Mama's Crafts

Easy Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe

2012-02-16T12:35:00.000-08:00

I love Strawberry Spinach Salad, I eat it all year long, we did it as a side dish for our Valentines dinner this year.
I dont' pre mix any of the ingredients. I put everything in separate bowls so that if someone doesn't like one of the ingredients, they don't have to put it on. This also helps with ensure that any leftovers will taste great because it doesn't go all soggy like when it's mixed together for too long. Here is my quick and easy recipe for it:
Ingredients:
****Spinach. I like Natural Directions organic, not only because it's organic, but also because it comes in this little tub and stays fresh for much longer than the bagged kind:

****1 qt of fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced, again I prefer organic:

**** One bag of butter toffee sliced almonds. I like this brand:

**** Feta Cheese Crumbles. I love the Atheno's brand:

**** Brianna's Strawberry Vinaigrette, this stuff is freaking delish!:

And there you have it, so quick and easy!

Enjoy!

Valentines Dinner...

2012-02-15T08:57:00.000-08:00

We do a family "candlelight dinner" for Valentines every year and invite my parents to join us. This year was no exception other than it's always a bummer with Valentines falls of a week night. I work full time outside my home so on years like this one, I tend to simplify and don't go as overboard as I do when it falls on the weekend.

The Menu.

The beverage "Cupids Love Potion" it was so cute and festive and tastes delish. I found it here.


The dinner. I made Olive Gardens Fettuccine Alfredo, heart fruit kaboobs, spinach strawberry salad and Olive Garden Breadsticks. This is my plate, Hubs also made breaded chicken strips for the meat eaters in the fam, which is basically everyone except for me :)

For dessert, I made the brownie trifle that I featured on my "Very Pinteresting" post. It was so delish!!!

After dinner, we exchanged gifts and everyone got a goodie bag filled with lots of chocolates and cinnamon hot lips. I found the cute bag toppers here.

It was such a fun night!

Button Art Heart Tile #2....

2012-02-14T07:23:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day!!! I hope you will each be surrounded with loved ones who will make you feel very special all day long!

I made some button art heart tiles for some friends. It's very similar to the other, with just a few differences:

Instead of the top giving the definition of heart, it says "Be Mine". I also added some really cute Heart shaped and also sparkly buttons to this one and they just give it the cutest bling!!!

I think this one shows the sparkle buttons a little bit better.

The paper is actually called "Heartstrings" and is made by Carolee's Creations. I think it's just darling and really ties it all together.

My sweet daughter is spending her very first holiday alone. Well, not completely alone, she is living and working in the "Happiest Place on Earth", but I still wanted her to know that we love and miss her, so we sent her a card and goodie bag.

She is our zebra stripe loving gal, so this is her card.

I embossed the "Sweet Love" tag with pink glitter and filled the bag with her favorite chocolates and included a Utah Truffle just so she would think of home.

We do a fun Valentines dinner tonight and I'm super excited about it, although we will miss sweet Kadee. I hope that you all have a wonderful, fun filled Valentines as well. Make sure you tell the people you love how much they mean to you. XOXO

Candle Holder Redo...

2012-02-13T07:23:00.000-08:00

I've been crafting for a long time, as in decades. I've gotten rid of most of my early projects, but some I've hung on to. I have these heart candlestick holders that I made clear back in the early 90's:


They really were cute.... 20 years ago anyways!

So, this year I pulled them out of my Valentines tote and decided they needed to be updated. Here's what they look like now:

Repainted, mod podged some paper on to them, sanded, inked and added some 3D heart stickers.

They found a home on top of my fridge.

I can now look at them and no longer say to myself, "Joni, the 90's called and they want their candlestick holders back!" I guess I'll hang onto them for another 2 decades ;)

Bucket O' Love (Coffee Can Craft)....

2012-02-11T07:21:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, I made on of those cute candy bar bouquets for the family. I decorated an old coffee can with Valentines paper and embellishments. After that Valentines was over, I thought it was too cute to throw away, so I kept it but haven't used it. This year, I added a few pink flocked heart picks and one sparkly red and turned it into my "Bucket O' Love!

The Front

The back

This is another super easy, inexpensive but still cute craft that anyone can make. It looks darling as a center piece on a table :)

Linking to:friday-frolic

LOVE Letters...

2012-02-10T07:31:00.000-08:00

I made these 2 years ago and originally did them without any embellishments other than the mod podged paper. Last year, I added the tulle bow, this year I added sparkly hearts. Apparently, I just can't leave anything "simple" LOL!

The full set sits in a base.

The L.

Heart "O".

The "V".

The "E".

This works for this year, maybe I'll add more next Valentine's Day :)

Linking to:
sassysites-ffa-friday
& frugal-friday
& flaunt-it-friday
& functional-friday
& friday-fun-party
& woodyouliketocraft-love-linky-party

Yarn/ Wire Art- LOVE...

2012-02-09T07:58:00.000-08:00

Remember back in the day before the good plastic hangers came out and we would cover our wire hangers with yarn? Okay, so maybe you didn't do this, but I did! For a couple of my Valentines decor items, I used this same technique to make some word art. I did the word LOVE and a cute heart using fencing wire and yarn that I already had on hand:

I like to use the loop technique with the yarn, but you could just wrap it around the wire.

The possibilities are endless here, you could also use more than one color to mix things up. These are also easy enough that kids could help or make their own. They are so simple, and cost next to nothing to make, but look super cute and festive, which is my favorite kind of crafty :)

Linking to:
crafty-soiree
& show-off-your-stuff-party
& hookin-up-with-hoh

Very Pinteresting... Valentine Treat Ideas

2012-02-08T08:42:00.000-08:00

There are so many yummy treat idea's going around Pinterest lately! I love all things chocolate and pink, therefore Valentines Day is one of my favorite holidays! Here are a few of my favorite Pinterest treat finds:

Cupids Arrow Cupcakes by Bakerella

How cute is that arrow???

Chocolate chip cookie pops by glorioustreats

I think these are so festive, darling and easy enough for us non-baker pro's to recreate!

M&M Samoa Blondies from sixsistersstuff

Yeah, there is noway you could go wrong with these delicious looking babies :)

Brownie Trifles from Better Homes and Gardens

My mouth started watering as soon as I saw it!

