Canine Cookies and Pattern Organizing Tonight

It's beautiful here tonight. It was 90% humidity today and yesterday, but there's a nice cool breeze right now and I think it's safe to turn on the oven for a while.
My first project is going to be Cheesy Chicken Peanut Butter Dog Muffins. I've been telling
the granddogs for weeks that they are getting a surprise from me, but it's been too hot to bake. I have a mini muffin pan and that's what the dough is going in. I'm going to "frost" them with a little cream cheese. I know they're going to love them. I bought some "muffins" at a little store for them last month, and they gobbled them, especially the pit bull monster dog. I'm adding fresh apples to the basket, they love apples.
So that's all I'm up to. I'm reading the free tutorials I've found on rug hooking and needle punch projects. I love free! I'll be posting those when I'm done reading thru them all.
My next intended project is to make up some fall wreaths, the mini indian corn wreath I like the most. I'll make 2, one for me one for Ashley and Tim. She's getting ready for a huge yard sale and I'll be going over at the end of the week to help her clean and dust off the things she's planning on selling. She's got so much stuff stored in the house from before they got married that she doesn't even know what she's got there. This is going to be fun.
Tomorrow is supposed to be beautiful weather-wise so I'd like to harvest some bittersweet from the back of the house.
I've been going through my patterns and books to see what I have and what I'd like to make. I've got to go to the spine clinic to have some injections so maybe after that I'll feel better. It hurts sitting, standing, lying down, whatever. Ugh, especially my left leg. It's agony, but I've been like this since 1990 so I'm used to it by now.
I'm watching a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie. It's wonderful. Gotta say goodnight, Primmies.
Susan

Make Your Own Fall Wreaths: Part II

All of these wreaths come from the BHG website. This post is a continuation of my last post today (Make Your Own Fall Wreaths: Part I)
and I know that the pictures extend over the post column. I wanted them to be as big as possible so that you could see them good:

This wreath needs no instructions really. Just lay down a layer of fall leaves and twigs or bittersweet twigs and wire to the bottom half of the vine or twig wreath. Then wire a large gourd and a small gourd and mini-pumpkin as shown in the photo. Done!

This wreath could be made with leaf garlands (I get mine at The Christmas Tree Shoppe)
or leaf sprays if you can get them cheaply like at The Dollar Store. The square base could be cut from styrofoam. I think that if you made a wire form you wouldn't get the depth like this one, unless they make square forms, I've never seen them.
BHG says that this wreath is one that you can use for Thanksgiving and then change the "harvest style swag" to a "Christmas swag" for Christmas. I would use an artificial evergreen unless you live somewhere that gets really cold and stays cold from November until Christmas, otherwise I think it would get brown. They used dried fruits,unshelled nuts, cinnamon sticks and artificial berry sprays. You could use artificial apples and oranges and just "grubby" the orange with stain or wood tone spray to tone down the "orange".

Well, this should hold you guys for a while, enjoy!
Warm Regards,
Susan
All photos copyright Better Homes and Gardens

Make Your Own Fall Wreaths: Part I

I know the pictures extend over the column but I wanted them to be as large as possible so that you could see them good. All of these wreaths come from the BHG website:

I saw this picture on Vicki's blog The Rusty Rooster. She very graciously told me it came from Better Homes and Gardens via Pinterest. I have the simple directions from BHG here:

Sunburst Wreath with Corn Husks
Mimic a bright, blazing sunburst with this wreath. Fold out the husks on ears of Indian corn so they point straight out from the tops. Hot-glue the ears to a straw wreath, and "fluff" the husks to complete the look.
If you don't have a straw wreath (I don't) I suppose you could use a wire form or make your own from an old wire hanger. That's what I'm going to do. The wire "disappears) in the corn kernels (be careful not to pull too tight) and then wrap around the wire form. Continue along that way until full. I lay mine out first to see that I come out even with no spaces. I leave the wire on the spool and work the wire around like that.
Now look at this beauty:

Leaves, mini squash and mini gourds are attached to a foam wreath form with hot glue and wire. Simple.
Remember the tutorial I posted a while back on making your own Fall Twig Wreath? Well, get that wreath and use it for a base to make this other Indian Corn Wreath. Use silk leaves and little Indian Corns and attach with hot glue or wire:

Another simple wreath using gourds (if you don't have a garden get them at the grocery store or farm stands like we do) with long necks, and bittersweet sprays (or any berry spray you like) wired to a grapevine wreath with a raffia bow. Or, you could use pretty orange satin ribbon.

