Hopscotch Dandelions

Custom Painted Boots

2012-01-20T09:30:00.000-08:00

I was contacted by a shop in town called Dally- Up - the owner had heard that I was a painter & came up with the idea of me painting a pair of boots. After lots of research I figured how to do it & what to paint them with.

She gave me free reign on what to paint!

Here's the before pic, lots of prep & sketches to get an idea on what to paint.

And the after!

Got an old pair of boots in the back of your closet? Lets paint 'em!!

I do custom designs! Everything is painted free hand with paints that are specially formulated for leather. If you're interested or have any questions send me an email! asrichardson91@aol.com

A Few Projects

2012-01-19T00:12:00.000-08:00

These last few weeks have flown by extra fast. I've been busy- I've been painting like crazy, completing orders, I had a B-Day (21st!), got a cold- ugh, I did a little modeling, wild pig wrangling (well, sort of) & coyote chasing -they got 5 of my chickens :/

I'm just now getting around to sharing some of the things we made around Christmas time -most were gifts but a few were orders.

Livin' Like a Gypsy

2011-12-28T23:27:00.000-08:00

I knew it would be awhile before I would be doing any blogging but I didn't think it would be this long!

Well, I'm going to try and make this the short version. . .

For as long as I can remember we've always talked about moving out of state. We finally made serious plans to make the move- after TONS of research we narrowed it down to either moving back to Oklahoma again or to the Weatherford/Fort Worth, Texas area (I was voting for Weatherford). We made all the necessary preparations to make the move, a trip out there, jobs, transportation for our animals (horses, dogs & chickens) & a house search. We planned to move during the summer, then summer came & we were able to buy us some extra time & push things off a while longer. We we're all a little uncertain about the move- of course we'd be able to get more for our money, more land & it is something that we all want, its still scary to actually make the decision.

Suddenly it was August, & our decision making time was just about up...and we all chickened out! The whole family made the decision to stay where were at (at least for now)we love where we live, Norco is a little slice of the country with all the conveniences of Southern California. The only problem was that we hadn't found a place to live yet & houses are hard to come by around here.

We had a few weeks left until we had to be out of our house, we searched vigorously to find a house. We had little luck & joked about having to stay in our camping trailer until we could find a house. Things were down to the wire, we started looking in the next town over for a home but none of us wanted to leave our town so we chose to go ahead & camp out.

My Aunt, Uncle & Cousins have a big yard - my dad brought the trailer over & they hooked up the power & soon we moved all of our stuff into storage & ourselves into the 5Th wheel. We figured it would be 2 or 3 weeks tops until we'd be able to find a house.

Well, it turned into 3 months!! -reality show worthy! At first it wasn't too bad just like a long camping trip, then it was kinda funny but it soon became crowded & a bit ridiculous -but still it wasn't terrible. I wrote a previous post saying I'd be back in a couple weeks - boy was I wrong. We had found a house -we moved our stuff in & 2 days later we moved all of it out -long story short- lots of drama with that house. So back to the trailer it was! -ugh!! We are a close family but this was getting old.

Towards the end of October my Aunt (remember we were in her backyard) ended up finding a new house & it worked out for us to move into their old house. So after some work & painting & painting (I primed the cabinets 4 times!) we moved out of the gypsy wagon & into the house. Its a little old farmhouse with lots of character. We still have lots of projects to tackle but its feeling like home now.

Our 3 months in the trailer really showed me what you can get by with.

With almost all of our stuff in storage, no internet

(well just a weak wifi signal under a tree a ways- found these old chairs for $15- our office furniture!), no TV & a limited amount of space - its amazing what you can adapt to & it was sort of nice to live so simply. I had tons of orders & finished a lot of projects while I was in that trailer & amazingly the four of us still like each other :)

I always liked this song! -fitting I guess

It's good to be back!!
I have lots of projects I can't wait to blog about!

I've been M.I.A.

2011-09-24T21:45:00.000-07:00

Well, I didn't fall off the face of the Earth! I will keep this blog post short & sweet. . . considering I'm writing this post on my mom's Nook Color while sitting under a big ol' tree in a cute old metal chair - yes I know its 9:45 at night & I'm sitting outside in a patio chair but hey a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do to get a wifi signal.You might have noticed that I haven't blogged for quite some time.It has been one crazy moving adventure!!I will be back in a week or two, I have lots of blog posts to write and lots to share about this crazy move!

Cowgirl Necklaces

2011-08-23T18:48:00.000-07:00

Every once in awhile I love working with polymer clay!

Here's what I have been working on

I'm not going to give away all my secrets

But here is how the process goes!

First I mix the clay to make a perfect shade, then I shape the pendant, add detail, then add some more detail, punch the holes, bake, patina, polish & FINALLY clear coat

Then I make the actual necklace.

It is a long process but I love the final results!!

These Necklaces will be in my etsy shop soon but first I'm giving my Facebook fans first dibs!

Click here to visit the Hopscotch Dandelions Facebook Page

Pumpkin Rock

2011-08-13T00:49:00.000-07:00

I recently finished writing my article for a brand new magazine called Dirt Road Daughters. I'm not supposed to give too many details about it but the article features my hometown. I had to include photos so I've been trying to think of all the little quirky & interesting things in town. I've been all around Norco looking like a tourist taking photos!

One afternoon my sis & I took a hike up to Pumpkin Rock

There are two paths up. One is a horse trail- it's the long but less steep way, the other way is short but steep. We chose the second option, we made our own pathway up & kept on the lookout for snakes.

It was hot that day & we forgot our water in the car but the views are worth it!

Finally made it!

My photos kept on coming out funky, the sun was too harsh. The afternoon is a terrible time to take photos!I'm saving & researching to buy a real camera but for now I'm using a camera that is mostly automatic. It's tough to get really great shots without a SLR. I thought back to my film/darkroom days & remembered about ISO - you can gain some control of the harsh light by changing the ISO. Up on the top of the hill I went through all the settings & came across the ISO setting. I've had my little camera for quite some time & never even knew you could change the ISO!

I took a ton of photos & finally got a great one (of course you'll have to take a look at the magazine to see it!)

We didn't run into any snakes but we saw a few huge hawks, some strange bugs that looked a bit like dragonflies & these deserty plants.

After a taking a bunch of photos we hiked back down

Finally made it back to my car with the help of the V-ditch (remember we made our own path!)

The magazine makes its debut next month- I cannot wait!!

Here's a link to the Dirt Road Daughters Magazine website

PettiSkirt Special

2011-07-29T13:10:00.000-07:00

Hey!! I'm having a special on PettiSkirts!

Each PettiSkirt is $22 & that includes shipping & insurance!

Hurry over to the Hopscotch Dandelions Facebook Page to claim your PettiSkirt before they're gone!

Click Here to see all the Pettiskirts!

Cowboy Spirit

2011-07-23T10:09:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard, today is National Day of the Cowboy.
Here are a few things to help you get into the spirit!

"Are you gonna pull those pistols or whistle Dixie?"
-Outlaw Josey Wales

Finally, Hollyhocks!

2011-07-20T16:40:00.000-07:00

Last spring I planted a batch of Hollyhocks-

I watered them & nothing happened.

One day, over a year later, I noticed something growing next to the mailbox. At first I was sure it was a weed, then I remembered about my Hollyhocks, so I left it there & watered it a little. I still kind of thought it might be a weed though, until finally one day it bloomed!

