tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67091448886775620542024-02-02T01:48:51.388-05:00Ashley KnitsI try to make my house look halfway-decent while spending as little money as possible. I also post the occasional knitting pattern or two.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11032760465172923455noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709144888677562054.post-65001244925228835142013-11-08T23:56:00.002-05:002013-11-08T23:56:33.513-05:00My First Knitting ProjectThis post is dedicated to my Mom.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Debi Loring-Verburg 09/10/1954--04/20/2010</td></tr>
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My first real knitting project was a hat made out of dog hair yarn. I know, I know, it sounds strange--but if you think about it, it really makes sense! My Mother used to always find me some neat yarns when I was just learning to knit, and an alpaca ranch near my hometown had some interesting yarn that the owner had spun--which was made with alpaca and dog hair. I wish I knew what kind of dog hair she used, because the yarn is so soft! I still have a little bit leftover today, and I'm saving it forever--to remember my Mom.<br />
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A couple of months after my mom bought me this yarn, I was supposed to graduate college. I was taking 21 (yes, 21) credits to finish up my double major in art and communication. About a week before final exams, I received a phone call from my husband (then boyfriend), and he said he was coming to pick me up. This was quite unusual, as I basically lived at the college at that point--as you could probably imagine, with my trying to squeeze everything in at the last minute for graduation! <br />
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It turned out that my mother had suddenly gotten sick the night before and was taken to the hospital. They did a CT scan and found cancer everywhere. The doctors told her they could make her comfortable, but she was dying. She had small cell lung cancer, stage IV. She had just quit smoking about 8 months prior. We had her transported to a larger hospital to see if there was anything they could do, but ultimately 9 days later, we had to take my mom off of life support and say goodbye. <br />
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As you could imagine, I was destroyed. PTSD became a real thing for me, not just something experienced by veterans. I didn't finish school, and I spent many months on the couch crying and watching Grey's Anatomy reruns on Lifetime. In this crippling depressive state, part of what helped me out of it (besides a lot of therapy and medication) was knitting. It was something I could do that didn't involve a lot of human interaction, as I was in a very fragile state, yet I could give knitted items to people if I wanted to, or just pass the time. I found knitting to be one of the most therapeutic things I've ever done! Having the solitude and alone time to just sit and concentrate on one thing, hear the rhythmic clicking of the needles, and just sort of meditate--that's what I loved (and still love) about knitting.<br />
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I did eventually finish my college degree a couple of years later, and I am doing just fine. I am happily married and thankful for my family, but I still miss my Mom a whole lot--who doesn't?<br />
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I had just started knitting a few months before my Mom died, and I had made that hat out of the yarn she got me while she was still alive. It was far from perfect: It was knit flat, the gauge was uneven, the side seam was very visible, and it fit too loosely. But I still love it, and wear it like it's some of my best work.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love you, Momma.</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: start;">This post is my entry in the Interweave Story Behind Your First Knitting Project Contest. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">If I am chosen for a winner, here are my prize picks:</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;"><a href="http://www.interweavestore.com/learn-intarsia-knitting-with-anne-berk-kit" target="_blank">Learn Intarsia Knitting Kit with Anne Berk</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.interweavestore.com/knitting-daily-lovers-bundle" target="_blank">Knitting Daily Lover's Bundle</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.interweavestore.com/cozy-knits-pacific-gray-kit" target="_blank">Cozy Knits Pacific Gray Kit</a></div>
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Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11032760465172923455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709144888677562054.post-591758871618195282012-12-01T23:46:00.000-05:002012-12-01T23:46:28.258-05:00Ashley's (Free) Easy Hat PatternChristmas is fast approaching, and if you're anything like me, your fingers must be killing you from all the last-minute knitting! I like to give hats. They're versatile, unisex, customize-able, and in Michigan, everyone needs one! Here's a pattern I've written to help you finish making hats for all your recipients. I have included instructions for 2 versions: one with a slightly rolled brim, and one with ribbing. I have also included instructions for an optional stripe. It's a good starter hat for beginners, and it's easy for more experienced knitters to customize to one's needs. Enjoy (it's free)!<br />
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<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/dls/ashley-britt-designs/128793?filename=Easy_Hat_Pattern.pdf">download now</a></div>
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Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11032760465172923455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709144888677562054.post-54911516984646704622012-07-31T19:53:00.001-04:002012-07-31T19:53:20.620-04:00An UpdateWell hello there, strangers! I apologize for the lack of posting lately. I haven't been knitting as much, and I haven't had much about which to post. Truthfully, I've been going through a severe case of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temporomandibular_joint_disorder" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">TMJ disorder</a>. Basically, my jaw muscles decided to stiffen up one day and make it so I cannot align my teeth when I close my mouth, chew food, or talk for any length of time. I'm not able to work right now, because my job is to talk on the phone in a cal center all day. Because of the circumstances, My life has been pretty boring. I have been crocheting granny squares for an afghan, but besides knitting-to-order any sales in my <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/kittyno" target="_blank">Etsy store</a>, I can't do too much until I undergo treatment. I've been seeing the best of the best specialists, but the drawback of this is that it takes a month to get anything done. Insurance approval, appointments, and such all take a month each to accomplish. Until then, it's a lot of "hurry up and wait," so to speak. <br />
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Anyway, I just wanted to let my readers know that I am still going to continue to blog, but this medical issue is something that is getting in the way for the time being. If I kept blogging though this, each entry would probably just say, "my head hurts, gonna go eat some soup," and I'm pretty sure you don't want to read that Debbie Downer bullshit over and over, and I'm already sick of writing it here right now! </div>
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On the positive side, I am enjoying time home with my husband and my dogs. Chunk is my little partner in crime, and he sits and watches TV with me. We've watched every season of Breaking Bad and Mad Men. All my closets are completely organized. I also planted a garden and have sunflowers that are taller than myself. Once I go back to work and become a productive member of society once more, I will let you know and continue to update the blog. Until then, thanks for your understanding!</div>
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<br /></div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11032760465172923455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709144888677562054.post-4680745924283031472012-05-04T15:20:00.000-04:002012-05-04T15:20:00.481-04:00Slouchy Striped BeretI have a new pattern for sale, it's a slouchy striped hat. This beret is only slightly slouchy, so it can also be worn as a standard beanie if desired. The increases are almost invisible, and the brim is snug enough to ensure that it won't fall off your head. I hope you enjoy it! PDF file available for purchase and download for $3.00 here: <br />
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<br /></div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11032760465172923455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709144888677562054.post-87489641821164375972012-05-03T22:55:00.003-04:002012-05-03T22:55:47.484-04:00Free Pattern: Rat HammockI know this pattern isn't for everyone, but I recently had the privilege of meeting my neighbor, Jillian's rat, Lily. She is sooo cute! I used to think that rats were disgusting little creatures, until my best friend, Cherish, lived with us. Her rat, Nicodemus, was trained to do little tricks, and he was a neat little guy. Through Nicodemus (RIP, little buddy!), I learned that rats are actually very clean animals. They are extremely intelligent, and they're pretty fun. So, when I got to meet Lily, I was thrilled! So were the dogs:<br />
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I wanted to knit or crochet something for Lily, so I made her a hammock!</div>
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She isn't so sure about it yet, but I think she'll learn to like it. The pattern PDF can be downloaded for free here:</div>
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<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/dls/ashley-britt-designs/101986?filename=Rat_Corner_Hammock_Pattern.pdf">download now</a></div>
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I hope your little buddies enjoy it!</div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11032760465172923455noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709144888677562054.post-66231975001577051892012-04-30T20:18:00.002-04:002012-05-03T22:56:02.954-04:00Free Pattern: Chunk's Toy BallChunk sat and watched me knit. He sat and stared longingly at my needles, hoping he was going to get a new toy to play with! Sometimes when I am knitting, Chunk will bring me all of the toys I've knitted him and start a pile at my feet, as if to say, "I know what you're doing there, you made these things!" So, when he was so patient, only to realize that the little Mr. Monkey was not for him, I had to make it up to him. God, that dog's spoiled! Thus, this pattern was born. Chunk loves his ball, and he even throws it up in the air by himself. A free PDF is available to download here:<br />
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<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/dls/ashley-britt-designs/101596?filename=Chunk_s_Toy_Ball.pdf">download now</a>
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"Mrmph mrmph mmmrmph."</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLx0JYsjPQTdW84_anMCdUP1DgsUy3odGKDKQcxs-BdOm9RMEhwdzKXtBElqz_gPW5aY5F_P1JoSN8XM4UyddrJvvtqpry316togeX6Ylv_Z6fJg7EWGDsiGSq_Ea26hYDsdmSkUwSytW/s1600/IMG_3434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLx0JYsjPQTdW84_anMCdUP1DgsUy3odGKDKQcxs-BdOm9RMEhwdzKXtBElqz_gPW5aY5F_P1JoSN8XM4UyddrJvvtqpry316togeX6Ylv_Z6fJg7EWGDsiGSq_Ea26hYDsdmSkUwSytW/s320/IMG_3434.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here he is, tossing it up in the air. <3</div>
<br /></div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11032760465172923455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709144888677562054.post-69658340727995352312012-04-30T17:23:00.000-04:002012-04-30T17:23:02.355-04:00Mr. Monkey and CharityMy supervisor at work is pregnant and due in May. It's a girl, and my office is having a baby shower for her on Wednesday! While I am going to miss it due to my <a href="http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/temporomandibular-disorders" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">TMJ</a> disorder, I still wanted to knit something for her! She has been my "test subject" for many baby items and original written patterns, and this time was no exception. <br />
