Embroidery Hoop Art & Earring Holder

Happy Monday, everyone!! 

Are you ready for a very FUN sister-see-sister-do post!? 

I've been on the GO so much lately that I haven't had very many chances to put together/post what I've been doing. So here goes...

I want to show you a fun way to turn scrap fabric (or an old item of clothing) AND your jewelry into ART!

I'm sure you've seen the way so many people are using embroidery hoops to decorate. I think it's such a fabulous way to make walls look more interesting! 

I created a little twist on some of mine so I could hang my earrings on them too! 

On some, I simply stuck a piece of twine in with my fabric & adjusted the tension. That's it!

 And the sweater hoop didn't need any twine, the earrings go right through the knit with ease...but believe me it's handy!!

1st I placed the hoop on an old sweater of mine. I have always loved the color & pattern of this sweater but it's always looke bulky on me & the neck was starting to bleach out. Once I  figured out where I wanted to cut, I went for it!

 Then I cut about 1" outside of the hoop.

 Then I placed my circle inside the hoop & adjusted the tension.

 Then I glued my leftover edges to the inside of the hoop.

After doing this project, this is how I decided to use/display my hoops. Some are in my bedroom where I use them to hang my earrings next to my other jewelry...and I made MORE decorative hoops with scraps of fabric, burlap, more of the old sweater, and a vintage pillow case - and I hung in the hallway for decoration!

Hope you've enjoyed this post! Keep your eye out at garage sales for CHEAP hoops! I got a large bag FULL of hoops for a DIME!!!!!! There's plenty left & I'm brainstorming some new ideas :) 

Happy Crafting!!!

Julie

See where I'm linking up on our party page :)

I'm linking up at the DIY CLUB This week

The Easiest Raspberry Jam

A friend at work was telling me about the Jam she had made over the weekend and shared her recipe with me.  I was shocked at how SIMPLE this is and even more shocked at how DELICIOUS it is!!  Plus if you (or a loving Grandma) has a berry patch this is a great way to save some of that flavor for Fall and Winter.

Here is the recipe: 

Gloria's Easy Berry Freezer Jam:

Step 1:

2 C Raspberries (or any berry you want) mashed

3 C Sugar

Mix and set aside for 20 minutes - stirring occasionally.

Step 2:

1 pkg Sur-Gel

1 C Water

Bring to a HARD boil  and boil for 1 full minute

Mix Step 1 and Step 2 together.  Pour into containers (I used the 1/2 C Ziploc containers.  Gloria puts hers in jam jars (but I couldn't find any at the store and these only cost me $2.48 for 6 containers)).  

Place in freezer then thaw in fridge when ready to enjoy!!  

I couldn't wait to try it so I cut up a loaf of homemade bread, toasted it and spread on the jam - DELICIOUS!!

Summer Reading List

Summer break is here!!

Ya know, this means SUMMER READING programs are starting at libraries everywhere!! So to help you all get started, I thought I'd post some of my older sons' favorite reads. They are pre-schoolers - ages 5 & 3 1/2.
We often grab a random mix of books from the children's section at our local library, & I have to confess, I am often disappointed with what we bring home. Seriously, it seems like anything can be published now, doesn't it? So jot these down & see what YOU think! I'll hold back my critical craving to share my reject list ;)

1. Pete The Cat - by Eric Litwin/James Dean (SUPER fun book  modeling a great attitude! "It's ALLLL good!" Watch this adorable video if you've never heard of Pete the Cat - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNAeRy6jS7c&feature=related )

2. Skippy Jon Jones - by Judy Schachner (fun to listen to the CD of this - but nearly impossible to read!) 

3. The Very Greedy Bee - Steve Smallmon/Jack Tickle (Great lesson about greed & how it's best to share!)

4. Chrysanthemum - by Kevin Henkes (A good story about teasing & loving yourself.)

5. Friends to Feed - by Pete Seeger/Paul DuBois Jacobs/ Michael Hays (We love this story! There is a version of this book that comes on CD inside the book & we all love to listen to it together & follow along. The first time we read it, we made Minestrone together afterwards & I told them it was "Stone Soup" instead of Minestrone....minus the stone, of course!)

6. Llama Llama Red Pajama  - by Anna Dewdney (A rhyming read-aloud that puts my boys in the rhyming mood. We like to play a rhyming game when we're done. "What rhymes with....._______?")

7. Marsupia Sue presents The Runaway Pancake - John Lithgow/ Jack Davis - (Another great book to get with the CD! John Lithgow reads it to a group of children. It's full of giggles! So when story time, nap time, bed time gets boring, pop the CD in for this book! It adds some spice to the monotany & your kids will LOVE it!)

8. The Jesus Storybook Bible - by Sally Lloyd-Jones/ Sam Shammas/ Jago (Amazing storybook for children. There are no words to tell you how incredible this book is. Not only is it the story of God's redemption & of Jesus, but it also is a great tool to help little ones see & understand that he is at the center of their personal story too. If you can't borrow this from your library, I suggest just purchasing it! It's absolutely worth it!) http://www.amazon.com/The-Jesus-Storybook-Bible-Whispers/dp/0310708257/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338840676&sr=8-1

What are your favorite children's books?

Which ones do your kids like the best?

Tell me!

I'd LOVE to grab some good ones the next time we visit the library.

Hugs to you!

Julie

Fabric Art for under $10.00

Did you go vote yet in the One Artsy Mama Contest?  Go check it out and vote for your favorites.  We just love to see what the remaining contestants are coming up with!

Even though we're not in the contest anymore I'm still busy working on my own crafts around the house.  I have one room in the house I love to re-decorate about once a year.  I've finally neutralized the wall color so updating is as easy as whipping up pillow slip covers, spray painting some decor and in this case adding a bit of fabric!

We had purchased 2 pieces of wall art at Kohls about 5 years about (for about 3.00 a piece - I love a bargain). A couple weeks ago I was cleaning house prepping for our garage sale and decided the art needed to go... Then I changed my mind (after I had priced it and displayed it in the garage).  I really thought I'd paint over them since they were already textured it could have been a hit or miss...

I ended up at Wal-mart of all places and fell in love with this black and white fabric in the special occasion row.  I love it!  Its a bit shimmery and the black is velvet and raised up.  For $5.97 a yard I could not resist (they had 3 different patterns but this one matched my Goodwill Mirror).  I did add a piece of poster board .30 each between the art and the fabric so the previous art color would not show through.

Covering painters canvas or old art is easy peasy when its a wood frame!  Stretch from all directions and pull tight then staple!  It's SO inexpensive and easy to do, plus if you get tired of it changing it is no big deal!  When we were first married (several years ago...)I bought a couch size canvas and stretched over fabric.  It's a great option on a budget and for non-painters!

Now I just need to whip up a couple pillow covers to match!  I'm even thinking about covering some frames with some Modge Podge and fabric to match - go check this out for some inspiration at My Simple Obsession!

Polka Dots & Paisley...From EW to Ahhh!

It's time! Voting is over & now we can reveal which submission was ours into One Artsy Mama's One Crafty Contest! 

There were some crazy- awesome submissions. Seriously, impressive & defnitely inspiring! Honestly, it makes me crazy because lately I've had zero time to be crafty & these projects are ones I'd LOVE to copy-cat & try! Did you see the bookshelf firestation?! My boys would LOVE that! AND, the glass tile tree mosaic?! What a beautiful piece of art...make with MODGE PODGE, of all things!!!

Michelle created this piece & once again did what she does best!! She made-over one ugly piece of furniture & turned it into something very cute!

 

Now, check out the BEFORE:

This thing made us go, "EWww"

It was a leftover from a garage sale & was given to us. It sat in my (Julie's) garage for a year. I never had time nor did I know WHAT to do with it.

Leave it to MICHELLE to save the day :)

Photographing it was A LOT of fun for us to do together....

Can you imagine us, out in the middle of no-where Ohio...on the road & by a field snapping pics of a night stand????  Glad we didnt' have to explain ourselves to anyone or they'd think we were a little weird...there's nothin' wrong with the truth though, right!!

I'm going to throw this one in for fun :) Sorry, Chelle!

And this one for fun too...
Pics like this make me LOVE Ohio country side...

We hope you liked the makeover as much as we did. It was fun being a part of One Artsy Mama's contest! Unfortunately we didn't make it through to the next round, but even though we won't be competing, we're excited to see what the remaining contestants will be coming up with in the rounds ahead! The talent will blow us away, I'm sure! 

Thank you Amy at One Artsy Mama for letting us compete!!!!

We are so grateful!!!
OXOX,

Julie & Michelle

Butterfinger Grape Dessert - Get your YUM on!

 

The warm weather makes we want to be outside ALL THE TIME - I'm loving it.  I'm also looking forward to family and friend gathering this summer (I'm sure you are too!).  Today I'm rewinding to share a INCREDIBLY EASY & YUMMY recipe I love to take to cook-outs and carry-in's!!

The first few times I saw this made I must be honest it did not look or sound appealing (at all!) My co-workers raved about it and continually made it for carry-in's.  Well, they were right.  This salad is definitely worth raving about.  In fact, there are never any leftovers.  Make this... its delicious!  I could honestly eat the entire dessert myself (True Story: I served it this weekend and put back a dish for after the party was over.  Needless to say my family hovered over my bowl begging for a bite!)Butterfingers Grape Dessert[Image]Ingredients:

4 lbs grapes (a mixture of green and red seedless)

1/2 c Brown Sugar sugar

8 oz cream cheese, softened

8 oz Cool Whip

Topping:

4 crushed Butterfingers candy bars (easily crushed if frozen and then put in a Ziploc back and hammered)

Directions: 

1.  Blend the cream cheese, sugar, and cool whip until smooth.  Mix in with the cleaned, whole grapes. 2.  Sprinkle crushed candy bar over the grape mixture right before serving.

I like to make the grape/cream cheese mixture the night before and leave my crushed Butterfingers in the freezer until I'm ready to serve. 

If you have had this you know how incredible every bite is, if you haven't you will want to try this recipe out (but make sure you hide a second helping away for later!)

Hamburgers At Home

I don't know anyone who doesn't enjoy a great gourmet burger.  Check out this one that's so simple and delicious you'll want to make it again and again.

Gourmet Burgers at Home

-2lbs Ground Chuck

-2 eggs

-4 T Weber Gourmet Burger Seasoning

(you can also add some shredded cheese if you li,e)

Mix all ingredients with your hands in a bowl.  Form 6 large patties and get ready to grill.  If you don't have an outdoor grill you can always try a Double Burner Grill indoors.

Add some homemade fries to your menu too!  Cut 6 potatoes with an apple slicer drizzle with some EVOO and sprinkle with salt.  Bake on a cookie sheet at 400 for 45min (my kids love to make and eat these!)

~M~