A few Hollyhocks grew, light pink, hot pink, some with yellow, regular Hollyhocks & some others that I think are called Double Hollyhocks.

Each plant was a little different despite the fact that I only planted one variety of them.

Now they have just about finished blooming. They're starting to get a little crunchy & not so green, I think its just about the end of the road for them.

Once the flowers fall off you can see a whole bunch of seeds left behind. I decided to gather the seeds & save them to plant next year.

Maybe in two years I will have some more Hollyhocks growing in the yard!!

And the winner is. . .

2011-07-07T01:05:00.000-07:00

The Hand Painted Cowgirl sign goes to

Farmgirl Chaos

Check out her blog!

Thanks for entering the giveaway!!

Independence Day

2011-07-06T17:59:00.000-07:00

We spent our 4th of July weekend camping in Julian.

Julian is about 2 hours away from where I live. It is a little old gold mining town & is known for its apples. It has a super cute main street, wish I would have gotten a better photo of it!

Not a whole lot of apples around this time of year but there is lots to see.

It was HOT outside!! Julian is in San Diego County, we had expected it to be a little cooler out that way! Despite the heat, we did some relaxing & a little sight seeing.

Lots of pretty Oak trees & old barns!

Before leaving town on Monday, we were able to catch the Independence Day Parade

After the parade finished we headed back to the campground, packed the trailer up, made our way home & barbecued for dinner.

How did you spend the 4th?

If you haven't entered the Cowgirl Giveaway, hurry up & enter!!

I will draw a winner in a few hours!

Good News & a Giveaway!

2011-06-26T06:23:00.000-07:00

Here's some new stuff that's just been finished, I've been in a painting mood!!

This week Hopscotch Dandelions reached a few big milestones.
First I reached 300 blog followers!!! I am so thrilled about that!
Then I was chosen to write an article in a new magazine called Dirt Road Daughters.
Then one of my signs made it to Etsy's front page!! I noticed on etsy that I had a TON of new activity, I knew something was up so I excitedly checked craftcult and there it was under the featured tab "Congrats you've been featured. . ."

Here's what the front page looked like!

**Lots of great news this week, in honor of all of it I've decided** that it's time for another
GIVEAWAY!

I'm giving away this cute cowgirl sign, she's one sparkly & sassy cowgirl!!

**You must live in the USA**

*Please make sure I have a way of contacting you!*

**Please leave a different comment for each!**

How to enter!

If you like my blog, follow it or if you already follow, leave a comment telling me so.

Get another entry by Liking the Hopscotch Dandelions Facebook Page- leave a comment on my blog telling me you did.

Get another entry by Following @HopscotchDandy on twitter -leave a comment on my blog telling me you did.

Get another entry by Mentioning my blog or shop on your blog, Facebook or Twitter -leave a comment telling me you did.

Get another entry by Adding my button to your blog -leave your blog's URL in a comment.

Good Luck!!I will draw a winner on Wednesday, July 6th!P.S. If you're having trouble leaving a comment, uncheck the stay signed in box when logging into blogger.

A Walk with Peppy & Rowdy

2011-06-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

My sis has been showing me some things with the horses.

I used to be really afraid of them - I wanted nothing to do with them but over the years I've gotten a little more used to the idea. I'm still not ready to go out on a ride with them but I'm a whole lot more confident around them.

My sis convinced me to go on a walk with her, Peppy & Rowdy.

Throughout North America there was an outbreak scare of a virus that infects horses, so all horses in our town were quarantined to the barns or yards that they live in to prevent to the spread of the virus. They hadn't been out of our yard for 4 weeks!

She rode, I walked.

Here I am trying to look like I know what I'm doing!

That's Peppy -my sis' favorite horse in the whole world, she's got way more energy than Rowdy- the Palomino but sometimes he thinks he's still a stallion so my sister decided it would be best if I led her around.

In this photo my sis is ponying Peppy- that's when you lead a horse around while you ride another.

Once we got back, she taught me how to pick their hooves.

I don't mind doing the front hooves but the back two scare me a little bit, I sorta felt like I was going to hurt the horse by bending the it's leg backwards, she ensured me that that is the correct way to do it.

My sister is the coolest 12 year old!

Do you have any good horse stories?

Farmgirl Friday!

Peanut Butter Truffles

2011-06-12T10:47:00.000-07:00

Peanut Butter Truffles. . . not cake balls!

They are really easy to make & great if you are trying to find something new to make for dessert.

Here's what you'll need:

1 (12-oz.) package semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup whipping cream

3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

Pretzels, chopped peanuts or almonds

Here's what you'll do:

1. Microwave first 3 ingredients in a medium-size microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring at 30-second intervals. Let cool 10 minutes.

2. Beat chocolate mixture at medium speed with an electric mixer 1 to 2 minutes or until whipped and smooth. Cover and chill 2 hours or until firm.

3. Shape chocolate mixture into 1-inch balls, using a small ice-cream scoop. Roll in pretzel peices, chopped peanuts or almonds. (If chocolate mixture becomes too soft to shape, refrigerate until firm.) Chill 1 hour before serving. Store truffles in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 5 days.

Next time I think I will roll them in almonds instead & add a bit more peanut butter to the batch.

Let me know what you think of this recipe!

My Mixer

2011-06-03T10:25:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I haven't shared my mixer with you before.

Its a 1955 Sunbeam Mixmaster.

Isn't it the cutest?!

I found it in my aunt's backyard - read about my finds

I was so happy to find it. I cleaned it up and amazingly it still worked- well, twice!

The second time I used it it got really hot, slow & started smelling like it was burning right in the middle of making a batch of cake mix cookies.

The mixer just sat there on the counter for a few months. Well by this time, it was Christmas time, my grandpa- Papa Joe was asking all of us grandkids what we wanted for Christmas so I told him about my mixer. You see Papa Joe also happens to be an electrician!

You never know with old electric things if you're ever going to get them to work again, so I crossed my fingers & hoped it would work again.
A while later he arrived with my mixer- in working order!

He took the whole thing apart- there were about a million pieces.

All it needed was a good cleaning - you figure it probably had 55 years of dust in it!

I found this advertisement in an old Good Housekeeping Magazine.

I think it has a lot of character -so much more than those big Kitchen Aids!

Farmgirl Friday Link Up

What's vintage in your kitchen??

Rustic Signs & Garden Stakes

2011-05-11T10:55:00.000-07:00

Here's my newest batch of reclaimed signs.

Most of them are made of the wood I found in Pacific Grove on our trip to Monterey last month.

My mom made a few-

she made the Freedom sign, the tomato stake & the grandma's garden stake

love this one!

I made this sign for out front, $3.50 a dozen if you're ever around Norco!

This last sign is for sale in my etsy shop

What's growing in your garden?

I managed to grow a hollyhock & my sunflowers are about to bloom!

Back Yard Sale

2011-05-08T23:35:00.000-07:00

The other day we got a call from my aunt, she was super excited telling me that there was a cute vintage sale going on in the neighborhood behind her work. Of course I had to go!

It was in a really cute neighborhood in Riverside, California called the Wood Streets. All the homes have a ton of character & were built between 1915 & 1940.

