Tutorials Revisted

Hi everyone! I thought I’d re-post a few tutorials that I’ve done in the past. I’ve been getting x-rays and a MRI etc done on my knees (which I re-injured running a few months ago) this week and just haven’t had the time or energy to take any new photos. I'm more exhuasted from waiting to see the various doctors than anything else!

How To Make a Teacup Birdfeeder

Here’s what you need:

You need a teacup (of course), a 1/2 inch piece of copper pipe, a 1/2 in. copper cap that will sit on top of the pipe, some strong waterproof glue. I read one direction on the internet where they said use hot glue....I don't know if that will hold in wet weather. I made one last year that fell off it's wooden post because I used the wrong glue. So use Bondo, E6000 or a similar type glue.

Then glue your saucer onto your cup and then glue your cap onto the saucer (with the opening up)and let that sit for several hours to dry. Then you just slip the whole thing onto your copper pipe which should already be in the ground. The good thing is you can easily take the teacup part off to dump the water that will collect when it rains. I'm not really going to put birdfeed in mine but you can!

Stamped Plate Project

Take any stamp that you like, Archival Ink in the color of your choice (which I get at Hobby Lobby but I’m sure any craft store would carry it).

Load your stamp with ink and center your stamp. Press nice and hard. Lift off without too much movement so you don’t smear the design.

Easy peasy! This is for decorative purposes only. I have rinsed it but I would not recommend scrubbing it. I made this in 2008 and still have it!

Chalkboad Paint Label
You can use chalkboard paint on just about anything! I added chalkboard paint labels to some glass jars in my pantry by taping off the area.

Paint inside the taped area with chalkboard paint. It may take more than one coat.

After it’s dry, prime it by covering it with some chalk, wipe off residue and now it’s ready to write on!

This makes the jars very versatile and it works on cups, plates, those old silver platers you can find every where etc!

A Simple Pleasure

Using apples that I grew to make homemade apple butter.

 
Having homemade apple butter on homemade bread. I’ve been trying out different bread recipes and this one is a very good breakfast bread.


That’s been my breakfast of choice the past few mornings. Which I’ve been having outside on the screened porch. It’s really the only time we can go out there these days since the heat index makes it feel like 105!

This is my basic recipe for Crock Pot Apple Butter.

• 5/6 lbs of apples cored and sliced
• 4 Cups of sugar (but depends on the sweetness of the apples and how sweet you like things)
• 2-3 Tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/2 Tsp. Ground Cloves
• 1/4 Tsp. Salt

Put all the apples in your crock pot. Combine all the other ingredients in a bowl and pour over the apples, stir. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour then reduce to low and cook about 8-10 hours. Stir occasionally and mash your apples with a potato masher to get a smooth consistency. Your apple butter should be dark brown and thick when done. Makes 3-4 quarts.

You can place this in hot sterilized jars and use the water bath method, but I just make one jar to use immediately and the rest I freeze. It’s supposed to keep for about 3 weeks in the fridge but honestly, it never keeps for longer than a week in my house because everyone eats it up!

This basket of apples (I don't spray them - they may look splotchy but they're fine) made just enough for one jar and one that I put in the freezer and I only used about 2 cups of sugar. I don’t peel my apples because I normally use organic ones, but if you use conventionally grown apples, I would peel those (I don’t peel my apples for apple pie either but I know some people don’t care for the texture of the peel).

Yummy! Hope you try the Crock Pot Apple Butter. I don’t know what I’d do without my crock pot!

Thanks for spending some time with me today!

Dining Room Collections Continued

Hi everyone! I  wanted to show you my wall of trays now that I’ve hung the newest ones.


These are the  two new trays. The smaller tray I showed you before but now it’s on the wall with all the others.


I've grouped the three trays that have Blue Willow in them.


I’ve gotten all of these trays thrifting with the exception of that smaller one which I won on ebay.

People always ask me what style of trays these are. They’re not handpainted tole trays. Which are really pretty and much easier to find. These are tin litho trays.

It’s taken me about 5 years to get just that wall of trays (I have two more in the kitchen). I know some people have found them at garage sales. I just want ONE MORE to go over the doorway. I’m still looking for the bunny one that quite a few bloggers have! That’s really the one I want! Email me if you have one and would like to swap something for it (fat chance- I know~smile)!

