Vintage Indie Featured in Parents 100 Days of Holidays

Vintage Indie is excited to be apart of Parents Magazine's 100 Days of Holidays as a Crafty Contributor.

I can't take credit for the project though, as Vintage Indie's former contributing editor Elizabeth Holcombe is the creator of the Recycled Paper Posy Wreath Project. Find it at Parents 100 Days of Holidays #15. 

 

Elizabeth Holcombe Fedorko, aka Bethsbagz, began her checkered crafting career when at four she realized using paste on paper was better than eating it. Inspired by vintage dime store treasures, vintage fabric, and a no-fear attitude toward color, Beth crafts totes, pin cushions, wreaths, and corsages into her Dime Store Chic creations. Beth would love you to take a peek into her whimsical world at her blog. 

 

What You Make of It: A Spring Forest with Dyed Bottle Brush Trees

 Create a springtime forest for your Easter or spring decor!

First, you'll need those dark green bottle brush trees you can find at craft or hobby stores. Get the ones with natural bristles, not plastic ones.

Second, in a glass bowl, mix three parts water and one part bleach.

Third, put your bottle brush trees into the mixture and watch them fade! When the trees are free of the dark green, rinse off the bleach and set them aside. They don't have to dry as they will be going back into the water soon!

Fourth, get some ordinary food colors (I get mine from the dollar store). Fill various bowls with water and add white vinegar to the water (1 T. of vinegar to 1 cup of water). Mix. Then add drops of food coloring as directed on the package. Put your trees in the bowls and let them soak until the tree is the desired color you want. Soak longer for a darker color.

Fifth, remove trees from dye. Give them a quick rinse to remove vinegar smell. Some of the dye will come off, but that's OK. Allow trees to dry.

To display you may want to set your trees in vintage plastic nut cups as seen in the photo.

 

Elizabeth Holcombe Fedorko, aka Bethsbagz, began her checkered crafting career when at four she realized using paste on paper was better than eating it. Inspired by vintage dime store treasures, vintage fabric, and a no-fear attitude toward color, Beth crafts totes, pin cushions, wreaths, and corsages into her Dime Store Chic creations. Beth would love you to take a peek into her whimsical world at her blog.

I love this idea Elizabeth! I can imagine a whole mantle filled with these adorable trees.

What You Make of It: Vintage Coloring Book Totes

What You Make of It: Vintage Coloring Book Totes

By Elizabeth Holcombe Fedorko

Coloring books were, for many of us, our first foray into the wonderful world of artistic expression! When I was a child there was no better treat than a new coloring book from the Woolworth’s Store and sometimes, if I was very lucky, a new box of crayons. I saved many of my childhood coloring books and recently I pulled them out and was amazed at the colorful and whimsical graphics. If you don’t have any of these vintage coloring books, they are easy to find at on-line auctions, estate sales, and flea markets.

Inspired by these delightful pieces of my childhood, I re-purposed the covers into totes. 

 

 

 

You don’t have to get as elaborate as I did with my tote, as there are simpler methods for the non-sewer. The main supply you need is computer printer fabric.  You can find packs of these 8-1/2 X 11 inch pieces of cotton fabric with a paper backing in the quilting notions section of your favorite craft or fabric shop. The brand is frequently use is Computer Printer Fabric by June Tailor. You can purchase the “sew-in” variety (what I favor) or the “iron on” kind. The instructions for use on the package are super simple.   If you get the iron on printer fabric, you may iron your printed image to a pre-made canvas tote with out sewing! Easy!

 

Elizabeth Holcombe Fedorko, aka Bethsbagz, began her checkered crafting career when at four she realized using paste on paper was better than eating it. Inspired by vintage dime store treasures, vintage fabric, and a no-fear attitude toward color, Beth crafts totes, pin cushions, wreaths, and corsages into her Dime Store Chic creations. Beth would love you to take a peek into her whimsical world at her blog.

Teach Me: Easy Watercolor Valentine's Day Banner

 

Step 1: Gather your materials.

1. Hearts Template. We searched on-line for a printable hearts template. There are many out there to choose from. I liked the one we found since it has many different sizes of hearts. 

