Wednesday, February 8, 2012

My Hubby Has An Addiction!!

. . . . . .to candles that is!!

Whenever we go to a prim shop, he's always heading over to the candle section and picking them up to smell.  (Yes, ladies, he likes going with me to shop for prims and antiques!)  We almost always come home with a new candle or two!!  And because of his addiction, I have an overabundance of them, which led to the dilemma of running out of space to put all of them!  (You can only burn so many and they last for quite a while!)  Here is a picture of SOME of them!  I had already thrown out a few, plus boxed up some that I plan to sell in a garage sale this spring.  I got rid of quite a few more after I took this photo.




I had them stored in the bottom of a cupboard in my Living Room, but it got to the point where I just couldn't fit any more in.  It was so bad that I feared opening the door. . . . afraid that they would all come tumbling out on me!  So what does a person do to solve the problem?  Build a bigger cupboard, of course!  Although, holding a firm grip on my hubby in the store would help, too!  lol

Here is a sneak peak of the new cupboard we made. 



See. . . . plenty of room!  Shhh!!  Don't tell my hubby, though. . . . he'll want to go out and buy more!!  lol

And here is a peek at the top. . . . .



I'm share more photos later.  I still have some tweaking to do and I'm waiting for something that I won on ebay that I'm SO excited about!  I can't wait to share it with you!  And you will never believe the deal I got!!!   ♪ ♫ You'll just have to wait and see. . . . .!!  ♪ ♫

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Each year our local chapter of the Red Cross holds an event called, "For The Love of Chocolate".  It's held the first Saturday in February and attracts vendors of all venues....independent/store bakeries, politicians, small businesses, charity organizations, restaurants, ....you name it, they're there!  And they all bring one thing in common......CHOCOLATE!!  You can't go wrong there!!  You purchase tickets for either $7.00 for 5 treats or $12.00 for 10.  Of course, you have to make the rounds to see who has the best samples, first, before you decide which goody is worthy of a punch on your ticket!  Hubby goes to whoever has the largest piece!  lol  (After looking at this photo, it looks like I hit the same ones!)

Hee are a few of the goodies that we brought home (minus a couple that we indulged in while there!)


It really is a fun outing.  They hold raffles and various drawings, have a game area called "Candyland" set up for the kids to enjoy, and sell other food items such as pizza and hotdogs for those who don't want to overindulge in so much chocolate.  (Never heard of such a thing, myself! lol)  You can enjoy eating your treats as you walk around visiting the vendors, or you can sit and socialize at one of the many tables and chairs set up or just take your goodies home with you.  Whatever you choose, it's all for a good cause!  We look forward to it every year! 

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Until Next Time . . . . Kris

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Easy Peasy - A Project and A Recipe

Here's a real simple Valentine's project that is so easy to make.  All you need is a chenille stick, craft glue, instant coffee granules, ground cinnamon and/or cloves, jute twine or string and embellishments such as sweet annie and rose hips.








First, bend the chenille stick into a circle and twist the ends together tightly.









To form the top of the heart, bend the chenille where the ends are twisted together.










Finally, pinch the bottom of the chenille stick to form the bottom point.  Gently shape as desired.







Thin some craft glue with a little water.  Add a couple of teaspoons of instant coffee granules and stir until dissolved.  With your fingers, apply the glue mixture to the heart; coating evenly.  Sprinkle with ground cinnamon and/or cloves.  Let dry completely.  I unfolded a paper clip and hung it on a clothes hanger which I had hanging from a kitchen cupboard knob.  Tie on a piece of jute twine or string for a hanger and then embellish by gluing on sweet annie and rosehips or however desired.

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We have celebrated two of my kids' birthdays this past month and will have one more to celebrate on Gound Hog's Day this Thursday.  They usually pick their favorite dessert for me to make on their special day.  This year there was a new request for Snicker Bar pie.  I found this recipe on Food.com and it is heavenly!!  The recipe calls for it to be made the night before and you definitely need to follow that rule.  I made mine the morning of my daughter's birthday and, even though it was good, you definitely noticed a difference in the texture when we had a piece the next night.  It was a lot creamier and the candy bar pieces kind of softened and almost melted into the pie.

This isn't a very good picture of the pie!  I didn't think to take a picture until we were down to the last piece!  lol 


Easy Snickers Bar Pie


8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. peanut butter
3 regular-sized Snickers candy bars, chopped
16 oz. Cool Whip, thawed
1 chocolate cookie pie crust

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and peanut butter until creamy.  Stir in chopped candy bars.  Gently fold in Cool Whip just until mixed.  Pour into pie crust and refrigerate overnight.


