Vintage Lace Embellished Hand Towels

Remember that set of hand towels I bought at Bed Bath & Beyond a couple weeks ago?  Well I've been working on sprucing them up a bit.  A couple years ago a friend gave me a bunch of vintage hand crocheted pillowcase lace her grandmother had made many, many years ago.  I was thrilled to get it and even more thrilled to finally get to put it to use.

Pillows and pillowcases are larger than they were when this lace was made so most of it is too small to add to new pillowcases unless I make them myself, which I just may do, but I also had the idea of adding some of the lace to some hand towels.

Another hand stitched project.  Just perfect for me to work on while enjoying a movie or TV show in the evening.

I washed the towels first because they are 100% cotton.  Then I used my machine to stitch the ends of the lace before I cut it so it wouldn't unravel.  Once that was done and pinned in place I used thread doubled over and a sharp needle to make tiny even stitches and sew it onto the ends of the towel.

Another fun project in the books and some beautifully handcrafted lace that will continue to be enjoyed for many years to come.  I'm so glad my dear friend thought to give this to me.

Do you have lace like this in your linen closet?  Don't you just love it?

Pea Salad

I looooooooooove this salad.  For one thing, it is super easy.  And for another, it has bacon in it.  You just can't go wrong with bacon.  I mean, seriously!

Pea Salad

1/2 cup sour cream

3 Tbs. red wine vinegar

1 Tbs. milk

1 1/2 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 10oz. pkg. frozen peas, thawed, patted dry

1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained, chopped

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

6 slices of bacon, cooked crisp, crumbled

Combine sour cream, vinegar, milk, sugar, salt and garlic powder in a small bowl.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  Combine remaining ingredients in a medium bowl.  Add chilled dressing and toss lightly.

The next time you are looking for a really good side dish, this is the one.  An excellent one to take to a potluck or family gathering.

My Grocery Budget - March Update

I happily spent a vast majority of our grocery budget on fresh produce.  I also stocked up on cream cheese, sour cream, tomato sauce and pasta among of few other things.

My non food items budget is $25 a month and I had $3.11 leftover from February to roll over and add to it making it $28.11.  I bought aluminum foil, some cleaning supplies and stocked up on toilet paper spending $15.11  and leaving me with $12.63 left to roll over next month and use.

Here is the list of food I bought.  The items highlighted in red are my stock up items:

Groceries		$$$
Milk - 1 gal.		1.89	Sale
Cream - 1 pt.		2.49
Spinach		1.99
Lettuce		1.89
Coleslaw mix		1.49
Oranges - 4#		2.77	Sale
Onions - 1.7#		0.82
Garlic		0.44
Pasta (12)		8.28	Store Coupon
Broccoli		0.81	Sale
Milk - 1/2 gal. (4)		3.16	Store Coupon
Orange juice - 1/2 gal. (2)		1.58	Store Coupon
Cream cheese - (4)		3.96	Store Coupon
Eggs - dozen (2)		1.98	Store Coupon
Ice cream (2)		3.38	Store Coupon
Tomato sauce (10)		4.90	Sale
Butter		3.48
Plums		2.21	Sale
Tomatoes		1.39	Sale
Oranges - 2.5#		1.63	Sale
Blood oranges		1.41	Sale
Corned beef		10.27	Grocery Outlet
Corned beef		8.42	Grocery Outlet
Butter		2.99	Grocery Outlet
Cheese (4)		1.94	Grocery Outlet
Hummus (3)		2.97	Grocery Outlet
Herb spread		0.97	Grocery Outlet
Tortilla chips		1.49	Grocery Outlet
Sour cream (2)		1.98	Store Coupon
Mayonnaise (2)		3.98	Store Coupon
Crackers (2)		3.98	Sale
Potatoes - red		0.94
Cake mix (5)		4.40	Sale
Veggie tray		7.99
Lettuce		1.89
Non stick cooking spray		1.00	Dollar Store
Whole chicken		4.45	Markdown
Bagels - 6ct (2)		1.98	Markdown
Potatoes - 10#		1.49	Sale
Green onions		0.79	Sale
Crackers (2)		2.78	Store Coupon
Butter		3.98	Store Coupon
Corn (4)		1.56	Sale
Total		$ 124.19

$124.19 ÷ 31 days ÷3 people = $1.34 per person per day!

Next month I am hoping for a good buy on sugar and as always meat and cheese.  Did you stock up on anything this month?  Any super deals?

Last Week's Thrifty Moves

Pretty little vintage lamp.

I had a very busy and productive week, which I love.  It was spring break for my girls and I was able to work half days and have extra time with them too.

Sunday I got up and got busy.  I made a small loaf of whole wheat bread and a dozen dinner rolls.  Then I spent some quality time with my sewing machine.

