make it: 4th of July Party Banner

4th of July Party Banner

This banner is perfect to string across your front porch, patio or picnic table. The soft sparkles from the extreme glitter are sure to please and shine in the summer sun.

Materials:

Folkart paint – 436 Fire Engine Red
Extreme Glitter – Red
Folkart paint – 643 Azure Blue
Extreme Glitter - Turquoise
Extreme Glitter – Silver
9 large wood circles
Foam paintbrush
Felt Stars – red,white and blue
Hot glue
Chipboard letters – BOOM BANG
Wood Star
Tulle – red, white and blue 1/3 yard each
Scissors
Red, white and blue ribbon – 6 yards
9 small wood disks
Scrap ribbons

Steps:

1. Paint 8 of the wood circles with the red paint and 1 of the circles with the blue paint. Allow to dry. Paint each circle with 2 or 3 coats of Extreme Glitter. Use the red over the red circles and the turquoise over the blue circle. Allow for dry time in between coats. Paint the wood star with the same technique using either red or turquoise.

2. Topcoat the chipboard letters with silver Extreme Glitter.

3. Hot glue a felt star to the center of each wood circle. Next, hot glue a chipboard letter to the center of the star. (For this project I spelled Boom and Bang, but you could spell anything related to the 4th of July.)For the blue circle, hot glue the wood star in the center.

4. Cut the tulle into 5 X 5 squares and layer the tulle by color. Got glue a stack of 6 layers of tulle behind each wood circle. Trim the tulle to a semi round shape and slice around the circle to create a fringed effect.

5. Line up the tulled wood circles across the red, white and blue ribbon. Place the “star” circle in the center to separate the words “BOOM” and “BANG”. Hot glue the circles to the ribbon (it is best to glue towards the top of the circle). Hot glue a small wood disk over the glued section for extra security.

Make it: 4th of July Crafts and Recipes

July 4th recipes!

Mango Salmon, Grilled Corn & Spiked Lemonade
Smores on a Stick & Cherry Cheesecake Pie

Star Painted and Stitched Napkins
&
Cookie Cutter Napkin Rings

These are so easy to make. The cookie cutters were Mod Podged with fabric scrap strips to give them a little extra pop. I picked the napkins up from Target and jazzed them up with a little Folkart fabric paint and embroidery floss. Click for complete instructions.

Recycled Denim Table Runner
visit this blog post for step-by step pictures

This is the perfect project for recycling an old pair of jean and for using up scrap fabrics. Click for complete instructions.

Quilted Star - Made with fabric and Mod Podge!

I picked up the star from a shop call Big Lots, a discount store that always has seasonal merchandise. The star was painted with a "not so hot" stars and stripes design - so I painted over it and Mod Podged some quilting fabrics to the points. Click for complete instructions.

My First 4th Baby Bib and T-shirt Set!

New babies will want to join in the celebration! Jazz up some $dollar store items with a little fabric paint. Click for complete instructions.

Firecracker Bean Bag Toss

Build your own backyard carnival game with old coffee cans and a piece of plywood. Kids will love playing this classic game of toss.

make it: Flower Cake!

Bake it: Mini Peach Cobblers

Bake it: Mini Peach Cobblers

If you are baking for 1 or two, this is a quick and easy dessert that is made with fresh peaches. Of course you could substitute the peaches for a melody of berries or apples. Double the recipe as needed if you are cooking for more. For dinner parties, I love making them in ramekins - yes a little more dishes at the end of the night....but way cool presentation and easy serving at a time when everyone will be drooling over the fresh baked dessert.

Shop List:
2 fresh ripe peaches
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon (more if you wish)
dash of salt
1/4 cup softened butter (unsalted preferred)

NOTE: this recipe is for two mini peach cobblers - for 1 cut the list in half.

Steps:

Wash your fruit!

Peel and cut into chunks.

Place the fruit from 1 peach in 1 ramekin.
(repeat for the other peach)

gather your dry ingredients.