And finally, Heart Fruit sticks from bestfriendsforfrosting

I'm definitely adding this to my Valentines menu!

So many fun, yummy idea's! I LOVE Valentines Day!!!

Tissue Paper Valentines Topiary...

2012-02-07T07:07:00.000-08:00

Awhile back, I made a Valentines Topiary using cupcake liners. I liked it so much, that I decided to make another. This time, I was bound and determined to not spend a dime and to only use supplies that I had on hand. Here is the final result:

I used a stryofoam ball that I had left over from another project and some Valentines tissue paper in my gift wrap supplies as well as a little wood skewer that I used for the pole, which I wrapped in some red & white gingham ribbon that I had.

For the base, i used an old hot chocolate tin. Mod Podged some Valentines paper on it and then embellished it with stuff that I had on hand.

I love pulling out my old scraps and seeing what I can make with them. It totally makes me happy to turn things that could very well have just been tossed in the garbage into something that looks so cute!

Linking to:
sassysites-t2t-tuesday

Valentines Hutch...

2012-02-06T08:20:00.000-08:00

I got my hutch redecorated for February this weekend! I'm so in love with all of the fun pinks and reds! Here is how it turned out:

Yeah, I know. I need a heart instead of the snowman for the "O" in my HOME. Hubs still can't be around sawdust, so for now, Mr. Snowman stays :)

The center of the hutch.

Left Side.

Right Side.

The top shelf.

Middle Shelf.

Bottom shelf.

I just LOVE it! Makes me happy every time I walk into my dining room :)

Linking to: craft-o-maniac-monday
& making-monday-marvelous
& made-by-you-monday
& mad-skills-party
& sassysites-think-pink
& thematic-thursday
& feathered-nest-friday

Plate of the Month, February...

2012-02-05T07:12:00.000-08:00

Yay for me for remembering to post this months plate of the month! Here it is:

I just adore Valentines! Love is most certainly in the air at my house, I hope it is at yours as well :)

Heart Bouquet & A Frame Re-do....

2012-02-04T08:38:00.000-08:00

A couple other Valentine decor items that I put together to send to my cute daughter in Florida to help decorate her new apartment:

For the bouquet's:
I got all of the stuff for the Valentines bouquet's at the dollar store. I just put a little square of floral styrofoam in the bottom of the bags and covered them with valentines tissue paper. I then stuck the cute hearts down in and then added some red tulle on top. So stinking simple!

For the frame:
I repainted an old brown wooden frame white and then added a couple of coats of Plaids Extreme Glitter paint so it is all sparkly. I did it in white so that I can send her a new subway are for each holiday and she can just continue to use that frame, i'm keeping my fingers crossed that the glass won't be broken by the time UPS gets it to her! I found the darling subway art at Every Creative Endeavor (Thank you!).

This project is another one that will look super cute in her apartment but didn't cost very much so we won't feel badly when she won't have room in her luggage to bring it home with her. I still have some of the hearts and boxes left and I intend to find a way to use them :) Yay for cute Valentines crafties!!!

LOVE Banner....

2012-02-03T07:17:00.000-08:00

My LOVE Banner:

Perfect for Valentines Day!

I mounted book pages on black cardstock.

Mod podged some scrapbook paper to the chip board squares and circles.

Added the sparkly letters that I got at the Making Memories warehouse sale awhile back.

Tied it together with red glitter eyelash yarn.

Made two rosettes with the same scrapbook paper that I had mod podged onto the chipboard and put them on each side of the banner.

Super easy!

Linking to:
its-hodgepodge-friday &
sassysites-ffa-friday

Hugs & Kisses Blocks...

2012-02-02T07:22:00.000-08:00

I mentioned before that Hubs can't cut wood or be around sawdust while he is recovering from a recent sinus surgery. This stinks because I'm constantly asking him to cut wood for me! I scavenged my scrap pile and found two blocks that he'd cut awhile back. Here is what I did with them:

I love Valentines because of the colors. Reds and pinks are my favorites! I really like the combo of the light pink with the dark pink on these. I'm getting so excited to decorate my hutch for Valentines this weekend :)

Linking to:
firefliesandjellybeans-show-off-your-stuff-party
& hookin-up-with-hoh
& katiesnestingspot-crafty-soiree-
& mad-skills-party

Button Art Heart...

2012-02-01T07:06:00.000-08:00

I have some tiles left over from doing the back splash in my kitchen. I have been wanted to do some cute button art for awhile and decided that it might be super cute to do it on one of my left over tiles rather than a frame. Here's how it turned out:

I mod podged some cute Valentines paper onto the tile and then mod podged over the top as well. I then sanded and inked around the edges.

To ensure that my heart was going to be the right shape, I cut one out on my cricut machine and then traced it onto my tile. I then put all the buttons on the heart and moved them around until I got it "just right", then I glued them down.

I love it! Buttons make me so happy! I have a huge jar of them and it's like my own little treasure chest! I know, I'm a dork but seriously I get a huge sense of pleasure out my button jar, lol!

Linking to:
oopseydaisy-wednesdays-wowzers
& lil-luna-link-party
& overflowing-with-creativity
& a-journey-of-1000-steps
& hookin-up-with-hoh
& firefliesandjellybeans-show-off-your-stuff-party
& sassysites-ffa-friday
& thematic-thursday

Heart Frames...

2012-01-31T07:30:00.000-08:00

Here is another project that I made to send to my daughter. I also made one for myself, haha!

I used wooden frames that I bought at Michaels a long time ago when they were on sale for .50 cents each. I painted the outside edge of the frames red and then added Plaid's extreme glitter paint over them. I mod podged the paper to the frame and inked around the edges and then mod podged a page from a book to the inside of the frame.

I found the hearts at a dollar store and just cut them in half so that they would glue easily to the frame. Then I added the tulle and the cute valentine sliders to just give them a little flare.

Again, I hope she thinks it's super cute :)

Linking to: trash-to-treasure-tuesday
& todayscreativeblog

Valentine Love Blocks...

