Blog Archives

Ginger Crinkle Cookies

9/30/2014

When your thinking Fall recipes, we always think pumpkins and apples, but what about a Ginger Cookie?

I fell in love with this soft and spicy cookie the first time I tasted it. This old recipe came from a very dear lady in Burdett, Kansas. I now make this cookie every Fall.

I took these cookies to our block dinner party and everyone wanted the recipe. I said, "Check my blog!" so here is the recipe.

Ginger Crinkles

2/3 cup oil
1 cup sugar
1 egg
4 Tablespoon molasses
2 cup flour
2 teaspoon soda
2 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix oil and sugar, add egg and beat well. Stir in molasses. Sift all dry ingredients and add slowly to mixture and blend well. Drop teaspoon of batter in sugar and then form into a ball and place on ungreased baking sheet 3 inches apart for 11 minutes. Do not over bake.
Makes 3 dozen.

Joined These Awesome Link Parties
Savvy Southern Style
A Stroll Thru Life
Vintage Chic
Chic on a Shoestring Decorating
Redhead Can Decorate
Lou Lou Girls-Pinned

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Crocus Fall Planting Tips

9/30/2014

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Above Photo From Package of Crocus

Planting Crocus in rocks and clay can be a challenge. I have found an easy way to plant bulbs of any kind, and for that matter, sometimes I even use this method to plant plants.

Some bulbs look best in a more naturalized style, and this includes crocus. To get this look depends on how many bulbs you are planting and the size of the planting area. I put the bulbs in my hand and give them a toss, and where they land is where I plant the bulbs. (Notice the screwdriver and the hammer)

I then push the screwdriver in the ground and if it doesn't go in easily, I use a hammer and pound on the screwdriver for a deeper hole.

The next problem we have living in the woods, are those pesky squirrels. Yes, I know squirrels are everywhere, but we have more than our fair share, and they will dig up every bulb if we don't put a screen over them. Okay, that's it, now for the long days of winter. Just make sure you take off the screen before the bulbs start to peek their little heads out. Here in the Ozarks that is the first of March.

Joined These Awesome Link Parties
Sidewalk Shoes
An Oregon Cottage- Featured
Fishtail Cottage
Empress of Dirt

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Concrete Leaves In The Garden

9/26/2014

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Birdbaths . . . .

The final use I have made from the concrete leaves, that my hubby and I make. I placed the above leaf on this concrete pedestal for a birdbath in my shade garden.

Leaf sitting on a rock retaining wall in the photo to the right for a birdbath.

Oak Hydrangea Leaf

I had my first post go viral back on May 29th, 2014. The post was of this Oak Hydrangea Leaf (find the post here).
So much fun to see a post that people are so interested in, and is still being clipped and shared on Hometalk. I promised at that time that I would share all the ways I use the leaves in my garden. Through the summer, I have posted all the uses and here is the final review.
But be sure to stay tuned, because I have a surprise that is by far the biggest and the most unusual leaves I have ever made. A hint, they are from a weed, they are still curing, but I will be posting about them soon.

Another Look- Enjoy

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An Extraordinary Day

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The Life of a Garden Scarecrow

9/23/2014

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How about a garden Scarecrow REDO! This Scarecrow has seen many a fall season and was a little ragged, even for a scarecrow. I think (she) will now stay in the garden year round.

I bought the Scarecrow at War Eagle Craft Show, but this Scarecrow would be easy to make. The picture in the upper left corner shows how it is made. I repainted the face and hot-glued rope on for braids. Then cutting a hole in the crotch of the pink pants I put the horizontal board through the pants. Then the pink shirt on the vertical board. I stuffed the pants and shirt with leftover foam and stapled the pants on the board and the foam under the shirt on the board. Pretty simple.

2008

2014

The picture from 2008 shows that at one time the Scarecrow was stuffed with hay.

Look at the change, and how about that purse!

