Horn of Plenty Wreath

I started with a standard "horn of plenty" which I found at a local thrift shop and decided to repaint.  I used a Rustoleum spray paint for wood surfaces and spray painted them thoroughly.  Also, I made sure I used a quick-drying spray paint.

And here's a picture of the painted horns.  The supplies I used for decorations are laid out in front.
I used the styrofoam cone to pack in the center of the horn and hold items in place.

Next, I picked out some more floral items to go in the horn.  You can see the pumpkin, an ear of corn and some fall leaves.  I also added a fall colored bow to the horn because I wanted to use it as a wreath for the front door.

A side view of the Horn of Plenty Wreath.

Front view of the Horn of Plenty Wreath.

I used a command hook (which you can see at the top behind the flowers) and a pipe cleaner to hang it on the front door.

Fall Burlap Wreath

If you're looking to make a simple burlap wreath for Fall and not quite sure how to put it all together this is my blog's attempt at a tutorial on the easiest way (in my opinion) to make one. 

 However, if you have an easier method I would LOVE to hear about it as making wreaths can sometimes test my patience.

I started with a work wreath which comes with ties affixed to the wreath frame... this is much easier than using chenille stems/pipe cleaners to tie down the material to the frame.

How "poofy" your wreath is will be determined by the LENGTH of material you use between each tie.  I used about 12 inches of material between each tie.. it is important to keep the length EQUAL between each tie....  If you do not keep the length consistent it can lead to a lop-sided looking wreath.

This picture is a look at the burlap after it has been tied down to the outer ring.  Once you finish tying everything down to the outer ring, use the same method and tie your material down to the inner ring.

If you are using ribbon in your wreath, cut your desired length and using the same ties, tie the ribbon into place.

This picture shows all of the burlap attached to the outer AND inner ring of the wreath as well as the first ribbon I chose as decoration.

I opted to use a second ribbon which I tied down (at the same tie as previous ribbon) over the first ribbon in a 90 degree angle to add some contrast.

This picture shows all of the burlap and ribbons tied down into place.  Now it's time to add the rest of the decorations.

And this picture shows the rest of the added decorations.  The larger items near the bottom of the wreath were tied to the actual wire frame of the wreath for added security...I used pipe cleaners to secure them to the frame and made sure to position them around the burlap.

In this picture I tucked the ties behind so they wouldn't be sticking out or in the way.

The pumpkin in the center was originally meant to be a wall hanging however, I used a pipe cleaner to attach it to the wire frame near the top.  If you look closely, you can see a wire arch above the pumpkin which is what is attached to the wire wreath frame.

Bobby's Blueberry Bread

I think everyone has a family member who whips out complicated recipes like Betty Crocker whips out cake mixes.  In my case, this would be my brother Bobby.  His kitchen abilities regarding homemade dishes far exceed mine! At any rate, this is his Blueberry Bread recipe.

Ingredients

4 cups of bread flour
2 tsp of salt
6 Tbsp of sugar
1 1/2 cups of WARM water
2 packets of yeast
2 Tbsp of melted butter
1-2 cups of blueberries (or another fruit if you prefer)... exact amount just depends on how much fruit you want in your bread.

Save some of your bread flour in order to finish out the dough to a 'play dough' like consistency.

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Begin by mixing the flour, salt, butter and 4Tbsp of sugar together.

Next, you will want to 'Proof' your yeast to make sure it is active.  You can do this by adding the warm water and 2 Tbsp of sugar.  Allow the yeast several minutes to determine whether or not is will "bubble."  If this happens, your yeast is active and therefore good to go!

Then, you will add the yeast to your flour mixture and mix well.  Allow the bread time to rise.  Once it has risen a little you can add the blueberries into the dough gently kneading so that none of the berries burst open.  Think of it more like 'folding them in.'

Once the berries have been kneaded in place the bread in a loaf pan and allow it to rise one more time. (the rising process could take several minutes or longer depending on the yeast.)  After the bread has risen well, bake in preheated oven for 20 min. or longer if necessary, until the bread is golden brown of a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Banana Bread Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

I love a good piece of banana bread! What I don't love is an elaborate recipe requiring skills in the kitchen which I clearly do not have!  Which is how I settled on this recipe.  The thing I like most about is that it's a nice mix between a bread/cake texture which I really prefer with banana bread.

