Hobby Lobby Finds

Announcing May’s Freebie Winner!

~ Midwest Storyteller

May is known for being merry and for the flowers brought on my April’s showers, but let’s not forget the First Friday Freebie.  Meet the winner – 

Ruby from Boonville, Missouri!

Congratulations, Ruby!  Thank you for the photo and I’m glad you like the reminder that “Everything is ‘figure-out-able’”.  It may not win any grammar prizes, but it does help us take a deep breath in the midst of the stuff of life and let our worries go.

Ruby has been a winner here at Midwest Storyteller before and that’s because she is faithful to enter the drawing each and every month. 

This little wooden block was a Hobby Lobby find.  If you’d like to see the original freebie offer, click here. 

You can see past First Friday Freebies and their winners on my Freebies! page here.  If you’re not yet a subscriber to Midwest Storyteller they might entice you to become one – First Friday Freebies are for email subscribers only.

Ruby is a long-time subscriber.  All she did was enter her email in the subscription area here on the blog and then confirm her subscription when the confirmation email arrived in her inbox.  If you’ve done that and not received a confirmation email, please email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com and let me know as I am trying to work out a few bugs with that.  It seems that from time to time, a subscription will get “stuck”. 

Subscribing is the best way to avoid missing what’s new here on the blog because you’ll get an email reminder each time there’s something new – like when there’s a FREEBIE on the First Friday of every month.

Comment as directed on the post that offers the Freebie and you’ll be entered to win. 

Freebies help me reach more people with my stories, recipes and more.  When you share with all your friends via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, you’ll give them the opportunity to subscribe and win also.  Subscribing is free.  Freebies are free.  Are you catching on this is a free thing?

Coming soon:  June’s First Friday Freebie in celebration of summer!  That takes place on Friday, June 4th.   You’ll be able to see a photo of the Freebie and enter to win at any point all day that day.  Don’t forget to check the email that you used to subscribe for notification that you’ve won.

A winner is chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight on the day of the drawing. 

ONCE AGAIN:  Should your name be drawn as the winner, you will be notified via the email you used to subscribe.  That means you’ll need to check your email often in the week following the drawing so that you can respond and keep the prize from being offered to someone else.

Take a moment make yourself familiar with the complete Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.

These four simple steps will have you ready to enter to win on Friday, June 4th, 2021. 

I can only hope that June in your neck of the woods is as beautiful as it is here right now.  Perfect temperatures, lush greenery and beautiful blooms are all around.

Of Course, You “May” Have a Freebie!

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 7 Comments

I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later.  There would come a month that I would go straight from First Friday to First Friday with nary a post in between.  All I can say about this regrettable situation is that this is what happens when your daily charge is 16 months old, walking and talking and it’s also weed pulling/planting time.  I had loads of fun this week, but most of it was spent as being Lil’ Snookie’s on-demand playmate.  I didn’t bother to count, but today it felt like we played 4,672 games of “Pi!” (his way of saying “Surprise!”).  This involves running around to opposite sides of the bed, ducking down, popping up with hands in the air to say “Pi!” and then ducking back down to crawl/toddle around the end of the bed where we meet to giggle and tussle. 

One of us is thrilled to no end with this and the other is overwhelmed by the cuteness but not getting to the computer to be much of a storyteller.  My apologies, but I’m not gonna quit my day job.

Oh, well, as my mother used to say, it’ll all come out in the wash.

I love the sayings people have that serve as a reminder to shrug off worry.  The Scriptures tell us not to worry about tomorrow because each day has enough troubles of its own.  How true!  Worrying today about tomorrow only piles more troubles onto a day that already is bound to have its own share of ups and downs.

At various times when I listen to the Trim Healthy Mama podcast, I’ve heard Serene and Pearl share that their mother often says, “Things come and things go” when asked about life’s difficulties.

Perhaps it’s weed-pulling season that brings these sayings to mind, for it does give me time to ponder and pluck up not only the weeds from the ground, but weedy worries from my mind.  The beauty of spring helps with that – everything’s starting over.

That’s why this month’s First Friday Freebie caught my eye.  I thought it might serve as a great reminder to one of my special readers who needs to pluck up some worries and toss them out.

Everything is Figure-out-able www.midweststoryteller.com

This inspirational table or shelf décor will help you do just that.  While I’m not sure that absolutely everything is figure-out-able (because there are just some things we are not meant to know), I love this saying.  It’s another phrase that will stick in your head to remind you that your sticky situation is going to go just as it came, or come out in the final wash or you’re going to be granted a solution.  The wood block from The Spring Shop is one of my Hobby Lobby finds and measures 4” X 3”, so it will tuck in perfectly amongst your other décor.  The white lettering and painted floral accent bring the message with a hint of summer.

To enter to win the “Everything is Figure-out-able” wood block, all you need to do is “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “This may be the best day ever!”  You’ll need to do that before midnight TONIGHT, May 7th, 2021!

NOTE:  There seems to be an occasional problem with subscribers not receiving r confirmation emails.  If this happens, please email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com and let me know so that I can report it and have the issue resolved.

First Friday Freebies are for email SUBSCRIBERS ONLY, so you’ll want to subscribe over on the right sidebar or use the menu to navigate to the “Contact” page where you can subscribe to Midwest Storyteller if you haven’t done so.

Help me get the word out so that more people can enjoy the stories, recipes, laughter and, of course, the FREEBIES here on the blog, too, so share with all your friends and family through all your social media. If you like an idea, recipe or story you see here, be sure to hover over the photo and “pin it”.

Subscribers win every single month!  On the “Freebies” page, you’ll be able to see what they’ve been winning.

A winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight, May 7th by leaving a comment which says, “This may be the best day ever!”  After you do that, you can go out and have fun, smell the flowers, pluck a weed or two and toss them out with your troubles. It’s spring!  Sow a little positivity.

For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, click here. 

Those four steps are simple and quick! Why not subscribe and confirm right now before you forget?

How are you enjoying this most beautiful month of the year?  What new things and old favorites are you growing in you garden? I’d love it if you’d share in the comments. 

April’s Freebie – At Home in the Sunshine State!

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 1 Comment

If you’ve been a regular here at Midwest Storyteller, you can’t help but be familiar with April’s winner of my First Friday Freebie.  I was so happy to send it on its way to – 

Diane Yates in Lake Alfred, Florida!

Congratulations, Diane!  I hope you enjoy this little birdie as you stroll along your garden path.

Diane has made previous appearances here on the blog.  She’s a fellow writer and great friend and I know that some of you have either won as a freebie or purchased one of her great books.  You can find them all at dianeyates.com

If you missed my interview with Diane, check it out here.

This garden pick by Spring Shop was a Hobby Lobby find.  I love a great excuse to visit that store (as you can probably tell).  If you’d like to see the original freebie offer, click here. 

You can see past First Friday Freebies and their winners on my Freebies! page here.  If you’re not yet a subscriber to Midwest Storyteller they might entice you to become one – First Friday Freebies are for email subscribers only.

Diane entered her email in the subscription area here on the blog and then confirmed her subscription when the confirmation email arrived in her inbox.  If you’ve done that and not received a confirmation email, please email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com and let me know as I am trying to work out a few bugs with that.  It seems that from time to time, a subscription will get “stuck”. 

Subscribing is the best way to avoid missing what’s new here on the blog because you’ll get an email reminder each time there’s something new – like when there’s a FREEBIE on the First Friday of every month.

Comment as directed on the post that offers the Freebie and you’ll be entered to win. 

Freebies help me reach more people with my stories, recipes and more.  When you share with all your friends via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, you’ll give them the opportunity to subscribe and win also.  Subscribing is free.  Freebies are free.  Are you catching on this is a free thing?

Coming soon:  May’s First Friday Freebie!  That takes place on Friday, May 7th.   You’ll be able to see a photo of the Freebie and enter to win at any point all day that day.  Don’t forget to check the email that you used to subscribe for notification that you’ve won.

A winner is chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight on the day of the drawing. 

ONCE AGAIN:  Should your name be drawn as the winner, you will be notified via the email you used to subscribe.  That means you’ll need to check your email often in the week following the drawing so that you can respond and keep the prize from being offered to someone else.

Take a moment make yourself familiar with the complete Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.

These four simple steps will have you ready to enter to win on Friday, May 7th, 2021.  And, by the way, welcome to the most beautiful month of the year!  Well, at least if you live in the Midwest.

It’s Freebie Time – No Foolin’!

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 11 Comments

That was yesterday.  And I didn’t play a prank on anybody, although I did have a really good laugh at Smuffy’s expense, but that’s a story for another day.

April has arrived and I’m so excited.  March consisted of winter, false spring, scenes from Wuthering Heights, Spring Glimmer, See One Bloom and Dance Day, followed by Curly Girl Wind Alert Week and then Sunny Winter.  April, though often rainy, brings a slight reduction in meteorological mood swings.  (Except for those tornadoes and we try not to think about those.)

And, of course, it brings to those who are subscribers of Midwest Storyteller, a First Friday Freebie!  Today’s the day, so let’s look at what you can enter to win –

Hobby Lobby Garden Pick www.midweststoryteller.com

This garden pick by The Spring Shop is yet another great Hobby Lobby find.  It will not only add some whimsy and color to your flower bed or pot, but also a faint tinkle should the wind set the little bell in motion.  A cute little bird and red flower adorn this metal pick and will draw the eye to whatever plants you want to accent.

To enter to win the bird and bell garden pick, all you need to do is “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “Let’s get outside!”  You’ll need to do that before midnight TONIGHT, April 2nd, 2021!

NOTE:  There seems to be an occasional problem here on the blog with subscribers not receiving their confirmation email.  If this happens, please email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com and let me know so that I can report these instances and have the issue resolved.

First Friday Freebies are for email SUBSCRIBERS ONLY, so you’ll want to subscribe over on the right sidebar or use the menu to navigate to the “Contact” page where you can subscribe to Midwest Storyteller if you haven’t done so.

Your friends will enjoy the stories, recipes, laughter and, of course, the FREEBIES here on the blog, too, so share with all your friends and family through all your social media. If you like an idea, recipe or story you see here, be sure to hover over the photo and “pin it”.

Subscribers win every single month!  On the “Freebies” page, you’ll be able to see what they’ve been winning.

A winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight, April 2nd by leaving a comment which says, “Let’s get outside!”  After that, please, go outside!

For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, click here. 

Those four steps are simple and quick! Why not subscribe and confirm right now before you forget?

Much more important that this being Freebie Day, it is Good Friday (or God’s Friday).  I pray all the blessings upon you that the Messiah gave His life on this day to bestow upon you.  Spend these Holy Days with your family and enjoy one another.  Sunday for us is the grandest, happiest day of the whole year as we celebrate that fact that the tomb was found empty and Jesus is ALIVE! 

Comments?  How are you celebrating this glorious weekend?  I’d love it if you’d share. 

Say Hello to March’s Freebie Winner – AGAIN!

~ Midwest Storyteller

Disclaimer:  Lest you think this drawing is rigged, I hereby announce that this is a first in my First Friday Freebie world. 

Our February winner is also our March winner!  Let’s meet the two-in-a-row winner – 

Christine in Boonville, Missouri!

Congratulations, Christine!  Christine has certainly found out that it pays to subscribe and then enter to win – maybe not early, but certainly often. Thanks so much for sending me this photo.

This adorable bunny pillow cover is a great Hobby Lobby find that will bring Christine’s décor right into the spirit of spring.  If you’d like to see the original freebie offer, click here.  If you’d like to see what Christine won last month, click here.

You can see past First Friday Freebies and their winners on my Freebies! page here.If you’re not yet a subscriber to Midwest Storyteller they might entice you to become one – First Friday Freebies are for email subscribers only.

Christine entered her email in the subscription area here on the blog and then confirmed her subscription when the confirmation email arrived in her inbox.  If you’ve done that and not received a confirmation email, please email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com and let me know as I am trying to work out a few bugs with that.  It seems that from time to time, a subscription will get “stuck”. 

Subscribing is the best way to avoid missing what’s new here on the blog because you’ll get an email reminder each time there’s something new – like when there’s a FREEBIE on the First Friday of every month.

Comment as directed on the post that offers the Freebie and you’ll be entered to win. 

Freebies help me reach more people with my stories, recipes and more.  When you share with all your friends via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, you’ll give them the opportunity to subscribe and win also.  Subscribing is free.  Freebies are free.  Are you catching on this is a free thing?

Coming soon:  April’s First Friday Freebie!  That takes place on Friday, April 2nd.   You’ll be able to see a photo of the Freebie and enter to win at any point all day that day.  Don’t forget to check the email that you used to subscribe for notification that you’ve won.

A winner is chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight on the day of the drawing. 

REMEMBER:  Should your name be drawn as the winner, you will be notified via the email you used to subscribe.  That means you’ll need to check your email often in the week following the drawing so that you can respond and keep the prize from being offered to someone else.

Take a moment make yourself familiar with the complete Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.

These four simple steps will have you ready to enter to win on Friday, April 2nd, 2021.  No foolin’!

Life with Smuffy (Special Episode – Part 5 of ?): “A Trim Healthy Pantry and Some Plywood”

~ Midwest Storyteller

Sometimes, it’s the little things in life that make all the difference.  For instance, Smuffy’s custom “farmhouse sink” installation.  That certainly breathed new life into the old kitchen!  But, alas, I suppose I’m one to never be satisfied, because I found myself wanting more of life’s little luxuries.

The last few weeks have brought some advancements that have at least gotten the kitchen back into the kitchen.  If you’d like to see my “Not-A-Kitchen” which was in the dining room, click here.  With Smuffy’s addition of plywood along one kitchen wall, we now have a countertop (sort of) and I’ve cut my trusty vinyl tablecloth in half and moved it onto the counter to be able to wipe up messes and keep the plywood from getting icky.  Just in case you’re wondering, those don’t rank high in durability.  The poor thing has lost its luster and has a couple of melted spots and will soon be ready for the trash can.  Bless its tacky lil’ heart, though, it has helped it make this giant leap into actually cooking in the kitchen!

In order to allow for adjusting the base cabinets, there are gaps in the temporary countertops.  This makes food prep interesting as I try my dog-gone-dest not to drop food and utensils down inside those holes.  While I am grateful for each baby step forward in this kitchen remodel, I do have to admit, if I am being totally honest, that there are some days when I’ve had just about as much ugly as I can stand.  And weird storage made of cardboard boxes stacked on their sides.  And this hot plate that is second only to my old stove in the category of “burners with minds of their own”.

I am loving the giant drawers Smuffy made. They hold a lot of stuff and I’m loving the smooth glide.

This has all gone on for so long now that I feel the urge to go over next week and personally escort the countertop installers to my door for my appointment just to be sure they don’t get lost or end up at the wrong house or something.  Perhaps I should also deliver nourishing meals to their door between now and then to reduce the likelihood of them calling in sick on the Big Day.

I like to find my bright spots where I can and when Smuffy finished my pantry, I was over the moon!  He advised me to cram it tight “for now” and wait for the final touches until the kitchen was much further along.  I vetoed that idea, knowing that it would give me a much needed mental boost to have a spot of loveliness and an area of organization.  I added the large red and cream medallion print wallpaper I’d chosen as a backdrop for all my pantry goodies and headed to Hobby Lobby to stock up on lots of nice jars and chalk labels (at half price, of course) for my ingredients.  The tall, antique ten-pane casement window will show off my efforts.  My theory is that you can always put anything unsightly in a nearby closed drawer.

As you can see, all my ingredients are conveniently at hand for making THM plan-friendly meals – my Gluccie, beef collagen, gelatin, baking blend, stevia, Super Sweet, Gentle Sweet and all the rest.  It’s really been a stress reliever to have this small area of the kitchen complete. The pantry goes floor to ceiling, so I overlapped three photos here. That’s the explanation for any oddities in viewing.

All the shelves are adjustable with strips and clips that make them easy to move, but it took me longer to get those exactly where I wanted them than it did to wallpaper the whole thing!

Some of the items won’t stay in the pantry, such as my food processor, blender and mugs, but right now they have no other home, so…

This concludes Part 5 of these special episodes of my Life With Smuffy.  With each completed step, I remind him that he’s my hero.  He’s not all about remodeling – not by a long shot – so check out his page if you need stories to curl your hair and broaden your smile.

