Happy New Year.. Chameleon ?

It is of course New Year's Eve day here, so Happy New Year to all!! I hope everyone remembers to be safe tonight...and that means if you are partaking in the New Year's spirits you get a designated driver or find a place to sleep so you don't have to drive and potentially kill someone or yourself! ...Sorry I get a bit irritated by drunk drivers. In the spirit of the New Year I am posting a cute and simple how to on how to make a pipe cleaner chameleon, by Martha Stewart! Enjoy! By the way...whoever donated money to my ASPCA cause, you are an angel, and a wonderful person, and I shower you with thanks!!! :)

Chameleon
This lizard began his life as a few skinny pipe cleaners. With help from the kid who shaped him, he grew into a lovable pet.

Tips and Tools:
Each animal starts with a looped pipe cleaner for a head and a coiled one for a body. You'll also need short pieces for limbs; a marker; felt; glue; and small scissors to cut pipe cleaners and felt, and to trim fur-to make a pointy nose, for instance.


Basic Head How-To:
Make a loop in the middle of a pipe cleaner. The size and shape of the loop determine the size and shape of the head. Wrap head from neck to nose.

Basic Body How-To:
Coil pipe cleaner around a marker (the thicker the marker, the fatter the animal) and slide off.



Chameleon How-To
1. Leave his tail extra long for curling.

2. Slip legs between coils, and twist.


3. Bend knees and feet.
4. Cut a skinny pipe cleaner for tongue.
5. Cut felt eyes. Glue on.
6. Draw pupils with a permanent marker. Slide tongue into the face, and curl end.

Merry Christmas!!

Are you as excited for Santa as this little ball of adorable is? I know I am! Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!!

Advent Calendar by Guest Crafter: Britta Jarvis

I belong to a craft community forum called Cut Out+ Keep, it's an amazing site where anyone is allowed to post their crafty creations and how to's. I encourage anyone who loves to craft to check it out and sign up! Cut Out+ Keep is where I found Britta Jarvis's lovely felt advent calendar. The first time I saw this advent calendar I thought it might be one of the cutest things I had seen, so I wrote Britta and asked if I could showcase her work on my blog, and thank goodness she said yes! So here it is, all the way from the UK, the how to for this most festive, and adorable felt advent calendar made by Britta for her boyfriend! Thank you Britta!

You'll need:
-tracing paper
-various colored pieces of felt
-a few colors of embroidery thread
-a length of dowel or bamboo cane
-scissors
-needle
-small drill or hand drill


1. For your advent calendar you're going to need 25 days. I did 5 rows of 5 pockets to hold a sweet for each day. I decided to make the 25th day larger than the rest so it could hold more booty, but this also meant the the other 4 on its row were made slightly smaller. You can choose to do as I did or to leave them all the same size. First, draw out the pieces you're going to cut. I planned mine on tracing paper and then cut
around them to make the rectangles. I also made some simple felt christmassy shapes and sewed them on to every other rectangle in a checker-board fashion to decorate it.

2. Here are the rectangles laid out in sequence. The designs I added are a bell, holly, Christmas pudding, snowflake, snowman, candle, star, stocking, Christmas tree, present, mistletoe, a robin and a candy cane.

3. The next step is to embroider on numbers from 1 to 25 for the days of December. I dotted the dates around so it could be fun searching for the right pocket every day. I used backstitch but I'm no sewing expert, so if you know a better way then go for it :)


4. Get a piece of felt large enough to back all the pieces, minus about 5 cm horizontally but plus enough vertically to be able to roll the top around your dowel and write a message... call it 5cm again. The 5cm horizontally is so that you can bunch up each pocket a bit and make them more pockety and able to hold sweets :)



5. Decide what message you'd like to write on the top of your advent calendar. I chose 'Merry Christmas!' but you might like to add a name in there of the person you're making this for. Cut out the letters from different colored felt and sew it on just touching the top line of pockets, leaving the rest of the felt free at the top. next, get your dowel and cut it to the width of your calendar plus 2cm either side, then get your drill and make a hole through each end 1cm from the end. Roll this into the top of the felt and sew the felt closed around it. Get some of your thread (I used about 35 cm) and tie it through the holes in your dowel so that you can hang it up.

