Patera Jewelry Making Tutorial

We are pleased to be offering a new product line called Patera Findings. These jewelry findings are hand cast in the United States of 100% lead-free pewter and plated in a variety of finishes. Visit our website at http://www.countrystitchesonline.com/ and view these items under the Patera Jewelry Findings category.

Today's blog will be an instructional tutorial on jewelry making using these Patera findings. Please join us and see how fun & easy it is to create your own one-of-a-kind jewelry.

Items Needed:

1. Scrap booking paper, photos, digital collage art, or any photo that you can print on a laser jet printer...the possibilities are endless, be creative!

2. Mod Podge

3. DG3 Art Gel

4. paper punch (optional, but cuts paper to fit pendants precisely)

5. paint brush

6. Patera jewelry pendant of choice

Let's Begin...

Turn paper punch up-side-down and slide paper of choice into the punch, centering design. Using firm pressure on each side of the punch, punch paper out.

Cover work surface with a piece of wax paper. Apply Mod Podge to backside of paper with paint brush.

Flip paper over and place paper down into pendant.

Using the point of your paint brush or a clean pencil eraser, press paper into jewelry finding. Start from the center of the piece and work towards the outer edges, removing any air pockets and forming a nice tight bond between paper and jewelry finding.

Apply a coat of Mod Podge to seal the paper. Allow Mod Podge to dry thoroughly. Apply a 2nd coat and allow to dry thoroughly, once again.

Now it is time to fill the Patera Jewelry Finding with DG3 gel. Do not shake the DG3, as that will cause more air bubbles. Start the flow of the DG3 gel off to the side on the wax paper and then start filling the Patera pendant. Begin filling around outside edges, working towards the center of the piece.

Fill pendant full, until the gel has a rounded appearance along the outer edges.

Once piece is filled, check for air bubbles. To remove an air bubble, gently place paint brush down into the DG3 gel under the bubble. Gently pull brush out of the gel, removing the air bubble with the brush. Check piece periodically to see if any more air bubbles form. Remove additional bubbles as instructed.

Place a clear plastic lid or drinking cup over piece to prevent any dust or other particles from falling into piece. Allow to dry. The drying process can take 24 - 48 hours, depending on humidity. Piece is now ready for final embellishments.

That's all there is to it...fun & easy for all ages!

have a good week,

brenda

Coming soon...easy & fun jewelry to create!!

Do you like the soldiered jewelry but are sick of burnt fingers, cut fingers from working with glass, or are you just plain afraid to use a soldier gun? We have a new & fun line called Patera Jewelry Findings, to create your own jewelry!

You simply cut out paper artwork to fit the jewelry frame, using the paper punches that exactly fit the jewelry findings. You can use old photos, new photos, collage sheets, or scrap booking paper. Laser jet prints from your printer work too...the possibilities of what you can scan & print are endless! You seal the paper and place into the Patera Jewelry findings. A liquid acrylic is then placed over the photo. The dried acrylic gives the appearance of glass!

We are carrying various shapes & sizes of the pendants along with several styles of chains, bracelets, charms & accessories. Also available will be the acrylic glaze and paper punches. As soon as I get all the items photographed, I will have them posted for sale on our website under a new category ~ Patera Jewelry Findings. I'm hoping everything will be posted by the end of next week.

We will also be offering a limited amount of finished pieces of jewelry for sale on the website.

Keep an eye right here on my blog for an instructional tutorial for a fun, new & exciting craft....jewelry making!

Here is a sampling of various ideas...

~fun patriotic pendant using a scan of an old post card ~


~1 1/4" pin made using a scan of a quilt block ~


~fun bracelet with a 13/16" charm using a scan from an old post card ~

~ 1 1/4" gold pin using a scan of needle work ~



~ 1 1/4" square pin with a scan of a punch needle piece ~


~pendant with scan of punch needle piece~



~necklace using scrap booking paper ~



~scan of a quilt block ~


have a good weekend,
brenda

It's Ready....

....tis sweet corn season!