The kitchen makeover chronicles include my embarrassing “before” photos in “Death of a Kitchen”.  After that, you can catch up with “A Glimmer of Hope and Stainless Steel”, “Birth Pains of a Kitchen” and “My Not-A-Kitchen Kitchen”. 

Next week, when I finally stop kissing and stroking my new countertops, I’ll be back to share the joy!

I’m curious. How do you organize your kitchen?  Do you have a pantry? Do you stock it only with food and ingredients or pots, pans and small appliances?  Do you have any great organizational tips?  Leave a comment!

Here’s August’s Freebie Winner!

~ Midwest Storyteller

We welcomed August with a pineapple, a symbol of welcome, or perhaps not, as we discussed in the original post.  Let’s see who won the drawing for the First Friday Freebie and welcomed it into their home –

Freebie Winner Eva www.midweststoryteller.com

Eva from New Franklin, Missouri!

This shabby little bit of metal décor from Hobby Lobby will liven up Eva’s walls, that is, if her daughter doesn’t latch onto it for her own room.  I’m told she’s enjoying a pineapple craze at the moment. Do teenagers do that? 

Congratulations and enjoy, Eva – whichever one of you ends up with it!

Eva has entered to win multiple times as one of my faithful subscribers.  She commented as instructed when she received her email on the first Friday of the month.  That’s all it took to enter her name into the drawing.

Freebies are my way of reaching out to more folks who might enjoy the various stories, recipes and more here at Midwest Storyteller.  Seriously now, would you want one of your friends to miss an episode of my Life with Smuffy? Why not share with all your friends via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest so they’ll be able to subscribe?  Subscribing is every bit as free as the freebie!

Freebies happen every month.  Check out my Freebies page to see the winner and the free gifts they’ve won.

 The August drawing is coming on up Friday, September 6th.

A winner is chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight on the day of the drawing by leaving a comment as instructed in the post. 

An important thing to remember is that should your name be drawn as the winner, you will be notified via the email you used to subscribe.  That means you’ll need to check your email often in the days following the drawing so that you can respond and keep the prize from being offered to someone else.

Be sure to take a moment make yourself familiar with the Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.

These four simple steps will have you ready to enter to win on September 6th, 2019.

Leave a comment!  On a desktop computer, scroll back up under the title of this post and let me know what you’re thinking.  On various devices, you may find “Leave a Comment” at the bottom of the post.

It’s August! Say “Hello” to the Freebie (or is it “Goodbye”)?

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 8 Comments

I’ve heard for years that the pineapple is a symbol, especially in Hawaiian culture, used to give one’s guests a hearty “Welcome!”  A pineapple in your entry hall or used in your tablescape can indicate more than just a liking for tropical décor. 

Recently, however, a friend told me of another custom.  It seems that when you’ve had house guests and enjoyed their company for just about as long as you can stand it, you leave a pineapple in their room.  It’s meant to imply, more or less, “Here’s a lovely parting gift, because it’s time for you to go!”

The latter is a fabulous idea as a mannerly way to avoid conflict or hurt feelings.  Of course, it does little good and merely provides a nutritious snack if your house guests haven’t heard of the custom.  I promise that this month’s First Friday Freebie is meant to welcome you to Midwest Storyteller and to invite you to stay as long as you like!

Pineapple Metal Wall Art www.midweststoryteller,com

This pineapple from Hobby Lobby, at 10 inches tall and 5 inches wide, will be a great addition various styles of décor, including farmhouse styles, due to its neutral color and weathered appearance.  A shabby bit of metal art that sits close to the wall or nestles into the back of a bookshelf, it’s a great way to welcome guests to your home. It’s shown in the photo above hanging on my fence, so it could also welcome guests to your back yard.

I suppose you could let it make a sudden appearance on the nightstand should you have some guests who linger a bit long, but I’ll leave that up to you.

To enter to win the metal pineapple décor, all you need to do is “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “I welcome First Friday Freebies!”  You’ll need to do that before midnight TONIGHT, August 2nd, 2019!  Important:  Once you’ve entered, you MUST keep checking the email address you used to subscribe or you may not know you’ve won and have to forfeit your free gift.

All my Freebies occur on the First Friday of each month and last for one day only, so share with all your friends and family TODAY through social media, send them the link in an email or just plain tell them, “Hey!  It’s Freebie Day!”    

Good intentions will not help you enter to win before midnight tonight so you had better navigate to the comment section now before you forget!

First Friday Freebies are for email SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.  You can subscribe by going to the right sidebar or use the menu to navigate to the “Contact” page and subscribe to Midwest Storyteller if you haven’t done so already.  Confirming your subscription through the confirmation email you’ll receive is absolutely necessary, so don’t forget that!

Use the Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest icons on this page to help you share with friends.

See past gifts and their winners on my “Freebies” page.

Remember, a winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight by leaving a comment which says, “I welcome First Friday Freebies!”

I send Freebies to any winner who lives within the continental United States.  For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, CLICK HERE. 

Glitches happen.  If you subscribe and do not receive a confirmation email for some reason, please email me and let me know at barb@midweststoryteller.com

Enjoy this last full month of summer and prepare yourself!  I have a couple of things I’d like to tell you about my Life With Smuffy.

Re-Purposed Gift Bags on the Cheap!

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 1 Comment

I’ve figured out why they call it “The Merry, Merry Month of May”.  If ever a month came pre-loaded with celebrations, May wins the prize!

There’s the given – graduations.  They rarely come in singles.  There always seems to be a wedding or two, not to mention showers in anticipation of the weddings in June.  Mother’s Day comes along and since a portion of those mothers became one in May, there are birthdays and the parties that go with them.

Do you ever feel like you’re spending more on gift wrap than gifts?  I’m definitely a rescuer and a saver, but I don’t want to go down in history as the lady who left this earth having owned the most cottage cheese containers.  I want a purpose or a re-purpose for my stash.  I want to do something with my frugal hoard and part of that hoard is merchandizing bags from stores that I just know I can turn into beautiful gift bags.

Today, I want to share a money saving idea you can pull off without losing your mind.  All you need is store bags (hopefully ones that do not have wrap-around logos printed on them), scissors, ruler, glue and your “stash” – whatever that means to you – and possibly some kids or grandkids if you really want to have some fun and you are one of those people who is at peace with the concept that it’s the process that counts – not the product.

Re-purposing Bags for Gifting www.midweststoryteller.com

Here’s part of my stash, including the gift bag project in mid-progress.  I have a Cricut die-cutting machine.  Believe it or not, I even got that at the Goodwill Store!  Don’t tuck your tail between your legs if you don’t have a fancy machine.  I’ll give you some ideas for working without one.

I find that Dollar Tree and Tuesday Morning are great sources for finding doo-dads on the cheap.  A full sheet of sparkly jeweled stickers for around a dollar will last you through many a creative binge.  I do some scrapbooking, so I always have leftover snippets and papers to cut up for projects.  You can often pick up a book of coordinating papers at Hobby Lobby at half price, but if you don’t want to do that, scrounge around for some cardstock, old wallpaper or wrapping paper that isn’t too thin.  Kids love working with thin, colorful sheets of fun foam, available at Hobby Lobbyand they can cut out flowers, leaves, trucks, letters and numbers and anything else they have a notion to draw or trace onto the foam.  Dollar stores also have full sheets of themed embellishments for scrap-bookers.  All you have to do with those is cover the bag’s logo with a shape you’ve cut from foam or paper and stick the embellishments all over it and your once-a-throw-away bag is redeemed.  How about the fronts of those fancy greeting cards you’ve been given?  There’s some fabulous artwork you can use to decorate your bags!

If the bag rescue idea appeals to you, but you want to avoid the expense of a Cricut or other machine, there are some fun tools to watch for when you’re out bargain hunting.  Decorative scissors are inexpensive and will trim the edges of your papers into scallops, ocean waves or a number of other designs.  They are usually around five dollars.  Punches are fabulous things.  You can align paper along a printed guide, punch the design and slide the paper again to punch long strips or all the way around a shape.  They come in geometrics, florals, eyelet and lace designs and more. I’ve found them at Tuesday Morning at prices between three and ten dollars, depending on the size.  Martha Stewart makes quality punches in varied styles. Visit the link to see what is available and then watch for sales in stores that carry office and craft items. Metallic pens come in a wide array of colors and can be used to add sparkle to the edges of cut paper.  If you have no fancy scissors or tools, why not tear the edges of your paper by hand?  Once you’ve given it a jagged edge, use the metallic pens to highlight the torn edges and make them pop against the background.  Backgrounds are important.  A layered effect always makes an embellishment project look much more professional.