6. Add sweets! This is a very important stage and will be noticed if you forget it! I try to get several types of sweet so that every day you get something different than the last. Hang up your completed advent calendar with pride!

Thanks again Britta for this great tutorial and pictures, and I'm sure all my readers enjoy your advent calendar as much as I do!

Gingerbread Man pin

If you are like me and love the smell of gingerbread you'll love wearing this unique pin! These are easy to make and cost almost nothing, are a great project to do with kids and make excellent teachers presents. And look how cute he is! You can use this recipe to make ornaments as well. I have had mine for years and can still say that he smells as good as the day I made him.

You'll need:
-1 cup brown sugar, packed
-1 cup shortening
-1 cup white glue (Elmers)
-2 cups molasses
-1 tablespoon baking soda
-1 tablespoon ground ginger
-6 to 8 cups all purpose flour
-1 and 3/4 cups water
-cookie cutters
-pin backs
-hot glue gun

You can certainly cut this recipe down depending on how many pins or ornaments you want to make. Remember these are NON-edible!

Mix the brown sugar and shortening together, add molasses and glue, mix well, set aside. Combine baking soda and ginger with 6 cups of flour, add this to the glue/brown sugar/etc. mixture and add the 1 and 3/4 cups water while mixing. Add enough remaining flour to make the mixture into a stiff dough and knead it well. Roll to about a 1/4 inch thickness and start cutting out your gingerbread men, and other shapes if you wish. If making ornaments using a straw poke holes in the dough for a string to be tied through. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for one hour or until color is golden. Repeat with any remaining dough. To throughly dry gingerbread men, place them in the oven on oven racks and bake an additional 3 hours at 100 degrees. Let cool completely.

After gingerbread men are cool, using a hot glue gun glue a pin back onto the gingerbread man, let cool and you have a yummy smelling, cute holiday pin!

Star lanterns

The word festive comes to mind when I look at this star votive holder. Pretty simple and inexpensive to make, whip up several and use them on your table for a Christmas or New Year's party. I have a deep affinity for stars but you can change this pattern and use whatever shape you want. Stick a small votive candle or battery operated tea light in, turn down the lights and watch these lanterns glow!

For this project you will need:
-a glass ivy bowl (relatively cheap at craft stores)
-contact paper
-pen or pencil
-acrylic paint in white
-scissors
-small sponge ( I used a small natural sea sponge)
-q-tips


Using your contact paper trace a few shapes, I used stars, you can do gingerbread men or whatever suits your mood. Cut out your stars with a scissor and peel the backing off the contact paper, then adhere them to your ivy bowls. Wet the sponge but make sure to squeeze out any excess water, you want it damp not wet or drippy. Now using your sponge dip into the white acrylic paint and begin dabbing the paint on your bowl until the entire surface is covered in a nice layer of paint. Peel the contact paper off and using a damp q-tip clean up the edges of the stars where the paint might have smudged under the contact paper a little. Let the bowl dry overnight, add a votive candle, and you have an excellent accent to any room or gathering!

Banana Bread Muffins

These muffins are really perfect for any morning, but they would make an especially great breakfast for Christmas morning!

This recipe calls for:
-1 and 1/2 cups flour
-1/2 cup of sugar
-2 eggs
-1 and 1/2 cup of mashed ripe bananas
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/4 cup oil
-1/4 cup water
-1 and 1/2 cups Post Banana Nut Crunch cereal

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix Flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a good sized bowl. Mash your bananas on a plate, I found cutting the bananas into slices and then using a large fork to mash works best. Add mashed bananas, eggs, oil and water to mixture. Stir until moistened, then stir in cereal. Pour into a greased muffin pan, or pans depending on the size. Bake 55 to 65 minutes, or until you can stick a toothpick in the centers and it comes out clean.

