Month: May 2016

Beware of Gorilla Glue and Super Glue…A friendly warning for Pet owners.

This past weekend, I need to use some Gorilla Glue and it reminded me… my sweet puppy Moka. So, Moka was about 6 months old and was doing her usual crazy puppy playing. She ran in to an end table. I did not realize that she knocked off the bottle of Gorilla Glue that I had used to fix my daughters glasses. I took it from her quickly, but she had punctured the bottle with her canine.

At the time I didn’t give it much thought, but the next morning, she was threw up three times. She was still her usual happy self, but throwing up. I went to the Gorilla Glue web site and read that it could be dangerous to pets even in small amounts. SO, I called them.

Oddly, they had a Vet on staff. That sends a message. She told me that the prognosis was good, but that Moka needed an X-Ray. If she ingested it (which I was pretty sure she did) it would have to be surgically removed. Crap.

So, I called my vet who told me that I had to go to the emergency Vet. Well, X-Ray showed it in her belly. My poor puppy. $2500.00 later, they removed it and spayed her since she was under anesthesia.

Make sure you keep Gorilla Glue, Super glue etc.. away from Pets. A pea size drop can swell to the size of a cantaloupe in their bellies. It was an expensive lesson to learn. My Moka is fine today, but paying $2500 when I had just gotten laid off totally sucked.

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The Frugal Widow Tip #1 Teeth Whitening

The Frugal Widow Tip #1 Teeth Whitening

So, looking in the mirror one day I decided that my teeth were not white enough. 40+ years of drinking Diet Pepsi had taken its toll. So, I set out to the store to look at teeth whitening kits. Holy Cow, they are expensive. I started reading the ingredients and many of them could not be pronounced in any way. However, I noticed a couple of common ingredients that I was familiar with.

In many products there was Baking Soda and Hydrogen Peroxide. OK, so how about not spending $45? I decided to buy a box of baking soda and a bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide. I did a little internet reading on what would be a good amount of each and settled on a teaspoon of each.

I keep a little shot glass on the bathroom sink and mix it in the shotglass. I mixed it up and put it on my teeth. I didn’t really brush my teeth, just sort of put it on there and let it foam up. It tasted not to so good and oddly salty. I followed it up by brushing with my regular toothpaste which is Sensodyne whitening.

Wow, there was a noticeable difference. I was Shocked. Had I known I would be writing a blog, I would have taken before and after pictures to demo the difference. I use the baking soda and peroxide mixture 3-5 times per week and my teeth have whitened up considerably. So, before you spend a bunch of money, give it a try. It will only cost about $2.00. The only caution I give is to make sure you don’t brush the baking soda into your gums. It can be irritating. Let me know how it works for you. Smile!

Hoarding Fabric…What to do?

What does everyone do with all their Fabric? I have so much. I don’t ever envision that I will have enough. I guess you could call it an obsession. There is something about Fabric that just makes me happy. Maybe it’s the colors, or the feel, or the smell. I am not sure. Nothing stops me from wanting more. I have boxes and boxes stored in my storage area(s), because you know it will not all fit in my sewing room. When I open a box it is like Christmas all over again. It sounds so exciting, which it is, but, that does not solve the fact that I am running out of room for Fabric. Mine is currently occupying two storage rooms at my house, my sewing room, the top of my dresser, the kitchen counter…..I think I need my own warehouse. I am sure I am not the only fabric hoarder out there. What do you all do with yours?

The Crafty Widow Brings You: Personal Tags for Everything You Sew

Do you want your own personal tags for the items you sew, just like at the store? If you don’t have a ton of money to spend on them, but still want them I can show you an easy and inexpensive way to have nice professional looking tags that can be sewn into whatever you make.

My tags are made on White ribbon with Fabric Transfer sheets. I like the grossgrain ribbon, but you can use the satin wedding type also.

1.) Purchase ribbon in the width that you would like your tags to be. Easy.

2.) Setup your labels on your computer/printer. There is some testing that goes on here to make sure that your labels will fit on your ribbon. On Duplicate it as many times as possible so you can get as many as possible from each transfer sheet. You will need to reverse the image before it is printed, so when it is ironed it is not backwards.

