Talented Terrace Girls

Valentines Date ideas

2012-02-11T07:33:00.006-07:00

I LOVE YOU

Put the stem of a rose where he will see it when he open the front door. A note attached to the stem reads: "This little rose is no longer pretty. It really is such a pity. Follow the petals one by one, and you will find where the beauty has run."

Valentine's day is a great time to let him know how beautiful you really are.

The petals should lead him to your bedroom door or to the kitchen table all romanced.

When he opens it, he will never forget what a special Valentine he has fallen in love with.

All Day Love Message

Take a box of kid valentines and number them 1 to how ever long your message is. On the back of them write a message to your lover. Place these cards all over the house, in his car, wallet, shoes, jean pocket, places that he is going to find them through out the day. At the end of the day he will have found all of them and can now put them in order to get your LOVE message.

I made my hubby some date night kits for Christmas to help build our relationship.♥

Each themed date night is organized in a manilla envelope with a card of instructions and some of the materials needed (thank you dollar tree). There is also an extra envelope that holds additional ideas for dates on strips of paper.

Our themes are Prehistoric Date, Night Under the Stars, Mission Impossible, Class Act, Colors, Random Date, Service Date, Blind Date, 80s Date, Game Night, Play date, Musical Date, and my personal favorite Digital Date. I tried to pick things I know hubs and I both would enjoy doing, since date nights have been lacking after we became parents. For more detailed information and some pdfs click here.

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Love Blocks

2012-02-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

So a bunch of us wanted to do a cute Valentine's day project we saw on Pinterest. So we got the basic materials and then everyone did their own thing. We had someone cut some 2x4's, and then someone else cut out the vinyl letters. The rest of the accessories (paper, ribbon, jewels, flowers, buttons, etc) were up to each girl. I love seeing each person's personal style reflected. =)

Trinity

These are Trinity's blocks. I loved being able to make these, especially since I had hardly any Valentine decorations.

JeNae

Here's my set! I LUV them!

These were done by one of our friends, Stephanie. She wanted to join in the craft fun, too! Love the leopard print with hearts. Fun!!!

Tiffany

Here's my set. I love how they turned out!

Keri

A nice addition to my Valentines themed mantle!

Whitney

I LOVE the vintage look and so that is the route i took with my blocks. They fit perfect in my house. I had lots of fun.

Emily

I loved my whole shelf, so I took a picture of it all :)

I am all about the chocolate & sweet's on V-day, so that is what I did with mine.

You can't beat chocolate truffles, brownies, and chocolate chip cookies! Yummers!

Teresa

Well i wanted mine just a little bit different cause that is how i roll. :) But I am also the procrastinator of the group so i was slow going to buy my valentine paper and they only had the white with lips left at the store i went too. And i was NOT taking 3 kids to another store. Therefore I had to go home and stamp my papers so the pink are the ones I made. I want to add a ribbon around the top of my L, but as this post is going up tmrw and and it is 8:25pm and i still need to go to the freezer meal swap and make my laundry soap tonight i doubt the ribbon will be added for a few more days still. Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

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Foodie Friday: Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup and Breadsticks

2012-02-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

One of my most favorite places to eat is Olive Garden. Usually I get the Fettuccine Alfredo, and of course the salad and bread sticks. One day, I deviated from my norm. I decided to do the soup. I tried the Chicken gnocchi soup and was instantly in love!! I think I had at least 3 bowls of it, not to mention one of the big bowls of salad and an order of bread sticks.....I was a bit hungry =) I decided that this was a soup I need to learn to make so I could have it anytime I wanted.

1 cup chicken breasts, cooked and diced
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
14 oz chicken broth (I did 14 oz. water and 2 bouillon cubes, but you can use canned if you'd like)
1/2 cup celery, finely diced (about 1 large celery stalk)
2 minced garlic cloves
1 cup carrots, finely shredded (about 2-3 medium carrots)
1 cup onion, finely diced (about1 medium onion)
1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoons extra virgin oil
1 tsp. Italian seasonings
Freshly grated Parmesan cheeses, optional
1 pound potato gnocchi (I had to go to several stores and get it but found it at Macey's in the pasta isle)

Get out a 6qt. pot.
Dice you celery, really fine or else it won't get soft.
Shred your carrots.

Finely dice your onions as well.

Add all the veggies to you pot. Add butter, oil, and garlic. Saute until onions and celery are soft.
Add the flour to make a roux. Let it cook for about 1 minute, while you stir so it doesn't burn.

Add the broth and spinach.

Mix well and let it simmer.

While it is simmering, get out your gnocchi and cook it according to package directions. It is usually boil for

about 2-3 minutes or until they begin to float.

Drain the gnocchi and add it to the soup, along with the chicken, milk and cream.

Let it simmer for about 15 minutes to get the flavors well blended. sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. You don't have to, but I highly recommend it.

The original recipe called for half and half instead of cream and milk, but I didn't have any so i substituted. I think my soup would have been a bit creamier if I had used half cream and half milk, but it still turned out good. Also, I think next time I make it I am going to try and make my own gnocchi. I didn't this time because I was being lazy (except I ended up having to go to 3 different stores so I might as well have just made it) and I didn't have enough potatoes.

Bread Sticks

4 c. flour
1 1/3 c. warm water
4 tsp. butter, melted
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 1/4 tsp yeast

2tsp butter, melted
garlic powder

Combine yeast, water and sugar. Set aside for 5 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine flour, butter, and salt. Add in the yeast mixture. Knead on a floured surface. Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Roll out into snake-like logs. cover and let rise for 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Brush the bread sticks with butter and bake for 15 minutes, or until they begin to brown. Remove from oven, and brush with butter once more. Sprinkle garlic powder, to taste, over top of the bread sticks.

Enjoy! These taste great dipped in the soup!

I was very happy with how this turned out. Usually when I make soups, the first time I make it it is just okay so I have to make it a few times before I am happy with it. I think I got this the first time, even though I almost ruined it. I went to put in the italian seasonings, and I have ashaker that is similar that has cinnamon and sugar in it that I started to shake in it....luckily most of it got on the spatula. I almost freaked but then I saw I didn't get hardly any in it and I calmed myself down. I guess that should teach me to look closer and label my shakers better, huh?