You can make a batch now and freeze them and on Christmas Eve take them out of the freezer to thaw and in the morning warm them in the oven or microwave, or make them fresh Christmas Eve. Either way they're sure to be a hit!

Spotlight on: ::soop::

Soop rings on Etsy are truly one of a kind! When I first saw these little guys I wondered where they had been all my life, and I promptly ordered a deer and trees ring. I still wasn't sure of my purchase until it arrived in my mail box, (from London I might add) a short while later with a hand penned Thank You no less. I carefully opened my package to find I definitely would not be disappointed with my purchase! These rings are little works of wearable art, I fell in love as soon as I put my little deer ring on, and when I layered the trees ring with it, it was like wearing a tiny diorama on my hand. These adorably awesome rings are not only amazing but they are uber affordable and would make a great present for the person who has everything, or the wildlife lover. I strongly recommend you take a look at these little critters asap!
My links aren't working...Blogger is testing my patience tonight so here is the link to the shop below...

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5394858

Technical difficulties..

You 'll have to excuse my lack of posts since Thanksgiving, but I am having some technical difficulties with my digital camera...which really stinks since all my craft pictures to upload are on that very camera. I hope to resolve this issue this weekend! Stick around for tons of Christmas crafts and present ideas! Here is an adorable picture to tide you over :) ...Anyone for a cup of cute!!

Pilgrim House

Here is an easy Thanksgiving project that would make cute table settings, or to keep the kids busy while you prepare the Turkey!











You'll need-
- a small cardboard milk carton, or half and half carton
-cardboard
- a brown paper bag
-scissors
-a pencil or pen
-glue, I used plain white craft glue
-ruler


Start by cleaning the inside of your small milk carton. Then measure the sides of your carton with a ruler and using your measurements trace the outline for four sides of your carton onto the cardboard, making sure two of the sides have peaks.Then trace a piece for the
roof (make sure it's long enough to fold and fit nicely on the top of your house), and the chimney (which is just a strip of the cardboard that has been rolled up into a cylinder shape, and glued. You can use corrugated cardboard, but I just used an old box and tore off the top layer of the cardboard and exposed the corrugated part. Glue the sides, roof and chimney onto the carton and let dry for about fifteen minutes. Meanwhile using a plain brown paper bag, trace and cut out window shapes for the sides of the house and a door, I even cut out some door details and a door knob. Glue your paper bag windows and door onto your house and let dry, and you have yourself a cute little pilgrim house!

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving everyone!!

Spotlight on: Shana Logic

I am proud to announce that I am already 99% done with my Christmas shopping! After years of last minute shopping and stress, I decided to get a head start this year and started shopping in September, crazy early, I know. If you haven't already started your shopping I suggest starting soon, very soon...so come Christmas time you can kick back and relax, bake cookies, and bask in the glow of a stress free holiday!

If you are looking for unique, indie crafted gifts, and like me prefer shopping online, then Shana Logic is right up your alley! Shana Logic specializes in cute handmade jewelry, clothing, scarves, and other accessories, they have awesome housewares, and even have a new line of makeup called Lime Crime. Shana Logic isn't just cutesy stuff, they have plenty of neato stuff for guys and pets too! Checking out Shana Logic this holiday season is a must!

Best of ?

Is it too early to do a best of Angry Pincushion blog post ? I think not! Take a gander at these, my favorite projects since I started this journey of bloggery!..by the way, I know bloggery isn't a word, to all you spelling/grammar Nazi's out there. :)

-Spanish Coffee Cake...mmmm yummy!!

-Spinach Artichoke Dip...super yummy treat for any holiday get together!

-Mosaic Mushrooms..a great homemade Christmas present for the garden that won't break the bank.

-Birthday Girl Barrettes..too cute to pass up

Cuteness for the week...

Here is some cute for you to look at while I do some site reconstruction, and work on some new projects for you, my two readers! :)

Preserving Fall Foliage

Here is a great quick tip for anyone who wants to preserve those beautiful fall leaves before they all disappear into the howling November winds and our compost piles.

