Betty Crocker is in the House

I got a Lodge dutch oven for Christmas, and have been trying a lot of recipes that I have collected over the years. One of them was the no knead bread recipe from the New York Times back in 2006. There is also a youtube video with step-by-step instructions on the bread making.




These photos are from the second loaf I made this weekend. This time I used bread flour instead of all-purpose flour. We actually like the AP flour better, but next time I may try half of each. I found a lot of information online about the bread online, and most people had amazing results. I'm really pleased with how each loaf turned out- it was really simple, just required some patience to wait for the dough to rise.




I'm thrilled to have baked my own bread- I was always nervous to use yeast for some reason. This is the first I've tried anything with yeast, and I have already started thinking of what to make next! Always being one to research recipes I am encouraged by these bread making tips from Smitten Kitchen. Surely something from here will be on the to-do list as well. I'm going to look for some library books as well- hopefully I can find this one or maybe this one for some more beginner recipes.

New Critter Cushions

 

My lovely friend Annie asked me to make a hippo pincushion for her and this is what I came up with.

 

Just relaxing in the water with a lilypad floating alongside.

 

I'd say this hippo has it pretty easy in this life. I think he's pretty darn cute for my first hippo and I plan to make another one to list in my etsy shop.

 

Speaking of Etsy- this little sheep on a hill is listed there- he's smaller than my other sheepy pincushion, and there are more critter cushions to come! :)

Needle Felted Critters

 

My friend Anisa and I both have early February birthdays and we exchange gifts. She gave me some acorns she collected in Texas, because she knows I'm a scavenger at heart. She also gave me some really cool acorn candle holders. I wanted to make something for her because she quilts- and it's fun to craft things for other crafty people. I wanted to make a pincushion for her, and I had this little dish that came with a flower growing kit. I made this little sheep in a pasture, and it inspired me to make more critter-cushions for my Etsy shop.

 

I found some small dishes, but then decided to look at goodwill to find other one of a kind bases for the cushions. I'll be making more soon, but for now the little group of felted items are all I have. Sunday is my day to stay home and craft- and I can't wait to get started on more!

 

Houdini Dog

 

See this sweet little pup? She looks so innocent, but she cannot be trusted! A week ago she escaped from her crate while we were at work and had a really good time on her own. She had a crap-tastic time actually, but luckily for me Jeff beat me home!

This afternoon I came home and spotted a stick on the living room floor. I picked it up and saw that it was a perch I had just taken out of the bird cage. What the... oh, hello Trixie! She greeted me with a mouth full of bright green wool roving that I bought yesterday and hadn't put away yet. It was fluffed up all over the craft room, and she has still been finding pieces tonight- she has some stashed away I'm sure. Then I saw that Trixie had also found a pair of my socks and roughed them up a bit, isn't she helpful? A few shredded napkins finished off the scene. Not too bad for a pup on her own for who knows how long. I *think* I have secured the escape-hatch on her crate, but I guess time will tell. For now I'll have to close the craft room door and cross my fingers!

ATCs Made using Greeting Cards

I'm part of an ATC (artist trading card) swap with a group of ladies, and we have a monthly theme. This month's challenge was to make ATCs with store-bought greeting cards as a base. I gave away most of my store-bought greeting cards when I started making my own cards several years ago. I managed to scrounge up one or two, but decided to make a trip to the Dollar Tree where I found these:


I liked the flourishes and the little pink hearts, so got these and a package of a different design and headed home to make something. The swap is for 9 cards, but this pack only came with 8 greeting cards, so I knew I'd have to use the sides with the sentiment as well. Here is what I came up with :)



I have a little story about the second pack of cards, but I'll save that one for another day. If you'd like to be part of a monthly 9:9 ATC swap let me know and I'll pass your info on to the organizer- the more the merrier!

A Wee Mouse

 

I took my needle felting supplies on vacation to visit my parents in Myrtle Beach. Mom wanted to give it a try and she made a little grey blob that I turned into a mouse. He's sitting on a quarter in these pictures and I left him there to keep them company. :)

 

Valentine Bunny

I needle-felted this little guy over the weekend and am really pleased with how he turned out.



The heart was going to be for something else, but I liked it better with the bunny than the carrots I made for him.



I like him right down to his fluffy white tail. In fact, I like this guy so much that I'm going to do something I seldom do- I'm going to keep him! More needle-felted critters to come- I promise!