Welcome 2013!

The bubbly has been drunk and the New Year rang in.

Last year I declared some resolutions and didn’t fare too badly. Our garden did great with plenty of red and green bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, and mixed peppers from this summer that are still thriving. We exercised, ate healthy and ate dessert! All of our Christmas gifts this year were homemade or bought at small businesses. We put our design work to use and created wall art, candles, jewelry and ornaments made from reclaimed wood, and showed them off at local craft shows. I didn’t sew more, or make my first dress from scratch. I did take a basics tailoring class, a camera class to get to better get to know my SLR, and a canning class to preserve sweet goodness. I even learned how to solder.

With another 365 days to come, I’m going to follow some advice and make goals and habits instead of resolutions. I haven’t quite decided on my new habits yet, but I’ve got 10 goals chosen.

 

With another 365 days to come, I’m going to follow some advice and make goals and habits instead of resolutions. I haven’t quite decided on my new habits yet, but I’ve got 10 goals chosen. I’ll be honest and say that my goals aren’t new things, but taking things I already do to a new level of awesomeness. I already work out 5 times a week, so it couldn’t hurt to add another day from time to time. I’ve been clocking in more hours in the kitchen with canning, so I might as well start making some homemade meals too. I had a great tan this year from spending time out in the garden or running outside. I never got around to riding my new bike much and would love to ride some of the river trails I live by.

My trainer suggested that I cut out carbs after lunch, to which I first laughed at and then after trying it, realized it really wasn’t too difficult to do. With so many grain options out there, I really need to try alternatives to regular wheat flour. Any suggestions?

I’ve read plenty of fiction this year, but would love to add some history, and keep taking fun DIY classes. In 2011 I revamped our toiletries to make sure we were using low chemical items on our body. This year, I want to pay more attention to other things, like household cleaners and packaging. Aside from helping myself, I want to help the community too with volunteering. The volunteer opportunities I took last year were fun and I met new people, so I’m looking forward to doing more.

I never learned how to knit, mainly because my grandmother has allergies to wool yarn. With the release of cotton yarn, I have a feeling we’ll be knitting our way through Spring. With learning how to can, I’ve realized how easy it is to make, rather than buy. It might be messy and time consuming, but in the end the quality and taste is usually better because it is wholesome.

And of course, I’ll share my adventures and year here. I do have some surprises for later this year and hope to integrate more vintage inspirations.

Surviving My First Nor’ Easter

Can’t say I’ve ever been in a blizzard until today! Every time I asked what a Nor’ Eastah was, I was told to just wait for it. When we went to bed last night it hadn’t started to snow yet and I was a little nervous since we had taken wagers on how much snowfall this blizzard would bring. My guess was 12 inches, which is about an inch of rain. Since I have never experienced an extreme snow storm, I took a chance and listened to the snow chart on the weather channel with fingers crossed.

When I woke up this morning and looked out the window there was about four to five inches of snow on the ground and we had one thing on the brain: snowball fight!  Hope anyone else experiencing winter storms is having a snowy fun time, and keeping safe.

 

 

Christmas Checklist…Naughty or Nice?

Only 15 more days until Christmas and I’m not ready! Are you?

I’ve never been an early shopper despite not liking to deal with busy stores and hard to find parking, but this year I’m steering clear of the mall. Most of our gift giving is handmade this year, or purchased from small businesses. To be honest, I much prefer shopping from the couch in my pajamas!

Here’s a little checklist to help your Holiday shopping go smoothly!

 Click on the photo to download. For private use only please.

Lovely Link Ups: Craftberry Bush

DIY Fabric Dog Rope

 

My Australian Shepherd mix Luna has always loved her rope. When I adopted her at the animal shelter they told me she was 6 months old and wouldn’t grow much more. She was about 35 pounds then. As her first year with me came and went I found myself with a 65 pound puppy who would chew through sandals, sweaters and just about anything else left lying around. The solution to the problem was her rope.

As a puppy she used to tug the rope really hard, so hard at times it was hard to keep my balance because she was so strong. She’s not too keen on fetching balls, catching Frisbees or doing tricks beyond sit and shake, but when she wants to play she’ll bring her rope and not so gently nudge the nearest human leg. She will fetch her rope when asked to bring it and knows to leave it at the back door because it is an outside toy.

Although she still loves her rope I see her carry it around less and less. Since she and her teeth aren’t as strong as they used to be I figured she needed something a bit softer to play with. I had some old t-shirts lying around and thought they would make an awesome soft rope for old dog Luna.

Take your t-shirts and cut them into 1 inch thick strips. I just cut the length of the shirts and then cut each strip at the two existing seams. I used 12 strips total, 6 green and 6 yellow, so my ropes aren’t too thick. The more strips, the thicker the rope! I made a twist rope and a braided rope to see the difference and if the pups preferred one over the other. So far they don’t seem to care, but the braided rope is much thinner and is stiffer than the twisted rope.

Braided Rope:

Bring all of your t-shirt strips together and tie a tight knot at one end. Split the strips evenly into three sections and braid. I had my mom hold the knotted end while I braided which made it easier and neater than when I tried to hold the end myself. Leave enough room at the end for a second knot and make sure it is tight as well. Cut off extra long pieces from the ends and play!

Twisted Rope:

Again, start off by combing all of the t-shirt strips and tie a tight knot at one end.  Divide the strips so you have two equal sections and twist them tightly. At the end make a second knot to secure the strips. When let go, the twist will loosen up so make sure to twist them tightly. Cut off any extra long pieces and now you have another rope.

I love these fabric dog ropes because you can make them long, short, thin or thick, and with as many colors as desired. Oh, and it’s cheap! I just used 2 shirts that were in the Goodwill pile. My dogs usually rip apart a new toy 10 minutes after it enters the front door, so having a toy that is affordable and quick to make works for me.

Hope your pup enjoys their fabric dog rope as much as Luna and the rest of our pups did!