You'll need-
-Leaves ( of course!)
-wax paper
-an iron
-parchment paper

First go outside and pick out some really pretty leaves, then go inside and get two sheets of wax paper. Now, you should be able to get several leaves on one sheet, depending on the size of the leaf of course. Sandwich the leaves in between the wax paper and cover with parchment paper, this is to protect your ironing board, table, or where ever you may be ironing, and your iron from getting all coated in melted wax.

Set your iron on a low setting and press down gently on the paper. Go over the paper several times, don't press too hard or you might tear the leaves. By ironing the leaves in between wax paper you are sealing the wax from the wax paper onto the leaves and therefore preserving them. You can use them for decoration around the house, tape them in the windows, I'm sure you can think of all sorts of festive fall and Thanksgiving decor you could create!

Crikey! It's Steve Irwin Day!

It is now officially November 15th and therefore Steve Irwin Day!! As someone who grew up watching Steve Irwin on T.V and being enthralled by every second of it, today is a special day. I was devastated when he was killed by a stingray in a tragic freak accident in 2006. Steve's life was devoted to educating people about wildlife and conservation, he was an everyday bloke who made a huge difference in the world and touched the hearts of millions of people all over the world. If you want to check out, or make a donation to Steve's cause, Wildlife Warriors go here- http://www.wildlifewarriors.com.au/ . Happy Steve Irwin day everyone! I would love to write more, as there is much to say about Steve, but it is late and I am tired... so goodnight.

Birthday Girl barrettes!

I thought it was time that I did a children's craft project. So here is the how-to for super cute birthday balloon barrettes that would be so sweet to give to a little girl on her birthday!..or a big girl :) This project really is quite simple and very hard to mess up. I know it's not the best picture in the world but you get the idea, I hope!

You'll need:
- latex balloons in whatever colors you want
-ribbon in your choice of color
- thin gage floral wire
-plain hair clips or barrettes
-craft scissor or wire cutters






Instructions are pretty simple. Using the floral wire, secure the ribbon and balloons to the barrette, making sure that the clip part of the barrette still opens and closes without any obstruction. Make sure as well that all the ends of the wire are tucked into the top part so they don't poke people in the head. You can also put some no fray on the end of the ribbons if you want.

Hopefully my first foray into children's crafts was not too bad! I'd like to thank my lovely Mom for this cute idea.

Red Velvet cake

When I made this cake it might have been the most amazing cake I have ever made. I had never attempted to make a cake and frosting entirely from scratch but was getting so tired of making boxed cakes and having them taste icky, plus you can't find frosting these days that doesn't have all sorts of creepy chemicals and trans fat in it. Besides homemade ALWAYS tastes sooo much better! So here is the recipe for red velvet cake, and chocolate butter-cream frosting!


For the cake you need:
-2 eggs
-1 1/2 cups of sugar
-1 cup butter
-1 tsp. vanilla
-2 oz (or one bottle) red food coloring
-2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
-2 1/2 cups cake flour
-1 cup buttermilk
-1 tsp. vinegar
-1 tsp. baking soda

For the chocolate butter-cream frosting you need:
-1 stick butter, softened
-1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
-Three tablespoons milk
-1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder

For the cake-
Cream the butter and sugar together, and then add the eggs one at a time, beating after each egg. Add the vanilla and red food coloring. Mix in flour, cocoa, and buttermilk, alternating cocoa/flour, and buttermilk when mixing. Mix the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl and add to cake mixture. Bake in three 8 or 9 inch round layer pans at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, OR I baked them in two round layer pans, a seven inch and a five inch. Let cool and then frost. I didn't layer my cake, I made two separate cakes, one for my boyfriend and one for My Mom and brother, but you certainly can layer them if you wish.

For the frosting-
Beat butter in a small bowl with an electric mixer, until light and fluffy... I usually do it by hand but I enjoy torture I suppose. Beat in sifted powdered sugar -(yes you will need a mesh strainer to sift with)- and milk, in two batches. Then slowly add the cocoa powder to the mixture, I say slowly because cocoa powder has a tendency to billow into the air in great clouds of chocolate...sounds yummy...actually very messy. After all the ingredients are well mixed and there are no lumps you are ready to frost your cake.