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DIY Thursday: Recovered Office Chair

2012-02-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

So a couple of years ago, my sweet sister-in-law gave me this cute flannel fabric...

I pretty much dig skulls & loved that when she saw this that she thought of me =)

But what to do with it...that was the problem!

And then I thought of my ugly desk chair...

okay, so it's not too bad, but definitely a smidgen boring for me.

So I roughly measured the fabric, basically just cut it in the shape of the upholstery and added about 5 inches on every side to give me room to nip & tuck.

The top part of the chair I used a wooden spoon to shove the fabric in between the padding and the hard plastic back. I didn't even have to glue or staple it. It fit snug as a bug!

I took the arms off cause I didn't want them and they were kinda falling apart. I then pulled my fabric tight over the seat and stapled underneath. The bottom does not look so pretty, but who looks there anyway, right?

And Voila!!!!

It was super easy and gave my desk such a nice little bit of flare =)

Sometimes when I get creative, I just have to fly by the seat of my pants. So don't be afraid to experiment, cause you might turn up with some flare of your own!

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February Theme Challenge: Foam Sheet

2012-02-08T08:00:00.011-07:00

For this month's challenge I, Tiffany, gave everyone a foam sheet to try and make something spectacular out of.

Check out what everyone came up with and vote for your favorite!!!

Talented Terrace Girl #1

Do I need to say anything about this except it is super cool and I love it.

Talented Terrace Girl #2

So I've been stewing around for ideas this last month, not knowing what I wanted to make. Then I saw a particular link the other week and decided to run with it. My boys & I made Bracelets/Cuffs, but we added our names & phone #'s to make them ID cuffs. Not perfect, but it provided us with an activity for the afternoon.

Talented Terrace Girl #3

Purse

I wanted to make something fun for my little girl (no, that's not her holding the purse....my little guy was playing with it too =) ) She was so excited that I was going to make her something....she has been begging to play with it since I finished it but I told her she had to wait until I took pictures. The great thing about this, I was able to find a use for a bunch of scraps I had laying around. And it was super easy so vote for me so you can make one for your cute little one (and if you have a little boy, you can change up the colors and make a "murse" =) )

Talented Terrace Girl #4Chalkboard Mudroom Labels

This dollar store craft not only is great on the budget, but practical too! I ♥ organization!

Talented Terrace Girl #5

I decided to make a Valentine's Craft with my foam since I didn't have too many crafts for Valentines. On this craft I used the foam to spell out kisses and also for the little hearts at the bottom. I love it and so does my little girl! I hope I'll be able to keep her from eating all the kisses in one day!

Talented Terrace Girl #6

Foam Bath Valentine's

First of all I would like to make it known that the reason why one of the hearts is blurred out is because it has my name on it and since this is a secret voting challenge I didn't want to be caught cheating. But it really just might have something dirty written on it...I guess you'll never know....wink, wink. This is a Valentine surprise for my sweet hubby who always gets up early and showers while I lay in bed and sleep an extra hour. I fi

gure I will do this the night before and surprise him on Valentine's morning.

Talented Terrace #7

Love life pictures

I have these in my bed room next to a big picture of my husband and I and our kids playing and laughing on the bed. I LOVE the picture so i wanted to put LOVE LIFE next to it and found this to be the prefect time. If you Love your life and want to know how to make these VOTE FOR ME!! (Sorry this is a bad picture)

Now's your time to VOTE!!!

Sweet Tooth Tuesday : Raspberry Cheesecake Pudding Cookies

2012-02-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

So. There's this awesome food blog that I like to frequent {Alli'n Son's}, and one Thursday night a couple of weeks ago, Allison posted a cookie recipe that I knew I had to make immediately.

Luckily....I was heading to the grocery store the next day, and as fate would have it, the Hershey Kisses were on sale aaannnddd there was a coupon. Score.

After borrowing a friends small muffin tin {Thanks Teresa!}, I went on to make these lovely beauties....

I used my own cookie recipe {the one that's made these.these.these.these.& these}

I also decided to take the cookies out 2 minutes before they were fully done, and stick the kisses in, and then let them finish baking for the last two minutes. My thinking was for the kisses to slightly melt into the cookies.

Those Raspberry Hershey Kisses......Fantabulous!

Cheesecake Flavored Cookies....Awesome.

I loved the little shapes. I was about this close to adding some kind of frosting; but my husband & I couldn't decide on what flavor to do. Oh well.

Raspberry Cheesecake Pudding Cookies

{Printable Recipe}

Ingredients:

· 1 Bag of Hershey Kisses-Raspberry Hugged

· 1 Cup of Butter

· 1 Cup of White Sugar

· ½ Cup of Brown Sugar

· 1 Box of Sugar-Free Instant Cheesecake Pudding

· 2 Eggs

· 1 tsp Vanilla

· ¼ tsp Salt

· 1 tsp Baking Soda

· 2 ½ Cups of White Flour

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350⁰. Grease your Small Muffin tin pan.

2. In your mixer, cream together the following ingredients: Butter, sugars & instant pudding.

3. Mix in the eggs and vanilla.

4. With the mixer on, add the salt, baking soda & then slowly add in the flour. Add enough flour so that it’s not too sticky {usually between 2 ½ & 3 cups}.

5. Using a small cookie dough scoop, scoop out little balls of dough and plop into the muffin tin.

6. Bake for about 8-10 minutes; the little cookies should still be a light color.

7. Invert a kiss into each little cup. Place back into the oven and bake for another 2 minutes.

8. Take cookies out & let them cool for about another 2 minutes before popping them out of the pan.

9. Enjoy!

Munchkin Monday: Kids wall art

2012-02-06T07:00:00.002-07:00

You will need a board that need to be cut in half. I found this at the dollar store but any craft store will have them.

I had my two kids finger paint them with colors that coordinated with the room I wanted to hang them.

I put their pictures on a small canvas and hot glued it to the picture they painted.

When they see them they get so exited cause they painted it.

