Ask The Helpful Housewife

Some simple stitching fun for you...

I'm working on a fun little project for everyone to stitch! If you are familiar with transfer embroidery, then this will seem really simplistic to you. BUT, if you have never tried it before, then this is the perfect beginner project! I am going to post Monday and Tuesday's transfers today, then I will post each day's transfer design the each day the rest of this week.

Here's how it works, if you don't know how. Print out the design onto regular paper. You can save yourself a step by printing it out as a mirror image if your printer has that feature, but I will give you full instructions here assuming you don't.

Once you have it printed, trace the image onto tracing paper. Use a good, dark stroke so when you flip the tracing paper over you can clearing see it.

Now, trace the image again, but use a transfer pencil, such as a Clover red pencil used for transfering designs for embroidery. It will be backwards, but this is what you want.  Once you have the entire image traced with the transfer pencil, position the image with this backward image down on the fabric you wish to embroider on.  Floursack towels make a great first time project!

Lightly iron the paper using a press cloth.  The image will transfer onto the fabric.  Ouila! You have a transferred image to embroider using basic embroidery stitches! These are designed to be stitched using only the basic backstitch and whatever color of embroidery thread you choose. There is only one french knot required, and that is in the "i" in the word Friday, when it comes around....

Have fun! These are great for dishtowels!

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I hope you have fun with these!

 
 

Christmas in June! Presents for you!

Do any of you remember "Club House"? Ah, there's a blast from the past! Anyway, I found a couple extra packets of the very first edition tucked away that I had no idea I still had!!!!  (Talk about buried treasure...) If you would like to get your hands on it as a gift from me to you, please leave a comment here.  I will go down the list until I run out of packets, so you are taking your chances that I have enough!  So don't wait too long to leave a note here.  I'll post the results when I know them - hopefully soon!

Need some Housewife gear? Now available!!!

If interested, just check out The Housewife goods here....  I've got my Christmas list taken care of now!  lol

HK101 Sign Ups Going on NOW!!!!

I have finally declared a start day for Housekeeping 101:  June 7th!  If it begins that Monday, it will finish just in time for the Fourth of July weekend, and your home will be ready for patriotic fun and games.

Here's how to join in the fun, and get signed up for the course....

Please send me an email to thehelpfulhousewife@hotmail.com and in the subject line, type "Summer 2010 HK101".  All I need is your email address for the course.  Please submit it NO LATER than Friday, June 4th.  Then, beginning on Monday the 7th, you will receive a daily email with your lesson for that day.  Simple as that!  Each day will have a new topic/lesson for you to complete.  Once you have completed all 20 of them, you will be armed and ready to care for your home.  I send the emails daily, Monday through Friday, for four weeks.  You get the weekends off to play and spend time doing whatever you like!

I hope you will enjoy it - the interest in this has been very high again, and I predict another record breaking enrollment.  Let's have fun, and remember, this is only for enjoyment.  You won't have to turn in homework or send in anything.... it's all for you to do IF YOU CHOOSE.  But I have had enormous numbers of past participants tell me it was a lot of fun, and that they actually learned a lot along the way. 

So, get those emails in to me ASAP!

Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, It's Off to the Post Office I Go!

They are on their way!  And now that they have been mailed, I can let the cat out of the bag...  you are all receiving aprons in this package!  Because, as I said before:

Hint:  it wasn't created on a computer or by an outside publishing company.  It doesn't even involve paper.

Hint:  it was created out of necessity a couple hundred years ago.

Hint:  you need it, even if you think you don't!

Also inside are a notebook to keep with you for grocery lists, writing down a great recipe when you are at a dinner party, keeping track of kid's clothing sizes, or just plain doodling in the carpool lane.  And some lovely lovely labels to keep your home oh-so-organized...

No actual "issue" this time around.  Sorry!  I figured that since it was the final installment you wouldn't be needing any more educational materials!  But please enjoy the aprons, and be sure to wear them:  they are not for keeping in a drawer somewhere.  Use them.  Seriously.  Save your clothes the wear and tear!

Waylaid... but working on it!

I know, Club House was supposed to go out April 1st...  I am soooooo sorry!  It will go out before June 1st, though!  I just finished up the last one of my works in progress that will be included.  They will be on their way before the end of the day on Friday. 

Trust me, it was not laziness nor lack of organization.  I promise!  This helpful housewife is not shirking in her duties, but outside circumstances have set me off course for a while.  I'm back on course and the crises have been taken care of.  Now on to the fun stuff, which is sending you your final packages.  And since it will be 2 months late, there will be extra goodies in this box! 

