The Blackberry Vine: July 2011

Monday, July 25, 2011

Tuesday To Do #20 & #19 List Makers

It's Tuesday To Do time again.

Don't know about you guys, but I always look forward to seeing what my friends have been up to!

Be sure to check out these friends that are this week's List Makers:

Decorating the Ville shows how to make this amazing monogrammed shower curtain!

I just "heart" these sweet Early Bird & Night Owl onesies made by sweet Cookie and Claire!

Yes please, I'll have another piece!

Robin made this yummy Heath Bar Chocolate Cake with Toffee Sauce for her own birthday.

If you were on this week's To Do List, then please feel free to grab a LIST MAKER button:

TUESDAY TO DO

FEATURED BUTTON

Now on the the party...

Link up your creations! Sewing, crafting, cooking, tips, photography, tablescapes, parties, scrapbooking, collectibles...it all works. Please save your items for sell, your giveaways and your own parties for those specific blog parties. You're the best!

(Borrowed these little rules from the Shabby Nest...she's got it going on!)

1. Become a follower of The Blackberry Vine.

2. Link directly to your post and not just to your blog.

3. Grab the TUESDAY TO DO BUTTON from the sidebar, and link back to the Blackberry Vine. (Yes, it can be a little time-consuming, but it's the sweet blogger thing to do!)

4. Please visit other participants and leave them some comment love. Comment, comment, comment!!!

I reserve the right to remove posts that are not in keeping with the spirit of Tuesday To-Do including but not limited to those that link to your shop, your giveaway or your linky party, and those that do not link back to the Blackberry Vine. Thanks for playing fair!!

Saturday, July 23, 2011

My How They've Grown!!!

So, you were expecting a sentimental little post about how I can't believe how big my boys are getting?!? Well, that post will surely surface on this little blog at some point, but for now I'm featuring my Daddy's boys (and I'm not talking about my brothers!)

(For the 2 or 3 of you sweet people out there that would like to read a little more about these guys, click here!)

"Will"

Will is the baby and my favorite...Dan (the older one) kind of pushes him around.

They're very docile for such big animals but if watermelon is involved...get out of the way! Did you know longhorns like watermelon?!?

I haven't seen these guys in almost a year...and I can't get over how much their horns have grown! (The photos this time aren't as good as I didn't get in the pen with them this time...just didn't have much time this visit.)

WILL ~ MARCH 2010

WILL ~ AUGUST 2010

WILL ~ JULY 2011

DAN ~ JULY 2011

Dan is the oldest (by a few days? months?)

Look at those horns!!!

They like to rattle their horns when guests show up...its equivalent to the kids putting on a show for company!

Can big longhorn steers be cute?!? Well, these are cute and full of personality!

Do you have a cute pet you like to photograph?!?

Smiles!

Friday, July 22, 2011

Book Labels for Borrowed Books

I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but it warrants being said again,

we have great neighbors!

Wonderful, fun, helpful, kind, sweet & generous neighbors.

One set of such fabulous neighbors shared about 20 something books with my son.

Now, Sweet Neighbor, (SN,) is well past this reading level, but SN has a Sweet Little Sister (SLS) that will be wanting to read these in a few years.

To help ME keep up with which books were SN's and which one were our's, I quickly made some labels....cute, huh? (I made these a while ago, but I'm pretty sure I found the graphics at Graphics Fairy.)

Now, placement in ~~children~~ young reader's books can be tricky.

My guys like to look at ALL of the info availbale in the book...which books do we have...which books do we need, etc.

Making the book labels on standard address labels (Avery 8160) seemed to be the perfect size.

I threw this picture in just to show you an idea of where to place these little labels.

Would you like to create some of these?

Use my template and insert your own name!

For the Bee click HERE!

(I think I was in such a hurry, I forgot to save the butterfly ones to SCRIBD...so sorry!)

Easy peasy!

Would love for you to stop by and share your little lovelies at the Tuesday To Do Party!

Smiles!

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Family Sign

So the short version of "why I made this sign," goes something like this...

We have a family reunion every two years. At the last one (or maybe it was the one before,) they had an auction to raise money to help cover reunion costs and to help cover the upkeep costs of the old family cemetary. Good idea. I definitely wanted to contribute this year, but wasn't sure what I might do. Most items are "family" related so I came up with this sign!

