DIY Heating Pad

I love my new heating pad! It has quite possibly become my newest best friend :) I plop this little baby in the microwave for two minutes, grab my laptop and a drink and I'm content for a bit!
I made some of these for Christmas gifts, I hope the recipients are enjoying theirs too!

I made covers that can be removed and washed but you don't have to. I decided to do this since I was giving them for gifts and it would really finish it out nicely and make the gift last longer

This is the actual heating pad (although you don't have to take the cover off for heating)

I used feed corn from our local farm supply store. After a lot of research, I learned that feed corn held the heat longer and when heated, smelled much nicer than steamed rice :)

I added essential oil to mine (about 10-12 drops). For the men, I used cinnamon and clove and lavender for the ladies.

Each heating pad held about 6 cups of feed corn. The fuller it is, the longer it will stay warm. I heat mine for about two minutes but as you know microwaves vary and this should be tested..but be sure NOT to over-heat.

If you are interested in making one for yourself..here are the dimensions I used..

Heating Pad

Cut two rectangles 14x7

Sew all sides but one, leave an opening to pour your contents.

(if you use essential oil, it is recommended you let it dry for a couple of days, I let mine sit overnight)

Heating Pad Cover

Cut one piece 10x7

Cut one piece 8x7

Cut one piece 14x7

The 10x7 and 8x7 will become the back. You can see in my first picture that I hemmed and overlapped those two pieces to slip the heating pad inside.

The 14x7 piece will become the front of the slip cover.

I should have taken photos along the way to show you this step..if you need further instructions, please feel free to email me :)

I'm linking to:

Masterpiece Monday (Boogie Board Cottage)

Sew Darn Crafty Party

Treasure Hunt Thursday

Take-A-Look Tuesday

{Too} Cute Tuesday

Fingerprints on the Fridge

Craft and Tell

We Did It Wednesday

Market Yourself Monday

Hookin' Up With HOH

just something i whipped up party

Homemade Salt Dough Ornaments

I was inspired to make these ornaments because of Berkley. Who is Berkley? He is the sweetest little guy I call my grandson :) Berkley was born with bi-lateral club feet. I knew nothing about this before he was born with it. His little feet turned inward, almost "horseshoe" shaped. I have recently learned of some famous people born with club feet, such as- Troy Aikman, Dudley Moore, Damon Wayons, Kristi Yamaguchi, just to name a few.
We are thankful for Peyton Manning's Children Hospital where he received his corrective casts. They had to be changed often as children grow so rapidly. Because his mommy and daddy felt it was important to do this very soon after his birth, and several casts later..his little feet are perfect! Thank God and the knowledge of today's medicine. He just turned 1 year old and is walking everywhere! When I saw the recipe for these ornaments, I thought it would be a wonderful way to capture his sweet little feet (and hands).


Here is what you will need:
4 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 1/2 cups water
Drinking straw or Toothpick (for making a hole to hang ornament)
and some little helpers
(I added a little coffee to mine to give them a little color)

1. Combine all ingredients and knead dough for 15-20 minutes.
2. Roll dough out and cut out shapes with cookie cutters or in my case I used a glass because I wanted a larger circle.
3. Use a straw or toothpick to create holes for hanging the ornaments.
4. Bake at 300 degrees until golden. You may need to bake considerably longer depending how thick your ornaments are. If they aren't completely dry when golden, they will eventually harden if you let them sit.

I used a clear sealer once they were dry to preserve them

Homemade Christmas Ornaments

Once again I'm late posting! I really need to get more organized! We had some cancelled flights and crap happen turn-of-events happen the week before Christmas so it was a scramble to get everything accomplished on time..whew!
I know these ornaments are found all over the internet. You can find various recipes to make them. It has been a few years since I had made these..and forgot how easy and fun they were to make.

Ingredients:
Cinnamon
Applesauce
Craft Glue
Cookie Cutters (or cut by hand if you like)
Ribbon
Toothpick
**Mix equal amounts of applesauce and cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of craft glue for every cup of applesauce. If you find the mixture is too wet, simply add more cinnamon. I added nutmeg and ground cloves to the mixture but this is optional. Mix all ingredients until you have a firm dough but wet dough. Roll out your dough to at least 1/4" thickness (less than this will make your ornaments a little weak and will break easily), cut shapes with cookie cutters. With a toothpick, poke a hole at the top of each ornament that is large enough for ribbon to be pulled through. Place ornaments on tray or cooling rack to dry completely. Mine took a couple of days. Once dry, you can easily remove any rough edges with fine sandpaper.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

Beth :)

Hot Cocoa Station

Hot Cocoa anyone?