Heart Shaped Apple Wreath

Celebrate the arrival of apple season with this beautiful wreath constructed with look-alikes. All you need is a flat twig wreath, artificial apples, greenery, berries, and a hot-glue gun. Here are directions from BHG:
"First, glue small sprigs of greenery around the edges of the wreath, following the shape of the wreath. We used dried asparagus fern for our lush base.
Next, use hot glue to attach the bottom of the first apple to the top center of the heart shape. Leaving the stem pointing out creates a focal point. Then, glue the sides of the rest of the apples to the wreath, following the shape of the heart.
Once the glue is set, start to fill in the gaps between the apples with tiny sprigs of dried or artificial berries, cut short to fit in and around the apples. Use hot glue to attach them, making it look like the apples are nestled in.
To finish, fold a 9- to 10-inch ribbon in half and glue the ends onto the back of the wreath. You can try layering multiple colors of ribbon like we did, or use just one wide ribbon. Hang on your front door and enjoy!" There is also a video on the bhg.com website showing how to make this wreath. Click the decorating and home ideas tab, click Seasonal Decorating and click Fall. With a different ribbon you can take this wreath right into Christmas.

It is suggested that you not use real mini pumpkins for this next wreath, as they will decay and you won't have the wreath as long as you may want to hang it:

"Instructions:
Start with an 18-inch twig wreath. You'll want to find one that has a fairly flat top section, so there's enough surface for the glue to secure the pumpkins. This size wreath took 13 pumpkins, but when you buy your materials at a craft store, be sure to lay out pumpkins around the wreath to see how many will fit.
Once your arrangement is set, start gluing each pumpkin in place and let it dry. We're gluing ours on so each one touches the next, but at the top we left about a 6-inch space for our bow.
Little plastic spiders are a fun addition as well. Just dot the legs with a bit of hot glue and set down on one of the pumpkins for a spooky Halloween touch.
Finally, you'll need a bow and I've got a great simple technique for that. You'll need to find wired ribbon in a 2 or 3 inch width. The wire helps you arrange the bow and the streamers easily and will help too, if you keep the bow from year to year -- you can just fluff it out as needed.
Lay a 24" strip of ribbon down on the table. Now, take about a 36" piece and leave a 15 inch streamer. Begin to loop the ribbon from side to side, beginning with smaller loops, gradually making the loops wider. End up with another 15 inch streamer. Lay down a black pipe cleaner or a 12" length of floral wire. Now you can pick up the ends of the 24" strip and knot it securely around all of the loops and the wire. There's your bow!
Use the wire to attach the bow to the wreath, or if you wish you can hot glue it onto the front. I know you -- and your guests -- will enjoy seeing this wreath. Happy Halloween!"

I'm going to stop here because this is so long already, and there are a few more wreaths that I think you'll like. I will continue in the next post.
Warm Regards,
Susan
All photos copyright Better Homes and Gardens

"Witches Of Eastwyck Halloween Mousers" From Buttermilk Creek Farm

Every once in a while some artist's work just really gets me going, and this is one of them. These Halloween Mousers are too cute for words. They are available for sale on the
Buttermilk Creek Farm blog.

There is so much detail to each of these gals, aged osnaburg, wool felt, quilt shop quality fabrics, sweet annie herb bags and excelsior brooms with grapevine handles.
If you want to purchase one (or more!) click the link here to go directly to the ordering page and email Carol to place an order.
Bye for now,
Susan

Time For Bittersweet

It's that time already, bittersweet is almost ready for wreaths and decorating. I just read a post on another blog that suggests using it NOW to make into a wreath because the vines are green and pliable, and the berries don't fall off. I'm picking a sample stem to see how long it takes after picking for the berries to open to orange and yellow.
By the way, I have a large patch of bittersweet in my yard, and if a blogger lives nearby in Massachusetts email me and if you're in the area, come pick some! I never use what's out there and if there aren't too many of you, there should be plenty for 3 or 4 people.
Take care and enjoy your day.
Susan