Too Easy T-Shirt Scarves

When I saw this idea, I just had to try it!

I couldn't wait to get to Goodwill and look for bold & rich colors and fun textures to mix and match and make these scarves!  I love the Goodwill in Lancaster just past the outlets... They have a Bargain Room with bins where everything is $.85.  Only a few years ago, everything was $.50.  Just a warning, it can be overwhelming!

I came home with a huge bag of XL sized t-shirts to start with (the more X's the better, for more material to work with and a longer scarf).

First, I paired up colors and textures that I thought would go well together.  I found that the best kind of t-shirt for this project is the kind that has a little spandex or stretchy-ness to it.

Next I cut out the middle section of the shirt, as wide as I could keep it.

 Cutting out the middle section makes a loop of fabric (you can stop here if you like your fabric and have a simple infinity scarf).  I cut one of the sides to make a long strip of fabric.

Lay the two pieces down like this:

The first time this looks tricky, but soon it is easy!  Reach your hand under the blue and grab the black pieces, then pull through.

It will look like this:

Now reach under the blue and grab the black pieces one more time.

In this picture, the two outside scarves are finished and the inside ones are not.  To complete the scarf, sew the ends together!

 I gave these as Christmas gifts to the girls at work!!  I love them so much.

Magnets

For just $1, I bought a bag of smooth glass beads at the Dollar Tree.  I've typically seen them used in fishbowls, centerpieces, and vases holding flowers, but they have a variety of craft uses.
I love making these magnets!

First I rip out a bunch of pages from old magazines, advertisements, even pictures that have interesting designs.

Next, I trace around the bead and cut it out.

Then I brush on a layer of Mod Podge and immediately add the paper, finishing with a final layer of Mod Podge.

After it dries, add a magnet to the back or glue to an outlet cover!

cover your outlet covers

Just when you thought wallpaper was disappearing from the face of the earth... it made a reappearance in my bedroom! 

Well, not really wallpaper, but what's the difference, really? This is such a simple way to add color to any room!  I grabbed a few old off-white outlet covers that were sitting in a box in the barn, chose a neat piece of scrapbooking paper, and went to work.

 First, I traced at least 1/4" around the edge so that it would cover the entire plate

A utility knife makes cutting the holes out much easier, but scissors work fine too.

 

After cutting, I used a paintbrush to cover the top of the plate with Mod Podge,

 pressed the paper on top and finally added a coat of Mod Podge to the top.

After it dried, I put it in my room!

Ron Paul DIY Peel & Stick Craft Tutorial

Just peel....

 and stick!

Melted Crayon Art

Adjectives that I'd like to pair with this project:
quick, easy, cheap, and fun!!

Last week, I bought 3 boxes of crayons and a white canvas at Ollie's and while I sat in traffic on the way home, I peeled off the labels.  It works great to keep them on, too, I just didn't buy Crayola so these wrappers didn't look spectacular. 

Later, I lined up the crayons in the order I wanted and glued them down with a hot glue gun.  

 Next, I put down newspaper (be sure to do this, because it has the potential for spatters!) and plugged in my hairdryer.

 I found the low setting to be the most useful, since it doesn't blow air as hard (making messes) but is still warm enough to melt the crayons.

The wax dries very quickly!

Newspaper Nails

So much easier than you'd expect!

All you need is white polish (or a light shade), newspaper, and rubbing alcohol.

First, paint your nails white.  When they are almost dry, dip them into the alcohol and press the newspaper onto  your nail. (You might want to experiment with this a little - if your nails are too wet the paint will move and smudge, but if they are too dry the print won't be very dark).  Press down on it a little and then peel the paper off slowly, and you'll see that the print has been transferred to your nail.  The print won't come off your nail at this point, but add a clear topcoat to make them shine!

whoopie pies and shoo-pie flies

In the spirit of Lancaster County... I'd like to feature two favorite desserts coming from this area of the world:

Simply, it is a molasses pie.  It got its name because of the flies that need to be constantly shooed away.
So Kelly and I tried our hand at making a Shoo-fly pie.

But first...
No-Fail Pie Crust recipe that my mom uses:
Mix together:
5 c. flour
2 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
2 c. shortening


Pour into a liquid measuring cup:
1 egg
1/4 c. vinegar
Then add water until these three ingredients reach the "1 cup" line, then add this to the other ingredients.

This will make 5 pie crusts, which can be refrigerated or frozen to use later.

Roll out the dough as thin as possible, or as thick as you love it! Be sure to put a little flour down, and on your rolling pin so the dough won't stick.  I don't have a rolling pin but a glass jar, vase, bottle works well too.  

Next, fold the dough in half twice to make it easier to move from the counter to the pie dish, and then unfold it. Trim the edges or make something fancy with your fingers or a fork!

Our pie smelled wonderful while it was baking... but tasted awful! It was so rich and incredibly runny.  I'll have to try again soon... I love a good shoo-fly pie!


While I may be a temporary failure at making shoo-fly pie, there's always Whoopie Pies!! Recently there's been debate over where the Whoopie Pie originated, but it's a fact that it can be found right here in the Lanc.  Jill invited me over to make them for the square dance coming up.  I had never made them before, but I sure have eaten my share!

Lucky for me I broke a few, so those ones had to get eaten instead of wrapped!

Cheating without chemicals or fake light

Grandma Garber has been growing saffron for years.  This summer, she gave me a brown paper bag full of the bulbs, with clear instructions to plant them at the end of July or beginning of August.  Mental note to self:  August...  
I kept them in the sunroom for awhile and soon moved the bag to a shelf next to some books, and a bunch of dried herbs, teas, and seeds for next year.

Today is the 19th of November. I pulled out the bag, looking for a sweet jar to store my mint and realized that I had a bag full of beautiful purple flowers!! Tangled throughout their stems I found a piece of paper with Grandma's instructions.  Ooops!

each flower has 3 red stamens that get taken off and dried

the bag of bulbs, after I cut all the flowers off:

You can see why saffron is so expensive - it is a tedious process that produces a very small yield!

Aubergine Parmesean

Anthony pointed out one day that it seems a little ridiculous that an eggplant isn't the name for the plant, but the fruit.  It does seem a little redundant to say "Look how big that eggplant plant is growing" or "I need to plant the eggplant plant I just bought at Hostetter's".

Lucky for him, there is a word that already exists for the fruit that is now trending in the USA, thanks to Abby and myself... We have an activity in the classroom I work that we call the "Shopping Activity".  The student gets a grocery list, and he has to find the things on it and put them in his shopping cart.  The first list my kid got included aubergines (and "tinned tuna")!

Recently Anthony showed me how to make eggplant parmesean.  Considering we didn't have bread crumbs (we tried raisin brain) or parmesean cheese (substituted cheddar), this was the perfect opportunity to try out the phrase Aubergine Parmesan. Delicious, even with substitutions!

Here, Kelly and I tried making Aubergine Parmesean with real bread crumbs and parmesean cheese...

First we cut the eggplant in 1" slices (the peel can stay on or come off).

Next, we dipped each slice in an egg-milk mixture and then into breadcrumbs.

Then we cooked them in a skillet until they were brown

Finally, we added tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese and ate!