Club House 4 is almost done

OK, all you patient subscribers!  I am in the middle of finishing the mailing for CLUB HOUSE 4!  When you get it (hopefully sometime next week!), you'll see why it wasn't mailed on the first.  Or maybe not.  You'll think, OK, she had 3 months to do this, so what's the deal?  Well, the deal is, I knew this was going to be in the last envelope, and just didn't get time to create until recently.  I know, busy-ness is not an excuse, but when you get your packages, I'm hoping you'll forgive me in spades! 

Hint:  it wasn't created on a computer or by an outside publishing company.  It doesn't even involve paper.

Hint:  it was created out of necessity a couple hundred years ago.

Hint:  you need it, even if you think you don't!

It's coming!!!!!  Keep your eyes on your mailboxes! 

Club House 3 is coming in January...

It's in the works, and will be available in early January....  subscribers can be expecting their issues in the mail shortly after the new year!

CLUB HOUSE 2 IS HERE!

**UPDATE**

Subscriptions have been mailed, and the correct link is up over at L&P... 

I am so sorry for the delay on Club House today!  I'm having huge technical difficulties that I can't even explain.  However, there is finally a light at the end of the computer tunnel, and you can expect issue 2 to be available by 5:00 pm eastern TODAY!  Yeah, I know, more than a few hours late, and I am terribly sorry...    But at 5pm, click here and you will be taken directly to the page it's going to be listed on.

By the way, here's a photo for you all:  this issue was all about being the perfect hostess/guest.  Included with the articles are, of course, a recipe card as well as a gift unique to this issue.  Enclosed are 5 miniature thank you gift cards with matching envelopes for hostess gifts or other tiny treasures!  I hope you enjoy them!  There is also a pattern for a felt hot water bottle cozy for your winter overnight guests.  I promise that this issue is even better than the last one!

Club House Update for Issue 2

OK, Club House Subscribers:  Since October 1st is on a Sunday this year, and I promised I would be mailing out the second issue starting that day, there is a slight problem!  The post office isn't even open that day, so how am I to accomplish this?  Well, I guess I can only beg your forgiveness and hope that you'll be understanding and let me send them out a day later!  For those of you who are doing the issue by issue route, I will send them as they are ordered.  But I will still be putting up the link for issue two on October 1st!  I will post it here for everyone once it's up and operational so that you will know when it's ready to go.  The countdown begins!

Bet You Thought I Forgot!

Well, I haven't, not by a long shot!  Issue two is due by October 1st, and yours truly has been a busy bee behind the scenes.  For everything I haven't done recently, I hope this makes up for it!  I actually already have everything back from the printers for this mailing.  For you subscribers, your envelopes will be in the mail September 30th.  For everyone else who is doing the single issue plan, it will go on sale at Lavender & Peonies on October 1st.  For those of you who missed the first issue, I found a few that were hidden away in my work area.  I will leave the link up for the initial issue until those last few are gone.  As you all know already, the subscription option is no longer available, but will return again next year in July.  Once a year only opportunity!  Sorry, no reason other than I am just too crazy busy this year to be able to keep track of multiple expiration dates, renewals, etc....  But the single issue will actually be a little better to do anyway for now as I still try to tweak it as we go.

The upcoming issue is going to be devoted to being the perfect hostess/guest.  It's all about entertaining!  Perfectly timed to ease you into the fall and winter holiday season.  January's issue will be focused on something else entirely, possibly home management or organization?  And April is, of course, going to be the issue devoted entirely to spring cleaning!  And that's as far as my thought process has gone into the future.  But this October issue is going to be jam packed with good stuff.  No, sorry, no notepads and magnets this time, but there will be your recipe card, a different surprise gift to be revealed soon that is oh-so-sweet, and pages chock full of entertaining tips and tidbits.  As well as a couple of projects to do, complete with instructions and patterns!  For those of you who are also Mailorder subscribers, Amy has details on her blog for the upcoming issue of Mail Order!  Looks like a really good issue this time around!  (AGAIN!  She always has great stuff in there!)

"Household Management"

OK, some administrative-managerial-secretarial-whatever-you-want-to-call-them items are on deck this morning.

