making in the studio {felt ball garland}

happy hello to you this morning!

i am excited to share a recent quick craft i did. 

i've been wanting to make a garland for the studio and realized i had a beautiful stash of felt at my reach.

so a felt ball garland was an easy choice to make!

some sorting, some threading, some hanging... fun, quick, easy.

hooray for some more details in the studio!

need more garland goodness? Click ::here:: for a similar DIY with Laura.

have a lovely monday, friends!

my canning favorites

i love good local food - especially when it looks pretty in a jar. and even more so when i know that i put forth the love and effort to place the tasty produce in the jar myself. i have a list of canning-mainstays for sure. i also like experimenting with something new each year. i wanted to share some of my favorites {linked to their original source} incase you are trying to decide what to can this year!

what i put-up each year...

ketchup - I love making traditional tomato ketchup so that I can control the amount of sugar in this much used condiment. Also, every other year I make roasted red pepper ketchup which was featured in the book Put 'em Up. I like to keep it as a "treat" in the ketchup department.

jam - i make atleast two types of berry jam each year {usually strawberry, cherry, blackberry or triple berry} and then either peach jam or apple butter too.

salsa - we love a good homemade salsa! to the point where once we are out of salsa in the pantry we resist buying salsa from the store as long as possible. this year i'm hoping to make more salsa than i have in the past just to avoid this situation. our favorites will always be: corn salsa + chunky salsa

tomatoes - i also can tomatoes to add to soups, chili, etc. in the winter. my family has a great tomato sauce recipe that we sometimes jar up together as well. this year i am going to use up my excess tomatoes by trying this quick + easy tomato sauce plan with a crockpot.


what i often experiment with...

various sides
i like to try to use up squash or save beautiful carrots by making interesting sides or snacks. i do love snacking on pretty much any dill vegetable.

jams or butters
i like to try at least one unique jam or fruit butter each year. i often make several jars and save them as gifts. a few of my favorites i've tried in the past:

honey sweeten peach vanilla jam

cranberry apple butter

mango jam 

{mango jam was not a locally sourced treat - but mangoes were a great price at the grocery that day!}

how about you? any adventurous canning you've tried this year? or did you just stick to your absolute favorites?

*click over to the Our Simple Homestead Blog Hop to see my post in the link-up, as well as many posts about homesteading, homemaking, and more...

*update: this post was selected as a "featured post" for the blog hop with Nancy on the Home Front! Thanks Nancy for featuring my canning favorites!

sew lovely::a few significant stitches

i had gotten into a bit of a sewing rut. where many other things always seemed more important of a task and i just didn't get out my machine.

plenty of little project ideas, and even all the materials to do them.

but yesterday. that was the day. the day to put a few stitches on the studio curtains. 

short. simple. needed.

needed for me. and for those windows.

how about you? any good stitches lately? 

cleaners i like to make at home

Oh summer! My perfect season for a serious cleaning around the house. 

During the month of June I was able to organize and deep clean many spaces in our home {as well as a huge declutter!}. 

All of my work made me want to share some of my favorite resources + links of cleaners I like to make at home...

My favorite home cleaners to make {from Young House Love}

the DIY foaming hand soap recipe I use {thanks Katie from Wellness Mama!}

a super podcast from Pure Green Magazine 'Detox Your Cleaning with Authors of Homemade Cleaners'... I actually tried a few of the tips/recipes the very day I listened. Very inspiring!

Put on some good tunes, grab a rag and get to it friends! I've been seriously digging some 

Pokey LaFarge this summer - be prepared to dance while dusting :)

Happy Cleaning!


**I'm happy to also note that I just added this blog post to the {Our Simple Homestead Blog Hop #8} click ::here:: to check out some of the great posts featured on this link up! Thanks Tracy for hosting!

Sew Lovely::Infinity Scarf

This year we've begun placing weekly "maker time" on our family calendar. It is awesome and allows us to get to a few projects that both my husband and I've been trying to get to. You know, the projects that are continually deemed not-really-important. {Isn't it funny how we can find it difficult to make time for doing what we love? That is something I'm working on this year...}

Anyway, one of my projects this month has been a simple infinity scarf. There are tons of tutorials on the internet, I'm sure you've pinned a few yourself... I just looked at a few DIY blog posts, dusted off the ol' sewing machine and went with it. 

