Your Photos on Fabric! A Bright Quilt Pattern! Fabric Covered Frames! Creating Fabric With Inktense! Yarn Wrapped Bottles! Life and Death Survival Kit! Plus – Recipes, Jokes, Art, Design & Memories

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YOKE DU YOUR 

 

A drunk that smelled like a brewery got on a bus one day. He sat down next to a priest. The drunk’s shirt was stained, his face was full of bright red lipstick and he had a half-empty bottle of wine sticking out of his pocket. He opened his newspaper and started reading. A couple minutes later, he asked the priest, ”Father, what causes arthritis?”

”Mister, it’s caused by loose living, being with cheap, wicked women, too much alcohol, and contempt for your fellow man,” the priest replied. ”Imagine that,” the drunk muttered. He returned to reading his paper.

The priest, thinking about what he had said, turned to the man and apologized: ”I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to come on so strong. How long have you had arthritis?” ”I don’t have arthritis, Father,” the drunk said, ”but I just read in the paper that the Pope does.”

 

ARTspiration

Artists or art that turns me on and feeds my muse! Like it or dislike it, what about this art inspires your own art or creativity? By artist, whimsical artist Sheila Parcell Fisher!

 

DESIGNspiration

Look around you. Design is everywhere! How can you incorporate the beauty that surrounds you into your art or craft?  Colorful Indian bracelets.

 

 

IDEA I LOVE

I really like the idea that I can turn my photographs into fabric and embroidery masterpieces! All you need is a little waxed  freezer paper and a photo you would like to copy onto fabric. I get with this blogger was trying to do with the embroidery, but sister, if you are going to – THEN EMBROIDER!   Now that I said that, I’m wondering how difficult it is to actually get a clean needle through the wax photo once it’s on the fabric? Who cares? Where there is a will there is a way, right? I think I could get into this. Here’s how you can:

http://pocketfulwhimsy.blogspot.com/2011/12/give-gift-marilyn-and-edna-do-not-read.html 

IDEA I LOVE

Here’s a super easy and super colorful quilt you might want to make before the end of summer, and before all of that solid fabric that has been so popular finally goes out of  faction (and, trust me, it will so be out of fashion, then it will be print, floral, print!).  I just really like this quilt. It screams “happy”. Here’s the free pattern:

http://nebula.wsimg.com/2ec6663888c2f870bb0e0b80d390378a?AccessKeyId=D276B9D4C30E9CB15F51&disposition=0&alloworigin=1

IDEA I LOVE

Pick up a few cheap wooden frames that Michael’s, raid stash for some of your favorite fabrics, then get to work making some pretty little accent frames for your photographic memories. These are great gifts, folks, especially if you take care to make them right so they look professional and not like something from your local Brownie troop. I have done this with one of my fabric lines and had the idea to him they’ll like what I had created with small finishing  tacks,  beads and finishing nails, and with the embellishment crystals, etc.,  that come with The Bedazzler!   Heat set crystals or another terrific way to embellish your fabric covered frames. Start here:

http://www.thewonderforest.com/2014/04/make-diy-fabric-photo-frames.html

OMG!!!

Look at the way maps used to be . . . they are gorgeous and so interesting.  Click Here to see more examples! 

YUM

SLOW COOKER BEER BBQ CHICKEN

• 1 teaspoon  canola oil
• 4 pounds  chicken breasts and thighs
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 2 medium onions, cut into wedges
• 1 cup  dark beer or ale
• 1 1/2 cups  barbecue sauce

Directions

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over  medium/high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Working in batches, brown chicken on both sides. Place in a 5-quart slow cooker. Add onions.

2. In a bowl, combine beer and barbecue sauce. Pour mixture over chicken and onions.

3. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours or LOW for 7 to 8 hours.

Source: http://www.familycircle.com/recipe/beer-bbq-chicken/

WORDS TO LIVE BY

 

IDEA I LOVE

Ever since my friend and designer, Kathy Brown, turned me on to Inktense colored pencils, I have been a total whore and a slave to them. I have never worked with a colored pencil/medium like Inktense before and am a total fan! I have never thought of actually using these  watercolor pencils on fabric before – that is until I found this tutorial.  Get ready for another addiction, cupcake, once you bought your first Inktense pencil set.  Here’s how you create your own fabric designs (for educational purposes these are pretty simple images for you… The sky is the limit):

 http://hugsnkisses.typepad.com/hugsfromhelen/inktense-colourque-r-tutorial.html

MEMBA?

Toy chest with sliding chalkboard doors.

DESSERT!

