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Sunday, March 22, 2015

Mirror Mirror On the Wall

Spray and Stain



The mirror that came with the house in the master bathroom was nice and big and really ornate looking. The only thing I didn't like about it was the nasty dingy color it was.  I'm not  a big fan of gold to begin with, but then add grime and dirt in the crevices of gold... and you've got a mirror of yuck.  I decided to spray paint it white and add a dark stain over it. I was inspired by this Pinterest post/picture: 



 I'm glad I did! When I first detached the mirror and spray painted it, the pure white paint made it look very plastic-y, as you can see below.


An improvement over the dark gold, but not what I had in mind. So I used Martha Stewart Living Metallic Glaze in black coffee, dabbed it on the dried pure white mirror frame using a cheap-o foam brush and rubbed it in/off with a rag. A messy process, but I didn't use much glaze (have plenty left over for other projects) so it dried fairly quickly. 

I love how the glaze made the detail in the frame pop without making it look dirty or dingy. 

All in all, I think the new and improved mirror is a great addition to the nautical bathroom! 









Saturday, March 21, 2015

Diamond Bobble Baby Blanket

As many of you already know, Dan and I will be adding an addition to our family this August.  My mother was always the baby blanket master in my family, but I figured since she's not here to make the blanket herself, I'd make it this time. I learned a new stitch, used my mother's yarn from her old stash.. it was going to be really special. After I started the pattern, I realized it eats yarn like crazy, and I was quickly running out. I only had a few rows done and would only have enough to make a few more. I was so disappointed, there was no more in her yarn bundle, and no paper to say what brand or what color it was. All I knew is it was worsted weight and an acrylic blend. The other day I walked into a yarn store expecting to be disappointed and expecting to hop from store to store searching for it... but I found it RIGHT AWAY! It was Lion Brand Pound of Love in Pastel Green. You have no idea how elated I was when I found it, I almost broke into song at the store. I'm so glad Lion Brand continues to make an awesome product that has been enjoyed by many generations, and will be enjoyed for generations to come!

In the picture below, what's already done is from my mother's yarn, and the new skein is above it ready to be made into whatever! I may even have enough leftover to make a matching hat and mittens!


After sharing my story on Lion Brand's Facebook page, many many people commented commending me for carrying on my mother's talent, and complimented my choice of color and pattern.  Many people asked me for the pattern, so I figured I'd write one up! 

The original stitch is from 101 Stitches For Afghans by Jean Leinhauser, put forth by the American School of Needlework, this pattern was #74 out of 101.  I got my copy from Amazon, used for about $3. Here's a link to get your own copy: www.amazon.com/101-Stitches-Afghans-Jean-Leinhauser


This pattern is fairly easy, if you can do the Single Crochet (SC), Double Crochet (DC), and a Triple Crochet, you will have no problem creating this blanket.  It may look like an intimidating pattern at first, but once you get a few rows done, you'll be surprised at how simple it is. 

Materials
Worsted Weight Yarn (I used Lion Brand Pound of Love, in Pastel Green)
Size H hook (5.00 mm)

Stitches Used
ch: Chain
sc: Single Crochet
dc: Double Crochet
Bobble: (Keep last loop of each triple crochet on the hook as you perform the triple crochet stitches) 5 Triple crochet in chain 1 space 2 rows below, Yarn Over and draw through ALL 6 loops on hook.
I plan on creating a video how-to on the creation of the booble, it took me a few times to get it right. In the meantime, there are plenty of tutorials on YouTube or Pinterest.

Feel free to message me if you're having any issues with this pattern, I will try my best to explain further. 

Instructions
Foundation chain: 150 chains (Any multiple of 12, then six extra stitches will work)

Row 1: (Right side) 
Sc in 2nd chain from hook and in next chain; *ch 1, skip next ch, sc in next 11 chs; repeat from last * until you get to the last 3 chains. ch 1, skip next ch, sc in next 2 chs. Ch2 (counts as first dc on following rows), turn.

Row 2: 
Dc in next sc (remember the ch 2 counts as the first dc, so youre basically skipping the first sc here), *ch 1, skip over ch 1 space, dc in next 11 stitches; repeat from * until you reach the last ch 1 space. Ch1, skip over ch 1 space, dc in last sc. Ch 1, turn. 

Row 3: 
Sc in first dc, Bobble (in ch 1 space on 2nd row below), back to the working row, sc in next dc; *ch 1, skip next dc, sc in next 7 dc, ch 1, skip next dc, sc in next dc, bobble (in ch 1 space on 2nd row below), back to the working row, sc in next dc.  Repeat from * to turning ch2, sc in 2nd ch of turning ch2. Ch2, turn. 

Row 4: 
Dc in next 3 stitches; *ch 1, skip ch1 space, dc in next 7 stitches, ch 1, skip next ch 1 space, dc in next 3 stitches. Repeat from * until you reach the last sc; Dc in last sc. Ch 1, turn. 

Row 5: 
Sc in frist 4 dc. *Bobble (in ch 1 space on 2nd row below), back to the working row, sc in next dc, ch 1, skip next dc, sc in next 3 dc, ch 1, skip next dc, sc in next dc, Bobble (in ch 1 space on 2nd row below), back to the working row, sc in next 3 dc.  Repeat from * until you reach the turning ch2, sc in 2nd ch of turning ch.  Ch 2, turn. 

Row 6: 
Dc in next 5 stitches,*  ch 1, skip ch1 space, dc in next 3 stitches, ch 1, skip next ch1 space, dc in next 7 stitches. Repeat from * to last 2 ch1 spaces, ch 1, skip next ch1 space, dc in next 3 stitches, ch 1, skip next ch1 space, dc in next 6 stitches. Ch 1, turn. 

Row 7: 
Sc in first 6 dc, *Bobble (in ch 1 space on 2nd row below), back to the working row, sc in next dc, ch 1, skip next dc, sc in next dc, Bobble (in ch 1 space on 2nd row below), back to the working row, sc in next 7 dc.  Repeat from * to last 2 ch1 spaces. Bobble (in ch 1 space on 2nd row below), back to the working row, sc in next dc, ch 1, skip next dc, sc in next dc, Bobble (in ch 1 space on 2nd row below), back to the working row, sc in next 5 dc, and in 2nd ch of turning ch2. Ch 2, turn. 

Row 8: 
Dc in next 7 stitches, skip next ch 1 space, * dc in next 11 stitches, ch 1, skip next ch 1 space.  Repeat from * to last 8 stitches, dc in last 8 stitches. Ch 1, turn. 

Row 9: 
Sc in first 6 dc, ch 1, skip next dc, sc in next dc, * Bobble (in ch 1 space on 2nd row below), back to the working row, sc in next dc, ch 1, skip next dc, sc in next 7 dc, ch 1, skip next dc.  Repeat from * to last ch1 space on 2nd row below, Bobble (in ch 1 space on 2nd row below), back to the working row, sc in next dc, ch 1, skip next dc, sc in next 5 dc and in 2nd ch of turning ch2. Ch 2, turn. 

Row 10: 
Repeat row 6

Row 11: 
Sc in first 4 dc, * ch 1, skip next dc, sc in next dc, Bobble (in ch 1 space on 2nd row below), back to the working row, sc in next 3 dc, Bobble (in ch 1 space on 2nd row below), back to the working row, sc in next dc, ch 1, skip next dc, sc in next 3 dc. Repeat from * to turning ch2; sc in 2nd ch of turning ch2. Ch 2, turn. 

Row 12: 
Repeat row 4

Row 13: 
Sc in dirst 2 dc, ch 1, skip next dc, sc in next dc, * Bobble (in ch 1 space on 2nd row below), back to the working row, sc in next 7 dc, Bobble (in ch 1 space on 2nd row below), back to the working row, sc in next dc, ch 1, skip next dc, sc in next dc. Repeat from * to turning ch2, sc in 2nd ch on turning ch2. Ch 2, turn. 

Row 14:
Repeat row 2

Repeat rows 3 to 14 until you've reached your desired length. 

Last Row: 
Sc in first dc, *Bobble (in ch 1 space on 2nd row below), back to the working row, sc in next 11 dc. Repeat from * to last ch 1 space on 2nd row below, Bobble (in ch 1 space on 2nd row below), back to the working row, sc in next dc and in 2nd ch of turning ch2. 
Finish off. 

I hope you enjoy this pattern and have as much fun making your project as I am with my baby blanket. I plan on adding a ruffled border to the blanket once I have it at the size I like.  Stay tuned for that pattern, and for the video tutorial on the bobble stitch. Good luck!  

Thank you for reading and checking out my blog! As a cute bonus, here's a picture of my dog, Henrik using my crochet book as a pillow while he takes a snooze...




Happy Hooking!
~The Craftmeister




Thai Style Meatballs & Peanut Dipping Sauce


I was in the mood for meatballs, but I also recently had Italian food. I wanted something different, so I looked up a few recipes for Thai meatballs (I had them in a restaurant once and loved them). A lot of the recipes I found had Thai fish paste in it...sounds yucky.  I don't like fish, and I don't like paste. I'm suuuure it's a delicious addition to many dishes, but it wasn't something I had on hand. So I decided to take a little from all of the recipes I found and make up my own...
Cooking experiment! 

And a successful experiment it was!  Here's the recipe I came up with, and immediately added to my recipe book for my kitchen because it was so tasty.   They have a bit of a kick to them, you can leave out the red pepper flakes if that's not your thing. But honestly, they're delicious the way they are!

Not the best picture... pardon the paper plate!


Ingredients Needed
Meatballs - Thai Style
~1 pound of ground beef (I had a little over a pound, maybe 1 1/4 pounds)
3 tablespoons coconut milk
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon (heaping) cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper (optional, but adds a delicious kick)
1 teaspoon (heaping) basil
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 tablespoons peanut butter (I used Skippy Chunky, the chunks of peanuts added a yummy crunch)
1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs 
1/4 cup water 
Splash of soy sauce
Zest of 1/2 lime

Peanut Dipping Sauce
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup crunchy peanut butter 
1 lime, juiced. (Zest optional)

For meatballs, mix all ingredients in a large bowl until well mixed. Form meatballs into walnut sized spheres. I was able to make 21 meatballs. Bake in oven @350 degrees Fahrenheit for 35 minutes, or fry in peanut oil. 

Mix together the peanut dipping sauce in a medium sized bowl. Serve with jasmine rice.

I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as we did! Enjoy!