Experimenting and Learning ..w/ holiday crafty-stuff

The past week, or so, I have tried a few NEW things that I have been wanting to learn. THE FIRST of these, is MACHINE QUILTING! I have never done this before- so my first attempt was - messy-uneven-a learning experience- to say the least. However...after finishing the Valentine's Day Table Runner- seen above - (please refrain from looking too closely-it has lots of flaws)- anyway- I now feel more comfortable to try this on something bigger, and I learned how to do it- after many many uneven stitches, broken threads, and frustrating moments:) Maybe I'll finish that quilt I started like 3 years ago :)

SECOND- I have made lots of little wooden signs over the past several years, but this time I tried a few different things with paint and stain :) Once again, I learned a few things that will probably help me in the future. yeah :)

AND LASTLY...today we tried making some Valentine chocolate covered cookies and pretzels. We weren't the most successful at this, but our little guy had a really fun time making his own cookies ;) We learned several things about our new microwave, and melting chocolate! If you want to make these, I suggest heading over to Make and Takes and looking here. In fact, we may re-make these- now that we have learned a thing or two :) These were tasty and easy anyway!

Experimenting and Learning is always a good thing :) After all, "if we always do what we've always done, we'll always get what we've always got." I sure appreciate learning and trying something new- even if it doesn't turn out perfect, or means failing a time or two. Trying is still a success in my book! :)

What things have you experimented with and learned from ?