Since I do have a Cricut machine (and they are marvels, to be sure), I used leftover scrapbooking paper to cut designs that I felt would be useful for any upcoming gifting needs.  As you can see, I just glued the design onto its contrasting background and then glued the whole thing right over the original business logo.

Next, I used a few cheap stickers from my sparkly jewel collection to add some pizzazz to the design.  You certainly don’t have to do this, but even just a few tiny embellishments will take your design to the next level and give it a designer flair rather than just a look’s-like-she-couldn’t-find-a-gift-bag-but-she-could-find-a-gluestick-project.

Here are the bags, before and after being be-jeweled.  Little things mean a lot, don’t they? Zoom in for the thrill of the sparkle.

Gift Bags Bejeweled www.midweststoryteller.com

Speaking of glue, I highly recommend Martha Stewart craft glue as seen here.  It dries clear, doesn’t string, gives you thirty seconds or so for wiggling items into place and then the items stay put!  If I run out of it, I will put off a project until I can get some because of the frustration it saves me.

Once you’re finished, the bags are ready for colorful tissue and maybe even a cute tag or a ribbon tied onto the handle if you want to get that fancy.

Shopping Bags Transformed www.midweststoryteller.com

Here are my finished bags.  Now for the rest of the stack I have saved up in the closet. Call me cheap, but my mama would be proud!

I do love a rescue project and handmade gifts and this combines the two.  Need more ideas?  Take a look at the wooden utensil project I did with my friend Kathy here, the falling-off-a-log-easy gifts here, rescued vintage tablecloths here, Sweet Annie wreaths here, and what to do with those pretty leaves you can’t resist picking up here.  After all that, you’ll need to treat yourself.  Relax with some homemade sugar scrub here.

Any questions?  I’d love to hear your comments.  Is there anything you’ve repurposed that the rest of us are throwing away? 

Announcing April’s Freebie Winner!

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 1 Comment

I’m excited to meet the latest winner of my First Friday Freebie and to introduce you to –

Margie from Farmington, West Virginia!

I’ve seen Margie’s name pop up in the entries before and this time her persistence paid off when she won the floral metal art wall hook from Hobby Lobby.

Congratulations, Margie!  I hope it finds a great place in your home to add a little cheer.

If you’d like to see the original freebie offer, click here.

A freebie offer appears the first Friday of every month.  Check out my Freebies page to see the winner and their free gifts they’ve won here at Midwest Storyteller.

Subscribe now and you’ll be notified via email of May’s drawing.  You never know what I might be giving away. 

The next First Friday Freebie drawing will be on Friday, May 3, 2019 and only SUBSCRIBERS can win!

A winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight on the day of the drawing by leaving a comment as instructed in the post.  See the recently revised rules below.

Be sure to take a moment make yourself familiar with the Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.

These four simple steps will have you ready to enter to win on May 3rd.

“Share”, “like” and “pin”  this post!  You’re friends will want to know about First Friday Freebies, too!

Enjoying the Freebies?  Leave a comment!  If you’re on your computer, scroll back up under the title of this post and let me know what you’re thinking.  On various devices, you may find “Leave a Comment” at the bottom of the post.

I think I feel a Smuffy story coming on!  One of those might be wonderful with some Gluten-free Sourdough Pancakes.  Now, which one to do first…

Bringing on Spring with a Freebie!

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 9 Comments

April showers, as the old saying goes, bring May flowers, and I’m offering you an early bouquet with this flowery First Friday Freebie!

This metal art wall hook from Hobby Lobby is just the thing to set the tone for warmer weather in your home.  Subtle shades of pinks and yellows, along with green leaves give this rustic hook a bit of “happy”.  It’ll be the perfect place to hang a fun tote bag, basket, scarf, or serve as a catcher for that jacket you can’t wait to stop wearing.  It measures 12 inches tall and 8 ½ inches wide.

I do love a great Hobby Lobby find and this one is cute, cute, cute!

To enter to win the flowery wall hook, all you need to do is “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “Bring on the spring thing!”  You’ll need to do that before midnight TONIGHT, April 5th, 2019!

First Friday Freebies happen every month for email SUBSCRIBERS ONLY, so hop on over to the right sidebar or use the menu to navigate to the “Contact” page and subscribe to Midwest Storyteller if you haven’t done so already.

Share this post with all your friends and family through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest so they can enter to win, too!

Subscribers win every single month!  My “Freebies” page has past freebies.  Take a look at all the free gifts and the wonderful people who’ve been winning them.

Remember, a winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight by leaving a comment which says, “Bring on the spring thing!”

For the complete First Friday Freebie rules, CLICK HERE. 

Subscribing is simple and FREE, but don’t forget to go immediately to your email to confirm your subscription or it will not go through.  If you do not receive a confirmation email for some reason, please email me and let me know at barb@midweststoryteller.com

The clock is ticking!  Enter now so you don’t forget to do that before midnight tonight!

I hope we all get to enjoy many more glorious spring days! Phoebe June and I spent some time outside working and playing before this last round of rain.  Would you care to guess which one of us worked and which one of us played?  She’s enjoying spring as much as I am, except for being irritated at her humans for not spending entire days outside with her.  She lets us know, loud and clear, what she thinks of our disobedience.  Sometimes it’s just a mere glance, but even that is enough to convey the message in her eyes as, “You nitwit!” She shares her opinions on my Phoebe June page.

Thoughts?  Questions?  I’d love to hear from you!  Please leave a comment.

February’s Fabulous Freebie Winner!

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 2 Comments

My most recent First Friday Freebie went to a familiar face!  Let’s take a look at the winner – 

Donna, February's Freebie Winner

Donna from Bunceton, Missouri!

Donna has won once before and her name popped up again this time when Smuffy did his duty, following my instructions to and “picked a card – any card”.

Congratulations, Donna!  I hope you enjoy your “Love Deeply” word art plaque from Hobby Lobby, not just as Valentine décor, but all year round!

Here’s another view of Donna’s gift.

Love Deeply Plaque midweststoryteller.com

If you’d like to see the original freebie offer, click here.

A freebie offer appears the first Friday of every month.  Check out the freebie page to see what people have been winning here at Midwest Storyteller.

 Subscribe now and you’ll be notified via email of March’s drawing.  You never know what it might be. 

The next First Friday Freebie drawing will be on Friday, March 1, 2019 and only SUBSCRIBERS can win!

A winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight on the day of the drawing by leaving a comment as instructed in the post.  See the recently revised rules below.

And now, here are the Freebie Rules. 

Freebie Rules www.midweststoryteller.com

These four simple steps will have you ready to enter to win on March 1st.

“Share”, “like” and “pin”  this post!  You’re friends will want to enter to win, too!

Enjoying the Freebies?  Leave a comment!  If you’re on your computer, scroll back up under the title of this post and let me know what you’re thinking.  On various devices, you may find “Leave a Comment” at the bottom of the post.

Love (and a Freebie) is in the Air!

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 13 Comments

Welcome to February!  I love gift-giving and I wish I could send this First Friday Freebie out to all my subscribers as my Valentine to you.  Ah, if only…

But, I can send it out, as always, to the winner of the February drawing!

Let’s take a look –

Love Deeply Plaque miidweststoryteller.com

During this month when we celebrate love and take special time out to tell people how much they mean to us, this wooden plaque serves as a great reminder.  It measures 5.91”X7.87” and has a hinged easel attached so you’ll be able to tuck it in amongst the décor on your mantle or anywhere else you choose.

I love that it is not “seasonal”.  After all, love never goes out of style or out of season, does it?  You can display it year round and it will add a great “farmhouse touch” to your home’s décor.

Roaming through aisles of home décor never goes out of style either and I hope you enjoy this Hobby Lobby find.

To enter to win the “Love Deeply” plaque, all you need to do is “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “I LOVE First Friday Freebies!”  You’ll need to do that before midnight TONIGHT, February 1st, 2019!

