Bacon Pop Cans

No this isn’t bacon flavored soda, it’s make your own bacon popcorn in a can!

First you need to follow directions for my Pop Open Gift Can.

Then you need to make little packets of Bacon Salt. Cut up very large straws (Bubble tea straws work great!) into 1-2” pieces.

Glue one end shut with a glue gun.

Pour bacon salt into straw sections using a funnel.

Seal the other end with glue.

Place 2 brown paper lunch bags, 2/3 cup popcorn and 2 bacon salt straws in each can.

Make a label with the directions on how to make the popcorn. You can find the directions HERE.

  Attach the tags and give as a gift. The best part about Bacon Salt is that is completely kosher and vegetarian! So everyone can enjoy the taste of bacon!!!

A Glittery Menagerie

I wanted this year’s ornament to be something a little bit different, a bit original, something glittery…

I picked up a package of clothespins from the Dollar Tree, a couple of tubes of plastic animals, and grabbed the package of glitter from my stash and set to work.

First glue the animals to the clothespin with a hot glue gun…

Choose just the right color glitter for your animals. I just had to make a golden goose…

Paint each animal completely with white glue. It’s hard to get everything, so do it carefully…

Sprinkle everything with glitter, covering every surface…

Let them dry…

I’m keeping the chicken for myself. :o)

Hawaiian Quilt

While in Hawaii celebrating our 20th anniversary I saw so many gorgeous and elaborate quilts! The appliqué was so intricate and I knew I would NEVER make one… I fell in love with the pineapple design that we saw everywhere!

these quilts were at the Dole plantation

We did all our souvenir shopping at the swap meet at the Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. Talk about bargains! I was able to get a pineapple motif pillow for only $10!

But my greatest and favorite find was a huge stack of pre-cut squares in Hawaiian prints for only $3.50!!! Yes, I said $3.50! There were nearly 300 squares in the stack!!!

I took my favorites that all coordinated with each other and laid them out…

Then I did it again…

 

Then I posted pics on FB and thanks to everyone’s feedback I came up with this…

It took a while for me to finally finish the whole thing up, but I finally did it!!!

I added an orange Hawaiian print back and decided to go with the no-binding method.

Now it’s ready to snuggle under with my honey while watching movies or reading in front of the fire with a cup of hot tea!

 

Mini Advent Wreath in a Pot

Sunday was the first day of Advent, the season before Christmas when we get ready for Jesus’ coming again and remember His first coming.

Every night we light a candle and read a portion of scripture. Each candle has it’s own meeting and symbolism: Hope, Peace, Joy, Love and the Christ candle.

At our Family Nite service at church, we made mini advent wreaths in mini flower pots.

Buy purple (or blue), pink and white birthday candles; mini terra cotta flower pots; air dry clay; and fake greens.

First paint and/or decorate your pot however you would like. We used foam stickers and ribbon.

Then fill the pot with the air dry clay. Top with greenery.

Insert the candles into the clay. If you want to re-insert new candles in later, pull the candles out right away. After the clay dries you can take the candles in and out as you like or need.

  Be sure to use your time as a family to spend time in prayer, the Word and talking about what your family is thankful for this holiday season!

You can look on-line for a Bible reading schedule… I especially like this one HERE.

Pumpkin Snowmen

What do you do with all those leftover pumpkins from your fall decorating? You know, the ones that still look pretty good but just don’t have that Christmas-y look. Don’t worry, you don’t need to toss them! Just add some with paint, a few accessories and you have an adorable winter decoration for your front porch!

I did one coat of primer and then a couple of coats of craft paint…

Then glue the pumpkins together: largest on bottom and smallest on top…

Then paint your faces using craft paint…

Add accessories: scarf, hat, buttons…

Then your snowmen are ready to live outside…

This might be the most snow we see before Christmas, so we’re gonna enjoy it! 

Independence Day Crafts

Here are the new decorations I made for the 4th of July this year…

This is just a sheet of scrapbook paper on plate stand

cut out mini vintage postcards to hang on my tree

 

I didn’t make either of these, but I love the vintage magazines and I used to look at the book at my grandparents’ house when I was little

there were three of these tp roll rockets, but the cat demolished one of them :o(

 I made this wreath by tying strips of old t-shirts on a hanger shaped into a circle. Then I hung another toilet paper roll rocket in the middle

I know it is well past the 4th of July but I like to celebrate Independence Day the entire month of July! Patriotism and freedom is good enough to be celebrated all month long!

Simple Baby Quilt

I haven’t quilted in what seems like forever! When a couple at church had their baby on Friday, I new exactly what project to work on at our Ladies’ Craft Day on Saturday! I made a stop at the fabric store, got onto my quilting board on Pinterest and found this cute and simple quilt pattern from Two Little Banshees.

All you need is 6 fat quarters, fabric for backing and binding, and some batting.

I was going to just “stitch in the ditch” but I decided I liked quilting an inside border in each block better.

Here’s how it turned out…

I love the way the brown quilting makes the blocks pop!

  

I chose a coordinating stripe for the back

I can’t wait to go and see the baby and take him his new quilt!

Easter Decorations

Here are the decorations I put up for Easter. I didn’t make most of them myself, but the ones I did are super simple…

Love this plate! And it’s from the year I was born!!!

this sweet vintage tablecloth was a birthday gift from my sister

vintage crocheted potholders from my friend, Cheryl and a vintage scrapbook paper bunting I made myself

I made this bunting by cutting out two identical eggs from scrapbook paper, folding the top egg in half and sewing both onto a paper pennant.

 

these sweet little chicks are almost too cute to only have out at Easter

 

I cut egg shapes out of tissue paper glued onto wax paper to hang in the windows as suncatchers

This Easter wreath is just a bunch of stuff I got from The Dollar Tree glued onto a grapevine wreath

This was made by a member of a church we served while in seminary

my chocolate bunny looks perfect next to this vintage block print

 

I like decorating this tree so much I may just leave it up year round!

 

these eggs have battery candles in them, I just need to remember to turn them on after dark… LOL