Sunday “Crafternoon”

Well, the girls and I had a fun afternoon of giggles and crafts a couple of Sundays ago!

While Chip was off at a church meeting, we played!

Both of the girls had projects they had already started. I decided to work on some seasonal decor. Of course, my Pinterest boards are full of ideas!

Katie is working on her first quilt! She saw a pattern on Pinterest (like mother like daughter!) and loved it. I was able to track it down for Christmas last year.

She had a BLAST picking out all of the colorful fabric! She is well on her way to having all the little pieces cut out and ready to start stitching!

Megan had a pre-printed world map that she wanted to quilt. She loves anything having to do with world travel!

She ended up not liking the way she had stitched around the countries AND the latitude and longitude lines and ripped out some of them. It has been a fun project for her to work on while watching the World Cup!

I worked on some patriotic decor for our 4th of July church gathering at our house. I got the “wreath” idea here. I liked hers better. She used fancy scrapbook paper. I used what I had–construction paper. I liked how hers had a darker, more muted tone to it. Oh, well. I liked mine well enough! Plus, it was fun to make.

Nothing too fancy about toilet paper tubes wrapped in construction paper to look like little rocket!

I had not really done much crafting lately. I realized my NEED for a craft room! So, I spent a good amount of my craft time tracking down supplies! One day I will have a space to corral all my supplies!

My constant supply tracking was just one more thing to laugh about on our fun-filled “crafternoon” that bled into the evening.

 

 

Feelin’ Crafty

Well, I finally got around to putting out some fall decorations at our house. I use many of the same decorations year after year. See some from previous seasons here.

I guess I was suffering from too much Pinterest! Too many cute decorations out there that I had no money to buy! “But wait…,” I told myself, “I don’t need to buy ANYTHING! I have TONS of craft supplies to make my own cute things!” So, I dug around in my fabric stash–pulling out ALL of the fall-colored fabric. I didn’t have a pattern. I did see a picture of a cute little hoot owl wall hanging that served as my inspiration. Sorry about the picture quality.

I love the hooties! The homespun border is pretty great, too. I didn’t go crazy with my quilting. just some outlining. If the black stitching around the owls looks messy, it’s supposed to! I love how my little wall hanging looks hanging on the inside of our back door. I had fun working on it!

When I was ready to put my cute men’s shirts pillow cases on my porch pillows I couldn’t find them! We had drug all the fall decorations out of storage and the pillow cases were nowhere to be found, along with a few other things.

Well, I just happened to be at Goodwill Outlet store the other day. I ran across a great plaid shirt. I LOVE PLAID!!! (I may have mentioned that a time of two! Like here, here, here and I’m sure a few other places!) I thought I would grab it for crafting something. I also came across a ’90s fall sweater. Sorry, I forgot to take a “before” picture. I loved all those fancy sweaters back in the day! I was an elementary school teacher back then. I guess those sweaters just WENT with elementary teachers! Plus, I have always seen myself as having a bit of a Mrs. Frizzle personality!

 

I knew immediately what to do with that sweater!

The front of the sweater was perfect for a pillow case!

The back was cute with just a little pumpkin on it. However, I thought it was a little out of balance with the scarecrow pillow. I roughly stitched “Pumpkin Time” on the sweater. The back of the pillows is made from old blue jeans. I had to add the twine ties on one side of each pillow to make a pillow case and not a pillow.

I think they turned out cute. Don’t you like the new plaid shirt pillow case? Pillow cases are much easier to store than pillows!

By the way, I did find my other box of fall decor hidden under a table and behind a box of Christmas decorations.

One more crafty show and tell item…a sweater pumpkin!

This orange sweater also came from the Goodwill Outlet. The leaves were from a moth-eaten jacket that was headed to the dump.

Here is another picture for you to see the size of the pumpkin.

I simply cut a square form the sweater. I gathered the ends together at the top. Before closing the top with a rubber band, I stuffed the pumpkin. I wrapped a little twine around and around the pumpkin to give it the pumpkin sections. Then I tied the leaves on with the same twine. I thought about stitching some veins in my leaves. I still might do that one day. It was quick to make! The front of the sweater had a zipper. I’m not sure what I want to do with the rest of it yet.  For now, I’ll stuff it in one of my craft closets for another time when I need to have something new!

