The Mint Needle

Hoping everyone has a fun, safe, & super sweet Halloween! Here's to welcoming November:)

Hello friends! Remember my last little post where I said "french seams = infinity scarves"? Well, ta-da! Here you have it! The fool-proof way to create your own one of kind scarves that have a flawless finish. Let's start by asking.... What is a french seam? A french seam is a seam with raw edges enclosed so that nothing that can fray is visible or loose.  Once you try it, everything you make will have a french seam. I promise. For this project, you will need a piece of fabric, something light weight of a cotton blend. Cut it 20 inches wide by 54 inches long. (If you prefer a really loose scarf, length should be increased to 60 inches or longer.) Start by finishing the "length" sides with a simple a tight stitch. Fold in a tiny portion of fabric and sew.  Fold it over again and stitch another straight line right on top of the one you just did.  (This keeps the fray edge inside.) Next, you will start your french seam. Fold...

Hey busy moms! I bet you you look at those crafty websites and think, "ya, only if I had time." Right? Well I promise you, this is one of the quickest knitting projects out there!  All I did was make a row of 40 stitches and continued, keeping the knit side with the knit, & the purl side with the purl.  Once I had my desired length, I folded it in half to make my "width". By using a crochet hook, I was able to gather the ends and make a cowl. How simple was that? This is a pretty fool proof method if you don't have the circular knitting needles available! I added two pearled buttons with a needle and sewing thread. I love the way this looks so much that I opted to start a little late night project of my own. This gorgeous grayish blue was just too pretty to pass up. (Except with this one, I'm going to do a little striped design by randomly doing knit & purl stitches together.) On another note.......

Growing up, Autumn was always known for one thing ~ food preserving. Though it means so much more to me now, I can't shake the memories of canned veggies & pickled salads lining our pantry & fridge in every which direction. So tasty each time, I've decided to leave the canning to my mom & go a different preserving route. Dehydrating!  (Some of you may remember  this  post from last year.) I thought it would be a great idea to add our quince fruit into the apple mix! But...I'm not planning on eating it dried right away. Instead...we'll be steeping it for some delicious, Vitamin C packed tea. Quince is wonderful for so many reasons. Mainly used for digestive disorders like stomach pain & diarrhea, did you know that the tea can also treat a cough? It carries huge anti-viral properties and it's loaded with fiber. Quince juice is even good for those suffering from anemia and asthma.  Using any dried fruits for tea rem...

A pretty little number for a pretty girl! As some of you might remember, I started this project way back in June. Yes, yes, procrastination is terrible thing. I can only blame other projects (like home renovating) for this one. And I'm not so sure that's a bad thing.   But I need to say that this pattern was so simple to follow, I plan on making another one ~ possibly in a double knit or challis fabric.  (These are just some of the images from the first post in June.) Ta-da! The finished product! My gorgeous niece is modeling the perfect fit, which makes everyone happy, especially me! (Considering the pattern did not come with multiple size choices.)  Another thing I love is that we opted  for the side tie instead of the front, (which is what the pattern cover shows). If I end up doing this in a challis, I might push for the front tie. But, this time, I didn't want it to feel robe like. Ya know?     ...