Make Your Own Greek Yogurt

I love greek yogurt, yummo!  However, it's kinda pricey as those of you that eat it know.  So I set off to make it myself.  Super easy!

 I took a strainer, lined it with a paper coffee filter and then spooned the yogurt inside.  Covered it with plastic wrap and then set the strainer in a smaller bowl.  Then it went in the fridge overnight.

This is the whey that drained off, and then you were left with perfect greek yogurt!  It's very thick and creamy.  However you could change the time in the fridge or just add back some of the strained off whey if it's too thick for your liking.  Then add sweetener and fruit, granola, etc.

Try it, once you see how easy it is you'll never buy it premade again! 

Click on "Linky Parties I Love" to see where I'll be sharing my recipe.

DIY Platform Swing/Glider

So I finally have a project to share with you all, yipee!!  I know, it's been awhile.  However I am really excited at how this turned out and hopefully will be helpful to some of you. 

I found a really neat platform/glider swing in a catalog that I wanted to buy for my oldest (well, all three kids actually).  But at over $300 I didn't want to spend that kind of money, so my Dad and I set out to make it ourselves.  Below is the finished project, let me give you a general idea of what we did, okie dokie?

Below is a picture of what we bought for the project.  We went to our local big box home improvement store, spent about $55 total.  We purchased the following:

• precut 3/4" plywood sheet, cut to 3'x4'
• two precut sections of 1" diameter pvc pipe, 2' long
• four pvc end caps
• 2 pieces foam insulation for wrapping exterior pipes, 4' long
• 2 sections of chain link, 6 links per section, rated to hold 350 lbs
• section of indoor/outdoor carpet to cover the plywood base
• truck rope, rated to hold 300+ lbs, can't remember exact length, probably 30 ft or so
• 2  lock loop/carabeeners to hold chain to swing set, but we didn't end up needing them

Here is a picture of the swing/glider that I found.  If you are interested, you can read more about it  here:

So a brief overview of what we did.  We took the chain link and looped it through the hooks on the swing set, those that you'd use to attach a swing.  We then ran the rope through the chain link, knotting it off at the bottom as you can see to keep the rope from moving around.

We didn't end up using the locking loops/carabeeners we originally purchased because as you can see the opening for the chain to attach to the hoop on the swing set is pretty small.  However if you had a swing set with a larger loop opening, or for extra peace of mind you could definitely use those locking loops to attach the chain to the loops on your swing set.

A view of the swing looking down.  The platform as you can see has rounded edges, we cut the edges with a sawz-all and then sanded them smooth and rounded them off.  The rope was strung through the handles, then through the top of the platform and was knotted off on the underside.

We stapled the carpet directly to the board, using a staple gun.  We split the pipe insulation along the pre-cut side and then wrapped it around the edges and then used the staple gun to affix it to the board as well. 

We used a drill to drill holes in the pvc pipe, then threaded the handles through the rope.  We knotted off above and below the handles to make them more stationary.

So, this little tutorial wasn't exactly in the order done.  But hopefully you get the general idea.  Please feel free to ask any questions necessary.  I didn't really take the time when I made this to write it all down, so I'm writing this from memory (which isn't the greatest!)

My kids have been having a blast on this thing.  They can stand and swing front to back or side to side.  They sit and play or read on it.  Two kids at a time can sit on it.  It also was made to grow with them, so we can adjust the height by simply moving the knots on the rope to raise or lower the swing.

Please click on "Linky Parties I Love" to see where I'll be sharing my newest project!

Simple Valentine's Day Decor

Been working on some simple Valentine's Day decor this past week. Here are a few projects I did.

This is really easy. I just took a few branch cuttings from the backyard and hot glued some hearts to it that I cut out of red velvet ribbon. Arranged in a pink vase on a red plate/charger. This in on the microwave in the kitchen.

This is some simple Valentine's themed garland. I based it on all the cute pennant banners that I've seen around blogland. I took the same velvet ribbon I used for the heart tree above to make the banner.

All I did was take a piece of ribbon, fold it in half and cut out a heart making sure to not completely cut the top but used the folded section to wrap around the string. I used red/wht bakers twine that my sweet Momma gave me for Christmas, I think it looks perfect.

See, decorating doesn't always have to be a big production? Simple, cheap, fast is my motto...but I better be careful, that one could get me in trouble ;)

What are you doing to decorate for Valentine's Day?

Click on "Linky Parties I Love" to see where I'll be sharing my simple ideas.

Also linking up for the first time at Wildflowers and Whimsy:

Fab Fabric n' Felt Valentine Wreath

So yesterday I worked on my latest Valentine's Day inspired decor idea while the kiddos were napping. I made this wreath for the front door, but I can't decide if I like it or if I should add something to it.

I wanted to use nothing new, but make it all from what I had on hand. I didn't have a wreath form, so I cut out a cardboard form and worked from there. I decided to change it up a bit and went with a rectangular shape. I actually like how it plays off the paneling in the front door.

I wrapped it in red felt, and then used some red fabric to accent the corners and make the little rosettes in the corner. I used bakers twine to wrap the entire perimeter when I was done and used a piece of red velvet ribbon as my hanger.

What do you think, should I do something else with it or leave it as is? I can't decide. On one hand I like the simplicity of it, on another hand it looks like a monotone rectangle to me. What would you do? Be honest, nice...but honest ;)

Here are some Valentine's Day related ideas from last year, a CD card...

some vintage Valentine printables....

and some hand dipped chocolate covered caramels. All really easy, all really inexpensive. If you look in the blog archives from Jan/Feb 2010 you'll find all of these ideas.

So, give me some feedback on my wreath. I'm interested to see what you all have to say!

Stick Sunburst Mirror

So I've really developed a fondness for sunburst mirrors. I've made one before and it hangs in our bedroom, you can see it here .

As I mentioned before, I'm kinda going for a nature inspired look in the living room right now. I decided to make another mirror to go in there, but wanted it to look different from what I made before. I figured I'd try making it with sticks/twigs from a tree out in the backyard, and this is what I came up with. Not bad, right?

I made it the exact same way I did with my first project, but just used twigs instead. I'm really happy with the look. It looks great at night, the twigs cast some pretty neat shadows.

Here's a distance shot for perspective.

I'm still working on the living room overall, I'll get some more pictures up once I'm done.

Please click on "Linky Parties I Love" to see where I'll be linking up. How can you bring some nature inspired touches into your home?

Dino Playboard and...

So, awhile back I was blown away by this awesome dino playland that Kaleen from At Second Street made. You can see it here. When we bought youngest some dinos for Christmas I wanted to make something to go along with it and I thought of her idea. However a suitcase was too big (and I didn't have one to use), so I decided to use a board instead.

I used a wooden board and made a smaller, easier to store version and here it is. Yes, it's not nearly as fancy as the one that Kaleen made but it'll work and it was made completely with stuff I had on hand.

I covered the board in grout left over from a bathroom project, and once dried I painted it. I sprinkled sand and painted over it to add some texture. I took a few rocks from the kids stash and hot glued them to the end, sticking some spanish moss in between the stones.

To make the "mountain" area I glopped up some grout and made a mound of it. I then hot glued some sand to the top once painted. I used green to make grass, and some grey and brown to vary it a bit. Very simple, but it'll work and I think that he'll enjoy this area to use for dino play.

On another note, I know I said I was done making ornaments but I couldn't resist showing this one. He's Frosty, isn't he super cute? I took three foam balls, covered them with hot glue and then stuck on quilt batting. His hat is made from black stacked buttons and his nose and arms are a twig from the backyard. I tied on a scrap of fabric and used white ric-rac for his hanging loop. I think he's perfect.

I was also drooling over some mercury glass ornaments I saw on a website. I love how aged and imperfect they are, and an idea popped up. I grabbed a plain gold glass bulb and took some sandpaper to it. The finish started coming off and it took on a great aged look. It's hard to tell in the picture, but if you click on it to enlarge you'll get an idea. This would really work with a darker ornament (like red, green or blue). Not mercury glass, but it's an improvement.

Please click on "Linky Parties I Love" to see where I'll be sharing.

Four days until the birthday celebration...are you remembering to include the birthday boy in your thoughts and preparations?

Frugal Framed Fabric Art

First off...the lighting on these pics is pretty crummy. We've had three straight days of rain, the house has zero natural light and I can't go outside. So, enjoy the lovely yellowish haze.

This is a gift that I made for my MIL. She is crazy for all things quilts, and has a wall of fabric art and quilt squares in her living room. I was going to make something else for her, but after losing part of it (ggrrrr) I had to come up with something else and this is it.

I took a vinyl removable wall decal and placed it in the middle of the frame, on the outside of the glass. I then took a piece of fabric and sandwiched it between the glass and went to town with the embellishments.

The flowers are circles of fabric that are rubber banded around a button. I needed a easy, no-sew option for me and this worked well. I used those mini plastic rubber bands that you find in the beauty section of the dollar store.

I then took some linen and vintage ribbon and edged the outside of the frame. The decal gives the glass a pretty, frosted look but since it didn't cover the entire front I wanted to cover the plain glass so that there wasn't a visible line. So I layered the ribbon and the linen and it worked well, I hot glued them directly to the glass.

I then took some trim and buttons and glued it on top of the linen, just to cute it up a bit.

All in all, pretty easy and very inexpensive. Everything I used was stuff I already had on hand, with the exception of the frame which my Momma gave me.

Please click on "Linky Parties I Love" to see where I'll be sharing. Happy Handmade Christmas!