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I am told that the baby's room will be decorated in pink and brown, and monkey-themed. I have never knit amigurumi before (I have crocheted it), so I looked to <a href="http://ravelry.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ravelry</a> for something suitable. I was hesitant to write a pattern, since I knew I would want to use short rows for shaping the face, and I'm not very experienced in that area yet. I finally settled on a charming little pattern written by <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/designers/sarah-gasson" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sarah Gasson</a>, who donates proceeds from her pattern sales to various charities, including her local <a href="http://www.hom.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hospice</a>. Sarah's prices are extremely reasonable: I only paid $1.67 for this pattern!<br />
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For those of you who don't know me, my mother worked for Hospice for 30+ years as a social worker, and she very suddenly died 2 years ago after a nine day battle with stage 4 small-cell lung cancer. She dedicated her life to helping those at the end of their life, and Hospice helped us through dealing with the end of her life as well. I thought it would be wonderful to purchase a pattern from someone who donates to that same cause. If you would like to purchase patterns from Sarah, you may do so via her <a href="http://knitables.com/patterns.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">website</a>, or through her <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/designers/sarah-gasson/patterns" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ravelry page</a>. <br />
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Here is the finished product:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZi4RGOVKD_sXkMzUtSxNC6-wZh78rLJiyqPbmxJR-fq5Exi2jxxByeGnfEneUzC4v2DhmWKoRgV2PbDwGlY23RbYS1CQlHiblKTHqvpWocDFi7fKBPUOt5GbTayM-EKhwQlSaEsH9vrqp/s1600/IMG_3419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZi4RGOVKD_sXkMzUtSxNC6-wZh78rLJiyqPbmxJR-fq5Exi2jxxByeGnfEneUzC4v2DhmWKoRgV2PbDwGlY23RbYS1CQlHiblKTHqvpWocDFi7fKBPUOt5GbTayM-EKhwQlSaEsH9vrqp/s320/IMG_3419.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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The monkey is actually worked flat, then sewn up the back. The same goes for the arms, ears, legs and tail. I actually preferred this method, as I always get ladders using DPNs. I think the color changes would have been extremely difficult were this pattern written for DPNs.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAOE-8C4ssIHEtOeHVGOlKT5LYBjxHADqtqsJNpqQZ-hxUe3K3apjNqJg8K1WvkERRht-uWjpHpQKvZfPUpzEGl3qQHu5xCGNy8pxKY5-m0IOKyVRrMA-ldBL6QhvoWAV_ZK8p60ImWKI-/s1600/IMG_3421.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAOE-8C4ssIHEtOeHVGOlKT5LYBjxHADqtqsJNpqQZ-hxUe3K3apjNqJg8K1WvkERRht-uWjpHpQKvZfPUpzEGl3qQHu5xCGNy8pxKY5-m0IOKyVRrMA-ldBL6QhvoWAV_ZK8p60ImWKI-/s320/IMG_3421.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ruNSdUkPRZqB3fRn9rnfC9UAUQVGj00QpTlIIf2_BfbqYDPWVLu0q8ZNyZtjRPfE5bx_MjL2WmFlueERWggARSJsBuJBXtGJU3QwWE0DnBUrbDyxLVDdQ2FpYYb1V832NzkxEFP1ryDA/s1600/IMG_3422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ruNSdUkPRZqB3fRn9rnfC9UAUQVGj00QpTlIIf2_BfbqYDPWVLu0q8ZNyZtjRPfE5bx_MjL2WmFlueERWggARSJsBuJBXtGJU3QwWE0DnBUrbDyxLVDdQ2FpYYb1V832NzkxEFP1ryDA/s320/IMG_3422.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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In order to get better definition of the face, I placed a few stitches to cinch the outer side of each eye, as well as from between the eyes to under the chin. This ensured that the shape will stay the same through light play. While I added those to the original pattern, the pattern does call for a similar method to be used for the neck shaping.</div>
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Sarah offers her patterns for sale as individual projects, or as collections. This is a great idea! You can purchase a Christmas collection, a Farmyard collection, and more. Mr. Monkey came from her Safari collection, but I purchased just the monkey pattern alone. </div>
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Lastly, I want to make clear that I am not being paid to feature this knitting pattern on my blog, I simply really enjoyed this pattern and wanted to share the good cause with my readers! I hope you enjoy it too!</div>
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<br />Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11032760465172923455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709144888677562054.post-34848859557225042072012-04-20T02:21:00.003-04:002012-04-20T02:21:53.368-04:00A New Beginning...<div style="text-align: center;">
I must apologize to all who have come to this blog expecting it to be about knitting. while I do a lot of knitting, I often use this blog for DIY projects as well. Because I want this blog to remain mainly about knitting, I have started a new blog and have copied all my non-knitting posts over to that blog. I will leave them here, with redirects to the new blog in the appropriate posts (as soon as I figure out how to do that). In the meantime, expect this blog to be strictly knitting from now on. If you would like to follow my new blog, you can do so at </div>
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<a href="http://ashleydiy.blogspot.com/">ashleydiy.blogspot.com</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWtXjSCq8Kf9PzJtqKjlIitDnDRNBd_zwcSFteCR6mYCBkWC232CzzwyIn3XeVyvWsyECUYH8xT9WLDukZ7lLvWLQN9WyhwR5G1mDXZ84zI4mjiLRMPq9a8pKPLxoyF3uBpWj-HUOsgp3q/s1600/Ashley+DIY+Header+copy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWtXjSCq8Kf9PzJtqKjlIitDnDRNBd_zwcSFteCR6mYCBkWC232CzzwyIn3XeVyvWsyECUYH8xT9WLDukZ7lLvWLQN9WyhwR5G1mDXZ84zI4mjiLRMPq9a8pKPLxoyF3uBpWj-HUOsgp3q/s320/Ashley+DIY+Header+copy.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11032760465172923455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709144888677562054.post-63392407947356883782012-04-20T00:58:00.001-04:002012-04-20T01:01:13.626-04:00Why I Pick TrashYep. I'm a trash picker. Why? Because people throw stuff out for <i>no good reason!</i> When my husband (then fiance') and I lived in an apartment complex, people would often throw out brand new furniture! And, of course, I was usually the first one out to the dumpster, snatching it up! Now, I know better than to grab a mattress or a couch (ewww), but over the years, we have acquired many things (some of which we still use today). Some of the items include an over-the-toilet shelf, a couple of lamps, an (solid!) oak entertainment center, a school desk, a metal cart with a built-in surge protector, and a very nice office desk that was custom-made by a company in Canada, originally costing over $1000.00 (don't you love Google?) in perfect condition. When I was in high school, I had an old school bus seat in my bedroom. I know, livin' the dream! My point is, don't "be above" stopping to check out something on the side of the road or near a dumpster, because it may possibly be awesome. <br />
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Now, we do have many pieces of furniture that we did purchase ourselves, but I get such a thrill from finding something for nothing, and making it into something beautiful. If I were to list the furniture that I bought at second-hand stores and refinished or reupholstered, this would be a much longer post.<br />
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My most recent hobby is to spruce up our backyard. We have remnants of a nice flower garden that was here several renters ago, and I have been trying to make it pretty again. I never was fond of yardwork, and the only experience I have in the art of gardening is when my dad made me rake the yard with him in the fall when I was a kid. Thus, it has been a bit of a learning experience, and mostly trial and error. In terms of the planting of things, plants are surprisingly inexpensive! however, any sort of garden "decor" is not. Luckily, due to my trash-picking habit, I snatched up an arbor my neighbors threw out last year, and it has been sitting in my garage, taking up space that was meant for my car. I finally took it out yesterday and decided to fix it up. Now, it's not the most expensive arbor, it's actually made of plastic (basically glorified PVC), and all the pieces were falling out of it. That is where this wonderful product came in:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SxJprNu9g4I/T5Dp1huUtjI/AAAAAAAAA4M/hLc42qGjmlQ/s1600/shoegoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SxJprNu9g4I/T5Dp1huUtjI/AAAAAAAAA4M/hLc42qGjmlQ/s1600/shoegoo.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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</tbody></table>Shoe Goo is the best adhesive I could have used for this project. Truthfully, it's the first thing I grabbed out of the junk drawer, but it's waterproof, flexible, weatherproof, and pretty fool-proof. Plus, it dries clear! I slopped this stuff on all the joints and stuck it back together.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhEGsWdSeZC5spKGZb8mrQn1MEgtAUrcBDEl8In8phZxeN_mbuyMNryYKCxaOeQ9yyQ-BsYWszO_kJ_jTSQP0aCVJ8Zaa74xWJZSdsorUXwBXruYSVHBJo0MOsCMU1l6Gd84U9PmWJ0rAF/s1600/vinyl+tape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhEGsWdSeZC5spKGZb8mrQn1MEgtAUrcBDEl8In8phZxeN_mbuyMNryYKCxaOeQ9yyQ-BsYWszO_kJ_jTSQP0aCVJ8Zaa74xWJZSdsorUXwBXruYSVHBJo0MOsCMU1l6Gd84U9PmWJ0rAF/s320/vinyl+tape.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is some mystery vinyl tape I found for a buck at Dollar Daze. It's kind of like a local outlet store, and I love the place. I've found great things there, but that's another blog post altogether. Anyway, this tape is white and shiny, the same texture/sheen as the arbor. So, the broken piece that was missing? I just taped over it. Now, the photo looks like it's glaringly obvious, but when you stand about three feet away, you can't even notice the repair. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL6AXMT4D8-uLufcZ2szuIo_e3vOsiwvToYDCYvZ-JkXBOESTDU1fAip1g0OEmknSJd4nADFo5gjRIzohm2XhumbLtrdk065gKoGqGUOZFCc2bH-wBULfb8qpVjpRTbnF35I21s04uX1uM/s1600/IMG_3373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL6AXMT4D8-uLufcZ2szuIo_e3vOsiwvToYDCYvZ-JkXBOESTDU1fAip1g0OEmknSJd4nADFo5gjRIzohm2XhumbLtrdk065gKoGqGUOZFCc2bH-wBULfb8qpVjpRTbnF35I21s04uX1uM/s320/IMG_3373.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Plus, I started some moonflower seeds today, so eventually I plan to have some vines creeping up this thing, which will further disguise my cheapo repair.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibW6oT0fmBY_fzF6qLyYfVvfe-p91iW8rbgFDT-_I8xrnpqXo30iMvZOXUdJp0L0s1_qUfS0cXCtStiVi9IHrvh6IEpHjfSFOFYWZ2Dx0-blboV1ZtjO1QE_9oMUac7ycFxi0Id4lt_Lqg/s1600/seedstarter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibW6oT0fmBY_fzF6qLyYfVvfe-p91iW8rbgFDT-_I8xrnpqXo30iMvZOXUdJp0L0s1_qUfS0cXCtStiVi9IHrvh6IEpHjfSFOFYWZ2Dx0-blboV1ZtjO1QE_9oMUac7ycFxi0Id4lt_Lqg/s320/seedstarter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The fact that there are sunflowers and moonflowers are a total coincidence here. I bought the first white, climbing-vine flower I saw, and I thought that sunflowers would be fun to grow too. It works.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here's the finished product as of yesterday. Of course, I have weeding and mulching to do still, but you get the idea. Would you have known that I found that on the side of the road? I didn't think so. I priced this arbor online, and it would have cost $140.00. I think that's a pretty good find.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikemd6lWRsq06TbzUfmi51_ZcqCAhK5Ckon2bH9c3NyqmQGyrM-ekBBaXshk0pvSH4yMfyTgrrtgNIF0TA60qL3kpggWKBcFQakdowOuYP0GvJLEmLthXaLEQb7DD0Pe21Wfwb4Nt3wKlq/s1600/IMG_3372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikemd6lWRsq06TbzUfmi51_ZcqCAhK5Ckon2bH9c3NyqmQGyrM-ekBBaXshk0pvSH4yMfyTgrrtgNIF0TA60qL3kpggWKBcFQakdowOuYP0GvJLEmLthXaLEQb7DD0Pe21Wfwb4Nt3wKlq/s320/IMG_3372.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11032760465172923455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709144888677562054.post-63300878031015076532012-04-18T21:43:00.000-04:002012-04-18T21:43:03.808-04:00Revamped Mail HolderI bought one of those five dollar paper organizers so that I could help save our table from getting covered in mail by my husband each week. Unfortunately, since I was unwilling to spend over five dollars, I ended up with this:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ewwwww, it doesn't match anything!