With images of a good-hearted bidding war going on in my head I started to work on the sign. I collected the items I would need:

a ready made wooden sign board (Hobby Lobby - $6.99)

Chip Board Letters (Hobby Lobby - $ .99 each)

wood glue

gesso

acrylic paint

acrylic float

assorted brushes

paper towels

At Hobby Lobby, I tried out the chip board letters on the sign to make sure they would fit. My current surname will not fit on the boards they offered at Hobby Lobby...maybe another craft supply store will have something or, gulp, I could make my own (not anytime soon!)

When I got home I made light pencil marks on the board, top and bottom, to be sure I kept the letters straight and centered on the board. A light sanding might not be such a bad idea either, but I was pressed for time and skipped the sanding.

Once I had every thing nice and centered, I simply glued the chip board letters to the board with wood glue.

All nice and neat!

Once the letters had a chance to dry I coated the whole sign with gesso...seemed to give the whole sign the same texture.

Next I painted it with a gray blue paint. Then I lightly sanded it. It just wasn't quite the look I wanted so I painted the whole thing red. Again, I lightly sanded it.

Once the red paint had dried, I painted over it with black acrylic mixed with float.

While it was still wet, I used the paper towels to wipe it off.

Love the way it turned out!

Oh, did I mention that when I got the family newsletter with all of the reunion details that I didn't read it? Did I mention that once I got to the reunion with my cute little sign that I was met with a puzzled look by the reunion coordinator? Yea, no auction this year.

Congrats to mom & dad for being the ~~winning bidders~~ proud new owners of the family sign!

Stop by the Tuesday To Do Party and link up your latest creative endeavor!

Smiles!!!!

Linking to many of the fun parties listed on my side bar...come join me!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Tuesday To Do #19 & #18 List Makers

Hello Sweet Bloggy Friends!!!

I'm so glad you stopped by for another fun Tuesday To Do party!!

Check out these great ideas from last week!

These Smore's Bars from It's A Keeper look OH SO GOOD!!!!

Isn't this a great idea?!? A photo charm bracelet made with shrinky dinks! Its a great idea for teacher gifts and/or grandparents! I've seen this idea used also for glass tags at parties! Thanks to Closet Crafter for sharing this with us!

Jennifer Dawn came up with this adorable way to display her super sweet baby girl's art! She's a finalist in a blog competition...be sure to stop by and see how you can give her your vote!

If you were on this week's To Do List, then please feel free to grab a LIST MAKER button:

TUESDAY TO DO

FEATURED BUTTON

Now on the the party...

(Borrowed these little rules from the Shabby Nest...she's got it going on!)

1. Become a follower of The Blackberry Vine.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Tuesday To Do Party # 18 and #17 List Makers

Hello Friends!

Are you enjoying your care-free summer?!?!

(Did I just hear someone snicker?!?)

Summer is such fun, regardless of our responsiblities!

Thanks again to each of you that shared your wonderful talents, ideas and recipes with us last week...as always - I'M IN AWE!

Just so you know, I have been trying to comment on your links, on and off, for several days. Some of the time I can, no problems...then, for some reason, it won't show that I'm logged in even after I log in over AND OVER. Not sure what the problem might be...if you know, I would for you to let me in on it!

If you didn't get a response from me, please forgive me!

Know I appreciate each and everyone of you for comments and links!

Let's see which lovelies made the List this week:

Did you see these cute birds that Tales From an OC Cottage created?!? If not, be sure to check out here entire post...they even got a dressed up for the 4th!!! Too cute!

I was completely blown away by this quilt that Eleni made!!! One day quilting WILL be on my To Do List for real!!! Just gorgeous! Be sure to check out both sides of her quilt when you visit her blog Lovely Handmade Things!

Emily at Nest. Nesting. Nested. came up with this gorgeous vintage lace lampshade! It projects the most beautiful lacey pattern on the walls! Sweet!

If you were on this week's To Do List, then please feel free to grab a LIST MAKER button:

TUESDAY TO DO

FEATURED BUTTON

Now on the the party...

(Borrowed these little rules from the Shabby Nest...she's got it going on!)

1. Become a follower of The Blackberry Vine.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Red, White & Blue Muffins or Blueberry/Raspberry Muffins

We had these yummy red, white & blue muffins for brunch on the 4th.

The recipe is a combination of two recipes I've used quite a bit plus the addition of raspberries.

