Last Minute 4th of July Craft Ideas

It's looking like it might be a rainy 4th of July in our area.....So an indoor craft/activity might be needed . These 2 ideas are perfect for kids of any age and to make it better, you probably have the supplies on hand!

1. Toilet Paper Roll Fireworks

    Supplies: TP/Paper Towel Rolls, paint, scissors, paper, paper plate, glitter (optional) For a complete tutorial visit Happiness is Homemade

2. Q-Tip Fireworks 

Supplies: Q-Tips, paint, scissors, paper,paper plate, glitter (optional) For a complete tutorial visit Crafty Morning

Overnight Oats Simplified 1-2-3

Overnight Oats seem to be the rage right now. I had been pinning recipes but had avoided making them thinking I might not like them and then I would have wasted  all that time, effort, and ingredients

Well good new, I like them and they are EASY to make AND you probably have the ingredients on hand, I did!

Step 1. Locate jars. I used canning jars and recycled sauce jars I had been saving. 

Tip: I have found prepping for a week makes things so much easier

Step 2. Gather ingredients. I had all of these ingredients, but the Chia/Flax Seed mix, which I happened to find on sale for $4/bag

Tip: I created a " Overnight Oats Shelf" This is where I keep all the dry, non-perishable items. Its handy to have it in one place . 







The perishable/refrigerated items are again something you will probably have on hand. 
 While I love real cow's milk, most Overnight Oat recipes call for Almond milk. There are less calories and I like the vanilla flavor :) Most recipes call for yogurt & a milk of some sort 

Step 3: Mix. I usually mix all the dry ingredients for the recipe and then add the wet ingredients the night before. However, you can mix both and they will stay fresh in the fridge for 3-4days. 


I found this handy dandy spatula like tool a year ago and bought it because it was cool and different. Incase you didn't know. I am slightly obsessed with kitchen gadgets. Its the handiest thing for mixing in the jars. Its my Overnight Oats Tool!

You can find this tool at Chefn.com (man I wish this were a give away post) Beware, they have some cool kitchen gadgets. I am not responsible if you spend $$$$ 

As far as Recipes, they pretty much follow the 1-2-3 rule as well. There are numerous recipes out there and I will be posting my favorite next Monday for "Menu Monday"

And there you have it, Overnight Oats Simplified, 1-2-3!

Hooded Bath Towels & Tutorial

I was recently invited to a baby shower for TWINS! The mom-to-be is a long time friend, and fellow crafter, so I wanted to make something myself ...Oh wait, whats new :)

I remember how my hooded towel was my favorite so I thought this would be a great gift, and probably useful to have when bathing twins.  Nursery theme is Carebears, so when I found this cute fabric I was pretty happy. 

I think they turned out well, one boy one girl so they are similar but not exact. 

Each set is a hooded bath towel, matching wash cloth, and burp rag. 

I really like the tutorial I found at This & That. Simple with easy to follow instructions. 

Green Beans Galore: Freezing Tutorial

Last week I posted about the 5 gallons worth of green beans we picked (90% was my mom's doings).
We decided to freeze our share. Freezing is a simple and quick way to preserve them, plus our family likes frozen better than canned.

 Step 1. Cut/Snap the ends off & into bite sizes.

Step  2.Blanch them ( place in boiling water, then into ice cold water) The beautiful bright green color is preserved. Drain

Step 3. Let dry on towel.
Step 4. When dried place in ziplock baggies and label.

Baby Shower Gifts-Changing pad

One of my best friends Abby is expecting a baby October 23rd. I co-hosted a shower with her aunt this past Saturday. I had seen a few changing pad tutorials on Pinterest, was at a baby shower over a month ago and a lady had made on, which everyone commented how handy they were so..... I decided that's what I was going to make her.

First I picked the fabric, paisleys are Abby's favorite and since they didn't find out the gender I needed something neutral.....Turquoise is always a hit with a country gal.

Then I bought a towel (yep that's my secret, not the terry cloth material by the yard.) and the Velcro.

Finally, I combined a few tutorials such as this one and this one.

I am really happy how it turned out.

TA-DA!

 There are 2 pockets at the bottom, one larger to hold wipes and then a small that would fit lotions, creams and other items.

 I had left over fabric so I made a matching burp cloth.

Here are the favors. Shower colors were yellow and green. Those are also the nursery colors.

 Microwave popcorn with a wrap saying " Ready to POP! Thanks for welcoming a baby to the ranch"

Wedding Blocks-Semi-tutorial

A friend of mine got married this past Saturday, it was beautiful.

As most of my friends know, I love giving handmade gifts, so check out my gift to her.

My mom is in the process of redoing the old farmhouse from 1901.
The spindles for the front porch were too long we we had to cut about 1-2in off the ends. Here are the blocks I was left with:

I then painted 2 of the faces of the block a light cream. One side I painted the letters of the bride and grooms last name:

The other side I did a fun "math problem"(thats an oxymoron)

Custom Painted Boots

I have been wanting a pair of tall fancy boots to wear with a skirt/dress, but haven't found the pair that I really like or that aren't $500. I know this fad won't last long so why invest so much.

My solution: Make my own!

I first found a pair of vintage Calvin Klein boot.

Then I stuffed them with paper to make them easier to paint. I choose western designs, some from other boots I've seen or country "clip art"

 Then I went to painting. I didn't want them to be totally covered, I just wanted boots with a little bit of excitement. The top of the next pair will be completely painted.

Front/Side:

Back:

Repurposed Gift Tin

We had this old tin in a box to get rid of, I decided to repurpose it for  my best friends birthday. She is the type that likes hand made, one-of-a-kind items. 

BEFORE:

Funny thing is I went to an auction the next day and they had a tin just like this in a box. If I had wanted a matching pair I never would have been able to find another :)

AFTER:

I personalized it with their brand, and since her birthday is the same day as Kansas Day, I thought sunflowers fit perfectly. To top it off,  I filled it with chocolate chip cookies.

How I did it: Washed the tin with soap & water. Let it dry completely. Applied an all-purpouse house paint. Then painted details with acrylic craft paints. Sealed it with 2 coats of clear Krylon spray.

Camera Strap Cover

I found this tutorial at Crafty Texas Chicks and decided to make a few adjustments and cover the strap on my NEW CAMERA!!!!  I used some leftover scraps I had on hand. The purple ruffles didn't turn out like I had hoped, they needed to be narrower and then it would have shown the ruffles better.

I think it will not only keep the strap clean, but will make it easily identifiable.

Thanks Mom, for a great Christmas present.

Repurposed Pot Holders-Tutorial

We had some pot holders laying around that had stains, tears, and major signs of wear so I decided to jazz them up a bit.
Here are the new and improved pot holders:

First I decided what design I wanted on the front.
I free-handed that on the wrong side of the denim (old pair of Wranglers)

Cut out design and pin to the fabric of your choice for the top

I chose to stitch them in turquoise. Some of the others were in pink, I love brown with those colors.

I stiched around the edge on some and then in a star pattern on others.

Then I layed the old pot holder onto the wrong side of the top and stiched along the edges leaving a 1/4 in or so.

Finally, I layded the finished top onto the wrong side of the backing( I used denim again) and sewed around the entire holder.The first round served as a guide to put the back on. The second round closed the old worn out pot holder in so it can't be seen.

Last thing to do, is throw it through the washer & dryer so they fray, trim them up and they are good to go!

Wedding Present Tutorial

I wanted to share a wedding present I made for a friend. (Casie, realize the cost of this gift is in no way a reflection of how much you mean to me!)

I'm not to good at slowing down and taking step by step pictures AND I think most of you are smart enough to follow.

I first started with an old picture I got in a $1 pile at an auction. So... the cost of this was probably 2cents.

I painted over the picture in tan. Paint cost= free.


Then I took an old certificate frame that had the glass broken out. I believe this was $1 at the Dollar Tree.

I took the cardboard back out as well as the staples to hold the glass in place.

Next I bought a paper mache "N" for their last name- Cost $2.50 at Hobby Lobby.
Painted it Chrome-Paint=free

Then rubbed brown craft paint on the "N" to look worn. Paint= 25cents

Finally, I stacked it all, glued with hot glue and painted their name and date.

Ta-Da!

Customized Cowboy Boot Ornament Tutorial

I know that Christmas is months away and I am the type of person that hates when stores have any holiday decorations up 6 months before the actual holiday.        However, I have a good excuse. I was asked by a ranch in South Dakota  to make a Christmas ornament(s) to hang on the state Christmas tree in the capitol building. The decorations have to be to the capital by October 1^st. The theme for this years tree is-western family heritage. So I decided to make a cowboy boot with the ranch’s brand on it.  My business partner introduced me to this amazing felt that looks like tooled leather-LOVE IT! Lucky for me when I went to Hobby Lobby it was on sale.

First I looked for a boot pattern, I found one here that I liked.

Then I pinned the cut out pattern onto the felt.

 Cut out 2 pieces. Remember to flip the pattern so that the” tooled leather” is on the correct side for the front and back of the ornament.

I did the same with the brand. I made a free hand pattern. I used the lighter brown for this part.

I placed the boots wrong sides together and top stitched around the edges with my machine. Leaving the the top of the boot open to stuff with batting.

After I filled it I placed a piece of brown ribbon(for the hanger) in the top and sewed it closed. Then I took the brand and glued is securely with fabric glue.  The other ornament I am hand stitching on the brand. This brand was too narrow and I thought the stitching might be distracting.

TA-DA!!

I am making a few other ones in various shapes, belt buckles, stars, etc for presents. I think that stitching in turquoise might be kinda cute too. The possibilities are endless.  Id love to hear from you if you end up making a similar item or have a great idea for this WONDERFUL felt.

Making Butter-How to

A neighbor of ours has a few dairy cows that he milks.He  sells the milk and cream to a few people that prefer the non-processed and natural milk. The other day he brought us fresh cream. I've made butter with my grandma before, but this time I wanted to take pictures not only so I have it for years to come but also to share with those of you who may not know how the pioneers made butter.

First we poured the cream into a handheld mixer

 We churned this for 15 min and then checked to see the progress.

NOTHING! Grandma said that the butterfat content of this milk was low and it could take hours. We decided for our sanity sake to use modern technology. The hand-held mixer.

Checked the process after 15 min

Peaks have started to form. This was a toward the end of the whipped cream stage. My grandparents said it was sometimes hard for them when they were kids to make sure they didn't turn their whipped cream into butter.

Getting closer...........

 I found the Magic Bullet to work the fastest, about 5 min to take if from cream to butter.

Pour off the liquid and then run cold water over the butter

Keep working it with a butter paddle (this one was not my gma's fav, but it worked)

After working for a couple minutes pour off the milky water and add fresh. You will keep doing this step until the water is clear.

Then you will add salt, the amount will depend upon how much butter you have. Work the salt into the butter thoroughly.

Toward the end, my gma added ice cubes to the water. This makes the butter set up better.

When the water is clear pour it off and continue working until there is NO water coming from the butter. The next steps show water in the bowl. We just took these pictures to show you the steps. It started getting a little old and tiring.

We used an old butter mold to make personal butter pats.

I'm not sure how the pioneers and the ladies in the early 1900s did this all the time. They did make huge batches to last a while. It was fun, and I'm glad I refreshed my memory on how to make butter. Its something I will pass on to my children (when that day comes)