Homecoming- Parent's Weekend...

We had a great day with the kids at parent's weekend. Both our daughters, Courtney and Kelsie and Courtney's boyfriend Courtland, all go to the same university. Perfect for us to visit everyone all in one day!

It was a beautiful fall day...cool, crisp and so sunny!

Fall festival with kettle corn (sweet and salty...yum)

Fresh pressed apple cider...

apple mash after the pressing.

Wood fired pizza was delicious...

That things cooks in minutes.

Don't forget the cotton candy. There was also fried dough, hot chocolate and caramel apples. Kelsie would kill me if I showed the picture of her eating the caramel apple lol.

Courtney and I eating the kettle corn...all stuck in our teeth, but smile any way.

Remember when I had mentioned Courtney colored her hair auburn...looks so cute on her. (that was the color of my mom's hair)

Kelsie and the dance team performed for everyone.

Ready to go...all smiles.

If I did that, I'd be in the hospital! Kelsie dances like it's second nature.

I could do this if they were lifting me with a crane! I don't know how she does it.

Went for a walk around campus.

The school is #1 in sailing...we don't sail. We don't do any outdoor sports, except eating at the Fall Festival, Lol !!

Laughing after several takes of my husband's eye closed or not smiling. I'm pinching his finger to make him laugh.

Too cute.

Crossing the bridge heading home. Thanks kids...we had a great day. Miss you already.

Thanks for letting me share,
~Karen~

Sew Darn Crafty Party...Week 37

Hi Everyone...It's Sew Darn Crafty Sunday. This week is anything and everything you've been up too! No theme this week. Do you have painting projects, sewing, crafting, knitting, scrap booking, anything you want...link up here!

Let's see what you've been up to...

Don't forget to look at the post following this one to see last week's MVPs

Here are the weeks and the theme for the weeks to come...so start putting all your great posts together!

October 30th...Apple or Pumpkin Recipes
November 6th...Anything Autumn
November 13th...Pie Recipes
December 4th...Christmas/Holiday Decor
December 11th...Cookie Recipes
December 18th...Last Minute gift ideas

If you want to add the button to your blog...Click HERE for a tutorial for adding a button


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 at Sew Many Ways).

WHAT IS SEW DARN CRAFTY...

• "Sew" for anything to do with sewing,
• "Darn" for anything to do with knitting. I always think of darning to do with knitting, but in my case "darn" usually is similar to the word I say when I mess up crafting!!
• Let's not forget the word "crafty"...that can mean just about anything we do to create.

WHAT IS A LINKING PARTY...

So now we all know what Sew Darn Crafty means, let's explain a linking party again. 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 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.
• 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!
• grab a Sew Darn Crafty button for your blog (on my right side bar) or just link to the party in your post.
• the more we share, the more people will join and then there's more inspiration to look at!
• linking is open til Saturday night, so plenty of time to join in
• just click the "click here to enter" button 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~

Sew Darn Crafty Party MVPs...

Happy Sunday!! Sunday means Sew Darn Crafty around here. I just love being inspired by all your wonderful ideas. Last week's theme was anything Halloween!

Here are the MVPs from last week... Most Viewed Posts. They had the most hits from the linking service I use.

First up is from Christie over at Sew What's Happening?. Click here to visit her post with so many costume ideas. Make sure you click on her links in that post for lots of other great things. Thanks "sew" much Christie...awesome ideas!

This post from Priscilla is pumpkin heaven!! Click here to visit her blog, Priscillas, for beautiful and fun ways to use pumpkins to decorate your porch and yard. There is also a fabulous wreath on her front door too! Lots of pumpkin inspiration here. Thanks Priscilla...I'm off to buy a pumpkin today!

I'm also off to buy the ingredients to make this yummy treat. Click here to visit Shelley from Prairie Cottage Rose. She has this recipe and lots of other great recipes too.  My mouth is watering over this...sweet and salty, love it! Thanks for sharing Shelley!

Thanks ladies for linking up last week and for letting us take a peek into your blogs. If you'd like to grab a "featured" button, it's over on my side bar with the code.



Thanks to all for sharing,

~Karen~

A Comment on Comments...

I Got The Guilts...

I know it should be I "Have" the Guilts, but it sounds better with the 2 "Gs"...Got and Guilt! I digress...

Sew Many Ways is just my little blog where I love to share all my thoughts and ideas about crafting, sewing, recycling, organizing and turning uncommon items into something cute for your home.

I want to say a GREAT BIG thank you to each and every person who has stopped by, even for just a moment, to read something I've posted. Some leave comments, some just stop by and some even email me personally. I read every single comment and email that you send and love them all.

Here's where the guilt comes in :(

I try so hard to respond to all the comments and email. I get up early and send a few before I go to work, then I do a few more when I come home, but then life gets in the way and I never seem to finish that day's comments. Then I do another post the next day and more comments and emails come in.

PLEASE keep leaving comments, I absolutely LOVE reading them. However, please forgive me if I don't get to it right away or lose track all together.

I'm still trying to go back and find some emails that have specific questions. I've also noticed that a lot of comments are set to No Reply or if you are Anonymous (which is fine), but both of those have no email address attached to the comment, so I can't reply back. If you have a question, just leave your email address in the comment.

I hope you all know I love blogging and sharing everything with all of you, but still love me if I don't reply right away...or in a little bit...or at all, Lol!!!  Ahhh, the guilt...lol

Ok, please leave a comment on this comment post, so I know you're still with me...this was a boring post! lol
~Karen~

Friends on Fridays...

I haven't done a "Friends on Fridays" post in a long time. Friends on Fridays is where I share a fabulous idea from a blogging friend!

Linda, from the blog Razzle Dazzle Quilter in New Zealand, sent me a reverse Tool Time Tuesday. Some of you know my Tool Time Tuesday posts takes something ordinary and use it for something you wouldn't even think of. Some posts I've done, turn crazy things into something "for" your sewing room.

Well, Linda has taken something "from" the sewing room and used it in the kitchen.

This idea is BRILLIANT!!!

Linda has used "T" pins from her sewing room and used them...

to hold bacon on the Fillet Mignon! Ok, there are 2 "oh my goshes" with this...

1. the pins to hold the bacon on and
2. how delicious does that Fillet Mignon look!! (wish I lived in New Zealand!)

Thanks so much Linda for sharing this great idea with me. I just love blogging and all the wonderful people I've met all over the world!! Click here to visit the "T" pin post and click here to visit the rest of Linda's wonderful blog...lots of beautiful quilts, recipes and more!

Take care,
~Karen~

Thoughts on Thursday...

I had a nasty cold a couple of weeks ago...no big deal, just lasted a few days. My head felt like it weighed 50 pounds all by itself! Lol !!

My thought for today...why do they make the cold medicine packets so darn hard to get into when you feel your absolute worst? They're like Fort Knox.

Seriously...that little plastic tab on the corner breaks off, you can't pierce the foil with your nail so you end up taking a pointy knife to it, which can be another whole story all on it's own.

Am I the only one?

Hope you have a happy Thursday,
~Karen~

Tool Time Tuesday...Mini Christmas Wreath

Happy Tuesday! I know...Christmas? It's not even Halloween yet. However, this is a quick and easy project and you're recycling too!

Today's project is this mini wreath.

Remember this candle recycling project? Click here to read all about it. That post is about using the glass tops from jar candles. Lots of great ideas!

To use the glass tops, you have to remove the plastic ring. Easy, but you are left with...

All these rings. What to do with them...make a Christmas wreath, of course!

If you don't have plastic rings, you can also use old canning jar rings.

If you've been reading Sew Many Ways for a while, you know I save a lot of crap (hence the plastic rings). Here's where I keep it all. Boxes and boxes of stuff I save...just in case.

Here's one of those boxes. I cut up an old, artificial evergreen garland that had seen better days.

Lots of little branches waiting for a project. Each branch is about 8 inches long.

Loop it through the ring...

and twist to secure. That's it!

Keep adding until the ring is full.

Add as many branches as you'd like.

You might have to trim the inside evergreen to show the shape a little more.

Add a pretty bow!

Perfect to hang any where.

Or add a glass votive and candle to the center.

This would be so pretty with several down the center of the table.

or because they are so small...add one to each place setting.

Cute, cute!

You can also use fabric strips or ribbon and tie that onto the rings.

Have a great Tuesday and remember...always look twice at something before you through it out!
~Karen~