2. Watercolors & Brushes.

3. Newspaper or covering for your work surface.We used brown craft paper that came in a package mailed to us. A great way to use and recycle packaging materials. 

4. Water & Paper Towels.

5. String for hanging later on.

Step 2: Paint your hearts in a collection of colors. We chose to go with reds, pinks, a white and one blue. The boys ended up experimenting with color blending and came up with a great purple and other colors from this family.

 

Step 3: Wait for your watercolor to dry, apply a second coat if you like dark colors.

 

Step 4: Cut out each heart.

 

Step 5: Measure you length of string, we chose some triple ply embroidery thread. Attach the hearts to the string. We used tape and placed hearts of different sizes and colors in a row down the string.

We decided to use leftover hearts to give the fridge some love.

Happy creating!

 

Paper Arts with a Vintage Feel with Contributing Editor Malia Karlinsky

Hi There!  I recently attended a paper crafting show in Seattle. There were loads of lovely things to see but one booth in particular felt very vintage indie. Crafty Secrets offers retro and vintage crafting supplies that also feel fresh.  Head Designer Vicki Chrisman shared some of her favorite products and projects with us:

 

For more inspiration visit the Crafty Secrets website and blog.  Check out Vicki Chrisman's personal blog too.  Lots of vintage loving beauty. 

 

Malia Karlinsky is a wife and a Mom to two cute kids.  She enjoys elegant upcycling, finding vintage treasures, sewing, photography and writing.  Oh and tap dancing which she isn't good at but really loves.  In her previous career, Malia was a television writer and producer. Visit Malia  on her blog Yesterday On Tuesday

 

Accessories: Vintage Fabrics Find New Life As Jewelry Organizers

Hello, Vintage Indie Readers! Gabreial kindly asked me to submit posts for the past two weeks and I am delighted to do so!

I would like you to meet Suzy Spence of Georgia Peachez ! For over ten years Suzy has created fabulous purses and other useful totes from the coolest vintage fabrics, buttons, and trims! I spoke to Suzy recently about some of her latest creations, jewelry organizers!

Suzy, why jewelry organizers?

My passion is vintage textiles and I love to find new ways to bring these lovely linens of the past to a modern use.

I also love jewelry and I've found a way to combine the vintage textiles and jewelry by making pretty little totes for my jewelry when I travel.

How are your jewelry totes different from your other tote bags?

My jewelry totes are just like a bigger tote but only about 9" x 7 " they have a plastic organizer that slips inside to hold earrings and small necklaces, bigger necklaces just drop right into the tote. 

 

Suzy, these are so pretty!

 

I think the vintage textiles combine nicely to make a pretty patchwork for these little totes and a very stylish way to take your jewelry on the road.

Thank you to Suzy for sharing her stylish one-of-a-kind ideas for recycling vintage fabrics and trims! And thank you, Vintage Indie Readers, for stopping by!~~~Beth

Elizabeth Holcombe Fedorko, aka Bethsbagz, began her checkered crafting career when at four she realized using paste on paper was better than eating it. Inspired by vintage dime store treasures, vintage fabric, and a no-fear attitude toward color, Beth crafts totes, pin cushions, wreaths, and corsages into her Dime Store Chic creations. Beth would love you to take a peek into her whimsical world at her blog.

 

 

Organic & Whole Living: DVD Review The Art of Canning with The West Ladies

I've talked a lot about whole foods, and whole living here at Vintage Indie and it is a topic I hold dear to my heart. When I know my family is getting the best nutrition that they possibly can, we stay out of the doctors office. When I eliminated processed crap from our diets we all started feeling better. Mind you it wasn't overnight but day after day every little bit has helped. I still have a special place in my heart for Chipotle.

In order to achieve my goal of 100% whole foods in our diet I've been considering canning quite a bit lately. While canning may not be the best option for nutrition, it is a good option for organic tomatoes and apple sauce and of course fermented veggies like sauerkraut and pickles. A frozen cucumber just doesn't go over well.

