HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year early.

Well, another year has gone by. I find that the older I get the faster time seems to go by. Do you ever feel that way?

We had a quiet Christmas this year. We did the last of our traveling visiting family in November, so it was just us for Christmas.

The hubs surprised me and the kids about a week and a half before Christmas by taking us to a tree farm! We were going to cut down our own tree. We were all excited. We hadn't had a real tree since 2000. That year we moved two days after Christmas and the hubs wasn't about to buy any more real trees....and we didn't. Until this year. Last year our tree stand broke and couldn't be fixed....so, the daughter and I wore him down it seems and off we headed to the tree farm.

It was a blustery, cold afternoon when we headed out to go look for the tree and after about a half an hour of looking and starting to get numb, we found what we thought was the PERFECT tree.

We stopped by the petting zoo area to warm up a bit by fire the fire and check out the different animals.

I couldn't believe my eyes, but they had two deer and they were so friendly. One of them came right up to the fence where I was taking a picture. This deer had the most beautiful, big brown eyes.

Then we went in for some hot chocolate to thaw out all the way. Not too long after that we headed home to set the tree up.

Here she is all decroated and lit on Christmas Day.

We have a two story foyer and this was the only spot on the first floor where it would fit without having to have a domino effect of rearranging furniture. I loved having it here. First thing we see when we walk down stairs and last thing we see when we head upstairs. I have lots of fave ornaments. Some sentimental because my kids made them and some just because they warm my heart to see them because they remind me of the person that gave them to us. Here is one of my many faves.

As the year comes to an end I look back and have to say we have been very blessed this year. Our lovely daughter graduated from high school and is embarking on a new chapter in her life...college! Our strapping young son turned 15 and is turning into a pretty good basketball player; and my sister has battled cancer and is a survivor! I am beyond blessed with a wonderful husband and two wonderful children.

Praying for God's continued blessings in 2010 and that you and yours are blessed as well.

To all my blog friends...

Have a safe and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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ANOTHERhttp://makingahouseahome.blogspot.com/ GIVEAWAY.....

gAnother giveaway is happening over at http://makingahouseahome.blogspot.com/
Mrs. U shares a wonderful recipe and then shares with you the wonderful giveaway she has going on. Click on over and tell her "hello" and enter her giveaway.

Also, be sure to scroll down and check out Sachiko's giveaway.Pin It Now!

GIVEAWAY!!

Hop on over to http://tearosehome.blogspot.com/

The very sweet Sachiko is having her first ever giveaway! Stop by and say "hello" to Sachiko and leave her a comment to enter her giveaway. Read her post for all the details.

Good luck everyone!Pin It Now!

Recipes for you

Linking up these recipes to Kimba's DIY DAY over at http://asoftplace.net/

I have two recipes to share with you. The first one is an oldie, but a goody. It's Pepeprmint Bark. Very easy to make and delish. The second one is White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread. I think these may be my new fave cookie.




I am officially making it a tradition to post this recipe each year as long as I blog. I have made this recipe before. Easy and very pretty when it's done.



Peppermint Bark






Cook Time10 min
Yield: about 2 pounds of candy

Ingredients:

Crushed candy canes, to yield 1 cup
2 pounds white chocolate


Directions:
Place candy canes in a plastic bag and hammer into 1/4-inch chunks or smaller. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Combine candy cane chunks with chocolate (add peppermint flavoring at this point if desired.) Pour mixture onto a cookie sheet layered with parchment or waxed paper and place in the refrigerator for 45 minutes or until firm. Remove from cookie sheet and break into pieces (like peanut brittle.)is several times and it is very good and looks festive. I posted this one last year, so here it is again.

Here is another recipe but this one is for a cookie. My hairdresser gave me the recipe. She says it's not Christmas in her house until these cookies are made. My daughter and I thought they sounded yummy so we will be cooking these this week.