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>So, I decided to use some of that Dollar Tree contact paper I had leftover, and some of my Heirloom White Rustoleum spray paint to spruce it up:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzTCnQDqbpdnxXEXka7JqHk6UpW4hZtj1jitLxZnSBq8DHpyfhumalKgddci_hzrhEXO041ulKc31R9A-WTpYMk3VaSFOotVd4O6wtPq7bIT5j-jjWNJqnOJsXeL5QjiUymEEkmUa7e74/s1600/IMG_3362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzTCnQDqbpdnxXEXka7JqHk6UpW4hZtj1jitLxZnSBq8DHpyfhumalKgddci_hzrhEXO041ulKc31R9A-WTpYMk3VaSFOotVd4O6wtPq7bIT5j-jjWNJqnOJsXeL5QjiUymEEkmUa7e74/s320/IMG_3362.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kR0g0Ple1y4/T49sqjpET_I/AAAAAAAAA3g/DtUCRfozjXY/s1600/IMG_3367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kR0g0Ple1y4/T49sqjpET_I/AAAAAAAAA3g/DtUCRfozjXY/s320/IMG_3367.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I only did a light coat of paint on the sides, because I just wanted to make sure the blue didn't show through. I wanted to maintain adhesion and the more paint that was on there, the less the contact paper would adhere.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MTuaofVvc9Q/T49stCEGTNI/AAAAAAAAA3k/Ytx7EK8l1PU/s1600/IMG_3378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MTuaofVvc9Q/T49stCEGTNI/AAAAAAAAA3k/Ytx7EK8l1PU/s320/IMG_3378.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the contact paper was added. I may add a clear coat of spray glaze to protect it, but I like the matte finish. I'm not sure yet.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LjBm6J8bLyk/T49suzvmTuI/AAAAAAAAA3w/P7MEqHnvn2I/s1600/IMG_3380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LjBm6J8bLyk/T49suzvmTuI/AAAAAAAAA3w/P7MEqHnvn2I/s320/IMG_3380.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrq6PmWjx4WpBI2_bIQNmXoZAeKFhcjm0-tHsQLh12orc9oMK_5luEAXK6chgetiITUrXW47Q5-jXmQPKhbXCA0Wl5f7xo1TAzqNb-iNzqoF4mvYfoVqXkM9sdmkNnylJlfOcJD9cbSHgv/s1600/IMG_3386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrq6PmWjx4WpBI2_bIQNmXoZAeKFhcjm0-tHsQLh12orc9oMK_5luEAXK6chgetiITUrXW47Q5-jXmQPKhbXCA0Wl5f7xo1TAzqNb-iNzqoF4mvYfoVqXkM9sdmkNnylJlfOcJD9cbSHgv/s320/IMG_3386.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uJEYI8uPZQI/T49s4CT8XDI/AAAAAAAAA4A/i5HJniVTbxQ/s1600/IMG_3390.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uJEYI8uPZQI/T49s4CT8XDI/AAAAAAAAA4A/i5HJniVTbxQ/s320/IMG_3390.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new mail holder, in it's new home! Much better than the ugly blue!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11032760465172923455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709144888677562054.post-58151644685101621972012-04-18T20:29:00.000-04:002012-04-18T20:29:20.359-04:00Seriously, I HAVE been knitting lately!I want to apologize for my prior posts that are not knitting-related. I have been knitting quite a bit, actually, but I use my blog for other things, too. I have been thinking of branching off into two blogs, but it would be an awful lot of work to update my links, websites, etc. So, as long as my subscribers don't mind, I am going to keep it the same. In the spirit of my blog's title, however, I thought I would post some of my recently-finished projects:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwzJPlGMTCeVGyvkCygMzjRJP_3G0M_8iXof_IdLiGDFI5-dG8OEc87twYmNdHPhodXrejtb2AY8BRMGpYtZTAL900nqSWYdw0XVAtv9Y3imPlD80lDZsfyRMR28eoQ46BHCcFsyP3JCjz/s1600/IMG_3163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwzJPlGMTCeVGyvkCygMzjRJP_3G0M_8iXof_IdLiGDFI5-dG8OEc87twYmNdHPhodXrejtb2AY8BRMGpYtZTAL900nqSWYdw0XVAtv9Y3imPlD80lDZsfyRMR28eoQ46BHCcFsyP3JCjz/s320/IMG_3163.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcMy6xTvRj562CQxzcmuGaW066ucP4yr9Xl_D-Mxh8aTsNYOVWNkIMQxkF6onh7a7S91lGsF7My6Ulm7dO8oKxqFeirpozOSEdwQ8GIvnl89HeeRfrCDcP9QrT50LZobCm74UJ3lZd8o54/s1600/IMG_3170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcMy6xTvRj562CQxzcmuGaW066ucP4yr9Xl_D-Mxh8aTsNYOVWNkIMQxkF6onh7a7S91lGsF7My6Ulm7dO8oKxqFeirpozOSEdwQ8GIvnl89HeeRfrCDcP9QrT50LZobCm74UJ3lZd8o54/s320/IMG_3170.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I didn't want to give this one away! for my best friend, Cherish.</td></tr>
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</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX07jgV1gPMGqmtwDW-7WCYfV8_-mDU44Fb2ZSwChkGbA4AxC_cus5Cs_XHQnEokhbyBPQkOttMGZY_Lhm4ywLnModAp0qVz0HXXVcUf2TcTjm6GWtFwd_c9QfvlIebkdgXu7ohjev9Ghy/s1600/IMG_3347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX07jgV1gPMGqmtwDW-7WCYfV8_-mDU44Fb2ZSwChkGbA4AxC_cus5Cs_XHQnEokhbyBPQkOttMGZY_Lhm4ywLnModAp0qVz0HXXVcUf2TcTjm6GWtFwd_c9QfvlIebkdgXu7ohjev9Ghy/s320/IMG_3347.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toddler-sized version of my <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/91466110/baby-chuck-booties-knitting-pattern?listing_id=91466110&listing_slug=baby-chuck-booties-knitting-pattern" target="_blank">Baby Chucks Booties</a>. Brayden's dad is well-known for wearing neon colors, so I thought he and his new little brother could match daddy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0VtBwJEbAlljPHWqlynRbNKLgRAvR2hJL-4oIy614AOdbI50hyWYE_M9lPzE5hf3_txzGSUf4jdC476X0Km30DZc4zfs8vxG8VDYFwwUYdV4qmnlvn9lhCks1qNBp9bXfKGY8Z2wQS8c/s1600/IMG_2637.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH0VtBwJEbAlljPHWqlynRbNKLgRAvR2hJL-4oIy614AOdbI50hyWYE_M9lPzE5hf3_txzGSUf4jdC476X0Km30DZc4zfs8vxG8VDYFwwUYdV4qmnlvn9lhCks1qNBp9bXfKGY8Z2wQS8c/s320/IMG_2637.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A coffee cup cozy for a supervisor at work</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFblZ78diovvAZ1u7a1DdK1mGFlsB2ZYy_USQOggkHeU3eMdk4eVAzo5xVzMcRVw3zgww9oV18RuMfYEe6llCr0FLnAClUmycWM-5WIBCK6yrl7BkJZ6qk9Cb1_gpcYscJNDS1qV_QbTw/s1600/IMG_3130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFblZ78diovvAZ1u7a1DdK1mGFlsB2ZYy_USQOggkHeU3eMdk4eVAzo5xVzMcRVw3zgww9oV18RuMfYEe6llCr0FLnAClUmycWM-5WIBCK6yrl7BkJZ6qk9Cb1_gpcYscJNDS1qV_QbTw/s320/IMG_3130.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fingerless mitts for my stepmom for mother's day (ssshhhh, don't tell her!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zY-58EbaQcY/T49Z5ELeFMI/AAAAAAAAA2g/q5PinjOCJiY/s1600/IMG_3141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zY-58EbaQcY/T49Z5ELeFMI/AAAAAAAAA2g/q5PinjOCJiY/s320/IMG_3141.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLF2zEYvYMMaTpyJvc3NaI_aIXk2IXG_JZkHUL_TD1Q2iSwX_Xbah3nLXSxy_oB1jVu1s8-WprnVVb0OLDQUPA1-fOCxC2_z4V18v7zxnEIoFgGcybkP29fT3Ll9KzmvWGIQuN-_QzSZ8D/s1600/DSCF0233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLF2zEYvYMMaTpyJvc3NaI_aIXk2IXG_JZkHUL_TD1Q2iSwX_Xbah3nLXSxy_oB1jVu1s8-WprnVVb0OLDQUPA1-fOCxC2_z4V18v7zxnEIoFgGcybkP29fT3Ll9KzmvWGIQuN-_QzSZ8D/s320/DSCF0233.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another Lemon Curd Slouch hat for my best friend, Julie.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YGYbIdqiKeE/T49Z9n-UkDI/AAAAAAAAA2w/PpnnYeJWDi0/s1600/IMG_3157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YGYbIdqiKeE/T49Z9n-UkDI/AAAAAAAAA2w/PpnnYeJWDi0/s320/IMG_3157.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mittens for Julie</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrdMbnv6g7GuWz8J1WT3g6j8WmH7bWxq31E5gRmfvJ1FFhxk6FI1gzk4XKXPbCdGKCDqSSYXsSKD1HCLlWN9ZLnlvtDBJHLKDIcVVgFgQCR_RizqDQ9RQhSO2xiDERLpJeBJijtTCDT0PQ/s1600/DSCF0249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrdMbnv6g7GuWz8J1WT3g6j8WmH7bWxq31E5gRmfvJ1FFhxk6FI1gzk4XKXPbCdGKCDqSSYXsSKD1HCLlWN9ZLnlvtDBJHLKDIcVVgFgQCR_RizqDQ9RQhSO2xiDERLpJeBJijtTCDT0PQ/s320/DSCF0249.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Newborn version of Chucks booties for Brayden's baby brother</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitSjof9FolkJ75U254ABg3sH8Yif7YY0Pd23X580ME1vFtw1EkW_9jfrltzmKrLQ2kUYjDp7-E6HOnj93onCZ_kYNIQrd8PgW6Ed2OpL9HMNHgK5bWtL6VcGI0CN8_iCktiQ8XmzzRoTz9/s1600/IMG_3119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitSjof9FolkJ75U254ABg3sH8Yif7YY0Pd23X580ME1vFtw1EkW_9jfrltzmKrLQ2kUYjDp7-E6HOnj93onCZ_kYNIQrd8PgW6Ed2OpL9HMNHgK5bWtL6VcGI0CN8_iCktiQ8XmzzRoTz9/s320/IMG_3119.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/91466110/baby-chuck-booties-knitting-pattern?listing_id=91466110&listing_slug=baby-chuck-booties-knitting-pattern" target="_blank">Baby Chucks Booties</a> made for my husband's pregnant coworker.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6YXxu7E3ie_PGYLqC7R40FP0D79An9tSoek6OhpajEEaU4kpuZOxGg6PIlw6MAsWGsP3izEG2SjuexVeCiMBzBx3A190oRnoc7vb9OeLHmw2meSIK8lnLvtqAJGIii8Ry6Z_pOS3Aa0Ac/s1600/IMG_3088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6YXxu7E3ie_PGYLqC7R40FP0D79An9tSoek6OhpajEEaU4kpuZOxGg6PIlw6MAsWGsP3izEG2SjuexVeCiMBzBx3A190oRnoc7vb9OeLHmw2meSIK8lnLvtqAJGIii8Ry6Z_pOS3Aa0Ac/s320/IMG_3088.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A new pattern I wrote for <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baby-bear-booties" target="_blank">Baby Bear Booties</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>See? I have been knitting, just nothing too post-worthy in itself. What have you been working on lately? Post your pics in the comments! Also, don't forget to like me on Facebook by clicking "like" in the column to the right! Thanks for your support!Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11032760465172923455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709144888677562054.post-33617724976171365692012-04-18T19:41:00.000-04:002012-04-18T19:41:59.291-04:00Refurbished School DeskWhy did my neighbor throw this out? Well, Unfortunately, I don't have a before photo, but this desk was disgusting. Just imagine your typical, run-of-the-mill classroom desk, and that's what this was. I really wanted to fix it up, so I used some paint I had on hand (leftover from my bathroom paint job), a little contact paper from the dollar store, and a clear-coat of spray glaze, and the end result is this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg0R80miKCzxvL0GzELSxNR8qyFjPC0lPAI2s03ZlJH_BTKuCDV54nRbQcSjKs6Y46srtRow6dTPX1RRRdLTz508bKg2GOOvQmapL9jZrsuZgMXaicktqlrCop1Z0xdkcCEPDhJJP7iIjL/s1600/IMG_3351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg0R80miKCzxvL0GzELSxNR8qyFjPC0lPAI2s03ZlJH_BTKuCDV54nRbQcSjKs6Y46srtRow6dTPX1RRRdLTz508bKg2GOOvQmapL9jZrsuZgMXaicktqlrCop1Z0xdkcCEPDhJJP7iIjL/s320/IMG_3351.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtShRi9YCNHlta7jkG9akaBGRi_do82G77vcRtnIvdSS_FE1WkSSKz8eGaHPU0ITFkJlW2b7bpHuhOHjxOs8Dr8_uDjEDXVxfxEixpeKV-j85MuargIV9uM7N4YKidQecIJxB2RUsdxDR/s1600/IMG_3352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtShRi9YCNHlta7jkG9akaBGRi_do82G77vcRtnIvdSS_FE1WkSSKz8eGaHPU0ITFkJlW2b7bpHuhOHjxOs8Dr8_uDjEDXVxfxEixpeKV-j85MuargIV9uM7N4YKidQecIJxB2RUsdxDR/s320/IMG_3352.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e7N8L1dM2SI/T49Q2pGpGiI/AAAAAAAAA1g/ziEyDfch00I/s1600/IMG_3353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e7N8L1dM2SI/T49Q2pGpGiI/AAAAAAAAA1g/ziEyDfch00I/s320/IMG_3353.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwQ-jvm_1rfAOcfQW-LMviFsKskk170nWWfUZi8WVYgQ0bVJcdrWgh4akgh2539U3qvUYNAsoyxl5RSOwpIVsg2eaC1Pq_vNmOdMB_yx50NDPm4VbOiYRAnF9yOFdpuFf0Muyk8RlORTI/s1600/IMG_3354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtwQ-jvm_1rfAOcfQW-LMviFsKskk170nWWfUZi8WVYgQ0bVJcdrWgh4akgh2539U3qvUYNAsoyxl5RSOwpIVsg2eaC1Pq_vNmOdMB_yx50NDPm4VbOiYRAnF9yOFdpuFf0Muyk8RlORTI/s320/IMG_3354.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiljIwTpcfpMvT8a8P7juGakgm3Y9cNwBMMEWibRtXNe-H_XftkXdyX3l7_izp9pb8OrbxMg0a0y9HJQv8UNktYIFhKR3J8BIAQftc83BLlfdzkahvasA8gkzsxW0QcD0LxMgcHSkQISTyV/s1600/IMG_3355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiljIwTpcfpMvT8a8P7juGakgm3Y9cNwBMMEWibRtXNe-H_XftkXdyX3l7_izp9pb8OrbxMg0a0y9HJQv8UNktYIFhKR3J8BIAQftc83BLlfdzkahvasA8gkzsxW0QcD0LxMgcHSkQISTyV/s320/IMG_3355.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Total cost: $1.00!!!!!</div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11032760465172923455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709144888677562054.post-56004060460713984952012-04-16T13:58:00.001-04:002012-04-16T14:00:16.053-04:00Homemade Mocha Drink MixI am a huge fan of coffee. Generally, I just drink it regular (one cream, one sugar). If I want to get really fancy, I'll use some of this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3mwa0p-uG2-0THw6vYfMiafRR-DLX6z8L2k7Q4_xjsErQuQFIHDJdgXPKZ9HN6slnaWH4TrNOhwZ0s8Q-3YDM-4KPcAh9hwAxySHkezN721b1aAaX40KWkLXJRwrFLMSU69b7tyFJTHL-/s1600/IMG_3315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3mwa0p-uG2-0THw6vYfMiafRR-DLX6z8L2k7Q4_xjsErQuQFIHDJdgXPKZ9HN6slnaWH4TrNOhwZ0s8Q-3YDM-4KPcAh9hwAxySHkezN721b1aAaX40KWkLXJRwrFLMSU69b7tyFJTHL-/s320/IMG_3315.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Today, however, I found myself out of mocha mix. Instead of going to the store and spending three bucks on another one, I thought I could make my own for much less money. So, I checked out the ingredients list:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODpSGnGiTQ5L8XLIMaeYwzsH8KGzPW7mmqCJ-aqWkvge-3tEL7z9S3bNqis0g5oAcjt1UXjY0HPIy1-tNFZ-8mTzDv3bqNklJLb0RUG2UZoo6e_yoEmBUv1dz2xR7UyAcxaDctdDgFrca/s1600/IMG_3317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhODpSGnGiTQ5L8XLIMaeYwzsH8KGzPW7mmqCJ-aqWkvge-3tEL7z9S3bNqis0g5oAcjt1UXjY0HPIy1-tNFZ-8mTzDv3bqNklJLb0RUG2UZoo6e_yoEmBUv1dz2xR7UyAcxaDctdDgFrca/s320/IMG_3317.