I bought this star at a Home Decor store and then as always saw one later I liked much better. The good thing is that this star was much more inexpensive than the one I really liked - so I felt compelled to do a make-over on a perfectly good - brand new star!

Here is the before...



I wanted something a little more patriotic. I love Americana decor no matter the time of year.

Now here is the after...



I painted it with acrylic paint in a maroon color and then dry brushed a bit of midnight blue around the edges for a bit of depth and giving an aged look. I used the $20 one that I liked as my example and this $6 one looks the same. I love how it looks on my door! The after picture is not on my door, it is dark outside (habit of night crafting) so the photos aren't coming out too well. I love to revamp things! So simple...and I am into simple these days.

Happy Independence Day America!

~jan

Linked to some of THESE parties! Thanks for letting us share :)

I saw the cutest banner in Better Homes and Garden, July issue and just had to make one. I asked myself, "Self, why make it and then not share it's cuteness with all of our faithful followers." So I am...

Here are the paint chips - I didn't end up using them all.


I thought I could improve and make it cuter with things like these...


But in the end...simpler was so much better.


In the magazine they display this along the edge of a 4th of July decorated table.Mine will be going on Amanda's fireplace mantle, but the shorter version will be above my front door (but it is too dark for a picture now).

This only cost the price of the yarn, $1. Easy and a great way to add a splash of color to any party.
Happy Independence Day America!
~jan

Linking to some of these parties.
Linked to...http://www.notjustahousewife.net/2011/06/show-me-what-ya-got-30.html

My Sweet Baboo and I came home a little later than usual a few days ago and found that the freezer compartment of our refrigerator had been ajar all day. Unfortunately, we had purchased a fair amount of meat not long before that, so I had got to spend the better part of my next day off dealing with a bunch of prematurely thawed chicken, pork and beef (the ice cream and frozen produce went directly into the trash {pout}).

Fortunately, I own three crock pots, so I was able to deal with them all at once. I cooked 7 chicken breasts,

two round steaks,
and eight thick cut pork chops.

I slow cooked them all separately, then chopped/shredded them and portioned them for meals and refroze.
I did the best I could and saved the $40-50 it would have cost to replace all that meat. But now I'm finding I like having the precooked/preportioned meat for quick meals.

Here are some tips (from a legitimate food safety expert. No really. That's what I do!) for what you can do if you have an extended power outage, or are just careless and leave your freezer open all day when it's 85°F  outside. For simplicity's sake, I'll just address the problem of an extended power outage (which we had here recently too).

• Keep the refrigerator CLOSED. If the power is out for 4-6 hours or so, your foods will remain at proper temperatures for at least that long if the door stays shut. A fully stocked freezer will stay frozen even longer, but only if the door is shut. Once you open the door, even for a second, the cold air dissipates much quicker than you might expect.
• When the power comes back on, evaluate your potentially hazardous foods (PHF). Be particularly careful about packaged meat products (cold cuts etc), dairy products, raw meats and leftovers. The food code allows these foods to remain in the "danger zone" (41°F to 140°F) for no more than 4 hours. If you have a food thermometer (and I recommend that you do, for cooking temperatures as well), use it. If your PHF are < 41°F (I would feel comfortable with 45°F or below, but no higher!), they are safe to be used and can be rechilled with no ill effects. 
• Hard cheeses, raw produce, commercially prepared dressings and condiments (such as mayonnaise) and eggs in intact shells are usually safe to eat, even after many hours of temperature abuse.
• If the PHF is warmer than 45°F or so, you'll have to make a judgement call. If the power was out for an extended period (longer than 8 hours or so) chances are the foods have been in the danger zone for at least half of that (> 4 hours) and should be discarded. If the power was out for a shorter time, the food might still be safe, but it's a risk. The rule is, when in doubt, throw it out.
• If the products in your freezer have completely thawed (no ice crystals remaining), you'll need to use them right away or cook them before you refreeze. If there are ice crystals remaining, you should be able to refreeze safely, though there may be a decrease in the taste and quality of the food.
• When cooking meats that have been thawed unexpectedly, be extra sure to cook to the recommended temperatures to destroy all pathogenic organisms. Chicken and other poultry must cook to 165°F or above, pork and ground beef to at least 155°F. Use a metal stem thermometer to be sure of your cooking temperatures.
• When cooling down large quantities of foods, be certain to cool quickly. Put the hot foods in shallow pans or small portions, and allow plenty of room in the freezer around the product to ensure that they cool completely.

• Once the product is frozen, it is safe to stack them to save space.

I know that times are tough and food prices just keep going up, so it's painful to waste food, but the danger is real. Your family's health is not worth the risk of eating tainted foods. When in doubt, be safe and throw it out. Lorie

Continuing my homemade Christmas for this year, I made some of the older children (4-7) on my gift list I Spy Bags. I've been planning this project for most of the year, and collecting small buttons, charms and other items throughout my travels.

Then I made fabric bags with clear vinyl inserts for windows and filled the bags up (using a canning funnel made the filling much easier). I used poly-beads (found in the doll-making section of the craft store) as the main filler.

I typed up a list of all the objects in the bag to go along with the gift.

Lorie

My family is growing again! We added two new babies this year! I'm very excited that I'll get to see all of my children and grandchildren for the holiday wedding that is planned in a few months. Since I blew my wad on plane tickets for the trip, I don't have a lot of cash for presents, so I'm making as many as I can this year.

I found this cute idea for making pillows and made a cute little owl for my granddaughter.
It was so much fun and turned out so cute, I made another owl and a bat for my two grandsons.


I wish it was this easy to make presents for my husband and step-son!

Lorie

Wordles are "word clouds” created from text that you provide to wordle.net. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. Here is a wordle created from our blog


I'm thinking of using this fun tool to make gifts similar to Jan's Monogrammed Wall Art. You could type in (or find online, if it's available) a chapter of a favorite book - here is some of Dickens' A Christmas Carol


Or a favorite poem or song lyric... Here's the hymn "How Great Thou Art"

I'm planning on making a work related one for a former co-worker.


The Wordle tool is great... you can customize the font, the colors and the general shape of the cloud. Or you can hit the "randomize" button and see what comes out.

If you're a word-lover like I am, you'll love this site!

Lorie