2012-01-30T07:01:00.000-08:00

I mentioned before that my cute daughter has moved to Florida to work at Walt Disney World under their college program. She has a super cute apartment with 5 roommates. The only problem? They have ZERO decorations (GASP!), we can't have that! I spent this past weekend working away on some Valentines decorations for their place. I used only materials that I had on hand and also tried to keep it minimal because she won't have room in her luggage to bring them home when she is done in four months. Obviously I wasn't going to spend a ton of money on something that i know will most likely get thrown away. I suppose that I could have her ship the couple that I really love back before she leaves though. Something to think about... Anyhoodle, here is one of the deco's that I made for her:

2x4 Love Blockies

I just added some rhinestones, tulle and scraps of ribbon.

Very simple and because I had all of the supplies on hand, they didn't cost me a thing to make. I hope she loves them :)

Linking to:
craft-o-maniac-monday-link-party
& making-monday-marvelous
& made-by-you-monday
& mad-skills-party
& sassysites-think-pink

Easy Teacher Valentine Gift...

2012-01-27T10:08:00.000-08:00

I did this gift for my son's teacher last year for Valentines Day. It's also a great neighbor/co-worker/friend valentine:

All you need is a bottle of hand soap. I chose the Cherry Blossom & Almond because it was pink (for Valentines) and it smelled yummy!

The tag is really simple, I just used a template that I had to cut it out on cute scrapbook paper, then hole punched it so that I could tie the ribbon through and attach it to the bottle of soap. The tag says, "I was "SOAPIN" you'd be my Valentine!

Super easy and his teacher thought it was really cute :)

Easy Brownie Valentine Treats...

2012-01-25T08:41:00.000-08:00

I love to do fun holiday related dinners and treats but because I am a full time working mom, I really have to try and simplify everything. We had a going away dinner for our daughter the other night (she is moving across the country to do an internship at Walt Disney World in Florida!) and so for dessert, I made these heart shaped frosted brownies:

I love chocolate fudge brownies, but you can make whatever your families favorite recipe is or just use a boxed mix. Cook them like normal and then let cool. When they have completely cooled, use a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut the hearts out. I frosted mine with strawberry flavored pink frosting, and then sprinkled the cute valentines sprinkles on them.

We served them with the girl scout Thin Mint chocolate ice cream and Dreyers French Silk ice cream (that's our families latest favorite ice cream flavor, it is soooo good).

Anyways, they were quick, easy, cute and delicious!

"L" is for Love Frame...

2012-01-23T08:24:00.000-08:00

I made this frame last year for Valentines Day:

I found the frame on Christmas clearance at Michaels. I put pink scrapbook paper as the background in the frame.

I painted and then mod podged scrapbook paper onto a wooden L. Then I sanded and inked the edges and added the embellishments.

Easy peasy!!!!

Linking to:
craftomaniac-monday
& mad-skills-party
& making-monday-marvelous

Simple Owl Valentines...

2012-01-20T12:39:00.000-08:00

I made these for my son's Valentines last year. They were really easy and he loved them.

I free handed all of the pieces except for using my spiral punch on the inside of the eyes.

I printed a page of the "I will "Owl-ways" be your friend." on white card stock, and cut them into individual strips.

I used scrap material to make them, the only thing that I spent money on was the yummy chocolate covered mint sticks for the perch. You could also use pixie sticks or pencils in their place. They are so simple that your kids could easily help you make them :)

Valentines Topiary....

2012-01-19T07:26:00.000-08:00

Although I don't have my valentines decorations out yet, I have been working on some. It is one of my favorite holidays to decorate for (I think I say that about every holiday tho). I love all things pink, red, sparkly, with hearts and about love! I've been wanting to do a topiary with cupcake liners for awhile now and figured that Valentines Day was the perfect holiday for one. Here is what I came up with:

Supplies: Bucket or some type of container. Styrofoam ball and styrofoam square (to put in the bucket). Dowel or wood skewer, 75 cupcake liners, hot glue and hot glue gun. Ribbon, tulle, burlap and Valentines stickers.

I folded the liners doing some folded on the inside and some folded on the outside. This gave a good mix of showing the red, pink and white colors. Using the hot glue gun, I glued them to the styrofoam ball. I started at the top and worked my way to the bottom making sure that I didn't have any gaps. I did paint the stryofoam ball red beforehand, but really didn't need to because none of it shows through if you place them tight enough.

I found the cute bucket at Walmart for .97 cents. I decorated it with sparkly foam valentine stickers. I covered the styrofoam in the bucket with burlap and then tucked some tulle around the edges. Then, I wrapped the skewer/dowel in red ribbon, stuck it in the square styrofoam

I added some red and pink ribbon and white tulle and wah-lah! So easy and very inexpensive to make!

I can't wait until February so that I can put this baby on my table as the centerpiece!

Linking to:
lil-luna-link-party
& crafty-soiree
& hookin-up-with-hoh
& show-off-your-stuff-party
& anything-goes-linky-party

January's Hutch

2012-01-18T07:21:00.000-08:00

January's Hutch is full of fun winter items.

My SNOW blockies...

Winter block with some cute snowmen...

My snow angel...

Left side...

Right side...

One of the only things that I like about winter is getting to decorate with my snowmen!

Glass Jar Snowmen...

2012-01-17T07:14:00.000-08:00

I have this thing for snowmen. I just love them! I can't jump from Christmas deco's straight into Valentines because for the month of January, I decorate with snowmen and all things snow/winter related. I decided to make some snowmen out of two old spaghetti jars and a dollar store glass vase. Here is what they look like:

I first mod podged them to the glass with torn up tissue paper and then gave the top of the tissue paper a good coat of mod podge as well. Then after it had dried, I painted over all of them with Plaids silver extreme glitter so that they are all nice and sparkkly (you can't see that in any of the pix)

this is the tall one made out of the dollar store vase. I used buttons for eyes and orange burlap glued to orange cardstock for the noses.

This is man #2, one of the spaghetti jars. I sewed their hats and tied scarves around them.

And man #3. I also made and added the pom-pom to tie the hat.

I bought little push on/off round LED lights to go inside of them. They look adorable all lit up!!! This was a fun project, one that I really wasn't sure how it was going to turn out, but they sure do look cute on my coffee table :)

Linking to:
trash-to-treasure-tuesday
& todayscreativeblog
& wednesdays-wowzers
& lil-luna-link-party
& crafty-soiree
& thematic-thursday

Plate of the Month, January....

2012-01-15T07:46:00.000-08:00

I make a plate for each month to display in my kitchen. This is the one that stays up throughout the month of January:

I got the silver plate from Hobby Lobby along with sparkly foam snowflake stickers. Cut the vinyl and put it all on the plate. Totally easy and quick!

Zebra Chair Redo....

2012-01-13T07:42:00.000-08:00

My daughter needed a chair for the desk we refurnished for her and I had a very specific look in mind. Hubs and I spent an entire afternoon shopping until we found this baby:

Not the right color, but pretty close to being exactly what I had wanted.

It took quite a bit of sanding...

I painted it pink...

Added some zebra stripes (of course!)

I bought the cushion as plain black and just stitched these little dangly pom pom on to tie the look all together.

It looks so darling with her desk :)

Linking to:
its-hodgepodge-friday
& sassysites-its-time-for-some-ffa

DIY Clock from Charger Plate....

2012-01-11T08:02:00.000-08:00

Hubs and I were wandering Hobby Lobby looking for inspiration on zebra decor for our daughters room redo. We found the cutest zebra striped charger plate and knew we had to do something with it. We decided it would make an awesome clock, so we bought a clock mechanism from there as well.

This is the charger. So stinking perfect for her room!


We drilled a hold in the center of the charger and then taped the backing from an old clock to it temporarily so that we could make sure that we go the #'s to match up with the hands accurately. I cut the #'s out in hot pink vinyl using my cricut.

We placed a rhinestone on each 5 minute mark.

Then I added some feathers and hot pink rick rack as embellishments.

It looks darling on her shelf with her favorite Disney princess figurines!

Linking to:
sugar-spice
& lil-luna-link-party
& show-off-your-stuff-party
& hookin-up-with-hoh

DIY Photo Canvas's...

2012-01-10T12:15:00.000-08:00

We took some super cute pictures of our daughter and I wanted to incorporate a few of them in with her zebra room decor. I decided to put them on canvas.

I painted the outside edges of the canvas a hot pink, then mod podged pink and white zebra striped paper to the outside edge on all four edges.

I mod podged the pix onto the canvas and then sanded and inked around the edges.

Then I glued the feathers around each canvas and added rhinestones and some bling to each one.

Super easy and they look really cute on her wall!

I'm nowhere near finished with this theme, so stay posted because there will be much more to come!

Desk Redo with Zebra Stripes of Course....

2012-01-06T08:12:00.000-08:00

Hubs and I found this desk and instantly saw the potential:

Yeah, the color was pretty bad and it was pretty banged up, but seriously, it's a beautiful piece and we got it for next to nothing.

We loved the railing around the top.


And those key holes are to die for. You just don't find furniture built like this these days!

I was up to my knees in saw dust prepping this beauty!

After sanding I knew this was going to turn out great.

We painted it black to match our daughters other furniture and then I tied in her zebra and hot pink theme using the patterned duct tape.

We had some glass cut and put pix of our daughter and her favorite people underneath just to personalize it a little bit.

It's perfect for her to work on her Macbook and do her homework! And, it looks great in her little "apartment".

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE old furniture and being able to give old pieces new life. It makes me so happy to walk past them in my house and know that I had something to do with restoring it!

Linking to: Sassy Sites- it's friday

Altered Zebra Lamp Shade.....

2012-01-05T07:01:00.000-08:00

I've posted before about being knee deep in zebra stripes for my daughters room redo. As one of her Christmas gifts, I made her a darling zebra striped, feathered and jeweled lamp shade. It was super easy!


I found this lamp shade, which is cute on it's own, but definitely needed some bling to match my adorable daughters personality.

The supplies:


I bought a hot pink feather boa, some hot pink jewel strands and some silver beads.

I glued the feathers around the top and bottom of the lamp shade and then divided the jewels and beads onto about 7 smaller strands (I used clear thread to strand them on). I placed a small silver bead in between each hot pink one and then used a needle to attach the strands to the lamp shade.

The finished product:

I just love what adding a couple of embellishments did for it!

It looks so stinking cute on the desk that we made for her (post on that coming soon)!

Linking to:
crafty-soiree
& hookin-up-with-hoh
& show-off-your-stuff

2x4 Snow Blocks

2011-12-30T08:35:00.000-08:00

Hubs and I made 20 sets of these cute SNOW blocks as Christmas gifts for friends, yes that means we had 80 blocks to cut, sand, paint, resand, stain and decorate. It was quite the process, but I just love the finished product:

The only bummer is that we didn't even make one to keep for us :( I intend to make another though! Linking to: hodgepodge-friday
& skiptomylou/made-by-you-monday
& craft-o-maniac-monday
& making-monday-marvelous
& trash-to-treasure-tuesday
& todayscreativeblog.net/creative-craft/
& .tipjunkie
& wednesdays-wowzers
& fun-stuff-fridays

DIY King sized Zebra Headboard...

2011-12-29T14:51:00.000-08:00

Hubs and I made this zebra striped headboard for our daughter's king sized bed. We had never made one before so it was quite the adventure! We found some fantastic thick, furry zebra material 50% off at JoAnns. We glued batting to a huge piece of plywood and then stretch and stapled the material nice and tight:

We painted decorative molding and corner coins black to trim it with:

We mounted it to the wall with brackets:

She loves it and we are totally thrilled with how it turned out. There are so many zebra stripes going on in her room that it kinda makes you dizzy!

Every thing in her room now goes together so nicely. I can't wait to post before and after of her desk and chair redo that we also did. As for the headboard, we are already planning on making another one :)

linking to: hodgepodge-friday

& wednesdays-wowzers

Decorated Art Box (Gift for a child)...

2011-12-21T08:02:00.000-08:00

My niece is our budding artist and requested art supplies for Christmas this year. My mom decided to put together an art kit for her. She bought a plastic scrapbook tote and asked me to help her bling it up a bit:

We used vinyl butterflies and pink vinyl letters, then for her name, we used some gold glitter sticker paper that I had bought when I was making a lot of decorations for my daughters dance team.

The box is actually hot pink, this pix is the "true" color of it, the only way I could get a picture without the flash glare spot was to turn the flash off, but that definitely changes the color in the other two photos, but this one definitely shows the adorable bright colors we used so I had to put it up, flash glare and all.

It turned out just darling and will be so cute once it's full of art supplies. This could easily be done for other gifts, such as a dress up box, make-up or nail polish, hair things, etc. for girls. It could also very easily be done for boys to hold hot wheels, lego's, etc.

I hope she loves it!

Handmade Christmas Cards...

2011-12-20T12:28:00.000-08:00

I'm one of a dying breed. I still hand make my Christmas cards every year and every year I swear that I'm not going to do it again the next but I just can't seem to stop, it just doesn't feel right. This year, I got my cards done by Thanksgiving, it was a miracle! Then I didn't do a dang thing with them and finally I sent them out..... Yesterday. So much for being a head right?!

The majority of the cards have this picture with all of us in it.

I always make a few of just the kiddo's.

This is the card outside, taken with my phone camera so the quality is not very good :(

The inside.

Even the envelopes get decorated.

A few cards from years past:

2008 Card 1.

2008 Card 2.

2009's cards.

2010's card- Outside

2010's card inside.

I'm sure I'll still be hand making my cards when it comes back in style in another 20 years!

Santa Candy Bar Wrapper...

2011-12-19T08:16:00.000-08:00

Hunter and I made these cute and easy Santa candy bar wrappers for his friend Christmas gifts.

We figure that all kids like candy bars.

They turned out great and much cuter than just handing over a candy bar :)

Candy Cane Door Hanger....

2011-12-12T07:09:00.000-08:00

Hubs cut these out for me 2 years ago... Yes, you read that correctly, they have been sitting in my craft "to-do" box for 2 stinking years! I finally pulled them out and painted these babies up:

I figured that it needed some garland/pine cones:

It really should NOT have taken me two years to get this done, shame on me!!!

I love how it turned out though ;)

Linking to:
made-by-you-monday
& craft-o-maniac-monday-link-party
& making-monday-marvelous & trash-to-treasure-tuesday
& http://todayscreativeblog.net/craft-2/
& tipjunkie

Altered Frames....

2011-12-09T07:48:00.001-08:00

Altered frames make terrific gifts, they can be customized to match anyone's color theme. One I recently made:

Base paint the frame first.

I mod podged zebra striped wrapping paper on the front and scuffed it up with some sand paper.

Felt Flowers are my lasted addiction.

Add some bling/embellishments wherever you want.

And Viola! Perfect gift for any friend :)

A few others that I have done in the past. The picture quality on these is awful because I took them with my cell phone, but you get the jist:

These are fun because your kiddo's can help make them for their friends.

And remember, frames don't just have to be for pictures!:

Linking to:
free-for-all-friday
& frugal-friday
& look-at-me-party
& creationcorner-friday-link-part.y
& its-hodgepodge-friday
& friday-frolic-

Easy Friend Gifts for Kids....

2011-12-06T08:01:00.001-08:00

A few very simple, inexpensive friend or teacher gifts that your kiddo's can help put together:

I found the snowman candy bar wrappers HERE. We used the movie theater boxes of candy, wrapped them with the snowman wrapper and then topped some with a pair of knit gloves.

And topped others with a pair of fuzzy sleep socks. For Hunter's teachers we also added a small bottle of lotion.

I found these Christmas flavor lip gloss packages for a really good deal on the ELF website and we just added a mini bottle of lotion for my daughter's friend gifts one year.

For these cute reindeer, we wrapped a 4.4 ounce Symphony candy bar in a paper bag and then simply attached the ribbon, pom pom and wire piping and just drew his eyes on. My son had a blast making them and they really are darling.

December Hutch Decorations

2011-12-05T08:05:00.001-08:00

I try to decorate my hutch for each holiday. My December/Christmas hutch:

It's a mix of gifts that I have received and crafts that I have made:

The top. I will keep the snowman up throughout winter:

The left side:

The right side:

The bottom. I just love the tile nativity. I really need to make a few tile crafts!:

My JOY letters with cute, simple clay pot nativity:

I think my hutch has become my second most cherished piece of furniture in my house, (the first being the handmade clock, I got from my grandma when she passed away). I just love decorating it and getting to enjoy all the fun items on it for a month!

Teacher, Friend, Neighbor Christmas Gifts....

2011-12-01T08:17:00.001-08:00

Here are a few past Christmas gifts that we have done for teacher's, friends, neighbors, etc. Teachers always need supplies, so we got a cute Christmas box and filled it with all kinds of fun supplies such as, scissors, pencils, highlighters, sharpies, etc. For neighbors or co-workers, we filled a mug full of hershey's kisses, a packet of Candy Cane Cocoa and some candy canes. Then, for friends we've done these cute JOY Blocks with the "O" in the shape of an ornament. All are fairly easy, inexpensive and look super cute wrapped in cellophane, tied with cute ribbon!

Furbabies Stockings...

2011-11-30T07:03:00.001-08:00

At our house, our furbabies are treated like human members of the family. We celebrate their birthday, they always get baskets for Easter and stockings for Christmas. We've had Max the longest and I bought his stocking for his first Christmas. We had just been using an old stocking for Mia and now we have Lou, so I bought them each a cheap-o stocking and decided that I would put their names on them.

Max's:

Mia's:

Lou's:

I'm going to wait until after Christmas so that I can buy them 3 coordinating ones when they go on clearance, but these will work just fine for this Christmas!

Scarecrow Cookies...

2011-11-29T07:12:00.001-08:00

We have a Thanksgiving tradition of doing a treat/craft with the kiddo's after we eat our Thanksgiving dinner. My sister and I always demonstrate while the kids make their own:

This year, I saw these cute Scarecrow Cookies on Familyfun.com:

The kids all had a lot of fun making and eating them, even the older ones:

They turned out darling:

It's a lot more fun than taking a nap after eating Thanksgiving dinner!

Glitter Eyelash Yarn Christmas Trees....

2011-11-28T08:00:00.001-08:00

I made these super cute, fast and easy tree's over the weekend:

I used the Martha Stewart Glitter Eyelash yarn in green, red and silver, it is the cutest stuff ever! I love Martha!

I also used 3 styrofoam trees in different sizes:

Using a glue gun, I wrapped the yarn tightly around each tree and dabbed glue in various spots to hold it. then I added one of these stars to the top of each:

The silver one:

The green one:

The red one:

All three:

I love how they turned out!

Linking to:
made-by-you-monday
& mad-skills-party
& craftomaniac-monday
& making-monday-marvelous
& just-something-i-whipped-up
& trash-to-treasure-tuesday
& creationsbykara

Moon Pie Turkeys....

2011-11-23T07:53:00.001-08:00

Every year, my fun sis and I come up with a craft/treat for the kiddo's to make after we eat Thanksgiving dinner. Last year, we made "Moon Pie Turkeys":

They are super cute and easy!
What you need:
popsicle sticks
Candy Corns for the nose and tail feathers
M&M's or other round candies for the eyes
Chocolate Frosting for the glue
Nutter butters for the body
Hot Tamales for the gobbler thingy.

Just use your frosting to glue everything in place!

Decorated Tile Magnets....

2011-11-22T06:01:00.001-08:00

Decorated tile magnet sets are great for neighbor and friend gifts:

Super easy and super cute and they work great for any holiday or birthday!

Linked to: craft-o-maniac-monday-link-party
& made-by-you-monday
& tipjunkieunkie

Altered Wood Dance Letters....

2011-11-18T07:32:00.001-08:00

As I mentioned before, we are redecorating my daughters living space. She is a dancer, she loves to dance and is very good at it. I decorated this wood "Dance" shelf for her last room"

Because dancing is still such a huge part of her life, I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it, so I re-altered it to fit the new theme:

I love the hot pink feathers with the black and white stripes. So much fun!

Linking to:
sassysites

Zebra Magnet Board...

2011-11-16T07:41:00.001-08:00

I made this magnet board for Kadee several years ago. It didn't match her new zebra decor, so we altered it:

I used the zebra striped duck tape. It is perfect for covering frames and makes it super simple. Now it goes perfectly with her new room decor :)

Linking to:
lil-luna-link-party
& trash-to-treasure-tuesday

Zebra Striped Shelves....

2011-11-15T08:21:00.001-08:00

I'm slapping zebra stripes on about everything that I can get my hands on! I Mod Podged zebra striped paper onto 2 of my daughters shelves:

Now we just have to decide what cute stuff we will be putting on them =)

Decorated Wood Letters....

2011-11-14T08:23:00.001-08:00

For the last 4 years, my daughters room has been in red, gold and black for her high school colors. Now that she has graduated, we made our basement into a mini-apartment for her and want to redo the theme of her room. She is a girly girl and has chosen zebra stripes and hot pink. I'm so excited to decorate it! I had made these wood letters for her with her old color scheme:

They now look like this:

I used embroidery paper for the hot pink ones because it was nice and thick. It almost felt like wall paper:

For the white ones, I used felt. It gives them a nice fuzzy texture:

I added ribbon to each one so that we can hang them on her wall:

And embellished them as well:

She loves rhinestones:

And sparkles:

And she was thrilled with how they turned out:

I have so many fun ideas to go with this theme! Now I just need more time to get it all done :)

Linking to:
craft-o-maniac-monday
& made-by-you-monday
& mad-skills-party
& making-monday-marvelous
& tipjunkie

Appreciation Gift.....

2011-11-10T07:40:00.001-08:00

The month of November is the perfect time to express our appreciation for the people in our lives, whether they be friends, neighbors, teachers or family. I made this easy "french fry" box of Kit Kat's for one of my sons sweet teachers:

There are so many people that do so much for me and my family. It's nice to find a way to say thanks, even if it is just in the form of a simple handmade treat. I made the french fry box using a free template that I had gotten years ago, (I believe you can find them online for free). I used my bone folder to make the edges and glued the box together, then embellished it by inking the edges, putting the scrap paper band on it and then adding the stamped "Thanks A Bunch". I threw in a couple broken up Kit-Kat bars for the "french fries" , wrapped it in cellophane and tied the cute ribbon around it. The possibilities are endless with this one. It just doesn't get any easier than this!

Linking to:
crafty-soiree
& diy-thrifty-thursday
& somewhat simple

Thanksgiving Decor Items...

2011-11-08T07:48:00.000-08:00

I've had several friends tell me that they don't decorate for Thanksgiving at all because, "There really isn't much to decorate with". GASP! Whatever! This breaks my beating heart! I love to decorate for Thanksgiving. I love to spend the month reflecting on all that I have to be thankful for and I absolutely DETEST that people jump straight from Halloween to Christmas. I do have more decorations for both Christmas and Halloween, however; I still deck the house out for Thanksgiving. Here is my November hutch:

There are all kinds of fun ways to decorate for Thanksgiving and Fall. A few ideas would be:
Turkey's, pumpkins, leaves, pilgrims, Indians, scarecrows, corn cobs and even candy corns. Don't overlook Thanksgiving in your decor!

Linking to:
lil-luna-link-party

Very Pinteresting....

2011-11-04T08:37:00.000-07:00

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Pinterest!!! Here are a few of my favorite Thanksgiving related finds this week:

I adore this Give Thanks board from thoughtsinvinyl

This wreath from craftaholicsanonymous is just darling!

How cute is this ribbon gobbler from sheskindacrafty ?

I've got to make this darling Tommy the Turkey from meetthedubiens

fiskars has this cute little spoon holder turkey. It would be a great kids craft for Thanksgiving day.

I'm such a fan of ribbon wreaths, I love the colors in this one from shelterness

So many inspiring ideas!

November Plate...

2011-11-03T10:41:00.000-07:00

I make a "plate" for each month. This is my November "plate", and no, it's not technically a plate, I actually took a piece of tile and painted it:

It's my favorite saying!

Very easy to make and looks super cute on my counter!

Linking to: hookin-up-with-hoh
& crafty-soiree
& show-off-your-stuff-party-99.

Frightening Feast...

2011-11-02T08:40:00.001-07:00

Yay! I remembered to take pix of our Halloween dinner. They aren't the greatest, but I had to do it quick before the hungry mob attacked, LOL!

I fancied the glasses up a bit.

The menu

I made cards to go by each dish, I downloaded the digital paper from .photocardboutique

Bloody Eyeballs. How fun are these? The recipe can be found HERE.

For the moldy salad, I just used my regular potato salad recipe and mixed in some of the green gel food coloring and let it sit in the fridge over night.

The furry spiders. So yeah, I should have removed the tin foil balls from their legs before I took the pix, but hey, we are just proud that I actually did take any right? The recipe can be found HERE They were really tasty, I just left the ham out of mine but it would have been easy to add a few veggies to them.

The Bone Shards were homemade tortilla chips, just get a package of flour tortilla's, cut them with a pizza cutter, brush olive oil on both sides and bake at 325 for about 4 minutes, then flip and bake for another 3 or 4 minutes. Sprinkle with salt when finished. The "Ghoulish Gunk" is just a homemade avocado dip and the "Brain Matter" is a homemade bean dip.

The food table completely set up.

To drink, we enjoyed "Curdled Blood" It's a terrific drink for any holiday. I just mix a 48 oz bottle of chilled cranberry cocktail juice with a chilled bottle of sparkling mineral water and a can of frozen apple juice with 2 cans of water. Slice a lemon thinly and let float on top. I didn't get pix of our "Snot Cubes" but I just pour lemon lime kool-aid in ice cube trays, add gummy bugs and freeze over night. Add one or two to each glass of "curdled blood" as the ice cube melts, the gummy bug will sink to the bottom of the glass and is a nice "surprise" as one finishes their drink!

Both tables.

It really was such a fun night. My parents and Miss Cherish also joined us. I hate when Halloween is on a school day/night because it feels so rushed and I just don't have the time to make fun Halloween breakfast and lunch. I'm glad we were able to do dinner together though we missed Mel and Brett and their families. These things just aren't the same without them!I hope you all had a fun, safe and happy Halloween a

Halloween Menu...

2011-10-28T09:51:00.000-07:00

Here is what my little Goblins will be feasting on Monday night:

I found this darling digital paper at photocardboutique and just used my photo shop to make the menu. Squeeeeeee!!! I can't wait! Pictures & recipes to follow. Hope you all have as much fun as we are going to!

Wicked...

2011-10-27T07:37:00.000-07:00

I had originally made this for my daughter for Christmas last year, both she and i got a girls weekend trip to Boise, ID to see "Wicked" the broadway show so instead of just giving her the tickets, I made a "Wicked" gift basket and included this:

Being so close to Christmas, I didn't have time to have Hubs cut out the letters so instead, I bought pre-made ones from Micheals, painted and decorated them, and then attached them onto the base. Even though it was made for a Christmas gift, it makes a darling Halloween decoration as well :)

Linking to:
hookin-up-with-hoh
& show-off-your-stuff-party
& somewhatsimple
& crafty-soiree

Mummy Cakes....

2011-10-25T08:01:00.000-07:00

A fun easy treat for the Halloween season is Mummy Cakes:

All you need are Hostess Ding Dongs, a bag of Reese's Pieces, white frosting, and black frosting ( I used the decorating kind in the tubes). Just unwrap your ding dongs and place them on a plate. Use the white frosting and zig zag across the top of the Ding Dong to create the bandage look, then use the black frosting to separate it, place two eyes on each and dot with black frosting. Easy Sneezy!!!!

Linking to: somedaycrafts-whatever-goes-wednesday
& mybackyardeden-make-it-yours-day
& thetrendytreehouse-create-and-share-features-too
& sassysites-halloween-treats-for-kids-link-up
& momscrazycooking-this-weeks-cravings-52
& theartsygirlconnection-pininspirational-thursdays

Autumn Harvest Block Set....

2011-10-21T07:08:00.000-07:00

Autumn Harvest blocks that I made for a friend:

Perfect for the entire Fall season!

Linking to:
sassysites
& katiesnestingspo-crafty-soiree
& .houseofhepworths-hookin-up-with-hoh

DIY Earring Holder.....

2011-10-17T07:20:00.000-07:00

I made this earring holder for my sister for her birthday. I bought a frame that I liked and then painted it the color that I wanted. I painted her initial onto the burlap and then I sprayed the burlap with fabric stiffener so that it would be able to hold earrings without sagging. I stapled the burlap into the frame and glued the rosette onto the corner:

I bought a mini easel so that she would have something to hold it up and it was done. Easy and cute, my favorite kind of gift :)

Linking to:
skiptomylou-made-by-you-monday
& madincrafts-mad-skills-party
& craft-o-maniac-monday
& making-monday-marvelous

Fall Wreath...

2011-10-10T08:13:00.000-07:00

What's not to love about Fall? I made this wreath with some of my favorite fall decor items, Leaves, burlap and a scarecrow:

So much fun!

Linking to:
skiptomylou-made-by-you-monday
& .madincrafts-mad-skills
& craft-o-maniac-monday

Craft On!

Boo Frame (Tutorial)...

2011-10-05T07:57:00.000-07:00

Easiest craft ever! Sorry but I didn't even think about taking pictures of each step, give me a break, it's my first Tut!!! I'll do better next time, I promise :) Here is what we are making:

Supplies:Wood 4x6 frame
Black paint
B, O, & O, wood letters
Orange paint
1 bag of google eyes
Halloween scrap paper (I just used some that I had leftover from another project)
Modge Podge
Black ink
Sand paper
glue gun/glue sticks
Paint brush or sponge brushes

1.Paint the frame black and the letters orange, let dry (or use whatever color scheme you want).
2.Trace letters with scrapbook paper, cut out and Modge Podge them onto the wood letters. Press out any wrinkles and allow to dry.
3.When completely dry, sand the edges of the paper until you get a nice finished look, then ink around all of the edges.
4. Glue the letters onto the frame and then glue the googly eyes so that they completely cover it.
5.Place pix in the middle and you're done!

Didn't I tell you this was the easiest craft ever? Enjoy!

Linking to:
somedaycrafts
&
lilluna
&
inspired-by-you-wednesdays

Craft On!

2x4 Fall Pumpkins...

2011-10-03T09:07:00.000-07:00

I made this for my desk at work:

Linking to: craftomaniac-monday
& making-monday-marvelous
& amaze-me-monday
& motivate-me-monday
& thirtyhandmadedays-pity_party

Witches Boots....

2011-09-22T07:07:00.000-07:00

Witches Boots...

Witches boots can also be done in the more traditional Halloween colors, with the red and white or orange and white stockings and embellishments.

They stand about 10 inches tall.

Linking to:
sassysites-ffa-friday

2x4 Witches....

2011-09-20T07:54:00.000-07:00

2x4 Witches stand about 8" tall each:

Linking to:
shabbynest-frugal-friday

Eek Blockies.....

2011-09-19T07:25:00.000-07:00

Eek Blockies, can be done in several different colors:

Linking to:
whipperberry-friday-flair

Wood Window with Wreath....

2011-09-14T07:02:00.001-07:00

Wood Window with Chicken Wire and Burlap Wreath.

Wedding Gift....

2011-08-17T07:07:00.000-07:00

"F" in the background is the first letter of the couples last name.

Stacker...

2011-08-02T06:58:00.000-07:00

Hope, Faith, Dream Stacker:

Misc Blocks...

2011-07-29T06:40:00.000-07:00

We have been soooo Busy!

God Bless The USA blocks......

2011-07-15T07:07:00.000-07:00

God Bless America Blockies with Burlap:

Flag #2.....

2011-07-08T06:36:00.000-07:00

This flag is a little bit different style than the other one. It's larger and I used more traditional red, white and blue colors, whereas the other one is more antiqued. I can do the larger size like the smaller one and vice versa:

It looks so cute on my hutch:

I love the tattered look of the star block:

Flag....

2011-07-07T06:42:00.000-07:00

Americana Flag:

Firework Bundle.....

2011-07-07T06:41:00.001-07:00

Firework Bundle:

USA Blockies....

2011-07-07T06:40:00.001-07:00

USA Blockies:

Distressed "America" Block...

2011-06-10T07:51:00.000-07:00

2x4 Bunnies...

2011-04-13T07:09:00.000-07:00

2x4 Bunnies with burlap ears:

Happy Easter Stacker

2011-04-12T07:22:00.000-07:00

Easter Stacker:

Home with Seasonal O's.....

2011-04-06T07:04:00.000-07:00

HOME with Seasonal Interchangeable "O's". The full set:

Spring:

Summer:

Winter:

Fall:

Will be sold as a full set and then we will make more for each holiday that can be added later.

Bunny Trio....

2011-04-05T07:09:00.000-07:00

3 Bunnies on Glitter Egg bases:

Bunny with Egg...

2011-04-05T07:07:00.000-07:00

Bunny with Egg. Can Either be made to stand on his own or as a door hanger:

The Egg has a sugar coat of glitter:

Felt Spring Wreath....

2011-04-01T07:13:00.001-07:00

Felt Spring Wreath:

Spring Bunny....

2011-03-22T07:06:00.000-07:00

Spring Bunny:

St. Patricks Day Wreath

2011-03-09T06:27:00.000-08:00

Felt wreath for St. Patty's Day:

St. Patricks Day Stacker....

2011-03-02T06:26:00.001-08:00

St. Patty's Day Stacker:

LUCK....

2011-03-01T06:56:00.000-08:00

LUCK Letters that fit in the same stand as the LOVE Letters.....

I'm So Lucky blocks....

2011-02-28T07:14:00.000-08:00

I'm So Lucky Blockies:

Valentine Door Hanger

2011-01-31T09:06:00.000-08:00

I made this heart door hanger for my front door:

I LOVE the color combination of red, black and white:

Linking to: show-off-your-stuff-party
& woodyouliketocraft-love-linky-party
& craft-o-maniac-monday
& made-by-you-monday
& thecsiproject.com- red challenge

Valentine Wall Hanger

2011-01-31T09:04:00.001-08:00

Valentines Stacker.....

2011-01-20T09:23:00.000-08:00

Valentines Day Stacker:

XOXO Valentines Blocks.....

2011-01-19T08:03:00.001-08:00

XOXO Blocks:

Linking to: sassysites
& friday-frolic
& valentines-linky

Family Home Evening Assignment Board...

2011-01-12T06:32:00.001-08:00

FHE Board made for the Rouelle family:

Let It Snow Door Hanger......

2011-01-06T07:10:00.000-08:00

Winter Door Hanger $15.00:

Give Thanks...

2010-10-25T08:17:00.000-07:00

Give Thanks blockies:

These look so cute on my counter!

Linking to:
trash-to-treasure-tuesday
& ta-da-tuesday

2010-10-04T09:51:00.000-07:00

Frankenstein Block: $8.00

Tall Mummy: $12.00

Mummy Block: $8.00

Pumpkin Trio #2: $10.00

New Stuff!!!

2010-05-03T07:17:00.000-07:00

U.S.A. wall hanger with glitter sugar coating: $12.00

Rustic Star Trio: $15.00

LOVE

2010-01-18T19:13:00.001-08:00

LOVE: $25.00

*The base is sold separately for $15.00. Each season there will be a new word available to put in the base, (i.e., LUCK, FALL, SNOW,etc....) it can be painted or stained whatever color you prefer.

Valentines Door Hanger

2010-01-18T19:10:00.001-08:00

Valentines Door Hanger: $12.00

Be Mine

2010-01-15T19:11:00.000-08:00

Be Mine Block: $8.00

36" Snowman

2010-01-15T19:10:00.000-08:00

36 Inch Tall Snowman: $25.00

2009-12-27T21:01:00.000-08:00

Here are a few things that we did for Christmas gifts. They could be given as gifts all year long and everyone loved them:

6x6 Pix Block: $6.00 per block. Customer provides photo.

Winter set: $8.00- We can customize any color or theme request on any of these:
Friends Set: $8.00
Cheer Set: $8.00
Dance Set: $8.00
Name Set: $8.00

Home Set: $10.00

4x6 Photo Blockies: $5.00 per block. Customer provides photo. Can customize whatever theme/pix combination you need: