Autumn Burlap Table Runner tutorial

Hello Happy Hour Projects readers!  My name is Karen and I blog over at Pocket Full of Pink, where I post crafts, tutorials, recipes and sometimes just random stuff!  I am so excited to be here.

Today I am going to show you my Ruffled Burlap Table Runner:

I am absolutely LOVING my Table Runner!  I love how it turned out.  Wanna know how I made it?  

Here is what you will need:

Burlap (I used a piece about 17 inches wide, 45 inches long)

2 different fabrics about 1/4- 1/2 yard of each

sewing machine

thread

scissors, tape measure

I don't quilt, but I use the long plastic thingy (what is the name of it!!) in the picture and a cutting mat.

That's all you need!  This is so inexpensive to make!!

First I cut the burlap into the 17 x 45 inch piece.  Do ya know how to cut Burlap?  You make a little snip where you want to cut it, then pull out a burlap thread.  This will make a straight line through your burlap!  Now you can use scissors or a quilting cutter (I can't think of the right name for it!) to cut your burlap.  I hope that made sense.  It really makes it easy to cut the Burlap.

After you have cut your burlap in the desired length and width, iron it.  Mine had lots of creases in it.  Don't leave the hot iron on the burlap for long:)

Next, you cut your 2 different fabrics into strips about 2 inches by 34 inches long (twice the amount of the width of your runner).  I cut 4 strips of one pattern and 3 of the other pattern.  

Now here's the fun part.  I hated making ruffles until I learned how to make them!  My machine is very basic and I know every machine is different, so this probably varies depending on your machine.  You turn the thread tension up to the highest number.  I know the picture is hard to see, but my thread tension is at about 8 or 9.  

Next, you turn the stitch width to the highest.  Mine is 5.  

Here is what the ruffles looked like when I got done.  All you have to do is guide the fabric piece through the machine, and it makes the ruffles for you!  This works perfectly!  Remember, don't back stitch. I am a new woman now that I have discovered this!!

Next, I placed each ruffle about 6 inches apart.  Now, pin each ruffle onto the burlap in a straight line.

Sew each ruffle down, right down the center, but make sure you are not sewing on top of the stitch you sewed to make the ruffle.  Get as close as you can to it.  Then after each ruffle is sewn on, take your seam ripper and take out the ruffle seam (the one on the right that my seam ripper is pointing to).  The seam should come out really easy. 

After picking out the ruffle seam, I frayed each ruffle a little along the edges of the fabric.  I also cut any threads that were hanging.  

Admire your fabulous work and show it off on your table!!

We had some friends over for dinner last night and they absolutely LOVED this!  

It was so nice to say I MADE IT!! 

If you have any questions about my directions, e-mail me and I'd be happy to help:

kweight@byu.net

Thanks so much Adrianne for letting me stop by! 

Pumpkins, Black Cats, and Witches

If you would like to enter the Halloween blocks giveaway click here!  

How is your weekend going?  Mine is very relaxed and we are actually getting some rain!  We really need it:)

Pretty Halloween Ensemble at Honey and Maple Syrup.

I haven't seen this Halloween printable yet!  Find it on Rebecca Cooper's Blog: Simple as That.

How cute is this?  If I was pregers I would soooo wear it.....but alas i am NOT prego! 

Find this on ETSY.

I want to make one of these!  I love it!  Find it on Etsy.

I LOVE this book!  I used to read it to my kiddos when they were little.  They loved it:)

Love this pumpkin tree!  So fun... At Country Living.

I love all things Vintage.  Especially Halloween! 

Find them here.

Hope you have a fantastic weekend.  I am so excited to make an announcement next week!  It's gonna be a SWEET October!!

Fall Burlap Wreath

Yesterday I spent my afternoon making this baby. 

I have to be completely honest....I don't know if I LOVE it.  

I saw Linda's pretty wreath over at Craftaholics and I knew I had to make one.  