Apparently, they hold the Huge Back Yard Sale twice a year- I can't believe I had never heard of it before.

Here's what I found-

This bed had my name on it

Literally- I've been looking for an antique bed for forever, my aunt knew this & had them hold it for me

I bought it for $40!! I gave it a much needed polishing & now it matches my antique dresser perfectly. I'm still on the lookout for the perfect bed but this is way more style than my old bed & I couldn't beat the price!

I also bought this super cute train case- Love the gray/blue & the way the brass has patinaed!

Have you been to any cute sales lately?

Banana Nut Cinnamon Bread Muffins

2011-04-30T23:47:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine & I met for lunch, we had Chipotle, then headed over to my house afterwards and found a whole bunch of bruised up bananas-two hands of them to be exact.

So we decided to make Banana Nut Cinnamon Bread Muffins.

A lot of people get freaked out when they see the bruised up bananas but no need to worry, when they're bruised up they are sweeter & make for better flavor.

We sprinkled cinnamon sugar & pecans on top

Banana Nut Cinnamon Bread Muffins

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

5 Tablespoons butter

5 very ripe bananas

1 egg

2 egg whites

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup pecans

plus cinnamon sugar for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 375. use baking cups.

Beat sugars & butter in large bowl with mixer until light & fluffy. Add smashed bananas, egg & egg whites. Sift flour, baking soda & salt into medium bowl then add it to banana mixture. Stir in pecans (keep a bit for the tops). Pour into cups then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar & the rest of the pecans.

Bake for 40 min or until golden!

Now what do you say. . . are they puh-CAHNs or pee-CANs ??

Spring Break in Monterey

2011-04-22T20:15:00.000-07:00

Monterey is a really nice area along the coast (plus its my birthplace), its about 7 hours north of where I live.

We decided to go for a little spring break trip a couple weeks ago.

We left at 4 in the morning..ahh so early!

Central California is full of farms, on the way there you see just about every different crop you could ever think of & some cows

The beaches there are completely different than the beaches close by. Some are really rough with lots of rocks, seals & otters & no one really goes in the water- its too cold, & there's forest along the coast in some parts.

There are tide pools & there are actually shells on the beach!

There is a lot to see and do around Monterey Bay

We visited Fisherman's Wharf & they made me try Clam Chowder. Drove to Santa Cruz, made it through the famous 17 Mile Drive, Cannery Row, the tide pools and stopped at a local farmers market for tons of fruit.

I finally made it to my first mission- I missed the 4th grade trip!

and of course we drove through a couple neighborhoods in Pacific Grove to have a look at the super cute houses

we came across this home with a big pile of old worn wood out front. . . perfect for my reclaimed wood signs!

-glad we drive a truck!!

We really had a nice time, it wasn't too crowded & the weather was nice

Cowgirl Tote

2011-04-07T17:22:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post-

I stitched up this tote last night, my mom was in need of a new bag

I made it out of some left over red bandana fabric & a pair of my old jeans.

What do you think?

Do you have any good uses for old jeans?

The World's Biggest Chicken Egg?

2011-03-23T18:39:00.000-07:00

I heard some extra commotion from the chicken coop today

& extra howling from Bodie- he's our basset hound

every time a chicken goes to lay an egg, he howls. I guess all the squawking hurts his ears

-our lucky neighbors :D

See it there on the left- it's huge!

I bet it's a double yoker

Poor girl!!

Farmgirl Friday Link up!

Another Reason To Love Jars

2011-03-21T00:36:00.000-07:00

I just love old mason jars

. . . you may or may not heard this before

These flowers out front bloomed just in time to welcome the first day of spring.

I cut a few & put them in these old jars.

Chilly day today, quite rainy & still raining now- hopefully my Poppies are alright & sprout soon!

Here's another old jar- not sure what originally came the jar

but now its a jar full of Homemade Caramel Sauce

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon sea salt

Directions
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar and water over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and bring to a boil, without stirring. If necessary, use a wet pastry brush to wash down any crystals on the side of the pan. Boil until the syrup is a deep amber color, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Remove the sugar from the heat and carefully whisk in the heavy cream. The mixture will bubble. Stir in the unsalted butter, and salt. Transfer the caramel to a dish and cool.

Recipe from Kelsey's Essentials

Does the weather feel like spring where you live?

What do you use your jars for??

Strawberry Shortcake Birthday Cake

2011-03-13T18:58:00.000-07:00

I made this cake for my mom's birthday.

I wanted to make something different than the normal plain ole birthday cake, I looked around on marthastewart.com & found the Strawberry Cream Cake Recipe

The batter was really different, it was super thick

the cake was sort of like pound cake

I made fresh whipped cream

I sliced the cake in half & added a layer of whipped cream & strawberries

then added the top half of the cake and another layer of whipped cream & strawberries

sliced it & served it

. . . and then this happened

The top half of my mom's cake fell off and it the floor

. . .oh well the rest of it was good!

And the winner is. . .

2011-03-13T12:52:00.000-07:00

Grace you're the winner!

Grace is Crocheter, Etsy shop owner, & blogger!!

Thanks for entering everyone!

Do you Tweet?

2011-03-07T18:02:00.000-08:00

Hopscotch Dandelions is now on twitter!!

Hopscotch Dandelions was too long of a name so I went with @HopscotchDandy

http://twitter.com/#!/HopscotchDandy

What do you think of the whole twitter idea??
Do you tweet?

The Theater Room

2011-03-05T10:35:00.000-08:00

I did another painting, this time it was in a senior home.

John Turner was a friend of the family's father. He passed about a year ago, they decided to honor him by naming the theater after him. This painting has been in the works for about 6 months, way back in September I went in the center to see the theater, take measurements & get ideas. It finally came to life a couple weeks ago.

The theater's theme is art deco-old theater, lots of golds, and reds & it has this really

cool wallpaper on the ceiling that looks like an embossed tin ceiling.

I had to make 3 trips to complete it, I had a friend & my sister come along to help & to keep my company. First I made a compass out of a piece of yarn & a pencil to create the arch, then I sketched out the letters in pencil. I used gold & bronze acrylics and added some black for the shadowing.

One of the little old ladies kept trying to set me up with her grandson, she kept asking "How old are you?" I'd say "20", then she'd ask " Are you Catholic?" I'd say "yes", then she'd say "Want to meet him?" and then before I could think of something to say, she'd forget what she had asked me. A few minutes later she would ask "How old are you?" . . . this happened over and over throughout the evening :)

It was a different working environment, I over heard lots of old stories, critiquing, snoring, & a couple hours worth of the news.

I just found out that they want some more work done so I guess they were happy with my painting!!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway!

Giveaway!

2011-03-02T06:35:00.000-08:00

I'm giving away 4 issues of CRAFT Magazine & 1 issue of MAKE

(and maybe some other surprise goodies too!)

I've enjoyed them, but now its time to pass them on.

Here's what you do:

**You must live in the USA**

*Please make sure I have a way of contacting you!*

You have 4 chances to enter!!

**Please leave a different comment for each!**

1. Leave a comment telling me what projects you're planning on tackling this spring

2. If you like my blog, follow it or if you already follow, leave a comment telling me so.

3. Give my blog a little critique, tell me what you like/don't like

4. Add my button to your blog & leave your blog URL in a comment

I will draw a winner on Saturday, March 12th

Good Luck!