White-Chocolate Cherry Shortbread

Prep: 40 min. Bake: 10 min. per batch Stand: 30 min

Ingredients
· 1/2 cup maraschino cherries, drained and finely chopped
· 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
· 1/2 cup sugar
· 1 cup cold butter
· 12 ounces white chocolate baking squares with cocoa butter, finely chopped
· 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
· 2 drops red food coloring (optional)
· 2 teaspoons shortening
· White nonpareils and/or red edible glitter (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spread cherries on paper towels to drain well.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in drained cherries and 4 ounces (2/3 cup) of the chopped chocolate. Stir in almond extract and, if desired, food coloring. Knead mixture until it forms a smooth ball.
3. Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Using the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in sugar, flatten balls to 1-1/2-inch rounds.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until centers are set. Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool.
5. In a small saucepan, combine remaining 8 ounces white chocolate and the shortening. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Dip half of each cookie into chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. If desired, roll dipped edge in nonpareils and/or edible glitter. Place cookies on waxed paper until chocolate is set. Makes about 60.
6. To Store: Layer cookies between waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

I will let you know how the new cookie recipe works out and if it's a keeper. If anyone else makes them, let me know if you liked them.

Happybaking and enjoy!

Have a blessed day!

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Feeling loads better

Not sure what it was that hit me, but when it did, it hit hard. The hubs took care of me though and pumped me fool of liquids, vitamins and soup.

It's crazy weather here in Illinois. Temps are in the twenties and its supposed to get colder. It's also been snowing. Took waaay too long to get my son from school today and get home. Roads are a mess even though the salt trucks are trying their darndest to keep up. The wind is so fierce it's blowing the little bit of snow that fell everywhere and just causing a mess.

I will hopefully be downloading my camera tomorrow. I need a block of time to download and them write up a few posts to share with you all.

I also have a sweet new recipe to share with you so you can share with others for the holidays.

Have a great evening!Pin It Now!

Down sick, but have a post for you

Got a bad cold or maybe the flu bug. In any case, I will post later in the week when I am feeling a bit better. Click this link to read my current post. i started the draft for this before we headed out for vacation, so it posted with that date. So weird. In any case, enjoy the eye candy on burlap, linen, ticking and more.

http://quiltingmemoriesfortomorrow.blogspot.com/2009/11/burlap-osnaburg-linen-and-ticking.html

Have a great week!Pin It Now!

I've been MIA....

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends.

We did. We traveled back east to attend a family wedding and visited with family there and then headed up north to visit more family. We are back home now and exhausted. I am in wash the clothes mode and just getting back in the regular routine of things.

Will have lots to share...pics and all by the end of the week.

I am off to play catch up on you guys and see what everyone has been up to.Pin It Now!

BURLAP, osnaburg, linen and ticking..

It doesn't matter which one. Burlap, osnaburg or linen are all being used in decorating now. Take a look at these pillow shams that Etsy seller Simple Linens has made. I love the look of these.

Here is the front.

and here is the back. photos from Etsy: Simple Linens

Isn't it pretty? Simple Linens etsy seller says that this burlap look goes great with Toile. That's good to know as I change out the bedding in the spring/summer months to my black and creme Toile. I saw a blue ticking that had a little bit of yellow in it as well. Looks really pretty. I may have to make two sets. One set for the denim quilt I use on my bed during the year and one set for the Toile quilt.

I also love this idea of covering the box spring. Look at this box spring cover. It's blue ticking. Who would of thought to cover their boxspring? That can bring a whole new look to dressing your bed. Especially if you want to keep it simple. Wouldn't this covered boxspring idea look nice on a day bed?

photo:Garnet Hill

Look at the use of linen and burlap here. I am so loving this bedding and the architectural piece above the bed. Linen on the duvet cover and pillows and burlap on the stenciled pillow and burlap with the ruffle on the shams. Love this tone on tone look. Wonder what it would look like with black furniture???

photo by Laura Moss for Coastal Living

Here is another lovely use of linen. The look of upholstered headboards has bitten me. Linen or burlap headboards have such an elegant, clean look with the added punch of nailhead trim. By eliminating nailhead trim and dressing the bed with a less formal look you can have a more casual look. I love this look in the photo below.

