Mason Jar Chandelier

I HATE the light over the kitchen table.  It came with the house and I've just really never found another light that I like or can afford. 

I LOVE mason jars.  So after scouring the internet, I came up with this solution. 

A mason jar chandelier!  Brilliant!  Functional.  Almost free.  Yeah, this is right up my alley. 

This particular chandelier came out of our office (which used to be the previous owners dining room).  We replaced it with a ceiling fan and it has been living in the attic ever since.

 

Here is the original kitchen light.  80's gold.  YUK.

Here is the new, improved Mason Jar Light.  COOL!

 

 

I may end up painting the light fixture from black to white or even a light metallic silver to match my stainless steel appliances.  I am also throwing the idea around of tinting my jars aqua so that they look more vintage. 

Repurposed chandelier - free

Quart Mason Jars - $5  ($1 each but I had to buy a box of 12).

My hubbys handiwork - almost free.

Porch Rules

Ive seen Porch Rules signs all over the internet and just had to make one for myself.  After all, I spend countless hours on the back porch when the weather is nice.

Get your hands on an old pallet.  This one was given to me by a friend.

I had to disassemble a few boards and reassemble it.  Nothing a hammer, nails and some elbow grease cant fix.

 

Here it is all put back together again.

 

Sanding is optional, but I went ahead and did it.

 

Next I painted the boards with some old paint we had leftover... again... FREE.

 

Next comes the tedious part.  I printed out all the words I wanted but in mirror images.   Then put the printed side down on your board, wet the paper lightly and rub the paper with the back of a sharpie to transfer your printer ink onto the wood. 

You get nice, faint words on your board like this.  Next, I outlined the words with my trusty sharpie.

 

Next, I used a plain black acrylic craft paint and a small paint brush and filled in my words.

Then I had my hubby nail it to the wall on our deck. 

EASY, FUN and FREE!

Kindle Fire HD Cover

I whipped this cute cover up today for my 7" Kindle Fire HD.
Super easy pattern and so functional!

 

Clothesline Needlebook

I finally finished my needlebook! I just love the cute towels hanging out to dry on the clothesline! I hand embroidered this using natural osnaburg for the outside and felt for the pages. There is also a pocket on the inside to hold more needle packets or small scissors. Off it goes to its new home!

 

 

Rescue of the Pyrex Mixing Bowl Set

I am a Goodwill junkie.  Ask anyone.  Today I scored. Big time.

I saw this set of vintage turquoise Pyrex mixing bowls inside the glass case as I was walking out the door.  I am the queen of passing things up.  Usually when I see something and not buy it, I get home and stew about it.  The same thing happened today. 

As soon as I drove out of the parking lot, regret immediately followed.  I had a few stops to make but I told myself that I would be back.  And I hoped prayed that they would still be there by the time I got back. 

Luck was definitely on my side today! 

I went directly to the first cashier I saw and told her I needed something out of the case.  I was NOT gonna let anyone get these before I did!  All 3 bowls were taped together with clear packing tape so I couldn't even see what kind of shape they were in.  Luckily the rims weren't cracked, so I made the decision to just go with it. 

I was barely inside the front door when I ripped into the tape and laid them out before me.  With the exception of serious stains and a layer of dust, they were in extremely nice condition.  All it took was some nice, hot soapy water and a sponge and these babies were sparkling new again!

I love it when I have good days! 

 

HERSHEY HUGS

This recipe has been around a long time and I see it made for all holidays.

I am making mine for Valentines Day.

 

Heres what you'll need:

 

Small pretzel twists or square pretzels, Hershey Kisses ( I went with hugs and a new raspberry hug ) and M&M's.  I kept my Valentine theme going and used the cute Valentine M&M's.

 

 

Lay a piece of parchment paper down on a cookie sheet.  This is completely optional but I found that its easier to get the hugs off the paper than the pan.

 

 

Place a Hershey Kiss on top of each pretzel.

Bake at 200' for approximately 8 minutes.

 

Take them out of the oven and gently press an M&M on top of each melted kiss.

Allow to cool for at least an hour.  In my case, I just laid the pan on a cooling rack and let them cool in the garage. (Its the redneck in me).

 

I saved some for my family and the rest I packed up in these cute Valentine treat bags and they will go to my kids school for their bake sale. 

Tooth Fairy Pillow

Several of Carmens classmates are starting to lose their teeth so I know its just a matter of time before she loses her first tooth.  I figured a Tooth Fairy Pillow would be just the ticket.

 

I combined my love of quilting and new-found love of hand embroidery to make this sweet house shaped pillow.  The front of the pillow is adorned with a bright and cheery yellow window (with tiny cherries), some lace under the roof and a door that opens up to reveal a compartment small enough for a tooth and large enough for a few coins for the tooth fairy to leave behind.

 

 

 

The back of the pillow is decorated with turquoise eyelash fringe and an embroidered image of a girl catching butterflies in her net.  Super cute!

 

Teacher Christmas gifts

In order to cut down on holiday spending, I was bound and determined to make Christmas gifts this year.  Don't get me wrong, I still had to fork over a few bucks for the towels and kitchen utensils, but I still managed to make them "semi-homemade".  These should be perfect for the kids teachers.

 

 

 

Kitchen Towel - Redwork Deer

Aren't these just the sweetest little deer?  I decided to use all red for this towel.  Then when it was time to do the little bird I had to use turquoise.  After all, isn't red and turquoise the new rave?  :)

Kitchen Towel - Pears

I finished another kitchen towel.  This time I did a cute pear pattern from the book below.

I purchased the book from my local Joanns store but I could not find the book on their website. 

I did find it on amazon here:

http://www.amazon.com/Aunt-Marthas-Embroidery-Transfer-Patterns/dp/B007X70L8E

I used Aunt Marthas 28' x 28" Flour Sack Dish Towels that I purchased from Joanns.  You can also find them at Hancocks, Walmart, Hobby Lobby or on Amazon here:

http://www.amazon.com/Aunt-Marthas-28-Inch-Towels-Premium/dp/B001GOZLK8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352486889&sr=8-1&keywords=aunt+marthas+towels

The finished pattern measures 8" wide by 4" tall.

With Christmas right around the corner, these towels will be the perfect gift.  Now I gotta get back to my sewing!

Kitchen Towel - Pyrex Bowls

I embroidered my first kitchen towel from the pattern packet below which I purchased from my local Hobby Lobby.  I just love the stacked pyrex bowls and the turquoise and orange floss are the perfect colors for my kitchen.

Happy Halloween 2012

Carmen the witch and Sheriff Eli don their costumes before they go out and get their candy loot.

5

My little girl turns 5 today.

Her birthday party with friends is tomorrow at our home, but we will do our own celebrating tonite with family.

While she is away at school, her little brother and I are decorating the kitchen for the festivities.  Pink crepe paper, balloons and birthday banner hung up, tablecloths set out, snacks prepared, lemonade with raspberry ice cubes in the freezer, gifts wrapped, etc.

Yup, I think we are ready!

Eli goes to school

My sweet little boy had his first day of school today.  Even though he goes just one day a week, it still broke my heart to say goodbye to him.  He did surprisingly well.  We hung up his backpack and put his lunch box in his cubby and off he went to play with a truck.  The teachers ask that you make the goodbyes as quick and easy as possible, both for them and parent.

Good luck Eli.  We are so proud of you!