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“greenWinkle” BagBags

Ok, I’m being very brave now. I’ve decided to show you the project we’ve been working on for the past year or so. This is a handbag made entirely from plastic shopping bags.

So how green is that?


This particular one is made from the silvery white bags with green writing on them. It has a pearly sheen to it and with the green–well, it turned out really pretty.


We call it the Water Lily BagBag. Besides being made from “repurposed” grocery bags, it’s amazingly strong and durable, and get this–it is washer and dryer safe!

These are the company tags we had carved from coconut shells.

We’ve made  quite a few more–each one with totally different colors–in four sizes. I’ll put them on here one at a time so you can see them up close.

I’m working on setting up an Etsy shop so–

–please let me know what you think…

It will make me brave.

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The Bald Kid’s Viking Slippers


I’ve been asked to show the sneakers outside the “Door.” So here they are..

So, one day last July, Rhen says to me, “You know what would really be cool?”

I say, “I have no earthly idea.”

He says, “If you could make me some freaking cool, high top, slippers. But that would be too hard, wouldn’t it?”

I just smiled my sly little smile and said, “Yeah…way too hard.”

So began the journey to High Top Sneaker Slippers–in Viking colors, of course!

The finished product.

viking-hightops

Oh, and yes, his feet are this big. I can prove it…

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Banana Bread

This is the perfect time of year to be in the kitchen baking something wonderful, not to mention a great time to sit back in a fluffy chair sipping cider and nibbling on this incredible bread.


This is the banana bread we used for April’s wedding and then again for Lyndi’s baby shower. It really is that good. People ask if I give this recipe out…apparently, I do.

I’m not a big walnut fan so you’ll notice they’re missing.

It’s positively perfect and no dopey nuts.

Ingredients

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1-3/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup very ripe banana- mashed

cinnamon sugar

Cream together shortening and sugar. Add eggs and beat well. Sift together dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with banana. Grease a 9″x5″x3″ pan. Pour about 2 tsp of cinnamon sugar into the bottom of pan and tip pan back and forth and sideways to coat the bottom and side of pan with the cinnamon mixture.

Pour bread batter into prepared pan. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until you can just tell it is done. You can poke a toothpick in the center to make sure. If it comes out clean the bread is done. Try not to over cook it. Remove from pan as soon as you can and let it cool on rack. Brush top with butter and sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top.

5.0 from 1 reviews
Banana Bread
 
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Ingredients
  • ½ cup shortening
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1-3/4 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 cup very ripe banana- mashed
  • cinnamon sugar
Instructions
  1. Cream together shortening and sugar.
  2. Add eggs and beat well.
  3. Sift together dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with banana.
  4. Grease a 9"x5"x3" pan.
  5. Pour about 2 tsp of cinnamon sugar into the bottom of pan and tip pan back and forth and sideways to coat the bottom and side of pan with the cinnamon mixture.
  6. Pour bread batter into prepared pan.
  7. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until you can just tell it is done.
  8. You can poke a toothpick in the center to make sure.
  9. If it comes out clean the bread is done.
  10. Try not to over cook it.
  11. Remove from pan as soon as you can and let it cool on rack.
  12. Brush top with butter and sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top.

 

 

 

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Ten Things That Make Me Happy…

1- This squishy baby

2- This “please make me cry” clip: Tara and Bella

3- This adorable calendar from Sarah Jane Studios

4- Homemade glazed pecans

5- The Draper Temple openhouse

6- A Lily baby in a bucket

7- A Beckham baby in a barrel

8- A “done” puzzle

9- A “finished with Frankenstein,” brain jello party

10- Very warm, very fuzzy, very pink socks

Please post your “Happy Stuff” in the comments–and we’ll add them to the “Grateful” list.

Add as often as you’d like…

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Clipboards with Class

Do you have any boring old clipboards just sitting around looking ugly? Well, I spent the other day with my daughter, April and she showed me how to spruce them up and make them so pretty–you’d be proud to use them anywhere. In fact, if you use a new clipboard they would make a great gift. Don’t be afraid…it was really easy and just see how cute they look!

All you need is:

A clipboard

2 sheets of scrapbook paper

Mod Podge

Scissors

Emery board

Trace the clipboard onto one of the sheets of scrapbook paper.

Trace a 3 inch strip from contrasting paper for the top of the clipboard.

Cut both pieces out.

Spread Mod Podge adhesive and apply paper carefully.

Smooth out excess glue and air bubbles with a plastic scraper.

From the contrasting piece of scrapbook paper, mark and cut out where the metal clip piece will be. It doesn’t have to be exact because even if some of the board shows it still looks fine. Glue it in place. Let the glue dry for about 10 minutes.

Sand the excess paper off the edges of the board with a nail file, emery board or piece of fine sand paper.

This makes the edges of the clipboard look a bit worn.

Cover the whole thing with Mod Podge in two coats–one going from side to side, the other going up and down to give it a linen-look finish.

Allow the clipboard to dry over night. Be amazed.