.:Guest Post - Granny's Down Home Southern Cooking:.

Hi y'all! My name is Debra I blog over at Granny's Down Home Southern Cooking where y'all will find down home goodness and yummy in your tummy recipes. I share reviews of some of my favorite products and might even host a giveaway or two! I can't thank Sumo enough for the honor of being a guest blogger here today. Life is a little hectic around Granny's kitchen with school starting back so I wanted to share a quick and easy recipe with y'all today. This yummy in your tummy recipe is sure to be a mom favorite and a kid pleaser...

Sassy Southewestern Tortillas

Ingredients:1 15 1/4 oz. can Mexican kernel corn-drained 1 16 oz. can refried beans 1 large tomato-chopped 1 medium onion-chopped 1 pkg. Pioneer Brand Southwestern meatloaf mix Shredded Mexican cheese 1 small can green chili's-optional 6-8 flour tortilla's corn oil for cooking


Directions: Add about 1 tablespoon oil to large cast iron skillet. Over medium heat, combine onion and tomato, cook until tender, add corn, refried beans and seasoning, cook about 3-4 minutes, remove to bowl. Rinse out skillet and prepare tortilla's according to pkg. directions. Fill individual tortilla's with about 1/4 cup refried bean mixture, top with shredded cheese and chili's, fold tortilla's and serve with guacamole if desired.


Y'all come by for a visit at Granny's Down Home Southern Cooking  or visit Granny on Facebook or Twitter. What are some of y'all favorite back to school easy pleasy recipes

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I'm always a fan of easy meals, and this sounds like it's right up my family's alley. I can't wait to give this recipe a try!

.:Guest Post - Cox's Corner:.

Hi there Sumo's Sweet Stuff Readers! I am so excited to be here!

My name is Jess and I blog over at Cox's Corner. 

My blog touches on a little bit of everything. I post a ton of tutorials like my:Washi Tape Frames, Interchangeable Wreath Form, 4th of July Wreath, and my Tutu Tutorial with a twist. I also like to share printables, pinterest picks and even funny weight loss stories.

Today I would like to share with you a tutorial on how to make a fun witches hat bow for your little girlie! 

Supplies: (I actually used a lot less than what is shown in the picture.)

-1 mini witches hat (I found mine at hobby lobby as a little pick in their halloween section, they had lots of different colors, but you could totally make your own)

-Black feathers

-3x6 inch pieces of black and purple tulle

-Small alligator clip

-Black thread

-Scissors

-Crochet Headband

-Hot glue and gluesticks

Start out by folding your black tulle into thirds.

Repeat with your purple tulle, and put it on top of your black tulle. Pinch them together in the middle to make a little bow. Then wrap your black thread around it a few times to secure your bows shape. Leave a tail of your string to help fasten it to your clip.

Hot glue the bottom of your bow to the alligator clip. Take the tail of your string and wrap it around your clip a few times to really secure it to the clip and make sure it doesn't go anywhere!

From there you just add your embellishments to the top of your tulle bow. I just glued on some feathers and then glued the little witches hat right on top of that! 

It's super easy and super quick...which is totally my type of craft! 

Here's a few more pictures of my little girlie in her costume! 

If you would like to know how I made the rest of her outfit, please feel free to head on over to my blog! I would love to have you come visit! 

You can also find me on facebook and pinterest! 

Summer, thank you so much for letting me come and visit your incredible blog and readers!

Please remember that all of my tutorials and printables are for personal use only. This post was written by Cox's Corner

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Okay, I adore this (and how cute is Jessica's little girl!) I would never think to look at the picks! I am pretty sure a trip to Hobby Lobby is in my future; I've got three little witches that will be needing their own Halloween headbands!

.:Tutorial Tuesday–Color Blocked Ruffled Maxi Skirt:.

** This pattern is available for purchase here. **

I love maxi skirts.

I especially love maxi skirts on little girls.

I also love ruffle fabric and color blocking.

So why not combine them all for a great addition to your little gal’s fall/winter wardrobe?

These are seriously easy, and I even made three in one afternoon!

Here’s what you need:

- ruffle fabric in as many colors as you like

- elastic (I used 1 1/2 inch)

- sewing machine/accessories

Start off by figuring out how long you want the skirt to be. Take into account the width of your fabric; that will factor into your length measurements.

