Category: Theme Thursday

Top Ten Books on My Summer TBR List

The likelihood of finishing 10 books this summer is highly improbable (considering I will have three children expecting me to be Julie The Cruise Director for 10 weeks) – however, I do like to give the impression of being an overachiever!

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel – I loved Mantel’s Wolf Hall – can’t wait to find out who is beheaded next!
Heaven is Here by Stephanie Nielsen – a popular blogger who nearly lost her life in a plane crash, this is a book that should remind me that I need to count my blessings daily.
The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani — I’ve never read any of this author’s fiction work (best known for her Big Stone Gap series), thought I would start with her most recent book.
Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick – because when you complain about the lines at WalMart – author Demick is there to remind you that in North Korea, there is no WalMart. Or food for that matter.
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trent Stewart – this is our Mother/Daughter book club reading choice for the summer. If I don’t read it, my daughter will ban me from our meetings.
Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard – because this is leftover from last year’s reading list.
A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd – I’m not much of a mystery reader, but this mother/son writing team has created a mystery series that has been on many “if you liked Downton Abbey…then you will like this” lists. That’s enough for me.
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte – because I need to read at least one classic.
The Yellow House by Patricia Falvey – about the strife of an Irish family prior to WWI – this was recommended to me by a friend. And because it has a pretty cover.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – July book club choice – not sure I would have picked it otherwise.
BONUS BOOK — Anything by Jen Lancaster –by summer’s end, I will need something that makes me laugh out loud, because by then, my kids will have taken over the house, my sanity called into question, and I will be running up the white flag of surrender.

What are you reading this summer?

Melissa McCurdy is a mother of 3; wife of 1; daughter, sister, friend, aunt; lover of football, politics, food, travel, walking, theatre and all things literary. She shelves books for a living and could spend hours staring at book spines. She survived two years as PTA fundraising chair and PTA president and doubts she will ever volunteer again. Her youngest was born with a congenital heart defect and had open heart surgery at 5 weeks. She knows more about Children’s Hospitals than she ever wanted too. And when she grows up, she wants to be the first female commissioner of the NFL. She blogs at Gerbera Daisy Diaries.

#Bean2Blog: Meet Your Community

#Bean2blog P. Allen Smith — Photo credit: Kelly Stamps

Written by Lyndi of nwafoodie

Today I want to talk about community.

Merriam-Webster defines community as “a people with common interests living in a particular area.”

I think I can safely say that we all joined the Arkansas Women Blogger’s community specifically for the reason that it gives us access to each other. Access to discover who is in our backyard.

We are here to learn, grow, share, and build on that community.

Last Tuesday, I had the extreme pleasure to meeting seventeen other Arkansas women bloggers at P. Allen Smith’s Moss Mountain Garden Home just outside of Little Rock at an event called #Bean2Blog. The Arkansas Soybean Board selected a cross-section of female bloggers from Arkansas to come to the farm and learn about the benefits of the humble soybean, one of Arkansas pride and joy bushel crops.

To say that we learned a lot that day on the farm would be an extreme understatement. Each one gathered knowledge in their unique way and then shared that knowledge by their own unique voices.

I loved meeting those ladies and wanted you to meet them, too.

Pour yourself a nice cool drink and pull up a chair or get comfy on the couch. Today you’re going to meet the #Bean2Blog ladies and hear their unique voices about the event. You are going to swoon over P. Allen’s gorgeous farmhouse and post a billion Pinterest photos for inspiration. You are going to laugh and fall in love with a real Arkansas farmer and immediately want to be adopted into his family.

You are going to want to hear all of their stories. I guarantee you will find a friend or two in the process.

I know I did.

Here’s a bonus. Some of these lovely ladies may be in your very own backyards.

Just waiting for you both to “meet” each other.

Enjoy the tour.