My blog-iversary

2011-02-23T01:12:00.000-08:00

Can you believe I've already been blogging for a whole year?!

Remember those people from the CSN Stores that sponsored a giveaway awhile back?

They contacted me again, this time I'm going to treat myself to something - a blog-iversary present!

Well, as you probably have heard the CSN stores have everything you could ever think of from computer desks for home offices to baking supplies to cowgirl boots.
You name it, they've probably got it!

Stay tuned for a giveaway this week!!

Salted Caramel Chews

2011-02-20T00:36:00.000-08:00

Ok here's that caramel recipe I was talking about

I've been wanting to try making caramel for quite awhile, I finally got around to buying a candy thermometer so I made a batch last weekend. . . the first batch was hard as a rock nothing chewy about it, it tasted exactly like those Werther's candies. It was still good but not what I was trying to make so a couple days later I attempted one more time. They came out sooo much better.

I googled salted caramels & the recipe came up on this blog

Salted Chewy Caramels

5 tablespoons butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water

Line a 9x9 baking pan with foil and spray foil with vegetable oil spray.
In a small sauce pan melt the butter, once melted add in the heavy cream, vanilla, and salt. Bring to a slow boil stirring frequently. Remove from heat.

In a 4 quart sauce pan with high sides mix together sugar, corn syrup and water. Boil without stirring (a gentle swirl of the pan occasionally is helpful to avoid hot spots) until a light golden color, approximately 310 degrees. On my gas stove this takes about 10 minutes.

Add in the heavy cream mixture. BE CAREFUL! It will boil up violently!!! Return to heat and stir frequently until mixture reaches 248 degrees, it took about 8 minutes on my stove. Pour into the lined baking pan, sprinkle with salt and let cool.

The last part is the trickiest - the caramel heats up quick & if it gets too hot you end up with hard candy.

Oh & I want to mention The Mountain Creek Soaps, Candles & Gifts Blog

She makes beautiful soaps like these & she wrote a feature about my blog!

Sweet Treats

2011-02-14T22:50:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone's Valentine's Day was super sweet!

My sister & I baked like crazy

We made 6 dozen or so cut-out cookies for her class

. . .and my mom made the cute little tags.

What did you make for Valentine's Day?
I'll be posting a recipe for Homemade Salted Carmel chews later this week!

More and more like a country song

2011-01-26T01:25:00.000-08:00

My life has been like a real tacky, corny country song lately.

Saturday night -the PBR. . . no scones involved this time though!

Here we are with JB Mauney once again
. . .and this is Mike Lee he was a really nice guy

and here's Stormy Wing, he was quite the character telling everyone his namesake.

You should hear some of these guys names; Pistol, Skeeter, Ryan Dirteater, plus all the Brazilian riders whose names are even stranger.

I promise this is the last time I'll write about the PBR

. . . at least for awhile anyway.

Sunday morning

There's an auction once a month in the next town over but this time they held it at a property down by the river in town instead.

The property was a stable where you could rent horses to go on trail rides in the riverbed, they had been there forever, my mom bought a horse from them when she was a little kid.
It rained heavy for almost 2 weeks about a month ago & raised the river and washed out the property, their horses had to be rescued & a lot of their things were ruined. Everything on the property along with all the regular auction items were for sale.

My sister along with her trainer wanted to see if there were any horses that were any good, I thought they might have some interesting items so the whole family ended up going.

Apparently everyone decided to come- there was like 500 people there!

I wasn't looking for anything in specific, just looking for something that called my name.

There were a whole lot of horses, here's a huge horse that was at auction

about a million pieces of tack

but this couple was pretty much the only thing that grabbed my attention

I didn't buy them but I secretly wanted to!

We were there for most of the day, it was a very long day.

Thank goodness the auction is a great place for people watching- people of all walks of life, all sorts of characters.

They should seriously do a reality show on this auction.

They auctioned a doublewide for $50 . . . crazy!

I ended up leaving with nothing except all the dirt & dust that got stuck to the hairspray in my hair!

Monday morning

We had been missing a chicken, I figured a coyote or a hawk got her

I walked out back to feed and I saw these little guys, I guess she's been busy sitting on her eggs!

Can't your hear the corny song playing now?

I just got . . .

2011-01-22T08:55:00.000-08:00

A new sander for my birthday.

Not everyone gets a sander for their 20th birthday hah!

It works soooo much better than my dad's old sander!!

I've already used it a couple of times, sanded some reclaimed wood & made a few Valentine signs

Signs in my etsy shop

Have you got any new tools lately?

any wooden projects going on??

Today~

2011-01-09T13:21:00.000-08:00

Today starts National Write A Letter Week

So get out your cute stationary and send someone a letter

Flickr

Your granny would probably love a letter from you!

Today my blog reached 200 followers!!!!

And. . .

Today is JB Mauney's Birthday

JB Mauney

Haha!

Read about the time we tracked him down & gave him our homemade chocolate chip scones.

Anything else interesting going on today?

The Town I'm from...

2011-01-03T23:56:00.000-08:00

It's a little country town right in the middle of Southern California.

The town's claim to fame is being the one & only Horsetown USA (that and football). Out of towners think it is sort of a weird place, once I saw a family of vacationing Germans in the local mom & pop restaurant, they were so amazed of it's western theme & were taking pictures of the local cowboys.

There are horse trails instead of sidewalks & there's just about as many horses as there are people.

I have been on a horse for a total of probably 10 minutes in my whole life.

The first time I attempted to ride a horse I was about 10, we were out camping and decided to take a trail ride through the mountains, earlier that day I had a cheeseburger for lunch -needless to say it didn't agree with me & I ended up throwing up while on the horse (I can't believe I just told you all this- not one of my proudest moments). The second time was a hundred times more successful- just a quick ride up and down the street!

My little sis on the other hand is a really experienced rider, she's barely 12 and already trains horses, she's a ranch hand at a local barn. Over all her years of riding I've become a whole lot more comfortable around horses. Thanks to her I have learned so much, things that I would have never even have thought about before like what a flake is, how to lunge a freshly gelded horse, how to give a horse it's meds, and the rules to cutting & sorting.

Because of my sis & this wacky town I end up making a lot of horse & western related items.

Here are my latest horsey projects

A commissioned portrait of a barrel racer, my first real painting in almost a year & a half!!

And this second one was really neat

My neighbor found this big vintage horse portrait from 1970 in her parent's attic, who knows how long it had been in there!!

This portrait was originally painted with acrylics on some sort of velvet. My neighbor wanted the horse to look me like her grand daughter's so she texted me a photo of the actual horse. After I dusted off the 30 years of dust & dirt I added a star to the horse & lightened up his color and pledged the frame just in time for Christmas.

One of these days I'm going to ride my dad's horse, Rowdy, he's that handsome palomino up top!!

Farmgirl Friday Blog hop!

Homemade Christmas Gifts

2010-12-29T00:48:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

Here's a gift I completed for Christmas.

Its a Herb Box, my dad and I made for my aunt.

Its a kit for growing herbs in your kitchen, complete with an antique jar full of soil, Cilantro, Thyme & Basil seeds, terracotta pots & saucers, wood burned seed markers & extra chalk.

and to go along with the garden theme, here's a welcome sign I made for my cousins' g-ma.

