Another favorite....

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.

Henry David Thoreau

Homemade foaming hand soap

I love the foaming soaps but find them a little expensive.

Here's my alternative.

Why not make your own?

Don't throw away the old bottle - reduce, reuse, recycle....

Here's my before

and...

after a little of this

a little of that

and...

 few purchased stickers later

I have my homemade foaming soap and "new" dispenser.

I am sure those of you who own a Circuit or Silhouette could get much

more creative with the design.

Unfortunately, I don't own a Silhouette (yet) so I just purchased the sheet of lettering

 from Wal-Mart.

This was a really easy project.
I washed out the bottle, peeled the label off as much as I could and used Goof Off to then remove any residue left from the label.
I then replaced the label with the lettering.
The only tricky part was getting the ratio of water to soap right. You don't want too much soap or it will clog the pump and won't foam. If you put in too little soap it will be too thin and watery.
I found if I fill the bottle about 1/4 full of soap and the rest water it seemed to work the best.

Getting back to Christmas....

Isn't this the cutest little "Grinch"?

These are purchased pillowcases; I just added ribbon and embroidery.
The "Grinch" design came from EmbroideryGarden.

Today's links:
http://www.alittlelovelyblog.blogspot.com/
http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/
http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com/
http://www.skiptomylou.org/

Hanger cover

A few of you have asked about my hanger cover.
Having no pattern, I decided to experiment on myself first.
Below is the first one I made.
I found it really easy to make a pattern.

To make a pattern I traced around a wooden hanger and added a
1/2 inch seam allowance.
I made this one using scrap linen and lace from my stash.

I thought it turned out pretty cute for a "scrappy experiment".

Here it is hanging in my guest bathroom.

Todays link:

http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

http://www.alittlelovelyblog.blogspot.com/

http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/

http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com/

http://sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com/

http://www.skiptomylou.org/

My very first pattern review...

An Everyday Bag.

I made this bag a few years ago.

using this pattern...

It was a really fun bag to make.

Well, minus all the pinning...

There are a lot of pieces to the pattern but the instructions and illustrations are very easy to follow.

Outside of changing the handle a bit, I pretty much followed the pattern.
The inside is roomy - has 4 pockets on the inside and 2 on the outside.
Overall, I was very happy with this pattern.

And....
there you have it...
FlyAwayHome's first pattern review!
Thanks for coming...

Meet Terri...

Actually, I just met Terri a few weeks ago myself.

We first met when she wrote me a sweet e-mail to say how I had inspired her to brush up on her sewing skills. My mom would be so proud!

Terri describes herself as an "artsy fartsy" type of person. Calls herself "Jack of all trades, master at none", lol.  Her latest passion is cookie decorating and told me she was in the process of starting a cookie blog.

 Well, who doesn't like cookies?

She now has her cookie blog up and running. It's called Fresh Cut Flours. Don't you just love that name?

And just look at these cookies....

Aren't they adorable?

(Of course, I'm a little partial to the ladybugs)

Terri even shares her favorite cookie recipe.

She has so inspired me to try my hand at cookie decorating.

I am hoping to pick up a few tips as a follower of

Fresh Cut Flours.

You never know...

you may even see a few of my cookie creations on FlyAwayHome one day. 

Thanks Terri, and good luck on your new blog.

I can't wait for your next post.

Ladder Love...

I have scoured antique and salvage stores for awhile now searching 

for an old ladder.

I found most ranged from $45 to $80.

Can you believe????

 I found this one at a local thrift store for $8!

I just LOVE it.....

It's "perfect".

No nails...

Making my ladder even more perfect...

 the pretty little afghan hanging on it was hand crocheted by my best bud's mom, Bonnie.

Thanks, Bonnie....It's beautiful.

My grandbaby is "sew".....

I made this a few years ago for Miss Oakleigh.

I couldn't resist this cute little frog fabric, in fact - you can see it again here.

Remember when.....

kids used to play hopscotch?

Here is Kaitlyn's (who's six) Christmas gift.

Bean bags, chalk and drawstring bag to carry it in. 

With ladybugs, of course!

Today's link:

http://thecreativeitchboutique.blogspot.com/

Mine for the making

Yippeeeeeeeee!!

Kara at Mine for the making (one of my favorite blogs) just awarded me The Versatile Blogger award!

I am so honored that she thought of me.

Kara is so talented... she sews, she cooks, she thrifts, she crafts, she does it all.

No wonder she was awarded The Versatile Blogger award herself.

Check her out at http://mineforthemaking.blogspot.com/ but don't leave until you see her cool coaster project and cute little hair clips.

Thanks Kara for choosing me to receive The Versatile Blogger award.

Here's the way it works:

Link back to the person who gave you the award... and of course, you will want to thank them.

Share 7 things about yourself

Pass the award to 15 blogs you love and enjoy

Let those blogs know they have been given the award

Seven things about myself....

1. If given the option -  I would choose fried chicken livers over chocolate any day.

2. I do my best sewing at 4am - hence...  http://Flyawayhome-4am.blogspot.com/

3. I love the beach...the sun, the sand, the surf and the smell of salt water.

(I would live in a shack on the beach before a mansion on a thousand acres)

4. Attended charm school as a teen.

6. A picnic is my favorite way to "eat out"

7. Can't function without my daily planner.

15 Blogs I visit often:
(in no particular order)

1.  http://sunnysideofthesunporch.blogspot.com/

2. http://thehomesteadingapartment.blogspot.com/

3. http://kathy-cottagedreams.blogspot.com/

4. http://rosevinecottagetwo.blogspot.com/

5. http://secretgardencottage.blogspot.com/

6. http://lifeaslori.blogspot.com/

7. http://kinserhome.blogspot.com/

8. http://thehappyhomebody.blogspot.com/

9. http://sewmanyways.blogspot.com/
10. http://sweetsassysadielee.blogspot.com/
11. http://poppiesatplay.blogspot.com/
12. http://getcottage.blogspot.com/
13. http://cappuccinocottage.blogspot.com/
14. http://closetcrafterohio.blogspot.com/
15. http://projectsbyjess.blogspot.com/

Have a great Monday everyone!

I love to bake.....

Just - not so good at it!

Really..... my oven was clean when I started.

My Daddy's birthday is today so I thought I would bake him a cake.

I purchased this pan some time ago and have never had an occasion to use it.

My Daddy loves peanut butter and chocolate and this pan came with a recipe for

 a cake with peanut butter filling. It also called for a box cake mix.
How perfect, I thought....

A box cake mix... how much easier can it be.

My first mistake - filling the tiny cake pans with 1/2 cup batter as the recipe instructed.  

Obviously, from the above photo, WAY too much batter for those tiny little pans.

 Next comes the filling

Peanut butter, milk and whipped topping.

Easy enough!

Now, what to do with this mess....

I was able to let them cool a bit and cut the tops off.

Here is how they look after you remove them from the pan.

Add the peanut butter filling....

(yes, that's can frosting!)

Both bottom ...

and top.

Stack them

And frost...

Hummmm.....

not too bad, after all....

Yummy!

Happy 88th Birthday Pop!

Art shirt - nothing fancy

Because an apron doesn't really "cover it all" I made my daughter

 a shirt for art class instead.

I purchased a size larger so she can wear it over her clothes to protect them.

I couldn't send her to art class with a new art shirt without making the teacher something could I?

Below is the apron I made for the teacher.

Happy Friday!

Linking today to:

http://thegirlcreative.blogspot.com/

http://diyclubinc.com/

Girly things

I am making three sets of these as Christmas gifts for my teen nieces - each in

a different fabric.

This one belongs to Emily.

Included in this set is a hanger cover, two sachets and a drawstring bag.

If the sachets look a little flat, it's because I have not filled them as yet.

I will be filling them with fresh lavender closer to Christmas.

All three of my nieces are "girly girls" so I am hoping they will like it.
What do you think?

Today's links:
http://tearosehome.blogspot.com/
http://cheapchichome.blogspot.com/
http://www.somewhatsimple.com/
http://lifeaslori.blogspot.com/
http://www.theshabbychiccottage.net/
http://bec4-beyondthepicketfence.blogspot.com/
http://www.bluecricketdesign.net/
http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/
http://www.simplydesigning.blogspot.com/
http://www.bystephanielynn.com/
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
http://www.amylouwho.com/
http://thegirlcreative.blogspot.com/
http://craftskeepmesane.blogspot.com/

Overnight Chicken Bake

Want to make tomorrow's dinner tonight?

Here's a really easy casserole and you don't even have to cook the macaroni first.

I usually cook enough boneless chicken breasts in my pressure cooker for several meals and freeze it so I always have cooked, shredded or cubed chicken ready when I need it. 

Or

Next time you cook chicken for a recipe, keep this in mind and make a little extra.

Ok... here it goes...

