Polka Dots and Pizza

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T10:10:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Latest Furniture REDOS

2012-02-13T14:00:00.000-08:00

Have I mentioned lately that I love Craige's List? This beautiful Drexel buffet I got for FREEEEEE. The cabinet doors were there, just not on it. It was a horrible purple color. I painted it two different shades of gray and made it beautiful! The chair below I got from goodwill for $10 dollars. It was SO comfortable and a rocking chair too!

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

Dr Seuss Play Room

2012-02-13T13:54:00.000-08:00

We have lived in our current house for almost 4 years. Our bonus room has never really been decorated, and has been the man room/craft room/dump room forever. So with the kids getting bigger, I decided it was time to make it into a functional room!!! Here is the before picture...

Above is when we first moved in and it was the man room... Lovely dead bear on the wall. It is actually a pretty big room, so I split it up. The half by the window is the "play room" and the other half is craft area and office.

I decided to go with a Dr. Seuss theme! So, I borrowed my dad's projector and projected the pictures onto the wall, and traced them with a paint pen. Similar to what I did for the construction room.

I painted cat in the hat, Thing 1 and Thing 2 and my husband made me the growth chart out of some old barn wood!

My awesome book shelves are.............................. vinyl rain gutters!!! They were less then 10 dollars at home depot! My husband cut them for me and screwed them into the wall, they work PERFECT!

This is also some cute board screwed to the wall with clips glued to them. Then I cut some vinyl for my kid's masterpieces!

The kids LOVE the play room! My husband completed the room by making me this awesome toy box!

Lobster Baby

2012-02-13T13:48:00.000-08:00

For Halloween I love my kids to have original costumes. The first year my son was a chef, the second year he was a gnome, and this year (not original) he was a cowboy with his own cardboard horse. So, my daughter had to have original costumes too! Forever I thought I wanted them to match, but then I saw something about doing a baby as a lobster and putting it in a pot!!! Well... that is exactly what I did! I used a simplicity pattern for baby pajamas to make the body.

Naturally, my husband being a chef, I had him dress up in his outfit and carry her around! She was a HIT. Cute little thing just sat in her pot and didn't make a peep!

It's been awhile....................

2012-02-13T13:35:00.000-08:00

It has been a LONG time........... and I have SOOOOOOOOOO many projects I have done and not posted. I discovered pinterest. Yes. I am sure most of you know what it is. Instead of finding ideas, doing them, and blogging about them. I waste all my time looking at pinterest, then some time doing the projects, but not posting them! I have about 10-15 posts that should be coming within the next week or so! So don't give up on me!

Barn Wood Cabinet

2011-10-08T12:57:00.000-07:00

In the previous post I mentioned my husband got a bunch of barn wood and barn windows from a demolition he did. Well I had to share his amazing talent, and also an idea to do with old windows!

I asked him to make me a cabinet, and he whips this up in less than an hour!!! I LOVE IT! I didn't have plans for it at first, but it works perfectly in our bedroom to house some of our dvd's. Expect more barn wood projects, we are addicted!

Barn Wood Window BOW HOLDER

2011-10-08T12:53:00.000-07:00

My husband works construction, and he recently did a barn demo. He was really excited to take some of the wood home, and he also brought me home several other surprises! He brought me three doors and about 15 windows!!!!!!!!!! I was ecstatic!!! Most of the windows all had their original glass still intact! This window that I used didn't have any glass, but I knew exactly what I wanted to use it for. Here we go:

Here is my original BEAUTIFUL window frame. I love it.

I just barely painted it red so it would match my daughter's room. Then, I had these little hooks on hand so I drilled some holes, then screwed these in to hold her headbands

On the back of the window, I used ribbon running from the top to the bottom of the window for the bows, and I stapled it into place.

ALL DONE! Now she just needs more hair accessories!

Sweet girl.

Bottle Light Tutorial

2011-10-02T18:46:00.000-07:00

My Aunt came and visited this summer and told me about this idea. I have been wanting to try it, so I finally got around to it! Things you will need:
1. Wine bottle or other glass bottle
2. Glass drill bit
3. lights small enough to fit through the whole you drilled with the drill bit

First I started with a really pretty wine bottle we have had on our shelf forever!

