100 Week

If you haven't heard about "The 100 Project" it's all about photography. 

You can read more here, but the basic idea was the get people from every age to take pictures of their daily lives.

Beyond the one from each age they asked anyone to take pictures of their week from Oct 1-7th 2012.

So I took part. 

I did not use a disposable camera but for all my pictures I left all settings on auto and didn't use zoom or any editing.

So here was my week!

Monday Oct. 1

Included running errands (the Samaritan center often has good craft supplies), Women's Ministry meeting at my church and a cupcake from the ladies for my birthday later this month.

 

Tuesday Oct. 2 

Held shopping for my house hold and for the home I help out, setting up some fabric for sewing billfolds to sell in my etsy shop and some fall colors coming in (view out my front door).

 

Wednesday Oct. 3

Held sewing, tomato picking and was a beautiful day.

Thursday Oct 4

 Some here at the home (for mentally challenged adults) had a ball game, and I organized my house and started gathering the things I've bought for Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes for poor children around the world.

Friday Oct. 5

I spent time creating a recipe for caramel apple cheesecake bars to take to church potluck on Saturday and my cat Spooks hung out and watched me cook, as usual.

Saturday Oct 6

The Lord's Sabbath held church, visiting a nearby park I really like and a short trip down Natchez Trace and the scenic route home so we could enjoy the autumn colors. Also another little gift from my church.

Sunday Oct. 7

I sewed some billfolds to go in my etsy shop, relaxed in the evening with my hubby and cat, Spooks, and we brought in all the remaining tomatoes to finish ripening inside because of the cold temps we're getting.

So there ya go, my "100 week" as a 28 year old woman living in middle Tennessee!

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

I know it's been quiet around here for a while. Middle of September my Grandmother died and that involved a trip to Nebraska. Late September a friend died and just been lots going on.

However, I'm back with something very yummy for you to make. 

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars!

Yeah, let that sink in for a minute.

I took a couple different recipes and edited and spliced to make this yummy creation.

You'll need a 13x9 baking dish to start with.

Crust:

1 sleeve graham crackers 

3 Tbsp sugar

4 Tbsp melted butter

Crush the graham crackers totally and mix with sugar and butter then press into the bottom of your 13x9 glass pan.

Cheesecake:

 2 8oz packages of cream cheese

1/2 C sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Start with room temperature cream cheese and using an electric mixer beat together on low with the sugar. Once well blended mix in the eggs one at a time and finish by mixing in the vanilla.

Apple Layer:

5 apples

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 C bisquick mix

1/2 C sugar

1/2 C milk

1 Tbsp butter

2 eggs

Peel, core and thinly slice the apples. In a medium bowl mix in all the other ingredients. 

In a small bowl mix 

1 C bisquick

1/2 c brown sugar

1/4 c butter

Using a fork (or pastry cutter) cut the butter into the bisquick and sugar. 

Mix into the apple mixture.

Pour the cream cheese mixture on top of the graham cracker crust. 

Pour the apple mixture on top of the cream cheese layer.

Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Caramel Topping:

10 caramel candies

4 Tbsp milk

Melt at 30 second intervals in the microwave till melted and mixed together. 

Drizzle over the apples after baking.

Cool and slice.

Lastly, try not to eat the whole pan at once!

Tie-Dying Shirts

The last couple weeks have been insane. 

So much going on, I'm still working on getting back to normal. 

The most recent round of Iron Craft called for making something for yourself.

The round started just before I headed out of town to a convention where I run a charity auction to benefit Tiger Haven Sanctuary.

Even when I got back home I was too busy trying to catch up on sleep to do much of anything. 

Finally Sunday, two days before posting date, I had a little time.

At the convention we always get t-shirts with that years theme. Sometimes the shirts are really cute but always on a white base. I really don't like wearing white.

So I took a tie-dying kit I had on hand and added some color to our shirts.

I gathered up the picture area and kept it separate so the dye wouldn't ruin the pictures. Then oddly gathered and rubber banded the rest and coated with the dye.

On the left is is my staff shirt, on the right is the regular convention shirt. 