First of all, I did email the partner list for the dishtowel swap last night as promised.  Those of you who sent me emails saying you wanted to participate but didn't give me addresses were left off the list as I had no way for people to send you a package! Sorry!  But if we do another swap in the future, please sign up again...  the more the merrier!  We just need to know how to send you your swap package!  Those of you who did send all the info, I hope you are happy with your matchup.  This should be fun!  Let me know if I missed anything, or made any errors in the email...

Next, Housekeeping College will be starting up again.  On the 15th, I will post the registration link for HK 101.  I am not sure yet if there will be a HK 201 -- some bugs I need to work out.  Hopefully I will get them fixed in time to open up registration, but please don't count on it!  I promise you though, I am working hard on it...

And finally, many "Club House" issues have been mailed to subscribers!  Wow!  I am still amazed that anyone wanted to do this!  I hope you are all receiving them and that they are arriving in good condition.  ( I always worry about the postal system and things getting damaged...)  I'm already working on the  next one to be published around October 1st.  The tentative theme is "entertaining" or "being the perfect hostess".  I won't give away too many details, but this package will be bulging!  Lots of goodies, project instructions, and more....

OK, off to manage my own household now.  Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Happy Dusting,

The Helpful Housewife

CLUB HOUSE IS NOW AVAILABLE!

"Club House" is now for sale at Lavender & Peonies.  Simply click the link and you'll be taken directly to the Club House page.  Limited printing, so best of luck to you on getting it before it sells out!

It's Finally Ready!

After all the empty promises and making everyone wait, Club House is Officially Ready To Mail!  The link will be active over at Lavender & Peonies at 2:00 pm Eastern Time on Wednesday, July 5th.  When they are sold out, the button will no longer work....  Details are here, as I am just too lazy to retype them.  Sorry!  I'm tired from all the festivities of the 4th! I will post here tomorrow at 2 pm to include a direct link to the page it will be on so that you all have an easy way to get there....

But I will post the sneak peek that I promised:

Now, before you all get your knickers in a bunch, I do realize that there is a typo on the magnet that is included with this issue.  At this point, I really don't want to wait for the printer to make up new ones just to add a single letter, so I'll just save the time and look like the dork who can't spell!  Although I can, and I didn't make the mistake, but whatever...  The other goodies will make up for it!  Next issue will be even bigger (but probably only because I won't be having custom notepads printed up, and will need to include more to make up for it...really it's because it's so much fun and there's lots more I want to do!).  SO, be ready to get your edition tomorrow at 2 pm.  (That's 11 am for you west coasters, I think, and around 7 or 8 pm UK time?)

Coming Soon...

So, how do ya'll like our logo?  I'm going to be creating a button for blog sidebars if anyone is interested in pasting it in their own blogs...  but I will only be emailing it to the members of Club House who get in on the club mailings.  Sneaky, huh?  This will ensure we stay "exclusive"!  (Although, we include anyone who wants to join!) 

(Apologies inserted here:  So sorry for all the exclamation points you'll see in this post.  As you can tell, I'm just a teeny bit EXCITED!!!!!!)

Word from the printers is that the items I am having made up to include in this first installment will be in my hands no later than June 30th!  YAY!!!!  You all know what that means, don't you?  I'll be stuffing envelopes like a mad woman come July!  Provided everything is error free, it should be going on sale over at Lavender & Peonies sometime around July 5th (just to let everyone get through the holiday).  A little info for you before that, though: 

• I'm going to post a little peek at it the night before it goes on sale, just so you can get even more excited!
• It will be offered as a single issue or as a 1 year subscription.  Single issues will be $15.00 US ($18.00 International).  A subscription (every three months we will have a new issue!) will be $55.00 US ($65.00 International).  This should hopefully cover the postage costs, printing costs, and the goodies that will be enclosed with it.  If not, I'll adjust the subscription price the next go around! 
• It will be offered over at Lavender & Peonies in the Club House section.  I'll put a direct link to the page here on the day it goes up for sale....
• There will be a limited number of single and subscription issues.  This is your only chance to get a subscription for the year ahead, so try to snag one!  Depending on how this first run goes, I may increase the number of single issues for sale in 3 months when the next one comes out...
• I want you all to send me feedback as well.  Tell me what you want to see in future editions, so that I can make this fun and exciting for everyone!  I'll still be creating my own whimsy here, but am happy to add in ideas and suggestions from you all. 

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!  As always, you can email me anytime to Ask The Helpful Housewife your urgent homemaking questions, or just to chat!

Happy Dusting!

The Helpful Housewife