Fall Mantle decorating

Bird Cage using Cricut Cutting Machine

More Music Sheets

Mod Podge Pumpkin Finished Product

Here are the Mod Podge Pumpkins that I finally made.

All you need for this project is:
Raffia, Spanish Moss, Mod Podge, foam disposable brush, Color Photo copies of Old Music sheets, scissors, Cutting Guillotine (any easy cutting device) Small Plastic Pumpkins, and a plastic tablecloth (just to help with easy clean-up).

To start this project you will need to Color Photocopy your music sheets.  (I just didn't have the heart to destroy these almost 100 years old sheets of Music)  Use color to maintain the yellowed look of the old paper.  Depending on how many pumpkins you would like to do, is how many photocopies you will need.  Its usually about 3-4 sheets per pumpkin once cut up to desired thickness.  I cut the thickness & length to match each Music Bar.  The Titles and Price information at the Bottom of the page was thicker.
I poured my Mod Podge into a clean plastic container to make it easier to use.  Start by applying Mod Podge with your foam brush to the pumpkin as wide & as long as the strip of paper.  Start at the top of your Pumpkin stem & place your first piece of paper onto the pumpkin.  Then apply Mod Podge overtop of the paper to get it to adhere better.  Apply the strip of paper any direction you like. (Up and down is the easiest)  Mixing each pumpkin up makes for a better display.  If need be use your scissors to cut the bottom of the strip of paper once its on the pumpkin so it doesn't overlap & get wasted.  Keep the little strip, for at the end where there are small areas that didn't get covered.

After you apply a couple of strips, you'll want to start smoothing the edges into the pumpkin grooves.  Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty for better results, with a fair amount of Mod Podge on 1 or 2 fingers.  Just keep doing these steps until all of the pumpkin is covered.

Once you have finished Mod Podging,  you can apply a large amount of Mod Podge or using a Glue Gun to attach the Spanish Moss to the top.  Rip off a chunk large enough to cover the top of your pumpkin.  Cut a piece of raffia long enough to tie it around the stem of the pumpkin, if you would like to tie a bow, cut it longer.  Approx.  6 inches.

Then you are done & can lay it on top of a glass cup to dry.

Hope you enjoy making these as much as I did.  I spent a Saturday afternoon with a dear friend and our kids making these.  Love the way they turned out and am thinking how to incorporate this process into a Christmas project.  Maybe cover Balls for the tree!!  Lets all think of some more ideas and share them here!

Collage of some of my Photography.

Upper Nicola Church near Merritt, BC

While on the quest for Vintage finds, there are always some photos that transpire.  I love taking photos & always have.  Its just a small little hobby that I like to do for myself, & also have been learning to edit these photos.  I entered many of them into the Local Fall Fair for 2011 & did relatively well to Ribbon in all but 2 out of 14.

Fort Langley, BC

Claysmore, Alberta.

St. Walburg, Sask.

San Fransisco, USA

Family Collection at home.

Quilchena General Store, Near Merritt, BC

Fort Langley, BC

Some of my Chairs, on a road in Lower Nicola, near Merritt.

A great & easy Thanksgiving treat.

This is a great little recipe, its not super sweet & you don't feel like it goes straight to your hips! ;)  Give it a try.  Its the recipe that comes with the Nordic Ware Pumpkin Patch Pan, that I used to get these cute little pumpkin shaped muffins.  Enjoy!!

Pumpkin Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 (16 ounce) can packed pumpkin
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted (optional)
You can add a little milk or cream for less thickness (this is what I found with the recipe)

Heat oven to 375 F.  Grease and flour pan; set aside.  In large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt; set aside.  In medium bowl, whisk eggs and brown sugar together until smooth.  Mix in pumpkin and melted butter until well blended.  Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until blended; stir in pecans.  Spoon batter into prepared pan, dividing batter evenly.  Bake at 375 F for 20-25 minutes.  Cool 5 minutes in pan; remove from pan and cool completely.

I made a small cream cheese icing just to dab onto top after dipping them into a bowl of granulated sugar while they are still warm & moist on top.  (Right after removing them from the pan)  When I have more time I like to use a icing bag with decorative tips to make leaves, a vine and flowers on the top.

Cream Cheese Glaze (optional)
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp. butter, softened
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1-3 tbsp milk
orange food coloring (enough drops for desired shade)

To Make Glaze:  In small bowl, combine cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla.  Add milk, one tablespoon at a time until the consistency of thick cream.  Stir in food coloring until as desired.  Drizzle cream cheese glaze over pumpkins.  Makes 12 muffins.

Serve in another cute Vintage baking tin, or layered in a cake dome.  These are super cute & great tasting.

Creative Old Door

Here is my friend's door I promised.  She found this door at a Vintage Market we attended in June, and bought the Vintage hooks from the same Salvage place as I did.  She had this idea to hang the door on the wall in her kitchen & use it for her kids' backpacks.  Another idea was to also spray chalkboard paint in the middle panel & a cork bulletin board, covered in fabric in the top panel.  What a great centre of organization!!  Now there is a place for her apron to hang all the time.  These old doors have lots of great character to them & would also look great as a headboard, Privacy room dividers or as a coffee table.

Back to School Organization Tutorial

Well Back to School, back to routine, and back to trying to be organized.  I was tired of having the School backpack tossed on the floor by the stairs, or not always in the same place when trying to leave for school in the morning.  So while I was at an Antique Salvage place I rummaged through a box with one of my best buds.  We thought these cast iron hooks we found were great!  I'm going to post her project on here when I get a picture of it as well.  This project was easy & quick and had made things so much simpler.  Hope you find it helpful too!

Late 1930's/40's Waterfall Vanity

This sturdy Maple Dressing Vanity is such a great piece of furniture.  I inherited it from my Grandparents.  I also have the dresser that matches it but the Vanity had some surface scratches and I decided to strip & sand it all down.  Probably about 3 coats of primer, and 2-3 coats of paint.  Of course in my favorite Creamy white.

I was really undecided on whether to Paint or not to Paint the Mirror.  I decided to leave it because it was in such great condition.   Some new handles, glass knobs, small accessories like the painted bird house, with matching glass knobs, finish this Vanity off.   Now that its all finished, my daughter Amelie loves it, and uses it every morning to brush her hair.  Fit for a little Princess!

Now all I am on the look out for is a really cute stool or chair that will slide right underneath.  It came with a bench, but I much rather liked it with my Vintage Sewing table, which is also Maple.
Another project on the list of many.