Quote Sunday

Silly Saturday

Enjoy the weekend...kick back and relax!!

Masculine Birthday Cards

Hi, friends! Just a quick post today to show you some of the masculine cards that I created last weekend....

I love how they turned out...amazing what can be created with a few scraps, isn't it? :)

Enjoy the upcoming 3-day weekend for Labor Day...have fun and be safe!

Blessings,

From Large Soup Can to Cute Gift Tin...

Hi, folks! I hope that you had a great weekend! The temps here in Oklahoma have been reeeeally hot, so we just stayed in where it was cool. (So thankful for air conditioning!)

I piddled around the house and got a few craft projects made. One of the cute things that I created was this fun gift tin, which is perfect to tuck fresh-from-the-oven cookies in, or maybe a jar of preserves, before sharing them with a friend or neighbor. :)

Begin by gathering your supplies...here's what you'll need:

• Large soup can that has been washed and dried - make sure there are no sharp edges
• Burlap
• Spray adhesive
• Wire coat hanger
• Wire cutter and pliers
• Torn strips of gingham fabric
• Jute twine
• Button
• Yellow cotton fabric cut into 5 oval shaped pieces
• Green fabric cut into a leaf shape
• Tag
• Crop-A-Dile
• Tacky Glue

Using your Crop-A-Dile, punch a hole on either side of the tin can:

Cover the can with spray adhesive and wrap a piece of burlap around the can, adding a little more adhesive where the seams meet, if necessary:

Wrap two or three of the strips of torn gingham fabric around the center of the can and tie in the front:

To create the flower that you'll attach to the front of the can, cut a scrap of yellow cotton fabric into 5 oval shapes. Stitch the flower together in the center...

Tack a green fabric leaf to the back of the stitched flower and glue a button that's been tied with a piece of jute twine to the center of the flower. Glue the flower to the front of the can:

Using wire cutters, cut the bottom piece off of a wire coat hanger to fashion a bail handle for the tin:

To create a curly-q on the handle, wrap the wire around a pen:

Slide the wire off of the pen and place one of the ends in the hole that you punched in the can. Bend the wire to secure the bail handle, and repeat on the other side:

Tie a strip of torn gingham and jute twine to the bail handle and add a tag to the front, if desired. My tag reads, "Add to your joy by counting your blessings"...

Now tuck some wrapped goodies into your tin, add a bit of coordinating tissue paper, and give away to a friend or neighbor to brighten their day! :)

Have a terrific week!!

Quote Sunday

Silly Saturday

Have a fun and safe weekend, friends!!

How to "Age" Paper and Fabric for Craft Projects...

Good morning, folks! Today I'm going to share with you how I "age" new crisp, white paper doilies to make them look like they just came out of Grandma's trunk that's been sitting in the attic for 50 years...

I usually purchase my paper doilies at the Dollar Tree. They have different sizes and shapes for only $1.00 per package...what a steal! The heart doilies are usually seasonal, so I pick those up around Valentine's day so that I'll have them on hand when I need them.

Here's my paper aging recipe:

• 1 cup of boiling water (leftover coffee can be used as well)
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. imitation vanilla flavoring

In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and stir until the mixture is a pretty brownish color. (The cinnamon and vanilla gives the items you are aging a nice smell, too!) Carefully add doilies to the mixture and allow to sit for a few seconds. (You can usually put 2 or 3 small doilies in the bowl at one time, but I age the larger doilies individually to prevent/minimize tearing.) 

Using wooden tongs, (I use my Pampered Chef condiment tongs for this!), carefully turn the doily over in the mixture, and then remove and place on a tea towel to dry. Once they are dry, you may repeat the process until you achieve the shade you desire. (The doilies shown in the photo above were dipped and dried twice.)

This process also works for tags, crocheted doilies, cotton fabrics, metal rimmed tags, cotton ribbons and twine. I use these items on craft projects that I want to look antiqued or distressed. If the doilies tear a little, don't worry! That just adds to the imperfect beauty of the aging process! :)

Happy crafting!

Reversible Brad Pendant Necklace Tutorial...

Happy Monday, friends! Today I'm going to share with you a quick tutorial on how to create pretty necklaces from jumbo brads. The one that I'm showing you today is reversible and I made it for my super sweet friend, Darla W.

Here's a pic of one side:

And here's a pic of the reverse side:

Let's get started!! You'll need a large brad, (which I found at my local Hobby Lobby), and some basic crafting materials, such as scrap paper, pearls or beads, cording to string the pendant on, decorative bale and Mod Podge Dimensional Magic.

The brad that I used for this project measured about 1 1/4" across the middle:

Remove the prongs from the back side using a pair of wire cutters. Trim them even against the edge of the brad, so as not to have any sharp edges:

Pour your beads or pearls into the concave side of the brad and then add Mod Podge Dimensional Magic over the top of the beads or pearls.

Top the beads or pearls with little embellishments, such as tiny keys, letters, etc. and allow to thoroughly dry before turning the brad over to decorate the smooth side.

To decorate the smooth side of the brad, I used a scrap of decorative paper. I attached the paper to the brad using Mod Podge Dimensional Magic, and then added a coat of Dimensional Magic to the top of the paper to give it a glossy look. Carefully place a bale into the wet Dimensional Magic, and allow to thoroughly dry. Once dry, you can add a strip of rhinestones to the outer edge if desired...as you can see, I used black rhinestones.

String the finished pendant onto a silk cord and then enjoy all of the compliments that you'll receive when you wear it! :)

Wishing you a WONDERFUL week!!

Quote Sunday

Silly Saturday

HA! HA! HA! This is so pitiful that it's hilarious!!! Have a fun and safe weekend!!!

"Chase Your Dreams" Felt and Fabric Flower Card...

Good morning, friends! Wow - what a week! Mike and I came down with food poisoning Sunday evening and trust me, that was NO FUN AT ALL! (I lost 5 lbs. thanks to the food poisoning but I don't recommend it as a weight loss program - geesh!) We're not exactly sure what we ate that caused it, but Mike's sisters Sandy & Lea Ann, our brother-in-law John, our niece Megan and our great-niece Kayle got it as well. We had a little mini family reunion last Saturday in Edmond, so whatever we ate got us all! :( Anyhoo...we're all better now and so thankful for that!

I thought I'd share with you a little card that I whipped up for the folks at my office to sign for our friend and co-worker, Cheryl S. Friday is her last day with us, as she has taken a job with another company and will begin a new adventure on Monday!

I hand-stitched the sweet little felt flower, and added leaves that I cut out of green gingham fabric. The papers and mini white ric-rac are from CTMH, as well as the "Chase Your Dreams" sentiment that I stamped onto ivory cardstock using chocolate ink.

Thanks for dropping by...wishing you a SUPER day!!

Recipe: Made-in-Texas Peach Cobbler

Good morning! Recently I was flipping through the August 2014 issue of "Woman's Day" magazine and came across a recipe for Made-in-Texas Peach Cobbler, which happened to be perfect timing because I spotted some beautiful peaches at the grocery store that begged to come home with me - ha! ha!

The original recipe makes one cobbler in a 9" x 13" pan, but I decided to make two 8" x 8" cobblers so that I could share one with my friend Megan F. and her family. (Megan was kind enough to help me create a photo DVD set to music for my parent's 50th anniversary. Thanks, again, Megan for your help! The DVD is AWESOME!!)

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 cup butter flavored shortening (I just used regular Crisco, since that's what I had on hand)
• 5 to 7 Tbsp. ice-cold water
• 5 medium ripe peaches
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 Tbsp. butter

Method:

In a large bowl, whisk together 2 cups flour and 1/2 tsp. salt. Add the shortening and cut it in with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Stir in cold water, one Tbsp. at a time, until the mixture forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a zip-loc bag and pat dough out into a 1" thick rectangle.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Score an X on the bottom of each peach. Place peaches in boiling water for one minute and then transfer them to the bowl of ice water. Once they are cool enough to handle, peel and cut into 1 inch pieces.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large saucepan, bring the peaches, 1 1/4 cups sugar, the remaining 1/4 cup of flour and 1/4 tsp. salt to a gentle simmer. Remove from heat and stir in 2 Tbsp. butter until melted and combined. Transfer mixture to a shallow 9" x 13" baking dish that has been coated with non-stick cooking spray.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into an 11" x 15" rectangle. (If desired cut flower, heart, etc. shapes in the center of the dough using a mini cookie cutter.) Carefully lift the dough from the floured surface and place on top of the filling. Fold the crust under itself around the edges and crimp as desired. Gently poke holes in the crust to release steam as the filling is cooking. If you cut out shapes in the center of the dough, place the cut-out pieces on top of the crust, adding a little water to the back of each piece to hold it in place.

Brush a little melted butter over the top of the crust and then sprinkle with about 2 Tbsp. of sugar. Bake until the dough is golden brown, approximately 50 minutes to an hour.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and enjoy!! 

Have a blessed day!

Quote Sunday

Silly Saturday

These are seriously the COOLEST bandages EVER!!! :)

50th Wedding Anniversary Tribute to My Parents...

Fifty years ago today my parents, Jerry and Barbara Franklin-Buckallew said "I do" and began life together as husband and wife. Through the years they have shared joys and tears, and have weathered the storms of life together. This day commemorates 50 years of dedication to the vows that they took before God, family and friends on August 8, 1964. Here is a picture of them on their wedding day...so young and so in love:

My wonderful friend, Megan F., helped me create a photo DVD, set to music, highlighting their life events from the past 50 years. Here's the sweet jewel case that I made for their DVD tribute:

Last but not least, here is a photo of the anniversary card that I made for them. I aged the paper doily by soaking it in a mixture of tea, cinnamon and vanilla for a few seconds, then letting it dry on a paper towel.

For fun I sent out postcards, as well as private messages via Facebook, to family and friends requesting that they join in our celebration by mailing a card to my parents. My folks didn't want an anniversary party, but Mike and I couldn't let their special day go unrecognized! Therefore we asked for them to be "showered with cards". They will be so surprised when they go to their mailbox today!! :)

Thanks for dropping by today! Have a fun and safe weekend...