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Print Pizza Pretzel Recipe

Foodie Friday: Pizza Pretzels

2012-02-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

My family LOVES pizza =) I think we could eat it several times a week and be good with it. So I am always trying to find new ways to make it. I found this idea on Pinterest and had to give it a whirl. Needless to say, it was a big hit. I need to make these again, and this time triple the batch so that I can have some leftovers =)

Pizza Dough:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 package quick-rising yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2-2/3 cup hot water (120-130°F)
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Italian Seasonings, optional (I used about 1 tablespooon)

Combine flour, yeast, salt, seasonings and sugar in the bowl. Combine hot water and oil in a measuring cup. Gradually pour in enough of the hot liquid until the mixture forms a sticky ball. If you are one of those lucky people with a Kitchen Aide, use that. I used my bread machine and just put the setting on "dough" to knead the it. The dough should be quite soft. If it seems dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water; if too sticky, add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour. Continue mixing until the dough forms a ball, then knead for 1 minute.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Spray the top of the dough with cooking spray, cover and let the dough rest for 10 to 20 minutes.

Filling:
shredded mozzarella cheese
shredded parmesan cheese
pepperoni slices
chopped mushrooms
chopped olives
whatever your family likes =)

1 egg slightly beaten
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Cut the prepared pizza dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each out into a rectangle.

(I doubled the recipe so I could freeze some for later....but there weren't any left to freeze after my family devoured them)

Scatter the cheese and toppings over the dough. Brush the one of the long sides with a little egg wash then, starting with the opposite side, roll the dough up into a log, enclosing the toppings inside. Shape the log into a pretzel and transfer to a baking sheet.

Brush the top of the pizza pretzel with olive oil and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.

Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

So they didn't exactly look like pretzels but they were still great =) The good thing with these is you can put whatever toppings you like in them. Have the kids help do their own. And everyone can choose their own dipping sauces: ranch, marinara, garlic butter, or plain. Whatever you want, you can do.

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DIY Thursday: Kiss Me Craft

2012-02-02T08:00:00.011-07:00

So Trinity raves about the store Wood Creations and so a few weeks ago I thought I would venture out to this store and see what kind of stuff they had, especially since I wanted to make some Valentines decoration. That store has some super cute decorations ready for you to buy and decorate! I'm excited to go back and see what I can do next. This craft is really cute and easy.

What you need:
Wood from Wood Creations
paint
scrapbook paper
glitter (optional)

This is what the craft looks like when you buy it. It also comes with the vinyl

Paint the outside edges and backs of your letters as well as the heart. I put some glitter on the outside of the heart while the paint was still a little wet. Trace and cut out your scrapbook paper. Mod Podge it onto the letters
Put the vinyl on, do one coat of modge podge over the everything and you've got yourself a cute new Valentines Decoration. The great thing about this craft is that you can totally personalize it to your style!

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Wild Card Wednesday : Valentine Printable

2012-02-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

Happy February!

To kick start the month, I thought I would give ou guys a fun printable.

I made a big 11x14 print & then a smaller 8x10 print. All you should have to do is right-click each image & save it to your computer. Then when you upload to whatever print site {I use Sam's Club}, make sure you click on the appropriate print size.

{11x14 Printable}

{8x10 Printable}

Thanks for stopping by!

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Sweet Tooth Tuesday: English Trifle

2012-01-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hi friends we are getting nothing fun and sassy from Teresa tonight/today. I may have forgotten i was scheduled for today and now it is after 1 am and i am typing this up. Yes i am the one in the group is waits till the last minute to do everything, but this is late for even me. Also i just played a soccer game and i was up late last night too. soooooo sorry for the typos and crazy talk!

Here is the main reason we made it. We had a birthday on sunday and mine is this week so we kind of did 2 amazing treats in one day!

Today i am sharing an ENGLISH TRIFLE I have always love the look of them and wanted to try one. So when you are trying a new batch of cupcakes and you forget the baking powder they kind of dont rise making them a dense pound cake type cupcake. So not what i wanted so hence what to do what to do..... English Trifle and i must say it was GOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!

1 Cake mix pre-made, pound cake or angel food cake or too dense cupcakes :) cut into cubes

1 Package Danish dessert, pick your flavor (you can use jello, but if you look next to the jello you will see the box of danish dessert) I sent my husband to the store and he found it :)

1 package of custard mix or pudding (we used white chocolate and it was heaven!)

1-2 C. of frozen berries of your choice

2 bananas, sliced

cool whip or whipping cream for the top

This is a recipe done in steps so first get your cake made and cooled. while it is cooling you can proceed to make the Junket Danish dessert, then the pudding. Once everything is cooled start assembling In a Trifle Dish or glass bowl start layering. Cake cubes, danish dessert, custard, and fruit. Trifle dishes will allow 2 layers other glass dishes normally only allow 1 layer. Now refrigerate for about 3-4 hours. Pull out cover with sliced bananas and whipped topping then serve! Don't layer to far in advance like the night before or you will have soggy cake. (i ate some the next day and was still happy but maybe not serve worthy)

If you are using the Jello not the Danish Dessert then allow time for the jello to set up in the fridge before serving.

Not so pretty on the plate but still oh so tasty!

Good night!

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Munchkin Monday : Valentine Bingo w/a Twist

2012-01-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

One of the fun things that I get to do this year, is plan parties for my son's first grade class {well..the entire first grade}. Coming up is the Valentine Party, so I've been perusing the internet to get some fun ideas. Then I came across this pic on Pinterest, and I decided to run with the idea.

What's the idea??? Valentine Bingo with a Twist.

Valentine Bingo

Can you guess how it works???

Instead of just regular bingo with letters & numbers, I went to my son's planner and looked at all his weekly spelling lists. The idea is, when I pull out a word, like "Whale", the kids will have to listen to the word & place the marker in the appropriate spot {which would be the WH spot}. So on the Bingo card, I put down beginning & ending sounds....THese or wELL.

Make sense?? And all the words that I used {and are in the link below}, are words that the kids should know.

Valentine Bingo Words

So if you're looking for a fun, educational game for kids to play, I hope you try this out!

Thanks for stopping by!

