Month: October 2015

Corner News-October 30, 2015

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Hello everyone and welcome to the morning before Halloween.  Do you have all the candy you need before the munchkins come knocking at your door?  If not, I’m in the same boat as you.

Here are some of the thing that have happened in the past two weeks.

1: We got a puppy!  Hooray!  Her name is Rozy Blu and she is a whippet terrier mix that is absolutely adorable.  She is three and a half months so we can’t wait to see her as she gets bigger.  The other dogs are okay with her, but the cats…not so fond of her.

Isn't she cute?

Isn’t she cute?

2: I went to a corn maze.  There is a local farm that makes a great corn maze every year and my mom and I and some of her coworkers went for fun.  The maze was shaped as the United States…and we somehow found ourselves in the Ohio/Indiana area quite a bit.  But we found all of the checkpoints, so score one for us!

This is the corn maze map. Picture comes from Vossler Farm's website

This is the corn maze map. Picture comes from Vossler Farm’s website

3: I have the most bizarre phone tale ever.  So, I purchased a refurbished iPhone from a cell phone service back in August.  3ish weeks ago, said iPhone’s charger port imploded and I couldn’t use my phone.  I called my cell phone service to get a replacement and I received a replacement 2 weeks ago.  The night that my mom and I went to the corn maze, my phone died completely, and wouldn’t charge!  I even took it to the Apple store to see if they could replace the battery and they couldn’t.  Great.  Now, I am still out a phone and am currently in the process of purchasing a brand new iPhone 5s.  Hooray…

I hope you all had a great two weeks.  I also hope that you have a safe and fun Halloween.  Have a spooky night!

sparkle

Upcycle A Clementine Box Into A Doll Bed

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A long, long time ago, I wanted to be a princess-for Halloween. Isn’t that most little girls dreams? It was kindergarten. I wore a long purple dress and my shoes were covered in tin foil in order to make them shiny. There were no sparkly shoes at Target back then :). Such simple times.

My little, now 3 year old, niece, loves Minnie Mouse. She has loved her since she was one years old. So I created something special for all her Minnie Mouse dolls.

I had several of these clementine boxes. I have used some in my classroom, but still had a few left over. Who better to give them to, but my sweet little niece!

Upcycle clementine box

I first spray painted them, one white and one pink. I didn’t find Minnie Mouse print material that I liked, so I went with black with large white polka-dots and pink with little white polka-dots. I found some Minnie Mouse ribbon and some black/white polka dot ribbon to go around each bed.

Upcycle clementine box painted

My disclaimer: I am not a seamstress. Please don’t think I really knew what I was doing. Besides, I had help. Lauren. She is much better than I am. My directions will be very simple and I am sure, not very complete. Just try to play along :).

I cut a piece of foam for the mattress and cut my material to fit around plus a couple inches extra. I wanted to make it like a pillow sham pillow case, with the opening in the back. This was so it could be washed if needed. I folded over a bit of the edges of the fabric, ironed and pinned. Lauren sewed.

upcycle clementine box fabric

We also made a quilt for each bed. We used both fabrics so it could be reversible. After sewing up 3 sides, we filled it with quilt batting and then sewed up the fourth side. Lauren also sewed an ‘X’ across the top so it would wash up better, if needed.

upcycle clementine box mattress

I love the polka-dots!

upcycle clementine box quilt

We also sewed a pillow for each one using fabric that was left over. It is just a large rectangle, sewn all around the edges, leaving a little space open for stuffing. After we stuffed it, we stitched up the opening. I also added some ribbon around the outside of the box and a narrow black ribbon along the top edges.

upcycle clementine box stacked

They turned out so cute!

upcycle clementine box doll beds

She has so many Minnie Mouse dolls, she probably needs lots of these, but hopefully Minnie will share!

upcycle clementine box doll bed pink dots

These would be great gifts for little ones on your list! They could be made for both boys and girls, depending on the type of fabric that is used.

upcycle clementine doll bed black dots

upcycle clementine box bed set

My niece absolutely adored these! She already had a Minnie tucked in at her birthday party! I would love to see yours if you decide to make one!

Have a great week!

sunshine-and-blessings-picmonkey

We are Co-Hosting a Link Party!!

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Welcome to the Merry Monday Link Party #76

Hello and welcome to the first time we are cohosting a link party! Hooray! We are excited to be working with all of these fellow hostesses and hope that you will head over to their blogs to support them. Thank you for stopping by and I hope that you enjoy the party!

Announcements:

  • Blogger Opportunity! If you like to bake, have awesome dessert recipes, and want to help host a party….sign up for the 2015 Ultimate Cookies & Goodies Party. 2015 Ultimate Cookies & Goodies Virtual Party Sidebar Blogger Opp pic
  • It’s the week of the Halloween Spooktacular Link Party! Have a Halloween craft, DIY project, costume tutorial, fun party recipe? Share it on the 2015 Halloween Spooktacular Link Party! Open until October 29th.

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  • Party Theme Features (not everyone will be featured) –
    • Share Fall Desserts on the October 25 party to be featured on the Nov 1st party.
  • Two new guest hosts for the next two weeks! You’ll be seen on 13 blogs!

Meet the hosts of Merry MondayMerry Monday Hosts

Welcome our Co-Host

Meet Ruthie of Refashionably Late, one of our new Co-Hosts for the next two weeks.

