Printing straight from your printer onto burlap????....when I first saw this idea on Pinterest at Domestically Speaking, I thought...no way will that work on my finicky inkjet printer.
Well,... do I have a project for you! Even my wacky printer did the job for me! What I love about Pinterest is that it so inspires me to create!
While my daughter was gone for the weekend at a Church retreat, I thought I'd surprise her with a long pillow for her windowseat or her bed. She has some favorite Bible verses that she had been posting on Facebook before the weekend...so I made word documents using different fonts for each of the 3 verses I was going to use. (Dafont.com is a great resource for free font downloads)
All you need is a roll of Freezer Paper, burlap (I purchased mine at WalMart), iron, and scissors. And your trusty printer, or course.
Cut your burlap and freezer paper close to the size of a standard 8 1/2" X 11" copy paper.
Lay the burlap on the shiny side of the freezer paper. Iron the burlap only, then flip over and iron until fully adhered. (The shiny side has a little wax coating)
Now that the burlap is adhered to the freezer paper, cut it to exact copy paper size.
Place it in your printer so that when it feeds, the printer will copy directly onto the burlap.
Waaalaaa....it worked! I laid them out so that they could dry completely. You could spray them with a matte sealer, for extra protection. (I opted not to) My printer is inkjet and it had no problems feeding or printing...exciting!! Peel off the freezer paper, and you're good to go!
I had made my daughter's bedding a few years back, so I had leftover fabric. I decided to go the easy route, and sew the burlap directly onto the fabric leaving a 5/8" border. Then I fringed the edges. I added some trim, a coordinating fabric on the back, and ruffle on the ends.
Growing up, my mom made some pretty fantastic meals for us. One of our favorites was Salmon Croquettes. I grew up in the 70's in a small Texas town, so I don't think fresh Salmon flown in from Alaska was an option. Mom would take the can of salmon and mix it with an egg, seasonings and other stuff I'm sure, then coat it with crushed saltine crackers and fry it up.
Today, fresh salmon seems to be readily available. If you're not a huge salmon fan, I suggest you try this recipe. It has quickly become my family's favorite salmon dish.
This recipe was given to me by my friend Molli...and she makes it by memory, so not sure what the original source is.
SALMON CROQUETTES
Salmon filet (1-1.5 lbs.)
2-3 T. mayo
3 green onions, sliced
2 eggs, beaten
2 T. chopped parsley
1 T. old bay seasoning
1 T. lemon pepper
1/2 c. breadcrumbs, or crushed Ritz crackers
Season salmon with salt, pepper, lemon or lime juice and olive oil. Bake in 375 oven for 10 minutes. (This recipe works great with leftover salmon as well)
Flake salmon into a bowl, along with mayo, onions, seasonings, crackers, and eggs. Form into patties. Cook the patties in Olive oil (or coconut oil) over medium heat- about 3 minutes per side, until browned.
My family enjoys a little mustard aioli sauce on the side. For this you need 1/2 c. mayo, 1 T. dijon mustard, dash of Old Bay, lemon/lime juice, salt and pepper. Whisk together and serve alongside salmon croquettes.
I found this slightly warped wooden frame at Hobby Lobby, in the clearance sale section. I liked the ornate wood carving and knew it would make a great bulletin board for my teenage daughter's room. I found the "vintage" looking fabric, gathered some foam core board and was ready to put it together.
The frame started like this pic below.
I knew it wasn't great the way it was...but didn't want to just paint it. So I "reverse antiqued" it. Not sure of the technical term, but basically, instead of using a darker stain or paint, I used a lighter one to seep into those crevices.
Over at Villabarnes, she does some beautiful things with white washing, and uses Gesso.
I had never tried gesso in that way before, so I thought I'd give it a try!
After applying gesso on one side of frame, I used a rag to wipe off and rub in areas I wanted the wood to show through. Then repeated the process on the other sides of frame. Rubbed off a little more to make sure it looked somewhat even on all sides.
Measured, cut foam core board. Wrapped with fabric and hot glued on back. Secured it inside the frame...done!
On the Eve of Valentine's Day....the Day of Love.... I thought I would share the rest of my thoughts on love. If you didn't catch my last post, Love Stories and Fairytales, check it out here!
So, why are we intrigued with Love stories, movies where the guy gets the girl, and those feel good romantic comedies!..?
I think the answer is...we were created to be in relationship! It's exciting to watch relationships begin...the pursuit, the wooing, those first butterfly moments.
On a higher level, there is a sacred romance...that our souls crave.
I think we all look for value, for worth, for love...and that desperate seeking can manifest itself many different ways. One example today that I see is with young girls and how they dress. These girls are looking to be valued, somehow, someway. They do get attention, and they may get looks...but their true worth is not in their parts.
One of the most beautiful love stories to me is the story of the woman at the well.
Talk about pursuing a woman...
She was shunned by her own community, and is surprised that this man is willing to talk with her. (Jews and Samaritans didn't associate) That didn't keep Jesus from continuing to offer her life. Jesus knew all about her...her husbands, her struggles, her loneliness, her heart...and He simply offers her living water. (John 4)
He knew her value...her worth!
The sacred romance that I'm speaking about is that the God of the universe, wants to have a relationship with YOU! and with ME!
Why, you may ask? First, because, like the woman at the well...he knows everything about us. He made us and formed us, after all! But, He wants us to choose to have a relationship with Him.
Her response was to worship Him...she ran back to the village to tell others what this Messiah had done for her. Redemption can have that affect on people.
I'm including a clip here from Les Miserables, the movie. This scene, I think, so clearly illustrates redemption-
As we think about LOVE, remember those moments when you were pursued by your Savior....when God was wooing you to Himself....
"For God so loved the world, that he gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
That is your true value and worth!...you have been redeemed!
"You are not your own. You were bought at a price." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Praise God! Worship....Live....Rejoice! You are a new creation!!
Why are we so drawn to Love stories, romance novels, and movies where the "guy gets the girl"...?
I do love a great love story!
As a child, I didn't own a lot of books, but one I did have was Cinderella, pictured above. Yes, I still have it!! The copyright is 1954. (it is a bit chewed on and falling apart...I think it was my dog that chewed it!) I poured over that book as a young girl. I still have every single page and picture memorized.
A few weeks before I got married, I was packing up my apartment and I came across the book. I hadn't looked at it in years. What struck me, was the title page. I had no recollection of what I had done, but it was very clear what I must've been thinking. As you can see in the picture below....I crossed out the title Cinderella and wrote my own name below it. I'm guessing I was 8 or so. Like many young girls, I wanted that story to come true for me, so much so, that I changed the title. (After telling my daughter the story when she was 6, she crossed out my name and wrote hers...lol...like mother like daughter)
Just to be clear...I didn't live in a corner and I don't have stepsisters! I was in love with the idea of meeting a Prince who would sweep me off my feet. Don't all little girls want to be loved this way?
The guy searched the entire kingdom looking for his Princess, after all!
I showed the book and told the story to my husband-to-be and our guests at our rehearsal dinner the night before our wedding. I had found my Prince with dreams of living happily ever after!
Talk about pressure....poor guy!
Most of the movies that I enjoy watching over and over are love stories. There are the chic flick varieties, then the period pieces, but also a few in the action category with a love story intertwined.
I've included one of my favorite movie clips from Pride and Prejudice. At the 1:17 minute mark...you'll see and hear the moment that takes Elizabeth's breath away. Isn't that what our hearts yearn for?
We want a strong, courageous man to not only pursue us, but to come for us, take care of us, protect us....to love us well!
It is those special little moments that we have to remember. Those snippets of time, when our lover reached for us...pursued us...came to our rescue... these moments are what we must hold on to!
One of the problems with a Romance movie or book, is that the story usually ends when the guy and girl finally get together.
What we don't get to see, is how they work out their love for each other in the mundane...routine of life.
We don't get to see them struggle to continue to love each other through trials and disappointments.
The day to day is where true love is tested, lives and is strengthened.
The last clip I want to show is from the movie Young Victoria. This movie does a pretty good job of showing some of the struggles after the young couple were married. Albert leans over to protect Victoria when a madman attempts to assassinate her, and he is shot instead...this scene is during his recovery (they had had a huge argument the night before the shooting).
Love is an unconditional dying of self and putting the other and their best interest ahead of your own.
This is where it gets messy and hard, sometimes.
My desire is to love WELL...to love DEEPLY...and to FORGIVE often.
I am so thankful for my husband who has put up with me for 21+ years...who still loves to hold my hand...who thinks I'm just as beautiful without makeup...who wants to know what I'm thinking...who eats and enjoys everything I cook...who laughs at my jokes...and who only has eyes for me!
Do you ever just need a quick chocolate fix, but you don't have the time to actually bake something? I've been known to rummage through the pantry looking for something chocolate, anything chocolate...just a taste. (And please don't grab the unsweetened chocolate-ick!) Oftentimes, the only thing I find is chocolate chips. That'll do!!
