Burlap Stenciled Pillow

Remember the other day I told you not to get rid of your stencil?...well here is why.  You can do a 2-for-1 craft day!  You will need some basic sewing skills for this project though.

So when I had all my paint and brushes out for this vintage crate project, I had some burlap on had, so I went ahead and laid the stencil on the burlap, added some blue paint to the white, mixed, and away I went!  It will help to have your burlap cut to size and folded in half before you begin stenciling.  Once it is folded in half, place your stencil as you desire and paint!  I did not have any bleed through as I did not have a heavy hand.  So here is what you need to create this pillow.

Supplies:
-burlap
-fabric liner (I used an old white sheet)
-pillow form (I used an old pillow...I save EVERYTHING!)
-basic sewing supplies...thread, pins, rotary cutter, machine

Directions:
1.  Using your tape measure, measure the height and width of your pillow.  Now add a 1/2" to your width and double your height plus 1/2".
example - my pillow was 18" x 18"...so  36.5" x 18.5".  This allows for 1/4" seams.

2.  Next, cut your ALREADY STENCILED burlap and liner to your measurements.

3.  Place both fabrics on top of one another and pin together.  See below.

 4.  Once both are pinned together, fold in half so both burlap sides are facing each other.  See below.

 5.  Pin these 3 sides together.  I just started removing the pins that were already in the fabric and stuck it back through all 4 layers.

 As seen above and below, all layers are pinned together.

 6.  Now go ahead and start on either side where it is folded.  You will stitch down the length of one side and then turned and stitch just about 2" on the bottom of the pillow.  Remember we need to leave an opening to turn inside out AND be able to stuff the pillow in.  Cut your thread and begin sewing the length of the other side and again only about 2" along the bottom.  You should have your fold on top and your opening to the pillow form at the bottom.

 7.  Now turn your fabric right side out and stuff the pillow inside.  Fold in the bottom edge, pin, and stitch straight across the whole bottom of the pillow.  The burlap is forgiving and hides your stitch well.

I hope you enjoy making your pillow!  As you can see in the pic above, I left the fold lines of the burlap.  You make choose to iron your burlap using your iron on high heat with a damp rag over your burlap.  I prefer the fold lines...it lends some character.  In hindsight, I wish I would have added some staining using tea.  I have an old flour sack with pale blue printing that definitely screams VINTAGE and it will be paired up with this pillow!

Linking up at Tatertots and Jello!

Happy Earth Day!

HAPPY EARTH DAY!!

THIS IS AN OLDIE BUT A GOODIE!

THIS IS A RE-POST, ORIGINALLY POSTED LAST MARCH.  IT IS MY 2ND HIGHEST VIEWED POST.

WHICH IS GREAT BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE 

A LOT OF ECO-CONSCIOUS READERS!

As I was perusing Gardner's Supply Company catalogue I saw a tub/tote that was perfect for the garden. Easy access to add veggies picked from the garden, easy to rinse out and thought it would be great for the local farmers market as well. I didn't want to spend $16.95 + shipping, so the wheels started turning. I've seen purses made out of animal food bags, but that is not my style. It would be perfect however for dirty/muddy vegetables. So off to the store I went to buy more dog food(we were out and did need more anyways).

This is a super simple tutorial because there is no real accuracy needed, this is no high-end fashion bag :)

First start by laying bag flat. I achieved this by clamping the corners with my Pampered Chef bag clip :) Then cut off the top about 4" down. I eyeballed this and just followed the obvious line. Is it obvious to you? Hope so.

Next fold down the bag so that is is just about 5-6" above the base as seen in this photo.

Next, take that top piece you cut off and make 2 cuts: one on each side of the original dog bag. You will have 2 equal lengths that you will use for the handles. I don't have a picture of this. Take each handle and fold in half lengthwise, pin and stitch.

On one side of the tote pin your handle down on the outside of bag. Sew a square to attach and repeat for the other end of the handle. Repeat this step for the other handle.

This is what your square stitch looks like. See...no perfection here!

When done, use it at the farmer's market or in the garden...it will hold a lot of produce!

Note: I did rinse out the dog food bag with soap and water before making this!

Stenciled Vintage Crate

Last October I picked up this great vintage crate at a flea market in Wisconsin.  I new when I saw it, I wanted to stencil it exactly as you see above.  I didn't use a fancy cricut or freezer paper.  All you need are a few things to turn an ordinary blah item into something special!

Ordinary Blah Item!

Items Needed:
-exacto knife
-contact paper (clear or frosted, you need to be able to see through it a bit)
-access to computer and printer
-acrylic paint
-bristle brush
-imagination (only a little, don't worry!)

Directions:
-First, print out whatever words you want to stencil. It doesn't have to be in a fancy shape or design, you lay it out how you want it.

-Next, cut out each letter.  This really doesn't take too long, unless you are doing something for a child's room and printing out:  SUPERCALIFRADGILISTICEXPEALIDOCIOUS.  That would be a bad idea :)

-Lay out your letters on your item you plan to stencil, in any pattern you want.

-Lay the contact paper over the item and letters, starting at one side and smoothing down until you reach the end.  I cut my contact paper to the approximate size I needed with a little overage for either end.  (You know how you smooth on the protective sheet on your tablet, cell phone, gaming devices?....it's the same concept for laying out the contact paper.)

