One of my passions is making my own creations. I love to experiment with materials, styles, and pieces of jewelry that are not conventional. I wanted to make a cuff bracelet because I like chunky jewelry. I purchased a pack of plain cuff bracelet slates from the craft store. I formed the metal over my arm to give it it’s shape. Then I gathered all my beads and arranged them on the metal strip. Once I knew where I wanted my beads I used an epoxy glue that bonds metal surfaces (527 Multipurpose Glue). I clamped down the the beads on the sides so they would stay in place. I let the glue dry overnight. Once the beads were on, I wanted to finish off the sharp edges. On one bracelet I used some left over fabric. And on the other one I used some leather cord remnants. If you prefer not to use glue for any reason, I suggest wire wrapping.

This is a good project if you want to use recycled plastic pieces, old beads that you didn’t use in another project. Or perhaps broken and cracked beads that you normally would throw away.  Choosing to use those materials are great, because if a mistake is made you will not be too concerned about it. My next project is making the entire bracelet from old plastic bottle pieces. I really can not wait to see how it turns out. Stay tuned to see more.

I wanted to make something special for Valentine’s Day. I thought lobster tails would be fantastic, but my only concern was how do I steam them myself? So I purchased this super cooker, which has more than one function. It steams, grills, and slow cooks your dishes. Using the super cooker to steam the lobster was a huge success. The lobster tails were perfectly cooked. The size of the appliance is 3 quarts. Which worked for me. I was able to steam 4 large lobster tails without them touching each other. Ever since that dish was a success, I have been using it every night to fix my meals. If your thinking about purchasing an appliance on the order of this, It is worth it.

Want to purchase ?

I have a few tips to help you get rid of too much Halloween candy. My first tip is for those of you who may have too may suckers like Blow Pops, Dum Dum’s, and Tootsie Roll Pops, etc. You can tape four or five lollipops together to make a bundle. Tie a fancy bow around them and place on top of gifts with name tags for kids or adults.

Second tip is for anyone who has leftover candy corn and caramels. These candies make lovely sauces. Melt down candy in a saucepan with water and butter or you can use a double boiler so the candy doesn’t stick to the pan. Once candy is smooth and melted pour over your favorite entree meat or over steamed vegetables.

And my third idea for left over Halloween candy is for any type of candy like smarties, Butterfingers, milky-way, Mike and Ikes and etc. You can make your own homemade Christmas tree ornaments.  There are two ways to make them. One way is to place a couple pieces of candy into a small organza bag. Drawstring the top and place a Christmas tree hook at the top of the bag. Repeat these steps and hang finished bags all over the tree. The other way is to use small cellophane bags. Once you have filled the bag with a small amount of candy use a twist tie to close the bag. Then insert hook onto the twist tie . Repeat those steps and hang desired amount onto your tree.  I hope this will help anyone who has an abundance of unwanted candy. Please post comments and other ideas of your own.

As a parent I am always looking for new and creative ways to save money. Last year for lunch I used to buy my son Lunchables. I realized quickly that these Lunchables were only saving me on time and not my money or my sons health. They are packed with high volumes of sodium and processed foods. So I started to make my own version of Lunchables. All you need is a flat container to be able to fit all of your choices in one container. I mainly choose lunch meat or left over rotisserie, cheese, grape tomatoes, and crackers. You can make up as many combination’s as you want. If  your kid/kids do not want there food to touch, or you are concerned about food safety. Simply wrap each food item into wax or parchment paper. This way you can give your kids healthier choices and control what they eat. Just in case you need inspiration for making up some combination’s I will give you a few examples.

Combination’s:

Turkey, cheese, crackers, grapes

Ham. cheese, whole wheat crackers, fresh peach wedges

Pastrami, cheese, flax seed crackers, blueberries

Tofurkey, swiss cheese, multi grain crackers, sliced strawberries

Packing lunch is not hard, it just takes about 5 minutes to prep. You can prepare it the night before so kids can just take it from the frig and go.  With parents having a busy lifestyle preparation is key for a successful household.

I recently seen a recipe for a BLT. But it wasn’t just a regular BLT. It was called a  “California” BLT. This sandwich is perfect for summer. It’s cool, refreshing, light, and healthy.  After watching the show (Barefoot Contessa) I immediately ran to store to pick up the missing items that I needed. I didn’t follow the recipe to the letter. Here is what I used for each sandwich.

Ingredients:

3 pieces of maple bacon

2 slices of avocado

2 pieces of red leaf lettuce

1 slice of tomato

1 potato sandwich roll

1/2 tsp of Kraft mayo

I made them for lunch for me and my son. He loved it!!!! As did I, before making this sandwich I had never ate avocado’s before. They made the sandwich cool and rich. Of course you can modify this recipe anyway you like. Also your choice of breads can be endless. I chose potato bread because it’s my fav.  But don’t be afraid to experiment.  Another good choice would be a fresh pretzel roll or bakery style french bread. This recipe was such a success, it will be one of my families permanent favorites. Please grab this recipe. You will not be disappointed if you are a fan of BLT’s.  Thank you food network !!!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/california-blts-recipe/index.html

I finally had a chance to visit the National Zoo this year. I took some pictures of some very cool animals. However, my son and I didn’t get to view the entire park. That place was huge!  We will definitely have to go back on a second trip and bypass the animals we already seen from our first trip.  I am only an amateur photographer so please bare with me. The flash creates light from the tanks glass. It was very hard to get a clear shot. This is just one of the many pictures I took.  It is a tank with poisonous dart frogs. Unfortunately I only got a shot with just one sitting on a rock. But they are very pretty to look at. Remember just look!

Facts About Dart Frogs:

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/amphibians/poison-frog/

When I started back crocheting I was happy to make preemie hats. But my real goal was to make a baby blanket. I started out and completed a small blanket and that was a success. It was 15″ x 25″. I gave it to one of my friends for there son. They seem to like it very much.   I had a lot of trouble when it came to the larger blankets. The sides of the blanket kept spreading out and became uneven. For some reason I couldn’t keep the sides aligned straight. I finally reached success! This blanket is proof of that. The sides are smooth and straight. I am so motivated to make more blankets now. It took me about a day and a half to finish it. Considering the size, that is not long at all. The final size for this blanket is 35″ x 38″. I think the standard size is 38″ x 38″, so I am a few inches off. I wanted both sides of the pink to be exactly four inches on both sides. Just to keep the symmetry. I didn’t use a pattern. To achieve this look just use a 5mm crochet hook, four different colors or more of medium #4 yarn.

I was determined to figure out how to make this blanket. I kept looking on different website to get the dimensions I needed.  I finally was able to find a size I was willing to try. I had tried on my own two previous times. So I guess third times a charm.  With enough practice you can achieve any goals you have set for yourself. Don’t give up!

I have been  practicing crocheting squares for a few weeks now. I still have to work on the last row, to keep it from curving and fanning out. This hand bag was a result of from one of the squares that didn’t turn out great.  I even took the opportunity to practice on a pom pom.  It looks fairly good considering it was not supposed to become a little purse.  And my niece is non the wiser. She absolutely loved the bag.  She had it on and played with it as soon as I gave it to her. I also gave her a few hats for her large barbie heads. The hats I made were to big for a baby but to small for my niece. So I told her she could use them to play with her dolls. Again another winner. So please never throw away your mistake crafts that you make.  Just think of some other way to use them.

It is taking me a while to get the flow of crocheting again. I made a few preemie hats and now I can not seem to make another hat yet. I keep practicing to see where I made my mistakes. But no luck doing that. My last attempt for making the hat resulted in a pink wine bottle cozy. The problem maybe in my decrease method. I am going to wait until I go back to my sons teacher to find out what I need to do different. I would tell you how to make a bottle cozy only if I remembered what I did.  This little set back will not discourage me at all. I will figure this pattern out eventually. Even though it looks very well made, this project was a complete mistake. Meanwhile,I will have plenty of wine bottle cozies and other miscellaneous pieces that will need to find a home.

I used to crochet when I was a little girl. Since I didn’t do it everyday, I completely forgot how to. Thankfully  my sons 4th grade language arts teacher showed me again.  I was so excited to find out she has a crochet club that helps kids make preemie hats for Johns Hopkins Hospital. I wanted to help and contribute as well. So since I haven’t learned how to crochet as of yet. I provided the club with some spools of yarn; to show my support.  But that wasn’t enough so later on in the week, the teacher showed me how to get started.   I started on the hat, and two weeks later I was finished. Not working on it everyday set me back and took me longer than expected. I just recently made another hat and LOVE the results. You can be so creative when making these hats. Rims can be placed to make it a two tone color. Pom Poms can be added at the top to give it detail.  Whatever style you choose make sure to use lots of color!

I am so excited that I picked this craft back up again. In order for my skill not to slip away again. I will have  challenge myself to work on crocheting at least once a week.   These preemie hats are fun and easy to make. Practicing to make them improves my skill each time. Meanwhile, I will  look for new projects for beginners and strive to make more items that can be donated to help families and children in need.  After all that is my ultimate goal in life.