Tuesday, November 12, 2013

STENCILED BANNERS & MY USUAL RANDOMNESS


   







So, I've always wanted to make a banner.  So,  make a template out of heavy paper, like card stock or even cardboard.  Trace that on your burlap or whatever fabric you like and cut them out.  I folded over a small flap at the wide edge and ironed it to give it a strong crease.  Flip it open and make a line of glue (I used fabric glue found at any craft store) along the very edge.  Lay your twine or jute or whatever you're using in the crease of the flap and then seal it like an envelope.












So that was my crafty little week.  I had fun.  I think I'm ready to start going around doors and windows again.  Look out.


How are all of you doing with your Thanksgiving plans?  We are having two of the kid's cousins coming as their parent have to work...two big guys in their twenties.  In recent years I have gone down to a 12 pound turkey from 22 pounds.  The Husband always insists on a huge one for the leftovers.  Well, you can only eat turkey sandwiches for a few days and then they get old and personally, I feel that turkey is very bland and I have little desire to make up a recipe for the leftovers.  So last week I picked up an 18 pounder.  And a brining kit full of the required spices.  Emily made the brine last year for the first time with the help of a friend who had the extra spices and her own method.  In spite of the fact that I cannot even change the way I make sweet potatoes without protest that I'm deviating from tradition, everyone loved this turkey, surely because it was brined.  And this was the year that The Husband also admitted he didn't like Brussels sprouts...after 28 years might I say.  I couldn't win for losing.  So I have to trot over to Home Depot and get a big drywall bucket to brine my turkey in, which will be in the trunk of my car so that every raccoon, squirrel and opossum in the near vicinity is not hanging out in my garage.  Monster Turkey will also require me to get up much earlier than the 12 pound one did,  Errrrrr...

Now, I'm not going to say that I am at work on another project (although I am) because when I say that, even put it in the title of my post,  what I think I'm seeing is some very DIY loving people coming to see what it is...don't see it and high tail it away.  Nothing wrong with scanning.  I had page views that exceeded comments (by you lovely loyal friends) ten fold.  Not to sound like a saint, I am first of all a lover of writing, sharing my goofy life and times, giving you something to chuckle about, maybe a little inspiration here and there that if Blondie can do it, you can, too.  And then the fun of visiting your blogs.  Ladies I have known for 5 years or 5 months,  if I follow you, I hold you close to my heart.  So stats mean very little, the NUMBER of followers mean very little although I am so flattered and chuffed that any of you have chosen to follow my blog.  There will always be some of you that look but don't comment...I don't bite and I'm always looking for new blogs to follow and inspire.  Secondly...I mentioned a few weeks ago that I have been falling off some of your Followers Lists.  I am trying to get back on them...so puleeeeeze, if you haven't heard from me lately, let me know and I'll pop over and Re-Follow.


Sorry for such a long post.  Your head is probably spinning.  Just feel free to comment on what turned your crank.  I'll try to be back soon. :)

Joining Jennifer Rizzo at Fabulously Creative Friday
Courtney at Feathered Nest Friday 

XO,
Jane



60 comments:

Ricki Treleaven said...

Well, the whole post turns my crank! love reading about your life. It's fun to visit new places, and kudos to your caboose! I remember my student teaching….I was twenty three teaching seniors in HS! I was invited to the prom, and stopped numerous times in the hallway for a pass. :/

LOVE the banners! I haven't been doing much other than reading. Shelley has been home sick with a flu-like virus. I hope she can go back to school on Thursday!

xo,
RJ

Lynne said...

Abigail is brilliant and beautiful! She is hardworking! The PERFECT role model for the high school students! BRAVO!

Your banners turned out great!

Glad to hear that you had a fun outing this past weekend!
w/L

Elaine said...

Oh, you must love going to all the Irish pubs in your neighborhood! Pubs are great. I really enjoy pub food and the atmosphere.

Great looking banner! How fun.