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Until Next Time. . . . Kris

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

A Cute Idea and Some Great Finds!

I thought I would share with you a cute idea for a snowman.  I came across him as I was going through my tote of winter decor.  I don't put him out anymore because he doesn't quite fit in with the style of decor that I like.  I bought him several years ago when my sister and I used to do craft shows.


Isn't he cute?  He's made out of a pot/pan lid and the handle is used for his nose!  I thought it was a pretty clever idea!  If you don't have any lids that you can spare, you can find all sorts of them at dollar/thrift stores.  He also looks cute tucked in a wreath!

I also want to share a few pictures of  some goodies that I found at a couple of my favorite antique malls in Berlin and Walnut Creek  (aka Amish country) yesterday.  I can't believe the fantastic prices that I bought them for!  I was so excited!!

I found this fabulous box at Walnut Creek Antique Mall  (behind Rebecca's Bistro) for only $32.00!!!  I saw two, similar in size, at a local antique shop....one was selling for $170.00 and the other one for $250.00!  So I'm thinking I got a great bargain!  (Don't tell me if I didn't!  LOL)



 I  found these at Berlin Village Antique Mall.  The 2 gallon jug had a price of $45.00 and the small crock was $24.00.  When I went to check out, the girl said that they were 30% off!!  So I got the jug for $31.50 and the crock for $16.80!!  Woo Hoo!!!!


I have no idea where I'm going to put these things, but I'm sure I'll find a place somewhere and will share pics when I do!!  lol 

 My hubby and I have been working on a couple of projects that I will share with you later.  One is done (just trying to get a decent photo)  and the other will, hopefully, get started soon!  The second project is going to be made out of walnut and we had to go to a lumber mill and have the wood planed and cut to the widths and lengths that we need.  After about a week and a half wait, we finally got to pick it up on Monday....just in time for my hubby to have to go to work to pour some concrete for a couple of his contractors!  So when he gets those wrapped up, we'll be able to start on it!    

I'll be back soon with a simple Valentines project and a recipe for an awesome pie that is so simple to make!


Until Next Time. . . . Kris

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Merry Christmas!!

My goodness!!  I didn't realize that I haven't blogged in so long!!  We've had one heck of a busy year!  Hubby had been working a lot and it seemed as though we had something going on almost every weekend....weddings, birthdays, funerals, picnics, etc.! On top of that, we've had to adjust to the kids' work schedules and Kory embarking on a new phase in her life where we've had to get accustomed to a whole new staff and facility, attend meetings to set goals for her Life Plan, and go through the process of interviewing providers. Hopefully, things will calm down and get back to normal soon!
  
I have a few pictures of my Christmas decor to share with you.  Last year, after Christmas,  I had envisioned making some changes in my decor for this year, but when it came time to decorate, those ideas didn't quite pan out like I had hoped and I really haven't had time or the creative "mojo" to come up with anything different.   I did manage to simplify my decor like I was hoping to do, so that's a plus!  lol  I hope you enjoy!

Here are a few shots of my Kitchen:





This is my Dining Room








Living Room











Main Bathroom





Entry Way



Family Room




Oops!  After I posted this picture, I realized that I forgot to remove the towel on the chair seat ( my kitties like to sleep on it) and the fabric on the back, which is what I'm going to reupholster the chair in at a later time!


I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!!

Until Next time....Kris





Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Another Great Giveaway!!

Hi, everyone!!  Would you like a chance to win this beautiful primitive sampler designed and hand-stitched by Jennifer Taylor Gass of  Taylors*Farmhouse*Attic?  If you do, click on the picture to take you to A Primitive Place's blog and become a follower, plus learn additional ways to be entered into the drawing which will take place Saturday, April 30th.  GOOD LUCK!!!



Until Next Time. . . .Kris

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

My Rug Hooking Project is DONE!!!

Hello, everyone!!