First Friday Freebies are for email SUBSCRIBERS ONLY, so if you’ve not become a subscriber to Midwest Storyteller yet, give yourself a little love gift by heading over to the right sidebar or using the menu to get to the “Contact Me” page and subscribe if you haven’t done so already.

Share Midwest Storyteller with all your friends and family through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest so they can enter to win and begin enjoying all the great stories, recipes, tips for healthy living, product reviews and more!

Subscribers win every single month!  Visit the “Freebies” page to see what they’ve been winning.

Once again, a winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight by leaving a comment which says, “I LOVE First Friday Freebies!”

And now, here are the complete rules: 

Freebie Rules www.midweststoryteller.com

Four simple steps!

The clock is ticking!  Subscribe if you haven’t already, confirm in your email and comment to enter before midnight tonight, February 1st! 

Enjoy this sparkling winter month by letting those you love know just how special they are to you.  Hint:  This First Friday Freebie would make a great gift for your Valentine!

Wondering “Whooo” Won October’s Freebie?

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 2 Comments

Owl Mantle Decor www.midweststoryteller.comMy little owl has been flying across the country, but he’s finally ended up here –

October Freebie Winner Jan www.midweststoryteller.com

He’s made his new home with Jan in Greeley, Colorado!

Jan tells me that she sometimes forgets to enter to win my freebie on the first Friday of the month, but this time she remembered. Good for you, Jan!

October marked the first time that I’ve had to do the drawing twice. That is because our first winner did not respond to the email notice and provide me with contact information so that I could send out the gift. After waiting a week, we conducted the drawing again from those who had previously entered.

Jan tells me that she’s already named her new little friend “Ollie”. I hope the two of you will be very happy together, Jan! When you introduce Ollie to your friends, I’m sure he’ll be happy to have you tell them that he came all the way from Midwest Storyteller so they can subscribe and enter to win also.

If you haven’t subscribed, you’ll want to do that now.

To see the original freebie offer for this adorable owl from Hobby Lobby, click here.  I know there’s a store near you with more awesome fall décor.  Or, you can order online here.

The next First Friday Freebie drawing will be on Friday, November 2, 2018 and only SUBSCRIBERS can win!

A winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight on the day of the drawing by leaving a comment as instructed in the post. See the revised rules below – I am trying to make certain that I do my best to make contact with the winners.

And now, here are the Freebie Rules.

  • First Friday Freebies are available to SUBSCRIBERS ONLY. That means if you come to the post through social media or someone has emailed you a link to it and you haven’t become a subscriber yet, you’ll need to hop on over to the right sidebar and do that really quick.   If you are on a phone or tablet, the easiest way is to go to the “About Me” page. All it means to be a subscriber is that you’ll receive an email each time Midwest Storyteller has something new, which won’t likely be more than once or twice a week. It keeps you from missing out on all the fun and FREE STUFF! And, I’m not sharing your emails with anybody.
  • IMPORTANT: After subscribing, you MUST check your email to confirm the subscription or it will not appear. Then, sadly, you won’t be eligible to enter.
  • To enter the drawing, scroll back up to the top of this post and under the title, click on “Leave a Comment”. Subscribers who comment as directed before midnight on the first Friday of the month will enter the drawing, provided they are already on the subscribers list and live within the continental United States.
  • The drawing will be conducted the weekend after Friday’s freebie offer. The winner will receive an email at the address they’ve provided in order to subscribe. ENTRANTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CHECKING THEIR EMAIL so they can receive notification. If the winner does not respond within a week of the original contest date to provide name and mailing address, they will forfeit the freebie and another winner will be selected from those who have already entered according to the rules. Follow these four simple steps and subscribe now. Then, you’ll be ready for November 2nd.“Share”, “like” and “pin” this post! You’re friends will want to enter to win, too!

Have an opinion on the Freebies? Leave a comment! If you’re on your computer, scroll back up under the title of this post and let me know what you’re thinking. On various devices, you may find “Leave a Comment” at the bottom of the post.

Dear Readers: HELP!

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 1 Comment

Finding Jamie E www.midweststoryteller.comYes, Jamie – where are you?  Normally, I do love a mystery, but…

The winner of October’s First Friday Freebie is “Jamie E.”  Jamie has been notified with a reply to a comment on the blog post as well as through a personal email.  However, Jamie has not responded to me with contact information to claim the free gift.  It’s been over a week.

So sad.

Since I have no way of knowing whether Jamie is male or female or whether Jamie lives in my own hometown or anywhere else in the continental United States, it makes it impossible for me to send out the free home décor from Hobby Lobby.

So, my dear readers, please help!  Share this post and if you have any idea who Jamie might be, please contact this person and let them know they’ve won.  I’ll give it a few more days.  If I do not hear from “Jamie E.” by Friday, October 19th, I’ll have Smuffy choose another name from among others who have entered.

Check out what Jamie is missing out on here.  This owl is wondering “whoo” will give him/her a new home!

Thanks for sleuthing with me!  Leave a comment, but be sure not to share any personal information.  If you have any such details to share, please email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com.

 

Burning With Creativity? Be Inspired – Create with Kathy!

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 1 Comment

Welcome to Midwest Storyteller’s first installment of –

Create with Kathy www.midweststoryteller.com

If we analyze our friendships, we’ll often return to the old saying, “You can’t judge a book by its cover”. I found this to be especially true of Kathy. We estimate that we’ve known each other about five years. Prior to that, I knew she existed, but I didn’t “know” her.

The things we miss out on! It’s happened before. Years ago, a lady named Rebekah showed up at my writers’ group. Soon after, she volunteered to help with the Youth Theater I directed. I discovered not only that she’d been my neighbor two doors away for the last two years, but that she and I were twin souls! (Is that what you call it when you each think the other is riotously funny?) She encouraged me and inspired me, helped me and then, as sometimes is the way with life, she moved away, darn it all. She has a blog, too! Be sure to check her out at “There Will Be a $5 Charge for Whining”.

Kathy has proved to be another of those rare souls who has moved from the fringes of my life and taken up residence in my spirit. I’ve been hoping she’d succumb to my hints and agree to be a guest at Midwest Storyteller, so I’m thrilled to welcome you to her debut!

I misjudged Kathy at first. When a friend of mine invited her to a monthly food and fun night, she seemed to fit right in, but, my-oh-my, she took a lot of notes! As we all chattered away, sharing life, tips, ideas, stories, recipes and more, Kathy seemed to be jotting down everything we said in a little notebook that already bulged with previous notations. “Type A”, I thought. “Hops out of bed at the crack of dawn, rounds up all her ducks, requires them to salute as they line up in their rows and that’s the way they march. All. Day. Long. (Without making a mess).”

Then, one night we played a fun personality game. Kathy shocked me! By the time we finished, I could tell that the only thing I’d gotten right in my assumptions about Kathy was the possibility that she might have a collection of actual ducks! I looked at her, astonished. “The reason you carry your little book and make all those notes is so that you can keep all these ideas and go home and do them all!”

Smiling, she nodded. That’s when I knew that Kathy’s brain is every bit as “squiggly” as mine and bursting with creativity! I knew she had a “stash” – a treasure trove of things yet to be. I knew she had a messy room brimming with projects at various gestational stages. I love this woman! I’ve come to know I can count on her for understanding, prayer, hands-on help and she’ll probably adopt any ducks I find because not only does she have a pond – she loves animals!

Having delved into arts and crafts “forever”, Kathy is now retired from the insurance industry and has time to use all her hoarded supplies. Her favorite adventures usually involve a splash of paint as Kathy’s specialty is reclaiming old objects and making something new out of them. Take a look at a few of her fun projects –

Art Kit by Kathy www.midweststoryteller.com

And, how about these innovative ideas?

Organize & Express by Kathy www.midweststoryteller.com

Kathy’s life is built around Christ, her husband, Robert, three children and five grandchildren. Although all the animals in the world would love to belong to Kathy and Kathy often dreams of this, she draws the line at the dog, Bre and the cat, Trixie. I’m grateful that she’s taking time out for us here at Midwest Storyteller to share her latest adventure – wood burning.

