Keeping it organized and give-away news!

Hi! I hope you're having a wonderful Monday! Today I'm on a mission to control clutter, and I've been hard at work organizing a few things that have been driving me nuts around my house. Specifically, my gift wrap supplies. I was storing them in a large plastic tub in the guest room closet. It was unattractive and cumbersome. The tape and scizzors always seemed to disappear into the bottom never to be found again. I dreaded having to wrap a gift because it was so difficult to access my supplies.  

I was searcing the web for a better solution when I came across this clever idea for converting a wicker hamper into an and eye catching wrap station! 

I made a quick trip to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to pick up one of these hampers, and in moments had my rolls of paper in the basket, with my small supplies and ribbons tucked into handy pockets attached to the side. It's inexpensive and easy, but my favorite thing about this project is that it's lovely enough to leave on display in my craft room. No more pulling that heavy tub from the bottom of the closet! The instructions can be found at the homemadesimple website. There are even step-by-step instructions for creating the cute no-sew pocket to attach to the side.

I also have some exciting blog news to share (you can't see this, but I'm jumping up and down with happiness!) I've reached 100 subscribers!! To thank all of you and to celebrate this event I'll be hosting another give-away! I'll have specifics posted in a few short days, once I get some photos of the grand-prize ready to post on my blog.

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope your day is filled with friendship and laughter! Hugs,       

Valentine 'Conversation' Clothespin Tutorial and Strawberry Valentine Oreo Cookies!

                   

Valentine 'Conversation' Clothespins

photo courtesy of Etsy 

Hi! I'm so happy Friday has finally arrived (it's my favorite day of the week!) Weekends are like Chrismas gift waiting to be unwrapped, and Friday has all the exciting anticipation of Christmas Eve. Two fun filled days lay ahead when the family can be together without the demands of work or school. There's less homework, routines can slide a little, it's okay to stay up up a little later or sleep in a bit in the morning. This is our time to enjoy a picnic in the park, a visit to the museum, a night at the movies, dinner out, or an evening of browsing at Barnes and Noble (yes, in our famiy that's considered an excellent weekend activity!) 

In celebration of this lovely day I'd like to share another fun and easy Valentine project. I came across this idea on Pinterest, but unfortunately the link didn't provide the shop or name of the seller who originally made these. Not to worry. I've crafted many of these for different occasions, and in few simple steps you'll have as many of these little cuties as you like. This is a wonderful activity to do with children! You need only three inexpensive items to get started:

Clothespins. These can be found anywhere. I purchased mine at Walmart.  

This cute little alphabet stamp set. I love the vintage type style of this alpahbet. It includes the heart stamp AND a little star (think Fourth of July!) This is available through Hobby Lobby, but I purchased mine at AC Moore using the weekly coupon. I picked it up for practically nothing!    

An ink pad. I used 'Cough Syrup' from Jenni Bowlin, but any color you prefer will work perfectly.

Now that you've assembled your supplies you're ready to begin.

1. If you want your clothespins to have an aged look, follow the instructions from Tuesday's post for tea/coffee staining them, then allow them to dry before you proceed. 
2. It's time to break out your stamps. Stamping is fun! If you're working with a new set of stamps you'll need to gently separate them before using them. Ink up your stamp by gently pressing it onto the inkpad a couple of times. Don't press too hard. You don't want excess ink to run over on the surrounding rubber (you won't get a clean stamped image if this happens.) If you're new to stamping you can practice a couple of times on scrap paper to get the feel of it.   
3. Hold your clothespin steady and stamp your sentiment onto the handle one letter at a time. Press gently but firmly each time you stamp a letter. You don't have to perfectly align your letters. The imperfections lend charm to this project. Use any sentiment you like. I made all of mine different (like the conversation heart candies.) There are no limitations aside from the size of the clothespin.       
4. Once you complete the sentiment follow the same procedure to stamp the heart onto the tip of the clothespin.  

You now have a batch of 'conversation clothespins' to attach to anything and everything your heart desires. It doesn't get any easier than that!

I found the most adorable recipe while blog surfing on Thursday...  

 

Strawberry Valentine Oreo Cookies

I'm so happy I stumbled across these! As it turns out, my son needed treats to take to the chess club meeting today, and I had all the ingredients for these cookies in my pantry. They start with a cake mix, so that alone tells you they're going to be easy. They come out soft and sweet and chewy, really everything you could ask for in  a cookie. What fun it would be to bake these with children!   

I have another addiction to confess to today... I'm completely hooked on reading:-)) I consider it a decadent a treat to curl up with a book and a cup of tea. Even more than that, I love just being around books. I love the way they smell. I love the way the paper feels. Whenever I visit someone's home I always feel more comfortable when I see books lying around. You can learn quite a bit about people by the books they read. At my house there are stacks of books to be found everywhere (one of the rare instances I do not consider a random stack of stuff clutter.)  

When I was little I stored my most loved books on the shelf of my headboard. When I was newly married I was able have an entire shelf unit in our living room just for my books. When we bought our first home I knew I wanted a space designated solely for the purpose of reading, so I created this little library in one of our spare bedrooms. The shelves are filled with books for all ages, so that a magical journey awaits anyone who walks through the door. I truly believe that the love of reading is one of the best gifts a parent can give their children.     

The ceramic jar sitting on the shelf was made by my oldest daughter in art class many years ago. I so love looking at it.

More than anything I wanted our library to be comfortable. I went with big, overstuffed leather recliners, and placed them in front of a sunny window. The floor is covered by a plush area rug. I keep plenty of throw blankets and pillows around so we can really get cozy.     

You don't need a special room to create your own library. A comfy chair and good lighting are the only requirements. You don't even need to buy books. A weekly trip to the public library is an exciting adventure and competely free of charge!     

This is the book I'm reading right now... 

Catching Fire is the second novel in The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. I'm about 3/4 of the way into it right now, and I can barely put it down. I'd love to hear what you've been reading if you have a moment to share!

 Thank you for visiting and sharing a bit of your day with me!! I hope you have a wonderful day filled with friendship, laughter, and the very happiest of surprises! Hugs,  



A Vintage Valentine and Pink Popcorn!

Hi and happy Groundhog's Day! Have you heard the breaking news from Gobbler's Knob this morning? Word has it that Punxsutawney Phil made his yearly appearance and saw his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter, uugghhh. You may be cute, Phil, but you can be replaced by Perry the Platypus....

February also marks the beginning of  'birthday month' at our house. We have five family members turning a year older over the next 29 days (yep, it's a leap year!) All these celebrations will keep me be busy baking up plenty of cupcakes and goodies.

photo courtesy of Flickr,com

 My trusty crystal ball predicts I'll need to walk four miles a day instead of three this month, and add extra sets of crunches to my daily routine. I predict myself tucking my crytsal ball way back into the darkest corner of my dustiest closet.

Since the fireplace is often the focal point of the great room, a seasonal touch to your mantel decor adds a festive and welcoming feel to the entire space. This month mine is graced with a pip berry garland entwined with a strand of white lights (because a little sparkle makes everything better!) and my collection of vintage Valentine cards. I get such a happy, cozy little feeling each time I look at them that I wanted to share a little of that with you. If you'd like to add a little non-caloric sweetness to your holiday, I welcome you to print the images shared here and create your own display, cards, tags, or any crafty goodness your heart can imagine!

 

And now on to something more sinfully sweet....

Old Fashioned Pink Popcorn

What could be more simple or perfect than this old fashioned, irresistibly sweet

 popcorn, decked out in shabby pink for your Valentine's gift giving. Fill cello bags with this tempting treat, tie them off will some pretty ribbon and a tag, and you're ready for every classroom party or event on your holiday schedule. Just be prepared with the recipe when your friends ask, 'How'd you do that??!" I can't wait to pop up a big bowl for my family on Valentine's evening, then curl up in front of the t.v. for American Idol! A huge thanks to Jaclyn at cookingclassy.blogspot.com for tracking down this wonderful recipe that so many of us remember from our childhood!

I hope you're enjoying your Groundhog's Day (it's all the reason I need to celebrate!) And thank you for coming by today and sharing this time with me! Hugs,

Sweet Vintage Tuesday: a vintage inspired clothespin tutorial and caramel apple cake recipe!

Hi and happy Tuesday! What an exciting time of year for all of us crafters. CHA is happening right now! I've seen a couple sneak peeks of some of the new products already. Oh, I can't wait to see everything. My crystal ball tells me my 'wish list' is about to become a whole lot longer. Today will also put January behind us. It's my least favorite month. Now we can start looking to the longer and sunnier days of spring, with it's beautiful flowers and sweet smelling air (sigh....) 

  I have a great project to share with you today. I found this photo on Pinterest (originally from Tiny Bear Studio on Etsy.) This lovely set already sold, but that doesn't mean you can't have them. I've made these often to give as gifts, and they are are fun and easy to craft.

Supplies

The supply list is simple and inexpensive: some clothespins/spools, coffee and/or tea, a couple of yards of lace or fabric strips, strips of pages from an old book, a couple of yards of trim or ribbon of your choice, buttons, and a yard jute. 

If you don't want to destroy a book to make these, just scan a page and save it to your computer, then print it out on some nice quality paper or light weight cardstock. You can change the look of the project by changing the style of lace or fabric. Give them a more primitive style by using homespun, or use a holiday fabric for a seasonal look. 

Directions       

1. Create about a cup of stain using a strong coffee, tea, or mixture of both. You can use instant or brewed for this. Make the mixture as light or dark as you wish, depending on how vintage or primitive you want your project to look. If your not sure, just experiment a little until you find what suits.  
2. Soak the clothespins in the coffee/tea mixture until they've achieved the desired aged appearance, then allow to dry.     
3. If you'd like your lace/fabric and book pages to appear more aged, just soak them in the coffee/tea mixture as well, and allow to dry. Be careful not to soak them too long, as they really pick up the stain quickly.      
4. Wrap the lace or fabric strips around each clothespin or spool.
5. Wrap a strip of book page around the lace or fabric.
6. Secure everything with by attaching a coordinating piece of trim or ribbon.  
7. Embellish by adhering a pretty button or attaching a bit of jute.  

Anyone can make these and the results are completely charming. They make the perfect presentation for gifts of lace and trim, as well as lovely basket or bowl fillers, and they couldn't be more simple!

Caramel Apple Cake

If you have the munchies today (like me!) and are up for a little baking, you may want to go preheat your oven right about now. I have this caramel apple cake baking in mine as I type this, and it smells absolutely amazing. And better yet, this cake is also easy! It's another recipe I came across on Pinterest. Seriously, you'll never need another cookbook if you go on that site. But it's way too addictive, so be warned:-))

I have just one last bit of vintage sweetness to share today; this photo, found on tumblr.com from Belle Atelier. I think this color palette would make a lovely card, and I just adore the frothy dresses. Looking at this makes me smile! I hope your Tuesday is full of crafty fun, and I'm so happy you could stop by today! If you'd like to chat just leave a message...

scrappy idea of the day!

You know all those tiny scraps we have leftover from our projects? I have a really hard time throwing all that scrappy goodness in the waste basket. They're so pretty that it just seems wrong, not to mention wasteful. I came up with an idea to upcycle all those tiny bits and pieces  into something that's both useful and lovely.

I turn my leftovers into what I like to call 'tag kits.' 

I cut, stamp, glue, and punch my scraps of patterned paper to create an embellishment kit that's just right for crafting two or three coordinating tags. 

I tie everything together with a bit of twine, then tuck it all into a glassine sleeve for a pretty presentation. In just a few moments my scraps have been transformed into a sweet, one of a kind gift for a papercrafting friend! 

And now I'm off to enjoy a slumber party with my little grandgirl, the light of my life and center of my universe. She makes my world the happiest place ever!  

I hope you're having a wonderful day too! Thank you so much for stopping by and spending a little time with me!     

Love is in the air!

I can't believe it's Thursday already! The days seem to fly by for me. Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and to celebrate I'd like to share this sweet image I recently pinned to Pinterest. It's a free printable from The Graphix Fairy, located right here on blogger. Karen shares over 2000 vintage printables on her blog, and is always adding new images. These cute little cherubs are beyond adorable! Thank you Karen!  

Pinterest is my latest online addicition. When I first heard about it I thought I'd have no use for it, but was I ever wrong. I set a 15 minute timer for myself whenever I visit the site because it's way too easy to while-away the hours there. It's a bit like entering the land of the lotus eaters. You think you've been on 20 minutes, then you look at the clock and realize 2 hours have slipped by! 

But there will be no Pinterest for me today:-((well, maybe just 5 minutes at lunch???) I'm busy catching up on tag orders, and those always take priority. Being sick for a couple of weeks has put me behind in everything. If there is one thing I hate, it's to be behind in my obligations. But I'm willing to work hard, and I never give up! So it's back to the craft room for me, followed by a trip to the post office with my packages. I hope you're having a great day too! And I thank you with my whole heart for stopping by to visit me here!    

 

Shabby Winter Cottage Tags for YPP Swap

Hi! I hope everyone is having a lovely Wednesday! It's one of my favorite days of the week. Wednesday is my day to volunteer as a docent for the Historic Charleston Foundation. I give tours at the Nathaniel Russell House, and I soooooo love it!! I get to share my love of history with the wonderful visitors here in Charleston, and am privileged to work with amazing and incredibly knowledgeable people!
I have a few photos to share of the tags I created for Your Paper Pantry's January tag swap. The theme for this month is 'winter', and a cozy, snow covered cottage kept appearing in my mind, so that is what I went with. I had so much fun making these!

I used the Sizzix 'Album House' die to cut the shape out of cardboard, then I removed the paper covering so the bumpy part was exposed. I know there are probably more technical terms to describe cardboard, but I don't know them so I'll just go with 'bumpy part.'   

I mixed a couple of colors of Folk Art acrylic paint to create the blue/green color I used on the cottage (it's my favorite color right now!) After painting I 'aged' it with Tim Holtz distress inks. My 'snow' is cut from felt using Papertrey Ink's 'in the meadow' die collection', then covered in Rock Candy Distress Stickles and mica flakes. 

I 'shingled' my roof with Kraft cardstock from Papertrey Ink. I like their cardstock because it's nice and heavy. I painted the shingles with Folk Art taffy acrylic paint, sanded them a little, then inked them with distress inks to make everything look more vintage and shabby. This became a little tedious by the time I got to the third or fourth tag, but I'm glad I did it now that they're finished:-) The top trim is also made from felt covered in Rock Candy Distress Stickles and mica flakes.

The window is from Prima's line of Shabby Chic Treasures. I painted it in brown acrylic paint, then went over it with the same color of taffy I used on the roof, leaving traces of the brown in the recessed areas. I lined the inside of the window with a piece of plastic packaging covered with mica flakes to make it look like glass that was all frosted over.   

The sentiment and shape were created from a stamp and die from Papertrey Ink's Frienship Jar series, then I attached it to a painted toothpick and added some sparkly fluff to the top edge. I stained and crinkled some seam binding and tied it around the tag, then added a vintage button. I made a snowflake flourish on the left of the tag. I cut my flakes with the Sizzix 'snowflakes #3' die and the Martha Stewart alpine snowflake punch, then covered them in Sparkly Fluff and added a few little plastic snowflake embellishments. 

For the finishing touch I added some tea stained lace to the top. I created the mittens with a die from Papertray Ink's 'love lives here: holiday' die collection, and attached them with a pin from Making Memories 'vintage findings' collection.

I covered almost everything with mica flakes! I wanted my tags to sparkle and look like they were covered in ice. You should see the floor of my craft room. Mica flakes like to go everywhere. Yes, my crystal ball predicts there will be sweeping and cleaning in my future! But in the words of Scarlet O'Hara, I won't think about that today, I'll think about that tomorrow.

I also have a Youtube video on these tags. If you'd like to take a peek I'll post the link here:

 

When I get home tonight I'm going to take a nice long walk, then put on my coziest pj's and relax. For dinner I'm making the ultimate in winter comfort food:

Cream of Tomato Soup

and...

Honey Basil Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

There's nothing more cozy than a bowl of tomato soup and a melty grilled cheese sandwich. After that my hubby and I have a date in front of the television for American Idol (we're big fans!) Yes, Wednsday is definitely one of my favorite days of the week! My best wishes to you for a great day as well, and thank you, thank you, thank you for stopping by!!        

doily envelopes

(courtesy of Nicole at simpleandhandmade.blogspot.com)

Hi and happy Tuesday! I came across a couple of great ideas online today. How I love the look of these delicate doily envelopes! Imagine how adorable these would be for hand delivered Valentine cards.

All you need is a square lace doily. Fold each corner towards the middle to create a diamond shape, then use a dab of glue to adhere the three corners together. Leave one corner unattached so you have a flap to slide the letter into the envelope.

Here's another example using a round doily:

I can't wait to try this out! 

I also found a couple of great looking recipes. Tex-Mex is a favorite in my family, so I pulled out my trusty crockpot and have this simmering away for our supper...

Tex Mex Crock Pot Chicken

We'll be using ours to fill tacos, but it works just as well for enchiladas, fajitas, quesadillas, and soups.

And it freezes well, so go ahead and make a double batch and you'll have something put back for those nights you're too rushed to cook. 

Now onto dessert.

Cranberry Crumb Bars 

I adore anything with cranberries. I even slather them on sandwiches along with leftover Thanksgiving turkey. At the moment I'm about to head into my kitchen and whip up a pan of these scrumptious bars. Oh, I cannot wait to taste them!! 

My thanks to the talented Katie for sharing both of the wonderful recipes that will be gracing our table tonight. Here are the links if you'd like to bring them to a dinner table near you:  

http://www.goodlifeeats.com/2010/09/crock-pot-mexican-

 http://www.goodlifeeats.com/2009/10/cranberry-crumb-bars.ht

And now I can't resist sharing just one more photo, because we have a golden retriever, and this is just the sort of thing our sweet girl used to do... 

(photo courtesy of dogsrfunny.com)

I hope you're having a joyful day filled with love and wonderful surprises! And thank you for stopping to share a little of your day with me here!