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Okay: Sugar, nondairy creamer, instant coffee, cocoa, and other flavoring. I think I can do this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oFWdFAC1-mU/T4xVZNIS7rI/AAAAAAAAA0I/84WnND2mrc4/s1600/IMG_3308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oFWdFAC1-mU/T4xVZNIS7rI/AAAAAAAAA0I/84WnND2mrc4/s320/IMG_3308.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xjM_ajNdvL0/T4xVbd1emOI/AAAAAAAAA0Q/M5T2G4MZDKk/s1600/IMG_3309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xjM_ajNdvL0/T4xVbd1emOI/AAAAAAAAA0Q/M5T2G4MZDKk/s320/IMG_3309.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoQ8wUUjiAWzJfXCdmbFsbKg6cV2NY0sj6GTsqJrdrF4JPJYb41U99mg7eMrZ5LwhjWkY3mJvSqoQmJU9F-sNxOxcnYvULVt_hGxgwuOnZMK7z5OfB4H1PYf8_-J13rIijjRmqJmKeXJsp/s1600/IMG_3306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoQ8wUUjiAWzJfXCdmbFsbKg6cV2NY0sj6GTsqJrdrF4JPJYb41U99mg7eMrZ5LwhjWkY3mJvSqoQmJU9F-sNxOxcnYvULVt_hGxgwuOnZMK7z5OfB4H1PYf8_-J13rIijjRmqJmKeXJsp/s320/IMG_3306.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I have a few different jars of instant coffee around, so I took the jar that was just under half full. I filled it with sugar up to about an inch from the top. Seem like a lot of sugar? It's probably less than <a href="http://eatthis.menshealth.com/slide/worst-espresso-drink?slideshow=184612#sharetagsfocus" target="_blank">what you're drinking in your Starbucks</a> every day, actually:</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRIHW74Xspld91Wz2sRFa1mlUXCkgTWmssPdCqoGF9sbn4bOaII-sdtBaUzdj0Pr0OkGiN4J9AW5QE3-CQux6jKGugRM4YMZNZX1HOo9un9YDbFvlqV4m3bSXQPrO3Gaao3GWAGLoeqmSy/s1600/worst-espresso-drink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRIHW74Xspld91Wz2sRFa1mlUXCkgTWmssPdCqoGF9sbn4bOaII-sdtBaUzdj0Pr0OkGiN4J9AW5QE3-CQux6jKGugRM4YMZNZX1HOo9un9YDbFvlqV4m3bSXQPrO3Gaao3GWAGLoeqmSy/s320/worst-espresso-drink.jpg" width="296" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visual representation of the sugar equivalent in a Starbucks Mocha, via Menshealth.com, totaling a whopping 660 calories, 22g fat, and 95g sugar for 20 oz.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Next, I added about 4-5 tbsp of dark cocoa. I decided to omit the nondairy creamer, because <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fat" target="_blank">it's bad for you</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After adding the cocoa, I screwed the lid on tightly and shook until mixed well:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ2xG2NJbbNhTeiZg03_1Xbl9PXiAGSVUoWoHvTX20TvEYpFue6M2BKngkSDbZHvVIBX0M9S5Eexo09kLHJUZbxbqNlBYC4YfrKHhlcVo86wzYSyCcW7jEcLQYck11SKWbiLR2utDmEPul/s1600/IMG_3318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ2xG2NJbbNhTeiZg03_1Xbl9PXiAGSVUoWoHvTX20TvEYpFue6M2BKngkSDbZHvVIBX0M9S5Eexo09kLHJUZbxbqNlBYC4YfrKHhlcVo86wzYSyCcW7jEcLQYck11SKWbiLR2utDmEPul/s320/IMG_3318.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It's a little darker than the original store bought mix, but since I omitted the nondairy creamer, I expected that. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">To test it out, I put 12 oz hot water in a mug, and mixed 2 tbsp of my mocha mix into the water. I added about 2 tbsp of 2% milk, and this is the result:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUlnm8WhiATszQPnpgjLAg_OjwpPdKSd262r5ACj2TGYhxxdhcrFGZRutm2EXt_t-BPvuQDKQpYkLM7CLxZekXs5eIlBGPTU08-9z7qi2lfbv1mwhSUPKgntIOc9GWAd1T2O_S0KBhu8_7/s1600/IMG_3310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUlnm8WhiATszQPnpgjLAg_OjwpPdKSd262r5ACj2TGYhxxdhcrFGZRutm2EXt_t-BPvuQDKQpYkLM7CLxZekXs5eIlBGPTU08-9z7qi2lfbv1mwhSUPKgntIOc9GWAd1T2O_S0KBhu8_7/s320/IMG_3310.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq600V2mHnD860vsB1bI59Eky2q29CmjeFRJPzpi2xVvFhEgUl4gXYr8FXQZOApdYOwfnABsx46K2Vp-HbW64X1BcUY55DhgcHTZVbJSehZn1LbjAoOFgVa-rgn3xD1qIYREdpbvz3hBps/s1600/IMG_3314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq600V2mHnD860vsB1bI59Eky2q29CmjeFRJPzpi2xVvFhEgUl4gXYr8FXQZOApdYOwfnABsx46K2Vp-HbW64X1BcUY55DhgcHTZVbJSehZn1LbjAoOFgVa-rgn3xD1qIYREdpbvz3hBps/s320/IMG_3314.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Compare your Starbucks to this drink mix. Assuming you mixed 20 ounces of this Mocha mix, you would have 120 calories, 1 gram of fat, and 24 grams of sugar. That's assuming 4 scoops of mix for 20 ounces of liquid. For one serving (2 scoops in a 12-ounce mug), you have about 60 calories, 1/2 gram of fat, and 12 grams of sugar. Win!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">When I add 2 tbsp of 2% milk, that brings it up to 74 calories, 1 gram of fat, and 14 grams of sugar, and all delicious! (Nutrition facts calculated at <a href="http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp" target="_blank">Recipe Calculator</a>.) Isn't it amazing how much healthier something becomes when you take out the unnecessary junk? This also makes my drink mix much healthier than the store bought mocha mix! If you used 2tbsp of the store bought stuff, you would ingest 120 calories, 3 grams of fat, and 18 grams of sugar. I win! Not to mention the fact that my mix is a lot cheaper. Enjoy!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11032760465172923455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709144888677562054.post-48681970373674140432012-04-14T19:51:00.000-04:002012-04-14T19:51:10.360-04:00Dollar Store Storage BucketI've been looking for some nice little baskets for my kitchen to hide my prescriptions in that doesn't look like crap. I couldn't find anything in the store that I was willing to pay for, so I made them myself:<div><br />
</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2DMxUQ8IAmmHq0U3vfVE5oPKY-BiHbsHfuaCGNATmPSeIIiu9jrt9-wio4VNrd_SgxdpMgzz7aI6VpmntM339DnovXoSOT8LWCUBcho4bFcyExmO6xzRjxOzMWc5CR5j7ErQZ8hl_lChz/s1600/IMG_3259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2DMxUQ8IAmmHq0U3vfVE5oPKY-BiHbsHfuaCGNATmPSeIIiu9jrt9-wio4VNrd_SgxdpMgzz7aI6VpmntM339DnovXoSOT8LWCUBcho4bFcyExmO6xzRjxOzMWc5CR5j7ErQZ8hl_lChz/s320/IMG_3259.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div>Materials:</div><div>Contact paper from the dollar store</div><div>2 buckets from the dollar store</div><div>spray paint on hand</div><div><br />
</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d8isbCcTqk4/T4oM7NyVQ6I/AAAAAAAAAzY/gBXIh50-eE4/s1600/dollar+tree+jug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d8isbCcTqk4/T4oM7NyVQ6I/AAAAAAAAAzY/gBXIh50-eE4/s320/dollar+tree+jug.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Before the spray paint</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0qtgLPtfd64/T4oNA-olXyI/AAAAAAAAAzg/z18KrYHJzVs/s1600/IMG_3250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0qtgLPtfd64/T4oNA-olXyI/AAAAAAAAAzg/z18KrYHJzVs/s320/IMG_3250.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhedS88m2_oSvjrXXeylQNVAraRZACUrkD-H5SaZxXfGcXMVTPLSGconIu-LRyp7s7AQlN6UnQdq4tcIc-BfaJVTZmCC0o85RkBCovvK3sUKu8hpGQQZfSOJSkvN6v71znA2QoTiLLbRTKB/s1600/IMG_3255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhedS88m2_oSvjrXXeylQNVAraRZACUrkD-H5SaZxXfGcXMVTPLSGconIu-LRyp7s7AQlN6UnQdq4tcIc-BfaJVTZmCC0o85RkBCovvK3sUKu8hpGQQZfSOJSkvN6v71znA2QoTiLLbRTKB/s320/IMG_3255.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrvHvScjwnr6tVURBKdxrtpozaZE1W9FBX0tKFNViVJ9FfOvYYpcu5-jrbmvU3GMLNDR7nrXF1qFWcZ3H2ZZdsypGBN1c4T-Mc-2JjCNjmaQJMGkfyU88zIjcDYvkieX2gkefK70KUpnEU/s1600/IMG_3256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrvHvScjwnr6tVURBKdxrtpozaZE1W9FBX0tKFNViVJ9FfOvYYpcu5-jrbmvU3GMLNDR7nrXF1qFWcZ3H2ZZdsypGBN1c4T-Mc-2JjCNjmaQJMGkfyU88zIjcDYvkieX2gkefK70KUpnEU/s320/IMG_3256.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div>It looks like I paid a lot for these now but the total cost was 3 bucks! </div><div><br />
</div></div></div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11032760465172923455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709144888677562054.post-83578401364572644232012-04-12T19:50:00.000-04:002012-04-12T19:50:54.179-04:00Framed Antique Keys<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6_AweVwvZxw/T4dnAqorSaI/AAAAAAAAAzI/-sfQtKJeUtY/s1600/IMG_3246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6_AweVwvZxw/T4dnAqorSaI/AAAAAAAAAzI/-sfQtKJeUtY/s320/IMG_3246.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is what I made today. I'm not sure what to call it, but it was very simple. I have seen variations of it in magazines, at Pottery Barn, etc, but I really wanted something monochromatic. My house is full of dark trim so I am always looking to brighten it up. Here's how I made it:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Supplies:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhie1ki43aKFoSpEp_Kl50NtC8A524ZeLUHVhEDj6OAeM4vf1_gUUH1vaCVSTmJ53eG46J2WhMWOKNb9S31SS3A7PyUM7y99N-qLOyzU5DOP0V9YdBpedMMyZZsbS7XqTsji4SqFjS4NQFt/s1600/IMG_3221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhie1ki43aKFoSpEp_Kl50NtC8A524ZeLUHVhEDj6OAeM4vf1_gUUH1vaCVSTmJ53eG46J2WhMWOKNb9S31SS3A7PyUM7y99N-qLOyzU5DOP0V9YdBpedMMyZZsbS7XqTsji4SqFjS4NQFt/s320/IMG_3221.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Antique keys (available at antique stores for about $3 each</div><div style="text-align: center;">4x6 frame (This is from Dollar Tree)</div><div style="text-align: center;">Spray paint</div><div style="text-align: center;">Scrapbook paper</div><div style="text-align: center;">Tacky Glue</div><div style="text-align: center;">Cardboard for painting</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">First, remove the backing and glass from your frame and set aside. Put frame and keys on cardboard. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihhnZNvSVedQ8TalS3wrl4Obmy_BPS6WQglfrUFBuLX_OiqZ1AjnekWKumafn7PRNaR5LZgCfFX42mdDOO3kpzYXdw2IBKCRBX2JSMS4jqeQrDIER_C86M9HYwPLDwMXvjAcEkYA2j0JJ3/s1600/IMG_3226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihhnZNvSVedQ8TalS3wrl4Obmy_BPS6WQglfrUFBuLX_OiqZ1AjnekWKumafn7PRNaR5LZgCfFX42mdDOO3kpzYXdw2IBKCRBX2JSMS4jqeQrDIER_C86M9HYwPLDwMXvjAcEkYA2j0JJ3/s320/IMG_3226.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Put several layers of paint on the frame and on both sides of the keys. I sprayed 3 coats.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Using frame back as a template, cut out scrapbook paper. Once the frame and keys are dry, put the scrapbook paper in the frame in front of the glass so that the paper is the outermost layer. Using the tacky glue, put a thin layer of glue on the back side of each key and arrange as desired. Let dry overnight and hang in an area that is not prone to moisture. Keep away from basements and bathrooms, and this should hold up well. Enjoy!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11032760465172923455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709144888677562054.post-33375106652367969782012-04-07T15:04:00.000-04:002012-04-07T15:04:50.796-04:00Sneakers are Cute on BabiesI've recently written a new pattern that I can't stop knitting: Sneakers for babies! I have a low-top and a high-top version, both instructions are included in the pattern. Cute little "Chucks" for your baby, from newborn size to 12 months. I am making them for all my pregnant friends! For three bucks, you will definitely use this pattern for every baby shower you attend! Well worth it for the perfect, original shower gift!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/purchase/ashley-britt-designs/90410"><img border="0" src="http://www.ravelry.com/images/shopping/buy-now.gif" /></a><br />
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</div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11032760465172923455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709144888677562054.post-42394064079434023702012-03-08T14:16:00.001-05:002012-03-08T14:19:33.112-05:00Dairy-Free Brownies!I wanted brownies. I had no butter. I Googled substitutions, and olive oil is what I used. The result: So delicious, that I permanently changed my recipe!<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp olive oil<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
2 eggs<br />
1/2 cup flour<br />
1/2 tsp vanilla extract<br />
1/4 tsp salt<br />
6 tbsp dark cocoa<br />
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Mix sugar and oil together, then add remaining ingredients and mix well. Using more olive oil, grease an 8x8 glass Pyrex baking dish. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, then turn off heat and leave the brownies in the oven for an additional 4-5 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool for 15-20 minutes.<br />
