Fall colors

I had so much fun upcycling this sweater over the past couple of weeks.

The sweater started out life as a teal pull over sweater.  It has now become a cardigan embellished with lace, roses and buttons.  In a lovely color.  I am calling it victorian rose.  And little did I know that this color is going to be popular for fall, according to Pantone, who are color predictors.
Pantone is calling it Rose smoke or Mesa.

I first cut the sweater up the middle and cut off part of the sleeves.  I then put it into a water/bleach mixture( I rarely measure) and let it sit until I had removed most of the color.  I then redyed with Rit dye. I LOVE RIT dye.  I have used it since I was a teenager- with buckets in the back yard!

I am never sure of what the end result will be, but am almost always pleased with it!  The redying was with tan with a hint of pink mixed in.  For the laces it was a more concentrated color.

I knew I wanted to use several different laces, overlapped at the bottom. 

I then decided to dye some onasburg fabric.  It takes the dye really well.
I used that to make into 2 roses for the bottom front of the sweater.

Then the neckline.  I was so fortunate to find in my button collection, buttons that matched perfectly. 
I added these all around the neckline.

                      I flipped the top edges over.  Sewed lace on the triangles.  I added some applique trim    I already had.  I gave the trim a quick dip in the dye mixture.

                          Used a piece of lace and onasburg to make a simple tie clossure  I wasn't sure how fancy to make the sleeves, I decided on lace and onasburg again.   Knotted  together and and sewn on the slightly ruched sleeve edge.

Start out with an idea- but be willing to adapt as you go.

Some ideas don't work well or look right.

Use your creativity to come up with something else!

Marietta

THANK YOU !

I want to say a huge THANK YOU to Jen Bewerse for making the wonderful changes to my blog!
She has made is so pretty and very me! 

Go visit her over at Insideways

Jen is talented in so many ways! And my daughter's best friend :-)

Recipes

My mother and mother-in-law are wonderful cooks.  Women growing up in the 40's and 50's aspired to be good cooks.  Most women of this time did not work outside the home.  The home and children were  their job.  I have worked all but 2 years of my daughter's life.  I never aspired to be a good cook.  Cooking was another job to be done when I got home from my paying job.

We had not had cable in about 20 years, but 4 years ago we decided to  have it again.  So I have been inspired by a lot of cooking programs!  I have also learned to like a lot more foods and be more adventuresome in what I will try.  My husband is NOT a picky eater and will eat whatever I want to make.

We grew up in the mid-west.  Meat and potatoes. Of course one of my favorite meals is roast beef with mashed potatoes/gravy and biscuits.  That does not get made too often at my house!  We are trying to eat healthier, less red meat, etc.  Since our daughter is a vegetarian now, we eat a lot more fish. Since she has moved home we are trying to eat more vegetables, too!  I tried brusssel sprouts for only the second time in my life and they were pretty good.

I have a box full of recipes from my mother, mother -in-law, other family and friends.  My mother is known for her cookie baking and she is happy to share her recipes for these.  I have decided to include these recipes from my box a couple of times a month.

Let's not allow cooking to become a lost art- and do our mothers proud!

side note- when I got married I did not know how to cook and received at least 5 or 6 cookbooks from my husband's side of the family- guess they felt sorry for him! :-) 

Happy cooking !

This recipe is from a dear friend I met at Hillsdale College in Michigan, Ellen Williams.

I have made these muffins many times through the years and they are always a hit and easy to make!

PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY MUFFINS

2 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 c. peanut butter (creamy works best)
3/4 c. milk
2 eggs
preserves or jelly or jam

preheat oven to 400.

Combine flour sugar, baking powder & salt in a mixing bowl.
Cut in peanut butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives, until it resembles course crumbs.
Add milk and eggs all at once.
Stir until flour is moistened.
Place 2 tablespoons of batter into greased muffin cups or papers.
Place 1 teaspoon jelly of choice on top of battter.
Add 1 heaping tablespoon more of batter on top of the jelly.

makes 12.    Bake   14-16 mins.

