What the (sea)shell?

Yes pun intended, even if it is a bad pun.

I have to say my family LOVES the ocean and beach, we everyone but my husband does.  And where there is a beach there is an abundance of shells.  My brother and his family go every year and my mom collects shells so we have more than we know what to do with. In talking with my sister in law I came up with a gift for them.  Saw the idea on Pinterest (starting to think I might have an addiction) but put my own spin on it. The SIL forgot to bring me the shells she wanted me to use (ones that they had collected) so we just raided my mom's stash of shells and I bought a few things at Hobby Lobby just to use as some filler.

Step 1: Canvas panel. They are usually about $10 or $12 for a pack of 3. I painted it with a sand color that I had mixed up for a previous craft and had mixed to much so I used some of the left overs.

Step 2: Wooden 13.5 inch letter from Hobby Lobby. Painted it just plain white.  My original idea was to completely cover in shells so that you wouldn't see the wooden form underneath, but I wanted it white so that if anything was showing through the cracks it wasn't bare wood.





 Step 3: I decided after all my painting was done that it needed a little something else on the canvas panel. I decided to see how it would look to do a top coat of sand on the painted canvas.  I tried a couple different things, but what worked best was mixing sand and Mod Podge and then applying that to the panel.  I didn't measure it, I just added sand and Mod Podge in a small bowl until I had the consistency of runny cornmeal. I used the Gloss Mod Podge simply because it is what I had and the stuff is to expensive for me to buy multiple bottles in one works just fine.

Sand & Mod Podge "batter"

 Step 4: Taking a cheap paint brush I brushed the sand/Mod Podge mix over the canvas.  It will go on white but the Mod Podge dries clear so the original paint shows through only now instead of just a boring flat painted canvas its got a rough texture from the sand.

Completed Canvas and "S".  Ready to add the shells and glue the letter to the canvas.







COMPLETED!!!! I got my 9 year old nephew involved.  He's really creative and artistic with an eye for detail, color and style.  He had the idea not to paint the shells white but leave them as they were and to let the white "S" show through to give it contrast. Using the hot glue gun (and about 6 sticks of glue) I attached each shell, then attached the "S" to the canvas using Mod Podge. Finally I attached the starfish last. And a final coat of Mod Podge to seal and give it all a bit of shine.

It turned out so well my brother suggested started my own business making things like this. We'll see for now I am happy doing these type things as gifts for family and friends.

Yarn Wreath

So I have a couple obsessions when it comes to Pinterest. And wreaths are one. Now that we have kids I really want to get into decorating and celebrating the seasons and holidays in a big way... like when I was kid.

My maternal grandmother (called Nan) has a birthday the day after mine. Family legend is that she begged my mother to wait another 33 minutes so that we would share a birthday. Nan also is in mid stage Alzheimer's and (since we are moving) this will probably be the last birthday that I get to see her and Nan know who I am. I decided to make her a special present. In comes my Pinterest boards. Nan is an old school Southern lady, and getting worse as the Alzheimer's takes more of her mind. And for some reason there HAS to be a wreath on the door. So what better gift than a homemade yarn wreath.

The styrofoam form and yarn. I bought the wrong kind of ring, but it was all they had. Also it the ring at Hobby Lobby was double the price as the the same size form at Walmart. I used the Red Heart yarn because it was the cheapest yarn I could find. And I used maybe 75% of the skein wrapping. Start this off take a styrofoam wreath form (or flexible tubing bent into a circle and then end secured with duct tape). Wrap the yarn around and around until completely covered in yarn leaving the center open.

Colored felt and the diamond shape templates I used. I loved that burgundy color (on bottom). It just seemed so much more like the Fall than the brighter red colors. I took strands of the brown yarn and tied each diamond to the wreath individually.

The decorations I used for the wreath. I got them in the seasonal decor aisle at Hobby Lobby. I pack of sunflowers and one pack of the different leaves (the leaves came as a mixed pack). Side Note: I love sunflowers, they are my favorite flower, so I wanted to put a little something of me in this wreath.

Completed wreath. I used lots of hot glue to secure the leaves to the backs of the sunflowers and then lots more hot glue to secure that to the wreath.

I couldn't remember if Nan had a hanger on the door or a section cup to hang her wreaths from. So I made an extra long tie. I took 9 strands of brown yarn and braided them together to add some strength. Then threaded then through the backside of the wreath. I can remove it or cut it down to fit if I need too.

Special thanks to the hubby for not only holding the yarn while I braided but also for holding the wreath while I took this picture.

Quickie Peach Cobbler

Normally I am not one for trying new recipes. I really don't even like trying new foods. But I was looking on a Facebook page (Stubborn's Place, she also has a website/blog stubbornsplace.com) while getting a pedicure. And this recipe was reposted. So I decided to give it a try.

Now I am Southern born and bred. I have had some AWESOME peach cobblers made from canned peaches. My mom's peach cobbler is so good it will make you want to slap Paula Dean. HAHA And I have had peach cobblers that the peaches were picked that morning, bought in the middle of the day and right after dinner were keeping some ice cream company in my stomach.

This recipe is pretty simple and tastes pretty good:

2 large cans of peaches
1 powdered cake mix
1 stick butter

Preheat oven to 350. Dump peaches (undrained) in a baking dish. Sprinkle the cake mix over the top of beaches. Slice butter into thin squares and lay on top of cake mix. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.

I've made 2 pans so far (I halved the recipe both times) and I found that cooking it a bit longer made it just a bit better.

What I do like is that its something I can keep the ingredients for in the cabinet. And its a perfect dessert for those times that you need something suddenly.

Enjoy!