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Nutrition Facts (from SparkRecipe's <a href="http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp">Recipe Calculator</a>)<br />
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Makes about 12 Servings<br />
Amount Per Serving:<br />
Calories 161.6<br />
Total Fat 8.1 g<br />
Saturated Fat 1.4 g<br />
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.9 g<br />
Monounsaturated Fat 5.4 g<br />
Cholesterol 30.8 mg<br />
Sodium 60.8 mg<br />
Potassium 59.0 mg<br />
Total Carbohydrate 22.1 g<br />
Dietary Fiber 1.0 g<br />
Sugars 16.7 g<br />
Protein 2.1 g<br />
Vitamin A 1.0 %<br />
Vitamin B-12 1.3 %<br />
Vitamin B-6 0.9 %<br />
Vitamin C 0.0 %<br />
Vitamin D 1.7 %<br />
Vitamin E 2.8 %<br />
Calcium 0.8 %<br />
Copper 5.5 %<br />
Folate 3.6 %<br />
Iron 4.2 %<br />
Magnesium 3.7 %<br />
Manganese 7.0 %<br />
Niacin 1.8 %<br />
Pantothenic Acid 0.3 %<br />
Phosphorus 4.2 %<br />
Riboflavin 3.8 %<br />
Selenium 3.2 %<br />
Thiamin 2.9 %<br />
Zinc 2.2 %<br />
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*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11032760465172923455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709144888677562054.post-2602097748012570742012-02-24T12:05:00.001-05:002012-02-24T12:44:50.059-05:00Free Pattern: Set of Four CoastersI've got another free pattern up for download. I figured it's about time for a freebie! I hope you like it.<br />
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<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/dls/ashley-britt-designs/93857?filename=Coaster_Set_Pattern.pdf">download now</a><br />
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</div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11032760465172923455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709144888677562054.post-63102323161869217242012-02-22T13:45:00.000-05:002012-02-22T13:45:22.559-05:00Green Bean CasseroleDoes anyone really need a recipe for this? Well, I did when I first made it, but now it's something I'm proud to have memorized the full, intricate process and extensive ingredient list. I bring you GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE:<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XF_SGec4Nis/T0Uy-S3WuaI/AAAAAAAAAsg/LOMVDkqxZgM/s1600/IMG_2795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XF_SGec4Nis/T0Uy-S3WuaI/AAAAAAAAAsg/LOMVDkqxZgM/s320/IMG_2795.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2 qt casserole dish</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCSe0-kDxdiD_wN_kc6Tlmpjzl1Pb7M_TL4Qd5q-i8Sbti3iSKcGDcsK0Bg1U4cC-P0TyNnjw1KuYVKeygEqQ5BwiGnvSV0-asJEnmFYAXrUPkGECMJj7sJmg2D6NK3ImZ8-3HkjWwoMSB/s1600/IMG_2799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCSe0-kDxdiD_wN_kc6Tlmpjzl1Pb7M_TL4Qd5q-i8Sbti3iSKcGDcsK0Bg1U4cC-P0TyNnjw1KuYVKeygEqQ5BwiGnvSV0-asJEnmFYAXrUPkGECMJj7sJmg2D6NK3ImZ8-3HkjWwoMSB/s320/IMG_2799.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwcCqrVmuqsJd45s_F4VD1CPtQzJVKR4AncUO2PHvRyV-sP_qPyiiyqbjzPFL3FD7m7WXTPlWN63A3wHbTBY5UNqKdI35laoUg66VJvFAVxqwvg6S5MG5bP5DWsN4vkSjwZbBZ9pMUgrHE/s1600/IMG_2800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwcCqrVmuqsJd45s_F4VD1CPtQzJVKR4AncUO2PHvRyV-sP_qPyiiyqbjzPFL3FD7m7WXTPlWN63A3wHbTBY5UNqKdI35laoUg66VJvFAVxqwvg6S5MG5bP5DWsN4vkSjwZbBZ9pMUgrHE/s320/IMG_2800.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBBRnoI8_RQMmdgU-U7ziBgBx-lOjwOASR-r56zKJz0u_wLLYgQrjJzKfIEa5Zmyt_uB0RevfLceX5WYx3RQUF-jywVXsIMj3PWpGomonfINNuz2-6axG7avGUMGeqyHuZE3rwPkjrsOl/s1600/IMG_2798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBBRnoI8_RQMmdgU-U7ziBgBx-lOjwOASR-r56zKJz0u_wLLYgQrjJzKfIEa5Zmyt_uB0RevfLceX5WYx3RQUF-jywVXsIMj3PWpGomonfINNuz2-6axG7avGUMGeqyHuZE3rwPkjrsOl/s320/IMG_2798.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preheat this to 350</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fpDCrTKa6sQ/T0UzPGPjIfI/AAAAAAAAAtI/OTxFAsCbS6c/s1600/IMG_2811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fpDCrTKa6sQ/T0UzPGPjIfI/AAAAAAAAAtI/OTxFAsCbS6c/s320/IMG_2811.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Step 1: Open all the cans, drain the beans. Ignore my dirty dishes in the sink, I'm in the middle of a cooking bender.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjznSWq0oAtDVBks4ydKJE-H7o4257WxGZXFHYhnCP30Ob6mUToY8UH-V9JbgrUFYtBWT8dlA497ow4YSl2Gou-89P9NdQSopG9U84mc3mYW4lBI-hQfYPzafV3d7bZadnrv3scZ8Rct93z/s1600/IMG_2802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjznSWq0oAtDVBks4ydKJE-H7o4257WxGZXFHYhnCP30Ob6mUToY8UH-V9JbgrUFYtBWT8dlA497ow4YSl2Gou-89P9NdQSopG9U84mc3mYW4lBI-hQfYPzafV3d7bZadnrv3scZ8Rct93z/s320/IMG_2802.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Step 2: dump all the cans in the big bowl and stir them together</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixuXo-dOZVU0J3-TM2JCOEbI4UmUqAMaXedVSTpu4w4M653cb-oQ8FqDLkcJx0QefXnIhHiyy7yFwEzcGR8zOngLQyck-KevvVnhAviYEMbhsnwQY-qWEZMM58YCeUb2dTGCsdpDxuvyy7/s1600/IMG_2814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixuXo-dOZVU0J3-TM2JCOEbI4UmUqAMaXedVSTpu4w4M653cb-oQ8FqDLkcJx0QefXnIhHiyy7yFwEzcGR8zOngLQyck-KevvVnhAviYEMbhsnwQY-qWEZMM58YCeUb2dTGCsdpDxuvyy7/s320/IMG_2814.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Step 3: Dump the mixture into your casserole dish.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMqvjd3vY_9nUlbo0Fd2osJ7197TIQgiDl17xOWF0JQ1tjcU8s__MK7E_TWrONigy_d69rv16RrGVP6Yx5szeHrmZ0PNFSjQotk6bHbOFCnc1f3d8pzWpy7RzPRjRBq5VP07J9fD-YbZiQ/s1600/IMG_2820.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMqvjd3vY_9nUlbo0Fd2osJ7197TIQgiDl17xOWF0JQ1tjcU8s__MK7E_TWrONigy_d69rv16RrGVP6Yx5szeHrmZ0PNFSjQotk6bHbOFCnc1f3d8pzWpy7RzPRjRBq5VP07J9fD-YbZiQ/s320/IMG_2820.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Step 4: Take the other half of the fried onions that you didn't eat while mixing the beans, and sprinkle them on top.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUWEyuZvdii5-GtdoYYUvsiboL_Hp6CF6SMxWq3PONxkeuxl79y9KcozAJtst2oMwAM0JrPGV_LTmtrOJ4H220niITS8dVu_osDkNwL-n2PMq6vKeefE06yu5BchdfKQco2euP63FL5vP/s1600/IMG_2821.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUWEyuZvdii5-GtdoYYUvsiboL_Hp6CF6SMxWq3PONxkeuxl79y9KcozAJtst2oMwAM0JrPGV_LTmtrOJ4H220niITS8dVu_osDkNwL-n2PMq6vKeefE06yu5BchdfKQco2euP63FL5vP/s320/IMG_2821.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div>Check on sleeping dogs, make sure they are still cute:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip1q5RJlzfxXKBYPJBu5OLtHWHPU-xzp-vpIdut5tskGAzqOPbLwxlKH3vBU3CdBZjNz27E2vOBPlhU7xWv2P0fDnk15wRURdrOmzLlI-Il3QS7-EwscN34PGGNiVznedVJax4bud-b76j/s1600/IMG_2836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip1q5RJlzfxXKBYPJBu5OLtHWHPU-xzp-vpIdut5tskGAzqOPbLwxlKH3vBU3CdBZjNz27E2vOBPlhU7xWv2P0fDnk15wRURdrOmzLlI-Il3QS7-EwscN34PGGNiVznedVJax4bud-b76j/s320/IMG_2836.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUUNm5ugKd2SRgJR2kSYM6oga4bQpeNfqPsM6F4f9ZF-561UT2rI2XXPsR7MuGc4vWm3BpC_8vSPr0x8hK18UWYM1FH8Sl6pOqJizaVY3G7Y9gnD-Z3m32BS7ziNyBLXGDQNWIEqKeP0_/s1600/IMG_2835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUUNm5ugKd2SRgJR2kSYM6oga4bQpeNfqPsM6F4f9ZF-561UT2rI2XXPsR7MuGc4vWm3BpC_8vSPr0x8hK18UWYM1FH8Sl6pOqJizaVY3G7Y9gnD-Z3m32BS7ziNyBLXGDQNWIEqKeP0_/s320/IMG_2835.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> While waiting for stuff to bake, clean up, which is ridiculously easy for this recipe.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zqWAO2rNj6g/T0U3TGwfYwI/AAAAAAAAAuo/0DBPQbF2JHg/s1600/IMG_2830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zqWAO2rNj6g/T0U3TGwfYwI/AAAAAAAAAuo/0DBPQbF2JHg/s320/IMG_2830.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Step 5: Bake for 25 minutes or until hot. If you see the mushroom soup bubbling a little bit around the edges, it's done. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hpeAcHav0bU/T0U3EdWnJ6I/AAAAAAAAAuA/KawxcorB_S8/s1600/IMG_2839.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hpeAcHav0bU/T0U3EdWnJ6I/AAAAAAAAAuA/KawxcorB_S8/s320/IMG_2839.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqDikzkuilwCoHZqJ6SOtTOucwzVpLqNU0W_l2dJVwJY_0yFd3QoN_7Dhi0UbJGfUE15wMUqIAa2DP_WYVX_4epnvIBgL-Enp3Lnr-H2grpSptu-5fh45AyikaJKaeiaJwmHdPX0RreZ7/s1600/IMG_2840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqDikzkuilwCoHZqJ6SOtTOucwzVpLqNU0W_l2dJVwJY_0yFd3QoN_7Dhi0UbJGfUE15wMUqIAa2DP_WYVX_4epnvIBgL-Enp3Lnr-H2grpSptu-5fh45AyikaJKaeiaJwmHdPX0RreZ7/s320/IMG_2840.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDC9codN0VYK1ZPmIrZNuV9klP7VLkJ7NBSyK_KgRlWndousQNOe6oj9vkVS2KfXtARZd-1HrpJdzLwaOmbtCiMwoaQHqp6DyWfUy70Nm9AOttllTdBl9nRfmLHYlZENOTSbfPlWno-u6/s1600/IMG_2841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDC9codN0VYK1ZPmIrZNuV9klP7VLkJ7NBSyK_KgRlWndousQNOe6oj9vkVS2KfXtARZd-1HrpJdzLwaOmbtCiMwoaQHqp6DyWfUy70Nm9AOttllTdBl9nRfmLHYlZENOTSbfPlWno-u6/s320/IMG_2841.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJsPmRSmAkfj7iB1ax4q70zYWsmvEf5yeu_rwp41t4XIFmcNgZ632c8fJAbUBh59eH7QR1lyDfUPzzr95DkXrbDJ8C9w3iw37zjpr7OQErq0NywTcC7q6R0GUDyjt9-LMENj_tT6oIed0c/s1600/IMG_2842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJsPmRSmAkfj7iB1ax4q70zYWsmvEf5yeu_rwp41t4XIFmcNgZ632c8fJAbUBh59eH7QR1lyDfUPzzr95DkXrbDJ8C9w3iw37zjpr7OQErq0NywTcC7q6R0GUDyjt9-LMENj_tT6oIed0c/s320/IMG_2842.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ovyl5bkTWeU/T0U3Pz4GMfI/AAAAAAAAAug/2ZdKA8uxxbw/s1600/IMG_2843.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ovyl5bkTWeU/T0U3Pz4GMfI/AAAAAAAAAug/2ZdKA8uxxbw/s320/IMG_2843.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Yum!Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11032760465172923455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709144888677562054.post-77147259152537282322012-02-20T18:40:00.000-05:002012-02-20T18:40:20.287-05:00Tuna Noodle Casserole (or, adventures in a soft food diet)Those of you who know me personally know that I've been battling TMJ for several months now. With treatment (which mainly consists of talking as little as possible and taking ibuprofen/prescription painkillers, while waiting for a bite splint to realign your jaw) comes the requirement of eating only soft food. One can only live so long on soup. So, while I am off work a bit to have time for my new bite splint to realign my jaw, I decided to use my time to make things. Things to eat. <br />
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If you know me, you also know that I suck at cooking. Baking, that's another story--but <i>cooking</i> (i.e. dinner-type foods) is not my strong point. Luckily, someone invented casserole. And that is how I survive when I don't want to eat something ready-made. Thus, for your consideration, tuna noodle casserole:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7ZOxajsNcgc/T0LXxCxqZvI/AAAAAAAAAsA/Q8cggL_4DWs/s1600/IMG_2766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7ZOxajsNcgc/T0LXxCxqZvI/AAAAAAAAAsA/Q8cggL_4DWs/s320/IMG_2766.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Ingredients:<br />
2 cans white albacore tuna, drained<br />
2 cups frozen peas, defrosted in the microwave<br />
2 cans cream of mushroom soup<br />
1 cup milk, fat content of your choice (I go with 2%)<br />
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs, toasted in a frying pan with olive oil or margarine<br />
12 ounce bag of egg noodles, cooked<br />
fresh ground pepper (optional, but delicious)<br />
also optional, 1/2 cup chopped celery (I forgot to buy some, hence the "optional")<br />
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Start boiling the egg noodles and toast your bread crumbs. Set aside the bread crumbs. My husband got me some nice non-stick Emeril frying pans for Valentine's day, they are awesome!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pYcdsscABxc/T0LXiZhqODI/AAAAAAAAArY/B6c6x6nTjEI/s1600/IMG_2753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pYcdsscABxc/T0LXiZhqODI/AAAAAAAAArY/B6c6x6nTjEI/s320/IMG_2753.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Mix the tuna, soup, peas, pepper, and milk in a bowl while the egg noodles are cooking.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2JVGz-wsYb0/T0LXgAQdn9I/AAAAAAAAArQ/FAncMvJWapA/s1600/IMG_2752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2JVGz-wsYb0/T0LXgAQdn9I/AAAAAAAAArQ/FAncMvJWapA/s320/IMG_2752.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Drain the cooked noodles and add to already-mixed ingredients. (Make sure the bowl you use is large enough to accommodate all the noodles before you blindly dump them out of the pot. Not that I made a mess or anything.....) Mix well.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Dump this mixture in a 4-quart casserole dish and spread out until even.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qf23Go9X23A/T0LXnMlnn5I/AAAAAAAAAro/XmtJ4XO3UAw/s1600/IMG_2757.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qf23Go9X23A/T0LXnMlnn5I/AAAAAAAAAro/XmtJ4XO3UAw/s320/IMG_2757.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsPDAq718N0XT6PMtgsdJbh0KMx_h7rVEMk_4hSqDkNtPpKcr0IzE2EyqYF06EpIJKJiuOcsXKnQ9UJZMU92HpznsOCWwl4gdkbSCsEf9C_IB_D4XIPXDQ9ILOs-vZxjaMeSJW62KREv59/s1600/IMG_2758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsPDAq718N0XT6PMtgsdJbh0KMx_h7rVEMk_4hSqDkNtPpKcr0IzE2EyqYF06EpIJKJiuOcsXKnQ9UJZMU92HpznsOCWwl4gdkbSCsEf9C_IB_D4XIPXDQ9ILOs-vZxjaMeSJW62KREv59/s320/IMG_2758.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you're thinking that this mixture looks a bit dry, you're right. I accidentally used just a half cup of milk, and I remembered about halfway through baking. I took the casserole back out, dumped the milk around the edges, and hopefully it will absorb somewhat evenly... See? I even screw up casserole.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV29XKdRahWe5yMfdWsHFm7hATTJczxmJAboEWm_MaNoWY7pFuu_hrupsO3Qe90DrmhYhYCL2CfL16ejBrJVlmmveyZZ3uyPJgypuOf1VNNNokSiFkz1swwAGveq34_Yu0LtL30FF9O_EO/s1600/IMG_2762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV29XKdRahWe5yMfdWsHFm7hATTJczxmJAboEWm_MaNoWY7pFuu_hrupsO3Qe90DrmhYhYCL2CfL16ejBrJVlmmveyZZ3uyPJgypuOf1VNNNokSiFkz1swwAGveq34_Yu0LtL30FF9O_EO/s320/IMG_2762.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until heated thoroughly.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Makes enough for 4-6 people.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6xH6Gl6Xc68/T0LX0iD8RBI/AAAAAAAAAsI/ODu_8DrndKg/s1600/IMG_2771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6xH6Gl6Xc68/T0LX0iD8RBI/AAAAAAAAAsI/ODu_8DrndKg/s320/IMG_2771.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_EQ7rFFsYr-VbmitKZMU_EOZbMNriER-L2vgbPlnjxjvxznO8Cgu-IKqZVFxaK5MPWOmo54KBuI5YiCKwR2hvdThfS8GEzHzeoXM-0LVEbUEkzLZi3AoMPYpUcPrClpuaJyvxnrVYcqn/s1600/IMG_2772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_EQ7rFFsYr-VbmitKZMU_EOZbMNriER-L2vgbPlnjxjvxznO8Cgu-IKqZVFxaK5MPWOmo54KBuI5YiCKwR2hvdThfS8GEzHzeoXM-0LVEbUEkzLZi3AoMPYpUcPrClpuaJyvxnrVYcqn/s320/IMG_2772.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Despite the top being a bit dry, it turned out great. I have come to expect little to nothing when it comes to myself and cooking. Next time around, I plan to use more pepper and actually remember to buy celery, because I missed it. I guess this is better for the soft-food diet. </div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11032760465172923455noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709144888677562054.post-57205946425981155782012-02-17T12:37:00.000-05:002012-02-17T12:37:06.876-05:00Paper-Covered Switch PlateI've discovered a great, inexpensive way to give my switch plates a makeover, so to speak: Scrapbook paper! I was using Stumbleupon and The Hybrid Chick's <a href="http://www.thehybridchick.com/2011/11/paper-covered-switch-plate/" target="_blank">post</a> about paper-covered switch plates came up. I just redid my bathroom walls, so this is a perfect way to get some new decor in there! All you need is Mod Podge, spray glaze, and a little sandpaper, along with a small piece of scrapbook paper of your choice. The result is this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihH9hv8hJdriBwZLncn8gMZzLtuA0BJY9qgcC2sSd6Ea0yrwNTjS3Fzygc581Uo75lq4xaci26t_kP8Z3wsHMxy9-uBGqHLL_m0FeQGw8zWL7FfRle8xDLpZyxCYVRlq236ydlFNK5icqq/s1600/IMG_2696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihH9hv8hJdriBwZLncn8gMZzLtuA0BJY9qgcC2sSd6Ea0yrwNTjS3Fzygc581Uo75lq4xaci26t_kP8Z3wsHMxy9-uBGqHLL_m0FeQGw8zWL7FfRle8xDLpZyxCYVRlq236ydlFNK5icqq/s320/IMG_2696.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMjBmxOISqWWLgglj4XQztLe-zsAe2A8svyyFGgp-AyYfC7sjeREOEMPqV0JqvaWOkUc3mqfvKy27FdOB8E2ZMHWLUcxNlVKswkGkdfpitZK5Xn-dimVWyzjuV85TjHi4gC8o3tSqYVWfR/s1600/IMG_2697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMjBmxOISqWWLgglj4XQztLe-zsAe2A8svyyFGgp-AyYfC7sjeREOEMPqV0JqvaWOkUc3mqfvKy27FdOB8E2ZMHWLUcxNlVKswkGkdfpitZK5Xn-dimVWyzjuV85TjHi4gC8o3tSqYVWfR/s320/IMG_2697.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">See the tutorial <a href="http://www.thehybridchick.com/2011/11/paper-covered-switch-plate/" target="_blank">here.</a></div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11032760465172923455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709144888677562054.post-12353528930743583112012-01-22T18:48:00.000-05:002012-01-22T18:48:40.821-05:00Reupholstered Vanity StoolI did some reupholstering this weekend, actually quite a bit of it! First, I helped my friend Julie reupholster a bench from her childhood home, she also put a fresh coat of white paint on it since the finish was pretty much toast. Here's the before and after of that:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fRu_v0y8uck/TxyawakW64I/AAAAAAAAAmQ/pJp1QOYyM5c/s1600/before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fRu_v0y8uck/TxyawakW64I/AAAAAAAAAmQ/pJp1QOYyM5c/s320/before.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUPdmxPFVCfgzca6LTwxe-NSQHHDBgi0qnRGvBWM41BDshyphenhyphen2OtGPQRhUifHTYwClrQbFJ0p7mJW-qL0Gq24w4lh_ws3ECEas0wwqG6qx62Rn2r93bVvrLuyME0jPTBpzjYmkDe4PI7Hy19/s1600/after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUPdmxPFVCfgzca6LTwxe-NSQHHDBgi0qnRGvBWM41BDshyphenhyphen2OtGPQRhUifHTYwClrQbFJ0p7mJW-qL0Gq24w4lh_ws3ECEas0wwqG6qx62Rn2r93bVvrLuyME0jPTBpzjYmkDe4PI7Hy19/s320/after.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Since Julie wanted to do some reupholstering, I wanted to get in on some of the action too (since it's one of my favorite things to do!). I decided to re-do my vanity chair. I don't have a good "before" photo, but the cushion was covered in this white "pleather" stuff, not my favorite thing. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNB-_NsUfFrKeCBgBEOZgcuCIESOcZxTy-ehR3mTEBnyXvuDDa8GSkb7A5oqfCZvY3DDLLZFTgObs7qJxGj-j_jSlJwcFlk0oEBOTi-QaRdO_W2lToOOYkuWh2CcyNsP3QF298oSkJEgL/s1600/IMG_2581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNB-_NsUfFrKeCBgBEOZgcuCIESOcZxTy-ehR3mTEBnyXvuDDa8GSkb7A5oqfCZvY3DDLLZFTgObs7qJxGj-j_jSlJwcFlk0oEBOTi-QaRdO_W2lToOOYkuWh2CcyNsP3QF298oSkJEgL/s320/IMG_2581.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the original fabric covering after I ripped out the seams and took it apart.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgLO381aoWFClWcpdTfzGwtGFtjsrqMgogKEkS5cNIj_n6KCJ03_zH_8ctQHV0sT8Wj_wHjbjWvpvqV0Xmj_eR1nEQxW07X6gHOPW7HvJIqj3nEyTt_4B-_wiK1FHmuFlMJ8Bkj8HMyvf/s1600/IMG_2580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgLO381aoWFClWcpdTfzGwtGFtjsrqMgogKEkS5cNIj_n6KCJ03_zH_8ctQHV0sT8Wj_wHjbjWvpvqV0Xmj_eR1nEQxW07X6gHOPW7HvJIqj3nEyTt_4B-_wiK1FHmuFlMJ8Bkj8HMyvf/s320/IMG_2580.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cushion underneath</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X2Vm9QLNrkg/TxycEjc4tCI/AAAAAAAAAm4/QWZOwIkcN_0/s1600/IMG_2582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X2Vm9QLNrkg/TxycEjc4tCI/AAAAAAAAAm4/QWZOwIkcN_0/s320/IMG_2582.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I laid the old fabric on the new fabric so I could use it as a template for my pieces</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtnuhK80-et1sFWS04aeZTzMFFG4gNU36awjj-DL7coJaOz7S8ON4i5yfZvt9ozyOXYSh5_gH6e6oG9VY0-EUPycmxVlnnTIQO4GgpvvCbq8alP5JFU2YQDG4RvUjH1KQBlwNUXP85YpH_/s1600/IMG_2586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtnuhK80-et1sFWS04aeZTzMFFG4gNU36awjj-DL7coJaOz7S8ON4i5yfZvt9ozyOXYSh5_gH6e6oG9VY0-EUPycmxVlnnTIQO4GgpvvCbq8alP5JFU2YQDG4RvUjH1KQBlwNUXP85YpH_/s320/IMG_2586.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Removing the piping from the edges</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZEhrYixfGnEF_Y1DYo-stH5FyOr7FqjoIoz1l2BxayPVBRVuKhrf6LqyN30qDXL0dnOKkrKw55iZ3cFRChiCW8aPs0CGVeupEs1TARcjknFjyHvpsulGEwp5PbKGSCvzRgMZLiNcx35Eg/s1600/IMG_2587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZEhrYixfGnEF_Y1DYo-stH5FyOr7FqjoIoz1l2BxayPVBRVuKhrf6LqyN30qDXL0dnOKkrKw55iZ3cFRChiCW8aPs0CGVeupEs1TARcjknFjyHvpsulGEwp5PbKGSCvzRgMZLiNcx35Eg/s320/IMG_2587.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't know how to use a sewing machine well enough, so I'm making my new piping with this stuff!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fO-eA5KnuBs/TxycP2-RARI/AAAAAAAAAno/JtfDjo27Qa4/s1600/IMG_2588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fO-eA5KnuBs/TxycP2-RARI/AAAAAAAAAno/JtfDjo27Qa4/s320/IMG_2588.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First you roll it onto one side of the fabric and iron it down...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NE8T0zkFlAs/TxycR1ag5jI/AAAAAAAAAnw/-XvS7aChtWE/s1600/IMG_2589.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NE8T0zkFlAs/TxycR1ag5jI/AAAAAAAAAnw/-XvS7aChtWE/s320/IMG_2589.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">then you peel off the backing...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgoIdpAROzvMx3izZMhPti4ucdMaYIR3Dm0AnCeFweFBHcXUJsQJaV3IR1_LHYy3hKmq9kO1ZJpqWyCHpmHi5Mv5g187kPKBsktDOr8J_ULU6t_0NRcrVePA8_8lpkJjwZdUMX5GFNZotg/s1600/IMG_2590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgoIdpAROzvMx3izZMhPti4ucdMaYIR3Dm0AnCeFweFBHcXUJsQJaV3IR1_LHYy3hKmq9kO1ZJpqWyCHpmHi5Mv5g187kPKBsktDOr8J_ULU6t_0NRcrVePA8_8lpkJjwZdUMX5GFNZotg/s320/IMG_2590.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">lay the piping down</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhXtME7Y0y2XFZbbfwsXJqdyyw_RGqNeBxGDs0RAnAcCHQ1tpqIUfrGDGGg3cjgvAhy6h_RYuqD6jC7MCFGkQxxPjWAujutjgIZSvWgD5c1CSVO7X70LKd6UA3VPSCvdje4u3nfe0vuoK/s1600/IMG_2591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhXtME7Y0y2XFZbbfwsXJqdyyw_RGqNeBxGDs0RAnAcCHQ1tpqIUfrGDGGg3cjgvAhy6h_RYuqD6jC7MCFGkQxxPjWAujutjgIZSvWgD5c1CSVO7X70LKd6UA3VPSCvdje4u3nfe0vuoK/s320/IMG_2591.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fold in half</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRMzUwkJZtabn6QAOOqXeY9AP4vh93w59-3mzD-TcWwayjpE5fdu_H6FWc5vF5flTv4h-1NcMCqzONvWHQTu1_G_hbdvIlifzU6YGsavc9vJPVU5Kif2WdVmE_E6-8afVl0FQvdaZ7Gx9/s1600/IMG_2592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRMzUwkJZtabn6QAOOqXeY9AP4vh93w59-3mzD-TcWwayjpE5fdu_H6FWc5vF5flTv4h-1NcMCqzONvWHQTu1_G_hbdvIlifzU6YGsavc9vJPVU5Kif2WdVmE_E6-8afVl0FQvdaZ7Gx9/s320/IMG_2592.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iron in place.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZioODLkVdq4uzaZNzRZHjyiOn3FGoqtA_Xsm7T6CkphaNIy8GJQdBIahO7iM23ZX8s1ZD-6rmDdgPJoI1HVvoqfEGAjrqjsPR0MnZYhVKHkuHYE9F5e87lEwAkS8iDsW8DnyF9SHbroe/s1600/IMG_2593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZioODLkVdq4uzaZNzRZHjyiOn3FGoqtA_Xsm7T6CkphaNIy8GJQdBIahO7iM23ZX8s1ZD-6rmDdgPJoI1HVvoqfEGAjrqjsPR0MnZYhVKHkuHYE9F5e87lEwAkS8iDsW8DnyF9SHbroe/s320/IMG_2593.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Voila!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX1vkGskl33jRYb_hmf0OM0iUs3R2o_t_fRPvgTDDH1SOZpwj3sLId3W3Amqwom2PgBEQ7oCN7Wwk2Wx5gwY_i2APhXu8HpQsv69zPDY_Ak9zJMjMSI7mZr4VjLxaDgEDguShVylv1r3RS/s1600/IMG_2595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX1vkGskl33jRYb_hmf0OM0iUs3R2o_t_fRPvgTDDH1SOZpwj3sLId3W3Amqwom2PgBEQ7oCN7Wwk2Wx5gwY_i2APhXu8HpQsv69zPDY_Ak9zJMjMSI7mZr4VjLxaDgEDguShVylv1r3RS/s320/IMG_2595.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sewing the piping to the side panel</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcswAc8nOUGGM26WYKw6iH66D940PwT96DjCKH_T_G-DFLTAHxvoBSCrb0iZN1JoAsFjx9OLSiHmH8YyZbMpAsZiUAXqz0kT_csQOCLBy0utd2sdFkoCNCMxjFwtv4i1rXfy1bukznX8Xk/s1600/IMG_2597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcswAc8nOUGGM26WYKw6iH66D940PwT96DjCKH_T_G-DFLTAHxvoBSCrb0iZN1JoAsFjx9OLSiHmH8YyZbMpAsZiUAXqz0kT_csQOCLBy0utd2sdFkoCNCMxjFwtv4i1rXfy1bukznX8Xk/s320/IMG_2597.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the piping has been added</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Testing the pattern on the stool</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mNwCiB0rXwA/TxycvM77BkI/AAAAAAAAApY/Hrt1oQkHUl4/s1600/IMG_2602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mNwCiB0rXwA/TxycvM77BkI/AAAAAAAAApY/Hrt1oQkHUl4/s320/IMG_2602.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After lots of stapling and threading the new button through the center</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ta Daaaa!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtO4kbmqjoT1rxMm9lIton2RkqknUvxoDedyRNa76M0hsvAYZonwNH1C2IwjO7-gq-QeleJkP5VenPpS0pSoD4pib34owAZx9BDYRHAtg3Z8YAkQEi5MhWHx7ZlZNhgMYK2d6dtX808pHs/s1600/IMG_2611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtO4kbmqjoT1rxMm9lIton2RkqknUvxoDedyRNa76M0hsvAYZonwNH1C2IwjO7-gq-QeleJkP5VenPpS0pSoD4pib34owAZx9BDYRHAtg3Z8YAkQEi5MhWHx7ZlZNhgMYK2d6dtX808pHs/s320/IMG_2611.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The piping is a bit wobbly, but it will blend in over time once the fabric is broken in more, plus it's not half bad for hand sewing the whole thing (IMHO).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNw9C4nA-J0ipfr_PRPBSi1Q10FRkav97ssF_mVNx5gwgLd73rMe0ZvmFZISdG_WpNY2MeQ4sQCKVM1zZ7GEKCZMXZLnRNrKm4vTh9ydxu2UwMV1jU4ebJcIN5ThYsUOHev4TDhMMILZO0/s1600/IMG_2612.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNw9C4nA-J0ipfr_PRPBSi1Q10FRkav97ssF_mVNx5gwgLd73rMe0ZvmFZISdG_WpNY2MeQ4sQCKVM1zZ7GEKCZMXZLnRNrKm4vTh9ydxu2UwMV1jU4ebJcIN5ThYsUOHev4TDhMMILZO0/s320/IMG_2612.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Much better than the original, if I do say so myself, however I do like Julie's better!</td></tr>
