BLEUBIRD BLOG

DIY / CROSS BUNTING.

CROSS BUNTING.

you will need:

1 large piece of black card stock or poster board
a ruler or measuring tape
scissors
a pencil
a needle
black thread

this is a quick and easy project that you can make in less than an hour. first, cut your card stock into 3" strips and then cut the strips again to make 3x3" squares. next cut out 1x1" squares on each corner to make a cross shape. repeat until you have your desired number of crosses. next stitch each cross with a needle (three stitches should do) onto black thread and continue, leaving enough room for spacing, until you have your cross bunting. you can make it as short or as long as you like. hang with pretty tape on the wall or tie the ends to hooks or nails to hang from the ceiling.

BUTTER 101.

i recently purchased this book on a whim due to an interest in making my own cheese. i am happy to report that i am quite pleased with my impulsive purchase. the book is full of tips for a successful home kitchen creamery and easy homemade recipes for butter, yogurt, sour cream, creme fraiche, cheese and more. now i just need a cow.

after getting my hands on some fresh, thick, whole cream from a local farm i had the joy of flipping through the pages of dairy products and deciding just what to do with it. we decided to start simple and make homemade butter. and of course we made it a family affair so we skipped the quicker method of using a food processor or immersion blender and went straight to the mason jars...

HOMEMADE BUTTER

you will need:

1 pint of good whole cream
sea salt
mason jar/jars and sealing lids
wooden spoon or butter paddle
strainer
small bowl
large bowl

be sure that you are working with cold cream. at least 60 degrees. pour one cup (in our case a little less) into jars. screw lids of jars on tightly and shake like crazy for 20 minutes or so until you see the butterfat become a solid and separate from the butter milk. open jars and strain your butter saving the buttermilk for later use. return butter back to jar. "rinse your butter" by adding a bit of cold water and shake again. strain and repeat until water runs clear. transfer butter to a wooden board or bowl and paddle your butter spoon to remove excess liquid. mix in salt to taste. date and store butter in the refrigerator for two to three weeks.

homemade butter tastes like heaven. i think we are going to make this a regular thing in our home but leave the churning to a mixer rather than our tired arms. i am looking forward to making another batch with some fresh herbs and maybe investing in some fancy salts to make a few different variations. now what to do with that buttermilk that is sitting in our fridge? maybe some homemade buttermilk pancakes in the morning.

DIY - FRAMED ARTWORK.

i found this incredible crewel embroidery recently and fell in love with it. unfortunately, it had been turned into a sad throw pillow and was just begging to be rescued and restored. i was dying to hang this beautiful piece of art on my wall. i was not dying to fork up the dough to get it custom framed. framing can be very, VERY expensive. but not if you do it yourself...

i first examined the sewing job on the pillow and noticed that while the original embroidery had been cut and altered quite a bit, the main artwork had been preserved. the staple marks and frame lines were still visible. i carefully took the pillow apart and from there i set out to find a slightly smaller frame than the original. with a little searching, a little work and around ten bucks, i could make these pretty poppies look as good as new. i tucked the artwork inside of my purse, protected in a plastic baggy, and headed to thrifts. to my pleasant surprise i found a beautiful golden frame, complete with glass, matting and butterfly painting that was just the right size for the project, and at the very first shop i stopped in. it was $6.

i then headed to the art supply store, bought a sheet of foam core and a thin sheet of cardboard ($3.49) and quickly darted home to get started...

not pictured: removing butterfly artwork, matting & glass from frame. carefully use your pliers to open frame and remove.

cheap, quick and easy. now if i could only find the courage to nail into my freshly painted walls. ;)

footnote: several of my readers have worried that their comments are not going through and have left repeat comments because they are not showing up right away. i DO get your comments. you only need to leave one. they have to be approved before being published on the blog to prevent spam. thank you. xo!

DIY - FLOWER CROWN.

i love flowers and i love flower crowns even more. i'm going to show you how to make your own in just a few simple steps. perfect for a special occasion, a wedding or if you just want to feel pretty. this project costs around $15, but you can make several crowns so the cost is actually much lower. you can make a few different head pieces for yourself or make one for a friend.

here's what you need... you can find all of these materials at your local craft store. i suggest buying high end fabric or silk flowers for a more realistic looking head piece.

step one: create a circle that fits comfortably around your head, that is easy to take on and off. i tripled the amount of wire and then wraped a fourth time around to make it extra sturdy.

step two: cut your first bloom and place it in the desired direction on the crown. using a small 4 inch piece of wire, wrap the bloom tightly with wire to the circle with pliers.

continue doing so with more blooms, layering the flowers on top and side by side one another until you start to build a full crown of pretty flowers.

you can continue all the way around the circle and fill the entire crown with flowers or leave about one third of the crown empty as i did with my crown. if you do decide to leave an open space on your crown you will want to wrap the exposed wire with floral tape and i did below.

step three. the floral tape is slightly sticky so tightly wrap the exposed wires together from one end to the other.

that's it. this project took about forty minutes from start to finish. i suggest using the pliers as much as possible to wrap your wires. i used my fingers a few times and did get a few small cuts on my hands. i also do not suggest making this crown right after you got a manicure. it resulted in chipped polish. have fun and if you decide to make one please send me a photo. i would love to see what you made.

i posted over at delightful dozen this evening with today's outfit. care to take a look? XOXO!