Check it off my list.

I went for a walk this morning. I did so good about walking everyday and eating healthy last summer but this year I have been a bum.  I was talking to my mentor/sister (ha. She'll love that) during my walk and she was trying to perk me up. My attitude turned into " suck it up and take care of business." So after 1/3 of my normal walk, I turned around and came back home. I had a plan to attack my entertainment stand cabinet thing. It was the same color as my dining room table from a previous post and I have been wanting to change it for a while.

 

Here it is. Or maybe I should say, there it was. Nothing wrong with it, just not quite us. The colors that I used for this project were all left over from the addition of the second floor to our house.  The first step I took was to paint on and rub off a neutral beige paint. I took a photo in the middle of the process hoping to show what a difference it made.

Step 2: Same process, new color. Gray. More painting less wiping off.

Step 1

Step 2

The last paint color I added was a slightly off white shade and it was dry brushed on.  This really seemed to settle into the grooves and give the piece an aged look. That is just like us. Old and worn out looking!

Before

After

                                   

Uninspired

I have been about as uninspired a person can get lately. I have searched and scoured the internet looking for something anything to get me excited. To no avail, NOTHING. So I am just existing. The laundry and dishwashing for a family of 6 should technically be enough to keep me busy, but it is just not mentally gratifying. The garden is rapidly producing so that has occupied quit a bit of my time.

On this particular day, I made 3 gallon bag batches of cabbage rolls, 7 quarts of kraut, 7 quarts of freezer cabbage, 5 quarts of squash dressing and 3 quarts of freezer squash.

The peach tree is going nuts also. It has so many peaches that the branches bowed down andSNAPPED !

We are wondering if the peaches will ripen anyway. If not, we still have a million quarts in the freezer from last year. If so, then we will have a million more. Anybody have any good recipies for peaches?

Back to the point or not point. I have had t-shirt tutorials on my todo list for 2012, but when I actually decided to find one I liked, it seemed as though everything was dressy and embellished with a flower and that wasnt what I was looking for. I was just hoping to take some unattractive baggy t-shirts and turn them into slighty more attractive tank tops with a twist. So I got a ole shirt out and hacked away. I took pictures along the way but the concept was so basic I won't even waste your time with instructions.

Doesn't that look exciting. 

The girls get the award for being the most crafty in my house this week. They did a little painting out in the shop on a pretty sunny day this week. It was so sweet to see them playing together.

Then my mom called and wanted a little help with some cupcake decorations for one of my favorite people in the whole wide world.  My sitter, friend, 2nd mom was turning 60 years old  and her family has a surprise party in mind for her. So Saturday Mama She came over with 48 cupcakes to be iced and prettied up.

I made a ganche to add some extra chocolate (the birthday girls favorite) before the buttercream icing.

GANACHE RECIPE:

1 cup semisweet chips

1 cup heavy cream

1 tsp vanilla

Bring cream and vanilla to a boil in a saucepan. Immediatley pour over chips and stir until smooth.

That's it. Simple Simple and so worth the extra time it takes to dip the cupcakes.

GANACHED

ICED



TOPPED



You know what? After about 2 hours of interupted blogging including baby girl shutting the laptop down. I have decided that this week has been ok. So I hope that my lack of inspiration has not only entertained you but (if you are having some blah moments) at the very least made you feel like you are not alone. Life isn't always unicorns and rainbows and that's ok.

A long overdue project.

 We moved into the barnhouse about 8 years ago. I can't remember exactly when but it wasn't too much later that my baby sister gave me a flag pole. I have had in outside but never put a flag on it. So after some internet inspiration ( I honestly don't know if I saw something similar on etsy or pinterest) I finally "fixed" it up.  I apologize for not sending credit to the original website but unfortunately I have been saving ideas for a long time and never thought I would have a blog to link back to the inspiring creators.

Here is the before picture. Well, almost. The tractor used to be red and baby sister had painted our name on it to match but I wasn't putting any red on the flag and always like for the farming accents to be a little more subtle. So, I spray painted the entire thing black.

Now to work on the flag. I love burlap and had some leftover from a previous project. If I can make something without having to buy anything new or make a trip to town, I get really excited.  

I measured what size I thought I would want and hemmed up the sides and made a casing on the top for the rod to slide through.

Then I used my handy dandy sillhouette to cut a pattern for my monogram. The font was broadview and I stretched it to fill the page so that it could be as large as possible.

After it was cut on regular paper and I had ironed some wonder under on my selected fabric, I hand cut the fabric letter.

 Be careful with wonder under or any fusible webing, if it is not completely cooled down it is hard to seperate the paper layer from the fabric while leaving the adhesive. I pressed the O in the center of the flag and set up the machine to embroider under the monogram.

  

I also decided to zig zag stitch around the fabric because I wanted to make sure it would stay attached no matter what weather may come. (Please Lord, can you send some more rain for our corn.)

Next, I cut some vinyl letters for the face plate on the pole, put them on transfer paper and rubbed them on. Once I starting writing the steps for this blog it seemed like alot of work but it really went quickly and I was very happy with the results.

I also recently recieved a phone call from my mother-in-law who said, "I like your flag and I have this little pole for my garden....."  Say no more, I am on it, may even be an idea for some christmas gifts.

A typical day.

This post is not quite as exciting as the clutches or table, but I must stay true to myself. This is really a typical day for me. I had to feed the farm crew for lunch and thought I would share what I made for them. It was  challenging to remember to stop a take pictures but I tried, messy hands and all.  Everthing has to be edible with one hand. It is very rare during this season for the crew to stop and eat. They need something they can hold with one hand cause the other will be on a steering wheel. So of course, we will start with a sandwich of some sorts. Digging through the fridge I found some smoked sausages. I sauteed some onions in canola oil with cajun season and put the sausages in the same mixture preparing them for the grill.

I almost always butter whatever bread I use and toast it in a skillet, because by the time you add a hot meat and wrap in foil, the steam softens the bread.

I also decided to do an internet search on spicy mustard just for a little added kick. I wish I could include the recipe for you all but typically what I do is read several recipies and mix them all together in my head and then in the bowl.

This is a mixture of prepared mustard, honey, horseradish sauce, apple cider vinegar, cajun seasoning, & a little sugar. I'm southern. We put a little sugar in everything unless of course we put a lot of sugar in it.

Ta Da. Here is their one handed main course.

Whats else? What else? Well we don't want to go to the grocery store and we do not have tater chips (the perfect side dish.)  So,In true country fashion we will just substitute with......  

Fried Okra!

Have y'all ever tried fire crackers? I definately have a recipie for them because I make them often and my girls help.

Baby girl gets to open the crackers and put them in the container. She is 2 and her mother is impatient. So you can't really expect a whole lot. Daughter 7yrs going on 20 gets more invovled.

She mixes 1 cup canola oil

1 pkg dry ranch seasoning

2 Tablespoons of crushed red pepper and pours it over 4 sleeves of ritz crackers.

Let these sit for 24 hours making sure you toss and turn 4 or 5 times and they are perfect for a case of the munchies.

We let Duncan Hines take care of our desert. The only twist I use on the brownies would be how I bake them. My mother gave me a "muffin top" pan several years ago. I have no clue how many batches of brownies I have baked in this pan simply because it makes a one hand brownie ready for the field. All in one huge noncrumbling circle.

I made that extra large just to tempt you. So this is not the most exciting post, but it was most of my day. Maybe you can at least get some inspiration for supper.

                                                Throw it in a basket and off we go!
                                

                                                         

After everyone emptied my basket and I helped my nephew move tractors for one field to another. We stopped and filled the basket again. These hydrangeas look awesome in some vases around the house.

Thanks for stopping by!

Dining Room Table Redo

It's going to be hard to say what will be more of a struggle for me. Taking good pictures or using gramatically correct writing. In fact, I have already retyped that last sentence several times. So peeps, just hang in there.
     A few months ago I got crazy and stripped my dining room table. I bought my table, end tables, coffee tables and entertainment stand over 8 years ago, when we moved into the barnhouse, at a furniture outlet. It was a big step up for me considering that I had a post- it pad under my last table to keep it steady. It is a big farmhouse table and I liked the style but was getting sick of the "orangeish" finish.





Sorry bout the sunlight thru the blinds. Please nobody tell my photographer friend.

 So I called our local paint supply store (insert shout out for Bubba and The Color Shop) They recomended some chemicals and I went to slathering them on and hollerin' for the kids to "back up, stay away, no no mommy make a mess." Y'all, that varnish or whatever it was,  was some tough stuff. So I ran into the attic and found this old circular sander of my grandads. It was doing the trick but was not very user friendly. You want to know why? It was a metal grinder with a worn out pad. So when I put a fresh pad on it, the table was almost turned  into a tooth pick. OK then back to town to borrow a friends real circular sander. Nah, not tough enough. When nobody was looking I got the grinder back out and finished that table and even beat it along the side for a more worn look. Careful in the center though. That table has wood sides with a veneer center. See how much I am learning! Anybody interested in the finished product. I certainly was about 6 hours later.



Now some of you may wonder (cough ,my father-in-law, cough) why would anyone strip a perfectly good table.
UMMM cause I like it.



So let's review what we have learned.
1.  Do not let the kids sniff laquer thinner.
2. Not all wood tables are solid wood
3. Metal grinder with worn out pads GOOD... new pads Bad
and a bonus 4th lesson
If you promise your 14yrd old neighbor boy pancakes he will help you move your table in
and out of your house as many time as you want.



Now doesn't this look like the perfect table for a plowboy and his herd?

P.S. No one was harmed in the resoration of this table!
Addendum: My father-in-law has seen the dining room table. Do you know what he said? "Is this a different finish?" Yep, that's it. Here is another lesson from this table project. 5. Don't make assumptions. Shame on me. WOW. This table just keeps on giving.

It's all in the package.

When I was expecting our first baby, I received a package in the mail from an old friend. It was so exciting because after I opened the standard, plain ,brown box, I discovered a beautiful red box tied with an ivory grosgain ribbon. This is when I really started to appreciate good packaging.  I mean honestly we all know it makes every purchase better. If pretty packages weren't so important to us the makeup industry wouldn't exist. So today I wanted to work on the packaging for my bridesmaid clutches. I am always drawn to kraft paper and other natural mediums. And I knew I had to pull out my handy dandy baling twine, cause I always do. Now let me tell you that I thought I had discovered something when I started using baling twine years ago for projects and then I learned that the crafting community uses it all the time.







Recognize it? Y'all call it jute.

I also wanted to update my tags. This ironically involved a process to make them look older. My fab Sastor (typo intentional) is a CPA by day but is a scrapbooker by night. On my last visit to her house, she taught me how to distress paper using a "dauber" and an ink pad. OK experienced scrapbookers you can laugh at me all you want. I am new to this paper thing but I have to confess I am getting addicted.  



Look at the difference in the distressed paper. Perfect style for almost everything I make.

I also wanted to make a new business card to stick in the clutches.

 Certain that the girls would keep them and pass them around when asked, "Where did you get that awesome bag?"

This is what I came up with. Yep, you guessed it Kraft Cardstock! I have decided to use my name as my business title. I have concerns that it appears somewhat narcisstic but I would hate to invent a cute name and later outgrow it. Candy Ogg I will always be. And so I shall plaster it everywhere. The chicken wire accent has grown on me. I have always loved the farm life but as I gain confidence in who I am, I feel as though I can use the country accents in subtle ways without appearing too hokey. After all, I do have most of my teeth.



Here is the finished product. I hope they enjoy them as much as I have enjoyed making them.

I learned from this project how much I can enjoy sewing and hope to use this information in the future. I always accept jobs from others because I basically want to earn enough money to support my habit. But I need to learn to say "no" to the projects that I'm not really excited about and save my time for new prospects.  I read somewhere that "it's not wasted time if you enjoy wasting it." Maybe I should make a sign for my craft room.  

Here you go!

After some requests, some prods and a few "just do its".....
 SOMEDAY has arrived. My first post! As advised, I will "start where I am at." My most recent project  has been at the request of a June bride.
     She needed bridesmaid's gifts.

I immediately thought of these clutches.

She loved them, but threw in a little twist. "Can you personalize them?" HA. Can I personalize them?   Sure I can. But how?  I didn't think the typical embroidered monogram would suit these fabrics or the achieve the look I was wanting.  So, after some head scratching I got it.





Wait for it




Wait for it

   BAM. Maybe a little something like this! 

Custom printed fabric labels. 

And of course they will need a candy ogg designs label. We can't have all these adorable bags running around town without a little advertising now can we?

I hope you all enjoy my first post. I am going to work very hard to keep them coming and keep you all entertained. Although I must admit I wanna do this for myself also. I have spent years creating and showing projects to friends and coworkers. I text photos all the time to random contacts and refer to it as selective blogging. Now after I notify everyone of my new blog I hope they will choose to read my posts at their own will. Thank you so much for taking your time to visit today.