Crafts Catch-up

I just wanted to catch up on a few things while I'm using my parent's computer.
I made this for my sis-in-law to keep all those pesky neighbor kids from ringing the doorbell.

My other sis-in-law is getting married in May. I've been practicing glass etching to jazz up her pyrex.

And of course more cricuting led me to this:

Computers

I get a camera so I can finally start posting all my projects, and our computer crashes. Well, our laptop that we have been using because we don't want to pay the $650 to fix our iMac. I'm posting from my parent's house now.

We finally decided to get the Mac fixed if our tax return allows. Fingers crossed!

Deardenland Sign

MIL gave this sign to FIL a couple years ago for Christmas. You've got to remember that my in-law's are obsessed with Disneyland. And now that I've been, I've become a little obsessed too:) So I wanted to give DH a similar sign for Christmas. MIL and I went to the boutique that made the sign for her. They told us they no longer had the Walt Disney font (we later found out they did) and that they wouldn't do a multi-colored sign. This frustrating event lead MIL to buy a Cricut so we could do it ourselves! YAY!!!!And with Sure Cuts A Lot, I was able get the perfect font.

Like I said, I wanted our sign to be similar, but not the same. DH decided he wanted the sign to look like this:

so I ended up with this:

Pillows!

I have been wanting a black leather couch for months. I'm too practical to go out and buy a new one, so I diligently watched for one on KSL. After a few weeks I gave up then one morning I just thought to check. I found a FREE black leather couch about 15 minutes away from us. I called and the lady said I could have it! Patience really pays off!

The couch wasn't perfect but DH fixed the structural problem. So it was time for new pillows! For this pillow, I used Make It- Love It's tutorial, found here.

And for this pillow, I used Just Another Hangup's tutorial, found here.

There is a downside to this story is that I foolishly left my purse in my car while I was helping DH bring our new couch into the house, then I forgot about it. The next morning the bank called to verify some strange transactions, and, you guessed it, someone broke into my car and stole my wallet. It has been a nightmare trying to replace everything, but it's also been a blessing in disguise, so I really can't complain.

Hallelujah!

My parent's got me a camera for Christmas! YAY!!! I really wasn't expecting it but I'm having so much fun! DH got me Sure Cuts A Lot for Christmas so I've been having a blast labeling EVERYTHING!

Now I'll have to play catch-up and post all the things I've made over the last few months.

Play apron and oven mitt

After watching how much DD loved playing with a real oven mitt, I just had to make one so I unwrapped her apron and whipped up a quick oven mitt to go with it. (Fabric from Hobby Lobby)

The oven mitt isn't the best but I just free-handed it in about 2 minutes.

BTW, the apron pattern was incredibly easy. I borrowed it from my neighbor. She bought it at Wal-Mart. It's McCall's M5720 if anyone is interested.

Cleaning Tips & Recipes

A while back, I showed the Relief Society in a friends ward how to make homemade laundry soap. They handed out a packet with some other great cleaning tips and I can never find the packet when I need it, so I'm posting it here.

All Purpose Cleaner:
1/4 gallon warm water
1/2 cup ammonia
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup alcohol
Empty squirt bottle

Mix ingredients and put in squirt bottle. Use to clean and sanitize hard surfaces in the home. Keeps well in the bottle for an extended period of time.

Wall Cleaning Solution:
1 cup ammonia
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cups soda (I assume that means baking soda)

Mix with 1 gallon water. Use on wall surfaces other than flat paint.

Homemade Windex:
2 TBSP non-sudsy ammonia
1 tsp. dish washing soap
1 pint rubbing alcohol
Blue food coloring (optional)

Mix in one-gallon container. Fill remaining space in container with cold water. Wipe windows clean with newspaper.



TIPS:

-Wipe bathroom and kitchen fixtures, stoves, etc. with rubbing alcohol.

-Freshen pillows, bedspread, quilts and blankets by periodically placing then in the dryer on a no heat cycle to reduce the need for laundering. The same thing can be done for draperies and curtains.

-Remove ball point pen marks by spraying first with hairspray.

-To whiten and brighten colors, soak in plastic container for 8 hours in water with dish detergent then launder normally. For badly grayed towels, etc. soak longer.

-Was windows from left to right on inside and top to bottom on outside. If there are streaks, you will know which side they are on. Don't wash windows with sun directly on them. THey dry too fast and streak.

-Clean windows with water and polish with newspaper. They will sparkle from the glycerin in the newsprint. They will also shine with 1 cup ammonia and 1/2 cup vinegar in 1 gallon hot water.

-Ovens- Place 1/2 cups ammonia in a dish in a closed oven or soak small towel in ammonia and place in closed oven overnight to loosen grease and soil. In the morning, wash.