Happy New Year!

And the winner is. . .

2010-12-21T10:27:00.000-08:00

Number 38

That means Herbgirl of Calendula Court is the winner!!

If you like, you can check out her blog here!

My First Giveaway

2010-12-11T23:10:00.000-08:00

So I have to admit that when I first heard from the people at CSN about doing a giveaway,
I kinda thought it was a scam but after some research I found out that CSN is an online store that has just about anything you could ever think of.
They've got everything from bakeware, to leather messenger bags, to goodies for your pets.

You name it, they've probably got it.

They're offering a $35 gift certificate to one of you lucky Hopscotch Dandelions readers!

I'd use the gift certificate toward one of these super cute pie plates

You have 4 chances to enter!!

*open to US and Canadian readers only*

Here's how you can enter:

1. Leave a comment telling of your favorite Christmas Traditions or an interesting fact.

2. If you like my blog, become a follower or tell me if you already follow & leave a comment.

3. Like the HopscotchDandelions Facebook page & leave a comment on my blog telling me.

4. Blog about my Blog, Etsy Shop or Giveaway -share the link please!

**Be sure to include your email address in each entry so I can let you know if you've won**

Good Luck!

Winner will be revealed on Monday, December 20th

Finally, my Christmas Signs

2010-12-06T16:55:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you but around here its been pretty crazy. I still can't even believe its already Christmas time. Well here's a bunch of signs most of them are Christmas-y but a few are from some recent custom orders.

I love to hear what you all think-

. . . and stay tuned for a giveaway!!

Zipper Pouch Tutorial

2010-11-15T10:20:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd post a little tutorial on how to make a zipper pouch

Here's what you'll need -

*You can make whatever size zipper pouch you like, just make sure your interior & exterior fabrics are the same width as your zipper.

** Be sure to iron your fabrics before you start & as you go**

Step 1
The narrow piece of fabric is to make a little loop on your pouch. This can be big enough to fit around your wrist or as small as you like.

Fold fabric in half and then fold sides in half again & stitch up the side to make a tube

Step 2

After zipper & exterior fabric are right sides together, lay interior fabric on top, pin & stitch.

Once you've sewn across, fold fabric over & do the same thing to the other side of the zipper.

Step 3

Iron fabric flat, stitch along zipper (you are stitching through both the exterior & interior fabric- make sure they are lined up straight so you avoid getting puckers)

Step 4
Make sure zipper is halfway unzipped!! Put exterior fabrics right sides together & interior fabrics right sides together, place your loop between exterior fabric & pin. Stitch around the three sides leaving bottom of interior fabric unstitched.

Step 5

Turn right side out

Fold raw edges inward, iron flat & stitch along edge.

. . .And you're finished!

I'd really like to hear what you think, this was my first attempt at a tutorial so let me know if something isn't clear, feel free to ask any questions too.

If you use this tutorial I'd love to see your zipper pouches !!

Signs, Signs & More Signs

2010-11-06T21:57:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been making them like crazy-

This first sign is made of reclaimed barn wood and is in my etsy shop now!

I painted this next one for a stable in town

One word of advice- DON'T use glossy paint-

All of the lettering took four coats of paint - and the sign was double sided

This one took forever to finish!!

just putting on the finishing touches

(while standing in the back of the truck on my tippy toes!)

. . .And the final result-

This sign was a custom item purchased by a kind of well known event planner from New York City-

Bayou Boathouse was the theme of a 50th Birthday Bash

This one had a short deadline & was finished in record time .

This last sign was also completed super quick -

I had two days to get this one finished!

My dad welded the frame & I painted it (complete with barbed wire!)

They left for Nationals the following morning after it was finished.

Here's a photo they sent me from Tulsa -I guess everyone decorates out in front of their stable areas.

I'm also working on a bunch of Christmas signs- I'll post some photos soon!!

What happened to Thanksgiving?

2010-11-03T17:30:00.000-07:00

Halloween morning I ran to the mall & they were playing Christmas music, it seems like Christmas gets started earlier & earlier every year- Crazy!

Well, I'm not ready to rush off fall just yet!!

I had my dad & sister save the seeds from their jack-o-lanterns, today I roasted them.

It is super easy to do & they taste really good- not quite the same as usual pumpkin seeds though.

I didn't follow a recipe, just kinda winged it.

First, I separated the seeds from the pumpkin pulp, then rinsed them & soaked them in water for a couple hours.
Next, I soaked them in oil & salted them and left them to soak overnight.
This morning I drained them from the oil & added a couple tablespoons of melted butter & about a half a tablespoon of steak sauce for extra flavor.
Finally, I roasted them at 275 for about an hour or so tossing them around every once in awhile.

Fall is may favorite & it always seems to get cut short!

Knott's Berry Farm Buttermilk Biscuits

2010-10-27T01:21:00.000-07:00

There's a theme park called Knott's Berry Farm, it's mostly old west themed. It started off as just a berry farm, I heard once that the Knotts family tried to plant their berries in what is now that town that I live in, the ground was too hard & the crops failed so they moved to their current location.

Well, lets get back to the buttermilk biscuits-

So out front of the park there's a restaurant called Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner,they've been open since '34 & are famous for their fried chicken, biscuits & Boysenberry pie.

After some searching, I found the Knott's Biscuits recipe.

It's not exact but pretty close.

I didn't have any buttermilk so I remembered a substitute.
*Just add a tablespoon of vinegar to the milk & let it sit there for a couple minutes

And I used butter instead of shortening

KNOTTS BERRY FARM BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

2 c. flour
2 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. shortening
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. + 2 tbsp. buttermilk
1/2 c. oil

Mix flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl. Add shortening and blend well. Add soda to buttermilk, then add to flour mixture. Blend thoroughly.

Place dough on floured surface and sprinkle with additional flour. Do not over- work dough. Roll out 1/2 inch thick; cut with 2 inch biscuit cutter. Dip biscuits in oil to over all sides and place immediately on oiled baking sheet with all biscuits touching.

Bake at 500 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until browned.

A very belated birthday

2010-10-07T23:17:00.000-07:00

So my Aunt's birthday was way back in August, but for some reason or another I couldn't get her gift together for the life of me.

I had part of her gift finished for a long time but just never completed it. Finally, last weekend I finished it all & delivered it.

I loaded it all up in the front of my car & I made my way to her house across town.

Don't mind my kinda dirty windshield, the red brake light on my dashboard that mysteriously lights up every once in awhile or the fact that I was taking a picture while driving- it was a pretty sunset.

It might look like I was planning a picnic for my Aunt but nope, it wasn't a picnic.

Do you remember these little guys??

Well, they're pretty much fully grown now-

My aunt needed a rooster for her three girls- that's who was in the basket.

I couldn't fit the cage in my Jeep & my parents had the truck so I improvised and used the old picnic basket instead.

He's just a little guy, his daddy is a bantam (mini chicken) & Penny, his mom, is not too big herself.

The bunch are still getting to know each other but I think soon enough he will be the big man of the group.

The other part of her gift were these garden sticks. I had my dad cut up some wood, then I painted the Rosemary sign & a tomato sign and put them on sticks.

A very belated gift but a good one if I do say so myself!