Our mascot is a skunk and this years theme was Chinese zodiac, year of the skunk. 

Hardware Store = Board Game

I know that board games aren't usually what comes to mind when talking about hardware stores but there are actually quite a few possibilities.

This round of Iron Craft we were challenged to make something using items found at a hardware store.

I had already made some plans for a board game made from hardware store materials but not gone very far with it. I had the needed items, just taking my sweet (slow) time.

The game is "Robo Rally" (sort of like battle bots meets chess). It's a real board game that can be bought online (I've not personally seen it in stores). Unfortunately I don't really have the money to buy the game so I determined that it wouldn't be hard to make my own.

I bought a flat board and got it cut into the size of the boards that come with the game. After sanding the edges I painted white then gray to be the factory floor. Next I marked out the square grid. Now the creativity, I added conveyor belts, holes, gears and walls wherever I felt. 

For the game pieces I picked a bunch of bolts, washers and nuts and matched them together in different patterns. I dipped each end into a color of paint to make them even more different. Last I added some paint to one wing of the wing nuts to signify the front of my "robots".

All that is left is to create movement cards to move the robots with and we're ready to play!

Deliciocity Friday: BBQ Ranch Vegeburgers

Time for something a little more healthy!

(we can't live off sweets alone)

I made this burger using a can of meatless Vegeburger from Cedar Lake. It's vegan so no meat and much healthier then many options.

Ingredients:

1 can Cedar Lake Vegeburger

1 cup uncooked oatmeal

1/3 cup ketchup

1/3 cup BBQ sauce

1 Tbsp ranch dressing mix

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp dehydrated onions

A dash of garlic powder and salt

Many of the seasonings are a taste preference but it's a good place to hide the immunity boosting onions and garlic.

I mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, by hand or by fork.

While I'm mixing I have a frying pan warming up on medium heat. 

Shape the mixture into a patty and remember that is the shape and size you will end up with. (it doesn't shrink like ground beef) I usually get 5 large patties, however, if made closer to normal size it would probably end up making something like 7 or 8 burgers.

Cook on medium heat for a few minutes on each side. Since the Vegeburger is precooked, you are just heating, not having to worry about reaching a specific temperature.

 You may need a little vegetable oil in the pan to help keep the burgers from sticking and burning.

Dress your burger to your tastes and enjoy a very moist and healthier burger!

Find Vegeburger here, or at an Adventist Book Center near you.

 

Birdie Mobile

Time for another Iron Craft posting!

 This time we were challenged to make something for baby.

I started out making a little yellow felt birdie. My thinking was that it would be one of those cute dangling things on the handle of a car seat.

 Then I kept going.

I ended up making four different colored felt birdies to create a mobile for over a crib.

They are attached via thin clear wire to an embroidery hoop. There is a piece of ribbon attached to the hoop to pin it to the ceiling (or hook over a mobile hoop).

No, you didn't hit your head in the Acme desert, it's just a hand sewn bird mobile! 

DOMO Sewing Kit

Along with the Star Trek and TARDIS items I made for a swap on swap-bot.com, I also am making a DOMO sewing kit for someone else.

In this swap we are supposed to make some sort of kit in a tin that can be carried around.

The person I am sending to is a fashion design student who also mentioned she likes DOMO things.

I found some tins at Target for a dollar. They had "Spam" on the top but that's easily fixed!

I used felt to make the DOMO face to hot glue onto the top of the tin.

I am filling it with little things that are commonly needed for sewing.

Buttons, thread, needles, snaps, safety pins, etc.

Check out www.Swap-bot.com to find great swaps to join!

Star Trek Communicator and TARDIS Necklace

That's right, more geekiness going on over here.

I signed up for a swap on Swap-bot.com that is all about making something based on a few different geeky tv shows.

The options were: Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate, Battlestar Gallactica and Dr. Who.

I decided to make two things.

First, a communicator like the Star Trek characters wore on their chest. (no it does not work, only decoration!) I modeled it after the ones worn in The Next Generation.

Hand shaped out of air dry clay and then painted. The back has a pin to be able to attach to her shirt.

