This Week in the Kitchen

We made some pretty good progress in the kitchen this week.  We ordered an oven, microwave, and dishwasher.  It is being delivered today.  Can you believe it?

Mitch and his dad built the cabinet that will house the wall oven and microwave.  So once the oven is delivered, we will have a place to put it. 



 

This weekend we will be priming and painting.  Then hopefully (fingers crossed) we will install the oven.  Wouldn't it be great to start the new year with an oven? It's not too much to ask is it?

I am already dreaming of all of the things that I want to make in my new oven.  I never thought I would be this excited about an oven.

Mitch also built a bench for the mudroom, so that we have a place to put our shoes.  The plan is to put a shelf above it with hooks for coats and backpacks. 

I need to find baskets to fit in each of the cubbies, so there are not shoes everywhere.

The next step is going to be to build out the cabinets on the other side of the fridge.  We are planning on putting a butcherblock countertop on that section.  It will probably take awhile to get those cabinets built, but once that side is finished we will work on the other side of the room.   I am hoping that we can bring in our contractor to help with the opening between the two rooms and the drywall, but who knows Mitch might decide to take it on himself. 

I hope everyone has a safe New Year's Eve. 

Christmas Craftiness

I kept it very low key this year for Christmas, but I did manage to sew this Super Hero Cape for my nephew.  It is reversible.  The other side is Batman.   I did not get any photos before I wrapped it up, so here are a few action shots.

 

 

I also put together a doctor's kit for my niece.  I made the casts using felt.  Then I purchased a bunch of medical supplies.  I found a real stethoscope on Amazon.com for $5.  I also printed off some x-rays.  I had fun putting it all together.

 

 

I also managed to make Miller the Angry Birds game.  Mitch and I painted all the rocks and then paired them with a slingshot.  He loved them.

 

 

Here's an action shot.

That was all the craftiness I could muster this year. 

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!!

Zentangle Bookmarks- Free Printables

Have you ever heard of Zentagles?  I have also seen it called zendoodling. I stumbled upon this method of drwaing on Friday when searching for some printable bookmarks.  I have always really enjoyed doodling, but have never put much thought into it.  When I saw some examples of Zentangles, I knew I had to give it a try.   Since Friday, I have been drawing non stop.  It is such a stress reliever for me.  It is also highly addictive. 

Here are a few of the bookmarks I have made so far.

Here's a couple of works in progress.

I copied some for Harper so she could color them. I was interested to see how she would color them.

I am making the goody bags for Harper's Christmas party at school.  So I thought I would include a bookmark in each bag. I hope the kids have fun coloring them.  

After making several I decided to create a template.  I have included a link to my template if you want to give it a go.  I also included some bookmarks for download in case anyone is interested.

Bookmark Template

Zentangle Bookmarks 1

Zentangle Bookmarks 2

Weekly Kitchen & Laundry Room Update

Well, the electrician actually showed up on Friday.  Woohoo.  He moved some light switches, installed the outlet for the oven, moved an outlet, and installed a new switch and light in the garage.  Plus he fixed a switch that was not working properly. 

Here are some photos of the destruction. 
Mitch has already patched the drywall here.



New oven outlet.

Repaired switch.

It is so nice that the light switches are in the correct place now. 

The next step is going to be to build a cabinet for the oven.  Then build out around the fridge. This is what we have in mind. 

Source: ths.gardenweb.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

Now we need to decide if we are going to move the microwave over the oven or keep it over the range. I am leaning towards a small microwave or no microwave. Decisions, decisions. Mitch and I have to be the most indecisive people on the planet. 

The laundry room is almost finished.  Mitch installed the floors and trim this weekend. 

We had some major issues with the riser that Mitch built.  It was about half an inch too big for the space.  We realized that he built it before we decided we were going to build the wall to enclose the space.  Sigh.   Mitch removed some boards and we were actually able to fit it into the space, but realized it would be really hard to move the washer and dryer once they were on the riser.  The washing machine is very heavy.  He put castors on the riser, but I was afraid it would move around too much.  So after many hours with the riser situation, we decided to scrap it for now.   If we decide to go with no riser, the shelf will be moved down.

Next weekend the plan is to finish out some trim around the steps, then put up some hooks so we can start hanging coats and backpacks.  We have a busy weekend planned, so we are keeping our projects easy.  Mitch's table saw isn't working so he has to figure out what is wrong with it before he can build any cabinets.  It seems like it is always something. 

Felted Wool Sweater Stocking Tutorial

A few of you were interested in a tutorial, so I put one together for you.  

Here's what you will need:

Felted wool sweater scraps 

Large felted wool sweater piece

Lining fabric 

Embroidery Floss
Pattern Pieces

 Create a pattern using an existing stocking or print out the pattern pieces above.

Cut out 1 piece from the large sweater piece.

Cut 2 pieces from the lining fabric.  I used a lightweight cotton from my stash.

Take your pattern and cut it into sections.  If you use my pattern cut along the dashed lines as well as the lines that you used to attach the pattern pieces together.  Your pieces should look like the photo below.

Cut out your pieces from your scraps.

Make sure to include a 1/4 inch seam allowance along the top edge of the bottom piece.

You will need to allow an extra seam allowance on the top and bottom of the rest of the pieces.

Sew the pieces together.

 

Hand sew the heel piece in place.

 

Embroider the stocking along the seams.

Take your front and back stocking pieces and place them right sides facing.  Trim if they are not the same size.

Pin in place and then sew all the way around the stocking.  Leave the top open. Also sew the two lining pieces together the same way.

Turn right side out.  Leave the lining pieces inside out.



Use a small scrap to make a loop so that you can hang your stocking.  Pin it to the top outer edge of the stocking.  The loop will be facing down.  Sorry I didn't get a photo.

Place the main stocking pieces inside the lining pieces.  Right sides will be facing.  Sew around the top of the lining leaving a gap for turning.







Turn right side out and topstitch around the top of the stocking to close the gap.

You are finished.