Homemade Bacon Macaroni & Cheese

2010-09-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago it was actually cool enough to use the oven, I made Homemade Bacon Macaroni & Cheese complete with 4 different types of cheeses & maple bacon. I got the recipe from my mom's Family Circle magazine, the magazine had 11 different mac & cheese recipes. I didn't follow the recipe exactly, I used a couple of different types of cheese. The estimated prep time of 10 minutes is a complete lie though, took me way longer than that.

Tons of time shredding cheese, cooking the bacon, and making a rue

The results were good though

Now if only the weather would cool down a bit, it's supposed to be fall now & the day before last it was 109- hottest day of the year so far!

Just added!

2010-09-16T22:47:00.000-07:00

Just updated the etsy shop with some new fall items

What projects are you working on for the fall?

PBR, JB Mauney & Chocolate Chip Scones???

2010-09-03T14:57:00.000-07:00

I think that was one of the weirdest post titles ever hah.

Well, last Sunday we surprised my dad with tickets to the PBR (Pro Bull Riding)for his birthday.

There are always rodeos & other events in town but they're nothing like the PBR- there's fire & these guys are the best of the best.

Our seats were pretty good, we were on the 2nd level but they were right in front of where the bulls were.

Right across the way in the priority seating we could see Ty Murray-the PBR great, Lorenzo Lamas & Tom Cruise-apparently they are planning on making a movie about bull riding.

It's pretty cool- afterward all the riders come out to the arena & give autographs

This guy, Austin Meier, ended up in 1st-he was a real nice guy, he had a conversation with us about Oklahoma -that's where he's from & we used to live there.

My sister got a bunch of autographs & pictures

but not JB Mauney's-he's the one that we all had been rooting for.

We waited around for JB to come out in the arena but he never did, so what other choice did we have other than to go around to the back exit of the building??

-I've realized that that may have sounded a bit stalker-ish

But then hey, what do you know, here comes JB Mauney. My sis got her poster signed (after someone finally found a Sharpie) & we got our picture.

And now here's the scones part of the story

Do you remember the Chocolate Chip Scone recipe I shared awhile back?

Well, my mom had whipped up a batch for our group to snack on during the event -we all forgot about them, none of us had any.

So what does my mom do??

She offers the bag of chocolate chip scones to JB Mauney & tells them they're for the road

This is his confused-what the heck is a scone face, haha.

One of the other riders asks in his accent, "What kinda cookies you got there JB?"

Not cookies, they're scones!!!

The Lodge

2010-08-31T15:24:00.000-07:00

Here's my newest sign.

Proudly displayed by the old '55 Rod and Reel

The writing style & colors were totally not my normal thing.

Usually I stay away from black & white and tend to use cream & dark brown instead.

This sign was a custom order from a fellow blogger & I'm really happy with the results. I always like doing custom orders- it's nice to try out some new ideas.

I think this sign is modern yet classic-

In honor of the last bit of summer

2010-08-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

I know that fall doesn't officially arrive until the end of September but in my book, the 1st of September begins fall.

So unofficially we have just a few more days until its farewell to summer.

In honor of summer, I'm posting about these people.

They are Shayne & Shannon McIntyre,
the two of them host a show called On Surfari on Fuel TV.

On Surfari Reel 2010 from Russell Brownley on Vimeo.

Their show is based upon their travels to different surf spots.

I however, do not surf (well, I attempted to once) but I truly enjoy On Surfari.

They travel all around the world exploring both expected & unexpected surf destinations with their two little kids.

The two of them are really inspirational people. They are writers, producers, a bit kooky, artists, pro surfers, humanitarians, missionaries & seem like all around great people.

& to top it all off they're models too!

I can't even remember how I came across their show but I'm glad I did.
You can catch episodes of On Surfari on Fuel TV or on their Hulu channel.

A Fall Sneak Peak

2010-08-21T08:58:00.000-07:00

Out of all the seasons, Autumn is my favorite.
With all this hot weather right now, the Fall seems far out of reach but soon enough it will be here.

Here's a quick glimpse of what's in store.

Lately, I have been busy working on all sorts of Fall items- aprons, signs, pumpkins & a whole bunch of other cute things.

Can't wait for the cool, crisp air, leaves, pumpkins & Fall baking!

Here's what's been going on

2010-08-17T09:31:00.000-07:00

Penny & her chicks - almost all grown up

& a few things I've been working on

a reversible chicken apron and decorative signs made out of old wood boards.

The boards once made up an old canning shed-in it is where I found most of my old antique jars. Sadly it was falling & needed to be to torn down, luckily my dad saved some of the old boards.

This sign, The Ranch, is by far my favorite so far.

It's made out of a pretty good sized board.

I hand sanded it really smooth, then painted it with a old fashioned green, outlined in a dark chocolatey brown & drilled two holes to hang it with a metal wire.

Wish I could tell you that I made this last item but I can't.

My grandpa made this Lemon Meringue Pie & brought it over for us on Sunday- it had the best crust & meringue .

Catalina Trip

2010-08-14T23:20:00.000-07:00

I haven't felt much like blogging lately, but now I'm back.

Here are a few photos from my trip to Catalina Island.

My grandparents took my cousin, my sister and me. Here we are in the early morning, waiting to get on the boat to get to the island- as you can see my big hair is already getting bigger thanks to all the humidity.

The boat ride over to the island was dark & cold but as we arrived the sun came out, the weather while we were there was great. It was a nice trip, we stayed in a little cottage only 2 nights- but full of activity.

There was snorkeling, parasailing, some sight seeing, relaxing, an attempt to geocache, and a late night boat ride to see the flying fish.
Oh & I swear I saw Samuel L. Jackson on the boat ride back -haha!

Hopefully you all are enjoying the last bits of summer!

Some cute little bags

2010-07-30T20:26:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a few custom orders & I just got back from a quick trip to Catalina Island (I'll post about that later!!) but here are a few new things I've made recently.

Just finished this batch of zipper pouches or Essentials Bags.

This one made it into a treasury on Etsy

& I made this, I found the tutorial through a blog called Tipnut.com, get the tutorial here.

Oh P.S. Did you know you can search the Treasury on Etsy to see if your shop has been featured?

Just go to the Treasury & write Shop:(Your shop name here) in the search box. I had been featured in 4 lists & didn't even know.

Homemade Pretzels

2010-07-19T11:28:00.000-07:00

I had been wanting to try making my own pretzels for awhile.

After a last minute late night run to Stater's -I made it out of the store just before they closed, I finally got around to making them. We had most of the ingredients needed at home, all except the Pretzel Salt- which is kind of the most important thing when making pretzels. While at the grocery store the spice aisle had nothing labeled "Pretzel Salt" , there was coarse sea salt, Kosher Salt, and some plain old sea salt-that's what I went with. I used Alton Brown's Pretzel recipe found on the food network website.

The dough took about an hour to rise, so by this time it was already about 12:30 at night.

After I finished rolling the dough into the classic pretzel shape, it was time for the pretzel wash-this is what gives pretzels that distinct taste.

The pretzel wash process was a bit of a mess- pretzel wash is a mixture of a whole lot of baking soda & boiling water.

Here they are after the wash, brushed with egg, salted & ready to be baked.

The final result was great, they really did taste like real pretzels-there's nothing like making pretzels in the middle of the night :)

Anyone have any late night baking stories to share?