I think her's turned out better, but I am not going to put mine down:)  I am happy with it, I just think my flowers turned out HUGE!

When I was making it, I couldn't decide whether to do the Halloween or Fall look, so it kinda turned out BOTH.  

I need your honest opinion.  Do you like it?  Be kind and gentle.  I am having PMS right now....

My kids loved it!  I should be happy about that, right?  

I need peer approval please....

I am linking here:

Somewhat Simple

Shabby Creek Cottage

Be Different Act Normal

I  heart Naptime

Young and Crafty

DIY Halloween Wood Blocks and Giveaway!

Have you visited Andy over at Poppies at Play?  She has created some fabulous printable's to use for free!

I was visiting her blog recently and found this cool printable for these Halloween blocks.  I HAD to make them!

Most of you may already know this, but I had a problem with the ink running when I put the mod podge on.  I sprayed the printable with Krylon Matte spray and that seemed to do the trick.  

I like the antique, worn look, so I sanded around the edges and on the top of the letter a little.  It also covers up any mistakes or ink that ran a little:)

I have sooo many Halloween decorations here at my house, I couldn't possible keep these blocks.  Would you like the chance to win them?  

Here's what ya gotta do:

- Follow my blog and leave a comment saying you follow (if you are already a follower, just leave a comment saying so)

-make sure you leave me your e-mail or some way to contact you!

For extra entries:

- Tweet about this giveaway and leave the link. (2 extra entries) 

- Give a shout out about this giveaway on Facebook and leave the link. (3 extra entries)

That's it!  What a cute addition to your Halloween decor these would make, right?  

 This giveaway will end Wednesday Sept. 21st at Midnight.  I will announce the winner on Thursday morning the 22nd.
U.S. and Canada only!

  

Good luck!

I am linking here:
Katie's Nesting Spot
House of Hepworths
A Little Tipsy
Happy Hour Projects
Frugalicious Me

A day in the life of an Adult with ADD

Let me begin by saying… I don’t expect you to read all of this, I know I wouldn’t (if you’re anything like me, you won’t sit here long enough to get through half of it), just wondering if any of you have days, weeks or

you live like this? I love the creative side of my brain, but the other side is driving me crazy.  

I debated about whether to even post about this, but I think there may be someone out there who needs to read this.  I am 43 years old and I have ADD.  There, I said it.  Here is what my days are like:

6:15am:  wake up, get kids to school, eat breakfast, put the clothes in the dryer that I forgot about and left in the wash the day before.

8:00am: exercise (if I don't do it now, it won't get done)

9:00am:  check my e-mail, my blog, and usually spend at least an hour looking at blogs and answering e-mails.  

10:00 or so:  take a shower

10:30am:  think about the things I should do, then decide to get on the computer again.  Sometimes I start a craft, but I don't usually finish it.   Maybe throw a load of laundry in the wash.

12:00: eat lunch while I am on the computer checking e-mail and my blog. (I  know. I am a addict)

1:00: think about all the projects I want to do, but don't actually start anything.  Feel overwhelmed by some of the things I should be doing.  maybe remember to put the clothes in the dryer.

2pm: Think to myself, "What happened to the time? I can't believe it's almost time for S to come home!"

Look at the pile of stuff in my bedroom against the wall and think about how I need to do something with it. I decide I'll do it tomorrow.

2:30:  Take a nap until S gets home.

Are you thinking, "Holy cow, that woman is REALLY lazy!"  Well, that's what I think sometimes.  I really have good intentions about what I am going to do that day, but it never really works out.  

This is totally me!  

You should see my house.  Can you say Clutter?  I look at it and just don't know what to do with it, so I do nothing.

I hope I don't scare anyone out there, I actually function pretty well,  it just gets old.  I am tired of forgetting stuff, blurting out stuff, not finishing a task, or not even starting it, having a low self-esteem, etc...etc....etc...

