The Pink Peony of Le Jardin

~thrift store canister makeover~

2012-02-24T23:51:00.000-05:00

Here is a simple little decoupage project that I did for my laundry room. I found this inexpensive canister at my local thrift store. I loved the color of it, and decided that I could put my powdered detergent in it that I use for gettin out stains.

Instead of removing the Martha Stewart label, I decided to turn the canister around (no one will see the back when it's on the shelf right?) and decoupage a new label. I chose a French printout that I have had for ages, but I'm sure you can find something similar to print such as these that I found on pinterest...

(For the link to these free beauties, click here on pinterest)

Or for these printables, click here

Simply print and cut out the image, then center and decoupage it onto the canister. Easy right?

DIY “vintage” Map Wall Art with scrapbook paper!

2012-02-21T21:31:00.000-05:00

I like old maps. I like scrapbook paper. I was therefore excited to find a vintage looking map in a 12"x12" sheet of scrapbook paper for only 99 cents! Immediately, I knew it was worth framing, and would look beautiful in my family room. I bought the world map scrapbook paper at a scrapbook shop in Ohio during a family trip, but you can see it online here. The product is PP 589-Amsterdam (B)
.
You may choose to have it custom framed, but that can be expensive. Instead of doing that, I bought a square black frame at the same scrapbook store for $14.99. (Check your local scrapbook store for one, or you can search and find one online such as this one...of course you must use your 40% off coupon, right?!!!) Just make sure it is square and will fit your scrapbook paper. My frame didn't have a glass front. I just used spray glue to mount it to the cardboard backing that came with the frame.

If you have a minute, you must check here to see the other scrapbook paper that October Afternoon carries. They have a fantastic product line that is sure to whet your appetite!

How to get the look of marble countertops for cheap!

2012-02-15T13:20:00.000-05:00

source

I have always wanted marble counter tops, but didn't think they would ever be in my budget, until now! You see, I saw an ad in a magazine for Rust-Oleum countertop transformations. (A do it yourself kit to actually PAINT your counter to look like stone). Interested, I checked out the website. I was disappointed to see a limited selection of faux finishes, and no marble ones.

So I did my own search for faux marble, and found that Home Depot sells Formica 180fx Calacatta Marble laminate countertops ! I think they are only $16 per square foot. Much cheaper than real marble counters!

For more information click on the links below...

calacatta marble
Home Depot

The following photos by Formica show just how it looks! (Click to enlarge)

Looks just like the real thing to me! Would you do it?

New York Times Bestseller must read!

2012-02-13T08:23:00.000-05:00

I stumbled upon this book recently while on a trip to Barnes and Noble. You can view details about it here on Amazon. I love books like this...personal accounts of what is yet to come after this earthly life! I know that our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ live and love each one of us personally with a love that we cannot now fully comprehend, but a love that we can feel as we reach out to them. and obey their commandments.

The book references the painting below that was painted by child prodigy artist Akiana when she was only 8 years old! You can read all about her in my post here. Simply. amazing.

Mural no.3 Done!

2012-02-08T12:26:00.000-05:00

Recently, I shared two of the murals that I was asked to paint by a neighbor friend. The third, and final project was to paint a Winnie the Pooh scene for their daughter who has loved the books since she was a little girl. (see the wall before I painted it here.) The best part of completing the mural was watching their daughter take photos of it with her camera. She was very happy, which made me even more pleased!

And now, I am back to working on my kitchen remodel. We did take out the cabinet, but decided to leave the soffits after reading Sarah Susanka's wonderful home decorating books! We installed a couple of can lights where the cabinet was, and now I am painting the ceiling, changing out some light fixtures, and dreaming up other plans to update and dress up the space. I promise I will share photos with you when I am all finished!

How to make BIG polka dot party balloons

2012-02-04T19:34:00.000-05:00

I love polka dots for every holiday! Remember my polka dot trampoline banner for a summer party? Or the white fabric gift bag I made with red polka dots here for Christmas? What about my red/white polka dot Valentine's Day pillow? Orange polka dot napkins at Thanksgiving? Or, black and white grosgrain ribbon around Halloween? This gift wrap? And what about my thrift store finds such as this navy and white polka dot number?

So, when I decorated for a recent church activity, I had to have some polka dot balloons! The secret? Round, white, peel and stick mailing labels! I found mine at Hobby Lobby in their mailing section. (hundreds of them in a package for less than $2.00) Staples had them also, but they were lots more expensive.

Simply blow up the balloons, tie them, and stick the stickers around the balloon. If you want some really big polka dot balloons on and you don't want to spend a lot of money, stop at the Dollar Tree and pick up some punch balls!

I've been busy painting murals...

2012-02-02T22:13:00.000-05:00

My friend and neighbor asked me to paint murals in her childrens' bedrooms. I've completed two of them so far, and am in the middle of finishing up the third. I really haven't done many murals, and I have never done them for anyone other than family or church. You may remember this post where I shared a couple that I painted for Walmart's Children's Miracle Network Fundraiser, and another for a church Christmas party. Anyway, my friend wanted a picket fence in the littlest girl's room. (sorry the lighting was not good for photographing)

The soccer ball in the boys' room is as tall as I am. The most difficult part was eyeballing the "pentagons"! I simply could not come up with a mathematical formula to make them easy. I just had to pray for help and free hand them!

The last mural will be a Winnie the Pooh scene on the bedroom wall below to the right of the window.

I hope to be finished by tomorrow or Monday. I'll show you pics then!

Thrifty Valentine Decorating

2012-01-31T08:50:00.000-05:00

If you want to add a littleValentine decor, but you are on a budget, stop by the dollar store and pick up a gift bag! Who says gift bags are only for giving gifts? There are some really pretty ones that you can display. I like this simple "be mine" gift bag that I picked up at the Dollar Tree.

You might recognize this little thrift store lady from a previous post. Love her.

The pink candle was from the dollar store, and I already had the heart shaped ramekin that I put it in. You can find ones similar at discount stores. The wreath I picked up last year at a store that was going out of business. The monogram "B" was printed off my computer, and then put in a thrift store frame that I spray painted black. The end table was from a yard sale. The red, glittered, puffy heart was in a display window in a local floral shop, and I begged them to sell it to me! I've seen similar ones now at Hobby Lobby~at great discounts too!

I LOVE RED! Have a terrific Tuesday!

How to get your kids to clean up!

2012-01-26T13:09:00.000-05:00

Meet PETE, The Toy Monster!

My favorite parenting experts, Linda and Richard Eyre, shared how to finally get kids to clean up their toys! After being fed up with the kids' messes, Richard said the following in his article,

"Then one day a neighbor who knew how frustrated I (Richard) was with my messy kids gave me the best preschool method ever. He told me to get a big laundry bag and draw or sew a "face" on it, with the drawstring opening as the mouth. Introduce "Gunny Bag" to the kids, and tell them that he lives in the top of the hall closet and sometimes (you never know when) comes down and EATS any toys and clothes that are left out. Then he comes back on Saturday morning and "regurgitates" the stuff.

We liked the idea. The whole process was explained in a family meeting, and we all agreed that if their toys or clothes got "eaten" again the next week, their stuff would make someones day at the Deseret Industries.

So I (Linda) got out the sewing machine and sewed some eyes and a nose on a laundry bag. When we introduced Gunny Bag, the kids formed an immediate love-hate relationship. They loved the fun of scrambling to put their things away, but they hated that he might eat their stuff.

The change was wonderful. We could come home and instead of the old pattern of getting angry and lecturing the kids about neatness and spending a half hour supervising their forced cleanup, we now had a fun, new pattern where one of us, standing amidst a sea of left-out toys and clothes, put a cupped hand behind one of our ears and proclaimed, "I think I hear some scratching in the closet. I think Gunny Bag is coming,"

I loved the idea and decided to make one just for fun. I picked up a laundry bag at the Dollar Tree and cinched it closed. I pulled out some scrap fabric in white and black (actually the white fabric was a cloth napkin that has never been used...imagine that! My kids probably don't even know what a cloth napkin is!)

I turned a drinking glass over and drew two circles on the fabric with a pencil. Cut them out, and used fray check around the edges. I cut out two smaller black circles and did the same. Then, with fabric glue, I glued the black circles to the white ones and then stitched them on the laundry bag. You could probably use fabric glue to adhere them to the bag. (just be sure to put something behind the holes until the glue dries).

For the teeth, I cut off two corners of the napkin, folded them in half, stitched down the open seam and then sewed them them to the laundry bag.

Isn't he cute? My kids are older and pretty good at cleaning up now, so I'm selling this one in my etsy shop if you're not up to making one yourself. Click here to purchase. For more great parenting tips from the Eyres, click here and here!

Starting the kitchen remodel

2012-01-24T13:37:00.000-05:00

I've been a little slow on the posts lately, but I hope to pick up the pace soon! In the mean time I wanted to share with you my plans for doing a little remodeling in my kitchen. It is a tiny space, which I really don't mind for functionality purposes, but I have always wanted the space to feel more open. I've toyed around with the idea of knocking out the cabinets that hang over the peninsula for a while now, but haven't had the courage to do so. I have been afraid that I would lose too much storage space.

My mom recently convinced me that I could make it work, and I have already started the process. I pulled out everything from those cupboards, and rearranged them in the lazy susan to the left of the stove. The lazy susan was just housing odds and ends (pantry items) that were easily moved to the pantry and to the storage room in the basement.

Can you believe that almost everything from that overhead fit beautifully into the lazy susan? ... And I am so pleased with the results. The top shelf holds the colanders, mixing bowls (stacked nicely), and bread pans, while the bottom holds the small appliances like blenders, hand mixers etc. Those items are so much more accessible now. When we moved into this house, I thought I had purged down to having only the necessities in this kitchen. Now I realize that there are always ways to better organize, and still things to be moved out (like the kids' snow cone machine that gets used only during the summer!).

When we lived in a home with a huge, and I mean huge (too big) island, the cabinets below it held so stuff that it was hard to find anything! It was always such a mess. It really pays to organize and get rid of or store what you really don't need in the kitchen.

Here is the view of the kitchen from the family room...

I'll keep you updated! I am still being so inspired by Susan Susanka's books! I hope you enjoy them as well.

that creative woman!

2012-01-20T11:30:00.000-05:00

She's done it again...that sister in law of mine...she found books around her house, and gave them a makeover with cute scrapbook paper! I love it! Remember back in the old days when we used to cover our school text books with brown paper grocery bags? Too bad we didn't have this idea!