A few years ago I discovered ganache. Sounds fancy, right? It is sooooo easy to make and really fits the bill for those late night chocolate cravings. All you need is chocolate and heavy whipping cream. I usually try to keep a pint of whipping cream in the fridge...it lasts up to a month.
I'm always looking for a new cake to make on Birthdays. My son is a chocoholic like myself, so I found this delightful one Chocolate Cake with Fleur del Sel Caramel filling on bon appetit's website. My mouth is watering as I remember what that first bite was like...heavenly! I took one shortcut, and made the caramel filling with Kraft caramels and a little evaporated milk. I might've added too much milk, because before the icing had a chance to set up, the cake layers started sliding...and after going through that much trouble, you don't want an earthquake cake! So, I'd recommend placing long wooden skewers through the layers to hold it all together until ganache sets.
Ganache can be used as an icing for cakes, cupcakes, tarts, cheesecake toppings, etc. It's delectable as a warm chocolate dip for fruit. The nice thing too about ganache, is that you can decide how sweet you want it. I used Ghirardelli's 60% chocolate baking chips, but you can also purchase the 70% chocolate bars, etc. The fruit adds the sweetness, so I find that the 60-70% chocolate works great! So, if you're watching your sugar levels, ganache is a great option.
For my quick snack, I used 1/2 bag of chocolate chips and 2/3 cup of Heavy Whipping Cream. Put chips in bowl and microwave cream until very hot. Then pour over chips.
Let sit for a few minutes,
then stir, until all the chips are melted. Waaalaaa...you have ganache!!!!
It's yummy served warm as a dip with raspberries!
Your Valentine will love it!!! It's also delicious on ice cream!
If you don't eat all of it in one sitting...Ha!...then you can store what is leftover in your fridge. It'll set up like it would for an icing, but still spoonable!!! You can also microwave it to get it soft again.
I love this new word, repurposing! It sounds so sophisticated. Since joining Pinterest, (my new love and addiction), I've seen this word used many times. Basically, it's taking something that was intended for an original purpose, and giving it a new purpose.
One of the many things I love about Pinterest, is seeing the creativity of others. I have been so blown away by people's gifts. In those gifts, I just see God's hand. It's truly inspiring! There is so much beauty that we all add to this world!
Today I thought I'd share a few of my "repurposing" projects. The picture above shows an arrangement of old gym baskets. These are on the wall in my teenage son's room, which has an industrial/rustic theme of sorts.
This pic to the left, is a partial room divider I made using my old collection of 45's. I drilled a small hole in the label area, then wired it to a decorative chain I purchased at Lowe's. It's really cool to be able to read the labels, too! I also have some of my Mom's records, which includes Chuck Berry and Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces". My records are some 60-70's classics....yes, I'm that old! I hung another set of record chains on the opposite side of the room, to separate the seating area from the pool table. Groovy!!
That is all for now! What have you "repurposed" lately??
Don't get me wrong, I do love a good game of football! I've been known to get overly excited and scream at the direction of the TV. But, historically, the Super Bowl is rarely an engaging game. If I recall, last years showdown was a good one, but I have no idea who won or who played.
I could be wrong, and the game tomorrow could be a nailbiter...but I know nothing much about either team. So, I'll cheer on,.... oh I don't know...maybe the team with the "eye candy" QB! Let's not forget the food. Ah yes, the assortment of nibbles to be enjoyed. Now that is worth getting excited over! I've been eyeing my Fav Recipes board on Pinterest to get inspired and here are a few pics of what I'm thinking about cooking up tomorrow.
Why a SB party snob? I've been to plenty, and what usually happens is the men are planted in front of the TV and all or the majority of the women are in the kitchen chatting. Sorry girls, but I'm not able to focus on conversation, at all, because I want to be in there watching those COMMERCIALS!! (and the game, if it's a good one)
My close friends know now that if they are planning a big Super Bowl party, just don't invite me, because I'm staying home! I won't be a good party guest... I've been there, done that! Does that sound selfish? Guess so, but I'd be glad to talk after the game...:)!
What I will be doing, is wearing my comfy yoga pants and a tee with my cushy leopard houseshoes. I'll have a plate of those tasty snacks, along with the standby...Rotel/Velveeta Queso and chips!! thank you very much! The fam will hang out all together. There will be no pressure to converse. I can scream all I want. The only rule is "PLEASE, no talking during the commercials!!!"
