Fig Preserves Finally Finished for the Fall Season!

I finally finished making my yearly fig preserves and gifts too! These make great host/hostess gifts which is more personable and everyone loves. Since fresh figs only last a couple of days and I had my share of eating them and giving some away, I also froze them on a daily basis. When the figs stopped producing, I had a nice supply in my freezer waiting for me to get cooking. It is a simple recipe that I use, just plan on spending most of your day cooking!

"Under the Gnome"

After

Before

"No place like Gnome", "Gnome Sweet Gnome"....ok I just got a little carried away! A very good friend of mine asked me to give her Gnome (or Menehune) a facelift after basking in the sun for a number of years. I just got out my craft paints and spent some time with the little guy and finished him off with a couple of coats of clear lacquer spray paint. Hope his little friends don't get jealous!

Decorate with gold pine cones!

Get a jump on decorating for Christmas and also use to display all year round. Spray paint pine cones gold or silver and arrange in a decorative box. Gold or silver always brings out a festive feel in your decor!

Frame your crochet work!

My mom crocheted this kitty cat and I have always wanted to have it framed but did not want to pay a lot to have it done. As I was searching in my closet, I finally found a square frame. Just place a piece of black foam board on the back and place the work on top and insert into a glass frame tightly. Easy to do and a lot cheaper than done professionally!

Can you believe it...yet another shrinking product!

Much to my surprise as I go to reach for a box of  Whole Wheat Ritz crackers at my local grocery store, they decreased the size! The previous net weight was 14.2 oz. and it is now down to 12.9 oz. I decided to give them a call (the parent company's phone # is located on the side of the box) to express my disappointment and of course they did their talk about inflation. The company mentioned that they did a survey and most consumers preferred the product to have less crackers than to keep the same amount and increase the price. I kindly asked if I could receive a coupon and they were happy to do so. I received my coupon within ten days. The coupon states, "Good for One FREE Nabisco cookies or crackers product  up to $4.99." A FREE product just for taking five minutes out of your busy day! As our Ol' Pal "Andy Griffith" used to say, "Everything taste great when it sits on a Ritz!"

Hobby Lobby weekly coupon!

Don't forget to use your Hobby Lobby weekly coupon....Almost every week now, it has been 40%  off of one regularly priced item. Great to use for items that rarely go on sale or never go on sale at all! Coupons are also available through your mobile device and you can also download an app too. Check out the link below...

 http://www.hobbylobby.com/weekly/weekly.cfm

Sofa table makeover!

After

The process

Before 

... I was excited to get started with my new upcycled project that I purchased for $30 at a garage sale. The wood grain on the top was beautiful, but had lots of scratches so I decided to strip the old varnish off and sand it down to the bare wood. I then stained the top and brushed on several coats of fast-drying polyurethane. The rest of the wooden areas on the piece, I sanded lightly and applied a couple of coats of primer then a couple of coats of latex paint. The rattan areas were spray painted black and sprayed a clear lacquer finish. The drawer pulls were also spray painted black and the bottom of the legs of the piece were accented with black latex paint. What a difference!