FAT FREE French Fries!

I know, I know, it sounds too good to be true, but these are totally fat free french fries - and they're GOOD! My husband and kids couldn't stay out of them. Here they are:

Ingredients:

• 2 medium russet potatoes
• salt
• season all
• paprika
• garlic salt (just a little)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Spray a baking sheet heavily with Pam or another nonfat cooking spray.
3. Slice your potatoes fairly thin (think MacDonald's fries). My hubby got me a fantastic slicer for Mother's Day that makes this step a breeze!
4. Spread your fries on the baking sheet, and try to separate them as much as possible so each one can get crispy.
5. Season them, and then toss them in the oven for 25-35 minutes. You can turn them halfway through, but I didn't and they still turned out AWESOME!
6. Enjoy!  :)

We had them with ketchup, but you can also make fat free fry sauce with ketchup and fat free mayo. Either way, they're delicious and you won't miss the fat at all!

Easy Peasy Pillowcases!

I love sleeping (what mommy doesn't?) and I REALLY love easy, cute projects, so these pillowcases were right up my alley! I made two sets, one for each of my boys, and they turned out great:

Can't get enough of the argyle!

Johnny LOVES his bright owls (me too!).

So, here's the scoop:

Materials*:

• 1 main strip of 27" x 41" fabric
• 1 accent strip of 3" x 41" fabric
• 1 cuff strip of 11" x 41" fabric

*Remember, these measurements are for ONE pillowcase! If you do a set of two and alternate main and cuff fabrics like I did, you will need to purchase: 1 1/4 yards each of your two main fabrics, and 1/4 yard of your accent color.

Steps:

1. Follow the instructions found on Notes from the Patch, found here. This tutorial is just about as self-explanatory as they get! I love it!
2. Say "Voila!" beacuse you're done.

Isn't that the easiest thing ever? I absolutely loved pulling it all back right-side out. It was like openeing a present!

Minky Patchwork Baby Quilt

Hey everyone! I made this fun quilt for my sister, who happens to be expecting a baby boy 6 weeks before I am. So exciting!

The quilt was beyond easy, and I had tons of fun making it. The only problem: my boys got really attached to it and were sad when I gave it away! I'll just have to make a few more.

Well, without further adieu, here's the tutorial:

Materials:

• (6) 4" x 4" cotton fabric squares
• (10) 6" x 4" cotton fabric squares
• (2) 26.5" x 3" cotton fabric squares  
• (2) 22.5" x 3" cotton fabric squares
• (1) 12" x 18" minky fabric square (for middle)
• (1) 26.5" x 25.5" minky fabric square (for backing)

Steps:

1. Follow the instructions on the blog Noodles and Milk. Such an easy tutorial, and she has a great diagram and awesome pictures. 
2. I changed the middle square, making it minky and then quilting it on a diagonal, following the dots, creating 3 by 3 dot diamonds. I got the idea from this post. 
3. For the binding, sew the front and back together (right sides facing each other). Sew 1/4" from the edge, and leave about 3" for when you turn it right side out.
4. Turn it right side out, and sew again along the seam, this time 1/2" from the edge. Make sure to turn the 3" that you didn't sew under so it creates a finished look. Check out this page for binding help.

Tada! Fun, easy, and you can create endless patterns with your own choices of fabric. Have fun!

Fluffy Crochet Braid Hats

I crocheted these adorable hats for my boys for our Christmas picture last year:

They were SO fun and easy. Each one took me about an hour, and my cost was about $3 altogether for yarn. Can't beat that! So here's the simple tutorial.






Materials:

• 2 different colored skeins of fluffy yarn
• size J crochet hook

Main Hat Steps:

1. Single crochet in one color about halfway down the length of a baby beanie. If you've never made one before, this link should help a ton (and don't worry - super easy!). If you do use the video, just don't do the stripes like she does.
2. Do a shell stitch in the same color 3 or 4 rows down (depending on the size of the head). Once again, if you've never done a shell stitch, here's an easy link for you.
3. Do 1 to 2 more rows in the shell stitch, but with the opposite color.
4. Finish with 3 or 4 more single crocheted rows in your original color.

Braid Steps:

1. Cut 9 looong strands of your original color of yarn (times 2 braids is actually 18 strands for one hat).
2. Tie all 9 ends together in a square knot, leaving a little extra yarn for a fringe.
3. Then divide the nine strands into 3 groups of 3 strands and braid all the way down.
4.  Tie another square knot at the end, this time tying the end of the braid to the side of the hat.
5. Repeat for the other side.  

Voila!! Comment if you have any questions. Thanks!

Kristi

Welcome!

Hi everyone! I thought I'd introduce myself a little before I get too crazy with the crafts. My name is Kristi Young, and I have a BIG crafting addiction! No, really. It's how I stay sane.

I'm a stay-at-home mom with two little boys (ages 1 and 2) and one more boy on the way in December! Needless to say, I am outnumbered 4 to 1 by boys in my house:

Us! And yep, I made the hats :)

Our new little addition!

 Amidst all the cars, sports, wrestling, and dinosaurs, I keep in touch with my inner girly-girl by making pretty stuff! Among my favorites (as you will soon find out!) are sewing, crocheting, jewelry-making, artsy baking, and just generally making fun, cheap, easy stuff.

I am SO excited to share my fun ideas with all of you! I hope you all love them as much as I do.

Lots of love,

Kristi