This 'n' That

 

A vintage postcard from my collection

 This snowy January morning I just feel like sharing a few random thoughts.  I'm working on some special New Year posts (and also some end-of-the-year book talk) but they aren't ready yet.  Hence, a few minutes of this 'n' that.

January is a wonderful month for new starts and so yesterday I got everything together for a new cross-stitch project:  a January sampler from Prairie Schooler.  I got this pattern in 2021 along with the one for the February sampler one,  but started the February one first.  

 My plans are to stitch each of the patterns in this booklet.  I already started the tiny "Snow Day" one just because I think it is so cute and would make a fun addition to winter decorating.  Also, it will be super quick to make!

The February sampler has been finished for awhile and I've just washed it.  After it dries I plan to press and then finish it as I did December to use in the same way on a clipboard:

 I am not a fast or prolific cross-stitcher, but I do love it!

In other crafting news, I just finished some play food for our friends' children:

felt cheeseburgers like the one below  (I skipped the sesame seeds this time, feeling that these kids wouldn't go for them)

and crocheted donuts similar to those below (only I skipped the bead sprinkles thinking they might be unsafe in the hands of rambunctious little boys).  I did two strawberry frosted ones, two chocolate ones, and two white frosted chocolate ones.

Another project I never showed any photos of (except, I think, on Instagram) is some crocheted covers I made for wooden hangers:

I have one more to go, I think.

Does anyone else feel like doing little puttery things in January?  I think maybe a lot of us do, or possibly it's just me.  But I don't think so.

One little task I'm hoping to tackle today is to take all of my post-type earrings off a simple plastic canvas holder I made years ago.  

 
This holder is stuffed full of earrings by now and I literally can't find room for all my earrings on it.  The other day it struck me that if I just removed all of the earrings I no longer wear, there would be room and I would be as thrilled as I was back when I blogged about it in 2016.

So my plan is to remove all of the post-type earrings, clean them, and put them away.  Maybe eventually some of my granddaughters may want them.  I only wear dangle type earrings at this point, now that my hair is a lot longer than it used to be.  I honestly prefer them and don't see myself going back to the other type.

Another task (my hubby and I are working on this one together) is going through all of our food storage and taking inventory using this form:

We did this a couple years ago, but it needs doing again.  We weren't as good as we could have been about checking off the boxes when we removed something from storage.  We've gone through our main big pantry, but still have a couple other storage areas to do.  That's probably happening today since it's snowy outside.  Eventually we plan to inventory the freezer also.

I've also been going through books, mostly cookbooks, and being more ruthless about donating them.  I've got a "Making Space" box going with a variety of items in it that I'll be donating.  As I come across things -- a pillowcase, a pair of pants, boxes of Christmas cards, books -- that I'll never use again, into the box they go.  A Making Space post should be coming later this month.

 I don't think I ever posted about a new bedspread we got.  It was inexpensive but the color combination is something I've been wanting for a long time.  I love it!

 
And then there were some recent sunrise photos I never shared here.  Here are just a couple.  We don't often see pretty sunrises from our vantage point here in the woods.

Well, I'm sure I must have wasted enough time for today.  There is so much to do and I'd better get back at it.  What are you up to on this snowy day?

A really nice dishcloth pattern

 Below, you see some of the dishcloths I have made over the years.

I've made loads of crocheted dishcloths in the past, from all different patterns and tutorials.  But this one for Dori's Dishcloth is new to me.  

 

I spied it somewhere -- on Instagram, I think -- last December (as in 2019) and promptly printed it out.  At some point I completed nearly half of it and then set it aside for a more urgent project.  The other day I needed a small take-along project and so grabbed the bag containing this one.  

Last night, I finished it.

 

This pattern, by Dori at The Red Feedsack, has just become my new favorite.  If you follow the link to Dori's blog, you will see that her dishcloths are mostly in solid colors.  I really like that better -- it has a simplicity that I really love -- but I had started this with variegated yarn so had to keep on.

Interested in any of the other dishcloths pictured here?  Go to the "dishcloths" label in the label cloud to find the posts concerning them.

Like Grammy

I had many fun little blessings while our Nevada daughter and some of the children were here last month.  One very unexpected one came by way of something that Emily brought along.  You can see a scan of it above -- yes, one of those woven potholders that kids make using that classic square loom.  Just look at those vibrant colors and how carefully planned the design is.  This potholder is made with the nicer cotton jersey loops, not those rather flimsy ones that are nylon or something.  Emily brought this one for me, and one for Aunt Carrie.  Carrie's is in cooler shades of blue and green and is also very pretty.

But the most fun for me is the why of Emily bringing along these handmade potholders.  It was much more than just a thoughtful gift for her grandmother and aunt.

You see, the last few times we've visited Nevada, I've brought along a bunch of these crocheted scalloped potholders or hot mats to use as hostess gifts for people we stay with or families who invite us over for a meal.  This has worked out very well.  Sometimes my daughter has an idea as to the color of someone's kitchen or their favorite color, but pretty much every kitchen can utilize something like this for one purpose or another.

As I've said many times, these are so easy to make that I've memorized the pattern and can work on them in small increments of time.  (For those who may be interested in the pattern, you can find it here: Scalloped Potholder.    I will warn you, though,  that making these, trying out different color combinations with the cotton yarn, is somewhat addictive.)  Below are the two most recent I've completed:

But back to Emily.  When she handed out her handmade potholders to Carrie and me,  I was surprised and so blessed when Joanna explained, "She wanted to be like Grammy and bring potholders for a hostess gift."  So sweet!  I love it and just had to share that blessing with my readers!

Sandwiching in the Wednesday Medley

  Yes, today is 

NATIONAL OREO COOKIE DAY

They tell us to be ready to observe the day by having our glasses of milk handy as it is National Oreo Cookie Day.  This day is recognized across the nation each year on March 6th.

(I must admit I have neither Oreos nor milk on hand.  We ran out of milk last night, and I never drink it anyway, so I will not be celebrating this day appropriately!)

As we all know, the Oreo sandwich cookie is made up of two chocolate disks containing a sweet cream filling and is loved by millions.  Since its introduction, the Oreo cookie has become the best-selling cookie in the United States.

The National Biscuit Company (today known as Nabisco) first developed and produced the “Oreo Biscuit” in 1912 at its Chelsea factory in New York City. Today, the block on which the factory was located is known as “Oreo Way”.

 So I'm sandwiching in time to write a blog post for the Wednesday Medley with its Oreo cookie theme.  Would you like to join in too?  Head on over to  at Your Friend from Florida!   Terri asks the questions and bloggers come up with their own answers. 

Just go over to Terri's blog, get the questions, then copy, paste, and answer them on your own blog.  Then you can go back to Terri's and link up, if you like.   Here goes!

1.  Are you able to pass by a plate of cookies and not take one or are you a bit of a 'Cookie Monster'?

There are cookies I can pass by, and then there are cookies that I cannot pass by.  I can pass by almost any storebought cookie (other that Girl Scout cookies or maybe the maple leaf cookies by Dare).  I could pass by a plate of homemade cookies too depending on what kind they are.

But I could not  pass by these: Lemon Thumbprint Cookies that I tried for the first time this past Christmas.

2.  Tell us about your favorite cookie. Have your tastes changed since you were a kid?

I think that they probably have.  When I was a kid there did not seem to be as many varieties of homemade (and definitely not as many varieties of store bought) cookies as now.   My grandmother made a chocolate cookie that we all loved, a cake-like dark chocolate drop cookie which she frosted with a shiny white icing.  Back then, I probably would have said those were my favorite cookie.

It's funny but I don't even really like soft cookies anymore, except possibly for a good molasses drop cookie.  I much prefer a chewy, not necessarily crunchy cookie.  Like these below, that I created to resemble a favorite cookie from the hometown bakery of my childhood:

Find my recipe here: Toffee Crackle Cookies.

3.  Enquiring minds want to know if you are a dunker and, if so, do you dunk in milk, coffee, or tea?

I am not really a dunker.  Guess I might occasionally do so with a really crunchy cookie like a biscotti, but in general, I don't dunk.   And I would never dunk a cookie or anything else in milk, as I just don't drink it.

4.  It is that time of year and they are selling them on every corner and in front of every store!  Do you buy Girl Scout cookies and if you do, which is your favorite?

We haven't purchased any this year (those boxes DO seem to get smaller every year!) but we usually do.  Samoas are probably our favorite.  If, like us, you crave the taste of Samoas year round, give these a try:  Homemade Samoa Bars!  The recipe is from Jocelyn at  Inside BruCrew Life, one of the most prolific bakers out there.

 But we like the thin mint Girl Scout cookies a lot also.

And -- for an even better chocolate mint cookie, try these: Chocolate Mint Crisps.  They are actually not all that crispy, more chewy with the mint glaze on top.  Highly recommended!
 