Valentine Hanging Blocks Redo

2012-01-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

Remember my Seasonal Hanging Blocks? Well, there were a few sets of them that I wasn't quite happy with. They were ok, but I wasn't thrilled (most of these were the first few sets I did, before I knew what I was doing). So I have gone back and redone a few of them. I redid my Valentine's Day and "LUV" them. =) (yes, I know, I am a dork. I tried therapy for years but I was a lost cause so I have learned to embrace it)

These are so much better than my first set! The other set seemed off balance to me:

I think it was there was only a heart on one end. Now don't get me wrong....I think they're cute and I am going to find a way to use them still (I'm thinking I will like them hanging vertically down a wall).

Now the way to do these are super simple. I didn't take pictures of the process, sorry =(. Go to your local Home Depot or Lowe's and get the Poplar wood. It's nice and thin and lightweight. Have them cut it for you so that they are 6x6 (actually, once it's cut i think it ends up 5 1/2x6 due to something to do with the extra 1/2 inch is for construction when the add the drywall or something like that)

Drill holes in it, I did mine 1 in. down and 1 in. over. Sand all the edges smooth. Then pick out your paints/papers/ribbons/extras and do each square.

I like to add a 3d effect so I usually find some kind of wood cutout at Michael's, Joann's, or Hobby Lobby, and paint it to match the season/holiday.

These are super easy and fun. I love doing them so that I at least have 1 holiday decoration in my house. =)

Circle Earrings

2012-01-28T08:00:00.010-07:00

Hey Everyone it's Tiffany! I won this month's challenge and so here is my tutorial on how to make these Circle earrings. They are super cute and easy to make! If you want to make these you will need:

Circle Earrings
20 gauge jewelry wire
glass beads
embroidery floss
earring attachments
wire cutters

Step 1:
You will first need to cut your wire. I probably cut mine close to 8 inches. I just kind of judged how much I wanted by looking at it. You have to cut two the same length.
Step 2:
Start to string on your glass beads. You don't want to put too many beads on since you have to string the embroidery floss between the beads. Once the beads are on, bend the wire to the kind of shape you want. Mine have a slight teardrop shape to them, but you can make them more of a circle or strictly teardrop shop. Tie off the wire and form the loop that the earring attachment will go on.

Step 3:
Tie a knot at the very top of your earring

Step 4:

Take your embroidery floss and go down to the bottom of the earring just a little bit to the right of center and then loop back up and go between the next bead. On the big earrings I counted every two beads and the smaller earrings I went between each bead. You do this all the way until you reach the top of the other side of the earring.

Step 5:

Tie a knot at the top once you have gone full circle. Cut your floss and then put on the earring attachment.

TADA! Your earrings should look something like this. I hope you have fun making your own set!

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Foodie Friday: Sweet and Sour Chicken

2012-01-27T08:00:00.001-07:00

I just tried out this new recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken and it was REALLY GOOD! Try it out and see what you think :)

Sweet and Sour Chicken:

2 chicken breasts
1/2 tsp garlic salt
cornstarch
1 egg beaten with 1 TBS water
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup vinegar
1/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tsp salt
2 TBS soy sauce

Cut chicken into pieces and sprinkle with garlic salt. Let sit one hour. Dip in cornstarch, then in beaten egg. Fry in hot oil until brown. Place in casserole dish. Combine sugar, vinegar, ketchup, chicken broth, salt, and soy sauce. Microwave for 5 minutes, stirring mixture halfway through. Pour over chicken and bake uncovered at 350 for 30-45 minutes, until the sauce is thickened. Makes 6-8 servings

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DIY Thursday: Sweethearts

2012-01-26T06:30:00.000-07:00

Today we have not 1 but 2 fun Valentine crafts for you!

First up, Trinity!

So back about a month ago, I was cruising along in the world of Pinterest and I saw this cute idea. It looked easy and simple and I had to do it. Especially since my Valentine decor is comprised of one thing. So here's what I did:

Go to the nearest Michael's and check out their wood block section. Grabbed 5 hearts, 3 small and 2 big (but you can do whatever sizes you would like). Pick out the colors of paints you want. I wanted mine to resemble the candies so I picked out some pastel colors.

Grabbed the cutest helpers ever =) And start painting!

(Look at him concentrating so hard)

(Of course she stops to pose a bit)

When you are finished with the hearts, draw your favorite sayings on them (or you could always use vinyl). I like the handwritten look (just wish my handwriting was better) and instead of using a brush to brush it on, I used the round end of the paintbrush and dotted it on to make it stand out a little bit. When the blocks are all dry (and you want it completely dry) brush a layer of modge podge over it to seal the paint and give it a nice finish. If it's not dry, the letters could smear.....and that wouldn't be too pretty. I had some glitter spray paint so I spray painted mine with a little bit of sparkle =)

(you can see it in a picture below)

(The green and purple are a lot lighter than this picture, the colors in the kids' pictures are the actual colors. The pink is also lighter and you can actually read the words)

Next, I grabbed some festive ribbon and some tulling and glued the ribbon onto the tulling. I wanted it to be a bit fuller than just a ribbon, but didn't want it to be the thick ribbon either.

Next, glue your hearts on. Figure out how close you want them to be and have at it =)

When I put it all together, it seemed like it was missing something so made a little bow out of the ribbon and then stuck a crystal heart in the middle.

This was a fun, easy project. I whipped it out in a couple hours, with most of that time spent waiting for the paint to dry. The kids loved being able to help with some decorations and my little boy keeps telling me, "The green one and the yellow one are mine. The purple one and pink one are sissy's. The white one is yours." (Those are the colors each of us painted)

Hey Friends, it's Teresa and I decided to crash Trinity's post and share another fun project with you!

I'm going to show you how I made this Super Fun Door Hanger!
{Okay that is where I hung mine because I like to mix it up from all the wreaths; but you can hang yours wherever you want. I won't come into your house and move it, I promise.}

I found my inspiration from pinterest at this blog

Materials:

Piece of Wood {any size & any kind}. I actually used an old wood clock.
Red & White Paint
Crackle Paint
Knit Fabric {knit doesn't fray, so it works perfectly} or Ribbon
Glue Gun
Thick Ribbon to use as your Hanger

First, I painted my board Red, and let it completely dry. I then painted the board white, and then added a layer of the Crackle Paint.

*If you know any amazing crackle tips, please share because mine barely crackled. It did however add an awesome SHINE on the whole wood*

Next, I made my fabric rosettes. All I did was cut 1 inch wide strips into 3 or 4 varying lengths.

How do you make the Rosettes? Take your 1 inch strip and tie a knot in the end of the strip and start wrapping and hot gluing around the knot. Hot glue the whole way around until it is fully wrapped.

Now the tricky-yet fun part-draw a heart in pencil lightly on your white board. Arrange your rosettes all around the inside of your heart and over the pencil line by an inch to hide it under the rosettes. Tuck under, over, and all around so no one can tell where you started and ended. The hardest part of this is probably gluing the rosettes down. Figure out how to get to your bottom most heart and glue it down without messing up the rest of the hearts; and then proceed to glue the rest of the rosettes down. I found that if I glued the center really well, I could still tuck other rosettes under the edge of the one already glued.

Pretty pretty!!

Now the hanger....I took this ribbon off an old Valentine wreath I didn't want anymore; braided 3 pieces together, and then hot glued the ends to the back of the board.

Now the lettering.... You can use vinyl, but like Trinity, I wanted a hand painted look.

I printed out the saying in a font that I liked, and on the backside of the paper, I used a pencil to shade in the letters. I then flipped it right side up, laid the paper on my board, and started tracing the letters with a pen {making sure to push really hard, giving an indent for trapping paint later}.

Then, I got to painting my letters {all while chatting w/ Emily & Whitney as they worked on their projects late into a Tuesday Night}.

Then I took some sand paper and scuffed up the sides.

"There is no instinct like that of the heart!! "

*Yep, I missed the 2nd N in instinct... I knew it looked weird.. well I will either fix it or just read it the right way every time i look at it! *

Enjoy your new door hanger!

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Wild Card Wednesday: Snowflake Art

2012-01-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

This was so much fun to make and I LOVE IT!!!!!

I made mine in December and I am leaving it up for January.

I found this canvas at the DI for $2 Cute....

I have a red wall in my family room and we had some left over paint so that is what I used.

I did about 3 layers just enough so that the picture did not show through.

Let it dry all the way

I found these foam snowflakes at the dollar store I got 4 packs and had leftovers so it will depend on the size of your canvas.

Lay them out in the pattern that you want before you start to glue them down.

I used my hot glue gun and went to town.

When you have them all glued on, you will have some that are hanging off. You will want to take your scissors and cut the extra off.

Make sure all the tips of the snowflakes are glued down and you now have an AMAZING master piece.

I put mine on my fire place mantel, you could also put it on a shelf or you could hang it on the wall.

You could also do this with any design and any color for a different holiday or to have up all the time. The sky is the limit. HAVE FUN CRAFTING!

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Sweet Tooth Tuesday: Peanut Butter Stuffed Cupcakes

2012-01-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

A while ago, while blog stalking, I came across this recipe and have been wanting to try it. The dessert genius at How Sweet It Is is the one responsible for it, I just made a few changes. The main reason I wanted to make this is because the past few treats I've made have been ones that I like, but my hubby doesn't necessarily share the same enthusiasm for. So I decided to make a treat for him. Can you go wrong with a guy when you put chocolate and peanut butter butter together? Nope! (at least not with my guy =) ) Just fair warning...this cupcake will make any attempt at dieting null and void.

1 1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. cocoa
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. heavy cream
2 tbsp. sour cream
1/2 c. butter, melted

Frosting
1/4 c. butter
1/3 c. peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 -2 c. powder sugar
1-2 tbsp. milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine sugar, milk and cream until creamy. Add in butter and vanilla. Add egg. in a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, and baking soda. Add to wet mixture. Mix until no lumps left. Line cupcake pan with liners and fill each one 2/3 full. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Let cupcakes cool before frosting and filling.

To make frosting, combine butter and peanut butter until creamy. Add vanilla. Mix in powder sugar until it reaches the desired thickness. Let it mix for a few minutes until creamy. If it's too thick, add some milk, a tsp at a time, if it's too runny, add some more powder sugar.

In the top of the cupcake, cut a small hole, about the size of a dime out, remove top. Either using a decorating bag and a tip or spoon it, fill with peanut butter frosting. Replace top of the hole you cut and cover the cupcake with frosting. I don't like gobs of frosting and this frosted and filled 12 cupcakes, but if you are a frosting-aholic, double the recipe.

Combine 1/2 c. chocolate chips and 1 tbsp shorting and melt. Drizzle over the cupcakes and enjoy! Make sure you have a tall glass of cold milk handy, you'll need it

Print Recipe

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Munchkin Monday: Valentine Mailboxes

2012-01-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

Valentines Day is coming up! Yes, I am excited!!! And not because I am expecting flowers or chocolate (although hubby if you are reading this post I would love them!) I absolutely love celebrating the holidays with children. There are so many fun ideas and creative projects that are out there (thank you Pinterest), and I delight in seeing the excitement in my daughter's eyes.

We have LOTS of Valentines plans this year. One of the new traditions we are starting is sending each other love notes throughout the month of February. I found these cute mailboxes in the dollar section at Target and I already had the pink mailbox letters.

Although the letters have a sticky back, I added a little krazy glue to ensure they would stay. So far so good....

I put the finished mailbox on some candlestick holders. I think they turned out really cute and I am excited to start using them! And the entire project cost me three bucks- while the messages that will be left inside of them will be priceless :)

Cheesy, I know.

Happy Valentines Day!

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Foodie Friday: Homemade Mac-n-Cheese

2012-01-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Homemade Mac-n-Cheese

This is one of my favorite comfort foods! My Mom would make this all of the time growing up & I have never liked the stuff out of the blue box. Real cheese please =) Not saying anything bad about the box kind, my kids like it & I will feed it to them for lunch sometimes, but this definitely tops it! And my entire family loves it...double bonus there!

Here's the Recipe:

Homemade Mac-n-Cheese

One package noodles (any kind)

4 Tablespoons butter or margarine

1 small onion diced

4 Tablespoons flour

1/2 Teaspoon salt

1/2 Teaspoon Pepper

2 cups milk

2 cups shredded cheese

Cook noodles & set aside.
In a saucepan melt butter and saute onions. Add flour, salt, & pepper. Mix it up.
In the same pan add 2 cups of milk (Any kind will do. I usually use skim because that is what we have on hand.). Heat over medium heat and stir pretty constant so the milk doesn't scorch.
When the sauce has thickened add the cheese and let it melt.
Pour noodles into a casserole dish and pour the cheese sauce over them. Mix it up & top with a little bit of paprika (It's just adds a bit of color & makes it pretty).
Bake @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

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DIY Thursday: Valentine Topiary

2012-01-19T07:10:00.000-07:00

I have a shelf that I want to be my seasonal shelf, but the thing is, it needs something tall with every season to be "right." So why not make a Valentine Topiary? It is super easy and super cute!

