A New Arrival On My Doorstep!

I had a nice surprise the other day when I found this box on my doorstep! 

It was a case of my new book, 

Soldered Alchemy: 24 Jewelry Projects Using New Soft-Solder Techniques

The release date is June 12, 2015, so stay tuned! 

What do you think?

Check out my new DIY jewelry instruction books and DVDs!

   

Learn how to solder and make unique jewelry!


My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

Read More..

Woodworking projects on youtube

Useful Woodworking projects on youtube must try

Mystery cube-in-a-cube puzzle woodworking project - youtube, Quickie woodworking project showing how to make a cube within a cube. this is a fun and simple project. the wood is pine. ----- woodworking for mere. Woodworking projects magic wine bottle holder - youtube, Really cool magic wine bottle holder, i will show you step, by step how to make this great little woodworking project. a quick woodwork project which is a.

Wood lathe project- peppermill - youtube, M. donaldson turning a peppermill 6-24-10 sign in with your google account (youtube, google+, gmail, orkut, picasa, or chrome) to add mdcd2370 s video. How to build a coffee table out of pallet wood: project 5, Check out http://beachbumlivin.com for more cool stuff!!! check out https://www.facebook.com/beachbumlivin how to tips on woodworking projects and tips to.

How to build a coffee table out of pallet wood: project 5, Check out http://beachbumlivin.com for more cool stuff!!! check out https://www.facebook.com/beachbumlivin how to tips on woodworking projects and tips to.

Woodworking Projects On Youtube How To build an Easy DIY Woodworking

of Ottos Pastimes: Home Made Wood Lathe or a DIY Wood Turning Machine

Woodworking Bookcase Plans & Projects - YouTube

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Beautiful Upcycled Painted Decorated Windows

There are so many great ways to reuse old, salvaged windows around your home and

garden! One of my favorite ways to upcycle an old window is to add some decorative

painting to the window glass to create a unique and personalized piece of artwork! 

Not a painter? Dont fret! There are plenty of other crafty ways that you can decorate

an old window and give it a whole new look while creating your own amazing piece

of home decor (think wall art decals - see below!) Check out some of these awesome 

examples of upcycled painted and decorated windows and let me know what you think! 

This fabulous chevron tray was made from an old window by Kelly at Eclectically Vintage.

Check out her tutorial here

Beautiful custom painted window by RightUpMyAlleyDesign via Etsy

Poppies are one of my favorite flowers...check out all of these beautiful painted windows

by Keri Speidel from Creative Genius Art 

...and below...

by Keri Speidel from Creative Genius Art 

This article shows you how to add lace to your window using corn startch. Check out the

finished results, theyre pretty amazing. from Annabel Vita

Im in love with this fabulous painted vintage window entitled Grandmas Garden

 by 1HeavnCreations via Etsy

Pretty Painted Life is beautiful window

This window was simply placed in front of a wall decal! Great idea from Kates Kreations!

Paint a lacy window stencil onto a window

Dream Big window by Brittany at Pretty Handy Girl. Check out her blog here

Check out this tutorial for this Faith, Hope & Love window from

Susan Pollok at  snapguide.com

What do you think?

See more upcycled window ideas here!

Check out my new DIY jewelry instruction books and DVDs!

   

Learn how to solder and make unique jewelry!


My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

Read More..

Creativity Is Contagious Pass It On

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Be Fearless In The Pursuit Of What Sets Your Soul On Fire

What do you think?

Check out my new DIY jewelry instruction books and DVDs!

   

Learn how to solder and make unique jewelry!


My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

Read More..

Perfect Elephant Ear Pastry Cookies to die for!

In yesterdays blog post I included a photo of these amazing Elephant Ear cookies that I made during last weekends snowstorm. I promised you the recipe, so here it is! Its funny how Ive gotten into the habit of grabbing my phone to snap photos while I bake and cook. "Wait! dont eat that yet! I have to take a picture of it first!" is something that my daughters are getting used to hearing. Hehe. 

Before you start:

*I highly recommend baking these cookies on parchment paper covered cookie sheets. It eliminates a lot of the mess and once you take them out of the oven they just slide right off of the parchment paper!*This is a yeast dough that you will need to refrigerate for two hours before you bake the cookies.*One last word of advice. If there are more than two or three people in your household, you may want to double this recipe. These cookies are just THAT good! 