-Then go ahead and grab that exacto knife, cut the letters out again.  This goes quickly...cutting contact paper feels like you are cutting butter.  I know, I know, cut again?!  Yes, remember this is an easy craft that anyone can do who doesn't have a lot of crafting supplies.

-Then grab your paint and brush.  Just add a little paint to the brush.  It is best to use a dry brush.  It's nice to have a rougher finish instead of a smooth even coat of paint.  I use the paper backer of the contact paper to squirt the paint on.

-Fill in each letter with paint.  It dries pretty quickly so you can peel the contact paper off as soon as you are done.  Save the stencil though...I have another project you can use it for.  I'll show you that one in a couple days.

That's all!  I can use this crate for serving an outdoor lunch, keeping my magazines or blankets in, as a display piece for flowers...the possibilities are endless.

A Friends Blog-O-Versary and Give-Away!

My friend Tina over at Sweet Floweret is celebrating her 2 year blog-o-versary!  Pop on over and show her some love.  While you are there, be sure to enter her BIG giveaway here!  I have this great Tote as part of the giveaway.

From Tina-

Happy Monday, everyone.  I'm soooo very excited to show you all of the goodies that are up for grabs in this amazing group giveaway.  Why a group giveaway?  I'm celebrating one year of my shop being on Etsy (171 sales!  woohoo!) as well as my almost 2 year blog anniversary!  Good times.  Good times.

 The ladies involved in this giveaway are an amazing and eccentric group and I hope that you'll take a moment to browse through their blogs, shops and FB pages to see what they're all about!  I'm so blessed by them and I'm sure you will be as well. 

As far as the giveaway, the winner takes all!  It's so easy to enter!

So....

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

If you want to purchase this adorable tote...you can find it here:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/97556553/everyday-tote

Fallen Soldier vs. Celebrity Nonsense

I was driving home from work the other day on the expressway and at the first overpass, there were several ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars.  It seemed like quite a bit of commotion, but didn't see any accident.  As I approached the next overpass, I came across the same scene, but this time I looked in the rear-view mirror and saw several policemen and firemen all standing along the edge.

I started to wonder what the heck was going on, and then I noticed 3 helicopters as well.  By the time I hit the 3rd overpass, I saw the same scene as well as 50 or so motorcycles with U.S. flags waving, going in the opposite direction.

Then I saw the hearse that was being escorted.

The hearse displayed a U.S.M.C. symbol on its side and then I understood.

U.S. Marine Cpl. Alex Martinez of Elgin, IL died in combat operations in Afghanistan at the young age of 21.  He gave his life for me...for you.  I cried.

photo credit to Facebook

What got me so worked up was what the news was reporting.  Several Chicago news stations gave Cpl. Alex Martinez all of 30 seconds to 1 minute, depending on the station.  Lady GaGa made a tweet about what she ate after she finished at the gym and she got 3 minutes of air time, plus she what part f the viewer poll asking our opinion on the matter.  Frankly, I DON'T CARE ABOUT LADY GAGA....or Whitney Houston or any other celebrity.  Why do they even make it into the nighttime news?  They never gave their life for my freedom.

Next time you see a member of our military, be sure to thank them for their service to you and our country.  Don't wait until Memorial Day or Veteran's Day.

They deserve a lot more than we could ever give.

THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED IN THE U.S. MILITARY!
Especially my dad Terry, my brother Christian, friend Patrick and cousins Steven, and Mark.

Blueberry Whoopie Pie with Lemon Cream Cheese Filling

Whenever I have a handful of blueberries lingering in the fridge, I'll rinse them, lay them on a sheet, and pop them in freezer.  After they have frozen, I throw them in a bowl and keep them in the freezer. I always have some on hand for pancakes or muffins.  

Lately, I have been thinking how great they would be in a whoopie pie.  The problem is, I couldn't find a recipe to suit what I wanted.  So I adapted my basic whoopie pie and filling recipe.  I don't typically have buttermilk on hand, but a friend said I could use Kefir instead of buttermilk.  I always have Kefir and was very pleased with the results.  So if you don't have Kefir in your house (you should:) you can substitute buttermilk.

• 2 1/4 all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup plain unsweeted kefir
• 2 Tb milk
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup of blueberries, fresh or frozen

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. 
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl
3. In a separate bowl beat the butter for a minute and then add sugars. Beat until light and creamy then add the eggs one at a time.
4. Add the kefir slowly and mix on low.
5. In a small bowl add the baking soda and then vinegar to the milk.
6. Mix in about half the flour mixture, then the milk mixture, then finally the rest of the flour. Mix in the vanilla extract.
7. Add blueberries and fold into batter.
8.  Drop 2 Tb of batter into whoopie pie pan. You can also bake without the pan, just drop dough on parchment lined baking sheets.  Be careful to leave space as it will spread a bit.
9. Bake 17-19 min or until the cookies just start to brown. Allow them to cool a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Makes 22 halves, 11 Pies

Lemon Cream Cheese Filling

• 8oz cream cheese, softened (I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese)
• 7oz marshmallow creme
• zest of 1/2 a lemon
• 1tsp fresh lemon juice

Mix all ingredients with spoon until smooth.


After whoopie pies have cooled, take each half and spread with filling.  Top with other half.  Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to use.  Remove from refrigerator 1 hour prior to serving.