BLOG BUTTONS!!!! How-To

I FINALLY MADE A FEW SIMPLE BUTTONS FOR MY BLOG!!! They are located in my left sidebar, feel free to take one to display on your blog! I plan to make more, and will make a page dedicated to my buttons, with a tutorial on how to make buttons. Here are the 2 I've made so far!

How To Make Blog Buttons:

1. Pick a picture you want to use. It doesn't matter what picture you use, but you'll need to crop, and resize to measure 150 pixels wide. This measurement is so that the button fits in a typical blog's sidebar, without getting cut off. You can do all of this on photobucket for free.
2. Add text. You will probably want to display your blog name in the button. You don't have to, but it gives people an idea of what blog their clicking on. Once again, this is super simple and free to do on photobucket.
3. Create sidebar area for your button. You'll need to create 'Text' gadget/widget for your button. 
4. HTML for your button. Once you decide where you're going to display your button for followers to grab, Copy the following URL to place in the text area of your gadget. Be sure to replace 'yourblogURL' with your blog URL, and yourdirectlinkURL' with the direct URL of your image.
   
   <a border="0" href="yourblogURL" target="_blank"><img src="yourimagedirectlinkURL"/></a>
   
   The following is how you find the direct URL of your image from photobucket: 

Now you gotta make a text are for your button. You can do this in the same text gadget your image is in. Just paste the following code a few lines below your picture:

<textarea rows="4" cols="16">

Paste the same HTML code you used for your picture, in step 4, and finish with

</textarea>

Click save, and that's pretty much all there is to it! I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have, and I will be making more buttons soon! Thanks!

Knitting update

Finished another headband! I've now completed 3, and working on a fourth.
This is made from a spool of wool I found at a thrift shop. Barely had enough to finish.
I'm selling this one for $15, if anyone is interested.

Knitting update

I made a headband for my Aunt using this pattern.

She loves it and wears it all the time!

People are asking about getting one made, I'm thinking $15 each. :D This is pretty exciting. My goal is to start selling my homemade goods.

Christmas

We had a nice Christmas dinner at my uncle's house. Ron joined us as well..

I made my first pumpkin pies! They were exceptionally delicious. Generally speaking, pumpkin pie recipes are all the same. Pretty standard. There are exceptions, keep in mind. But this one is pretty good, anyway.

PUMPKIN PIE RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS:

• 14 ounces of sweetened condensed milk (1 can)
• 15 ounces pumpkin (1 can)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 9 inch pie crust

1.Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Whisk pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, spices and salt in medium bowl until smooth. Pour into crust. Bake 15 minutes.
2. Reduce oven temp to 350 degrees F and continue baking 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted 1 inch from crust comes out clean.

I also made made whipped cream to go with the pies. It is so easy! You need 1 cup of heavy whipping cream in a large bowl. Whip, whip whip until peaks are just about to form. Add 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract and 1 tsp of confectioner's sugar, beat until peaks form. DONE.

I took the rest of the whipping cream I had left over to make some whipped butter. To make butter, you just whip the cream beyond the whipped cream state, it starts to get a bit chunky, like butter. Add salt to taste. Here are pictures of the butter:

Chris, my step dad, got me a nice tea set for Christmas. We were thrifting a few weeks ago when I saw it. It was fairly cheap, and in his price range. I love it.

D.I.Y. Vanilla Extract

Found this on Pinterest via Simply Recipes

How to Make Vanilla Extra

Commercial vanilla extract usually has simple syrup (sugar water) added to the extract to give it a sweet aftertaste. You can do this if you want, but if you are using the vanilla for baking, there really is no need.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 vanilla beans
• 1 cup vodka
• glass jar with tight fitting lid

METHOD

1 Use kitchen scissors or a sharp paring knife to cut lengthwise down each vanilla bean, splitting them in half, leaving an inch at the end connected.

2 Put vanilla beans in a glass jar or bottle with a tight fitting lid (mason jars work well). Cover completely with the vodka.

3 Give the bottle a good shake every once in a while. Store in a dark, cool place for 2 months or longer.

Lasts for years. You can keep topping it off with vodka once in a while as you use it, just remember to give it a good shake.

You can also make vanilla sugar by putting a split vanilla bean into a jar of white, granulated sugar. Great way to infuse the sugar with vanilla flavor for baking.

Ten Row baby blanket

All Free Knitting

First embroidery Project

wow. I love it. Done in two days.

D.I.Y. earring holder

I've seen these all over the internet lately. I finally caved in. I love mine. So pretty.

Found this picture frame without any glass or backing, and thought it would b perfect. Spray painted it, picked out my fabric, and it's ready to go. Just staple the fabric to the back ~ so easy.