Patriotic Wreath Project {USAF}

Here's my Patriotic Wreath! 

For the most part, I'm pleased with how it turned out. I probably could have sprayed a little more paint on it for better coverage but I'm impatient and didn't want to wait. In other words, I procrastinated and made it at the last minute. ;-)

I found the idea for the light wash of color on the 'palette' from Pinterest too. Adding silver glitter to the white letters gives it a sparkle! They were rather dull and flat looking otherwise.

Our front door is teal colored and it looked ridiculous hanging up there, so I decided to hang it on one of my repurposed shutters and sit it out on our deck. We spend a lot of time out there and it's perfect for this USAF family living near an AF base. 

I think this wreath is versatile for any of our holidays that celebrate America and our Military.

I'm going on a short blogging break (as mentioned in my previous post) so I can spend time with our very own Airman who is coming for a visit, along with his brother.

See y'all in a couple of weeks!

May the Lord bless you!!!

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Jazzing up a Napkin Holder

I love searching for items I can use in our home to make it feel more welcoming! Several months ago I came across this wooden fish shaped napkin holder in the thrift store. Even though it's pretty as is (it's made out of beautiful Koa Wood from Hawaii with detailed engraving for the fins and eyes), I wanted to give it a little pizazz for my table decor.

Keeping the project simple, I gathered up supplies of Liquitex, Mod Podge, crumpled Tissue Paper, Sand Paper, Paint Brushes and White Spray Paint.

I started out by roughing up the finish using *extra fine sand paper so that my spray paint would adhere better. After wiping off the powdery residue, I spray painted all of the napkin holder except the bottom. Gotta be able to sit it down to dry ;-)

Once dry, I applied Liquitex using my sponge brush, one side at a time and then carefully pressed each piece of tissue paper onto the surface, leaving a little bit hanging over the edges. This was kind of tricky as it wanted to keep sticking to my fingers and pull away from the surface of the holder, but I was victorious! I let it dry for about 10 minutes then applied the Mod Podge to completely seal it. I trimmed the edges when fully dry.

I'm quite pleased that the detailed etchings of the fins and eyes are still visible. The 'new' napkin holder adds a nice splash of color.

What have you re-purposed or recycled lately? 

Please feel free to share in the comments below. I am always looking for new ideas!

~Happy Crafting~

*I used extra fine sand paper so it would not scratch the wood

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A Much Loved Dessert

I'm in the grocery store when my son asks me to make a dessert for him to take on his weekend house sitting job. He suggested his favorite dessert--Banana Pudding. Um. I don't usually make this so I had no idea all of the ingredients I would need. The techie man child searched AllRecipes on his smart phone and found this one:

Banana Pudding IV

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
3 cups cold milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
4 bananas, sliced
1/2 (12 ounce) package vanilla wafers

Directions

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in condensed milk, pudding mix, cold milk and vanilla until smooth. Fold in 1/2 of the whipped topping.

Line the bottom of a 9x13 inch dish with vanilla wafers. Arrange sliced bananas evenly over wafers. Spread with pudding mixture. Top with remaining whipped topping. Chill.

My MIL usually makes Banana Pudding for him if she knows ahead of time we are coming over. I have rarely had to make it, which is why I didn't know what I would need. After tasting it, I'm pretty sure her recipe is different and doesn't use Cream Cheese or Sweetened Condensed Milk. But needless to say, it came out delicious and was a hit!

Do you like Banana Pudding or have a favorite dessert that gets requested?

 ~Happy Desserts~

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace" (Num. 6:24-26)

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'Vintage' Baby Girl Mini Album

It's been a while since I posted any craft projects. This is a mini album I made for my first granddaughter,
who is getting ready to turn 3!

Yes, I know. 

But I really did make the album almost two years ago so I'm only behind in posting the photos. :)

And speaking of photos, my daughter took these as I didn't have a very good camera at the time. I totally forgot about them and found them on a shared drive the other day. That's what really prompted me to post them. Otherwise, I would have happily gone through life thinking I didn't have any pictures of it to share. *snort*

I purchased a canvas mini album from the craft store. I don't remember which one as it has been so long but if I find another one I am buying it too. I really enjoyed working with the canvas!

The pearls are Prima, and most of the flower embellishments are probably Prima, but I handmade a few flowers from the scrapbook paper, too.

I'm famous for finding odd craft supplies for a discount and then trying to piece them all together.
 Another great place to buy supplies is Mighty Dollar.

Seriously.

They are cheap but name brands!

I made plenty of little pockets to slip things into, along with tags.

I love tags!

Okay, this picture looks a little green. I don't remember using green ink. 
My go-to ink is Soft Suede by Stampin'Up!

Embroidery floss is magic. Really. It makes such a pretty addition to any page!

There's that nasty green tint again. Hmmm...could have been my editing but I'm not claiming it. :)

There's a homemade flower up there^^^. Those are fun to make. Just cut out a circle (doesn't have to be perfect), dampen it with water and wad it up, let dry, unfold and layer with another one, adding a pearl or button. Voilà, you are done!

More handmade flowers!

Of course it's vintage themed because that's what I like best!

Lots of tags for journaling! Prima pearls and stamping, oh yeah!

See, it really is Soft Suede around the edges. Looks way better than green. :)

I love the side view!!!

Mini albums are my favorite craft to make. I now have several more that need putting together, so I think part of my summer will be busy. 

Oh, not for my daughter! Only one more for her baby who just turned one. 

But I have a new grand nephew, and two new grand nieces!

Have you been creating anything fun lately? Do share!

~Happy Crafting~

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