Fall Mantel

Once again not having pictures ready got me.  I wrote this a long, long time ago, think maybe October sometime.  Anyways, here it is with pictures included.

I've spent the last several weeks doing little projects, one at a time, to decorate my mantel for fall.  My mantel has always been a set spot, and I would really rather it be a beautifully decorated part of my home.  It was a hodge podge of random stuff.  Our unity candles, other random candles, a blue teapot that was home to some ivy as a wedding centerpiece, and stuff that just got set there (Christmas cards, headbands, lighters, you name it).

I had seen this, by Home Stories A to Z, and it was really the launch point for my project.  Actually I think I saw someone else use it and added some stuff onto the sketched image.  It gives a basic formula for how to decorate a mantel.

We had just finished a bottle of wine and I saved the bottle thinking that I would use it for something.  It's been popping up everywhere so I'm not sure who started the fashion, but I wrapped my bottle with some thick jute twine, using hot glue.  On a quick trip into the grocery store I found pumpkins on sticks, and picked up the brown balls too.  Once I got those into the finished wine bottle I decided I needed something more linear with some height and on my next trip to the store I decided to get the green cattails.

The bottle was up, and I was planning on wrapping a vase with thinner jute (leftover from a wedding shower project) and finding something to put in it.  While Melodi and I were decorating the kitchen cabinets for fall I found that I had an extra bunch of flowers so put those in the vase, and the vase on the mantel as a place holder.  I'm trying to decide if we are going to do a full wrap, or a half wrap (top or bottom).

After we finished up decorating the cabinets I went in search of some other things to put on the mantel.  I have an growing stash of decorative candles, vases, and other fun items, but a lot of it has sat hidden for five years.  There was a fish bowl vase on the counter, from after Erica was born, which I filled with a bag of rocks, that I just had to have on a trip to IKEA.

Now to find ideas for a Christmas/winter mantel.  I'm thinking about some quilling, another printable, and maybe some trees that runneth over from the cabinets.

Sunday Breakfast #2: Cherry Swirl Coffee Cake

So, I pinned this 26 weeks ago, and finally made it.  Thanks to this post section I might make my way through some of my "plans."  But then again, are pins plans or just ideas?  Making a special breakfast on Saturday this week because we may go "farming" tomorrow.

Made as directed, with the exception of a half batch of batter, but a full 21 ounces of pie filling.  Spreading the batter in the bottom of the pan was difficult to get full coverage.  It was very good, a little sweet, and you can really taste/smell the almond.  Hubby said "it is very similar to your braided thing" which is a homemade braided bread loaf with a cream cheese filling and preserves spread on the top (I grew up eating it for Christmas morning breakfast, but as a new family we have moved it to Thanksgiving morning because hubby's family had eggs benedict for Christmas breakfast, so it was a compromise we had to make).

Of course as I was reading the recipe and some of the comments I decided that I needed some cream cheese in there somewhere.  My hubby was like "you haven't made it yet and you're already changing the recipe."  After eating it, I will probably figure out some sort of cream cheese mix to add in next time.  I'll let you know how it goes.

 

One Hour Bag Charm

My mom bought me a Miche bag for my birthday last year.  She also bought my first two covers, one for my birthday and one for Mothers Day.  I finally made my first purchase, another cover, "purse panties," and chain handles.  During my online shopping I noticed that they have charmers (this isn't just charmers it's all the accessories, but the site doesn't make it easy to get just the charmers), so they were in the back of my mind.

While I wasn't thinking about it when I purchased it, once I put it on my bag in late August (also around when my facebook friends start talking college football), I realized that it is perfect Cougar Crimson!  Now, I have been calling it my "football season purse."  I've been out of school for over three years now, but "Once a Coug, Always a Coug!"  My first question to my husband was "do you know if we have a Cougar key chain somewhere?  I have an idea for my next project."  I found it pretty easily later that week, it was on one of our spare key, key chains.  Well, it didn't end up being "next" but it's done now!

It took a couple trips to various craft stores (I'm so lucky to have Jo-Anns, Michaels, and Hobby Lobby within 10 minutes of home) over a few weeks as I realized that I needed more supplies.  I finally got to sit down for an hour this morning and get it put together.

Directions
Collect your supplies.

1.  This is all of the supplies.  Used some and skipped some, but this is what I had out to work with.

2.  From the stash.  Jump rings in two sizes, and some clear bobbles that didn't get used for jewelry last Christmas.

3.  Charms and key chain.  My first attempt included all three, but it wasn't what I was going for.  I took off the key chain hardware and added my own clasp.

4.  Beads I purchased for this project.

5.  The last supplies I bought, realizing I needed the chain and the jewelry pins.



Put base together and add beads as desired.

I added three lengths of chain to the same ring that the key chain charm was hanging from.  In the future I would do one long and two short, since I ended up trimming one of the long ones down.

Add your first bead(s) using a jewelry pin.  Keep adding until you're happy with the results.

I didn't look at the Miche charmers before I started, but the next one I make, and there will be a next, will incorporate the beads into the chain instead of hanging the beads off the chain. 

Sunday Breakfast #1: Jam Straws

I found this recipe on Pinterest, surprise, surprise.  It has been "on the list" for a few weeks now.  By "on the list" I mean that we've had the ingredients, but I just haven't made it yet.

It was good.  A little chewy.  Definitely not as pretty as the inspiration.

Happy Grandparents Day!

Now that these have been received I can post them!

I had seen this on Pinterest (I don't know who has rights to the poem used) and was thinking about doing the project with Melodi.  It was a quick little project but now Melodi has one blue hand and one purple hand, oops!  I type the poem into Publisher, added a frame, and printed on cardstock (four to a page).  Melodi is lucky enough to have five sets of grandparents (which includes three sets of great-grandparents), so we made six and that means we have one to keep.  Originally, I was planning on using paint, but based on the size of the card and Melodi's hand we went with a stamp pad.  I wish I would have put the year on the card, so I'll probably write it in.