What about this?? I have seen folks use this in some cool ways as well. It's jute webbing. This one has a black strip going through it. The webbing I have seen has red striping. Either way, you can't beat the price. At 99 cents a yard, I can think of some creative things to do with it. I love it. It's simple and textural.

Etsy seller Catnapcottage made this wreath for her door with it. I love the way it looks against the black door.

Last, Traci over at http://beneathmyheart.blogspot.com/search/label/burlap%20projects did a great tutorial on how to make a burlap table skirt. Loved the way it came out and it looks perfect in her guest house.

Down with the flu, so hope to post pics of our trip later in the week.

Have a great day!

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GIVEAWAY!!

Hey there!
It's giveaway day over at
http://tearosehome.blogspot.com/
Hop on over there and say "hello" to Sachiko and tell her what you are thankful for.

Also, head on over to http://j-a-girl.blogspot.com/ and say "hello" to Chris. She is having a party over there. Lotsa ladies have linked up to her party. Everyone is sharing some great homemade gift ideas for Christmas giving.

Have a great day!Pin It Now!

A retreat....

I am off to a Ladies conference with our church. I will be posting several projects next week to start off some handmade holiday gifties I will be making for family and friends.

Have a great weekend!
CherylPin It Now!

The gift revealed

Blogland has some creative, talented women out there. The ones I have come in contact with are friendly to boot. They are willing to share how they did something and help you along the way if you have questions.

Although I have never personally met any of my bloggy buddies, I would call them friends. Susie over at http://www.susieharris.blogspot.com/ is the lucky bloggy friend to be the recipient of the gifty I made.

I am not quite sure how I found Susie's blog, but I am glad I did. She inspires me all the time with the projects she dreams up.

She recently revealed her cottage makeover where where she has created a wonderful place to paint. She mentioned in her post that she had a sad looking chair and that it needed something. I asked her if she would like a pillow and she said yes. So I set out to make her one. She also shared that in her post that her sad little chair is the very place where her children come home and plop on after school and share their day with her. I stenciled "LIVE LOVE LAUGH" on the canvas side of this pillow because it's where she will forever share memories of her kids telling her about theirday. Laughing with them and loving them.

Here it is Susie, I hope you like it.

I used canvas drop cloth on the front and for the piping. The piping is what gave me a fit. Not the actual making of it, but putting it on. Had to rip out seams once . I also had to recut the ticking fabric once as well. Black and creme ticking are on the flip side of the pillow. It still looks like it needs something though. Maybe buttons??

Here is a close up of the piping. I really enjoyed making it and now that I know how to put it on properly I plan on using it more in future projects.

Have a great evening and thanks for bearing with me on posting it.

Edited to say:





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Sewing to gift

Hello ladies!



I've been sewing to send a little gifty to a sweet bloggy friend.

I have a few things to get done in the morning, so will post my gifty for my bloggy friend mid afternoon.

No teaser pics. So stop by tomorrow.

edited: to say that I am doing something new in sewing that I have never done before and it looks like I may not be able to post the pic of the finished project until way late this evening. My apologies to my bloggy friend. I know she is excited to see the finished project. I will share all my woes in making this.
Have a great evening!Pin It Now!

Pinwheels, soup, yarn and more....

Good morning!

How is that for a blog title? This is a little bit of everything post.

Okay, first of all, be sure to scroll down to yesterdays post. I shared a great autumn soup recipe. I am actually baking the butternut squash now. I will be sure to let you all know how it tastes. Here is a teaser pic for you.

Photo: Taste of Home

Remember over the summer I should you how sad our deck looked? Here is a before pic. Not so pretty.
and here are the after pics.


We had to replace the old storm door, but didn't want to put one on both sides of the french doors on the outside. Too expensive. We have an odd size opening and it would of had to be cutsom done. So, we opted to replace the storm door with the screen and reapaint so it would look fresh. Here is the after pic for the deck.




