Prairie Christmas Trees and Friends

Most of you know we flip houses in our family....lots of houses.  This year has been a record year for the number of old homes we have tackled and our last one just closed.  Which means the best of all the old doors, windows, knobs and trim have made their way to the Tweetle Dee storage building.  We were going though it the other day and I asked Mike if he would make some trees for my front porch that I could paint with our soon to release Prairie Paints.

Well, not only did he make a few...he made over 30 of them in all different sizes.  I love, love, love that he trimmed them in walnut and made their stands to interlock so they fit together as a grove.  But, the thing I love the most about them is the angles he cut them at to show off the moldings and door knob holes.  Seriously so cute!  They come in four sizes from 50" tall to 24" tall and, come in four colors (white, pink, light green, and dark green).  Don't delay in getting them because they will go quickly.  

Along with our Prairie Christmas Trees we also have new to our shop Fred the Snowman!  He is a dear friend of Frosty's and ours.  He loves the snow and all the fun it brings.  He stands 24" tall and is pieced with so many hand carved embellishments and ohhh, that scarf!  Crackled paint and all, he is a darling that will be with you from first snowfall to the hint of spring.
Have a fabulous Merry weekend! xo

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Prairie Christmas Trees and Friends

Village Square Barn Quilt

Our newest barn quilt, the Village Square was inspired by the small town I grew up in in New York.  One main street went through the center of town with beautiful old homes, a country store, a library, fire station and the community church.  No gas stations or movie theaters, and definitely no big box stores.  Whenever we visit, no matter how much time has passed, it remains unchanged.  

I love those small village squares and because I am from New York, the big pines had to be make a statement in this quilt.  I am working on a fabric quilt version of this and a pattern book too, which should be out the first of the year.  It will also include templates for wreaths, mini barn quilts and lettered signs. 
For now, this holiday season, the simple Village Square Barn Quilt is in The Shop in three gorgeous sizes.  I can't wait for the orders to come, because this is one of the funnest barn quilts to paint.  It really is magical, which is what this season is all about.  
We send our love to you and hope you are enjoying the beginning of the holiday season.  Remember to take some time to rest amid all the celebrating....a little time to dream and for sure some time to create something new.   

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Village Square Barn Quilt

Thanksgiving Pie in a Lid

As you know, I am soooo in love with pie anything.....pies in a jar, pie pops, pie bites, pie...pie...pie etc.!  I thought I had mastered them all until I thought of "pies in a lid".

They are the easiest most simple way to make a little individual pie I have ever seen!  All you need is a wide mouth canning jar lid and ring, a baking sheet, non-stick spray, your favorite pie dough and filling.  Lay the rings on a baking sheet and place the lids inside the rings.  Spray with a coat of non-stick spray and press your pie dough into the lid.
I found the easiest way to do this was to find a round "template" to cut the dough out.  I used a round plastic bowl just a half inch larger than my wide mouth rings.  This allows for extra dough to pinch into a lovely crust.  Pour in your filling and bake at a normal temperature.  I have found that these little pies bake in a quarter of the time of a regular pie...so set your timer accordingly. Once they are finished baking let cool a few minutes and pop the ring and bottom off the shell and serve! They come out perfect every time.  I am busy making some up for our family's Thanksgiving feast...a little apple, pear & cranberry, and of course pumpkin!  I hope you have fun with this new little idea!!!

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Thanksgiving Pie in a Lid

Watercolor Embroidery

After weeks away teaching at conferences and filming upcoming projects (to be announced later),  I am so happy to be home and to have everything put away and to be able to play with my favorite things - paint & fabric!  To be more specific watercolor and embroidery on fabric.  Did you know you can watercolor on fabric just as you do on paper?  If not, you are in for a crazy, fun surprise.

You all know I love to paint and I especially love the way color blends and fades in watercolor.  You also know I love to paint florals and trust me when I say that nothing mimics the color of naturals flowers than watercolors.  So, one day I was wanting a background for a floral I was planning to stitch and I got out my watercolors and painted the background I was dreaming of on my fabric, and fell in love with it.

All you need for watercolor is available in most craft stores, and the fabric and hoops are there too, so one stop and you can have it all.  You will want watercolor paints, brushes, a tray to mix on, fabric, a hoop, and of course your thread and needle.  We will talk about that later.

Just look at those colors.  Seriously so pretty.  You will want to choose in your mind what type of watercolor application you need for your stitch.  Meaning, do you want an all over landscape or sky scene where you float colors across the fabric or do you want a more controlled pop on color such as a leaf or a specific flower.  

