🐱STUFFED CATS: Free Sewing Pattern and Tutorial🐱

These cute Happy Cats look pretty easy and you have over a month until Christmas to whip up a few. Pattern is in several sizes and it's a free download from Ann Wood Handmade.

https://www.annwoodhandmade.com/happy-cats-a-free-sewing-pattern/

You should start with the large one because turning and stuffing will be easier. It could be a cat toy too for your favorite feline and you could fill it with catnip. Fill with sand and it could be a pincushion. You could just draw the features with a sharpie if you use an unprinted fabric.

She has many other free patterns to download below:

https://www.annwoodhandmade.com/free-patterns-and-resources/

Happy sewing.

You're welcome☺️

xo

Moon Tonight at My Cottage

This iPhone photo doesn't capture the beauty of tonight's moon but here it is anyway. I added a filter to make it look like a vintage photo and I like it. I mowed two days ago and tomorrow I shall do the front. So as the story book says, "Goodnight Moon" and I'm off to my bedroom. xo

This is the original photo before editing with SNAPSEED, a free App that is amazingly powerful. I decreased the highlights, increased the ambiance and I probably decreased the exposure too. I used "healing" to get rid of the white dot at the base of the trees that is a bluebird house. I used healing to get rid of the dead branches slightly above he bird house.  I used "Vintage" to get the old-fashioned photo feel. I will look for a tutorial online to help you with Snapseed. It's available on Google Play and Apple App Store. The iPhone has built-in photo editing that is great too. I sometimes start there and finish on Snapseed. xo

I found a 15-minute YouTube Video Tutorial that will teach you on how to use SNAPSEED to edit the photos on your phone.

After watching the video, I added another edit with Snapseed using Curves and got a sky I like better. xo

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Christmas Stars from Paper Bags: Video Tutorial

This is the best and easiest video tutorial I have ever seen. You can make Christmas stars from brown paper lunch bags and craft glue. You will need scissors and ribbon for hanging. Nothing else. The hardest part is waiting for the glue to dry. Found on Instagram @clausdalby.

Foolproof Pie Dough w/ Video Tutorial

I always look at and read recipes for pie crust but have never found one that is foolproof. I think this one might be it. The recipe makes two crusts. It looks pretty simple and straightforward and I plan on making one pumpkin pie and freeze other round of dough. 

Jump straight to the recipe and print it here.

Read the lengthy article and watch the video tutorial here. There are lots of delicious pie recipes at the end as well. This is one-stop-shopping for pie ideas. Enjoy. xo

Really Cute Bear Hug Cookies

You could probably improvise and figure out a way to have these little bears hugging a red heart for Valentine's Day presents. Complete tutorial here. I would just use a shortbread recipe.

DIY Organic Blended Strawberry Yogurt

This is the most delicious and economical way to eat all organic blended fruit yogurt if you don't mind mixing it yourself. My huge jar of Organic Strawberry Spread from Costco seems to be lasting forever. The Organic plain European Style yogurt from Trader Joe's contains 4 cups. My parfait glass holds about 3/4 cup so I get at least 5 servings of yogurt. I think it is $2.99. The cost for the strawberry spread is $6.59 and it really tastes homemade. It's a "loose" spread and blends easily. You can adjust the amount of flavoring to add according to your taste buds. One Tablespoon has 40 calories. I put a bigger blob than usual for this post. The amount I usually use probably has only 20 calories. I use a long handled iced tea spoon as my measure and mixing spoon. I eat the yogurt with it too and it's really delicious. This method is good for the environment too. The Kirkland product comes in a glass jar. One Trader Joe's tub equals quite a few individual yogurt cups. I like to make a small serving in a teacup if I just want a taste of something good.

PS--Regular strawberries are in the dirty dozen, the 12 most contaminated foods in the food chain. Yuck. Any time you can find organic strawberries, you should jump at the chance.

