A friend recently shared the following words of wisdom, "Life's too short for ugly dish towels". She's right. I'm a bit of a dish towel snob myself, shelling out what many would deem too much money for a piece of pretty fabric to drape over the oven handle. Seven years ago (has it really been that long?) I took a class at Home Ec. Workshop . Actually I took many classes. This one, in particular, was on making your own silk screen and how to use it. In that class I made my (now famous) owl screen. I have used it countless times over the years to create screens in clothing, throw pillows, and, you guess it, dish towels. I especially love screening tea towels. Tea towels are your everyday drying towels, you may remember your grandmother or great grandmother using them to dry her dishes. When I speak of a dishtowel, I'm not talking about the lightweight terry cloth variety found in big box stores. A tea towel can be the most delicate tea towel fabric all t

I'm not very good at making time for myself. Even now, as I start typing this post, I'm waiting outside for my youngest to finish school so we can schlep across town to her voice lesson. What I lack in self care, I more than make up for in my ability to "get it done" when it comes to the crafting side of Caught Red Threaded, working part time for a law firm, volunteering numerous hours each week for a handful of organizations, AND acting as a consultant for small businesses.  It's atypical for me to have a manicure.  My massage therapist has serious knots to work through in my shoulders as I carry the weight of many businesses all at once.  This isn't about me (it almost never is). As a consultant, I offer a variety of business services.  Most of my business is word of mouth.  The highest compliment a current or former client can pay me is to share my information with another business who is in need of assistance.  From tweaking current systems to impleme

I don't know how many times in the last couple of years that I have longed for pizza. Not pizza as I once knew it. I'm talking about a cracker crust that is crispy. Something that holds together. So many recipes are elaborate and call for ingredients that I don't already have on hand.  When it comes to cooking, I only use what I already have in the fridge, pantry, and garden. In this recipe, if you use real eggs, good for you. Just be sure to decrease the water. Don't have a GF Flour blend?  Straight up almond flour works just as well. The taste is slightly altered but not in a bad way.  I treat the kitchen like a chemistry workshop. A little bit of this, and a dash of that to produce a masterpiece. As my family can attest, I almost never write the recipe down. Consider yourself lucky that this recipe made it on to paper to eventually become this post. With that said, here ya go... Ingredients: 1/2 C. Gluten Free Flour 1/8 C. Egg Replacer 1/4 C. Wa

My Mom was really in to making casseroles and jello. One of my favorites was actually my Grandma Lala's recipe. Chicken Scallop, full of dairy goodness. Smelling pimentos immediately immerses me in the comfort of childhood. Crammed around the kitchen table with my three siblings and parents, a noodle dish followed by a work of gelatin art was standard cuisine.  Today, craving comfort food but not really able to find gluten free, dairy free, and egg free products too readily where we live, it was time to convert another recipe. I'm happy to share the original recipe if you're interested, but it's the modified "Sarah Safe" version that's on display today.  It all started with a whole chicken, cut up and in the pressure cooker to make chicken stock. Of course, you can always buy stock at the store, and chicken pre cooked, leftovers, or cook up some meat in no time at all. (Any poultry works here so plan on this for those thanksgiving leftovers!) Ingredients:

Monday, June 13th was National Sewing Machine Day.  Yes, it's a real thing.  I was also skeptical so I Googled it.  It's real.  In honor of such an obscure and obviously special day,  Caught Red Threaded  is giving away two precut zipper pouch sewing kits!  How to enter: 1.  Visit  www.caughtredthreaded.com 2.  Come back to this post and leave a comment about your favorite item for sale by Caught Red Threaded and why that item speaks to you. 3.  Head over to  Facebook  and like  us  (if you already like our page, please leave a review, compliments are always welcome). It's just that simple.  The kit includes precut fabric, and a zipper.  It will also come with a link to detailed sewing/assembly instructions. My sewing machine works tirelessly for Caught Red Threaded.  Most items made are sold moment after they are finished.  In honor of National Sewing Machine Day, it's been given the week off.  We all deserve a summer vacation. This contest is open until Jun

My daughter has been asking for an emoji pillow since they first debuted 18 months ago. We can't walk into any mall without her fixating on the kiosk, begging to spend money that isn't hers. I'll admit, it's been tough holding my ground on this one. They aren't that expensive. But I know, like everything else in her hoard of a bedroom, she will notice it for a couple days, only for it to be lost in the rubble. Fast forward to this week... This same emoji-pillow-begging-daughter came up with a great idea. She wants to make her own emoji pillow. She told me all about what it should look like, and even presented a drawing.  Now this is an idea I am on board with 100%!  I love that she enjoys crafting, and that she has enough knowledge to know how to draw out a design, choose materials, and then create it.  To make this emoji pillow, you will need the following materials: Sewing machine  Thread 1/2 Yard Yellow Fabric Scraps of Red, Bl

A friend recently purchased a diffuser. She hemmed and hawed for days before buying it online from Amazon. She even turned down a Groupon offer (which was apparently very tempting!) before finalizing her decision.   So let's say you Google "essential oil diffuser".  Your search comes up with "about 525,000 results.  Of course the process is overwhelming.  Add to it, many people are novices and aren't sure the level of investment they want to make, let alone what style and size to pick.  Let me help you out by narrowing your search. Target  offers a small, but very affordable option.  This one retails for $19.99.  Travel friendly, it operates on batteries or with the included USB cord.  If you want something that will last 1-2 hours, then this is the product for you.  However, if you are looking for something with more oomph, I would recommend the next model. This diffuser by Now ranges in price from $35-$45, depending on the vendor.  It offers a soothi

Let's get one thing straight. Whether you are the type of person who attracts mosquitos or not, when you do experience a mosquito bite, your body's natural histamine response causes itching at the site. By itching, I don't just mean a simple itch relieved by a momentary scratching. I'm talking about wooden back-scratcher level of itchiness. And I hate to break it to you if you didn't already know, but scratching only makes it worse. Plus, from a hygienic perspective, it can be very unsanitary to scratch. Bacteria live on our skin. Think of yourself as the "host with the most". Bacteria are also opportunistic. If there's an open wound, say a freshly scratched to high hell mosquito bite, bacteria will set up a breeding program on the spot.  Now, I know you're a smart person. You don't want a skin infection. You didn't even ask for the mosquito bite in the first place; you were just mowing the lawn, enjoying your kid's baseball gam

Prior to the move last summer to Wisconsin, friends shared the unofficial state bird of Wisconsin is the mosquito. It's "rainy season" here and the mosquito population is mounting. It also happens to be the start of tick season, which lasts until snow covers the ground once more. No one wants to find a tick biting them, in the same manner as no one really hopes to be the next mosquito bite victim. And as if having cellulite wasn't offensive enough, the site of a tick lodged into the back of your thigh is likely to send you into a Google search frenzy. Obviously I'm speaking from experience. Our home is too far north to be concerned about the Zika virus doing harm via mosquitos. Now a deer tick carrying Lyme Disease?  This is a real threat. As a way to limit my chances of playing host to thirsty parasites, I blended together essential oils. You can also save yourself a lot of time, angst, and itching by mixing up a batch of this all natural repellan

It's rainy season in Wisconsin, and our house is starting to smell more like our long-haired chihuahua than anything else.  He's so close to the ground, a simple walk around the block leaves him muddy and soaked.  I've been playing around with essential oils to find (both the safest for the dog and most pleasant smelling for the people) just the right combination.  In the process, I discovered a few blends that work wonders on our little barking ball of fur. Many products for our pets, available at pet stores and big box retailers, contain harmful/toxic chemicals.  The same is true for the cleaning products we buy for our homes.  We purchase these items as unsuspecting consumers, thinking we are doing our home environment a favor.  In reality, we are creating a chemical storm.  It brews and does harm to our skin, lungs, eyes, etc.  Our fur babies are no exception when it comes to exposure to these harmful ingredients. Why choose essential oils?  First and foremost,

For nearly two decades, I have been making a version of this recipe that my Bubbie shared with me on the cusp of my 20th birthday. As an undergrad, apartment dweller, I was very proud of my newfound freedoms. When time and money allowed, my roommates and I would spend our time baking treats to eat and share with friends.  Bubbie's version of the recipe was top-secret. I didn't share it with anyone for at least ten years. Part of me was certain no one could make this recipe the way I could (I was young, what can I say?).  If I shared it with one person, how many others would have this coveted list of ingredients wrapped up into a chewy, delicious treat?  The thought of someone else sharing was even more distressing than my doing so in the first place. Once I got over myself, and I'm aware some things take longer than others, I shared this recipe with so much pride... Until it was pointed out to me by one of the recipients that it likely came from the back of a box.  How is i