In His Grip

Christmas in February

Our family finally was able to celebrated Christmas with Ryan and Paula last week.  It just seems hard to find a time when we all can be together.  Of course my fantasy as a mother is to have all my kids live close to me the rest of my life so we will always be able to spend every holiday and family event together and live happily ever after.  {Pop} goes the fantasy bubble and real life is where I am forced to live.  Darn!  Although, I cannot complain, Ryan and Paula only live in Lincoln, NE, just 3 1/2 hours north of us, its not like they are in another country.  But that distance, at times, feels too far.  The time we do have as a family is very precious to us and I will take all that we do get. 

 

 

To say that the wait for our Christmas presents was worth it would be an understatement.  Ryan and Paula out did themselves with their creative, craftiness.  Look at these great tables/foot stools/benches/what ever you want to make them, repurposed vintage suitcases they made for Lindsey and Anna.  Seriously, they are awesome and in super shaped on the inside too.

They made this fabulous “S” to hang on our front door.  They could not find an initial that they liked that was big enough so Ryan cut one out of styrofoam and then Paula decorated it.  Oh my heck, just look at those handmade flowers.  Does this gal fit perfectly into our family or what?  Not only that but she whipped up some homemade shower scrub as well.  She is a gal after my heart, I just have to say.  Making things pretty and smell good too, who can go wrong. 

We also received this set of tile coasters that they made using their wedding pictures.  I was trying to figure out how I would display a bunch of their pictures without making it look like some kind of Ryan & Paula gallery.  The girls already accuse me of having Ryan as the favorite, so a bunch of pictures on the wall, shelves, etc. would only perpetuate such a myth.  But coasters, now that is something that is very useful and if they display eight different wedding shots so be it. 

Look how perfect this looks on my pink front door.  I thought that I would be changing the color of the door soon, but who am I kidding?  This “S” just made the decision, the door is pink for now at least through Summer. 

Jumbo Scrabble Tiles

I know that I am a bit late this week in posting the fun, creative, crafty things I have been doing around here lately.  But I have had a new opportunity that has come my way (I will post about that at a later date) and I just have not had a moment to sit down and write a post.  Scrabble is a game that I remember my Grandma Nelson playing all the time with us as kids.  Even though I played this game often, it did not help me in the spelling department.  I am not sure if Grandma let me get away with misspelled words or I am just a very slow learner.  Even so, there is just something nostalgic about the game Scrabble for me.  I have purchased individual Scrabble tiles in the past for projects and you know me if little Scrabble letters make me happy, giant ones should make me jump up and down with joy, right?  I have to admit that is pretty much true.  I literally did this project in one hour.  I cut 1 x 6's into 6 inch squares, cut the letters out of adhesive vinyal with my Cricut machine, stuck them onto the wood squares, quick spray with clear coat, and wallah!  Giant Scrabble tiles.

Because I wanted my tiles up for more than just Valentines day.  I made three additional tiles so that I could spell out our name.  Four of the tiles have the letters LOVE on one side and our name on the other.  It does not take a lot to make me happy.

I am participating in the following link ups:  Between Naps on the Porch, The DIY Showoff,Boogiboard Cottage, Its So Very Cheri, Sew Chatty, Dittle Dattle, Sew Can Do, Keeping It Simple, Skip to My Lou, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings, Today's Creative Blog,Sugar and Dots, My Girlish Whims, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Woodsy, The Tablescaper, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Making the World Cuter,Itsy Bitsy Paper, So Much Ado, One Tough Mother, Sweet Peas and Bumblebees, Handy Man, Crafting Woman, Women Who Do It All, Seven Thirty-three, Someday Crafts, Tea Rose Home. Lil' Luna, Momma Hen Scoop, Sugar and Dots, {Primp}, Sommewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Tales From Bloggeritaville, Gluesticks, Momnivore's Dilemma, Beyond the Picket Fence, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Simply Sweet Home,Truly Lovely, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Someday Crafts, Passionately Artistic, Goodbye city, Hello suburbs, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Make it Great Monday,Vintage Gwen, Sew Country Chick, 5 Minutes Just for Me, Sew Country Chick

Burlap Valentine Bunting

Once I made my newest valentine sign last week, I realized that my valentine garland was no longer the look that I wanted to go with this year.  Seeing all of the burlap decorations out on blogs, Pinterest and the internet.  I figured that I would make a burlap bunting that would be just the look that I wanted.  The rough look of burlap with a splash of color is everywhere.  A designer that I work for, Brenda of Picture Perfect, told me that the burlap/linen look with a splash of color was everywhere at the Atlanta market that she went to two weeks ago.  I have been watching that look for a while now and even made some things last fall with burlap.  Burlap is a great way to give your home an updated look with very little money.  I purchased a yard of burlap for $3.99.

