Awesome Bookcase from the Lemonade Stand!

Pictures do not do this beauty justice! It's been sitting in my garage since last September's Junk Bonanza :-(. I was planning on painting my walls (SW Mindful Gray, in case you were wondering)  ... but it just didn't get done lol. I decided to bring it in from the cold before 2017 ;-).

It's made from wood, upcycled corrugated galvanized metal and old fence posts. It is HUGE. Love all the details, weathering and sturdy construction.

I snagged this from The Lemonade Stand - they have a store in Yankton, South Dakota! All of their furniture is custom built and the proprietors are super nice. They use a lot of reclaimed materials for truly one-of-a-kind pieces. Can't wait to see what they bring to the Spring Junk Bonanza!

In case you're wondering, they didn't give me any kind of discount in return for this review - but they did deliver locally for a fee which was MUCH appreciated.

Hemp Tassel Embellishment

Easy, quick way to jazz up your gift bags!

Pretty Origami Paper Hearts

I modified the Dollar Heart tutorial so that you can use the paper of your choice! This is vintage sheet music - it's really fragile so do a couple of practice runs with regular paper first. These pretty origami hearts can be used as ornaments, Valentines or gift tags!

Supplies:

• Paper - 6" x 3"
• Bone folder or butter knife
• Glue gun or strong glue
• All purpose glue or glue stick
• Button
• Paper Punch
• String
• Scissors

Quick overview picture tutorial - click through for more detailed instructions.

Book Page Filled Ornaments

Fill a clear ornament with lines from your favorite book! Mindless craft you can do while binging Gilmore Girls on Netflix ;-). That is, unless you've already binged it :-(.

Supplies:

• Book Pages
• Scissors
• Clear Fillable Ornaments
• Sticks, Skewers or Toothpicks
• Ribbon

Cut 1, 2 or more lines at a time. Taper ends (optional).

Wrap lines around sticks to make curls. Pull curls apart, if desired.

Place paper curls in  a clear ornament.

Replace topper and add ribbon to hang.

10 Ornaments You and Your Kids Can Make Together

Shower Curtain Ring and Green Pipe Cleaner Wreath

Creative Green Living

Delicate Wire and Bead Ornaments

craftbits

Super Fun "Bringing Home the Tree" Ornament

Thrifty Jinxy

Felted Wool Trees

Chicken Scratch NY

Mod Podge Photo & Wood Slice

The Eyes of a Boy

Cinnamon Dough Ornaments

Wholefully

Snowball Bucket Ornament

Creative Green Living

Floating Photo Ornament

Where the Smiles Have Been

Vintage Paper Ball Ornament

Finding Zest

Mason Jar Lid Ornament

Uncommon Designs

All photos are property of their creators and link back to their DIY tutorials. 

Photos used with permission. 

Muslin & Merlot is a member of the Craft & Food Round Ups Facebook group.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Hey - I know this is a craft blog but I just had to share this recipe! Best chocolate chip cookies ever! Mike agrees :-). Perfectly chewy and crunchy cookies that stay fresh for over a week and don't mysteriously and inexplicably turn into flat, sad crispy chocolate pancakes after baking. Might be something to do with mixing the baking soda with warm water? Or the ratio of granulated to brown sugar? The vigorous over-mixing of sugars and butter? I dunno, but it is magical! Mixing times may vary since i used a stand mixer,

BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE RECIPE NO JOKE

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. warm water
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars together for 5-7 minutes. Add eggs and mix for another 3-4 minutes. Mix in vanilla.

Add flour and salt. Mix until combined.

Put baking soda in a small bowl. Heat water in another small bowl and add two teaspoons warm water to the baking soda. Stir until combined. Mix baking soda/water mixture into the batter.

Add chocolate chips. Mix/stir just until combined.

Refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350-365 degrees, depending on your oven.

Form balls of dough, then flatten slightly with your hands. They'll look like the fundraising frozen cookie dough pucks you bought from the kids next door ;-).

Place on cool, ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on size. Cookies should still look slightly uncooked in their centers, with nice golden edges. Let cool on sheets for two minutes, then transfer to cooling racks.

If you're reusing baking sheets, make sure they're completely cool before baking the next batch. This may involve going outside and briskly waving them on your front porch.

My cookies took about 15 minutes to bake - they ended up a little bigger than the palm of my hand.

Nom nom nom.

Hemp-Wrapped Memory Board

Simple hemp-wrapped memory board. Great way collect your holiday cards!

Supplies:

• Board - I used leftover boards from my Blooming Cross project. You could use old cutting boards, barnwood or whatever you have hiding in the shed :-).
• Paint & Sealer
• Hammer
• Picture Hanger
• Hemp Cord
• Office Clips or Mini Clothespins
• Staple Gun & Staples

Paint the board however you like.

