The Doctor's Scarf

I hire out my knitting skills, mostly to people in my church, and my latest project was the fourth doctor's scarf (from BBC's long-running show Dr. Who)...here is the original (note: it's between 12 and 14 feet long).

Isn't it hilarious, in the most awful way? Those colors...

The scarf turned out even more gloriously than I expected!

All in all, I'm pretty thrilled with it! It took FOREVER to make and was quite the conversation-starter when I would take my knitting with me. 

Blessings,

Hannah =)

Slow Cooker Applesauce

Ever since I got my little (seriously, the thing is TINY) slow cooker in December, I've been dying to begin trying out different recipes that require only throwing ingredients in and turning the knob. Today, I made applesauce--it's delicious, no sugar added, and oh-so-simple!

For my 1 1/2 quart slow cooker:

--About 3 large apples (I prefer granny smith, but if you want sweeter without the sugar go for a different variety)

--Cinnamon

Peel, core, and slice the apples, then cut each slice in half. Fill slow cooker pot to the brim with the apples, then sprinkle a generous helping of cinnamon on top. No need to stir! Plug that baby in and cook on high for about 4 hours (8 hours on low would work just fine as well). It will look like the top layer of apples hasn't cooked, but don't worry. Stir the applesauce to incorporate the cinnamon, and enjoy!

Blessings,

Hannah =)

P.S. Don't be surprised to see many more slow cooker recipes on here--I need to build my repertoire of dorm-friendly deliciousness as quickly as possible.

Never Too Old...

As this quarter wraps up, there are more and more projects to do and less time to be creative and have fun--but I found a way. I had to do a "creative element" (yes, very open-ended) as part of a final, so I whipped out my muslin and my crayons and my needle and came up with this funny little pillow:

There is some contrived deep meaning in this about gender, but I made it up in about fifteen seconds. 

This technique is something that my great-grandmother did--I don't know how well-known it is, so I've prepared a little tutorial to walk curious people through the process. It just goes to show, you never outgrow crayons!

You Will Need:

-Muslin or other solid cotton fabric

-Freezer paper

-Crayons

-Hard surface

-Iron

-Cutting supplies (rotary cutter, mat, scissors, etc.)

-Thread, needle, stuffing--any supplies you need for your project.

Once again, I apologize for my lack of an available camera that takes high-quality pictures. We will have to make do.

Start by cutting a piece of fabric a little bigger than you need for your project. I'm making a coin purse out of this one.

Next, cut a piece of freezer paper the same size as your fabric (if you have to choose one, have the fabric be bigger as opposed to the freezer paper.) Set the iron to cotton and iron the muslin to the freezer paper, with the shiny plastic side in the middle. The freezer paper will stick to the fabric and make it more stiff.

Now the fun part--color on the paper with crayons in whatever design or lack thereof you choose. The heavier you color, the better, and direction will have an impact on the finished product.

Bring out the iron again--this time set it a setting or two lower and turn off the steam. Cover the top of your crayon-colored fabric in printer paper and go over it with the iron for a while. Some of the crayon wax will transfer over to the printer paper. The point is to melt the wax into the fabric and remove excess. 

Take off the printer paper and freezer paper, use your rotary cutter to square everything off, et voila!

A new piece of fabric just waiting to be sewn into something marvelous. 

Keep in mind this fabric will be stiffer than normal. Also, you don't have to color in the whole piece--that's just what I felt like doing. 

Have a great week!

Blessings,

Hannah =)

Black Thursday.

Hey all, hope you're having a lovely Thanksgiving =) It's just my dinky little family of four today, and we've been half-heartedly cooking a few dishes throughout the day. In maybe half an hour we're going to eat, then knowing us, watch Thor (because it just came in from the library.) 

I made my favorite dairy-free chocolate mousse recipe and ladled it into four adorable mini trifle dishes...I noticed it wasn't setting properly and took a little taste. A few moments later, I washed all the runny, metallic and just plain horrible tasting chocolatey stuff down the sink :( 

Today, we utilized the beauty and professionalism of self-timer to take our first family picture in quite a while:

Um. Yeah. We'll never be self-timer-photograph geniuses. I promise to try to get better pictures soon and introduce y'all to my quirky little family :) 

I don't usually wear so much makeup--eyeshadow and eyeliner on the same day is rweserved for photo shoots, special events, and/or singing on-stage.

I'm choosing to ignore the sketchy origins of Thanksgiving and just have fun and be thankful--God has blessed me with SO much, no matter what I've been through or will go through, and that is something I can always lean on. I'm particularly thankful for...

Christmas. =) I've been belting Christmas tunes off and on today, but my brother says it's not acceptable until after dinner tonight. Psh. Crazy man.

Tonight I'm going midnight black friday shopping with a friend. We're going to see what all the fuss is about =)

Have a lovely weekend! 

Blessings,

Hannah =)

Hehe.

This little clip has been on loop on my computer most of the last two hours. 

Just passing on the love :)

I guarantee every time it loops, your day will become better somehow.

Enjoy!

For Laughs.

Tuesdays are homework days, but I thought I would share some things that have been making me giggle lately.

My first attempt at filling in the numbers on this week's little tear-off calendar. Who knows where my brain was!

Have a wonderful day full of adorable and hilarious things! 

Blessings,

Hannah =)

Wednesday's Inspired Project

Hello all! As I may have mentioned before, I have a new and growing obsession with candles. Unfortunately, candles involve matches, and match-boxes are extremely unattractive. Here is my solution:

All you need is a box of small matches, a little jar (preferably with a cork stopper for cuteness--mine cost 50 cents at the craft store), scissors and glue. Simply fill the jar with the matches, cut off a little strip of the strike-able part of the box, and glue it onto the bottom of the jar where it won't be seen. Et voila! Match storage that you actually leave out on purpose. 

(Thank you to my mother for owning a working camera :)

More projects to come soon--just wait until you see the scarf and wristwarmers I have made/am making for fall! How could some people not love the coming time of year?

Pumpkin spice candles just may be in order. 

Blessings,

Hannah =)