"Vintage" Train Signage

I needed to make a gift for my FIL and my Hubby's uncle. They both are really into trains. I had already framed a neat vintage train photo for each of them, but wanted to do something else. I got the idea to make a sign, this is the end result. I absolutely love how they turned out!

I started with a wooden slat, from IKEA to be exact. I had bought a slatted bed base that we didn't end up needing, so I cut it up and used one of the wooden slats as my base. Totally free wood, precut and sanded. Score!

I took black wrapping paper and Mod Podged it to the wood. After it dried, I took sand paper and distressed it really well.

I had a stencil for the letters. I took white and grey acrylic paint, mixed it and dry brushed it on. I wanted it to be spotty and faded looking and it turned out just the way I thought it would.

The railroad logos I found on the internet and printed them off on cardstock. I picked ones that would be meaningful to the recipients, there are so many to choose from that it's easy to do. I Mod Podged them to the sign, and then distressed them with a pencil eraser and went over them lightly with black ink from a stamp pad to "age" them.

The whole thing was then coated with some matte acrylic spray varnish and I was done. If I could do anything differently, I would have covered the sides with paper and distressed as well.

My hubby actually said, "Wow honey" when I showed him my finished product. That was a first for me, so I'm hoping that the recipients will like them too!

Please click on "Linky Parties I Love" to see where I'll be sharing. Happy Handmade Christmas!

Jesus is the Gift Ornaments

So this is the last of the ornaments that I'll be making for gifts this year.

I love the message "Jesus is the gift", it's simple yet effective. I have another ornament that I made myself last year with the same sentiment, but wanted to make something this year for gift giving.

I covered a wooden block with scrapbook paper, distressing the edges. Then I "wrapped" it with white ribbon. I typed the wording and printed them out, then I laminated them. Then they were hot glued to the front, along with the star. To make the top I just cut a small bit of gold glittery ribbon, glued it down and topped with a button.

Please click on "Linky Parties I Love" to see where I'll be sharing.

Beaded Wire Keyrings

So, my workshop is in full swing over here making Christmas gifts. Last night I made these.

Just simple glass bead and wire key rings. I had some beads left over from another project, and those along with some wire and a few split rings and before you know it I had five ready for gift giving.

They are very simple. I used a pair of needle nose pliers to help me make the swirls on the end of each strand of beads. Three varied lengths of beaded wire twisted together is all this is. I like that I used metal wire too, since it holds shapes the recipients can play around with them and customize the look a bit if they want too.

I attached the wire strands to a necklace pendant loop (I'm not sure what else you'd call it), and then threaded the loop through the split ring. That was all there was to it, pretty simple.

I plan on giving one to most of the ladies in the family for Christmas this year, I hope they like them! As you can probably tell, I'm all about using what I have to make gifts this year. Trying to buy as little as possible.

Please click on "Linky Parties I Love" to see where I'll be linking up. Happy handmade Christmas!

Fabric and Lace Ornaments

So here are some more ornaments that I have been working on. Again, I had all the supplies on hand and didn't buy anything.

The fabric ones are made with styrofoam forms, I had both circle and egg shapes. I just cut fabric strips and pinned them on. I used the same strips to make the little "tails" and then just used a colored pin to attach the green cording for hanging.

The egg shaped ones turned out ok, I think I like the circle one better.

The lace snowflakes were ones I had bought several years back, but never really hung them up. They tended to get lost on the tree since they were smaller. So I used them, along with some cording and vintage painted mini wooden ornaments to make these.

I just used the cording to "sew" two snowflakes together and then attached the mini ornament to the front and tied it off. I used white embroidery floss to make loops for hanging.

Please click on "Linky Parties I love" to see where I'll be sharing. Have you made anything handmade for gifts yet this year? Not too late to get started!

Pine and Berries Arrangements

When we went to get our tree, I snagged some noble fir cuttings from the tree lot for decorating. Yesterday I came up with these arrangements for the front of the house.

The red and white berries are actually spray painted. I wanted to add color, but didn't have any picks so I just cut some berries off a bush in the yard and painted them.

The pine cones are from our neighbor's tree and the ribbon I've had for awhile now, I got it from Wal-Mart for $0.50 when they were clearancing out their fabric department. I wish they didn't do that, I think the crafting section there is the pits now ever since they did that.

The above arrangement is hanging on our front side gate. Similar to the one on the front door but bigger.

Remember awhile back when I told you I'd be doing something with some cuttings from my Agapanthus? Well those white spiky things are cuttings, minus the blooms and spray painted white. I think they look awesome.

I just used thin gauge wire to attach everything and then hung them up, easy and took about an hour to do both. I still have some tree cuttings and pine cones left, but I don't know if I'll get around to making something else or if this is as good as it'll get in the front.

Please click on "linky parties I love" to see where I'll be sharing.

What have you done to decorate your front yard this year? Do you normally decorate outside or do you keep it indoors during the holidays?