Ingredients:

1 box cake mix - I used a white cake mix but yellow would also work
3 very ripe bananas
3 eggs
2 sticks of butter - softened
3/4 cup of oil
1/2 cup of water
1 cream cheese frosting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees or to the temperature listed on your box cake mix if it differs.  Mix bananas, eggs, butter, oil and water.  Slowly add cake mix until well blended.  Pour batter into a well greased bundt cake pan and bake approximately 35-45 minutes or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

Once the cake is cool enough to remove from the bundt pan heat cream cheese frosting for a few seconds (10-15) in the microwave until is it soft enough to drizzle with a spoon over the cake.

Deco-Mesh Cross Wreath

Deco-Mesh wreaths seem to be really popular now.  This past Easter I used deco-mesh to make a 'Cross Wreath' for mom.


I started with a basic wooden cross as the frame for the wreath.  You will need some pipe cleaners or something to secure the mesh to the wooden frame since it does not come with ties already attached.

Start by using your pipe cleaner to secure the mesh to the bottom of the cross.  I used matching color pipe cleaners so they would blend in with the mesh.

I worked my way up the cross gathering the mesh and securing it with the pipe cleaners.  Make sure you try to use the SAME LENGTH of mesh for each 'poof' and secure it to the frame in EQUALLY spaced sections.  If you don't keep things even there is a tendency for the mesh to look 'lop sided' and uneven.

Once I finished working my way up the cross I started with the left and using the same technique mentioned above I worked my way across to the right side of the frame.  In this picture I'm almost finished.

After the mesh was evenly secured to the cross frame I worked in a few flowers mother had on hand. Plain deco-mesh can look a bit boring, especially if it is a solid color.

I worked the flowers in to the deco-mesh and tucked them in amongst the 'poofs' just to add some color and depth to the wreath.

And here's the finished product... I would have preferred some different colored flowers but there are times when you use what you have because it's easier and way more affordable... and this was the case with the deco-mesh cross wreath.. at any rate... colors and flowers can easily be changed!  I hope you enjoyed the tutorial on how to make a deco-mesh cross wreath.

Save A Lost Candle Wick & Make Your Own Candle

I love candles.  I like the way they smell, the way they look and especially the subtle light they add to a room.  So, I'm reluctant to get rid of them just because the wick has burned down too far.

This is a common problem for me.  The wick burns down the center and before long it's buried underneath the wax.

I used a spoon (and at times a butter knife) to slowly chip away the wax above and around the wick until the wick was visible and far enough above the remaining wax to light with a lighter.

(This picture doesn't exactly show the visible wick but you can tell by looking I've slowly been chipping away at it.)

Once I have the wax cleaned out from around the wick .....I take the wax I chipped away.....

And put it in a microwave safe container...

Microwave a few seconds at a time, it will start to look like this until the wax is fully melted

And now it's fully melted.....

Work quickly and place a wick in the bottom of whatever you want your candle in... (I put chapstick on the bottom of the wick to 'stick' it to the glass candle holder)

Pour the melted wax into your container...(the pink stuff you see is the chapstick I used to set the wick in place).

And... because I'm lazy, clearly I'm not going to hold the wick in place until the wax is dry... hence the fork... and because it kept sliding on the granite surface... I steadied it with a pot holder

And Finally!... the finished candle!  Just trim the wick and there you have it.  Another useful candle made with recycled wax from the candle with the burned down wick!

And here's the candle with the lost wick which is now back in action.

Mason Jar Sewing Kit

Making your own DIY sewing kit is super easy.  Although none of my pictures include an actual sewing kit inside the jar that's only because I haven't gotten around to it yet but…. thought I'd show you how I used a jar to make a sewing kit with a pin cushion attached to the top.

Adding the pin cushion to the top of the lid is the trickiest part to this craft.  Other than that it's a super easy craft to make.

I cut my fabric to size (about 1.5 inches around the lid) and then used some quilt batting (because it's what I had).  I shaped the quilt batting into a ball…the picture to the right isn't exactly a nice round ball but it is very difficult to hold the batting and take a picture.

I used a touch of hot glue and glued the batting to the TOP of the lid.

Cover your lid and batting with the fabric and use hot-glue to secure it to the back of the lid.

And once your fabric is secured you're done!