Sizzle into Summer - It's a Party #26

Welcome to this week's Sizzle into Summer party.  

Before we get to the party, I thought I would update you.  If you read my blog on Friday you know that I have been pretty sick from some raw sushi I ate while away with my daughter at a tennis tournament.  The test results came in yesterday and as it turns out the culprit is...salmonella.  I'm on antibiotics (and have been since last Thursday - they started them immediately before the results were in) and feeling a little better each day.  I was told by my doctors that I should expect a call from the Board of Health as they are required to report this and the Board of Health follows up on all such cases.  I already called the Wegmans in Malvern, PA (where I ate the sushi) and alerted them.   Thank you so much for all of your well wishes.  It really means the world to me.

Now, back to the fun...Last week's party was filled with amazing and inspiring links.  Here are a few features:

Love this kitchen reveal done by Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom.  Hope you stop by her blog and check out all the details and before photos.

How clever are these dictionary brass napkin rings created by Lovely Beasts.  Even better...they will be available for purchase in her Etsy shop.  Just gorgeous.

I am a big fan of damask...so this dresser made over by Flea Market Makeover really caught my eye.  Love the before and after photos.  Hope you check it out.

I just love this pillow created by DIY Design Fanatic.  This is one I have got to try.

Here's another chalk paint project that makes me want to find a piece of furniture to paint.  I just love this makeover done by Northern Nesting using Old White chalk paint.


If you were featured, please grab an "I've Been Featured" button (you can now find my buttons by clicking on the buttons tab right under my header).  Now let's get started with this week's party.  I can't wait to see what you have been up to.  Link up anything you have been working on...home decor, sewing, crafts, organizing, baking, recipes etc.     I will keep this link open through Friday.  





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A few rules:

1.  Please become a follower.  

2.  Please grab my party button above and display it either on your sidebar or somewhere in your post.  This way word can spread about the party.  The more people at the party, the more fun we will have.

3.  Please enter the link to your actual post, not just a link to your main blog page.

4. Please visit others who have linked up.   Everyone works hard on their projects and blogs...let's show each other some love by visiting each other.  Let's have some fun and hopefully make a few new friends along the way.

Ok...Let's Party

-Judy

Over at At The Picket Fence

I'm guest posting over at At The Picket Fence today.  Hope you link over to check it out.





Also, don't forget to stop back tonight at 8pm EST to join in my Sizzle into Summer party.  

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Hope to see you then.
-Judy

The Art of Folding Towels and Linens

When I envision the perfect linen closet, I picture something Martha Stewart would create.

Image from MarthaStewart.com 

What makes this closet so visually appealing?  For starters, everything is neat and organized.  One of the most important elements that help create it's neat and organized appearance is that it is filled with beautifully coordinated sheets and towels all folded perfectly.  

Image from MarthaStewart.com

Even if you don't have perfectly coordinated sheets and towels for your home (really, how many of us do?) you can make the most of what you have by learning to fold them uniformly.  It's really not as hard as you would think.

First:  Start with your largest towels...typically a bath towel.  Usually I begin with freshly washed and dried towels.  I like to fold on top of my washer and dryer, however any flat surface will do.  I lay the towel out and hand smooth until all the wrinkles have disappeared (or at least mostly).

Second: Lengthwise, I fold the towel into thirds.  I can play with the width depending on the width of the shelves I will be putting the towels on.

Third:   I start folding toward the center until I am two-thirds done.  Then I fold the other side in toward the center. Then fold together.

Voila!

The same folding method works on your sheets as well.

To demonstrate I used a twin sheet set, however the same applies to any size.
   I fold the sheet in half and then in half again.

Then fold in into thirds the same way as the towels.

Fold toward the center for first two-thirds, then fold from other side, then fold together.

The fitted sheet works the same way with one variation.  Once you have folded the fitted sheet in half, you must tuck the fitted corners into each other before folding into thirds.

Then fold into thirds and follow directions above.

In no time, your sheets are folded perfectly.

Image from MarthaStewart.com

With these easy steps you linen closet can look like Martha Stewart's in no time.

Hope you have a great day!

-Judy

My Sushi Days Are Over

When it rains, it pours.  So as I wrote earlier in the week I have come down with a case of TMJ.  My jaw has been very sore and it has been hard to eat anything that requires much chewing.  On Saturday I was still away with my daughter at her tournament and we went into a Wegman's grocery store outside of Philadelphia and I bought a raw tuna roll for lunch.  I couldn't figure out what else to get that wouldn't hurt my jaw.   My eleven year old daughter told me three times I shouldn't buy it.  She kept saying, "you know daddy always says don't eat Sushi from a grocery store".  The woman behind the counter made it "fresh" for me so I felt some comfort that it hadn't been sitting there.

