, and an amazingly, well-behaved little girl.
I made two drinks. One looked pretty, but was not too good. One that was just beige, but was quite delicious.
Drink #1:
Pecan Pie Martini (sounds good, right?)
Firstly, I have to say that I abhor Rachael Ray. This is one of her "recipes." Seriously, Rachael, did you even *try* this recipe? Really? Did you? Because, if you did, (and I'm not gonna blame her fully because I should've thought of it too, but then again I don't get paid gazillions of dollars for thinking up stupid abbreviations and grinning like the joker) but, the corn syrup solidified in the shaker with the ice and vodka. Duh. Corn syrup + ice = clogged shaker holes. Could barely get the drinks out. I didn't even make one for myself because based on my guests reactions, it hardly seemed worth the effort. On the plus side, the rim
was tasty: corn syrup, toasted pecans, and brown sugar. (Oh, and in my defense, I was perusing my sister's Rachael Ray mag when I saw the recipe...I didn't go hunting for it. I think it hunted me down.)

The next drink, I will give the credit to Rachael, or one of her drunken interns: Oatmeal Cookie Crusher. Delicious! (Not delish or yummo, thankyouverymuch!)
Again, not much to look at, but quite tasty. This isn't a drink for a hardcore drinker, really. It's too sweet, but that's fine with me because I like sweet girly drinks. There. I confess. But, I also love me an extra dirty martini with three olives, so go figure.

Now, onto the cookies. It was a COOKIE EXCHANGE, afterall.
I, in an attempt at watching my points, made three cookies from Cooking Light:
1. Double-chocolate biscotti (good, but could've been better by adding some orange zest, or dried cherries and/or cranberries)
2. Swedish Almond-Cardamom Stars (eh, won't make again. I don't know why I insist on making cut-out cookies. I hate the process.) Plus, I don't know what makes them "Swedish."
3. Chai shortbread. (Will make again, but will increase all spices about 75%-100%) Not spicy enough for me. I didn't get a chai feel.
I have pictures of these cookies, but am not going to upload them right now because I just realized I've spent too much time on the computer and I need to get moving. Instead, I will leave you with just a few photos from the delicious creations my friends and family made:

My Dining Room.

This is why I am excited to have my little craft closet completed! My dining room is a total mess/catch-all for all my holiday creating endeavors.

Coal.

The other day in Wal-Mart (yeah, I was in Wal-Mart...every time I'm in there, I swear it's the last time. It's dirty and crowded and crappy, but damn! the stuff is cheap!) Where was I?

Oh yeah, the other day in Wal-Mart me & my sister saw a cute little felt gift bag with the word "coal" on it. I think it was $4 or $5. Really? C'mon, Wal-Mart! That's just insanity. Anyhow, Jill (my sister) liked it and I told her I could make one. And, unlike most things I tell Jill I'll make for her, I actually made this! And, it was the first thing I just kinda "whipped up" from nothing. No pattern, just my basic knowledge of how to put a bag together. I was proud. It looks cute too. I'm a bit bummed that the letters are script font, but it's all I had. I think it would look a lot better with another font. Next time...

The Stockings Were Hung...

Awhile back McCall's was offering free patterns. Of course, all you had to do was pay shipping. Not too bad. Got a pattern for Christmas stockings. Finally broke that bad boy out the other day.

I adjusted the pattern a bit. Since all I have is your basic cotton fabric and the pattern calls for felt or home decor fabric, I made a lining out of thick muslin and added some interfacing for added sturdiness. Both of the decorative fabrics (the actual stocking and the cuff) are both fat quarters. I then ironed on some letters. (I know, they're not straight.) Oh, and let's pretend the photo is in focus too.



I really like this project for two reasons: one it makes me feel all Christmas-y and two (and the main reason) it's simple and quick...even with my added steps.

As an aside, I cross-stitched the stocking to the left 3 years ago for Joe. I finished it 2 days before Abby was born.

In closing, if you are a friend of mine and have decided to procreate or adopt (*wink wink* Amber), odds are your offspring will be receiving a Christmas stocking.

Some one call the vet!

What's the best way to get your Christmas knitting and sewing done? Don't ask me.

Ya know, Christmas is only, what?, 23 days away and I'm still not finished the majority of the gifts I need to make. (Not stressing, though. Really.) So, instead of doing a simple knitting project which could probably be done in a day or two (I'm assuming this is why I keep pushing it off; because it's kind of boring and not too time consuming, so it'll get done. I hope.) I decided to start a quilt square. I say that as if I have any knowledge of quilting. I don't. I just have lots of fabric scraps and a desire to piece them together. I borrowed this book from my dad. Lots of cool things. Looking through it, I got excited and inspired.

So, would I start with a simple, basic square? Something like triangles, or country corners? Of course not! I go straight to the cat square, which is what attracted me to the book in the first place.

Poor kitty. He's got a shrunken head and a fractured tail.

A Few Food-Related Items.

I have had a basic craving. A simpl, broth-based noodle soup.
This filled the bill.

Cubed tofu, egg noodles, veggie broth, carrots, celery, spinach, dash of soy sauce. Very good.

~
Thanksgiving: wonderful day, great friends, delicious food [Quorn roast, sweet potato casserole (made with a walnut/brown sugar crunchy crust, not the marshmallows. Blech.), mushroom stuffing, green bean casserole, orange-cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, apple pie.) The End.