                                          
                                          
       

This is a pastry blender.

Any time you want to make something with coarse crumbs

this is the tool to use! 

An absolute must for pie crust.

All mixed together.

Even if you use papers you should use cooking spray in the bottoms.

I used more than a teaspoon of the raspberry jelly, I think!

These are oven ready. 

Try to cover over the jelly, or a lot will run out.

Because it sneaks out any way!

Ready to eat!

So yummy!

P.S.  In this batch I substituted agave nectar for the sugar.

Experiment with your favorite sweeteners!

Another Vignette

Another vignette that I have created in my home is a top our antique Chifforobe.  The chifforobe is a piece of furniture that substitutes for a closet.  Ours is made of tiger oak.  As a child it held my games, puzzles and art supplies.  We removed the door and use it as our entertainment center.

My husband and I really enjoy the Christmas tree lights every year.  We are sad when we take them down.  This year I decided I would make a year around arrangement on top of the chifforobe.  The only tricky part was there is a "hump" in the center.

I got inspiration from Romantic Homes magazine.  I looked for things I already had and I went to work.

My original idea was to use a tree branch spray painted white and lightly glittered to reflect light.  Once I brought it in the house to use, it just did not give the look I wanted.  (Part of the problem is there are no good trees in Florida for this!).  I went to Michael's and looked around for a substitution.  I found some beaded weeping willow like branches and some pink pussy willows.  I did lay the branch down as my base then added these willows in to that.  I used a very large picture frame already painted and crackled in the colors I was using as my backdrop.

The birdcage was to be the focal point- I added the little chandelier as an after thought.  I hung the chandelier from the air vent.  I did purchase 4 or 5 more hydrangeas and added these into the birdcage.

The hydrangeas in the front were put into a flat back sconce.  I had an empty spot behind the hydrangeas, so I started looking around the house and saw my favorite birdhouse (painted with a tea theme )and put this on a small hat box to raise it up.

I tend to think more is better, so I used several pieces of grapevine and ivy as fill in.  And what makes everything look more lovely?  Tulle!  Again, something I already had on hand.  I put this around the birdcage and around the willows.  I started with white lights, but decided it needed some color, so I added purple.(party stores carry colored lights year around).

The one thing I would do differently is to start with the lights first and then add in the other items, so the cords would be less obvious.  But when I dust I can change this!

We turn the lights on every night and the vignette looks so sweet by day, too.

Use things you never tire of looking at! 

Give it a try!

Marietta

Vignette

They can be called tableau, vignette, tablescape-whatever name you want to give them you can make a lovely arrangement from every day items you already have.  Put them on a shelf, table or in a cupboard.

Pick a color theme.  Scour your home for things with that color.  Even things with only a small bit of that color will look wonderful when the items are all placed together.

Create a layered look by putting your treasures at different heights.  Use fabric or scrapbook paper as your base.  Edge shelves with lace, ribbon or flowers.  Use things you love!

I created this pink shelfscape by starting with pink polka dot fabric as my base, then adding in a couple of doilies.  I looked for things to vary the height.  I turned a polka dot tea cup over and placed a small glass plate and faux cake on top (these faux cakes are so fun to make and there are many tutorials on the internet).  I intertwined a pink rose garland and placed it randomly on top of the fabric.

I enjoy a higher item on one end-so I chose a wire teapot candle holder as my "vase."  I draped a hankerchief out of the top and put in pink hydrangeas.  The pinky-peach lady vase has a broken finger-but she was only $14 at a flea market in Michigan.  I love these lady heads but can't justify the prices they are asking for the good ones.

I pulled her more peachy color in by placing buttons in the glass basket and adding the teacup in the center(also a candle holder).  The tiny tea cup in the front is from my own childhood tea set.  Hanging from the pegs below I added a metal pail (Target has these year round in the bargain bins), two hand crocheted pot holders and a vintage purse.  The purse held my embroidery floss when I was a little girl.

Don't be afraid - just start!  Move things around-up and down- until you have the look you are delighted with!  It should make you smile.  Mine does!

Have fun!

Marietta