Place the dry ingredients in sifter.

Sift together.

Cube the softened butter and blend with the dry ingredients using a pastry/dough tool. You can also use a fork.

Blend until it looks like buttery sand.

Top each fruit filled ramekin with the blended butter.

Bake in oven proof dish (prevents dangerous and messy sugary spill overs). Bake at 375 for 45 to 50 minutes. The peaches will be soft, warm and delicious and the top will be sweet, crunchy and crumbly.

make it: 4th of July Table Runner w/ recycled jeans

Recycled Denim - 4th of July Table Runner
designed for Plaid - Have a peek at other ideas here!

In under 2 hours you can whip up this project! All you need is some scraps of red, white & blue fabric, old pair of jeans, some folk art fabric paint and a sewing machine. This is an easy breezy quilting project that is perfect for beginners.

The table runner can be customized to any table size and with different fabric choices, this project could be for any holiday or everyday.

Supplies:
FolkArt Fabric Paint - Brush On - Pearl White
Star foam stamp
Foam paintbrush
Denim Jeans
Various Red White & Blue printed fabrics (at least 18" wide)

Steps:

1. Cut the leg portion off a pair of jeans. Slice up the side seam and place the leg flat. Use a ruler to square the leg to 18" on one side. The other side can be as long as you wish. For the design I made, the leg piece measured 18" x 18".


2. Apply the fabric paint to the foam stamp with a foam paintbrush and stamp all over the denim. Reload with paint as needed. Allow the paint to dry and heat set with an iron.

3. Cut the printed fabrics into strips that are 18 wide and as long as you wish. For added interest, make each piece a different length.

4. Sew the printed pieces and the painted denim together to form a long strip. You will be sewing them right-sides to right-sides.

5. Press the seams flat.

6. Continue sewing until you have formed a piece that is 18" wide and as long as you wish.

Sew a backer for the runner in the same fashion as step 2. Next, place the backer piece (right side down) on top of the runner. Sew around the edge leaving a small opening for turning. Trim the corners on an angle. Turn the runner right side out and press. Topstitch around the outer edge.

Grandma Oleta Rosie Bush

Grandma Oleta Rosie (Hinton) Bush
Feb 5, 1918 - June 9, 2009

This past week my Grandmother passed away. She lived to be 91 years old. Grandma was a tough as nails farm wife and mother who raised my father (Gary Bush) and his sister (Sally Bagwell) in rural Warren, Oklahoma.

Grandpa, Sally, Grandma and my dad as a baby.

My grandfather, Oran Bush, married her on October 3rd in 1936 - the same year she graduated from Warren High School, she was only 18 years old. They made a modest living of $100 the first year they were married.

I have so many stories about grandma and grandpa - I would not even know where to begin. I can tell you they loved to play dominoes, they used camphophenic as a cure all and I once saw my grandma wash a mouth out with soap and water.

Grandma and Grandpa's House.

This is where my dad grew up. The house was much smaller back in the day - this is with the extension.

1967 - Grandma in front of the house

The front door.

I have never seen anyone come through this door. The only door used was the one on the back porch that opened into the kitchen. Grandma was famous for her cooking and they always ate their main meal (dinner) at lunch time. She always stocked Cool Whip for her Mississippi Mud dessert and never scolded us if we dipped a finger in early.

The garden deer outside the front door.

a real deer - just passing by

The barn.

So many memories and so many good times. My older sister and I spent many hot summer days playing in the barn and in the fields. We would ride on grandpa's tractor and hunt for arrowheads.

Fire ants - a staple of rural Oklahoma.

The wheat fields.

My cousin Dirk and his son Kader are planting wheat in the fields. We are hoping for a bumper crop this year. Dirk and Kader will continue to look after the land.

Dad, Eldon and Dirk


Old equipment waiting to be used again.


The old mailbox.

Grandpa's old truck - still in the garage.

Scorpions...watch out!

The Dirt Road.

