The finished result 

Before 

Paint your countertops to look like granite? Yep, I did it with the help of my sister Leslie and I love the results. 

The primer coat 

Before

After

I used a Giani granite countertop paint kit that I found at my local paint store. Lowe’s and Home Depot have another kit by Rust-oleum. The Giani kit was $80 vs. the Rust-oleum kit for $250. The Giani kit involves a sponge painting technique and the Rust-oleum kit features flakes you shake on to achieve the “granite-like” appearance. 

Just follow the instructions on the kits. It is less complicated than you would think, but time consuming as you wait for the five layers of primer and paint to dry and cure thoroughly. Give yourself a good week to finish this project. My Giani kit had a video that I watched several times before starting the project.

Next — a glass block backsplash that I also plan to install myself. 

Ruffle scarf

 

            Knit up a ruffle scarf

 

An amazing new yarn is available that creates ruffles with a minimum of effort. If you know the basics of how to knit, this scarf can be stitched up in less than 2 hours. The self-ruffling yarn, found at specialty knitting supply stores, is a type of netting that is pulled apart during the knitting process. Watch the video to see exactly how it is done. An added benefit is that the ruffled knitting cast-on is super easy.

SUPPLIES

1 skein self-ruffling yarn

Two size 10 knitting needles

Pull apart a strand of yarn with your fingers and insert the knitting needles into the top edge of the yarn strand to create 8 stitches.

Knit every row, pulling the yarn strand apart and inserting the needles in the top edge of the netting. The process is not precise, but each stitch will be about one inch from the previous stitch.

Cast off. 

Mosaic broken dishes birdbath with stone column and shell covered flowerpot

Mosaics are less difficult than you might think. The flower pot is a memento of a family vacation at Cannon Beach in Oregon. The birdbath is a great addition to my patio. 

Make a mosaic birdbath or flowerpot

16-inch diameter clay pot saucer

Shells or broken dishes 

Cardboard pizza box

Hammer

White glue

Tile grout

Craft stick

Sea sponge

Place shells or dishes in the pizza box and close the lid. Hammer the shells or dishes to break them into medium sized pieces.

Attach the hand painted tile pieces to inside of the clay saucer or the outside of the flowerpot with white glue in a random pattern. Let the glue dry for 24 hours.

Mix the ceramic grout according to the manufacturer’s directions and cover the dish or shell pieces and the space between them on the inside of the saucer or the outside of the flowerpot.

Remove all excess grout with the damp sea sponge. Let the grout dry for 24 hours.

Make a stone column for the birdbath

Concrete blocks

Quick set cement

Rubber bucket

Rubber gloves

Pea pebbles

Arrange the concrete blocks into a formation in the site desired for the stone column.

Mix the cement with water in the rubber bucket until the cement is the consistency of oatmeal.

Put on the rubber gloves and add mud-pie sized globs of cement to the sides of the column. Push the flat sides of the pea pebbles into the wet cement in a decorative pattern. Repeat on all sides of the decorative column.

Scrapbook supplies ornaments

This kid-friendly ornament craft was inspired by a FamilyFun magazine article. My grandsons Will and Hugh and I spent a wonderful afternoon making them, and my sister-in-law Laurie made a few more several days later. The ornaments help dress up the Christmas tree and also make nifty gift wrap decorations.

Scrapbook paper

3-inch circle punch

Rickrack

Ribbon

Scissors

Tacky glue

Scrapbook gem stickers

Scotch tape

Paper clips

Cut out 3-inch circles of scrapbook paper with the punch.

Glue the ribbon and rickrack on the circle, using the tacky glue. Add gem stickers

Cut out a 1-inch square and tape it to the back of the ornament, positioning it to appear as the ornament top. Tape a paper clip to the back of the top for a hanger.

Cut out another 3-inch circle and glue it to the back of the ornament.

