Patriotic Bandanna Wreath

Is there anything more country & farm-ish than bandannas?  I love bandannas and Old Glory, so when I saw this wreath on Pinterest, I just knew I had to make it.  It’s super easy too, but I do want to warn you that this can be costly (at least in my opinion) if you do not purchase the bandannas on sale.  AC Moore sells the bandannas for $2.00 a piece, and if you make the same exact wreath as mine, it will cost you $24.00 for the bandannas unless you buy them on sale.  I was able to pick mine up on sale at AC Moore for 2/$3.00 and save a few bucks. 

The first tutorial I found used an 18 inch wreath that used 7 of each color for a total of 21 bandannas.  So I bought what I needed, but after I made it, I just didn’t like it; it was too big for me (see below). 

I returned the 18 inch and bought a 10 inch as that size worked much better for me; but feel free to use whatever size works for your home.  If you decide to use a different size wreath, I would suggest cutting the bandannas as you go along so you can return the extra, or use the extra for cloth napkins like we do!  YAY!

I followed an easy tutorial; you can click on the link below:

18inchWreath

If you plan on making a 10 inch wreath like mine, here is what you’ll need:

10 inch wire wreath

4 bandannas of each color- so 12 in total

Wooden stars (I’ve seen other wreaths with felt stars, paper stars or metal stars) - I could not find white stars, so I had to buy them natural and paint them white.

Glue gun

Scissors

I also preferred this tutorial because you use bandannas that are cut in half whereas other wreaths use a full bandanna which will cost even more money.  Please note, if you are planning on making a 10 inch wreath, you will have a ½ piece of bandanna of each color left over.  That ½ piece is great for the Sheriff to keep in his pocket to wipe his brown on hot sweaty days!! 

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me or leave me a comment.  If you do make the wreath, please post a picture below, I would love to see it! 

Happy Memorial Day to everyone….

let us not forget those who have given their lives so that we can live ours.....

Till next time y'all....

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Made with Love by Mom!

Back on July 27, 2012........


Today was a great day! The reason it was so great is that I was able to spend it with my Mom!! We had been planning a day of sewing together for quite some time and today’s agenda included cloth napkins which we made from scraps of material and old sheets. My reasoning for doing this was so I could be more earth friendly and also so I could save some money on unnecessary paper products.


Mom simply took squares of material and sewed them (wrong sides together) leaving a space so that we could turn them right side out. Once they were turned right side out, we gave them a quick press with the iron and went around the edges with a zig-zag stitch and voila'! We created various sizes so that my husband and I could try them out and decide which ones we would prefer to use on a regular basis. Time will tell if I will need to purchase darker material for those meals that include spaghetti sauce and other stubborn staining foods.


Here is a picture of my Mom cutting the squares and getting ready to sew them together. My Mom is so creative and makes some of the most gorgeous items you have ever seen. Her new love is quilting and she has made gorgeous quilts, quillows (a quilt that wraps up to form a pillow—great for car trips for the kids) and place mats/table runners. I’m not quite ready for quilting, and not sure I am up for the challenge, but I love to see the new projects that she is tackling.

Here is Mom putting on the finishing touches on the daisy napkins.

She also organized my sewing container.....thanks Mom!

Here are the finished projects….different sizes and patterns….I can’t wait to use them!

Mom made sure that she left a special tag on one of my napkins. This message is not only true for the napkins but for everything that Mom does. God has blessed me with such a loving and caring Mother who puts love in everything she does. Whatever task is ahead of her, and whether it’s for family, friend or stranger, she puts love into it. I want her to know how special she is to me and how much I cherish the time that we spend together. Whenever I use these napkins, I will always remember you Mom, telling me to "use my napkin".

Fast forward 3 years, I'm still using the cloth napkins that Mom and I made together. I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised how well they have held up! They are still in tact, still very strong and have very little stains for being used for three years. I have a picture of them below.

My plan was to make more cloth napkins, but I was blessed to become pregnant and now have a precious 2 year old boy- aka- the Sheriff. Time has not allowed me to make any more cloth napkins, but it has not stopped me from using them.

I was watching an episode of the Pioneer Woman and she uses bandannas for cloth napkins which I thought was just awesome and so country!!! She had all sorts of colors ranging from primary to primitive to fluorescent. Me being the country girl I am, I wanted to stick with the primary colors as they reminded me of Americana Country (my collection is pictured below). I checked out the internet for the best value and ended up at AC Moore where I bought 2 to try. Before I invested in them, I wanted to make sure that they too would handle the abuse that our homemade napkins have taken. One year later, my bandannas are still going strong; in fact, these are perfect for the Sheriff because they are much bigger than the ones Mom and I made, so he puts these over his lap when he's eating. It's great!!! He loves them so much, that he now asks for his napkin when he eats.

I also want to note that we will reuse our napkins, if they are not overly soiled, before tossing them in the dirty laundry. Let's face it....how many times have you had meal and all that has ended up on your napkin are crumbs? I know that has happened to me, so I simply take my cloth napkins and give it a good shake over the sink and return it to my spot on the table for the next meal. There are times when I'll barely use a quarter of the bandanna, so when times like these arise, I will just simply fold over the napkin and use the other side, as they are large enough for more than one meal. Now don't worry, we do not keep dirty napkins hanging around because we are trying to be more green..... we are good stewards of our napkins and know when laundering is needed ... :o)

Mom had some leftover material that she did not want to dispose of, so she made me a few more napkins....yay! 

I love you Mom!

Are you using cloth napkins? If so, I would love to hear how you got started on cloth napkins. If your not using them, I hope this post has inspired you to either make some or buy some.....trust me, you will love them!
In what other ways are you becoming more green?

Till next time y'all......

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DIY Brown Sugar

I love brown sugar and actually prefer it to white.  A while back, I started using brown sugar in many of my recipes and found myself running out of it quite often.  Here is an easy recipe for light or dark brown sugar:

For Light Brown Sugar
1 Cup Sugar
1 TBSP Molasses

For Dark Brown Sugar
1 Cup Sugar
2 TBSP Molasses

Combine sugar and molasses in a mixing bowl.  Use an electric mixer (I use my kitchen-aid mixer) on medium speed until molasses is totally incorporated.  Store in an air-tight container.  Enjoy!

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