Tool Time Tuesday...Easy Picture Hanging

Happy Tuesday everyone!! I wanted to share another tip that I've used while making some changes to my sewing room. I wanted more wall space, so I moved a hutch around to clear out a center wall area near my cutting table.

Usually, when I hang things on the wall it's over a piece of furniture...over my desk or cutting table. However, I'm  a shorty (5' 3"...ok maybe 5' 2 3/4" lol) and it's easier for me to walk up to something on the wall rather than reach over a table for it.

Here's the before picture of the room...

This wall in particular...

I moved the top of the hutch to the top of my desk for lots of office storage since my desk is just a butcher block table with no drawers. Then I moved the bottom of the hutch to the other side of the room where the windows are. It fits just below the windows, so it's perfect.

Here's the after!!. I still have a few things to add, but I'm not finished with the projects yet, so I'll share those later!.

Upper Right...I can easily reach the magnetic frame with all my small crafting items
Bottom Right...cork boards for inspiration pictures
Bottom Left...framed peg board for all my quilt rulers
Upper left...framed chalk board for daily reminders

Other miscellaneous things tucked in spaces to hold knick knacks and more to come!!

Are you nervous about hanging multiple pictures in a collage form?...well, here's the Tool Time tip...brown craft paper.

It's cheap and easily found in any store.

This is how you do it!!

Just trace each picture frame and cut it out.

All you need to do is use painters tape to hang the "paper frame" and move it around to where ever you'd like.

Don't forget to mark the hangers that on the back of the frame to the paper frame, that way you know where to hammer in the nails...eliminating all the guess work.

Easy peasy!!

Reality check!! Why do tables pile up with so much stuff?

Ahhh...the after!!

Get out your brown craft paper ladies. Hanging pictures is going to be a lot easier now!!

Have a great day,
~Karen~

Easy Strawberry Shortcake Recipes...Ahhh Summer

Summer...it means fun, family and food! We have lots of fun, see lots of family and ohhh the food. Summer equals so many fresh yummy things, especially fresh fruit and strawberries are the absolute best!!

My brother and his daughters Lauren and Stephanie came for a visit this weekend and we had to have shortcake...

My daughters Courtney and Kelsie love strawberry shortcake, but it has to be sweet and juicy!! See all the liquid on the bottom...delish!!

My strawberry shortcake recipe is super easy.

Just slice fresh strawberries...

I add water just to cover.

Now add sugar to taste...about 1/2 cup depending on how many strawberries. Let this soak for a few hours or more to let the water turn into strawberry juice!!

My family likes a lot of juice on their shortcake, so adding the water creates a yummy strawberry liquid.

Now the family favorite for the shortcake. My mom always used Bisquick and so do I. It really has the best flavor and texture for the cake part.

The recipe is right on the back. (The first 2 ingredients are for the strawberry preparation)

I doubled the recipe to make 12.

Yummy and golden brown.

For the whipped cream...I use heavy whipping cream, a little confectioner's sugar and a touch a real vanilla. The confectioner's sugar is powdery, so it dissolves better in the cream than sugar.

I know what you're thinking...well, maybe I don't (lol), but yes, I ate the whole thing and then some!!

It's summer, so I'll walk it off. Actually, I spent 4 hours walking through Ikea yesterday, so that strawberry shortcake is no longer on my hips!! The plate of meatballs, mashed potatoes and Lingonberry sauce is there now.

Have a great day,
~Karen~

Sew Darn Crafty Linky Party...Week 75

Hello everyone...this is the last week for summertime themes. This week's theme is...SUMMERTIME CRAFTS. If you've done any craft that has to do with summer, you can share it here on Sew Darn Crafty Linky Party. It can be anything...kid's crafts, summer time decorating, summer crafts for parties...anything goes.

Your post can be a new one or one you've done in the past. 

**You don't have to participate in the theme if you'd rather not...just share anything you like!**

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If you're NEW to Sew Darn Crafty, then grab a cup of something tasty, sit back and join in on the fun (starts Sunday and lasts all week long here at Sew Many Ways).

If you want to add the button to your blog's side bar or your list of parties that you're in each week...Click HERE for a tutorial for adding a button

WHAT IS A LINKING PARTY...

I subscribe to a linking service, which provides the ability to link thumbnail pictures on my blog. The picture is a link that other bloggers provide to share their projects.

Two things can happen at a linking party...looking and/or linking

• you can be greatly inspired by wonderful projects, ideas or vacation pictures (looking) and/or
• you can share what you've been up to (linking)

If you want to be inspired by all the great ideas...just click on a picture and it will take you to that post from a wonderful blogger who was willing to share her thoughts and ideas.

HOW AND WHAT TO LINK TO THE PARTY...

Sew Darn Crafty is all about YOU!! Show off your projects, share a tutorial, show us your vacation pictures, share a family favorite recipe...share anything. Not only does linking inspire us all, it also brings lots of new people to your blog for a visit. Click here for past parties and lots of inspiration

Easy steps to join in on the fun...

• link up to the specific project post, not your whole blog. Makes it easier to link right to that post and not  search through all your entire blog. To find the http address to a specific post, just click on the Title of your post. Copy and paste the address that's at the top of your computer into the linky steps.
• link as many projects as you'd like...old or new
• anything goes...cooking, sewing, knitting, crafts, organizing, remodeling projects, vacations, parties etc...
• visit other links to share some blogging love! You know we all love comments!
• linking is open til Saturday night, so plenty of time to join in
• just click the blue "click here to enter" button below all the other links and follow the easy steps

Have fun linking up! Don't forget to come back and take a look at all the great projects during the week

~Karen~

Thread Organizing Linking Party...Share Your Ideas

Usually on Sew, Sew Saturday, I share something I've sewn during the week, a fun pattern or tutorial. However, I mentioned last week that I wanted to have a linking party for thread organizing ideas. Today and for the rest of the week, I will have the linking party open so you can share how you organize your sewing thread!!

Thread. We all have it, love it and keep buying it.

Why do we LOVE thread so much? Is it the colors, the textures or just the mere fact of collecting it!!

Ahh...the art of collecting. It's like an addiction. We just want ALL the colors.

My little collection is minor compared to some I've seen, but here are a few of the ways I have stored thread...antique soda crates. Click here

Old tool box...

Each thread in the tool box has a golf tee with a flower glued on top and a mini hair elastic around the bobbin..

The hair elastic can match the thread, but it really keeps it from unraveling. Click here

Golf tees with pretty flowers on top...click here

Here are 2 ways to store your bobbins...great for travel or sewing classes. Click here

or my latest post for small storage...click here

I found this idea on Pinterest and it is fabulous...I must make one of these. The copyright statement from The Creative Homemaker blog allowed me to post the pictures with a link...definitely click here for their blog!!

The bobbin is right there with the spool...so cute!!

Ok...now it's your turn!! Let's see how you store, organize or carry your thread. Show us anything to do with THREAD...

THREAD, THREAD AND MORE THREAD!!!

Linking parties are easy...here are steps to join in on the fun...

• just click the blue "click here to enter" button below all the other links and follow the easy steps
• link up to the specific project post, not your whole blog. Makes it easier to link right to that post and not search through your entire blog. To find the http address to a specific post, just click on the Title of "that" post. Copy and paste the address that's at the top of your computer into the linky steps.
• link an old or new post pertaining to THREAD ONLY
• visit other links to share some blogging love! You know we all love comments!
• linking is open til Saturday night, so plenty of time to join in

Thanks in advance for sharing,
~Karen~

Thoughts on Thursday...

I love my tea, but coffee is a very close second. It's up there...even may be tied to tea!!

I thought this button would be great for those late night blogging sessions, where I hoped a cup coffee would just appear at my desk if I pushed that button.

If you could add a button (any button at all) to your computer keyboard, what would it say?

Hmmm...chocolate delivery, bowl of potato chips, back rub from hubby...

Let's hear it ladies. What are your thought on this Thursday??

Happy Thinking,
~Karen~

Random Number Generator Tutorial...For Give Aways

Thought I would share a tutorial on how to use Random Number Generator. My friend Jane, from Jane's Fabrics and Quilts, commented and asked how to isolate just the frame or box of the generated number instead of the whole page, so I thought I would do a post on the entire subject of Number Generator.

What is Number Generator, you ask? Well, it's a site where you would enter a range of numbers and ask it to "generate" a random number. I use this to pick a winner for blog give aways. For example, if I had 155 people leave comments for a blog give away, I would put the numbers 1-155 in the generator and ask it to "pick" a winner.

Here is a picture of the whole website page...it's good, but when you want to show the readers of your blog the actual winning number that was chosen, this is too large.