Thrifty Girl

It has been a while since I posted. Sorry. I really have no excuse but I really had to post about my new addiction. APPLIQUÉS! They are so fun! Just look at some examples of my work. And I add a bow and HOW CUTE! I just can't wait to do more! I am thinking some plaid for the wiener dog! Looove it! I plan on putting these in my etsy store http://www.etsy.com/shop/ThriftyGirlBoutique For all my blog readers just enter coupon code BLOG2012 for a 10% discount on orders from my etsy store!

This baby outfit is inspired by Life of a Cheap Chickadee . The first time I saw it I was like "LOOOOOVE IT!" This is my finished project: PIC 1 PIC 2 Every baby girl should wear ruffles on the butt! Pic 3 I can't wait to see my snuggle bug granddaughter in this outfit! I have enough fabric left over to make 1 or 2 more like this one. I plan on opening my Etsy Store and this will be the first item listed, unless you know someone interested in purchasing. The pants are sewn with french seams to prevent fraying when washed. After this project I am sooooo wishing for a serger machine.  I was going to ask for a Kindle Fire for Christmas but now I think I have changed my mind. Come on Santa! Momma needs a serger!

I found this recipe on  allrecipes.com  and altered it a bit. it is very similar  to the box version that can be purchased at a very popular home party plan company. Ingredients: 3 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1 (12 fluid ounce) can beer 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch baking pan. 2. In a bowl, mix the self-rising flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, onion powder, and Italian seasoning. Pour in the beer, and mix just until moistened (hint- do not over mix or it will be a brick). Transfer to the prepared baking pan. Top with the melted butter. 3. Bake 45 to 55 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire r...

My bedroom has pretty much been the same for years - with the exception of a new quilt on the bed.  I decided to change it up and see what I can do for under $40. Now, I have to tell you. I picked a bad time of the year to change my bedroom and post it on my blog. I work a full time job, have 3 children in school, and granddaughter (and her parents, can't forget about them, I guess) who is under a month old, and lets not forget, it is BOW SEASON!!! Yes, we are a house full of hunters. We even have Rylie in "Bow Training" My first task and biggest expense was painting the bedroom. I treated myself and actually bought paint tinted to the color I wanted. No self mixing here. :( The paint was approximately $20 or so. Next was new curtains. I found fabric in the clearance section and spent $1.50 on one color (kinda turquoise)  and $1.89 on a second color (white). I knew I had some brown fabric at home just sitting there. Now, Feeling very lazy I just took the fabr...

6 - cubed steaks 6oz can of crushed tomatoes 2 cups shredded mozzarella Parmesan cheese Box of Shake and Bake Oregano Garlic Powder Marjoram Basil Coat cubed steak with Shake and Bake according to package directions.  Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. While steak is baking mix together tomatoes, oregano, garlic powder, marjoram, and basil.  I do not measure the herbs. I just shake a few of each into tomato and stir. Remove steaks from oven when done baking.  Spoon the tomato mixture over top of each steak. Sprinkle some Parmesan and shredded mozzarella on top and bake another 25 minutes.  This is great with salad, pasta and bread sticks!

Things you will need: Heat'n Bond Lite Iron-on Adhesive Iron Sewing machine Thread Medium to large print fabric Item to attach applique to (shirt, dress, blanket, etc) Scissors   Cut out the print leaving an edge to sew on for securing. I leave about 1/8 inch to ¼ inch or so. In this tutorial I cut out a cute little bumble bee.   Following directions on the Heat'n Bond Lite Iron-on Adhesive cut enough of a piece so that it is just slightly smaller than your fabric cut out. (you don’t want it larger or you may get some adhesive material on your iron and create a mess) With the highest iron settings your fabric will allow iron the adhesive to your fabric cut out. Peel the paper backing and place your cut out on the item you are going to attach it too. I am attaching the bee to a dress back. With the highest iron settings both of your fabric will allow iron applique to your item.    Zig Zag stitch the edge of your appliqu...

You have to check out my friends work at  http://www.facebook.com/JustMemorieZ She is sooooooo talented! I have to post some pics of the "cutest little girl" wearing the shirt I made for her. I was so glad to see that it fit her. ISN'T SHE PRECIOUS!!!!

