Creamy Healthy Salad Dressing

I know the title of this dressing doesn't sound very appetizing, but believe me when I tell you that you will be pleasantly surprise when you wrap your lips around this one. I don't know if you have ever tried the Coco's house dressing, or not, but that's the closest I can tell you that it tastes like.

Ingredients

1. bullet blender with top opening, or a bowl with hand whisk
2. 1/2 cup  soy milk
3. 3/4 cup canola, or safflower oil
4. 1 teaspoon dry dill weed
5. 1 teaspoon garlic powder
6. 1 teaspoon onion powder
7. 1/4 teaspoon salt
8. 2 medium size lemons

Pour 1/2 cup of soy milk into the bullet, turn bullet on then slowly drizzly the 3/4 cup of oil. If you pour it in too quickly the dressing will not thicken so this step is very important to follow closely.

The alternative method is to pour the soy milk in to a small bowl, and slowly drizzle the oil while beating quickly with the whisk. Make sure the milk thickens up before going on to the next step.

Squeeze both lemons through the top of bullet while it's running you will notice the soy milk dressing will thicken up even more. 

Add the rest of the dry seasonings to the bullet mix until the dill looks like  green specs of pepper swimming in a sea of milk. Taste, and see if  you agree with me about this delicious soy milk dressing. It makes a great vegetable dip too.

DIY Window Covers for Odd Shaped Windows

 Have you ever been stumped by how to cover odd shaped windows?  I would say this is a do it yourself project.  The windows in the living room are odd shaped,with an uneven ceiling
. In the summer the light pours in those windows like a beacon. Not only is it extremely bright, but also hot.  The way to help take a handle on my energy costs  I came up with a homemade inexpensive way to cover those windows, and save money.

I didn't want to hang curtains above the Roman shades below, because the ceiling was not straight. I would have had to hang the curtains on a slant. I couldn't use those paper covers because of the shape of the windows.. My daughter-in-law suggested that I make cardboard cover ups with cloth, that would sit inside the frames.

Supplies

1. white copy paper
2. large cardboard boxes
3. glue gun
4. material your choice of color for inside window
5. white material for out side of window
6. scissors
7. utility knife
8. pins:

First I had to figure out how to make a pattern. I came up with gluing white copy  paper together with the glue gun. I made the size of the sheets glued together a little larger than the windows.

I placed the paper over the opening of the window. Using a small pencil I traced inside the window, with one hand while holding the paper with the other.

This is what the paper looked like after I pulled it off the window.

Then I cut out around the pencil tracing as shown in the diagram.

Then I went back, and placed it in the window, to make sure that it fit properly. It did fit as you can see.

Cut the cardboard using the pattern. Place the pattern on top of large piece of cardboard. Using a marker draw shape onto board. Use utility knife to cut out the shape. Place over window to see if it fits good. If it needs small amounts of trimming do it at this time.


Place white material over cardboard shape. Using glue gun. paste white material over edges of cardboard. The white material will show on the outside of the windows.

Do the same for the front side of the window using pattern material that side will show on the inside of the house, where the white side will show on the outside of the house.

Then I glued the unfinished side butting them together, to where the fabric side are showing. Place them in the window. You may want to hot glue them to the metal casing if necessary. Hot glue holds well, but will peal off
when you need it to come off.

Also see my kitchen redo on the cheap , and kitchen cabinet spice drawer

Dinosaur Piñata Tutorial

My grandson was having a birthday soon, and their cousins wanted to make him a dinosaur pinata, for a surprise, since their favorite show is Dino Dan on Nick Jr. We started 3 weeks before his birthday, to give us enough time for the homemade paste to dry.



Supplies:

1. Newspaper
2. Flour all purpose
3. Green floral wire
4. Papel crepe, or party paper streamers. beige and green colors
5. White paper
6. Black markers
7. Large bowls

One of the first things that needs to be done, is to make the paste. Place 1 cup of water to 1/3 cup of flour into a medium sauce pan. Stirring constantly until it begins to thicken. That should take about 8 minutes. Once it starts to boil take off from the heat source and allow to cool.