The second item I made is a small TARDIS. It's made out of air dry clay and painted. Part of it I actually painted with a toothpick. Strung on a long black cord it is ready to wear.

Both will be going out in the mail soon to my swap partner.

If you miss getting real mail, check out the website, www.Swap-bot.com for some fun, organized swaps.

Next time I'll show you the DOMO sewing kit I'm making for another swap!   

Ribbon Bookmarks

I live in middle Tennessee on the campus of a home for mentally challenged adults. My husband works here full time doing maintenance, I help out some here and there.

The home is called Cave Springs Home. It is a non-profit charity organization. It depends on donations to continue doing the work helping people and all donations are tax deductible.

So something I've been working on lately is making ribbon bookmarks to give to people who donate to Cave Springs in the near future. Donations are what makes this place able to stay open so they are very much appreciated by everyone here. 

So I'm making these bookmarks and donating them to the home to give as little thank yous.

Each bookmark has three ribbons but otherwise are each different. Different colors, beads, charms, etc.

While they make great bookmarks for any book they are especially helpful with Bible study. You can place one ribbon in a section you are reading and another at a corresponding verse you want to look at. Great for when the speaker says "hold your finger here and turn with me to..." you can avoid the juggling that comes with that statement!

You can check out the Cave Springs website at www.CaveSpringsHome.org 

If you would like a bookmark of your own, then donate soon to Cave Springs Home either by mailing them a check or via the paypal button on their website.

"And the King shall answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these my brothers, you have done it to me." -Matthew 25:40 

TARDIS Coin Bank

For this round of Iron Craft we were challenged to make something London themed since the Olympics just started in England.

I came up with a few ideas but really wasn't feeling the desire to create these ideas.

Finally about a week in I mentioned to my husband that I needed to make something England themed. He said, "How about something Dr. Who?"

At first I wasn't sure but I thought about it and decided on something great.

A TARDIS coin bank!

I drew on wood what I wanted and hubby cut it out for me.

I then attached all the box pieces, except the lid, and painted blue.

That was the easy part. 

Next came the detailed paint.

Based off the TARDIS used in the Dr. Who episodes with David Tennant I very carefully marked out the details of the outside look.

For the lid I attached two pieces of wood and had hubby cut out the coin slot.

I also had him drill a hole in the middle and he wired up a blinking LED light.

A quick video to show the blinking light: Pretty Blinking Light

I attached the top via a small hinge so that the money can be easily accessed (no smashing this piggy bank!).

Everything has a layer of protective gloss spray on it.

The one edit I made was I skipped writing a couple of the lines on the sign on the front of the door. I wrote what I could, that sign is under an inch square!

Each side has the windows and detail like it should.

Now I'm thinking I should make another as a treat/goody holder. What could be better then a TARDIS filled with little candies?! 



My entry into The DIY Dreamer... From Dream To Reality sponsored by Appliances Online and their best Range Cookers.

Recently on Etsy

If you want something unique and great, then handmade is the way to go.

Besides, we support millionaire corporations enough already, sometimes it's good to support "the little guy".

So recently I got a few things off Etsy and wanted to share some of the neat stuff I got.

First from Solo Flair I got an adorable bookmark, with a quote from "The Wizard of Oz". Beyond these she has many other things. Octopuses and various gauges are just a few things in her shop.

I am a total pin back button freak. I love em. And I fell in love with a few at Cute Button. I got a photography button fix but they have soooo many other options. And they have more than buttons, there is magnets, pendants, etc.

Whysper Fairy has molds in so many shapes and sizes. Good luck choosing your favorite!

I got a puzzle piece one and one for rose type flowers and they sent me an extra one for leaves. Basically with molds from their shop you can make pretty much anything you want and not have to buy a bunch pre-made.

I already tested all the molds with baking clay and they work great!

 I also made a multi-colored puzzle piece with a braided bookmark to sell for charity.

 So go shopping on some of these handmade sites. You'll get some great stuff and make someones day!

Plus, since there is a lot of unique stuff you can do your Christmas shopping now and not worry about if they have it or get it before Christmas!