I cut the flap shapes out of the burlap and then doubled them up and stitching them together using red thread not only for a contrast but to add a boarder as well.  Doubling up the burlap helps give the flags a bit more somethin', somethin', and burlap tends to be loosely woven and a bit see through so this helps with that.

Using my handy Cricut machine I cut a heart and used it as a stencil.  Then stenciled a heart on each flag.  I used a light pink, bright pink, red and white color paints to do this.  Here is a free hint, make sure you put plastic or scrap paper under your flags as you stencil them.  They will soak through to the back.  I just know these kinds of things, no need to ask me how.   

Using hot glue, I folded the flags over some red and white bakers twine and secured the end over the back.  

The burlap bunting addes to my valentine look for next to nothing in cost.

I am participating in the following link ups: Between Naps on the Porch, The DIY Showoff,Boogiboard Cottage, Its So Very Cheri, Sew Chatty, Dittle Dattle, Sew Can Do, Keeping It Simple, Skip to My Lou, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings, Today's Creative Blog,Sugar and Dots, My Girlish Whims, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Woodsy, The Tablescaper, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Making the World Cuter,Itsy Bitsy Paper, So Much Ado, One Tough Mother, Sweet Peas and Bumblebees, Handy Man, Crafting Woman, Women Who Do It All, Seven Thrity-three, Someday Crafts, Tea Rose Home. Lil' Luna, Momma Hen Scoop, Sugar and Dots, {Primp}, Sommewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Tales From Bloggeritaville, Gluesticks, Momnivore's Dilemma, Beyond the Picket Fence, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Simply Sweet Home,Truly Lovely, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Someday Crafts, Passionately Artistic, Goodbye city, Hello suburbs, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Make it Great Monday,Vintage Gwen, Sew Country Chick, 5 Minutes Just for Me, Sew Country Chick

 

 

Valentine Sign

Earlier this week I was browsing around Pinterest and found this wonderful Valentine sign.  I absolutely love the saying on it and decided that I was going to make it.  Because I have been called a "creative hoarder", I had all of the supplies right in my studio already.  No need to go to the store and besides it has been freezing cold this week and who wants to get out in the cold if you don't have to.  

Here is the sign that I orignally look at.  Landee See, Landee Do, is a great place for inspriration.  I have just recently found her blog and I really like her style.  As you can see I changed my sign up a bit by doing the pink thing instead.  You know I always say, "When in doubt pink is always the right choice." I am sure it is not shocker that I went with pink.  

One thing that I do like about Valentines is that you are able to put pink and red together without it being wierd.  Needless to say, I take very opportunity to do just that.  Pink and red for everyone.  

I was so excited to use my bakers twine that I recently purchased off of Pick Your Plum.  Pick Your Plum is a daily email that sells one craft type item each day for super cheap.  I am talking anywhere from $2 to $6.95.  I am pretty sure I have never seen anything for more than that.  Let me just warn you, if you are a "crafty" this email is dangerous.  It is hard to pass up these deals.  Seriously I could spend money everyday with Pick You Plum.

I used a 1 x 8 for my board, but I do think a 1 x 10 would be better as you can make the lettering bigger.  Using my handy Cricut machine I cut the letters out of a piece of adhesive vinyal.  Super easy project and the results are awesome.  

I am participation in these link ups: Today's Creative Blog, One Tough Mother

Dishwasher, Renewed Confidence

Several years ago there was a dishwasher recall and ours was part of it.  Up to that point, I had put up with a dishwasher that sounded like an airplane taking off in my kitchen as well as a pitiful job in cleaning our dishes.  So I was all over the fact that the manufacturer was going to give  $700 toward our replacement.  My research found a ultra quite dishwasher with a stainless steel inside that was close to the top of the line, not quite but I was not willing to pay "that" much over the $700 I was given.  Fast forward a couple of years and Jeff is complaining about our "crappy" expensive dishwasher and we need to look into a new one. The stainless steel is no longer shiny but chalky white and the dishes are covered with that chalky white grossness as well.  Jeff did his job of cleaning out the hoses, I was using that blue liquid rinse stuff that is supposed to make your dishes sparkly clean, as well a scrubbing the inside of the machine only to have it be chalky white in just a few washes.  We were ready to give up when I saw this Dishwasher Magic at Lowes one day.  The label says, "This dishwasher cleaner and disinfectant removes mineral stains, lime scale, iron/rust, calcium build-up, and food particles which can clog the water jets in your dishwasher and reduce its performance."  All in one use.  With the condition of our dishwasher, I figured if one bottle was good two had to be better.  So I purchased two bottles. 

 

 

 

Right next to the Dishwasher Magic, was Finish, a tablet type dishwasher soap, that states right on the box if you are not completely satisfied after using one box you are guaranteed your money back. This product was probably threes more money that the store brand dishwasher soap I normally buy, but heck, if they will give me my money back why not try it.  I am totally sold on both of these products.  Dishwasher Magic cleaned my horrible dishwasher in one use with some chalky left, so the I used the second bottle and it came out sparkly clean. Just like new, I kid you not.

I have purchased my second box of Finish tablets and they are the absolute best. I do believe they are my new best friend.  All of my dishes, glasses, and silverware have not looked this good since I took them out of the box.  Really, I am amazed every time I open my dishwasher to really clean dishes.  I am sold.  I will used Dishwasher Magic once a month as the label suggests and Finish is my new soap, even if it is more expensive.  Once again, I am able to not only enjoy the fact that I cannot even hear my dishwasher running, but my dishes are clean too.  Who knew?  And I give you theses little tips free of charge, because that is just the kind of gal that I am.  

Tile Coaster Set -- How To

Because you have not heard from me in a while, you would think that I have not been up to much.  Well, actually the exact opposite is true.  I did take time off for Christmas and New Years to hang out with family and friends to just enjoy the season.  A gal is entitled to that every once in a while, right? However, my creative mind has been on overdrive having time to browse Pinterest, and plan some very fabulous, creative, wonderfulness for my home in the coming year.  It is this time each year that I get the urge to do something to my home. This year it started with the dinning room and then will move to the living room, and of course right on up to the now three guest rooms.  Oh, how sad to say I have three kid rooms that are now called "guest rooms", really this cannot be true.  

Today I am showing you this easy, fun, and inexpensive gift idea I made for my friends this year at Christmas.  I started out at Lowes and purchased 3x3 tiles.

I really liked these that had a bit of texture and some imperfections around the edges.  They happened to be some of the more expensive tiles, all of 33 cents each.  But you can get them for as little as 8 cents a tile.  

Picking out the scrap booking paper was fun.  I wanted the four different patterns to coordinate but have some contrast in color as well.  I cut the paper into squares that were about a 1/2 smaller than the tile so the coaster would appear to have a boarder all the way around.

Because the tiles had a rounded corner, I used a corner rounder paper punch and rounded all of the corners of each square of paper.  This also helps prevent any corners that might want to pop up when Mod Podging later.  

Laying all of the tiles on a piece of plastic, I Mod Podged each tile with probably 4 or 5 coats allowing to dry in between.  Once you have decided you have enough Mod Podge on your coasters let them dry over night and then take a piece of super fine steel wool and a bit of water and sand each one until smooth.  This takes all of the brush marks or bubbles out of the final coat.  Once that was dry, I sprayed them with a clear coat sealer to make them water resistant.  For the final step, I glue a piece of cork to the bottom of each one.  Sorry no picture of that, but really there is a piece of thin cork on the underside.

I made 12 sets of these and gave them to my friends, designers I work for, and one set went to a gal that invited me and my girls for a tour of her home which was a Christmas wonderland.

I tied each stack with a bit of twine and there you have it a handmade gift that everyone can use.  

I am participating in the following link ups:  Between Naps on the Porch, The DIY Showoff,Boogiboard Cottage, Its So Very Cheri, Sew Chatty, Dittle Dattle, Sew Can Do, Keeping It Simple, Skip to My Lou, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings, Today's Creative Blog,Sugar and Dots, My Girlish Whims, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Woodsy, The Tablescaper, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Making the World Cuter,Itsy Bitsy Paper, So Much Ado, One Tough Mother, Sweet Peas and Bumblebees, Handy Man, Crafting Woman, Women Who Do It All, Seven Thrity-three, Someday Crafts, Tea Rose Home. Lil' Luna, Momma Hen Scoop, Sugar and Dots, {Primp}, Sommewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Tales From Bloggeritaville, Gluesticks, Momnivore's Dilemma, Beyond the Picket Fence, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Simply Sweet Home,Truly Lovely, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Someday Crafts, Passionately Artistic, Goodbye city, Hello suburbs, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Make it Great Monday,Vintage Gwen, Sew Country Chick, 5 Minutes Just for Me

Fireplace Cabinets Before & After

There has been a dream of mine to update and warm up our family room for quite a while now.  I did not want to change out everything as I really like what I have in there, I just wanted to warm the place up a bit.  This past weekend with my Mom's help, oh yeah, she pretty much painted the whole thing, I finally made my change.  Here is the before and after pictures of the transformation.  I am amazed how big a difference a little bit of paint can make.  And literally, I used, or I should say, Mom used only a quart of paint.

This is how the fireplace looked when we moved in.  Now, don't judge me because of all of the clutter, afterall, we had "just" moved in.  With the help of my Dad, my husband and he were able to build the cabinets and shelves just as I had seen them in a model home just a couple of miles away.  I have been very happy with the way the fireplace looked as well as the extra storage, but it was ready for a bit of an update.

Enter, 72 year old Mom who has always been a ball of energy and willing to do just about anything to be helpful around me and my sisters' homes.  Say, "painting project" and she's on it.

Everyone tells me I am like my mother, boy, I hope so.  Look at that flexibility and balance.  That's what I am going for when I am her age.

Sometimes I wish that we did not have to decorate around a TV.  Oh who am I kidding, all the time I wish I did not have to decorate around a TV, but at least they are getting smaller from front to back and can now fit on a shelf.  

I keep walking into my family room and just looking at the fireplace and love, love, loving it.  Thanks, Mom, for your willingness to be my personal assistant and get these projects done for me.  

Now that I have got this project done, I am ready to take fall down and move on into Christmas, yeah!

Autumn Wreath

A couple of weeks ago  I went with my daughter Lindsey to a craft night that she and her friends do about once a month.  This time they were making wreaths.  You can read more about how they plan this event over at Just Paint it Pink Lindsey's new and fabulous blog.  I have really come to like this whole burlap look that is out everywhere and again with my fall decorations taking on a more natural look this year I thought that a burlap wreath would be in order.  And yes, if you don't visit my blog often, that is a hot pink front door and you can read more about how that came to be here.

I started with a straw wreath and wrapped it with 1 1/2" strips of burlap overlapping as I went.  You will need to put hot glue every so often to keep the wrap in place.  

I purchased an "S" initial and wrapped it with jute, also hot gluing as I went in keep the jute in place.  

Because I wanted the "S" to be a contrast color and could not find a color that I liked in jute, of course, I decided to paint it.  The color I used was soft black.  This is a super color because it is almost black, but is also almost brown.  Love it!

Using some scraps of silk that I had in my studio I made some twisted flowers and then attached some of the thousands of buttons that are hanging around here too.

Shopping around this fall I found this six inch wide burlap ribbon and purchased a couple of rolls.  I have no idea what I will be doing with it but figured that it would make a perfect bow to top off my burlap wreath.

I am participating in the following link ups:

Between Naps on the Porch, The DIY Showoff,Boogiboard Cottage, Its So Very Cheri, Sew Chatty, Dittle Dattle, Sew Can Do, Keeping It Simple, Skip to My Lou, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings, Today's Creative Blog,Sugar and Dots, My Girlish Whims, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Woodsy, The Tablescaper, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Making the World Cuter,Itsy Bitsy Paper, So Much Ado, One Tough Mother, Sweet Peas and Bumblebees, Handy Man, Crafting Woman, Women Who Do It All, Seven Thrity-three, Someday Crafts, Tea Rose Home. Lil' Luna, Momma Hen Scoop, Sugar and Dots, {Primp}, Sommewhat Simple, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Tales From Bloggeritaville, Gluesticks, Momnivore's Dilemma, Beyond the Picket Fence, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Simply Sweet Home,Truly Lovely, Finding Fabulous, The Shabby Nest, Someday Crafts, Passionately Artistic, Goodbye city, Hello suburbs, Handy Man, Crafty Woman

 

Mossy Twig Jar Candle

Spending time in the north woods always inspires me to do some thing creative with the things that I find outdoors.  In the woods near my Mom's home there is an abundance of mossy twigs.  I have always loved the way that the moss grows and makes the branches of the trees look like they have a fine lace hanging from them.  Again, with the fall decor in my home this season taking on a more natural look I thought I could use these twigs to make a jar candle that I will use on the table in the dinning room.  

I collected a bunch of branches covered in the lacy moss making sure I had a variety of size twigs to be able to cover the jar.

