Christmas Cloche Ornament…on the cheap!

Hey ya’ll! I’ve been wanting to show you these ornaments I made for a while, but I’ve been sitting in the hospital with our middle son for four days.  He was having an extended video EEG.  I’m home now, so here’s  my ornaments and how to make em’!

I saw a tutorial for these on the internet from My So Called Crafty Life…she did a great job, and I just had to make them too!
To make these stinkin’ cute ornaments you’ll need some plastic wine glasses from the Dollar Tree…(oh, and don’t throw away the bases of the glasses..I have another project I’m going to show you that uses them!)……

Here’s a pic of them outside the package.  I used my dremel tool and cut off the top of each one…you can see in some of the other pictures on down, how much I cut off, I forgot to take a picture after I cut it. If you don’t have a dremel, I suppose you could use a fine tooth hack saw or something like that.  Ya’ll are smart, I’m sure you could figure out another way to cut it off too!

You’ll also need a 3” scalloped punch, or if you have a cricut or silhouette cutting machine, you could use that to cut 3” circles or scallops too I’m sure. (or you could just do it the old fashioned way, and trace a circle and cut it out!)

I used some chip board and my punch and punched out a dozen circles. That’s how many wine glasses I bought. :0)

I went to Hobby Lobby and they had all the little items for miniature trees 1/2 off, so I loaded up!  I LOVE miniatures!
Have I ever told you guys I have five doll houses?!! (one is still not built…I’ll get on that one day) 

Next, I just hot glued my little miniatures on the chip board I had punched out, making sure the tallest thing was in the middle so the cloche would fit over it without touching.  I then put a nice bead of hot glue around the bottom of the wine glass, and stuck it down to the chip board base. (OH..and you can see how much of the wine glass I cut off with the dremel tool here too!)

I made a hanger for the top with a  styrofoam glitter ball I got at Michaels, and just stuck some wire through it and made little hooks on the bottom to keep it from coming back through. (I’m thinking if I had it to over, I would have used much thinner wire…hindsight is 20/20) :0)

I made a little funnel out of paper and used it to pour white glitter into my ornament…..

I found some tinsel at Walmart that looked like vintage tinsel…it was only $2.00 for a pretty decent sized roll. I used it to camouflage the top of the glass where I cut it off…..

Then I just hot glued the tinsel and the glitter styrofoam ball on top of the “cloche” wine glass, and it was finished!

I made several different ornaments…some with nutcrackers, some with mini Christmas trees, and some more snowmen ones. I LOVE them and they really were so easy! The hardest part was cutting the tops of the glasses off.  I made 12 of them while sitting in a hospital chair……why yes, I did take a craft bag to the hospital! Including hot glue! Ha! Did you expect any less?! lol :0)

Hope you all enjoyed the ornament! Stay tuned and I’ll show you what I did with the bases to the wine glasses. The next project literally took 15 minutes to do!

Blessings
Missy

How to Make Pickles

I remember when I was growing up I would watch my mom and my grandma in the kitchen canning all the wonderful things they had grown in their gardens.  One year my mom and dad let me have my own garden….I raised all kinds of things! Mom told me my garden actually did better than theirs that year! :0) The one specific thing I remember about my garden that year was raising spaghetti squash, I thought that was the coolest stuff ever! I raise a garden of my own now that I’m an adult….it’s not HUGE like the ones they used to raise, just a couple of raised beds, but it yields quite a bit! This year I had an abundance of cucumbers, so I made the same pickles my grandma used to make….heck, she still makes them! She still has a garden too, and she’s in her 80’s!!
They’re called….

MILLION DOLLAR PICKLES

• 10 cucumbers, sliced

• 4 cups sliced onions (I use sweet)

• 1/3 cup pickling spice (you can get it at Walmart…I found mine in the aisle with the canning jars)

• 4 cups water

• 2 teaspoons ground turmeric (be careful this stuff stains everything!)

• 1 teaspoon celery seed

• 6 cups white sugar

• 2 quarts white vinegar
  

Directions

1. Place the cucumber, onions, and pickling spice in a large bowl.
   
   
   
2. Add the water and allow the mixture to stand 6 to
   8 hours or overnight in the fridge.
   
   
   
3. Drain liquid from mixture.  In a large saucepan, mix the cucumber mixture, turmeric, celery seed and white sugar. Pour in the vinegar, adjusting the amount so that it covers the mixture. Bring to a boil.
   