3.) Once your design is set, duplicated, and reversed, print on the transfer paper. Make sure to follow the directions for the transfer paper you use.

4.) Once printed, you can cut them apart and iron them on to a length of ribbon. Make sure to use a lot of pressure when ironing.

I sew my tags in nearly everything that I make. It gives it a very professional look. It reminds whomever has your handmade item who made it.

Be creative, use your imagination. You can create care labels, labels with your logo and or web address. Whatever you can fit, you can have.

Happy Creating/Happy Sewing

The Frugal, Tasty and Quick Widow gives you Super Fast Sloppy Joe

So, growing up as a kid, my Mom made Sloppy Joe. I did not like it. I don’t know why. I am pretty sure she made it from scratch, no Manwich. It has been so long since I have had her Sloppy Joes. I can’t remember what I didn’t like about it. Ahhhh,,If only she could make it for me again, I would most certainly love it because she made it.

Having a career, being a kid Mom, A dog Mom and a significant other to my manfriend (too old for a “Boy” friend), I sometimes don’t have the time or desire to cook. I love to cook, just don’t always have enough time.
So, tonight I broke down and made Sloppy Joe. I didn’t do everything from scratch like Mom did, but I did manage to cook an entire meal in 15 minutes for under $10.00. So, I feel good about that.

I browned some ground beef (s little over a pound) and put a Lipton Rice side on to cook. Once the Ground beef was done, I drained the fat and put the ground meat in back in the pan. Then, I dumped in McCormick’s Sweet and Smokey Sloppy Joe Sauce ( http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Main-Dishes/Sweet-and-Smoky-Sloppy-Joes) and heated it a couple of minutes. Done, unless you are like me and added in a teaspoon of crushed pepper. We like a little spice. You could taste the smokiness, but it wasn’t overly sweet. Good food in a hurry. Inexpensive enough to give it a try. Happy Cooking.

Super Yummy-Pierogi Casserole Mmmmm

If you love Pierogi’s you have to try this. Pierogi’s are yummy, but so time consuming to make. Pierogi casserole is way easier to make and tastes just as yummy. We had this for dinner tonight along with steaks. It was awesome. So, when I cook, measuring is not something I always do.

So, in order to make Pierogi casserole, you will need the following ingredients:
9 lasagna noodles, cooked
4 cups of mashed potatoes – I have to admit, I use instant. I have made it with “Real” ones, but, the instant ones (I use Instant Idaho reds) are already pre seasoned and taste way better in this casserole.
3 medium onions, chopped coarsely
1 stick of butter
8 ozs, Shredded cheddar, or more depending on what you like.
1.) Cook Onions with stick of butter
2.) Make mashed potatoes following package directions. I added some chopped garlic to the water for a little added flavor.
3.) Once onions are cooked and potatoes are ready, Mix them together.
4.) Spray your pan with Cooking spray, mostly so tit is easier to clean. Spread s small amount of mashed potatoes on the bottom of you pan (9×13 works perfectly, but an eight in square works great but you will need to trim your lasagna noodle).
5.) Then begin layering noodles, potatoes and cheese. Make sure to finish up with cheese on top.
6.) Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, until bubbly. Enjoy.
Be creative, add bacon or whatever you like. There are no rules when cooking in my kitchen.

The Actual Process of Quiltng

So, being someone that loves to make quilts it seems a bit odd that I do not look forward to the actual quilting part. It scares me. I think that after all the planning and piecing, now is my greatest opportunity to screw it all up. I actually took a quilt to be professionally quilted once. It cost me about $200 and was nothing spectacular. It was disappointing. So, I vowed to do them myself. Easier said than done, unless you are fortunate to have a long arm and fancy frame. Even then, I would still panic.

I have come a long way these days. I recently moved up from just meandering to putting some hearts in a quilt. Currently I am using the Flynn Quilt Frame
http://www.flynnquilt.com/ (Photo above)

It is not perfect, but it beats trying to do it without anything at all. It is fairly inexpensive and you use your own sewing machine. It is a great way to get started on the actual quilting process. It is a good way to determine if it is worthwhile to purchase something more expensive. I have to admit, I am totally envious of the quilting demoed on the site. I can do nothing like it and panic just thinking about it. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I can’t draw. Not sure.

