Martha Stewart Would Be So Proud (until she looked closer)

I spotted the cutest pumpkin idea on the cover of Country Living. Their method was
kind of complicated and involved (at least more than I wanted to do), so I gave it
some thought and improvised.  It really wasn't that hard and I was pleased with it
when all was said and done. I wanted to share the how-to with you if it's something
you think you might like.


This was my inspiration.  It probably caught
my eye because I like all things toile.  They
suggested copying a favorite wallpaper onto
cardstock, painting your pumpkin the background
color and cutting out the print. 



Not ashamed to admit my love of simplifying, I thought
maybe I could just find a cardstock scrapbook print I
liked and use it.  I cut the 12x12 sheets into 3 inch strips.

My youngest daughter helped me, by the way, and
we had  fun time doing this.  We put Mod Podge (my
new best friend :)) on with a sponge brush then placed
the strips of paper on.  We smoothed it with our fingers
as best we could but let's face it, you're not going to
smooth cardstock over a pumpkin perfectly but a friend
had a great perspective on this--she said the wrinkles
added character :).

With this size of pumpkin it took us about 12 strips.  As
we put it on we would put on more Mod Podge around the
edges to get as good a seal as possible.  And we kept
on having a good time.

Finished!! 
We applied about three coats of MP all over
when we finished.  The next morning I sprayed it
with a matte finish I had--it came in a spray can
just like spray paint.  I was really pleased with
out efforts.  And I have enjoyed having it to look at
and decorate with.

As I stated, I thought Martha Stewart would be so
proud--until she looked at the bottom of the
pumpkin.  It's not so pretty.  I learned not to sit
something on paper until the glue is dry.  Somehow
I think I missed that lesson in first grade.  But that's
why you turn and display your creation and show
off the best side.  Thanks for taking the time to read
this.  Hopefully I explained it in a way that you could
at least get an idea of how to do it.  It was one of
those great projects that you can actually tweak
yourself and it probably works better that way.
Happy Pumpkin Decorating!!

Fall Prettiness

I wanted to show you two fall picks that Pat's...Again has.  They
are 16" long and so pretty.  Fall fruit, leaves, and flowers make
them gorgeous and you'll never be disappointed in the quality of
the florals from 'Raz'.  You can use them by themselves or put
in an arrangement is sure to make it 'pop'.  As I said, they are 16"
long and $11.75.  I will have some at the Open House but I
won't have a lot of fall so if you'd like one, call me now and I'll get
it to you in NWA or I can send them elsewhere.  They shouldn't
be too costly to ship.  The pumpkin in the picture has a story
all it's own and I'll be doing a tutorial on how to make it later
this week when my camera and computer start talking to
each other again :).  Thanks for looking and check back
later this week--it's a really fun project (and easy, too).

Who doesn't love fall?

Aren't these pretty?

Pre-Order Your Trees Starting Today

Wow--the holidays are going to be here soon.  We are taking pre-orders
for these cute trees.  I will have a lot of them at our Open House on
October 29 but they go fast.  Several years ago, the first year we sold
them, one of our expert decorator employees took a look at them and
said, "You didn't order enough, you'll need more."  I thought maybe I
had ordered too many.  She was right--I re-ordered twice that season
and went on to feature them the next two years in Country Sampler--
they even made the cover!!  We have shipped them all across the
continental US.  You'll love decorating with them.  Many ladies have
told me they leave them up through Janurary.  Leave a comment to pre-order. Delivery
is free in NWA and shipping is reasonable elsewhere.  $28.50 per
set.  The largest tree is 24", medium is 19", and small one is 14".

. 

Forgot to mention--I saw these a couple of years ago on Shannon's blog.  They
looked so pretty on her dining table.  Those trees are everywhere!!  Don't miss
the opportunity to get yours.

Pure Cleaning

If I'm going to be true to "Pat's Again..."'s mission, I have to
believe that cleaning is part of "making you and your home
happy".  Years ago I started researching products that were
people and earth friendly--especially people friendly.  I found
a group of products under the label, "Miracle II" and the more
I learned about them the more impressed I was.  (For the
record I don't get anything from them for telling you about
them.)  I just think they're worth sharing.  A friend asked
me to make a list of the things I clean with and I thought I
would include it here for you.




