Hello,

DIY - Make your own re-usable produce bags.

My family has been trying to reduce the use of plastics.  One thing I have noticed is those plastic bags in the produce department get very little use.  Put your produce in the bag, check out, get home and remove the produce, throw the bag away. I decided to make my own re-usable and washable produce bags.  They are very lightweight so add very little to the cost of your produce purchase. I believe the small cost is worth the environmental impact all those plastic bags add to the landfill. I made a video of how to make your own produce bags.  I started out with a mesh laundry bag from my local dollar store. You also need some cording or a thin shoelace, cotton yarn or durable ribbon for your drawstring.  These bags can be hand sewn if you do not have a sewing machine.  Watch the video for instructions. Follow my YouTube channel for more videos to come.

Click below to watch video!

Sorting tip for your craft dies.

Hello,

Today I want to share a tip on how I make sorting my craft dies easier.  I have dies that come in packets that have many dies in one packet.  I tend to use dies from more than one packet when I am making projects.  At the end of the day it was taking quite awhile to sort the dies back into their proper packet.  I came up with a easy solution to the problem.  I use nail polish and put a small amount on each die in the packet and put a small amount of that same color die on the front of the packaging.  Now, I sort the dies by color at the end of the day and quickly put them back into their proper packet. I hope this tip helps you to sort your dies easier. See my video for more information.  Enjoy.
Blessings, Diane

Hello,

I have been enjoying some of my time at home since my job was eliminated. Having more time at home has given me more time to be creative and cook from scratch. My Hubby enjoys when I take time to make a home cooked meal and who wouldn't.
I decided I wanted to make some cinnamon rolls. I look at the cinnamon rolls in the bakery section of the market and they look dried out. I want soft, fluffy cinnamon rolls not hard ones. I decided to go on a mission and check the internet for a recipe. Gotta love the internet for the resources you can find. I found a recipe on King Arthur Flour web site. It lacked sugar in the dough so I thought it might be a bit bland. If  your having a cinnamon roll you want sweet I say.  So I kept looking and found Cleobuttera. She used the same recipe as King Arthur and made a couple of adjustments. Cleobuttera has a lot of step by step photos and instructions for making the cinnamon rolls so you cannot mess them up. The recipe is at the bottom of her blog page.  The technique I learned to make soft and fluffy cinnamon rolls is called "Tangzhong method".  Check this link for some good information and how to start your cinnamon rolls and also bread recipes. You can also search the internet for more information related to Tangzhong method.
My family sure enjoyed the cinnamon rolls.  The following day they are still soft and fluffy. It did take awhile t make them. Mostly because of the wait to for the dough to rise.  I found other thing to do during the wait time.  They are well worth the effort to make. Look how beautiful they are, and the caramelized bottom is a bonus.

Hope you make some and enjoy.

Blessings, Diane

Hello,

Starting the New Year with a little bit more creativity.  I have this box filled with a bunch of scrap die cuts and Cricut shapes.  I decided I need to start using up what I have cut already instead of cutting more pieces.

 I pulled out lot's of pieces and played with layering them till I put together something I like.  The greetings I type up on my computer and then die cut cut.  I hope to have a video tutorial in the future t show you how I do that.  I have to learn to screen capture and edit before I can do this. When I got something together I liked I put onto a card base and I have a couple of beautiful finished cards. 

Enjoy!
May your day be filled with many blessings,

Blessings, Diane

Happy New Year,

I am looking forward to the New Year. 2018 was a difficult year and also filled with some wonderful blessings.  My father passed away at the end of 2017 so the entire 2018 year was filled dealing with his property and stuff.  His no need for a Trust has proven a challenge for me to deal with.  I did get him to sign a Will that the state of California does not really recognize so I have to go through Probate.  That has been a challenge but I am working through it without a lawyer.  Dealing with the court, tons of paperwork,  realtors and siblings has I believe strengthened me.  There have been days I have wanted to quit and let someone else deal with this.  Then I remember my father choose me to take care of his Estate so I push forward.  At the end of 2018 I finally got one piece of property sold.  On to the next one.  Probate is I think actually moving along faster than I expected.  Most people tell me it take a year to two years.  I started in August and I am at the point to ask the judge for final distribution.  I had the loss of a sweet Nephew to suicide that no one expected. I also had the loss of a very dear friend. She battled cancer for 7 years and it took her life. My dad's brother passed away one year and eleven days after my father. There was so much loss this past year my heart cannot take anymore.We also decided to have our kitchen cabinets refinished, and that turned into a disaster. The painter did such a poor job that my cabinets looked like a cat scratched the front. Since I would not accept the quality of work the contractor left the job.  The owner called and wanted to make things right.  We gave him a chance but the guy painted everything outside and the doors are covered in dust that then got covered with paint.  What a ugly mess. I have hired someone else that is making new doors and drawers.  Hope to have them installed next week.  Started this back in August. It was supposed to be a three week job and it is now January.

