Never Underestimate the Power of a Hot Glue Gun

A couple of weeks ago, I came across this tutorial for Fabric Covered Roller Shades on Pinterest. I immediately pinned it to my Project Airstream board because I knew it was the perfect solution to replace the hideous 1970's wall to wall curtains that we took out of our Airstream. I kept the idea for those cute fabric covered roller shades in the back of my mind, and on one of the many days that we were shopping at Lowes last month I decided to grab a few of the cheap vinyl roller shades and experiment. 

Now if you can't tell from the title of this post, I did NOT start out using my hot glue gun first. Honestly I thought  for sure that the hot glue would melt the vinyl and make a huge mess. So I kept my trusty hot glue gun in the drawer and tried a few other things.

My first attempt was with spray adhesive {yes I know it's number 2 in the picture, but it was the one I tried first}. It was a major FAIL! The spray adhesive was way too sticky and it was nearly impossible to get the fabric attached to the shade without a ton a wrinkles. I sprayed the fabric and carefully placed it onto a scrap piece of roller shade, but it was really crooked and wrinkled. So I tried to reposistion it....and it just went downhill from there. Needless to say, spray adhesive is not the way to go when making fabric covered roller shades!
After the spray adhesive failed, I did a little more research and found a couple of people who said they used fabric glue. So I picked up a big bottle {for $12} at the fabric store, and came home all excited to make this project work the second time around. I was so sure that the fabric glue was going to work that I started with the actual shade and not a scrap. The only problem was that I think I was a little too excited because I used way too much fabric glue, which then soak through my fabric and left a gross dried glue film all the way up both sides of my roller shade...not a pretty look. I attempted to salvage the roller shade by covering the edges with some white ribbon, and it turned out okay. But I was not going to take the time to line all the edges of the {7 other} roller shades with ribbon...so it was on to plan C!
Plan C included my trusty hot glue gun {who I should probably apologize to for doubting}! I pulled out a scrap piece of roller shade, plugged in my hot glue gun, and decided that even if it instantly melted a huge hole right through the darn roller shade that I was at least going to give it a try! And surprise, surprise it worked! No melted hole, no soaking through the fabric, no weird dried glue film....just a perfectly attached piece of fabric! 
As of now I don't have a single shade finished and hanging to share with you, but I do at least know HOW I'm going to go about doing it now! And hopefully this post will help anybody who is thinking about making a cute {but not nearly as simple as it seems} Fabric Covered Roller Shade. When I do get all my roller shades covered and hanging in the Airstream, I will be sure to share a few pictures. And just in case you missed it, the moral of the story today is "Never Underestimate the Power of a Hot Glue Gun"!
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Wordless Wednesday: Field Day Fun

Pecan Butter Cookies

I love to bake! My love of baking is basically the downfall of any weight lose plan that I've ever been on....mostly because when you bake, you have to taste test! Plus there is always that one {or five} cookie that breaks that you just can't put on the serving tray. Anyway, last week my sister was down for a visit and she requested these cookies {Pecan Butter Cookies} because they are her absolute favorites. So of course even though I'm on a diet and don't need to be anywhere near cookies, I baked a couple dozen for her...and I maybe taste tested a few too:)

 This recipe is one that I tore out of a Martha Stewart magazine a few years ago. It was the Cookie of the Month....and after my first time making them I knew why they held that distinction! They are so yummy. They only take a few ingredients. And everyone LOVES them! I almost always make a double recipe of these cookies because they go fast!

Pecan Butter Cookies

{makes about 2 dozen cookies}

1 cup pecan halves of pieces

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 cup confectioners sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Break pecans into pieces of give them a rough chop in a food processor. Cream butter and sugar in a mixer until pale. Add vanilla and salt. With mixer on low gradually add floor, beating until just incorporated. Stir in pecans. Cover dough and refrigerate until firm or overnight. 

2. Drop 2 tablespoon scoops of dough onto baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake until the edges of the cookies are gold, about 15 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Dust with confectioners sugar before serving.

Recipe from Martha Stewart

 These cookies are very delicate so you have to be extra careful when moving them from the cookie sheet to the cooling rack, or you may end up with a couple of broken cookies...and you may have to eat them yourself:)

 They look so pretty all dusted with confectioners sugar and stacked up high on a serving plate.

Do you love to bake as much as I do?

What is your favorite cookie to bake?

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