When Passion Meets Talent

I have always been interested in crafts and handmade items. However, I have just learned how to sew and knit over the last couple years. It all started with someone else teaching me. I kept learning through resources over the internet and through books. I am so in love with making things that I desire to teach students the basics of how to cook, sew, and live healthy lives. Family and Consumer Science is my major and it is where I have found that my passions and talents are being used. Knowing how to hem jeans, do the laundry, cook a meal, clean the house are all critical components of running a household or simply living on your own. However, this site is not dedicated to the basics of running a household, but instead it's about the joy that I find in creating things for myself and for others. In exploring the resources that I provide, I hope that you may attempt to make some of the things that I have and then share the beauty with others.

Stewardship

Not any other ordinary bag

Over the summer I took a class, here at Messiah College, titled Created and Called for Community. For this class I had to complete a project related to creation. I decided to stick to the topic of stewardship. I thought about how many plastic bags I use and then throw away. I thought about how stores are offering shoppers reusable bags, which then inspired me to make my own reusable bag. I wanted to make something durable so I chose a linen fabric. I wanted this bag to look like something I would want to take places and use. I did not buy a sewing pattern, but instead I took a bag that I already had and examined it to see how it was constructed and used that as my pattern. This simple bag was so much fun to make and it is serving a purpose. I encourage you to make a simple bag like this. It would be a great project to do with children as an opportunity to teach about the environment and our responsibility as its caretakers.

Another fun project to do is to make your own non-toxic home cleaning products. Sometimes it’s nice to know what is being released in your home, and this is one way to do that. On this website, there are recipes for all-purpose cleaners and some much more to help you make a clean and healthy home for you and the one’s you love.

http://eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_solutions.htm

Knit

My favorite hat

Over Christmas break I needed a hat so I knitted one. I found some yarn and pair of knitting needles and within a couple hours it was finished! There is great website called ravelry.com were you can find free hat patterns and so much more!! This website is great for beginners or for the experts.

A Perfect Gift

I made this blanket as a graduation present. It took me a really long time, but that's because it was one of my first knitting projects. I used a garter stitch for all the rectangles and then sewed them together. You probably have no idea what a garter stitch is, or let alone how to make a blanket. However, even if you already know how to knit, lionbrand.com is an excellent website that provides learning resources for beginners and for those who can't put their needles down.

Handmade For Amelia

Amelia is a very special little girl. When she was younger her mama did some traveling and I would go along to babysit Amelia. Just this past summer I was able to visit them at their home in North Carolina. I really wanted to surprise Amelia with a present, and as I was searching the web I found a pattern for a dress on ravelry.com. This dress was supper easy and affordable to make. After the dress was made I also knitted and sewed a flower for her hair. This gift was made with lots of love.

Daffodils

This was a really fun project that I completed for a poetry class. My professor wanted the class to take a poem and then create a piece of art work or write a song. Since I can't sing or paint a picture, I decided to use fabric to tell a story. My purpose was to sew a comforter for a child. I used the poem titled "Daffodils" by William Wordsworth. Even though this blanket may not have Ten Thousand daffodils, I did my very best to create something that I am proud of. I sewed the comforter from an old certain. I cut the arm of an old sweater to create the tree trunk. The water is just a ribbon that I looped to create texture and the golden daffodils were all peiced together by hand. The cloud was made from an old scarf and the stars are purls that I sewed on by hand.

"Daffodils" (1804) I WANDER'D lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the Milky Way, They stretch'd in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. The waves beside them danced; but they Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: A poet could not but be gay, In such a jocund company: I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought What wealth the show to me had brought: For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils. By William Wordsworth (1770-1850).

Anyone can make projects like this, and all you need is a little imagination. Start by reading a poem or listening to a song you like and then start creating.

Nutrition

The food we eat provides us with energy and nutrients to fully function. A good way to look at the ingredients that you are consuming is to read the nutritional labels on the back of packaged foods. If you are not sure how to read a nutritional label click here to learn important information. Another way to start feeding your body healthy foods is to start cooking. This way you can hand pick a recipe that is healthy for you. There are even websites out there that list the calories and serving sizes for each meal. Speaking of calories, did you know that every gram of fat = 9 calories, and every gram of protein and carbohydrate = 4 calories? Little facts about nutrition can be learned at a young age. I believe that cooking with children will help them learn in an exploratory way about nutrition. Here are a few resources that will help expand your knowledge.

http://kidshealth.org/kid/recipes/index.html#cat20229

http://www.mypyramid.gov/preschoolers/index.html

http://www.parents.com/recipes/

http://nutritiondata.self.com/topics/recipes