How To Add A Statement Wall for Under $5!

September 16, 2015September 15, 2015 RefreshHer6 Comments

I am blessed to have a sewing/crafting room at this Empty Nest stage of my life. I used to do my crafting at the kitchen table. It’s pretty great to go in my craft room and be able to leave out my projects while I’m working and not have to put it away so we can eat dinner!

I want to make this a lovely place where I’ll enjoying spending time. I’ve been stashing away ideas on my Pinterest Board, and have been anxious to add some details to one wall in particular. It’s the longest wall in the room, and I had hung only one large-ish picture on it, but it wasn’t enough. It really needed something else. Soooo…

On a recent trip to Hobby Lobby, I noticed that their scrapbooking paper was 50% off. I started collecting an assortment of patterns and colors that would coordinate well and bought two of each that I liked. I ended up with twelve sheets, which came to under $5 with the sale.

When I got home, I began crafting these paper pinwheels…

(For an easy Step by Step tutorial on How-To Make Paper Pinwheels, check back on Friday!)
I’ll also show how I hung them on the wall with a really simple technique!

I already had three of these pinwheels left over from Alli’s wedding, so I made six more, giving me plenty to add to my empty wall. Here’s the finished project:

I love it for a craft room, because it fits the room’s theme! It’s all about creativity and I think the paper pinwheels say, “This is a place of productivity and imagination!”

I think these pinwheels are adorable and would add a nice touch of whimsy to other places (aside from a craft room), like a nursery or a child’s room. Like this one:

Girl Heirloom Nursery — I think if you switched out the circles with the pinwheels it would be so cute!

Or for a backdrop wall for a shower or party, like here...

I love how they used different sizes. I may add some smaller ones to my collection!

This wouldn’t be the style for some, but I think it’s adorable!

How about you? Do you like paper crafty things on the wall, or do you only do professional and sleek?

With love from my crafting room,

Christian Life

The One Thing That Leads To Poverty Living

September 15, 2015September 16, 2015 RefreshHer5 Comments

“One day I’m going to tackle Bible memorization!”

“We’re going to have to get together for fellowship sometime soon!”

“”Some day I’m going to really start studying the Scriptures.”

“I sure want to make my life count for something. I hope it will some day.”

“I have a project at home that I’m hoping to get to some time.”

You know the saying, “Talk is cheap?” I believe I know it source – Proverbs 14:23b –

The talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.

The one thing that leads us to living an empty, unfulfilled life is only talking about doing something and never getting it accomplished. It’s easy to talk, but not always as simple to follow through, isn’t it? We have all kinds of dreams, ambitions and hopes, but they never happen. Our talk leads to our penury (our poverty)!

If we’re not careful we can become spiritual paupers because we only talk about what Scripture we wish we could memorize, or what Bible study we’d like to start, what fervent prayer life we’d love to have, or what great book we’d love to read. If we only talk about it we’re poverty-stricken Christians.
Lonely paupers are those who only talk about having fellowship with friends, but never initiate it. They only dream about the day they’ll lay aside their other plans and do it!
Messy paupers never get around to carving out time for that junky closet or the garage that can’t be used for the car, but they sure talk about how nice it would be to park out of the rain.
People who never find a place to serve the Lord and others are empty paupers – they kind of aimlessly wander through life just trying to survive another day of their misery.

Are you living the life of some kind of pauper because you’re doing lots of talking about something the Lord has brought to your heart, but you’re not asking Him to help you to accomplish that? Philippians 2:13 reminds us: For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Ask the Lord for wisdom about how to accomplish that desire He put in your heart, then claim this promise that says He will give you with both the willing and the doing of it!

Stop talking and start living the rich life of accomplishment!

Lovingly,

baking

Over-The-Top Carrot Cake

September 14, 2015September 16, 2015 RefreshHer5 Comments

I LOVE Southern Living recipes, and I really, really, LOVE their cakes. It seems that they take a simple recipe and just take it over the top! I have made several of their cakes that have become some of my all time favorites. The Blackberry Raspberry Truffle Cake and Coconut Cake are two. They will stay on my list for special occasions, but I’ve recently found another one – it’s for The Ultimate Carrot Cake! I made this because my husband is a fan of Carrot cake, but honestly, this recipe has changed my mind about this old classic!

