Make-It Monday: Woo-Hoo

It seems like I have been away forever.  I am sooooo happy to have my baby (laptop) powered up again.

I had intended to do this little tutorial before Easter week, but life happens.

Today I am going to share a very easy simple little project that can bring so much joy to both you as you make it and the receiver of this darlin' little hand made gift (or for your own decorations).  I learned to do this little craft several years ago at Stake Relief Society "Super Saturday" event.  I thought it was the cutest little thing.  Well, after cleaning out some boxes in my sewing room I ran across it and thought this would be a cute little gift/craft for Easter, so here you go hon!  I created the best kind of little bunny couple, the kind that I don't have to worry about more popping up, LOL!

Dish Towel Bunny

Materials Needed:

1 dish towel
2 washcloths
Ribbon






Are you ready?  Okay, let's do this!







Directions:

• Lay you dishtowel on the table with the wrong side up (tag).  

           

• Fold your towel lengthwise in thirds.    

(this picture looks like it may be crosswise but it's not, I turned the camera and should have rotated the picture, my bad!)

• You may now place this folded towel off to the side, we'll get back to it momentarily.

• Grab one of your washcloths and start at one corner, then roll that corner to the middle of the washcloth.

• Then take the opposite corner and begin to roll it up to the middle of the towel (you make have to play with this a couple of times until you get used to making it and figure out what size fold you like the best!)   

This will be your ears for your cute little bunny!

• Next, fold the top part of the dishtowel down to about 1/3 of the way.  (This is per the original directions I was given.  But for the life of me I could not get it to look like that was a sensible thing to do.  So what I did was for my boy bunny I made them even and for my girl bunny I made about a 1.5 to 2 inch difference in the length of the body.  You'll see it clearer in the pictures at the end.)

•  Take your washcloth "ears" that you made earlier and lay them inside that fold.  

• Grab the ears by the points and pull up tightly. 

 

 Now, take a piece of ribbon, whatever color you like and tie it around the dishtowel as close as you can get under the bunny ears.  Tie a knot in the ribbon and tie a bow.  (I cut my boy at 12 inches for a small bow, but you can make it as large or as small as you like.)

  

(I decide to do a girl because boy was not meant to be alone!)

• Then tie another bow under the bulge that you made with the ears.

This makes your bunny's head!  Aw, it's coming together now!!

• Take your second washcloth and begin at the edge and roll it up, this will be you little bunny arms.

• Now, slide the "arms" in between the back and front of the dishtowel up the the "neck".  Tie a bow under the arms.  This makes the bunny's waist.  (I would also add to make sure that the back side of the washcloth "arms" is touching the inside of the back piece of the dishtowel and facing in downward position, if not it will bug you in the reversed order, trust me on this one!)

• Now the directions said to bring the "hands" to the front and tie at the "wrists" with another bow.  Yet the first time, and this time, I did not do that.  I can only assume, in my own defense, that I simply did not like that.  Therefore, I must have subconsciously blocked out that part of the directions, both times.  Sooo, you are left to try that one for yourself!  If you are going to attach something like a wooden spoon or jar of something to your bunny then of course, it would be a great idea to tie his/her wrists together so they can hold the item(s).  I wanted my couple to hold each other, of course I suppose I could tie their "arms" around each other, but not right not.  I like their 'arms" free for now!  If you like it by all means shoot me a picture and let me see, I am 'stephsgotit' on Instagram!

Notes:   As I said earlier I wanted a clear distinction between my boy and my girl.  So for my boy bunny, once I folded the dishtowel in thirds lenghtwise, I folded that in half on each end to make him, I don't know, manlier, lol, yeah, whatever.

 

For my girl bunny I made sure her dress tail was wider, so after I folded in thirds lengthwise I did nothing else to hers.  However, I did make the top layer 1.5 to 2 inches shorter.  I was able to adjust the lengths by pulling on tail ends after I tied the "ears" off.  

So if you put the two together you can clearly see a boy and a girl, Yeah!!  I also tried to make their body shapes slightly different.  You can play around with all kids of shapes and sizes.  Have fun with it!!

I shall name them the Mr. and Mrs. Nostrum!  Meet Peter and Mary Nostrum.

Now if you want to get really creative I'm sure you can added lace to her dress tail and little eyes to their faces.  Sew on whiskers and such and just really go all out.  The possibilities are endless.  Again, if you do I would love to see them please post a picture here, on instagram at http://instagram.com/stephsgotit or on my facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/stephsgotit.

Well shug, it's been a long day and I think I am going to turn in.  I have a million assignments due this week so onward and upward hon!!

Love and Shimmies,

Woo-hoo, I'm back on line!!

Yeah, my new computer charger came in! I am back on line. I am sooo behind in blogs! I am going to do a cute little tutorial today that will make a great Easter decoration or even added to an Easter basket for the little ones, a gift for nursing home patients, VT's, neighbors. etc. Very simply only 2 things needed.

See ya tonight!

Love and Shimmies, Steph!

Still waiting for computer plug to arrive

Hello hon,

Heavy sigh... I am still waiting for the new charger cord to arrive for my laptop.  I recently just got a new battery for it, now this.  So there still will be no blogging for yet another week lost.  Yes I could actually blog with my IPad or like I'm doing with this post, use my cell phone.  But have you every tried to type a whole list of instructions with step by step pictures?  I assure you it is not something to do unless you have ALL day, enjoying pecking at miniature keys one by one for EXTENDED periods of time, enjoy mini screens, have good eyesight, and the  patience of a saint (neither of which I possess).  Monday's are not looking so great for this chic.  But, I am determined to get a consistent schedule, this is now a challenge. 

As soon as the necessary equipment arrives and I am able to power the old girl back up (laptop, not me) I will put up a step by step tutorial on how to make the cutest little Easter gift/decoration from only 2 simple things you already have around the house! 

Love and Shimmies,
                                    Steph!

P.S. Good thing shimmies don't run off electricity, I can power one of those babies up anytime, anywhere, shimmmmmmmmyyyy!

Marvelous Monday: Stitch Fix Review (Finally)

Howdy Hon,

*Sorry this took so long, but it was a booger bear to get everything working correctly!*

I am sooooo excited about this review!  Anyone who knows me knows I hate, LOATH clothes shopping.  I am probably the only women in the world whose darling husband has to practically make her go shopping.  Yeah, I know unheard of right?  But it's true, I avoid shopping for clothes at all cost.  It's a frustrating and annoying experience and sometimes depressing.  Quite frankly, I just don't need the aggravation in my life!!  And usually when we go, I find things for him and nothing for me.  I am so very picky when it comes to spending good money (which is any amount I spend, lol) on clothes.  I have to have certain fits, NO mini's, NO arms out, I've also had a c-section so I have that bump from having two beautifully little babies.  And modesty in dress today is almost a joke at some of these places.  One day i'll tell you the tales of trying to find a modest wedding dress!!  That's one of the reasons I have fallen in love with sewing my own clothes so much, I can make them to fit and still look great!!

Recently I was checking out one of Crafty Gemini's YouTube video (she has some really great craft ideas, she's a quilter, farmer, she sews, and has very easy tutorials, check out her blog here) and it was a review on this strange thing called Stitch Fix.  This is a personal stylist service, that you do on line.  Very interesting... ummmm.

I checked out Crafty's video and was very interested in checking out this service since I truly LOATH shopping!!  We'll I used the link she gave us, went to the Stitch Fix site and checked it out.

This is what they say on their website:

 "Stitch Fix is a personal styling service. You tell us your style, size, and budget preferences, and we send you a package of stylish goodies to try on at home. Each Fix is unique and hand-picked just for you."

The way it all works is that you go to the site and create your style profile by answering a styling questionnaire.  They ask you every possible question they can think of so that a stylist can get a feel for what your style is and what you may like but haven't tried yet.  You then pay a $20 stylist fee (which will be deducted from your total price if you decide to keep your box).  The stylist will then review all the information, including any of your blogs, pinterest boards or such sites that you choose to give them which will help determine your style.  I gave them one of my pinterest boards to review with a statement attached that she did not have to follow the board to a "T", as I couldn't remember the last time I had posted on that board, lol.  She will them send you 5 items (including jewelry, which you have the option to receive or not) in this nice little box.

You have 3, let me repeat 3 days (business days), to review your package and either keep the whole box at which time you will get your $20 stylist fee deducted as well as an additional 25% discount on the total price OR you can select the items you would like to keep and return the others in the nice big postage paid grey bag they include in the box.  They also send you a card not only giving you tips on how to style your new pieces but pictures to help illustrate.  You also receive a personal letter from your stylist.  Then you go back to the site to pay for the items you decided to keep.  You will also have the opportunity to rate your box/stylist on the pieces you received and it they were spot on with your style (or future style), how did each piece fit, was the price acceptable (i'll talk about the in the video review!)

