The art of ironing

To me there is an art to ironing. It helps to go a certain way when ironing your shirt so that you have the least amount of wrinkles when you are finished. In today's world many people do not even own an iron with so much wash and wear clothing. But for those who would like to learn, here is my way of ironing a shirt.

Start by setting up your ironing board, turn on your iron and have either a spray bottle of your favorite linen water (which I am out of at the moment) or your spray starch handy.

Once your iron is hot, begin by placing your shirt collar down first, then spray and press with it open. Turn shirt over and spray and press again with collar folded down.

     




yoke





Next do the yoke of the shirt, keeping the collar as straight as possible. Spray before ironing each section as needed.



Now you will do a sleeve making sure the seams are lined up properly and the cuffs are close to how you would wear them when buttoned up. Press, turn over, press again making sure to get the folds nicely pressed. Do the other sleeve the same way.

Next you do one front side of shirt.

 

  

As you finish the front side, slowly pull around the back and begin by spraying and pressing the backside.



back

 

 

You can put a crease all the way down the shirt or not. Some prefer it where others do not. To make the crease, simply fold under a bit of material  and hold at the bottom of the shirt and press.

Now pull over the other side of shirt and spray and press, making sure you are careful around your buttons so as not to wrinkle the shirt more, or cause a button to come off.

Congrats! You have just completed ironing the shirt.
 



Place your shirt on a hanger and button every other button to keep it well pressed while in your closet.

I hope some of you learned a little something and that you also enjoyed the art of ironing. After 40 years plus experience, I found this way to make the job more pleasurable and rewarding. Thanks for visiting.

No spring chicken

I got this brainy idea that I could put the chicken wire under the floor of the craft room. So I start by shoving the roll of chicken wire under the wall and push it with a rake to unwind it, as it keeps winding back up I use the rake to hold it in place while I proceed to go and crawl on my elbows and my huge bousom, inching my way up to where the roll of wire is, then pulling on it to try and get it to the other side of the building. I would then roll over and try to tack it along the way while waiting for my dizzy spell to stop a sec, then only to realize where I am and start breathing rapidly because I am also claustrophobic, and when this settles just a bit I attempt to staple up some wire only to have the gun shoot out 3 to 4 staples at a time.

By now I'm getting so exhausted from the struggle of trying because no matter how hard I tried, I was not going to be able to do this. As timimg has it, I get a call from my hubby asking how I am doing, and as I explain that I am no longer a spring chicken and tell him of my failed attempts at trying, he and his buddies at work are laughing their tails off as he is sharing my dilema with them.

This is why the insulation company sent two young hotties to put the stuff in, which is why it only took them 30 minutes to do. Oh... to be young again.

After finally giving up the underside, I proceeded to go inside and paint the walls. But with my arthritis aching up again, I was only to finish two walls this day and the other two the next. By Wednesday it was just the floor left to paint and it is now going to be a couple of days for that to dry as our nights are once again down in the low 20's.



finished walls



This shows a touch of the floor color, I just need to finish a small area by the door and wait until it is all dry before I move in the big stuff.

So for now I think it is time for another cup of tea and come up with a plan on how I am going to sneak the new, old desk and cabinet I purchased at the Antique Mall last week, into my studio without my hubby's knowledge.

Stay tuned for that one. Bye for now from this.... not so spring chicken anymore.

Warmer days of Winter

What a beautiful day we are having today. It is in the mid 40's and has been for several days now. My girls and guy are loving being able to munch some grass and find a few critters along the way.

They look so pretty when their feathers are all fluffed up and they get to have a dirt bath. My poor little vines under the tree don't like the disturbance much though.

Little Jade was out doing her business with sister Pearl when Ol Henry (rooster) decided he was gonna teach Jade a lesson. Boy she was up the stairs lickety split and wanted nothing to do with him. Now she just stays up on the deck and watches from afar.

Hubby has been putting in the wallboards today. With luck my daughter and I will get the inside painted tomorrow. Just keep the sunshine coming, at least for the next few days so things can get finished inside my crafting studio.

Now I think I will go and soak up some more of that good ol' vitamin D myself. Hope you all are having a warm and wonderful day. Tootles..........

Good finds today

Today I was to shop for some more wallboards but got busy thrifting instead. Look at these great finds I got for the craft room. The chairs are really comfy for sitting in for sewing, they were both for $3, the lampshade I found at Goodwill for $6 (love the frilly feathers)  and the lamp I found at Restore for $5 and it looks like crystal and has a brass bottom. I figured the baskets are always good for storing small items in, and the plastic thingy I figured colored pencils and such. No one knew what it was used for. I all, I got everything for a total of $25. Not bad, huh?