Heres what you will need:

1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)
2 1/4 cups flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk, scalded and then cooled to lukewarm temperature (scalded means heated to just below boiling when tiny bubbles begin to appear around the edge of the milk)
1 egg yolk
2 Tablespoons of butter, melted
1 1/2 cups of sugar
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
(Optional - 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans)


Directions:

Heat the 1/4 cup of water in a glass measuring cup. Dissolve the package of active dry yeast in the water, mix well until the yeast is dissolved, and then set aside for five minutes to allow the yeast to activate.

In a mixer combine these ingredients:

2 1/4 cups flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
Mix until you have the consistency of course crumbs.

In a glass measuring cup, mix together the lukewarm scalded milk and egg yolk. Then add the yeast and water mixture to the milk and egg yolk and mix well. 

Now add the milk/egg yolk and yeast/water mixture to your flour mixture and mix well until all ingredients are combined and you have a soft dough. If the dough is too sticky you can add one or two tablespoons of flour, but the dough should be soft and not stiff. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours. 

Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Shape into a 20x10 inch rectangle.

Brush the top of the dough with two tablespoons of melted butter

Mix together the 1 1/2 cups of sugar and 2 tablespoons of cinnamon. Sprinkle about a half cup of the cinnamon sugar mixture onto the dough. 

Starting at the long end of the dough, roll the dough into a long log shape. Pinch the edges closed but do not seal the edges tightly.

Place the roll onto a cutting board and slice into one-inch slices. I slice about 18-20 rounds from my dough.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Sprinkle some of the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture onto a piece of waxed paper and place a slice on top. 

Roll the slice with your rolling pin until it is a long oblong shape. I usually roll mine once or twice and then flip it over and roll it once more on the reverse side. 

Carefully place the rolled slice onto a parchment paper covered cookie sheet. Repeat this process with the remaining rolls of dough. Sprinkle the tops with additional cinnamon sugar if desired.(Note: If you are adding chopped walnuts or pecans to your cookies, now is the time to do so. Sprinkle the nuts on top of the cookies and gently press them into the dough with your fingers.)

Bake the cookies in a 400 degree F oven for 10-12 minutes until they are light golden brown and the cinnamon sugar melts. Remove from oven and slide the parchment from the cookie sheet and allow them to cool on a tabletop or on wire cooling racks.

Yum :) Enjoy!

Pin this post!

I hope you enjoy these amazing cookies. If you try this recipe, be sure to stop back and leave a comment and let me know how you like them! 

Enjoy your weekend! 

Love, Laura

Images and recipe copyright Laura Beth Love. For personal use only. 

Not for commercial use without express permissions.

Check out my new jewelry instruction books and DVDs!

   

Learn how to solder and make unique jewelry!

My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

Read More..

The Upcycled Garden Spring 2015

Its that time of year again! Its finally spring! Yay!
That means its time for some new upcycled garden ideas.
Check out my picks for the most creative, unique, and beautiful ways to wow your

outdoor landscape and crate some fun, artistic, and functional art by incorporating 

salvaged and repurposed materials into your yard and garden. Check it out!

A beautifully painted old door adds magical charm to a garden. What a fun project!

This clever piece of garden art was made from a pipe and faucet from a hardware store,
an old bucket and old chandelier crystal. via Each Little World

Upcycle cans into small planters. via planetblue

Use an old crate as a vertical planter.

Looks like somebody likes to ride around the garden. How about this little guy? 

Garden chandeliers with votives from Ruffled blog found via Pinterest

I see lots of vintage chandelier crystals at flea markets. Why not fashion your own mini
garden chandeliers with wire, chain, and a handful of old crystals? 

This old sink was repurposed into a garden planter. via myhomeideas.com

Use an old mailbox to store your garden tools

Painted and personalized pavers brighten up a garden. from Quirkycool

Mobile garden dress as found on foodtree.com,  by Nicole Dextras

Light fixtures upcycled into hanging garden lanterns by La Manufacture

What do you do with a giant old tree stump? Turn it into a planter, of course! 

Old fence gates used as garden trellises via thegardenglove

Or how about making a trellis with old garden tools? 

Freeland Tanners garden art from finegardening.com

Recycle old chair backs into a log bench

What do you think?

Pin this post!

Check out my new DIY jewelry instruction books and DVDs!

   

Learn how to solder and make unique jewelry!


My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

Read More..