Joined These Awesome Link Parties:
The Pneumatic Addict
A Delightsome Life
Fishtail Cottage

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Beautyberry

9/18/2014

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I have a garden bench on our garden level 2, where I sit and look at the lake. At this time of the year it is even more special to see three bushes with extraordinary, bright purple berries. The Beautyberry, yes one word.

These bushes are nothing special until September and then WOW! The Beautyberry only gets about 4 foot high and about 3-4 wide. I have not trimmed these and they live in part shade and not that good of soil. I do lightly fertilize in the Spring. They do not seem bothered by insects or mildew.

The birds usually have the berries eaten by the time winter arrives, so I enjoy while they last.

Joined These Awesome Link Parties
Fishtail Cottage

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Review of Front Porch Tour

9/17/2014

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5 CRAFTY IDEAS FOR FALL

Tour Guide:
Day 1- Monogrammed Front Porch Rug
Day 2- Fall Burlap Square Wreath
Day 3- Seasonal Chair Cushions
Day 4- Topiaries for Fall
Day 5- Hay bale- With Surprise

Joined these Awesome Link Parties
Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson - FEATURED
Artsy Fartsy Mama
Shabby Art Boutique
Live Randomly Simple

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Fall Front Porch Tour-Day 5

9/16/2014

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Hay Bale - With Surprise

Witches Legs! When I saw these witch legs in Grandinroad I had to have them. The legs are very well made and will last for years. Such an easy decoration, just stick them in a pot, the ground or a bale of hay.They were a little expensive and then where to store them after Halloween, but I will find a place. They are the ultimate finish to my front porch.

Tour Guide:
Day 1- Monogrammed Front Porch Rug
Day 2- Fall Burlap Square Wreath
Day 3- Seasonal Chair Cushions
Day 4- Topiaries for Fall
Day 5- Hay bale- With Surprise

The final day of my Fall Front Porch Tour. What fun to decorate for fall!

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Fall Front Porch Tour-Day 4

9/15/2014

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Topiaries for Fall

I love pumpkin topiaries and have often wondered if they were real pumpkins or faux pumpkins. I love both but I wanted to use them again in the future and through Thanksgiving. I have had pumpkins start to rot after a freeze and wanted to avoid that, so I purchased the fake kind from Michaels.

The other thing I wanted to avoid with using the fake pumpkins was chasing them down the street, finding them in the neighbors yard or in my case in the lake after a storm. How to put theses pumpkins together? I have lived far enough from a town in my many years of living in western Kansas and now living here in a lake community that I just don't pop in the car and go to the store, I improvise. I had my husband (who sometimes graciously helps me with my ideas) cut an old metal broom handle in two parts. I have explained how I put my topiaries together. ( tutorial here)

He put the metal post through the large pumpkin from the bottom and then added the second pumpkin the same way. We then placed the pumpkin in the jar of plaster-of-paris. The little pumpkin is just sitting on top by itself, yes I may have to chase that pumpkin down sometime. I then added a few sprigs of fall leaves and some Spanish moss.

Beautiful sunshine on my fantastic (I think) pumpkin topiaries. Lovin them!

Tour Guide:
Day 1- Monogrammed Front Porch Rug
Day 2- Fall Burlap Square Wreath
Day 3- Seasonal Chair Cushions
Day 5- Hay bale- With Surprise

Joined these Awesome Link Parties
An Extraordinary Day
Lou Lou Girls
The Style Sisters
New House New Home
Second Chance to Dream

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Fall Front Porch Tour-Day 3

9/14/2014

8 Comments

Seasonal Porch Chair Cushions

Seasonal chair cushions, oh ya! Some people (some family too) I know think I am eccentric or just plain crazy, BUT, I love to change things up. Besides, you can't find cushions that fit these front porch chairs. So I make my own.