I had a lot of pictures, but had some issues, lol.  So I will tell you all about my box in the YouTube video review below.  I will also show you in the video what my decision was on my box and review my experience with this service, and the biggest question of all, 'will I ever use this service again?'.

Thank you for being so patient with me while I worked out the kinks with scheduling problems and this post.  I hope you enjoy it and please let me know if you feel like you will give this service a try.  If you do please also use this link, it will give me a small credit for anyone who clicks using my link (and you will get your own special link too for trying out the service, it's a referral link, cha-ching, you share it with all you friend/family/facebookers/etc.).  Don't forget to check out the YouTube video here or click on the video below!!

I'd love to know how your first box from Stitch Fix worked out for you!!

Love and Shimmies,

*I finally broke down and bought software and still had issues getting this video loaded.  Sorry it took so long to get this loaded!!!*

UPDATE: MM - Stitch Fix Review

I have not forgotten darlings,

But I am experiencing some difficulties at the moment.  Honey suggested a spot to record a YouTube video review, as that may be easier at this moment, and faster, but we will see.  By Friday one way or the other, or both, the review will go up!!

In the mean time I hope that you are having a wonderful week!

Since there are 5 Monday's this month I have decided to make the wild Monday and product review on something I have been trying out for a while.  I must say I am quite pleased with the results, it made me feel and look like (at least to me) a million bucks.

Love and Shimmies,

Marvelous Monday: Stitch Fix Review - Technical Difficulties

Sooooo, it will be a tad bit late.  We'll see in the morning if things are done!

Thanks Love and Shimmies

Steph!!

ReFashion of Men's Shirt to Cute Skirt!

Refashion of Men's shirt to cute Skirt!

This will be the first installment on my new love of refashioning.  This was the very first refashion I did.  Not very savvy huh, but in doing this simple (although that the time not so simple, remember I was new to all this) it gave me the confidence and inspiration to try even more refashions!

And sewwwww, I set off the save the world's landfills of unwanted garments.  Stay tuned for more this will be at least monthly, every second Wednesday.  I already have a few lined up and schedule to post, woo-hoo!!

I saw this men's shirt at a flea market.

 

Once I saw the $1 price tag I feel in love with it, well at least the fabric.  

I had to have it!!  I had not clear idea of where I was going with it.  I was not only new to sewing garments at the time, but also completely new to refashion.

So I took my little prize home and decided on a skirt.  With no clear direction of what to do I started cutting and sewing.  

Until I ended up with this little diddy!  

Of course, I realize now it was very simple and not much to it.  But, at the time I felt like a million bucks and it did give me the inspiration to go on and try new things.  I've even taken an evening dress and made a belly dance hip scarf and bra (which I will post next).  I have even done that with a regular skirt set.

I now love thrifting to see what I can come up with next.  Even my friends bring me stuff because they believe I can see something out of any outfit.  I look forward to sharing and following others.

Thanks for reading my post!

Love and Shimmies, 

Mystery Meat Monday - A twist on a classic!

Howdy Hon,

Well, guess what, it's Mystery Meat Monday (yes, it's actually Monday!)!!  Today I'm going to give you an old family favorite of just about every family I know, it's a Corn Casserole, BUT, with a new twist. 

I was looking for a recipe to take to a family at church who was grieving the loss of a loved one.  I don't claim to be a great chef, not even a great cook, however, I can follow a recipe.  So I started searching on line, ignoring  the hundreds of recipe books we have in  our pantry.  

I wish I could tell you which sites I reviewed, unfortunately there were so many that I just started copying and pasting the recipes in a file to review in more detail later.  I did not realize that the website addresses were not being recording.  Oops, my bad, didn't know at that moment it'd also be a blog review.  

Sooooo, have I peeked your curiosity yet?  The recipe is "Baked Corn Casserole", yummy, comfort food!!  The twist you ask, now don't freak out it sounds really crazy.  I promise you it tastes much better than you think.  The twist ingredient, it's French Fried Onions!  LOL, yep, I told you it sounded crazy.  And this time, I baked it again, just so I could have pictures for you! You're welcome, tee-hee.

Another testimony of how good this recipe was is that the family member that I baked it for came back and told me that her family LOVED it!  I might have just taken that as she didn't want to hurt my feelings (there were some, ah, issues with the cooking time since I had tripled the recipe).   But, a few weeks later she called me up and asked me for the recipe.  I was happy that it turned out okay and that the family was able to enjoy it.  I have made it a couple of times for my family who have also enjoyed it.  As a matter of fact they are enjoying it right now, ummmmm, so am I.   So deliscious!!!!!!  

