I was browsing around on Pinterest last night and came across a couple great unique wedding favor ideas. It made me think of my own wedding and the favors we gave to our guests. They came out really great and I thought I would share them on here for any of you who are planning a wedding or know of someone who is. We used the gifts as name cards that we put on the menu of each place setting. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of how they looked at the place settings. There is something extra memorable about an occasion that sends you home with a special treat. These little boxes of flower seeds did the job. Enclosed in the gift box were packets of flower seeds and this message: Love is the seed of all hope. It is the enticement to trust, to risk, to try, to go on. If we make our goal to live a life of compassion and unconditional love, then the world will indeed become a garden where all kinds of flowers can bloom and grow. Plant these seeds in a sunny spot, water ofter and wait for the flowers to grow. Enjoy the beauty. … [Read more...]
Craft Organization Inspiration
Do you ever feel like you need to organize your crafts? Do you think about what it would be like to have one place where you could put all your ribbon, wrapping, scissors, glue, stamps, paper, paint, and other craft items? This is how I used to feel. I wish I had the before picture of this closet but since I don't, you can imagine what it would look like. Basically it was a standard closet with a hanging bar for clothes across the top. We built in shelves and table space to create a place to organize craft supplies. Baskets are hung on the inside of the doors to store supplies. A decorative wire rack for magazines, letters, and paper is hung on the other door. We're going to put cork on the inside of the doors to pin pictures up on. Plastic containers hold spools of ribbon, thread, buttons, stamps, and miscellaneous craft items. Boxes of stationary and more baskets for storage. More plastic containers for pens and other supplies. If you don't have an extra room for craft supplies, a closet is a good option. In a small area you can create many places to store your supplies. Having a specific place where all your craft items are organized makes it fun to do projects. At … [Read more...]
Pottery Barn Look Alike Desk
This desk that I made over was the bargain of the century. It cost $50 and with a few supplies and a little effort it looks very similar to a Pottery Barn desk you can find in their catalogue for $1169.00 (below). I actually like the way my desk came out better than the Pottery Barn one. This desk below is in the Pottery Barn Catalogue for $899. I didn't get a great before picture because I forgot to take one. This is the best one I got. While it was on its side, I applied feet. The feet had screws already in them. I used a drill to create a hole on each of the bottom of the legs to screw the feet into.Here you can see all the feet are attached.I used a non toxic stripper to remove as much of the paint that was already on the desk as I could.Once the top of the desk was stripped down to the grain wood, I applied two coats of a dark brown stain to the top.Next, I painted the legs and feet black.After the legs and feet were finished, I applied the black paint to the rest of the body.I taped around the edges of the drawers to prevent from getting paint on the actual drawer and then painted the face of the drawers.Here is how the desk looked after the top was stained and the body and … [Read more...]
Healthy and Simple to Make Summer Treat
It doesn't get much easier than this. These raspberry and vanilla yogurt swirl popsicles take seconds to make. Not only are they simple to make, but they are healthy as well. All you need is vanilla yogurt and some raspberries. Mash up the fruit in the yogurt and spoon it into the popsicle containers. That is all there is to it! Freeze the popsicles overnight and they are good to go the next day. These are ridiculously easy and something I'm sure you already no how to do but maybe this will give you a little inspiration. Try various fruits and different flavors of yogurt. Have fun and enjoy making this healthy Summer treat! … [Read more...]
Linen Matted Photos
I love the look of these framed pictures. I especially like the look of the linen mattes around the pictures. I came across these on Pinterest the other day and was inspired to make something like this myself.I think these are really pretty linen matted photos.I used two large Ikea frames I used the same spray paint I used for the hamper basket makeover project. It is Rust-Oleum gloss protective French Roast.I sprayed the frames with 2 coats and allowed them to dry about 24 hours.Using poster board, the 8x10 photo, and a tape measure I created a rectangle opening slightly smaller than the size of the photo.I cut the opening out with a razor blade.As you can see above, I cut drop cloth (a material I use often because it looks similar to linen) around the cut poster board.I used glue stick and some masking tape to tape the drop cloth down on the back of the matte.Here is the finished product.They actually came out a lot better than they look and were very easy to do.Something else you could try is to use the same drop cloth material for the matte but make the pictures black and white rather than sepia and paint the frames black.I really like the way they came out. Like I said, they … [Read more...]
Hamper Basket Makeover
I like having a good project to work on- something to paint or re cover is always fun. I enjoy looking around thrift stores for something I can re do. This may seem weird to some people but it is sort of therapeutic for me and gratifying to see the transformation. When I spotted this old hamper at a thrift store, I knew it would be fun and easy to re do. Actually, if I had the right style of house, this would have been a cool vintage piece to fix up. I would have re painted it the same yellow and cleaned it up a bit. My house is not ecletic at all though. It wouldn't work in our house as a vintage piece. All I needed to do with this was wash it off with a hose and give it two coats of spray paint. I used Rust-Oleum gloss protective French Roast.Once the paint was all dry (I gave it 24 hours), I unscrewed the top and used a staple gun to cover it with my favorite material- drop cloth! I say favorite, because I've done a bunch of projects using drop cloth you can find here. I like it because it is sturdy and it looks like linen.Here is how it looked once it was painted and the top was covered. It needed something extra, so I trimmed the lid with smooth nickel furniture nails. I … [Read more...]
Spinach Salad
This spinach salad is another simple recipe. It's the perfect dish to bring to a house party or works great when having guests over. You can prepare it with chicken or leave the chicken out. It tastes great both ways. What You Will Need 1. Spinach (16 oz bag) (you can cut the stems off if you like) 2. 2 Avocados 3. 2 Roma Tomatoes 4. 1/2 Head of Red Cabbage 5. Boneless Chicken Breasts (about 2lbs) 6. Crumbled Feta Cheese 7. Sliced Almonds (I use the majority of a 3.5 oz bag) 8. Craisins (I use half of a 5 oz bag) 9. 1/2 cup of white sugar 10. 1/3 cup of ketchup 11. 1/4 cup of vegetable oil 12. 1/4 cup of vinegar 13. 2 teaspoons of worcestershire sauce Step 1 Wash Chicken then place on foil in a pan. Brush a little olive oil on both sides of chicken, then season with your favorite seasoning. I used a cajon seasoning here but rosemary is a good choice for this salad. Broil in oven. Step 2 Chop up the cabbage, avocados, and tomatoes. Put the cabbage then tomato and avocado on top of the spinach in a large bowl. Step 3 Once chicken is cooked, pull out from oven and chop up. Allow time for the chicken to cool. Pour chicken on top of mix. … [Read more...]
Embroidered Pillow
I must have a thing for pillows and monograms. A couple weeks ago I made pillows with painted monograms on them you can find here and the other day I embroidered a monogram on another pillow. I do like pillows. They are an easy way to give a couch, bed, or chair a finishing touch. It's also an easy way to add color and style to a room. I like monograms because they personalize a space and I think it makes a nice gift to give someone something personalized with a monogram. First, I traced a circular bowl (the size I wanted the monogram and design to be) onto a solid colored linen pillow cover. Next, I penciled the design and monogram onto the pillow cover. Last, I embroidered over the penciled design. Embroidery is not hard. If you don't know how, I found a tutorial on Pinterest you can go to here. Turned out pretty good. What do you think? … [Read more...]
Chicken Noodle Soup
I love making chicken noodle soup especially since I live in the mountains and it's the perfect food for cold weather. And I love that there is always a lot left over. This recipe is so easy, it's almost embarrassing but I'm going to share it anyway. Some people don't like to cook but if they know it's a simple recipe, they are willing to give it a shot. And it feels good to make something homemade- like you've really accomplished something. What You Will Need 1. Half chicken breasts 2. Carrots (I buy the small bag of pre-chopped) 3. Celery (one package is enough) 4. Noodles (you can use the egg noodles or I like the rotini type-1 box) 5. Wild Rice (I like Uncle Ben's Ready Rice) 6. Seasoning (I use 3 cubes of chicken bouillon) Step 1 Wash the carrots and celery and dice them up. This is the only hassle of the recipe. While I'm doing this, I heat up two pots of water on the stove. Step 2 Wash the chicken and place in one pot. Put the carrots and celery in the other pot. I boil the chicken for a good hour. You want it to cook to the point it's falling off the bone. I cook the carrots and celery about a half hour. Boil the noodles and microwave the … [Read more...]
Tortilla Soup
Another Delicious and Simple Recipe Ingredients You Will Need: 2 tbs olive oil 1 onion (diced) 2 tsp chili powder 2 tsp ground cumin 1 can diced green chilies 2 cups cooked chicken chopped 2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes in juice 2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained 32 ounces chicken broth 1 cup water 2 tbs lime juice 1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels Salt and pepper to taste Directions In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium. Saute onions for about 5 minutes. Add pre cooked chicken, chili powder and cumin and cook another minute or so. Add tomatoes (with juice), beans, broth, corn, diced chilies, lime juice and 1 cup water to the pan; season with salt and pepper. Bring soup to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Serve with shredded cheese, tortilla chips, sliced avocado and/or sour cream. … [Read more...]