Then you need to split up your colors into inch measurements to equal your total. You could do even blocks of color, or gradually increasing blocks of color. A little tip: From ruffle to ruffle is about one inch, so that makes it super easy to cut. Just make sure you have the inch of fabric above the top ruffle and below the bottom ruffle on your pieces of fabric.

Now cut your ruffle fabrics all to the same width. You can do double the width of your little gal for a more full skirt, or about one and a half times the width if you want a bit more of a straighter look.

Take your top two colors, and lay them out. You’ll want to overlap the inch of fabric at the bottom of the first fabric and the top of the second fabric. Pin in place, making sure any ruffles are out of the way.

Sew the two pieces together, making sure that you catch both pieces of fabric. Here’s what it will look like.

And guess what? Ruffle fabric is like a knit; no edges to finish! Score!

Continue doing this until all of your colors of fabric are attached.

Hem up the side.

Cut a piece of elastic to the size of your gal’s waist, adding on about one quarter to one half of an inch. Sew the two ends of the elastic together, overlapping the ends a bit.

Then follow these fabulous instructions on connecting the fabric to the elastic. Really, follow these instructions or you might end up with broken seams around the elastic waistband!

That’s it!

Now you’ve got a comfortable, adorable skirt that your little lady can wear with boots and a sweater all fall and winter long!

Here are the measurements I used for my girls:

4T

White: 2 inches

Black: 4 inches

Purple: 6 inches

Gray: 7 inches

Width: 18 inches

3T

White: 2 inches

Black: 4 inches

Purple: 5 inches

Gray: 6 inches

Width: 18 inches

12 months

White: 2 inches

Black: 2 inches

Purple: 3 inches

Gray: 4 inches

Width: Ack! I didn’t write it down. I fail.

Do you like the color blocking?

Or are you a more solid color sort of gal?

.:Giveaway - Minted:.

Nothing is better than getting a little bit of real mail, am I right? Invitations, announcements, cards – they are all great! It’s so fun to see pictures of people, and to see how they’ve infused their style into what they are sending you.

Let me introduce you to Minted. Minted is a company that offers you a fantastic choice of design for all of your printing needs.

It’s never too late to start thinking about holiday cards. Minted offers a great selection! I really love this year in review card. It’s a great way to share some information without having to worry about writing a letter!

I also really love the simplicity of this frosted window card.

Along with those holiday cards, you’re going to need some return address labels. I am in love with these new skinny wrap return labels! This swanky hotel label is speaking to me!

Minted also offers art prints. I think this baby allegoria print would be so cute in a nursery!

At the bottom of the page, Minted shows you what each size of print looks like to help you with ordering!

Here is something we’re going to need in a few weeks: moving announcements! This on the move announcement might be the one for us!

Really, I am just barely scratching the surface with what Minted has to offer!

One of you is going to be feeling pretty happy – Minted is offering one lucky reader $50 off your order + free shipping!

This giveaway will run through Monday, September 3rd at 11:59 p.m. MST. It will be YOUR responsibility to check back and see if you’ve won!

Use the Rafflecopter widgetd to enter the giveaway.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

.:Market Yourself Monday–Color Blocked Ruffle Maxi Skirt:.

So yeah.

Post is a little (okay, a lot) late going up today. Life just seems so crazy lately, with packing and trying to get projects done before we move. Throw in a teething baby and two sick kiddos, and it’s just a recipe equating to me not getting everything done that I need to.

We spent our Saturday trying to do some packing. Our garage has turned into our box storage now. My husband was hauling some boxes down and then decided to take a little break, which turned into a little nap. Well, he left the door from the garage to the house wide open, inviting a little friend inside. I was talking to my friend at the front door when all of the sudden we see a little mouse scampering around my stairs. Once it stopped moving, it was actually quite cute, but you can be sure there was lots of squealing when he was in motion. Luckily we got him out.

Anyway, enough with the story time. This week I’ve got a sewing project to share with you. How does a color blocked ruffle maxi skirt sound to you?

It turned out even cuter than I imagined! I’ll show you how to make it tomorrow.

The most viewed link from last week’s party was:

Sewing for Girls

Now I want to see what you’ve been working on. Don’t forget to link back!

