No Slip Tip

I have been cutting lots and lots of triangles for the online summer camp that Gyleen Fitzgerald is doing.  I was having trouble with my new ruler slipping and thought I was going to have to make a trip to the LQS for some non-skid dots. Then I got the idea to try a piece of painters tape on the back side of the ruler.  It worked perfectly!  It gives the ruler just enough grip to keep it from slipping and it's paper thin, so it doesn't raise the ruler off the fabric like the dots do.  As an extra bonus, it made it easier to see which end of the ruler I was using too.

Silent Sunday

Stamping With Bleach

The last project that Miss One and I worked on, while she was here visiting, was stamping with bleach.  We used the tutorial from Plenty of Paprika and it couldn't have been easier!  Just a couple of foam star stamps and a little bleach turned a plain gray t-shirt into a designer t-shirt!

A Little Dyeing

Another project that my granddaughter wanted to try was batiking with Elmers School Glue Gel.  We used the tutorial from Sweet Verbena.  Miss One picked a Taylor Swift quote for her t-shirt.  She had a couple of mishaps when writing with the glue, so we washed the shirt and started over a couple of times.  Once we made a paper pattern and put it under the shirt to trace, it was much easier to keep writing straight and centered.  After the glue dried overnight we dyed the shirt a pretty turquoise color.  That was a scary process!  When the shirt came out of the dye it looked like the dye had soaked through the glue.  We definitely thought we had a huge craft fail on our hands, but when it came out of the washing machine the writing had magically appeared!  SUCCESS!  She also decided to dye the shoelaces on her new zentangle sneakers while we were dyeing the t-shirt.  Together they make a pretty cool outfit!

Silent Sunday

More Sneaker Doodles

I took a little more "conservative" route with the doodles on my sneakers and just drew flowers.  Of course, flowers can't just be black and white, so I added color with fine tipped sharpie markers.  I love how they turned out, but I'm almost afraid to wear them because I don't want to get them dirty!

From Paper To...

After an afternoon of practicing zentangles on paper we were ready to move on to something a little more fun...like zentangles on sneakers!  $5 canvas sneakers were turned into beautiful works of priceless art with a black sharpie marker and a little imagination.

Silent Week?

Last week may have been silent on my blog, but it certainly wasn't quiet around my house!  Our oldest granddaughter decided that she wanted to come and stay with mama and papa for a few days before she starts her summer babysitting job.  She loves all kinds of art, so we stepped away from the usual sewing projects and tried some new things.  First up was Zentangle!  I used to draw a lot when I was a teen, but haven't done much in years and years.  It didn't take long for me to realize that I still love to draw!  What fun it was to just doodle away the hours while talking with our sweet Miss One!

Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday

Rhubarb Strawberry Freezer Jam

Normally when rhubarb comes into season I have to have a rhubarb dump cake, but because I've been counting calories I thought it would be best to figure out another way to put our rhubarb to use.  I came up with the idea to try making jam instead.  Yes, it still has a lot of sugar, but at least I'm not going to sit down and eat a whole batch of jam by myself.  Maybe.  This stuff is good! 

Rhubarb Strawberry Freezer Jam

5 cups chopped fresh rhubarb

3 cups white sugar

1 (3 ounce) package strawberry Jell-O

 

Directions

In a large saucepan, stir together the rhubarb and sugar. Cover, and let stand 3-8 hours (long enough to bring out the juices so they start to dissolve the sugar).  Bring the rhubarb and sugar to a boil over medium heat. Boil, stirring constantly, for 12 minutes on low heat. Remove from heat, and stir in dry gelatin mix. Transfer to jars, cool, and place in the freezer.