Staple one end of the cord to the back of the board. Staple multiple times. I started at about the middle - you could start at the top or wherever.

Wrap cord around the board. Keep an eye on the front so you can see how the design is shaping up. Pull the cord tight and staple in place every time you wrap (on the back of the board only). When you're done wrapping, staple the end of the cord to the back at least three times. Hammer in any staples that are sticking out too far.

Hammer in the picture hanger.

Add or clips or mini clothespins.

Done! Easy peasy.

Scenes from the Craft Show 2016

Another successful year at Rush City Bountiful Boutiques! Four pop-up shops in one tiny town. So much fun setting up shop!

This isn't a typical craft show - vendors don't have separate tables. We mix and match everyone's wares in order to make the whole store look great :-). And we're only open 3 days a year.

The vendors/crafters/artisans did a fantastic job. We had a great selection of items perfect for gift-giving. Take a look!

Photos courtesy of Heidi Lindahl! She's an awesome photographer in the Shakopee area. Let me know if you'd like her contact info :-)

Paint Stir Stick - Faux Wood Blinds

Quick tip - leftover Levolor faux wood blinds make great paint stir sticks! Just bend down and bend up. This way, the end of the stick stays in the air. Paint on the stick won't adhere to whatever protective surface you're using.

Now I need to go finish up some crafts for Rush City's Bountiful Boutiques! See you later :-).

Fave Fall Inspo 2016

Here are some great Fall Decor, Crafts and Eats ideas from my favorite bloggers! Click on the pictures for more info or recipes - they link back to the captioned blog :-).

Autumn decor with repurposed fence boards by Frugal Momeh!

Thanksgiving mason Jar craft by The Country Chic Cottage

Stenciled Monogrammed Placemats by DIY Inspired

Poke-a-Pumpkin Halloween Party Game by Madame Deals

Easy Lace Jar Votives by Creative Green Living

Edible Pumpkin Play Dough by Raising Whasians

Apple Butterscotch Caramel Cake by Accidental Happy Baker

Pumpkin Pull-Apart Bread by Cincy Shopper

Sweet Potato Spoon Bread by Town and Country Living

Muslin & Merlot is a member of the Craft & Food Roundups Facebook Group. All pictures are the property of their creators and used with permission. 

DIY Cord or Ear Bud Holder

Very easy and handy project. Keep those cords organized with leather scraps!

Origami Tulip Tutorial

These origami tulips also look like rose buds - gather them while you may ;-).

Weather Forecasting Stone Gag Gift

Here's a fun printable gag gift! All you need is a printer, paper, rock, tape and string.

Weather Forecasting Stones can be found all around the world - and are uncannily correct!

I printed this up for my nephew. He's a budding meteorologist and weather aficionado.

Just print out the Weather Forecasting Stone PDF, tie a rock to some string and tape the string to the paper. I rolled up the paper and tied it closed with more string.

Wishing happiness and good weather wherever you are ...

♡ Heidi Kay

DIY Sacks for 3 Legged Races and Sack Races

Sorry, not a very exciting picture ;-).

I made a set of eight burlap sacks for my nephew's outdoor b-day party. They'll be usedfor 3 - legged races and regular sack races. Pretty easy project! Very forgiving. Each bag takes about 20-25 minutes on the highest sewing speed.

DIY Upcycled Blue Jean Necklace

Super simple upcycled jean craft. Just cut out the inseam, glue and roll!

Future Projects - Prom Dresses into Play Aprons?

I've received a few fancy dresses from Helping Hands to make into something usable to give to the community members. These dresses all had stains or broken zippers, making them unsuitable as prom dresses. I think they'd make cute child dress up aprons, though! I could use some ideas from you all!

I'm going to play with this apron pattern. Look simple enough! (Famous last words!)

Theodora said this green dress would make a great Tiana costume. It has really beautiful beading. Might embellish with some lilypad flowers and a white satin underskirt?

The only pink princess I can think of is Aurora. Will try to find some gold trim. Any other characters pretty in pink?

I also have a couple of long, plain black satin dresses (no pic) Not sure which characters those would work well with. Maybe I could turn them into Christmas Tree skirts?

This is a seriously cute vintage Montgomery Ward dress. Trust me, it's prettier in person. Might just turn it into an adult cooking apron?

And then there's this. Look at those puffed shoulders!

And matching shoulder pads!

The zipper doesn't go down so far in the back. There should be enough material for a set of mommy and me aprons.

I'd like these aprons to kind of grow with the child for a few years. What would be the best way to change the length of the neck strap? D-rings? Velcro?

Let me know if you have any ideas!