Thanksgiving- we do it small. Usually 4 for early dinner and then a visit to Mom in the nursing home and then 3 for a second dinner. Otherwise, my sister and I would not get to see my Dad. He eats with my Mom at the nursing home while we visit friends. It all seems to work out.

Debbie said...

What a nice thing you did for your kids, Jane. By the pictures, it looks like they had a good time in Wisconsin.
I like your banners for the holidays. They are both cute!
We will be doing a big dinner for Thanksgiving on Saturday. My niece, Michele, and her two little ones will be joining us.
Enjoy the rest of your week!
xo

Anonymous said...

I love the name of that pub! Sounds like a great place, and so close.Your banners turned out beautiful, I have only brined a turkey once but it did make it very tender.Our Canadian Thanksgiving is past, I never even cooked a turkey this year! We let someone else do it,

GardenOfDaisies said...

I have never tried brining a turkey. I bet yours will be delicious! The pub you ate at this weekend sounds like a lot of fun. And the trip you arranged for the kids sounds like a winner!! You have every right to be proud of your daughter and her accomplishments.

Donna said...

Love your banners, Jane! So cute, I want to make some:) Hope you have a great rest of the week!

Linda@Coastal Charm said...

Hello Jane,
Like your cute little banners...they are so much fun to make. Hats off to your daughter...I'm sure that she will land a great teaching job.

Blessings,
Linda

Melanie said...

Glad you and Al got to go out to dinner! Sounds like a really cool place that you discovered. I don't think I'd seen a picture of Abigail in a long time; she is so beautiful! I see a lot of you in her. :-) Your banners turned out great...can't help you with how you hold them up though, as I'm definitely not the crafting expert, lol. My mom is most likely having Thanksgiving at her house; just a small group. Most people in our family go their separate ways now.

Town and Country Gals said...

Jane,
sounds like you had a fun time on your outing, sometimes you just gotta get out! Abigail is adorable and lucky to be doing what she loves! Your banners turned out great, I've had fun making a few lately also.
Rebecca

Art and Sand said...

You are totally busy.

We are just the 4 of us - Steve, me and our 2 kids - this year so I won't do much decorating. We hate turkey, but my daughter made us promise that we will all do our share of the work and make a traditional Thanksgiving meal. We usually have lobster instead and I tried to convincer her that the founding fathers and the locals probably had lobster at the first Thanksgiving since it is lobster season.

The Quintessential Magpie said...

I love the picture of your baby and hubs and the ones of your other chicks. Fun to hear about the doings. And I am so impressed with how the banners turned out. Makes me want to do one, too!

I am up, wide awake, in the middle of the night. We are having a terrible wind storm, and I am talking gale force winds with scary, scary gusts. The trees look like they are in a hurricane, and the noise is fierce. Thank GOODNESS my neighbors had tree work LAST month. The shutters, though, are banging and rattling. We are supposed to have one day of cold.

I can't believe you have snow. Yikes! That is something we don't want to see here. No one is equipped for it. Southerners shut down when it snows, even a few inches. LOL It is just pitiful.

My craftiness has been limited to a trip to Dollar Tree. More on that later. ;-)

I guess I have rambled too much in my reply. I. Just checked my blog for posts, so now I will check my email. My cousin's wife sent me pics of her cousin, my other cousin, some friends and me on the Popeye show as kids and also pic of her and of me together in period costume at a house tour. We are with her aunt and other cousin and her sister and one of my BFFs from childhood. Such sweet memories.

I am going to go look for those grommeted pennants Those are so handy and cute. Hopefully Mr. Magpie will drive me this weekend.

xo

Sheila

Lynn said...

Lovin' your banners Jane! I say if you have a spot for the joy sign-put it up! I picked up something that says 'peace' a few Christmas' ago and it lives in my livingroom year round. Our snow came yesterday morning, it was very pretty to see:@)

Anonymous said...

I love your banner!! It's so cute!

Kathy

Primitive Stars said...

Morning Jane, so happy you and Hubby got out for dinner, sweet picture.....no snow here yet but know it is coming.........Love the banner, looks amazing along the mantle and still love those old windows.........Blessings Francine.