After seeing the set of beautiful wooden spoons she created for her mom with a wood burning kit, I wanted to try my hand at it, all the while muttering to myself that all I needed was one more hobby. Nevertheless, I took the plunge with Kathy holding my hand. Take a look at how her project turned out –

Woodburning Spoons www.midweststoryteller.com

Let’s get started. Here’s what Kathy recommends:

  1. Take a little time to watch some tutorials. YouTube always has lots to choose from and Kathy got great ideas and tips from CreativeBug.com
  2. Put down something to protect the surface if you are doing this on your dining table, countertop or some other surface that you don’t want to risk getting a burn mark. Wood burning tools are hot! We used cardboard.
  3. Gather your supplies.   Needless to say, you’ll need a wood burning kit. Kathy found this Walnut Hollow Creative Versa-Tool at Hobby Lobby for $29.99. Of course, it’s always a good idea to watch for their great half-price deals or use their weekly 40% OFF coupon. Needle-nose pliers are great for removing tips from the tool that will be way too hot to touch, and a small tube of graphite powder keeps the tips turning smoothly when you screw them in and out of the tool. Safety glasses are a good idea if you’re tackling a project that will take you a while. Remember that oldies tune, “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes.” Well, it does. (We worked on a nice day with the windows open and didn’t really notice a problem.) A piece of scrap wood for practicing with the tips will reduce the “oops factor”. I couldn’t find any, so I grabbed a couple of paint stirring sticks and that worked just fine. Food grade mineral oil, rubbed on your finished project, will bring out the beauty of your work. An extension cord will probably be helpful to allow you to position your work comfortably.  Woodburning supplies www.midweststoryteller.com
  4. Practice with your tips on your scrap wood. Also, practice with your temperature control so that you’ll be able to get a clean look when creating your design. The paint sticks were “raw” wood and had no coating. The spoons were bamboo and seemed to have a coating or polish on the handles that required higher heat.
  5. You can transfer a pattern if you need to or take off free-hand like a dare-devil! I chose middle ground by placing my spoons on the cardboard surface and drawing around them. Then, I penciled in whatever pattern came to mind when I practiced with the tips, offered up a prayer and gave it my best shot.
  6. Once you’re satisfied with your artwork, erase any stray pencil marks, brush away any eraser crumbs or stray wood fibers and rub with mineral oil.

I know you can do it! All you need are supplies and bravery. My spoons aren’t perfect, but for a first project, I’m pleased! I thought Kathy’s were a masterpiece!

Here are a few more tips that Kathy shared with me and things we learned as we went along –

The shading point is great for leaves and flowers with pointy petals. It helped to rock it back and forth so that the wood burned all the way to the edge of the pattern because the spoons, like many other things you might use this tool on, look pretty flat but have a slightly curved surface.

The tapered point worked nicely for thin stems and small dots, while the flow point, though it looks too big for the job, draws nice lines and is best for cursive writing.

Woodburning Tips www.midweststoryteller.com

The hot stamping points added a lot of fun. The kit came with three – a square, a round and one with concentric circles. I used the circles for centers of flowers. The square one, pressed carefully along in a line, created the diagonal pattern you see on one of the spoons. The circular one, for some strange reason, reminded me of dandelion fluff, so I used it in clusters to create flowers that resemble those.

Neither of us may have every single duck in a row, but we did manage it with our spoons. Here they are –

Woodburning Spoon Set www.midweststoryteller.com

Kathy and I both recommend Pinterest for tons of wood burning ideas. You’ll be inspired to create something fabulous! We hope we’ve helped do just that here today.

Thank you, Kathy, for teaching me how to do this! Wood burning turned out to be much more fun than I expected and I’m so pleased with the results.

Kathy and I would both love your comments. Have you tried wood burning? Are you inspired to give it a try? Let us hear from you!

Subscribe now so you don’t miss out, because we’ll be Creating with Kathy again soon!

A reminder: June is about to come busting out all over and you know what that means – There’s a First Friday Freebie coming right up!

May I Introduce You To May’s Freebie Winner?

~ Midwest Storyteller

A huge dose of yard work, a dash of distraction and a computer apocalypse has made this announcement a little slow in coming. Among those who commented on May 4th, saying, “Send the birdie my way!”, a winner has been drawn and she is –  

Tanya Freebie Winner www.midweststoryteller.com

Tanya from St. Clair, Missouri!

Each freebie offer requires a specific comment and Tanya’s was among those who went into the drawing, which was conducted by Smuffy when I placed the entries in front of him, tapped him (he was resting his eyes) and told him to pick one. We like to keep it on the up and up around here.

This little Spring Shop birdie from Hobby Lobby did, indeed, go Tanya’s way and now it can greet her when she takes her daily “tour of the estate”, which is how I like to refer to my daily trip around the grounds to say hello to all my flowers. I’d tell you how they answer, but one of you would be bound to feel obligated to turn me in to the authorities, so we’ll just skip that.

If you’d like to see the original freebie offer, click here.

Congratulations, Tanya! I hope it makes your garden look even lovelier than it does already.

The next First Friday Freebie drawing will be on Friday, June 1, 2018 and that, dear friends, is just days away!

Share this post with all your friends so they can SUSCRIBE and enter to win. A winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight on the day of the drawing by leaving a comment as instructed in the post.

Take a look at our “Freebies” page where you’ll see some of the other gifts subscribers have been winning. It pays to SUBSCRIBE!

And now, here are the Freebie Rules.

First Friday Freebies are available to SUBSCRIBERS ONLY. That means if you come to the post through social media or someone has emailed you a link to it and you haven’t become a subscriber yet, you’ll need to hop on over to the right sidebar and do that really quick. If you are on a phone or tablet, the easiest way is to go to the “About Me” page. All it means to be a subscriber is that you’ll receive an email each time Midwest Storyteller has something new, which won’t likely be more than once or twice a week. It keeps you from missing out on all the fun and FREE STUFF! And, I’m not sharing your emails with anybody.

IMPORTANT: After subscribing, you MUST check your email to confirm the subscription or it will not appear. Then, sadly, you won’t be eligible to enter.

To enter the drawing, scroll back up to the top of this post and under the title, click on “Leave a Comment”. Subscribers who comment as directed before midnight on the first Friday of the month will enter the drawing, provided they are already on the subscribers list and live within the continental United States.

Three simple steps! Subscribe now, before you forget, and you’ll be ready for June.

“Share”, “like” and “pin” this post. Your friends deserve a Freebie, too!

Opinions on the Freebies? Leave a comment! If you’re on your computer, scroll back up under the title of this post and let me know what you’re thinking. On various devices, you may find “Leave a Comment” at the bottom of the post.

 

A Little Birdie Told Me: “It’s Freebie Day!”

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 8 Comments

Don’t you love it? Spring has finally arrived! In my neighborhood, it showed up late and all at once, but that’s just fine as long as it’s here.

And, don’t you love it! Freebies, I mean. It’s the first Friday of the month and you know what that means. Let’s take a peek at May’s free gift –

Yard Decor Bird www.midweststoryteller.com

I know you’ve been out filling those porch pots with blooming annuals and nestling happy little plants into your flower beds. This cute little metal birdie yard décor by Spring Shop offers that little extra touch that makes things inviting and well – let’s go ahead and overuse the word – cute!

The total length is 14 ¼ inches and the above-the-ground portion measures 10 ½ inches.  (See inset photo.)

A word to the wise (or perhaps the clueless) – If this little birdie is not calling your name, you should enter to win anyway because Mother’s Day is 9 days away and you know she’d love a little something thoughtful. If you don’t tell her you got it for free, I won’t either. All you have to do is follow the instructions in this post carefully.

SHARE this post through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest or send the link in an email to all your friends so they can enter to win!

Want to see what you’ve been missing? Previous freebies can be found on the “Freebies” page. Take a look. You’ll get an idea of the fun gifts subscribers can win!

REMEMBER: A winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight by leaving a comment which says, “Send the birdie my way!”

And now, here are the complete rules:

  1. First Friday Freebies are available to SUBSCRIBERS ONLY. That means if you have come to this post through social media or someone has emailed you a link to it and you haven’t become a subscriber yet, you’ll need to hop on over to the right sidebar and do that really quick. If you are on a phone or tablet, the easiest way is to go to the “About Me” page. All it means to be a subscriber is that you’ll receive an email each time Midwest Storyteller has something new, which won’t likely be more than once or twice a week. It keeps you from missing out on all the fun and FREE STUFF! And, I’m not sharing your emails with anybody.
  2. IMPORTANT: After subscribing, you MUST check your email to confirm the subscription or it will not appear. Then, sadly, you won’t be eligible to enter.
  3. To enter the drawing, scroll back up to the top of this post (or all the way to the bottom, depending on your device) and click on “Leave a Comment”. Subscribers who comment as directed before midnight on Friday will enter the drawing, provided they are already on the subscribers list and live within the continental United States.