Using a jar from a jar candle, I began hot gluing the twigs to the jar being sure to cover the area completely.  When the twigs did not fit close enough to cover the glass, I just took some of the really fine ones and glue them in to fit.  

This is a perfect addition to my natural dinning room table decor.  Adding a candle to it so that the light shines through the small spaces looks so good.  I wish I would have made several sizes, but this is the only one that I made.  Shoot, I guess that I will have to go back to the north woods to make a whole display of these.

I am participating in the following link ups: Between Naps on the Porch, The DIY Showoff,Boogiboard Cottage, Its So Very Cheri, Sew Chatty, Dittle Dattle, Sew Can Do, Keeping It Simple, Skip to My Lou, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings,Sugar and Dots, My Girlish Whims, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Woodsy, Keeping It Simple, Today's Creative Blog, Somewhat Simple

Autumn Nut Brittle

I found this great Autumn Brittle recipe on line and could not wait to try it out.  Beings as my Mom is a big peanut brittle fan I thought she would enjoy trying a new recipe with me when we were up at her house.  With all of the nuts in this recipe it is not cheap to make, but, oh, is it worth it.  I learned a couple of things while making this that I thought I would pass on to you.  When cooking the sugar mixture, the temperature goes from soft crack to hard crack fast so you need to be on your toes or it will burn.  I burnt the first batch and was not about to mess up all of my precious nuts for something that tastes burnt.  So I started all over again.

I love the look of all these nuts together. I think that they look so autumny.  I spread them out in a 9 x 13 inch pan, but when I do it again I think I will use a jelly roll pan that is bigger.  That way the pieces don't end up as thick and would be easier to bite into without some kind of dental work later.  

Before the brittle was totally hard, I scored the entire thing with a sharp knife so that it would break easier once it was cool.

I will be making this again real soon.  Not only is it wonderfully good, but it is so pretty.

Bowl of Twine

This is my most current creation.  A bowl of twine.  I made this similar to how I made the globes of string for Ryan and Paula's rehearsal dinner decorations.  As I began to dream about a natural kind of Autumn decorating, I wanted to have some containers that looked natural and did not cost any money.  This limited my choices to making something with things that I already had on hand or were super cheap.  This led my mind to this idea of bowls of twine.  I already had the fabric stiffener from the rehearsal dinner globes, so the only thing I had to purchase was the twine.  I knew we had some somewhere but could not put my hands on it, so shopping in the good old Wal-mart one day, I purchased a couple of balls for $2.19 each.  Cheap right?

I chose a large mixing bowl from my cupboard and covered it with plastic wrap. For the globes, I used different sizes of balloons.

Using the twine, I cover the whole bowl with the stuff.  Making sure to not to leave any large spaces and changing directions often.

This is the messy part.  You will need to cover the surface that you are working on, and this opened up plastic grocery sack is not enough, believe me.  I covered the twine with the fabric stiffner that I had watered down a little bit.  This helped the stiffener soak into the twine.  I really think that you could use school glue for this and it would be cheaper, but I used what I had on hand.  This will need to dry completely which will take at least 24 hours.

Once the bowl is completely dry, I used some kitchen shears to cut the top off.  This is hard work as the twine is pretty tough.  You don't have to be that careful as you will trim it again once you get the mixing bowl out of the way.

This what it looked like once I trimed it nicely.  You could leave it just like this but I wanted my bowl of twine to have little more finished look.  So I glued several rows of twin around the top to give it a more finish look as well as a little for stability.

This is just how I had it pictured in my mind.  I love it when things turned out how I plan.  There are a couple more ideas cooking up in my head, so I am thinking I will make a several more "bowl of twine" designs.

I am participating in the followng link ups:  Between Naps on the Porch, The DIY Showoff, Boogiboard Cottage, Its So Very Cheri, Sew Chatty, Dittle Dattle, Sew Can Do, Keeping It Simple, Skip to My Lou, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings, Today's Creative Blog, Sugar and Dots, My Girlish Whims, The Thrifty Home, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Woodsy

Burlap Table Runner for Fall

One of the things I really love to do is to change the look of my home for the seasons.  I don't really decorate for Halloween any more as I don't have little ones at home, but more of a fall harvest theme.  That way my decorations can stay up clear through Thanksgiving.  Last year I made these great birch bark pumpkins and wanted to display them with a more natural look so I decided to make a burlap table runner for the dinning room table.  Burlap is cheap, cheap, cheap, but kind of icky to work with.  It is so scratchy and makes me sneeze. 

I cut my table runner the width and length that I wanted.  In this case it is about 17" wide by 72" long.  Next I stitched a row of stitching all the way around about 1" in.  This will stop the fraying once I start making the fringe along the sides.  I used masking tape to outline a stripe a couple of inches in and about 1/2" wide.  Then using a stencil brush I painted the stripe a soft black with acrylic paint.  

Once the stripe was dry, I cut the words "fall harvest" out with my Cricut machine using the adhesive vinyl and place it about 1/2" above the line and painted it as well.

Once the lettering was dry, I began pulling the threads of the burlap to create a fringe all the way around the edge. (Don't look at the mis-matched chairs, one of my chairs broke beyond repair so until I find a replacement this little old thing will have to do.)

I love the way this turned out and how it works so nicely with my birch bark pumpkins.

I am participating in the following link ups: Between Naps on the Proch. Dittle Dattle, Sew Can Do, Its so Very Cheri, The DIY Showoff, Skip to My Lou, Coastal Charm, Today Creative Blog, Fabric Bows and More, My Girlish Whims, Goodbye city, Hello suburbs, Blue Cricket Design, Sugar and Dots, Sew Much Ado, The Thrifty Home, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Gluesticks, Momnivore's Dilemma, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Sew Woodsy, Its So Stinkin Cute, Primp

 

Pumpkin Topiary Redo

Autumn is just around the corner and I have been planning what I would do to update my porch for the change of the season.  I have been admiring the ghost pumpkins that have been out the past couple of seasons.  So I decided to update my pumpkin topiaries.  You can see what they used to look like here. I thought that a neutral theme for the front porch with a splash of orange would be different and give me a chance to give my topiaries redo in the process.  These topiaries have been on our front porch for over ten years and they have had several make overs.  So I figured a little spray paint might just give them a fresh new look. 

If you look closely, you will notice that the pumpkins are slightly different color.  I used Krylon khaki (for the bottom), pebble (for the middle), and almond (for the top) all had a satin finish.  I used spanish moss to cover up the wire of the garland that has all the little berries on it as well as between each pumpkin.  Besides, spanish moss will cover up a myriad of imperfections not only from the age of the pumpkins but my amateur floral skills.

 I have more ideas for the rest of my porch and as soon as it is complete I will share what I come up with.  Go out enjoy the beautiful weather.  I love autumn.

I am participating in the following link ups:  Between Naps on the Porch, Boogieboard Cottage, Dittle Dattle, Pinkopotomus, Its So Very Cheri, DIY Showoff, Skip to My Lou, Coastal Charm, Today's creative Blog, Truly Lovely, Simply Sweet Home, Its a Blog Party, Its Fun to Craft, The Shabby Nest

Repurpose Light Bulbs

Over the weekend I had some time to catch up on inspirational blogs as well as Pinterest.  I just needed to do something creative that would give me immediate gratification.  After looking at some sites of hanging canning jars with candles in them I decided that I wanted to do something like that too.  But as I was changing a light bulb in my studio I had an idea to use the light bulb for a small bud vase, similar yet different than the canning jar idea, but that's just how my mind works.  One idea leads to another and another, and so on.  I did a Google search on how to make a light bulb into a vase I found this great tutorial.  Needless to say, I found a total of three burnt out light bulbs in the house.  It was not that hard to do and I love the results for the amount of effort involved.

I immediately went out to my garden and cut a bunch of Zinnias to put in my new light bulb vases.  Normally, every Spring I plant a huge patch of Zinnias so that I can have cut flowers all Summer and well into the Fall.  With the Spring being so wet every weekend and then the temperatures zoomed up into the 100s I never was able to get my Zinnias planted.  Happy day, I had a bunch of volunteers show up unexpectedly.

Here I just used clear water in them, but I'm thinking you could add a drop of food color to the water and make a whole new look.  Matching the water to the flower for a monochrome design.

So, so cute.  I tried a flood lamp light bulb, but it broke in the process.  You need to be super careful as the light bulb glass is so stinking sharp.  But the next time one burns out I will have that shape as well. I also think that adding wire to the top and hanging them like my original plan will be awesome too. 

I am participating in the following link ups: Coastal Charm, Domestically Speaking, Today's Creative Blog, Momma Hen, Blue Cricket Design, My Girlish Whims, Sweet Peas & Bumblebees, Goodbye City, Hello Suburbs, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Woman who Do It All, Seven Thirty-three, Someday Crafts, Tea Rose Home, Lil' Luna, Sugar & Dots, Somewhat Simple, Alchemy Fine Living, Paisley Passions, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Momnivore's Dilemma, Tales From Bloggeritaville, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Simply Sweet Home, Its a Blog Party, Its Fun to Craft, The Shabby Nest, Tidy Mom, Chic on a Shoestring 

Pinterest -- My New Addiction

Over the weekend I joined a new creative social network.  And boy doggies, I am totally addicted.  The website is Pinterest.  You can browse around without joining, but once you join, that's when the fun begins.  All you do is basically bookmark or "pin" things that you see on the internet that you like and then others respond by "like" or "repin" your "pin".  I knew something was up somewhere on the internet as there were several of my older posts like Bed to Front Porch Bench, Pink Christmas Ball Wreath, and Homemade Peppermint Bath Salts that were coming up with a tons of hits.  Now, I know that someone had "pinned" them on Pinterest.  I am just warning you now DO NOT even get started because you will not be able to stop looking at Pinterest.  I just think of it as a little vacation throughout the day. But BEWARE your time will fly away on Pinterest.  Happy pinning :o)

Peanut Marshmallow Bars

One of the things that I look forward to when visiting my Mom up North is attending her church on Sunday.  This is a small country church with forward thinking folks that want to attract the younger families in the area and minister to the seasonal people in the both Summer and Winter.  One of the ways that they get to know the visitors in the Summer is their hospitality tent where they serve coffee and treats after the service.  As I was checking out the treats, I spied these great looking peanut and marshmallow bars and just had to try one.  I am usually a chocolate kind of a gal but these have to be the best non-chocolate bars around.  Mom knew the gal that made them so of course we called her for the recipe.

It only takes these few ingredients.  I love recipes with  just a few things in them, they are easy to remember when you forgot you need to whip something up and are already at the grocery store.

Peanut Marshmallow Bars

16 oz. peanuts

3 tablespoons butter

1 bag peanut butter chips

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 cup mini marshmallows

Grease a 9 x 13 pan and then pour half of your peanuts in the bottom.  Melt butter and chips in the microwave, when smooth, add sweetened condensed milk and stir until well blended.  Add the marshmallow and stir (marshmallows do not melt).  Pour mixture over the peanuts in the bottom of your pan and pat down.  Put remaining peanuts on top and pat down.  Chill and cut into squares and serve.  Yummy!

Participating in the following link ups:  Its a Keeper

Thrifty Photo Blocks

I am finally getting back into my crafty self.  Not that I haven't been doing anything creative, I just have not taken the time to take pictures and blog about them.  But this one idea has got to be one of the easiest and most functional things I have made in a long time.  I am the Live Out (outreach) director at Indian Creek Community Church in Gardner.  I wanted a way to display the way our people were living out the love of Jesus and decided to do it through pictures and came up with these blocks.

 
I cut 2 x 4's into squares and then painted them with white satin spray paint.  Easy so far right?

 
I then sanded some of the paint back off and rubbed it with a little watered down brown acrylic paint to give it just a bit of a worn look.  I drilled a hole in the top of each block.  Using my handy Cricut machine I cut out the letters that I needed.  I made them 2 1/2 inches high.

 
Using some of those fancy Christmas ornament hangers, I straighten one end and glued one into the hole on the top of each block.

 
Tah-dah, thrifty photo blocks that I can change out to highlight the Live Out opportunities and events that our people at Indian Creek Community Church, Gardner serve in.  This particular display shows our folks serving our community at our Easter egg hunt we organized, serving over 400 Gardner folks.  Turned out to be the largest event for Easter in our community.  Yeah!

I am participating in the followng linkys:  Today's Creative Blog, Ladybug Blessings, Costal Charm, A Silly Little Sparrow, All Things Heart & Home, Blue Cricket Design, The Thrifty Home

Spring Banner With Digital Scrapbooking

Update:  I was able to offer a free download of this as a PDF file click here. 

 Late last Fall I wanted to try my hand at this digital scrapbooking craze I keep seeing all over blog-ville.  I began to research digital scrapbooking software.  I wanted something easy to use with not only lots of style options, but I also did not want to invest much money in case I was not able to figure it out.  As you know, I am self taught in most of what I do creatively and there are times I am just not a good enough teacher to continue with a particular skill.  The program I decided to use is Scrapbook Max.  I have found it very simple to use and there are hundreds if not thousands of different kinds of elements that you can download.  Now that I have some knowledge of the ins and outs of this program I decided to try my hand at a spring banner for the hearth.

 
I chose the Cotton Tail Kit to make the elements that would make up my banner and then printed them on card stock.

 
 
After cutting out each tag and backgrounds, I used foam pop ups to adhere the tags to the backgrounds to give them some dimension.  Then using brads and millinery flowers embellished each.

 
Using an exacto knife I cut a slit 1 1/4" down from the top large enough to allow the ribbon to thread through it.

 
 
Next, with several different colors of pastel ribbon, I tied bows and then hot glued them between each letter and added just a tag to the beginning, end and between each word.

 
There you have my first digital scrapbooking project.  If I can figure out how to upload the pdf files of this, I will share it with.  If you have any ideas of how to do this or can direct me to a website, let me know.

I am participating in the following link ups: The DIY Showoff, Boggieboard Cottage, Its So Very Cheri, The Girl Creative, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Between Naps on the Porch, Skip to My Lou, Coastal Charm, Ladybug Blessings, Today's Creative Blog, All Things Heart & Home, Blue Cricket Design, Fireflies and Jellybeans

The Blizzard of 2011 @ My House

This is as far as we got this morning shoveling out of our big snow from yesterday.  I don't know how those people do it who live in places where they get this kind of snow on a regular basis.  These piles of snow on either side of the driveway are about 3 to 4 feet high.  Jeff and I started at 6:00 am and worked for over an hour and we still have another 1/3 of the driveway yet to do.  We got enough shoveled for Jeff to get out this morning, but I am not going anywhere as the center of the culdesac has at least 18" to 20" as the snow blows from the burm and stays in the middle of our street.  Until we get a plow in here, we are stuck.  During the last snow a week or so ago, it took until around 3:00 pm for the plow to make it to us.  I am not hopeful for today.  However, the sun is shinning and there is nothing better or brighter than snow shinning on a new blanket of snow.  My yard looks like it is filled with diamonds.

 
This was the front porch yesterday afternoon.  This moring the gorilla (yeah, Pittsburg State) and the snowman were covered in snow.  All I could see was the head of the snowman and poor Gus was totally buried.

 
 
At the height of the blizzard, we could barely see across the back yard.

 
My Mom and I had a bet going, she thought the snow would cover the wagon and only the handle would be seen.  I have to admit she was on the way to winning, as at one point the snow was up to the writing on the side, but with the wind blowing through, you can even see more of it today.  Sorry, Mom I win :o)

 
Because I work at home, this is what I call snowed in, too bad it just does not keep me from working.  Now I cannot see out, I cannot drive out, I am feeling a bit claustrophobic, I may need recusing by the end of the day.  If I start feeling sweaty and my legs start twitching I'll call for help.  Does 911 come for a self-employed gal going stir crazy?

Valentine Sweater Pillows

During the holidays I kept seeing pillows made of sweaters out there in "blog-o-land" and just loved them so I decided to make some for Valentines.  Off to the thrift stores to find some pink and red sweaters just for my project.  One thing I like about our local Salvation Army store is that all of the clothes are arranged by color so it is very easy to find exactly what I was looking for in a short amount of time. I spent $2.99 per sweater and it was also 30% off all women's clothing day.  You've got to love a sale at a thrift store, right?

 
These are the two sweaters I purchased and I had the solid red one left over from my mom's project of making a red dickie for herself.  Dose anyone else even know what dickies are?  We used to have them as kids so we could wear a turtleneck collar under some thing without wearing the whole sweater.  It is just the turtleneck collar with shoulders on it.  Well, needless to say, Mom cannot find them anywhere so she makes her own. 

 

I cut the heart shaped pillow out of the front and the back of the sweater body and then the edge and cording of the pillow out of the solid sleeves.

 
Because the sweater was so soft  and I though the cotton cording would be too stiff, I used a heavy yarn for the cording instead.

 
On the solid red sweater I used fusible webbing and added a bright pink heart and then began sewing white buttons to it and filled in the whole heart.

 
I especially like the way that this one turned out.  The buttons just seem to make it.

 

I am participating in the following link ups: Its So Very Cheri, Mad Skills Monday, The Girl Creative, Between Naps on the Porch, The DIY Showoff, Dittle Dattle, Skip to My Lou, Coastal Charm, Today's Creative Blog, Blue Cricket Design, Sew Woodsy, It's so Stinkin Cute, Life as Lori, Simple Sweet Home, Tales from Bloggeritaville, All Things Heart and Home