Northwest Arkansas Region
1. Stephanie McCratic, Evolved Mommy, “That’s Soy Controversial”
2. Lela Davidson, After the Bubbly, “Beans, Bloggers, and Big Ass Vegetables”
3. Amy James, Our Everyday Dinners, “Part IV. The People, The Boots.”
4. Kelly Stamps, Kellys Korner, “My Day at Moss Mountain”
5. Lyndi Fultz (me), nwafoodie “Learn, Share, Teach, and Continue Building on Lessons”

Northeast Arkansas Region
6. Sara Bird-Bogner, East 9th Street, “I’m a Little Country at the Garden Home Retreat”
7. Anita Stafford, Aunt Nubbys kitchen, “Bean2Blog 2012”

Central Arkansas Region
8. Alison Chino, Chino House, “Soaking it all in”
9. Ashley Ederington, The Ederington Family, “The Inaugural Bean2Blog Event”
10. Jerusalem Greer, Jolly Goode Gal, “ Soy Joy Pt2 Mucking Around the True Love Tree”
11. Johnice Hopson, Wynns Folly
12. Christi Ison, Fancy Pants Foodie
13. Tara Johnson, Taste Arkansas, “Bean2Blog”
14. JoBeth “Boots” McElhanon, Boots McBlog, “The Little Things, Part 2. The Farmhouse”
15. Kricia Palmer, Palmer Home, “A Simpler Life”
16. LaTonya Richardson, 40s, Reasons to Live, Love & Laugh Out Loud, “The Miracle Bean”
17. Cara Wilkerson, Living the Home Life, “Life Outside the Construction Site: Moss Mountain Farm”
18. Fawn Rechkemmer, Instead of the Dishes, “P. Allen Smiths #Bean2Blog Part 1”

Happy Reading!
Lyndi

Lyndi of nwafoodie is a girl who just happens to live in beautiful Northwest Arkansas. Much of her blogging inspiration comes from this gem of a place she refers to as the proverbial land of milk-and-honey. Read about her in the ARWB January 2012 blogger of the month autobiography.

Farmers’ Market Shopping 101

Written by ARWB Founder The Park Wife

Farmers Market season is upon us with many markets already open while others must wait until late June or July before farmers’ fields are productive. Four years ago, I started and ran two farmers markets – coordinating with the towns, recruiting vendors, connecting with customers and devising eccentric activities that keep the customers returning to the market even after their shopping was done. With four market seasons under my belt and my time on the Arkansas Farmers’ Market Board, I have garnered a little wisdom (and a lot of farmer friends) and want to share a few tips with you that can enhance your farmers marketing experience.

Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food. Spend a few minutes chatting it up at your local farmers’ market! It takes tremendous dedication to both science and art (not to mention dirty feet and nails) to turn out beautiful produce on a small farm, and the time you spend inquiring about the results of that dedication will yield both useful information and infectious enthusiasm.

A huge benefit of farmers’ markets is your ability to look the farmer in the eye and ask anything you want about how the food was grown. That’s a rare opportunity in our supermarket culture. Do it! Ask about a food you don’t recognize, how to cook it, and whether it’s coming in or heading out of season. Find out what the farmer expects to bring to market next week so you can start to plan ahead. Learn all you can about the farmer’s growing practices, and make sure you know who you’re buying from. And, sweet strawberry, make sure you are buying from a real farmer, not a peddler who went to a warehouse or south of the border and bought a truck load of produce to sell.

Know Your Seasons: If someone is selling watermelons in May in Arkansas, you can bet that they did not grow them locally. Check out the Arkansas crop harvest calendar. http://www.pickyourown.org/ARharvestcalendar.htm

The Early Bird Gets the Worm, or Best Tomatoes: The season’s first blueberries and finest tomatoes will disappear within the first hour that the market is open, so if you’ve got your heart set on something in particular, it pays to wake up early. Hopefully the market you frequent will serve coffee.

Go Big: If it is in season, buy as much as you can! You’ll enjoy the best flavors and the best prices when you buy a lot of whatever is at its harvest peak. How to use it all up? Try new recipes with favorite vegetables or learn the lost art of preserving food. Freezing, canning, and drying are just some of the ways you can save seasonal tastes you find at the farmers market for later in the year.

Try Something New Each Week. A benefit of farmers’ markets, as compared to CSAs, is the increased ability to stay within your comfort zone if you so choose. But if you are lucky enough to visit a farmers’ market with a selection of unusual produce, why not try one new food each time you visit? At best, maybe you’ll discover a new love. At worst, you will know better next time.

BYOB -Bring your own bag, and maybe a cooler. Yea hippie chics, that reusable canvas tote is good for the earth and it helps the farmers out by not cutting into their already slim profit margins. You are also being kind to yourself, because those el cheapo plastic bags are no way to carry cantaloupes and a dozen ears of corn in one hand, yes, I have seen them bust resulting in bruised produce and embarrassed foodies. If your market sells eggs, cheese, or meat, bring a cooler. The only thing worse than passing up a dozen beautiful eggs because you’re not prepared to bring them home is bringing them home anyway and they ruin.

And, my favorite-
Volunteer at the Market! By volunteering at the market not only do you get a better understanding of the workings of a farmers market and farm-to-market relationships, but you also enjoy an opportunity to spend some time outside volunteering for a good cause. By volunteering at the market, you reduce the substantial workload faced by the market manager. A good market manager makes a market, help them do their job, they usually are doing it for free. It will make your local market stronger and you may also earn some free fruit, vegetables or other food as many vendors will leave goods they don’t want to take home with market volunteers and management.

Celebrate your market and your local farmers. Buy fresh, buy local and buy in season.

The Park Wife

Things I Heart Thursday – Garden Fancies

Things I Heart Thursday – Garden Fancies
Written by Paige of Approaching Joy

MD mentioned recently, there is something very satisfying about the “starting over” process that asks us both literally and metaphorically dig a little deeper than we may do otherwise.
With a move coming up in my near future, I can’t help but daydream about the opportunity to “start fresh” in and out of the garden.

#1 These are whimsical, cute, and utterly amazing gnomes. But they are perfect for infusing a big chunk of personality into one’s garden. (Especially, if garden=potted flowers as it does for me.)

#2 I like the color green as much as the next girl but who could resist this baby blue water hose? Not me.

#3 I am a tiny bit obsessed by all things yellow lately (as shown by the addition of three new pair of yellow shoes in my closet within the last year.) Much more practical: these mustard cafe chairs which practically beg to be put out on a porch to enjoy a glorious southern sunset after putting in all the work in your potted plants/ backyard/ back 40. Best of all- they’re faux wicker I.e. durable to the max.

#4 Okay okay. I’ve already admitted that my kind of gardening takes place in pots on the patio BUT if I were to foray into the real thing these boots would be on my “must have” list.

#5 And these lovelies call to mind the über romantic dance scene in Hope Floats. Thanks to the cool kids over at Target we can all pretend we are Sandra Bullock even if in reality we are just relaxing on our own patio listening to Harry Conick Jr’s sweet voice on the stereo and enjoying homemade ice cream with our girlfriends.

Paige is a fabulous twenty something who is into photography, food, fashion, and (most especially) fun. A south Arkansas native she plans on moving to Northwest Arkansas in t-minus 6 weeks and she couldn’t be any happier about it. She blogs because she believes everyones prettier when they share.

You can find her here:

http://paigemeredith.typepad.com/approachingjoy/
https://twitter.com/#!/approaching_joy
http://pinterest.com/paigemeredith/

Mad Monday Native American Inspiration {Women’s History}

Mad Monday Native American Inspiration {Women’s History}
Written by Paige of Approaching Joy

1- Need Supply 2- Red Velvet 3- Fab 4- Etsy- Leah Duncan 5- Etsy- Zebber Custom Nails

I grew up in a house where the first VCR purchased was a John Wayne western so I’ve always had a mental image of cowboys and indians playing in my head. With my parents being the history buffs they are that we had to visit the Mesa Verde cliff dwellings and attend a real Powwow (as well as any Lewis and Clark point of interest) on our family vacation out west. Right before junior high, I even attended a month long summer camp at Old Washington State Park that was dedicated solely to learning about the role that Native Americans played in our state as well as what their daily life (food, family, beliefs) was all about.

