Painting

After painting a bookshelf for Amanda's graduation present, I had some blue paint and some inspiration left, so a few weeks later, I decided to re-paint my bookshelf. It felt a bit wrong to re-paint it because it's had yellow paint and little hearts on it since I was a kid. My dad made it and my mom painted it. Nevertheless, I decided it was time for a change. It's now blue with a huge sunshine and flower. Maybe it's not any less childish, but it's at least different. Who knows, maybe I'll keep it and pass it along to own daughter some day and she can re-paint it yellow with hearts?


                                                          

Amanda's Bookshelf

 My bookshelf 

Cabin Fever

This post was actually written last Thursday....I was going to post it but I wanted to put the pictures in it and my internet was not behaving. So...you'll have to bear with me so I don't have to go back through this and fix all the tenses and such:

I don't know about you all, but I have cabin fever! I have been in or less than a mile away from my house (as in taking a walk) since Sunday early afternoon when I got back from church. I've taken a walk or gone outside to see the snow almost every day. But today I just stayed inside because it's been about 1 degree or cooler all day. I didn't feel like getting layered up and going out even though it might not have been as bad as I thought it might be. Even though I'm tired of being inside, I've been trying to get somewhat crafty for the last couple of days. Last night I made some rosettes out of an old wool coat that my mother had been using for fabric scraps. I'd never made these rosettes before but I was pleased with how they turned out. I've made one completed necklace and the rosettes for a second necklace (but it isn't attached to a chain or ribbon yet to make it a necklace). There is a really good tutorial on how to make the rosettes and necklace, here. Like I said, I used fabric from a wool coat on the first set of rosettes and I actually used felt for the second set. I think they both turned out nicely.

The red one is felt, the brown is the wool

Today my craft was to decorate a platter. I purchased some oil-based Sharpie paint pens a month or two ago online to start decorating my own mugs with. I decorated two mugs when I first got the pens in the mail but I hadn't set the paint yet (by baking them). This afternoon I started working on the platter and the items are presently still in the oven (they're cooling now from being baked). I stole the idea from someone on Pinterest. I bought a package of colorful (red, black, yellow, blue) fine-point paint pens on eBay and some medium point metallic colored pens from Walmart (here is a link to a large package of some that Walmart sells to show you exactly what I used). A friend gave me the platter. Here are some pictures of the stages of my work. In case you are interested, after using the markers, you let your design dry for at least an hour. Then you preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and bake your item(s) for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, you turn the oven off and let the items cool completely before taking them out. I have used regular Sharpies to draw on ceramic items before and bake them, but some of the colors fade and the design will still wash off after being baked..which is why I looked into the oil-based Sharpies which are made to last on glass and other surfaces. I'm crossing my fingers the designs do last with these paint pens. If you'd like to see where I got my idea for the design, go here to see hers.

1. I cut out letters from a sheet of "Print & Stick" project paper

2. I stuck them on the platter and make Sharpie dots all over it.
(This took much longer than expected).
3. I let it dry, peeled the stickers off and baked it. I couldn't get the final picture on here though

Snow Days are so good for crafting! 
The Farmer's Daughter

These are a few of my favorite things...

Looking down our blog, I realize almost all of us have made lists in our posts lately...I think lists are really easy to read and it makes the post look so organized. So, I'm going to cave to peer pressure and follow the trend. I'm not sure why I have the urge to make this post, but I've been wanting to make a post of some of my favorite things. In a way it's sort of a spin-off on the 'thankful' posts like Martha S. and Captain Something Fun made...because of course, I'm very thankful for my favorite things. Here goes:

1. Fru fru coffee/ espresso drinks (and coffee shops)...as the other Twenty-Somethings know, I love the comfort, low-lighting and of course the specialty drinks of coffee shops. Anyone want to meet up at one sometime soon? :) Also, I recently bought a carton of Starbuck's Peppermint Mocha iced coffee drink at the grocery..it was a splurge, but it's pretty good!

2. Pinterest. I could spend hours on there and still not get enough. I have been getting alot of good gift ideas off of there lately...and ideas for Christmas crafts too!

3. Baking. This is especially a favorite around the holidays. It's so much fun trying new recipes and sharing the goods with other people. Buddy the Elf said "the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear."...I think the best way to spread Christmas cheer is actually baked goods. ;)

4. Christmas movies (and music)! Oh, I need to get to re-watching my old favorites and remembering to turn on the Christmas music, because they both make me happy!

5. Crafting...I absolutely love being able to make things for myself and the people I care about. As I mentioned in my last post, I've been knitting alot and I find making things to be a great stress-reliever. If you're looking for another reason to start knitting or crocheting, check this out, it's a craft that's good for your health!