What do I need to make this?

felt (about 1/3 yd)

Dowel

Straight pins with flat tops

scrapbook paper

metal bucket (Joann's)

Ribbon

3 inch Styrofoam ball

Styrofoam for the bottom

Moss

I used the inside of our duct tape to trace a TON of circles!

Stack your felt layers 2-3 thick and start cutting your circles. If you have a die cutter or a Cricut expression or Silhouette cutter then go ahead and use those. Sadly, I don't have those :(

Now, fold your circles into 4ths and start pinning them ALL over your Styrofoam ball. When I first started pinning I was pushing them together really tight. Then I had to go back and pull half out because I didn't like the spacing. If you don't want to use pins and you want to skip straight to hot glue, go ahead but remember you can't edit and rearrange the felt if you glue it onto the ball.

TADA!!

Okay, now take your dowel and paint it whatever color you want and stick it in the bottom of your ball!

Take your metal bucket and cover it with your paper (getting around the handle is tricky you need to trace the best you can) use modge podge to attach the paper to the bucket. If you are lucky and can find a cute Valentine bucket then you are golden. None of the ones I could find were cute and I loved the quote on this paper so I was sold and stuck covering my own bucket :)

My bottom as you can see is the florist foam because it was the size I wanted and it was there! But if you are lucky to have just gotten a package and have left over Styrofoam from that then go for it! Cut it to size and drop it into your bucket. Stick your dowel into the foam, then cover with your moss (glue with hot glue).

Add any little embellishments you feel your bucket needs, like some fun ribbon tied around.

If you have any left over circles fold them in 4ths again and make yourself a cute hair clip. Each one uses 6-8 circles. Put 4 on the bottom making a circle. then stagger the next 2 and glue the insides together to keep it fluffed and cute.

Thanks and enjoy making your own. They are really rather quick. (I actually made 2)

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Valentine Subway Art * Sweetheart Banner * Feather Boa Wreath

Wild Card Wednesday: Guest Blogger: Every Creative Endeavor

2012-01-18T07:00:00.006-07:00

Hey Ya'll! This is Trinity. I am super excited about our Guest blogger this month! I met her when we were both down at Snow College (Go Badgers!). We were SBO's so we got to spend a lot time together.......and much of that time was late at night, in the student body offices, when we were supposed to be doing homework but more often than not involved snood, credit cards, and kazaa =) Even back in college she was super crafty and creative. She is one of the cutest girls I know. No matter what life heals her, she always keeps positive and keeps a smile on her face. I am super happy that she said she would do a post for us. (if you want to see a fantastic house remodel, check it out on her blog and you will be amazed!)

Hey Everyone! My name is Amanda and I the creator and author of
Every Creative Endeavor - A Blog for DIY Inspiration for Home and All Things Creative!
When I am not busy being a mom and a wife - I blog!
I started my blog a couple years ago to share some of the ideas that I had made and as a creative outlet for myself. I love being creative and making items for my home, family and friends. My husband and I work together as a team as we update and remodel our home and I share tutorials about that as well. I love to plan parties and get everything ready for them -and I love to share fun little tips that make being a wife and mom and sister and friend and neighbor a little easier!
Valentine's Day is just around the corner so I wanted to share a fun little
Valentine's Day project with you -

I have seen etching all over the place - but have never done it.

To be honest - for some reason - it sorta scared me a little bit -

How do you etch glass??

Weird, right? Because etching this was SO EASY!!

Like - really super duper easy -

First - you need to grab your supplies -

You will need:

champagne flutes

Etching cream
vinyl
and a paint brush

I bought my champagne flutes at Ikea - they were $5 for 6! That works great for me because we hardly ever use them and when we do my 2 year old likes to be in on the action too!

I used my silhouette and cut out the vinyl - if you don't have a vinyl cutter you can use an exacto knife or a die cut machine to cut out your shape.

Peel the vinyl carefully off it's backing and stick it onto your flute.

Now we start the etching process -

Simply brush on a think layer of the etching cream - lightly brushing it on.

Wait for about 5 minutes...

... then wash it off. Peel off your vinyl and your done!

See! I told you it was easy!!

This project only took me about 10 minutes tops -

Quick and easy - but so cute!!

Mine say Husband and Wife - perfect for Valentine's Day -

but you can make your's say whatever you want.

His & Hers

Your names
Nicknames

What will your Glass Valentine Day Flutes say?

Thanks so much for having me today!

I would love if you stopped by and said hello -
Some of my other projects include:

I hope you guys have a great week!!

Sweet Tooth Tuesday: S'more Stuffed Brownies

2012-01-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

I made these this summer, one of the favorite things for the summer is s'mores. Seriously, is there really anything much better? Crunchy graham cracker, warm, gooey marshmallow that you roasted yourself (and if you're anything like me you usually have to blow out the flames on it because you weren't paying attention and put it directly in flames, or wipe the ashes off because you dropped it on a log) and then add chocolate (what isn't good with chocolate?) and then another cracker. One of the best sandwiches ever invented!! Since not all of us are camp gurus (me) we don't get to partake of the s'more goodness the way it's meant to be enjoyed (sorry, a kitchen torch or a microwave aren't a substitute for a campfire) but how about we combine it with the goodness we can enjoy in our kitchens.....brownies!!! I am not the genius behind the original recipe, that is from one of my favorite cooks over at Picky Palate. I did take her recipe and change a few things. So here's my version : (if you want cute pictures of it, check out her site, otherwise, you're stuck with the ones I take using my phone =P )

Brownies

(or if you want to be lazy, use your favorite box mix and prepare as instructed on box)

2 cups sugar

1 3/4cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup baking cocoa

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 1/2 graham crackers

10-12 oz. mini marshmallows

half a bag of chocolate chips (or you can use Hershey's bar, but I like dark chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 8x8 pan with foil and spray with non-stick spray.