I plan on one day getting an actual frame and long arm. I am sure I will obsessively research it when I am ready. Always looking for opinions and advice here. If you have some, please share.

Meet The Fur Babies…

Yes, I am also the crazy Dog Lady. Currently we have 4 dogs. Several are rescues. I have also fostered multiple litters of puppies. Dogs give you the most unconditional love that there is. My dog Koko, who crossed the rainbow bridge last year, helped me through the most difficult times on my life. She licked away my tears through the death of both my husbands and both my parents. She was the one thing I could always count on.

I remember when I was pregnant, I worried that Koko would be jealous of Haley. I was so wrong. I took one of Haley’s blankets at the hospital home and let her sniff it, so she would know what she smelled like before she came home. I was amazed. Koko was her biggest protector. She laid under her baby swing. When someone came to visit she would move out a few feet to be in front of the swing so she could decide who was going to get close to her baby. She knew I was pregnant before I did, laying her head on my belly. I actually thought something was wrong with her.

All the way to the Left is Moka. She is our puppy. I went to get her after my Koko died. She is a crazy girl. But I love her. She has big shoes to fill. The ones in the middle are the little dogs. The little white on is Ruger, my only male dog. He thinks I am his property. He rolls all over me as if he was making me his. He ways all of six pounds and intimidates the heck out of Moka. The Chubby Chug (Chihuahua pug Mix) is Snibble. My late Husband Derrick rescued her from a farm. There were twelve puppies and she was the only girl. She was all bit up and the boys would never let her eat. She has a totally Chihuahua attitude. The Third picture is Clover (and Moka as a puppy). She is a three legged Flat Coat Labrador. She was a rescue that we were supposed be “fostering”. That was about 9 years ago. She gets around great for a dog missing a front leg.

Charm Squares for my Great Niece

I made this quilt for my Great Niece Addison. I used charm squares of reproduction fabrics. I love precuts, but often find them a bit expensive. I have found a couple of places that has very reasonable prices. I would suggest Missouri Start Quilt Co. https://www.missouriquiltco.com/. They offer a daily deal and very often it is on precuts. On April 1st, they sold a pack of precuts for 25 cents. I just bought the daily deal the other day for $1.95. Now, you do have to pay $5.00 for shipping, but I bought an extra pack of Daily deals at the regular price (8.95) and also received a free pattern for spending over $10.00. I belive my total was less than $16.00 for two charm packs and a pattern, delivered to my door in just a couple of days. Well worth the money.
My other favorite place to buy discount precuts, is http://www.craftsy.com/. They have a clearance section and have had up to 70% off. Shipping is also very reasonable. Craftsy is also a great place for ideas and patterns. More on that later.

I am not paid to say any of this stuff. Just want to pass along good information to fellow sewers/quilters.

A Quilt for my Grandchild…. Wait I don’t have one….

So, 4 weeks before my 40th birthday, my daughter Haley was born. I remember my sister telling me how awesome it will be when I go sign her up for kindergarten and I am old enough to be the other kid’s parents. Funny, but not funny. So, I am a 52 year old with a 12 year old daughter….. Oddly, I was told I could never have children and “surprise”. She is the love of my life, even when she tries me, which happens daily.

One of the many things I love to do is make quilts, especially baby quilts. I make them for friends that are having babies, nieces and nephews etc. I make others also, but for some reason, baby things are appealing to me.

So, if my daughter waits as long as I do to have children, I might not get to meet them. Sad. However, I want to make sure they have a quilt from their grandmother. I have made so many for others. Just sort of like my grandkid insurance. This is the first one I made for my future grandchild. My daughter (AKA future grandchilds parent) is holding the quilt.

I actually started the quilt when Haley was a baby. I love Red and it just appealed to me for some reason. I believe that the pattern was in a Better Homes and Garden quilt book. I should look it up. When I went back and looked at the quilt, I noted my signature mistake. By Signature mistake, I mean that there always is at least one in every quilt I make. There is a piece that is sideways. Maybe I should make that my signature. Make at least one thing sort of goofy.