BlackBerry PlayBook post

Once again learning as I go on. Am posting this from my PB. Will find out how this works. Wish me luck :-)

Well after spending half the night trying to figure out  Blogger and Pinterest....my precious nephew came through and helped me out!  Thankyou Marty...I am in Ontario and Marty is in Sweden...a couple of e-mails and a BIG time difference...I woke up this morning to having everything I asked for.   Sunny day in Amherstburg, Ontario. 

DIY Candy Bouquet Themed--Retirement

This is the final bouquet....as you can see I did have a theme of blue.  I did take this project one step further and printed out on card stock "Because you are retired"....and then applied it to the non candy item.  Here is what I came up with...again trying to stay small to keep a compact bouquet, and trying to stay in the blue theme......BECAUSE YOU ARE RETIRED

• you can play cards more.
• you can help (wife) more around the house---blue scrubbies
• play hockey more--first aid kit
• suduko book--relax more
• gardening gloves--garden more
• Dinner gift card--have dinner on us

I'm sure you get the idea....here are my photo's...not the best picture taker I am...but am learning as I go :-)

laid out my supplies...forgot to tell you I use a pool noodle to stick my items in....way cheaper than floral foam.

filled my cookie jar/vase with hard candy

cut my pool noodle to size

wrapped my noodle with the blue tissue, and turning everything upside down, worked it into the vase as low as I could go...I ended up trimming the tissue, as I thought it looked sloppy...remember I'm not an expert at these...just loved doing DIY ideas.

I'm a quilter so I was able to neatly cut my card stock sayings...I attached them to my purchased items with tape, glue or staples.  I find when preparing my candy it's easier to just use plain tape to pre-stick my bamboo skewers....then I trim my duct tape to size, and secure the skewers to the back of all the items I wish to put in the bouquet.

I prepared some celo just by cutting squares, and folding them in a way that would make a nice spray...also did the same with my blue tissue and made my bow....everything is ready for assembling.

I decided to trim the tissue, thought it would be neater.

Then I just stuck everything into the pool noodle...starting with my largest pieces at the back, and placing them to make a nice compact bouquet.

Ta...Da....finished and admired :-).  Well our neighbour loved it!  We were unable to attend his retirement party because of a previous commitment.  This came together very quickly....wasn't inexpensive...but could be if you used smaller chocolate bars--mine were full size--a recycled container--overall without the gift card, you can easily make this for under $15 or $12.  You could make it even less expensive by using a container that doesn't show....thus not needing the hard candy to cover the pool noodle/foam.  Hope you give this a try.

Candy Bouquet with a Theme

Before I post my blog on how to make Roman Shades...or at least my first try on Roman Shades, cause I did learn some tips along the way before I go ahead and make FOUR more!  Thought I would post my version of a candy bouquet...and this one had a theme to it...plus this would allow me to learn how to attach pics to my Blog...good idea I'm thinking :-)

Our neighbour...a dear friend and the BEST neighbour...he takes our mail for us while we are vacationing (for 3 months!) which in my eyes is a BIG commitment.  What a sweetheart!  Totally deserving of a little attention from me.  I had made one other candy bouquet, successfully...but as always, your first one is a learning experience....this was just candy, and in my eyes turned out lovely.  My sister-in-law loved it, and I thought BINGO I have something else that I can 'make' for a gifty, thankyou, etc....

Back to our neighbour....he was retiring from a job that he had for 30 plus years, and is a very young at heart  family man.  I marched off to my $1 store and purchased me supplies.  They have a vase that is perfect for holding the candies.....and then meandered around the store finding items that would fit into my 'themed candy bouquet'.....here's a few things I picked up....

• playing cards
• small calendar 12-13
• Suduko booklet
• gardening gloves
• first aid kit
• small 'to do list' note pad
• various chocolate bars
• gift card to a chain of restaurants that we all love

And of course varying sizes of chocolates/candy...picked up blue tissue and more cello, blue duct tape, in my craft room I do have bamboo skewers and if I can think up what else I used I will put it in here....now to learn how to insert pics.  BRB

DYI Roman Shades

Wowser....computers really can be difficult for some of us...like ME!  Found my blog, but do you think I could figure out how to post to it!!!  lol....ok, so now I'm here.  Well tada!  finally finished the basement bathrooms roman shades.  They look just 'ok'....I see where I went wrong; how to improve...yes, I think I'm ready to tackle the main bathrooms shades.  I've always wanted to make roman shades....love the look of them....and truly a DIY'selfer like me to attempt.  For window coverings roman shades take the least amount of fabric...and most of the gadgets can be found in your sewing room, or are easily and inexpensively purchased.  There are a few tricks and rules so to speak if you want a truly custom and professional look.  So my basement bathroom was the perfect window to start with...I had fabric I loved, and since it is a plaid, I thought my straight line sewing wouldn't be off by too much...lol  Here is what I learned from making them....I need another row of rings to bring up the hem...may do that, but may leave them...all depends on how fast I work with the next four windows (yes FOUR!) and then we leave for Texas, and I can only dream about what I'll make for the rest of the rooms.
So recap:
extra row of rings so that more light comes into the room and just keep plugging away at it faster so I can move onto the family room....upstairs bathroom here I come to measure.

Also....since I'm so new at blogging.  I need to figure out how to include photos....so more to come.

Just joined Pinterest!

Well for sure I am behind the times!  I've been checking out everyone else's pinterest ever since they have had them.....and finally went through the process of starting my own Pinterest to keep track of everyone else's GREAT IDEAS!  haha....thought I would update my blog so that if I choose to post MY OWN idea, I think you need a blog or something to send people to????  Well I'm in the learning stages, and will find out as I go on, for sure.  So here's a post....nothing to add, but just wanted to check in.  We are staying put today....though the news is so disturbing on CNN with this crazy weather....will have to see how much more I can take of it...and get back to my sewing roman blinds....TTYL L.

Sunday Morning Ramblings

Wow...how did I get here??...lol...was reading one of my e-mails...I subscribe to CanadianQuiltSwappers on-line Yahoo group...and someone sent a Blog post about making an ironing board....and it was so cool.  So had to sign into my own blog to post a comment.  So thought I would update my latest...no sewing here :-(

But last night I did start a new venture...I filmed me making home-made yogurt, and added my progress on yogurt cheese (or at least my version of  it) and had a bugger of an evening trying to edit it...ugh....so difficult.  But do want to join the You Tube world....so I'm sure I'll plug away at it...figure out how to crop it and edit it...that's where I'm having the problems....and I'll be damned if it's over 5 minutes!  I've watched wayyyy too many of them that are just too chatty and looooong.....maybe they don't know how to crop and edit...hahaha  Well back to filming...this a.m. Maybe I'll post pics on here...hey that's a good idea :-)