I was diagnosed about 6 years ago, along with my then, 8 year old son.  He was put on medication which has helped him tremendously.  I tried the medication, but I didn't like the way it felt, so I quit taking it.

Many of you know I started College last Fall and I have been doing really well.  But recently I have felt so scatter brained, forgetting more, and having a hard time getting ANYTHING done.  So I went to a Dr. He gave me a written test to take and did confirm that yes, I do have ADD. 

So now I am taking some medication for ADD and so far it is working GREAT!   I don't feel so exhausted all the time, my mind seems more clear, and I feel more driven to get things done.  It's not perfect, but things are getting better.

  If you think you might have ADD,  or you have a kid or a spouse with ADD,  you should watch ADD and loving it?!  It was recently on PBS.  It was awesome!   Here is a quote from the show:

When ADD is diagnosed and treated, life can become very sweet. A liability can become an asset. As one expert explains, "This is not a diagnosis to fear. This is a diagnosis to understand and embrace."

I am learning to live with ADD and I know others can too.  I hope this helped someone out there.  It helped me to write this!

Jewelry holder redone with Quatrefoil Stencil

Here is what I have been using to hold my necklaces, etc.  I have had this for over 10 yrs!  Don't ya LURRRVE the cute stenciling on the front?  

I decided to cover up that ugly stenciling and redo that lovely jewelry holder!

Sorry about the blurry picture, but can you see all the dust collecting on that thing?  

Pretty gross, huh?  I am not the best house keeper.  I am being honest here, so try not to judge me....

First I cleaned that baby with soap and water.  Wow, it actually doesn't look too bad.  Maybe I shouldn't....forget it, it needs a redo!

As you can see I sprayed it with 2 coats of Rustoleum Ultra 2X coverage- heirloom white (my favorite!).

Here's a pretty picture of what it looks like after I sprayed it.  Just ignore that ugly Halloween tablecloth I use for spray painting!

Here I go again, no pictures of stenciling it!  SORRY!  It was pretty easy, although I recommend taking the knobs off BEFORE you try to stencil (I didn't know they come out! DUH:) 

So...yea, I had a MAJOR problem stenciling with the knobs in.  I did the whole thing and it looked HORRIBLE, so I took the knobs out, then sprayed it again and tried the stenciling again.  LIVE and LEARN, huh?

I really love how it turned out!

I think it's PERDY, don't you?

It matches my room, which I am not going to show you, because it is a mess right now and needs to be repainted!

Thanks for stopping by today!!

I am linking up with these Parties:

Craftomaniac

Making the World Cuter

Confessions of a SAHM

Pinkapotamus

Southern Lovely

Lil Luna

Not so Simple Housewife

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes

Thanks for the responses I have received for guest posts!  I still have some open spots!!  

If you are interest, see details in the previous post.  I would love to hear from you!!

I can't believe I haven't shared this recipe with you before!  This is my FAVORITE healthy pancake recipe.  Your family will LOVE it.  I promise!  It has lots of healthy stuff in it:)

Ok....The picture is not so pretty (why is it so hard to make food look yummy in pictures?)  but trust me, they are delicious!  My SIL gave me the recipe.  Here it is:

Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes 

(serves about 5)

2 Cups of whole wheat flour

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. Baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 Tbsp. ground flax (I skip this)

2 Cups Sour milk or Buttermilk

1/4 Olive oil

1 ripe banana, mashed

2 eggs

Did you know you can make Buttermilk?  Here's how:

Milk (just under 1 cup)

1 Tbsp. of white vinegar or lemon juice

Place a Tbsp. of white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup

Add enough milk to bring the liquid to the one cup line.

It works great and I even use Soy milk instead of reg. milk!  

Mix all ingredients together and cook your pancakes.  Yummy!  They are sooooo good:)  

If you make these let me know how you liked them.  I would love to hear from you!!