Also, I wanted to show you the salt and pepper shakers that Viola (A Long Widowed Road) sent to me.


They’re the glass pairs in the center front (the cute little ones and the ones with the amber feet). They’re from the 40’s/50’s and I think they make a lovely addition to my salt and pepper shaker collection. Wasn't that so sweet and generous of her! Thank you Viola – I love them!

 
Thanks for dropping by and I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead!

Winners Announced

Hi everyone! The two people receiving the Amazon GC’s are:



Terri @ Penny Ann Poundwise 

                     and


Christa @ Country Hearts At Home



Both ladies send me the email addy you want the GC’s sent to and I’ll do it later today (Jersey95 @aol.com)


Thank you to everyone that entered! It was really nice to meet so many people I didn’t know! I’ll be back with a regular post on Monday.

Have a wonderful Sunday - it's going to be another scorcher here in Atlanta!

Amazon GC Giveaway

******Comments are now closed. I'll post the two winners on Sunday. Thank you everyone!*****



Hi everyone! I wanted to take a moment and to say a big  thank you to all of you who are regular readers of my blog! It doesn’t matter if you are a “follower”, subscriber, or just pop in regularly to see what I’ve been up to. I appreciate all of you who take the time to drop by!


So I wanted to have a little giveaway, just to say thanks, and wanted something that most people could use. How about an Amazon GC?  How about two?


There are over a 1000 of you that are “following” and  more of you that subscribe via Bloglines and Google Reader and I don’t know how many of you just drop by now and then, but  I don’t know half of you! So leave me a comment on this post so I can get to know you. That's all you have to do. It can be as simple as “Hi my name is _________ please enter me”. Or you can tell me a little bit about you. Now some of you I’ve “known” for years (you know who you are) so just say Hi unless you’re feeling chatty!


I’m giving away two $25 Amazon GC’s. I’ll leave this post open to comments until Saturday night and announce the recipients of the GC’s on Sunday. As always, I’ll use one of the random number picker thingies! The GC’s will be emailed to the winners from Amazon. I'm not sure how Amazon works in other countries, but I'm willing to send it to you if you live outside the US. So as far as I'm concerned everyone can enter.

***Edited to add: Please only leave one comment. I have to go in and delete a comment when you leave two as it throws the numbering off for the drawing.

I’ll be hard at work finishing up painting the paneling in my family room the rest of this week (yes, I have a red couch and there's not a bit of toile in that room!) Hopefully I'll have at least one corner to show you next week LOL!

New Dining Room Tray

Hi everyone! In the past few months, I’ve found two more trays to add to my collection that I have hanging in my dining room.


I don’t have any hangers for them yet so I thought I’d place the smaller one on the black chest for now and added some some fun yellow faux flowers (Michael’s has so many that are 80% off because apparently summer is over and we should all be buying fall foliage).


I placed them in a white soup tureen and  I used one of my red toile runners underneath it all.


I found a larger tray like those on the wall (though in not as good a shape) that I hope to be able to hang this week. So maybe I’ll be able to show you them all at the end of the week, if not, next week for sure.


I hope you all had wonderful weekends! We got some much needed rain so everything is thriving and the lawn needs mowing. Off to do that now!


Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday Photo Feature

The Morning Glory

Was it worth while to paint so fair
Thy every leaf - to vein with faultless art
Each petal, taking the boon light and air
Of summer so to heart?

To bring thy beauty unto perfect flower,
Then, like a passing fragrance or a smile,
Vanish away, beyond recovery's power -
Was it, frail bloom, worth while?

Thy silence answers: "Life was mine!
And I, who pass without regret or grief,
Have cared the more to make my moment fine,
Because it was so brief.

"In its first radiance I have seen
The sun! - why tarry then till comes the night?
I go my way, content that I have been
Part of the morning light!" - Florence Earle Coates

 Comments are off. Enjoy your Sunday!

White & Red

Hi everyone! This is one of my favorite color combinations!

 
Red and white.


White and red!




Lots of red and white!


More red and white!




Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all do something fun this weekend!