In my standard fashion, I made the cake layers a few days in advance and froze them so that the icing and assembly would be faster and easier. The cake rose beautifully and was very moist. The icing calls for 7 cups of powdered sugar – I only used 5. It was delicious! Then the thing that was the “Icing on the Cake” (ha!) were the carrot curls on top. They are so yummy and resemble fruit leather. They were not hard to make and made a pretty presentation and a nice little added treat to each piece of cake! So, be sure to add the pretty embellishment, because it’s more than just decoration!

The Ultimate Carrot Cake

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

3 large eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups grated carrots

1 cup peeled and grated Granny Smith apple

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Candied Carrot Curls

Brown Sugar-Cream Cheese Frosting

See a Collection of Classic Appetizers

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Toss together first 3 ingredients; spread in a single layer in a foil- lined pan. Bake 10 minutes or until toasted, stirring once.

2. Stir together flour and next 4 ingredients. Beat butter and both sugars at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Add oil; beat until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended.

3. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in vanilla; fold in carrots, next 2 ingredients, and 1 cup toasted pecans. Spoon batter into 3 greased (with shortening) and floured 9-inch round cake pans.

4. Bake at 350° for 23 to 28 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 15 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely. Spread Brown Sugar-Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Top with Candied Carrot Curls and remaining toasted pecans.

Do you have any Southern Living Cakes that you make regularly? Tell me about them! I’m always on the lookout for a recipe to add to my collection!

With love from my country kitchen,

Uncategorized

Bow Making Is Easy!

September 11, 2015September 16, 2015 RefreshHer8 Comments

I made this flag last year. I simply

Cut the burlap to the size I wanted
Frayed the edges of three sides.
On the top, I turned it down and made a casing for the pole to go through.
I used acrylic paint and free-handed a simple pumpkin on.
I used narrow ribbon to create the monogram and attached it using hot glue.

It was a super easy project and held up in the weather really well! The only thing that needed replacing was the bow. Here’s a video about how I made my bows:

Here’s the finished edge of the bow:

Will you make something crafty for your fall decor? Sometimes all you need is a fresh bow…try it!

Stay refreshed,

Uncategorized

Before your Blessing, First This

September 9, 2015September 9, 2015 RefreshHer6 Comments

A Peek at my week will reveal…

Without six weeks of classes, cooking and hard work, there would have been no celebration dinner like we had last Saturday night! All the husbands were invited to join their wives in celebrating the completion of the Six-week course of Apples of Gold. We had seventeen in attendance and had a really sweet time together!

I used fall colors and apples as my theme for the tables as you can see on this one.

Without a job, there would not be the need for rest on Labor Day! I’m thankful for the Monday we were able to spend at a park with views of the mountains and a lake! It was gorgeous. We had KFC grilled chicken and I brought Mason jars of sweet tea to cool our parched throats. How pretty is a jar of tea at a picnic?!

Without dark nights there would be no joy of morning! The picture below was taken from my rocking chair at around 7:00 a.m. It was so special to sit there and watch the sky go from black night to the wonderful colors of the morning!

After our picnic on Monday we headed further up the mountain to get fresh South Carolina Peaches! These were about the size of baseballs! Without the further drive up the mountain and enduring some steep curves and slopes, we wouldn’t have had the blessing of peaches in our yogurt yesterday morning! It was worth the trip!

Liza surprises me sometimes and enjoys being in my lap while I work at the computer. She’s not really a lap cat, so I’ll take all the attention she’ll give me! Pets are work and take special care, but without them, life wouldn’t be nearly so sweet! She’s a faithful companion!

I hope you see where this post is going. Without hard things there’s no blessing – no reward. Whatever hard thing you’re enduring right now – like

early mornings because of job schedules
sleepless nights because of a baby
interruptions in life because of illness
waiting instead of possessing whatever it is your heart wants right NOW

remember that it will be worth it to receive the blessing – and it will come eventually. Don’t give up. One day you’ll be posting a picture on Instagram or writing an update in your status about God’s answer and how much better it is than you ever imagined! Keep waiting.

Lovingly,