My Own Scarf Design

After trying out a couple t-shirt scarf designs I found amidst the vast information on the interwebs, I decided to try and come up with my own. I'm usually not the best at original creations, but I'm pretty impressed with what I came up with.

When I decided I wanted to branch out and create my own interpretation of the t-shirt scarf, I began by looking at the copies I had already made. The second scarf I made had been my favorite so far, so I wanted to make one with that basic design. I took the looping feature and combined that with a braided look. I've seen some braided designs online, but most of these have required a sewing machine. Unfortunately, I don't have one at this point, so I have to make do with knots and ties and all the t-shirt strips that accompany a "no sew" craft.

I cut out strips from a light pink, dark pink and a black shirt, stretched them out and placed them in separate groups. I made a variety of braids, little ones, short ones, long ones, five stranded ones and ones with half knots and half braids. Some of the strands were really long so I used my toes to hold the end while I braided it completely. This worked out really well, although my toes did cramp up a few times. Since I braided over a dozen individual braids by hand, this took me quite a while. I watched tv again, as I tend to do as I make these scarves. I ended up watching several episodes of Being Human before I finished it.

Once I had a good amount of colors and braids, I tied each end together. Then I took a black strand, cut it and wrapped it around both ends, making the scarf a circle. I used three strands before it looked even and was completely sturdy and connected.

I'm very happy with the end result of this scarf. It's not quite as warm as the first two, but it's still very comfortable. I made it so I can either wear it looser, like a necklace, or loop it more around my head to create more of a scarf look.

My favorite aspect of this type of craft, is that it allows for so much modification and creativeness. Each scarf I make will always be different than the last. I cannot wait to make more, but I've run out of t-shirts so I will have to go back to Michael's or find a thrift store and buy a bunch more :).

My Favorite Pancakes

I love breakfast. If I could eat breakfast for every meal, I probably would most of the time. I also love to cook. I dream of cooking meals for my family someday. So, it's only natural that when I get the chance, I try out new recipes for me and Alex. I've found a few that are super easy and he loves them almost as much as I do, so I make and modify them a lot.

My favorite recipe right now is a Brown Sugar Oatmeal Pancake one that I originally found on allrecipes. However, I've made it so many times that I've modified it a lot.

I'm actually lactose intolerant so I have to change a lot of recipes to accommodate my annoying condition. While it can be very frustrating, and oftentimes it means I have to make half with dairy and half without, it's also been a little fun, learning to find alternatives to dairy that still taste almost as good.

Ingredients you will need:
1 cup almond milk or yogurt
2 T applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda

Tips for ingredients before I get into the making of these delicious pillows of yumminess!

First, I use Original Silk Almond Milk. I've tried all the kinds of almond milk that both Almond Breeze and Silk have to offer and this is my favorite. It's the perfect balance of sweet and not sweet and it's low in calories. Second, you can use vegetable oil instead of applesauce but Alex and I didn't notice any difference, so I figured I may as well cook a bit healthier.

Well, back to the actual making of the pancakes. Mix the milk/yogurt with the applesauce, egg and vanilla. Then add the dry ingredients and mix all together. Drop batter onto a skillet and flip once you see bubbles on the top of the pancakes. And there you have it! Delicious pancakes! See, that was easy, right?

I usually use a bit of peanut butter and syrup on top before diving in!

Another T-shirt Scarf Night

I had a blast making t-shirt scarves the other weekend and since then I've found several more t-shirt scarf "patterns." Since I purchased quite a few t-shirts at Michael's, I figured, why not try out a few of these other ideas and have a variety of scarves. I love scarves and these are some of the comfiest I've worn.

This second design was also found on Pinterest. The thing I love most about all these different scarves is that they all use the same basic steps. Therefore, if you have tried the first one, the rest are easy peasy.

The original design for this scarf (found on ettestudios.com) uses just one color of shirt. I used two. You copy the first step of the other scarf and cut the same basic strips out of the t-shirts. After stretching them out, divide them into two groups. I took ten red strips and six black strips in each group and placed them next to each other, as the picture below shows.

You then take another strip, cut it and tie the two groups together. Do the same to the other ends, making a circle. The final step is to wrap the remainder of the strip you tied around each end of the loops around and around and around and around... well, you get the picture. I tied a knot at the end and creatively tucked it in so it wouldn't show. You then have your scarf!

I actually like this one better than the first design I made. It's cozier and it hugs my neck tighter. It's so cozy that I forget I'm wearing it all the time. I actually went to bed with it on.

Hope you enjoy and happy crafting :).