What do you think of the two tone look? The seating was sealed with a clear coat for decks and the part you walk on was a hunter green deck stain. We originally said we were going to do the seating white, but after seeing the seating stripped, liked the look of the natural instead and went with that. Here is a back view.

You still with me.??? Sorry for the long post.

Next up is the progress on the pinwheels. I still have eighteen more to sew up! And what is up with four of those pinwheels looking larger than the rest of them?? LOL, I know why. I started the other ones before I caught a Fons and Porter quilting episode on PBS. She was showing how to get your pinwheels to lay nice and how to sew and iron them. I plan on having a white block between each pinwheel and then white border around the whole thing and then bind it.

Here is a close up. I really love this Glace line.

Sorry for the not so great pics. I took them early this morning. Not enough natural light or anywhere to lay them out either. I layed these out on the floor to take a pic.

I am starting my slipcover project for my wing chair in my living room this week and I have two winter projects I plan to work on. Crocheting up this blanket is one of them. I love the texture of it with all all the popcorn stitches on there. It will be a nice project to work on in my fave chair with a crackling fire nearby.

The other winter project is to make roman blinds. Oh yeah! I found the absolute best tutorial and she makes it look sooo easy. Go check out Jen's tutorial. You will want to make roman blinds for your whole house. She is a sweet lady to boot. I had a question for her and she was sweet enough to reply and be so very helpful.

http://jenduncan.typepad.com/whats_new/2008/11/roman-blind-tutorial-in-20-pictures-or-less.html
Don't forget to scroll down to the next post. I posted a recipe for the corn and squash soup.

Okay all, have a blessed day in your part of the country .

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Autumn....

It's one of my fave seasons of the year...the other is summer.

Today we will talk about autumn though. It has gotten quite chilly here in Illinois. I had to pull the sweaters out from the back of the closet. I also have been making lotsa soup. I was recently at the taste of home website and they have a whole page dedicated to autumn recipes. Everything from soups to pies.


Here is what I will be making tomorrow night for dinner. We've never eaten butternut squash before, so hoping this is a keeper recipe. It looks like it's delicious from the picture. See for yourself.

If you are interested in making this soup or any other autumn recipes go check out Taste of Home site. Here is their link http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Corn-and-Squash-Soup and here is the link to check out other autumn recipes they have. http://www.tasteofhome.com/Autumn-Recipes

With things being pretty tight this year it looks like gift giving will be handmade or homemade from the kitchen. My daughter and I saw a yummy recipe that we intend to make to give as gift this year. Sandy from http://www.reluctantentertainer.com/ did a guest post over at the Inspired Room. You have got to go check out her how to for apple pie filling in a jar. It looks heavenly. Here is the link. http://theinspiredroom.net/

I will be posting lotsa pics tomorrow. I have pics of what I have done so far for my pinwheel blocks and a pic of the finished deck. I also have two new projects that I will be starting and hope that I don't get too frustrated to finish them.

I will be back on Monday to post.

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Just a couple of reminders....

Hello ladies!
Hope everyone is doing well. Hugs out to everyone that commented on my last post or sent me an email. You all are very sweet.

Today I want to take the time to remind you of two things.

First, it is breast cancer awareness month. So be sure to get your mammogram done if you haven't already done so this year. Being proactive about this can possibly save your life. Here is a site to help you with doing monthly self breast exams if you don't do this already.
http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/about-breast-cancer/breast-self-exam.aspx


Second, this week is fire prevention week. When we homeschooled I loved doing fun things with this week. We would always schedule a trip to a local fire department and get a tour,etc. One year the fire department we picked gave a great tour and talk. The chief even asked if anyone would like to come up and try on one of the fire suits they wear when they actually go fight fires. Noone raised their hand....but me! I gotta tell you , if you have never tried one of these coats and overalls and the hat on, you would never know how heavy they are. I put the the overalls on and the boots and then the coat and the oxygen tank and then the chief topped me off with the hat and I thought I was going to fall over. I know I have a picture in the house somewhere. It was a sight to see, but I digress. I want to remind you to replace all the batteries in your smoke detectors and make sure that your check your carbon monoxide detectors if you have those as well. If you don't already have an escape plan for your family, this would be a great time to make one for your family as well. If you have a fireplace and haven't had your chimney swept since you don't remember when, that might be a good thing to do as well.