Combine the brownie ingredients and pour half into pan.

Cover with graham crackers

Cover crackers with chocolate chips, then add marshmallows.

Pour remaining brownie batter over top of marshmallows.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before cutting and serving. Trust me on this one! If you don't, then the chocolate comes oozing out and it's a big gooey (albeit delicious) mess. Restrain yourself and let it cool, or put it in the freezer (out of site, out of mind, right?) Once cool, cut and serve and enjoy!! You can then heat the individual pieces if you would like.

Put some marshmallow fluff on top and sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs or use Whitney's Marshmallow Frosting.

I need to add a little note....The first time I made these, I used the big marshmallows and thought they made them too gooey, so this time I made them using the small ones. I didn't get as much of the marshmallow taste as I wanted, so I think next time I make them, I will do a mix of both or possibly use marshmallow fluff, or if you make them and do it, please le me know how it worked for you. This is still one of my recipes that I am fiddling a bit with so be on the lookout for an update of it when I get it the way I want =)

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Munchkin Monday: ABC's of Church Coloring Book

2012-01-16T01:00:00.000-07:00

Many of us struggle to find ways to get our kids to sit through church. I wanted to share a coloring book I made for my daughter awhile ago. It went in her ABC quiet kit, and since this kit is for church- I thought it was fitting to make her the ABC's of church- ranging from A is for Amen, B is for Bishop to Y is for Yummy treats and Z is for Zipper (zip up those wiggles!)

Unfortunately my daughter is not interested in coloring. At all. So I am hoping someone else can enjoy this coloring book!! :) If you are a brave soul, it might be fun to insert these pages in a sheet protector and have your kids use dry erase markers or crayons to color the pages, that way it's an easy erase.

Just click here to download the entire A-Z alphabet book!!

Enjoy!

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Foodie Friday : Divine Chocolate Cake

2012-01-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

This is not the post that I originally had planned for today...But I couldn't resist posting it!

1 Devil's food cake mix
1 small instant chocolate pudding
1 c. Sour Cream
4 Beaten eggs
1/2 c. oil
3/4 c. water
1 bag semi sweet chocolate chips

*Preheat oven to 350.

1. Mix cake mix and pudding together in a large bowl.
2. Add sour cream, oil, water and eggs to the bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
3. Gently stir in chocolate chips last.
4. Pour mixture into a GREASED and GENEROUSLY FLOURED bundt pan (I used my pampered chef stoneware bundt! And it worked like a charm.)
5. Bake in pre-heated oven for 45-55 minutes.
6. Let the cake COOL COMPLETELY before taking it out of the pan.
7. Garnish with sifted powdered sugar and ENJOY!

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DIY Thursday: Ice wreath

2012-01-12T07:00:00.004-07:00

Ice Wreath

What you are going to need is:

Water

Bundt cake pan

Ribbon

Items to freeze in your wreath (for Christmas I used pine tree branches, pine cones, foam berries, lemon slices)

STEP 1: Fill your pan half way with water add some of your items and then freeze it

STEP 2: When the first layer is all frozen put the rest of your items in it and then fill it to the top with water. Freeze it will take longer then the first layer.

STEP 3: When your wreath is all frozen. Fill the sink with warm water and place the pan in for a min or 2 till it melts enough to come out.

STEP 4: Dump the ice out and put your ribbon through the hole and hang it somewhere outside.

This was a fun twist to a winter wreath. I really enjoyed mine until it got hot the other day....Now it is gone so I need to make a winter one.

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January Theme Challenge: Embroidery Floss

2012-01-11T08:00:00.007-07:00

Well I (Teresa) decided that because we have all made things with embroidery thread that I wanted to see some NEW fun ideas from my girls! Here are a few things I have made recently. I really do love floss and think it should be used often.

I gave each of our talented girls 3 fun colors and told them to get to work. If they didn't create something amazing I was going to hurt them all or just revoke their cupcake privileges! Thanks girls for giving me some new fun ideas I can't wait to try them.

Talented Terrace Girl #1:

Circle Earrings

I'm am so not a sewing kind of gal, but I LOVE earrings so I decided to make earrings using the embroidery thread that Teresa gave us! I had really fun making these and they are very easy to make. Vote for me and I will show exactly how to make these:)

Talented Terrace Girl #2:

Headband

I love any challenge that comes my way! Bring it on Teresa!!! I loved making friendship bracelets when I was younger and that's what inspired this headband. It was a lot of fun & super easy!!!

Talented Terrace Girl #3:
Fleece Sleeping Bags

Finally! Something I can actually do something with =) I actually had a few ideas for this one. I decided to do something for the kiddos. I saw this idea in a magazine and this was the perfect time to try it, especially since I gave them to the kids for Christmas. I used the floss to hand sew the butterfly and dinosaur onto the blanket.

(if you click on the pictures it will make them a bit easier

(to see the outline of floss around the edges and try to ignore the dog hair....it really likes to stick to fleece, and somehow got on the blankets even though the dog doesn't go in the kid's rooms)

Talented Terrace Girl #4:
Mini Light Globes

I had a lot of messy fun making these small hollow balls that are a perfect addition for small Christmas lights. I loved how they turned out SO much that I plan on making a whole bunch more!

Talented Terrace Girl #5:

Three Braid hair band

Want to make a cute head band for your little girl and I just might show you how to make a similar one for yourself if you give me the chance and help me WIN!

Talented Terrace Girl #6:

Painted Vases

I've seen this project floating around the internet and have been anxious to try it out. And although it's not perfect, I like the switch up for my table's centerpiece.

Talented Terrace Girl #7:
Scrapbook/Card Embellishment

Embroidery is a great embellishment to any project you might.have it just gives it an extra little kick.

Talented Terrace Girl #8:
Triangle Earrings

These earrings are super cute and easy. they are made with a household item and floss!