A couple of weeks ago my boys and I sat down to watch The Art of Canning from the Homestead Blessing series sent to me from Franklin Springs. The West Ladies consist of a mama and her daughters who have created a series on the "homestead" life. You may remember my review of their bread-making dvd in which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Since I had already poured a lot of research into canning, I knew a lot but having a visual was very helpful. Although I loved the bread-making dvd I can say that the canning one wasn't my favorite. In many of the books I've researched there is a lot of talk about the seriousness of botulism and other harmful bacteria that can grow in your canned foods if you don't can properly. To me the video didn't cover the safety aspects of canning that I would have preferred. Being a new "canner" these sorts of things make me hesitant on what I'm considering to can.

The dvd did offer tips, tricks and helpful tidbits for canning that maybe only your grandmother would share with you or things you'd otherwise have to learn on your own. This dvd is a great addition to our library since the boys really enjoyed it, but I wouldn't use it as my only source of information for canning.

Truth in Review: Franklin Spring Family Media did provide me with all of the products mentioned to review including shipping. Franklin Springs Family Media did not pay me for the review or require any certain context within my review. All reviews posted by me are truthful in content and not bought. Gabreial Visit our Disclaimer for more info.

What You Make of It: Upcycled Mail Organizer with Eleanor of Oh Louise! Personalized Stationery

One thing that Peter & I have been steadily bad at since getting married is being organized with our mail... the mail comes, one of us looks at it & puts it somewhere random & the other never knows that mail even came! Not good...

So when  my mother-in-law was cleaning her garage out and asked if I wanted an old basket that used to be brown & forest green, the shape instantly made me think it could be a mail-organizer that would fit perfectly on the ledge in our entry hall. And then of course I thought of spray paint & how easily I could jazz the old basket up.

 

Supplies: an old basket, box or container with sections, household cleaner, spray paint, sturdy white paper, computer & printer (or you could hand write your labels!), glue lines or double sided tape

 

First I cleaned the basket using household cleaner & a paper towel.

I then spray painted it with aqua spray paint & let it dry. I gave the basket 2 coats because of the weaving, to make sure I got all the nooks and crannies.

I didn’t even spray a protective coat on this one, but at some point I might if I notice a lot of chipping – that one’s up to you!

Lastly I printed out little tags to further organize us... One for each of us (so that the other knows where to stick the mail when its not theirs!), one tag for mail addressed to us both & one for magazines – we randomly get a lot of those! I attached the tags using acid-free “glue lines” – you can find them in the scrapbooking section at craft stores. They work great – much better than double sided tape!

The point of the mail organizer is not to store mail forever, but just to give it a temporary, happy home when we don’t have time to deal with the mail, but have already taken it out of the mailbox. So far it’s working like a charm... no more lost birthday cards and no more (or far less!) stacks of mail around the house!

Visit our guest contributor Eleanor Boynton at Oh Louise! for her line of personalized Stationery.

What You Make of It: Chalkboard Kitchen Cabinets with Eleanor of Oh Louise! Personalized Stationery

Good Monday morning lovelies! Did you have a great weekend? I know I've been saying this a lot lately, but time just won't stand still it is just flying by! Mostly because we're getting ready to start our new year (homeschool) and preparations are under way every day.

Today, I'm happy to have Eleanor back again with another great What You Make of It project. I've have really enjoyed having her and all of her fabulous projects. Please be sure to visit her business Oh Louise! 

 

Supplies: A cabinet you want to beautify, wood, a nice employee at a supply store that will cut your wood, staple gun, staples, primer, & chalkboard paint

 

I love having personalized touches in our house, especially in areas where lots of people hang out or walk by.  After reading lots of blogs & seeing how people use chalkboard paint on just about anything, I decided it would be fun to turn our cabinets in between our kitchen and tv room into a space where grocery lists & fun messages could be written.

 

My husband Peter took the wire mesh out of the cabinet door frames.  He then took one of the cabinet doors up to Home Depot and experimented with different widths of wood until he found the perfect match to fit inside of the space where the wire mesh was.  He measured the size of the space he needed the eventual chalk board to fit and had a Home Depot employee cut it to match. He could have cut it himself with a hand saw but didn’t want the wood to split as it is a fairly small piece of wood.  Then he primed the wood and painted it with 2 coats of chalk board paint.

Finally I set the wood inside of the cabinet door frame by using a staple gun. We tried wood glue, but ours didn’t hold, just fyi.