Here in Indiana we are having some pretty chilly days! We are making great use of this little hot cocoa station that sits on our bar, complete with mint-chocolate marshmallows (they taste like Andes mints..mmmm). Those little sticks in the mug with the spoons are the best! Those are chocolate covered peppermint sticks(made by Bogdon candy company)..they are great for stirring coffee or cocoa, they give it a slight peppermint, chocolate flavor that is not overwhelming at all. These make a great stocking stuffer or put them in a mug, attach a ribbon and you have a sweet little gift for a teacher.

I have several homemade ornaments I want to share with you in the next few days! Hope you are all enjoying your December..Christmas is arriving way to fast for me to accomplish everything as usual!

Beth

Citrus Coasters

I am running behind posting summertime things I have made! Better late than never to post these cute little citrus coasters though! These are so easy to make and the colors are a lot of fun. You can find the pattern for these cute little guys here. If you are anything like me..once you visit the Purl Bee..you will get lost in all the cute ideas found there :)

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They are so adorable sitting on outside tables!

Have a great weekend!

Cute Summertime Vases

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I love the idea of taking something I have sitting around the house and turning it into something new to me! I made these cute summertime vases after seeing them somewhere in blogland. I can't take the credit for the idea but wanted to share the idea with you..I appologize for not remembering where I saw these :(

These could be used for candles as well. I made the blue one for my daughter who is doing a bathroom in the "beachy" theme. I am thinking some of these in red at Christmastime would be wonderful center pieces..it's on my to-do list anyway :)

This is the paint I used..it covered really well. I have a lot of paint left over!

I want to leave you with a couple of other paint projects I have recently done with things sitting around the house...ohhhhh the power of paint!

This coal bucket was ugly! It was rusty and about to be tossed into the trash! It's been sitting in the garage or basement for years..getting moved from one place to the next. I'm so happy it stuck around..I love it sitting next to the fireplace with my favorite catalogs!

These candlesticks just needed a facelift. They went from a brownish/red color to this. I'm enjoying the new look for now. So before you toss something out because it's "out of style" or you are just plain tired of it..try a can of spray paint. You will be surprised how something drab can be tranformed into something fresh and new.

 Happy Painting!!

Beth :)

Linking to:

Dittle Dattle

Sew Much Ado

Domestically Speaking

Night Owl Crafting

Boogieboard Cottage

Cherished Bliss

The Shabby Creek Cottage

Somewhat Simple

House of Hepworths

Happy St. Patrick's Day! and a GIVEAWAY!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Are you feeling LUCKY today? :) I hope so! I love, love, love Willow House and if you win..I win! Wondering what I'm talking about...you gotta see this HUGE giveaway Nanci at Willow House is offering!

You could be the LUCKY winner of a $75.00 gift certificate to Willow House! Entering is easy..hop over to Willow House with Nanci and read how to enter. This is an awesome giveaway you don't want to miss..Willow House offers some of the most beautiful home decorating items at wonderful prices..and the weekly specials are amazing. Nanci is great...you will love her!

 Here's what you need to do to enter on Nanci's blog.....

a. Tell what blog referred you, which puts me in the running for a gift certificate also! woohoo!
b. Follow Nanci's blog
c. Sign up for Willow House newsletter
d. "like" Willow House with Nanci fanpage
(you can do all of this in one post for 4 chances to win)

Hurry over to Willow House with Nanci and enter! I will also throw in a surprise if the winner is from my blog so don't forget to let Nanci know I referred you!
I haven't decided what the surpise will be yet..but who doesn't like surprises, right?!


Contest will begin March 17th and end March 25th. Winner will be announced by March 26th and Random.org will be used to pick winner. Maximum number of entries per person is 4.

Shipping and tax not included in the gift certificates.


GOOD LUCK!!!!