This is very easy to make and the pork chops come out very tender. My mom use to make this all the time and serve it over egg noodles, which is just as yummy. I make it with brown rice and fat free soup so it is healthier for my handsome man (HM). Pork Chops in Cream of Mushroom Soup 4 pork chops 2 cans of Fat Free Cream of Mushroom soup 1 cup of milk Cooked instant brown rice 1 tbs of olive oil Brown pork chops in olive oil and set aside. In pan stir together soup and milk and heat on medium high until creamy. Add pork chops to soup mixture, once it starts to boil lower heat to a simmer and cover.  Simmer approximately 30 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking on the bottom of the pan. Serve over rice. Salt and pepper to taste.

Things you will need: An old pair of jeans ¼ to ½ yard of fabric Yard stick and seamstress marker/pencil Thread Sewing machine Iron pins I don’t know about you guys but Rylie is great at wearing out the knees in jeans (if I get her to wear them) I picked a pair that were semi worn and had a small stain on the front pant leg. Lay your jeans out and cut the pant legs off. No need to be perfect as I cut a second time at the crotch area to make a straight cut across. I then I measured 2 – 40X8 inch pieces. Probably didn’t need it to be so wide but just cut the width of the fabric. Length will vary. i measured 8 inches for a size 5 skirt. I like to use Crayola washable markers, they are easy to see on fabric and wash right out. Sew the 2 pieces of fabric together on both sides. I like to use a French seam because I don’t have a Serger (someday, right now I am happy with my fancy one the HM bought me for my birthday) For instructions on how to do ...

Ok, I know I am behind on my posts this week. It has been a hectic week. My granddaughter was born on Tuesday, 9/25/12. She is beautiful and everyone is doing great! Also, the bow hunting deer season opens up tomorrow and been busy preparing for that. Blogging is going to be more challenging than I anticipated. This recipe is one that my family loves. I found it at  http://www.kraftrecipes.com . I love this site because they have so many wonderful recipes. I especially love the "1bag, 5 dinners" series. They are very inexpensive meals for families on the go. Be sure to check it out. What You Need 1 small   onion , chopped 1/4 cup   KRAFT Lite Zesty Italian Dressing 1 lb. ...

My church had a Chili Cook Off last night to kick off this year’s family night. It was a runner up for most popular vote. I would have won if Zoey wouldn’t have mysteriously come up with 3 extra votes when it came to announce the winner. Ha Ha! All the chili was very yummy last night and I had to taste all 8 entries. Needless to say, I was soooo uncomfortable afterwards. It was fun! All my co-workers appreciated it too as I took what was left over to feed them the next day. I put together all the ingredients the night before and put it in the crock pot over night. In the morning before leaving to work I took it out of the fridge and put the crock pot on low for the day. Super easy and it is nice to get home from work to already have supper done. Slow Cooker Taco Chili Ingredients 1 pound ground beef (or ground venison) 1 pound bulk pork sausage 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes 1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn with red and green bell peppers ...

My hat was inspired by a blog I read at  "The Life of a Cheap Chick" at sundiandmike.blogspot.com/ . She has posted some wonderful links for different ways to sew flowers. The following is my version. Things you will need: Stocking Hat from Dollar Store $1.00 Fake silk flowers from Dollar Store (or from around the house if you have some) $1.00 Scrap piece of fabric about 2 inches X 2 inches 1 Button (or more if you choose) 1 piece of lace (or any other notion you make have) Needle and thread First, you will need to decide where you want to cut the end of the hat. It would not be a bad idea to have someone try it on for guidance. Now, we need to sew the edge to get the frill look. Plus, this helps the end from fraying. Using your sewing machine, zig zag stitch the edge of the hat. On my first try I used the default settings for my zig zag stitch. I wasn’t quite satisfied with how it turned out so I went around a second time using a shorter, but ...

Rylie has been asking me to make clothes for her doll ever since I made a doll dress for her friend's Bitty Baby as a birthday present. Of course I had to make matching outfits. It was much easier than I thought. I used my fancy Brother Embroidery machine that my HM bought me for my birthday to put the cute little birds on. They are called "Tweet Things" from bunnycup.com. If you sign up to be a member (which is free) you get newsletters about awesome deals they hold every month. The "Swirl Stars" by Ann the Gran design I downloaded for free from embroiderydesigns.com. It is free to create an account but they only allow so many free downloads a week. Which is O.K. by me. I can be patient for free. So I am sure that it fits for a while (she has been eating like she is about to go through a growth spurt) I made the shoulder straps adjustable. I put button holes on the back of the dress for the straps to slip through and tie. For the paper bag effec...