November 2014 | Vintage, Paint and more...

Friday, November 28, 2014

Ribbon Tree Tutorial

Vintage, Paint and more... DIY cone trees made on a budget with ribbon and poster board
We spent a wonderful day with our family yesterday - eating, laughing,  and just enjoying our time together.  I am recovering from turkey coma as I always have to the day after Thanksgiving.  So in keeping with just taking it easy today I thought  I would bring you a simple little craft that can easily done in about 30 minutes to an hour.  I love decorating with those cute little cone trees at Christmas (and actually all year round).  If you have been following me for long you know that I make them out of all sorts of mediums.  So today I thought I would show you how to make a very simple and quick one out of ribbons that is also quite budget friendly (maybe even free if you have these supplies on hand)

Monday, November 24, 2014

Christmas 2013 in Review - A Blogger Christmas Series

Vintage, Paint and more... Blogger Christmas Series logo


Thanksgiving is just a few days away and it's nearly time to start putting up the Christmas tree and decor.  I and 20+ other bloggers are going to share our Christmas homes with you over the next few weeks.  But before we do this years decor ( of which I have not even started) we decided we would do a Christmas 2013 Review.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Throwback Thursday - Pinecone Wreath


Vintage, Paint and more... winter wreath made from pine cones and spray painted

Since I am starting to get the Christmas decor out I thought I would share a project I did a couple of years ago with you today.   I made a pine cone wreath for our front door that I still use every year. I had wanted one of these for years but just kept putting off making one. Actually, I thought it would be quite difficult to do.  One day I just decided it was time to tackle it and sent Papa and Miss A to our backyard to pick up the pine cones to use.  Then I set out to make the wreath.  

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Smart Home Temperature Control

This post is sponsored by Honeywell and Klout.  I was compensated for writing it, but all opinions are 100% mine.



This weekend some very unseasonably cold weather came to visit the beach.  We had been having our usual beautiful Fall weather - sunny skies with temps in the 70's and then all of a sudden on Friday night we were sitting at 30 degrees.  I know that you in the Midwest and North have been having quite a bit of cold temps along with snow but for us to have 30's this soon is a little out of normal.  And I might add I just plain freeze to death at these temps.  Thank goodness I received the Honeywell Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat with Voice Control in the mail the same day.It was a perk from Klout.

Vintage, Paint and more... Honeywell Smart Thermostat

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Wreath Ornament

Vintage, Paint and more... handmade Christmas Ornament collage
I am joining up with Diana of The Girl Creative and 30 other bloggers to bring you a wonderful collection of handmade Christmas Ornaments today. Just in time for you to be able to make a few before you put your tree up this year.  Below you will find my contribution to this collection along with the tutorial to make it.  

Vintage, Paint and more... diy wreath ornament made with lace and beads

 This cute little ornament can be made with any kind of lace, ribbon, rick rack and embellishments but, let me tell you the story behind this particular choice I made for this ornament.  My sister owns a fabric shop and somehow she inherited a ton of buttonhole looping. 

Vintage, Paint and more... buttonholing trim to make wreath ornaments with

  This is the looping you use for those vintage dresses that have a million buttons down the back or down the sleeve. They were very popular in the 70's if I recall.  Well, she challenged me to come up with some ideas for using this since those type of dresses are no longer vogue.  Among some of my ideas is this little Christmas wreath.  It is a very simple project that takes very little time and can be used in many different ways. So let's get started.    

You will need:

  • A white poster board - I bought mine at Dollar Tree
  • A glue gun and glue sticks
  • Your object to make your circle - one for the outside and one for the inside circle.
  • Your lace, buttonholing, ribbon or rick rack.
  • Your embellishment - beads, flowers, charms
  • a 6 inch piece of gold cord, twine or string to make a hanging loop for it

Vintage, Paint and more... using poster board to make a wreath ornament

First I made some circles on a white poster board using a glass and a small circle punch. You can honestly make these as large or small as you like depending on the project you are using them for.  (As I am writing this I am imagining much larger ones for decorating windows, cabinet doors, backs of chairs - whatever you can think of.)


Vintage, Paint and more... making a wreath ornament with poster board and lace

The next step is to start gluing the buttonholing or your trim choice onto the poster board circle using hot glue.


Vintage, Paint and more... handcrafted wreath ornament made with poster board and lace

I started on the edge of the circle and then just continued going around the circle keeping the flat edges touching as I went around.  This created a layered full look.


Vintage, Paint and more... making a wreath ornament with poster board and lace

When I reached the center.  I just cut the buttonholing, folded back a little edge and glued it down to make a nice neat ending.