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<br />
</div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11032760465172923455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709144888677562054.post-21427502136178152782012-01-20T21:28:00.000-05:002012-01-20T21:31:18.201-05:00Rubber Duckie Booties<div style="text-align: center;">I just finished a new pattern! Here's the pics of the finished product:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJDSYz6DWjqFqkqCVyHOAC-4QBbWh3YfhkWGClXCRQKJkykFXxtUavUGzGy5ikOEVY2kOqDeMwAp5DP_VNJviyet6OO3o-kgfCdNRBQEV6l0GKo-HYFRAY9-KMaUVRFuCGzSLrr8gMNNg/s1600/IMG_2546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJDSYz6DWjqFqkqCVyHOAC-4QBbWh3YfhkWGClXCRQKJkykFXxtUavUGzGy5ikOEVY2kOqDeMwAp5DP_VNJviyet6OO3o-kgfCdNRBQEV6l0GKo-HYFRAY9-KMaUVRFuCGzSLrr8gMNNg/s320/IMG_2546.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijgfW5vri0ZHXQqpgbiqafp49eF4gT_ZZxoOgf7gkJBlotXAKsqpdqNy_fUnOUkVHPiJY1Bftws2vBQsMc0ku0TkFIx9hytJXjgriQ6W06OOUo6yUSOxTZ8a01WOxSp0b67_OLhdCAbcWb/s1600/IMG_2550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijgfW5vri0ZHXQqpgbiqafp49eF4gT_ZZxoOgf7gkJBlotXAKsqpdqNy_fUnOUkVHPiJY1Bftws2vBQsMc0ku0TkFIx9hytJXjgriQ6W06OOUo6yUSOxTZ8a01WOxSp0b67_OLhdCAbcWb/s320/IMG_2550.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBF-PnvSMXfokm8f31Tknw0vQQYIqMx8AzyjZUcl-gWgEWbtMNwsUefzTUE_gEosPhwjUWoYRujYRRsSCIGfOevbvwZx3oN4bGq5QlyrbYfuuNnFXn2pKI5EiM0wNRcPKMh5KVPrHuk_oX/s1600/IMG_2556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBF-PnvSMXfokm8f31Tknw0vQQYIqMx8AzyjZUcl-gWgEWbtMNwsUefzTUE_gEosPhwjUWoYRujYRRsSCIGfOevbvwZx3oN4bGq5QlyrbYfuuNnFXn2pKI5EiM0wNRcPKMh5KVPrHuk_oX/s320/IMG_2556.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIoVEm6ufd6mAxH1zfZRe3ElEIXa4UnymGtjve4jRkgdDtaLIgaOBxS5Zaci7EpxCzAmuc055rBJL-8oPA8UfpW2Iw882noSh0tzD7O6hAKIJCThdvrvOg-nEisYKwFJXoR7bip2pVp77/s1600/IMG_2558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIoVEm6ufd6mAxH1zfZRe3ElEIXa4UnymGtjve4jRkgdDtaLIgaOBxS5Zaci7EpxCzAmuc055rBJL-8oPA8UfpW2Iw882noSh0tzD7O6hAKIJCThdvrvOg-nEisYKwFJXoR7bip2pVp77/s320/IMG_2558.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">This pattern can be yours for only $3.00. Use it to add cuteness to any tiny person in your life!</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ravelry.com/purchase/ashley-britt-designs/89858"><img border="0" src="http://www.ravelry.com/images/shopping/buy-now.gif" /></a><br />
<br />
</div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11032760465172923455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709144888677562054.post-46251415661869805312011-12-17T14:28:00.000-05:002011-12-17T14:30:13.770-05:00Fat Free Pickle Chip Dip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tTrmHDU9Hd0/TuztP9DYdSI/AAAAAAAAAic/Cw6Ih6UYzBg/s1600/DSCF0039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tTrmHDU9Hd0/TuztP9DYdSI/AAAAAAAAAic/Cw6Ih6UYzBg/s320/DSCF0039.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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Sometimes I crave food that tastes like it is a heart attack in a dish. Cream Cheese qualifies as something that is horribly fattening, so I eat it sparingly. However, I have a super easy recipe for chip/cracker dip that is completely fat free, yet tastes like you'll have a coronary once you see the bottom of the dish. Here's how to make it!<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
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Dill Pickles, whole (approximately 1.5 cups diced/shredded, adjust to taste)<br />
1 8-ounce tub of fat free cream cheese<br />
optional dash of Worcestershire sauce<br />
optional tbsp of minced onion<br />
<br />
First, cut the ugly ends off of 3-5 pickles. I usually dice one and shred the other 4 in a cheese grater. I love pickles, so I load them up in this batch. You can use less, but it won't be as awesome.<br />
<br />
Next, I soften the tub of cream cheese in the microwave for about 20 seconds on defrost setting and combine the cream cheese with the pickles. All that's left is to add a dash of Worcestershire sauce, stir it up, and refrigerate until serving. Of course,you would want to add the minced onion as well, but I never do because I think onions are gross. If I am serving this at a party, however, I add the onion to make it fancier, and people usually gobble it up.<br />
<br />
I prefer to use wheat thin crackers to dip in my pickle dip, but I have also used Triscuit crackers, tortilla chips, pretzels, and pretty much anything. I don't really like potato chips, but I imagine it would be a good combination. You would probably want to opt for the kettle cooked chips because this dip is pretty heavy once it sets.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JsRkpEUsvFo/Tuzq8TQehEI/AAAAAAAAAiU/8BICx9JbNnY/s1600/DSCF0029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JsRkpEUsvFo/Tuzq8TQehEI/AAAAAAAAAiU/8BICx9JbNnY/s320/DSCF0029.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delicious, and it's fat free!</td></tr>
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This recipe (if you can even call it that, it's so simple) makes approximately 10 2-ounce servings. Here's the total nutrition breakdown:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"></div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background-color: white; width: 255px;"><tbody>
<tr><td colspan="3"><span style="font-size: x-small;">10 Servings<br />
</span></td></tr>
<tr height="5"><td bgcolor="black" colspan="3" height="5" nowrap="nowrap"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="30"><td colspan="3" height="30" nowrap="nowrap"><div align="center"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b>Amount Per Serving</b></span></div></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#faffdc" height="3"><td bgcolor="black" colspan="3" height="3" nowrap="nowrap"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td colspan="2" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b> Calories</b></span></td><td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">25.6</span></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td colspan="2" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b> Total Fat</b></span></td><td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">0.3</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> g</span></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td height="35" width="16"> </td><td colspan="1" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Saturated Fat</span></td><td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">0.2</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> g</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td height="35" width="16"> </td><td colspan="1" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Polyunsaturated Fat</span></td><td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">0.0</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> g</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td height="35" width="16"> </td><td colspan="1" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Monounsaturated Fat</span></td><td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">0.1</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> g</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td colspan="2" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b> Cholesterol</b></span></td><td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">1.8</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> mg</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td colspan="2" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b> Sodium</b></span></td><td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">398.2</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> mg</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td colspan="2" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b> Potassium</b></span></td><td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">61.7</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> mg</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td colspan="2" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b> Total Carbohydrate</b></span></td><td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">2.2</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> g</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td height="35" width="16"> </td><td colspan="1" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Dietary Fiber</span></td><td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">0.3</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> g</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td height="35" width="16"> </td><td colspan="1" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Sugars</span></td><td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">0.8</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> g</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td colspan="2" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><b> Protein</b></span></td><td height="35" width="56"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.4</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> g</span></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#D7D7F9" colspan="3"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background-color: white; width: 273px;"><tbody>
<tr height="3"><td bgcolor="black" colspan="2" height="3" nowrap="nowrap"></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td bgcolor="#EBEBFF" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Vitamin A</span></td><td bgcolor="#EBEBFF" height="33" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">5.0</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Vitamin B-12</span></td><td height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">2.1</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Vitamin B-6</span></td><td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">0.7</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Vitamin C</span></td><td height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">0.7</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td bgcolor="#EBEBFF" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Vitamin D</span></td><td bgcolor="#EBEBFF" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">0.0</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Vitamin E</span></td><td height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">0.2</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Calcium</span></td><td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4.4</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Copper</span></td><td height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">1.4</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td bgcolor="#EBEBFF" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Folate</span></td><td bgcolor="#EBEBFF" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">2.1</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td bgcolor="white" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Iron</span></td><td bgcolor="white" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">0.9</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Magnesium</span></td><td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">1.4</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td bgcolor="white" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Manganese</span></td><td bgcolor="white" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">0.7</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td bgcolor="#EBEBFF" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Niacin</span></td><td bgcolor="#EBEBFF" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">0.2</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Pantothenic Acid </span></td><td height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">0.6</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Phosphorus </span></td><td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">10.3</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td bgcolor="white" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Riboflavin</span></td><td bgcolor="white" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">2.7</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Selenium</span></td><td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">1.6</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Thiamin</span></td><td height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">1.0</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr height="1"><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2" height="1"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
