Handmade Holidays: The Sharpie Plate

Sometimes you want to personalize your gift. You want something easy, simple, and yet personal.

I'm sure you have seen these on Pinterest.

Well, it is a great gift idea so I am going to tell you how you REALLY make these.

Get a plate or platter or coffee mug that you want to personalize. Once you have that, you will need a Sharpie.

But you will need the Sharpie Paint Pen. It is oil based. If you use a plain Sharpie that is water based the writing will wipe off...even after you bake it.

I found a multi pack of these paint pens at the craft store and used a 40% off coupon to get them for a deal.

Wash your dish well, plan what you want to write and then go for it. If you mess up, use a cotton ball with some rubbing alcohol on it to wipe it off well.

Bake your plate or mug in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes. Place the item directly on the rack in  the cold oven. Turn the oven on and bake. I allowed my dishes to cool in the oven as well overnight. Take them out and you now have a personalized dish for a gift. Add some yummy cookies to that plate or hot chocolate to that mug and you have one great gift!
I bet you have some teens at home who would love to make some mugs for friends and at just a little over a dollar a mug....you've got a great gift idea and craft project!

This would also be a great gift for a wedding or anniversary or birthday. Guests can write something on a platter.

Let me know what you are making with this handmade idea!

Next week we will throw some handmade jewelry into this gift giving mix!

Need a recipe for Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix? This one is fabulous!

Have a fabulous week!

Keepin' It Real

It was an eventful morning.

Fletcher, the 2 year old, usually makes his way into our bed at some point during the night. It's no big deal and all of the kids have slept with us as babies and toddlers.
This morning was the usual morning of laying around in bed only we had BOTH boys in there. They were sandwiched between me and Devin and having a great time playing.

Well Fletcher, in all of his playfulness, sat up and then slammed his head down only to crash down onto my nose.
My nose is broken.

Here I am in all my glory this morning after it happened. This evening it's a bit more swollen and colorful.
Don't I look lovely? I stayed in my pj's, skipped the make-up, and cleaned house today with my honkin' big nose. How's that for keepin' it real today?

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In other news, I have been letting Lucy out into the yard to graze on greener grass. I allowed the calf to then graze in her usual paddock that is surrounded with an electric fence wire.

Apparently the calf was able to walk under said electric wire and he found his mamma cow.

Thankfully he did not attempt to nurse, because he is now weaned, but they did do a little head rubbing.

He was then escorted back into secure fencing and they both went back to their grazing.

Awww, but they sure do look cute together!

I hope everyone had a great week and enjoys the weekend. I will be sewing and crafting and knitting this weekend, and I can't wait to show you all what I am making!

Happy Friday!

 

Handmade Holidays: Drawsting Bag in Minutes!

My intentions were to post this yesterday but....

The fall weather is here and we just had to start a backyard pit fire and make s'mores. It was fantastic.

But let's focus on the holidays now because those days are right around the corner, and if you are like me you will be making several gifts.
This means you must get started now, right? At least you should be making a list and deciding what you might want to craft.

Well, this idea is simply to take an inexpensive gift and make it more special and personal.

Example:  This lip gloss will be great gift, but it looks rather plain. A nice handmade bag would make this gift more special PLUS the recipient will not have to bother with ripping open the cardboard packaging. It's a win-win situation! (excuse the terrible picture....my lens is on the fritz and needs to be calibrated.)

So, this gift will go from the plain packaging above to this:

Here's what you need:

2 pieces of fabric cut into squares. Mine are cut 7"x 7"
2 pieces of ribbon or string that is twice the length of the fabric
 a sewing machine and basic sewing skills:-)

 Place the two fabrics together WRONG SIDES TOGETHER and mark down from the top 2 inches. Put a pin there so you do not sew from the 2 inch mark up. This will be an area you will later make a casing for the ribbon.

Sew the pieces together (on all 4 sides) WRONG SIDES TOGETHER using a very small seam allowance, such as 1/8 inch. We are making a French seam so that there will be no raw edges on this bag.

Now, turn the bag wrong side out and press.

 Now you will fold those top 2 inches in at the side just a tad and press.
Then sew  a straight stitch to keep that tiny fold down. See? Looks a little messy but trust me.

  Now to make the casing you need to fold the top down about an inch and press.

  Next press the top of that under just a enough so that it can be sewn down.

 Sew the 1 inch fold down on the edge there. You will not have a raw edge on the casing now.

Now, to make a French seam you need to sew along the edge using a larger seam allowance than what you used on the front side. (DO NOT sew past the casing!!) Doing this will enclose that raw edge within the seam allowance. Use your finger and feel where the seam is and sew past that edge. If you used a 1/8 inch allowance the first time then a 1/4 inch allowance this go around should do the trick.

Remember you will be sewing on the wrong side and using a larger seam allowance than before. This will enclose that raw edge.

Turn the bag right side out and press. Voila! You should have a bag with no raw seams! Now you will need to feed that ribbon or string through. I use a large yarn needle but you can also use a safety pin. Feed the ribbon through one side and all the way around. Repeat with second ribbon on other side.

Tie a knot in your ribbons and pull them to cinch the bag closed!

I bet these cars will look better in a handmade gift bag!