First of all, I would like to thank all of you for the wonderful comments made about my 5 arm table lamp.  Many of you have asked whether or not I would be doing a tutorial on it, but I'm sorry to say that I won't be.  This is a one of a kind lamp made by Carriage House Lighting and Tinware and I haven't seen any reproductions or variations of it anywhere, so I'm not sure if there would be any legal issues with copyright laws or not and I don't want to take a chance.  I made this for my own personal use with no intentions of selling them.  However, I AM working on another lamp that I have seen many replicas of, so I will be doing a tutorial on that sometime in the future.  I CAN give you a list of the supplies I used and if you look at the picture I posted last time, you can probably figure out how to make it, especially if you saw my tutorial in the Spring issue of A Primtive Place magazine on how to make a tin candle lamp.  I used the same method for the arms as I did for the candle lamp.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

large tin funnel - found at antique/second-hand shops
electrical conduit pipe - Home Depot/$6.97 for 8 ft.
10 ft. lamp wire -  Home Depot/$0.64 a ft.
3 1/2" candle pans - I made my own, but can be found at craft supply stores or FactoryDirectCraft.com
steel threaded nipples and hex nuts - Home Depot's lamp repair section
candelabra light sockets and sleeves -
http://factorydirectcraft.com/catalog/products/1302_2533_1974-5715-4_dripping_candle_socket_cover.html

So, there you have it!  All of the supplies you need to make your own!  It really isn't as hard to make as it seems.  If any of you do make one, please share a picture because I would love to see it!

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Well, I finally finished my rug hooking project!  Woo Hoo!!  I finished it last Wednesday, but I just haven't had a chance to make a post until now. I have been busy working on other projects and enjoying the warmer weather, so I will share my other projects with you later since this post is longer than I thought it would be!

This isn't my first rug hooking project.....just the first one completed.    About 3 or 4 years ago, I started making a pillow with a pumpkin on it.  I had purchased a booklet from Hobby Lobby on how to hook rugs and it recommended using burlap for the background fabric, which I used.  What a mess!!  Every time I worked on it, I got covered with little fuzzies!!  Since my project was small, I just used a small quilting hoop.  It was a little tough trying to hold on to the hoop and hook at the same time, so between that and dealing with the fuzzy mess, I decided to set it aside with hopes of finishing it some day.


Then about a month or two ago, when I decided I was going to try hooking again and I started this picture.  I was originally going to hang this on the wall beside my fireplace, but after working on it for a couple of weeks, I decided it wasn't quite what I wanted.

                                                              








 I wanted something that looked a little simpler, so I came up this design.

                                                                 












BUT......after I finished it, I decided I liked it hanging here instead!  So, now, I need to figure out what I want to do for my LR wall.  But, that will have to wait until after I finish 2 other hooking projects.

                                                                 
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A FEW HELPFUL HINTS:

                                                          
First of all, I strongly recommend buying a rug hooking frame if you are going to work on larger projects.  I had started out with one that I had made.  I had bought a lap scroll frame for cross stitching a few years ago, but didn't like using it and it was too late to return    I took off the scroll frame and made a plain rectangular one using 1 x 2's and attached that to the stand base using the hardware that came with it.  I bought a metal carpet tack strip and cut it into pieces and screwed them on to the outside edges of the frame.  It worked great holding my fabric nice and taut.....then I decided to start a new project..... and when I went to take off the unfinished one, I had one heck of a time getting it off without causing too much damage.  When I started the new project, I removed the carpet strips and held my fabric in place with thumb tacks.  This worked good, as well, but just make sure those babies are in all the way.....if not, you'll be sitting there working and all of a sudden - PING!! - one will pop out and going flying across the room and then you are spending precious time looking for a darn tack before someone steps on it instead of rug hooking!  It wasn't too long after using that method that I decided to break down and buy a frame.  They do sell the hooking strips that I could have bought and attached to my frame, but this frame also rotates 360° and I hooked long enough to realize that that made a BIG difference!!  I had my homemade frame turning every which way and that, trying to get a comfortable position in which to hook and having it rotate freely, really does make a big difference.   Another BIG plus was the strips of hooking tape that hold your project in place!  OH MY....what a difference!!  It is SO much easier to position and reposition your fabric whenever you want to, instead of working one area at a time before removing all of the thumbtacks. repositioning your fabric, and then pushing the thumbtacks back in!  (My thumbs are a lot happier now! LOL)

Here's the link to the ebay store from where I bought my frame from.  http://shop.ebay.com/beecreekltd/m.html.  Keep a watch on these items.  Every now and then, she offers these frames up for bid at great prices or you can purchase them at outright at a higher price.  I was the only one to bid on the octagonal frame with the lap and floor stand for $149.00.  Otherwise, the combo sold for $199.00.   You can also google "rug hookng frames" and find a list of sites that sell them.