Blueberry & Raspberry Muffins

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

1/4 cup melted butter

3/4 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

3/4 cup blueberries

3/4 cup raspberries

Combine all dry ingredients (1st 5 listed) in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine next 5 ingredients. Mix wet with dry just until moistened. Gently fold in berries.

(Can use 1 1/2 cups blueberries instead of a mixture of raspberries and blueberries.)

In greased muffin pans, fill cups 2/3rds full with muffin mixture.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Dust with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Smiles!!

Linking to:

Prairie Story Recipe Swap

It's a Keeper Thursday

Baking with Bizzy

Monday, July 4, 2011

Tuesday To Do #17 and #16 List Makers

Happy 4th of July!

Are you out catching some fireworks tonight?!?

We had fun celebrating the 4th all weekend!

Freedom Fest was Saturday, Kaboom Town was Sunday (which my boys were ok with missing...see the following) and we set off our own small, non-flying fireworks throughout the weekend.

My boys MAY be a little spoiled to fireworks...as my eldest put it...I've seen fireworks 5 days in a row!

What?!?

At Disney World!

Oh.

(SO WORTH IT!!!)

Anyway, let's see last week's LIST MAKERS!

This sweet bunting and more free printables can be found at Nifty Thrifty Things!

Love this distressed wood flag from Love Sweet Love!

Cottage in the Oaks repurposed her grandfather's old garden tools as trellises for her vines.

If you were on this week's To Do List, then please feel free to grab a LIST MAKER button:

TUESDAY TO DO

FEATURED BUTTON

Now on the the party...

(Borrowed these little rules from the Shabby Nest...she's got it going on!)

1. Link directly to your post and not just to your blog.

2. Grab the TUESDAY TO DO BUTTON from the sidebar, and link back the Blackberry Vine. (Yes, it can be a little time-consuming, but it's the sweet blogger thing to do!)

3. Please visit other participants and leave them some comment love. Comment, comment, comment!!!

I reserve the right to remove posts that are not in keeping with the spirit of Tuesday To-Do including but not limited to those that link to your shop, your giveaway or your linky party, and those that do not link back to the Blackberry Vine. Thanks for playing fair!!

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Chocolate Toffee Bits Cakeballs

These little creations are simply chocolate cake balls with Heath Toffee Bits mixed in.

After dipping them in the chocolate, I coated them with more toffee bits that had been lightly crushed.

(The toffee bits will not stay crunchy in the cake balls...they will have more of a caramel texture...if you do not add enough, they will sort of just get lost in the cake.)

Enjoy!

Smiles!

To make cake balls, click here.

Come Link Up to the TUESDAY TO DO PARTY!!!Linking to:
Tuesday To Do Party
Take A Look Tuesday
Get Your Craft On
Handmade Tuesdays

Pretty Packages Party # 11

Its Pretty Packages Party Time Again!

Would love to see what lovely gifts you've been wrapping up!

This is one of the little July 4th gifts I put together for a few friends.

It was very last minute so I went to blogland for a free printable.

Paper and Pigtails had the perfect one!

Click here for a cute July 4th Party and the Free Printable.

Happy 4th of July to all of you!

Let Freedom Ring!!!

This is a PRETTY PACKAGES PARTY so what I'm looking for is beautifully, interestingly, creatively wrapped gifts. The gifts could range from individual gifts, to party favors, to food gifts to birthday presents, to any type of gift or packaging! At the end of the week (if I can wait that long,) I'll chose my favorites to share with everyone.

Please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on your post name, then just copy and paste the address that shows up in the address bar at the top, into the "url" box for the picture linky. You'll also need to put your e-mail address in, but don't worry, it will not be visible to anyone.

It would be fantastic if you would include the Pretty Packages Party button in your post, to make it easy for others to find your Pretty Package post. To do that, just copy and paste the Pretty Packages Party button to your computer or grab the html code from underneath the Pretty Packages Party button on my sidebar. A text link under your post is great, too!

Please include a link in your Pretty Packages Party post back to the host blog, The Blackberry Vine. Why is this important? When you include a link back to The Blackberry Vine, it ensures your regular readers/visitors will find the other gorgeously wrapped gifts linked to the Pretty Packages Party. If everyone links back, this maximizes the opportunity for visits for all who participate.

Please do not add your link below, until your Pretty Packages Party post is actually published to your blog. Another helpful hint...DO NOT type in all caps...it makes it very difficult to read! Thanks!

Last, but certainly not least, please comment on the post in front of you and behind you (and any other post!!)...spread the comment love!