 

Tiny Bottle Ornament

I made ornaments for my girls again this year. They even got them hung on the tree before the tree crashed! Yes, we did have a crash. There was really no reason for it either. Sadly, one ornament was broken, but only one!  Tiny ornaments are the BEST!

Tiny ornaments with tiny red jingle bells and tiny silver stars are even BETTER!

Update: A friend of mine sent me some questions about making this ornament. When I posted, I didn’t really have time to go into detail. I will now though!

The tiny bottles and stars came from the Argenta Bead Company in North Little Rock, AR. I have also seen similar items at Michael’s and Hobby Lobby. I had the little bells leftover from a project years ago. Sorry, I couldn’t tell you where I got them–most likely a craft store.

I used red scrapbook paper on the inside. You could, however, print your own personal message. I did have to roll up the tiny piece of paper pretty tightly.

You could even just fill the jar half-way with glitter! You are only limited by your imagination. Happy crafting!

 

The blog version of the “what I did last summer” paper

Well, here we are at the beginning of 2015. The time when many bloggers roll the highlight reel from 2014. (Much like the paper your teachers used to make you write every year on the first day back from summer vacation.)

Okay, I’ll play along. WordPress is so nice to send all the “best of” stats at the end of the year.

Most of the posts that were popular this year were not even from this year. I guess that is a good thing.

#1-Christmas Party Food is a post from 2011. It features a Snowman Cheese Ball, a Christmas broccoli appetizer, and a Turkey Cranberry Ring.

#2-I Say it Every Year-an adorable Nutcracker gift box craft from 2012.

#3-Banana Pudding from 2013. If you haven’t tried this yet, put it on your things-to-do list for 2015!

#4-Apple Slaw (2011) Ironically, this was a dish that my crew was not super wild about. I guess the pictures grabbed some attention. Hey, that is why I tried it!

#5-DIY Placemats (2013) I love this craft tutorial. I have used this method several times. I have some candy corn fabric I plan to try at some point.

So, those were the overall top five posts here at Pork Chop Tuesday.

Curious about 2014?

The busiest day around here was the day I posted my Project 180 photography project. It was so gratifying to work on something for so long and see it to a successful completion. Please go check it out. I really enjoyed it!

I did a series of posts about my trip to P. Allen Smith’s Moss Mountain Farm. It was a lot of fun with lots of opportunities for photography practice. You can check out the series below. I think my favorite was the Rose Garden.

• Moss Mountain Farm Part 1-Fashion Dilemma
• Moss Mountain Farm Part 2-Waitin’ with the Chickens
• Moss Mountain Farm Part 3-Home Tour
• Moss Mountain Farm Part 4-Gardens
• Moss Mountain Farm Part 5-Lunch
• Moss Mountain Farm Part 6-Rose Garden
• Moss Mountain Farm Part 7-Vegetable Garden

There was actually one more Moss Mountain post–a post-series post.

DIY Notecards

Lasagna Cups was a fun, new recipe to try. We all liked these! I need to make them again–soon!

We enjoyed trying out some new restaurants, well, new to us. Green Leaf Grill and The Root Cafe to name a couple.

Rounding out the year were Bananas Foster with friends and the Thanksgiving 101 series.

Most of the folks who visit Pork Chop Tuesday are from Pinterest or Facebook-along with folks who are subscribers.

To all of you, I say…

Thank you for visiting my little corner of the internet.

Subscribing to Pork Chop Tuesday is easy. Click the home button at the top of the page or here. Go over to the right. You will see a box with “Email Subscription” on it. Just click on the “sign me up” button!

You can also follow along on social media. Sometimes I post things there that don’t get on the blog. Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest are the social media outlets I use.

Thanks for all the comments and support in 2014. I hope to hear from you in 2015.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ornament Exchange

I participated in the Arkansas Women Bloggers Ornament Exchange again this year. I participated two years ago. You can read about the postal adventure here.

I don’t remember why I didn’t play along last year. (See postal adventure post!)

I decided to be brave and try again this year. I am really glad that I did. Check out this adorable ornament I received from my Arkansas secret Santa…

Perfect!