I hope you can take the time to pause tomorrow and think of those who lost their lives on 9/11.  I can't believe it's been 10 years.  Here's a great post by Ellie from Less Cake {More Frosting}.  It was really touching.  I seriously got goosebumps when I read it:)

{Guest Bloggers Wanted}

Hey all you crafty bloggers out there!  I am starting school the end of this month and would like to schedule some guest bloggers for September and October.   For September I still have slots for the 26th, and 29th.  October is very open, so if you have a date you prefer, please let me know.   I would like to try and have a guest post about once a week.  

I am taking 12 credits and maybe that doesn't sound like a lot, but I am totally overwhelmed just thinking about it!  

I am not a picky blogger.  I am totally random in my posts.  Don't be afraid to send me your idea!  I won't bite...promise:)

I had over 8,000 page views last month and all time I have had over 101,000 page views.  I know there are a lot more popular blogs out there, but it should help get some extra traffic your way!

Requirements:
1) Must be a new post
2) Must be a tutorial
3) Can be anything you want, as long as it is DIY in nature, or a recipe would be fine too
4) Nice big photos
5) HTML emailed to me 3 days before your scheduled posting date


Interested?  Email me at kweight@byu.net with an idea to post about and a date you'd prefer.

{Savannah's refashioned Backpack}

A few days before school was going to start, my 9 year old daughter started asking me to buy her a new backpack.  I told her that her backpack was fine, there wasn't anything wrong with it.  She insisted and started whining about it.

We have a motto at our house some of you may  have heard of it:

Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without!

She wasn't buyin' it.  I told her, ok I will add some cute stuff to your backpack, like cute fabric or something.  She picked out some fabric from my stash, and I went to work.  Here is what I came up with.  It isn't anything too fantastic, but she was VERY excited about it!

I started with sewing on the ruffles, but the backpack was SO hard to manuver on my sewing machine that I decided to hot glue the fabric on.  I don't know how long it will last, but for now Savannah is one happy camper!

Have a great weekend!

Boo to You Canvas Art

I love canvas art.  It's fun to work with and it's hard to mess up.  I bought a bunch of canvas in different sizes from that craft store I told you about that went out of business.  For this project I used a 8 x 8 canvas.  Here's what you need for this project:

8 x 8 canvas

Black paint (I used Delta Ceramcoat)

Orange paint (Delta Ceramcoat)

stencil (I used Martha Stewart)

Scrapbook paper ( I used Boo to You by My Minds Eye)

vinyl lettering (or you could use foam stamps, etc.)

Burlap

spray adhesive

stencil brush

glue gun

I didn't take a picture of every step, but this was an easy project.  The hardest part is probably the stenciling.  The secret to stenciling is you move your hand up and down and don't spread out the bristles on the brush.  You also don't want too much paint on your brush.

First I painted the canvas.  Let it dry. It only took about 15 minutes to dry.  Then I stenciled with the black paint and Martha Stewart stencil.  These stencils are awesome!  They came in a 3 pack.  I used my 50% off coupon at Micheal's.  I paid $8 for 3 different stencils with different patterns on them.

After the paint was dry I cut the black burlap a little smaller than the 8 x 8 canvas.  I fringed the edges of the burlap a little.  

Then I cut the paper a little smaller size than the burlap.  I used spray adhesive to attach the burlap to the canvas and to attach the paper to the burlap.  It Worked great!  

Next, I adhered the vinyl lettering to the paper.  Isn't that font cute?

Lastly, I made a lovely little rosette flower with the black burlap and hot glued a pumpkin button on the flower.  

This project probably took me about 1 1/2 hours including the time to stencil the canvas.  I love the way it turned out!  

I think I will give this to my friend for her birthday!  