 

Buy some chalk and you’re ready to go! Chalk can be erased with a dry paper towel, but comes of best when you use a wet paper towel.

Visit our guest contributor Eleanor Boynton at Oh Louise! for her line of personalized Stationery.

What You Make of It: Eat Drink DIY Art Prints & Frames with Eleanor Boynton

Supplies: cardstock, computer & printer, 2 5x7” frames, 1 8x10” frame, spray paint

 

Our “Eat Drink” prints were inspired by me seeing tons of cute kitchen photos online that had fun, modern wall art, many that didn’t seem too hard to create. I saw many “Eat” prints, but thought adding “Drink” to the mix be a  fab tribute to our love for wine. :)

 

For the “EAT drink” print, I used Adobe Illustrator, but you could use Word as well. I picked 3 colors, left-aligned the text & used a sans-serif font to make it look clean & simple.

 

For the images of the fork & knife and the wine glass, I actually was able to find Photoshop Custom Shapes that I simply copied into Illustrator, enlarged to a 5x7” size, and applied colored backgrounds to match the “EAT drink” print.

 

I don’t use Photoshop shapes on any of my stationery or products that I sell (because Oh Louise! stationery is all handmade & custom designed) but for prints in my house, custom shapes are as easy as it comes. Unfortunately these shapes are only located in photoshop, although if you have Word or another program, I’m sure there would be graphics available for you to use there.

 

I cut down the image prints to 5x7” & the “EAT drink” print to 8x10”. I purchased the 2 white 5x7 frames at Target for a few dollars & found an old 8x10 frame lying around my house, which I spray painted a deep brown to match the colors I chose for the prints.

 

Finally I set them on top of the door molding (a door in our kitchen leading out to our patio) and pushed them together... no need for nails in my case! They’ve been up for a couple months & haven’t ever fallen down. :)

Visit our guest contributor Eleanor Boynton at Oh Louise! for her line of personalized Stationery.

What You Make of It: Old Shutter Wall Decor with Eleanor of Oh Louise! Personalized Stationery

Supplies: Old Shutters, Household Cleaner, Spray Paint, Clear Screwdriver, Hammer, 2 Nails

 

I love the idea of reusing old shutters as thrifty home decor. My mother in law gave me a few of these small shutters that were previously white & worn.

 

My first step was to thoroughly clean the shutters to remove all the old grime so that the paint would stick.

I removed the hardware with a screwdriver and then I used yellow spray paint to brighten things up.

I did 2 coats, let it dry & sprayed on a clear protective coat.

I put the hardware back on, nailed 2 nails in the wall & hung the shutters.

My idea at first was to stick pictures in the slats, but once I put the shutters & other decor on the wall, I thought pictures might clutter things. If you do want to use pictures, I recommend adhering them to the shutter slats using double sided tape or “glue lines” found in the scrapbooking section at craft stores.

If you do choose to put photos in your shutter slats, a tip is to used double sided tape to help the photos stick. Sometimes the slats are a little too big to hold photos well.

I decorated around the shutter by finding old pictures of mine and Peter’s grandparents, creating a few DIY prints, as well as spray painting a plain wood mirror a deep chocolate brown.

Visit our guest contributor Eleanor Boynton at Oh Louise! for her line of personalized Stationery.

What You Make of It: White Twigs Lamp with Eleanor of Oh Louise! Personalized Stationery

Supplies: Lamp Base, White Lamp Shade, Twigs, White Spray Paint, Super Glue

 

The first step in assembling the White Twig Lamp is to find or purchase a simple lamp base & white shade. I found a cheap, old black lamp base & got the cheapest white shade that Target had to offer. :)

Next step is to gather twigs wherever you can find them. I actually snapped some of my twigs off of a fallen branch in my back yard.

Next,  spray paint all of the lamp base & all of the twigs with a white glossy paint.

The twigs took a few coats of paint to get them the bright white color I was looking for, so continue letting them dry & recoating until you are satisfied.

Last, I used super glue to glue the twigs to the lamp base. I sort of just started gluing.. but if you are more of a perfectionist, you could try double stick taping the twigs on the base to test out exactly where you want them.