 
5.  Raw cookie dough.  Yay or Nay? 

  I know that nowadays it's not just the raw eggs that are the issue with raw cookie dough.  Now FLOUR has issues!  This is just plain unacceptable!  So ... should I even admit this?  I do occasionally taste the raw cookie dough.  I guess I should probably be more concerned about it than I am.

I definitely wouldn't eat the "dough" for these crocheted Oreos (above and below) that I made for the grandkids.
6.  Please tell us something random about your week!!

Still winter up here.   It is nice, however, to see the sun brighter and stronger and having a melting effect on all the snow.  My hubby plows our driveway and yard with an aging plow truck but he is literally running out of places to put the snow.  On Saturday he hired a neighbor to come up with a tractor and bucket and move our snow around in advance of Monday's storm.
 

Our snowy woods

And there's this week's Wednesday Medley!

Simple summer crafting

This will be a post short on words but heavy on pictures -- and mostly scans, at that.  But I have managed some very simple crafting these past few weeks and wanted to share.

At top is my most recent Crocheted Scalloped Hot Mat.  The ombre is called Buttercream and I think it is so pretty.  The light blue edge is called Aquamarine.

Last month I shared pictures of the wrap skirts I made for my granddaughter Julia's American Girl dolls, using a pattern from You Can Make This.  Julia actually took photos of the dolls modeling the reversible skirt with the two different shirts, so I'm sharing those here.

I've also crocheted a couple of necklaces from this pattern:   Trellis Necklace Tutorial.  I hope to make at least one more.  They are so easy and quick to make, once you have cut the yarn to length.

Multicolored

Green-blue

You can read my post about the first ones I made here: Pretty Crocheted Necklaces.

And I've made quite a few mailing envelopes from calendar pages.  You can find a tutorial for those here: handmade bubble mailers.  The ones I have been making are not for fragile items, so I've been eliminating the bubble wrap from those.  Skipping the step of adding in the bubble wrap makes the process go much faster.  I am just showing a couple of the mailers I've made.

The calendar covers are sturdy enough to make mailers without reinforcement, but for the inside calendar pages I cover them with clear contact paper to make them stronger and more weather proof.

This is what mailer #1 looks like on the back.

 

And this is what mailer #2 looks like on the back.

 I've also started making some envelopes approximately 5x7 inches from the calendar page pieces left over from each mailer.  These Gooseberry Patch calendars are too pretty to throw any of the pages away!

And then this past weekend while on an overnight mini-vacation, I managed to complete an embroidered tea towel while relaxing on the shore of Otter Lake.

The design is a freebie from Bird Brain Designs.  So much fun!

The folded tea towel

I folded this one a bit differently to show the striped edge.  Isn't it pretty?  This was made from the dish toweling fabric that one cuts to the desired length and then hems.

There's my simple summer crafting in a nutshell.  Hope others have enjoyed this as much as I have!

Recent simple crafting

I do love making things, but life is too busy right now to do much of any crafting on a regular basis.  I have a number of UFOs to finish, and I want to try my hand at some cushion covers for the patio chairs.  Maybe next week ... possibly even Saturday.  We will see!

In the meantime, here are just a very few small projects I've completed lately:

Above, two more crocheted hot mats  -- from this pattern -- some have asked about it, so here's the link again -- Scalloped Potholder --in the Fruit Punch ombre.  I'm pretty much addicted to making these.  I love seeing how they turn out in the various colors of ombre and whatever accompanying colors I choose.

Then I completed a bit of sewing:

 The doll t-shirts were some I found at a bargain several years ago.  I used fabric to coordinate with them to make this simple reversible wrap skirt.  You can find the free and easy pattern here: You Can Make This.  I chose fabrics that would work with both the blue and red t-shirts and my granddaughter liked the outfits very much.

Later, when I had a few minutes, I made a second skirt -- again, planned to go with both t-shirts for maximum versatility.  I'm pleased with how they came out!

And finally, some embroidery:

 This is the same dish towel as at top.  I purchased the embroidery pattern from an Etsy shop called Lova Revolutionary.  The design is intended to be used in a hoop, but I thought it would look nice on a dish towel, so I used some dollar store dish towels from my stash.  The one I just completed has a red border, and the one  I finished last fall has a tan border.

The red one has been languishing around half finished, so I finished it up this summer.

Lastly, I've been making a few handmade mailing envelopes from old calendars.  These are to use in mailing certain sizes of vintage sewing patterns from my Etsy shop.

Still working on this project, but you can see a finished envelope above.  See the fold at the top?  That's the flap to fold down and seal.

There you have it, short and simple, but I am so pleased to have created a few projects lately!