Thanks for stopping by, and have a fabulous day:)

I am linking to these parties:
Shabby Creek Cottage
Katie's Nesting Spot
Tea Rose Home
Happy Hour Projects
Frugalicious Me
ABC and 123 learning
House of Hepworths
The Answer is Chocolate
A Glimpse Inside

Vintage Happy Halloween Wood decor

I told you about my goal to use up my vinyl lettering that I have had sitting around my house forever, right?  Well here is the fun wood decor I made with the spooky looking "Happy Halloween" lettering.

First I painted the wood orange with Delta Ceramcoat paint.  

After letting it dry, I applied the lettering.  I love the font...don't you?

Next, I let the wood sit around my house for about 1 month without doing a thing to it!

It needed something more, so I stamped the bats on with a rubber stamp and black acrylic paint.

  I had some cute little vintage Halloween pictures that I purchased on Etsy as a download.  They were like $2 and I can used them over and over again.  I matted the vintage picture with some cute Halloween paper and used some pop dots to attach it. 

To finish it off, I edged the wood with black paint.  I just used a paper towel and rubbed it around the edges.  Soooo easy and very cheap.  The vinyl was free, the wood was in my garage, I had the paint and the only cost was the vintage image!  

Thanks so much for stopping by!  My kids started school today and I am looking forward to having a little more time to craft.  Then I start school in 3 weeks!

I am linking with these awesome parties:
Tip Junkie
Funky Polka Dot Giraffe

Spooky Burlap Table Runner

Have you seen this absolutely Spooky Burlap Table Runner over at Polka Dot Chair?  I am drooling over it!  She even gives a tutorial on how to make it!!  I am lovin' it!!

Now this I think I can do!!  That couch even looks like it's made out of Burlap!  Wonder if I could make that???

Boo! Crackled Wood Sign

I have been so excited to share this craft with you!  Since it is September 1st, I feel justified to be sharing a Halloween decoration with you.  It's ok, right?

I saw Kierste's cute Boo Beadboard sign over at Brown Paper Packages.  I absolutely LOVE beadboard, but I didn't have any just sitting around.  However, I did get this cute routed piece of wood for  .25 cents at an Estate sale!

I was pretty sure I could make a sign that looks similar, but with my own twist on it!  

Here are the supplies you need:

Black paint (I used Delta Ceramcoat)

White paint (to go over the Crackle)

Crackle (I used Delta Ceramcoat)

foam brush

distress ink (I used black chalk ink)

coordinating patterned paper

Cricut, or template for the boo text

Halloween text background (see BPP)

First, paint the board with your foam brush, with even strokes, covering the board completely.  I only painted one coat.

When the paint was completely dry, I followed the directions on the Crackle bottle and brushed 1medium even coat of Crackle over the black paint.  Let dry until tacky (about 15-20 minutes).

Then, I brushed 1 coat of white paint over the tacky Crackle.  Let dry completely.

Oh, gosh, I didn't take a picture of what the crackle looked like!  Dang it!!  Sorry.  You can kinda see what the crackle looks like around the edges.  It gives it an aged look.  I REALLY like it!  Before I adhered the background text, I sanded the dry crackle with my palm sander.  I wanted it to look VERY aged.  

Follow the directions on the Mod Podge bottle and adhere the background text.  Make sure you smooth down the paper as soon as you apply the Mod Podge or you will get air bubbles.  I just used my hands to smooth it down.  

Next, I cut out the "boo" with my handy dandy Cricut machine.  Then, I cut the paper, the size I wanted it.  I also used the coordinating paper for the background under the "boo."  Sorry about the Sun through the window in the pictures!  Don't ya love the spooky black paper that I cut the "boo" out of?  You can't see it very well, but it has glitter on it and it is raised off the paper.  

I finished it off by rubbing the black chalk ink all over it and then a coat of Mod Podge.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

I am linking to these parties:
House of Hepworth's
Fireflies and Jellybeans
Shabby Creek Cottage
Somewhat Simple
Tea Rose Home
Southern Lovely
Happy Hour Projects
Design DNA