Chicago Craft Social

If you live in the Chicago area, here is an amazing opportunity to get your craft on: craftsocial.blogspot.com.
Too bad I don't live closer!

Backtack 4

I received my Backtack partner information and it's Mama Urchin! Check out her amazing photos of autumn in Virginia and fall goodness. It's going to be fun to create her Gold Frankincense and Myrrh package.

Ronald McDonald House

The confirmation class went to our local Ronald McDonald House to cook and serve a meal for the residents. They decided to grill hamburgers and chicken outside and back dump cakes for dessert inside. Then we took a tour of the recreation and living room areas of the houses. The teens did a fantastic job and the residents were very appreciative!

Duct Tape Purses

Finally tried our hand at Duct Tape purses. We used white plastic shopping bags for the base, great way to recycle! Then, we used large grommets to make handle openings and used white cotton rope for the handles. The girls were very happy with their project!

Double the Garlic

Everyday Food is my favorite source for new recipes. I usually have everything on hand and the results are usually very tasty. However, I tried the Pumpkin Penne Pasta from the November 2007 issue and the taste left a lot to be desired. Pretty bland. I should have doubled the garlic and rosemary.

The first step is to fry fresh rosemary in olive oil. It smelled amazing and tasted wonderful. Normally, I think the texture of fresh rosemary is like pine needles. But frying it makes it crispy and tender. We used it as a garnish on top of the pasta and that was the tastiest part.

3-D Snowflake Factory

What a lovely Thanksgiving holiday! After the stuffing, during the football watching, we made these easy and spectacular 3-D snowflakes. I now have a row of them in our family room windows while awaiting window treatments.

W.I.P.

Futuregirl has been an inspiration for months now. Her crochet is simple, yet elegant and her adornments are so clever. I started this scarf and decided to try embellishing it with some small crochet flowers I made some time ago from the spring issue of Crochet Today! magazine. Hope to finish this weekend before Thanksgiving prep begins!

Martha Winger dot com Launched

I have launched a new website to show the handcrafted items I make that seem to be piling up around the house. Next step is to launch a site at Etsy.com. Creating the flash module was very educational!