Thursday's "Tip of the Day"!

Here is a great tip, if you are painting like I am!


Place a rubber band over the top of your paint can to wipe off the excess from your paint brush!

What am I working on?!

Well, I am hoping to have my latest project finished for all of you this coming weekend!  I am building a new/primitive Cabinet for my dining room!  It is an easy project that I am hoping to share with all of you this coming Wednesday as a tutorial.  The weather is so beautiful here in Western PA I need to get outside and cut me some wood!  Enjoy the Sunshine!

"Tutorial Tuesday" Antique Bobbin Arrangement

This is one of the EASIEST & QUICKEST tutorial I probably will ever have...lol.  I did one of these the other nite for a quick dinner party gift for a dear friend.  So, I made up a few more of them as well, as gifts, and for my home.  I have always loved antique bobbins and now I have another way of displaying them!


SUPPLIES:
*Antique Bobbin
*Spanish Moss
*Tall Flower of your Choice (I personally like the ones with the "fuzzy" type stems, as they seem more real looking)
*Butter Knife


Here are the only supplies you will need:

Next, you will want to place your flower into your bobbin.  If you think it is too tall, you can trim it with just a pair of old scissors.  I did nip about 2" off mine, but not much. 

Lastly, take your Spanish Moss and with your butter knife, start shoving it inside the bobbin to hold your flower in place!  You are finished!!!  Told you it was quick and easy!

Here are a few I did yesterday!  As you see, you can use any type flower!

You also can tie a piece of grunged cheesecloth or fabric around the bobbin, if you desire.  I did add a piece of grungied cheese cloth  for my friends and it turned out cute!  I just need to grab some more today for me.  But, they look cute just the way they are as well.

 I also didn't like how "bright" my Sunflowers were (see the one on the left compared to the one on the right?), so I did take some strong coffee and with a small paint brush I "stained" the leaves. Much better now!

What is your favorite flower?

I am obbessed with Sunflowers and Black-eyed Susans!  I just can't get enough of them in and around my home!  I know these are a "seasonal" summer/fall flower, but I do have them out most of the year EXCEPT at Christmas time. Late last Summer I wanted to plant some of the Black-eyed Susans around the outside of our home to only find out they were all sold out everywhere!  So, this year I am planning early to plant MANY of them!  Here is a very few of them from around my home.

My Calendar is all Sunflowers each month!

Basket hanging outside my 1/2 bath door!

Large Sunflower!

Cute lil Sunflower that is photo sensitive to move when light hits it!

Basket hanging on my fireplace mantle.  This is just some paper Sunflowers, berries, and birdsnest I gathered for this arrangement, then tied with stained cheesecloth into a bow!


SO, WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FLOWER?!

Coffee "FILTER FRIDAY"!

Well, many of you may remember for a year I did a post called "Mason Jar Monday"?!  That seemed like a big hit as it featured tips, tricks and crafts all done with a plain ole mason jar!  My latst obbession....COFFEE FILTERS!!!


I have found there literally are TONS of uses for them!  So, every other week I am going to do a new post called "Coffee FILTER FRIDAY"!  I will share with you various crafts, tips & tricks all using a simple coffeee filter!  They are very inexpensive and come in packs of 100 to 1000!!!!  They also come in different sizes and 2 different shapes!


So, go grab yourself a pack of coffee filters and lets prepare for a fun "Coffee FILTER FRIDAY"!!!


Today's post is a simple COFFEE FILTER TIP:

Line the bottom of your flower pot with a coffee filter, this will stop the dirt from falling out the holes while still letting the soil drain properly!

Laundry Room Swap SIGNUPS!

"Laundry Room" Swap anyone?

No, I am not swapping Laundry Rooms with anyone! This is just as deceiving as saying "Garage Sale" because they are not really selling the Garage now-are they?!


However, I am in the midst of trying to "spruce up" my full bath with "laundry" related items.So, I would like to hold an "unusual" kind of swap with you all! If you are looking to add a few new things to your laundry room too, then this might just be the swap for you!!!



I know Blog Land is a VERY large area, so I am setting some Rules with this one! First, because I know others have done swaps before from Blogs and have been "burnt" by other swappers with not receiving their goodies. So, rules we MUST HAVE!



