Marble Magnets

The Bug and I spent a delightful evening creating these sweet marble magnets. 

I had scheduled them as our next MOPS crafty, and needed to do a test run of my own first.  They were so quick and easy, and The Bug absolutely loved helping out.  He did most of the work himself, and enjoyed them so much that we made a batch with his little friend K the following day!

Start off with the following supplies:
Flat backed marbles (mine were 1" diameter and were found at Hobby Lobby)
Mod Podge
Strong round magnets
Pretty scrapbook paper, newspaper, or magazines

Begin by tracing your marbles onto your paper, and cutting our circles that will be glued on the backs of the marbles. 

Place a thin layer of glue over the marble back, and adhere the paper. 

Allow to dry a bit, maybe 15-20 minutes or so.  Spread a thin layer of Mod Podge over the magetic back, and adhere to the marble.  Allow the magnets to dry for about 30 minutes. 
(I admit, I was very skeptical about the Mod Podge's ability to adhere the magnet, but it proved me wrong.  I will never doubt the abilities of Mod Podge again!)

Package in a sweet bag with a fun ribbon, and give to a friend to brighten their day!

These would make perfect gifts for teachers, or leave them as a suprise in a friend's mailbox.  They would be a fun birthday party craft too!

I love the cherries and strawberries for summer!

My New Best Friend - Vinegar

We seem to have a huge stockpile of vinegar in our pantry.  I assume that it is leftover from The Great Pickle Canning Extravaganza of 2010.  Lately, I've been putting it to good use all over the house!

Please pay no attention to the random ear of corn in the background of this shot, although, we have been eating a lot of corn on the cob around here lately.

There is even an entire website devoted to cleaning with vinegar.  Here are a few helpful hints from VinegarTips.

Clean the microwave by mixing 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar and 1/2 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Bring it to a rolling boil inside the microwave. Baked-on food will be loosened, and odors will disappear. Wipe clean.

Remove mineral deposits from coffee makers with white distilled vinegar. Fill the water reservoir with 1 cup or more of white distilled vinegar and run it through a whole cycle. Run it once or twice more with plain water to rinse clean. (Check the owners’ manual first.)

Discourage ants by spraying undiluted white distilled vinegar outside doorways and windowsills, around appliances and wherever you find the pests coming in

To make cleaning the grill easier, spray a solution of half water and half white distilled vinegar on the cooking surface.

For an economical and environmentally friendly floor cleaner, mix a solution of 3 drops dishwashing liquid to 1/3 part white distilled vinegar, 1/3 part alcohol, and 1/3 part water. Spray sparingly and mop for a fast clean-up.

To kill germs, spray full-strength white distilled vinegar on doorknobs and then wipe them dry.

It's non-toxic and a great way to avoid using chemicals.  In addition, it's inexpensive, and with it's many uses (including pickles) takes up much less storage space than other cleaners.

Simple Hair Flower

When a friend needs a cute little something to wear in her hair for an upcoming event what's a crafty girl to do?  Dig around in her scrap bin and come up with a one-of-kind flower of course!

I used a bobby pin with a flat back, some sweet seed pearls left over from the necklace that I made for my wedding (many moons ago), and leftover fabric from this dress. 

Tie is all together with some pink thread and a dab of hot glue and you're ready to go!

Check out Skip to my Lou for a great tutorial!

Pups

We've spent the past 2 weekends watching a pair of coyote pups play in the cornstalks at the back of the farm.  My mom and I had run to check on Dad in the tractor last weekend, and were keeping an eye out for the little guys.  Before I knew it, one of the curious little furbees had walked right up to the bed of the pickup.  He looked like he was about 12 weeks old, and all fur and ears.

Squint your eyes and you'll see that's him in the middle of the shot.  Of course I had forgotten my camera, so I made due with my Droid. 

It just doesn't get any better than spring on the farm!

Farm Bits

Our crew took a break from suburbia and  spent a wonderful day on the farm last Saturday.  There is nothing better than a day spent relaxing with family, taking rides in the farm truck, letting the kids play with the old Tonka trucks, and snuggling my new nephew.
Grandpa's been getting back into his horses since retiring, and The Bug's been asking to ride.  I love that he enjoys animals, and couldn't wait to get on a horse with him!

And my mom was so excited to show me their latest find.  Dad's been spending some extra time working on the back of the farm lately, and he brought up a treasure.

This old Coca-Cola cooler was dumped some time long ago. One man's trash is another man's treasure.  Can't you see warm summer nights, lighting bugs flying about, and delightfully cold drinks filling this cooler?

What are you up to this weekend?

Crafty with Karo

Fabric embellishment seems to be all the rage these days.  I love a crafty that uses items I already have in the pantry.