A new era begins...

Congratulations to President elect Barack Obama!! I'm proud to say I voted for him!!

On a much different note, now that the election is over (where I had been focusing most of my energy lately) I am back to blogging with some new projects and recipes!

Tiny Things!

My goodness did this woman read my mind ?! Is there really someone out there that loves tiny things as much as I do ?! If you are a fellow tiny thing lover, or you just love cute things, I recommend that you definitely check out this website-- http://www.tinythingsarecute.com/

Need I remind you again...to VOTE!

I just voted! I got to my polling location when it opened at eight, and stood in line for almost an hour to vote, I have to say that it was well worth it! By tomorrow we will know who the next president of the United States will be (hopefully NOT McCain)...of course unless we have another corrupt, 2000 election, Florida situation on our hands, I shudder at the thought! Either way get out and VOTE today!!

VOTE!!..or I'll hate you forever...and ever.

The election is so close I can smell, taste and almost touch it (all that really?!). On November fourth we will be electing the next president of the United States along with countless congressmen, senators, state legislators etc. Of course if you don't vote your basically throwing away your rights. To those people who plan on complaining about the outcome of the election, and I know there are plenty of you, and not voting...I have some words of wisdom- if you don't vote you have NO right to complain, or ever say anything about the way things are going in this country, in fact you should be slapped, and hard. My great-grandfather was an immigrant, he came to this country from Russia when he was 17, and he took his right to vote in this country very seriously, he always voted, always. And he had something to say about those people who took that right for granted "If they took away these people's freedom to vote they'd be screaming their heads off"...and he was right. So think about your choice for president on Nov. 4th, and go cast your ballot in this historical election. Of course I have no clue why anyone would want to vote for an angry, crazed old man and his half-brained, blood thirsty, running mate, but if that's your choice and they pull off a win then I hope you can live with that on your conscience when they destroy this country. It's no secret I fully support Obama and Biden, and good God I hope they win for the sake of this country and my sanity!! Yes We Can!!

Amazing Vegetarian Lasagna

This is the most amazing lasagna I have ever had in my life, in fact I had never really even liked lasagna till I tried this recipe. It's so good I made it for dinner last Valentine's Day for my boyfriend, who absolutely loved it. Just looking at the picture of it makes me hungry, and trust me the picture does not do it justice. This recipe is from a Martha Stewart magazine but tweaked by my Mom. Herbivores and carnivores can both agree that this veggie lasagna is simply delicious!




The recipe calls for:

-1 large jar of marinara sauce (28 oz or larger) or pasta sauce of your choice
-1 lb no boil lasagna noodles (it's important to use the no boil kind, otherwise it doesn't taste as good).
-8 oz. button mushrooms finely chopped
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1 and a half cups zucchini, diced small
-1/2 cup red or green pepper ( I use red), diced small
-1 cup chopped onion
-3/4 cup grated Parmesan
-4 cups roughly chopped fresh spinach leaves
-5 cups grated mozzarella
-1 and 1/4 cups Ricotta
-1 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp pepper
-2 tbsp olive oil

How to make the sauce-
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pot; add the onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook for one minute stirring frequently. Then add the mushrooms, zucchini and bell pepper. Cook, stirring until just tender ( about 5 minutes ). Add the jar of marinara and simmer one minute. Add the chopped spinach and simmer for one minute. Remove from heat.

Assembly-
Spray a 9x12 pan, or casserole dish. Place a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of the pan and spread around. Top with a layer of no boil noodles. Next spread 1/3 of the Ricotta, then about 1 and a half cups sauce, then sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella and 3 tbsp Parmesan. Repeat this process two more times. Finish off with a layer of noodles, the remaining sauce, remaining Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.

Baking-
Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 20 more minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before cutting.

Happy Halloween!!