Wire-wrapped beaded ornament and bracelet

Make the ornament

1 spool of 28-gauge wire

40 round glass beads of one color

Wire nippers

1/2-inch wide satin ribbon

Cut one piece of wire to measure 12-inches long. Fold the wire in half.

Slide on 8 beads to the fold in the wire. Hold the first bead between your thumb and first finger and twist the wire to secure the bead at the fold.

Slide the next bead down the wire 1-inch and twist the wire in the same manner to secure the bead. Repeat with all remaining beads, twisting the folded wire together and positioning the beads on either side of the wire.

Repeat the last three steps four more times to create five pieces of beaded wire. Twist the ends of the wires together.

Place the ornament on a flat surface and position the beaded wire around the center twist, equally spaced. Tie a piece of satin ribbon to one beaded wire end for an ornament hanger. 

Make the bracelet

1 spool of 28-gauge wire

55 round glass beads of one color

Wire nippers

Hook and eye clasp

Slide all 55 glass beads on the wire without removing the wire from the spool. 

Wrap the loose end of the wire around the hook end of the clasp several times to secure the wire end. Cut the wire and file the end smooth.

Slide one bead 1/2 inch down the wire from the clasp hook. Hold the bead between your thumb and first finger and twist the wire to secure it. Repeat, sliding beads and twisting them to the wire every 1/2-inch until the bracelet fits around your wrist. 

End by wrapping 2 inches of the remaining wire around the eye clasp of the hook several times to secure it. Cut off any excess wire with the nippers.  

Crochet necklace

By chain stitching with a special type of sparkly yarn, you can crochet a holiday necklace that is perfect for parties and great for gifts. The yarn features metallic threads and is sold in specialty knitting supply stores. The crochet chain stitch is an uncomplicated pattern suitable for those who have never crocheted before. Wooden beads, used for the adjustable pull closure, are found at craft stores.

1 skein sparkly yarn

Crochet hook J

Tape measure

Scissors

Wooden bead

Make a loop with the yarn 8-inches from the yarn end. Insert the crochet hook into the loop and pull the yarn strand through, creating a chain stitch. Repeat, making enough chain stitches for a 12-inch length of chain. Cut the yarn 8-inches from the last chain and insert the yarn end through the last chain to knot the yarn.

Repeat the previous step four more times to make five yarn chains.

Gather the tails from one end of each yarn chain in your hand. Make a circle of the yarn and insert the tail ends in the circle, forming an overhand knot to connect the chains at the end of the chain pattern. Repeat with the tails on the opposite ends of the yarn chains.

Insert all tail ends into the pony bead. Make an overhand knot with all the tail ends at the ends of the yarn strands.

Slide the pony bead up and down the yarn strands to tighten and loosen the completed necklace.

Craft an apple pie for Thanksgiving

Let’s craft an apple pie for Thanksgiving! I won first prize with this recipe. It is a yummy treat that has no cinnamon but lots of lemon zest.

Linda’s Prize Winning Apple Pie

Winner of the 2009 Rochester Art and Apples Pie Contest

Crust

2 1/2 cups flour

2 sticks butter

1 T sugar

1 t salt

1/2 cup cold water

Cut flour and butter together in food processor. Add water slowly until it forms a ball.

Filling

10 baking apples peeled, cored, and sliced 1/2 inch thick

4 pears, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/2 inch thick

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/3 cups sugar, plus more for sprinkling

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

2 tablespoons heavy cream

Sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper; set aside. Combine apples and pears in a large mixing bowl. Add flour, sugar, nutmeg, lemon juice, and zest, and mix. Add cranberries, and toss gently. Set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a rough 18-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Line a 12-inch pie dish with the dough.

Transfer apple and pear mixture into pastry-lined pan. Dot the top with butter. Fold and overlap the pastry over the fruit. Brush pastry with cream. Sprinkle sugar lightly and evenly over the top of pie. Transfer to prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees; continue to bake until juices are bubbling, about 1 1/2 hours more