4. While the above mixture comes to a boil. I use that time to sterilize my jars. (I’ve already run them through a dishwasher cycle to make sure they’re clean) I just pretty much dunk them in the water and make sure the boiling water gets on all sides and then put them on a towel to drain.
   
   
5. 
   After all the jars are sterilized I put all the jar lids and rings in the water to sterilize them.  I don’t get them out until the very end. (I always make sure the rubber part on the flats are up. so they don’t melt with the heat.)
   
6. After the cucumber mixture has come to a boil, transfer the cucumbers and onions to the sterile jars.  Ladle in enough of the boiling liquid to just cover the pickles in the jars…pretty much about 1” from the top of the jar.  While the mixture is still hot, wipe off the top of jar really well with a damp towel, then with a dry.  You want it to be clean and dry or it won’t seal.  Take one of the flat lids out of the boiling water, dry it off, and immediately put it on top of the clean jar, screw on the ring part of the lid.  (I fill one jar at a time)
   
7. Repeat for all the jars.  The above recipe makes 6 pint jars of pickles
   
8. Put your pickles on a towel to cool. As they cool, you’ll hear the lids popping, which means they’ve sealed.  If you have one that doesn’t seal, just go ahead and stick it in the fridge to eat, it’ll last quite a while.

One thing you need to know, and this is important!  The turmeric  stains everything! Put down towels on your counter where you’re working and expect them to have yellow rings when you’re through. Also wipe up anything that might splash on your stove, etc because I’m telling you this stuff does not come off…IT STAINS BIG TIME!  I now have very yellow dishtowels and a yellow ladle,  but the pickles will be worth it when I make pulled pork BBQ this winter! YUMMO!

These make great gifts too!

Blessings
Missy

Technorati Tags: How to make pickles,Million Dollar Pickles

Where I Put My Painting…

You all remember the lovely painting my friend Cindy painted me as a surprise?  Well, I finally figured out where I like it best.

I placed it in my kitchen window, in front of my stained glass and under my chandelier.  I thought since I spend so much time in the kitchen, it would be a perfect place, and it is….I smile every time I go in the kitchen now.

Isn’t she lovely?! My kitchen wallpaper has the same pink/blush tones as the painting. I can’t tell you what it meant to me when I received this precious painting in the mail.  Do you know Cindy went through my blog looking at my house so she’d know what colors would match!  She is SO thoughtful!

So thanks again Cindy for my sweet little painting….she looks like she’s always belonged in my kitchen. :O)

I would like to frame her….but I’ve never framed a real painting on canvas before. Does anyone know how you do that?

I’ll soon have an update on my window seat! 
HINT: I finally have it to the point where I can sit on it!   Yay!

Have a blessed week!

Missy

Technorati Tags: oil painting,where to put an oil painting,rose painting

A “SPECIAL” Delivery…

Well today was a wonderful day!
This morning I heard the doorbell ring and looked out my bedroom window to see our mail lady, Darla, standing at my front door.  I opened up the window and yelled down for her to just leave the package she had in her hands because I was a  mess.…still in my pj’s, no make-up and hair in a sort of ponytail. (you know the half falling down kind) :-0

I went downstairs and grabbed my package out of the rain and got all giddy when I saw who it was from!  Cindy, from Cindy’s Fractured Fairy Tale!  Now if you don’t know Cindy, you’ll have to hop on over to her blog and see the amazing talent this gal has!  Anyway, I ran upstairs and plopped on my bed to rip open the large envelope. (yep, it felt like Christmas again!)

Here’s what was inside the envelope……

Isn’t it a lovely little package…all tied up with a purple bow and vintage earring.    Just so pretty.  I grabbed my camera to take a couple of shots because I just knew I would want to remember what special care she took in wrapping my surprise.  And OH, what a surprise it was!

Just look at what was inside that pretty little package all tied up with string….
This is now one of my favorite things!…..

Yes, she sent me a painting that SHE painted just for ME!  I’m always telling her what an amazing artist she is, and she got on my blog and looked around to see my house colors and actually painted me this beautiful picture.  Yes…I cried.    You blogger friends sure know how to make a gal cry!

When Linda, from Itsy Bits and Pieces, sent me those beautiful ornaments for Christmas I cried…
Remember these??… Beautiful and so special!

When Patty, from Lemon Lane Cottage,  sent me the beautiful baby blanket she handmade for Sweet Pea, I cried….

Either I’m getting mushy in my old age, or you gals are just amazing. (I think it’s you gals are just amazing!)

Now back to my beautiful painting!  It goes in so many rooms in my home that I’ve just been walking around and around looking for the perfect spot.  I still haven’t settled on where it’s going to hang, but it’s just perfect….in every little way!

I promise, these pictures just don’t do it justice….It’s so deep and realistic.  (and I can still smell the paint…it’s so fresh!)

Cindy is SO talented..you just have to go over and see the amazing cows and sheep she’s painted.  They’re so light and airy…almost misty. :0)  I’m tellin’ ya, she’s good!
Look how good my painting goes with my throw I just got from TJ Maxx…it looks so pretty with the pink.  See why I’m having such a terrible time trying to figure out where to put it…it looks good EVERYWHERE! :0)

Thank you Cindy, from the bottom of my heart….you’re such a blessing and a joy to have as a friend!

Love you Cindy, and ALL my blogging buddies. I just can’t imagine if I had never started this blog…oh how many wonderful relationships I would be missing out on!

I am blessed.

Missy

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Christmas Treasures Vignettes….

I have so many wonderful memories attached to almost every Christmas decoration I have.  I remember bottle brush trees from when I was little, so they just have to have special spots in my Christmas décor…..

This is a very simple vignette, but I wanted the trees to be the main focus….something so simple can be so pretty when they’re all grouped together under glass. My mom gave me the cloche’ many years ago, so the whole thing reminds me of family and Christmas from years gone by.

I have some of my most treasured antique ornaments behind glass. My mom gave me the old bowl, and it’s filled with well worn ornaments from times past…

This next set of ornaments holds a very special place in my heart.  I received this entire set, including the silver compote, in the mail this year from an amazing blogger friend. She is one of the nicest ladies I’ve ever had the pleasure of “meeting”. I hope to one day meet this gal in person and hug her neck, but until then…you know who you are, and you’re a treasure among treasures and I love ya dearly!

Aren’t they just beautiful! I have to tell you, when I received the box in the mail, I opened it from the bottom and out came the silver piece first and I was just in love…I thought that was all that was in the box and I was thrilled!  Then I noticed more things…I started unwrapping the carefully wrapped ornaments one by one and sat there in my upstairs hallway and cried like a baby.  It sure was a wonderful surprise…..what a blessing! You know, all of you are blessings to me! Every time I see how many people read this blog..I stand amazed. Every time I read your sweet comments, it makes my day brighter and my heart swell…I really do love you guys!

Old ornaments are one of my favorite things in the whole world and they’re getting harder and harder to find, so I treasure the ones I have so much! My favorites are the indented ones….especially if they’re pink!  Do these ornaments just scream my name or what!?!

Do you all love old ornaments too, or do you prefer the newer stuff?  I wish I could go back in time and gather all the things I love from years gone by and bring them back with me to today…wouldn’t that be fun?!

Hope you all have a very Merry CHRISTmas and a blessed New Year!

Missy

Technorati Tags: christmas,cloche,bottle brush trees,vintage ornaments,indent ornaments,pink vintage ornaments

Christmas Gift Idea….Delicious and Fun!

I told you all about our wonderful Choir Christmas party we had last weekend, and wanted to share the treats I made for each choir and band member.  I found this idea from Pinterest and thought it was a fantastic idea for a gift for a lot of people.
By the way, if you aren’t on Pinterest, if you’ll leave me your email address, I can send you an invitation…if you click HERE, you can follow my boards too!


First I went on Ebay and found two buckets of these Wilton Cookie Cutters…they ended up being less than $20, which is pretty doggone good for 36 gifts!


