Burlap Wreath

Like many, I caught the bug to make a burlap wreath. After trolling through several "Pins" this is how I made mine. I had 4 - 15 feet by 8 inch rolls of burlap in the craft closet for 6 months. Time to put them to use. My starting point.

Head to your local craft store and decide what size of wreath you want. I went big. My house sits back from the street and I wanted my wreath to be noticed. This ring is 24" diameter. So what you'll need is:

wire wreath ring

burlap ribbon or cut your own (messy)

florals, letters or whatever you want to embellish you wreath

You could use a smaller width of burlap if you are making a smaller wreath.Tie the end of the burlap onto the ring.

Now pull the burlap up in between the wire and make a bubble for the lack of another term. Twist the burlap. This helps it stay put. So you're basically pulling the burlap up and back down in the same spot. Twist and do it again in another spot. Continue until you come to the end and tie off. Do this until your ring is fluffy with burlap to your liking.

I used hot glue to adhere the embellishments.

When you drive by, slow down and take a look. Happy Fall!

Thanks for checking in on me.

Linda

Wire Storage

This is what I see when I look under my craft/sewing table. I'm afraid the dogs will get wrapped in them and get hurt or I'll get wrapped in them and pull the sewing machine off the table. A quick run to Lowes is what would fix the problem. I purchased some cup hooks and screwed them into the under side of my table. To get a good placement I held the shelf upside down on the bottom of the table and made a little mark where I wanted the hooks to be. Make sure the cup hooks all face the same direction.

I also purchased a wire rack. This is typically used as a shelf to hold plates or whatever in a cabinet. place it on your hooks.

Gather up all those cords and set them on your new under the table shelf. I used twisty ties to hold some of the cords together as they are pretty long.

So I went from this....

To this!

The Girl Cave floor is now cord free. Neat and tidy.

Thanks for checking in on me.

Linda

Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes and Olives

New Recipe Wednesday!

Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes and Olives

1/2 of a 2 to 2 1/2 lb spaghetti squash

2 Tbsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 - 14 1/2 oz cans diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano (undrained)

4oz dried whole grain spaghetti

1/2 cup pimiento stuffed green olives, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup snipped fresh basil (I skipped this and it was still super tasty)

2 oz feta cheese crumbles (1/2 cup)

1. Halve spaghetti squash. Remove strings and seeds. Place up half upside down on plate in microwave. Cook on high 12 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork. Cool slightly.

2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic, cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes; bring to boiling. Boil gently, uncovered for 15 minutes, stir occasionally.

3. While tomatoes are cooking, in a large pot cook pasta according to package directions; drain and return to the pot.

4.When the squash has cooled slightly, using a fork, scrape the pulp from the squash into strands. Add squash, tomato sauce, olives, raisins and basil to pasta in the pot. Season to taste with black pepper. Serve topped with feta and additional snipped fresh basil, if desired. makes 4 servings.

Enjoy!!!

My Boys

I have been on a journey this year to add to my bare walls. My boys are older now and moved or near move out age, but I will always be their Mom and always be so proud of them. They will always be my babies. I took several pictures of them together through the years and had them matted and framed. Add in a couple of the pieces of art they created in elementary school and a P. Buckley Moss entitled "Brothers Together" and there you have it. I see this every morning when I wake up.

No matter how old they get I'll love them forever!!

Thanks for checking in on me!!

Linda

Sweater Skirt

I've been looking at all these "pins" that showed how to make a skirt out of a sweater and my love of sewing just wouldn't be complete until I made one. So while Mom-in-law was getting her hair done while here on a visit I slipped down to the thrift store. I ended up buying to men's sweaters and and chair and only spent $29.00. So after throwing the sweater in the wash and buying 2" wide elastic here is what I did...

First cut off the sleeves.

Then, decide how long you want the skirt to be, measure and cut. Remember the waist of the sweater will be the new hem of your skirt.

If you have a serger you can serge the cut waist of your skirt. But if not then you can zip zag stitch it so you can control the unraveling. I bought a sweater that was a little too big so ended up cutting down the sides and sewing to fit. My suggestion is to find a sweater that will give you the fit you want and leave the original side seams. 

Next grab your 2" wide elastic, cut length to fit and sew short ends right side together. Here it is already attached to the skirt but it gives you a visual.

Now zig zag or serge it to the waist of your skirt. Just lay the elastic wrong side to the right side of the skirt. I put the elastic seam in the back. Remember when stitching it to the skirt stretch the elastic and sweater otherwise when you go to put it on it will rip your stitches.

And there you have it. A new fall skirt. I used this "Pin" to guide my steps. Check it out. Kelsey H, if you have questions give me a call. :)

Thanks for checking in on me. 

Linda