~Beth

Newly painted addition to a little boys bedroom

Hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend. I have been marking weekend projects off my "to do" list left and right lately..It feels very good to start seeing some progress! I'm trying to freshen up one room at a time..it's way past due!Here is one of the latest projects I have finished. I added this piece to the little boys room. I wanted a room that didn't need to be changed as the little ones started to outgrow the toddler stage. I also wanted a vintage feel but still fresh looking..hoping that makes sense :) I don't think I have a certain style..I love what I love :) Ok..enough blabbing..here are the before and after pics of the chest. This isn't some amazing antique or some special paint technique. I found this for 25.00 on Craigslist :)

This room is starting to come together...except..has anyone else tried to find a mattress for an antique bed, smaller than the standard twin? Please email me if you have...I can't find anything to fit a really cute bed I have for this room :(

Beth :)

Thrift Store Find Turned Menu/Memo Board

I know the chalkboard paint has been around for ahwile but this is my very first chance to use it on a project. I am in love! I'm already thinking of what else I can paint :)
I found this cute little board at a thrift store for .99 cents. I had no idea what I was going to do with it but liked the fact it already had a shelf and clip board...
Before~

After~

Now, it can't get any easier than this...or much cheaper!

When I am certain our little guys won't eat the chalk, I'm going to paint a large area on their playroom wall..how fun!

~Beth :)

Pottery Barn Inspired Buckets

As part of my 2011 New Year Resolution to get more organized..I have been inspired by Pottery Barn. While browsing the Pottery Barn Kids magazine the other evening..something caught my eye that I knew would be perfect for quickly picking up and storing those little toys that hurt your feet when you walk into the bedroom in the dark. Anyone with children will know exactly what I mean :) I'm hoping the pictures I have chosen will also help the little ones to learn which bucket will hold the blocks or cars.

I have filled the buckets with blocks, cars and misc. toys

I found the images on the internet, printed them and used mod podge to adhere to the bucket. I lightly sanded the bucket and picture to give it a bit of a worn look.

 I picked up three galvanized buckets from a local hardware store for $5.00 each and used a 20% off coupon. I already had the paint on hand making this a pretty inexpensive project..woot!

I first primed the buckets, brushing on one coat of primer (do not skip this step or your paint will easily scratch off). I painted the buckets with two coats of paint.

(A little hint....to clean this primer from your paintbrush, use equal parts of household ammonia and water..cleans oh so easy!

Thanks for visiting!

Beth :)

Stylish Blogger Award!

I just received The Stylish Blogger Award from Heather over at Inspire Me Heather! Please check out her blog, she is a very inspiring blogger. Thank you Heather for passing this award along to me.

Ok..now for the rules....yes, there are always rules ;) I am supposed to list 7 things about myself to help you get to know me better. Then pass this award on to 15 inspiring other blogs..which is the difficult part! Not that there aren't 15 inspiring blogs that I follow but because there are sooooo many blogs I love and follow!

Now for the 7 things about myself..I hope you are still following after you read them..lol.

1. I work full time as an office adminstrator for an engineering company and have my real estate broker license (yes, this makes for a lot of computer time for blogging but not near enough crafting time!).

2. Will not touch seafood! ack!

3. I have to smell everything..especially any new laundry detergent or cleaning supplies..yeah, I'm weird like that.

4. I have always wanted to pursue a Forensic Science degree (see #3..smells have kept me from it..ha).

5. Love flower/herb gardening

6. Love the beach, sunshine, island music (steel drums) and the smell of coconut oil..oh baby, how I wish I was there now!

7. Love to listen to bagpipes

There you have it..I'm actually a very boring person..haha.

Now..on to passing the torch to 15 other blogs. I am inspired in some way by each and every blog I follow, however, I can only pick 15 booo! Here they are in no particular order....

1. Home & Harmony
2. The Willow House Blog with Nanci Burt 
3. Serendipity Chic Design
4. Bella and Aidees Mom
5. The White Chair
6. Turned Gypsy
7. Where Beauty Meets Function
8. Two Story Cottage
9. Home Stories A2Z
10. Momnivore's Dilemma
11. In These Hands..The Paper Midwife
12. Fern Creek Cottage
13. Brown Paper Packages
14. Paper and Ink Playground
15. Dittle Dattle

Thank you again Heather! [Inspire Me Heather]

Vintage Window

It has been a crazy week here! We are "iced" in here where I live in Indiana. Since I have been home from work, I have been able to do some projects I've been wanting to do. My last post was a little night stand I did for the little boys. Here is an old window I am putting in the same room. Most furniture is old or some we have inherited over the years. I will do a room reveal when it's all finished :)
I used my Cricut Expression to cut the brown vinyl from "A Child's Year" Cartridge. I had so many ideas how to decorate this window but this is what I ended up deciding on :) It's easy to change if I decide on something different in the near future..ha.

This room is brown/blue with a bit of green. I am loving it so far! I think the pictures depict a little boy's life perfectly :)

Hope you enjoy. I am linking to some of my favorite parties listed on the left of my blog!

Hugs,

Beth