Favorites 2011

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.

I know, I did.

We just got back from a week stay in N.C. with our daughter, son-in-law and

 my beautiful, adorable grandbaby, Miss Oakleigh.

While trying to get caught up on my e-mail, I found an invitation from Madeleine at NZEcochick inviting me to join her TOP TEN of 2011 linky party.

It sounded like fun so, here goes.....

Starting with the beginning of 2011 I thought I would share my organized kitchen cabinets.

Wire baskets inspired by Stephanie Lynn at Under The Table and Dreaming.



How 'bout a quick and simple sewing project.

Debbie's spa bag.

Don't you just LOVE using up those scraps?



Making a few changes.



Toddler backpack.




Yummy Toffee Brownie Trifle.



And one that will come in handy for a few New Years resolutions!
Waist Watcher pie.



Last, but certainly not least....

AND...

MY FAVORITE OF 2011.




Thank you Madeleine.
It's been fun looking back at 2011.

Hope ya'll enjoyed it!


Linking today to:
http://diyshowoff.com/
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/
http://thecreativeitchboutique.blogspot.com/

More readymade...

Don't you just LOVE this design?

I have used this little "Grinch" design many times.

Here I have stitched the design out on fleece blankets for my niece and nephew.

Isn't "she" cute in pink?

You can see this same design here looking a bit more traditional on pillowcases.

Have a Merry Monday, everyone!

Contest winners

Remember this post?

Mommy by day crafter by night has chosen the top 12 winners for the
So you think you can sew contest.

Sadly, I was not chosen as one of the top 12 winners, but
 I can totally see why; the top 12 completely blew me out of the park!
The winners are amazing sewers.
Go check them out here.
Congrats to all!

Personalized gym bags

Since I am "sew" behind this year making Christmas gifts, I decided to just personalize readymade gym bags for a couple of my niece and nephews.

Have a great Friday, everyone!

Teacher Totes

 

 

This year I am giving my daughter's teachers personalized totes stuffed with goodies for Christmas.

 

 

I included note pads, note cards, cookies and yummy goodies from Bath and Body Works.

Linking today to:
http://www.somewhatsimple.com/

JC Penney coupons

Don't you just LOVE them?

I saved 40 bucks yesterday!

Yeeeehaaa!

Sugar free sugar cookies

Do you know someone trying to stick to their diet during the holidays?

Why not make them cookies?

(Sugar free - fat free, of course)

Don't these just look good enough to eat?

I actually made them from fabric and felt.

As you can see, I packaged a few to give away to friends and family.

I even hot glued a magnet strip on the back so these yummy cookies could double as fridge magnets.

Nutrition Facts

Servings Per Bag: 1

-------------------------------

Calories                   0

Total Fat                 0g     

Cholesterol             0mg   

Can it get ANY better than that?

Linking today to:
http://thetrendytreehouse.blogspot.com/
http://www.houseofhepworths.com/
http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
http://thediyshowoff.blogspot.com/
http://thecreativeitchboutique.blogspot.com/
http://www.somewhatsimple.com/

Affordable teacher gifts

Here's a simple idea I put together for my daughter's teachers (five of them) a few years ago for Christmas.

Personalized and very affordable.

The dishtowels (before embroidery) were $2.00 each, mugs were $.50.

I purchased a container of hot chocolate mix and a bag of tiny marshmallows to package into the mug.

I used what I already had in my stash at home for everything else.

I made personalized labels for the mugs using self adhesive printer paper.

The tags were printed onto cardstock and cut out.

 I wrapped it all in cellophane and cut strips of fabric for the ties.

I may have paid $5.00 or less for the hot chocolate mix and the marshmallows and only used about $.50 worth for each mug.

So you see, for a total of about $15.00 ($3.00 each) I was able to give out five affordable, personalized gifts.

What do you give and how much do you spend on teacher gifts each year?

Linking today to:
http://www.iheartnaptime.net/
http://thecreativeitchboutique.blogspot.com/

Do not go where the path may lead...

go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

Have a wonderful weekend!

Simple Christmas decor

One of my many old windows in my home decked out for the holidays.