The chairs will be easy enough to recover, although the one on the right is in good condition so may leave it alone. The tall baskets will be great for holding scrapping paper and such.

These particleboard shelves I also picked up at the Restore. All 9 for $27. I think that is an awesome deal as they will become my shelves for holding my materials and baskets. If you have priced bookshelves you know they are'nt cheap. The ones I would have liked were for two, $300, so I think this deal is much better. Besides I get to reuse and recycle which is what we all should be doing as much as we can now anyway.

I am getting so ansy to finish my room, but with hubby working days we only have a couple hours in the evening before it gets too cold outside for working in the room.

Tuesday, I have workers coming out to insulate under the room, which will help keep more heat inside. All day Saturday, I spent insulationg the inside walls. I cannot do the ceiling as I still get too dizzy looking up. Have you priced lumber lately?  I had to go with the cheapest for wallboards as most everything was $20 a panel and up. Whew! I don't know how any construction is going on with these prices. But by the time I throw some paint on the walls, it is going to ook just fine. I could always add a trim or two later on.

I'll keep you posted on how things are going from time to time. It may be awhile before it is completed to my liking but it will be functional soon, I hope.

 Just wanted to share this beautiful sunset with you.

God sure knows how to put a smile on my  face.

Hope your day was as nice as mine. Have a great evening.

Tiny Bubbles and lots of them

 I am still trying to learn to crochet..........  I think it's time to find someone who has been crocheting for quite awhile themselves to really show me the ropes.            

    I some how make it work when I am not quite sure what the pattern is asking of me. I stop and look through several books hoping I have found the answer and then I move on. I still have'nt learned how to get a good clean edge...............Even when I use pins to mark my starts and finishes................... Honestly, I cannot figure out what I am doing wrong.

But here is what I just completed.

The pattern for this baby blanket and hat is called 'Tiny Bubbles' and I made it for my granddaughter's friend who is about to have her first baby any day now.................

 It took me approximately 37 hours to make and that is not including how many times I had to pull out several rows and begin again..................I get frustrated with myself because I know I need to take proper lessons to make it right the first time.

Hopefully she won't notice any flaws and will use it for her soon to be Son.

Notice there are no booties with this. That is because I am attempting to make them, but not sure how they will come out. lol

Wish me luck! 

The building is Built

 I have been watching patiently while my new craft room has been being built. I  gotta say those guys are pretty tough to work under such cold conditions, but I am totally stoked that it is now complete on the outside.

My husband and I will start working on the inside. We will be putting in electrical and insulation so that I will have a nice cozy retreat to get my creative juices flowing.

It is 12 X 16 X 7 which should give me plenty of space to put many shelves on the walls and still have room in the center of the room for a nice work table.

 

I've been checking out magazines and different blogs to see what others have in their craft rooms, and guess what? Each one is unique. I guess I will just have to do what they have done, and that is be creative and make it my favorite place to go when I want to create.
 

I have dreamed of having my own room just for this and now that I have one it is fun trying to decide just how I would like it set up. Having a spot for just the right thing and being able to put it back where it belongs and know one else moving it about.

 

I know this sounds corny to some, but oh how I cannot wait for a much better organized room. What I do now is go from the kitchen table to the office desk and over to the sewing table. Get the picture? Too many places for me to have to manuever just to cut some material or paper crafts. Then things usually end up in a pile somewhere for me to search through.

 

I sure do enjoy looking at what other gals have done in their very own craft rooms. I am even gonna steal a few of their ideas. Can't wait until it is completed.

 

Happy New Year!

Time flies when ........

one has been a bit under the weather which is why I have'nt posted in a couple of weeks. Some how I managed to overdose on my thyroid medications and let me tell you it has thrown me for a loop. Most days I would like to just crawl under the covers and sleep until this was all over.  It has been about a month of vertigo and just all over yuckies. Severe head pain, nausea and I'm not able to breathe real well. This is a lesson for me to learn to have my glasses on when my meds arrive by mail. I somehow mixed generics and non generic synthroid together, hence doubling my dosage. It has not been fun.