I cut the material using the pull string method about 1 & 1/2 inches larger than your foam that is cut to fit your chair. Zig-Zag stitch the edges especially if your using burlap. The sides that will be on the back side of the chair, press under as shown in photo (1) so that you have nice clean edges and stitch (photo (2). Place the front sides of material together and stitch the three remaining sides, turn the coverlet and press. I used Velcro on the back side for closure. Insert your foam and your finished!

Add a little Halloween pillow and ENOY sitting on your front porch!

Tour Guide:
Day 1- New monogrammed front porch rug
Day 2- Fall Burlap Square Wreath
Day 4- Topiaries for Fall
Day 5- Hay bale- with surprise

Joined These Awesome Link Parties
Distressed Donna Down Home
Savvy Southern Style
Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson

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Fall Front Porch Tour-Day 2

9/13/2014

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Square Burlap Wreath

Do you love burlap for anything Fall? I have been admiring all the wreaths on Pinterest and other sites and wanted a burlap wreath, but wanted something a little out-of-the box. I have had a square wire wreath form for a couple of years, just hanging around waiting for me to decide what to do with it. (Bought while it was on sale)
Oh before I forget, I painted my front door a beautiful rich navy. I am loving it, if you look at my earlier posts you will see my door was a shade of pinkish/lavender.

Using the pull string method of marking and cutting the burlap, I cut strips of burlap at 1 inch wide and 16 inches long. I had burlap leftover from previous projects and so I am not for sure how much material the wreath took but I would say you would need at least 1 to 1 & 1/2 yards of burlap, depending on the width of the material. Tie the strips on the wire (this was a 3 wire 17 inch form) randomly on two different wires and sometimes around all three wires. Push the tied strips close together. Since this is a square, you will need to work-in several strips to fill in the space at the corner. The picture in the middle left shows this. I then made a bow using burlap, striped ribbon and a twiggy type ribbon and placed in the corner of the wreath. I strung the letters (BOO) together and tied onto the wreath. I didn't want to glue the letters on as I wanted to use the wreath for Thanksgiving also. Tip: Spray the strips of burlap with spray starch to keep them looking fresh.

Loving my new colored door with my square burlap wreath. Fall is my favorite season!

Tour Guide:
Day 1- Monogrammed Front Porch Rug
Day 3- Seasonal Chair Cushions
Day 4- Topiaries for Fall
Day 5- Hay bale- With Surprise

Joined These Awesome Link Parties
Pneumatic Addict
Ivy and Elephants
A Delightsome Life -FEATURED!
Artsy Fartsy Mama

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Fall Front Porch Tour-Day 1

9/12/2014

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Monogrammed Front Porch Rug

I can't wait to show you the fun/work I've done on my front porch for fall! So how about a mini-tour for the next five days!

Day 1- Monogrammed Front Porch Rug
Day 2- Fall Burlap Square Wreath
Day 3- Chair Cushions Made With Burlap
Day 4- Topiaries for Fall
Day 5- Hay Bale- With Surprise
Day 6- Review

I have been wanting a monogramed front porch rug for sometime now and the rug I had at my front door was a spring/summer rug. I couldn't find one in a price range I wanted. So how about a discount store plain sisal rug for less than $7.00 and do the monogram myself. The outside of the rug (hard to tell from this picture) is rubber.

I am not sure what I would do without my cutting machine. The letter I cut and used as a stencil was almost eleven inches long. I placed the stencil in the middle of the rug and used a permanent black marker to outline the edge of the letter, removed the stencil and filled inside the lines with exterior black paint.

This project was inexpensive and easy, and now I have a beautiful monogrammed rug that looks as good as a high-end one. Hoot! Hoot!

Tour Guide:
Day 2- Fall Burlap Square Wreath
Day 3- Seasonal Chair Cushions
Day 4- Topiaries for Fall
Day 5- Hay bale- With Surprise

Joined These Awesome Link Parties
Vintage Chic
Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson
Artsy-Fartsy Mama
Chic on a Shoestring Budget

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Potting Wash Tub

9/9/2014

8 Comments

I am loving this old galvanized wash tub! I made it into a true potting soil station. I have two potting benches but they are used for anything but actually holding potting soil.