In a denim sort of mood

2010-06-30T15:18:00.000-07:00

Here are some new things I've been working on.

Love all three of them, I haven't made any jewelry in a couple years -forgot how much I liked it!

My cousin gave me a bunch of left over denim from a class he took, now its almost gone. I probably would have never bought it myself but now I love working with it.

Western Day

2010-06-28T00:41:00.000-07:00

My little sis just finished up the school year, the last few days were full of fun things.

The town I live in is a western town, complete with cowboys & horses- there's not a day that I don't see either, kind of an odd town for Southern California when you think about it.

So it was only natural that the school would have a Western Day, right?

Well, there were calves, gold panning, line dancing & of course my chickens.

Each class learned a little about the chickens, my mom & I shared some facts about the chickens, passed their eggs out & some got to hold the chickens.

It turned out to be a pretty long day. By the time each grade had seen the the chickens, they were pretty tuckered out, a couple of them even fell asleep while being held.

Great way to kick off summer!

I've been tinkering with my blog layout lately, I decided to stick with the regular template & dress it up a bit-still more to come though.

My Latest Finds

2010-06-18T11:01:00.000-07:00

Here's what I found this week.

I searched craigslist in the antiques section one night & found two old cameras. Both were listed by the same person, they said that they were both their grandfather's. They both had been listed 2 days ago, I contacted them in the morning. I was surprised to find they were still available.

They were on their way out for the day so we met them at a McDonalds near my house, worked out great.

Both cameras are in their original boxes and in great shape, not one scratch on the Browine Video Camera- especially for $10 a piece!!

I also made a trip to a thrift store near by with one of my friends this week.

Didn't find anything too extraordinary but I did find some cute old books.

Can't beat 10 cents a piece!

Just a quick post!

2010-06-11T20:07:00.000-07:00

I had a long day of showing my chickens off at my sister's school today- I will post about that later.

Just wanted to share that one of my aprons was chosen by The Craft Dept. at MarthaStewart.com.

I entered a contest for the best sewing projects of 2010, I didn't win but it was chosen as one of the favorites!!

You can see the list here

Here & There

2010-06-10T11:26:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to redo things here & there on my blog. I decided to start off with a new banner. Yesterday I took tons of photos to replace my old banner. I picked one last night but now I'm questioning if the text and the contrast look right. Here are some of my other top picks:

The chicken was not planned, she some how escaped the coop & was walking around the yard. I decided to use her in the photo, she turned out to be quite the model.

Here are some other photos I took yesterday.

I really like how they turned out, I had everything set up and waited for the sun to get just right. I always like to take my photos just before sunset, at 7:20 precisely.

Bodie thinks he's a model too

I'd love to know what you all think, which photo should be my banner??

Some New Things: Chicks & A Pillow

2010-06-06T22:57:00.000-07:00

I bought this material from the thrift store about a year ago, I finally decided to use it a few days ago. I made this pillow.

It is backed with denim and has a piece of vintage ric rac that I purchased from the big yard sale I went to a few weeks ago. Soon it will be in my etsy shop.

While I was in the process of sewing this pillow, Penny's eggs hatched.

We had thought she had ran away until recently when we discovered she was sitting on her eggs.

Chickens sit on their eggs for about 21 days so we knew it must be close.

My dad went to check on her, she found a perfect secluded little place to brood.

When he looked he saw a few tiny little chicks.

He came straight in to tell us, the whole family had to go out & look at them.

It was a little funny, we were all so proud of her, after all she was our first chicken (my little sis found her as a chick in a horse trail, she had been separated from her mother) & our first chicken to have babies.

She ended up with a total of 8 chicks, 5 girls & 3 boys.

Pretty good job Penny!

And yes- we do have a lot of chickens now, thankfully my cousin is planning on taking some off our hands soon.

Chicken Update

2010-05-27T22:26:00.000-07:00

My four little chickens are now about 6 weeks old.

Each day the four of them would stay in an old rabbit hutch outside but during the night I'd bring them in to sleep so they'd be cozy and warm.

Tonight is their first night outside in the coop, they spent the day, today getting to know the other chickens.

They met our whole flock, including our new additions.

I came home and the family told me that they found a bunch of free chickens on craigslist. Their old owner had a dog that didn't get along with them. Some of them are missing some feathers but they're starting to grow back now.

Hopefully everyone will get along well.

Yard sales!

2010-05-25T15:01:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I found so many good things. My mom's friend told us about a town-wide yard sale they have once a year in her town. We kind of had a bit of a late start, got there at about 11:30 or so. At first we didn't see anything good at all, just a bunch of old junk & tons of popcorn makers, I figured we got there too late & all the good stuff was gone. We decided to just drive down a couple more streets before we called it quits and that's when I found this.

Some guy was selling his grandma's sewing machine. The top needs refinished a bit. Not sure what I'm going to do with this yet, maybe fix it up & sell it. I already have my great-grandma's sewing machine and I don't really have a place for another sewing machine cabinet but I couldn't pass it up.

Then around the block we found another good yard sale. A bunch of nice old ladies were having the yard sale to benefit their church.

Metal boxes, a whole envelope of old sewing books, an old cake decorating kit, a coffee can full of vintage trim & ric rac, an egg basket, a great old picnic basket

And yes, more jars! I basically bought the two boxes of jars for the one really old Ball Ideal jar.

Along with a set of old fashioned ice cream sundae dishes.

Lots of great deals, old people always have great old stuff at their yard sales.

Here's my newest

2010-05-18T22:45:00.000-07:00

It's a rounded old fashioned half apron.

I used vintage trim around the waistband. I believe the cowgirl fabric is Buckarettes by Alexander Henry. I don't normally notice or remember fabric titles, but when I saw the name on the edge of the fabric I though it was a cute name. The apron ties in the back into a big happy bow.

I think I finally made it out of my apron making slump. Thankfully

I like old Jars

2010-05-14T11:06:00.000-07:00

I really do, they're great for storing old buttons and flowers but I literally have boxes & boxes of antique jars.

My aunt, uncle and cousins moved into a cute little old house that had 4 run down old sheds, 3 for storage & 1 was an old canning shed, they were filled with all sorts of old junk. During a long weekend we went through all the sheds and divided the good stuff from the bad stuff , separated the goodwill items & dispersed the items through out the family depending on what we each liked. I ended up with some really nice items.

I ended up with all sorts of things -like old dresses from the 50s (that fit me!), photographs, chairs, suitcases from the 20s, magazines from the 40s- 50s, hat boxes & jars-tons of them.

I really have no use for so many jars but what was I supposed to do, leave them there & let them be thrown out?

So now I have tons of antique jars. There are Lamb jars (I had never heard of these before), Kerr, old blue Ball jars, a few Drey jars, and some that have a tint of pink to them too.

Now what do I do with all these jars??

Got any ideas?

Mother's Day

2010-05-11T12:42:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day.

Here's what my sister and I did for our mom.

First off I made these cinnamon rolls, they're adapted from Paula Deen's Cinnamon Roll Recipe.

I had made the dough Saturday evening so it would have time to rise. Early Sunday morning when I took it out of the fridge it had barely risen. I figured I'd just try it out and see if it would work. Instead of rolling out the dough and cutting into slices like in Paula Deen's recipe I just made little rolls put the cinnamon sugar & butter on top. I still have no idea what went wrong with the dough but I was more than happy with how they turned out.

