Small Shop Road Trip!

Take a Small Shop Road Trip this Super Bowl Weekend!  The following shops are having a SALE on ALL FABRIC and a special project for you!!  Make sure to visit them on MAIN STREET in their respective towns!

Stitches Quilt Shop in MCPHERSON...320 S Main St, 620-241-2986

Quilts and QuiltRacks in HILLSBORO...130 N Main St, 620-947-2222

Sew What in MARION...162 W Main St, 620-382-2020

Store hours will be:
Saturday, Feb. 5:  9am - 5pm
Sunday, Feb. 6:  1pm - 5pm

Snow Day Entertainment

 

I LOVE SNOW DAYS...when you can go outside!!!  Recently we had one that dumped ice instead of snow, so we stayed inside.  The problem was that this Snow Day was unexpected, meaning this Mom didn't have anything planned to "entertain" them.  So, I raided the pantry and kept them busy doing this...

Simple and Fun!!

Savory Chicken Squares

Here's what you need to make 4 squares...

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 Tbs Butter, softened

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

1 Tbs chopped fresh chives or onion

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon chopped pimientos, if desired

1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent rolls

1 Tbs Butter, melted

3/4 cup seasoned croutons, crushed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Then, start by cooking your chicken in the skillet.  Just in case you're thinking that looks like more than 2 cups of chicken, you're right.  I double the recipe for my family...making 8 squares.

 In medium bowl, mix cream cheese and 1 tablespoon softened butter; beat until smooth. Add chicken, chives/onions, salt, pepper, milk and pimientos; mix well. (I didn't have any pimientos.)

 Separate dough into 4 rectangles.  Firmly press perforations to seal.

Spoon 1/2 cup chicken mixture onto center of each rectangle. 

Pull 4 corners of dough to center of chicken mixture; twist firmly. Pinch edges to seal. 

Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Brush tops of squares with 1 tablespoon melted butter; sprinkle with crushed croutons (I used Italian Bread Crumbs instead of crushed croutons).

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.  As you can see, some of mine didn't get pinched together well enough.  No worries...they still taste fantastic!!

Wrapping Paper Storage

 We have limited storage in our house, so we try to utilize it the best we can.  Several years ago, I stumbled across an idea for wrapping paper storage.  It's inexpensive and easy.  We use the storage area under our stairs. 

Just slide your rolls behind the electrical wire that is already there.  IF it's not already in place, rig up your own wire like this...

For the longer rolls, we used two wires to help keep them in place.

 

Winter Storm

I was looking through old pictures and found these of an ice storm that hit McPherson in Dec 2007.  We went over to Maple Memories and were a little stunned by it all.  It was sad to see such big, old trees damaged in such a way, yet so incredibly beautiful at the same time. 

Jute Lamp - Before and After

We got this crystal lamp when we got married...13 years ago. When we registered for it, yes REGISTERED for it, I thought it would be one of those timeless pieces that you pass on from generation to generation. It's really a beautiful crystal, but it goes with ABSOLUTELY NOTHING in our entire house. I couldn't just get rid of it, so I decided to help it match our decor. I know, this is where some of you are cringing. I did the same at first.

The thing is it has had a crack in it since we received it and the brass was starting to turn. PLUS at this moment, I'm not a fan of brass. Again, sorry.

The first step was to make the lamp look like Superman! Kidding. I wrapped the crystal before spray painting it with Rubbed Oil Bronze paint. I know, it seems weird to worry about getting paint on it if I'm just going to cover it anyway. BUT, I was thinking into the future a bit. It is pretty underneath and someday someone is going to think that the jute lamp is HIDEOUS. They will wonder why anyone EVER covered up a crystal lamp with brown jute and will be excited when they remove the paint to find shiny brass underneath. Times and trends change...I'm making it easier for the DIYer of the future. :)

I love the new paint job! Then I started with the jute. I just hot glued it on as I went. 2-3 inches of glue, then wrapped the jute on top, pressing down gently. Repeat this about 1000 times. Seriously, I think it took me about 2 hours to wrap the whole thing!

Tada!! I LOVE IT!!! It's now at home, next to my bed.

I have plans to redo our Master Bedroom (and yes, giving that table a little attention is on the list). I was having trouble finding my groove to begin working on it. The lamp project was just what I needed!! I'm ready for a full bedroom BEFORE and AFTER!!!

Snowman Ornaments

This was such a fun craft for our family! All 5 of us made one. Yes, even my hubby sat down and created with the rest of us. Meg has a great tutorial here. She used colored balls, which turned out ADORABLE. I had these frosted ones tucked away in my craft room, so that's what we used. The are actually really pretty hanging on the tree with the light coming in from behind.