Star Spangled Pretties: faux caramel apples

Sorry I've been MIA again. That seems to be the story of my life lately. But it really has been for good reason. lol. I thought with Sage in school all day and Chad now in preschool for a few hours twice a week that I would get so much more done- NOT the case! lol. But I have been accomplishing quite a bit since my last post anyhow. I have been soooo busy trying to get the things for my giveaway done and also finish a few fall handmades to offer for sale. Sorry about the delay, but I wanted to wait until our PFATT giveaway was over before I posted about mine. Here's what you'll be getting...(Click on the pic to get a better look) *An osnaburg ditty bag with a stitched flag made by me filled with sweet annie. It has been aged and grubbied with cinnamon and has a drawstring for hanging.

*A prim 5 x 7 stitched FReeDoM sampler (made by me using a design by Stacy Nash) in a distressed frame. It has an easel back so you can hang it or set it on a tabletop.

* A set of 35 count clear silicone lights dipped by me. (They're not perfect like the store bought ones, but hey- they're free!)

*An OLD GLORY metal wall hanging. (not made by me...lol)

*And lastly, one of my faux candy apples (a design by Char Sethman) just cuz its now officially fall.

So now that you know what's up for grabs, here are the rules to enter:

*I would like to have this giveaway for my readers here in the USA and Canada only. I know I have a lot of friends overseas who visit and I don't want to disappoint anyone, but given the size of the box, I'm afraid the postage cost would be scary...

*You must be a follower of my blog. My followers are the reason I'm having this giveaway, so feel free to join in on the celebration!

*Please do not post about it on your blog. I want this to be for those folks/friends that visit my blog to see what I'm up to and to share ideas- not just to win free stuff. I will share it on Facebook with my friends and I don't mind if you want to do that, too- I just don't want it to end up on one of those blogs that only post about giveaways.

*Please be sure I have a way to contact you in case you are the winner. Either via your blog or if you don't have one, please leave me your email address.

I'll leave it open for a few weeks and draw a winner on the night of Monday, October 4th and post the winner here the next day. Good luck to all! :0)

I wanted to share a few pics of what I've been working on while I've been gone......I have made two dozen of these faux caramel apples using Char's tutorial in both red and green. These are already all sold, but I'm working on another batch that should be ready in a day or so.

I have also been taking advantage of the warm weather while it lasts and I've dipped about 400 bulbs for our Christmas tree this year. I just clothespin the strands to the clothesline and fill a styrofoam cup with plain clear silicone and get to dipping.....its definitely a learning process. This was the first time I've dipped bulbs and they're not absolutley perfect like the ones you buy, but I'll get better with practice. The silicone sets up pretty fast- especially when you're out in the sun, so you have to dip fast.

I've also been working on these hoot owls from a Chestnut Junction pattern. (Right now, all of their Halloween patterns are on sale for 25% off- I don't know how long their sale is lasting, so go take a peek.) I only did a few last year and they "flew" out the door quick. I think I only had one left, but he went to a good home a few months ago with a swap I did. So this year I'm prepared and I made nine of these guys. They still need painted, but for now they sit naked on the table waiting for me to finish them.

I wanted to share this corner cabinet makeover with you. I bought this thing cheap at a Flea Market that was in Casper one year. I've probably had it for about 4 years now and it has always just sat in the corner of my dining room just as it looks in the picture. For some reason the previous owner decided to saw the whole door in two to make two doors, which I always hated, but didn't really know how to "fix" it and make it look right.

Then I had the idea to make it into a hanging corner cabinet. I cut the rest of the cabinet a little further down from where the front was already cut. I made a new wood piece to fill in below the door. Then I painted it cream on the inside and leftover red paint from our front room re-do on the outside and then sanded and antiqued it. I painted the existing brass hardware oil rubbed bronze.

I added some heavy duty cabinet hangers to the back and here it is in its new home. Definitely a better look I think. And it also matches the stepback cupboard in the other corner of the dining room. Now what to do with the bottom part.....lol. I'm sure I'll think of something.

I need to get going and get back to work on my fall stuff. I'm also working on a few pumpkins with crows, some pumpkinhead girls and some fall signs, so be sure to check back this week! Then I need to get back to work on my Christmas stuff for Twelve Days of Christmas..........oh, speaking of that I wanted to let my local girls know that Twelve Days will be up at Sunrise again this year. In addition to my dolls and stitcheries, I will also have lots of prim painted Christmas signs for sale. The little shop in Casper that I was selling in closed its doors this summer so I'm hoping to have more to offer at Twelve Days since thats all I'm doing now. Hopefully be back soon with some fall goodies! Toodles! ~Jody