Terra Cotta Treat Jars

Supplies
Fine grit sandpaper
4" diameter terra cotta lid
3" diameter terra cotta lid
6" tall terra cotta pot
6" round glass bowl
Strong adhesive- I recommend E6000 (Glue guns will NOT work for this project!)
Acrylic paint
Foam brushes
Wood knob
Clear acrylic sealer (Spray or a liquid decoupage medium)
Paper to cover your table where you'll be painting.

Directions
1. Place your cover on your table.
2. Completely remove all the stickers and sand all the residue off. Fine grit sandpaper works really well. Also sand any rough edges from the terra cotta.
3. Glue small lid in the inside of the larger lid, applying glue around edges of smaller lid. Press together and let dry completely. (Tip- I put a cup on there to keep it in place while it was drying.)
4. Paint the outside of the pot, the wood knob and lid (top and bottom). You will need to do several coats of paint, especially if you use a light color. Allow to dry completely between each coat of paint.
5. Apply clear sealer to all painted areas and allow to dry completely.
6. When paint is completely dry glue knob to the top center of the lid. Press down and hold until secure. Allow to dry completely, approximately 20-30 minutes.

7. Turn your pot upside down. Next put glue on the bottom of the glass bowl and place on the top center of the pot. Hold in place for several minutes until it's secure and allow it to dry completely.

8. When it is completely dry clean out the jars and put in your treats. Decorate with a ribbon around the bottom of the bowl. The ribbon can completely change the look and feel of the bowl so if you choose a neutral color you can use your jar for several different seasons.

The total cost of this is approximately $10. If you already have the paint, sealer and brushes it's even cheaper. With help kids 7 and up should be able to do this project.

Completed Baby Blankets with Scalloped Crochet Edge

Here is how the baby boy blanket looked after I finished crocheting the scalloped edge. I am including photos of the process with a thicker thread (for my girl blanket) so that you can see it well enough to replicate the edges yourself.This is how the blanket looked after I single crocheted once around.This is how to start the second row.This is how the second row looks when completed.To start the third row single crochet in one hole, skip a hole, then double crochet 5 times into a single hole. Skip a hole and repeat until you're done.This shows how it looks when you have completed 5 double crochets into the single hole and you skip a hole and go to the second hole.This is just showing the above explanation.

This is how it looks going around a corner.

Now if I can do this almost anyone can do this. I just learned to crochet a few weeks ago. I started by making wash rags, and this was the second project I learned. It's really a simple process of repetition. Once you do it once you should be able to repeat with more speed and accuracy each time. The hardest part for me was learning to hold the thread around my hand and finger with the correct tension. I have been shown 3 different ways by 3 different women, so really it's a matter of personal preference. Also, the first blanket (shown at top and in a previous post) used a really thin thread. It was a good thread to learn with. However, I prefer the look of the thicker thread that I used on the girl blanket. I think it holds its shape a lot better, and stands out a lot more. But, again, it's just a matter of personal preference.

* Quick note- I haven't found a machine that will poke large holes for me. I have heard that there are people who will punch the holes with a machine for $1 a side. However, I found out that my new sewing machine ($119.97 at WalMart) had a hem stitch option. I got a wing needle, and stitched without thread about 3/16" in around the entire blanket. It made it much easier to keep things even. I poked through every other hole. When necessary I used the ice pick to enlarge the holes. Also, the second blanket (girl) was a lot thicker felt than the blue blanket. It seemed to be a lot easier to work with.

** You can also add a back to the blanket if you want to have a print and solid color or a print on both sides. I haven't added any to mine, but I was told that you can sew two materials together, then poke the holes and do the same process I used. I was also told that you can single crochet around both of them, then use the second row to put them together, then continue onto the third row. I think I would opt for the first of these two options because it would be difficult to make the stitches line up exactly.

*** The lady at the fabric store asked what I was making, and I told her that the only complaint I have about the felt (especially the thinner felt) is that I can't get it to iron flat. She suggested that I go to the dollar store and buy a product called Magic Sizing. She said it's a lot lighter than starch, but that it adds enough to the material that it will iron flat and keep its shape better.

More of a hobby thing

Less of a craft thing.  But I just finished this book:

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.  Now don't be intimidated by the 1,067 pages, or by the people who have told you that it is a book all about economics and politics.  Those are the things that made me think I wouldn't like it.  But guess what?  I did like it.  Ayn Rand is a good story teller.  And for you girls (cause I doubt there are many guys who read this blog, but I could be wrong - it has been known to happen), there is romance!  I also thought this would be one of those wordy books.  And it is - in a way.  But not in the way that kept me from reading it.  Let me explain that.  When I read a book, I want to be entertained.  I am past the time in my life where I have to read books only for the purpose of learning something or getting a good grade or passing a test or whatever.  When I read a book, I don't want to have to think too hard about it.  That's not to say that I don't read books to learn stuff anymore.  It's just that that is the exception rather than the standard nowadays.  I mostly want to enjoy myself and escape for a little while.  Which is the biggest reason why I have yet to make it all the way through any Jane Austen book, or The Count of Monte Cristo, or Les Miserables.  (All books that are on my list of books to read.)  But back to Atlas Shrugged.  Sometimes it can get a little wordy, and her heros tend to get long winded, but it's not hard to follow or understand.

Bottom line:  I highly recommend this book.  But be warned:  It will change the way you think about everything.  It did for me.  That doesn't necessarily mean that it will change your opinions, beliefs, or values.  But it will change the way you think about them.

Has anyone else read this?  Did you have a similar experience?  Did you enjoy the book, or not at all?  I really want to know!