 BLUEBERRY SHORTCAKE

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups  all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup  plus 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons  baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon  salt
• 1/3 cup  cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup  cold 2% milk
• 1/2 teaspoon  almond extract
• 2 cups  blueberries
• 1 tablespoon  fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon  lemon zest
• 1 cup  heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon  vanilla extract

Directions

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Whisk together flour, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, the baking powder and salt. With hands, mix butter into flour mixture until coarse crumbs form. Stir in milk and almond extract. Gently gather dough, divide into 6 pieces and place on a baking sheet about 2 inchesapart. Bake at 425 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes, or until lightly browned and cooked through.

2. Meanwhile, combine 1 1/3 cups of the blueberries, 1/2 cup of the sugar, the lemon juice and lemon zest in a small pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat; cook 6 minutes or until blueberries burst and mixture thickens slightly. Stir in remaining 2/3 cup blueberries. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

3. In a medium bowl, beat heavy cream on medium-high speed until foamy. Add vanilla extract and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.

4. Slice shortcakes in half lengthwise. Spoon 1/4 cup of the blueberries on top of the bottom half of each shortcake; dollop each with whipped cream. Place top half of shortcake on each and serve.

 

MUST HAVE

Green Tulipwood Lacquer box with opening for 4″x4″ needlepoint, $78   (…now were in the hell that I put all of my embroidery linen?)

https://www.etsy.com/listing/183012437/green-tulipwood-lacquer-box-with-opening?ref=shop_home_feat_1

IDEA I LOVE

Survival kit.

Repurpose your Altoids tin and create your own  very small, very portable, survival kit!  What you will find in this tutorial is not survival tips like how the stopper running your pantyhose, or a little needle and thread kit, but it is filled with some very basic supplies should you find yourself in a  LIFE or DEATH situation. Make one for everyone in  your family – especially your hikers, backpackers, wilderness lovers, hunters, and anyone else you know who might need  one. I’m considering putting one in my glove compartment because you hear of people falling off the side of the highway in the wintertime more often than one might expect. Start here:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Original-Altoids-survival-tin/

 

SHOEspiration

Christian Louboutin’s

IDEA I LOVE

 

Too many of these sitting around your house would not only collect dust but might end up making your humble abode look like a fully market. These yarn wrapped bottles would be great is just a little accent somewhere where you wanted to catch some color or need a shape of a certain kind. They do look fun to make And would really be perfect as a vase on your picnic table or outdoor hangout spot.  Plus, you get rid of your scraps of yarn! Here’s how you make them:

http://www.penelopeandpip.com/portfolio/yarn-wrapped-bottles/

 

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Have you read the latest blog…

on THE SLOW STITCHING MOVEMENT WEBSITE?

This week it’s about ethical shopping.  Take a look by clicking on the image:

 

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DON’T MISS A THING, MISS THING! 

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO THIS BLOG so you don’t miss a thing!

 

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WHY THIS FORMAT IS NEW:

For the past year or so, I have been posting up to 20 links per day on my Mark Lipinski’s Fan Page on Facebook. Of course, in its never ending quest to make lots of money, Facebook cares less about you and me and more about cash in spite of the fact they have more money than they know what to do with. As a result, those of you who have been faithful readers of the Fan Page have been removed, time and time again, from getting any of my posts onto your timeline feed. The reason is, Facebook would like me to pay money every day in order to advertise and lure readers like you, to the Fan Page. Otherwise, only about 5% of people who clicked LIKE on the Fan Page are actually seeing anything I post — and it could be random.  Basically, it sucks for all of us.

I think we would all be better served if I posted my tips, ideas, links, and jokes, etc. to my blog. You can subscribe to my blog (only if you want) and get an email every time I post a grouping of ideas, links, etc. I’M NOT shutting down my Facebook Fan Page. What I am doing is putting everything that used to be on the Fan Page individually on my blog, AND there will be a daily link to the idea blog on the Fan Page, just as there were multiple links to the various blogs that I’ve always linked to in the past. It’s not that different, really.

It will save me a lot of time, and guarantee those who want to see the creative posts will actually get to see them. And Facebookers, will STILL have to click on “GET NOTIFICATIONS” if they want to see what I post on Facebook. Is that more clear? Actually, this way gives you TWO ways to get all of the ideas, etc. PLUS you can PIN them and they will be TAGGED so you can find them again in the search bar!  — through the FACEBOOK FAN PAGE  and YOUR CHOICE (not mandatory) to subscribe to the bLog and get email postings that way. Well, I think it’s worth a shot at least in the short term, let’s see what happens…

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