Here is a site from the National Fire Prevention Association
http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=1438&itemID=34420&cookie_test=1

Below is a link that has a safetly checklist and a pdf for a template to printout to make your own escape plan.
http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=271&itemID=17418&URL=Safety%20Information/Fire%20Prevention%20Week%202009/For%20kids%20and%20families&cookie%5Ftest=1

Stay safe and have a blesssed day!Pin It Now!

I have a heavy heart...

Sorry I haven't been posting a lot lately. I do have several things to share, but haven't been up to sharing.

I found out recently that my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer. Praise the Lord it was caught early. As it was in stage O...precancerous. She just had surgery to remove the rest of the cancer and will start chemo soon. I think by pill. Not sure on that one.

This is all very hard for me as she is my only sister and we live very far away from one another.

I also found out some dear friends of ours found out that their youngest daughter...eight years old has a very agressive form of cancer. She has had two surgeries to remove two big tumors . One from her abdomen and one from her neck. She has a very long road ahead of her.

The only thing that is getting me through it all is knowing that God is the Great Physician and he can heal anyone.

Have a blessed day.Pin It Now!

An autumn recipe to share

Hello All!

Today I popped over to V's blog and she had this wonderful pic of her carrying these lovely zucchini's. She has a gracious plenty and they are big.

I told her I wished I lived by her so I can take some off her hands. So, V, this is for you hon. You will love this bread. It will make the house smell so good.


Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
3 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups shredded peeled zucchini

In a large bowl, beat the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Combinethe flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and baking powder; gradually beatinto sugar mixture until blended. Stir in zucchini. Transfer to two 8-in. x 4-in.loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes oruntil a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

Yield: 2 loaves (12 slices each).

P.S. You can shred and freeze some zucchini and be able to make these loaves during the winter.

Enjoy!Pin It Now!

Pottery Barn knock off with a twist

Remember me talking about this Pottery Barn accessory?


Well, I have found a wonderful blog with a very creative lady named Michelle who was thinking along the same lines as me , but she had a better way to go about it than I did. She shows you step-by-step how she achieved this look, but with a different subject matter than the horse. She has my creatives juices rolling and I have all the necessary supplies to put it all together.
Check out her link and giver her blog a browse.

http://windhula.blogspot.com/2009/09/sneak-preview.html

I will be back Monday and will for sure post pics of the deck and update you on my progress of my pinwheel quilt. My dear son needed a little TLC while recovering from his surgery.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.Pin It Now!

YOU DREAM IT, YOU CAN MAKE IT ...

I was wanting to have this as a feature to inspire you every Wednesday,but Wednesday was my wedding anniversary so being on the computer wasn't in the equation.

BTW, "Thank you" to Gen and Sue for the sweet anniversary wishes. You ladies are sweet.

I have been surfing again and I found one blog that has a very cool project that I think would be great to give as Christmas gifts. I know, I know, it's only September, but Christmas will be here before you know it.

I want you to check out this link.

http://heritageunwrapped.blogspot.com/2009/03/heritage-blocks-rock.html

Chris Crandall has a cool website that allows you to make wonderful projects with photos. The link I gave you actually is the post I want you all to see. I am so loving that project. I am seriously considering making some to give away as gifts and some for around my home. So, hop on over there and check it out.

Darling son is having some wisdom teeth pulled today. So later on I will post pics of the deck. We finally finished it! YAY! I am also making progress on my pinwheel blocks and will show you that as well.
Have a great day everyone!Pin It Now!

CELEBRATING.....

My 20th wedding anniversary with my hubby.

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GIVEAWAY!!

OOOOH, yes, there is another giveaway! Hope on over to

There you will find all the details on how to enter. She is having a sponsored giveaway and the sponsor is Lani from the http://www.thequiltshoppe.net/

You have until Thursday, 8:00AM MST to enter and she will announce the winner later that morning. So hurry and head on over there.

Good Luck everyone!

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LINKY LOVE Saturday!

I been surfing again.

Here are some links to some sewing, quilting or home dec blogs that I think you might like. Lots of cool projects on this site. Most of the projects are pdf's, but some have videos on how to sew the projects. Love this, as I am a visual kind of gal.

http://www.sewingrepublic.com/projectIdeas.html#/all/

Kathryn over at http://handmadekate.typepad.com/handmade_kate/ has an enjoyable blog. Go through her archives and give her a looksee.

Deb over at http://www.homespunliving.blogspot.com/ has a delightful blog. She dabbles into a little bit of everything; knitting, sewing. She also has a shop where she sells her handmade goods. You can find it here:
http://www.fireflyfarm.freeservers.com/She makes the cutest peg bags to hang on your line for when you are hanging your laundry.

OOh, and here is a really cool link to http://www.designmom.com/2009/07/build-two-toddler-beds-for-75.html If you got little ones ready for a toddler bed, then this link is for you. She gives great step-by step directions and pics. You have got to see this one.

We are almost done with our deck staining project. We've been blessed with some cool weather, so , we are getting it done. I will post pictures on Tuesday.Pin It Now!

We Must Never Forget....

Take time out of your day today remember the families that were left whose loved ones perished.

I had the privilege of going to the site in Schenksville,PA (not sure of spelling). The site where one of the planes went down. It's a very populated town, but where that plane went down it was up a mountain in a big grassy area. I tell you, it had to be a God thing that it crashed there and not in a populated area resulting in more casualties.

Have a blessed weekend!Pin It Now!

Tomatoes.....

Ah, the canning of tomatoes didn't work out. Too many ripe tomatoes and not enough time in my busy schedule to can. : ( So, I shared three bags with neighbors and my daughter and I made spaghetti sauce with the rest of it to freeze. Maybe next year I will have better luck with trying to do that.

Don't have any finished projects to share. I did pop over to Melissa's at http://theinspiredroom.net/ She had an interesting post titled, "What's your style?" with a link to a quiz that you can take to find your style.

I took it, here is my style.

Cheryl, you are a Country Casual
Your home expresses your open, easygoing approach to life. You love unique finds, and can turn a few mismatched garden chairs or floral teacups into a charming arrangement. You appreciate a pretty mix of relaxed pieces, like painted wood or weathered furniture, lovely florals and other patterns, lots of throws and pillows, mementos and bunches of fresh flowers that give your home a unique sense of breeziness and charm.
You value comfort. Your home is a warm and open friendly place, and you feel happiest when everyone is cared for and relaxed in your space. Elements like pillows, throws, overstuffed furniture, and good lighting set the mood. You may also enjoy layering different fabrics or mixing patterns to create a cozy effect.

So, what do you think? I have given you a home tour, is this quiz spot on, or way off? Speaking of the home tour, I still have two more rooms to show you. I will be posting those tomorrow.

Have a great day!Pin It Now!

A little bit of this will be happening today.....

A dear friend gave me a boatload of tomatoes. We had some last night on our hamburgers and some with breakfast on eggs this morning....but there is way too many of them for us to eat before they go bad.


So, I am going to try and do some of this.



Photo by Country Home Canning

Wish me luck as I have never done this before. I have been reading up on it and have directions to get it done. I will post pics of my lovely canning jars when I am done.

Enjoy your day!

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LINKY LOVE FRIDAY!

Feeling a bit under the weather today, so I am going to share some links with you to some ladies that are pretty creative.

Have a great Labor Day weekend and enjoy the weather and the last of BBQ's and the like until summer comes around again!

Here are the links.