The blessings for 2018 were restored relationships.  This just fills my heart to the brim with love and is what I needed to counter all the loss in my life.  My eldest son whom walked away from the family a few years ago, has come back into our lives and it has been joyous.  My second son and his wife have reunited and remarried and are so happy together. To see my son's broken heart healed and to see the two of them together gives hope that broken relationships can be mended. With the passing of my dad's brother this year I reconnected with cousins I had not seen for about 40 years. We spent time together and it was so comfortable. We shared so many memories of our childhood together and photos. Living all the way across the states from each other we just never visited. 

I am looking forward this year to finishing up the Probate work and taking more time to do something creative.  I realized I need to refuel my inner self with doing something I enjoy. For the past few years I have challenged myself to complete something during the year.  One of my best was going back to school and learning how to use Adobe Illustrator, In-Design and Photoshop.  That has proven to be a great investment to myself.  I can create so much more than I used to and it has expanded my job skills.

 This year I want it to be about relationships. I lost so much last year that this year I want to spend more time with friends and family and nurture those relationships more than I have before. I also want to get back to doing something creative and sharing it with others.

My first project for 2019 was making these bowl cozies.  With Winter upon us I have been eating more out of a bowl and they can get hot.  So I decided a bowl cozie was a necessity.

I found some patterns and tutorials online.  Check these out if you want to make some yourself.

Diane Knott - Craftsy

Craft Warehouse

Happy Hour Stitches

Sew4Home

There are also You-Tube videos you can search for if you need more help.

Happy New Year,  Blessing to you all!

Diane

Weekly Meal Planner with Dinner Suggestions

Hello,

I have been busy trying to get meal planning organized.  I have created three weeks of worth of Dinner Ideas.  Have more ideas for a fourth week.  Will work on getting that put together soon. I have recipes for you also. Some are 4" x 6" size, ready for you to cut out and laminate if you want.  A couple had too much info to fit on a card size so they are full pages.  Just fold to fit in your recipe box. I laminated my Menu planner so it will last awhile.  I also thought you could cut out each meal idea and put into a jar and pull out a few for the week to mix it up.
Here is what they look like.  Click on the PDF link to print out or just save onto your computer. I left the grocery list section blank so you can fill in yourself. Come back to get week for and some more recipes.

Weekly Meal Planner One

Weekly Meal Planner Two

Weekly Meal Planner Three

Weekly Meal Planner Four

Weekly Meal Planner Blank

Recipe Cards Set One  These do not necessarily match what is on the week one Meal Planner,  I didn't think that far ahead when I was typing up the recipes.  Just print them all out.

Recipe Cards Set Two

Recipe Cards Set Three

Recipe Cards Set Four

Recipe Cards Set Five

Chicken Cordon Bleu and Lemon Almond Green Beans

Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cream

Using Rotisserie chicken from the deli will save you time and if you have a smaller family you will have leftovers for another meal. If your deli makes a nice potato salad or cole slaw, pick it up and save yourself some time making from scratch.  Though I do know a couple of ladies that can make a really wonderful potato salad.  I don't.  I always forget I am cooking the potatoes and then have to make mashed potatoes. :) 

Feel free to leave a comment.

Blessings, Diane

Job changes requires personal organization.

Hello,


I have been blessed with a job change that provides full time hours. I worked at my last job for eight years and really did enjoy the creative work I did.  Business just kept getting slower and my hours kept decreasing to a point I couldn't even buy groceries for a week.  A friend recommend me for a opening a her company and they hired me.
Working full time, as many of you know, does not leave you with much time for all the tasks at home like cooking, cleaning, laundry, family time and having a social life.


I am one prone to being organized or at least try to be. With my past job I had plenty of time to prepare dinner.  Mind you, I had plenty of time just maybe didn't always want to do it. Now, I find I really need to get organized and plan my meals ahead so I don't get fast food every night. Which my more health conscious teenager does not like me bringing home for dinner.
I made myself a weekly meal planner list with a grocery list.  You can also find several on-line.  The ones I found on-line had too much space used up to look cute.  I love cute but I really wanted my document to be more functional. So,  now I am thinking and planning for the week the meals I want to cook and then shop for groceries accordingly.  This also saves on wasted food because I am buying what I know I will be cooking. I am finding I actually enjoy cooking more when I have all the ingredients I need to prepare a meal and know what I plan to prepare.  Makes getting home and starting dinner so much easier than asking hubby and kids "what do you want for dinner?" and everyone responding "I don't know" and an hour has gone by and nothing is on the table to eat.
I realize that I had too much time to think about what to make for dinner that I did not structure myself and let the time get away from me. I have been going through recipes I have and found new ones online to try.