Three simple steps!

Now hurry! Go! Go! Go! Subscribe if you haven’t already, confirm and comment to enter before midnight tonight, May 4th!

And, as much as I tried to resist saying this – May the 4th be with you!

Spring Decorating (and the Little Sheep that Led Me Astray)!

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 3 Comments

Do you ever feel as I do – that you’ve just recovered from a volcanic eruption of decorations back before Christmas, only to experience the aftershock of trying to put it all way? No? Well then, I guess it’s just me.

I’m tired of overhauling the whole house just to satisfy my seasonal whims, so as I’ve already mentioned here, I had planned to do a re-mix on some of my winter décor and share the spring results with you.

Remember my winter mantle?

Winter Mantle 2018 www.midweststoryteller.com

I’m still just all over that terrarium! I knew it would stay. So, with a few simple changes, we’re feeling springy inside, even if there was snow – yes, I said S.N.O.W. on the ground outside as I began this post and more in the forecast for tomorrow. I’m trying to keep my chin up, reminding myself of all you folks out east who just endured their sixth nor’easter.

Here’s how I switched it up for spring while keeping my favorite things –

Spring Mantle www.midweststoryteller.com

As you can see, I didn’t make drastic changes.  Switching out a few things seemed to be all I needed to take away winter and invite spring into the room.  I took the photo at dusk to highlight the candles, but things look much more airy during the day.  

Other than the terrarium, the thing I’m enjoying most about my spring décor is my sheep! Aren’t they fun?

Funny Little Sheep www.midweststoryteller.com

I told myself as I stood toying with those in Marshall’s that they would make an ideal First Friday Freebie for one of my loyal subscribers, but once I got them home, I weakened. I sat them here. I sat them there. They just got cuter and cuter! I confess! I crumbled under their vapid gaze and kept them for myself.

Nobody’s perfect. And, a little whimsy never hurt anybody.

The most amazing thing about these little sheep? They sit in plain sight, just inches off the floor and Phoebe June hasn’t eaten them. Come to think of it, I don’t think she’s even noticed them, which is odd because she pretty much pounces on anything with a “face”.

Here’s how much money I didn’t spend –

Spring Mantle Elements www.midweststoryteller.com

  1. The mirror. It stayed – a family treasure described here.
  2. A bunch of forsythia wound into a not-too-perfect wreath – a Hobby Lobby find – maybe $4.00.
  3. A metal wreath stand – another Hobby Lobby find – half-price at $12.00. I’ll use this year-round.
  4. A topiary bunny purchased years ago at a garage sale for next to nothing.
  5. Set of 3 flameless candles (the really cool ones with the realistic moving flames). I found these a couple of years ago at TreesNTrends. The whole set was $29.99! I see on their website that they’ve gone up a little in price, but they’re still worth it. They have timers and a remote and the batteries seem to last a long time. They come in ivory or red and you can find them here.
  6. Our mantle clock – it stayed just as in the winter mantle. The clock, as well as the other “keepers” are described here.
  7. Green glass candle-holder. Strangely enough, Smuffy found them. He comes home with odd things some days and that’s all I’m sayin’.
  8. The terrarium! Another Hobby Lobby find that I describe here.
  9. The contents of the terrarium. These were all items I already had – a small fake plant, also from Hobby Lobby on half-price sale; two brown ceramic pillar candle-holders with twine and bead accents that I picked up at Cargo Largo a couple of months ago for $2 each and have been waiting to use somewhere; perched on the candle-holders – a set of white alabaster doves we received as a wedding gift; and a string of tiny battery-operated lights that I taped around the inside frame of the terrarium to light it at night.
  10. The word-art sign stayed – another Hobby Lobby find described here.
  11. Fake yellow tulips – a rummage sale find I had on hand.
  12. Rustic bucket (my tulips needed to be “re-potted” from the ugly container they came in) – a recent Hobby Lobby find – around $5.
  13. Glass candle jars with pillar candles – they stayed also.  I shared how I updated them with sisal rope here.  I had the candles on hand.
  14. Wooden box with lavender silk crocus. I gave this to my mom when I finished doing some re-decorating for her. Now that she’s gone, they’re another sweet reminder of her and her favorite color.
  15. Those boogey-woogie, not-too-intelligent-looking sheep – Under $5 at Marshall’s several months ago.
  16. Vintage Black wooden suitcase. It’s something that was always around the house when I was growing up and holds special memories. Mom kept things through the generations, so I have no idea how old it is and, of course, wish I had asked.  It was one of the few things I asked my mom to “put my name on”, if you know what I mean.

I’m happy with this budget makeover. All the items that I consider “new” came to around $20 and all of them can be re-purposed for various seasons and different rooms. I hope it inspires you to work with what you have.

Keeping family treasures where I can see them makes me happy no matter what the trends are. My house does not look like the latest magazines.  Perhaps it did once, back in the 90’s, when designers, on a Victorian flight of fancy, took a turn at decorating with everything old. All I had to do back then was pull out Mom’s and Grandma’s stuff and artfully arrange it all.

Designers moved on, but since my décor and my inheritance were one and the same, I stuck with the look that I like to refer to as a cross between Grandma’s attic and a rummage sale. I’m thrilled that Joanna Gaines has done much to bring back the popularity of “old”.  (I was digging around in dusty old flea markets and toting home “junk” way before she came along!)  The farmhouse style so often featured on “Fixer Upper” is making it easy and inexpensive for me to plan my upcoming kitchen makeover. All I’ll have to do is dig a new batch of “old” out of the closet and, once again, artfully arrange.

A major remodel job is coming my way soon and the “fireplace” in these photos may or may not be staying. I’d love to hear your comments and ideas on this.  (It’s not a real fireplace anyway, so we can do something else fun if Smuffy and I have any strength left after conquering the kitchen.) I’ll chronicle all that here, which might prove to be therapeutic amidst the rubble, so as they say, stay tuned…

Let me hear from you. Scroll back up to the top of this post and “Leave a Comment”.

Remember – First Friday Freebies happen the first Friday of every month, so fun stuff is just around the corner – as in tomorrow! Share this post with a friend and if you haven’t subscribe NOW, because freebies are for subscribers only.  Check out the Freebies page to see past gifts and their winners!

Vintage Tablecloth Rescue: Redeemed from Life in the Linen Closet

~ Midwest Storyteller ~ 8 Comments

They call it “voluntary simplicity” – that thing where you rid yourself of all but the items you need to function on a daily basis, freeing your family to embrace experiences rather than stuff.

While I envy the wiggle room this lifestyle provides to its adherers, I don’t think I’ll ever hop on board the minimalist train. For starters, what few items of my precious stuff would I pack for the journey?

I prefer to blame it on a combination of frugality and creativity. Eventually, I get around to doing way cool projects with the things I’ve kept and a pleasing part of the outcome is that I haven’t wasted any money.

I do, however have an artist/writer friend who keeps nothing. I recall her bare-bones medicine cabinet. If no one in the family had a headache, stomach ache or cold, she’d throw all the over-the-counter meds in the trash (expired or not). I saw this as an act of faith. I preferred, however, not to take the risk of waking in the middle of the night moaning, “Where, oh where is my Pepto!”

If I must erase the excesses from my life, I’ll skip the latest movie or restaurant and surround myself with books, antiques and fodder for my next creative whim.

For years now, I’ve had a stack of stained and tattered vintage tablecloths, given to me by my mom. Cute in their day, they’d long ago become something you wouldn’t want out for everyday, much less entertaining. Add to that the fact that they didn’t fit any of my tables and they’d become nothing more than closet filler.

Recently, I decided to do something about it. I gave a couple of the really tattered ones to a creative friend, knowing that they’d undergo some transformation that I couldn’t imagine. That left me with my favorite – an aqua blue tablecloth with pink and gray ferns and a white border.

I took my idea and my tablecloth to Hobby Lobby and spent under five dollars.