It truly was a rescue project. I had to reseal several holes in the bottom of the tub and the wheels are locked from rust and remain locked.

I used oil paint and had to paint it more than once to seal off the rust.

It is the perfect height for potting plants and it holds a large bag of potting soil.

Loving this project!

Joining these AWESOME link parties:
Carissa Miss
Lou Lou Girls
Knick of Time
The Crafty Blog Stalker
From My Front Porch to Yours
An Oregon Cottage
Songbird
Flamingo Toes

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Halloween Welcome Flag (Tutorial)

9/5/2014

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Time to change to fall decorations, even though today was in the 90's here in Missouri. My favorite Holiday is Halloween and I love this saying from the Wizard of Oz. I wanted to use it somehow, first I thought a front door rug, but couldn't find a plain sisal rug. I had lots of burlap left from other projects, so how about a small flag, perfect!

Here is a step-by-step tutorial of how I made my burlap flag.
You will need 1 1/2 yards of burlap.
Finished size of the flag is 11 inches wide and 16 inches long (not including the tabs). Finished tabs are 2 inches long.
Use the pull string method to mark fabric (before cutting) at 13 inches wide and the length of fabric is 35 inches long. The length is folded together (see above).
Zig-Zag stitch all sides of burlap, burlap ravels easily, this is an important step.
Straight stitch the sides at 3/4 inch.
Turn the fabric and press. At this time the fun starts....
I used my Cricut cutter to cut the letters, witches boot and hat as a stencil. I then used a permanent marker and filled in the letters and pictures but that was not black enough for me, so I used acrylic paint on top of the permanent ink marker.

I made the fabric flowers (many tutorials are on the web for these) and sewed them on the flag.

Time for the two tabs to go on. I had previously cut the tabs and zig-zagged the edges. They are 2 3/4 inches wide and 7 1/2 inches long. Fold tabs.
Fold over the top edge of your flag (to the inside) so the total length is 16 inches long and place the tabs inside the edge of the flag (3/4 inch) and stitch the top of your flag. I sprayed the flag with shellac or a water repellant could be used. Finished!

AND

How about decorating the back, so as friends leave your home they have a laugh!

Happy Fall!

Joined these AWESOME link parties:
Stonegable
Vintage Chic
Shabbilicious
Liz Marie Blog
Chic on a Shoestring Decorating
The Charm of Home
The Cottage Market-Junkin Joe
Boogieboard Cottage

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Moon Flower (Vine)

9/2/2014

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What is this spectacular flower with beautiful dark green heart shaped leaves, that only comes out at night? Moon flower vine, yes I know some people further south than Missouri or at least where it doesn't freeze may call it a noxious weed. I love white and this is a spectacular huge blossom! It loves the heat and doesn't bloom until August here in Missouri.

We start the vine from seeds. My very handy husband (thank goodness he is a yard person) built a trellis that is 12 foot high and we painted it the color of the siding, so when this beautiful vine isn't growing, the trellis blends in with the house. We have planted it in this same spot now for several years. You can see the eve of the house and it actually grows above the trellis. We do have to keep the vine from overtaking the bushes and flowers in front of it though. Once it freezes, this vine is a goner.

This little guy was on the trellis earlier in the summer, before the vine started really getting big, otherwise we would not have been able to see him. I love frogs.

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The Lady behind
Minnie's Milestones

Welcome lovers of whimsy. If you love chippy paint and lots of DIY we are kindred spirts!

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Visit Minnie's Milestones by Jonni's profile on Pinterest.

5 CRAFTY IDEAS FOR FALL

Hay Bale - With Surprise

Topiaries for Fall

Seasonal Porch Chair Cushions

Square Burlap Wreath

Monogrammed Front Porch Rug

The Lady behind Minnie's Milestones

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The Lady behind
Minnie's Milestones