I recommend if you haven't tried planning your meals for the week you give it a try.  There are even web sites with weekly meal planning meals you can get a weeks worth of ideas or join and have them send you a grocery list and recipes for the week or month.  Trust me it really does simplify your life.
Click below for my Weekly Meal Planner and get your meals organized.
My Weekly Meal Planner
Here are some dinner ideas I recently made.  I will add in some more when I get them written out.
Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cream Sauce
Pork Medallions with Grainy Mustard Sauce


Blessings, Diane

Hello,

Graduation is upon us.  I have two son's graduating from College this year and one son graduating from High School.  I am so very proud of all of them. I was asked  to make a Graduation Photo Album by someone. This is was I came up with. I designed some of the paper and many of the embellishments myself. The album can be personalized. I can change to your school colors. If you would like one allow 7 - 10 days for me to make. Click on image to view larger size. $25.00 each.

I have really been enjoying designing my own paper and embellishments. It is really nice to make something that fits the projects I am working on and not having to spend lot's of time shopping for something I never seem to find in the end. 

Let me know if I can make an album for you.

 Blessings, Diane

Hello,

Feeling a bit better today.  Have had some darn bug.  I am finding the winter weather seems to zap my creativity some. The weather is warming up and I finally made it to my office to create a card. What about you?  Does the weather have any influence on how creative you are?
Here is a Christ is Risen card to share.

The card base was a pre-made card DCWV Linen Closet box.
Stamps: Christ is Risen - Stampin' Up!  Flowers - Stampin' Up!
Leaves: Sizzix - Flowers, Brances & Leaves set
Plaid Frame and Christ is Risen cut out with Sizzix - 657902
White Frame: Sizzix - Ornate Plate
Embossing Folder: Sizzix
Flowers shapes with the Heartfelt Deluxe Flower Shaping Kit
Glitter: Sparkle and Yellow

Enjoy, Diane

You've Been Elfed

Hello,

Apparently the "You've Been Elfed" tradition has been going on for awhile and I only found out last year after the Holiday's.  We have a couple of new neighbors this year so I thought it would be nice to Elf the new neighbors.  There are lot's of cute You've Been Elfed signs on the internet you can search for and print out to use for yourself.  I found one I particularly liked here: http://www.tipsfromatypicalmomblog.com/2012/11/weve-been-elfed-free-printable-door.html This site has lot's of other fun stuff also.
I wanted a couple of tags to attach to my gifts so I made a couple to match the signs.

I know that a lot of people like to do neighbor gifts, but this is extra special because it’s done in secret, and the kids love to ring the doorbell and run away.  They feel like little elves themselves.

So what you do is:
1. Download the printable signs and tags. (Click on the above image and it will open to full size. Right click your mouse and save to your computer).
2. Print 2 Copies
3. Make a special treat for 2 people (maybe pick someone that needs some extra love, this is a great way talk to your kids about thinking of others instead of themselves)
4. Head out and leave the note with the treat on your unsuspecting recipient!
5. And above all, have fun!

Merry Christmas, Diane

Halloween Treat Box Class

Hello Ladies,

Halloween will be here soon.  I have designed some treat boxes that will make giving your sweets to someone extra special.  Attend my class on October 7th at 6:30 pm. Get all the materials to decorate 8 boxes.  You will have extra designs and tags to make more boxes or add to bags for gift giving.  Class fee: $12.00.  Please register in advance so I can prepare a kit for you.  Here is a photo of the projects you will be making.

Looking forward to seeing you.

Blessings, Diane

Ladies Open House Craft Night

Hi Ladies,

It has been a long time.  My Open House night will be starting up again.  I am looking forward to seeing all of you and sharing some creative ideas.

Blessings, Diane

Hello,

I saw a couple of cute bags online and wanted to make myself some.  I spent today making a couple of bags. They were really easy to make. My daughter-in-law wants a Bento Tote for her lunch tote.  My son's girlfriend wants a Origami bag because she thinks it is so cute.  I have another bag I want to make.  Project for another day.

Directions to make the Bento Tote can be found here.  

Directions for the Origami Bag can be found here.

More directions can be found here.

Blessings, Diane

Sunflower Wedding Album

Hi,
I love this Wedding photo album I designed. Measures 8 1/4" x 5 1/4". The base of the album is chipboard to make your album sturdy. Perfect brag book size. This album has 8 beautifully decorated pages that will fit your 4 x 6 photos. There are lot's of great icons, accents and journaling blocks decorating the album. Just add your photos to complete the album. This album design can be customized to your wedding colors and flowers can be changed. Personalization also available. Contact me for options... Click photo to see full size. Cost: $25.00 includes shipping in bubble envelope. No tax.
Order the matching Tri-Fold-Shutter card for a complete gift.
Coming will be Wedding, Baby and Birthday albums.

Blessings, Diane

Sunflower Wedding Card

Hello,
I finally finished my Sunflower Wedding Card. Love this shutter fold style card. Personal message can be added to the back of card. Colors can be changed to personalize. I did design some of the paper and most of the images. The flowers are all handmade. Click image to see more detail. I will have a link soon so you can order with PayPal.

Blessings, Diane