Easier For Annie...Elevated Dog Dish

This is Annie! Most of you have seen Annie before. She is our 10 year old Labrador...cute as a button, but getting older. Remember I made the pvc gate for her, because she can't go upstairs anymore. Well, now I made something else for her, so it's easier for to eat.

I found this old picnic basket at a consignment shop for $2.00. It's held plants, old newspapers, toys etc. The top is a cheaper plywood and kind of crooked, so I didn't mind cutting it up.

I used 2 containers that I knew would hold her food and water.

Traced the containers on a cardboard template the shape of the top of the basket.


Cut and trace the shapes on the top.

Make sure you trace it straighter than I did!! lol

The tools you'll need are a drill with a larger bit...

a hand held jig saw, small hand saw or a man to do it for you.

Drill holes at the corner of each area you want to cut out.

The holes need to be big enough for the jig saw blade to fit it.

Carefully cut out the shapes. This top was a cheap plywood, so it splintered alot. I'll have to fill it in with wood glue and either paint or stain it.

Drop the bowls in to make sure they fit.

Inside the basket, I place a canvas bag and filled it up with Annie's dog food.

Just take out the dish and scoop out her dinner!!

and it's all set with her water too. (I really need to polyurethane the top to 1. make it look better and 2. to seal out the water she spills.

I took this picture in my sewing room, so she couldn't figure out why her food was in there.

Once I moved it to her spot, she was good to go. The bowls are much higher up now and easier on her neck. I saw an elevated dog dish that looked like a wooden stool for $125.00! Yikes. My $2.00 and some crooked cutting will do just fine!

Enjoy your day,

~Karen~

Tool Time Tuesday...Flower Power

Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of TTT. This time it's a recycled Tool Time. My daughter Kelsie received flowers a few months ago for dance recitals and graduation. I started saving those little water vials on the stems of flowers and then the plastic picks that holds the cards. Did you know that those picks are called cardettes? I just learned that myself.
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Well, here are a few ideas I thought of to use these instead of throwing them away.




Here is the top of the vial. The cap is usually rubber and has a tiny hole for the flower stem to go into.



If we are going to be using these for anything else but flowers, we need to plug that hole.

The first way would be to squeeze a little hot glue in there and let it harden.

You can also trace the circle on card stock...

cut it out and glue the paper inside the cap.

and here you have it all stopped up. You could also glue a little piece of fabric too.

Now here are a few ideas to use the vials...

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How about for the larger needles that are hanging around your sewing room. You don't use them very often, but you still "Need" them. The vials are great for hand sewing needles too. Keeps them in their own special place.

Just pop the cap on and they are all contained. You can also put a little label on it, but it's clear enough to see inside.

They're also great for all your machine sewing needles...you know the ones that you haven't snapped off running over pins, but they aren't sharp enough for fabric. I keep mine for when I sew through paper for craft projects, like the paint chip napkin holders.

and don't forget your regular pins. These vials are great to take with you to a class or retreat.

They are also great for beads, pearls and little doo dads.

If you want to keep the little container close at hand, you can try this.

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Add a bead to a necklace or a ribbon...

Insert the clasp through the hole from the inside towards the top.

Pull until the bead is up against the inside of the cap.

Snap the cap on and the necklace is ready to wear. Keeps the needles or beads right there where you are working.

Here are a few ideas for the floral picks or cardettes.

Insert the index card into the tines of the fork of the pick.

Then insert the pick into a plant that you might have in your kitchen. If you don't have a plant, you can always insert it into a cup, can, vase or anything near by that will hold it.

It's just so handy to keep the recipe card up and off the counter. You can easily read it and it stays clean too!!

Close up of the tines. I'll share this recipes with you later this week!! It's a great one from my Portuguese grandmother.

Here's another great idea. The picks can hold your quilt patterns or cutting instructions. If you're like me, that pattern usually gets buried under a mountain of fabric.

Now it's up and out of the way and easy to read.

and don't forget the cutest pictures of your loved ones!! Who needs frames when we have free cardettes!!! That word is just too funny. I keep saying it over and over. I think my name should be Karen Cardette!! OMG if there really is a Karen Cardette out there, I apologize!

So the next time you receive flowers, make sure you save all the extras, because I know you throw them away. If you haven't received flowers in a while, go out and buy some for yourself...you deserve it!!!

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My favorite flower is a tulip...what's yours?
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Have a wonderful Tuesday,

~Karen~

There's a Good Reason Why I'm Late with the Winner...

It was my anniversary yesterday!! 23 wonderful years being married to greatest man on earth. He's loving, kind, caring, funny, patient, always helpful and loves his family to pieces! We had a great day...church in the morning, then we went out for breakfast. We decided not to buy gifts or cards for each other, so we bought flowers and a gift for a friend's mother who is in a nursing home from a knee replacement. Later on we went to Foxwood's Casino to see Legends in Concert. Our daughter Courtney had received complimentary tickets at her work, so she gave them to us! It was unbelievable...all 5 singers looked exactly like the originals. The dancers and costume changes were amazing. The 5 we saw were...Bobby Darin (Mack The Knife and Beyond The Sea were my favorites), then Tim McGraw (he was great too), Shakira, Prince and Elvis. If you get the chance in your part of the country to see this show, it's wonderful. It changes all the time!
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And now I'll stop talking and announce the winner of the Christmas cookie cutters. Random number generator picked #19, so the winner is...

Suzan from...

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The Reluctant Quilter

I am going to resume my Sharing on Sunday again in September. These next few weeks in August are going to be crazy. We're having over 100 people this Saturday for Kelsie's graduation party, family is visiting from out of state, then we need to pack up both girls for college and then the big move in the last weekend in August.

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Have a great day,

~Karen~

Tool Time Tuesday...2*10 Apron Tutorial

Hi to all my wonderful blogging friends out there! I want to say thank you to all my new friends who clicked the follower button this week. A great big hug to everyone!

Today's "Tool" for this Tuesday is an easy one...

Your sewing machine!!

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Here is a super easy tutorial for a 2*10 apron.

What's a 2*10 Apron you ask? Well, hop over to Stash Manicure  (click the red link to go) and you will find my tutorial full of pictures on how to make an apron for yourself or for gifts.

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I was asked by Rae Ann to do a guest post on her amazing blog. Stash Manicure is a place where you'll find wonderful ideas from other bloggers on how to organize and start using your stash of fabric. Even though we may find ways of using up our stash, it doesn't mean we can't buy more fabric...right?

Sorry to my friends who are also friends on Stash Manicure and you saw this tutorial yesterday, but it's a good one and I wanted to share it with all of you.

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The aprons will make great gifts and they are super fast to make. Head on over and leave a comment there if you'd like and let me know what you think.

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Thanks a million for always being there,

~Karen~

What's a Fat Quarter You Ask?...

I've had a few emails asking what a fat quarter is. Fat quarters are those little folded squares of fabric you see at your local quilt shop or larger chain fabric stores. They are usually in front of the bolts of fabric. They are pre cut pieces of the bolts for a quick purchase (because you know I LOVE to wait in those lines at the cutting table in the big chain stores LOL), small project or scrap quilts. Here's a quick picture explanation.
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Here is a piece of fabric that is one yard long...see the yard stick on the bottom. The fabric is unfolded, so the selvage (finished) edges are on the top and bottom.




Here is a close up of the 36 inch length of fabric.



Now cut that 36 inch length in half at 18 inches.

Here are the 2 strips 18 inches by the width of fabric (WOF).

Now, the usual width of fabric ranges from 42"-45" (that's the vertical ruler on the right)

Minus the white edge of the selvage, this fabric is just about 44 inches.

Now cut that in half at 22 inches.

and here you have it...4 fat quarters from one yard of fabric.

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The usual measurement of a fat quarter is 18" x 22".

Hope this helps.

~Karen~

Sharing on Sunday #9 Christmas in July...

Ok...today is July 25th. Don't hate me for saying this, but Christmas is 5 months away from TODAY! and how appropriate for the last Christmas in July give away.

This week's give away is a brand new bucket of 40 Christmas cookie cutters.




There are 20 designs with 2 of each kind...one standard size and one mini.



Here are the pictures of the cookie cutters.

What's wonderful about cookie cutters is the many uses for them. You know me...never use something for real purpose.

• cookies (that one is obvious, lol )
• cut out rice crispy treats
• make fudge in each one and give as a gift
• Christmas tree ornaments
• tie them together for a wreath or hang them from a wreath
• hang a tag on each one for a dinner place card
• use a napkin ring
• templates for scrap booking
• cut out shapes from card stock and make gift tags
• how can I not mention Quilt Appliques!!
• cut out sandwiches for children
• cut out shapes from pancakes

For me, I use cookie cutters for everything else but cookies. I tend to make drop cookies rather than rolled cookies.

I usually make M&M cookies, Hershey Kiss cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, Coconut Macaroons, chocolate covered peanut butter balls, "Good Cookies", chocolate Chex mix, caramel popcorn and more.

To enter the give away you can just leave a comment, but if you'd like to leave a comment with your favorite Christmas Cookie or dessert that would be great too.

Maybe some time in the fall, closer to Christmas I can put together a blog to share Christmas recipes

I'll pick the winner next Sunday August 1st!!

Take care,

~Karen~

Winner of Sharing on Sunday Christmas in July...

Hello everyone! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. The winner of last week's peppermint paper set is #26...

Elizabeth from Such a Sew and Sew

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just send me an email with your snail mail address.

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You must go visit her blog. The whole blog is great, but scroll down until you see her Snowball quilt she made for her sister's wedding shower. It is FANTASTIC!!! My favorite is the free motion quilting that makes the quilt all crinkly and her snowballs are sooo cute too. Love it!

Be back with another Sharing on Sunday give away in a bit,

~Karen~