Fig Newtons

Hi, I bought a package of Fig Newtons yesterday and they come in a new package. The bottom of the package would make some fine Tudor windows. It has a diamond pattern molded into it and we could paint or use permanent markers to make that look like leading. Look at the bottom of other cookie packaging for the diamond pattern. Good reason for buying cookies, "I just had to have the package for the windows in the new house I'm building! Munch, Munch."

In the produce department cherry tomatoes come in green plastic baskets. Some of them have a Gothic pointed arch pattern. They are good, too. They make good mullions for windows and if you are into building chairs, you can use parts of the pattern for the chair backs. The part between the sides and under the top rail.

Talk to you all later! Kris

Getting Sidetracked

Getting Sidetracked 

I feel as if I was the worst possible person to talk about the subject of time management unless you want to know how I get back on track when I find myself having fallen off the deep end and buried with too much to do. I tend to be one of those type A's who can't stop doing whatever it is that they are into, until it's done and done well. It's all or nothing with me, apart from the Lord's grace.

Read more »

Thomas' Liquid Stainless Steel Craft Kit

Hi Miniaturists!

I was at a beautiful paint and wallpaper store in Edwardsville, IL. Their wallpaper book section looked like a library! I love the little sample paint pots, don't you? On to the purpose of the post: Thomas's Liquid Stainless Steel Craft Kit. I saw this on the self and wished I had had this when I was making the kitchen for the corner cabinet. I used Rustoleum Stainless Spray Paint. Wasn't too happy with it, but I thought that was I had to choose from. The web site is: www.liquidstainlesssteel.com It shows how to do it. My store had a kit that would do a toaster size project, plenty for us. It makes me want to redo the kitchen, but I am having too much fun making the upholstered furniture!

Have to say "Hi" to Lotti, and thank you. Lotti is a miniaturist from Germany. She purchased the navy wing settee from the CDHM site.

My chicks are growing and will be making the transition to outside soon. They won't be laying eggs until late August or September. I cleaned out their pen today and I always put them into a big box to stay in while I clean. They don't stay in it very well anymore. They jump up onto the side and down onto the floor. Today I had about 5 walking around while the others were sitting on the edge of the box. Ginger, the bunny, got involved but wasn't impressed. They didn't care about him and wouldn't move when he nudged them. Then Zeus, my cat, jumped over the door and he was interested in all the movement. Oh, what fun. He was soon shoooed out.

Talk to you all later . . . . . . . . . Kris

Jacob and Jasmine win 3rd place at NCFCA's Colorado Nat. Open!

Jacob and Jasmine win 3rd place...missed finals by 1 ballot!  (Split 2-3) against Paul-Walkenhaur! This was an absolutely wonderful trip. We drove for 14 days!!!  .... from Texas...to New Mexico for the Chili Qualifier...to Leadville, Colorado where the kids went skiing at Ski Cooper...to the Colorado National Open.. and home again!  Finding out that they are now qualified for the NCFCA National competition in Virginia this summer was the best news of all. And Jacob and I had a wonderful time!

Read more »

Why do I home school?

Sometimes, I get a really good question or comment that I think is worthy of chatting about here at Comin' Home. When I answer, these I label them "From the Heart". These are personal opinions of my own which you are, of course, free to ignore..isn't that true of anyone's opinions? But, it is my blog, so I do get the unction to occasionally 'wax eloquent' on a topic of my choice. :o)

Today, I'd like to answer the question...Why do you homeschool?







Read more »

Friday's Show and Tell at Comin' Home

This week's Show and Tell includes several entries from Trudy's Artistic Mother's Art group which is working through Shona's "The Artistic Mother" book.  I knew everyone would enjoy seeing the beautiful work each of these women are doing....There are also several great entries from followers and friends. Enjoy!

Chore Chart by  Bethany Kartchner

Read more »

Donkeys!

Hi everybody! I know I haven't put anything new up on the blog lately, sorry. My husband and I have adopted 2 donkeys from the Missouri Humane Society. We are getting them settled in. I am finishing an order and have 2 more to go. I have a project planned and I am trying to get that worked out in my head.

Just a little tip for the spring mini gardens: Use color photo-copies of leaves from seed and plant catalogs for your leaves. Scan them in and resize and print. You will have to color in the backs, but they look very good.