Baked Corn Casserole 

Ingredients needed:

1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Cream of Chicken Soup (can use regular or 98% Fat Free)

1/2 cup Milk

2 eggs

1 can (about 16 oz.) Whole Kernel Corn, drained

1 package (about 8 oz.) Corn Muffin Mix (Jiffy)

1/4 cup Grated Parmesean Cheese

1 can (2.8 oz.) French Fried Onions (about 1 1/3 cup)

Directions to yummyville:

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F.

In a medium mixing bowl beat with a whisk (or fork) - soup, milk and eggs.

 Alright, you caught me! We did check Saturday night to make sure we had soup, and we did, Cream of Mushroom.  Urgh, in the back I did find this 1 can of Cream of Chicken and Mushroom soup.  Ironically enough this is the same thing I had to do the first time I made this dish.  Because I only had 1 can instead of 3 cans of Cream of Chicken and Wally World didn't have any either.  So use what soup you have in the pantry.  It'll still be great!

That's suppose to be half a cup!

Okay so i'm not a great egg cracker, stop laughing!

Now whisk away all, LOL.  Okay, in my head that was funny! Think reindeer!!  Whatever...

Stir in corn, corn muffin mix, cheese, and 2/3 cup (NOT all) onions.  

 Okay, I really did drain this corn, honest!

The only thing I use this stuff for.

 The recipe called for Parmesan Cheese, in this house we also like the Parmesan & Romano Cheese mix.  Of course, today we seemed to only have a small amount of the Parmesan (really small), so I used this.  Could I have just dumped it in the regular container, yes.  But we just started our relationship and I'd like it to be one of honesty.  So this is what I used this time.

And mix, mix, mix.... in my head to the tune of Shake Shake Shake, shake yo' booty, woo!  What can I say, I'm a product of the 70's.

LOL, looks better than previous picture, right?

Pour the soup mixture into a 1 1/2 quart casserole.

                                

                                        Love my Corning Ware!!

Taa-Daa!!  Easy peasy, right??

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until mixture is hot.

Top with remaining onions.  Bake for 5 minutes or until the onions are golden brown.

Gather around the table with the family and enjoy!!  

Or take to a friend or family member to share!!

Shhhhhhh, I had another bowl as I was put turning out the lights and locking up before bed.  Yummmmmm!!

I hope that you get a chance to try this great recipe!  Come back and let me know how you liked it!  Or if you have an interesting twist on this old family favorite for comfort dish!!

Love and Shimmies, 

Monday Madness, NOT

Yes, I know, it's Tuesday!  The day after Monday. Sigh!

I will not post a Monday Madness post this week (gee, nooo, they never noticed)!

I wanted to ramble on about how disgusted I am with these 'photoshopped' pictures that Hollywood puts out there but, I have not gotten all my thoughts and information together (hey the original name of this blog was bad blogger for a reason).

I can tell you that I am lining up the other topics for Monday's and they are coming along great.  For Marvelous Monday's I have a fun OOTD, which I may start doing all on it's own.  I'm trying to make at least one outfit for church each week (this is review on a YouTube video and a blog post, oh and I created the necklace).  If I am able to be consistent with making the weekly Sunday outfits I will add an OOTD blog to every Sunday.  The reason for Sunday is now that I am a stay at home mom I don't get out as much, at least not having to wear pressed and nicer rags outfits.  I do try to dress up a bit on Sunday to go the church.  I suppose I could still post it on another day, maybe a Thursday.  I like Thursday's don't you.  Ummmmm...  But for this month it'll just be on MM (Marvelous Monday) review.  For MIM (Make-It Monday) I'll show you the coolest new addition to my sewing room, yes, that slow progress just took one step forward again!  One day it will be complete and I can show you the whole room, or at least cleaner and more organized.  And finally MMM (Mystery Meat Monday) will be a recipe review on an old classic with a new updated twist.  It will sound crazy but I made it for someone at church and their family and she said it was a hit.  She even asked for the recipe and few weeks later.  So good things are coming for this month.  Just not mad ramblings to start you off with!

OH my word, I almost forget, my birthday is this weekend so I will share with you my birthday present.  It's a box from Stitch Fix.  I will share with you my experience with the service, the box I received, prices and of course my fun new items!!

Love and Shimmies,