MONCHES - EVERYTHING ELSE

And here is Monches Farm, Part Two!

That's it until Christmas for Monches!

OWLS AT MONCHES FARM

I went out to Monches Farm yesterday with a friend, and I took so many pictures that I'm going to split them into two posts.  

First, the owls.  

Not real owls, but plenty of owls for autumn and Halloween decorating!

Tomorrow . . . 

everything else!!!

If you live in SE Wisconsin, and you've never been to Monches Farm, it is well worth the trip.  They have many special events throughout the year.  You can see what they have to offer here.

CHOCOLATE ACORNS

This is a fun treat to make and delicious to eat.  I saw it on Pinterest and decided to give it a try.  They're easy to make, so if you have little ones, let them help!  I have a feeling that many of these little gems won't make it to the serving plate.  

They're made with Hershey Kisses, melted and non-melted chocolate chips, and Market Pantry Mini S'Mores Sandwich Crackers from Target.

Just melt about 1/4 cup of chocolate chips to use for your "glue", and start assembling

kiss + "glue" + sandwich cracker + "glue" + chocolate chip = candy acorn

It was the perfect one-bite sized treat that everyone enjoyed.

A SIMPLE LITTLE PICKLE JAR

Vases.

The expensive little shops and boutiques are full of them.

And they're very pretty.

But I prefer a simple little pickle jar for my garden bouquets. 

 Add a label that you can download from the Graphics Fairy and it becomes something special.  I like to print the label on heavy tan colored cardstock, cut it out, scrunch it up (even tear it a bit here and there), then iron it (yes, iron it), and put a little Mod-Podge on the back (not on the front), and adhere it to the side of the jar.  

Tie it all up with a piece of cooking twine (you can find it at the grocery store), and you have a unique, and inexpensive little jar that is perfect for those end of summer bouquets!  And . . .  maybe someone will even think you found this "antique-jar-with-the-original-label-still-attached" at a charming shop in a quaint little town in the countryside!

It's perfect for giving to all your flower-loving friends too!  You should surprise someone with a special little homemade "vase" and bouquet today. 

That's what I'm going to do.

THERE'S A NEW SHOP ON ETSY!

Today I'm excited to introduce you to a new shop on Etsy.    The shop, called "Emetsigns", is owned by Sarah who lives in Colorado Springs.

Sarah is the daughter of my friend Jan, from McKinney, Texas .  (If you've followed my blog for awhile you've seen several posts on Jan's historic home in McKinney.)  When Jan told me about Sarah's new business venture, I had to take a look at Emetsigns and learn more about it.

Wow, such beautiful work!  Sarah's signs feature inspiring Scripture she hand paints on hardwood.  Here's a sampling of what you'll find there:

The above sign holds very special meaning for Sarah and her family.  It was made in honor of a friend they lost recently in the war in Afghanistan and $10 from each sale of this sign will be donated to the Wounded Warrior Project.

Wouldn't this sign be beautiful in a child's bedroom?  You can pick from a wide array of colors that would work in either a boy's or girl's room - a perfect gift for a newborn or child's birthday.

This is a sign she designed for above the doorframe of your house.  As Sarah says, 

"I wanted this up in our house over the door that we leave the house from every day. I needed the reminder that God is bigger than WHATEVER I am walking out the door to. I don't think I am alone.... Don't most of us need the reminder that God is bigger than the hard stuff we face down here???? Praise God that He is!!!"

Sarah has spent a lot of time developing and perfecting her technique for these unique subway signs.  I hope you'll click over and visit her new Etsy shop, 

Emetsigns! 

Take a look at all of the beautiful and meaningful work she's doing.

A FELTED BIRD AND ROSE PILLOW

A blue and cream felted bird and rose pillow - that's what will be going in the mail tomorrow.

This one was also purchased in my Etsy shop, Gillyflower Cottage, and will soon be on its way to northern Wisconsin.

So much fun to make with lots of tendrils, leaves, and roses in two tones of blue - the smaller "buds" were done in a darker blue.

PILLOWS LEAVE GILLYFLOWER COTTAGE

A while back I made a Burlap Subway Sign Lumbar Pillow for a friend who had just moved into Wauwatosa.  I also put a similar pillow into my Etsy shop, Gillyflower Cottage.  

It's a "Name Your City/Cottage/Lake/Family Name" pillow.  Anything goes, really.  You can read more about it here.

So here are two that were just ordered - one with a family name and one with a city name.  

They were so fun to make!  

1.  Just sew a narrow strip of fabric (I chose a striped brown linen) to a wider strip of burlap for the front of the pillow.  I have three shades of burlap to choose from on Etsy - Natural, Idaho Potato, and Oyster.  the fabric strip sewn to the burlap varies to go with the burlap color chosen.

2.  Then center your word(s) and stencil away using fabric paint and a stencil brush.

 I like to do a practice run on newspaper first so I'm sure to have it centered.  Then line it up with your pillow top and duplicate it on the fabric.  Don't forget to use a strip of masking/painters tape to keep your lettering even as you go across the pillow.

3.  Once you've stenciled the front, cut another piece of burlap the same size as the front.  Put right sides together and sew them together.  Since burlap likes to ravel, I also do a row of zigzag stitch around that to hold it all together nice and tight.  Don't forget to leave about a 10" opening for stuffing the pillow.  My pillows are custom sized so they don't fit standard pillow forms.  I fill them myself with loose acrylic fiberfill.  Just little bits at a time gives you a much more even filling.

4.  Then sew the opening closed, and use a thread of your choosing to do a whipstitch around the edge of the pillow.  The whipstitch is not necessary but gives a nice finishing touch to the pillow.  The size I list is 12" x 28" but these pillows were adjusted at the customers request to fit the name and spot where it will sit.

 Cool name for a city, isn't it?  Jamaica Plain!

 I do my hand whipstitching in a strand of jute to match the pillow.

And they're ready to go!

One more thing! 

I have two exciting posts coming up!  

One will feature a friend's brand new etsy shop - she has beautiful Subway Signs for the home. 

The other will be a giveaway for a $50 gift card to a great little place that features clothing, jewelry, and home items.  

More on both of those soon . . .

Thanks for stopping by!