Chicken (I prefer mine shredded) and a can of mixed veggies - any brand

7 ounce UNCOOKED macaroni

Now, just dump in the UNCOOKED macaroni, cream of celery soup, cheese and water

Mix it all up.

(Looking pretty gross about now?)

                      

Dump it all into a casserole dish

Cover tightly with foil and leave it in the fridge overnight or at least 8 hours.

The next day -  take it out of fridge, stir it around a little, add the topping and bake.

That's all there is to it!

******

OVERNIGHT CHICKEN BAKE CASSEROLE

CASSEROLE

2 cups cubed or shredded cooked chicken

1 can mixed veggies (sometimes I just throw in leftover corn, green beans, carrots etc, whatever I have in the fridge)

1 (7oz) pkg uncooked macaroni

4 oz shredded cheddar cheese

1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of celery soup (or chicken if you don't like celery)

2 cups water

TOPPING

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

2 tbsps melted butter

Casserole: In large bowl, combine all ingredients: mix well. Pour into ungreased baking dish. Cover tightly; refrigerate a minimum of 8 hours or overnight.

Topping: In small bowl mix ingredients well. Stir the casserole, then add topping.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes or until bubbly.

I just make it the night before, it sits in the fridge all day till dinner time. I even mix up the topping and put it in the fridge the night before just to make it even quicker. Stir it, sprinkle the topping on and pop it in the oven.

Toss it in the oven when you walk in the door from work. By the time you change clothes, throw a load of laundry in, get a cup of coffee and read a couple pages in your latest novel, it will be done ! Yummy. And, you didn't even have to dirty another pan to cook those macaroni noodles. Yay !

Hope you'll try it!

Or...

While you are waiting on it to cook...

Check out

http://tearosehome.blogspot.com/

My table and chair makeover was featured !

Thank you Sachiko.

Rainy day sewing

Some people nap when it's rainy outside, I sew.
I needed a trash bag for my car and decided to experiment.
(Of course, Mr. Fisherman had to have one too...)

I made these out of trigger and lined them with a fusible stabilizer to give them some stiffness.

They are made in two pieces; the back piece is cut 7x14, the front 9x14.

The extra 2 inches gave me room to make two pleats in the front. I thought by doing a couple of pleats on the front piece (instead of squaring the bottom off like a tote) it would lay flat in the back and the front would gap open to

easily toss trash into it.

Yippee! It actually worked. No boning needed to hold the top open.

******

It also gave me an opportunity to try out this adorable design from http://www.juliasneedledesigns.com/.

I love her designs, they always stitch out perfectly.

                          

The fly on Mr. Fisherman's trash bag I purchase through http://www.emblibrary.com/ , another great site.

Enjoy your day.... I will be cleaning my car!

Today's links:
http://sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com/
http://thegirlcreative.blogspot.com/
http://craftingreallyawesomefreethings.blogspot.com/
http://itssoverycheri.com/
http://sewcando.blogspot.com/

Gorilla Glue

Sorry to bore you with my kitchen remodel and my butcher block counter tops posts again but, I have chosen to participate in the http://diyclubinc.com/ August contest.

The idea is to enter a project using a PRODUCT from one of their awesome SPONSORS.

I chose Gorilla Glue.

Check out my post on my butcher block counters and my kitchen remodel and you will see how awesome this product really is!

Remodelaholic

How fun is this? 

Cassity at http://www.remodelaholic.com/ chose my table and chair makeover to feature on her site yesterday!  I am so thrilled to be chosen as a guest on her blog! If you have never visited http://www.remodelaholic.com/ please check them out and see what you have been missing. I guarantee, you won't be disappointed - but don't blame me if you spend hours going thru all the great ideas.

Meanwhile, I think I will spend a few hours here.....

Have a great day!

Today's link:
http://designitchic.blogspot.com/

Another Christmas gift....

DONE!

I have a niece and nephew who LOVE to craft.

I found this COLOSSAL box of crafts at Borders. 

The box includes painting, clay projects, puppet making, bracelet making and more. 

To keep their clothes clean from all these crafts, I personalized each a craft apron.

I have used this same idea many times.

It's a quick and relatively inexpensive gift and the kids love it.

I will be wrapping it today and on to my next Christmas project.

Some of you may think "has she lost her mind".... Christmas???

Does she not know we are in the month of August?

Yes, I do know we are in the month of August.

 It's just such a good feeling to have all your gifts completed and wrapped ahead of schedule and be able to actually relax and enjoy the holiday season. 

Try it this year...you will be glad you did!