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...

Your banners turned out great, Jane! I love them both. I may have to pick up those pre-cut ones myself to stencil and use in my booth.

Julie Marie said...

The little pubs sound fun Jane... and your banner you made is so cute!... I am working on a few little crafts for Christmas too... our weather has turned nice again and our days are beautiful... your plans for Thanksgiving sound nice... I always fix a big turkey as I love leftovers, and freeze some of the turkey as well to make a big turkey pot pie later on... xoxo Julie Marie

April said...

OK...I LOVE your banners! I might just have to give that a whirl myself! Your daughter is so pretty, Janie...I know you must be very proud of her!

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

Your banners are adorable! It was nice that you got to get out and visit where your daughter worked and it is a blessing that she is going to be happy in her chosen career. Sounds as it the others had a wonderful time ....what a nice gift that was for them!

I am not sure how people keep banners up...I wonder if velcro would work; not sure.

Our local grocery store has a promotion ...so last year I got a free 22 lb turkey and let me tell you that is alot of turkey to have to handle...I want the smaller one this year !

Leftovers...I always make soup because I think turkey makes a tastier soup than chicken. Then here at my other blog is a pot pie recipe and I have the original listed ( from Taste of Home ) along with some shortcuts and my sons go nuts when I make this so it is a keeper. ( Usually I'll make the soup, freeze some of the leftover meat and do these pot pies the following week )

Our snow ( Western PA ) has not all melted yet! We had a good 3 inches of heavy wet snow and then a light dusting last night. So there is probably still a good inch or so left on the ground by this morning. I need this to go away and warm up...I still have yard work and cleanup to do before 'winter'

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

http://www.thehomespun.com/great-for-your-turkey-leftovers-easy-pot-pie/

DUH forgot to put the link in for the pot pie recipe sorry

Theresa said...

Love the banners and I LOVE leftover turkey:) So sweet of you to send the kiddos on a wonderful adventure! I know that they enjoyed it SO much! Have a blessed day dear friend, HUGS!

Vicki @ lifeinmyemptynest said...

I love the random posts :-) p.s. your banners look great!

Lulu said...

I love your randomness, jane, it goes well with my first cup of morning coffee! Snow already? We'll probably not see much of that, but it did get cool enough last night to turn on the heater.
Your daughter's experience reminds me of mine. 20 I was and teaching kids some of some of whom were my age! Believe it or not, that was one of my favorite memories.
Your banners turned out great and are such a simple way to add a special message during the holidays.

Kathleen Grace said...

Your banners (and fireplace mantel) turned out great! Going out to a warm cozy place for dinner is so much fun when the temps dip and it gets dark so early. Getting tot he restaurant seems to be the challenge, I hate going out in the cold and dark, but once I'm out I always feel better:>) We got snow too, fortunately it's nearly gone and the temps are expected to rise enough to clean up the last few things I need to handle in the garden this weekend.

Unknown said...

You make me smile! Love to see in my sidebar that you've posted! Sounds like a wonderful weekend! Glad that Abby is so happy teaching! Love your banners! They are fun to make. I usually use a thumb tack or if possible, sit something heavier on the ends of the twine.

Hope you enjoy your day! Come over and see what I've worked on the last day or so! So much fun, but I need to give my hands a rest. I have a big lump that has popped up on my wrist for so much use!

Blessings, Kathy

Karen thisoldhouse2.com said...

I love those banners!! What a neat idea....

Beth said...

A very interesting post Jane!

Traci said...

Everything looks great! Abigail is gorgeous & she sounds like a wonderful person!

Lisa @ Texas Decor said...

Sounds like y'all had fun at the new pub. I love trying out new places. Abby sounds like a wonderful person and she's cute as can be! Your "Joy" banner turned out great! I'm so jealous of your snow!! Unbelievable as it may be...we actually got down to the upper 30's last night! I love the cold weather. :) Just thinking about the smell of a turkey cooking is making me hungry. We used to fry ours in a big turkey fryer in the backyard, but then the oil got too expensive, so now we're back to just cooking it in the oven. Hope you have a marvelous day!

