Branching Out

A friend was doing some “spring cleaning” in her yard about a week or so ago. Not normally a thing I get too excited about, except I found out she was hacking at a huge curly willow bush! One phone call with that kind of information can send a “scrounging for free stuff” kind of gal like me into a frenzy. I went to her place as quickly as possible and loaded the back end of our Subaru with the long clippings.

Let them dry up for a while in a dry place, strip the leaves with a leather-gloved hand, and, voila! Instant container fillers! I gave more than half of them to my mother and put the rest into a big container in my entryway and some in our bath. We rarely use this tub, so I had no issues having the twigs swirl and coil all over the place.

Fun, interesting and cheap (I refuse to pay for dead twigs at a craft store. SO overpriced!!). Now I’m on the hunt for pussywillows. They should be peaking about now, I think. Love making wreaths out of them for spring. They are great shoved into giant containers, too. So just look in your yard, nearby forest, or even your neighbor’s yard for great decor items, and find interesting containers (need to be fairly heavy to not tip!) to cram them into. Instant art. I swear.

Simple Fleece Hat

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I’ve had a couple inquiries about this hat. I first made them about a year ago, one for my 3-year-old and one for my newborn. I used an applique of a hi-tech eagle, but a simple flower, heart, tractor, horse, etc will all of course work. It is so simple! My first one I did (pictured with navy and green) I didn’t allow enough height. The next two worked out and I finished them differently. One floppy and a “bag” style and the other gathered on top.

hat-diagram

Start with a rectangle of fleece to fit your childs’ head. The diagram shows rough measurements for a 4 to 6-year-old size. Be mindful that the stretch of the fleece will stretch with your kids’ head. Allow about 1 1/2 inches for seam allowances.

Cut out an applique of your choice from a contrasting color of fleece. Use clip art silhouettes or free-hand drawings. Assume that your finished hat will have a seam up the back, and place your applique onto the front, off-center. Sew the applique in place.

Next, hem the bottom edge. I used a big zig-zag stitch, but in the end the stitch doesn’t really show too much (I didn’t even bother to match the thread!)

Then, putting the right sides together, sew the seam up the back. Open the seam and tack it down along the hem.

Finish the top: If you want just a square “bag” finish, then leave inside out and sew top edges straight across (keeping back seam open and stitching across).

If you want the gathered top, turn the hat right side out. Sew a loose tailor’s stitch straight across about 1 1/2 or more inches from the top. Do this with machine or by hand, leaving extra thread on both sides. Pull the threads and work the fleece to gather it. Wrap loose threads around the gather a couple of times and knot to finish. Trim the unfinished fleece edges if needed.

Pretty simple and a great use for fleece scraps. I had a couple of guys say they wanted ones made in squadron colors. I guess boys will always be boys when it comes to airplanes! Enjoy and Happy 2011!

Early Snow Gingerbread House

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It snowed for the first time last week. It seems to snow around the first of November every year, here. We had just eeeked in some family photos among the leaves and fall colors the day before, too! Close one. Well, those fall leaves were quickly quilted with large flakes of snow, making the colors seem even more brilliant with the contrast of white against them. I loved it. As soon as the kids were up from their naps, we went for a walk. My son started immediately talking snowmen and winter and Santa Claus. And though I kept (and continue) telling him that we need to have Thanksgiving before Christmas – I couldn’t help but start to think of Christmastime, too.

This gingerbread house was one I did two years ago. I had dubbed it “Early Snow” for the same reasons above. The trees still full of brilliant leaves with a blanket of snow on them. I like to do a gingerbread house every year or so, a tradition I started for myself about 8 years ago. I invite friends over and we share our edible finds and expertise and go to it. Usually it takes the good part of a day… or even two if you get serious about it. Every year I do something different – usually inspired by where I am living at the time. One year, while living in Las Vegas, I did a California ranch house with a pool (including a bubble gum sun-bather). So I guess it’s no surprise since it snows early every year here – that I would do a gingerbread house with that in mind.

I don’t use pre-made templates or cutters. I will make a paper template so my walls match, etc. Rarely, however, are they a perfect fit. Royal icing – the “glue” is a godsend. I don’t cheat and use non-edible things for construction, either. I like to have fun with it. It becomes a challenge to think of foods that can become something on a house. Cereals are great for roofing and wall texture. This house has Golden Grahams for shakes. I’ve also used frosted shredded wheat for a thatched look.  I used Big Red gum sticks for bricks, mixed nuts for rocks and added an outdoor fireplace (our house has a mix of stone and brick as well as a fireplace outdoors – though that’s about where the similarities end).

I loved how the tire swing on the tree turned out. I cut a piece of black licorice in half length-wise and looped it to look like the tire. Then used some fruit-by-the-foot, cut in a thin strip, to wrap and hold it together and then hang from the tree limb. The leaves on the tree are popcorn held together with colored marshmallow (think rice crispy treats). In hind sight – too heavy to last. They started to droop and stretch apart. If I were to do it again, I’d take the candied popcorn ball approach. The planters are Rollo’s with mini gumdrops on them. I used pretzel sticks for wood trim, Adirondack chairs and even logs in the fireplace. Look for the snow shovel propped on the corner of the house… a piece of cereal attached to a piece of dried spaghetti, then detailed with icing. For the windows, I melted broken-up butterscotch candies in the window openings after the wall was almost cooked. Then “leaded” them with gray icing. The rest is fairly simple with gingerbread construction and royal icing.

I have no ideas yet for the kind of house I’ll make this year. I’ll have to go searching on the internet for inspiration. A part o me wants to try a section of downtown, Main Street… maybe too ambitious. We’ll see. Thanksgiving before Christmas… Thanksgiving before Christmas…