Yay! It's finally here....Halloween!! A word of advice, if anyone has really nifty decorations or pumpkins, I recommened taking them inside tonight, or putting them in the garage when you go to bed...better safe than sorry! Have a happy and safe Halloween everyone!

Coming soon...

After Halloween, more new projects and delicious recipes....

Mosaic Mushrooms

Who doesn't love a good mushroom ? Whether on a pizza, or hanging out in the garden with the gnomes. Here is the how to for these super nifty garden mushrooms! You can of course take this how to and tweak it, this is a pretty forgiving project. The measurements I've given are just a guideline and you can use whatever size pots, and saucers you want, given of course that they fit together! :)

For the small mushroom you will need-

• -Two small Terra-Cotta pots, one inch and a 1/2 pot ( pretty tiny) and one 3 inch pot, for the stem.
• -One 4 inch Terra Cotta saucer

For the medium mushroom you will need-

• -One 5 and 1/2 inch pot for the stem
• -Two saucers, one 7 and 1/2 inch and a 4 inch.

For the large mushroom you will need-

• -Two pots for the stem, one 5 and 1/2 inch pot and one 3 and 1/2 inch pot.
• -Two saucers for the top, one 10 inch, and one 5 and 1/2 inch.

Other materials needed:

• -Flat marbles in color of your choice (they usually come in mesh bags, found at any craft store)
• -You can use polished pebbles (also in mesh bags at the craft store), or more flat marbles to cover the mushroom cap surface.
• -Acrylic paint in shades of tan or creme
• -Paint brush and sponge
• -Ceramic Tile Adhesive and Caulk in white
• -Clear Acrylic Gloss (or matte), water-resistant spray coat.
• -Grout is optional, I didn't use it but if you prefer that look go ahead and use it.

--------------------------------------------------
Assembly-
Here is where the fun begins! Like I said this project is very forgiving so don't be afraid to use different sized pots than the ones I used, and different colored marbles or stones.

Step 1.) For the two larger mushrooms that have two saucers put together for the top. Flip the smaller saucer over so that the bottom is facing up and stack that on top of the larger saucer, which should also have the bottom facing up..they should resemble a mushroom cap when placed together. Then use the Ceramic Tile Adhesive to affix the smaller saucer on top of the larger saucer, let these dry for 24 hours.

Step 2.) For the small mushroom and the large one that have more than one pot stacked together for the stem, do the same thing as in step one. Using the tile adhesive, glue the smaller pot on top of the larger pot (just like you were stacking them ) and let dry for 24 hours.

Step 3.) After base pots dry for 24hrs, paint the mushroom "stems", with acrylic paint. I used a tan base coat, let that dry then applied a lighter creme or tan color, and using a dry sponge dragged it down the sides for a layered effect, it makes it look more like a real mushroom stem. Let paint dry.



Step 4.) After paint is fully dry, using tile adhesive affix the mushroom tops to their bases with a liberal amount of adhesive, let dry 24hrs again.

Step 5.) Now using the tile adhesive again, or a heavy duty glue, begin applying the flat marbles on to the top of the "mushroom caps", and down the sides, in whatever pattern or colors you wish. When you begin affixing the marbles and pebbles to the sides of the saucers, they might slide a little so sometimes you have to hold each marble or pebble in place for a few seconds until it sticks by itself. Let dry for 24 hrs again.


Step 6.) If you plan on putting your mushrooms outside spray them using a water resistant clear gloss, or matte spray.

It is a fair bit of work but when you are done you'll have a lovely set of mushrooms for your garden or home!

Yes We Carve!

I am in no way shy about my support for presidential candidate Barack Obama and VP Joe Biden. So I was very excited when I found out about this website that offers free patterns to carve your own Obama pumpkin! It is definitely worth a look, and if you love carving pumpkins as much as I do, you'll have to devote at least one pumpkin on Halloween to this unique form of support!

