Handmade Spotlight - Flowers To Brighten Our Homes

These lovely floral handmade items would look great in just about any home. To get a better look at each one CLICK HERE.

Needles-n-Pins Stitcheries: The Perfect Porch

I love my back porch. I spend as much time out there as I can just enjoying the quiet and sounds of the birds and nature. It isn't a real big porch, but I can put a few flower pots out there and put my chair out and sit in the sun. Living up in the north country we soak up as much sun as we can so when the sun is shining I try to take a little time to sit on my back porch. 

This article from The Country Register of Minnesota is on having a screen porch, but some of the ideas could work for an outdoor porch also. 

A porch is a quiet place to sit and relax. It is a place where people often sit and read the morning paper, or perhaps their favorite decorating magazine, while enjoying a cup of coffee. If offers the sights, scents and sounds of the outdoors along with the comforts of indoor living. A three season room or screen porch is an extension of your home. Decorate this space with the same gusto and creativeness that you would when decorating any other room of your house.

ADD ACCESSORIES

Use outdoor furniture with indoor features, such as pillows and throws. Toss a quilt over the back of a chair. Yard sales, flea markets and thrift stores are perfect places to find these items.

REFLECT YOUR PERSONAL STYLE

Make sure your patio fits your personal style. Treat it like any other room of your home. If your home is decorated in the primitive or country style, be sure to incorporate those tastes into your outdoor patio.

BRING THE OUTDOORS IN

Potted flowers bring the elements of the garden up onto your porch or patio. Choose coordinating colors to go with your furniture or theme. Place potted flowers inside crocks and wooden boxes. Add garden-themed items such as vintage watering cans, birdhouses and gardening tools.

DON’T HAVE A PORCH OR PATIO?

Create your own special space by placing furniture in a secluded area in your yard. It will create the perfect spot to sit and enjoy your favorite magazine!

 Reprinted in part with permission from The Country Register of Minnesota

So if you have a screened porch or just an outdoors porch and area have fun decorating it to your style and enjoy it while we can before the winter comes again. 

Have fun decorating! 

Colleen :)

Needles-n-Pins Stitcheries

Needles-n-Pins Stitcheries Blog

Jacquie's Up-Cycle Nation: Time Travel

Summer time is travel time!  Along with the sand, seashells, and snapshots, souvenirs also will be collected to keep adventure memories fresh throughout the year.  This summer go retro by collecting vintage souvenirs from your vacation destinations.  Though they may be hard to source out locally, Etsy vintage sellers have just the city or state you need.

Vintage postcards capture the original spirit of the destination in summer hues.  Perfect for display, scrapbooks, and mailing, postcards like this Mississippi set from KitschyVintage  can be scored at reasonable prices.
 
Show off that travel style with boho chic wear from EvieandLiv.  Crafted from an up-cycled souvenir tablecloth, this women's bolero vest gets the conversation started!

Looking for something unusual to commemorate a recent trip to Florida? Head on over to 3floridagirls for kitschy vintage mementos of the sunshine state. 

Souvenir pennants are perfect decorative reminders of summer vacations!  Line the back porch, family room or the kids' rooms with happy memories. Start your collection at Thebeezkneezvintage. 



The king and queen of kitschy travel souvenirs are the salt and pepper shaker! Functional fun and whimsy advertising a state's popular product or attraction are still the rage toady.  Scoop up this vintage California pipe set from Banksville79.

For more kitschy travel fun search vintage souvenir on Etsy.

LOVE  &  UP-CYCLE NATION!

Jacquie Wheeler

Hand of Bela Peck

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Handofbelapeck?ref=si_shop
https://www.etsy.com/shop/BelaPeckHome

http://handofbelapeck1759.blogspot.com/

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Sunday Blog Party - Show Us Your Handmades

Welcome to our Sunday Blog Party. We would love to have you show us what you are making.

You are allowed to add 3 links to your shops or your blog.

The rules are simple:
1. Follow our blog
2. Handmade items only.
3. You may list up to 3 items each week.
4. Family friendly items only.

The success of this link party depends on the participants so spread the word to your friends, visit the shops,  post about it on your  blog, in a forum or on your favorite social networking site, grab the button and put it on your blog or website.
Just click on the Add Your Link button below and add your items.
And if you would like to add a link to the party you can grab this button below.

<a href="http://www.byyourhands.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i782.photobucket.com/albums/yy110/ByYourHands/blogparty.jpg">, </a>

An InLinkz Link-up

Witches Stitches – Dried Carrot Pumpkin and Snowman Noses

I know it may seem early in the season to be working on Fall and Halloween items, but in the world of crafting for sale you always have to be one season ahead. I have used many things for my pumpkin and snowman noses. The thing I find works best is an antique square head nail or a dried baby carrot. It may be hard to find old nails, I am sure you can find them on etsy or ebay. Dried carrots are easy to make and look great. You can just stitch them on and they stay perfect.

Here is how to make them – Preheat your oven to 170 degrees

Step one – Buy a package of baby carrots. Put a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and place the carrots on it. Make sure they are all spread out, don’t let them touch.

Step 2 – Put them in your preheated oven and let them sit in there for 12 to 14 hours. I know this seems like a long time, and they might even take longer. But you want to get all the moisture out of them. If they still have moisture in them they can mold. Every couple of hours or so you might want to flip them over.

Step 3 – Once you are sure they are done, (they will be stiff and all shriveled and dried up), A good test is to take one or two of them out of the oven wait till they cool and press them onto a paper towel. If you see moisture, pop them back in for a bit, sprinkle some cinnamon on them, (not to mch), and then flip them and do the other side. Let them sit on the cookie sheet until they are good and cool. Know you have noses to use on you fall and winter items.