This next thing (and one many of you have been waiting to hear about)  is VERY useful in cutting your wool.  A few years ago, when I started the pumpkin pillow project, I cut the wool strips by hand using a rotary wheel.  And let me tell you, it was a pain in the *behind*!  I think that is probably why I stopped working on that project...I needed to cut more strips! lol  So when I decided to try rug hooking again, the only obstacle I had was cutting the wool.  After pricing wool cutting machines online, I decided that they were way much more than I wanted to spend.  Especially, for something that I wasn't sure how much I would even use.  While I was in Joann Fabrics, I happened to notice a Rotary Cutting Machine on a shelf behind the cutting counter.  On the box it said "Perfect for Scrapbooking, Quilting, Rug Hooking and More" PLUS it was on sale for $49.50 (reg. $89.99)!  DOUBLE PLUS....I had a gift card!! Woo Hoo!! So I thought "what the heck"  I can always return it if it didn't work out.  When I got it home, I tried cutting a piece of paper with it and....nothing!....not even indentations where it ran through the rotary cutter!  And forget about cutting wool!!  I was SO disappointed!  I thought, for sure, that I had found a solution to my wool cutting dilemma!.....Then I read the instruction pamphlet.  (always a good idea!  lol)  All I had to do was adjust the tension wheel underneath (although I thought it was already pretty tight) and PRESTO, it worked like a charm!!  It has a foot pedal, whereas, all of the other wool cutters that I've seen have crank handles.  And I'm thinking that after all of the wool that I cut for the unfinished project and then for the finished one, my little arm would have been extremely tired if I had to do all of that cranking!!  lol  It can cut as small as 3/8" (which is the size recommended for hooking) up to 2 1/2".  I absolutely love it!  I've never tried an actual wool cutting machine, but for me, this thing works wonderfully!

If you click on the picture, it will take you to
Amazon.com where you can purchase the book
  
 I also recommend this book.  I was able to borrow it from my local library and found it to be very helpful.  Besides learning how to do the basics, like choosing your wool and how to wash and cut it, it shows how to dye your wool (which I have done and it is pretty easy!), how to finish your rug with either rug binding tape or whip-stitching , plus patterns and directions to make some cute designs.  The entire background of my rug is hooked with different light colored wool that I had dyed with coffee.  The book explains how to do that process. Although, it says to use 2 T. (I think) of instant coffee, I used a heaping 1/2 cup! lol  That made me brave enough to dye some of the wool that I am using in my next project.  It's a pretty simple process and I think it turned out great!

                                     
 
When your rug is all finished and ready to be hung, a great product to use are the Command  Picture Hanging Strips.  If you're like me, I tend to rearrange things constantly and don't want to put too many holes in my walls from nails.  These work great!  Peel the paper off the adhesive strip and attach as many strips on the back of your rug as you would like (I used 4).  Tack them in place by adding a basting stitch on each side of the strips.  Place another strip on top of the one placed on the rug. (They fit like velcro.)  Peel off the adhesive strips and position your rug where ever you want on the wall.  They are very durable.  I have a hooked rug from Ragon House hanging in my bedroom that I run the vacuum over and it holds up beautifully.  If you decide to move your rug, all you need to replace are the strips that attach to the wall.


And one last thing.  A great source for wool is your second-hand stores, like Goodwill.  You can find lots of suit jackets, women's blazers and skirts made from 100% wool at great prices.  It's a little time-consuming cutting them apart, but it's so much more economical than buying wool from a specialty shop.  I have purchased little pieces called one-eighth quarters for $7.99 each. You get so much more wool from a jacket for less than that! 

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Well.....Goodnight, friends!  I'll be back with pictures of a couple of the projects that I have finished!

    Until Next Time . . . . Kris

Monday, April 4, 2011

Look What I Made!!!!

I just wanted to pop on here and share with you one of the many projects I've been working on.  I'm really excited with how this turned out!  I have always loved this lamp that is made by Carriage House Lighting and Tinware, based in Troy, Ohio. (They don't have it featured on their website)  They sell it for $400.00, which is way more than what I wanted to spend!  lol  So, as usual, this little mind got to working on how I can make my own!  It was a little labor intensive and took a few days to make because I had to assemble and glue things in stages.  But do you know what the exciting part is?!! It only cost me about $45.00 in material!!  (Make that $49.00.....the light bulbs cost me $4.00!  lol)  Woo Hoo!!!  I think it turned out pretty darn good, if you ask me!!

So......do you want to see it?

Here it is half way done:




And here it is all done!


Like I said, I'm really excited with how this turned out!  I have another light in the works and will share it with you when I get it done.   I have some other projects that I've been working on.  Some are done, but go with other projects that aren't done yet, so I'm waiting until everything is complete before I post pictures. 

I've started rug hooking and will, hopefully, finish up a project in a couple of days. I'll share that with you along with a very helpful tool that I purchased that is wonderful to cut wool with!




Until Next Time. . . . Kris

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