.:Guest Post - Design Stash:.

I am SO thrilled to be here today on Sumo's fabulous and inspiring blog! In fact, this is my very first ever guest post so wish me luck! :) Hi! I'm Brooke from Design Stash. I love to feature projects, crafts, things that inspire me and decorating tips!I hope you take a minute to visit me sometime at Design Stash and while there make sure you say hi! Now onto my tutorial......

Like many others, when kiddos head back to school and summertime activities come to an end, my mind immediately wanders to Fall! I love Fall crafts, decor and activities so I thought it appropriate to share with you today one of my favorite decor items for Fall.......actually this one is for Halloween!

'BOO' Boa Halloween Garland

Here is what you'll need to make your own Halloween garland:
a black boa (mine came with the silver already in it)
black tulle
 purple sparkly fabric (found at Joanne's)
3 different types of Halloween ribbon
cardstock in 3 different colors (black, purple, and orange - I found sparkled paper)
patterned Halloween paper
gluestick
hole punch
scissors
printable tags (you can find them here: http://party.catchmyparty.com/files/catchmyparty_halloween.pdf )

Start first by cutting your fabric and ribbon. I cut the purple fabric into 12" pieces, the tulle into 15" pieces and the ribbon into 14-15" pieces (3 of each ribbon)

Next we'll cut the paper. Cut out the printable tags and punch a hole at the top of each. Cut out the pennant flags for the lettering. Here is an easy way to get an even pennant. Using a ruler, start by drawing a line the length you would like your pennant and then a perpendicular line the width you'd like your pennant......then simply connect your lines......like this:

I topped each pennant with some patterned paper that matched my cardstock. I used gluesticks for adhesive.....easy peasy! :) I also used my Silhouette to cut out some tag shapes in the sparkled cardstock as well as the black letters. If you don't have a Silhouette you can find pre-cut letters at any craft store. Glue your letters on to the pennants.

Now we're going to start tying! I used the tag that came with the boa as a center point and starting tying the black tulle in equal increments. Next came the purple fabric strips.

Using the tag as the center point I tied my first 'O' on through holes punched in each corner. Tie the second 'O' and 'B' on equally spaced from the center. Punch a second set of holes in your patterned paper, thread your black tulle through them and tie into a knot.



Then you'll start tying on your glittered tags with the Halloween ribbon you've cut along with the printable tags.

When everything is tied on and your happy with the spacing it's time to hang! I had the wreath hangers that I'd made earlier to hang my garland with.

If you would like to see more of my DIY projects like how I made a Beadboard Photo Backdrop or decorating tips in my Living Room Reveal be sure to click over to my little space on the web!



 Again, a big thank you to the wonderful Sumo for letting me share my tutorial with you today! Have fun displaying your new Halloween decor and have a wonderfully crafty Fall season! :)

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Love this! What a great idea to use a boa! And this really makes me excited for fall. And candy corn!

.:Silhouette Vinyl Promotion:.

You all know that I love Lucy.

And she has been a busy bee helping me make projects for our new house.

Earlier in the week, I shared my Brush, Wash, Flush bathroom signs that I made using Silhouette’s premium vinyl.

I have a friend who is amazing with a saw, and she made us all a bunch of wood plaques/frames. I’m going to do a gallery wall in our new house, and needed to spruce up these decorations with some vinyl as well.

And you don’t just have to use your CAMEO for vinyl. I used it to cut contact paper when I made this honeycomb art.

And to cut fabric when I made this monogram decoration.

Let’s not forget the fabric ink kits that Silhouette offers. I whipped up these decorations for my baby’s room in the new house.

What’s that? You need a CAMEO of your own?

Well, starting today and going through August 31st, you can pick up a bundle that includes:

- Silhouette CAMEO

-  1 roll premium transfer paper

- 1 roll premium white vinyl

- 1 roll premium black vinyl

for just $269.99!

That’s a $75 discount!

Go here to snag this amazing bundle!

And don’t worry. If you are already the proud owner of a CAMEO, you can still get 40% off of your vinyl purchase!

Just use the code SUMO to take advantage of these amazing deals!

** I was provided with vinyl to create some of these items, but the opinions are my own. I LOVE my CAMEO and you will, too!