Some of my favorite tutorials:

Infinity Scarf - Tutorial with H is for Handmade

How to Sew An Infinity Scarf 30 Minute Project with SewCreative

DIY infinity scarf tutorial with I Heart Nap Time


Let's hear it for stripes, time management, and just making!

Hope your Monday is lovely!

Our Humble Homestead: Details on the Front Porch

This past year I've gotten around to decorating our front porch more and more. It makes it fun now that I walk home from work - the first step I take onto our driveway I feel very lucky to have a sweet tiny front porch. It's a great way to welcome myself home.

However, I don't always get to spend much time on decorating the front porch. I'm hoping once some of our bigger (and messier) home improvements are completed I'll have a bit more time for seasonal touches around our home.

So, to take advantage of the bit of time I have here and there - I've made it simple to decorate the front porch with a few specific items that do not change. Then I add or subtract a few details to make it more fun.


I typically hang a burlap wreath {I made something similar to this DIY here}, two small chalkboards {purchased at craft store}, and set out a little cabinet {hand me down from my mother-in-law}.

Then I just add a few seasonal items - pinning fall leaves or holiday looking decor in the folds of the burlap wreath, writing a few words on the chalkboards, and setting out a plant or bowl on top of the little cabinet. I hope to get more inspired as time comes, but it is just enough to make our porch a tad more homey feeling.

I'm in progress on our summer porch. Hopefully I can share it with you soon! {Now, to just get that front flower bed in order...}

 

Sew Lovely {Simple Baby Blankets}

Recently I've really enjoyed sewing up a few super simple and sweet baby blankets!

They are the perfect gift with a little book or toy for a favorite little one.

After doing some hunting around online for a few baby blanket tutorials I found this post {from Liz via Momtastic} most helpful. Find some cute + soft fabric, pin away and sew a strong edge to hold it in place.

Honestly, so easy... and all the babies who I sent these out to for Christmas apparently LOVE them and their mommas gave rave reviews... {think of phrases like "can't leave home without" "cuddles with just before nap time" + "so easy to toss in the car on our way to grammies house"}

We all enjoy an easy to do sewing project for babies that we love, right?! I think I'm going to attempt a bigger set for a few toddlers I know :)

Creative Connections: Welcome Baby Greeting Card {a tutorial}

After making so many baby gifts recently {read about bibs and burp cloths} I've been interested in presenting these little gifts in beautiful ways. Sometimes a tired momma can be so rejuvenated by the simple gesture of a tiny wrapped gift for their favorite new person.

I've been working on wrapping a set of 'welcome baby gifts' for some brand-new people that I plan to meet very soon! They needed something special... a special handmade card...

Sweet, right?

Super easy too. All you need are a few items and away you go...

1. Gather: 

~A map that you no longer need and is ready for repurposing

~glue stick

~markers and/or letter stamps and stamp pad for lettering and message

~sewing machine and thread

~cardstock cut to your desired size {I used precut 4x6 textured cards}

~cute paper or decorative tape for extra details

2. Sew across top of card and carefully trim extra thread. 

 ::I like to add some decorative tape to the back to ensure the thread stays put. We typically have to travel in order to give out gifts and this is to make sure the wrapping is as sturdy as possible::

3. Cut out mini flags, arrange, and add to the top of card with glue.

  ::I don't worry about cutting each flag exactly the same but there are lots of paper punches that would work well for this card if you prefer using punches instead of scissors::

{I chose two different flag shapes for the different cards I made}

4. Stamp or letter the card.
::I selected 'welcome to the world' to stamp underneath the map bunting::

5. Add a personal message.
::Something simple and sweet will do just fine::

I just love these baby gifts all wrapped up and ready to go!  

{I'm not sharing baby's name on the gift today. Sorry for the scratched out look, but the family hasn't shared the new name on their blog yet. So I'm following their lead.}

Do you have a favorite handmade gift for growing families?

I'm linking up with {Made with Love Monday} on sewchatty.com Check out all the fun projects shared this week!
This post is also linked up with Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop!