Decorating In Trios - Part 3

The last of the trios in AuBrynne's room is finished, finally.  For this one, I found a metal-art A at Hobby Lobby.  And score! I had a 50% coupon with me! So, I didn't have to do anything to the A.

 

But I did re-do the clock, previously.

I also re-did a wood frame by taking a metallic burgundy paint and mixing a bunch of gold pigment into it.  I dry-brushed more gold pigment onto it while it was still tacky.  It doesn't ring as true in the photos, but it's pretty neat because the wood grain picked up the burgundy and the gold is actually more subtle than the picture shows. It looks pretty fab!

Guest Blogging for Mommas Kinda Crafty - Rock Water Feature

I am super excited to be able to guest post today! My name is Allie and I like to make stuff. I like to craft and bake and I love to sew. I love to sew so much that I received a degree in sewing! I also like warm weather and living in the Chicago-land area, I relish the summer-time. Especially since we only get about 3 months of nice weather!

With that said, I like to so lots of gardening. Lately, I have been more adventurous than just simply installing a ready-made fountain with a submersible pump. We have this fabulous place in our area called AquaScape. They have all sorts of things for people who want to put water-scapes in their yards and businesses. Last time I was there, I saw this lovely water feature in (over) a bucket. They had pre-drilled the rocks to fit the parts through. All you had to do was add water basically. But at over $100, it was out of my reach. So, I decided to fashion one myself. And guess what!? It was SUPER easy! It produces a very natural spring-like look and a wonderful soothing water sound. I am glad we tried it.

Want to make one?

 Here is what you will need:

5 gallon bucket

Shovel

Small grate chicken wire

Tin snips

Gloves

Rocks ranging from pebble to football size

Submersible pump

Tubing to fit pump hole

Dig a hole deep enough for your 5 gallon bucket to sit a few inches below the level of the ground.

Attach your hose to your submersible pump

You can put your pump into an old nylon stocking to act as a filter to keep debris from entering the pump and clogging it.

Put something heavy (a large rock) over your pump to keep it from floating up.

With a pair of safety gloves and your tin snips, cut a hole into the middle of your chicken wire and thread the end of the hose through. The chicken wire should now be flat to the ground and the hose should not have any kinks or bends within the bucket.

Cover the edges of your chicken wire with dirt, but keep it enough away from the edge of the bucket. Try not to get dirt into your bucket.

Start to pile the larger of your rocks around the hose. You may have to arrange and rearrange these until you get something that looks right, hides your hose and is stable. Or, you could drill through the center of a few of your larger rocks and feed the hose through. I was not in the mood to get the drill out and this works nicely, so, no drill on this one for me.

When you feel you have it just how you like it, cut the hose as close as you can to the top of your rocks.

Fill your bucket at least half way, enough to cover your pump. Then plug in the pump and make sure the rocks spill the water back into the bucket. If they don’t rearrange them until they do. You just need to make sure the pump stays submersed in water.

Add some river rocks

Depending on the size and the flow adjuster on your pump, you can have more or less water pressure.

Pretty easy, right? It was fun to do! I hope you give it a try.

I would like to thank Joy for letting me guest post for her! And hope you all come visit my blog, as well. You can find my other fun crafts like:

Freezer-Pop Cozy

Mom and daughter fashions

Lots of t-shirt refashions

Baking

And lots of other crafty things!

You can find me at AllieMakes.blogspot.com. Drop me a line! I would love to hear from you!

A Blog Button!

I have been working on the site a bit.  I have a new banner-heading.  And FYI:  I will be tweeking it, and if it comes up funny, its because I am playing around with it. So, don't mind me...
I have been working on making a site blog button for a while.  See that new edition over in the right side-bar?
Yep! That's a new button.
I was challenged to make it all on my own...

I learned a lot about Corel Draw and PhotoShop and programming and yea... Well, what I have, for now, is below.  Don't know if it will change, but it will likely evolve as I learn more.  Please feel free to grab the button and place it on your blog!

<a border="0" href="http://alliemakes.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/zz279/alliemakes/AllieMakes-Button-150.jpg" /></a>

Decorating In Trios Part 2

The next "A" that I did, stared me down for almost a whole year!  I started it then decided that my plan was to similar to the previous one, and decided I would finish it when I got inspiration. 

Well, I got inspiration recently! Glitter. Duh-me... With all of the Marth Stewart colors of the Super-Fine glitter, I was able to find the perfect shade!

This little vignette sits directly next to the door.  I found this PERFECTLY matched ribbon at Walmart for only $2! I was floored to see a 9 foot spool of wired awesome ribbon for that price!

This goes perfectly with these cute photos of the little bug.

And an Announcement:

Tomorrow, you can find me guest blogging over at Mommas Kinda Crafty!

Decorating in Trios Part 1

When AuBrynne was a little teeny baby, my bestie and I made these cute letters for our children's rooms. 

We decoupaged several one inch squares of several different patterned papers onto the letters. Then we stamped and embossed all over, painted the sides and added bows and tags.

For a long time, AuBrynne's lived on a white shelf and had a photo in a frame near it.

Recently, I decided that it needed to get hung on the wall. So, I got my trusty Cricut out and cut out her name in vinyl letters and added a princess crown with rhinestone detail.

I think it looks nice next to the wall I stenciled. That took forever....

This is the trio complete:

On another note, Blogger... Yea. Frustrated.  That's all I'm going to say.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  More to come on AuBrynne's decore in her room, later this week.

Birthday Cake

More Birthday Cake today.  This was the best Devils Food Cake I've made yet.  The recipe was SUPER simple!  The filling, that as meant to be just the filling but due to time constraints turned out to be the outside too, was Oreo Creme.  It's not pretty, but it tasted amazing! Here are couple of pictures and the recipe to follow.

Devil's Food Cake:

350 Degrees, 30 mins, Three 8" layers

3/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa

1/2 cup hot water

3/4 cup cold water

2 and 3/4 cup flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup lightly packed brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

With cocoa in a bowl, add hot water and whisk, then add cold water and whisk till smooth and set aside.

Mix Flour, baking soda and salt together and set aside.

In Mixer beat butter until it is lightened in color and smooth.  Then add the sugar, tablespoon at a time over 4-5 minutes.  Then do the same with the brown sugar.  Scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Add eggs, one at a time at 1 minute intervals.

Add vanilla

Reduce mixer speed to low.  Add a third of the flower mixture and mix until incorporated. Then add half of the chocolate mixture. Add another third of the flower mix then chocolate mix and finally the flower mixture.

Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix for a few moments more to make sure it is all combined.

Divide into three pans (you buttered, powdered sugar and then parchment lined before starting) and bake for 30 minutes until the sides pull away from the pan and the center springs back with slight touch.

When finished cooking, let them cool on a rack for ten minutes. then turn out and let finish cooling.

Oreo Creme Filling:

8 oz. Cream Cheese

1 cup Powdered Sugar

4 cups chilled whipping cream

40 Oreo cookies smashed (I removed the cream filling)

Beat the whipping cream in a chilled metal bowl until stiff peaks but before you have made butter.

Remove to another bowl and put cream cheese in mixing bowl and beat until creamy.

Add powdered sugar to the cream cheese.

Mix in the crushed cookies to the cream cheese.

Fold 1/3 of the stiff whipped cream to the cream-cheese-oreo mixture.

Then fold all of the cream-cheese-oreo mixture into the stiff whipped cream.

Don't taste, or you will need to make more.

I hope you all have had a wonderful weekend!

You Can Find Me Here!

Remember this cute and sunny dress?

Well, I wanted to let you all know that this little number will be the featured in two places today!

The first is Kuzak's Closet.

Sister Sister Sunday

Amanda has an amazing ability for organization and living an uncluttered life.  I encourage you to hop on over and check out her blog!  And link up to her linky party on Sundays called Sisiter-Sister Sunday.
 
 
The second is Heather Lynne - Raising Memories.

 
Heather describes herself and as, among other things a mother, a photographer and a Canadian -so she must be fun! Her blog certainly is.  Heather holds a linky party on Sundays called Sharing Time.  Head on over to Heather's blog and check out her fabulous photographs and inspiring ideas.  And link up with your projects at her linky party.
 
Thanks Ladies for the features on your blogs! It makes me happy!