Gifts for the Music Lover in Your LIfe

Have a favorite band? Love to write/journal/doodle? Check out my friend's Etsy shop and see if she's got a notebook made from recycled record album covers for you!

Visit rocknwriteon and see if my friend's got a notebook with your favorite band. If not, just ask! Christmas is around the corner and you just might find that PERFECT, unique, one-of-a-kind gift for a someone special in your life. You may find something for you. Treat yourself... it's okay! You probably deserve it.

Zucchini and Carrot Muffins

I was very disappointed this morning when I got up to make these WONDERFUL muffins only to find out I had just enough flour to make buttermilk pancakes... shame on me!


We tried this recipe last week and just loved it. I hope you give it a try, too! We didn't have cranberries, we'll have to try that another day, but topped half of our batch with poppy seeds. You can't eat just one! We found ourselves sharing with neighbors and snacking on them throughout the day...

Enjoy!

An Apple For Teacher

I've recently had the pleasure of purchasing a fun little pattern to make gifts for teachers at my son's school. The pattern for this Adorable Apple Cozy was easy to follow and worked up in less than an hour.

If you're looking for a quick crochet project pattern, I recommend this one!

Yummy Buttermilk Pancakes

Believe it or not, you CAN make pancakes from scratch that are waaaaaay better than any box mix!

In our house, we use:

1 c. flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. oil
1 c. buttermilk

Mix dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Next, stir together wet ingredients in a separate bowl, then combine to dry mixture. Spoon into pan or onto griddle set to medium-high heat. (Use a dry, non-stick skillet if you have one!) Batter will be thick, so with the back of your spoon spread batter to about 4" in diameter. Once your pancakes start to bubble, flip 'em! They'll cook another minute or two...

When substituting regular milk for the buttermilk, use only 3/4 cup. We also make apple pancakes and add 1 tsp. cinnamon to the flour mixture and toss in about 3/4 chopped apple at the end.

Have fun experimenting with your own add-ins... ENJOY!

Miniature Sock Elephant

Made from vintage miniature red heel socks...

PINK Sock Monkey!

This is the second PINK sock monkey I've made and I'm proud to share her with you!

She was made from NEW pink Rockford Red Heel socks and is available in my Etsy shop.

All Children, Except One, Grow Up.

"So come with me, where dreams are born, and time is never planned. Just think of happy things, and your heart will fly on wings, forever, in Never Never Land!" -Peter Pan

Peter Pan sock monkey was created as a very special custom order. This sock monkey will never be duplicated, making it a genuine one of a kind creation. The story of Peter Pan is very special and offered a lot of inspiration.

"You know that place between sleeping and awake, that place where you can still remember dreaming? That's where I'll always think of you." -J.M. Barrie

Thank You, Melanie!

Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending the day with my boys. We spent all morning and the early afternoon at the kitchen table working with polymer clay: working, rolling, shaping, stacking... CREATING!

I had read Melanies blog (one I enjoy and look forward to reading) and one this week was a tutorial on these little Chick Photo Holders she makes for her Etsy shop. SO STINKIN' CUTE!!! I thought that would be a perfect project to make with the boys.
Of course they liked it, sure it was cute, but Super Mario Bros. took priority in their minds and we ended up with Princess Peach and Yellow Toad for the boys to play with.

Garrett DID make a little chick. He didn't want his to be a photo holder and he wanted bead eyes (he LOVES poking beads with a toothpick and inserting them!) It was his, I couldn't tell him what to do with it... and he's proud of it (just as I am proud of HIM!)
I made a baker's dozen and if I can bring myself to parting with them, they will be given to family with the boys' pictures on them as spring gifts.

Melanie uses a permanent marker for the eyes but I created a blunt end to a toothpick and dipped that into black paint to "dot" the eyes on. Later I went back and used an opaque white scrap booking pen to add the highlight and a fine black pen to add the detail. My little chicks seemed a bit wobbly on their feet so I glued circles of cardboard (discarded cereal box with a penny as a template) to circles of green felt (using a quarter as a template) to make a little base for them to stand on. I love combining different textures!

Do check out her blog and print the tutorial. Bring out your polymer clay and have fun!!! Come to think of it, this would even be fun for little ones to make with play dough! What a fun rainy-day Easter project...

Green Eggs and Ham

This is the last week of Reading Olympics at my son's school. The kids are invited to dress up based on a daily theme. Today's theme: Dr. Seuss! We love Dr. Seuss! We pulled out all of the books we had and chose "Green Eggs and Ham". (I think it was chosen simply because he liked the mouse!)
I thought it would be a neat and simple project to draw one of the illustrations on a t-shirt with Sharpies. It went really well! My husband and I (fortunately) have some drawing abilities and it was convenient for this project. We shared the responsibility of inhaling icky fumes to create this one-of-a-kind t-shirt for our kiddo to wear for participation.

Everything was going so well! The image looked good for mostly free-handing it with a permanent Sharpie marker... or so you would THINK a Sharpie was a PERMANENT marker. We let it sit over night and heat-set it in the morning before washing it. (I surely didn't want to send my kiddo to school reeking of Sharpie markers!) Here's what happened in the wash:

RUINED!
There's no saving this shirt... it will be a yard/play shirt now.

Time to start again! I've got a few hours and luckily (for this project) he's in the afternoon Kindergarten class.Success!

The shirt is finished and is as good as it's going to be for such a last-minute project for school today.
Time to air out the house and get ourselves ready to go...

Kiss Me!

Do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day? I don't... but I do have fun with themes and couldn't resist all the fun things I found while shopping last week!

This miniature sock monkey, who measures only about 6 inches tall and was made from actual miniature socks, is available in my Etsy shop, hoffee and a nuffin.

Enjoy~

Whooo loves owls?

Inspired by the owl made for Maxwell (An Owl, a Cowl, and a Little Felt Mustache) OWL PINCUSHIONS are now available in my Etsy shop, Sweetest Little Things.

Be.

Be honest.
Be consistent.
Be the very best you can.
Be loving.
Be kind.
Be considerate.
Be compassionate.
Be passionate.

Be true to yourself.

An owl, a cowl, and a little felt mustache...

Meet Maxwell. Maxwell has a habit in the early morning to pour himself a cup of coffee and make his way to the computer to see what's new on Etsy. One day he realized how much his love for owls, cowls, and little mustaches had grown. He really wanted to have them, but didn't exactly know why.

(Ah, the power of suggestion!)

Maxwell is available in my Etsy shop, 'hoffee and a nuffin.

Sock Monkey Care Instructions

(Click on image for larger text)

Old or New?

I just LOVE Nelson vintage sock monkeys! They have such a unique character that their smiles (or sometimes frowns) can't express when made from modern socks.
I made a sock monkey yesterday (brand new) from a pair of vintage socks. He's loosely stuffed and embellished with wool yarn so that when he took a trip through the washer and dryer, it altered his appearance a bit, making him look relaxed and much older.

People sometimes sell recovered sock monkeys on Ebay, but I often wonder about their condition. Where have they been living all these years? What were they stuffed with? Who loved them? What do they smell like? While still very charming, and completely unique on their own, they may have a hard time finding a place in someone's heart who has a fear of odd-smelling, filled with foam, tattered but oh-so-loved sock monkeys.

Check in on 'hoffee and a nuffin' as I occasionally list NEW Nelson vintage sock monkeys.

Teeny-tiny...

Miniature sock monkeys have a very special place in my heart. Made from actual miniature socks and lots of love and tiny stitches, they don't take up very much space and are LOADED with character and charm!




If you're looking for a miniature sock monkey of your own, you may find one in my Etsy shop hoffee and a nuffin