.:Guest Post - A Pinch of Joy:.

Hi! I’m Charlene. I'm delighted to be guesting today at Sumo's Sweet Stuff! I blog at A Pinch of Joy about everything related to eat healthy, do it yourself, live well, spend wisely, have fun – and more. Wheels and our son Bytes share the adventures at Chez Charlene – sometimes a little reluctantly but always enthusiastically when it comes to taste testing. It’s a busy life seasoned every day with a pinch of joy and I love to share with anyone who stops by! Come on over anytime!

This recipe comes from a wonderful cook in Missouri. I led a group of volunteers, 10 adults and 21 teens, to Ste. Genevieve, Missouri where we did repair following a flood. The days were long, hot and sweaty, and everyone worked hard. Millie had a fantastic meal waiting for us each night when we returned to the church basement where we were staying. When I saw her mixing up this salad one afternoon, I thought “uh-oh, those kids will never eat this.” They did and came back for more. It is that good!

Millie gave me the recipe and a piece of advice. Approaching her eighth decade of life, her days were amazingly productive. She told me: slow and steady – don’t ever rush. You never get things done right and you just wear yourself out. Just know what you need to get done during the day and keep moving that direction. That motto is as valuable as the broccoli salad!

 Confession: Real bacon, freshly crisped, is definitely best. However, I may think I have a week’s worth of menus and ingredients ready to go, then a work schedule changes and it is two weeks before I get back on track with the cooking. Fuzzy bacon that didn’t get used in time – not good. So I keep pre packaged bacon on hand for times when life is a scramble, ready to measure out as needed. Never any blue fuzz. Another money saving tip: julienne the thinner parts of the broccoli stem to add to the salad. The thick parts are tough and coarse, but the smaller parts are tender and tasty. You can also add ¼ cup shredded carrot (for Thanksgiving) or diced red pepper (for Christmas) to create a colorful salad for a special occasion.

  Sunny Broccoli Salad
2 cups fresh broccoli – approx 1 medium head
3 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 green onion, thinly sliced
3 Tablespoons golden raisins or craisins
1 Tablespoon salted sunflower seeds

 Dressing
1/3 cup olive oil mayonnaise
4 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons white vinegar

Break florets apart and/or slice broccoli into small pieces. Combine the broccoli, bacon, onion, raisins and sunflower kernels in a serving bowl. In a small mixing bowl, combine the dressing ingredients; stir until smooth. Pour over broccoli mixture and toss gently.Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving, stirring occasionally. For printable copy, click here. Thank you, Sumo, for letting me guest today!!

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Love this! And who doesn't love bacon? This would be great to take to your get togethers! 

.:Guest Post - Sugar Baby Boutique:.

Hey Sumo readers!! I’m so excited to guest post today. I love Sumo’s blog and all the fun ideas she shares. I’m Camille from Sugar Baby Boutique. I started blogging as an outlet for me to be creative and to hopefully inspire someone to be creative too. I’d love for you to come on over and check out what I’ve got over there!

You’ll find some yummy recipes:



Some fun sewing tutorials:



Annnd some super cool printables ;)



Today I was going to share a quick little tutorial on how to spruce up any old outfit of yours. I can’t wait to make some more of these to wear with cardigans or pencil skirts this fall. Plus it took about 5 minutes to make so that never hurts.  All you need is some ribbon or bias tape, some felt & a glue gun.
Start out making your felt flowers. Here is how I made mine…easy peasy.

1. Take a strip of felt. 2. Fold in half. 3. Cut fringe on folded side. 4. Roll & Hot glue.

1. Start with felt circle. 2. Cut around circle/spiral. 3. Start rolling from middle. 4. Hot glue.

Glue your felt flowers to a piece of felt. Cut a coordinating piece of felt that is the same size as your backing. Put the bias tape in the middle and sandwich your felt flower piece and the felt backing, with hot glue. Make sure the bias tape can slide through the flower so you can position it later once you have the belt on. I like to put knot the end by the flower and just let it drop down…




Done and done! Now go make a bunch to go with your outfits :) Thanks Sumo for having me!

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What a great idea! Quick little project to give your outfit an extra boost! Perfect when you may not have the funds to do some new clothes shopping!