For the Young & Old at Heart

Here is a little Valentine's project I did with my daughter's class when she was probably in 4th or 5th grade (she is now a junior in high school). It is a fun project for the students, but takes some extra prep work on the mom's part (you have to paint the boards and pound the nails in place).

Today I decided to make a grown up version of the project.  

Let me walk you through the steps so you can help your kids get started  

and then make one for yourself.

Begin with a board of your choosing - short, long, square, painted or natural.  It's up to you.

Cut a heart out of paper.  Place the heart on your board and with a pencil lightly make a mark about every inch all the way around the outside edge of your heart.  Lift your pattern off the board.  Using small nails (about an inch in length), hammer the nails on the pencil marks.  Only hammer the nails in far enough to hold them in place.  Also be sure to keep them all at the same height.

Once your nails are in place you can begin to wrap the nails.  In the kids project I used a shiny silver floral wire and fluffy yarn.  For the grown up version I decided to use rusty wire and jute, both items I had on hand.  A wire that is about 26 gauge is ideal for this project.  Begin by securing your wire around one of the nails.  I did this by twisting the end of the wire around the nail and then around the wire.  Start to wrap your wire around the nails.  Move from one nail to the next, sort of in a figure eight pattern, making sure to wrap the wire at least once around each nail.

Once you get back to where you started - don't stop, keep wrapping the wire all around your heart several more times, pushing it down lightly on the nails.  When you are satisfied with the amount of wire on the nails, you can add another type of wrap.  Such as yarn, ribbon, jute or even another color wire.  For this particular project  I chose to use jute. Tie the jute to one of the nails and begin to wrap it around the nails, again, moving all the way around your heart.

You can embellish your board by modge podging some words of love or adding other little trinkets and treasures. 

(Oh, I added instant coffee to my modge podge to give it an antiqued look - I just love that look!)

Some old sheet music and the words 

"A Song of the Heart can never be caged,"

a piece of burlap  and rusty washer complete the look of my heart board.

 My finished project - don't you just love it! 

Go make one of your own.....I'd love to know how it turns out.

Vinyl Snowman Record

I came up with this cute idea for reusing vinyl records a few years ago.  I sold them many years at local craft show and they were a big hit.  So since we are in the midst of winter, I thought I'd share my design with you.  Maybe you can make a few snowmen to brighten up the humdrum of winter and if you are lucky it will begin to snow!

Materials

Vinyl LP record

All purpose sealer (I used Delta Ceramacoat)

Acrylic paints – cream, black, burnt orange, very light pink

Paint brushes

12’x1’ plaid homespun or fabric of choice

Hot glue

Snowflake stamps

Walnut stain (I use Minwax walnut)

Drill and small drill bit (3/32 or 7/64 works fine)

Spray sealer – satin finish

8” of dark 19 gauge wire

Instructions

1. Drill 2 small holes at the top on the record for the wire (about 2 inches apart)

2. Attach wire – run wire through drilled holes, forming a half moon, then twist wire to hold in place.  Wrap any excess wire around a pencil to curl and let it hang.

3. Seal the label on the record with paint brush and acrylic sealer. 

4. Draw the snowman body on the record (make sure the head is positioned on the record so the wire hanger is at the top center)

5. Paint snowman body using cream acrylic paint (you may need several coats)

6. When dry, paint the snowman face:

*cheeks (dip your fingertip in a little bit of light pink paint & rub it around where you want the cheeks to be.)

* mouth (use black paint and thin paint brush)

* nose  (paint nose before eyes so you know where to place the eyes, use burnt orange)

* eyes  (black, hint:  make sure they are close together, it looks better)

* buttons - black x’s or you can hot glue on real buttons

7. Stamp snowflakes around the top of the record using cream colored paint.  Let some overlap on the snowman or hang off the record.  Don’t overdo it. Less is more.

8. Once the record is completely dry, stain over the entire surface with the walnut stain using soft cloth (I use an old t-shirt).  Wipe off excess stain.

9. Spray entire record with a clear sealer (satin).

10.  Hot glue fabric on the record for the scarf. Cut the end of the fabric in half about 3 inches in and then tie a knot.  This will divide the scarf so when you glue it on that end will hang like two ends of a scarf.  Start hot gluing with the knot of the scarf at the one end of the snowman’s neck.  Continue to bunch up the scarf fabric as you hot glue until all the fabric is bunched around the neck or your snowman.

The PDF version of this pattern can be purchased on my Etsy store by following the link at the top of this page or you can also purchase already made snowman records in my Etsy store as well.


Note: © lpeterson 2012. All rights reserved. This pattern may not be copied, redistributed or resold in any way. You may use this pattern for personal use and for making gifts. You are also welcome to use it to make records for craft shows and bazaars, but please give "GrassyBranchFarm" credit when selling items made from this original pattern. Thank you. 

Sweet Cereal Mix - a family favorite

This sweet cereal mix has become one of my family's favorite treats. It is perfect for a tailgate party, movie night  or after school snack.  It is good anytime of the year, but something about making it around Christmas makes it even more irresistible! 

The recipe is super simple!

Ingredients:

2   12 oz boxes of Crispix cereal

1   cup whole almonds

1   cup pecans

1   cup cashews

14 Tablespoons butter or margarine

2   cups brown sugar

1   cup light corn syrup

1 1/2 Tablespoon vanilla

*  I realize the ingredients for this recipe can be quite costly, but it is sooo good it is worth it.  Watch for sales at the grocery.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

Mix the first four ingredients together in a large container and set aside.  In a small saucepan heat the next three ingredients.

Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly, 

remove from heat and add vanilla.  Stir.

Pour over cereal mixture and stir until well coated.