This came from Tiffany over at Secret Life of a Betty Crocker Wannabe. Tiffany and I have never met but I think we would get along great! Tiffany is a baking contest junkie! I love that! The biggest baking contest I have ever participated in was the Lonoke County Fair. I think my big prize package was about $6.32.

Tiffany may be a Betty Crocker Wannabe but apparently she is quite a crafter as well. You can see her step-by-step tutorial for the ornament here.

This is the little note that was attached to the ornament.

The note says there is something hidden inside. I could not bring myself to cut into it to out take the treats. It was just too cute!

Here is the back, uncut.

Thanks so much for my Arkan-Santa, Tiffany! I hope we can meet at an ARWB function some day.

I know you are all wondering about the ornament I sent.

I sent my ornament to Gina from Desperately Seeking Gina. I met Gina when I attended my first Arkansas Women Bloggers event.

Gina is a crafter–with a real craft room and everything! That was a little intimidating. I felt up for the challenge though.

Here is the ornament I sent Gina. Hopefully, I will be able to post a “how to” soon. You can see it on her tree here.

I got a little extra crafty and made the card out of old Christmas cards.

There was no postal drama this time! My ornament made it to Gina’s just fine.

Merry Christmas, Tiffany and Gina. I’m so glad y’all played along this year.

 

DIY Notecards

I was pleased with how some of my pictures turned out from the Moss Mountain tour Mom and I took. You can read about the tour here.

Since Mother’s Day was the following Sunday, I decided to make Mom some notecards from my photos.

I should use “I” loosely. Actually my sweet hubby did most of the work. I did take the pictures! I did some of the layout, too. And the cutting–I did the cutting!

Check out the back. That was my idea.

Cellophane wrapping was my idea, too.

Everything looks better in a cellophane bag!

I was pleased with the way the cards looked in the little bags with envelopes. Mom loved the cards, especially since there was nothing like it in the gift shop.

Surely you have some photos worthy of becoming a gift. Start printing! Just don’t forget your cellophane bag.

 

Plaid Quilt

I LOVE PLAID!

I don’t know what it is about plaid that I like. I just like it.

I especially like it at Christmas time. I have plaid table cloths (actually for every season), plaid Christmas plates, plaid ribbons, plaid shirts, plaid…well, you get the idea.

Ten or twelve years ago, I purchased a large piece of plaid flannel at a garage sale for a couple of bucks.

I knew immediately what to do with it!

There is a project in this book I had been wanting to do. The flannel was perfect!

The project was to make a quilt out of old flannel shirts. Flannel. Plaid. Recycle project. It just doesn’t get much better!

So, I started collecting. Garage sales, Goodwill, husbands closet.

We moved. Life got busy. The project stayed stuffed in a drawer until this summer–10 years later!

I spent a couple of my “Craft Days with Joanna” cutting my shirts into 9 1/2 inch squares.

Those squares sat in the drawer for a while before I actually started. Have I mentioned how life got busy?!

Anyway…

Take the time to press your squares before and after all the cutting.

I didn’t have a layout pattern. I just laid the pieces on the floor and moved them around until I was happy.

Chain-piecing the squares made the sewing go more quickly.

Disclaimer: This is not ACTUALLY a quilt. It is really more of a coverlet. A quilt has 3 layers-top, batting, back. My coverlet just has a top and back-for several reasons. First, I thought with an all-flannel front and an all-flannel back that it might be too warm. Second, I didn’t have enough batting at the time. I was ready to finally be finished with this project. I didn’t want a trip into the big city to slow me down. Third, I didn’t want to do a lot of quilting. My “quilt” is just tacked together with buttons from the shirts and other various projects.

I didn’t do a fancy binding or border either.

Here  is the back of the quilt. (Yes, I know, it just is easier than coverlet.) This is the large piece of plaid flannel that started it all!

And now for the front…

I’m so happy to have this little project finished! I even finished it in time for the county fair. Blue ribbon!

In hind-sight, I wish I had added the batting and the border. Oh, well! I’m happy enough with it.

I do love it’s plaid-ness!

 

Dress up your Pillows

I hate to throw things away. My Dad’s favorite saying has always been, “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!” As a teen, I grew to hate that phrase! Now, as an adult, I embrace it!