Let your super glue dry & you're done! If the lamp were going to be a highly-used lamp, you might want to spray a clear protective coat over the sticks, but our lamp is in a guest room so I thought it would be fine.

Visit our guest contributor Eleanor Boynton at Oh Louise! for her line of personalized Stationery.

What you Make of It Dime Store Chic with Elizabeth Holcombe: Birthday Wreath

Make this very easy “Celebration” wreath!

 


 

I began with a whole lot of vintage and new plastic flower-shaped birthday candle holders (you can find them at party stores and on-line auctions), a foam wreath form, glue, a few straight pins, a roll of crepe paper, and a few scraps of ribbon and/or rickrack.

 

Wrap the crepe paper around the foam wreath form, covering the form completely. Glue or pin the ends to the back of the wreath. On the front of your wreath, stick the pointy end of the birthday cake candle holders in through the paper and into the foam. You may want to put a drop of glue on the end of the candle holder to secure it into the wreath. Continue putting the candle holders into the wreath in random fashion so you end up with a pretty “garden” on the front of the wreath! Allow the glue (if used) to dry.

 


Take the scraps of ribbon and/or rickrack, stack them, and then pin the ends of the stacks to the back of the wreath at 10 and 2 o’ clock to form a hanger.

 

Hang your wreath when it’s time to celebrate or for every day fun!

Elizabeth Holcombe Fedorko, aka Bethsbagz, began her checkered crafting career when at four she realized using paste on paper was better than eating it. Inspired by vintage dime store treasures, vintage fabric, and a no-fear attitude toward color, Beth crafts totes, pin cushions, wreaths, and corsages into her Dime Store Chic creations. Beth would love you to take a peek into her whimsical world at her blog.

Crafting & DIY: I love you manna, I mean Olive Manna

I love it when I come across a business that is so well put together from the logo to the smallest details in packaging. Today I'm talking about Olive Manna. I simply fell head over heels for this independent supply company.

OK, now you can wipe up the drool and head over to Olive Manna to shop! Their website is just as gorgeous as their products.

xoxo Gabreial

The Daily Swank: Wrapped Pencils

If I've said it once here at Vintage Indie, I've said it twice. I'm a sucker for office/school supplies. I ♥ them. I think you'll like what I found for today's Daily Swank. Wrapped Pencils from Miss Isa.

{ SHOP }

What You Make of It: Pretty Gift Card Holders with Susan Duane

At the end of each school year we give our children's teachers a gift to show our appreciation. I'm often tempted to buy those cute apple mugs, world's greatest teacher items but in recent years my practical side takes over and I opt for a gift card to a spot the teachers/staff enjoy. While maybe not as fun I do think they appreciate that it's something useful rather than another mug that will get tucked away in the cupboard.
 
I'm always looking for a pretty way to give the cards rather than the generic card holder the stores often provide. In years past I have made stamped holders, this time around I found darling burlap bags I purchased on Etsy, bought one roll of the moss ribbon, vintage lace, some felt circles & flowers and a few vintage baubles.

 
On two of the bags I used moss, the other ribbon.  I glued the moss and lace on with my trusty glue gun. My suggestion is you glue close to the seams so the inside of the bag doesn't get glued together. 

 
Then I took the felt shapes and folded them, gluing them in place as desired. I found a scrabble tile with one's initial, a vintage deconstructed earring and one I pinned on a vintage medal that I added to each. I think these little details make them more personal. Again, this project is easily adapted to use what you have on hand and if you are feeling really crafty you can make the burlap bags yourself! Happy Crafting! Susan

Susan Duane is a wife and mother of three young children. She is a home cook, aspiring photographer and lover of old things. She spends her days caring for her family, creating for Paperhill and in her free time chronicles her long list of interests on her blog Hometown Girl.

Don't forget there is still time to vote for the Design for Charity Contest! Vote for Vintage Indie!

Sticky Sticky Sticky

Have you jumped on the sticky tape bandwagon? I know you've had to seen all of the wonderful posts in blogland about the sticky tape craze. It seems like there has been one every week for a year. Well, after seeing these, I just had to hitch a ride.

I'll take one in every color and pattern please! I love that lace tape and the blue polka dot, how cute!

You can find this collection at NothingElegant on Etsy!

