So I was checking out this post from dink http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=267279.0 and decided my chair needed some love too!  It was an awful textured black that looked nasty no matter how much I cleaned it.  I scored some awesome furry cow print fabric with a wavy pattern to it about a year ago and thought it would be perfect!  Only one injury and it wasn't even from the staple gun!  Let me know what you think!   

(My kitty, Maury, thinks I did this for him.  He likes to lay there when I'm not working...or sometimes when I am.)

So I saw this gorgeous Thayer dress on Shopbop.com and wanted, wanted, wanted it. Unfortunately I do not have $200 to spend on a dress so I made a similar one. This was my first time working with satin and I have like 3 bolts of hunter green so I thought that would be the perfect color to practice on!  I think this is the first thing I have made that I will actually wear.  I think I am going to make another one in a print.  Let me know what you think!

My husband sent me this link http://mixthatdrink.com/skittles-vodka-tutorial/ the other day. He is crazy for Skittles and all sorts of artificial fruit flavors. We were intrigued. We went and got all of the supplies, invited a ton of people over, and decided to have beer-butt chickens (always delicious) and Skittles vodka. We decided, ok I decided because I love chocolate martinis, that we should also try the chocolate flavors.

We didn't have any of the fancy flasks like in the tutorial, but they can be purchased at The Container Store if you want to try this and your husband gets all psyched about how cool the flasks look despite the fact that there is nowhere remotely nearby that you can purchase them. I finally convinced him that, due to the time constraints, jelly jars would do and none of his friends would make fun of him. Jelly jars turned out to be the perfect size, cheap, and available! Plus, I feel they lend more to the "I made my own liquor" feel...you know, like moonshine!

We used the coffee filter method. We sort of had to push it through the filter at the end. Our fingers were all sorts of fruity colors. My dog still kept trying to lick them even after I had washed and scrubbed them, so you might want to wear gloves. My husband did the lemon and chocolatey flavors and looked as though he had a severe lifelong nicotine addiction.

I also recommend mixing them. They are strong and sugary on their own. It was definitely fun for a party. We are going to try some different vodka infusions next time. Let me know if you try this.

I came across a recipe for a Root Beer Bundt Cake, http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/11/baked-root-beer-bundt-cake-recipe.html ,  a couple weeks ago and finally got around to making it last night. Boy was it worth the effort! I ended up with a rich delectable cake, not to sweet, not at all bitter, and a whole house full of dirty dishes! If you decide to make this cake, I would like to recommend that when it says use a small saucepan, use a bigger one. My ingredients were right at the brim and I ended up with a messy stove. I made a couple other changes, too. I used a 13x9 pan, just because storing a bundt cake is a pain in the rump. I just reduced the cooking time by 10 minutes. I also whipped the icing, and it turned out amazing. My food processor is broken and I love whipped frosting, so it was win-win! I am eating a piece now, and it is way better after it has sat overnight! Yummmmm...

I had a last minute baby shower I just got an invitation to, and I drew a baby's name for a gift swap.  I had to come up with something in a hurry and I had bought this adorable Tonka Truck fabric that I had no clue what I was going to do with it. So inspired by joyful heart's Finding Nemo quilt, http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=254204.0 , I decided to make a couple of stroller quilts with the Tonka truck fabric and some fine black corduroy I had laying around.  I thought the corduroy would be good for the whole texture, stimulating that babys' senses thing and I used a thick dark grey t-shirt material, that I have a ton of, for the middle, to give it another texture and because the fabric is a nice weight and will keep the wee one warm, but won't be too heavy.

This is the Tonka Truck fabric:



And these are the quilts:



They are about 2 1/2 feet square.  My mother was throwing a fit that they would be too small, but I think they are just right for a stroller, or a car seat.  Maybe?   

My poor angel gets sooooooooo cold in the winter, so I thought I had better do something about it.  (All the shivering and sad looks were really getting to me.  He is a bit of a drama queen.)  I start looking around for patterns and found one on BurdaStyle http://www.burdastyle.com/howtos/show/199 . 



Overall the jacket turned out pretty good, but Howl is part Mastiff and I didn't allow for his wrinkle skins, or the fact that his underside slopes up. 



I also learned very quickly that the dark flannel and black corduroy that I used are magnets for puppy hair!     I think I am going to make him another one with what I've learned, but in the meantime, he isn't let me take his new jacket off!  Lucky for me, cold dogs aren't picky!



 

I have been wanting more PJ pants, so I decided to learn how to make them myself!  This is my first attempt.  They are super comfy.  I made the pattern off a super comfy pair that I already owned.  I loved the fabric, which I got off of Ebay.

I saw a similar one of these online and have been trying to get it for over a year now.  They have been sold out every time!  So, I decided to make my own.  This guy's not perfect, but neither am I!  And I learned a lot making him.  The next one will be way better, but this one will always be my favorite, (and I can finally quit using my stapler to prevent carpal tunnel)!

This is the second quilt I have ever made!  I just love it...  I used all of my husband's old button-down shirts.  (The ones that had little holes in them, or tiny unremovable stains, but I couldn't bear to throw them out!)  I even left the pockets on some of the pacthes...you know, for snacks, or something!   





My next quilt is definitely not going to be a rag quilt!  I love them, but my hands hurt from cutting all of that fringe on the last two!!!

This is my first attempt at a skirt.  I thought it would be a good first project since I had a bunch of bandanas laying around the house and I could avoid a few hems...  I couldn't get it to hang on the mannequin quite right, but I am really pleased with the results!  (Don't mind my attention hog of a puppy in the background...  )