In the meantime I am waiting patiently for my carpenters to come and build a shed for me. This will be turned into my very own crafting room! I have drawn up the plans, which change occassionally, and I cannot wait until the day that I will actually be able to see all the pretty materials I own and be able to find whatever I need at the time. Well this is my goal anyway. I have never been a real organized person, but try to. As I am getting older it is even more important for me to get better organized. I can put something down and turn around and forget where I placed it.

I was able to get all the presents delivered to the Salvation Army on Friday. Both families were to pick up their boxes then. It has been such a blessing to be able to help others. I hope it is something our group of ladies can continue to do each year. This is our second year of doing this along with the Food Bank as well.

I went to my friend Susan's house for a Christmas party on Sunday. We were having quite the blizzard out here all morning but it cleared off enough in the afternoon so that I could drive into town and drop in on her for an hour or so. I wanted to get back before it rolled back in on us. She had her tree and all her decorations up and a beautiful buffet of delicious food for all her guests. The first thing I had to try was her tamales I had heard so much about. No disappoinment there. I ate two. She makes a darn good fudge too which I still want to rack her brain for the recipe.

Today has been another somewhat restful day. I have hauled in all the wood we will need for today and this evening. Yesterday I was able to get the tractor out and plow our driveway. Just some of the many chores that have to get done before too long no matter how one feels.

It has just been a very cold day here today. I have'nt even let out my cats or chickens. The dogs get to run out on the deck to potty and its right back into the house.

I've just finished another braided rug. I think this one I will put out in my craft room. I'm not into any more sewing until after Christmas. I've got pies and cookies yet to make. Just finished another batch of fudge. Delivered my peppermint bark to the neighbors. I will be thawing out my pumpkin in a couple of days for pies. Oohh, no rest for the wicked.

Wishing you all

a very

Merry Christmas

Finally.....I started decorating

I finally started to do some Christmas decorating. I received my new Christmas tree that I had ordered. It is called a twig tree and is 6 1/2 ft tall and only 18-24 inches around. Perfect for my small home. I used all my cabin, rustic type of ornaments with very little bulbs.

I also set up three outside lighted trees and rope lights around the deck. I thought it would look nice to rearrange the living room this way. We are planning to get another tv which will be placed on the far wall, and we will remove the entertainment center completely. A few more table decorations, and I called it good.

When I was walking up the hill toward the workshop, I spotted my vintage chairs so I decided, since they were green and red ones, why not decorate the yard with them. This is what I came up with.

Not bad for country folk art. Too bad the vintage trailer has a tarp over it. Would have made a great pic for Xmas cards, don't you think? lol

Well, my big attempt at some sort of Christmas look around here. Now if I could just get my hubby to get the outside lights down out of storage. I am still hoping to one day get him to put them all the way around the house.

Living so far out in the country he does'nt seem to think we need to go all out in decorating like we did when we lived in the city. I could have white lights up year around up through some of the trees. It is such a warm and soothing look in the evenings to me.

I have wrapped presents for a week and make xmas cookies yesterday with my daughter. Time to make my peppermint bark and some more fudge is on the menu as well.

Hope you all are enjoying your days of holiday cheer. I love Christmas and as I get older, I just have to push myself a little to get back into that good ol' Christmas spirit. Holiday music and cookies baking in the oven usually does the trick.

Warmest wishes for a Merry Christmas to you all.

Winter time around here

When Winter arrives around here, I have to say I am usually a bit sad knowing that we will have snow for so many months. It takes me awhile to get into Winter but I feel blessed when I can wake up and look out my windows and thank God I get to live where I am living.

Just breathe........................

I took this pic about 8 am this morning before the sun really came up.

Can you smell the crisp fresh mountain air?

Keep breathing....................

After a couple of hours outside on my tractor, this is how the sky looked. Is that blue or what? Thank goodness it was'nt snowing so I could plow the driveway and the whole road down to the mailboxes. Now maybe the UPS guy will deliver my packages. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Hope you are having a nice sunny day where you live. Bundled up and staying warm makes it all that much easier to enjoy.

Still breathing..............

Stuffed, just me

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. I know I am truly thankful it is over and that all the pumpkin pie, cakes and fudge are finally gone. My goodness did we ever stop eating? I don't think so. With a huge dinner of ham and all the usual trimmings, we still had room to stuff our faces with pie and sweets. You see I have this thing about making sure your man, or guests, come hungry and leave stuffed, or happy or both. Which ever they prefer. Just so long as they don't leave me with leftovers.