A young Minnesotan was selling Missouri sweet corn in town over the weekend. What is a Minnesota boy doin' sellin' Missouri Sweet Corn in Iowa??? Good question...I wondered the same thing!! It doesn't seem to matter how much the corn costs per dozen...we will pay anything for that first batch of the summer...$7.00 a dozen! Not sure if it is the supply and demand theory here or if it's the cost of gas for the Minnesotan to drive to Missouri to sell sweet corn to us here in Iowa! When our Iowa corn is ready, we will pay around $3.00 a dozen. Our Iowa sweet corn is probably a couple of weeks away from being ready. Once the sweet corn season is in full force, we will enjoy corn each & every day...or until we feel like a pig & decide we possibly cannot eat another ear. That usually happens near the end of the summer...

There is something about fresh sweet corn

& grilled food....
...delicious!

Sharing today, my Chuck Wagon Ribs & Sweet Corn recipes...

Chuck Wagon Baby Back Ribs

4 - 5 pounds pork loin baby back ribs

2 cups pineapple juice

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup yellow mustard

2 tablespoons bourbon

1 tablespoon black pepper

2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

Cut ribs into 2 to 3 rib portions. In a small bow combine pepper, salt, chili powder, sugar, onion & garlic powders, parsley and oregano. Sprinkle rub evenly over both sides of ribs; rub with your fingers.

In a large bowl, combine pineapple juice, honey, vinegar, soy sauce, mustard & bourbon. Stir to combine.

Place rib portions, bone sides down, in a large roasting pan. Pour sauce over ribs. For a charcoal gill, use the indirect heat method for grilling ribs. Place uncovered roasting pan on grill rack in center of the grill. Cover; grill for 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 hours or until ribs are tender, spooning sauce over ribs every 20 minutes.

Perfect Sweet Corn

Husk, wash and remove silk from corn. Put corn in a large kettle and fill with enough water to cover corn nicely. Add 3 tablespoons sugar & 3 tablespoons lemon juice to the water; stir to mix. Bring water to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Remove kettle from heat and cover with a lid. Let set for 10 minutes. Roll corn in real butter & salt and pepper the heck out of it....delicious!

Enjoy & Happy Summer!

Brenda

To a sweet couple...

Another year to create

precious memories together.

Another year to discover

new things to enjoy about each other.

Another year to build

a life rich in love and laughter.

...wishing you lots of love

and happiness today & forever!

Love,

Mom & Dad

A brown stone & pass the guacamole!!!

We enjoyed our family get together in Chicago, and of course the time just flew by too quickly. We stayed in a lovely brown stone in the Lincoln Park area. This completely furnished home had everything needed...minus a potato masher (more on that later). It nicely slept all 7 of us and worked great for a family with little ones. So much easier then hotel rooms and had a lovely "home" atmosphere. We enjoyed having a kitchen and grill on the back patio for family dining. We were just a short train ride to Wrigley Field and within walking distance to the Armitage shopping district. Lots of fun little boutique shops, a cupcake bakery & The Paper Source....love that store!

I've noticed that son Matthew likes to share his cooking skills when we gather together. He seems to always treat us to something yummy. Last trip home it was his home-made buffalo chicken wings on the grill. This trip it was his home-made guacamole. One small glitch, NO potato masher in the kitchen...not one to be found anywhere. Not a good thing when the avocados are a day from being good & ripe...but he improvised and after a curse word or two the dip was made & enjoyed by all...even mom who doesn't like guacamole!! Guacamole, give me guacamole... this is a new "acquired taste" & I keep craving this darn dip. Now granted, avocados weren't exactly something a Minnesota farm girl was raised on, but boy I did not know what I was missing!!

MATTHEW'S GUACAMOLE DIP

3 avocados (peeled, chopped & mashed with potato masher)

juice of 2 limes

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup onion (finely chopped)

1 - 2 T. fresh Cilantro (finely chopped)

1 tomato (chopped finely)

1 tsp. fresh minced garlic

pinch or two of cayenne pepper

Mix all together and serve with corn chips

Avocado Facts

• Avocados contain 81 micrograms of the carotenoid lutein, which some studies suggest help maintain healthy eyes.
• Avocados contribute nearly 20 vitamins, minerals and beneficial plant compounds that can contribute to the nutrient quality of your diet.
• Avocados, due to their mono and polyunsaturated fat content, are a healthy substitution for foods rich in saturated fat.
• One-fifth of a medium avocado (1 oz) has 50 calories and contributes nearly 20 vitamins and minerals making it a good nutrient choice.
• Avocados contain 76 milligrams beta-sitosterol in a 3-oz serving of avocado. Beta-sitosterol is a natural plant sterol which may help maintain healthy cholesterol levels.

Enjoy & pass the guacamole,

brenda

My bags are packed...

...and we're headed for a long weekend in the windy city.

Chicago here we come!

This family get-a-way was planned by son-in-law Rob & son Matthew.

Now when you let 2 guys plan a vacation....

this is where you will end up....

...at a ball park for the series between the Chicago Cubs & the Minnesota Twins!


Now, you are all probably thinking that we are a "Cubs Fan Family", right??!



No, we are one of those "house-divided" families...



Some will cheer for the Twins & some will cheer for the Cubs...



Here is a break down of who cheers for whom:

Darling Husband - Twins fan

Myself - Twins fan

Daughter Erin - Twins fan

Son-in-law Rob - Cubs Fan (so die-hard of a fan that he even has a brick at Wrigley with his name on it).

Son Matthew - Twins fan (an obnoxious one too) He has reminded his brother-in-law several times that if he ever wants to cheer for his team in a World Series he really needs to find a new team.

Sons girlfriend Megan- Twins fan

and then there is this little guy...

Now, I know his daddy has sang him the Cubs fight song at least once a day, everyday of his 6 1/2 month life....

And Daddy also thinks his first words are going to be "Go Cubs"...

BUT....

...he looks awfully proud in his Twins jersey!

Go Twinkies,

brenda

Robin update...

I'm happy to announce our two little robins are thriving & doing well!

This little one paid a visit to my front step. This is sort of home for these guys, as their nest sat just above these steps.

Welcome back home little ones....

{ bird thought~ she really needs to sweep these messy steps!}

Wishing you both...

fat worms & juicy bugs,

brenda

Empty Nesters....

Yep, it is official...we are empty nesters! One left the nest yesterday, but not without incident. We (I mean my darling husband) had to rescue him from the neighborhood cat (grrrrr). The cat had him down in the window well. Where is the camera when you need it? Watching my husband run across the yard, with bird in hand, and then trying to put it in a bush out of harms way... definitely a Kodak moment that got missed! Every bird within a 10 block area was dive-bombing him as he scurried across the yard with bird in hand!!

The second baby was gone this morning, the nest is now empty. Doesn't look to have been any constipation problems with these babies! Messy messy....

Did I mention the paper boy tosses our daily paper on the step just below the nest?? Well you can probably guess what condition our morning paper was in...didn't go over real well with the hubby! What is it with men and their morning papers??? A little bird do-do isn't going to hurt anything...is it??

This morning I walked around the front yard in search of the little ones...

I looked in the crab apple tree...

I looked in the hedge...

I looked down....

hmmm....

I looked up and this is what I found...

(click on photos to enlarge)

both little robins had made their way up into the red bud tree just a few yards from the nest. Daddy robin sat nearby, watching over the little ones, as Mother robin was busy in search of worms...


Their little tufts of fuzz are now becoming feathers...


their little spotted breasts are turning a rusty orange...


wondering when Mom is going to deliver a big juicy worm...

A great afternoon was had with camera in hand, hanging out the window on our second floor, taking pictures of our feathered friends. I found the red bud tree very busy with bird activity. The blossoms on the tree are pretty well spent, but the birds are enjoying the sweet nectar.

A male Baltimore Oriole (wishing I had a bigger zoom for my camera)...he too likes red bud blossoms!



A female American Red Start...

busily flitting from branch to branch...


Also spotted in the red bud was a hummingbird and house wren. My picture taking skills weren't quite good nor quick enough to catch these quick little birds!





Enjoy your l-o-n-g weekend,

brenda

BERRY DELICIOUS!

Oh, oh...tried a new recipe...it is so easy to make...it is so delicious...I feel my hips getting larger by the moment!

I've just got to share this recipe with all my blogger friends, just in case you are having a family gathering over Memorial Weekend and need a quick & delicious dessert to make. This pie has a nice tartness to it and is so light and fluffy. Warning....one piece does not fill you up!

This recipe does make two small pies. You can freeze the 2nd one for up to a week or the recipe could easily be cut in half. Forget about freezin' the 2nd pie...you will want 2 of these pies around your house within arms reach, trust me!

RASPBERRY LEMONADE PIE

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1 (3 oz.) package JELL-O brand lemon flavor gelatin
4 oz. PHILADELPHIA cream cheese, softened

1/2 (12 oz.) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

1 (8 oz) tub COOL WHIP topping, thawed

1 cup fresh raspberries

2 (6 oz) KEEBLER brand Shortbread Ready Pie Crusts

1. Add boiling water to gelatin mix in a small bowl. Stir for 2 minutes, until completely dissolved; set aside. Beat cream cheese in a large bowl with mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in concentrate, then gelatin until blended.

2. Stir in cool whip and berries. Pour into crusts.

3. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until firm. Freeze remaining pie for up to 1 week. Thaw before serving.

Have a safe & fun Memorial Weekend,

Brenda

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIN!

You may be a bit older...

You may be a tad bit bigger...

& your cake may have a few more candles on it...


...but our love & best wishes remain the same for you on your birthday!

Happy 29th Erin!


Love,
Mom & Dad

This & that....

After a several cold & gloomy days, we enjoyed a very warm 80 plus degrees here today....so I scurried home after work and got a start at planting some annual plants. It is always a tough decision deciding what color scheme to go with. After some thought, I decided to go with a coral/lavender/white colored flowers for my flower pots.

I like to pay close attention to the color of plant foliage too. Using plants with varying colors in the leaves adds interest to the pots.

A Blazin' Lime Iresine. This is a "new" plant to me and I fell in love with it's lime and cream variegated foliage. If you look hard you will see it's vibrant rose-colored stems. This plant can handle shade with a few hours of sun and doesn't bloom but does add that nice contrast that I look for when choosing my plants.

You may remember a recent post about our mother robin....

She wasn't too keen on the flower plantin' that was going on below her. She and the husband would sit up in the tree and chirp & tweet their nervous little notes. I went in to grab the camera as she was feeding and she quickly tried to sit down on the babies so I wouldn't see them! As you can see, one is peeking out from under her. There were 4 eggs laid but I'm not certain we have 4 babies, 2 for sure. I'm kind of concerned about the nest building skills of these parents...really wish they would have made that nest a tad bit deeper. I'm really nervous the little ones are going to topple out before they are ready to be out of the nest.

While working away in the yard, I heard a not too familiar bird....I looked up in the crab apple tree and spotted an American Red Start. These little birds visit us for a short time in the spring and are one busy little bird. They are a very small bird. The male is a brilliant orange & black and the female is brown & yellow. They flit from branch to branch, fanning their tails in search of small flies that feed on the crab apple blossoms.

I couldn't get a very good picture of the little guy, but if you look hard at the center of the picture you can see the underneath side of the male bird. (Click on photo to enlarge)

Ahhh...is this heaven? No it's Iowa! (name that movie)

A beautiful spring day, planting flowers, enjoying baby birds AND a great end to a great day....

THIS....

an old-fashioned strawberry soda! So yummy and a quick & easy summertime dessert....

You will need...

OLD~FASHIONED STRAWBERRY SODA

2 Tablespoons strawberries, crushed (I use more then this!)

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons vanilla ice cream

1/3 cup strawberry soda, chilled

In a tall glass, combine strawberries and 2 tablespoons ice cream; stir in soda. Add additional remaining ice cream until glass is almost full; pour in additional soda until glass is full. This is one serving size.

Enjoying the nice weather,

brenda