DIY Craft Room Curtains

This is the bedding I picked out for the craft room. I love the bright colors to inspire me while I work. The bed sets came with bedskirts, but we have trundle beds in there so we don't need them. Extra fabric? Of course, my first thought was to reuse it in some fun ways!

Why buy boring curtains when you can make your own? I wanted something that was very light and would let a lot of light in. The room is pretty dark, so I'd love as much light as I can get. I started out by buying some cheap white curtains to work with. (Yes, I could have made my own, but I HATE working with large pieces of fabric when I have to measure them perfectly.)

I started out by laying the curtains on the floor since that was the largest work surface I could find.


I wanted to add the bedskirt fabric panel near the top, so I measured 4 inches from the top.


Freaking out, I cut the top 4 inches off. What if I mess this up and ruin my curtains? This was my first window treatment ever so I was really nervous.


Then I measured the bedskirt fabric to fit and finished the edges.


I pinned the pattern fabric to the top and bottom of the curtain and sewed.


Once the curtains were hung, I hemmed the bottom to almost hit the floor. You can see how the light is really weird in this room, so it's very hard to get a good picture. I promise it's a nice lime green and not pukey green!


I love how they turned out!


I *heart* link parties! Go here to see where I'm partying it up today...

Delicious Meatball Subs

We kinda made up this recipe one day while we were at the grocery store and wanted to try something new for dinner. It ended up turning out great so I wanted to share it with you.

Ingredients:
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped pepperoni (we used turkey pepperoni)
• 3 teaspoons chopped basil
• 1 cup chopped fresh spinach
• turkey meatballs (either pre-made frozen or make your own - for super exciting meatballs, try these cheesy stuffed meatballs)
• sliced mozzarella cheese
• marinara sauce
• Italian bread or large buns

In a large pot, combine onion, pepperoni, basil, marinara sauce, spinach, and meatballs. Cover pot and heat for about 30 minutes or until meatballs are cooked. Stir every few minutes while cooking.

Once meatballs are done, spoon meatballs and sauce in buns and top with cheese slices. To melt the cheese, place sandwiches on a cookie sheet and heat in the over for a couple minutes.

A quick & yummy meal! Enjoy!







Sumo's Sweet Stuff
Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays

Football Pumpkin Fun!

I've made these stuffed pumpkins in the past and they were a huge hit! I had so many requests last year when I didn't make them that I decided to bring them back for fall this year...with some twists! So look forward to some fun new designs I'll be posting about during the fall season!

Everyone can have ordinary orange pumpkins, but what about sports-themed pumpkins?

Start out by cutting out 6 pieces of fabric for the pumpkin and 2 pieces of felt for the stem. Click on the images below to get the templates.

Cut all the shapes out. Then pin the three sets of pumpkin panels with right sides together.


Using a 1/4 inch seam, sew only ONE side of each of the three panels.


After sewing all 3 panels, they can be put together to create the pumpkin shape. Pin two of the groups together with right sides in. Sew along ONE side of this group also.


Then attached the last group of panels. On this piece, sew around the whole thing, but leave a small hole for you to stuff it.


Turn the fabric right side out and stuff.


Pin the hole closed and hand-sew with a whip stitch.


For the stem, you have your two pieces of felt that you cut earlier. Pin them together and use a zig-zag stitch to attach the pieces together.


Add a tiny bit of stuffing to the inside of the stem to puff it out. You may need to use a small tool like a pen to push the stuffing in.


Pin the stem to the top of the pumpkin.


Hand-stitch all 4 corners of the stem to the pumpkin.


To make different sizes, just resize the panel and top templates.




And here's some Iowa ones for my sister who is a huge Hawkeyes fan!


P.S. If this is your template, please let me know and I can give you credit. I found this years ago and don't know where it came from...







The Idea Room: Fall Projects

Running with a new toy!

When I bought these shoes in the spring, I just wanted a pair of shoes that was comfortable and in a somewhat cute color. Gotta look cute even when you work out, right?

Now that I've been getting more into running, I've been getting more curious about my time, speed and distance. I try to track it with a watch, but it doesn't work very well and I always question if it's accurate. It took a lot of convincing, but Hubby finally made me go out and buy a Nike+! I hardly ever spend that much money on myself, but he knew it was something I really wanted and it would help me enjoy running even more.

I had to get the white and pink one to match my favorite running tank!

So far, I'm loving the Nike+ and it's been really great to get an accurate read on my miles and distance. I can upload my stats to the Nike website and keep track of my distance and workouts so I can look back and see my progress. I still can't believe how far I've come since the winter!

Healthy Berry Oatmeal Bars

YUM! I found this recipe on a great blog I recently found. This was super easy to make and it's a perfect for a healthy dessert or quick breakfast. I love using fresh fruit to bake with and I want to take advantage before they're out of season!

Ingredients:
• 1/2 C applesauce
• 1/2 C brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 3 C oatmeal
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 C milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/3 C blackberries (chopped in half)
• 1/3 C strawberries (cut into small pieces)
• 1/3 C blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350.

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

Mix in milk, vanilla, egg, and applesauce.

Add berries and stir until mixed well.

Pour into a greased 9x9 baking pan.

Bake for about 40 minutes.

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Sister Sister Sunday