The great part is, it is an inexpensive DIY project. And why not use wrapping paper too? Wrapping paper would cover bigger books especially well! Remember these beautiful prints from Hobby Lobby?

Happy Wrapping!

The best inspiration for making your house a home!

2012-01-16T09:26:00.000-05:00

The creative juices are flowing thanks to the best selling author Sarah Susanka. I heard about her award winning home design concepts years ago, but only recently picked up the book at the library. I wish I would have read it sooner!!! I love the whole concept of making a house a home for today's lifestyle, and getting rid of unused space. Two story foyers are wasted space and just not cozy. Sarah gives ideas on how to spend your money more wisely to create your dream home! I also checked out her DVD from the library called "The not so big house home by design". And...if you check this link out at Amazon, you will see she has written a whole slew of great books!

Winter Dollar Store Snowflakes

2012-01-13T08:14:00.000-05:00

I love to put the Christmas decorations away and start the new year with a clean slate. However, I've found that a few decorations can be left out all winter long...such as my snowflakes. Every year at the Dollar Tree I see these over sized 18" acrylic snowflakes. They look really stunning in a window, especially when the outside view is not so stunning! I keep this one on the window sill above my kitchen sink all winter long. I love how it catches the light.

I just looked out the window and noticed that we have flurries! It hasn't snowed here in PA since October!

How to make the Love sign~

2012-01-09T22:30:00.001-05:00

On Saturday, I mentioned how I am busily stocking my etsy shop. While I have lots more fun things to list, the latest addition was this distressed love sign. It is the perfect decoration for Valentine's Day! Feeling crafty? For all you DIYers, I would love to show you how I made it, so that you can make your own! It was a lot of fun to make, and really quite simple.

You will need a stretched canvas, (craft supply store or Walmart) grey, white (or cream), and red craft paint, large paint brush, small paint brush, pencil, and heavy grit sandpaper.

First, paint paint your entire canvas (sides too) a charcoal grey. (I mixed white and black since I didn't have grey). Let dry.

Then re-paint the whole thing in cream or white. You may need to do a couple of coats or more of paint to completely cover the grey.

Next, print out the word love in Microsoft word using the font, and size you prefer, and cut it out.

Turn the paper over, and using the side of the pencil lead, shade over the letters using medium pressure.

Turn the paper over again, center it on the canvas, and trace over the outline of the letters.

It's like magic! Remove the paper, and you will see the word transferred to the canvas. The pressure from the pencil (not too firm) transfers the letters onto the canvas from the graphite that you shaded!

Then, with a small paint brush, paint in the letters.

When the word is dry, take your sandpaper, and lightly sand the whole piece back and forth in one direction (horizontally like and along the word) to distress it to your liking! I took a screwdriver and lightly dented mine in some places to further add to the worn look. And there you have it!

coming soon…

2012-01-07T22:14:00.000-05:00

I have been in creative overdrive, and my brain is spinning out of control! Aside from attending my boys' basketball games all day today, I've been working on stocking my etsy shop, (check it out!) I have lots more things to list, and I'm so excited! It's getting late here, and since I'm about brain dead, I will take a break until Monday morning and then keep stocking. So be sure to check out my shop on Monday! Although it looks like wood, this distressed Valentine "Love" sign is actually painted on stretched canvas! You may be able to click on the photo to enlarge it to see more detail. Anyway, I made a few of these so I could keep one for myself!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend...

DIY Family Room Makeover!

2012-01-03T19:50:00.000-05:00

Recently, my sister in law gave her family room a complete makeover. First, she covered her taupe walls with a fresh coat of cream paint, and then accented one wall with our favorite green paint....(Melange green by Sherwin Williams). If it looks familiar, I can tell you why. I have it on my accent wall in my family room as well! You have seen it in this post. Or in this one. Or even here!

Since it is a strong color, I recommend using it only on one wall. I can guarantee though, that if you take the plunge, you will love it! It looks great all year long...in the spring, summer, accented with browns in the fall, and with red and whites in the winter. I've enjoyed my wall for a few years now, and have no intention of repainting it anytime soon. Besides, if you don't like it, you will only have to paint over one wall! It is so fresh and fun, and it is particularly nice in a darker room which gets that cold northern light. (which is why I decided to paint it in my family room)

Anyway, back to my sister in law's makeover. She bought a new sofa and chair with a subtle beige and cream pin stripe, and accented it with black and grey floral pillows.

She added a new leather chair and ottoman, as well as two more pillows. Don't you just love the robin's egg blue ruffle pillow?

A new iron lamp with "branches" and a neutral shade (how cute is that) and some other fun accents that she moves around from different places in her house. By the way, if you get bored of things easily like I do, try moving them to a different place in the house and they will take on new life!

I have a couple more fun things to show you that she did, but I am going to save them for another post! If you missed the tour of her beautiful home last year, click here!

Presenting…(drum roll please)…

2012-01-02T12:31:00.000-05:00

THE ORGANIZED PANTRY!!!! Yes, it was overstuffed, haphazard, and frustrating. The key to

organizing this cramped closet? This door unit from Home Depot! Why didn't I think of this before? These extra wide wire baskets on the back of the door keep goods organized in one place. Thank you Home Depot! In a small kitchen with limited storage, this is a lifesaver. Probably the best $20 I've spent!

I've also used inexpensive baskets inside the pantry to hold such things as pre packaged snacks or individual packets of hot cereal. Do you have any organizing tips to share?

How to live the Abundant life this New Year...

2011-12-31T08:05:00.000-05:00

On January 2, 2011, I wrote this post. It's hard to believe it has already been a year. I must say that sharing my thoughts with you during that post helped me complete the projects on my to do list and think about my priorities. My son finished his Eagle Scout Project, I opened my Etsy shop, (more goods coming soon!) and finished the illustrations for the children's book.

More importantly, I'm still trying to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. I'm still trying to strengthen my relationship with my family... and I'm still working on keeping the house up, sticking to bedtimes, and serving healthy meals. (not doing so hot on those last two.)

The other day, while I was editing photos, and a subtle feeling and a thought came to me. A feeling that God saw something of more value in my life than what I thought was important. I was directed to this article, and learned how to begin a truly abundant life this year. I hope you will read it. I loved this quote...

“The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.”
~William James

It has already made a difference in my thought patterns the last few days. I am catching myself more often when I think negatively, and I am looking for the simple beauty of life and love all around me. So, my goal this year is to remember my ABC's! The A for attitude, the B for believing in myself, and the C for facing challenges with courage. Will you take on this challenge with me? I believe it will make a difference in our lives.

Our trip today to Carlo’s Bakery…

2011-12-28T21:03:00.002-05:00

I hope all of you had an enjoyable holiday with family and friends!

~Here I am with my kids~

One of the things that Santa Claus brought was a gift certificate to Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, NJ. My kids like watching Buddy on Cake Boss, and have wanted to check out his bakery. We live about an hour from

Hoboken, so we woke the kids up about 6:30 a.m., and jumped into the car. Grace was still asleep, so my husband carried her to the car, and brought clothes for her to put on over her pjs. When we arrived, she said, "Um, I don't think I have any shoes!" Fortunately there was a Walgreens a block away, where we picked up some "winter slippers" as the clerk called them. :)

...the clock across the street from the bakery...

There was already a line when we arrived!

Here is Grace sporting her "winter slippers"

This guy passed out numbers to people standing in line. We were number 22.

It was cold outside, so we were happy when he motioned us in.

The kids said this cake on display has a photo of Buddy's wife on it. (?)

Pretty fancy! We just got donuts and hot chocolate though. I had a Boston Cream donut...tasty.

We ended up doing a lot of certificates for the kids this year and sticking them on the Christmas tree. They really don't need a lot, and I think we need to do some more family outings. This was a fun little trip for our family. If you go, we definitely recommend getting to the bakery early in the morning before the line gets crazy long!

For the love of Red…easy DIY ideas!

2011-12-22T10:25:00.000-05:00

If you love red as much as I do, this post is for you!

Before I forget, did you print off my free vintage santa gift tags? I found another way to use them besides attaching them to gifts! (See above photo). Add red grosgrain ribbon and tape them to decorative plates, frames, or lamp shades! Don't you love how the platter turned out above?

Okay, the next time you are at Walmart, pick up some cherry red spray paint. Look around your house and see if you have any frames, metal bowls, or other things that would look fun and festive with a coat of red paint. Or the next time you pass a thrift store, check it out and see what you can find. I found this metal bowl
at a thrift store. I knew it had potential with a little bit of paint!

It looks completely different decked out in red, doesn't it? And, I can use it for Valentine's day as well!

Sorry, no before photo on this next one. But trust me, it was an old yellow plastic framed mirror from a thrift store or yard sale. I sprayed away....

And it turned into this!

Look around your house for special mementos that you can hang on your Christmas tree as ornaments~like this pair of baby shoes tied up with red ribbon! As you can see, this idea is from Good Housekeeping. I actually have these little white shoes. My daughter wore them when she was blessed as a baby, so I will be finding those soon to hang on our tree. If not this year, definitely next year. So sentimental.

Now, remember how I said that each year I always "think" that I'm going to bake sugar cookies, and then I never do? Because of that, my vintage cookie cutters never see the light of day. I had an idea the other day...I'll hang those on my tree too! Now, even if I don't use them to bake, I can still enjoy them. Remember these mom? :)

Happy Holidays everyone. I'm signing off until next week...

Love,

Robyn

A little baking tip, and more…

2011-12-19T14:07:00.002-05:00

I'm trying to keep up with all of the holiday preparation. Once again, I made red velvet cupcakes for the various parties this year. I always "think" that I am going to make cookies and truffles and many other delicious holiday treats, but it never happens. Things are always so busy, that I end up just making cupcakes. But that's okay. I think they're cute, and now I have a new tradition going.

Here's a little tip. I use an ice cream scoop (you know the kind with the "trigger" to pop out the scoop of ice cream) to plop the cake batter into the liners. That way, you don't "dribble" all over the pan, and you can measure out consistent amounts of batter so that your cupcakes will all be the same size.

(I couldn't resist. When they came out of the oven, I tore into one while it was still hot. :)

Then I frost them with cream cheese frosting (from the can of course at this time of year) like this...

from this wonderful tutorial here.

And besides baking cupcakes and everything else that zaps my time around the holidays, I had the opportunity to do a little of this last week...

at two local libraries. It was a lot of fun sharing my book, and showing the children how I made the illustrations. Dad and I have been pleasantly surprised by all of the great feedback and sales!

I guess it's time to get back to cleaning the house. A tornado touched down in my house this weekend, and I am left to clean up the aftermath all by myself. :)

school craft shop 2011

2011-12-14T10:33:00.001-05:00

Remember my creations for the kid's holiday craft shop last year? Well, this year my daughter and I noticed that she had a big bag of acrylic craft beads from a yard sale that she hadn't done anything with. We decided to make bracelets to sell in the shop. It was time consuming, but a fun project to do together. We both designed the various patterns, strung them, and attached the clasps.

I had a black velvet skirt that had hardly been worn, so I cut it up and hot glued the edges to one of my discount store bulletin boards. Then I hung the bracelets on the bulletin board tacks.

For fun, I took a picture of Grace adorned with the bangles :), printed the photo in my printer using Dollar Tree photo paper, and stuck it in an old 8x10 frame. For the sale, I propped the bulletin board up in the back with a wooden step stool. Then we displayed the framed photo on an easel next to the bracelets.

When I went in to pick up any bracelets that didn't sell, I found that they were all gone! I guess they were a big hit! Does your local elementary school do holiday craft shops?
BTW, If you haven't already, don't forget to check out these free video clips! They are fantastic.

This is what it's all about...share the link to these free, beautiful video clips this season...

2011-12-10T19:58:00.000-05:00

photo source

To view the series of short video clips, click on this link.

You just HAVE to play this game with your family. Period.

2011-12-08T11:46:00.000-05:00

I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard…

Last night our family played the game "Who Stole the Cookies from the Cookie Jar?" We had never played it before, and it was hilarious. We jazzed it up, and did some add libbing. I don't think there has ever been a game that we have played before as a family and laughed so hard. So, this holiday season, take some time out to play and de stress!

If you have never played it, you don't need anything special, and you can sit down on the couch at the same time. (My favorite kind of game!) Technically its for little kids, and we are big kids. I think that made it even more fun. I'm guessing that you already know how to play it. If not, or you need a refresher, here's how to play (compliments ofWikipedia ~thanks Wiki!)...

"Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar?" or the Cookie Jar Song is a sing-along song/game, sung usually with young children in a pre-school, school, or day camp setting. The song is an infinite-loop motif, each verse directly feeds into the next. It is usually performed as a fun game, with the children sitting or standing in a circle.

The song usually begins with the group leader asking who stole a cookie from an apocryphal (or, in some cases, real) cookie jar, followed by the name of one of the children in the circle. The child questions the "accusation," answered by an affirmation from the "accuser," followed by continued denial from the "accused." The accuser asks who stole the cookie, followed by the name of another child in the circle. The call-and-answer is potentially infinitely recursive, limited only by the number of participants or the amount of time the participants wish to spend on it.

Sometimes, a clapping or snapping beat is used by the children in the circle. Sometimes, the other children in the group sing along with the "accuser" after the "accused" has been identified. Some variations on the theme include the use by teachers of the song as a lesson in keeping with a beat and improvisation. As with many children's songs, there can be many variations on the execution of the performance.

The song's lyrics are usually:

Accuser: Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?

(name of a child in the circle) stole the cookie from the cookie jar.

Accused: Who, me?

Accuser/Group: Yes, you!

Accused: Not me!/Couldn't be!/Wasn't me!

Accuser/Group: Then who?

This is followed by the "accused" saying the name of someone else, as "(name of a child in the circle) stole the cookie from the cookie jar," and the subsequent back-and-forth lines are repeated. The song may be repeated ad infinitum or it may end - if it is being performed as part of a game, where members of the group are eliminated by failing to keep up with the prescribed beat or eliminated as a result of being chosen as one of the accused."

*There were definitely "variations on the execution of the performance" in our family! I hope your family enjoys it as much as we do!

P.S. IF YOU MISSED IT, I POSTED A GREAT DEAL HERE YESTERDAY ...I'm headed out to pick up my stash today!

A Super Deal going on now through Saturday!

2011-12-07T08:27:00.000-05:00

ONLY $2.99

Michaels has this 100-Piece Art set for only $2.99 until Saturday! I am picking one up for my daughter and for my niece for Christmas. I think I will stock up on them for birthday gifts as well! What a fantastic deal!

To learn more, click on their ad here. And you can find a detailed description and close up photo of the set here.

I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard…

2011-12-07T08:03:00.001-05:00

The song's lyrics are usually:

Accuser: Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?

(name of a child in the circle) stole the cookie from the cookie jar.

Accused: Who, me?

Accuser/Group: Yes, you!

Accused: Not me!/Couldn't be!/Wasn't me!

Accuser/Group: Then who?

*There were definitely "variations on the execution of the performance" in our family! I hope your family enjoys it as much as we do!

Such a cute gift idea!

2011-12-05T10:31:00.001-05:00

Our family received the cutest Christmas gift the other day! It was a milk and cookie gift basket with some other fun goodies. I think it's the perfect gift for a fun, family night . Maybe we'll watch a Christmas DVD and then have milk and cookies. (And a little ice cream in those cute little vintage cups)

I simply love the straws. The cookies are Teddy Grahams wrapped in blue and white polka dot scrapbook paper. (How cute is that?) And those vintage reproduction milk bottles? LOVE them! The set is complete with some chocolate syrup and a cute little decorative tart. (not to eat, just to always stay put and look cute!)

Do you have a fun family gift idea?

My Christmas gift to you…

2011-12-02T22:13:00.000-05:00

Years ago when I was a newlywed trying to create holiday decorations with little or no money (hey, I'm still doing that!), I found a pattern to create this piece of artwork for my home. I cut the entire image out of black card stock with an exacto knife. Yes, it was tedious, but it was worth it. It reminds me of the joy of family, and the warmth of the holidays.

The process of cutting paper is called Scherenschnitte. According to Wikipedia (thanks Wikipedia), scherenschnitte means "scissor cuts" in German. The art work often has symmetry within the design, and common forms include silhouettes, valentines, and love letters. The art tradition was founded in Switzerland and Germany in the 16th century, and was brought to Colonial America in the 18th century by immigrants who settled primarily in Pennsylvania.

I recently updated it by putting green scrapbook paper behind it with white Swiss polka dots. Then I stuck it in a black dollar store frame that I found in my house. I wanted to share it with you this Christmas. All you have to do is print it out as an 8x10 and place it in an 8x10 frame. (or 5x7 etc.) Even though you will have a print, you will find that it looks like a near exact replica of the original, because I scanned it with a high quality scanner.

Stick it in a black frame (check dollar tree if you don't already have one), and you can enjoy it in your home as well! Thank you for following me~

Love,
Robyn

I spent the holiday with a paint brush in one hand...

2011-12-01T09:53:00.000-05:00

and a fork in the other. After eating turkey and all the fixins, I went to work for my sister in law! She commissioned lots of projects for me to do while I was there. One was a canvas for her daughter to take to college with her. It was of a favorite quote...

She really wanted dandelions on there, so I worked them in. I painted it on a canvas board with a charcoal colored background, and white lettering. Kinda looks like a chalkboard!

Then I painted this dresser that she picked up at Goodwill. It is beautiful. It was a dark wood, so I had to prime it first before I painted it with about 4 or 5 coats of white paint. In this photo the knobs aren't all back on yet, and we were just playing around with where to put it, and how to "merchandise" the top.

She found an image of a bluebird online done in watercolor that she wanted me to recreate...

I painted a college logo (BYU) on her son's bedroom wall that was about 3 feet wide. I also painted an eiffel tower on a t-shirt to go with some cute little whimsical french pj bottoms that she made for a niece. (unfortunately I didn't take photos of either).

Let's see. Is that all?! I can't remember, but I know that we had plenty of time for shopping! I'll have to show you some of my finds later. I got a cute, little vintage red alarm clock for a steal! She took me to Roots candle company in Cleveland, Ohio~their headquarters. That was fun. I picked up a chocolate candle to put in my daughter's stocking.

Oh yeah! I also stenciled another one of my pillows from my etsy shop for her...

And now, the hustle and bustle of the holidays continues. It is such a fun, yet busy, time of year!

Quick decorating idea..."eye candy"

2011-11-29T14:36:00.000-05:00

Remember these from last year? I just pulled them out of storage, and the candy is still in good shape! (I'm such a mean mom...the kids know not to touch them because they are for decoration only!)

To make your own, visit your local thrift store and purchase some fun glass jars with lids, or hunt some down around your house. (I'm sure you have something that you can use! You can even use a mason jar.)

Stop by the dollar tree to pick up some peppermint sticks and candy, and fill up your jars! I had to "saw" my peppermint sticks in half with a serrated knife to fit inside my jar, but that was okay... it was like getting 2 peppermint sticks for the price of one!

These look so festive in the kitchen, as long as you can keep the kids away! There's truly nothing like "eye candy" to decorate with!

50 CENT SHABBY PINE TREES craft!

2011-11-26T12:39:00.002-05:00

Such an easy, fun, Christmas/Winter decorating idea!

These trees are so easy and fun to make. I started with just one, and ended up with a little forest! They are so beautiful to display on their own, or in a grouping. And the best part is, you can leave them up all winter!~they are not necessarily Christmas decorations, but they can be.

Materials

scrap fabric~any kind will do. I used a sort of velvet looking one, and a satin one.

The white tree came from an old sheet! Isn't it so shabby looking? Just look through your fabric stash

or find some old clothes to cut up!

black or white poster board

(Dollar Tree has poster board for 50 cents each)

about 1/4 yard of green or white fabric

tape

pencil

fabric scissors

Yardstick

hot glue gun

Steps:

1. Roll the poster board into a cone. Secure it with tape and a little hot glue.

2. With a yardstick, measure from the point of the cone to where you would like your base to be. My white pine tree measures 3/8th of a yard from the point, and my largest green tree measures 1/2 of a yard from the point. Draw an even line all the way around (measuring from the point as you go) with pencil or chalk. Then cut along that line to form the base of the tree.

3. Fold the fabric into 3 or so layers (to cut out 3 "u" shapes at a time). Begin by cutting a bunch of "u"'s (circles with their tops cut off) Each should be the same size~ 2"x2" for the white tree, and 2 1/2" x 2 1/2 " for the green tree. I cut out about 52 "u"s for the white tree, and 70 for the big green tree. You'll be surprised at how quickly you can cut them out.

4. Hot glue just along the back of the top of the "U" and position it straight edge side up on the bottom of the cone. (Let about 1/4" or so hang off the cone). Note: you will not be gluing the entire "u" down~just the top edge.

5. Overlap your first "U" with a second "U" (about 1/4"), and continue overlapping new pieces all around the bottom.

6. Carry on with the next row up. Your next piece should be centered over where the two below it meet. Also, you will want to over lap the bottom row by about 1/2". None of these measurements have to be exact. You just want to make sure that the poster board is covered.

7. Continue slightly overlapping as you work your way up the cone until the tree is complete! When you get to the top, lay a piece horizontally on the point, fold down the edges around the point, and trim and hot glue as needed.

* If you want to make the little ribbon tree, follow the same instructions to make the cone, but start winding ribbon from the top of the cone and work your way down (hot gluing a dot of glue every couple of inches. It takes a lot of ribbon though, (maybe 3 or so yards)~which can be expensive. I already had the ribbon to play around with, so that is why I made one. I probably won't make any more of those. I'll just stick with making the fun, inexpensive shabby trees. I have an old green sweater that I might cut up to make another one! There are so many possibilities.

Hmmm, what else can you cover these cones with? Green sequins? That would be fun.

Thanksgiving~decorating for the feast~

2011-11-24T20:38:00.000-05:00

I snapped these photos today of my sister in law's tables capes. It was truly a Thanksgiving to remember!

~pre black friday sale~

2011-11-21T20:42:00.000-05:00

* AUTOGRAPHED COPIES for $9.99! *

Give the gift of reading

I just added ten more copies to my etsy shop! Here is the link to purchase.

It's been so fun...Dad and I have been busy keeping our local book stores stocked as well as local gift shops. They've been "flying off the shelves"! We are each participating in community events such as reading and signing books at our local libraries. Thanks for supporting our love of literacy and the arts!

~decorating the kids' table~

2011-11-19T16:54:00.000-05:00

All right, my sister in law has done it again! (She searched the web for the cutest Thanksgiving table decorations, and found out how to make this paper bag turkey centerpiece for the "kids table". She made it, and then kindly decorated her table in advance so that I could have pictures of what she is going to do so that I could share them with all of you. Isn't she great? And isn't this turkey hilarious? I love it!!!

Before she took the photos, I did my own search for "paper bag turkeys" (so I could understand what she was talking about over the phone). To my surprise, I found that the paper bag turkey has been flying all over pinterest! She stuffed hers with newspaper, but many of them were stuffed with popcorn.

Here is how she made hers...

" I stuffed it with newspaper, put my hand in the bag and pinched in the corners. I twisted the ends on the small lunch bags and taped them. To close the big bag, I pleated the sides until the tip was as small as I wanted, then folded it under and taped it. Hot glue the small bags on the big bag, and then scrunch and shape it how you want it. One piece of white paper folded in half cut. Fold in half again and cut. Fold strips in half and cut thin strips, leaving a little bit uncut, and wrap around the legs and glue. Fluff."

Did you notice what else she'll be decorating the table with? Yellow and white polka dot napkins, and bottled soda with orange and white striped straws! So cute. And the flower arrangement? She just made a bunch of those for a church function. Everyone was amazed that they weren't real. (they're silk!) She picked up the flowers at Walmart and Michaels, and then arranged them herself in Mason jars. She amazes me...She has such a keen eye for beauty and details...totally inspiring!

okay, now THAT was fun!

2011-11-17T12:44:00.000-05:00

Do you remember my birthday post from last year? I loved to roller skate around my driveway with my boom box cranked up when I was eight. Oh, those were the days. I read an article recently that challenged adults to reach into their past and recreate one of their favorite joyful memories. Roller skating outside was the memory I decided that I would recreate if I was able to. I told my family how I wished I could do that again...But the thought of rollerskating around my driveway as a thirty-something year old with my neighbors looking on brought up scary images. (And, I don't like roller skating rinks~so that was not an option!) Besides, who roller skates around their neighborhood these days?

So the other day, I decided to pull out my roller blades, and try them out again.. I had asked for them for Christmas a few years ago, (even picked them out myself). Well, apparently you need to buy good quality skates to enjoy them~and these were definitely not good quality. So they sat and collected dust in my garage. When I pulled them out the other day, I was hoping that they would miraculously, and smoothly glide me down the street, but alas, they did not, so I pitched them and resigned myself to a life without skates.

Then, two days ago, a tender mercy happened...a thrift store miracle! It was one of those moments when you actually notice one of God's many interventions in your life~one of those times that He shows you that He has a sense of humor and that He loves you. I prayed that morning to do God's will that day. I got up, got ready, tidied up the house, and then left to go visiting teaching. (a program in our church that we have to go visit other women, share a spiritual message with them, and serve them in any thing that they may need assistance with).

As I was going to visit this sweet lady, I drove past another friend's house. The thought came to my mind (not my own thought) reminding me that she had told me about a new thrift store she had found a while back. Although I had many things to do that day, I decided to call her and see if she wanted to go that afternoon~even on short notice. To my surprise, she said she was already going to go there that afternoon, and had been wondering if I wanted to go~"even on short notice!"

So after I was done visiting teaching, we met up and went to the thrift store. After browsing for a bit, she walked over to me with a pair of nearly new women's roller skates! She hadn't known how badly I wanted to roller skate, and that I didn't even know that they made outdoor women's roller skates (don't laugh all of you athletes!) She explained that they were Skecher brand, which was a really nice brand, and they were a fraction of the price. Furthermore, they were in MY size...7.5, and only gently used!!!! I told her how I longed to roller skate, and had just recently (only the day before) pitched my poor quality roller blades.

Of course... I bought them.

I put them on this morning, realizing I could listen to my ipod instead of a boom box, and I would be much less conspicuous! And then I glided...all over the neighborhood (except when I got to a hill~another story for another day). I had the time of my life, and look forward to skating more often. Running has gotten really boring!

And that, is the miracle of the roller skates. Who says God doesn't perform miracles today? I see them time and time again in my life, and in the lives of others! We just have to notice them!

Gourmet Pretzel Rods

2011-11-14T15:40:00.000-05:00

With the holiday season in full swing, I'll be sharing some of my most popular holiday posts over the upcoming weeks...such as this fantastic gift idea!

These make great gifts for teachers and neighbors, and they are a cinch to make. Here's the recipe...

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

(you can substitute white chips also)

10 eight inch pretzel rods (check Aldi's, Walmart or Target)

Assorted sprinkles

Waxed paper

Melt 3/4 c. chocolate chips in microwave on medium power until melted.

(or you can melt all the chocolate chips in a double boiler)

Then add the remaining 1/4 c. of chocolate chips and stir well.

Fold a piece of wax paper in half, open it up, and pour the sprinkles down the crease.

Dip and spoon chocolate on half of each pretzel rod, and then gently roll/press the chocolate

covered part in the sprinkles. Place on another piece of waxed paper to set, and chill for
about 15 minutes in the refrigerator.

After the chocolate and sprinkles have set, place in large cellophane bags (Hobby Lobby has them in the cake decorating section~make sure you buy the extra long bags so the pretzels will fit) and tie with ribbon and tag made from scrapbook paper. (I get my red and white striped ribbon from Walmart)

And here is another fun variation!

I clipped this recipe out of Country Living a couple of years ago for these pretty peppermint sticks.

Here is the recipe...

Chocolate Dipped Peppermint Sticks

Dip 12 five inch peppermint sticks, one at a time, into seven ounces of white chocolate. Transfer to baking pan lined with parchment paper. Allow the chocolate to set slightly-about 5 minutes, then roll the chocolate end of the peppermint sticks in 1/4 cup of white nonpareils. Return to the lined pan and let stand at room temperature until chocolate hardens.

enjoy!

A simple, all occasion gift for only $1.65!

2011-11-12T15:07:00.001-05:00

Perfect for Christmas, birthdays, new moms, baptisms, and more! These are the softest journals you will ever find! They are made out of baby blanket fabric called minky dot. It comes in a variety of COLORs, feels as soft as rabbit fur, and doesn't fray. I love the raised polka dots. I just made 15 of these in under an hour to give to our young women at church. I wanted them to have something soft and special to record their spiritual impressions in.

You will need the above materials, except you may want to use a hot glue gun in addition to, or instead of the fabric glue. The composition notebooks cost $1 at the Dollar Tree, and I used a 40% off coupon for the fabric at Hobby Lobby (JoAnns has it too). I made 15 journals out of just over 1 yard of fabric! You may already have some fabric at home that you can use.

You can experiment with a variety of fabrics, but make sure that you use something somewhat plush but not too thick so the glue will stick (no thicker than 1/8") and not too thin so that the glue won't bleed through the fabric. Printed fabrics would probably work better than solid colors.

Cut grosgrain fabric (I already had some that I picked up at Walmart long ago~you can find it by the yard at the fabric store also) into 8" strips. (2 for each journal) Hot glue about 1/2" of the ribbon onto the top of the notebook in the center.

Turn it over, and do the same on the back, matching up the ribbons. Snip the remaining ends of the ribbon at an angle to keep them from fraying.

Turn the fabric to the wrong side. "Squiggle" fabric glue or hot glue over one side of the notebook,

and place it face down on the fabric with the edge of the notebook against the edge of the fabric. (you want the book binding to be in the middle of the fabric so that you can fold the notebook over).

Next "squiggle" glue all over this side of the notebook,

And fold it over to adhere it to the fabric. You can see below that the binding of the book is on the fold of of the fabric at the bottom of the picture.

Let it dry, and then cut the fabric evenly around the notebook. Add a dab of hot glue to each corner (peel back the fabric a bit) to reinforce. Then tie the ribbon in a bow!

You can make up a bunch of these to have on hand for when you need one. You can give them to people who are ill, or children in hospitals. How about making some in bright colors to give as party favors?! Do you have any more ideas?

my husband’s fabulous idea…

2011-11-09T09:48:00.000-05:00

Recently, to celebrate my birthday, my husband and kids surprised me with a little party. It was such a fun afternoon...just our little family. And they made it a day to remember! I walked in from a meeting (before they expected me) to find them scurrying to finish wrapping a couple of presents and putting the icing on the chocolate 9x13 cake that they had just baked. (it has to be chocolate!)

Then they sat me down, had me open a couple of presents, and then led me to the family room. My husband hung a giant cupcake pinata on the end of a broom handle, and handed me a baseball bat. We each got to take a whack at it. To my surprise, when it broke, spa like treats came tumbling out instead of candy! There were all kinds of little lotions, scrubs, shampoos, conditioners, scented hand sanitizers, toothpastes (!), and floating candles. The goal was to give me a spa treatment. It was a busy day, so we haven't had time for it yet, but I'm looking forward to it!

I thought it was such a cute idea. They picked up most of the "goods" in the sample sized section of Walmart. The funny thing was, they didn't know it, but I had had my eye on that cupcake pinata to use for a carnival themed activity with the young women at church in January. (New Beginnings) We hardly made a dent in it, so now I get to reuse it for our activity!

A thrift store match! + a great tip

2011-11-07T10:57:00.001-05:00

If I see a skirt or top that I love at the thrift store, and it is still too big for my daughter, I buy it anyway. A year ago I found this cute navy and white polka dot knit skirt at my local thrift store. I washed it, stuck it up on a shelf, and waited for her to grow into it. This fall, she tried it on, and it fit! I think it cost around $3, and was in great shape!

It reminded me of a tie that my husband wore to a wedding before we got married. Yep, I looked in his closet, and it was still there! So, that is what they wore to church the following Sunday. They loved matching each other!

Here is another little tip. I found the gray cashmere sweater that she is wearing at the thrift store also. It was in the Women's sized clothing! You know, you are not supposed to wash cashmere or it will shrink. Well, that is exactly what I did~hoping it would shrink to fit my daughter! And it did! It is still just as soft as before. How is that for getting the softest cashmere sweater on a dime?

Decorating with Real Art

2011-11-04T10:24:00.000-04:00

To me, children's art is the purest form of expression. A child dreams, a child imagines and experiments, a child plays. They see the world through different eyes~forgotten by adults. It is evident in their art. My teenager painted this in school when he was a little boy. It makes me smile whenever I see it. I like to frame my children's art...especially those pieces that mean the most to me.

Do you frame your children or grandchildren's art?

After the Before...Part 2

2011-11-01T14:37:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was the before, and here is the after with a few coats of white paint and a little accessorizing! I painted the desk and chair the same white as my wall so that it wouldn't stand out too much. The frame you see is actually plastic. I picked the frame and scissors up for around $2 each at two different yard sales this summer. The phone? I did splurge on that from Pottery Barn~I have a thing for old phones! I knew I had scored on the scissors because I had seen other enlarged office supplies in my favorite catalogs. Such as these $35 safety pins from Ballard Designs!

image source

The lighting on this side of my house is horrible for photos, but trust me, it turned out quite cute!

The scissors got a makeover first too. This is what they looked like when I bought them-

I kept the handles cream. I covered them with tin foil, and then sprayed them with oil rubbed bronze spray paint.

They turned out a little too dark and for my liking, so to add a little dimension, I lightly sprayed over some of the darker areas with this satin nickel spray paint.

These "rare" pottery barn scissors selling for $75 here.

I like mine better! :) They're pretty fun, because they actually open and close. I haven't tried to cut with them yet though. Since this photo, I have accessorized the desk with a family photo in a black frame, and a pumpkin for fall. I get bored easily, so I am always switching things up! You just never know what you will find at yard sales!

Before the After...Part 1

2011-10-31T13:12:00.000-04:00

It's only Halloween, and already I am looking out the window at the enormous snow fort and snowman that my kids made over the weekend! We had an incredible snow storm this weekend...with lots of downed trees and widespread power outages in the area. I'm so grateful that we have heat!

I thought I would tell you about one of my more recent little projects. I picked up this little vintage desk and chair at a yard sale over the summer. It was at an estate sale and I was practically begged to take it away for free! It has been sitting in my basement, waiting to be made over. I finally found the perfect little spot for it in the kitchen.

I don't have much patience when it comes to painting furniture anymore, so I try to make the process as pain free as possible. For this project, I quickly scattered newspaper under the desk and chair, hauled up some old primer from my basement and brushed that primer on as quickly as I could-right then and there-in the kitchen! My kids are so good about avoiding my projects... they really have to be so careful and watch their steps if they don't want to end up painted!

Stay tuned for the results, as well as the little kitchen corner makeover........... :)

How to make a frilly scarf from a T-SHIRT!!

2011-10-27T12:25:00.000-04:00

Jane is back! Remember Jane? She is showing off the hottest accessory yet! You can make one for yourself, or for a gift! And the best part about it? If you have some old tee shirts, its free! If not, hurry over to Walmart. Last week they had their men's XL and larger sizes of Faded Glory brand tees on clearance for $3.00! (I suggest you call ahead first before making the trip over). You can also buy them at Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon. If you have A.C. Moore or Michaels craft stores, you can call there as well.

I found that it's best to use a size XL or bigger shirt to make this craft. If you can't find one, you can use multiple smaller size tee shirts in the same color (you probably have a few white ones that you can round up. I supposed you could even dye them with fabric dye if you wanted to). I have included the link to the video on how to make them-just keep in mind that I found you will want to have at least 10 "circles" to make the scarf look nice. Here is the link

http://studio5.ksl.com/index.php?nid=61&sid=14428842&s_cid=E0002

Time to raid your husband's closet?! I will be showing my young women from church how to make these in a couple of weeks. I think it's a great gift idea. I'm loving my red scarf. Guess what else I am loving that is red?

My adorable niece in her red dress! By the way, doesn't she look like she could be Meg Ryan's daughter?!!

Have a fantastic day!

Hot off the press! My New Children's Christmas Book!

2011-10-24T15:37:00.000-04:00

My dad and I just published our first children's book! Remember My New Year's Goals? Well, that was one of them. It feels good to have worked so hard at something special with my dad and to see it print!

Dad is someone special himself. He loves children's books, and he knows how important it is to read aloud to kids. The photo above shows him reading Santa Came a Day Late to some of his grandkids before he approached me about illustrating his story. I believe he is the coolest elementary school principal there ever was.

After 6 years of being the Superintendent of Schools, he decided it was time to go back to be with the kids. He knew that he could make more of a positive influence in their lives as a school principal. And that is where he as been for the last 26 years. His students will remember him dressed as Santa walking around on top of their school, riding INTO the school on a motorcycle on "black and white" day to give a math lesson with Oreos, picking them up from their classroom on their birthday to take them to the lunchroom in a wagon, and of course, reading stories to them.

Every year that all of his children and grandchildren visit him at Christmas, he secretly puts on his Santa suit, sneaks outside, and waits til his grandchildren spot him. They call him in, he makes sure they have been good, and then he hands out presents. (Funny how each year his beard and glasses cover more of his face so he is not easily recognized!) For this book, I asked him to put on the costume one more time, so that I could paint him as the real Santa in the story. So, when you see the paintings in the book, it is my dad posing. :) I don't think he realized what he was getting into when he asked me to illustrate the story!

When I was a little girl, my mom woke me up in the middle of the night to see "Santa" putting presents under the Christmas tree. I had a hard time convincing my friends in second grade that Santa was REAL because I had seen him in my house in the middle of the night! Not only is he such a fun principal, dad, and grandfather, he is a deeply spiritual man with a great love for his Savior, Jesus Christ.

I am excited to share our book with you! For more details, visit, my etsy shop. For local purchases, contact me directly via email at robynandscott @juno.com

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins…best ever.

2011-10-21T16:03:00.003-04:00

We love these at our house! We love them so much, that I put the dry ingredients for multiple batches in quart size ziploc bags. Then whenever we want to make them, I dump the contents of the bag in the bowl, and just add the eggs, oil, water, pumpkin, and vanilla. An inexpensive snack with no preservatives!! I also use an ice cream scoop to put the batter in the muffin liners. (the scoops with the "trigger" work well!) Here is the recipe...

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
(Makes about 30 muffins...2 dozen plus 6 more)

3 1/3 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 c. canned pumpkin
4 eggs
1 c. oil (may substitute 1 cup applesauce instead, or do half oil plus half applesauce)
2/3 c. water
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chocolate chips

Mix together first 5 ingredients. Make a well and add liquid ingredients. Mix in chocolate chips. Spoon into muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, then watch them disappear!

I can't believe I did it again! Isn't she cute though?

2011-10-20T16:03:00.001-04:00

...I bought another tchotchke. :) Remember this one?

"The Little Bohemian" came from the thrift store and is a vintage Hummel knock off. I don't care about it's monetary value-which probably isn't much. I think it's adorable, especially for $3.99. I love her sketch book (reminds me of me), and her red polka dot socks! And I love the pink and red posie in her hand and in her beret.

Probably best of all, is the old type written description on the base...all faded in its vintage glory! They had a little boy there in a vintage space suit holding his helmet. I almost bought that one also, but decided that enough is enough! At least for now... :)

Stretching Your Dollar Part 2... Your guide to sales

2011-10-19T08:17:00.002-04:00

SAVE money all year long! Here are some tips for saving money on household items by shopping according to the months that those items will be on sale...

January Best time to buy sheets, linens, and towels...check out white sales
February Winter clothes, coats and boots go on sale
March Small electronics like digital cameras from last year are cheaper because new models are just hitting the stores.
April Deals on cookware and other household items
May Time for yard sales and flea markets!
June deals on gym memberships
July big sales on everything from cars to carpet around the 4th of July
August grills, lawn furniture, gardening supplies
September new computers at a discount and back to school supplies
October last year’s models of home appliances go on sale
November flat screen TVs and toys for the holidays
December the week after Christmas stock up on seasonal items like wrapping paper at deep discounts

Mark your calendars!

$8.99 Deal for you!

2011-10-15T18:21:00.001-04:00

Update *SOLD*

It's time for another $8.99 deal! Just listed in my etsy shop, this adorable Eiffel Tower is the perfect hostess gift! She came straight from Paris France, and I dressed her up. Originally dull metal, I gave her a coat of cream paint, and added sparkle with glitter! Arrives already packaged in gift box...ready to give to yourself, or someone you love! To learn more about and purchase this little gem, click here!

DIY Headstones!

2011-10-13T22:27:00.000-04:00

Here is how to make the coolest "authentic looking" Halloween headstones for less than $10.00! I was thrilled with how these turned out...and so were my kids! I came up with this idea when my son decided to have a Halloween party. I wanted to put headstones in the yard, complete with funny epitaphs.