Product Review & Photo Tutorial: Hot Iron Embroidery Patterns from Sublime Stitching

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I was embarking on a new-to-me craft. I'm not much of the crafty type, but I fell in love with embroidery once I got started. I contacted Sublime Stitching my first week, wanting to try my hand at hot iron transfer patterns. They happily fulfilled my request and from that, I've created a handy photo tutorial for you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See how easy that was! Sublime Stitching's instructions were easy to follow. I have to say, this method is way easier than a pencil transfer. Head over to Sublime Stitching for the I LUV Veggies Hot Iron Transfer Pattern and so much more. 

Truth in Review: Sublime Stitching did provide me with all of the products mentioned to review including shipping. Sublime Stitching did not pay me for the review or require any certain context within my review. All reviews posted by me are truthful in content and not bought. Gabreial Visit our Disclaimer  for more info.

 

Try Something New! Join a Freestyle Embroidery class with me!

Hey everyone, how are you this Friday morning? I'm doing pretty good. It's raining here, but I don't mind I have a fun new project to work on. First, a little background information on me. I do not craft, I am not crafty, I don't have very much artistic talent as far as crafts and art are concerned BUT, I want to!

A little while ago, I started thinking about embroidery. I don't know, embroidery? Yeah, embroidery. Embroidery has been on my brain a lot. Just to show you how much, I already have business ideas for something I don't even know how to do. Crazy right? Well, I remembered a blog friend of mine Teresa McFayden of My Minutia you know the awesome Silver Bella chick. Anyway, she released a Freestyle Embroidery E-Zine, BINGO! I contacted her and asked if I could take a gander and see if I could give it a go. She happily obliged my request and provided my password. 

The past couple of days I've been gathering supplies. I had my first run of embroidery and I LOVE IT! I love the little stitches and I love the "freestyle" part. I can mix vintage with new and you know how much I love that.

So, before I go any further, I'd like to join me for this fantastic adventure of learning something new. Even if you've embroidered before, sign up for the class and you can teach us too! We can have our very own little Vintage Indie session and share our progress! 

Visit Paper Bella Studio at this link for the Free Style Embroidery EZine. Once your in, you can comment there, ask questions, see the video tutorials and more!

I hope to see you there! I'm only at the beginning!

♥ Gabreial

ps. Teresa provided the EZine to me free of charge for review. I loved it so much I thought I should share it here with you. She is not paying me to have you sign up or join in, or for this review/feature, I just thought it would be a great way for us to get together! xoxo

pss. If you decide to join up let me know! I'd like to know if you're coming from Vintage Indie so we can chat! Leave a comment here.

What You Make of It: Lunch Sack Book with Susan Duane

Susan is back with another great handmade gift idea. Just in time for Mother's Day even Father's Day.

Hello! I've got a fun, easy and perfect project for those hard to buy for people. I don't know about you but I never know what to get my husband. I've been making these little scrapbooks for him and he always tells me they are the best gifts.

You'll need:
 
 ♥ paper lunch bags or chipboard book
♥ scrapbooking papers
♥ adhesive
♥ pictures
♥ inks
♥ embellishments

 

This can be as elaborate or as simple as you like. I like to start by distressing the edges of the bags with distress ink. I like the aged look but if it's not your style you can skip this step. 

Fold each bag in half and but them together like book pages, staggering the tops and bottoms of the bags like shown. How you bind the pages is up to you. I sewed right down the middle of all the pages on my sewing machine. You can punch holes & tie ribbon, you can wrap the entire book with ribbon and tie closed, you could use metal rings from the office supply store, I even made one with a twig and some twine to look like a toggle closure.

 

Another tip those little scrapbook paper pads in the 6 x 6 size are perfect for these, no cutting necessary. If you have lots of other papers on hand that's great you'll just need to cut them down. Cover each page in paper with your adhesive and embellish like you would any scrapbook page, add buttons, paper clips, tags anything you wish. On some pages I make pockets with a second sheet of paper or you can tuck notes or tags into the openings in the paper bags themselves. For Christmas I had each child write a little note to their Dad and included that in one of the pockets.

If you want something with more substance you can find plain chipboard books in any craft store, the one pictured on the far right is chipboard using the same idea as the paper bags books.

 

 
If you gather all your photos and supplies you can easily put one of these together in about an hour! 

Happy Crafting!

Susan Duane is a wife and mother of three young children. She is a home cook, aspiring photographer and lover of old things. She spends her days caring for her family, creating for Paperhill and in her free time chronicles her long list of interests on her blog Hometown Girl.

Teach Me: Franklin Springs Family Media - The Art of Bread Making

Well, hello there. How are you? How's your week going? Mine has been busy, busy. Selling a house is a lot of work (I'm sorry, I may have mentioned that a couple of times here). I only hope we don't have to do it again for a long time after this. It is still on the market so we're hoping for a busy weekend of showings.

Did you happen to catch Susan Duane's No Knead Bread article? If you did, I'd love to hear if you've made it or not. I like easy recipes like that one, but I also enjoy sinking my hands into fresh dough every once in awhile.

Not to long ago Franklin Springs Family Media sent over a few of their Homestead Blessing dvd's for me to review. We sat down for a family evening of quality tele' and enjoyed The art of Bread Making, featuring The West Ladies. They bring southern charm and hospitality to each "diy" production.

I've never been a big bread maker. I'm talking crusty breads, loaf breads and even pizza dough you have to knead with your hands. I'm guilty of purchasing packets of mix, adding water and voila. Not after this video! With my enthusiasm for wanting to cook from scratch and feed my family better quality food, I've really taken to the "homestead" way of life. It is a little extra work, but anything that's rewarding in life really does take time and commitment, doesn't it?

During the video, I was very impressed with how my boys held on to every word. They were really excited to see how each recipe would turn out. From the initial mixing, to the first and even second rising in some recipes, they were glued to the television. Not only that, but the West Ladies make everything look so good and their instructions seemed easy enough to follow. 

Soon after the video was over, the boys and I and even hubby was planning what we would like to make first. A few days later, I picked up the yeast and we got started. Our first recipe was a loaf of fresh whole wheat bread. We popped in the video and watched this specific recipe one more time. After we refreshed our memories, we went to work. I'm happy to report our loaf turned out beautifully. We ate it too fast, and I forgot to take a picture!  It was yummy and fresh bread tastes so much better than store bought!

We followed up that recipe with the pizza crust and cinnamon rolls. I decided to change the recipe on the cinnamon rolls and make them a little healthier, but all in all the dough itself was yummy and easy to create.

I loved this series and I can't wait to review the other videos from Homestead Blessings and the West Ladies. I truly appreciate Franklin Springs for sending them to our family to review.

If you would like your own copy, head over to Franklin Springs Family Media for this video and many others by The West Ladies. 

Truth in Review: Franklin Spring Family Media did provide me with all of the products mentioned to review including shipping. Franklin Springs Family Media did not pay me for the review or require any certain context within my review. All reviews posted by me are truthful in content and not bought. Gabreial Visit our Disclaimer  for more info.

What You Make of It: Dime Store Chic Goes Green With Tin Can Kitchen/Studio Organizers

Spring is just around the corner and for some it means spring cleaning! Elizabeth Holcombe has a clever idea to green up your organizers!

When I travel I like to go to grocery stores for local souvenirs! I scan the canned goods shelves for cans with labels that look like the graphics haven't been changed since the forties or fifties. I bring home a few cans, open them with one of those can openers that remove the lids without a jagged edge, and enjoy the contents. Then I have a wonderful can with a cool graphic label to use for storage in my kitchen or studio. Cans make lots of great storage from holding pens, glasses, to chopsticks and so much MORE! So, the next time you are traveling from home, check out the canned goods aisle and you may bring home a tasty and useful souvenir!

Elizabeth Holcombe Fedorko, aka Bethsbagz, began her checkered crafting career when at four she realized using paste on paper was better than eating it. Inspired by vintage dime store treasures, vintage fabric, and a no-fear attitude toward color, Beth crafts totes, pin cushions, wreaths, and corsages into her Dime Store Chic creations. Beth would love you to take a peek into her whimsical world at her blog.

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What You Make of It: Felt Fun Repurposing a Sweater with Susan Duane

 I don't know about your house but during the long winter months here hats and gloves are at a premium. They also tend to disappear as the winter goes along. This quick and easy project is sure to please!