Once you have decided, place your fabric tightly in the hoop.  You can paint on anything that is smooth (such as a cotton or linen)  don't use a velvet or minky.  Make sure your fabric in "drum tight".  

If you are planning on an all over color, you will begin by spritzing the fabric with water.  This will help with getting your colors to move and blend on the fabric.  Place the colors you want in a tray and mix a little water in them to get them ready to use.  You will want to wet your brush.  Use a large size watercolor brush for all over color.

Begin by dipping your brush in water and color and then on your fabric with light soft strokes across the area you want color.  You can add a little extra water with your brush to float the color across the fabric.  Add a second complimentary color if you want above or below the first color and blend together with your brush and a little water until your landscape or sky scene is all across the fabric area.  Let dry and then it is ready to stitch on.

If you are wanting a small specific area painted in, I draw out my design first with a Pilot Frixion pen that comes off with heat.  Do not spritz your fabric for this type of watercolor as you do not want your colors spreading beyond your design element.  Load your brush with a base color and fill in the element your are painting.  Wipe your brush and paint a second color and shade using a little water on your brush.  

Have fun with trying different colors and blending them.  It doesn't matter if the lines are filled in because the heat will remove them after we are done.  If you want specific detail added, use watercolor pencils over the fabric.  Just as you would on paper, the watercolor pencils work beautifully to shade and blend colors.  

On this little flower I want to shade it in softly, so I used my watercolor pencil and gently added color to the fabric.

I used a damp brush to soften the lines and edges of the pencil.  I can't wait to add embroidery floss to this holiday design.  Multi-medium projects are so fun.

This is the finished Joy Watercolor Embroidery Wreath!  I love the pop of shaded green in the leaves with the detail of pine needles made with embroidery floss.  We will be adding this kit and a few more to the shop in time for Christmas.  So, watch for the announcement next week.  In the meantime, get out a scrap of fabric and your watercolors and paint yourself a gorgeous November sunset.  
To watch a tutorial on the prep and painting go to the Tweetle Dee Design Co. You Tube Channel.  The video will be uploaded this weekend.  You can also catch today's Fresh Living segment to see the gorgeous sunset Kari made.  
I hope you have a fabulous weekend and be sure to take care to rest and refresh however you do it.  For me, we will be watching the lighting of the town tree tonight and maybe a movie.  Tomorrow is a full day with teaching at the Corn Wagon in Springville.  I can't wait.  I'll check in with you next week to see what you did to celebrate, dream and create,

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Watercolor Embroidery

Coffee Filter Wreath

You know those little white coffee filters that are right next to those yummy coffee beans in the supermarket isle?  Well, they are not only great for filtering coffee grounds out of your cup of Joe, they make beautiful vintage inspired paper flower wreaths.  To purchase these wreaths you will spend upwards of $120.00 to $175.00.  I'm not kidding!  However, to make one yourself, you will spend under $10.00.    Today on KUTV Fresh Living we demonstrated how to make a DIY Coffee Filter Wreath, Garland, Pom, and even a Christmas Tree.

 Materials

2 Packages of White Coffee Filters

1 Foam Wreath Base

Dressmaker Pins

Wire

Hot Glue

Instant Coffee (optional)

These wreaths are so simple to make that anyone can make one...even little hands.  There are some tricks to getting a boutiques look and I'm about to share those secrets with you.  To make a Winter White DIY Coffee Filter Wreath all you need is the white filters and you can skip the coffee dye step.  

If you want your wreath to have an aged look, then coffee staining is the best way to get the variation in color to each of those filters.  I have a simple way to accomplish this.  You can hand dip each one and let them air dry.  It works, but is super time consuming.  My favortie way to dye these filters is to take a stack of filters and dip them into a large pot of dissolved instant coffee.

To make the instant coffee, fill a pot about half way with water and dump into it a couple of cups of instant coffee.  Heat and stir and there is your dye ready for dipping.  Take your stack of coffee filters and dunk them into the pot of coffee.  You can separate them into 1/2 inch chunk sections and lightly wring them out.  The wringing will keep some of the filters darker than others with the coffee settling in to creases.

Set your wrung out filters on an old towel and then place into your cloths dryer.  Dry for 10 minutes on a delicate cycle.  That is all it takes to dry the filters.  In addition to drying the filters, the moisture and heat makes the filters crinkle and soften to almost a translucent texture.  This change in the texture of the paper filters makes for gorgeous "flowers" when layered into a wreath.

To make a petal.  Take one filter and fold in half.  Then fold in half again to make a quarter fold.  Then, fold again to create a little "pie" wedge.  

Once you have your wedge, fold the bottom or point up just a little about an inch from the point.  This is where you will pin it into place.

Use a dressmaker pin and a thimble to pin the petal into place.  You will only need to cover the sides and front of the wreath.  Leave the back plain so your wreath will lay flat against your wall or door.  So begin by pinning one row from the outside edge to the inside edge.  Place the petal edges close together so there are no gaps where you would see the foam base.

One layer, then two, then three, then a hundred.  Push the paper petals back and keep adding more rows and just when you think it is enough, add more.  You want your wreath to be full of petals which can then be fluffed to look like paper flowers.  You can see how they begin to form after a few rows.

I love to place petals that have more coloring on the outside and up front where they will be seen.  Sometimes I will fold a petal with one edge sticking up more than the other to give the petal more depth and add it in next to one that is perfectly folded to give the wreath a more textured and realistic look.

Continue adding more filters until you make it all the way around your wreath form.  

Your back will not look too pretty, but no one will see your back.  When it is full all the way to the top and you have added even more, turn your wreath over and fluff or adjust the petals in a manner that looks full and beautiful to your eye.  This is why using pins is so helpful versus hot glue.  It allows you to adjust your petals to be what you want them to be.

To create a hanger, clip a piece of wire about 5" long and push both ends into the form.  Use a dot of hot glue and the push-in point to secure the hanger in place.  Your wreath is ready to embellish and hang.

To embellish your DIY Coffee Filter Wreath, drape ribbons over the wreath hook and let them flow down.  I love to have one large bow at the top.  You can also find word pieces such as Merry Christmas, or Happy Holidays to make even more of a holiday statement.  Switch out your ribbons with different colors for different seasons OR leave them plain for a beautiful Farmhouse inspired everyday wreath.

I hope this written tutorial helps you feel ready to make one of these for your own home.  I have the two white ones that hang every year on my double black doors for the winter months and my coffee stained one hangs in my bedroom over a vintage window.  It is perfect. Don't forget to check out the segment on KUTV Fresh Living and message me if you have any questions. 
Celebrate, Dream and Create a little joy in your life today.

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Coffee Filter Wreath

Farmhouse Gratitude Beads

When I was a little girl living on my grandparent's farm, my grandmother's gave me a gift that became a way of living and a true blessing in my life.  My Grandmother Dorothy was Catholic,  I was sprinkled with water to be baptized Catholic as well and was given a beautiful Rosary by her.  It was long, too long for a little girl to wear, but I so wanted to wear it.  It had shiny smooth black stoves, cut into angles to let the light bounce,  aged silver links, and at the tip, a black cameo rose cross.  I cherished that necklace, long before I knew it's lasting value.

I lived with my Grandma and Grandpa Lyke on their farm settled on the rolling hills on upstate New York.  They saved my life after my parent's divorce and taught me some of my greatest lessons.  Every night after the evening milking, we would sit together around her table and devour the sharpest white open faced grilled cheese sandwiches.  My stomach could never get enough of them. 
After we caught up on the adventures of the day, and a little Lawrence Welk, they would get me ready for bed.  One summer night my Grandmother pulled out the other Grandmother's Rosary and asked me to kneel down beside her.  She took my hands in her's with the glistening black beads around our hands and taught my how to pray.  She told me to hold one of the beads in my hand and think of something I was thankful for.  
I stumbled to think as a little girl of what I could say, but slowly the thoughts came.  I am thankful for, my dog Mitzi...the new calf,  for the sun, for my cousins...  The thoughts came to me as I took one bead after another.  She told me I would be finished with my prayer to God when I reached the Rose Cross.  Which I did night after night.  It became a practice that has helped me through some of the toughest times in my life.  It seems no matter how deep the struggle, I can always find something to be thankful for.   

  One of the newest trends in Farmhouse Style decorating is simple wood bead garlands, commonly called Gratitude Bead Garlands.  You can find them in most decorating stores, hobby shops, and in my shop as well.   They can be hung as fireplace garlands, looped over vintage jars, draped over knobs and in small ways as necklaces and key rings.  

They are used in the same way my Grandma Lyke taught me, one bead = one gift.  Simple and sweet, we love them however they are used.  I strung a couple over my fireplace mantel, and added a few unpainted leaves for the fall season.  I draped a strand with the word "hope" over some Texas loved jars, and of course my Rose Gratitude Necklace, sits on my night stand.

To make a garland you need to find wood beads with a hole large enough to string twine through.  Yes, simple twine is all that is needed.  You can use yarn is you like, as well, you can paint or stain your beads!  There are so many variations that can be used to make yours personal to you or a season.  

Basically .... Wood Beads + Twine + Scissors = a Farmhouse Gratitude Bead Garland

After you have your materials, you will want to begin by making a tassel.  This will be the stop point for your beads as you begin to string them.  To make the tassel wrap the twine around your hand enough times to make a thick tassel.  Before you slip it off your hand, take the piece of twine the length you want your garland to be, and slip it through the twine that is wrapped around your hand.  Tie a knot at the top of the wrapped twine with the long piece that you are going to string your beads to.  Trim off the access tail.

Then take a piece about a foot long and leave a couple of inch tale out as you wrap the piece around the top of the tassel.  When you've wrapped it around enough to look secure and thick, knot the two ends tight to secure your tassel.  Snip the loop at the bottom and trim ends to look even.

Now it's time to string the beads onto your long piece of twine.  I like to use a plastic tapestry needle to help get the twine through the hole in the beads.  If you purchase one of our Farmhouse Gratitude Garland Kits the needle is included.   You can sometimes find them at a hobby shop.  If not, you can wrap a piece of tape around the end of the string to give it a little stability as it goes through the hole.

 I like to mix the sizes of the wood beads to give it a more rustic farmhouse style look, so I will string five to ten small beads and then add a medium bead and alternate big and small across the length of the garland.  When you have finished stringing your beads, leave a four to five inch tail of twine and make another tassel for the other end or you can tie on a wood cross, plaque of wood, or any other embellishment that you like.  Tie it close to the last bead to keep your beads from sliding and showing gaps.

These garlands and gratitude bead necklaces are so simple and easy to make.  They make a perfect rainy day craft for hands of all ages.  As I mentioned, we do offer the kits on our website for both the Farmhouse Gratitude Garland and the Rose Gratitude Necklace.  They come with everything you need to make one of your own.  
To watch me make one of these, tune into KUTV Fresh Living and watch the four of us have fun creating a gratitude bead garland.  I hope this has inspired you to add a little bit of light and thankfulness to your life.  It truly is a daily gift.

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Farmhouse Gratitude Beads

Breakfast Camp Cookies

This summer our family went on a bit of a diet change with going gluten free and incorporating more live, fresh foods to our diet and less processed foods, including sweets.  One of our favorite on the go breakfast treats that has been used as a substitute for doughnuts, pancakes, or pastries are these super yummy Breakfast Cookies!

Yes, I said cookies!  When you make a change in the way you eat, you get creative in adding substitutions so you don't feel like you are giving much up.  What is so great about these Breakfast Cookies is they are vegan, gluten free and can store in your fridge or freezer for the mornings you are running out the door or the times when everyone else is eating a sweet treat and you are wanting something that is yummy and healthy.
The basic recipe base is quick cooking oats and organic butters such as almond, peanut or apple.  The sweetener comes from mashed banana and maple syrup.  This is a great base with no dairy or animal products in them.  What you add to create your own variations can be what is in season such as lemon and blueberries (which was fabulous at girls camp) or pumpkiny like the Oat & Pumpkin version I have below.  you can add flax seeds, nuts, fruits or any other variations.  They bake for 15 minutes and are a simple way to get in something healthy when you are in a rush or out of your kitchen.
Cocoa Berry Breakfast Cookies
1 cup quick cooking oats 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter 1/2 cup smashed banana 2 Tbs. Maple Syrup 1 Tbs Cocoa Powder 1/4 Cup Apple Butter 1/2 Cup Dried Berries 1/4 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix butters, maple syrup and banana together in a mixer bowl.  Mix in oats.  Add berries and chocolate chip and mix until it all sticks together.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Spoon a golf ball size amount onto the parchment paper and flatten out the dough to a cookie shape.  
Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees and let cool on the pan for 10 minuets.  Store in fridge for one week or in the freezer for three weeks.  Bring out for a yummy quick breakfast!

Oat & Pumpkin Breakfast Cookie
1 Cup Quick Cooking Oats 1/2 cup Almond Butter 1/2 Cup Smashed Pumpkin 1/4 Apple Butter 3 Tbs. Maple Syrup Pinch of Salt 1/2 Golden Raisins 1/4 Roasted Pumpkin Seeds 1 Teas Pumpkin Pie Spice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix butters, pumpkin pie spice, salt, maple syrup and banana together in a mixer bowl.  Mix in oats.  Add raisins and pumpkin seeds. Mix until it all sticks together.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Spoon a golf ball size amount onto the parchment paper and flatten out the dough to a cookie shape.  
Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees and let cool on the pan for 10 minuets.  Store in fridge for one week or in the freezer for three weeks.  Bring out for a yummy quick breakfast!
I hope you try these for a little break from the typical cereal, toast, or heavy breakfast treats.  Serve them with fresh fruit, a little vanilla yogurt and you have a special morning treat for your family.   I made these for the Young Women at camp this summer with both a gluten free version and a non-gluten free version and guess which ones they ate up first?  The vegan, gluten free ones were all gone by the time breakfast time was over.  I made them ahead and used them right before a hike....and they stayed happy and full till the afternoon.
To catch today's Fresh Living segment follow The Link and see how easy they are to make and enjoy!  

