burlap candle holders

Happy Friday everyone!  I was at a local antique shop last week and they had lots of mason jars with burlap for sale.  How simple is that?  I pulled together some cream burlap that I already had and a bunch of Halloween colored trim.  I can't explain why I'm liking purple with orange so much this year. I just think it is cute!!

Cut your burlap and fray the edges a little.  Hot glue it to your jars.  These are the smaller ones.  I've used them one million and one times.  

Next hot glue your trim on.

It's that easy... they look so great with a voltive candle inside!  

Have a great weekend... I'm heading up to Grand Forks to visit my oldest at college.  She recently pledged my sorority, Delta Gamma.  How amazing is that?  I just can't wait to see her!

Junk Market

Last week I had a chance to go to Junk Market with my knitting friends.  It is an amazing antique and craft show put on every year by local vendors... and many from all over the United States.

You can find a little bit of everything there.  Old locker doors in gorgeous colors.

An amazing assortment of vintage cupcake picks.

Amazing Annie Sloan chalk paint... http://www.anniesloan.com/

Just junk, amazingly displayed.

Gorgeous jewlery and pins.....

Fabulous Christmas displays...

I was tempted by lots of amazing things, but left with 2 orange chenille pumpkins.  I'm guessing the chenille was white and they dyed it orange.  Aren't they darling?  

pumpkin cupcakes

Last year I was chief cupcake maker for my middle daughter's soccer team.  I made the job up for myself when the sign up went around the table, and I didn't particularly like any of the options.  The horrible thing is, I never made cupcakes the entire season.  I was packing, and moving and my life was in complete disorder!

Last weekend there was a team party and I had the chance to redeem myself!  I made pumpkin cupcakes from scratch.  The recipe can be found here... http://southernfood.about.com/od/pumpkins/r/bl40104c.htm

Oh my, they were good.  They could be served as "muffins" too.  (What is the difference, anyways?)  I frosted them with cream cheese frosting:

1 bag powdered sugar

1 stick butter (softened)

8 oz. cream cheese

1or 2 tsp. of almond extract

Beat the above together so it is light and fluffy.  The ingredients are kind of ridiculous aren't they?

My youngest helped me frost them.  I think she is awfully cute.

Happy baking!

Halloween countdown calendar

I just love countdown calendars, don't you?  Last week, I was holding this old dry erase board calendar in my hands, ready to throw it away when I realized I could use it for a Halloween countdown.  Halloween used to whip my girls into a frenzy.  They would start planning for it in August!  This calendar is a fun way to count down the days til the big night...

I cut squares out of Halloween paper from K and Company.  I cut them the same size as the boxes on the calendar.  Next I added some die cuts from K and Company onto each square.  To make the squares more sturdy, I ran them through the laminator.

Next I added a few 3D embellishments to the pieces..  I glued magnets to the back and it is done!

  

Each day they can add a new square to the calendar...  this would be a cute idea for Christmas too!

knitted candy corn

I've been knitting up something awfully cute... knitted candy corn.  My friend Marie Mayhew wrote the pattern, you can buy it here.  http://www.woollysomething.com/id96.html  The pattern is so well written and fun to knit!

All of Marie's patterns are knitted and then felted.  Believe it or not, I threw mine into the washing machine looking like this... 

and they came out like this!

I stuffed them with polyfill and sewed them shut.

 Aren't they cute?!  And calorie free!  

knitty owls

Hi everyone!  I'm sure glad it's Friday today.  I love this new preschool job of mine but it tires me out!  I hope you have been enjoying my owl posts for this week.  If you would like to get more owl inspiration, check out my pinterest board... http://pinterest.com/jenni_swenson1/hoot-hoot/  For today I had planned to knit up a bunch of darling owls out of this gorgeous ewe ewe yarn... http://www.eweewe.com/
My friend Heather owns the company and it is springy and delicious to knit with.  I just peeked at her blog and saw that she is adding new colors... you should check them out!

I made this hat with her yarn last year... I've already worn it a few times this fall.  The colors are just yummy!

Oh yes, back to my owls.  I was planning on knitting 10 little owls to take to my preschool friends to use during circle time.  The pattern is by Susan B. Anderson from last year's Christmas Knit Simple issue.  Susan is one of my knitting idols.  She's an all around cool person too.  (I don't really know her, but I can tell from her blog) She has an owl post today too! http://susanbanderson.blogspot.com/2012/09/knit-simple-inside-issue-and-at-home.html

I didn't get all 10 finished... actually I didn't even get one entirely finished.  But I will finish them soon and I promise to share them in all their glory.  I hope you have marvelous plans this weekend.  I'm hoping to finish painting my china hutch.  I'll share that soon too.  Have a wonderful weekend!