I made them out of "Foamular Rigid Insulation" from Home Depot. View the product here. It is a Styrofoam- like insulation that comes in large pink sheets. (1"x 24" x 96") The price is usually around $8 or $9 a sheet.

You will also need:
Black and white craft paint
Serrated knife
paintbrushes (one big, one small)
old hangers or rigid wire
wire cutters

(The middle one is from the dollar tree. I bought a couple of those to intersperse amongst the others)

After deciding the sizes that I wanted to make, I penciled the shapes of the tombstones onto the pink insulation board and then cut them out with a serrated knife. Next, I mixed up some black acrylic craft paint with a little white, to make a charcoal color. I painted each headstone a little bit different shade of gray (just add white or black to your mixture until you get the shade you want). You may need to thin it with some water to spread it a little easier. I like how the paint seeped in in some spots. It added texture and made the headstones look more realistic! I love it when mistakes work out!

Be sure you paint the front and back. The next photo shows the bottom of a headstone. See the holes? (those are to mount them later). Just thought I'd show you the underside. :)

I then googled epitaphs, and painted my favorite ones in white paint on the fronts of each headstone. After that, I cut up some hangers into 8 or 9 inch pieces to stick into the bottom of each headstone. I would use 2 or 3 wire rods for each one. Leave a few inches of wire sticking out the bottom of the headstone to push into the grass.

And that's all there is to it! This is a great project for older kids to assist with. Have fun!

eeek!

2011-10-11T21:17:00.000-04:00

My modem died! That's why I haven't posted in a while. So, after a long technical delay, I'm back! I thought I would share a little craft that I made, using the font from the photo above as inspiration. (If you would like to learn how to make the project in the photo as well as download the free font for it, click here.

I had this old rectangular canvas. It was pretty beat up. I threw some black craft paint on it, and then painted the word eek onto it using the same font. I just free handed it, but if you don't want to do that, you can download the font, print and then enlarge it to your liking. Then cut it out with an exacto knife to make a stencil, lay it on the canvas, outline it in pencil, and then paint in the letters with white craft paint.

I attached some black satin ribbon (baby blanket binding from Walmart) to the top, in case I decide to hang it. The pumpkins are from the dollar tree, and you may remember my faux "bittersweet" from last year!

Now is also a good time to pick up crows from the dollar tree for decorating!

orange hot chocolate

2011-10-03T10:00:00.001-04:00

Ingredients

12 oz. premium white chocolate
8 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
orange food color
whipped cream & chocolate nonpareils (for garnish)

Cooking Instructions

Coarsely chop the premium white chocolate, transfer to a medium-size heatproof bowl and set aside. Heat milk in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat, until bubbles begin to form at edge of surface, about 4 minutes. Immediately pour milk over chocolate.
When chocolate begins to melt, stir until combined. Whisk in vanilla extract and 2 drops orange food color; whisk until a light foam forms on surface. Pour into 10 mugs, garnish with whipped cream and chocolate nonpareils, and serve immediately.

Image and recipe from the book Halloween Tricks and Treats by Matthew Mead (Time Inc. Home Entertainment, 2008).

My favorite way to "carve" a pumpkin

2011-10-02T10:00:00.002-04:00

For directions on how to make this adorable pumpkin city, visit this link at Country Living.

The Potter and the Clay...

2011-10-01T19:37:00.001-04:00

An inspirational Message for us all...click here

C’mon in! Decorating with orange and gold...

2011-09-30T17:12:00.000-04:00

image via pottery barn

Love that black and white door, do you? I was just going through some of my decorating files, and thought I would share some of my favorite fall photos with you! Most are from Country Living Magazine torn out over the years!

Now that is a cool looking kitchen chalkboard! And I love the light fixtures too.

This kitchen is so fun and fall~ish decked out in gold, white, black and red. Of course I love the chalkboard, and the dutch door would be soooo much fun!

I think I'm going to have to replicate the pillow in the photo below...

This is the time of year when i wish I could paint my walls gold and accent in orange, black, and white. Unfortunately, I would want to repaint it again before long in anticipation of the holidays, and then again for spring. So for now, the walls stay white, and I accent in color for the seasons.

From Drab to Fab...A Door Makeover...

2011-09-28T10:57:00.000-04:00

Of course I forgot the main "before" picture, but trust me, the door to the garage from the kitchen was anything but Fabulous. It was a plain cream color from floor to ceiling. In one word... Drab. It happens to be a sort of focal point in my little kitchen, so I felt I needed to dress it up.

Hello stripes! I decided that stripes would make a bold statement, so I pulled out my black craft paint, a pencil, ruler, and paint brush. I painted big, fat, black, stripes. If you look closely (click on the photo to enlarge) I came up with a technique to add some texture. Before the paint dried, I wiped some of the paint away in spots with a paper towel.

Then I painted the entire door and frame white. When it dried, I decided to hang one of my paintings (my canvas painting of cherries~email me if you want one~they come as small as 3 1/2" x 5" and on up in size. Just about any size you would like them, and very reasonably priced... robynandscott@juno.com) As a final touch, I added a black iron architectural detail found in my grandfather's garage! I can't remember what it is, but I liked it...until it fell on my husband's head!!!

So, I had to come up with something else to cover up the holes in the door.

By the way, I was shopping one day and noticed the awning on this Italian restaurant. Remind you of anything? :)

I was loving this bathroom from Pottery Barn, and decided that I needed a number 4 to hang over my cherries.

I found this old frame in my shop that I picked up from the thrift store long ago. It had a painting in it that I didn't like, so I painted over it, thinking I would just painted the number 4 on...Too time consuming. I am a very busy mom these days, so I decided to print one on the computer instead. I used size 12 font in Times new roman for the "no." and Mongolian Bati size 300 for the "4". (just standard fonts)

I printed it off on parchment paper that I picked up at a yard sale long ago, cut it to fit inside the frame, and just mounted it with spray glue.

It does wonders to dress up this previously boring little spot in the kitchen!

Have a great day! Love, Robyn

Easy Halloween kid’s craft~Spooky Silhouette

2011-09-26T08:58:00.000-04:00

Looking for a fun, inexpensive craft to do with the kids? Stop by the dollar tree and pick up a clear, glass salad plate. Get out some black craft paint and have your kids paint something spooky ON THE BACK of the plate. Make sure they completely fill their drawing in with the black paint so that it becomes a silhouette. It may take a couple of coats.

Then, when the paint is completely dry, help them spray paint over their silhouette (use spray paint you already have, or pick up a cheap can at Walmart). Almost any color will do (orange, red, green, yellow, or blue). Their craft will look particularly spooky displayed in a window!

paper bag brooms

2011-09-23T09:11:00.000-04:00

source

I love simple crafts... Crafts that only require materials that I already have on hand, such as brown paper bags, raffia, scissors and sticks! For complete directions for this classic, easy project go here. I don't think I will fill mine with candy. My kids have too much of that! I'll probably just stick a couple cans of vegetables or something in there for weight and form, and just use them as decoration!

$ 8.99 Deal for Autumn

2011-09-21T14:14:00.001-04:00

*SOLD*

I couldn't resist, fall is my favorite time of year, and if I'm correct, it begins officially this Friday! In keeping with my other $8.99 listings, I would like to offer you first dibs on the vintage turquoise choker I'm listing in my etsy shop. This will rock your fall outfits! ~ Looks so cute with denim, and only $8.99. Or, if you have to, you can give it as a gift! Comes in a cute little burlap bag, already wrapped and ready to go~

More listings coming soon! To view more details and how to purchase, click on this link to my shop.

thrift store cart + kitchen counter = true love

2011-09-19T09:13:00.000-04:00

I know you have seen it before...my little thrift store cart. I used to have it in my entry way, but I was getting tired of it there and looking for something a little bit more formal to put by the front door.

I knew I had a round, mahogany side table in the basement that I picked up at a yard sale for $3 and still hadn't done anything with it yet~so I decided to move it to the entry way. Initially I was going to paint it, but I decided to leave it dark wood. It isn't in too bad of condition...

I knew I couldn't get rid of the cart. I did like it, I just didn't know where to put it. I had picked it up at the thrift store for around $5, and spray painted it white. I was about to move it to the basement, when I spied my kitchen counter. It isn't a really long counter, is pretty boring, and has a fair amount of space at the end, so I decided to try it out there for fun. I fell in love! It dresses up my little kitchen, and adds a place to display all of my thrift store vintage luncheon plates, real silver from yard sales, and serving pieces.

Cute, don't you think?

Popular Halloween Silhouette Repost

2011-09-14T09:13:00.005-04:00

In case you missed it last year, I am reposting my VERY popular Halloween home decorating craft! (6,319 pageviews to date!)

no. 2 and 3 Halloween Silhouettes

Remember the witch silhouette that I showed you how to create here? I asked if you wanted me to create two more to make a set, and the response was a resounding YES! So, I got busy and created the witch's cat, and her broom!

Aren't they cute? I have them displayed vertically, but you could display them horizontally as well. (like on a mantle, bookshelf or on the wall.)

click to enlarge

I have had these old white shutters floating around my house for years now. I bought two sets of them at Goodwill long ago. The antique brown chippy wood frame was from a yard sale this summer. It has three old spotty mirrors that go in the openings, but I haven't decided whether or not I want to reattach them. For now I am using the frame to house my silhouettes. I just set them inside the rim where the glass usually goes~so it's not permanent.

Follow the same directions as we did here for the witch.

Remember to copy each image (see below) separately into microsoft word, and enlarge to fill up as much of the page as possible. (or copy it into picasa and have it fill up the entire frame before you print) Frame in matching black dollar store document frames. (oh yeah, if you do it in microsoft word, take a straight edge and continue the broom handle lines to the top of the page, and do the same with the ledge that the cat is sitting on. It will make sense after you print them)

Have fun!

OH! If you haven't discovered these Incredible Hooks yet, I highly recommend them! You will no longer need a hammer and nails to hang things on the walls. It seems like I am always searching for the hammer. I bought some at walmart but now they have them at the Dollar Tree for obviously a lot cheaper!

So you could even use these to hang your silhouettes!

links
stopping by savvy southern style

Tutorial-Faux Vintage Stained Glass Windows for pennies-great gift idea!