Despite these all interactions with this history and culture, I never really saw Native American design as anything impressive. Sure, there was an amazing amount of craftsmanship in what they produced but I never saw it as “pretty”… until now. This Monday I am *mad about Native American inspired items.

*As with most MadMonday posts: These are just trends. Please do not take this as advice to go out and get a new wardrobe/ home/ or man based on this or any other trend…

1- This necklace pays homage to the “fringe necklace” while maintaining it’s own feel. I like the fact that it’s a little understated because it wouldn’t overpower any outfit, just add to it.

2- Do these not look like the most comfortable shoes in the entire world?!?!? I’ve mentioned Elsie’s blog and shop before and this is yet another example where her craftiness meets fashion.

3- This was actually the bag that first turned me on to the Native American inspired trend this season.
My first thought went something like, “I like sequins, I love those colors, and who doesn’t need on over-sized bag?’
My second thought was, “When did southwestern motif quit being cheesy and start being cool?”
Third thought, “I need to get one of those.”

4- If you decide to embrace this trend in your home I feel like staying with neutrals would be the way to go. This way you’re adding the fun vibe of the print without feeling like your house commutes to Santa Fe.

5- For the gal with low commitment to this or any other trend: nail art. This set is called Aztec Illuminati and is inspired by the geometric repetition found in most Native American patterns.

What do you guys think? Love it? Hate it? Anyone else out there who’s childhood outlook was largely influenced by John Wayne and his ability to always make friends with the natives?

Let me know!

You can find her here:

http://paigemeredith.typepad.com/approachingjoy/

https://twitter.com/#!/approaching_joy

http://pinterest.com/paigemeredith/

Finding Love Online {Love Story}

Written by Jamie Smith of Jamie’s Thots.

I have to admit, I’m almost embarrassed sometimes to tell people that I met my husband on MySpace. Considering the site’s reputation and the
general perception that people seem to have of relationships that start online, part of me wants to say “wemetonMyspacebutitistotallylegitimate.”

Yes, all fast and together like that.

The truth is, meeting online is not so uncommon any more. It’s not just the people looking for a green card or people who don’t feel comfortable
interacting with the opposite sex unless they are behind a computer screen. As online interactions become more interwoven throughout our life
experience, it almost seems inevitable that people will meet their soul mate through some kind of social media or online experience.

But I digress.

Let’s start at the beginning.

In late 2006 and 2007, I was going through some of the most difficult times of my life. Heart wrenching, devastating and abusive. It was at
this time, I decided to try the whole “God thing” from my childhood a try so I started attending church in Southwest Missouri, about 45 minutes from the gabillion churches that were down the street. It was there that I heard a New Year’s Day sermon that included the letter from a well-known pastor titled “Let it GO!”

I found the text of this letter and posted it to one of my blogs, the one on MySpace. At this point, my MySpace blogs were more for me rather than
other people. I liked it when people read them and commented, but they were more for my self expression and gauging of healing and growth than anything else.

That was why I was surprised to get a late-night (as in middle of the night) email from someone about this blog, which really contained no
original thought. It was a nice note, a guy from a nearby town simply saying that the letter had ideas that he too has had to learn in life and
that his mom really likes that pastor who was quoted and thanks for posting it.

Now at first, I didn’t respond. I had a series of incredibly negative experiences with men who had found me on MySpace. They were abusive,
confused and just really unhealthy. It was because of these experiences that I had decided to stop dating and focus on figuring out this whole
“relationship with God thing.” It wasn’t a “man ban” per se, but in effect I guess that’s what it was!

But something kept me from deleting the message. A few days, maybe a week later, I read it again and decided, “you know, he’s not hitting on me.
He’s not asking anything of me. He’s commenting on a blog that is about God.” So, I sent him a message back that thanked him and made some other nice conversational comment.

He replied back. I don’t even remember what it was, but something about what he said caught my interest and I wanted to know more about the topic so we engaged in an email conversation that spanned a couple of days. It turned out, by the way, that the odd hour of his email wasn’t creepy at all. He worked third shift so for him, 3 a.m. was the middle of the day, not the night.

