Blueberry Crisp

As a Maine-ah, it's important that I use my blueberries well....and often!! I have got a couple recipes that are truly near and dear to my heart. There is one blueberry dish that eludes me, however:

Blueberry Crisp

There is something about a crisp that defies any of my cooking abilities. But, lucky for me, the is someone in my family who makes the best darned crisp around. I invited her over to do some cooking lessons with my Munchkin, who is a fan of working in the kitchen. Now, I have to be honest here and say that I do have some ulterior motives for inquiring about cooking lessons for the munchkin. Not only do they bake the best dishes when they work in the kitchen....but we get to keep 'um!!!! He, he, he, he....

It was nice of my MIL to take pity on poor crisp-less Missy this time around and write down the recipe. :-) Here, in all it's splendor, is the recipe I've been dreaming of:

Mimi's Crisp

Ingredients:

Frozen blueberries

1 stick butter (room temp)

1 cup Oats (old fashioned)

 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/4 cup white flour

1tsp cinnamon

1tsp nutmeg

~Heat oven to 350.  Cover bottom of 8x11"pan with frozen blueberries, as many as you would like (at least an inch deep, would be good). Mix the spices in with the sugar and flour. Mix butter into that and then add the rest of dry ingredients. Make sure it is good and stirred and then plop and smooth over the blueberries. Bake, covered for 25 minutes, and then uncovered for another 25....or until brownish and crispy on top. 

This dish MUST be enjoy with some vanilla ice cream. Seriously, I insist. :-)

Enjoy!!

Here are some parties I linked up to:

Works For Me Wednesdays
Thrifty Thursdays
It's Party Time @ Pony Tails and Fish Scales 

Make an Autumn Wreath Craft

Here's one of my versions of an Autumn wreath. Pretty simple!! I loved using leather....I think the color and texture is perfect for fall. In fact, the straw floral wreath was a great choice too....all the materials used in the making of this wreath have been certified by the Reminiscent of Autumn council.  :-) 

To make this Wreath You Need:

Straw Floral Wreath

Dark Leather Cord

Light Leather piece

Glue Gun

Acorn

Scissors

• Begin by wrapping the leather cord around the wreath. Spiral it around until the begging and the end of the cord meet and then use the hot glue to pin them to the back of the wreath. 
• Make some figure eights with a long piece of leather cord and glue the center of all the pieces down to a portion of the wreath. Glue and acorn in the center of that, making it look like a little bow. 
• Cut some leaf shapes out of the light, soft leather and glue a small piece of the dark leather down the center of it, making it look like the stem. Make 5 of these. 
• Take the stems of all five of the leaves and gather them at the ends. Glue them underneath the acorn bow. 
• Take one more piece of leather cord and coil it up, making a big spiral. Glue this over the stem ends to cover the up and add a little embellishment. 

There you go!! I almost don't want to display on my door. I can just imagine this on my coffee table. Of course, the straw pieces scattered all over the house would drive me bonkers. Danny, the cat would adore it. :-)

Keep an eye out in the next couple of days....I'm gonna be hosting a giveaway from CSN!!

Here are the parties I linked up to, check them out and be inspired!!

Lindo Twist n' Roll Review

 Here's a new "twist" on an old problem....the Lindo Twist and Roll tweezers. This product gets the tweezing job done in *bulk* and fast. I know when I am using regular tweezers I am constantly dreading that tug and pull....and it seems it lasts forever until the job is finally done. With the Twist and Roll, you just place it on your skin in a U shape and with a simple turning of the handles the tweezers just pluck a whole bunch of hairs all at once. To see the tweezers in action check out this PAGE.

The Good:

• It does it's job remarkably fast, saving you lots of time to do other more time-worthy projects. Like crafting, yay!!
• It's inexpensive: $14.99 on sale right now!!
• It reduces the pain level in minutes, by getting it so much more done in one roll, instead of constant pluck, pluck, plucking. 
• It does a great job and gets hairs that might be too small or too light to see and are easily missed with conventional tweezing.

The Not-So Good:

• You're still pulling hairs out of your head, no matter how you "twist" it. But, oh, the price of superficial beauty, right?? 
• Those simple little rolls can be painful (there's a lot of little hairs getting yanked). But, I say it's better to complete the project fast. 