This is the road where every member of my family learned how to drive. Dad would prop us up on his lap and let us steer as he controlled the foot peddles. As soon as our feet could touch the peddles, we were allowed to give it a go on our own.

Erin and I after a walk to the dirt road where we learned how to drive.

This is were grandpa would take us for shooting pratice. He was not really a hunter, more of a fisherman, so we mostly shot at coke and coffee cans. This is a tradition that still holds strong at my dad's farm. Even my "city boy" husband fired a few rounds at a can or two.

Lake Altus - Grandpa liked to fish here.

The car ride just outside Warren, Oklahoma.

Grandpa and Grandma's final resting place in Warren.

Linky Love

Vickie Howell
Hey, stitch fanatics! Dig movies? Love knit & crochet wear? Check in with Vickie's blog every week for Movie Mondays; posts with pictures from your favorite flicks and pattern suggestions for making similar, show stopping pieces. This week's feature: The Shining!

The Crochet Dude
Drew reviews Vickie Howell's new book "Pop Goes Crochet" and shows off his design for a driver's cap from page 18.

The Artful Crafter
How to make a wall hanger for a heavy plate or tile.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Recycled Sweater Necklace brought to you by the new book-Feltique and the letter "O"

Naughty Secretary Club
It's terrarium week over at Naughty Secretary Club and Jen is celebrating with a kitschy terrarium style picture frame tutorial! Grab your mini garden gnomes and glitter and stop on by!

Cross Stitch at About.com
Check out Connie's Photo of the Week - it's one of her recent finishes and in her favorite medium - variegated floss.

CraftyPod
Sister Diane muses on how we crafters can help keep our favorite websites, magazines, and TV shows alive in a tough economy.

Crafty Princess Diaries
What are your thoughts on retail and the off-line world today when it comes to craft stores and just in general?

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Craftside wins Editor's Choice at Maker Faire-see lots of pictures from the fabulous event, the latest episode of Look, Learn & Create has a tutorial on how to make needle felted flowers from recycled wool sweaters, some excellent exercises to relieve back stress (what crafter couldn't use those), a free knitted leaf pattern and some cool quilt dish!

Cathie Filian
You still have time to whip up a handmade gift for your Pop, Grandpa or Hubby and Cathie Filian has over 12 ideas!

Blisstree Arts
You can never know too many tricks for painting background fabrics!

Alexa Westerfield a.k.a. Swelldesigner
Swelldesigner shares all week on her blog tales from SF Bay Maker Faire 2009 starting off with her Bizarre Bazaar experience!

Aileen's Musings
Aileen is very excited to announce that the Ties That Bind Art Doll Raffle has begun! Its an amazing project, with contributions by over 100 artists. Stop by to find out how you can purchase raffle tickets to win this amazing art doll, and help us reach our goal!

About Family Crafts
Have you played along with my Make-It-Over Craft Challenge yet? What would you make out of this ordinary object?

Perfume Lovers....you must watch!

katie puckrick smells

Make it for DAD: football Table

Astroturf Football Table

Pics from the Top-Secret shoot today!

My hair piece - oh la la!

Peach pearls and red lipstick.

For my 1940's costume I wore a dress that I picked up at the thrift shop for $14.00. I wore shoes and pearls from my closet. I added shoulder pads to the dress to make it more 40's.

To make the hair piece, I used the material I cut off from the hem of the dress. The dress was shortened 6" to be close to knee length. I stitched a gather/running stitch up the cut side and pulled the thread to gather into a circle. I folded the circle in half (so the print would be on both sides) and hand tacked the circle closed. I sewed a simple hair clip to the back.

To add extra pop, I hot glued 3 strips of looped ribbon, 2 velvet leaves and some small paper flowers to the center of the circle.

Judy Statts did the hair and make-up - THANKS!

Kelly setting up shots.

Steve working it out with Marc and Marylin.

RJ and Marc waiting in the wings.

Jon my "on camera" husband.

Morgan all wrapped!