Well with each day that passed this week I got a little sicker and sicker.  By yesterday I was very sick and experiencing pain like I had never felt before (except for maybe labor).  After some emergency tests were performed I was diagnosed with Acute Infectious Colitis.  Basically very bad bacteria got into my body via a food I ate...hence the raw sushi.  Still waiting to hear exactly which bacteria is ravaging my body.  I am on antibiotics now (that should kill the typical offenders) and the doctor said hopefully by tomorrow I will start to feel a little better.  By doctor's orders no raw sushi for at least a year.  If you ask me...I'm done with raw...period!!

Hopefully by next week everything will be back to normal.

In the meantime, please notice in my sidebar that you can now subscribe to my blog via e-mail.

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Hope you have a great weekend.  I'll be lying here trying to recover.

-Judy

Rag Dolls - Two Ways

There's a heat wave hitting much of the country.  When it's too hot to be outside, how about a fun craft project to keep you busy inside.  Here are two rag dolls I made for my daughter a few summers ago...pre-blog...was there actually life before blogging (Lol)...

Both dolls are made with muslin.  Muslin is to doll crafts what drop cloths are to home decor.  Muslin is super inexpensive so it makes the perfect material for these dolls.

As with any doll, it all comes down to the face.  For this doll I used black rounded buttons and hand painted the rest using a fabric paint in a squeeze bottle.

I made the clothing out of calico fabric bought at JoAnn's.

Her hair was made by ripping strips of muslin and tying knots at one end and hot gluing it to her head.

The other doll is more of a scarecrow rag doll.  I used pinking sheers to cut out the pattern.

Again I hand painted the face.  I made the hair out of raffia and tied off the neck, arms and legs using it as well.

The first doll pattern was from Simplicity.  Can't remember if I had a pattern for the second one or if I just modified the first.  That's the best part about using muslin and making dolls.  They don't have to be exactly perfect to look cute.

What do you think of these two cuties?  Do you think you will try one this summer?

Can't wait to see what you think.

-Judy

Sizzle into Summer - It's a Party #25

Welcome to this week's Sizzle into Summer party.  Before I get into the party I want to remind everyone that I will be guest posting over at

All this week, Swoon Style and Home, will be hosting their Mid-Summer Swoon series.  I will be doing a guest post over there on Wednesday.  Come check out what some of your favorite bloggers are swooning over this summer.   Hope to see you there!

Last week there were so many awesome and inspiring links.  Here are the features for this week:

Fancy Frugal Life created this for the gift table at her brother's wedding.  How unique and cool!  A truly beautiful display.

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!! That's what I think of this master bedroom re-do by Conspicuous Style.  

Hope you stop by to check out all the pics from the bedroom reveal.

I love this girl's bedroom makeover done by Michele Raven Designs.  So sweet and shabby chic.  Hope you stop by to check out all the details.

You must go and check out the before to truly appreciate the after of these chairs transformed by Uncommon Goodness.  What a transformation!!

I love the hand painted wall that was created by Living in the Woods.  So much hard work went into this wall.  Hope you stop by her site to check it all out.

If you were featured, please grab an "I've Been Featured" button (you can now find my buttons by clicking on the buttons tab right under my header).  Now let's get started with this week's party.  I can't wait to see what you have been up to.  Link up anything you have been working on...home decor, sewing, crafts, organizing, baking, recipes etc.     I will keep this link open through Friday.  

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A few rules:

1.  Please become a follower.  

2.  Please grab my party button above and display it either on your sidebar or somewhere in your post.  This way word can spread about the party.  The more people at the party, the more fun we will have.

3.  Please enter the link to your actual post, not just a link to your main blog page.

4. Please visit others who have linked up.   Everyone works hard on their projects and blogs...let's show each other some love by visiting each other.  Let's have some fun and hopefully make a few new friends along the way.

Ok...Let's Party

-Judy

Let's Swoon Together

About ten days ago my jaw started to hurt.  I thought I had an impacted wisdom tooth, but when I went to the dentist it turns out that I don't have a wisdom tooth on that side at all.  He diagnosed it as a slight case of TMJ.  Well that slight case has escalated over the past five days to down-right severe.  Has anyone ever had this?  I can hardly open my mouth and eating is nearly impossible.  I am off to an oral surgeon (apparently the specialist to see for TMJ) at 1pm today.  I'd love any advice on how to deal with this from anyone out there who has gone through this. Thanks so much.

This is apparently the muscle that is causing all the pain (I'm beyond calling it discomfort).

Ok...on to more exciting business.

All this week, Swoon Style and Home, will be hosting their Mid-Summer Swoon series.  I will be doing a guest post over there on Wednesday.  Come check out what some of your favorite bloggers are swooning over this summer.   Hope to see you there!

-Judy