…you might want to try it out on your hubby and puppy.
And while they might be cooperative at first, they will eventually tire of your picture taking and try to hide….
…or complain that the flash is hurting their eyes.
Or maybe even turn the camera on you! (Note the puppy’s “Please leave me alone so I can nap” look.)
Today I invested in my first digital SLR camera, a Nikon D5000. I’ve been saving up birthday money and such for awhile now and found a good package deal that I went ahead and bought today. It was really scary spending that much money on a camera, but I like it so far. I obviously know very little, but I’m looking forward to learning all that it can do.
This weekend I used the so simple I can’t believe I didn’t think of it myself tutorial from angry chicken to turn this shirt
into this summer cardigan
I LOVE it! The t-shirt material is light enough to be perfect in cooler summer weather, like the really cool weather we had this summer. It was really simple to make, since the jersey fabric doesn’t ravel and rolls up slightly, covering any uneven cutting that may occur. The sleeve length is perfect for someone like me who likes a little bit of arm covered. It saved a shirt that had started to develop a couple of tiny holes at the end of the sleeves and was destined for the rag drawer. I plan to scour my thrifting stores for some more long sleeve tees I can do this to!
I made jewelry boards for my friends as part of the Happy Homemade Christmas we had two years ago. I, however neglected to take a photo of any before I gave them out. The response was fairly positive and I think they’re adorable.
This board is my friend Jennifer’s. When she last moved it got really hot in the box and was ruined b/c the hot glue melted. I told her that I would be happy to redo it. And I was - even if it took more than 6 months to actually finish (turns out I can be pretty bad with procrastination at times). The top ribbon is for stuff like earrings. Bracelets and necklaces hang from the decorative marbles. It’s a fairly simple project and useful too I think. I hope she enjoys her new board that she will be putting in the new house she is moving into this week!
I’ve been toying with the the thought/practice of candy and cake making for a couple of months now. I consider cooking to be a craft in and of itself and, as far as crafting goes, it seems to be a practical one. Projects are done in (typically) a relatively short amount of time. Supplies (can be) relatively cheap and people are almost always are willing to take the finished product off your hands.
This, a cookie cake for a work friend’s graduation, was a first attempt at many different things: baking a cookie cake (from scratch), making buttercream icing (from scratch) and cake decorating. As you see, it was a major learning experience. Obviously the cookie didn’t spread out as I anticipated, which made the cake… more unattractive than I had hoped. I still need to get a lot of practice with the decorating tips, but I thought it was pretty decent for having never tried it before. And the icing tasted pretty good, I thought. I got compliments on the cookie, although next time I think I’d try a different recipe b/c I wasn’t a huge fan. All in all, I was happy with my first experience. And hey, the great thing about cooking is even if it comes out ugly, it’s gone in a few days one way or another!
I’m not a natural cook. While I wish I were, I guess we all have to learn somewhere. I’m slowly learning to make some of my favorites of my mom’s recipes. This past week I gave my favorite pie - Derby Pie - a shot!
It turned out great! This is an easy pie to make, even by my standards. You basically mix everything and pour it into the pie shell. In the oven, it (almost magically) turns into this beauty:
It’s definitely not a healthy pie or anything like that, but it is so good! Interested in the recipe?
My Momma’s Derby Pie
1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 stick melted butter (cooled)
2 eggs (slightly beaten)
1 cup walnut or pecan pieces
1 cup chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix flour, sugar, eggs.
Add butter & mix Add chips & vanilla & mix
Pour in unbaked pie shell.
Bake for 30-40 minutes @ 350 degrees.
It is done when it doesn’t jiggle when you shake the pie pan.
