These are a few of my favorite things; pt 3

Christmas Stockings post!!!

This year we got 4 new stockings. Crocheted courtesy of me(and my very exhausted arms).

The puppies got these:

Here is the tutorial I used:

http://www.redheart.com/files/patterns/pdf/LW2697_corr.pdf

Our stockings, (this would be the reference to DIY costing more than planned and taking up TIME) are made with blood sweat and tears. Learning how to cable and then having to out these huge things together was an undertaking, but well worth it. 

   

I love the look of cable knit patterns and did NOT want to knit this. While I can knit, it is not my forte. 

Here’s the tutorial I used:

http://www.redheart.com/files/patterns/pdf/LW3209.pdf

Merry and Happy Everyone!

And Happy (early) 3 month anniversary to N and C!!!!!!!!!!!! Here is a picture from their GORGEOUS FL wedding. Their photog was amazing!

These are a few of my favorite things; pt 2

Part 2 of a few of my favorite things:

A small break from house decorations as I show off a very brave undertaking(if I do say so myself).

I love to get dressed up. PERIOD. I always have, since I was a little girl. So when Mac told me we were invited to a black tie event with his boss, I was pretty excited. My excitement was short-lived however, when I started researching what classic “black tie” means. Now yes, I went completely overboard with the thought I put into the event but a) that’s what I do and b) I’m a firm believer that you ALWAYS error on the side of caution when it comes to your significant other’s boss. I might have chanced a cocktail dress, but I realized that all of my dresses have been altered to be short cocktail length. So I started shopping. And quickly realized that my budget was not going to afford a floor length dress. So I got crazy, and made one. Sort of.

Here was my inspiration:

I took an existing cocktail dress I found at TJ Maxx for $8 dollars(!!!)




















and took it apart.

  

I used a circle skirt tutorial I found online and customized it(this was the splurge part of the project cost wise). I used basic black lining and black chiffon and made 2 separate skirts to create a more free flowing and fuller skirt. 

You can see where the hem was NOT even when I attached it to the bodice. For those of you who have sewing experience, let me just say that the crowning glory of this project was hemming the chiffon. Not only is chiffon the most difficult material to work with, a circle hem is nearly impossible to create without a rolled hem stitch(which I don’t like). After a bit of research, I used lace hem tape and managed to get the perfect hem.

Here is the finished product!

Paul Bunyan and his Blue Babe...

pt 3 is next.....

These are a few of my favorite things; pt 1

These are a few of my favorite things (I’ve made over the last few weeks).

Part 1: Fall decorations

I’ve tried to remain in the DIY area, which by the way, does NOT always cost less, and is almost ALWAYS time consuming. However, with some of these, I was able to re-purpose things I had laying around the house or stored up in my craft room.

This brings me to mason jars. I LOVE them! I have them in several sizes and they make great rustic glasses for a shower or the perfect vessel for a homemade layered recipe gift. Using different size jars(which you can get at Kroger), some twine and hot glue I was able to create some lanterns for our fireplace. I used electric candles from the wedding for illumination.

 

Here is the tutorial link:

http://burlapandblue.com/2012/04/19/hanging-mason-jars-a-tutorial/

To go along with my fall lanterns, I needed something to go on the front door. So in theme with “rustic,” I used pinecones and the same twine along with a metallic fall bow(which I got in the dollar bin at Michael’s). Something to be said about ribbon, always buy generously b/c bows(and most other projects) use up A LOT!

Here was the inspiration photo:

Here’s the finished product with my spin:

I should note that the twine didn't hold it's curl and I'll probably cut those extra pieces off for next year.

Part 2 coming up.....

Happy belated 30th Lynn! Hope you had a great surprise bday celebration....

I had every intention of doing a wedding blog but I can't seem to figure out how to download the photos onto my lap top. So, the wedding highlight blog will have to wait until Mac 'fixes' my computer or down(up?)loads the photo's onto the desktop and sends them to me via email. That may seem like a round about way to do it, but for those of you who know me, you aren't surprised by the fact that I have no idea how to use Mac's Apple computer(I literally couldn't figure out how to turn it on). I mean I keep finding myself swiping my Sony laptop screen trying to move around. This back and forth between the IPhone and a PC are about all I can take. 

So onto another topic for now...

It's been a pretty chill weekend. I've been sans husband, who has been out in the hills of VA celebrating the marriage of his college buddy B and his wonderfully sweet bride J. I took it upon myself this weekend to try out some new recipes while he was gone. Mostly things he wouldn't like(artichokes) or wouldn't normally eat(eggs benedict).
So this morning, I decided to make myself a nice breakfast, using some of the left over ingredients I have in the fridge. 

I made pancakes! While this is not an earth shattering accomplishment for most, it is for me. While I consider  myself decent in the kitchen, breakfast is NOT a strong suit of mine. I have detailed below the recipe(courtesy of Esquire.com)......

Link to Pancake recipe: http://www.esquire.com/_mobile/features/make-pancakes-0509 

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 egg, beaten lightly
1 ½ cups milk(I used buttermilk because I needed to use what I had left)
2 tbsp butter, melted

Sift together first three ingredients (to prevent lumps).In a separate bowl, mix egg and milk, then add it to flour mix, stirring until just smooth. Then stir in butter. If you want to mix it up, throw in blueberries, a tiny dice of apple, or bits of banana. 

Grease a griddle or nonstick pan with cooking spray or a little vegetable oil. Heat pan on medium for about ten minutes. Pour batter to form pancakes of whatever size you like. Cook first side until bubbles form on top, about three minutes; then flip and cook other side until it, too, is brown, about two minutes. 

Serve immediately with butter and syrup or hold briefly in warm oven. Serves four.

A Few tips I learned:

- Let your pan heat up completely, don't rush the process. I burnt my first 2 pancakes because I had the heat up too high. 

- I also learned that smaller is much easier to maintain. 

- my dogs love burnt pancakes

I would definitely make this recipe again. It was waaaaaay too much food for just me, but I'm glad I tried it. I've read horror stories about expired mixes so this is a great recipe for someone like me who might want pancakes just a few times a year and doesn't want to risk using expired mix.

Nothing better than a filling breakfast on a beautiful fall day! Can't believe it's November.....

Happy Fall Ya'll!!

The (Daulton) McDaniel Clan

As I take my first steps into the blogosphere, I guess I should detail a little about myself, Mac and our lives. Since I’m not sure what(if anything) this blog will be about, this allows me to jump right in without holding myself to a ridiculously high standard. Not that I ever do that...;)

I(Liz) was born in South Korea and adopted as an infant and raised in central Ohio. I have too many siblings to count, and lots of nieces and nephews. I have had a lot of BIG blessings in my life; a wonderful college experience, a learning experience in Chicago, and a quick(yet fulfilling) broadcasting career here in Memphis prior to my newest undertaking-MARRIAGE!

A few bullet points about me are:

-          I go by the names; Elizabeth, Beth, Liz, Lizzi, Peanut, Lillibet, Korean, Kreen, AP, Asian & M1

-          I am NOT a midget. I classify myself as a fidget(someone under 5 feet, living in a world of giants)

-          I bleed Scarlet & Gray. I am a proud alum of THE Ohio State University

-          I craft. You name it, I have probably tried it. I pride myself on basic sewing(baby gifts), crochet/knitting, cooking/baking, scrapbooking/paper art, most things weddings.

-          I have known to be a bit of a MacGuyver in sticky situations

Mac was raised right here in Memphis. He has one brother, R and 2 adorable and loving parents, D & B. Because I believe it to be an identity requirement down here, he attended Christian Brothers HS, and went on to get his Building Science degree from Auburn. He is above all things, a musician at heart.

A few bullet points about Mac are:

-          He is a Freak musician, someone who can hear something once and copy it on the piano and guitar.

-          He will wear boots and jeans way past time into the summer and then start wearing shorts and flips when it gets cold

-          He cooks some serious finger licking ribs!

-          He has celebrated every birthday we’ve been together at a Mexican Restaurant

-          He is uber competitive

We met in March of 2007. I knew Mac was someone special right away and we began officially dating about a month later. We both love country music, college football and The Fresh Market among other things. We differ on how much chicken you can eat in one week, where to stand while attending a concert, and what to do on Sundays after church but we love each other anyways.

A few bullet points about us are:

-          We met at a sweet 16 basketball party. Go Bucks! (Ready for the small world connection? EK cheered at OSU before me, when she found out I moved to Memphis she put me in contact with her younger sister SB who was dating, now married to AS. His older bro is JDS and went to HS with Mac)

-          We dated for 5 years before getting married, but were only engaged 6 months before our wedding

-          We are dog people. We own 2 pups; Mac has a small pony. I mean a golden lab/Pyrenees mix named Samantha the tail wagger, and I have my sweet Hank; a German Shepherd-Husky mix escape artist.

-          We have a ‘sghetti and cheap red wine’ date night nearly every week

-          We love Nashville and would like to live there at some point.

I’m not sure what direction this blog may head, but I do enjoy penning my thoughts occasionally or sharing what craft I’m working on, or a recipe I’ve made. Hopefully, this will be a good outlet for us as we continue this journey we are on as a family. Stay Tuned…