Then my mom helped me out by baking me her FAMOUS Coca Cola cake in a shallow pan. (hers is better than Cracker Barrels any day of the week!!) This recipe works great because the icing is like fudge and accepts the cookie cutters without getting smashed. This reminds me…. I need to get her recipe!!  (you could also do this with fudge!)

I took each cookie cutter and arranged them on top of the pan of cake first, so I could maximize the amount of cookie cutters I could get on top of the cake.

Then I gently pushed them down  into the cake.  I went ahead and did them all at once, so I wouldn’t mess up any of the cake, taking them out one at a time. 

I used a little icing spatula to remove each of the cookie cutters. Guess who got to eat the little pieces that were left?!  Oh yeah baby, we all munched on that!  (this picture is making my mouth water….that icing tastes exactly like rich, creamy fudge!)

After I lifted the cake filled cookie cutters out of the pan, I wiped off the outside of each one so it wasn’t too smudgy….you want to make a nice presentation. :0) 

You can decorate them with candy etc, if you’d like at this point.


I bought some really cute little bags to put my goodies in….



Then I put one cake filled cookie cutter in each bag and had an assembly line going with Carson…I bagged, he twist tied.  :0)


We actually took it a step farther and made hand made gift tags and put them on with red pipe cleaners, but I forgot to take a pic of that part and I had already given them all away when I remembered.  Sorry…bad blogger!  lol

I thought this was a wonderful idea for giving gifts in large numbers.  You could give them out to your neighbors, church choir, friends or whatever. 
Have a Merry Christmas…it’s getting closer!!  (Carson lets me know this each day!)  lol
Missy

Technorati Tags: christmas,how to make gifts for a group,What can I give a group of friends,Christmas cookie cutters,cookie cutters,coca cola cake

How to Make a Camera Strap Cover

I MADE that!  I was SO excited when I got it all finished and realized it turned out cute!

I have been wanting to get a cover for my camera strap ever since I saw all the cute straps all over blogland.  I decided it would be silly for me to buy a strap when I can sew…..so, here’s what I did!
First I went to JoAnn Fabrics and picked up some cute fat quarters in patterns I liked. (and they were on sale for .99 so that was a plus, so my camera strap cost $6.00, but if you already have fabric, it would be free!) I really liked all these blues and greens, so I got them all!  By the way, A fat quarter is a one-fourth yard cut of fabric that (usually) measures 18" x 22" instead of the typical 9" x 44" quarter-yard cut.


To get started, I measured my camera strap…


Mine measured 1  3/4 inches wide by 23  1/2 inches long. I doubled the width (so it covers the front and back) then added 1 inch for seam allowances (1/2 inch on both sides ). Then I added an inch to the length to give a 1/2 inch to hem each end.  So my measurements (including seam allowances) ended up being  4 1/2 x 24 1/2 inches.  (for a Canon EOS Rebel)  If you have a different strap, just measure the width and double it (one for each side) and add the 1” seam allowance and make the length the same length as your strap, plus 1” extra for 1/2” hem on each end.  EASY! :0) 
I wanted two different fabrics, so I sewed some 4 1/2” wide fabric on each end of my longer 4 1/2” wide piece,  but made sure the whole thing ended up being 24 1/2” long.


Then I sewed it lengthwise like this…(with right sides together)


Then you just have to turn it right side out and iron it with seam to the back…




Next, I put a safety pin on the end of my camera strap and pulled the strap through the new cover.  Just tuck the ends of the fabric under and tack it in place with a needle and thread…


You can stop here or you can take it a step further and make the rosette like I did.

I sewed 4 1/2” wide strips of all my different fabrics together…just like I did on the ends of the strap…..



I sewed it lengthwise again, just like the strap. (with right sides together and then turned right side out)


Then all I did was wind it around, (turning the fabric every once in a while)  tacking it with a needle and thread until it looked like a rose…

Then I just sewed it on the strap cover. (I did that while the strap cover was already on the strap)

Then you’re done…walla!

Very cute strap for very little money! 
I LOVE my new strap cover, hope you’ll try tackling one yourself!
Have a great day!
Hugs
Missy

Technorati Tags: how to make a camera strap cover,cute camera strap covers,fat quarter,JoAnn fabrics,how to make a fabric rosette