What's going on at your house for the holidays?

Do you decorate with the traditional red and green, all white, silver, beautiful blue or do you have something funky you want to share?

Got something out of the ordinary?

Send me the pictures; I would love to post them or if you would like to be a guest here on FlyAwayHome just let me know.

You can reach me at FlyAwayHome@verizon.net. 

Happy decorating!

Linking today to:

http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

http://tatertotsandjello.com/

http://junkintheirtrunk.blogspot.com/

~ One last fall post ~

Here is Miss Oakleigh's Thanksgiving Day ensemble I embroidered and put together.

I couldn't resist pairing up this cute polka dot shirt with a little striped sweater.

The shirt, sweater and pants I purchased at Target, the crow and pumpkin design came from Embroidery Library.

 

 

Linking today to:

http://www.mineforthemaking.com/

Can you believe tomorrow is December 1st already?

Before I take down my fall decorations I thought I would share a few recycle projects.
Remember last years pumpkins?

I decided to change them up a bit.

I took the pumpkins out of the frame and made a simple swag using ribbon and a few clothespins.

I then painted the frame white and popped in a few new prints for my daughter's room.

Doesn't even look like the same frame, does it?

Quick stitch thank you

I was asked recently to add a little "thank you note" to this gift given to volunteers for

their hard work on a charity fundraiser.

The gift included wine, crackers, wine glasses, plates, cheeses, knives, bottle opener, serving tray etc. 

All I added was a little "thank you" dishtowel.

Each volunteer received the same gift.

What a great way to show your volunteers how much they are appreciated.

Did you happen to notice?

Granny's sugar canister and the candle holder from yesterday's post.

When Mr. Fisherman's granny passed away last year I inherited her canister set.

This one is my favorite.

Apparently the handle broke off and she replaced it with a half of a spool.

How smart was that?

The tea light candle holder Mr. Fisherman made several years ago out of scraps left over from my butcher block kitchen counter he built.

Oh, how I LOVE those scraps!

Happy Monday everyone!

~ My amazing fisherman ~

Yep, Mr. Fisherman still amazes me with his handiwork.

Fortunate for me, Mr. Fisherman is always trying to come up with uses for his scrap lumber from other projects.

His scrap pile started like this...

and ended up like this...

My new coffee table/bench.

Isn't it adorable?

I LOVE IT!

Thanks again, Mr. Fisherman.

(After almost 30 years, you STILL amaze me...)

Linking today to:

http://cherishedtreasures-terry.blogspot.com/

http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/

http://www.iheartnaptime.net/

http://petitehermine.blogspot.com/

http://icantstopcrafting.blogspot.com/

http://www.thegunnysack.com/

http://www.bystephanielynn.com/

http://chef-n-training.blogspot.com/

http://thediyshowoff.blogspot.com/

http://abowlfulloflemons.blogspot.com/

$499 Kitchen Aid stand mixer - free !

If you read my post yesterday, I was bragging on my homemade whipped cream.

To be honest, I really could not have done it without my new best friend...

Mabel
(sorry, Deb)

Isn't she beautiful?
She is the Kitchen Aid professional 600

I got her for free.
Well, sort of...

I am a coupon gal. Coupons are like free money to me.  Each time I use coupons for a purchase I put my savings into an envelope. In other words, if I bought $100 worth of groceries and had $25 worth of coupons, I would put that $25 I saved by using coupons into my "saving for my Kitchen Aid" envelope. I actually taped a picture of a Kitchen Aid stand mixer on the envelope to keep me motivated. 

You have to be patient. It took me almost a year of couponing. Sometimes only $5 here or there, but it really starts to add up.

A few years ago when the Kindle first came out I purchased Mr. Fisherman a $300 Kindle with my coupon savings.

I actually have dollars left from my Kitchen Aid purchase.
Since I am a bargain shopper, I called Kitchen Aid to see if they had any promo's going on. They did! This particular color (Caviar) was being discontinued so they were offering it for $299!
Brand new!

YAY!

Hummmm.... wonder how long it's gonna take me to save for that new Jaguar convertible I want?

Maybe next year....