TTYL Kris

Finding the Time, Space and Money to Sew

 Sewing...the most useful hobby in the world!
One of the things I regret most is that so many people do not get to enjoy the pleasure and the benefits of sewing. So many things in our home can be sewn rather than purchased.  Think about all of the items in your home that can be or are made of fabric...bedding, furniture covers, pillows, tablecloths, curtains, clothing, purses, tote bags, toys, journals, gift items and much more! Think of the sense of accomplishment you would feel if you could make all these things yourself. You  would not be left to the mercy of stuff-mart's limited selections or a department store's prices.   

Not only can sewing help you provide for the needs of your home more inexpensively, but you can add that special 'touch' that uniquely represents your decorating style. This is something that you simply cannot buy in a store.And anything you make is going to be of better quality construction and fabric.

I get one of these four responses every single time I mention how wonderful it is to sew.

• It's too expensive. People say that by the time you pay for fabric and a pattern, you could have purchased the same item several times over on clearance. 
• They don't have enough time.
• They don't have enough space.
• Their sewing machine doesn't work well. The bobbin is messed up or it skips a stitch.

I used to say the same exact thing every time I saw my sister's five girls in new dresses that she had sewn herself. Ditto for her pillow shams, curtains, tablecloths, couch pillows etc. She sewed for herself, for my children, for friends and on and on.  

Rather than run to the store, she ran to the sewing machine!  

All I could think of was the $16.00 patterns and $6.00/yard fabric plus $1.73 for thread, $1.24 for zipper, and the .65 cents for buttons. In my mind, every dress, pair of pants, or shirt would cost a minimum of $32.00 plus tax! If you are thinking that, then I hope this article will give you a new perspective on the art and feasibility of sewing. 

Can't Afford to Sew? Think again!

Stocking Up on Clearance Fabric
My daughter and I sew regularly...always planning ahead for the next clothing or household item needed (like seasonal items, gifts, or a party dress).  We have the same mindset when buying cloth and patterns that many of you do when you buy clothes.

..we stock up while patterns are on sale and the seasonal cloth is on clearance.  

Every fall, winter, spring, or summer, seasonal fabric is put on sale at local fabric stores.  It's at exactly the same time that clothes go on sale.  We buy our fabric for $1.00 to $3.00 a yard.  A summer blouse need not cost any more than $3.00 if you have a couple of stylish patterns on hand (purchased at a $1.00 each on sale).

We stock up on fabric once every season--stuff that we like...for skirts, blouses, capris, or just because we love it! Not a whole lot but a few yards of good solid basics--summer cotton prints and twills, knits, denims, khaki, and guazy or silky stuff for nice skirts.  Then we store it in a cubby hole shelf divided by fabric type, until needed. (My sister used an old dresser for the same purpose.) A tower drawer organizer works too. Don't overstock--keep good fabric not stuff you know you won't use! And don't forget to sign up for emails or newsletters from your closest fabric stores. I save my coupons every month just in case I have a sudden fabric need. That's at least 40% off!

Fabric from Re-fashioning
We also save old dresses, curtains, jeans, shirts, tablecloths etc. rather than throw them out, and sort them according to fabric type once we are tired of them in their current form. Later, we 're-fashion' them. Thrift stores sell fabric, clothes, and tablecloths and throws very cheap...lots of great fabric!  We save our scraps to make small gift items..hair scrunchies, yo-yo's for embellishments, tote bags, fabric bows for gifts, journal covers, drawstring gift bags etc. (appliques too!)--not to mention for the time honored scrap quilt for the last bits!

 Cheap or Free Patterns 
 We also stock up  on patterns that are stylish but simple. They cover the basics...blouses with variations, skirts, and capris or shorts, and a dress or two. We spent $14.00 total one summer and got seven patterns each (with lots of options) and have been sewing for the last few years off of these.  

If we need something specific, now, we buy the $1.99 It's So Easy patterns from Simplicity...

or something along those lines. You don't get as many options, but you do get a cheap pattern for what you need, when you need it.  Also, thrift stores sell patterns too at great prices I might add! And if you are really desperate, check out my post on how to make a pattern from a favorite blouse or skirt, without ripping it apart! That costs nothing but the paper you trace the pieces onto!