Father's Day Gift Ideas

Father's Day is just around the corner - don't wait to make Dad something special. You still have time to whip up a handmade gift for your Pop, Grandpa or Hubby. Have a peek at the projects below - they are all from our TV show Creative Juice or Plaid. Follow the links for step-by-step instructions and have a Happy Father's Day!

Pipe Part Candlesticks from Creative Juice


DIY Freezer Paper Tie designed for Plaid

Comic Book Laptop Case from Creative Juice


Rustic Plaque for Grandpa designed for Plaid


Hex Nut Coasters from Creative Juice


Painted and Stitched Shirt designed for Plaid

Poker Time Party Plates from Creative Juice

Trophy Dad Tie designed for Plaid

Kids Stepping Stones from Creative Juice

Painted Doormat from Creative Juice

Reverse Applique T-shirt designed for Plaid

Modern Etched Wine Glasses from Creative Juice

Rock and Roll Skull Tie designed for Plaid

New House: little by little

The gas, water and drain pipes are getting moved to the back of the patio for our outdoor kitchen. Have a peek at this blog where Eddie "bam-bamed" the old kitchen. By the way, the old kitchen was blocking the entrance to the patio.....so odd.


The ball lamp is hung above the dining table and looks so pretty when the dimmer switch is set to low. We've had this lamp for 4 or 5 years. When we purchased the lamp it had a long chain for hanging from a corner. We snipped the chain and wired it to the ceiling.

I broke down and organized the family room books by color. I was not sure if I was going to LOVE IT or not. So far Hubby and I both love it. Looks like they will stay this way for awhile.

A Trip to the Getty

Jason, me & Eddie at The Getty in Los Angeles.

View from the back of the gardens.

Love this color - perfect for a night garden.

The picture is a little fuzzy - but the red was so intense.

I guess the macro was working on my "cheapo" pocket camera.

The bougainvillea trees were amazing. The structure is made from rebar.

It was a hazy day in LA - we were having our "June Gloom."

Link-O-Rama

About Family Crafts
Find out how easy it is to create your own tie-dyed masterpieces!

Aileen's Musings
Are you looking for a new party invitation idea? Aileen has a mini tutorial for a banner invitation in a tin! Stop by and download your own freebie banner!

Blisstree Arts
Cyndi has been featuring some awesome polymer clay artists recently. Check out Dayle Doroshow's work!

Cathie Filian
Whip up some flirty summer fashions with Cathie as she dyes slips.

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world
Craftside's got the latest episode of the video series Look, Learn & Create with Amy Hanna author of Rejuvenated Jewels, 1 of the tips from the book: 100 Habits of Successful Freelance Designers, a sneak peek in Book-Art with more info about Swap-o-rama-rama at Maker Faire this weekend and how to make a stencil portrait from L. K. Ludwig's book: True Vision.

Crafty Princess Diaries
Tammy reviews a book that may have answers for your crochet questions.

CraftyPod
Sister Diane's been making some interesting stuff with her Cricut and Cuttlebug...

Cross Stitch at About.com
Meet Mr. X Stitch - Learn more about the man who helps put the X in x-stitch. Mr. Cross Stitch aka Jamie Chalmers designs and supports modern Cross Stitch and embroidery.

Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery
Old metal disk earrings get a industrial makeover with help from the new book- Chic Metal by Victoria Tillotson.

The Artful Crafter
Eileen shows you how to make beautiful roses from paper clay. Paper clay is fun to work with and very easy on the hands. For this project the only molded shapes you need to make are balls and cones. Then you flatten them to make either rose petals or leaves.

The Crochet Dude
Kick off summer with Drew's latest free pattern, "Brain Freeze"!

The Impatient Crafter
It's Flip Out Flip Flop Summer madness at The Impatient Crafter. DIY a pair of lace up Goddess sandals with Madge!

Vickie Howell
Download a free Pop Goes Crochet pattern for the "Doris" summer scarf!