Now it's your turn to Vote!!!!
1 vote for each person (it wont count any multiple votes from the same computer)

Voting closes Tuesday Jan 17th 2012 at 12pm (yes that is noon)

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Sweet Tooth Tuesday: Homemade Butterfinger Bites

2012-01-10T08:00:00.001-07:00

I just made these for our New Years Eve party with family and everyone LOVED them. The are easy to make, but a little time consuming. You'll look at the ingredients and think this is a weird combination, but trust me they are delicious and surprisingly taste a lot like butterfingers!

Ingredients:
Box of cheezits or any other box of cheese crackers
peanut butter
chocolate candy coating

Spread some peanut butter on one side of a cracker. Grab another cracker and place on top. Dip in melted chocolate and cover completely. Set on a waxed cookie sheet and let cool. (if you put them in the freezer for like 5-10 minutes that's perfect) Enjoy.

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Munchkin Monday: Sweater Legwarmers

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law Tawnya showed me one of the most brilliant things to do with an old sweater. I'm sure many of you have seen this before, but since I had not....here goes:

Sweater legwarmers!

My girl loves to wear regular leggings and skirts to school. Never mind that it is 30 degrees out and she is freezing her skinny legs off! We were given a bunch of hand-me-downs and in this bag was a sweater that was too short.

I put it in a pile to give away and then inspiration struck....sweater legwarmers!

First I cut the arms off of the sweater (Don't worry, I have plans for the rest...nothing goes to waste!).

Then I just hand stitched a hem on the rough edge. I thought about doing an elastic cuff, but was feeling a little bit lazy...and distracted (Damon & Stefan from Vampire Diaries will do that to ya!).

Added a little bit of an embellishment and now my girly has roasty-toasty legs.

I'm thinking about making some for myself...now I just need to find the perfect sweater!

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Weaving Chain Stitch Video #1

Scarf week 2012:Yarn Scarfs with a twist

2012-01-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

I am really getting into the scarfs this winter, sadly there is NO snow which makes me very very sad. Maybe my little family should move up to Alaska, because then I would have a chance to actually wear and use my fun scarfs. I even tried wearing the fun purple one (from this post) today and it was still too warm! I was getting too hot and had to take it off :(

I found the basic ideas for these scarfs on pinterest, which led me to the Martha Stewart website. I loved that they use YARN but NO crocheting or knitting because quite honestly, I am crappy at both those mediums. I do love counted crosstitching which is time consuming and you have to count, but with crocheting I can never keep count, keep my stitches even and I have never cared enough to learn it well :) I have family and friends who LOVE it and I can appreciate their hard work and warm blankets, but for me I will find other ways to use the yarn!

Okay, first, I am going to teach you how to make the thick, soft purple scarf. Go to your local craft store and buy some fat and soft yarn. (50yds). I bought only 25 yds the first time and had to go back to my Hobby Lobby and buy a second skein. This scarf is my most expensive one because each skein was $6.99, so it was $14. Now if you bought yours on sale you could greatly reduce the cost. Unfortunately for me, I went on an impulse buying day. Maybe that makes me lucky though, because I got some SWEET yarn!! Okay, okay, I will get on track now.... 50 yds of yarn.

Cut the yarn into 140-inch pieces. You will need 12 cut pieces. Yes, you really use it all and it isn't too long (like my black one was). Look at the picture under this and see how I grouped them into 3 strands for each one? I used painters tape and secured it to my cutting mat. I choose to use my mat so I could make sure my SQUARE KNOTS were even. Yes, this whole things is with square knots that is all. I also measured the difference between mine. I taped them inside 1 inch and spaced them with an inch in between. . DO NOT START AT AN END!!!!! start in the MIDDLE!! I know that may sound weird but it means you have less yarn to pull through each time you tie a knot and it will make your process much much quicker and less frustrating.

I started from the outside and tied the square knot. Right over left, left over right. If you have a square knot correct it wont slip all around. Now go down, tying alternating between 2 on the outside and the inner 2 tied together. The inside gets used quicker than the outer 2 so when you are done just trim the ends to your liking. I liked the jagged not really matching ends.

Here I am taking my own pics and trying to show off the scarf. I edited it to whitewash me out so you could focus on just the scarf! And this helped to see the ties better

Okay after my husband heard what I was making he said, "I know how to do a weaving chain. What if we could do that and tie it the same way and use the basic yarn (cheaper) and still have a fun scarf." So of course I said yes!! I wanted to see what my husband meant by a weaving chain.

Here is the weaving chain scarf:

After going to the store again, my man (Scott) grabs the yarn and with a little instruction from my mom on how to get it pulled out of the skein, He dove right in and started weaving.

Quote from Scott, "To start, you use your left hand, and have the yarn wrap around your middle finger. The tail should be about 6 inches, and it should be on the side your thumb is on. Then, wrap 1 loop around your three fingers, starting on the index finger side, and ending around your ring finger. You will only have one loop to pull, from your middle finger. When you do another wrap from index to ring finger, and then you will have 3 loops to use until you are done."

Then he would wrap and pull the bottom up and over the fingers and then wrap the yarn again. Does that make any sense? Huh you say?? Well I said the same thing as he explained it to me. So I took a video of him doing a couple of stitches.

I hope this helps you understand the weaving if not leave a comment and I will explain it better (I hope)

For now it is on my photobucket until I can either do youtube or get my husband to fix it for me!!

One nice thing about my husband making my chains, besides the obvious of him doing the work and not me, he has these big MAN fingers so the stitches were really big (like using a big hook!) and each wrap stitch is 1 inch for him. The chains were really quick for him to whip out

because these chains were fat and airy. We decided that we would try it with just 4 chains at 140 inches long just like the purple one, and that should be enough. (as I was tying the blue one I realized doing this with 5 or 6 wide might be really nice as these are thinner than the purple) All 4 chains ready to tie into a scarf. When you complete the chains you need to go back and secure the ends. As Scott would say "just tie a fishing hook knot!" WHAT?! Ya, I said the same thing so here is a second video so you can see how he ends it

Fishing Hook Knot Video

Tape them down again!

And off I go with my tying!

Your inside strands are going to run out quicker than your outside so you can make your inners 5-10 inches longer than the outer 2, or as you are tying them you can kind of pull a fast one on the yarn and get them to switch sides (kind of tricky).

Here are the 2 piled together so you can see the thickness difference.

Enjoy! Good luck getting your husbands to use their man fingers to weave you a couple of chains too!

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