Not quite sure how I stumbled on this blog, but I fell in love with this idea that she had for a faux grain sack tutorial. Check it out.
http://musingsfromafrenchcottage.blogspot.com/2009/01/old-grain-sack-pillow.html


I found Traci's blog from Kimba's DIY day links. You have to check out Traci's husbands handiwork on their guest house. Love the colors and the style. http://beneathmyheart.blogspot.com/2009/04/progress-on-guest-house.html

Also, go check Jamie out. I found her through Kimba's DIY links as well. Jamie and her hubby are going through a home reno. You have to see her laundry room. I love it! It is an absolutley beautiful transformation. I know I would definitely enjoy doing laundry in a laundry room like that.
http://somethingtodo-jamie.blogspot.com/2009/07/half-bathlaundry-room-before-and-afters.html

Have a great weekend!Pin It Now!

YOU DREAM IT..YOU CAN MAKE IT WEDNESDAY!

This is a new feature I will have every Wednesday. You ladies out there in blogland inspire me so much. Especially you ladies that like Pottery Barn. I ove looking at the catalog for inspiration, but don't have the money to spend on some of the very unique pieces they sell.

Today I am going to share a link with you to a creative lady who likes Pottery Barn as much as I do, but doesn't like the price.


First up we have Susie of


This gal is one creative cookie. She sees it, she creates it and then she shares how she did it. Back in July she shared how much she loved this decorative type font board that Pottery Barn sells, but couldn't justify paying that price. So she set out to make one of her own.

Photo by Pottery Barn

You can read about how Susie made this here:
http://www.susieharrisblog.com/2009/07/inspirationpass-it-on.html If you search her archives you can also find out how she made one of those cool flags that Pottery Barn has over or on a mantel as well. She's got an Etsy shop too. So, if you aren't the crafty type and want to purchase something you can check out her Etsy Shop here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5914190 She has some really ecclectic one of a kind pieces that she sells. Be sure you stop by her blog and say "hello."

Now I am going to share with you something from the Pottery Barn catalog that I think would make a great copycat project. Now, I didn't make this myself, but I am inspiring you with ideas to try it for yourself. If you make any of these ideas. Please let me know. I would love to feature you on my blog.

First one is this . How cool is that?

Photo by Pottery Barn

I love the fact that it's a giant key and love anything with verbage on it. This can easily be made by you with plywood or MDF and a little thing called an overhead projector or your local copy center. I may actually do this project. What I would do is look for a key silhouette or graphic and copy it onto some transparency and use an overhead projector to trace out the key onto the wood. Cut it out and sand and paint or stain. Then I would use the overhead projector again and do the wording with letters in a font that I have printed off on my computer. Sand it down in some areas to give it that worn, old look and mabye put a glaze on it to age it a little. Slap some of those sawtooth hanger thingies on the back and VOILA! You got instant style without spending a whole lot of money.


The same idea can be used for this one below. Except this one would require an extra step. Again, I would buy some MDF or plywood and cut it to size. First I would stain it. Then I would use an overhead projector and trace out the horse silhouette that I printed out on computer or enlarged at a copy store. Then I would carefully paint over the big stained area that is not the horse a white. Sand up in a few areas to give it that old, worn look and you are done. What's really cool about this picture below is that the wood they used looks like floor boards because if you look at the picture closely, you can see the differentiation (is that a word?) in the stain on the horse. Very cool, I think.

Photo by Pottery Barn

Tomorrow is DIY day over at Kimba's http://asoftplacetoland-kimba.blogspot.com/
If you haven't stopped by her blog, you need to. DIY day will get your creativity juices flowing.

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Busy...

With a little of this. Trying to get child number one more independant so she can get her own wheels. Pray for us. She doesn't feel quite comfortable behind the wheel.



and I still am working on a little of this too. Man, I so don't like cutting out fabric squares, but love piecing. If I could only find some white charm squares, life would be so much better. Once pieced and quilted I have decided to give this to my sister for a Christmas gift this year.