Next drill a hole in the bottle. I got glass/tile drill bits at lowes for $12. They came in four different sizes, and you have to start with the smallest and work your way up. After the hole is drilled, pushin the lights through the hole.

Plug it in and you have a light!

Peach Cobbler

2011-10-01T18:25:00.000-07:00

Today was a fun day with my family. We went for a long drive and hit some fruit stands in the area. I got a huge box of peaches for only $6! My intentions were to make some baby food, and also some other fun peach things. My husband tells me for the first time that he LOVES LOVES LOVES peach cobbler, so that is what I did! I used a Paula Deen recipe, because I love her. Recipe:

Peach Cobbler

Ingredients

4 cups peeled, sliced peaches
2 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup water
8 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/2 cups milk
Ground cinnamon, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the peaches, 1 cup sugar, and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Put the butter in a 3-quart baking dish and place in oven to melt.

Mix remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, and milk slowly to prevent clumping. Pour mixture over melted butter. Do not stir. Spoon fruit on top, gently pouring in syrup. Sprinkle top with ground cinnamon, if using. Batter will rise to top during baking. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.

To serve, scoop onto a plate and serve with your choice of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

I had to cook mine a bit longer than the time on the recipe just because I think I used too small of a pan. My husband said it was delicious though! Enjoy!

Baby Pumpkin

2011-09-26T19:19:00.000-07:00

I got this adorable idea from pinterest! It is my new favorite site. Here is my darling daughter.

Cutest kids ever. SO thankful for them.

Dresser and Matching Night stands makeover

2011-09-26T12:49:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned lately how much I love craige's list? The other day I was surfing it and found a dresser with two matching nightstands for $30, there was no picture, so I had to text for a picture. When I got the picture it was a bad quality photo of some black painted furniture, but it looked like it had nice details. I discovered a whole new ghetto of my town when I went to get them! It was an adventure, but when I got there, it was WELL worth it! Here are the two nigh stands before,

the night stands ALONE I would have paid 30 dollars for, but then the huge beautiful dresser came too!!! Here is the after shot. Some gray paint, light sanding to shabby chic it, and then I spray painted all the hardware, by the way ALL the hardware was included! Can you say steal?

AREN'T THEY BEAUTIFUL!!! It took everything in me to not keep them! I wanted $250 for all three, but sold them to a nice lady for $200! I knew they were going to a good home. $170 profit, not too shabby!

Catering a Wedding

2011-09-18T17:16:00.000-07:00

Oh my.. This weekend has been insane. My husband and I took on the task of catering a wedding for my husband's cousin. At first I was just going to do the cupcakes and cake, and my husband was just going to do the main dishes of pulled pork and potatoes. Then last week it got a little more crazy and we got added on the salads and other sides. Well, we did it!!! It was a crazy week, and a little scary that we weren't going to complete it all at times, but we did! Here are some pictures of what we did!

Mommy and Baby Headbands

2011-09-07T13:02:00.000-07:00

I got inspired for these headbands from flamingo toes, go here to see her tutorial and her version of the headband! These are SO easy, and I even made the plunge to open an etsy shop! So if you are interested in purchasing some already made, head to my etsy shop HERE

Painted Dresser

2011-09-05T16:33:00.000-07:00

I finally moved into the world of technology and got a "smart" phone. One of my favorite features so far, is the craige's list app! I put in the criteria I am looking for, and it notifies when something in my criteria is posted. Last night, I got a notification for a FREE dresser! I was so excited I quickly e-mailed the listing. This morning, I went and picked up my free dresser! Sadly I forgot to get a before picture, but it was ugly... REALLY ugly. It was some nasty brown paint and gold handles. I painted the dresser red with a white damask stencil and then spray painted the knobs a nice shimmery brown.

I LOVE this dresser. I want to keep it, but I know it will sell and I am greedy.

Flourless Chocolate Torte w. Chocolate ganache

2011-08-31T11:40:00.000-07:00

I LOVE to bake, but I don't have a big sweet tooth. Last night we were having some of our good friends over, and so I decided I wanted to try out a chocolate torte. I watch Top Chef Just Desserts, and they make these ALL THE TIME! So, I thought I would try this "high end" creation. It turned out BEAUTIFUL! Not to toot my own horn, but I swear it was restaurant quality! I was so stinking proud of it! But, it is extremely rich. I could only have a few bites, and only one of the four of us actually finished our piece. So this is a great dessert in small doses, or for a fancy party. Here it is, and the recipe!