There are a few basic rules we must all play by. So here they are:

•You MUST have an active Blog! Sorry, this just ensures you are fairly commited to Blogging along with friends. By "Active" I mean posted to your blog within the last month!

•You MUST have posted with me atleast 3 times or more! (I will check too if I don't recognize your name, but I know most of my commenters anyways!) Just making sure I am familiar with you.

•You MUST live in the USA! Sorry internationals, I just know shipping costs are getting out of hand, although we LOVE you guys, I know most of you feel the same about shipping to the USA....It is expensive!!!

•You MUST commit to sending atleast 3 items in your package to your partner! Atleast ONE of them being handmade by YOU!!! We all cherish those handmade items!

•Your package MUST be atleast a $25 value! This just makes it fair for everyone who plays.

•You MUST be on time! Sorry, I HATE late packages! Just a pet peeve of mine! Nothing like anxiously awaiting a package to find it shows up 2 months late! I know all you swappers will agree with me if you ever had to wait! So, don't wait til the last minute to start your swap!

•You MUST thank your partner when you receive your goodies! I HATE ungratefulness!!! I know we are all busy, but we all make time to check our emails-don't we?! So, thank your partner for your package!

•You MUST get a Delivery Confirmation # when your package has been sent out! You MUST email me that number too! That if there is any lost packages, we can hopefully track them done, and know for sure that you sent it & on time too!

•You MUST have your Info to me by March 11th. I will get the Swap names out to everyone on March 13th.

•You MUST mail out your package by April 15th ! This gives everyone one month to complete their swap!

•This will be a "One on One" Swap. So, once I gather all the names, I will email everyone their partners!

Now, I will trust that everyone who wants to play is willing to play by the rules! But, just in case there are those of you that end up not (this has happened on other blogs!), as I tell my children:

There are consequences to every action; Good or bad? You decide!



•If you don't play by the Rules, you WILL be blocked from my Blog!!! Sorry, I know life happens, that is why I said, "Don't wait til the last minute to start your swap!
•Remember, Blog land is a Huge Arena we play in....but, it runs in very SMALL circles! I know we all like to leave good impressions on our SMALL circle friends!

Okay, I know that all seemed so very harsh with Rules & Regulations...but, they are really just Swapping Courtesy I think! Just want to make sure this Swap turns out a "Good One not Gone Bad"!
I hope I didn't scare anyone away! So, if you wanta do a little "sprucing up" in that area of the house that might be overlooked, then come join in the fun.

So, if you are interested in doing this swap....click on the "email me" icon on my right side toolbar. I will need your Blog Name, Name, & mailing addy.

Tutorial Tuesday "Spring Blocks"

Here is a quick and easy project using all thoses scrap pieces of wood that you might have lying around the garage! I have seen these everywhere, but I thought I would give them a little "twist" by making them "stationary".  I know these really aren't "Prim"...but, I found when Spring time comes around, I do add a little POP of color to my decor!  But, you can also customize these to any colors you would like...so, go a little more "Prim" if you like!


SPRING BLOCKS


Supplies:
*  Scrap Pieces of wood for your lettering
~2 pcs of 1x6 cut 3 -1/2" wide....THIS IS THE "S" & "G"
~2 pcs. of 1x4 board cut...THIS IS THE  "P" & "N"
~1 pc. of 1x4 cut 5"...THIS IS THE "I"
~1 pc. of 1x4" board cut 4"...THIS IF THE "R"
~1 pc. of 1x4" board cut 20" long...THIS IS THE BASE
*Moss or Grass
*Speckled JellyBean Eggs
*Scrap Book Papers
*Stencils
* Black Craft Paint
*Off white Craft Paint
*Sandpaper
*Mod Podge
*Hot Glue


Directions :
Base coat all your wood with the  "Off white paint".  Let Dry completely.  Lay your blocks down and trace around your  block onto your scrapbook papers and cut out.


Mod Podge your papers onto each block, working the air bubbles out so your papers lay flat.



Now, lay your stencils down onto each of your blocks and stencil the letters onto them.  Let Dry.


Now take each of your blocks and position them onto the base BEFORE your hot glue them, this is to make sure you like their placement. 


Hot glue each block onto the base.
<

Finish it off with some moss/grass and jelly bean eggs! 


Enjoy!!!