Ruthie & Lucy

My name is Ruthie, I was born and raised in the Midwest.  I met the man of my dreams in Nashville, TN and decided to follow him back home to California.  First came love, then came marriage, then came the baby in the baby carriage.  We have a beautiful little girl named Lucy.  My husband got a new job when Lucy was 2 months old and we packed up and moved half way across the country to Minnesota, back to my homeland.  We bought a house that needed a little TLC, so here I am!  I created this blog to share my journey of home ownership and my passion for furniture restoration.  While creating my dream home I also love to spend time with my family, sing barbershop and teach littles about music!

Welcome our Co-Host

 Meet Lauren & Pamela of Home on the Corner, two of our new Co-Hosts for the next two weeks.

homeonthecorner4

Hello! We are Lauren and Pam Smith, a mother/daughter blogger duo who love to create together. Pamela is a wife, mom, teacher, organizer,and crafter.  I love to decorate my home in a beachy, but neutral style, finding things at thrift stores and garage sales, and then making them my own.  I like creating and scrap-booking.  Our family is dog crazy (we have three) and likes to travel, especially to the beach where I can collect more seashells!  My style is always evolving and I enjoying trying new things in my home.   Lauren is a college student whose dream is to be an animal physical therapist.  I enjoy sipping on Carmel Apple Spice drinks from Starbucks or Pink Star smoothies from Jamba Juice.  Pink paint always seems to stay on my hands and the Eiffel Tower continues to decorate my bedroom.  I have too much fabric in my closet and not enough time to use all of it.  We hope you will come by and pay us a visit!

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Special Fall Side Dishes & Dessert Recipes

It’s time to start thinking about Thanksgiving!!! The most wonderful food holiday of the year!!We are celebrating with a few of our fantastic recipe Posts!

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sparkle

Sunshine and Blessings

Corner News-October 22, 2015

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I can’t believe it’s Friday and time for Corner News! I’m not ready!!! I’ve been helping out my friend at the shelter get ready for Saturdays Bark in the Park, plus it is my little (almost) 3 years old great niece’s birthday this weekend and I am trying to make something special for her too! I had a great time last week playing hide-n-seek with her. You know, she tells you where to hide and then comes to find you?! Ha! I miss those days!

In other Valley Animal Haven Animal Shelter news…

Remember when I told you the shelter was in a competition? The results of the HomeAgain Helps “Shelter of the Year” contest are in AND Valley Animal Haven is officially a Runner-Up in our very first National Competition. We will receive $2,500 cash, a new computer, a new IPad, and an assortment of medical supplies from Merck Animal Health. Yippee!!! This is so awesome! Valley Animal Haven is such a small shelter and just starting out, so this is so amazing! The infirmary is going to be completed plus a cat building. This has been such a great year, I can’t wait to see what next year brings!

I am going to dress up as Mary Poppins for Halloween next week. Here is my inspiration…

Mary Poppins

All I need is the carpet bag and I am set!

I also told you about the hedgehog pumpkin I did a few years ago. I believe it came from a Martha Stewart idea. Here she is!

Hedghog Pumpkin

Isn’t she adorable!

hedgehog pumpkin halloween

The lights actually look like quills in the dark…

hedgehog pumpkin in the dark

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!

Sunshine and Blessings

Wooden Drawer Front “GATHER’ Sign

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Wooden Gather Sign Title

Hello all! Are you all ready for Halloween? My preschoolers are sooo excited! I think I hear every day what they are going to dress up as. We have a different type of dress-up day each day next week, so it should be fun and crazy! I am going as Mary Poppins, but most of the kids didn’t know who she was. Luckily I found a book and read it to them so they won’t be completely confused!

I am posting again today since Lauren has been too busy with mid-terms to get anything done. I am not real pleased with the result of the project, but since I had to get it done quick, I will just go with it!

I had this wooden drawer front sitting in my shed for awhile now and decided I needed to do something with it. I have been wanting to make a sign for awhile, so figured this would be a good piece for it.

Drawer Front Beginning

I filled in the holes with spackle because I didn’t have any wood putty. I let that dry and then put on several coats of Minwax Wood Finish. I wanted it to be pretty dark, so I put on several coats and didn’t wipe too much off in between.

Drawer Front Spackling

I like how the grain of the wood really shows up!

Wood Drawer Front Varnished

Now for my sign. I wanted to use the word ‘Gather.’ I found a font I liked on Microsoft Word and printed in out on my printer.I used a font called ‘Easy Rider.’

Wooden Drawer Gather Sign Printout

After printing out the size I wanted, I scribbled pencil all over the back of the paper. (Don’t mind the ‘G’ and the ‘a’-my printer decided not to print out the ‘t’, so I had to print again. Can’t waste paper!)

Wood Gather Sign Pencil Markings

Then I put the paper, face up, on the board, placing it where I wanted it to be. Then I traced the letters with a pencil, pressing down hard. I was able to get the outline of my word.

Wood Drawer Front Sign Etching

Next I traced it with a paint pen and then filled in the letters with white paint.

Wood Gather Sign Apple Barrel Paint

Wood Gather Sign Paint

I traced outside the letter with black, but after it was done, I wasn’t sure I liked it. I did some sanding on it and then added an antiquing wax over the whole thing.

Wooden Gather Sign

Still not sure about the outline, but since I needed to get it done for this post, it will have to do. Maybe I can work on it a little more later.

Wood Drawer Front Gather Sign

Wooden Drawer Front Gather Sign

This is what I am most excited about for the holidays-gathering together with family and friends! Hope you have a wonderful day!

Sunshine and Blessings