 Ultimately, I'm a big fan of the Twist and Roll. It works perfectly with me: I don't have a lot of time during the day and I don't really have the patience for conventional tweezing. 

If you want to learn more about the Twist and Roll or would like to purchase one, you can find them here:
Lindo Twist and Roll

Disclosure: I received this product for the purpose of a review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. I am a woman of my word....if I don't like something, you'll know it!! :-)

Salon Grafix Invisible Dry Shampoo Review

It's time to put all my cards on the table:

  I don't wash my hair everyday.

I'm a mom. I'm a crafter. And, let's face it....quite often I have other things I'd rather be doing. But, I do like the look and feel of a clean head of hair. So, I was intrigued by the product by Salon Grafix: Invisible Dry Shampoo.

I just received it in the mail the other day and it happened to be on a day where I hadn't washed my hair yet. So, I gave it a try. Now, I lean towards the hippie end of the spectrum when it comes to beauty products....so, take that into account when you hear what a have to say.

The Good:

It worked!! My dirty tresses looked markedly cleaner after some liberal spraying of the product. It's smell isn't overpowering, in fact for the ingredients involved in the making of it....its quite amazing. There were no residues, only a slightly stiff feeling to my hair once it dried. No more stiff than if I used some mousse.

The Not-So-Good:

The first ingredient is butane. Then alcohol. Next is propane. Get the picture?? Holy cow, let me tell you....I was so very KEENLY aware of anything that might spark or start a flame in my presence. I know, that sounds dramatic.... but, with all that in my hair I was being extra cautious. Now, to be fair, I just looked up the ingredients in regular hairspray and it is right along the same lines. Very flammable. So, if you choose to use this product, be aware and take precautions. I would advise you against any hot air ballon trips.  The only other thing I might mention is that my skin where I sprayed was pretty warm and sore for a bit afterward....which is probably due to the chemicals and the fact that I don't use much hair product. I have naturally sensitive skin. 

Bottom line: 

This product is a great fit for those of you who are used to using these types of products on your hair/skin and who are looking for a simple way to clean their hair without the use of a shower. It does it's job well, if just a tad intensely.

I hope this review helped you to understand the product a bit better. I did receive product in compensation for this review. The review is written entirely in my own words, with my own opinon behind them. I am a woman of my word, and if I don't like something....you'll know!!

Yarn Covered Hanger Craft

Doesn't it drive you crazy when your clothes keep sliding off the hanger?? Here's a project that will keep those clothes where they belong!! Awhile back I found some yarn covered hangers in my father closet. When I asked him about them, he explained that they were made by my Great Grandfather when he, at the end of his life, was blind. He would make these for family and friends as a way to keep his hands busy. So, I thought I'd give it try!! 

It's really simple. Here's what you need:

Hangers

Leftover balls of yarn

Hot Glue

• Tie the end of the yarn to a the apex of the hanger, just before the hook. 
• Make little hitch knots around the hanger. As you can see in this very bad sketch I made:

• You just tie one end of the yarn (in blue) and then make a loop on one side of the hanger. Then, you have your yarn ball on the opposite side and you go over the hanger and through the loop. Do this for the whole length of the hanger.
• When you get to the end, use hot glue to attach it over the tip. 
• I attached some fabric flowers I made (with hot glue) to add a little pizazz. 
• Another tip you can do is tape two metal hangers together and make yarn knots over them, making a really heavy duty hanger, perfect for winter coats and such. 

 Fun, huh?? Give it a try. It's the perfect project to do while watching a movie.

Here are the parties I joined, check them out and be inspired!!!

Works For Me Wednesdays
Whatever Goes Wednesdays @ Someday Crafts
Thrifty Thursday
It's Party Time @ Ponytails and Fishscales
Frugalicious Friday  

Evora Giveaway Winner!!!!

After using the random # generator, the winner of the Evora plus giveaway is.....

Melissa!! Who said, on September 3rd:

"I already follow you!!"

I'll send an email out to you right away, Melissa.  I just need your full name and address so the Evora folks can send out your gift.  Thanks to everyone for entering the giveaway!!!!