We started talking and as crazy as this sounds, we both realized after about two weeks that we would start dating and that it would be a serious
relationship. I was already thinking “this is the kind of guy I want to marry some day.” I was too practical to say “I’ve found the ONE.”…
especially considering we had never met in real life!

We planned our first date at a restaurant off I-540 in Springdale, which was halfway between my home in Bentonville and his in Fayetteville. Oh,
that’s another thing. When people discover we met online, they assume it was a long-distance relationship. We were both right here in Northwest
Arkansas.

We met for breakfast and finally decided it might be good if we left when the lunch crowd started coming in. In some ways, we took things slow
because we had both been burned. And we were both too practical to do too much stupid! But our relationship quickly grew and we were determined to base it on God, which I think is why we are successful.

But truly, since the first moment I’ve met him, John has been the greatest gift God could ever give me. He’s fairly quiet whereas I’m more social.
That, and the weird hours that we work means most people in my life haven’t met him. When they do, the resounding comment that I get is “you
can just tell how much he loves you and how special of a man he is.” That makes my eyes fill with grateful tears every time I hear it.

Our first date was March 30, 2007 and we were married in Springdale on Sept. 21, 2008. We just celebrated our three-year anniversary. It’s been a tough three years, but not in the sense that most newlyweds mean. We’ve been thrown a lot of curveballs through the form of job losses,
life-threatening illnesses, financial struggles, major depressions, family deaths…you name it. But instead of these events tearing us down or pitting us against each other, we’ve been able to use them to draw us closer to God and to each other.

I often wonder how we would have found each other if it hadn’t been for my willingness to write a blog and him being willing to reach out with his
own views on it. I just know I’m grateful we had the opportunity.

—
Jamie Smith

A Partridge in a Pear Tree? {Handmade Holiday}

We are a family of traditions – almost obsessively so (as I’ve mentioned over at The Food Adventuress). Still, I’m always looking for new additions to the list of things we love to do together.

Don’t misunderstand – this doesn’t mean I have my act together. Today, for example, I finally removed the remaining pumpkins from our front porch in recognition of the fact that a) it is mid-December and b) they looked kind of goofy along with our Christmas lights. I stand by my reasoning that they work right through Thanksgiving, but then my arguments get a little fuzzy. I promise, though, that pumpkins are (eventually) relevant to this post.

Starting a few years ago, my now eight year old daughter and I began concocting a “bird tree” as part of our holiday traditions. As much as I enjoy things that we can all do as a family (here’s a fantastic, free and easy idea you could still incorporate with your family this year!), I also yearn for those special things I can do to connect with just one child at a time or one on one with my husband.

Our bird tree has evolved from a single branch to trimmings from our real Christmas tree to the point that this year, we’re using a potted tree that will grow slowly and can be reused for many years moving forward. We set it somewhere very visible in the front yard – both for ease of bird-viewing and to incite questions from neighbors and hopefully inspire similar actions from other families. In fact, last year we used the same idea as a holiday staff activity at my workplace, the Ozark Natural Science Center (read Slowing Down with a Cranberry Garland).

The bird tree is meant to be a slowing-down activity, and a gift to nature at a time when many of us are incredibly focused on doing and rushing and buying. We start with a bowl of freshly popped popcorn (on the stove, without all the extras birds do not need) and a bowl of fresh cranberries. We sit together – talking, working slowly, getting sticky, pricking our fingers – and string them into garlands using needles and thread.

When our garlands are complete we set out to hang them on the tree along with quartered oranges, little reusable baskets of birdseed, pinecones with peanut butter and seeds, sunflower heads and anything else we think our feathered friends would safely enjoy. This year, we found some millet sprays to use, and sometimes we add twig or straw stars or other decorations. And, there is some good to those pumpkins left so long and forlornly on the front porch: I cut them into little pieces and found the weather had preserved them. They are full of good meat and seed that will help visiting birds this winter, so some good came of my inability to get things done!

This is such a great activity for anyone, and especially when you can include your own (or some stray neighborhood? With permission, of course!) kids. As an aside, we often start putting birdseed and treats out well before the weather turns very cold in order to start “coaching” the birds that we are the dining establishment to visit all winter long. We also took a little time several years ago to make our yard a certified wildlife habitat through a fantastic program from the National Wildlife Federation – this is another outstanding, free, educational, fun and ongoing family activity!

