Thrifty Girl

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...

I have so many different projects going right now.  My mind just keeps racing with different ideas. I just wish I had more time and the materials to do what I want to do! If only house work didn't need done. I think I am going to make it my Blogger Resolution to overcome all the "if only" obstacles. (hmmm, this could lead to something more. I think I have another blog subject coming on) The internet is the biggest source for inspiration. I see so many things done by so many talented people. I think I am addicted to pinterest now. I have been spending my lunch hours pinning. (shh, don't tell. lol) Since time and funds are my biggest challenges for my craft fetish I have been going through old clothes that are not being worn and thinking of things to do with them. Though, I don't have anything to show now, expect to see something soon! In the meantime, I wanted to share one recent thing I have finished. I am far from a photographer. It seems to be one thing I ...

Sometimes I feel like I have A.D.D. or something. I will start a craft project and then start another. Next thing you know, I have three (or more, usually more) different craft projects going. I found, a while ago, this book that I just absolutely LOVE! (over the winter)  It is called "Sew Clothes Kids Love" by Nancy J.S. Langdon & Sabine Pollehn.  This book has inspired me. Not long after getting this book in the mail did I stray away from traditional clothing patterns. This book opened a new world to me! But a girl only has so much time and money, so I work with what I got! Just finished this "Feliz" dress for my daughter, who loves to twirl! My Rylie wore this to church this past Sunday and then to my oldest daughter's baby shower. ( that just sounds too weird to repeat) Due to how hectic it was I was not able to get any pics of her in it. But I know someone else did. As soon as I get a copy of those pics I will upload 'em. I was able ...

I am new to blogging. But I am certainly not new to crafting. Creativity has always been natural to me as long as I know. But, I live in the real world and the real world requires a stable paying job that does not always include creativity. Or at least my idea of creativity. I have always been the hobby crafter. Few things here and there. But it has been recently when surfing an online craft store that I was like "That is too cute!" and " I can make that!" Off I was, creating away so i could dress my daughter up super cute! I found my creative self again that had been lost to a "normal way of life". Of course I have to show the girls at work. Then one day I was asked if i have pinned or posted????? Well, here I am. What can it hurt? I am thinking of this as my trial run and a documentation of what I have done. Who knows, maybe I will find creativity in this as well. This is one of my latest for my daughter. Its great that she loves everything I...