Torte Pre Ganache

Make sure and put it on a wire rack when pouring the ganache!

I wouldn't recommend these big of slices! haha

Flourless Chocolate Torte

Ingredients

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus 1/2 tablespoon
1 pound semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup amaretto
8 large eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
Confectioners' sugar or cocoa powder, for garnish
Fresh raspberries, for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Using 1/2 tablespoon butter grease a 9-inch springform pan and line bottom with a parchment round. Cover pan underneath and along sides with foil and set in a roasting pan. Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil.

Combine the chocolate, butter, and amaretto in a metal bowl set over simmering water or in the top of a double boiler. Melt the mixture, stirring constantly, until smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes; reserve.

Meanwhile combine eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until frothy and almost doubled in volume, about 5 to 10 minutes. Fold 1/3 of egg mixture into chocolate mixture using a rubber spatula. Repeat this process 2 more times - until all of egg mixture has been folded into chocolate mixture.

Pour batter into prepared springform pan and place in the roasting pan. Pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to come about halfway up the sides. Bake until cake has risen slightly and edges are just beginning to set, about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove cake from roasting pan and cool on wire rack to room temperature. Remove foil, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

Remove cake from refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving. Remove springform pan sides, invert cake onto a large plate, and peel away the parchment paper from bottom. Reinvert cake on another large plate or serving platter and garnish with confectioners' sugar or cocoa powder immediately before serving.

Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients:

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

2/3 cup heavy cream

Directions

In a heavy saucepan, melt chocolate chips with cream over low heat. Remove from the heat. Refrigerate, stirring occasionally.
For a pourable ganache, cool until mixture reaches 85 degrees F-90 degrees F and is slightly thickened, about 40 minutes. Pour over cake, allowing some to flow down the edges to completely coat. Spread ganache with a spatula if necessary to evenly coat, working quickly before it thickens. Chill until set.
For spreadable ganache, chill until mixture reaches a spreadable consistency. Spread over cake. Chill until set.

Remembering Mom.

2011-08-25T12:09:00.000-07:00

Five years ago today, a beautiful woman left her earthly home, and went to be with Jesus in heaven. My mom was only 46, and I was 18 when she died. She had struggled with a short 10 month battle with lymphoma. My mom was really one of the most wonderful people you could have ever known. She was a strong Godly woman, and I hope I can someday be more like her. She taught me the most important thing in life, how to be a wonderful Mother. I am sad my children will never get to know her, but thankful one day we will all be in heaven together. Love you mom. Miss you more than ever.

Here is a video I did for her funeral highlighting her incredible life.

Zipper Shirt

2011-08-22T12:36:00.000-07:00

I think I have been watching too much Project Runway. I have always loved the edgier looks where they add fun zipper details. I was watching some past seasons, and a lot of them did the exposed zipper in either the back of the outfit, or on the front. SO. I think that is where I came up with this!

Materials:

1. Old or Cheapo Shirt. (mine was a $5 shirt from Kohls)

2. 5-7 inch zipper, depending on the look. Mine was a 7"

3. Sewing machine or needle and thread

First, lay out your shirt and lay the zipper on top of where you want it to go. Then, while unzipping the zipper, cut down in between the zipper on the shirt.

It should be open and look like this. Next, sew the zipper to the TOP of the shirt. I didn't do any right side to right side, I just sewed right onto the shirt. I unzipped as I went to make sure it was all lining up correctly.

DONE! How easy is that? You can unzip it a little, leave it totally zipped, or whatever!

I am so in love and obsessed with how this turned out! I bought another zipper, so expect another zipper project!

Overall Shirt NO SEW

2011-08-21T13:41:00.000-07:00

I am an avid watcher/gross obsession of America's Next Top Model. If any of you have watched it over the years, I have always been in love with a shirt, winner Eva wore during her confessionals. It was a blackish tank top and one strap was an overall! I looked EVERYWHERE for a shirt like this, but after about 5 years of looking, I decided to make my own! This process is super easy, and actually requires NO SEWING! Here are the steps.

OVERALL SHIRT!

First, I started with a package of overall clips, and then a long sleeve shirt. A tank top, short sleeve or any sleeve shirt will work. