Sew Darn Crafty Party...Week 34 Autumn Theme Week

Happy Sunday to everyone...This week's Sew Darn Crafty is the first of the theme weeks. Today and all week long you can link up anything to do with autumn. The weather may not be fall yet where you are (it's not quite here in New England), but let's get in the mood any way!!

You can also link up older fall posts if you haven't done one yet for this year.

Let's start linking!!

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

October 2nd...Anything Autumn
October 16th...Halloween
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...

Oops...I'm a little late sharing last week's MVPs...Most View Posts

All the projects and posts last week were fabulous, but these three had the most hits according to the linking service that I use. Thanks for linking up!!

First up is from Kim from Too Much Time On My Hands. Click here to visit this wonderful post she shared of her Crafty Loft Reveal...so many amazing ideas in every pictures!! I love them all, but I especially love the organizing storage made from old postal boxes. I girl after my own heart! Thanks Kim.

Next is from Lynn from Nebraska Views. Click here for a great tutorial on how to make this amazing no sew edge for a fleece blanket. I'm seeing Christmas gifts!! Thanks so much Lynn for sharing this with everyone.

and last but certainly not the least is from Kris from Farm Girl Transplanted. Black and white polka dot and Mod Podge what could be better!!  Love, Love, Love this. Click here to see this post and other great ideas too. Thanks so much Kris for sharing!

If you'd like to grab a button, the code is on my side bar. Click here for a tutorial on how to add a button

Thanks again,
~Karen~

Mantel...Yes, No, Maybe So

Mantel question for you,

I took this mantel down to...

1. paint it
2. fix it, because it was loose
3. and to also see if I even wanted it up any more

This was the mantel at Christmas last year.

and a little autumn a few years ago.

This is the support board that was loose. To remove this mantel, all you do is unscrew 2 screws on the top that screw into this board.

The mantel itself has a hollow back, so it slides over this board.

This was the loose screw. It needed a new sinker in the brick.

Tah Dah!!! I loved it as soon as it came off.

The pros of having it off...

• I like the clean look ( well not clean as in there isn't a boat load of soot all over it lol)
• I don't have to think about how to decorate it
• I don't have to paint it or fix it now!

The cons of having it off...

• no Christmas decorations up there any more
• the 2 candle stick lamps I always have up there gave a little light to that side of the room
• I need to find something each season to put up there

Here is an autumn wreath I just put up.

Here's the question...

• do I center the wreath over the fire place opening (like it is here) or center it across the whole width of the brick area. There is another chimney off to the right that juts out about 18 inches creating a definite end. 

I also painted one of those large cardboard letters you buy in a craft store. Kind of looks like wrought iron up against the fireplace screen. This may be my go to decoration when I don't have a wreath!

The only thing is, it looks empty off to the right over the basket of wood.

What would you do?

1. mantel off or mantel on
2. if it is off...center over opening or center in the whole brick area

Thanks so much for your help,
~Karen~

My First Sponsor!!

I am so excited to share my first sponsor with you.

Jackie is from Canton Village Quilt Works.

Jackie has been in business as a wonderful, award winning machine quilter for over 10 years and has now become a sales representative for Gammill Quilting Machines.

Click here to visit her amazing website or click her button on my right side bar. It's filled with links to her blog, fabric shops, gallery of quilts and a link to her podcasts too!! You can also click here to go to her great shop!

Stop by and tell her Sew Many Ways sent you!!

Thanks Jackie for being my first sponsor...can't thank you enough!

If you'd like to advertise with Sew Many Ways...click here to read more info or click the advertising page just under my title.

Take care,

~Karen~

Thoughts on Thursday...

My favorite cookie...hands down...

Oatmeal Raisin!!

How about you?

Happy Thursday,
Karen

Blog Buddy...How to Adjust the Width Of Your Blog

Here's another blog tip for you from my Blog Buddy feature. If you want to read more tips, just click the Blog Buddy Button link on the right side bar or click the Blogging Tips Page just under my blog title.

Today is a quick tip on how to stretch your blog width!

• you can stretch the entire blog
• you can stretch the side bars (left, right or both depending on your blog template)

Here's how my blog page looks. I use the Simple template with a white background. I think if you have a picture or design as your background, just the post section and the side bars stretch

                          

To change yours...(click pictures below to enlarge and see details)

• go to your dashboard
• click design

Under the design tab, click Template Designer

This section can be finicky sometimes...at the bottom, a little sample of your blog should pop up so you can see the changes before you apply them, but it doesn't always show up. See mine...says Sew Many Ways. Even if it doesn't appear you can apply the changes, go back and view your blog and if you don't like it, go back in and change it again.

Well, any way back to the topic at hand...click "adjust width" on the left side. It's circled in red in this picture below.

This screen will appear. See what I mean by the blog sample not showing up on the bottom. Not sure if it's my computer or Blogger being the pain in my behind. Lol!!

Just slide the first level to the left or right. Left to make it smaller or right to make it wider.

Just slide the second lever to adjust the width of your side bar...where all your buttons and labels are.

If you don't like the changes, just exit out and nothing will happen.

If you want to save the changes, you MUST click APPLY TO BLOG in the upper right hand corner. If you do apply it and then don't like it when you view it on a full screen, go back in and adjust again.

As a protection, you might want to write down what the original numbers are in the white boxes where it says "px". That way you can put it back to what you had before.



It's fun to experiment with the look of your blog. Have fun with it!!

Take care,

~Karen~

Tool Time Tuesday...Magnetic Clamp Sewing/Kitchen Helper!

Welcome to Tool Time. You know I love the hardware store. I roam around just looking at things and think to myself...hmmm, what can I use this for (other than it's intended purpose).

Well, here's this week's tool that I won't be using for painting! It's a magnetic clamp for your paint can.

It clips to just about anything...

If you do use it for painting, it has this little metal thingy that gets under the lip of the paint can to pry it open.

Here is the original use. Clamps to your paint bucket and the magnet holds your paint brush.

The metal part of the brush sticks to the magnet.

Not using it for that here at Sew Many Ways though...

How about clamping it to your stitching patterns to hold your place in the book and the magnet holds your needles.

You can keep several needles threaded and stick them to the magnet.

How many times do you lose your spoon in cake or pancake batter? No more! Clamp it to a bowl and the spoon sticks to the magnet!

You won't being fishing for your spoon at the bottom of the bowl any more. This is made from plastic, so I wouldn't try this on a pan.

Back to sewing. If you have a small table or something next to where you do your hand sewing...use the clamp!

Holds your pins and needles perfectly...never search for them in the chair again!

Now here's the best! I sew a lot in the car on long trips. I've had 2 other tutorials for sewing helpers in the car, but this is the easiest to use.

Just clamp it to your air vent and never search for you needles again!

If you think I don't use my crazy creations, here is a picture of my car Monday morning on the way to work. That red note pad is a tutorial I made from a plastic gift card and a name badge clamp. Way down the end of the picture is the clamp for my sewing.

The clamp is found in the paint section and costs, I think, about $1 or so. Well worth it for a needle keeper.

Here are the links to some of the things I mentioned above...

Click here for the note pad clamp

Click here for the car caddy tutorial

Click here for a cup holder sewing organizer

Thanks so much for stopping by. If you haven't visited this week's Sew Darn Crafty Party, click here to join the fun...everyone shares such great projects. Maybe you can link up too!

Happy Tuesday,
~Karen~