I have a goal to finish four quilts before Christmas. Hopefully I can do it.

Pinwheel quilt for sister.

Beach quilt for in-laws

baby quilt for a friends daughter who I think is now about to turn four. Yikes, I know....better late than never. Lastly, one for our family. My darling son asked who the pinwheel quilt was for that I was working on and when I told him, his comment was, "Mom, you need to make one for us...for our home."

So, there you have it. I am on a mission. I'm outta here. Need to go sew!

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READING....

I love the library. Last year several books came out that I wanted to get my hot little hands on and sit in my fave chair and just read. I dropped very obvious hints to my children and hubby for these books for Mom's Day or Christmas or even my birthday, but they had ideas of their own. So, a year later and a dollar short...(haha) I am now perusing these books and am enjoying each one. Great tips and great reads.



Our library is able to have books sent to it from other libraries in the area and I was very lucky to get my hot little hands on this one. Handmade Home by Amanda Blake Soule just released so I am super excited about being able to have the opportunity to read through it and look at the projects.


I also had the opportunity to read this one as well. The French Inspired Home by Kari Meng. I love anything with toile in any color and the relaxed look of all the rooms and ideas in this book just inspired me so much.



Kari Meng also has a new book coming out and I was fortunate enough to be able to thumb through it at my quilt store! Yep, apparently Kari has a new line of fabric coming out and my quilt store was putting together all the fabric kits in sweet, lovely fabric bundles. I love the striped , red hemp fabric and all the projects in this book. She even has workshops and book signings. You can check out her website for other products that she offers at

https://www.frenchgeneral.com/
In other news, school just started. It's been a little hard this week trying to get in to a routine. Hopefully by next week things will settle down and we will be in a groove.

Looking forward to Fall. It is one of my favorite seasons next to Summer. I love apple picking and making apple butter and apple fritters and apple pies. I also like the smell of apple cider simmering on a stove with a cinnamon stick in it. Yummy!

I enjoy the days being shorter and the crisp, cool air. I have always enjoyed living in a state that has changing seasons. So, I am looking forward to pulling out the sweaters and drinking some hot chocolate and cooking up a lot of soup.

What's your favorite season? What are you reading?

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THRIFTING

Looks like Summer has officially come to a close. The kids are heading back to school and the plethera of yard sales and garage sales will slow down considerably as Fall approaches and the days get shorter and cooler.



I didn't do as much yard saling this summer as I would of liked to. But recently, I had the opportunity to catch a yard sale and an estate sale in the past of couple of weeks.




I purchased this wood tray for $1.50 at a garage sale. I liked the size of it and have plans to sand it down and paint it white and add some kind of design or something in the middle. I plan on using it in my guest room. More on that next week. I have been tweeking things in there since I last posted on it.


Last Friday I stopped at an estate sale. It was the first one I had ever been to. I gotta tell you, there was a lot of stuff. Everything from clothes to furniture. I should of stopped at this sale on Thurs. when it was advertised because there was an awesome armoire I would of love to have bought for our family room. Ah well, live and learn, right? LOL, I am still learning. The woman who passed away shared my love for anything with stitching and sewing. I purchased two rotary cutters and this magnetic circular thing for $3.50! I am not sure what this magnetic thing is called, but I plan to use it for holding my pins and keeping it by my sewing machine.


I also bought this "Merry Chrstmas" set of blocks. I plan to display them on my tiered piece in my foyer. Planning on painting it sometime next week. We've had some rain, so haven't been able to paint it.
See this???





This is the state of our sad, sad deck right now. We are in the middle of needing to restain it. Haven't had good weather or a good block of time to finish it. We plan on using this stuff to strip and clean.



We don't plan to stain it the traditional way...meaning one stain color. So stay tuned for the "after" pic of this project.


Hope you have fun canvassing the last of the yard/garage sales in your area. I know you ladies out there do some cool stuff with thrifted or garage/yard sale finds. I find so much inspiration in blogland.



Have a great weekend!Pin It Now!