 

I had a couple of WOOL sweaters destined for the Goodwill so I decided to try my hand at felting. I washed my sweaters in the hottest setting my washer has with a little soap and dried the sweaters in the dryer. Keep in mind the more wool content the better the sweater will felt.

 

I found a hat I had on hand and used it as my template. I added about 1/2" all around for the seam. I wanted to use the buttons so I cut accordingly. I thought it would be a fun detail!  Sew right sides together, hat complete! 

 

I thought I'd make a set of wrist/arm warmers which i love and use often. I decided how long I wanted them and cut along that line. Then I put my hand through and figured where I wanted my thumb to come out. Along the seam I made a tiny cut and then made it slightly larger to fit my thumb through.

 
I used some vintage wool strips I had found at an estate sale and made little rosettes to give the set a little personality! This is a great chance to use all your vintage goodies to embellish the set. 

 

The great thing about this technique is using something we probably already have on hand that is not being used and turning it into something useful. If you don't have a wool sweater I'm certain you can easily find one at an estate sale or thrift shop. 
 

Happy Felting!

Susan

Susan Duane is a wife and mother of three young children. She is a home cook, aspiring photographer and lover of old things. She spends her days caring for her family, creating for Paperhill and in her free time chronicles her long list of interests on her blog Hometown Girl.

What You Make of It: Farm Girl Fabric Organizer with Elizabeth Holcombe

Use your favorite fabric scraps to make this lovely “Farm Girl” fabric organizer!

 

I began with a vintage piece of barkcloth fabric which I washed to get lovely soft frayed edges. I hemmed the top on case I want to slip in a dowel and attach string and hang from a hook.

 

Take six (or more!) rectangular fabric scraps and six small scraps. Fold the larger pieces (wrong sides together) to form a “pocket” and sew the cut edges together. Pink the sewn edges. Then sew the smaller scrap to the pocket. Sew the pockets to the large piece of fabric.

 

Then cute scraps of paper, write your labels, and use safety pins to attach them to the pockets. Then you can change the labels! Your organizer is perfect for sewing notions, art supplies, recipes, and so much more! Have fun!

Elizabeth Holcombe Fedorko, aka Bethsbagz, began her checkered crafting career when at four she realized using paste on paper was better than eating it. Inspired by vintage dime store treasures, vintage fabric, and a no-fear attitude toward color, Beth crafts totes, pin cushions, wreaths, and corsages into her Dime Store Chic creations. Beth would love you to take a peek into her whimsical world at her blog.

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Teach Me: How to - Chalkboard Wall

I've been meaning to share our chalkboard wall with you for awhile now. After Susan's chalkboard frame project it got me thinking that I should show you how we created a functional chalkboard wall in our home.  Last year when we decided to homeschool chalkboard paint was all the rage. I researched and looked and finally came up with a design that I thought was both functional and stylish.

We primarily homeschool in our dining room so we chose the biggest and best wall for the job. We had recently painted our room, (paint color is Vintage Map, Martha Stewart Paint) so we felt comfortable with using that as our base. My sweet husband measured and drew a large square on the wall outlining where our chalkboard would go.

 

After we decided on how big we wanted the chalkboard wall to be, I got to work painting. I used a sponge roller and highly recommend you do the same for chalkboard paint. It creates a smoother surface. I ended up painting four coats of black chalkboard paint. 

After a trip to our local hardware store, we looked through several chair railing and trim pieces and made a selection based on what we wanted to frame the chalkboard with. Sadly, I don't have a photo of this before we stained it. We choose a stain color to match the baseboard that is flush with our brick flooring. My husband then stained each piece. After drying he measured and cut each piece to fit our wall. We ended up using liquid nail to apply the trim to the wall. After that she was all finished and ready to go!

Now if I can just tackle paining that table and chairs in a yummy creamy white we'll be set to go!

We love our wall and the three sections make it easy to separate school work, dinner menus and a calendar. The lower part of the wall has become a great place for the boys to draw, sometimes they make me pretty pictures and leave sweet notes behind. That's an extra bonus!  

What about you? Did you join in all the chalkboard wall crazy last year? I'd love to see your wall!