Blog Swap...It's so Very Cheri! (and a giveaway)

I am so excited about today's post...

I have a GUEST BLOGGER!

A few weeks ago, It's so Very Cheri asked me if I wanted to do a blog swap with her.  She wanted me to do a tutorial on a beaded watch and she would share her amazing creativity with a tutorial on my blog.  Well...wasn't gonna pass up on that opportunity! If you haven't been to It's So Very Cheri...you are missing out! She is one creative gal!

 

So...let me introduce you to my new blog friend...

Hello Ladies,

My name is Cheri and I am from Its So Very Cheri.

I began blogging about 6 months ago and have a wonderful following of gals.  I love getting to know them better.  I love meeting new people.  My blog was on the front page of BlogRankings when it was only 3 1/2 months old, so I feel very blessed to have grown like I have,
but I would be tickled pink if I got about 10 times bigger.

I would love to have a business finding old homes, putting my own unique touch to them and then reselling them. I just found an awesome all brick, 6 bedroom, older home but it is in a poor area of town.  It is listed under $50,000-can you believe that?  I wish I could buy it, buy an acre of land in a nice area, have a new basement dug, have the house moved to the new property and then add on a mud room and garage.  I would love to restore it, one room at a time, blogging about all my projects-but my husband is in school, plus my husband said we would have to find creative financing-a typical lender wouldn't go with it, so for now I can only dream.

I was an Interior Decorating Major with a Minor in Marketing. I was born on Christmas Day. I have 2 sisters while Prince Charming has/had 2 brothers (1 passed away). We have 4 kiddos and 2 in heaven.

I love DIY projects
  

I thought you would enjoy learning an easy peasy Christmas ornament project.  

It looks vintage and smells wonderful.

So today, we are going to make

"OIL RUBBED BRONZE Gingerbread Men"

I created this recipe by myself.

For the Dough you will need:

1 Cup of Applesauce

1 1/2 Cups of Flour

1/3 Cup of Cinnamon (For Craft Projects, I get my cinnamon from Dollar General for 50 cents)

A few drops of Cinnamon Oil to make them smell wonderful

You will also need:
Cookie Cutters

a drinking straw

I used RAW UMBER Americana Craft Paint

and

Metalic Bronze from Craft Smart (I got both paints at JoAnn's)

A cookie sheet

An oven

some material ripped into about 1 inch strips that are 9" long

Paper towels

cheap sponge applicators

Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint

Mix the dough together till it is a good consistancy-not too sticky, not too dry.  (If you need to add more applesauce or more flour to get a nice elastic dough--do so, and then roll it out, on a floured surface.

Cut the dough out with cookie cutters.  Use the straw to make a hole in the top of the head.

Bake them at 200 degress for about 30 minutes.

Carefully flip them over and cook at 200 degrees for another 30 minutes on the other side.
My 2 yr old and 4 yr old where helping me paint last night, then they wanted to do another craft so I let them each make a glittery candle cane 

I then let them air dry over night.  The next morning I flipped them and baked them again for about 30 minutes at 200 degress, then flipped them and cooked them for about an hour at 200 degrees.  Then I painted them the Raw Umber color.  Once dry, I added the Metallic Bronze, wiped a lot off with the paper towel.  Added some more raw umber, wiped some off, a little more bronze-wiped some off.

I ended with Raw Umber leaving some of the bronze showing while having other areas covered with more of the raw umber color. I spritzed over them with Raw Umber paint.

I then fed the ripped material through the hole as my hanger and tied a knot in the top if it.

Stayed tuned-I have a really cute Christmas project in the works with--YES toilet paper, paper towel, gift wrap tubes...Start saving them. STAY TUNED

Any ideas what this might BECOME???

 OR THIS? 

Other projects you might enjoy seeing from my blog:

I made Chocolate Pumpkins
I made my own cloche

Thank you so much for having me.  I hope you had fun.  Now head over to my blog to see Teri
Its So Very Cheri

Thanks Cheri...I'm pretty sure a few of my friends and neighbors will be getting some cute and good smelling presents with the goodie plates this year!

Don't forget to head over to It's So Very Cheri to see my tutorial on making a beaded watch...best part about it...

I'm giving it away!

go here for details!