Since my husband never wore this plaid shirt, he decided to send it to Goodwill. I always liked the colors of the plaid So, I snatched it out of the donation bag and stuck it in my craft closet. The poor shirt sat there in the craft closet for about two years.  I just didn’t have a plan for it.

Finally, this fall, I took the scissors to it.

Since I had floral pillows on the porch in OCTOBER, I decided they needed a change.

I still like the floral pillows, so I didn’t want to change them permanently. Using a shirt was the perfect solution. Plus it didn’t cost me anything! (Another plus-I didn’t have to find a place to store the floral pillows.)

Just measure your pillow and add enough for a seam allowance. I think I added a half-inch and had a quarter-inch seam. Then measure that amount on the shirt. Cut. Sew, right sides together. You can even stitch all the way around the pillowcase. Turn the pillowcase right side out through the opening where the buttons are.

Perfect pillowcase!

The floral pillow is still usable!

Cute-huh? (I later made another one to cover the other pillow. Sorry, no photo.)

You can always turn the buttons to the back side if you want. You could even tie a ribbon around it for extra cuteness, too.

I was really happy with this little recycle project. It was a great temporary fix for my pillows. I have another recycled shirt project to show you soon. Stay tuned!

 

School Spirit Wreath

A School Spirit Wreath is not my original idea. There is nothing new under the sun! I was inspired to make one after seeing the one Amanda Jane Brown made. Amanda is a fellow member of the Arkansas Women Bloggers group. I have not met Amanda in real life but I hope to soon. I am going to the AWBU conference next month! I am beyond excited!!!! Check back mid-September to hear about it.

On to the Spirit Wreath…

Too cute, huh?

I enjoy going to the high school football games. However, as a mother of two band students, it’s all about half-time to me!

My oldest recently was bestowed the honor of drum major! That was when I decided to make our spirit wreath have a musical theme.

Our school colors are purple and white, so the purple and white were obvious choices for fabric. When I came across the black fabric with PURPLE TREBLE CLEFS I gasped and snatched it up before anyone else could get to it. I’m sure that is right where everyone in Joann’s was headed. HA! What can I say, I was excited!

Black and white check is one of my all-time favorite prints, plus it went well with the others. Since Amanda used fancy ribbon on her wreath, I figured I could, too. The wire wreath was already hanging in my garage.

Amanda said to get a yard of each fabric, so I did. However, I had quite a bit left when I was finished. You be the judge of if you want to buy a little less than a yard.

She cut her strips to be 10″ x 1.25″. Mine ended up being 10″ x 1.5″.

I got a little crazy with the cutting wheel. Wanting to get on with my project, I stacked my fabric too thick. It was a chore to cut through. I ended up with a numb finger for several days!

Once all the fabric is cut and orderly, you are ready to start tying.

Figure out your pattern and start tying the strips onto the wire wreath. I have to admit, I was somewhat skeptical about the instructions to only tie onto the first and third rows. I was afraid the wire would end up showing. I tied accordingly, and it turned out great! No wire showing!

I just love the way it looks all finished. I really wanted to find a trumpet and a flute to hang on the wreath, since those are the instruments my girls play. None could be found that weren’t $20! I found the glittery, black musical ornaments at Hobby Lobby for 99¢ each. Much better! They were also available in gold or red. They do not, however, come in silver, which was my first choice. I wanted silver to match with the musical fabric. Oh, well, I like it anyway.

Thanks, Amanda Jane, for the great idea!

Go, Jackrabbits! (and Jackrabbit Band)

 

Recycled Rain Boots

I recently saw an adorable wreath made out of recycled rain boots. You can see the inspiration wreath here.

Since there had been a pair of outgrown rain boots with holes in them on my porch for months, the idea looked awesome to me!

Here’s a little before and after:

I taped off the black part with painter’s tape before I sprayed the boots. I used a paint and primer all-in-one spray paint. Sorry, I don’t remember what brand. Whatever brand they carry at Walmart.

The boots are far from perfect, but I like them. I think they look rather cheery on my porch.

The Flowering Quince and Forsythia are from our yard. My grandmother planted them long ago.

We have had lots of cold, rainy days here lately. These recycled rain boots added just the right amount of “sunshine” until the real thing came out of hiding.

Happy Spring!