We kinda of had a theme this mother's day-totally unplanned though.

all of the things we made were garden related.

Here's what I made.

My dad salvaged the wood from an old canning shed that was going to be torn down- I had him cut a piece of it for me. I sanded the sides, sketched the letters and painted it, I ended up putting it on a picket for the yard.

My sister painted a really cute flower pot and included some seeds.

I don't have a photo but my sister & my dad also built my mom a raised garden bed out in the yard.

Overall, I think it was a successful day!

Pound Cake

2010-05-08T14:32:00.000-07:00

So we have this old pan- still not sure if its a angel food cake pan or a pound cake pan.
(Someone let me know if you know)

I finally decided to use it.

I made pound cake

It came out pretty good. It was the first time I ever made a pound cake so I was really surprised how long it took to bake- about an hour and 20 minutes!

Here's the final product -Strawberry Shortcake

My little sis had a ranch sorting event last weekend, when we came home we had a bbq with some family & had the strawberry shortcake for desert.

Four new little chickens

2010-04-26T11:49:00.000-07:00

We thought this would be the spring that Penny would sit on her eggs & become a momma chicken. Instead she decided to lay her eggs in secret spots all around the yard, leaving them hidden so we wouldn't be able to find them.

Since Penny was unsuccessful in hatching any chicks, we went out & bought these at the feed store.

First we got this little Rhode Island Red

And then we got these three. They're a diverse group. A Golden Comet, Plymouth Rock, & an Araucana.

I always wanted an Araucana-they're the chickens that lay green eggs. Hopefully it turns out to be a hen.

Here's my dad with his Araucana. He brought his chicken & her green egg to school one day for show & tell.

Chocolate Chip Scones

2010-04-24T16:09:00.000-07:00

I made the best chocolate chip scones the other day.

We ran out of regular chocolate chips so I ended up using mini chocolate chips instead.

Super simple to make & they turn out so dainty.
By the next afternoon all of these scones were gone.

CHOCOLATE CHIP SCONES

2 cups unsifted flour
3 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease baking sheet.
In large bowl combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

In small bowl combine milk, egg and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients along with chocolate chips and mix with fork until mixture clings together and forms a soft dough.

Turn dough onto floured surface and knead gently 5-6 times. With lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 7-inch circle. Cut as many as you want into triangle or diamond shapes. Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown.

Made a new skirt

2010-04-15T22:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I made this skirt for a friend. She picked out the fabric one day on a shopping trip.

I had made a skirt with the exposed elastic waistband for myself once before. This was a long time ago, the skirt ended up looking okay but didn't fit very comfortably. To this day it's hanging in my closet -only been worn about once or twice. After I made it, I realized that I was supposed to stretch the elastic as I sewed.

Sewing the fabric as I stretched the elastic was a bit tricky but I think this skirt turned out great.

A few bad eggs

2010-04-13T22:31:00.000-07:00

We had thought that our little chicken had been on a an egg laying hiatus. Turns out Penny had been laying her eggs.

I have some boxes of old jars stored out back, I went to go grab a one to use as a vase for some flowers.

I guess Penny decided to use the jars as a place to lay her eggs. The box doesn't have a lid so her eggs fell right into one of the old dusty jars.

Three eggs made it into the jar & two fell to the bottom of the box. Most of them were cracked.

We're up to four hens & a rooster, all of which are quite the characters.

Just listed these items

2010-04-05T23:55:00.000-07:00

I really liked this photo of these 2 items that I just listed on my etsy, so I decided to share it here.

A light blue Biltmore suitcase from the 60s and a 1970s Metal Woodgrain Tax Record Box .

I really liked the green woodgrain box when I found it, especially the cute 1973 Tax Record sticker on the front. I ended up storing all my prints from photo in it but, recently I realized that it's not exactly my style. So I'm deciding to get rid of it - my room is way too small to keep items that I don't absolutley love. If your interested check out my Etsy.

Hope everyone had a nice Easter!

Had a nice day with my friend

2010-04-03T10:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to Mimi's cafe for lunch & to Joann's. Conveniently, they are in the same parking lot. Found this fabric there- I love it.

My friend asked me to make her a skirt out of it.

I ordered business cards

2010-03-31T01:21:00.000-07:00

Can't wait for them to arrive. I always end up scribbling my etsy address on to a piece of scrap paper that I find in the bottom of my bag, & every time I do this I always think about buying some business cards. I found a good deal and finally got around to it. Here's what they look like

They are going to have rounded corners

One or two weeks they'll be here. Hopefully closer to one.

better late than never

2010-03-24T23:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Spring everyone!

So far it doesn't feel too different from winter, but than again I guess it's California I'm talking about.
How's the weather in your neck of the woods??

Runaway Daisy

2010-03-17T18:06:00.000-07:00

Earlier today I heard someone knocking on the front door, I answered it, it was the neighbor lady telling me that my pig was out. I quickly put on some shoes to go get her. She was a couple of houses down just walking in the horse trail, not something you see everyday. I wish I would of had the camera with me. I finally was able to herd her back home, poor girl was tired when we got back. She's not the most energetic pig.

Here's Miss Daisy

Here are some new pillows

2010-03-12T22:34:00.000-08:00

I'm in a pillow making mood!
Just finished these-
The first one is my new favorite!

Pink Prairie Pillow On Etsy

And another cute pillow

This one has 5 vintage buttons sewn on the front.

Rustic Blue Linen Pillow On Etsy

My Mom's Birthday

2010-03-11T12:15:00.000-08:00

It was earlier this week. I made her a set of place mats for the dining room table. I used her favorite fabric, a neutral solid for the back & interfacing in the center.

Here's them ready to be wrapped.

And here's them in use. I made my special birthday cake cookies for her.

New Pettiskirts

2010-03-09T13:10:00.000-08:00

I just finished up a batch of Pettiskirts.

My mom kinda talked me into making this Blue & Yellow Pettiskirt but I think it's my favorite out of the bunch.

I was featured in Etsy Finds

2010-03-08T14:08:00.000-08:00

My pillow was included in a Storque Blog, Etsy Finds: Undiscovered Territory.
Here's the link:
http://www.etsy.com/storque/spotlight/etsy-finds-undiscovered-territory-7240/
A customer saw this and noticed my pillow, it is made out of the same fabric she had in her room as a kid. She ended up buying a bag and the pillow, both made out of the same fabric.
I think it is pretty cool that she was able to find my items!

My So-Called Life

2010-03-07T10:10:00.000-08:00

Best show ever, I just finished watching the season. What a shame it only lasted one season. :/

Facebook

2010-02-23T22:59:00.000-08:00

I created a facebook fan page.
Here's the link:
http://www.facebook.com/HopscotchDandelions

Pretty Floral Pillow

2010-02-22T00:22:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to make some pillows, I finally got around to it this Sunday.

The floral fabric is my favorite. It was once curtains, they were in my aunt and uncle's 1950s house when they moved in. I hand sewed 5 vintage buttons to the front of the pillow.
I'm really happy with the final result.

Well here it goes . . .

2010-02-20T01:20:00.000-08:00

my first post.

I am trying to get everything situated and in it's place. Soon I will have photos.
I intend for this blog to be a place where I can share the things I do and make with my family & friends, other crafters and possible customers.