“What is it Wednesday” #53

Howdy do, Friends!

Below is this week’s mystery. You know what to do—please leave us a comment with your guess, and we will post the answer (and your guesses) this Friday.

A-Tisket, A-Tasket

While at the Craft and Hobby Association trade show back in January, we had the opportunity to check out Clover’s clever new Basket Frames. They gave us a quick tutorial, and we new that this was yet another product that we needed to share with you.

The same principles of weaving are applied to this instruction, yet the skeleton of the basket is supplied, so all you to need to is supply your favorite fabric strips, ribbons, or other fiber to personalize your basket.

      

We have also created the tag below for you (drag to your computer desktop) to print in color on cardstock. The tag will print to be approximately 2 3/4″ x 4 1/2″. Cut tag out, trim with buttons, or rick rack (if you’d like), punch a hole, and tie onto your basket. Super easy, and fun!

You may also order Clover’s Basket Frames online, here, if you aren’t able to find them in your local craft store. They come with two frames per package, and are available in oval, round, and square shapes. The small size for the round basket is 4 3/8″ x 2″, and the large basket size is 7″ x 2 3/4″. (These are approximate sizes, but if you ask Noelle or me for an opinion, we think the large is more doable for the spring bunny to leave us sweet confections in! )

Speaking of hopping… hop on over to You Tube to watch Clover’s instructional video, and see for yourself how easy it is to create your own basket.

Click here, to visit the Clover USA website, and/or to order the Basket Frames.

And without further ado, here is the basket tag for you to print from your desktop:

Sugar, eggs, flour…

A little over a year ago, Noelle and I were shopping in a kitchen supply store (proper name omitted for copyright reasons—haha!), and I fell in love with a happy-faced spatula. Noelle surprised me with it as a gift, and now whenever I bake I send her a cell phone picture of my baked goods, with Happy Face Spatula (yes, that’s it’s name) stealing the show.

Happy Face Spatula and snickerydickerydoodles

Since we know you all love to share your recipes, and we’re NEVER known to just be totally random with our posts , can you guess what all this cookie talk is about? Details to come next week, but if you can guess where we are leading you, leave us a guess as a comment. Your sleuthing skills may be rewarded!

At the request of our readers, here is the recipe for the Snickerydickerydoodles!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup softened butter

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

 

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400ºF.
2. Mix 1 1/2 cups sugar, the butter, vanilla, and eggs in large bowl. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.
3. Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Mix 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Remove from cookie sheet to foil.

“What is it?” 52 – The answer

You are too schooled in our puzzles and vintage items! Many of you guessed correctly this week, and we love the fact that so many of our friends took a stab at a guess (click here and scroll down to read those). Happy Friday, Friends.

…now let’s go make fruit salad. *slurp*

Melon Baller

Country Lanes – Woolgatherings

Woolgatherings Owner, Sheila Schindler written by Judi Kauffman
Sheila Schindler Sheila Schindler grew up in Texas in a family full of “artsy, craftsy people.” As a child, she played under the quilt during quilting bees, listening to the women’s banter above her head. Her love of old things and the stories behind them took root early. She has always appreciated the people who do hand crafts; perhaps this is what eventually wove Shelia’s story together with that of the craftsmen of an Amish community in Iowa.Sheila majored in photo journalism and public relations in college and worked at the Mesquite News as a photographer for a time. Her job at a recreation center involved planning and teaching classes, so she began to participate in crafts of all kinds. She taught herself first, then taught the children and adults who came to the center. “Pinecone wreaths, painted clothing, country western dancing, aerobics, and arts and crafts—a little bit of everything,” she says. The part-time work in recreation she started while still in school grew into full-time. Sheila was promoted to supervisor of one center, then to supervisor over the district and multiple centers. “I got into rug hooking in about 2000, part of my job at the recreation centers; I was part of a quilt guild, and a rug hooking display came in through the guild. I hired someone to teach rug hooking and signed up to take the class. I knew right away that it was for me!” Rita, a friend of Sheila’s, organized group tours to quilt shops, yarn shops, and antique stores. Sheila and her mom signed up and went on several of them. The buses were intentionally half-filled so each of the ladies had an extra seat for comfort and the space beneath the bus held luggage and purchases. Sheila bought some of her first rug hooking kits on these trips. On 9/11/01, when the world was forever changed, Sheila and Rita were on one of the bus tours. Just as the planes were crashing into the World Trade Center and the radio was proclaiming the horrible news, a horse and buggy pulled up, an Amish boy and girl got out, tied the horse to a road sign near the welcome center where the bus was parked, and set up their wares: an array of hand woven baskets. Sheila described it as a surreal moment, a time warp. Rita, Sheila, and the others bought baskets. None of them could have predicted that Sheila would one day be in business with the Amish family that had made those baskets. Stacking Baskets Rolling Basket Soon, each of Rita’s bus trips went to the Gingerich house so that the ladies could buy baskets. Rita had, by then, become interested in rug hooking. And as anyone who has gotten into rug hooking soon realizes, there is a lot to carry to classes, rug camps, and to organize at home. “We’re carrying too much stuff; we need something to contain it all!” Sheila remarked to her friend. Rita said, “Okay—you design it!” Sheila laughed it off, but on one of their trips, they saw a cart made of wood that was way too heavy; but, it sparked an idea. In the fall of 2004 Sheila made drawings, and Rita took them to that same Amish family: the Gingeriches. In spring 2005, the first Woolgatherings basket was made. Sheila hadn’t planned to go into business, but as soon as other rug hookers, needleworkers, quilters, and other crafters saw her basket they wanted one, too. The first baskets were sold in June of that same year. Sadly, Rita died in 2006, but Sheila kept going, and the Woolgatherings website went live in 2010, two years after Sheila retired. "Russian Dolls" Baskets All communication with the basket makers is via letters and the US postal service. There is no phone in the Amish community, and boxes go into the horse and buggy and down the road to the post office (though orders for them can be placed the modern way: online or on the phone!). Woolgatherings’ baskets are so well made that they can be passed along for generations. They’re primitive in style, but a great accent for almost any décor. Sheila uses hers as a side table when she’s home, then puts on luggage wheels when she wants to work in a different room or head off on a retreat. The fixed handle is designed to hold a fabric cutter or clamp-on light. Sheila is growing her business at a comfortable pace. Handmade baskets, like rugs and quilts, take time, and she isn’t planning to sell them by the thousands. She has retired from her job with the city of Mesquite and wants to supplement her retirement income and have money for rug camps and supplies. Basket with Straps The original basket has been joined by other shapes and sizes, all of which are multipurpose. Smaller baskets can be used for casseroles, silverware, and snippets of this and that. Knitters are especially fond of the pie and cake baskets! The extra-large nesting basket is the perfect fit for an oval Crock-Pot. Sheila keeps baskets in her car to corral what she needs for errands. I’ve got one on order to hold scraps from paper crafting projects. Picture a young boy sitting on the floor next to his mother as she works on a hooked rug, or a little girl under the quilt her grandmother’s guild is making. A Woolgatherings basket is nearby. The children peer inside at the colorful fabric, and they learn to appreciate the time that goes into what covers them at night or decorates the floor or wall. Just like Sheila, these children will grow up loving to make things. And the basket they use just might be the one that mom or grandma purchased from Woolgatherings. Basket with Blue Accent Woolgatherings’ products are available through www.wool-gatherings.com, as well as at vendors’ night at rug camps, craft, quilting, and FiberFest shows. Contact Sheila via email through the website for her schedule.
Basket Giveaway As a thank-you gift to Create & Decorate readers, two very lucky winners will be randomly selected to receive a handmade bread basket from Woolgatherings. Click here to enter your name in our drawing. Bread Baskets

“What is it?” Wednesday 52

Hello, Friends! We have found ourselves midweek again, and offering up another slice of “What is it?”.

We have confidence that you will crack the puzzle this week!

So, what’s your guess? Leave us a comment with your conjecture as to what this item is, and we will post your guesses and the answer this Friday. Check back in with us!

Crafty Critters

Check out these plush little critters with adorable bibs to cross stitch! Charles Craft is sponsoring this ready-to-stitch giveaway for Create & Decorate friends, giving you plenty of time to stitch one and tuck into an Easter Basket. These plush stuffed animals are the perfect way to welcome a special baby into the world, and also make a great birthday gift.

 

The stitching area is 2″ x 2″ and each animal comes with a design chart of cute images, alphabets, and more!

You can find them in craft stores now, but why not try to win one of these critters from our giveaway, too? We will happily, and randomly, select 3 lucky friends. Simply leave us a “pick me!” comment as your entry form. Winners will be announced on March 12. Woohoo! We love a good giveaway!

“what is it?” #51 – The Answer

And this week our item is… Ta-daaaa! This sweet watering can belongs to Noelle. (It is one of her favorite treasures from the first Brimfield Antique Show we went to.)

There were such wonderful guesses this week! Congrats to all who played, and congrats to those of you with the correct answer! Scroll down to our original post to read the guesses.

Happy Friday!

“What is it?” Wednesday #51

Welcome to our mid-week puzzle! You all guessed so grandly last week, that Noelle and I are hoping you will have as much fun with today’s game.

Here it is:

Please leave us a comment with your guess, and check back in on Friday for the answer!

To pin or not to pin…

Yes, that is our question today. Are you pinning your favorite ideas and projects on Pinterest? This social media platform is a colossal way of internet sharing. Noelle and I are fairly new to this game, but are certainly having fun. Pinterest acts like a file folder that organizes all of our interests: primitives, crafts, junking, gardening ideas, recipes, and more. The best part is that all of the ideas and images we find won’t get lost in cyber space because they are ‘pinned’ in this file folder. No more lost bits of torn magazines, dropped photos, and misplaced computer printouts. Hooray!

Here are some sample goodies that we are saving on the Create & Decorate boards for you:

We do wish that we were the brains behind this concept, but since we are not, we are happy to ride along in our quest for all things shabby, crafty and fun. Follow us on our Pinterest account:

http://pinterest.com/createdecorate/

Or, scroll down our blog, and on the right side, you will find the Pinterest button that we connected for your convenience. (We’re thoughtful that way.)

Haven’t joined, but are interested? Send us an email (editors@createanddecorate.com) and we will send you the invitation to get started. To join Pinterest you do need to sign up under your Facebook or Twitter account.

See you there!