Cheap Sewing Machine
Craig's List to the Rescue!  Thrift stores are GREAT! You can't imagine how cheaply I bought my super wonderful sewing machine--a Euro Pro. (It's wonderful because it is heavier duty than most machines and I sew a lot of heavy duty fabric.) It was $35.00 plus had eight additional feet..gatherer, hemming, blind stitch etc. Sewing machines are almost universally cheap on Craig's list.  And thrift stores are overrun with perfectly useable sewing machines.

You don't need an expensive machine.

I used a basic Singer for years.  I sewed ball gowns, wedding dresses, convention booth tablecloths, furniture covers, dress pants, worship banners and quilts...using nothing but a basic, plain Jane machine.  You need to be able to sew a straight stitch, zig-zag and a button hole. You need a zipper foot. You need heavy needles for leather and denim, light needles for satin or light knit, and medium size needles for cotton etc.  You can monogram and applique with a zig-zag stitch. Almost any machine will do what you need!

Number One FIX for a 'broken' Sewing Machine  I am not a sewing machine repair person, but I have almost NEVER found a sewing machine that I couldn't fix!  I once taught 14 girls and moms how to sew. At least six of their machines weren't working well.  What was wrong?  Simple, the bobbin thread had gotten jammed up underneath or the machine was incorrectly threaded.  Whenever I have a problem, even with my own machine....

The first thing I do is RE-THREAD IT!  

This is especially true if the thread is breaking or the wheel won't turn.  Often, the bobbin case get's jammed with bunched up thread. Pull the whole thing out, pull out all the loose threads inside. Re-thread the bobbin and re-thread the spool of thread on the top. Then see if it doesn't fix the problem.  Also, make sure the tension is set on 5 or the middle and that the stitch witdth is set on 3.  Then oil your machine in all the holes.  So far, only one machine out of the 18 machines of my friends that I have looked at, could not be fixed doing these things.

 

But Donna, I don't have TIME to sew!  Okay, if you have babies or toddlers, I'm not going to fuss at you. I do know that my sister did find time even while all five of her girls were aged baby to 11yr. old. And I'm a busy mom homeschooling two teenagers, helping a college aged daughter through her daily needs, and have been babysitting a grandchild on a weekly basis. I sew for friends at church, family, and my own needs. We do several outside activities as well. So I am very busy!  

I sew at night instead of watching movies!

One writer of a homemaking book once said that 

The biggest part of any job was the GET READY time and the PUT AWAY and CLEANUP time. 

 That is the key to finding time to sew!  I didn't manage to find time to sew, until I made a permanent place to do it.  The best sewing table is a small two to four drawer DESK--again, from Craig's list! I paid $20.00 for my sewing 'desk'. The file cabinet is full of patterns--and that is all the patterns I need--only current trendy ones, plus patterns for curtains, other home furnishings and baby gift items or clothes.  The top left drawer is for the current sewing project ( so you can put it away when you aren't working on it.) The other two to three drawers on the left are for scissors, thread, buttons, stitch witchery, notions, interfacing, bobbins and other sewing items. Use drawer dividers!

If you use a regular desk for sewing, 

all can be out of sight but convenient...

not too tempting to little hands or distracting, regardless of what room you put the desk in.  Make a nice fabric cover for the machine so it doesn't distract from the room. Dining rooms are the best place for sewing--because you have a table right there for working on! Bedrooms work great too, just get a 40%off coupon and go buy a cardboard cutting board that covers the whole bed for $6.00. Tuck it under the bed when you are through cutting out the pieces. Put the pieces in the drawer and it's all out of sight for the evening.  Put it in the den so you can sew while everyone else is watching a movie...they don't need the room pitch black to watch a movie.  It's bad strain on the eyes anyway. :o)
                                              

Remember, though, that if you can leave part of your project out on the desk, it will help you want to keep working on it too!  If you have to get out your sewing machine and put it on the table and pull out the sewing box from the closet, and hunt for a good pair of scissors, and go buy cloth and a pattern--at full price--you will never have the time, money or space to sew!

Pick Easy Patterns--They take less time! 
I was such a dummy, always picking elaborate things to sew...super fancy dresses, skirts with pockets, zippers and buttons! I don't know why! One summer, though, I needed a bunch of clothes fast..for a trip to Hawaii.  I went and bought a simple skirt, capris, shorts and blouse pattern and made several variations of each. With a friend's help surging seams, we made eight clothing items in one day!