2011-09-12T17:50:00.004-04:00

The Michaels promotion is on again! (see the ads here on my page). That is just perfect, because the home decorating craft that I am going to show you how to make today was made with supplies that I purchased from Michael's. I purchased them with the coupons, and now you can too!

I sold one of these pieces in a local boutique. It was similar to this one that I have in my house...

My inspiration came from this guy...

It is an authentic English stained glass window from an antique store in Texas. Cost me $100. I wanted it to be the focal point and add some vintage charm to my kitchen. It's a beautiful architectural piece. Sorry the photo is dark. It is in my kitchen which has northern lighting and doesn't photograph well. You may recognize it from previous posts like this post.

I decided that I wanted to replicate it, and then I caught the stained glass bug. I had seen paints for faux stained glass projects, but all of the project books with them had suggested ugly, dated, flamboyant patterns for birds, butterflies etc. Nothing classic and simple. So I knew I was on to something.

I got the idea for this one from here. I just did a google search for images of stained glass flowers, and I looked for the most simple, elegant, beautiful ones, and figured out how I would simplify it, and which paint colors I would keep or change compared to the original. (see all the notes on one of them that I printed below)

Here is a very simple one. I just made it in an 11x 14 frame from Walmart that I painted white...

Now, on to the fun part...the tutorial so that you can make one for your own home, or to give as a gift! This is an especially great idea if you have an outside view that is less than pretty and you want to disguise it, or just simply to dress up the window and add some architectural detail.

For the tutorial, I am sharing my patterns with you, or you can come up with your own. (do a google image search for some great ideas, but keep in mind that you may want to start with something simple so that you are not overwhelmed)

Materials:
A frame with the glass intact, (if you don't want to work with glass, purchase and have home depot cut you a sheet of plexi glass to the same size as the glass in the frame-it does make it easier for larger projects to mount in the frame since it is light weight-see last steps)

glass paint and "instant lead" from Michaels (see below)
a pencil
scissors
eye hooks and chain if you want to hang it
safety pin optional) (rope caulk optional-see below)

Step 1:

Simply copy one of the images below (if you copy it into microsoft word make sure you set it to landscape mode)

Step 2:

Enlarge it to take up as much of the page as possible

Step 3:

print it

Step 4: Decide how big you want it. It will obviously print out 8 x 10 or so, so you will work for an 8x10 frame. My frames are 11x14 to resemble more of an old window. If you want your stained glass to be larger than 8 x 10, you will need to take it to a copy center like Staples and enlarge it to fit in the size frame that you want. They will do a black and white copy in 11x14 for under $1.00

Be sure to consider which window you will be putting it in (if you choose to display it this way), and compare the size of the window with the frame. It doesn't have to be the same size of the window.

*check your stash of garage sale frames!

pattern 1

step 5 Clean the glass, and then take the glass out of the frame. Center your pattern underneath the glass. Tape with masking tape if you need to.(I will be demonstrating pattern 2)

pattern 2

Step 6 Take out your "instant lead" stickers and peel off one strand at a time. Stick it onto the glass, following the pattern below. DO NOT PULL IT! Just set it down gently, and stick it to the glass. Cut it off at each stopping point on the pattern. (I did not get a before picture, so ignore the colored paint in the picture below!)

Step 7 After you have "leaded your design", start in the MIDDLE of the design and fill in the flower, leaves, and colored sections with the glass paint separately. DO NOT SHAKE THE BOTTLES OF PAINT, otherwise they get too many air bubbles. If you get too many air bubbles while you are "painting" you can always pop them with a safety pin. I just "paint" each section by squeezing a little paint from the tube onto the section and move it around with the nozzle until the section is filled in. Be careful not to get it on the "lead".

* You will definitely need the crystal clear paint. My other favorite vintage looking colors are Fresh Lime, Lime Green, Harvest Yellow, Aqua, Cameo Ivory, Black, and delta's transparent air-dry enamel glass paint in RED

(You can see that when the entire project is dry, I squeezed some black glass paint "dots" where the liquid leading lines meet to make it look more authentic, and cover up any mistakes (small gaps between the lead connecting points...If you stretched the lead when you weren't supposed to, it starts to shrink a little as it dries and leaves a big gap. So it is important that you follow the above direction and try not to stretch it.)

Step 8 After color painting, use this crystal clear paint. It goes on white, but dries clear. Gently squirt it and paint it all over the parts you want to look like clear textured glass, working one section at a time. After you finish a section, use your finger to make overlapping "finger prints" to give it texture. You can use other tools to make texture if you would like. I just like how the finger print method works and seems to look more authentic like my original tulip stained glass window.

Step 9 Let dry at least 24 hours, and maybe longer. While it is drying, prepare your frame. Center two of these hooks (are they eye hooks?!) as far apart as you would like them, and screw them into the top of the frame. I think it best to keep them far apart, and then only a couple or few inches in from each end.

Step 10 Pencil in, and then center and attach two more hooks the same distance apart as the ones on your frame in the window frame.

(sorry, I guess my photo doesn't show both hooks, but the other one IS there!)

Measure two strands of chain, depending on how low you want to hang the frame, and affix them to the hooks on the frame.

When your glass is dry, lay it in the frame. To keep the glass in the frame, you have a few options. If the glass is lightweight or you used plexi glass, you can hot glue it in around the edges. Or you can nail it in place with skinny picture nails every few inches (tricky-just don't break your glass!). Another option is to use the existing metal bendable tabs that may have come with the frame, if they are not too noticeable. I used a little hot glue, and then some of this "rope caulk" from Walmart to sort of "seal it in" with my fingers (next image).

This photo is of plexi glass hot glued in. (ignore the wire, it shouldn't be there!)

Remember this post? This is one that I helped my sister in law make. She didn't hang it, just simply leaned it up on her mantle. If you look closely, she just kept the glass in place with the metal tabs that the frame came with. If you would like me to make one for you, shoot me an email and we will see what we can come up with and I will list it for you in my etsy shop.

I love the beauty and simplicity of some of the vintage designs! It is amazing how easily you can replicate them at a fraction of the cost, and have the fulfillment of making your own piece of art!

links
stopping by savvy southern style

Chalkboard makeover and the BEST family night lesson!

2011-09-10T06:00:00.003-04:00

Remember my kitchen chalkboard from this post? I had always wondered what the frame would look like if it were white instead of gold. I finally decided to make the change, and got up the courage to paint it white.
This picture is a little dark, but I like how it turned out.

We used it for family night on Monday. We had been dealing with a lot of bickering around our house. I couldn't come up with any solutions, but I was bothered by it. Then, miraculously (because I don't usually watch tv...let alone BYU tv) I had turned on BYU tv and a short program came on about how to have better family relationships. They suggested to

1. Spend quality time with each of your children (they can tell if you don't really want to be with them)
2. That a successful family requires consistent and continual effort
3. We should use caring words and actions

The greatest thing was that they compared our relationships to an "emotional bank". When a family member says something unkind about another, it is like they are withdrawing from the other person's emotional bank account. When they say something kind, they are depositing love into their account.

For the lesson, my husband talked to them about how we deposit money into their real bank accounts etc. Then he asked them to draw a big bank on the chalkboard and draw their own individual savings vaults. They had so much fun drawing them. (If you don't have a chalkboard, you can use markers and poster board and "sticky tack it" to the wall) Then we told them how their visuals represent our family's "emotional bank", and how everything we say or do, affects us positively or negatively.

It was a great success, and we have been "depositing" kindness all week long! My husband pulled out his guitar and ended the lesson with a cute little song that his elementary school teacher taught him about giving away love. It's called the Magic Penny! I must say, its a much better song than the one I remember my music teacher teaching me called "coffee"~she had to have been on something! :)
links
stopping by southern savvy style

ladies home journal ghost cupcakes

2011-09-09T06:00:00.002-04:00

Aren't these soooo cute? For directions on how to make these darling cupcakes, go here. Enjoy!
-stopping by southern savvy style

I’m still here…

2011-09-07T07:55:00.000-04:00

holding my baby sister

I've just been a little preoccupied!

Every time I attempt to organize photos and put them into albums, we move. So after 5 years of staying put, I decided it was time to tackle them again with the hope that we'll stay here for now. It has been a miraculous process. (I seriously prayed for God's help) I have had every photo in my entire house all over my piano room floor for over a month now. My poor kids had to dodge all the photos whenever they wanted to get to the piano to earn their candy!! I have organized photos into Eighteen albums and scrapbooks!!! (by no means anything fancy...yet still attractive)

I started with organizing photos and documents from my ancestors, redid my scrapbook and wedding album onto acid free paper, finished the kids' baby books and photos from pre-digital camera days, and created family albums. I wanted them to be able to pull them off the book shelf and look at them before they left for college! Today I am completing my last one. My goal was to have the room cleaned up before I start teaching piano lessons. I start teaching tomorrow, and it will be done!

In addition, I have been doing some projects around the house, organizing my home, and keeping up with school and church activities. Today, Ryan started an early morning New Testament class with his peers from church. He goes every day for an hour before school starts. I am so excited about this opportunity that he has to learn from the scriptures the words of God and how they pertain to him personally! My husband learned how to make a fast sausage egg muffin-I'm thinking we'll be making a lot of those with a 5 a.m. wake up call. He also had his first cross country meet of the season.

These kids amaze me...running every day, sometimes 5 or more miles, and even in the rain. Speaking of rain, I better go change out the drip pans in our fireplace, since we found out last night we have a leak! Life is always full of surprises. :)

how to cover lamp shades with cute fabric

2011-09-02T10:37:00.000-04:00

For this project you will need lamp shades (I picked up these two plain white lamp shades at a yard sale this summer) fabric, fabric scissors, glue spray adhesive, and a glue gun.

First, cut a big rectangular piece of fabric for each shade. Make sure that it is big enough to wrap around the shade with some extra fabric to spare.

Working in sections, and starting with the front of the shade (seam in back), spray the adhesive onto shade and place center of fabric down. Lightly press fabric with the palm of your hand and fingers from the center to the outside edges of shade to "push out" any air pockets.

You will see that I didn't have enough fabric, because I was trying to use up some fabric scraps that I already had. So after spray gluing the fabric down, I had to cut an extra triangle from another remnant to cover up the uncovered part of the shade.

Cut off the extra fabric from the top and bottom of shade. I started with cutting a 1/4" inch, and then did a little bit more to be able to fold it and hot glue it just over the lip (edges) of the shade. However much you cut, be sure that it is the same amount all the way around for consistency and a clean line. Especially if your lamp will be on a mantle or something and you will be able to see underneath the shade.