After hauling out the rotary cutter and mat, I released a deep sigh, promising Mom and the tablecloth that it was all for the best. Here’s how I dissected it.

Tablecloth Cuts www.midweststoryteller.com

 

The white border was tattered beyond repair, so I trimmed it off. It is already gone in the above photo. There were no holes and stains on the corners because, having hung off the table, they’d been out of the way of spills. The center looked good, but the area surrounding it had plenty of wear and stains.

I removed the corner pieces, cutting them into 12” squares. Then, I cut the center into a perfect square around the fern pattern.

Next, I took the center square to my serger and finished the edge, not only to keep it from unraveling, but also to create the straight line of stitches that would give me an easy guide for turning over the edge for finishing.

Serged Edge www.midweststoryteller.com

(If you do not have a serger, use any wide stitch on your sewing machine that will give a nice, straight line for folding.)

Now for my Hobby Lobby find. I happened across this gross-grain ribbon. It’s scalloped pattern in the colors of my tablecloth made it the ideal trim and the black edge gave a nice touch. Turning the serged edge of the cloth toward the RIGHT side of the fabric, I stitched the ribbon carefully along the edge so that when I finished, the edge of the fabric would be concealed under the ribbon.

Attaching Ribbon www.midweststoryteller.com

Each time I reached a corner, I lifted the presser foot and rotated the fabric, pulling the ribbon around to keep the edge of the ribbon even with the folded edge of the fabric. Once I made it around all four sides, I stopped, cutting the ribbon straight across so that I could turn the end under.

Next, I attended to the corners, carefully cutting the ribbon almost to the stitching line, allowing one of the cut ends to lay flat while folding the other under at a 45 degree angle to give the corner a mitered appearance. I top-stitched over this, tacking the corners into place.

Stitching Corners www.midweststoryteller.com

Now, just as I stitched the other edge of the ribbon, I changed my thread color and stitched all around the inside edge.

Inner Edges www.midweststoryteller.com

This encases the edge of the fabric neatly inside the ribbon between the two rows of stitches and finishes this part of the project. How cute is that to place in the center of any table – round or square?

But what about those four corners I sliced off? I took those to the serger as well, adjusting it to apply a picot edging to all four pieces. You could do a rolled hem or just a narrow hem on the sewing machine if you prefer.

The result? A centerpiece cloth and four of the cutest luncheon napkins, minus all the tatters and stains!

Vintage Linen Set www.midweststoryteller.com

I’m more than pleased. I especially like how the fern pattern, flowing from one corner of each napkin, gives them a different look depending on how you fold them.  Above, they’re shown four different ways.  Now redeemed from life in the linen closet, this lovely set is ready to be used, admired and passed on.  Mom would approve.  She was adept at making something out of nothing and you can get a glimpse of that here.

I won’t tell you, however, how many more treasures like this I own that hide way in the dark, waiting for my next brainstorm. I don’t really know how many. Another of my rescues, a battered, old clothes hamper, can be seen here. I’ve been known to rescue things that would otherwise be nothing but compost and you can check that out here.

You can help by sharing your ideas! Scroll back up to the beginning of this post and leave a comment. What treasures have you rescued and how did you do it?

Maybe I can help! Tell me what you’ve got and, who knows! I might get an idea. If you’d like to send a photo, go to the “Contact” page and email it to me.

Maybe together we can, as the old song says, “Rescue the Perishing”!

Let It Go! Let It Go! Let Frozen Winter Go!

~ Midwest Storyteller

I hardly know how to act! For the last several days it’s been warming. I love you, Sixty-five Degree Days! (Until Seventy-five Degrees starts flirting with me.) Spring-like rains have pattered the dry earth and my tulips and hyacinths have jumped up to shout about it. I’m tempted to warn them that it won’t be over till it’s over and they should retreat and wait a while.

I’m always thrilled to arrive at March’s doorstep, but to be honest, once March invites me in, it makes me mad. It loves its cruel jokes and is afflicted with violent mood swings that I’m convinced are contagious. Year after year, it claims to have thirty-one days, but if you ask me, the experts should investigate this. Here in my part of the Mid-West, March lasts forever!

Though it may blast me yet again with snow and ice and force me back into my winter coat, I shall dig my heels in and decorate as though life is just one big romp out in the green grass and sunshine. I know, I know – it’s not really spring for another three weeks, but should I be forced to look at winter again outside, at least I can pretend it’s spring inside.

I invite you to join with me in blowing winter an official good-bye kiss. Let’s take a look some simple winter décor, which, of course, I meant to share with you in January.  We live in an older home, so getting too trendy can just look weird.  Here’s what I did –

Winter Mantle 2018 www.midweststoryteller.com

It’s always so difficult to decide how to decorate after Christmas. I look for ways to get rid of the reds and greens and keep some of the snowy things, yet keep it cozy. Without a lot of storage, I do a lot of re-purposing and design re-mixing. Sometimes, however, things just get “tired” and nothing looks right. Smuffy overheard me mumbling about it and suggested I go shopping. I ran out the door without even stopping to take his temperature! 

Here’s how I mixed the old with the new –Numbered Mantle Elements www.midweststorytellerHere, I’ve kept the antique dynamite box filled with pine cones (#1) I used at Christmas, removing the wreath from the front and the ornaments that were scattered throughout. The antlers? Smuffy hunts a lot. The sticks?   I saved those from a bush trimming session last May. You can see how I used them for fall decorating here.

On the floor, I used some glass jars I found at resale shops (#2)and re-purposed by gluing sisal rope around the bottom. After filling them with smooth stones, I inserted taper candles. Total cost (over time) probably came to around $11.

Above the mantle hangs one of my treasures from my Grandpa Judge’s barber shop. The mirror (#3) has made a move or two around the house since my mom passed it on to me, but it’s a forever-keeper. You’ll enjoy some stories involving Grandpa Judge and you can check those out, along with photos, here and here.

After Christmas sales on holiday items are a great way to find winter décor. Just because the store classified it as “Holiday”, it’s likely to have significant markdowns even if it isn’t red and green and wishing you a joyous Noel. I found this “ice” covered tree (#4) at one of my favorite places, Tuesday Morning. I snatched it up for under $15, knowing that I’d use it for years in various rooms, depending on my many whims.

Below it, I used a bit of word art. This wooden “peace” sign (#5)is something I found for practically nothing at a resale shop. I keep moving it around and re-purposing it. At Christmas, it looked great on a low shelf with fake poinsettias and tiny fairy lights all around the base. I was impressed. So was Phoebe June. After a week or two I admitted defeat and took it down. A kitten can only stand so much temptation.

In front of “peace” sits a little brown birdie (#6) from a resale shop that probably cost me a whole dollar. 

The mantle clock (#7)has been around for decades.

I stumbled over the long sign (#8) – an item that will work well against the brick of the fireplace no matter the season – at Hobby Lobby on the half-price sale. At $12.50, its a bargain and a great reminder that we live a blessed life.

The weird, green candle? (#9) It spoke to me a while back from a shelf in a re-sale shop. Don’t know why. At $2, I just found myself stroking it and thinking, “No one else is going to have one of these!”

On another Hobby Lobby excursion, (I think I may have mentioned that I love that place) I rounded a corner and saw “it”. The terrarium (#10)drew me in an instant and, reading the sign above it, I checked my delighted squeals as I discovered it really was half off! I knew it was something that would change with the seasons depending on what I filled it with. I don’t usually spend much on décor, but for $32.50, I lowered it gently into my cart, reminding myself that Smuffy had told me to go shopping. I filled it with a cute, fake plant, some remote controlled candles that I already had and another little brown birdie. The terrarium stays. I’m looking forward to filling it with spring things.

And now – can we all shout it out loud together? – “Goodbye, Winter! Hello, Spring!” I’ll share my photos with you when I get things switched over.  I hope I’ve given you some ideas for future decorating.

I’ll help you get switched over to spring, too! The First Friday Freebie is coming up March 2, so get ready to enter and win. Share this post with all your friends so they can subscribe and enter as well. A touch of spring will be arriving for one of you from Midwest Storyteller!

Looking for ideas to help you rescue and recycle the poor, the tired and pretty-much-trash stuff around the house? You’ll find them here and here! 

Leave a comment!  Let me know what you think!