For showering and bathing, our family uses the
Miracle II moisturizing soap on the left.  We put
it in a pump bottle and use three pumps putting
it onto a nylon bath scrubber.  Work up a good
lather and use it all over.  It contains no animal
fats (like other soaps) so it rinses off cleanly. It
is very gentle but cleans thoroughly.  A BONUS
is that if you take your scrubber as the water is
draining out and wipe down the tub you will
have NO NEED to clean your bathtub.  No
scum--honest!!  Try it and see. You can
shampoo with it but if you have oily hair, I
would use the regular Miracle II.

For all my other cleaning here goes: 
Bathrooms:  baking soda and a mixture of Miracle II, water, and tea tree oil
(mixed together in a squirt bottle above)  in the toilet bowl.  Tea tree mix sprayed on
all toilet surfaces.  On all other bathroom surfaces: the baking soda, tea tree
mix, and vinegar (in the pink bottle above).  Sprinkle soda and spray others and
then wipe off.  Allow to air dry.  Also use the tea tree mix and vinegar to mop
floors--just spray both and wipe.  On another note: I clean my mirrors with
a fiber cloth and water and then re-wipe them with a dry fiber cloth.

In the kitchen:  I keep another bottle of tea tree oil, Miracle II, and water
and use that as my disinfectant for counter tops. If you aren't familiar
with tea tree oil it is a powerful anti-fungal, anti-viral, and anti-
bacterial agent.   I keep another bottle of Miracle and water mix and
squirt that on food-caked dishes, utensils, and pans. It works on sticky
things and grease.  I spray it on my stove top to clean it.  I sprinkle
baking soda on dishes and pans that would require some sort of
scrubber and rub it--and food comes right off!!  I have also found that
salt sprinkled on those things is a fantastic food remover.  I feel good
about all of these things because they are non-toxic, easy to use, and
a lot cheaper than ready to use products.  Your bathroom smells so
good because the products are pure.  Your family is so much safer!!

You can find Miracle II products at health food stores but the most
economical place is the internet.  I buy it here but you can research
and find a place of your own if you like.  Important note:  a little Miracle II
goes a long way--experiment with it but don't overdo.

I hope these ideas are helpful.  I have cleaned with these for many
years and I have 'tweaked' them and played with them until I get
my cleaning routine like I like it to be.  Have fun and enjoy being
clean and green.  Soon I'll share a few more green things I have
found for laundry.





What I'm Up To

Today is  a fun day.  I'm ordering Christmas merchandise and I'm getting excited
about it.  Our Holiday Open House is October 29 for all of our NWA friends.  I'll
begin putting items on the blog for purchasing as they arrive and are priced. The
holidays ARE coming after this long, hot summer and I want to help you add to
your home's beauty and holiday spirit without making you feel guilty about what
you spend.  That's always my mission.  Check back soon.  In a couple of days
I'll have some pics.

Afternoon Fun

We decided to celebrate Wednesday as our almost-through-with-our-4th week of school-day. 
For fun we thought we'd try to recreate this winner of a cookie featured here.  It's found in the
second part of her post :).  Although ours didn't turn out quite the same--don't judge us, we're
going to tweak it until it looks professional.  Which means we'll just keep practicing until we
perfect it.

We started by making our favorite chocolate chip
recipe and put it in our graniteware small
tray--which we'll be featuring soon.  I usually
take our cookies out while they are still soft and
let them finish cooking.  Graniteware pans are
great at this.

Our favorite ingredient

We made buttercream icing and piped it with
the large shell tip around the edges, made
the clouds and outlined where the M & Ms
should go.  I forgot to put orange ones on like
Angela did.  My bad.  Then when we finished
we thought there were not enough M & Ms.
I told you they were our favorite so we decided
to put them all around. I didn't quite achieve Ang's
look, but as I said, we're still pefecting it.

We had a great time and decided we'll make one once a month to celebrate the
birthdays of that month in our Sunday School small group.  Thanks, Angela. And
a beautiful job on the cookie.