Color My World

Today's watercolor item is this colorful pumkin. Perfect for the end of September.  

DIY Pumpkin Coaster

 

Cut out 2 squares for each pumpkin, about 7" x 6", large enough for the pattern with an extra .5"-1" around all sides. 

Cut out 2 pieces of fuslible fleece the same size as the fabric pieces and press to the wrong side of the fabric. (or skip this step and when you layer the fabrics just layer cotton batting between the fabric pieces. 

On one piece of fabric trace the pumpkin pattern on the center of the fabric with an erasable or washable pen. 

Place the two pieces together with the fusible fleece sides in the middle and right sides of fabric out. 

Sew along the traced line, starting at one of the center points that dip in to the middle of the pumpkin.

When you get back to the center stitch down the center of the pumpkin in a curved line, then back up curving the line in the opposite direction, When you are back at the starting point repeat again curving the line out further as shown in the diagram below. If you prefer you could draw these lines on before sewing but I just freehand stitched them on. Trim around the edge of the coaster with pinking shears.Cut a piece of ribbon about 2"-2.5" long, fold in half and place over the top of the coaster with the fabric sandwiched between (you can fold up the ends to the middle of the ribbon if you don't want the edges raw or are worried about fraying), sew across the bottom of the ribbon to make the stem. 

If you used heat erasable pens give your coasters a quick press to remove the pen lines. 

Fall leaves

 Today's card and tag

Is all about the colors of Fall

With a layered leaf frame.

With torn paper , wooden heart, jute and fabric tag. It's all about colors and textures of Fall. 

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Air Dry Leaf Bowls

 

• Air Dry Clay
• Leaves – we used the leaves from a hydrangea plant. Use hydrangea leaves or preferably one similar as a maple leaf does not fold up as nicely to form a dish
  • Note: If you would like to make a leaf bowl instead, a maple leaf would work perfectly for this
• Acrylic paint – we used rose gold, gold and bronze
• Sealer – mod podge gloss
• Knife

First gather your leaves. We used  maple  leaves . Please  (feel free to try different leaf shapes as it is easy to roll out and start over if you do not like the way it looks).

2. Cut out a piece of your air dry clay. Roll it out and then stamp your leaf onto it. Press firmly and make sure to press on all parts of the leaf to get a complete imprint.

Take off your leaf and cut around the outline of the leaf with a knife .

Gently start to roll up sections of your clay. There is no specific pattern required, just leave a bit of space in between the rolls. Leave the tip of the leaf intact. If any portions of the clay are not smooth, dip a sponge in a bit of water and use it to smooth out portions of the clay.

Note: If you’d like to make a leaf bowl instead, place your leaf inside a small bowl to shape the clay into a bowl shape

Allow the clay to air dry and harden. Preferably on a cookie drying rack so that the bottom gets exposed to air as well. After 24 hours, check if the top of the clay is hardened. If it is, flip it over to allow the bottom to air dry. If not, let it dry for another 24 hours and then flip it the next day if needed. Paint and seal with Midge podge. 

Sunflower Art Journal

It's fun with paint

This week's art journal is a watercolor of a sunflower 

All about Art Journaling : 

Art journaling does not have to be expensive or complicated. It’s one of the most forgiving ways to make art because in an art journal, everything you make is safely contained within your own personal book. You may choose to never share any of your pages with anyone (or everyone!) so it’s a space where you can let loose and explore with colors, shapes, lines, and your words all at once. You may choose to leave your journals more free-form and expressive, or you may want to have more of a “finished” art product on each page.

Supplies:

• unlined journal
• Paint
• pencil
• extra: tissue paper, book pages, found objects 

Inspired from a visit to the Sunflower Festival in June in North Louisiana. 

Sunflowers have famously been depicted by impressionist and post-impressionist artists Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin. While these two giants in the art world were European, the flower has a distinctly American origin.

The sunflower was introduced to Europe by the Spanish around 1500. Before that, sunflowers were considered an important food crop and may have been one of the first plants domesticated in the Americas.

 

Beef Enchilada Lasagna Casserole

• 1 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1 medium Onion , chopped
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
• 1 can stewed tomato, Not drained
• 1 can enchiladas sauce 
• 1 tsp dried Cumin
• 1 Egg, beaten
• 1 1/2 C Cottage cheese
• 3 C Shredded Mexican Cheese
• 1 C Cheddar Cheese
• 8 Flour tortillas 

In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, enchilada sauce and cumin. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. In a small bowl, combine egg and cottage cheese; set aside. Spread a third of the meat sauce into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Layer with half of the tortillas, cottage cheese mixture, cheese blend and a third of the meat sauce. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.