Crochet Button Necklace

I have a little black dress.  Doesn't every woman?  In my case, my black dress has small white trim around the neckline and bottom of the sleeves.  I wanted a necklace to go with the dress, so I purchased black and white buttons and a black and white thread, and started to play.  Here are the results:

Am I entirely happy with the results?  No.  But it was fun, and it took time, and yes, I will wear it at least once.  I have to figure out a way to "block" the crochet.  Make it stiff so it doesn't curl.  I purchased spray starch, but was afraid I would mess things up if I tried that.  Anyone have a suggestion?

Ways to Use Toothpaste

 

Let me just say that I have not yet tried these tips, but I found them interesting and worth a try.  One thing I did try with toothpaste: cleaning my kitchen grout.  I thought since my toothpaste said "whitening teeth" that maybe it would whiten my grout.  It did a fair job of cleaning it, but it didn't make it white as it was when new.  Recently I got a tip to buy a Mr. Clean Eraser.  I was told it will clean my grout to white.  I plan to try that and will post my results once I do.  Until then, try some of these toothpaste tips.

Yes, toothpaste is great for brushing teeth, cleaning tongues, and freshening breath.

But that’s just the beginning of all the great things you may be able to do with cheap toothpaste that’s mildly abrasive. (Don’t use gel toothpaste.)

Clean carpet stains: Scrub stains with toothpaste and brush until they disappear. You might have to rinse and repeat several times.

Remove scratches from cell phone screens and watch crystals: Rub a dab of toothpaste gently on glass. Polish with a clean cloth.

 

Take off crayon on a painted wall: Gently rub crayon with toothpaste on damp cloth. Test it on a small, inconspicuous spot first.

Make floor scuffs disappear: Scrub those black, floor scuffs with toothpaste on a clean cloth.

Polish silver and brass: Squeeze toothpaste on a soft brush and rub on your silver and brass treasures. Rinse and polish with a soft cloth.

Turn tennis shoes white again: Rub toothpaste on dirty tennis shoes, then wipe clean.

Shine bathroom sinks: Rub around the sink to make it sparkle.

Soothe bug bites: Apply a dab of toothpaste on mosquito and ant bites; it will take away the itch.

Make diamonds sparkle: Brush your diamonds with toothpaste, but not too hard, or you can loosen the gems from their settings.

Remove food smells from hands: Wash your hands with toothpaste to remove onion, fish and garlic smells.

Polish fingernails: Put a dab of toothpaste on fingernails, and buff with a soft cloth.

Remove water rings on furniture: Lightly rub water rings with a dab of toothpaste on a soft cloth.

Defog headlights: If scratches on your car headlights are making them look foggy, cover with toothpaste and buff by hand or with a buffer.

Plug nail holes: It’s a cheap filler for nail holes in walls. Place a dab of paste in holes, let dry, lightly sand, then paint.

Clear blemishes: Dab a bit of menthol toothpaste on skin blemishes, let dry, then rinse off. It will draw out toxins and clear skin. Apply lotion after.

How to make a catepillar cake

Want a new and easy idea for decorating a cake for your next birthday party?  How about a caterpillar cake?

What you will need:

1 Bundt pan
1 cake mix (any flavor)
2 cans frosting (different colors)
2 chocolate donuts (or other items for eyes)
M & M's (or other items for eye pupils)
White chocolate chips
Chocolate chips
1 licorice stick

Bake you cake in a Bundt pan following the box directions.

Let the cake cool, then turn out on either a large tray or tin foil covered piece of cardboard.









Cut the cake in half diameter-wise.  Slide each half to make the shape of an "S".

Frost the cake, alternating colors according to the sections of the Bundt cake.  On one end "glue" on the chocolate donuts for the eyes.  (In the past I have used other items such as frosted strawberry shortcake cakes.  Use your imagination...there are no rules.  You are just trying to create the look of eyes)

Using frosting, glue one M & M to each donut for the pupil.  Add the white chocolate chips and chocolate chips  on the body  (In the past, I have taken shoelace licorice cut into 1" pieces and stuck them in the body to look like fur or hair on the caterpillar)

Cut the licorice stick in half and stick into the "head" of the caterpillar for antennae.  And there you have it.  A caterpillar cake.

 

 

Problem: King Size Fitted Sheets

If you have a king size bed, I bet you have run into this problem: which way is the correct way for the fitted sheet to cover the mattress. The problem is that a king size bed is almost square...almost, but not quite. That means that there is a correct way for the sheet to go on, and an incorrect way. The correct way will reach corner to corner side to side, and top to bottom...the incorrect way is that the sheet will come up short from top to bottom. So you make your bed, and you may have turn the sheet a few times just to see which way is correct.

Here is how I have solved the problem. Using a laundry marker, I find the correct way for the fitted sheet to fit, then I mark the bottom right corner with the marker. From then on, all I have to do is look for my mark, and put that corner in the bottom right. Voila! No more making and re-making because it is right the first time, every time.

Alternatively, you could use colorful thread and sew your mark onto a corner. Choose which ever corner you want to mark. For me, the bottom right was easiest because once the blanket and bedspread is on, no one will see the mark but me. Also, one set of my sheets happens to have a tag in the bottom right corner of the fitted sheet, so I just stuck with that corner when marking my other sheet sets.

Mickey Mouse Baby Shower Gifts

A dear family friend is due to have her little boy near the end of February (or maybe the middle...say...the 14th...which just happens to be my birthday ).  Recently there was a baby shower for her and her new bundle of love, and I made this Mickey mouse hat, diaper cover, and booties as a gift.  She was pleased and I had a lot of fun putting this together.  Sorry the picture isn't high quality.  I'm a poor photographer I'm afraid.

I got the patterns for these online from some very generous and creative ladies, and I want to post a link and give credit and thanks to them here:

Mickey Mouse hat: 

http://www.repeatcrafterme.com/2012/06/mickey-and-minnie-mouse-crochet-hat.html

Mickey Mouse diaper cover: 

http://www.repeatcrafterme.com/2012/08/mickey-and-minnie-inspired-crochet.html

And booties (with a couple of pattern adjustments by myself) here: 

http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/bevsbooties2.html