The patterns were easy..that was the trick. 

  A skirt, shorts, blouse, or capris can easily take less than an hour to make! Try Kwik-sew or It's So Easy--You can make your own clothes in a jiffy! You can certainly make one of these items in the time it takes the family to watch a movie. :o)

Why go to all this trouble? 
Because a nice dress costs at least $15.00 even on sale, fabric gifts made from scraps cost almost nothing, curtains, couch pillows cost a fortune. And store-bought clothes are often low on fabric and not worth the clearance price  you paid for them...flimsy and poorly designed.

Can't Sew? Take lessons!
Any fabric store will have teachers and it will be a great investment in a hobby that is more far reaching and practical in it's scope than any that I know of and more rewarding than I can even begin to describe. If you have kids, sign up together!  You'll be glad you did! And if you can't afford lessons, at least start with a super easy project...like a tube skirt or pillow cover. Then work your way up to more difficult projects. I learned most of what I know by sewing. Patterns are great teaching tools!

If you will set up a permanent place that allows you to put everything out of sight, so that sewing is EASY...

you will find both the time and money to sew! I promise!

Just a little 'Howdy' from Leadville, Colorado

Dear Readers,
I just had to write a little note to say "Howdy" and thank all of you who have signed up to follow my blog recently. I was so surprised and blessed! :o) As you know, I have been on the road with my 17 yr. old son, Jacob, and some friends since March 17th and the opportunities to send a post or comment etc. have been very few and far between.

The internet just isn't that great at 11,500 ft!

And it is rather embarrassing to climb through to the back of the closet of a nice hostess trying to find the WPA number off of their router box. Karyn was quite willing, but it still didn't work.

I've had a few opportunities to get online, but not many. Occasionally, I would work offline and then save the posts to publish when I got 30 minutes here or there.

As most of you know, I love posting helpful homemaking articles, my latest sewing project,  how to's for a new sewing or craft project, home cooking.

And I love sharing some of the many talks I've given at workshops over the years on home organizing, cleaning and even home education.

I also love visiting your blogs and seeing your latest creations or what's going on with you!  I have to say I have missed you all so much! It's just not  real 'southern hospitality' to have visitors over and not get to say thanks and drop by for a visit myself!

  Jacob and I are having a wonderful time on this special road trip for him with the two debate tournaments and a ski trip sandwiched in the middle.....

but I look forward to getting home again and spending a nice evening making the acquaintance of all my new visitors too.

We will be headed home this Sunday. I'll be sure to do some return visiting early next week. Until then...I'll drop a note now and then here at Comin' Home.

I did want to say thanks so much for all the sweet comments--I really appreciate them!

And thanks so much for coming by!
Donna

 PS.  I learned a great photography tip that I wanted to share with you, just in case your are headed out on a trip any time soon.  I discovered that if I zoom in as close as the camera will allow and then take all those pictures of the beautiful panoramic scenes whizzing past the car, I get much more 'picturesque' scenes.

I took all of these photos while my friend Peggy drove through the mountains from New Mexico to Colorado. They just turned out so much better zoomed in!

Then you don't have to crop them later and the resolution is much better. Give it a try on your next trip and tell me how you like it.

Fabric Journal Covers

I have to let you in on a secret addiction.....Journals!! I love them even though I never write in a journal...at least not like a diary. But I often need to write things down...lists, songs, poems, lists, sermon notes, measurements for a quick alteration for someone at church. I love planning on paper. I just can't do it on the computer.  The problem is that I can't afford to buy one every time I want one. I'm just a sucker for a pretty journal.

One day a couple of months ago, I was feeling like I needed a little 'cheerer upper' and having no available funds to 'buy' something, thought...hmmm...maybe I could make something with all my scraps around the house.

I have a favorite journal that Kristy Bailey and her daughters made that is a composition book covered in chicken paper with an orange spine. (They know I love chickens!) Well it was falling apart and I needed a replacement.

And here it is... of course..one thing leads to another!  I thought that one might be a little bright for taking notes at church on Sunday...so I made one that was a little bit more elegant. I used the scraps from one of my favorite blouses to make this one.