While the glue is cooling off. Begin cutting the newspaper into long 2 inch strips. Pick out the bowls your gonna use as your temporary mold. Blow up a large balloon for the body of the dinosaur. (that's the part that is gonna hold the candy surprises.

Before starting cover the bowl and balloon  with Vaseline. Wet the paper strips with homemade paste, and place on the balloon. Covering it totally with 4 layers, one on top of the other.

The girls really enjoyed putting their hands in the sticky paste, and slathering it all over the balloon. Allow balloon to dry over night. It will get hard.

This will be the main body of the dinosaur. Take a sharp  pointed knife, pop the balloon, and begin sawing a square shape into the newspaper ball.
 This will be the lid to place the candies in. This will also be where your gonna stick your hands into, to thread the green wire for the legs, arms, neck,see my Elmo pinata tutorial and the hanging wire to hold up the piñata while it swings in the air to be broken.

Here we are adding the tail.

Here is the beginning of the legs.

Here you can see the tail, the legs, and head coming to life. The wire sticking out the top of the dinosaur is the place where it will hang. After adding all the legs, and head. Apply another 3 layers of wet paste newspaper strips. Allow once again to dry overnight.

The fun begins now take the party rounds, pull off enough to re-roll small sections as shown above. With scissors cut half way up 1/8 of inch apart. Do not cut all the way through.

With your fingers press back to give it a curl like as your finger were a curling wand, and the paper your hair.

Begin  pasting the cut curled colored strips, on the body form. Space the strips 1/4 of an inch apart, until the whole pinata is completed.

Can you tell the girls are mighty pleased with their surprise dinosaur pinata for their cousin?

Handmade Knitted Purse

Have you ever wanted to create something useful? I had an idea in the back of my mind to create something useful, with a little flash. I have really gotten into knitting lately so I thought I would design my own purse. I was thinking  more of a clutch type of purse instead of the big diaper bag type, that I use to own in the 70's.
I decided to place beads on the outside of the purse for decoration. I placed a button in the front for closure. I lined the inside with fine material. and used cardboard for structure. Do you like my handmade knitted purse?  Let me know.

Supplies
150 yards thin sock yarn 75% acrylic 25% wool Encore D.K color of your choice
Size 4  circular knitting needles
1 large button
1 blunt large hole needle
Card board
Tacky glue
Glass beads your choice of color.
Regular needle, and thread
Material for lining the inside of purse, matching your out side color

Cast on 15 sts. Work Seed st (k1, p1 ) all the way across.
Next row  (p 1 , k1) knit this way till it measures 2 inches.
Cast on 25 st at the beginning of the next 2 rows.
Work  the 65 sts till the body measures 5 1/2 inches.
Next row bind off 6 sts. from the beginning of the next 2 roads.
Knit till it measures 2 inches.
Cast on 6 sts at the beginning of the next 2 rows.
Work the 65 sts til it measures 51/2 inches.
Bind off 25 sts at the beginning of the next 2 rows.
Work on the 15 sts until  it measures 2 inches.
To make tab for button closure. Cast  8 sts
Knit for 12 rows
Next row button hole, knit 4 bind off next 2 sts finish rest of  of sts.
Next row knit all 8 sts. for next 10 rows.
Next bind off first sts at each end of the next 6 row to form triangle.

This is the finished purse body.

The purse handles are wooded capital D's. I sanded them, and painted them a dark brown, and sealed them with glossy clear varnish.

This is where the fun begins for me. I sewed the brown glass beads on every other row.

Cut card boards 5x9 1/2 inches.Middle board  2x10 inches. these will be glued later on to lining material.

Sew end of purse close, leave L shape open.

Then sew the L flap closed. This will give the purse a flat bottom on which to stand up on.

This is the purse sewed, before the lining is applied.

Glue the cardboard with tacky glue to the lining.

I picked a lining with navy blue, and light browns, and beige color that is in the yarn color.

Sew the lining into the purse with light beige thread.

Sew the wooden handles, and the tabs on to the purse.

Sew the closure button. Enjoy your purse, I'm thinking I might want to add more beads, but I don't have the right one right now. If I add more I will add the picture later for you to see.