We had our kids here for a few days from California. We have 6 to 10 inches of snow, so staying inside was'nt a bad idea although we did manage to go to town and find a few good deals in the stores on Black Friday. Saturday my daughter in law and I went to the movies and saw 'Burlesque'. What a great show that was. Loved all the beautiful costumes, and the music to say the least, was awesome. Cher can still belt it out there. You could definetly get goose bumps on your arms from the way C. Agulara could sing too. Driving home afterwards was a slow go with ice all over the roads, but back home to a nice warm house was a good ending to another day.
 

Before



As you can see I picked up my center island all finished from my daughter's house just before Thanksgiving. I promised you pics so here they are.

It looks more orange than it is, I think that is do to the lighting. It is more a rusty, burnt color. I sure do love having a lot more counter space as much as the cubboard space below.

We put an old piece of metal that was given to me free, over the top of it. It has it's own patina of rust, so my daughter wiped it down, attached it to the top of the unit and clear coated over it several times. The handles were covered with several layers of paint. She took off what she could but decided it looked cool with some of it still on them, so she left the rest for character.



After

To completely finish this unit I am going to have another cutting board made for the one slot that is empty and a couple of boards cut for shelving inside the two larger cubboards to finish them up.  I am so grateful that my son in law and daughter took a lot of their time to finish this piece for me before the Holiday. It really came in so handy for all the exta dishes of desserts and it's great to put a hot pie right on top of it without a worry of burning it.

Well, I have other things I need to complete today. One is getting ol' Hank out and clearing the driveway once again so that the UPS guy can deliver all the goodies I have been ordering on line. Oops, better now say that too loud.

Happy Monday Y'all

Chillovers and Birthday Celebrations

I was finally able to make and try the chillover powder I purchased from MaryJanes Farm kitchen store. Chillover powder is a gelling powder like gelatin but better. It is made with a sea vegetable powder rather than leftover cow parts like Jello gelatin is made from.

I made the one that MaryJane shows in her Ideabook-Cookbook-Lifebook she called the 'Goodness Gracious' which has the chillover powder, cooked chicken, carrots, shallots, parsley, green peas, bell pepper, celery, and cooked eggs among other stuff in it. It turned out great. I used my vintage mold that I purchased awhile back and look how pretty it looked.





Goodness Gracious



I say looked because there were 14 of us gals at the Chick luncheon who tried it. We had other desserts on the table as well as a yummy soup, which Cheryl, our Hen Honcho made for us.

The 'Layered Suprise' chillover was made with the chillover powder, sugar, egg yolks, milk, vanilla, heavy cream, a banana and chocolate wafers. It was very light but yummy as well. This is only two ways of using Chillover and I hope to make other things in the future from it.



Layered Suprise (right)

Along with our luncheon we had celebrated four birthdays so you can only imagine the fun we had watching each one open their gifts and trying to see what the other one got. Let me tell you, when you get that many women in a room and with celebrations going on, it is sometimes hard to hear let alone keep up on everything going on at once. No matter, we always enjoy being together and having loads of fun.



My Pink Saturday

I woke to this beautiful gift from God. What a way to start the day. The skies were lit up a brilliant pink. Not a forest fire, just plain beauty at its best.

I'm not a photographer, but I could'nt resist. The sky looks like pink cotton candy. This puts a smile on my face and gets me going. How about you?

Looking at this made me remember the beautiful quilts I saw on display at our local museum yesterday. Some of the same pink skies. Several ladies, whom I'd love to meet, did each quilt by looking at a photograph of scenery out around Klamath Falls. They did magnificant work, true artists, and I would love to learn how to do what they have created.

Every panel stands out with such detail, with real rock and twig in some. My pics don't do them justice, but hopefully you can get the idea. Very dimensional in every detail. Spectacular!



Upper Klamath Lake





Mt. Shasta





Spring River Aspens



Have a beautiful day.

A Quick Hello

Just a quick HELLO to everyone. I am still keeping myself fairly busy doing sewing and crochet. Seems I can start one project, think of another, and before I finish one I'm working on the other. Anyway its fun. This morning I finished two hats while doing some crochet in between.

Our weather has definetly turned to winter here which keeps me inside way more than out. Had almost two inches of snow this morning when we woke. It is staying pretty cold so I am keeping the old wood stove working and hauling in wood each time I do step outside. I pop in here on my blog every other day just to see what some of you have been doing, then I'm back getting things put up around here. We got the boat stored for the winter and have been stocking up on firewood. I still need to pick up my yard ornaments that won't make it through the winter. That is the hardest part having to put it all away only to bring it all back out after winter again. I need to only have yard art that can withstand the cold around here.