 Spread into a large roasting pan coated with cooking spray.

Bake for 1 hour.  Stir every 15 minutes.

Spread on wax paper to cool.

Irresistibly sweet & delicious!

Candle Make Over

I used to make my own candles all the time, but for some reason I got away from it.  I guess I found other, more exciting things to create! Needless to say,  I still have a lot of candle making supplies up on the shelf. So when I found these "damaged" candles at the Pottery Barn Outlet for $1.00 each, I decided I could easily give them a Candle Make Over and use up some of the wax I had.

If you don't have crafters candle wax, you can melt down all the old half used candles you have in the cupboard.

Supplies:

* an old crock pot

* candle wax or several half used candles

* grundge - cinnamon, cloves, various small seeds (poppy seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds, etc. anything will work)

* an old pan (I use a disposable pie plate)

* old spoon (optional)

* scent (optional)

To begin, fill your crock pot with wax and or old candles.  Turn the crock pot on high and wait for the wax to melt. If you do choose to melt down old candles, once the wax has melted remove the wicks with tongs or a spoon.  Also add your candle scent at this time if so desired.

While the wax is melting, set up your work area.  I work on the floor in my basement, but you may want to set up a table with newspaper and perhaps a drop cloth on the floor. 

 Also at his time you will want to make your grundge.   I pour cinnamon and a variety of small seeds into a pan and mix it all together.  You will need a lot more cinnamon than seeds.  I don't measure, but just guessing I would say 1/4 cup cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of several different types of seeds.

Once the wax has melted take a small amount of wax and pour it over the grundge mixture.  Remember the wax is hot.  Use a small cup or ladle to get the wax.

Working quickly, mix the wax and grundge together.  If you notice I use my fingers.  Yes, the wax grundge is hot, but I am moving fast and for some reason I can tolerate it.  But, you make want to use an old spoon for this step.  Apply just enough grudge to cover a small area of the candle at a time.  

Once you get some wax on the candle, again moving quickly, firmly pat the grundge tight against the candle until it begins to stick.  Keep applying more grudge until the entire candle surface is covered.  You may need to mix up more grudge before you get the surface of the candle covered and that is ok.

When your candle is completely covered in grudge and you are satisfied with the way it looks, set it aside to harden.  Once the wax has dried you can add burlap or ribbon to the outside.  Of course if you do add embellishments to the outside be careful when burning your candle.  Remove any embellishments before the candle burns down too far.

Sweet Potato Cinnamon Bread - just in time for the holidays

If you ever visit South Western Ohio I highly recommend you make a stop at Young's Jersey Dairy in Yellow Springs. It is kinda like a dairy farm on steroids   They not only raise dairy cattle and make their own ice cream, but they have turned their farm into a fantastic family fun center.  Complete with  petting zoo, ice cream parlor, putt putt golf, batting cages, driving range, two restaurants and more.  They have delicious ice cream and great food.  Recently a friend shared with me their amazing recipe for Sweet Potato Cinnamon Bread with Honey Butter. It is a perfect treat for any holiday dinner (breakfast, lunch or snack too!).

Sweet Potato Cinnamon Bread

Ingredients

3/4 cup softened butter

2 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2 cup sweet potato puree

2 eggs

2 1/2 flour

3/4 tsp ground nutmeg

3/4 tsp ground ginger

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 TBSP ground cinnamon

1 1/2 dashes of ground cloves

1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. The recipe tells you to cook 1 medium sweet potato to make into the puree, but I cheated and used a can of candied sweet potatoes and pureed them in my food processor. (Of course, you can use left over sweet potatoes from your Thanksgiving dinner.)

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; stir in sweet potato puree and eggs. Sift together flour, salt, nutmeg, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves. Stir half the ingredients into creamed mixture, stir in water, then remaining dry ingredients.   Ok, that is how the recipe tells you to do it, but I just throw everything in the bowl and beat it with an electric mixer until smooth.

Spray loaf pans with cooking spray.

The recipes says it makes 1 loaf or 12 muffins.  I was able to make 2 loaves.  

Bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

Now onto the amazing 

Honey Butter

1/2 cup softened butter

2 TBSP honey

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Put all ingredients in a bowl, using a mixer, beat ingredients until very light and fluffy.

Serve on warm Sweet Potato Cinnamon Bread 

 Delicious and Irresistible!!

ThRiFt StORe SwEaTeR = LoOp ScArF in 3 easy steps

The other day my daughter and I stopped in an Ann Taylor Loft store to check out their latest winter fashions.  I fell in love with several of the Loop Scarves they had, but couldn't imagine paying $39.99 for half a sweater.  So I came up with my own version from a sweater I bought at the thrift store.


When shopping at the thrift store I looked for a sweater that was a little bulky and had a nice texture. The sweater I bought was a size M and I figured that would make a big enough scarf for me. I suppose the size sweater you buy depends on your size and how much bulk you like around your neck. A sweater with a long torso that is not too wide will make a nice bulky loop scarf

3 Easy Steps to the Perfect Loop Scarf

1.) Find the perfect sweater at the thrift store, garage sale or even an old sweater in your closet.

 2.) Cut the sweater straight across under the arms.

3.) Finish the cut edge. I folded over the cut edge and ran a zigzag stitch along it just to keep it from raveling. You could also do a slip stitch or blanket stitch by hand, use fray check, or leave it if you don't think it will ravel.

There you have it -  my version of a $39.99 loop scarf for $2.99.
3 Easy Steps - gotta love it!

With this scarf I did a slip stitch with embroidery floss around the cut edge.  I like it much better than the machine finish.

The fabric of this sweater was ideal for a loop scarf.  No edge finish was needed.