Decorative 4th of July Piece - A crafty project

I really like some of the red, white and blue or patriotic project ideas out there.  This one (click here) really inspired me to convert an old wood box into a great summer piece.  My wood box is a replica of the old-pioneer style tool boxes.  I think it was something all of my school class was given when we were studying the pioneers.  You can easily use a small crate or nail a few pieces of wood together, with or without the handle for this project.

Materials:1 wood box
paint (red, white, blue)
paint brushes
Clear gloss

Instructions:
1.  Make sure the wood is ready to paint.  Sand any rough parts.

2.  Using a pencil (or pen if you prefer) mark/stencil the design on the wood.

3.  Paint your stencil.  Let dry.

4.  Touch up any spots.  Let dry

5.  Go outside to spray clear gloss to seal and protect the paint.  Let dry.

Now you are ready to display and use your patriotic box for serving and decoration.  Perfect for Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day!

Getting ready for St. Patrick's Day

After a small technical problem I am back online.  In the time off, I have been getting ready for St. Patrick's Day and no it's not a big party that I am talking about.  Just a few quick projects and recipes to celebrate the holiday in style.


Now most people I know, think that corned beef and cabbage is a "traditional" Irish dish.  Reality is that this is not a traditional Irish dish and if you have travelled to Ireland you will be hard-pressed to find it.  I'm sure the dish is served at some restaurants or cafes in Ireland, but I never came across it in my travels. 


Instead I like to try different recipes for St. Patrick's Day, though not all are "Irish".  Here are a few of my favorites:


Guinness Gingerbread - This won't last long at any party (Click here for Nigella's recipe)

Guinness Chocolate Cupcake/Cake - Or try the Bailey's Irish cupcake from Kara's Cupcakes in Napa.
For this I baked it like you would a brownie, but you can also use a Shamrock cake pan or just cupcake cups.

Reuben Sandwich (instead of plain corned beef and cabbage) - I have a post devoted to this, so stay tuned.


Irish Soda Bread (Click here for Ina's recipe)

Scones (though these are also very English/British)

On to the projects.  Both of these are quick and easy projects to complete.


Clover (Shamrock) wood ornaments:
I had bought these clovers for another project a while back, but decided that a Shamrock tree would be a cute center piece for the table.  I used a few shades of green to paint them which would coordinate with my table runner, though you can easily choose other colors or shades.

After adding a decorative ornament hook and hanging them on a spring ornament tree, my center piece was complete.



The second project I completed were felted crochet shamrock earrings and hair-clips.  For these I used some extra green wool yarn and whipped up the shamrocks in a matter of minutes.  I think the felting process took longer than actually crocheting them.  Though I found that smaller items do not felt as nicely as hats or other clothing items.



Before felting




After felting