Alright, so far today I have watered my few remaining plants, and fed and watered the outside and inside kitties. Now I am writing to you and once I am done I have to sit down and busy myself all day since I will be home. Oh what will I do!? Well, once again I have a list of 10 things I want to accomplish by the end of the day… so we will see how many of them I can get done this time LOL! Madison finally gave me some info about stuff she wants at her Sweet 16 party, so I might just work on that… plan some menu, design some invites, make some centerpieces, etc. Then of course I plan on doing some sewing. I also want to work on building a rose bed in the front of my house for my new plants (and to make my area pretty… true I don’t own the property, but I live here- and probably for awhile- so I need to make it better while I’m here). DH dug the area where I want to put it for me yesterday, so its ready to add some good soil and make it beautiful. And who knows what else I might do! All I know is I plan on staying very busy and I do have to run to the store for a few things! So tomorrow, be prepared for a crazy bunch of pictures LOL!
Ok, so for today’s craft I want to talk about chimes. Squidoo offers a great article which I am sharing with you here. “Now if you want to add a little pizzazz to your patio or deck? Why not think about bringing some style and music into your backyard with a handmade wind chime! Unique wind chimes are easy to make and they can be hung from trees, fences, and even backyard lampposts! Just let your imagination run wild!
Craft Idea of the Day: Wind Chimes
What Materials Can You Use?
Wind chimes can be made out of almost any material. Whatever pleases the eye and makes a wonderful noise can be hung up and enjoyed! Glass wind chimes and metal wind chimes are particular favorites. Or, when creating your own wind chimes, try using some of these materials:
seashells
bamboo
wood
stones
keys
tools
clay pots (showed you a few days ago a great one)
Silverware Chime
This chime makes use of all those odd bits of cutlery that you have accumulated over the years. And it makes a perfect gift for that person who loves to cook!
Materials You Will Need
4 spoons
2 forks (with some spares, just in case)
drill
1/16th inch drill bit
fishing line
safety goggles
Preparing the Cutlery
This chime features four spoons suspended from a hanging fork. There is also a base fork, which the spoons will chime against.
Put on your safety goggles. Drill a hole in each of the four spoon handles, approximately 1/8th of an inch from the top. Sand holes down with metal file, so that there are no sharp edges.
Choose one fork to be the hanging fork from which the spoons will be suspended. Drill a hole in the flat part of this fork, just above the tines.
Using your needle-nosed pliers, carefully bend the tines of the fork to a 90° angle.
Bend the two inside tines of the fork so that they are pointing north and south. Bend each of the two outside tines so that they are pointing east and west. Be sure to have backup forks, in case any of the tines break.
Using the tip of your pliers, carefully twist the ends of each of the tines into a loop.
Bend the handle of the fork over to make a hook to hang the chime with.
Drill a hole in your base fork. This hole should be about 1/8th of an inch from the top of the handle.
Hanging the Chime
This chime will be suspended using thin fishing line. This line is strong enough to hold up in the wind and rain.
Tie a piece of fishing line from the hole in the hanging fork to the hole in the base fork. The base fork should hang about six inches down.
Tie fishing line through each of the holes created by the tines of the hanging fork. Tie the other end of each piece of string to the hole in each spoon. The bowl of each spoon should hit the stem of the base fork.
Hang on a tree, and get ready for some music!
Copper Pipe Wind Chime
This elegant copper pipe wind chime will add a touch of style and hint of music to any garden or patio.
Materials:
copper tubing
metal crimper
drill
safety goggles
roll of string
three feet of nylon rope
two round pieces of wood (small, and large)
Directions:
This wind chime uses a round piece of wood from which the copper pipes are suspended. The smaller piece of wood is then hung in between the copper chimes. When the wind blows, the chimes knock against the wood, creating sound.
Cut six separate pipes from the copper tubing. These tubes should vary in length by two inches, with the smallest tube measuring 18 inches and the largest tube measuring 28 inches.
Mark these measurements on the tubing and, using your metal crimper, cut the six pipes.
Wearing your goggles, drill a ¼ inch hole in the top of each pipe. This hole should be about a ½ inch from the top of each pipe.
Drill a ½ inch hole in the center of the large and small pieces of wood.
Drill six ¼ inch holes around the perimeter of the large piece of wood. These holes should be equidistant from one another. This piece of wood will act as the platform for the chimes.