Hope everyone is getting ready for Thanksgiving. I have family coming in from California and we will be having dinner here at home. It's always nice to cook for more than just the two of us. The Charming Chicks are planning on feeding two needy families this year so that is another thing we are all getting ready for. I just have not seen the turkeys on sale yet. I know we will put together a nice dinner for each of them.

Well I really need to get back to busy. It helps my days feel a little more fulfilled. Everyone have a wonderful day. Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Halloween Everyone

We don't get trick or treaters out here where we live so I don't get to see all the cute kiddies in costume. But hope everyone will be safe and have fun.

I have been keeping myself very busy doing tons of sewing projects and crochet projects. We have three birthdays next month with our Chick group and with Christmas just a couple months away, I decided this would be a nice way of giving gifts. I can't show them to you because some family and friends that I have made these for read my blog. Just know that my hands are needing a rest for a few days. It seems when I get on a roll it is hard to stop. I so enjoy making things for others.

I did stop by one of our local antique stores last week, At Home on Hope Street, while I was in town. I purchased a cubboard that was once used as a ice box also. I plan to use it as a new center island in my kitchen. It is not real pretty with the crackle brown to me so my daughter and I will be painting it and putting an old piece of rusty metal on top. Here is what it looks like now.

We looked all over town for metal, stainless steel was too expensive for my pocket and copper could'nt be found. We finally found a shop where the guy gave me a piece of metal after he cut it to the dimensions I needed.

We plan to leave the look of the rust for character but we will cover it with polyurethane. I plan to paint it a rusty, pumpkin color. I can't wait to show you when we get it done. Just waiting for a bit warmer day to get started.

This piece was actually purchased by the owner, Betty, up in Washington at the Farm Chicks antique show they had up there a few months back. She said it was definetly a show I needed to go to. There were about 10,000 ladies, she said, in cowboy boots with skirts, aprons on many of the gals, and hats of all kinds. She said it was beautifully displayed in each booth and there were lots of antiques for everyone. I am hoping to plan next years show into my agenda of trips for next Summer. 2011 show is June 4-5, so I hope I'll get to see it.

Well guess I'll go and take a nice warm bubble bath and relax for the rest of the evening. I am kinda glad I don't have to pass out candy until 10 pm anymore. I can just go and watch a movie or read a good book until I fall asleep, which does'nt take much any more.

Nite.

Rainy Days are for Shopping

I was not able to do the yard sale because we are getting some well needed rain. So what is a gal to do? Go shopping! I was wanting to take some pictures while I was driving into town of some clouds going out across the mountains. I pulled off to the side of the road and found I had not put my camera back into my purse. I usually carry it everywhere I go, so I will have to snap some next trip into town. It was so pretty to see the beginning of Fall with all the colorful leaves on the trees, sprinkling of the rain, and the river running smoothly. There was even a light dusting of snow on one far off mountain I could see. So as you can see, I must not forget my camera again.

Even though I was'nt able to make any money from a yard sale, I found a way to spend some. Went into a few thrift stores and found some goodies I could use in a few projects. Bought some nice material to make some gifts for birthdays coming up, and bought some much needed sewing pins and needles. All my pins starting bending and tops breaking off. This time I bought brass ones, maybe they will hold up a little longer.

After spending the day with my daughter, shopping till we dropped, I came home and finished a crochet yarn rug I had been working on for a week. I would start the darn thing and have it half way finished and would tear it all back out because it would curl up. This is my first try at anything like this. I am not sure that I am reading crochet patterns correctly so will need to find some one to teach me. I would begin the rug and after five times starting, I decided not to use the pattern any more and do what MJ says she does. Add an extra stitch around the corners when it starts to curl.

This worked as far as not curling but as you can see it still is not uniform but I'm happy with it any way. I would like to try a cloth one next and with practice hope to make them a bit more uniform. I decided against fringe because to me, yarn fringe gets all crummy looking.

Right now I am ready to go and look through all the patterns I picked up today, McCalls, for 99 cents at JoAnns Fabric store. I got a really cute chicken and rooster material that is going to make a nice looking vintage apron. At least that is what I am hoping for. Some of my patterns are for craft projects. We'll just have to wait and see what comes out of them.

But, with the rain outside and a nice warm toasty fire inside, it is time for this old gal to kick back and relax. Hope everyone else has had a wonderful day. Thanks again for stopping in.