Balisha said...

I had to chuckle at your first attempt at stenciling. Reminded me of myself.
Your banners are really cool. I keep seeing these on blogs, but I've never attempted making one.
Your daughter sounds like a sweetheart.
Balisha

Barbara F. said...

Love the banner, Jane. I have been brining my turkey for several years,
I love it. I am hosting again this year. I love to make soup from the carcass. xo

Linda said...

You are so funny!! Loved visiting with you this morning over my first cup of coffee!
Brine your turkey? That's something I have never heard of!
Remember your post on Rosemary Salt? and the Rosemary infused olive oil? I am now in the process of looking for the jars, bottles and the SALT to make these for Christmas gifts! I went to our local health food store but their salts were EXPENSIVE! Ruth Ann's son works there so he suggested I just get it by the box at the grocery store. You said it was kosher salt. I am wondering if it was fine or coarse. I will re visit that blog post - I think it was back in AUGUST!! I found it again a few weeks ago and copied down the recipe!
Enjoyed our morning visit!! Hope you have a wonderful day!

farmhouse-story said...

irish pubs sound charming:) love the cute banner, jane! have a great day!

GLENDA CHILDERS said...

You must be so proud of your kids. I have such fond memories of my student teaching days (ages ago.)

And your banner is so cute. JOY ... a great Christmas word.

Fondly,
Glenda

Rose Broadway said...

Hi Jane,
I just wanted to let you know I come to your "home" nearly every day and enjoy what you're doing, but I'm an old gal with no blog of my own, and I just lurk and very seldom comment to anyone.

You are one of my very favorites and I love that you write from your heart.
Rosie in Raymore MO

Olive said...

Jane, your banners turned out beautifully. We have not decided about Thanksgiving at all yet. I have no clue. Abby is doing so well with her teaching. xo, olive

ℳartina @ Northern Nesting said...

I love hearing all about your day to day life Jane...and I LOVE those banners you made...now I want to make some:)

Tricia said...

It's so nice hearing about the ins and outs of your life. Your daughter is such a beauty! Aren't you the crafty one?! Your banners turned out so great. I've been working on a craft project for a year now...way to get things done, huh? :)

Anonymous said...

Your banners are really cute. You might be able to use straight pins to hold them up. I do this a lot with light weight items and then you only have a teensy hole in the wall. You just have to gently tap the pin into the wall so that it doesn't bend. So funny about the brussel sprouts. I often wonder why my kids will eat something at someone else's house and like it but if I made the exact same thing (and it tasted the same), I swear they wouldn't like it!

Wsprsweetly Of Cottages said...

Wow..you covered a lot. I think the think that turned my crank was Abby. I remember when my daughter began teaching. She had to teach at inner city schools for the first two years which helped pay back her student loan. That was years ago and now she is a high school counselor. Like Abby, Erin was tiny and so young. We worried but she did great and I understand she is a favorite at her school. She has been there for many years and now her students are parents with young children and her's are all grown having their own babies.
Life is amazing.
I enjoyed the entire post..YOU bet I did! :)

Susie said...

Blondie, So happy you and that handsome husband of yours got out on a date. You are very good to your children. We do love our babies don't we? I really liked your banners. I laughed that you weighted it down with the almond bricks.:):) I need to re fresh some of my old Christmas things. You know a little paint and some new ribbon. Hope your weekend is wonderful. xoxo,Susie

Doreen@foxdenrd said...

Well, everything you write turns my crank, but since I can't comment on everything I will say what I think is most important. Your daughter is very fortunate to have found a career she loves. I would not want to be a young person today trying to find my way. It's not easy out there!

(And I have a turkey croquette recipe for leftovers you might like). ;)

Michele M./ Finch Rest said...

You've been a busy gal!

I ♥ your crafties!

Have a wonderful weekend.

Lori said...

Look at you go ~ stencilling and everything. I was excited when I actually got my bunting done and then hung. They look great Janie.