6. My family's pets. Speaking of stress-relievers..it's so nice to live with and around so many animals. They're a good excuse to get outside and take a walk, plus they're always around to hug and love on whenever you need it. And...they always greet me with a wagging tail when I come home late and my parents are asleep.

7. Taking Pictures! Since getting a smart-phone I don't take nearly as many high-quality photos as I have in the past. But, high-quality or not, I love taking photos. Right now I'm participating in a December photo challenge and I'm posting a photo everyday to Instagram. Most of the photos have something to do with the Christmas season and I think it's kind of a fun way to get into the spirit of the holidays. Plus, I always love looking back at my old photos.

8. Jason. Last, but certainly not least. I love this boy to death. He isn't a thing, but he is my favorite.

Of course, this is only a few of my favorite things. Time to wrap it up though and get back to being productive! I hope you're all having a lovely start to the Christmas season!

The Farmer's Daughter

Pinterest Party

And so my obsession with Pinterest continues!...

My best friend from high school is getting married in less than a month (yay!) so we had a Pinterest Party as her bachelorette party. I'd never attended a Pinterest Party but it was so much fun! I'm not sure how they're usually organized, but we asked everyone to bring a food dish they'd found on Pinterest and another one of the bridesmaids organized the craft project while I organized the beauty project! 

For the craft we made light bulbs into flower vases. I've always though that was a really cute idea! Now my vase is on a shelf above my bed with flowers, where I can enjoy them! For the beauty project, we eat chose a nail design and did each others nails. I thought everything turned out nicely. I made kale & artichoke dip; I was pretty happy with how it tasted. Someone made a spin-off on pizza (as pictured above). 

I stole Martha S.'s idea for the drinking glasses because I thought it was so cute and used chalk board tags to write wedding related words on each one! It was a really cute party! I hope to have another Pinterest Party sometime soon, perhaps set up a little bit differently. It would be fun for everyone to bring a craft and the supplies needed to make the craft. So many pins get forgotten about and that's no fun! 

Pin on! 

The Farmer's Daughter

Shenanigans with Miss Ellaneous

This week I have been on a sort of stay-cation, I haven't been working and have been home. My parents took a trip to Asheville, NC. and left me at home to take care of all the plants and animals. It's been an interesting and HOT week. I hadn't seen most of my college friends for a while, so Miss Ellaneous and I spent Tuesday and Wednesday together.

The loose calves. After coming back from swimming, Miss Ellaneous and I heard a cow bawling. If you know much about cows, you know they make a lot of noise when they're separated from their calves. I didn't think too much about it because I was hungry and wanting to fix dinner. After dinner though, it was still bawling so we had to go investigate. We hiked the hill to the barn and went through the field to see the mother cow facing down the hill. Across the fence we could see her calf. It had somehow managed to get through the fence and into the other field (away from it's mother and the rest of the herd). We spent at least an hour chasing the calf, attempting to send it through the open gate so mother and baby could be reunited. After lots of running up and down hills (Miss Ellaneous and myself were all exhausted and covered in sweat- the dogs were panting and looked very hot themselves). It was so hot and the air was so thick from humidity, it was no fun running after the calf. Finally, the calf, with me trying to herd it toward the open gate, ran into the woods. I went after it but didn't see any signs of it. I went a little ways into the woods, collecting several ticks and mosquito bites. It was getting dark, so we left the gate open in hopes that the calf may come out of the woods and find its way back to it's mother......The mother cow stopped bawling around midnight that night and the next morning we assumed the two must have been reunited. The next evening, we heard more bawling...This time, two calves had come through the fence and away from the herd. Calves can be so frustrating!

Crafting. Miss Ellaneous and I also had some craft time during her visit. I made some necklace pendents from corks (I've been itching to try making these!) I found the idea through Pinterest of course. You can find the link to the original craft idea here. I had the corks & paint already, and found the eye screws at Lowe's for $1.24 (for 10). I began doing just as they had instructed:

1. slicing the cork with a knife using a vice grip
2. using stamps and paint to decorate the cork
3. using the tiny screws to create a way to hang the cork on a necklace

The trouble I had was getting the stamps and paint to cooperate on the cork surface. I skipped the step of sanding the cork because I couldn't find any sand paper. Perhaps the smoother surface would make it easier for the paint to leave a clean mark. I asked Miss E. what she thought I should put on the cork and she suggested buttons. So, I put a new twist on the craft and hot-glued buttons onto the corks. I ended up painting one cork slice, leaving one just as it was, and putting buttons on the rest. I think they turned out pretty cute:

 A visual of the screws:

Miss Ellaneous and I had a fun visit! I hope to see her and the others again before too long!

Come read again soon!
The Farmer's Daughter