Thank goodness my children have friends.  Without their influence (both positive and negative), things like a hanging canopy would be off my radar.  My daughter's friend has  this one .  While it is very nice, I was determined to make one for her, that matched her room better, and for less money.  We all have budgets and my household happens to be on a tighter one at the tail end of my husband's grad school stint. Wanting to keep this project as frugal as possible, instinct turned me to  Pinterest  for design ideas.   This tutorial  proved fruitful, but also not without its own challenges.  For instance, why sew two twin sheets together when you can use one king?  Likewise, there are more steps AND materials, than are actually required to put together a rockin' canopy.  With that in mind, gather the following materials: hula hoop (preferably one NOT filled with water) 1 king size flat sheet (new or upcycled, your choice) Embellishments, optional ( here's what

Sure, there are four seasons to a calendar year, but are there ever really four whole seasons?  At best, there are 2.7, or 3.275 depending on where you live.  In the Midwest, we have all four, but Spring and Fall tend to be very short lived transition spaces between the vastness of Summer and Winter.  Citrus Bliss is the perfect blend to help with the transition from Winter to Summer (and cope with the lack of Spring). You'll need the following supplies: 1 roller bottle Carrier Oil (jojoba, almond, grapeseed, etc) Lavender Essential Oil Lime Essential Oil Grapefruit Essential Oil In a roller bottle (pictured is a 1/3 ounce roller), combine the following: 6 drops Lavender Essential Oil 3 drops Lime Essential Oil 3 drops Grapefruit Essential Oil Next, fill with your carrier oil.  Create your own label, or have some help from Avery's wonderful design shop.  Apply to pulse points, or rub into palms (then rub palms together to warm the oils and

This week, our world laid to rest the most beautiful of souls.  She touched so many lives, but silently suffered with her own fears, worries, and suicidal thoughts.  If you have thoughts of ending your life, I encourage you to seek help immediately.  Asking for help, although once thought to be a sign of weakness, is actually the bravest and most courageous thing you can do for yourself.  If you don't want to reach out to people closest to you, I urge you to call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-723-TALK (8255).  If someone you know talks about wanting to die, seek help for this individual.  Do not brush them off, or tell them to "not think that way" because they are likely to not ask you for help again.  Coming to you for help took every ounce of courage they could muster. With all this in mind, there are things you can do for yourself, or your loved one, that may help ease their anxiety and/or depression.  Essential oils have numerous benefits.  Each of the reci

Lice.  I could end it here and leave the remainder open to discussion of your own lice stories, but not everyone has a story yet, or theirs is just being written.  So for the future warriors...  According to Wikipedia: The head louse is an obligate ectoparasite of humans that causes pediculosis capitis.  Head lice are wingless insects spending their entire life on the human scalp and feeding exclusively on human blood. So they're a parasite.  Do you know that most parasites do not want to leave their host?  They have a slew of ways to make sure they stay put.  Lice are no exception.  Their eggs stick to the base of the hair shaft with the insect equivalent of super glue.  They have become treatment resistant to the caustic chemical combinations carried on drugstore shelves.  They are rapid breeders and can easily transfer from one host to another (ie: from your head to your parent, spouse, friend, etc) by hugging, sharing hats, brushes, and hair accessories, and from not pr

Although I'm sure it's possible to own too much fabric, I find it unlikely that anyone who has a large stash would debate adding more yardage.  Some prints are worth having, even if you don't have an immediate project for them. The quilt above is the only one made by Caught Red Threaded that had an intentional fabric purchase.  The Care Bears backing is a childhood flat twin sheet.  Wanting to make a large throw/picnic blanket for my sister with this bed sheet in mind, I purposely chose a Moda Charm Pack for the front of the quilt.  Needless to say, it is highly coordinated. Each and every one of the quilts above was made using either scraps of fabrics from other projects, or fabrics that I already had in my stash that happened to coordinated with each other.  A great example of purchasing fabric just because is in the Berenstain Bears by Moda in the quilt above.  When I found this fabric, I knew I had to have it.  Two years later, it was put to u

The last month was all about sewing and pattern creation.  We've all had a great time, but it's time to take a reprieve from notions and get back to the aromatherapy side of Caught Red Threaded.  The chemical composition of essential oils, when combined with our body's own chemistry, can have powerful effects on our physical and emotional well-being.  The combination of essential oils is nearly limitless.  It is in blended formats that essentials oils (with individual expression) can lend themselves to the overall effect. Today, we will make a Love Potion spritzer for home and body.  You will need to gather the following supplies: 4 ounce spray bottle distilled water 1 teaspoon epsom salt (or other salt) Sweet Orange Essential Oil Lemon Essential Oil Cinnamon Essential Oil Rosemary Essential Oil Ylang Ylang Essential Oil dropper (optional) funnel (optional) spoon- for salt  When working with essential oils, be sure to know what you are buying as no

It's a quilt.  It's a pillow.  It's a quilt that folds in to a pillow.  It's a quillow! This tutorial promises to show you just how easy this is to make, especially if you already make quilts and other blankets.  It is also suitable for the beginner but please be patient with yourself, as this is a lengthy project.  When sewing, please remove pins before they arrive at the needle.  Sewing through a pin can cause your needle to break.  Since this has the potential to create bodily harm should it fly off, it is safe practice to remove all pins prior to their arrival at the needle. To begin, you will need the following: Cotton Thread Fabric Cut 11 18"x18" squares (front & pocket) 60"x60" (back panel) Pearl Cotton No. 8 Sewing Machine Twin Size Batting (72"x90") Straight Pins Curved Safety Pins Curved Sewing Needle You can chose the style of quilt, or leave your squares 18"x18".  This tutorial