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Breakfast Camp Cookies

Embroidery Hoop Weaving

One of the best parts of my job is getting to try new things and though I am not new to weaving (see previous posts), making a weaving loom on an embroidery hoop was completely new to me!  After testing it out, I am in love with this form of weaving.  If you have used a loom before, you know that it can be somewhat precise with a little bit of randomness, but when you create a loom out of a simple embroidery hoop, all of your weaving becomes random.  Which you know if my thing.

Randomness with tons of texture is really my thing....just saying!
To create a round Embroidery Hoop Weaving you will need a simple wood embroidery hoop that you can pick up at any craft shop and some yarn or string.  That is the beginning of something fabulous!  You will want you yarn or string to be thin so it will disappear into your weaving and not stand out between "stitches".

1.  To begin, take the outer hoop off and set aside.

2.  Tie a simple double knot to the top of the hoop with the lightweight yarn or string.  Make sure to leave a two to three inch tail for later.

3.  Wrap 4 or 5 yards of yarn/string around a shuttle and cut off of the skein.  I used a make shift shuttle (a glue stick).  You want it small so you can work it around the inside of a tiny hoop.

4.  To begin wrapping you go across the hoop to the opposite of where you ties it on and holding it tightly, wrap the string under the hoop.

5.   You are going to bring the shuttle of string up to the top and off to the right about one inch from where you began, and go across the top holding tight.  Wrap it under the hoop and...

6.  ...cross over the center and go under one inch to the left of the first loop.  In essence you are making figure eights all the way around the hoop going over and then under keeping the yarn tight.

7.  Continue wrapping the yarn/string every inch until you get to your starting point.  The center will look like a messy "Cats's Craddle".  

8.  After you arrive back at the starting point take the shuttle and wrap it around the middle cluster of yarn.  Think it like a clock center that you are going to wrap the string around several times at a 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock time place.  Pull tight.  This will bring all of the threads into the center.

9.  Once you have wrapped the string around the center a few times, pull the string up to your starting point and knot the string to the tail from the beginning knot.

10.  Trim off any access and tightly push the outer round of the hoop onto the inner warped loom. Yes, it is now a loom not an embroidery hoop.  

I always begin my weaving with a pretty center.  I find it best to either use the same yarn/string you used for the warp or another thin yarn.  Use a yarn needle (available at any yarn supplier) and knot the end of the threaded yarn to the the back of one of the spokes.  This will secure it.  
Bring the needle up and do a simple over and under each of the warp strings to create a small woven circle.  You can make it larger if you like, but I usually keep mine to about the size of a dime or quarter.

Once you have your center secured, wrap the end  of the yarn piece under a spoke and you are ready to add more.  I love to use wool roving in my weaving.  The colors and poofy textures make the piece extra special and fill in gaps quite quickly.  You can finds wool roving on Amazon or at most craft stores.  It will come in a ball which can be unwound and separated to get the thickness or width you desire.  

To make this yellow wool center, I used a simple Tabby method of looping the wool over and under alternating spokes, tucking and poofing it up to get the look I desired.  This is what I mean by randomness.  You can play with different yarns and wool, fabric too to make your weaving unique to you!

Here I added a thick grey yarn by tucking the end under a spoke and coming up to the front.  Once I had my yarn on the top of the weaving, I wrapped it around each spoke with a simple loose knot and then after a few rows, I skipped every other spoke to give it a larger stitch.  No needle needed.

For the next layer, I made a wood shuttle and strung some thick variegated yarn through the weaving by going over and under each spoke.  As I went around I used my fingers to push the layers close together which created a cool fan type pattern.

I continued to do this with the blue yarn and will finish this one tonight with some of the thick wool white roving as a braid around the outside.  Weaving is one of those arts that is simple, but takes a little faith.  When you begin you will for sure think you are doing something wrong because it "won't look right".  Trust me, I know.  Every weaving I feel that way until I keep going and then it magically takes shape.

I hope this has inspired you to take out one of your unused embroidery hoops and your bin of wool yarn and make something fabulous!  You can watch my KUTV Fresh Living segment to see a hands on tutorial for how to warp your hoop into a loom!  I'll post the link as soon as I have it.  

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Embroidery Hoop Weaving