Slow-Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork, 6/52

Ok, so I know it's not technically a craft, BUT. I've never made pulled pork before, and this recipe is just SO incredibly yummy that I have to share it with you. And I was out of town over the weekend and didn't have a chance to get crafty.

Here's what you need:

2lb pork loin
Can of Root Beer

18 oz bottle of BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's - it is one of my faves)

That's it. Seriously. No salt or pepper or anything else.

Put the pork loin in your slow cooker, add the can of root beer. It acts as a tenderizer for the meat, and after you add the BBQ you can't taste it at all. You could also use Coke or Dr. Pepper if you don't like Root Beer.

Cook on low for 6 hours (or until the pork is done). Remove the pork from your cooker and dump out the root beer. Shred your pork loin with a couple of forks, and put the meat back in your cooker with the bottle of BBQ. Let it cook on low (or warm) for another 20 or 30 minutes. That's it.

Make it tonight.

Recipe found via pinterest here.

A review AND a giveaway

The wonderful lady behind Eco-Crazy Mom contacted me on Etsy a few months ago, she loved my hats and was interested in buying one for her youngest kiddo. She was planning to do a big giveaway for Valentine's Day, so we decided to collaborate!

You can find her review here: http://ecocrazymom.com/sponsor-spotlight-yarnaholics-etsy-shop-adorable-handmade-hats-more/

photo by Eco-Crazy Mom

And the link to the giveaway here: http://ecocrazymom.com/all-for-love-valentines-event/

But hurry, the giveaway ends TONIGHT!! She's giving away LOTS of good stuff, so check her out!

Mod-Podge Letter, 5/52

Until this project, I had never used Mod-Podge. GASP!!! I know! How can you call yourself a true crafter if you've never used Mod-Podge before?! I guess now I'm a true crafter. Hooray!

There's a wall in my living room that, for over a year, has sported a giant OU flag. BOOMER!! But - it is time to actually decorate that space. And don't worry, the OU flag will be used somewhere else, probably outside somewhere. Anyhow. I decided several months ago that I wanted to showcase some of my concert photography on that wall. I looooove live music, it's one of my favorite things to do. Ask anyone I know. I go to a LOT of shows. A lot.

I knew I didn't want to just make it a gallery wall, I wanted to spice it up a bit. I set out to find letters to spell out MUSIC. And I wanted each letter to be different. I now have all but one, still looking for a cool S.

For the U, I decided to get a cardboard letter and mod-podge it. I found some cool scrapbook paper that had music notes, bought some Mod-Podge and got to work.

I spread a good layer of MP over the letter, and cut the paper to fit. Work one small section at a time so the MP doesn't dry.

I added a layer of MP to the whole thing after all the parts and pieces were down. I didn't want it to be even and perfect, so I layered and pasted to cover all the spots.

I can't wait to show you the finished product. I just have to find a cool S!

Holiday Wreath, 4/52

This project involves yarn, but no crocheting skills are required. Hooray!

I've had a styro wreath since, oh, probably Thanksgiving. I was planning to do a felt rosette wreath (they're all over the blogosphere). I bought the white felt, the pins, etc. And then Yarnaholics kept me busy every spare moment of the day and I never got around to it before Christmas.

Instead of spending hours cutting felt circles, I decided to just wrap my wreath in white yarn (Red Heart, of course). I wanted white yarn so it could be used for several different holidays. This actually took much longer than I thought it would. You have to pass the whole skein of yarn through the hole in the wreath every. single. time. Luckily this weekend was HBO free preview weekend on DirecTV so I had plenty of movies to watch.

  

Start wrapping your yarn, tucking the tail end under the wrapped part. Wrap, wrap, and wrap some more. Wrap tightly, and push the yarn together as you go, so it's even and covers the wreath completely (for all of you OCD crafters like me).

Hot glue your end down and you're ready to start decorating. I bought this strand of glittery hearts at Micheal's. (shhhh, don't tell Hobby Lobby) I used straight pins to anchor the strand down so it doesn't slip. A little kick of red glittery ribbon and voila! Valentine's wreath!

I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out. I'm still planning to do a felt wreath at some point. I should probably start on those circles...

Fabric Labels, 3/52

As promised, no yarn was used in the making of Project #3! Hooray! And let me tell you, it was way harder than I thought!

I found this project on Pinterest (you can follow me here). I'd been wanting to do a tag of some kind for our hats and other items. Nothing fancy, just a logo so people would remember where they bought it. When I saw this cool tutorial, I knew I wanted to try it.

Supplies you'll need:
transfer paper ($7.50 for 10 sheets at Michael's with a 25% off coupon)
1/2" cotton twill tape ($2.99 for a 12 ft spool at Hancock Fabrics)
computer program to print out your tags/logo
iron
parchment paper (takes the gloss off of the transferred image)

Many of the companies that make the transfer paper have software on their websites that will help you if you don't have any editing software. And you can always download The Gimp, it's a lot like Photoshop, but it's FREE!

Back to the project. Design your logo how you'd like it to appear on the tags, make sure the sizing is correct (the tape I got was 1/2"), and then you'll have to flip the entire image so it's backwards. This is especially important if you have text in your image.

Test print on a regular sheet of paper to be sure how to insert your transfer paper into the printer (put a mark in one corner and then print a test page). Print your image!

Cut your logos into strips and lay out your cotton tape. I did this on my dining room table and used a piece of fabric wrapped around cardboard as my ironing surface.

Iron the section of tape and then carefully lay down your transfer strip, making sure it's centered onto the tape. Iron away! Follow the instructions on your transfer paper for specifics.

 

Wait until the tape has cooled a bit and then peel off the backing paper. The transferred image will be a bit glossy. I didn't want that, so I placed some parchment paper on top and hit it with the iron again. It dissolves that glossy layer leaving a matte, kind of vintage/shabby chic image underneath. Cut and sew onto your project!

Super easy and I love the way they turned out.

Happy Crafting!