Linking today to:
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
http://tatertotsandjello.com/
http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/
http://cherishedtreasures-terry.blogspot.com/
http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/
http://www.iheartnaptime.net/
http://petitehermine.blogspot.com/
http://www.thegunnysack.com/
http://www.bystephanielynn.com/
http://chef-n-training.blogspot.com/

~ Breakfast ~

The morning after....

Pumpkin pie with my homemade cinnamon whipped cream!

(don't judge me... it was either pie or oatmeal... which would you choose?)

************

I was amazed how easy it really was to make homemade whipped cream.

1 cup heavy whipping cream

3 Tablespoons confectioner sugar

1 Teaspoon vanilla

Sprinkle of cinnamon to taste

Using mixer, whip the heavy whipping cream until almost stiff;

gradually add the sugar, vanilla and cinnamon until cream holds peak.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Day!

Fall redwork

 I am attending a little get together at a friends house this afternoon and stitched these napkins as a hostess gift. 





Hope she likes them!

~ My apron for baking ~

For me - it's all about the icing... 

...with a cherry on top!

I just love this little cupcake applique.

You can see it again here on Katey's birthday gift.

Linking today to:

http://suelovescherries.blogspot.com/

http://tearosehome.blogspot.com/

http://www.lilluna.com/

http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

~ A little history ~

While sorting through some of my father's military memorabilia, I found this newspaper.

The Middlesboro Daily News

Dated August 14, 1945

Headlines read...

WAR OVER...JAPS SAY

Notice the spelling of Tokyo.

I found out this spelling (Tokio) was commonly used during the time of the Second World War.

Talk about trivia...

******

Inside I found the cartoon comic strip Blondie.

Did you know Blondie was first published September 8, 1930?

Chick Young drew Blondie until his death in 1973, when creative control passed to his son Dean Young. Blondie has remained popular and appears in more than 2000 newspapers, 47 countries and in 35 languages.

And there you have it! 

Your history lesson for the day.

Finally....

a "So you think you can" challenge I can compete in.

Anyone who knows me, knows I have two left feet and would starve to death if I had to sing for my supper, but...

Mommy by day...crafter by night

is hosting a sewing version of "So you think you can dance" called

So you think you can sew!

Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

There will be four weeks of competition starting in January.

Each week there will be a theme and you will have five days to create a project that fits within that theme.

So far, it looks like stiff competition, but "I think I can sew" so I have decided to

 join in the fun and hopefully improve on a few of my sewing skills as I go.

Some may think my entry is a bit simple.

I entered my "going green" snack bag.

Probably not the most exciting project, but it seemed to have the most interest of any project I have shared on my blog.

It has been Pinterested numerous times and in one day I had 3500 hits

on my "going green" tutorial alone.

I know 3500 hits in one day doesn't seem to be much for some of you bloggers out there, but for this little blog... it was HUGE!

Wish me luck!

Transitioning to fall....

We "Florida gals" don't pack away our summer clothes as the seasons change; we just update or add a few things to our existing wardrobe.

~
Instead of Polly's ol' plain boring vest from last year, I went for something new this fall.

I jazzed it up a bit for the fall season with a little embroidery.

I even found a way to personalize it!

How do you update your wardrobe from season to season?



Linking today to:
http://thirtyhandmadedays.com/
http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
http://www.somewhatsimple.com/
http://craftskeepmesane.blogspot.com/

In honor of Halloween...

I thought I would wear a little black cat.

These pins are very easy and inexpensive to make.

All you need are a few of these little wooden figures.

(purchased at Michaels)

 Pin backs and a little hot glue.

Add a drop of glue to the back and in minutes...

...you have a cute little pin for any occasion!

Substitute the hot glue for Elmers and it makes a great project for the little ones too.

Be safe and have a Happy Halloween!

Linking today to:
http://brassyapple.blogspot.com/

~ A package for Oakleigh ~

Shirt, matching hair clip, placemat, flatware, stickers and braclet.

I purchase both the pumpkin and matching snap clip cover design here.

These "in the hoop" hair clip designs are so quick and easy to make.

All you need are snap clips like these...

and a few scraps of fabric or felt.

Have a great day!