SilverCrow Creations

I am definitely not someone you would find wandering around a Wal-Mart, and while I do still occasionally shop at places like Target I try to limit my big box store spending as much as I can on my budget. I have a great love for independent stores, especially ones that sell quirky and one of a kind goods. I have found in the past couple of years that there are some great web stores out there that offer unique products, and SilverCrow Creations is one of those web stores. Loaded with just about anything and everything a person could dream of, they have an awesome bead and charm selection, actual vintage goods, a variety of rubber stamps you won't find anywhere else, and tons of cute and unique gift ideas. I absolutely love shopping on SilverCrow and love that each of my receipts I've received has a hand signed Thank You. So I encourage you to check them out, I promise you won't be sorry you did. SilverCrow has a lot to offer in the way of unique Halloween goodies and Day of the Day too! ..as seen below..


I know I've been slow getting projects and recipes posted, but I've been working hard on some new projects and I have several great projects to post this week, so stay tuned!

Halloween costumes part 2

Here is another simple costume idea that I wish I had pictures of, sorry people! But I'm sure you can use your imagination right ? Seeing as there is not much interest in the costumes I'm only going to post one. If anybody tries any of the costumes I'd love to hear how you did it, and if you changed it anything, and send me a picture and I'll post it! Same rating system from costumes part 1, I will give each costume a number between one and five, one is super simple and five takes a little bit more effort.

LadyBug:3
-headband
- black chenille stems(pipe cleaners)
-black pom-poms
-a hot glue gun or craft strength glue
-red shirt, sweatshirt, jacket
-black felt or fabric
-glue, hot glue gun
-usual sewing supplies
--Optional: Black pants

I was actually a ladybug one year when I was a kid, although my costume was made by my Mom and was much fancier than this. The part of this costume that will take the most work is the headband, I suggest starting with a black headband but if it's not you can always wrap it with black ribbon and glue it down with a hot glue gun. Take the two black chenille stems and wrap each one around the head band at least once and glue them into place so they don't move around. Let that dry. After the glue dries take the two black pom-pom's and glue them onto the tips of the chenille stems, and let them dry. Now with your black fabric/felt trace two circles (or however many dots you want) using a cereal bowl as a template and a white pencil or tailor's chalk. Cut out the circles and sew, or glue them onto the back of your red shirt or sweatshirt, and you have a simple ladybug costume!

Angriest Pincushion around...

Since I posted my little pincushion friend several weeks ago now, I have had several inquiries about his existence, and it has been brought into question whether I created it or not, and yes I did. The only thing I didn't create was the pincushion itself, that was bought at a fabric store. With my limited resources I photographed the cushion with a semi-crappy digital camera, and some special lighting (a really big flashlight) to get some better contrast without drowning the image out with my camera flash. Mr. Cushion's face came from my imagination onto a piece of paper where I then painstakingly cut it out using tiny manicure scissors, glued it on to the pincushion and then as an after thought I added the speech bubble above his head (taped to a pin). Throw in a couple of vintage wooden thread bobbins and I call it good, cute, brilliant...whatever.

Now as for the idea of the Angry Pincushion, I can't really pinpoint (haha, oh please) where it came from. Like most of my weird ideas they just pop into my head, which is why I always carry a pad of paper with me to write down ideas before I forget them. The original name I had chosen for my blog was taken, as I found out when I was signing up for Blogger, so I came up with this The Angry Pincushion, and I'm glad the first name I chose was taken, because this one is much better! Have a great weekend everyone, I promise there will be new projects next week!

Martha does Halloween

To those of you who hate Martha Stewart, look away! I happen to love Martha, okay maybe I don't love her personally, but I love the people who come up with her super creative and amazing craft projects, and delicious recipes. One of the things Martha does really well is Halloween, and I think her book of Halloween projects is one of the best holiday how-to books of all time. It has great decorating and party ideas, creative costume and face painting how to's, and recipes that are as yummy as they are ghoulish. I highly recommend it to my fellow fall/Halloween lovers, especially if you are throwing a Halloween party. I am strongly encouraging you to stop by the library and check it out, pick it up at your local bookstore, or buy it from Amazon, I can assure you, you will not be disappointed!

On the lookout for...