Using your string, thread each pipe through each of the six holes on the large piece of wood. The pipes should hang a couple of inches from the base of the wood platform.
Using your nylon rope, create a loop from which to hang the chime. Thread the end of this loop through the center of the wood platform. To the base of this handle, tie the small piece of wood. The pipes will knock against this wood to create sound.
Hang and enjoy!
Now down here in the South, cornbread is a staple to many people. What better way to utilize a family favorite than to put it in a salad. “WHAT!?” you say! LOL… yes… its not a cornbread dressing, but more of a salad type and its OMG melt in your mouth delish! Especially when you pair it with some slow cooked BBQ or some homemade buttermilk fried chicken!!
Cornbread Salad
Ingredients:
2 pans cooked cornbread
8 slices bacon cooked crisp, broken up
1 purple onion, chopped
1 cup green onion, chopped
2 fresh tomatoes, diced
1 pt. mayonnaise
Pecans
Directions:
Cook your cornbread according to package directions. Allow to cool. Crumb pans into a large mixing bowl. Add all remaining ingredients and stir in mayonnaise. Serve and enjoy!
**BONUS** Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Ingredients
1 (4 pound) chicken, cut into pieces
1-2 cup buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour for coating
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons Emeril Essence
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 quarts vegetable oil for frying
Directions
1. Take your cut up chicken pieces and skin them if you prefer. Place in a bowl or ziploc bag along with the buttermilk and coat the chicken. Place in the fridge and let sit for at least 2 hours… but overnight is better!
2. Put the flour in a large plastic bag (let the amount of chicken you are cooking dictate the amount of flour you use). Season the flour with paprika, essence, garlic, salt and pepper to taste (paprika helps to brown the chicken).
2. Take the pre-dipped chicken pieces in buttermilk then, a few at a time, put them in the bag with the flour, seal the bag and shake to coat well. Place the coated chicken on a cookie sheet or tray, and cover with a clean dish towel or waxed paper. LET SIT UNTIL THE FLOUR IS OF A PASTE-LIKE CONSISTENCY. THIS IS CRUCIAL!
3. PAN: Fill a large skillet (cast iron is best) about 1/3 to 1/2 full with vegetable oil. Heat until VERY hot. Put in as many chicken pieces as the skillet can hold. Brown the chicken in HOT oil on both sides. When browned, reduce heat and cover skillet; let cook for 30 minutes (the chicken will be cooked through but not crispy). Remove cover, raise heat again and continue to fry until crispy. Chicken can also be cooked in a deep fryer as well.
4. Drain the fried chicken on paper towels. Depending on how much chicken you have, you may have to fry in a few shifts. Keep the finished chicken in a slightly warm oven while preparing the rest.
Ok everybody, I am gonna get off here for the day and get busy crafting, gardening, and whatever else I can get into!! Thanks for stopping in and chatting with me and I hope you will come back tomorrow. Until then… HUGS!
Oh I love the sound of chimes! Thanks for some neat ideas. You are probably crafting away as I write this, so I am just stopping to say HI and that I am exciting to see what you are doing. Looks like a good dinner tonight! Well gotta go back to work. See you tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteIts late in the day and boy am I P____ed!! The medical profession is really starting to tick me off. They cancelled my procedure again. So now the ball is in my court, so to speak. Now they will schedule around me and do it when its good for me. Enough is enough! And thats enough of that.
ReplyDeleteI love chimes alot. My DH made a huge one for me out of extra large welding cylinders and built a stand for it out of 4 X 4 lumber. It stands about eight feet tall in my back yard. The weather has given it a rusty kind of old look to it but when the wind (and around here we got lots of wind) catches it, the sound is like church bells ringing. I love it and its one of my things that Hurricane Ike didn't mess up. After the storm and we were cleaning up the mess in our yard, I would walk over to it and grab the ropes and bang it together so the whole neighborhood could hear. "We're still here and no storm is going to take us down" is what the sound rang out. So I'm all for chimes. Little ones, big ones, loud ones, and semi-quiet ones. They can lift your spirit up and make you feel better.
Never heard of corn bread salad. I like cornbread warm with a smear of real butter on it. YUM! The recipe sounds unique; might have to give it a try. And who dont like fried chicken?! Especially when its using buttermilk. That little twang the buttermilk gives the chicken is to die for.I cooked a huge ham last night that made plenty of left overs so tonight might be a ham and augratin potatoes dinner for us. I'll think of something to fill the empty stomaches around here. So til next time.....