<tr height="35"><td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap" width="196"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"> Zinc</span></td><td bgcolor="#ebebff" height="35" nowrap="nowrap"><span style="font-size: x-small;">1.5</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> %</span></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background-color: white; width: 255px;"><tbody>
<tr><td bgcolor="#d7d7f9" colspan="2"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background-color: white; width: 257px;"><tbody>
<tr height="3"><td align="center" bgcolor="black" height="3" width="257"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://assets3.sparkrecipes.com/spacer.gif" width="1" /></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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Nutrition facts courtesy of <a href="http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp">SparkRecipes Nutrition Calculator</a>, a very awesome tool for those of us who are horrible at math.cAshleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11032760465172923455noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6709144888677562054.post-68599542711552993422011-11-06T13:55:00.000-05:002011-11-06T14:00:25.345-05:00Side Table MakeoverRecently, I attended an orientation conference at my company's corporate headquarters. The bonus part of this trip was that I was able to pick up a table I saw on our company's classifed ads, which I normally would have not considered buying because of the distance from my home. So, a couple coworkers and I took the trip down together, got a day off the phones to meet the president of the company, and they helped me pick up this gem on the way home:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YRQscaMd_nLvmOFs4MHUih04vDJ4oe07sfnTf1uupngcLieZhICeykF3t9SgdQEtW4PkKac0HybvUv3Otur5WQp-VlYGcipaot16XTzug2Lru_SbODQQyEtbRlDf9NifC5TJnMbAkHNa/s1600/IMG_2444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YRQscaMd_nLvmOFs4MHUih04vDJ4oe07sfnTf1uupngcLieZhICeykF3t9SgdQEtW4PkKac0HybvUv3Otur5WQp-VlYGcipaot16XTzug2Lru_SbODQQyEtbRlDf9NifC5TJnMbAkHNa/s320/IMG_2444.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Obviously, the color needs to be fixed! This thing sat in my living room for almost a month with that yellow with pink argyle color scheme, which could only have been in a child's room at some point (let's hope). Also, whoever painted this thing didn't actually remove or replace the hardware; instead, they painted it with silver paint. Gross. Trying-to-be-crafty-and-decorate-your-baby's-room-yourself Mom, shame on you. I honestly think picking up a screwdriver would have been much easier than what you did. But no worries, I will fix your mistakes, inexperienced painting mom. On the positive side, I really think this probably looked adorable in some kid's room. <em>Still</em>, that is no excuse for the junky hardware paint job. But hey, for 35 bucks, it's still a heck of a deal for a solid table.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><u>Materials:</u></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Glidden paint in Swiss Coffee</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Paint brushes from Dollar Tree (surprisingly good quality!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My trusty Ridgid 8 amp power drill and bits</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Spackle </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sanding blocks in rough and fine</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mod Podge</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Scrapbook pages (or drawer liners, I used what I had on hand)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Guillotine paper cutter</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Replacement drawer pull</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Drop cloth</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Painters' tape</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I started by sanding the whole piece of furniture because it was painted with (ack!) glossy paint! I just sanded it enough to rough it up for proper adhesion of the new coat of paint. Next, I took my screwdriver (let's say it together, it's called a <em>screwdriver!</em>) and actually removed the hardware from the drawer. It would normally have taken me two minutes, but it took a bit longer since I had to pry off the painted-on drawer pull from the front of the drawer. Next, I put some painter's tape on the inside of the drawer to cover the holes from the screws. Then I went in from the front and filled those holes with spackle. If you don't tape the back of them, the spackle will just fall out the other side.</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Once the spackle was dry, I sanded the face of the drawer very smooth. This spot was particularly difficult since miss mommy didn't remove the hardware at all, so the original wood finish was below that and a couple of layers of paint around it. Sanding it smooth took awhile, and I still didn't get it perfect. However, it's good enough for my satisfaction since the holes will be mostly hidden by the new hardware.</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I then took my drill and drilled the new holes for the hardware. Of course, since I suck at measuring anything and inevitably screw up measurements, I usually "eyeball" everything. Because of this, I screwed this up on my first try and had to spackle <em>more </em>holes and sand some more. If you look closely in the photos, you may be able to see it, but I think I did an okay job of covering it up.</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Next, I put 3 coats of paint on everything. The trick is to go with the grain of the wood as much as possible. I also use satin finish paint, because the brush strokes virtually disappear once it's dry--even using dollar store brushes!</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The next part I wanted to tackle was the inside of the drawer. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjilWwB8P6SJCp7AMK4_pVsAHNvxsjjdDOICvvJFnN2ZmZ_oToVdWyS5gFAYareTBbrol4-csp4_JoY5i79SOe6guQLEgGIKCqEQ7hUFaeyXHIuYnyCpFkqDGtWcBPnFaU1FJ4YRPtVb6JW/s1600/IMG_2448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjilWwB8P6SJCp7AMK4_pVsAHNvxsjjdDOICvvJFnN2ZmZ_oToVdWyS5gFAYareTBbrol4-csp4_JoY5i79SOe6guQLEgGIKCqEQ7hUFaeyXHIuYnyCpFkqDGtWcBPnFaU1FJ4YRPtVb6JW/s320/IMG_2448.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Call me picky, but I prefer to have something protective/decorative inside drawers. I didn't have any contact paper on hand, but I did remember an old project from about 5 years ago, for which I used scented drawer liners and this:</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-My9z4bMG3PQ/TrbPi1hHFDI/AAAAAAAAAhQ/X9_RGOHzM3E/s1600/IMG_2463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-My9z4bMG3PQ/TrbPi1hHFDI/AAAAAAAAAhQ/X9_RGOHzM3E/s320/IMG_2463.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> It created a smooth, water-tight finish and it helped hold in the scent from the liners. I figured I could apply this technique to the scrapbook paper and have an equally as smooth finish. I started by decopauging the scrapbook paper to the inside of the drawer. I put Mod Podge on the bottom of the drawer, laid the paper over the top, and planned to spray glaze as the top layer once that dried.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddl20bf3Xf8P78KMj70RkAVKZ_Tm0PVVe99zU2Iamkp0y2UNr22k-vitx1vHESGz3awU-URNH-yzUPj4gZ6CHTc7WxMSqa3w6fUGWDnGN7Kc6wFpM8odiwnHzoe3vYXZd2HkTiiC3gJaJ/s1600/IMG_2450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiddl20bf3Xf8P78KMj70RkAVKZ_Tm0PVVe99zU2Iamkp0y2UNr22k-vitx1vHESGz3awU-URNH-yzUPj4gZ6CHTc7WxMSqa3w6fUGWDnGN7Kc6wFpM8odiwnHzoe3vYXZd2HkTiiC3gJaJ/s320/IMG_2450.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWrh-x1Xsu5dv80t-LFSEtpHSmku4gFtCzrt6GE66DE5A7M3O1zKIQbSPUVROQ_NDm_svSN3RqOx35GOI4j-aDt6VI-Y_I8UCHi0hWEgIjhPhJCZkOke5dReGH4SUCfDRNgUU4H9KbtUju/s1600/IMG_2455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWrh-x1Xsu5dv80t-LFSEtpHSmku4gFtCzrt6GE66DE5A7M3O1zKIQbSPUVROQ_NDm_svSN3RqOx35GOI4j-aDt6VI-Y_I8UCHi0hWEgIjhPhJCZkOke5dReGH4SUCfDRNgUU4H9KbtUju/s320/IMG_2455.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfhoQeaIXC3H2Sau6cmhG4NiqoSTEvQ8Jov4-_X7ukBQPESZ-CbhL6gECQQlWtdzNcNigPEvj_FAbxkohb8oZu8IVdUWp1MWGWA7c3TywyjG1LRl0UdIE_gSAsbf29Kdz4X1MnEUp8sJ3X/s1600/IMG_2461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfhoQeaIXC3H2Sau6cmhG4NiqoSTEvQ8Jov4-_X7ukBQPESZ-CbhL6gECQQlWtdzNcNigPEvj_FAbxkohb8oZu8IVdUWp1MWGWA7c3TywyjG1LRl0UdIE_gSAsbf29Kdz4X1MnEUp8sJ3X/s320/IMG_2461.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">You can see some air bubbles in this photo, but I took a pin and poked holes in the sides of them to flatten them before I went any further. I next took this outside and sprayed a thick coat of spray glaze on the inside of the drawer. That's when the horror began:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQkAzsa0HRGKUkFf0z4Upe-Y98z2DlTxKDLbw9jqa7MapRdCKzsRAWRShDu5flED-wxf8M3fa35ULui92vPNXm-hxp6hizaqG8MQ6y9CGsMo06f4kLg20skLUNwxV4t3WU4HC1_OGGiUlS/s1600/IMG_2466.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQkAzsa0HRGKUkFf0z4Upe-Y98z2DlTxKDLbw9jqa7MapRdCKzsRAWRShDu5flED-wxf8M3fa35ULui92vPNXm-hxp6hizaqG8MQ6y9CGsMo06f4kLg20skLUNwxV4t3WU4HC1_OGGiUlS/s320/IMG_2466.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Oh no! My paper had become translucent! Actually I didn't mind that look. I left it to dry overnight and figured it would either dry as I saw it then, or it would become opaque upon drying. I was wrong. Unfortunatly I did not get a photo of the result because I had to get rid of it asap. Basically, it dried very blotchy, mostly clear as you see above, but with large sections that dried opaque. It looked like crap. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">To remedy the situation, I tore out what paper I could, sanded it smooth, and slapped a coat of white paint on the inside of the drawer. After the paint dried, I put new paper in the drawer. Instead of putting spray glaze as a top coat, I stuck with just plain Mod Podge. I don't like Mod Podge alone because it is not waterproof, but I think once it is dried it will create enough of a barrier so that the spray glaze will not absorb into the paper and create the same problem as last time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bCOCxYlfxZE/TrbPvga8ZkI/AAAAAAAAAhw/AnfMW_XctYg/s1600/IMG_2475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bCOCxYlfxZE/TrbPvga8ZkI/AAAAAAAAAhw/AnfMW_XctYg/s320/IMG_2475.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Mod Podge is still drying in this photo, I'll update again once I try the spray glaze again. I'm pretty sure it's going to work!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So now, here's the finished product, and a curious dog who would not leave me alone:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcePk4a6BBl_hTkP8ALMVBFiTq-2YlJvYkRLMWKM7LqJAn3lG2vZEUeQoq6PSwsYOehMKl8xhvNWHkyhReGT6CZ6LUZMd7Eav4niQ5cdbjMmMmWDuonf18drSBUQeBhR-FCgxhILWrIVz7/s1600/IMG_2470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcePk4a6BBl_hTkP8ALMVBFiTq-2YlJvYkRLMWKM7LqJAn3lG2vZEUeQoq6PSwsYOehMKl8xhvNWHkyhReGT6CZ6LUZMd7Eav4niQ5cdbjMmMmWDuonf18drSBUQeBhR-FCgxhILWrIVz7/s320/IMG_2470.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kMENRUe30do/TrbPsU1ei7I/AAAAAAAAAho/omdBVMf7qKg/s1600/IMG_2474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kMENRUe30do/TrbPsU1ei7I/AAAAAAAAAho/omdBVMf7qKg/s320/IMG_2474.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v-rueKcvGhc/TrbPyiSPQnI/AAAAAAAAAh4/3qwNQ6tvhoA/s1600/IMG_2479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v-rueKcvGhc/TrbPyiSPQnI/AAAAAAAAAh4/3qwNQ6tvhoA/s320/IMG_2479.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghBv7WX3nJzHsgnJTFEM3kH1vRGajMj61SdDimX7jGKTTjP3ruBn4rmsII88d8slD6K9Y4_Zz2NAvMd6A6r7Y1eDG6-qeNQ_jcsodEXsu_VraGztOprIye85OV7AlzHz52bGGdGdYps4pU/s1600/IMG_2483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghBv7WX3nJzHsgnJTFEM3kH1vRGajMj61SdDimX7jGKTTjP3ruBn4rmsII88d8slD6K9Y4_Zz2NAvMd6A6r7Y1eDG6-qeNQ_jcsodEXsu_VraGztOprIye85OV7AlzHz52bGGdGdYps4pU/s320/IMG_2483.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Chunk makes it look good.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div>Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11032760465172923455noreply@blogger.com0