I embellished the second set of sheets I bought the week before with vintage crocheted trim I already had in my stash.  I finished my embroidered chicken tea towel.  I embellished three of the hand towels I had bought at Bed Bath & Beyond (post coming) using vintage crocheted pillowcase lace I had been given by a friend.  I cut out another doily from a scrap of fabric I had.

I made a satin belt for my oldest.  A friend of hers gave her a dress she no longer wanted and it was missing the belt.  She plans to wear the dress to her freshman dance so I made her a simple belt using a wide satin ribbon I had in my stash and a skirt hook I also had on hand.  It looks perfect with the dress and she is very pleased.

I hemmed a pair of the shorts we found at a thrift store a couple weeks ago for my youngest.  They were a touch longer than she liked.  One must have the correct length on their shorts when running track, you see. J

I used a little Spray & Wash to clean a couple spots off of a lampshade I bought at the thrift store the week before for $1.99.  Then I cleaned the rest of the shade with a damp rag.  It cleaned up very nicely.  I let it dry and then got out the glue gun to add some pretty gold trim I had.  I think it turned out very nice.

Tuesday evening I finished embroidering a tea towel I had started last year.

Wednesday I dug out all of my scraps and smaller pieces of fabric.  It always take me forever to make a final decision on which ones I'll eventually end up using, however this time my pile seemed to have its own color theme which made it a much easier process for me.  I had just enough to cut out pieces to make 12 nine patch quilt squares.  Thursday I finished stitching them all together.  Whooo hoooo.

I had a small pile of scraps from my scraps.  I took about half of them and crazy quilted them together and used that to embellish my tea towel.  I have never crazy quilted before and I have to admit it was pretty fun.  Plus I got to use a lot of my fancy stitches on my machine.  I think it turned out pretty cute.

With all the projects I've been working on and finishing up the past few weeks I have managed to make some space in my unfinished project bin, my fabric dresser and I eliminated a good sized bag of trim from my stash.  My living room floor is starting to become visible again too.  J

Thursday, on the way home from work, I finished up my Easter shopping at Walgreens with a few inexpensive items I found on sale.  I spent less than $5.

I did a little grocery shopping at Albertson's after work Friday.  I wanted to take advantage of their sale on butter ($1.99 ea.), crackers ($1.39 ea.) 4 cans of corn (39¢ ea.) and a 10# bag of potatoes ($1.49).  While there I happened across a whole roasting chicken and two bags of bagels in the markdown bin.  Not a bad haul.

My youngest made homemade chocolate ice cream and I made two batches of homemade pudding.  The oldest had a not-so-much-fun appointment at the orthodontist so she needed some soft, cool treats for her sore mouth.

I made up another jar of soap.  I pulled out another jar I'd stuck in the purge box and filled it up with the extra bars of hotel soap I had leftover.  Now I have one to take to the "new house".  Grandma would approve.

How was your thrifty week?

My April Meal Plan

April is fast upon us and I made a meal plan that will keep us going throughout the month.  Lots of yummy meals await us and I can hardly wait.

Pork fried rice

This is what I plan to feed my lovely family this month:

Sloppy Joes, Tater Tots, Veggies & Dip

Ham & Bean Soup, Cornbread, Garden Salad

Chicken Caccitore, Pasta, Caesar Salad

Pork Fried Rice, Egg Rolls

Egg & Cheddar Sandwich, Sliced Peaches

Chicken Garlic Pizza, Spinach Salad

Vegetable Beef Soup, Biscuits, Tossed Green Salad

Pork Chops, Rice Pilaf, Steamed Broccoli

Spaghetti & Meat Sauce, Garden Salad

Blueberry Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs

Tuna Schooners, Tater Tots, Veggies & Dip

Chicken Tortillas Soup, Tossed Green Salad

Meat Loaf, Baked Potatoes, Green Beans

Chicken & Pasta Bake, Buttered Peas

Ham & Potato Hash, Fresh Fruit

Tortellini Soup, French Bread, Caesar Salad

Lemon Pepper Chicken, Pesto Orzo, Steamed Veggies

Beef Tacos, Lettuce & Tomatoes, Salsa

Veggie Quiche, Fruit Salad

Chili Dogs, Steak Fries, Veggies & Dip

Chicken Noodle Soup, Breadsticks, Garden Salad

Vegetable beef soup

My meal plan includes that I make pretty much everything from scratch.  Knowing what ingredients are in our food is important to me.  It also makes a huge difference in the cost of each meal.  I try to make all of our baked goods so I save money over buying them at the store.  Occasionally I may grab a loaf of bread if I am short on time, but I try not to do that very often.  We prefer our homemade bread over store bought.

Tortellini soup

As the budget allows I will plan to purchase loss leader items and take advantage of any good sales to further add to our pantry and freezer.

Spinach salad

Any fellow meal planners out there?  Whether you are or not, what are some of your favorites dinners to prepare for your family?