DIY: Gingham-Checked Painted Walls

WOW, what a great look! Click on the following link for detailed instructions, in four simple steps, on How To Paint Gingham-Checked Walls from Southern Living. I love the plain upholstery, draperies, carpet and accessories with the only pattern coming from the walls. It's really stunning, agreed?

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Rainbow Pancakes

What a great birthday breakfast. I think the whole world needs rainbow pancakes, don't you? Click below to watch the delightful tutorial video from Oh Joy!

Here is the recipe she used for the pancakes.

DIY Origami Heart Page Markers

I love these origami hearts to mark your place in a book. Tuck a few inside any Valentine's Day cards you give or mail. Especially great for avid readers.

Here's the finished product marking a page corner. Full tutorial from How About Orange.

Anatomy of the Mitten Cookie

 

 

There were several questions about the mitten cookie I received yesterday. The size is small - 3" in length. It's plain on the back and is unfilled. The dark edge is piped with a thin edge of dark red and then rolled in a glittery sugar the same color. The white 'fur' top is a thick layer of white frosting rolled in tiny white balls. That's the anatomy of this cute mitten cookie. I used the Scrabble tiles for scale. 

DIY Paper Orchids -- Just Beautiful

Fire up your printer and heat up your glue gun to make these beautiful paper orchids. Tutorial here.

Carving Nautical Pumpkins w/ Templates

You will definitely want to jump over to Completely Coastal to view these wonderful pumpkins you can carve. There is a slideshow, a tutorial, and free templates to download. I think they are fabulous!

Paper Pinwheels | DIY Tutorial

It rained all night but I woke up to bright sun. If that's not reason for celebration, I don't know what is! I love these paper pinwheels made from atlas pages, old music book pages or sheet music and wrapping paper. Here is a tutorial from Martha Stewart in case you want to make some too. There are many others with printable templates if you just do a google search for paper pinwheel pattern. image found here
UPDATE: I think I spoke too soon. The black clouds have rolled in and it looks like more rain is in the picture.

Chevron Wainscoting Tutorial

It's lovely, isn't it? Tutorial here. Found here. What a clever way to install beadboard!!!!

DIY Cement Planters from Food Containers

Aren't these planters lovely? They are molded from used food packaging containers. Instead of throwing away your ice cream cartons and yogurt containers you can make a few troughs for your succulents. You will need:

• Cement (it's the glue that binds the other ingredients)
• Vermiculite (you can use sand instead, but the planters become very heavy)
• Peat moss, pearlite, gravel or rock (add for fun!)
  
  
  
  Full tutorial with step-by-step photo illustrations HERE.
  
  

Martha Stewart has a great hypertufa pot tutorial too. Be sure to watch the video.

DIY Topography Pillows with Tutorial

I love quotes by Audrey Hepburn via

Tutorial via my pin on Pinterest

Great Easy Tutorial for DIY Paper Stars

I can't wait to make some of these out of brown paper. You could use wrapping paper, security paper, recycled paper. Almost anything. Contrasting colors would be good too.

Super easy tutorial HERE. Almost like origami only these stars require glue. Have fun.

Wonderful Stone Cottage with Climbing Roses

Wouldn't this be a great place to have an Easter Egg Hunt? I love this stone cottage with the door and window on the gable end leaving lots of room for the roses to climb. I don't know where it's located but I'd love to be there right now. Have a lovely weekend. *

Funny Bunny Folds--How to Make Bunny Napkins from Good Housekeeping with real picture instructions.

Easter Rabbits

The smaller one is an Easter Bunny in training. *

Easter Bunny Finger Puppets - Pattern and Directions

DIY Sliding Barn Door Made from Recycled Fencing

We just can't get enough of these interior sliding barn doors, can we? I know I can't. Dana and Handy Hubby from House*Tweaking made one themselves from old fence boards. They show you how step by step in two blog posts starting with the old wood being transported home in the back of the car. The second part has line drawings with measurements. The photo above shows the end result. Very nice. Let me know if you make one. Part I and Part II and With Door Handles

My other blog posts about these sliding doors inside and outside.