Fish Basket/Candle Finally Made It Home

     It has been a busy summer around our place, so we have not made it down to the cabin much. I was delighted to finally make it down this past weekend.  I love our little place in the woods near the lake. It is so peaceful and relaxing. I was most excited, this trip, to take the fish basket/candle where I thought it would fit in just right.

I found an old aqua Mason jar that worked just right to hold a tea-light. It's taller than what I thought I would like, but it was a little windy and the taller jar kept my candle burning until it was exhausted. It really adds to the atmosphere and looks so cool after dark. I added three colorful fishing lures and am on the lookout for more. I like it with just the three, but it's big enough that it could take a few more, just for the daylight sparkle. I have actually found two more of these collapsible fish baskets, am collecting river rocks and looking for more lures to finish them off.

Faded to Fresh

I picked-up this little metal and glass lantern at an estate sale the other day for a quarter.

The glass is all in tact and the metal looks good, except for the color, of course, but no rust.

Originally it looks to have been a tangerine or orange sherbert color...maybe.

Now it's just a faded, dirty peach color...yuck!

My hubby said, "Throw that piece of junk away".

My reply, "I don't think so".

I think there could be a few more outdoor gatherings in the future

of this seemingly used-up little lantern.... 

 

I thought it would be a bit tricky to get the glass pieces out. Not only were they held in with metal tabs, but also double-sided sticky foam. I just sat it out in the Oklahoma sun for a couple of hours and the once hard, foam tape was soft and pliable and easily detached from the metal frame.

The next step was a good cleaning in preparation for a fresh coat of paint (or two). I just filled the kitchen sink with warm soapy water and went to work with my "project" toothbrush (great size for getting into little nooks and crannies). The little lantern then went back into the sun for a couple hours of drying time and was soon ready for this lovely "Blue Ocean Breeze" color.

I was very pleased with how the little lantern turned out...

I think it's good for another season or two.

I take all my plastic, paper, cans, glass and cardboard, etc.. to the recycle center.

However, this is my favorite kind of recycling!

What do you think?

 

Dog + Skunk = Ewww and Yuk!

 Our pooch, Shadow, learned a new lesson this morning (we hope) -

"Hmmm.....those furry black and white critters that kinda look like the cat I play with sometimes, really, really stink... and then you get a fizzy bath (or six) that smells almost as bad."

I opened my eyes about 5:30 this morning and was immediately aware of the foul stench of skunk that seemed to permeate our house - eeewww! As if that wasn't bad enough...when I opened the back door and pooch came running...it was quite obvious that Shadow had an encounter with  a skunk in the back yard. I just thought the smell inside was bad...the dog smelled ten times worse than the odor in the house -yuk!

I have always heard that baking soda and vinegar would work to neutralize skunk oil and we tested that hypothesis before the sun came up this morning. First, we soaked the dog with water, then we applied the baking soda, really working it into her fur coat and down to her skin (being careful to avoid her eyes). Now its time for the vinegar.  Either white or apple cider vinegar works for this application, and yes, there is definitely a "fizzing" effect.

Let me just say there's nothing quite like a skunky, vinegar smelling, fizzy dog first thing in the morning.

We worked the fizzy lather all over her, again, being careful not to get any in her eyes, and repeated the process six times before we used the dog shampoo. Definitely did not smell very good during the process, but the end result was a success! Hope that silly dog learned something as this is not a process I would want to do again, anytime soon! Oh - the joy of pets!! Good to know it does work though!

Yet another derivation of fruit pizza...

This looks extra yummy! It seems a bit more complicated than other versions, but only because it has more ingredients and steps (less baking time though). Still looks simple enough. Bet a graham cracker crust would work also, but hey...the fiber of cereal with dessert...it's a win - win!

  Cherry Cream Pizza with Tuxedo Topping 

www.bettycrocker.com
 

Ingredients

Crust

3 cups Fiber One® original bran cereal

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

1/4cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping

1 package (8 oz) fat-free cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar 3/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 can (21 oz) cherry pie filling

1 1/2 oz semisweet baking chocolate, chopped (1/4 cup)

1 1/2 oz white chocolate baking bar, chopped (1/4 cup)

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 12-inch pizza pan with cooking spray. Place cereal in resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag and crush cereal with rolling pin or meat mallet (or crush in food processor). 
2. In medium bowl, mix cereal, melted butter, 1/4 cup sugar and the vanilla. Press evenly on bottom and 1/2 inch up side of pizza pan. Bake 10 minutes.
3. Just before serving, in medium bowl, beat cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar and the almond extract with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread evenly over cereal mixture. Spread with pie filling.
4. In small microwavable bowl, microwave semisweet chocolate on High about 1 minute or until chocolate can be stirred smooth. In another small bowl, repeat with white chocolate. Drizzle chocolates over filling; cool slightly. Cut into wedges.

Ruffles, Ruffles, Ruffles

 

 Ruffles are so much fun. They can add a little something special to an otherwise plain dress, tee shirt, skirt, pillow and the list goes on...limited only by one's imagination. We offer a variety of pre-made ruffles for your design whimsey at www.yoursmineandhers.com. All of our ruffles are machine washable and finished with bias binding for a unique look and durability. How would you utilize pre-made ruffles?

Homemade Modpodge

                       

I just love decoupage...there are so many crafty things you can do with this age old technique. Decoupage can be used to brighten up a jewelry box, cigar box, photo frame, flower pot, storage bin, lamp shade, bar stool, table, or any just about any other object you have around that needs a new, fresh look.

Mod Podge is great and all, but if you do lots of decoupaging it can be costly. I prefer my mom's recipe of a 50/50 mix of Elmer's glue and water. That's right...mix what you need using equal parts glue and water. Mix up what you need and store left over's in air tight container and it's ready to use for all your decoupage projects. I usually finish my projects with a spray sealer for a protective coating and a gloss or mat finish, depending on the look you prefer.

Why not turn an empty tissue box into handy storage for plastic grocery bags and with a little decoupage it will be durable and unique. The best part...it's a water based process, so it's easy clean-up. If your first try doesn't turn out...no big loss...it's just a box and some glue...and you will have gained valuable experience. The next one will be better. Give it a try...it's really very easy!!


Happy decoupaging!!

Happy 4th of July

Fourth of July Fun Facts

On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress, setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. As always, this most American of holidays will be marked by parades, fireworks and backyard barbecues across the country.

In July 1776, 2.5 million is the estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation.
Source: Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970
<http://www2.census.gov/prod2/statcomp/documents/HistoricalStatisticsoftheUnitedStates1789-1945.pdf>

313.9 million is the nation's estimated population on this July Fourth. 

<http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html>

 

Patriotic-Sounding Place Names

Thirty-one places have “liberty” in their names. The most populous one as of April 1, 2010, was Liberty, Mo. (29,149).
Iowa, with four, has more of these places than any other state: Libertyville, New Liberty, North Liberty and West Liberty.
Thirty-five places have “eagle” in their names. The most populous one is Eagle Pass, Texas, with a population of 26,248.
Eleven places have “independence” in their names. The most populous one is Independence, Mo., with a population of 116,830.
Nine places have “freedom” in their names. The most populous one is New Freedom, Pa., with a population of 4,464.
One place has “patriot” in its name. Patriot, Ind., has a population of 209.
Five places have “America” in their names. The most populous is American Fork, Utah, with a population of 26,263.
Source: American FactFinder <http://www.census.gov>