As you look for meaningful activities this holiday season, think outside the box when you consider handmade holidays. “Crafts” do not have to mean hours of baking and decorating cookies, purchasing pricey supplies or spending hours at a daunting task that may or may not turn out the way you intended. Creating a bird tree feels good, looks good, has a tangible outcome and is one of those tiny steps toward making the world a better place. Happy handmade holiday!

Beth is the marketing maven and one of four founding members of Arkansas Women Bloggers, but her real job is as executive director of the Ozark Natural Science Center – a nonprofit field science, environmental education, camp and conference facility in northwest Arkansas. She blogs over at The Little Magpie and The Food Adventuress and finds herself eating far more of her mother’s rum cake around the holidays than she would care to admit.

DIY Holiday Canvas {Handmade Holiday}

DIY Holiday Canvas {Handmade Holiday}
By Amanda Brown of My Hearts Desire

Thanks, Arkansas Women Bloggers, for the opportunity to guest post today! If you are new to the Arkansas Women Bloggers site, be sure to register and get to know other bloggers around Arkansas! It has been such a privilege to meet some really fantastic ladies through ARWB!

Today, I am going to show you how I used this Pinterest image as inspiration to make this simple, inexpensive, Christmas tree project that will take you about 30 minutes to create, but gives fabulous results!

Supplies needed:

Canvas-I used an 11×14, but any size will work (use coupons at craft stores for great prices)
Scrapbook papers for trees, tree trunks,or stars–I made matching trees, but you can use 3 different papers for interest. It doesn’t have to be “Christmas” paper!
Scrapbook embellishments (optional,for stars)
Mod Podge
Mod Podge applicator–spongebrush pictured
Ric Rac
Stars for treetops–use coordinating paper or other scrapbooking embellishments
Elmer’s Glue
Scissors

Using a ruler, lightly draw a triangle on the scrapbook paper. Trees shown are 9 1/2 x 3 3/4 inches. Use this first tree as a template to cut out the next two.

Cut three mini triangles for tree trunks. Only the bottom of the triangle will show.

Measure and lightly mark the middle of the canvas so you can place your first tree, but do not glue the tree yet!

Using a spongebrush, cover the entire surface of canvas with Mod Podge. Then coat the back of your first tree with Mod Podge and place it in the marked spot. Glue the tree trunk under the bottom of the treebefore brushing the entire surface, including tree, with Mod Podge again. Be sure to seal edges of tree.

Repeat this process (ModPodging entire surface) after each tree and trunk.

Lightly press with your finger to seal the edges to the canvas.

If your paper bubbles, no worries! Magically, these disappear once the Mod Podge dries!

Next, cut the Ric Rac the exact length of the canvas. Glue it to the canvas using Elmer’sglue.

Glue paper or other”star” embellishment to tops of the trees, using Mod Podge for paperstars or Elmer’s for 3-dimensional ones.

Hang directly onto the wall,

or use a plate stand to display it on a table!

This versatile craft can easily transfer to any Holiday using different paper, shapes, or colors!

Happy Crafting!

Amanda is a mom to three kids and has been married to David for 13 years. She has a passionfor cooking, journaling, blogging, authentic relationships, and making her homea “haven.” You will find creative ideas for your home, recipes, and anauthentic place to be yourself at www.myheartsdesireblog.com.

Pinterest Wreath Challenge and GIVEAWAY!

Written by Gina of Desperately Seeking {Gina}.

Thank you to the ladies of AWB for inviting me to share one of my favorite Pinterest Projects thus far!

I’m not sure what it is about this site that is so interesting and addictive. Maybe it’s the pretty picture overload? Or the insane amount of talented, creative people sharing ideas, tips, and tutorials? Whatever it is, I’m enjoying looking and doing!

