Crafting Wednesday

Wednesday has become a super fun craft day!!  A group of crafty friends and I started getting together once a week on Wednesday to do a craft together.  We take turns hosting and have a big potluck.  We all bring our kids and they have a ball playing with all their friends.  While they play, we craft, nibble on food, and have a great time together.
Here are some of the projects that we have done......so far ;)


Book Page Pumpkins


Beaded Spiders




Halloween Jars


 Wooden Turkeys

Fall Blocks


I have had a great time making these and even better time getting to know 6 other ladies.  The host house gets turned upside down and your craft gets interrupted with one or more child's needs but we all have fun with it and the kiddos have a big play day together and everyone loves it!   What's the next crafts on our list girls??

Halloween Treat!

I wanted to share a fun Visiting Teaching Treat that I gave out recently that was super easy and yummy too!  I put together these bags that has a cute message and oh... so... yummy caramel popcorn.
  Here is the recipe: 

Caramel Popcorn

Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup corn syrup
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 5 quarts popped popcorn
(I used regular popcorn kernels and a 5 quart pot and popped the popcorn over the stove, mainly because I don't own a popcorn machine.  You can follow the instructions of the kernels pkg on how to pop them using the stove.)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.  Place popcorn in a very large bowl.
  2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla.  Pour in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat.
  3. Place in large baking dish (I used a big roasting pan which made stirring really easy) and bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Tip:  Once my popcorn was popped I put it in the oven while it preheating.  It is easier for the caramel to get mixed evenly over the popcorn while it is still warm!


Copy & Print out this message in a fun Halloween style font and attach to bags filled with the popcorn goodness!



SINCE THIS IS THE TIME FOR GOBLINS AND BATS,
HALLOWEEN SPIRITS AND GHOSTS AND CATS.
WEIRD HAPPENINGS AND WITCHES BREW,
THESE ARE THE THINGS I WISH FOR YOU...
MAY THE ONLY GHOST THAT COMES YOUR WAY,
BE THE HOLY GHOST TO GUIDE YOUR WAY.
MAY THE ONLY SPIRITS YOU CHANCE TO MEET,
BE THE SPIRITS OF LOVE AND KINDNESS SWEET.
THESE ARE MY HALLOWEEN WISHES FOR YOU,
MAY GOD BLESS YOU IN EVERYTHING YOU DO.
IT'S NO TRICK, I JUST WANT TO SAY,

{ IT'S A TREAT TO KNOW YOU IN EVERY WAY!}



 Throw in some cuties like these helping out in the kitchen and you have yourself one great morning!! Even if my floors ended up being soaking wet! *grin*   Enjoy!

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Love me some RUFFLES!

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I recently came acrossed this picture of a ruffle wreath and LOVED IT.  So I tried making my own version of it using some left over corduroy fabric I had from making my kitchen curtains.  And I ended up with this beauty!!

I absolutely LOVE how it turned out.  I had fun making the flowers and was so happy that my mom sent me a burlap potato sack from home a couple of months ago and told me to see if I could make things out of it.  I loved how the burlap accents the flowers and it originated in Idaho!!

I will now try my hand out on giving a tutorial on how I made it.  Hopefully it is clear enough and you can make your own version for yourself!!

Step 1: Cut 2" wide long strips of your fabric of choice to cover your wreath.
Mine was a 12" wicker type wreath I bought at the dollar store.  Apply hot glue to your fabric a little bit at a time, then wrap around wreath.  Repeat until entire wreath is covered.


Step 2:  Cut your fabric the width that you would like your ruffles to be. 
I cut mine 4" wide and foot long. Then using a basting stitch on your sewing machine sew down the length of one side of your fabric with 1/2" allowance on the side.  You do not need to backstitch on this.  After you sewed down the one side then pick one string from your thread and pull to start making your ruffles appear.  I used two different threads to sew with for two reasons.  1. I wanted a stronger thread on top that would not break as easily when I pulled on it to make the ruffles.  2.  It makes it easier to see which thread you are pulling and then you can pull from both the top and bottom of the fabric.


Keep pulling the fabric till your ruffles look like this
Step 3:  Hot glue your ruffle around your wreath. 
Apply the hot glue to the fabric along the top and wrap overlaying your ruffles.  Repeat making ruffle fabric pieces and gluing them to your wreath till she is all covered in beautiful, fluffy, ruffles!!


Step 4: Accessorize your wreath!
I twisted the bottom of a square piece of burlap and hand sewed it to keep the twisted look in place and hot glued it on.  Then I placed three flowers and a bit of extra ribbon to put on top of that.  I made two different kinds of flowers. 

1. Fabric flowers
Using a t-shirt that I haven't worn in like forever, I used this tutorial to make the cream fabric flower.

2. Ribbon Flowers
First cut a circle out of felt of the size you would like your flower to be.



Then make a knot at the end of your ribbon.  This will be the center of your flower.  Hot glue the knot  and any extra ribbon on the end in the middle of the felt circle.  Then twist the ribbon and hold while you place hot glue around the knot and then secure your twisted ribbon down on top of the hot glue.  Twist ribbon, glue, and secure all the way around till you are at a point to cut the ribbon off, and glue down the end.  I  used a match to burn the end of the ribbon so I wouldn't have to worry about any fraying then I glued it down.  And you now have a gorgeous ribbon flower to accessorize with!


Hopefully this tutorial was helpful!!  I ended up putting my wreath over a mirror I have in my living room and I get to smile at it all day now!!
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