I have big plans for these shades! A lot of redecorating going on over here at my house. It won't be long (hopefully) and you can see what I did with them!

some fall fun with martha

2011-08-31T08:38:00.000-04:00

Don't you just love the library? I like that I can check out so many great craft and home decorating books for free! One of the books I picked up a while ago was called Martha Stewarts Encyclopedia of Crafts, and I found this beautifully painted mirror~perfect for fall decorating. The stencil pattern is included in the book, but I think it would be pretty easy to free hand the pattern...

I have some of this looking glass mirror paint from a previous project. I have an old gold frame also. I'm going to spray this stuff over the glass in the mirror to make it look like an old mirror. Then I have some orange craft paint that I will use to paint the wreath. I'll probably use a paper plate to mark off a perfect circle. I will have to pick up some orange velvet ribbon (or buy some orange fabric to make into a ribbon) to hang it with. I'll let you know how it turns out!

I am back to loving orange right now, especially as I see signs of autumn. Have you ever noticed how much a beautiful ribbon can dress anything up? Especially a pretty satin or velvet ribbon.

I also found this cute gumdrop wreath in the book. It is supposedly a Christmas wreath, but I think it is better suited for fall. If you want the directions, you can find them here. I think it would look especially cute hung with the same orange ribbon as the mirror.

Have a great day! I'm off to have some hot chocolate at a "celebrating the kids going back to school party!"

Chipotle Mexican Grill..at home.

2011-08-29T11:38:00.000-04:00

source

Do you like Chipotle? I love their "gourmet burritos and tacos"! I have tried to make my own versions of them, and they're not too bad. You can put almost anything in them and customize them to your taste. Recently, however, my sister gave me a great hint to make my burritos taste more like Chipotle's. She tipped me off to http://www.copykat.com Have you ever been there? You can find recipes from your favorite restaurants to make at home. Anyway, do you know why their rice tastes so good? They use Basmati Rice. I will now be on the hunt to find some! You can read more about it here.

something little, with BiG impact

2011-08-27T09:10:00.000-04:00

We live in a world where women's bodies are objectified, and the miraculous body in general is abused, defaced, and mistreated. I fear that our children are growing up not respecting their bodies because the focus is not where it should be. (be it through media, magazines, cartoons, tv, talk from peers etc.) On a whim the other day, I decided it was going to be "eye appreciation day".

I just scribbled the above note on a piece of paper, folded it in half and propped it up in the center of the kitchen table. I didn't say a word to the kids, but they noticed. Then at dinner, I had them eat with their eyes closed. It was difficult, and we all appreciated our eyes so much more! We had a great discussion about it. The kids said, "Mom, that was a great idea!"

Soon we will have elbow appreciation day! (we will have to eat without bending our elbows!) And then, we will focus on other parts of our amazing bodies in an effort to give them the respect they need! I hope my kids will continue to grow to love their bodies through this activity and want to take good care of them. The other day I thought...."Wow, my feet have been through a lot in these 30 something years! Think about how they have supported my body since I started walking~and look at how many steps I have taken since!

Have a great weekend.

AS SEEN ON TV!

2011-08-26T01:05:00.000-04:00

"AS SEEN ON TV"... "BAKE GIANT DONUTS!!!"

Actually, I have never seen it on tv, but then again, I don't ever really watch tv. I was at JoAnn's Fabrics last week picking up foam and fabric for seat cushions in our breakfast nook. I walked past a display of different gadgets "AS SEEN ON TV!", and this giant donut cake was one of them. I guess I'm going from one extreme to another. I'm not really sure what is happening to me, but this donut cake kit was marked down from $15 to $7 and we have a birthday in the family next month. So I decided to buy it. I thought it would be fun to make a few of these in different varieties. (They have a maple donut recipe, a frosted strawberry one, and others.) All you need is a regular cake mix and a small container of icing. Oh yes, and sprinkles of course!

After I brought it home, my daughter found it and we decided to invite her friend over and try the kit out. It worked great except I think I got the icing a little too thin. It ran down the sides too far. I think it still looks like a donut though! What do you think? The boys and their friends thought it was cool, but they were a little disappointed that it didn't "taste" like a donut!

They have big oreo cake mixes and giant cupcake ones too. You have probably seen them. I like this one and the cupcake one. Not sure I would ever pay full price though!

from drab to fab

2011-08-24T06:00:00.001-04:00

Among my summer yard sale finds was this chair. This old, yet sturdy, brownish-orange stained wooden chair. (You know I love a good chair redo...see here and here and here!) I just knew it had potential!

So, I stopped at Walmart and picked up Krylon's indoor/outdoor spray paint in CATALINA MIST.

I sprayed away, added a cute chair cushion from Target, and voila~ a cute "new" chair to put around the fire pit!

cutest gift idea...World's smallest post service!

2011-08-22T13:25:00.000-04:00

images

You know I love tiny things... You know I had so much fun making little treats with the girls... Well, look what I have found now! The world's smallest post service! You can send someone special a little letter or package! Just visit this site for more information. Also, I found the cutest little charms for bracelets at Gap Kids. They are only $5 each. My favorite is the little gumball machine! My daughter will be getting that one for her birthday to add to her new charm bracelet! Do you love tiny things?

cheerio~

Free meal template to stretch your dollar

2011-08-18T06:00:00.002-04:00

source

You know how it goes...It's 4:00 p.m. and I'm not sure what I'm going to make for dinner. I don't know if I have any ingredients to make anything anyway, and I am too tired to look in my pantry, and too tired to even consider being creative. Guilt. Why didn't I plan ahead? My friend recently spoke to our youth group about budgeting. She had so many great things to share with them. One of them was this Weekly Meal Planner. I love it. Now I can print it out, take a few minutes to plan my meals for the week, and sit back and relax! I have the whole week covered! I save time and money by only making one trip to the grocery store. I can plan for leftovers, and make sure my family is eating healthy meals.

For example, my friend makes a roast on Sunday. She plans her main "meat" meal of the week for Sunday. One week she had "funeral potatoes" and broccoli with the roast, and then strawberry shortcake for dessert. On Monday, she used the left over roast beef to make shredded beef tacos! Tuesday and Wednesday are chicken dishes (leftovers...casserole). Thursday is a busy night for her, so her husband always grills on Thursdays. Friday, they always have pizza (not necessarily ordered out...sometimes frozen or homemade), and Saturday is always "breakfast for dinner" such as breakfast burritos with yogurt smoothies and cinnamon rolls. We usually have pancakes or something like that on Saturdays.

With the kids headed back to school, this is a great tool for meal organization and will save you money!

photo tip

2011-08-16T06:00:00.001-04:00

Before you send those kids off on their first day of school this year, don't forget to snap some photos! And, don't be afraid to get creative. Take a picture of their new shoes, or new backpack! Photographs of some of the simpler things~ like what they wore will enable them to show their kids what was in style when they were young. And best of all, it will bring back fond memories...

"Sweet Treat Activity" with the girls

2011-08-15T06:00:00.001-04:00

Remember this recent post about how to make little treats? As I mentioned before, I did this activity with the girls at church. It was a combined group of little girls (ages 8-11) and the teenage girls (12-18). They had a great time together, and the older girls were able to help the younger girls make the treats.

We started the evening by watching this DVD about how every girl is really a princess. Then I assigned each teenager one or two girls to work with to make the treats. We had four stations: mini smores, mini ice cream cones, mini oreo cakes, and tiny cookies.

For the ice cream cones, we used blueberry pomegranate sorbet with the salty bugles, and they were sooo delicious!

The mini peanut butter kiss cookies were quite adorable!

A couple of tips...it is easier for the girls to spread the frosting on the sides of the oreos before the top. Also, don't let the frosting get too warm. That is why mine looks like it does at the start of this post on the miniature table.

We decided to make little rosettes for the tops of the cakes ahead of time. I bought a bag of salt water taffy from the dollar tree. I had my daughter and her friend flatten a few earlier in the day. Then I cut them into 1/4" strips, about 1 1/2 " long, and they rolled them up into rosettes. (you will need a lot of flour if you do this)

They cut little "leaves" also.

If you missed the post on how to make these sweet treats, here it is. I had a lot of fun. I think the girls did too!

The Christus~

2011-08-14T06:00:00.001-04:00

photo from my recent trip to Salt Lake City, Utah~temple square

Christus, by Bertel Thorvaldsen

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28

the easy way to teach your kids piano

2011-08-12T08:03:00.001-04:00

Warning...if you are a concert pianist (or my 8th grade piano teacher), you probably will want to skip this post!

I took piano lessons for 7 or 8 years. I didn't love it, but I'm glad that I can play~and I do enjoy sitting down now and then at the piano. I know that there are great benefits to learning to play an instrument, so I do think it is important for my kids to learn to play. I just want them to enjoy playing the piano. I don't care if they have all the technical stuff down. I don't want to fight with them to practice. I want it to be somewhat enjoyable, and I want them to learn a thing or two. I also want them to work at their own pace.

I have a hard time sending them for lessons when I know that I can teach them. Yet, I am not that motivated to spend the time teaching them. Therefore, I basically bribe them to teach themselves! I sit down with them for a few minutes here and there when they are first beginning, and then I tell them to read the directions and check with me to make sure they understand. After they have played a song 15 times, they can pick a piece of candy. Then they are allowed to move on to the next song. The candy is very motivating! (I usually pick it up at the dollar store) I try to buy mostly chocolate, so they don't have all the sticky, gooey stuff that is bad for their teeth. The funny thing is, now when I add new treats to the treat basket, they immediately divide them up into their own piles to pick from!

vintage burlap feed sack 4 sale

2011-08-11T18:38:00.002-04:00

*SOLD*

Just listed in my etsy shop for all you DIYers! Straight from the barn, this burlap feed sack has been gently washed, hung to dry, and lightly ironed. It would fit beautifully in a 16x20" yard sale frame or poster frame from a discount store. Framing old feed sacks are a hot new trend! You can also cut it down and frame smaller sections. The image was only on one side, so to save on shipping, I cut the back off. For other suggestions on grain sack crafts, visit here. I like to cover lamp shades with them, make pillows, or tote bags. The ideas are endless!

So what are you waiting for? :)
Stop on over @LeJardinMarket!