Aug 302012
 
Just a heads up, my laptop is rapidly on it’s way out and until I get a new one (hopefully soon) posting might be irregular. All my pictures are on my  laptop and hopefully salvageable by some super computer-savy friends. 
What you might have missed here last week: 
Features from last week:
                                                                  Source: boulevardelantique.blogspot.com via Alecia on Pinterest
                                                                       Source: carissasfoodblog.blogspot.com via Alecia on Pinterest
Congrats! You are are top of the pecking order (trust me, it’s the best place to be!)
Chicken Scratch NY

On to the party, here are the rules:
Link up any thing craft, food, garden, farm or photo related.
Please no giveaways or shops
Link up to a single post, not your blog
Pretty please link back with a text link or button!
It doesn’t have to be on the post, just have it somewhere on your blog
Check out at least 2 other entries for everything you enter.
It’s all about the love!
You don’t have to be a follower but I’d love it!
Link up as much as you want

Chicken Scratch NY
 
By linking up here you give me permission to use your photos if you’re featured on my blog and to have your post added to my feature pin board. Maybe even on my facebook page and twitter!

Aug 272012
 
My wedding reception is being held in an old barn in late September. We’re going very simple and rustic with the decorations. I decided to make several styles of pennant banners to decorate the space. The main entrance to the barn is lined with fences that will be hung with the vintage lace banners.



I cut piles of triangular pennants from the scrap bin at work (bonus of working for a sewing company!). I used browns, reds, yellows, oranges and off whites; but you could use any colors that contrast with your lace. White on white would also be pretty. I had a bag of lace from Mikes late Grandmother, I thought it would be a nice way to involve her in the wedding.

You can make a nice banner with only 5 pennants, I generally find that odd numbers look the best but you can use what ever number you like.

Start by folding over tops of the pennants and ironing the flaps down. Then stitch across the top with a straight stitch. You will have a channel to run your twine through.

Next start adding the lace. Switch the machine to a zig-zag and change the thread color if desired.I wanted the lace to start in the same place on all of the pennants so I lined up the top of the pennant with the edge of the metal plate. That also helps keep your line straight.

Stitch a line across the pennant along the top of the lace. Trim the lace following the lines of the pennant.

Keep going until you run out of lace, pennants or patience.

When you’re all done sewing string the pennants on twine and hang the banner.

5 down, 200 to go!

Linked up at: Tuesday Treasures
Aug 232012
 
Last Weeks Party didn’t happen. But I had a good reason! We had our new bed delivered (a king size!! Whoo! Room for both of us and the dog and the cat!) and I had to finish painting. 
Ok, not quite. I didn’t paint the ceiling, the trim or one wall. And I only really finished 2 wall. But one of those 2 wall is the one the bed goes against! That wins some points right?
What you might have missed here:

The features from two weeks ago:

Congrats! You are are top of the pecking order (trust me, it’s the best place to be!)
Chicken Scratch NY

On to the party, here are the rules:
Link up any thing craft, food, garden, farm or photo related.
Please no giveaways or shops
Link up to a single post, not your blog
Pretty please link back with a text link or button!
It doesn’t have to be on the post, just have it somewhere on your blog
Check out at least 2 other entries for everything you enter.
It’s all about the love!
You don’t have to be a follower but I’d love it!
Link up as much as you want

Chicken Scratch NY
 
By linking up here you give me permission to use your photos if you’re featured on my blog and to have your post added to my feature pin board. Maybe even on my facebook page and twitter!

Aug 212012
 
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of NECTRESSE™Sweetener for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

My summertime guilty pleasure just got guiltless!
I love a good sun-ripened tomato. I also love to dip them in…. sugar.
I know! It’s terrible. Beautiful, healthy tomato. Sugar. Not really a great combo. 
I blame my grandmother, when she used to watch my sister and I she would pick tomatoes from her garden and slice them up for us on a plate with a little pile of sugar. There is just something incredibly tasty about a tart tomato and with a fine dusting of sugar. 
I’ll be honest, when I had to option to review NECTRESSE™Sweetener I was skeptical. I’m a whole food/unprocessed food person, so I had some reservations. I looked into in it and found that it is made from the goodness of real fruit – monk fruit extract! It is 100 percent natural and zero calories per serving too. 
I found that I could eat a fairly large tomato with one packet and get the same sweetness from a small pile of sugar. The NECTRESSE™ sweetener melted into the tomato like regular sugar and it tasted just like sugar. I’m super crazy about artificial tastes and nasty after tastes but with NECTRESSE™ there aren’t any! I’ve been using it in my coffee and I can’t tell the difference.
 It might not be the healthiest snack (like, oh I don’t know, a plain tomato) but it’s up there! And seriously, if this is all it takes to get your kids to eat a tomato what are you missing out on? It’s a lot easier to carry around a packet of NECTRESSE™ than a 5 pound bag of sugar. And those packets? Those babies are strong, I threw a few in the wasteland that is my purse and they survived like little armored tanks of sweetness.
Be sure to get a FREE sample of NECTRESSE™Sweetener for yourself, then all you need is a tomato! 
Still not convinced? Check out this video from Lisa Ling:

Visit Sponsor's Site

Aug 192012
 
I’ve almost made it a full year!
And that means I get to start referencing posts from last year (and yes, I’m posting Halloween projects in August)!If you were with me way back in the beginning you might remember I’ve got a thing for spider webs. My first tutorial ever was for embroidery hoop spider webs. If you weren’t one of the 50 people that saw that post check ‘er our!

My next tutorial was for my Giant Lawn Spider Webs. Since we’re strolling down memory lane I’ll share another fact, I got my very first comment from that post! AND my first follower!

Ok enough about that!

I decided to spice up my lawn spiders this year:

Continue reading »

Aug 192012
 
Hi everyone! I probably haven’t mentioned this before but I have recently become a My Memories Affiliate! 
Don’t be misled by the title! I’m not really a scrapbooker but I’ve found lots of uses for this software. 
I made Mothers Day pictures for my mom and grandmother and I whipped up this little number for my sister in a few minutes:
I used the EIEIO pack from Just So Scrappy. I absolutely LOVE her design packs.
Check out MM:
My Code is: STMMMS16883
Aug 172012
 
How often are you inspired?
Everyday I see at least 20 things that make me stop and say “Hey! I love this but if I did A instead of B I could use it for C!” and let me tell you, I’ve got some awesome ideas! But sadly they go as easily as they come. If I don’t write it down (ok, scribble) immediately it either goes poof or get so stuck in my head that I can’t think about anything else.

I’ve got so many notebooks hanging around. I must have some type of phobia about them though. I can’t bring my self to start scribbling in a brand new notebook. I write on scrap paper all the time but I need a way to organize the pieces.

A quick trip to Staples and I came up with this:

It’s like a real life Pinterest!

I bought a bunch of memo-sized clip boards (6×9) for $2 each. I spray painted each one with aqua paint from the stash and let it dry. I cut out three lace patterns from contact paper with my silhouette. I adhered them over the aqua, blocked off the top and spray painted them with green chalkboard paint.

After letting the paint cure for 24 hours I rubbed chalk dust over the green and labeled each board, I love that you can switch out the label whenever you want.

I used three Command strips to hang them on the door. I hot glued a piece of felt to the bottom of each board so they don’t slam against the door when it shuts. As you can see about I cut them out really carefully. If you had foam stickers or adhesive backed felt it would also work.

In case you’re curious about my scribbling these are two examples. I usually draw something and write a whole lot of random stuff, usually accompanied by a list of supplies and/or methods. I’ve got 3 more clip boards so I might be adding another row if this method works out for me.

Aug 132012
 
Looking back over the last year of my blogging experiences I can see a definite pattern. I blog the most, and the best, around a holiday. It’s also the times when I have the most visits and views (my fellow bloggers know how much it sucks when your readers stop coming).

One of my first blog projects: Giant Lawn Spiderwebs

With the exception of the odd furniture revamp or garden post the majority of my projects have a holiday, or at least season at heart. And as a holiday crafter, this is the dry season.
 From the 4th of July to the beginning of fall is a crafting wasteland.
It sucks.

Wooden Stocking Holders

The rest of my Christmas Projects are listed on my Christmas Page

Even my super-fall-centric wedding is out of place. No one wants to look at mums and falling leaves while they’re laying on the beach.

I’ve got a few major projects in the works:

      • Painting the Master bedroom (almost done)
      • Refinish the 2 dressers and nightstand
      • Curtain rods and Curtains for the bedroom
      • Clean out the pink room (guest room) for the old queen sized mattress
      • Paint and stencil living room wall
      • Finish living room curtains
      • Paint curtain rods 
      • Wedding stuff
      • Wedding stuff
      • Wedding stuff (in my defense the big stuff is handled and I’m decorating with mostly natural items like mums and pumpkins so it’s gotta wait)
      • Fall flower and vegetable gardening
Holiday/Seasonal Stuff
      • Halloween projects!!! (this I’m actually excited about)
      • Fall/Thanksgiving projects
      • Christmas projects/presents (yes, now is the time to start)
Bottom line? Start expecting Halloween projects ASAP
Aug 092012
 
Wedding Invites are out!!!
Did you see my Turkey Toppers?

I love his little hat! 
Here are the featured links from the last 2 weeks:
Paper Center Face Lift from Turtles and Tails
The Pickle Pot from What Amber Loves

Some yummy Banana Cupcakes from Shaken Together:

Three yummy pies from What Amber Loves:

Congrats! You are are top of the pecking order (trust me, it’s the best place to be!)
Chicken Scratch NY

On to the party, here are the rules:
Link up any thing craft, food, garden, farm or photo related.
Please no giveaways or shops
Link up to a single post, not your blog
Pretty please link back with a text link or button!
It doesn’t have to be on the post, just have it somewhere on your blog
Check out at least 2 other entries for everything you enter.
It’s all about the love!
You don’t have to be a follower but I’d love it!
Link up as much as you want

Chicken Scratch NY
 
By linking up here you give me permission to use your photos if you’re featured on my blog and to have your post added to my feature pin board. Maybe even on my facebook page and twitter!