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This is a simple and quick way to dress up those little gifts that could use a little dressing up! In fact, these bags can be personalized with applique or a favorite character fabric. You can also make larger bags by just cutting out larger pieces of fabric.
For kids you could make bags for marbles, army men figures, little farm animals, playing cards, and anything else you can imagine!

I think some adult friends would love a bag of chocolate truffles or homemade goodies!

What small gifts will you give in a handmade bag this year?

If you like to gift a bottle of wine, then check out my past post on a quick and wonderful wine bag!

Have a great week and enjoy this fall weather! I will have another gift idea next week!

Here Horsey, Horsey

Ok, so we now have a mare. A beautiful mare.

A skinny mare.....

The previous owners had many horses and thankfully decided to part with some because feeding them all was too much to handle. Theses animals do eat non-stop!

Add to that she was competeing for a food trough with several more aggressive mares and well...you get a skinny and starved horse.

Everyone came to greet and welcome Athena. She is a very friendly horse about 6 years old and doesn't seem to spook easily at all. We think she will make a great family horse once she gets up to her proper weight, of course. We rode her briefly before we got her and she was solid.

Once she arrived we wormed her, scraped bot fly eggs off her, groomed her, started treating a small patch of rain rot on her belly, and started her on some fattening up supplements and probiotics.

Zeb really was impressed with the sweet horse, but sometimes hunting for a cool rock is more fun! Our property is covered with fossilized crinoids. The kids love to collect them.

She has lots to eat now and we are showering her with lots of brushing and petting. Journee is working with her to establish and perfect some ground work.

Here's to the newest member of the farm. In two weeks we gets.......PIGS!!!!

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Wednesday I will be here with a Handmade Holiday installment.....yes, the holidays are right around the corner. It's time to get started!

Hope your day was great!

Adventures with Lucy the Family Cow: Slippery Step

Yesterday was one of those days when things were just hectic. It happens every now and again when you have a house full of children and a yard full of animals.

Fall has officially hit North Georgia and although the weather is still pleasant, the grass is starting to turn brown.
My backyard has managed to grow a new sprout of clover so I decided to let Lucy out into the yard to graze. She loved it.

There was one problem though. I sent the young girls out to clean out my garage (sweep, pick up, etc) and Jersey cows are known for their curiosity.

Lucy decided to walk into the garage to see what might be in there, and while standing inside she pooped. She pooped a lot.

When we motioned for her to turn and walk out she then stepped in her mountain of poo and slipped and fell.

A fallen cow is not a good thing. She tried to stand up again but it was just too slick so instead she peed and pooed again(from nervousness) and made the area twice as slick and stinky.

Journee and I tried sprinkling cat litter to give her traction. It did not work.

We gathered hay to shove under her the best we could to give her traction. It did not work.

She tried and tried but could not get herself up. She would end up slipping again and scooting herself until she ended up on the other side of the garage.
Poor Lucy!

Next I grabbed ALL of the small rugs from the house (kitchen rugs, etc) and we tried to place those under her feet and legs HOPING that would give her traction.
It did not work.

She was getting very tired.

I called my two favorite farmers in town and they arrived with a large piece of felt but it did not giver her traction either. We decided to put a rope around her and pull her out with a truck.
It did not work.

We decided to roll Lucy onto the felt and then pull the felt piece out with the truck. Rolling an 850 lb cow onto something is no easy feat but we did it successfully.

 Needless to say, we were able to drag her out and onto the gravel drive. We left her there and checked on her every five minutes or so. Finally after another 20 minutes she was able to get up!!!!

 We gave her some grain and led her back to her paddock. She did suffer a small tear in the skin on her udder so we washed it with soapy water and lathered it up with a lanolin cream.

This morning she seemed fine, just a little stiff and slow moving. She wanted to go back out to the back yard after her milking but I had to explain to her that I wanted a slow, easy day today:-) Next time she's out we will be sure we close the garage doors too.

So that was the 3 hour drama that occurred here yesterday.

 Always an adventure when you have a family cow.

Huntsville

It was a great trip to visit some great friends.

We toured Huntsville, Alabama and experienced all of the culture, even if it didn't involve football. There are antique stores and also an art district that's pretty amazing.

There is also a pretty cool downtown that has regular farmer's markets and a beautiful park area built around the spring that Huntsville's founder watered his cattle with long before downtown existed.

Of course all of the attraction paled in comparison to visiting our dear friends. It was a wonderful two days and guess what? Devin managed the farm and the kids without me or the oldest two girls just fine.
So I guess I need to plan my next trip to Huntsville, right?

Ahhh, back to reality this week.

I am feeling a bit antsy to start some Christmas projects so next week will begin my Handmade Holiday series of gifts you can make or at least put together.

I need some input with one gift so I asked on my FB page for ideas of favorite quotes, not long quotes. If you have something near and dear to your heart, please share. I would love to see what inspires everyone or at least gives you a chuckle.

Are you ready for the holidays? Who is the most difficult to find a gift for on your list?

I'll be back this week, but I also wanted to share this post about mothering.I really liked it.  Enjoy and see you later alligator!


 

Lila Rose Winner!

Hi everyone! I m back from my wonderful trip to Alabama!

I have to unpack and settle kids but I didn't forget about the give away!

Congratulations Sharri! You won the gift certificate!

Thank you everyone who entered!

Sharri, email me your address and name so we can get your prize out!

Mybarefootfarm@catt.com

I will be back Monday with pictures from my trip!

Have a great weekend!