Cindy (Applestone Cottage) said...

Hi Jane,
How the heck did I miss this post!!
Oh I know. From Tuesday to Friday, I am so busy with Adi I hardly get to look at blogs.
This is a fabulous post too!
Your daughter is so cute, and yes you should be very proud!
Loved seeing your other daughters collage from Cedarburg.
Your banners are fantastic... You go girl!.
And I want to go with you and Al to some of those Irish pubs.
Hey, how do you brine a Turkey? I am very interested in that.
This post was just so fun to read Jane.
Big Hugs girlfriend,
Cindy

must love junk said...

Love the update on your kids :)
And your 'crafty self' made some fun banners!!
Susan

Kit said...

I love your posts, long and short. :) Your banners are so cool! The thankful one is so cute on the newsprint. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Kit

Karen said...

Congrats to your daughter for completing her studies. Teachers are a priceless commodity. Your banner turned out great and the food you had at the pub made my mouth water.

oldgreymare said...

Your banners are lovely..keep going now and expand to pinwheels on top..once you pinwheel you never go back lol
All my local pals brine their turkeys but I stubbornly still do the Martha way with the cheesecloth wine butter routine even though each year they tell me I MUST brine..we'll see... maybe?

Decor To Adore said...

Oh your banners are just adorable! Great work.

Have a lovely week my friend. :)

Our Neck of the Woods said...

I'm glad you guys got to go out for a meal together. We went out to lunch yesterday and it felt like such a treat because we haven't been out together in so long! And your daughter Abby sounds amazing. You have many reasons to be proud of her! :)

Anonymous said...


Am I on your list Jane? I hadn't seen you for a while...probably just super busy. I always enjoy reading your rambling post....always! I have never brined a turkey. I soak in salt water.....pat and dry. Slather in butter, salt, pepper and fill the inside with carrots, celery and onions for flavor. Turns out moist and wonderful every time. I will be heading up your way Thanksgiving Day morning to spend some time with son and family. Cannot wait! xoxo

Lori E said...

You are always so busy coming and going. Lots of fun stuff.
I relate to your stenciling attempt. Although we didn't stencil it we did a jungle theme in one son's room years ago and on the upper half we used big sponges and cut them into leaf shapes. We then dipped them into paint and stamped them onto the wall....everywhere...like a jungle...Since then the walls have been covered with posters and such as he grew up but when he leaves this January we will be sanding for days to take that thick paint off the walls so we can repaint them. Seemed like a good idea at the time though.

Kathleen said...

Jane,
I thought of you this morning when I got an email from Travel Zoo - B and B in Galena all inclusive $99.
If you can't find it, I can e-mail you the link.

Kathleen in Wisconsin

Unknown said...

You totally rocked those banners!!!go you! I love them!!! I am so glad to catch up with you. I love your posts! We know each other since 2010. I just saw your first comment on an old post. That's so cool! Have a good week. Your posts are never too long. Xo

Beth said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jenna said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
muhammad asim said...

Top Ten Classified Website List, Pakistani Classified Sites, USA Classifieds, Indian Classifieds, Entertainment Articles, Entertainment News, Entertainment Pictures, Bollywood, Hollywood and Lollywood Pictures and Videos, Entertainment Latest updates, Hot Entertainment News and Pictures Funny Entertainment Pictures, lol Pictures, Funny Pictures and every thing you want...
www.hotcurrentaffairs.com

Unknown said...

Make Money Online is very easy now, In Internet system we have now best earning system without any work, Just Invest some Money into your Business and Make Perfect Life time Earnings with this Business.
Join Now for Make Perfect Business and Earn Money online from home.
www.hotfxearnings.com

Unknown said...

aLatest cars and vehicles, Latest Mazda Models, Racing Cars, International Sport Cars, Concept Cars, PS-Pod, Strange Vehicles, Nissan, Royce Corniche, Ford Concept Cars, Strange Vehicles, Mercedes and More Sport Cars and Vehicles with Pictures and Info
WorldLatestVehicles.blogspot.com