Paper Fan Border

I love scrapbook paper, but I'm not a scrapbooker. I love looking at all the cute patterns and color combinations. One day while I was looking at the paper at the craft store, I got the idea to make a border around the girls' bedroom out of paper fans. I waited until the paper went on sale and then stocked up and started making the fans. I took a little bit of time but pretty soon I had enough to go around the entire room. I hung them to the ceiling using fishing line and push pins. It really adds a lot to their girly-girl room.

(Sorry,the pictures aren't the greatest)

http://thegirlcreative.blogspot.com/

http://thepersimmonperch.blogspot.com/

Yummy Chocolatey Bird Nests

These are fun to make with your kids and are really tasty too!

Ingredients:

 12 oz. chocolate chips

1/3 cup Peanut butter

3 cups chow mein noodles

1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies

Melt chocolate chips in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir to make sure all is melted. Stir in peanut butter. Microwave 1 minute more.

Then stir in the noodles and cereal like so...

And taste it to make sure it's alright :)

Drop spoonfuls onto waxed paper, form into nest shapes. Put eggs of your liking in the nests, we used Peanut M &Ms (they are our fave around here)

Let cool in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Downeast Outfitters inspired Flower Belts

Have you seen these at Downeast Outfitters?

I saw these about a month or so ago when the catalog arrived at my house. They also have them in creme which is the one I really wanted to buy

  but didn't want to spend the money on it. Then I got thinking how I could mimic it and make one for myself.  This is what I came up with...

A friend showed me how to make flowers out of fabric awhile back, singe-ing the edges with a candle and then layering with a hot glue gun. I basically did this except for instead of using a hot glue gun I actually used a needle and thread and sewed it in the back of the flower until it resembled the shape I wanted (sorry I should have snapped a pic of this part!) Then I glued the flowers on the ribbon and used buttons I bought at Wal-Mart for the middle. I cut the ribbon long enough so that I can tie a bow in the back. I also singed  the ends of the ribbon so they won't fray.

I also made some in black for the little ladies of the house for their Easter outfits I'm working on.

I measured their waists' and used stick on velcro for theirs.

When I was trying to figure out the cost, I estimated about $1.50 per belt. Not bad at all!

I used fabric from the $1 bin at Wal-Mart. 

I got a 1/4 of a yard of black and the creme color and still have some left.

Linking up here:

 

http://www.bluecricketdesign.net/?

My silhouette Wall

I love silhouettes. I love their simple, yet classic look. 

And I love how you can capture certain features like the mullet our three year old has,

the way she sucks her thumb

and the profiles of our girls' cute little noses.

It was a bit of a challenge getting them to hold still for the larger ones.

For the smaller ones I used photos that I had taken, cut them out and then traced them

onto black paper and then cut them out and glued them on white backgrounds.

Under the rug and dreaming...

My three year old put her barbies down for their nap under the rug. Now if only I could get her to do the same. Take a nap that is.

Check it out

Moss Wreath Plaque

This was fun and inexpensive to make. I had the wood on hand already so I just cut and glued the pieces together to make a plaque. Spray painted with white, distressed and wiped down with some stain. For the wreath I used a styrifoam wreath from the craft store, fresh green moss also from the craft store (Roberts) and then began glueing with my handy dandy glue gun until it was completely covered. I tied it with some ribbon and tacked it to the back side and there you have it!

Cost breakdown:

wreath-$3.00

    moss-$3.00

That's it! $6.00. not too bad! I already had the other supplies on hand.

Linking up here at these great sites:

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

This is my Mom's spaghetti recipe. It's very simple to make and oh so good!

1/2 to 1 pound ground beef
1/2 onion
1 clove garlic
2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1-2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 T. sugar
1/4 tsp. pepper

Cook ground beef and onion together. Drain and rinse. Put it back into the pan and add the rest of the ingredients and simmer 10 min.
It is also good with chicken in it, green peppers and mushrooms.

Bargain Barstools makeover

I found these barstools at the D.I. (second hand store) for $5.00 a piece. They were in good shape, just in need of some love. I took me awhile to decide what to do with them. I sanded them down and began painting.

I gave them a couple of coats of paint and then sanded around the edges on the seat of the stool. Then I rubbed on some dark walnut stain, because I am to cheap to invest in some glaze. I also put on some polyurethane, because I am positive they are going to be spilled on a lot!

And here they are in their new home at the bar. Since I had the paint already the total cost was $15.00. Not too shabby!

I'm linking up at these sites this week:

http://www.bluecricketdesign.net/?

Spring on my front Door

I'm so ready for spring. It was a semi-spring day today. Just windy as can be. It's all good though. It'll be here to stay one of these days.

Oatmeal Cream Pies

1/2 cup margarine or butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves (optional)

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 3/4 cups flour

2 cups oats

Beat margarine or butter. Add sugars, baking soda, baking powder and spices. Mix well. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. Beat in flour. Stir in oats. Roll into balls and put on cookie sheet. Press down with a cup or glass to flatten. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 min. Cool and then frost.

Frosting:

4 oz. cream cheese

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 cup margarine

2 cups powdered sugar

Molding Clay

A few simple ingredients = hours of fun!

Here's the recipe:

2 cups flour

1 1/3 cups salt

4 tsp. cream of tartar

2 cups boiling water

4 tsp. vegetable oil

Food Coloring

Combine dry ingredients. Add oil and boiling water. Mix well. Add food coloring. Store in air tight container.

Spring please hurry, my indoor creativeness is running out!