At first glance, it may be difficult to understand what Pinterest is all about. It can be overwhelming for first-time pinners-pretty picture overload for sure. But, at the heart of this newest social networking craze, Pinterest provides a unique outlet for crafters, photographers, aspiring cooks, and artists of all kinds. Pinterest is a visual pinboard. It’s a place to bring out all those sites we have saved in the deep depths of our browser bookmarks and store them in picture form instead of words. It is a place to inspire {artists, crafters, cooks sharing their creations} and to be inspired {spinning those pins and making them our own}.

Finding inspiring Pinners is as easy as following your favorite bloggers-who-pin. Many of the bloggers here on Arkansas Women Bloggers pin and you can often find links on their websites. Additionally, one Pinner leads to other like-minded Pinners creating a communtity of fun, interesting, and inspiring projects. It is a place to gather ideas for everything from deciding what to have for dinner to painting techniques for that old dresser you hope to refurbish. Pinterest is a place to grow our blog-reader lists and circle of blog friends around the world. And, most importantly, Pinterest is a place to connect with those friends and artists.

Gather, grow, connect- exactly what the creators of Arkansas Women Bloggers hope to accomplish here in this forum! Pinterest just provides another chance for you to get to know the great ladies here on Arkansas Women Bloggers.

The project I’m sharing today comes from my Craft Inspiration (http://pinterest.com/gknupp/craft-inspiration/) pinboard and is from Jen over at the ever-inspiring Tatertots & Jello blog (http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com/2010/01/2010-burlap-wreath-and-giveaway.html)

Lets get started:

The key to this project, for me, was gathering and prepping the supplies over a three or four day period. Having the supplies at-the-ready
was a hurdle well cleared when it came time for this challenge.

For this project you’ll need to gather:

-3 yards of burlap (Note: You can buy burlap cheaper at hardware stores like Lowes and HomeDepot than at fabric stores!)
-scrap fabrics
-scrap booking brads or buttons
-hot glue gun and glue sticks
-14 inch wreath form
-twine
-paper
-stamp pad
-assorted scraps and yarn to hang wreath
-circle cookie cutters {to trace onto fabrics}
-fabric marker
-a good pair of fabric shears

Begin by cutting a four inch section down the length of the burlap and set aside. This will be used to wrap the wreath form a little later.

Using your cookie cutter {or a cup} draw one 3-inch circle, and one 2-inch circle on the burlap and cut out. Use this template to cut remaining circles.

You’ll need:

Burlap : 50 – 3 inch circles
25 – 2 inch circles

Fabric 25 – 3 inch circles
25- 2 inch circles

Combine layers of circles that are pleasing to you, forming flowers of burlap and fabric. Secure in the center by pushing a brad through and fastening on the backside. Lay out flowers as you go.

Tip: layer more burlap-on-burlap flowers than you think you need. Layer 2 to 3 circles each.

You’ll need a total of 120 – 150 finished flowers.

Lets put it all together:

Take the 4 inch section of burlap you cut earlier and secure one end of the burlap to the wreath form with a beaded line of hot glue and gently {and CAREFULLY} press the fabric into the glue until secure. Begin wrapping the form tightly, overlapping as you go.

Time now, to begin hot glueing your fabric circles to the wreath form. A small bead of hot glue on the back of each circle will be enough to attach your flowers.

Start by laying out 3 fabric flowers symmetrically around the form.

Fill in with remaining circles adding pops of color with your fabric flowers.

Next, flip the wreath over and attach twine with a small dot of hot glue on each side of the wreath.

Flip back over and attach your message to the twine with tiny paperclips or tiny clothespins. I originally typed and printed a message onto paper, cut out, and inked the edges. However, during my search for clothespins I came across a little letter “g” and covered it with leftover fabric scrap from this project. I attached it with a paperclip from my scrap booking stash.

Finish by looping scraps of fabric, yarn, or leather {such as shoelaces!} to the top of the wreath from which to hang your finished wreath. Hang and Enjoy!

Gina has graciously agreed to giveaway one of these beautiful wreaths! You have several chances to win and we will be using Rafflecopter to help us keep track of your entries. Entries will be open through December 16th. Good Luck!

(For info on how to win – please click the “continue” button below!)