The pictures look like they aren't square but they really are perfectly fitting to the standard composition book. The bottom one doesn't have the book in it though. It stretches a little so the cover fits snug.

We made a all purple one for Rebekah's friend, Laura Strack, and a mini covered book to match. The little one is the perfect size to carry in a purse.

Rebekah's black journal cover is sleeker looking. She doesn't like floo-floo which is hard for me to comprehend.   I plan to make quite a few with tapestry covers that have less floo-floo, but plenty of texture. With all the costumes I have made, I have lots of left over cloth like that.This one really is a little wider at the end. I tried to do some top stitching per her request but it made it bulkier.  I'm afraid I have to learn by doing and that was a mistake I won't make twice. :o) I also have made some fake leather ones in tan and plan to do some black velvet and brown suede ones as well. 

The rectangle that I cut for my journals was long enough to cover the outside and the inside (front and back) of the 5x 8 composition book. I made sure it was wide enough to leave a 3/8" seam allowance on the top and bottom.Then I folded the ends right sides together almost to the center (to make flaps) and stitched down the top and bottom edges on both sides. I embellished with ribbon and sewed things on while the rectangle was still flat.

I love the idea of doing quilted scraps for a cover, or tapestry. There are so many options!  If you do a search on journal covers you will be amazed at all the tutorials available for sew and no-sew. Here are a couple of links to tutorials that I liked.   I didn't make side pockets for mine. I just kept it simple and cut out one long rectangle and hemmed the short ends.  I couldn't find the instructions that I followed when I made these. (I do know there were no pictures.) When I get home, I will definitely do a tutorial though, because I've yet to find one as easy as mine that is still reuseable. I can't find a really simple pattern that shows what I did, so I'll have to do my own tutorial sometime soon. For now, here are lots of options..both sew and no-sew.  This is such a fun project, you will find yourself making lots of them!

Sew a Fabric Notebook Cover
Not Much Sewing Fabric Cover

Jasmine and Jacob win 2nd Place at NCFCA's Chile Qualifier in New Mexico!

Jacob and Jasmine place 2^nd at Chile Qualifier in New Mexico! and Jacob won 2nd speaker position! Jasmine also won 11th speaker team policy speaker position. Peggy and I are so proud of them! Their good friends, Ben and Laura won third place. It was very exciting for all of us.  Just thought you'd like to see some pictures from the Speech and Debate Tournament we just attended in Farmington, New Mexico.

Jacob and his partner, Jasmine, debate their good friends, Laura and Ben in preliminary rounds.

Jacob, Truitt, and Jasmine along with the rest of the kids, wait for announcements.

Preparing to debate.. the tournament was in a church..some of the tables were a wee bit small...

Some of us moms finally got a break from judging and could hang out with the kids for a little while. Peggy, Teresa and I are pictured here.

Jacob and Jasmine greet the judges..before “Finals”. This will be the last debate of the tournament to decide who gets first and second place.

Preparing arguments for the next speech...

Jacob takes notes while Jasmine gives the opening speech.. Jacob always gives the closing speech.

Everyone at the tournament watches the Finals round. It's very interesting to watch!

See you in Colorado!

Getting our Kicks on Route 66!

There is not a whole lot to see on the way to Farmington, New Mexico, but we did manage a few tiny stops along the way.

The best thing was getting to actually see and touch the very cadillacs that I appliqued in my Route 66 quilt! I'd forgotten that they were just down the road from our first hotel stop in Amarillo! I was thrilled!!

Jacob took this picture for me somewhere on the long, straight, tedious road to Amarillo...Isn't it perfect?

The scenery did eventually start to improve...but 287 is a long highway through Texas..I was glad when we headed off on I40 into New Mexico!  We made one pit stop for lunch on Route 66!! I always detour a little if I get a chance to drive on part of it.

So far, we've driven parts in New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri.  Gotta drive some part of the California part one of these days! This is classic!

Ahh...now we're seeing some snow..we must be getting up higher in altitude!

And higher...

Now this is what I call 'snow'! Jacob really wanted to take a little hike in it...so we did. (I napped in the car!)

We finally got to Farmington, safe and sound.  It's mostly rocky cliffs and snow..not much to look at..but you know, we didn't come here to sight see!