Check out this unique fabric dying technique using Karo Corn Syrup!

Here's how it works.  Wash your fabric first.  Paint the Karo syrup onto the fabric and allow it to dry.  The corn syrup acts as a resist.  Once dry, paint over your design with fabric dye and allow it to dry.  You can then launder your fabric once again and admire your unique masterpiece!

Wouldn't this be such a fun project to try with the kiddos?  I could just see tote bags for the beach, swimsuit cover ups, or custom tees.  Such fun!

For complete details and other fun project ideas, check out Sew Daily's website.

Friday Finds

My sweet niece had her first communion this past weekend.  We wanted to find a personalized gift for her, so of course I turned to my favorite store, Etsy!

I came across Chipmunk Hollow and fell in love with a necklace similar to this one.

We had our niece's name hand stamped into the necklace, which really made it extra special.  I have to say, I was amazed at the shop's turnaround time.  We had our necklace in our hands in less than 5 days! 

They have tons of cute ideas for mommies too...hint, hint!

Please Note:  I am in no way compensated for endorsing this shop.  I do, however, firmly believe in supporting folks with quality products and great customer service!

Things I Love - Havel's Scissors

There is nothing worse than dull sewing scissors, and I am absolutely awful about keeping mine sharpened.  My most used pair of scissors are the tiny ones used for trimming threads and appliques.  Mine have been knawing on my threads and fabrics for weeks now, much to my frustration. 

When my mom and I ran across Havel's scissors during our recent quilt show excursion I knew that I had to have a pair....or two!

I picked up a pair of these embroidery scissors.  They are perfect for thread snipping and for cutting out appliques when I'm using my embroidery machine.  The curved design is just perfect!

I was also able to nab a pair of snips.  Sometimes I think I spend more time looking for my scissors than actually sewing.  Now I'll always have them handy, right around my neck!

Please Note:  I am in no way paid to endorse Havel.  I truly just love my new scissors and thought that you might like them too!

A Birthday Tutu

A friend's sweet little girl turned 2 this past weekend.  This little lady loves her ballet, so mommy requested a tutu and matching shirt for the party.

Here's a peek at what we dreamed up.

The tutu has tons of layers of sparkly tulle in three different shades of pink.  What a sweet outfit for a sweet little 2 year old!

These tutus are no-sew, and incredibly easy to whip up.  Plumtickled has a great tutorial.  I created this on a sunny afternoon on the front porch!



Thank You Teachers

Did you know?  Today is National Teacher Day!  My little bloggy is the perfect place to thank one of my all time favorite teachers.  Someone who made a huge difference in my life, Mrs. Sheward.  Mrs. Sheward has been a staple at the Madison County Fair and Fairgrounds ever since I can remember.  When I was in 4-H, she took me under her wing and helped me with my sewing projects.  Now, when I say help, that is putting it extremely lightly.  The year that I made my first wool suit, Mrs. Sheward spent an entire week at our home, working with me for 18 hours a day to be sure that my suit was perfectly constructed.  From Mrs. Sheward I learned...

To always lay your pattern on a flat surface while cutting.
To always press each seam carefully.
To trim all threads between seams.
That what is on the inside of a garmet is just as important as what it on the outside.
That pefection is achievable, and the only acceptable way.
That sometimes the right way isn't always the fastest, but do it right anyway.
That hard work really does pay off, both at the country fair judging, and years later.

Mrs. Sheward didn't have to spend all those hours teaching me to sew.  She did it because she had and has a generous heart, and a true love of sharing her gifts to help others learn.  So, Mrs. Sheward, thank you for all that you taught me.  Your lessons from 16 years ago still echo in my head each day.

And, here is a little pic of what we came up with for "thank you's" for The Bug and E Lo's teachers.  I just love these happy little hair bobbies.

Take a minute, tell your favorite teacher "thank you", and take the time to be a teacher yourself. 

Mushroom Madness

If you grew up on a farm in Indiana, chances are that you know all about these little guys.

These are Morel Mushrooms.  When it's good and wet in the spring, grumpy farmers who wish they were out in the field go on the hunt for these guys instead.  Hillbilly absolutely loves hunting for these guys.  He treks through the woods behind our home, and both grandfolks farms in search of these illusive mushrooms. 

I've just never developed a taste for these, or any other mushrooms.  I also have a hard time understanding how one could spend countless hours walking slowly (I have only one walking speed, fast) through the woods in search of them.  But, it makes Hillbilly so happy to find them and bring them home.  The one perk for him, he gets them all to himself!

If you are interested in more information on hunting for Morels, take a look at The Country Wife Life.

Happy Hunting!