Vintage, Paint and more... DIY wreath ornament made from poster board, lace and beads


I then glued little gold beads around it - you can use any color or style of bead or embellishment you like.  And then used some gold thread to glue a loop onto the back to hang it with.  





Vintage, Paint and more... making a wreath ornament using poster board, lace and beads


That's all there is to this little project.  So simple and quick. I was able to make several one evening while watching TV.  My kind of project. And so adaptable to your own decor by changing out the type of trim and/or the embellishment you use.
If you want to see what else I made with this buttonholing check out these Little White Christmas Trees

Vintage, Paint and more... Christmas trees made from poster board and lace for a table centerpiece

I hope you enjoy perusing all the creativeness and great inspiration found in this collection and take the time to visit some of the blogs. 

Until next time - enjoy making something you love.

Hugs,



I will be linking up to the parties listed on the I Party At page above.  Please go and visit them I am sure you will find some great projects and inspiration.























Thursday, November 13, 2014

A 30 Minute Pasta Recipe - Guest Post



Good Morning everyone.  We have almost got everything together - down to our last few boxes and I can take a break from unpacking. We still have quite a bit in the garage to do but that I will take a little each week and do.  Next week I will be back in full force with lots of great things in store for you. With the holidays fast approaching I am planning some new things and revisiting some old.  But for today let's welcome Vanessa from DIY 180 as she returns to share one of her great pasta recipes.  It looks yummy and can't wait to try it myself.


Hi, I'm Vanessa, from DIY180 and I am happy to be here with you all today. Cathy, thank you for having me and letting me share with your readers today.

Vintage, Paint and more... DIY 180


I am going to share with you an easy pasta meal you can make in 30 mins and your family will love.

**Start out first by placing the bacon to cook as well as an entire box of spaghetti noodles in a pot of boiling water. Then it is time to make the sauce. This way, when your sauce is done, so is the bacon and pasta. Also save about 1 1/2 cups of the pasta, water, and set them aside. **

For this Meal you will need-
1. Bacon or turkey bacon cooked. I use about 10 slices of cooked bacon for this dish.
2. One small red onion, chopped and sautéd in a tablespoon of Olive Oil. Cook till they turn translucent.
3. Chopped up mushrooms and toss in with the onions and cook for about 5 minutes. Use the mushrooms that you like best and add as much or little as you like. I added about a cup.
4. Crumble bacon when its done and toss in with the onions/mushrooms.

Vintage, Paint and more... DIY 180

Vintage, Paint and more... DIY 180

Top Right Pic - 5. Add a 1 1/14 cup of whipping cream and three tablespoons of butter.
Bottom Right Pic - 6. Mix them together and let them sit on low heat for about 5 minutes and then toss in the spinach or broccoli and stir till cooked. If the sauce becomes too dry just add a few spoonfuls of the pasta water.
The pic to the left - Toss the cooked spaghetti noodles in the sauce till coated. If you see the pasta is not coated well enough, then add more of the pasta water to the sauce. Next, add Asiago, Romano or Parmesan cheese to the pasta. Stir it in. Then serve immediately. Thank you for having me and enjoy!

Mmmm.... Doesn't that look so delicious?  And so quick and simple - definitely one for those late and hurried evenings.  Thank you so much Vanessa for sharing with us we love to see what you have each time.

Don't forget Saturday is our awesome Share It One More Time where you can link up all your wonderful DIY projects, crafts and/or recipes.  Then on Sunday I am participating in a Christmas Ornament blog hop where several bloggers are sharing a handmade Christmas ornament.   You definitely won't want to miss all that great talent and inspiration gathered in one spot.  So be sure to come back and check out what we are sharing.  

I love to get comments and hearing from you all makes my day.  I answer all comments by email. 

Till next time have fun making something you enjoy. 
Hugs,


Thursday, November 6, 2014

A Blog Tour - DIY 180

I am still trying to get organized and unpacked.  This has been a bigger job than I even anticipated.  Some days I just get a little overwhelmed with all that has to be done so fortunately I have some wonderful friends that have volunteered to help me out. Today Vanessa from DIY 180


Vintage, Paint and more... DIY 180

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins with Cinnamon Oat Streusel Topping - Guest Post

Things are moving along and we are almost done packing so I will be back to posting some great projects just in time for the holiday season.  But until that time I have a great treat for you all. 
 Today Elizabeth from 






is here to share one of her scrumptious recipes with us. I can't wait to make these to have with my afternoon coffee.  So grab your coffee, sit back and welcome Elizabeth.