... like minded peoples who would like to share their ideas, pictures, recipes, and step by step projects. I would also love to hear your feedback on this blog, or my projects, recipes whatever. Nothing mean, or rude please, us crafty types are sensitive people. If you try something from this blog I would really like to know how it turned out, send pictures if you can. If you are an entrepreneur and would like your creations, web store, or your etsy shop showcased, drop me an e-mail please!! My e-mail address is sproutedwings@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you :)

Easy Halloween costumes part 1

Yesterday I sat down with a pad of paper and a pencil and came up with some ideas for for exceptionally easy to make and low cost costumes Now I'm usually the type that likes extravagant, detailed Halloween costumes, that take hours upon hours of labor. Unfortunately at the moment I neither have the funds or quite the skill of my Mother (she has made all of my extravagant costumes ) to have such a luxury. So I've come up with a few ideas . I wish I had some pictures of these but for now a description will have to do. I've devised a little ranking system to help you out. By every costume description I will give it a number between one and five, one is super simple and five takes a little bit more effort. I'll post more ideas this Saturday.

M&M: 3
-So you'll need a candy colored shirt, sweatshirt, jacket.
-A piece of white felt or fabric, a sewing needle and white thread, or sewing machine of course.
-Scissors, pins the usual sewing things.
--Optional: candy colored face paint and hat.

Who doesn't love this candy! This is both great for kids and adults. If you have a candy colored shirt, hoodie or coat you don't mind sewing an M onto this will be a cinch. If you do not already have a plain shirt/sweatshirt you can find plain tees and such at just about any craft store for pretty cheap. Of course M&M colors are Red, Blue, Green, Brown, Yellow, and Orange. Find a template or stencil for an M&M looking M, or just look at the candies and freehand it onto a white piece of paper, cut it out. pin it onto the white fabric or felt and cut out your M to be stitched on your shirt. Then sew the M onto your shirt, by hand or on a machine. To finish the look you could paint your face, and wear a baseball cap the same color as your shirt, if you wish.

Presidential Candidate: 1
- Suit, dress shirt, tie, or a power suit ladies! Dress shoes.
-A Presidential smile!
--Optional: flag lapel pin

This is a good one since the election is just a couple of days after Halloween. I think this would be an adorable kids costume as well as a humorous adult costume.


Pillar of Salt: 1
-White sheet
-scissors

Okay, this one might sound a little weird but I once got an award for this one when I was a kid at a church Halloween party for stumping the minister. Can you guess what famous pillar of salt I might have been ? Lot's wife in the bible is turned to a pillar of salt upon looking back at the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah being destroyed by God (Genesis). If you do happen to have a church going's on for Halloween this will be great. You can cut a hole, or a slit for the eyes so you can see, if this is going to be worn all night.

Bestest Spinach Artichoke dip ever...

After eating my friend Kim's Spinach Artichoke dip at a party a couple of years back I was in love and had to have the recipe! It's great party food, and simple to make. So here it is thanks to Ms. Kim!

You'll need-

1 16 ounce tub of lite sour cream
1 16 ounce tub of whipped cream cheese
1 block frozen spinach (usually 10 ounces)
1 can artichoke hearts
1 packet dehydrated vegetable soup mix
1 tsp. lemon juice (optional)
Shredded Colby Jack cheese or Cheddar

Rinse spinach until no longer frozen. Drain artichokes and chop in small pieces. Mix all ingredients but the cheese together in a large oven-safe bowl. Sprinkle top with shredded cheese and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until cheese on top is melted.

Or, you can put the mixture in a bread bowl and bake at 425 degrees until the bread is crusty and the dip is warm.

Fellow Knitters and Crocheters!

If you're like me you love to knit, (I have not quite mastered crocheting yet!), and now is the perfect season to get out your yarn and needles and start some new fall projects! I was recently on Lion Brand Yarn's website and found they had 46 free Halloween knitting and crocheting projects. They are incredibly cute and you can't beat the price: free! Thanks Lion Brand!
Click here to go to Lion Brand's free Halloween patterns!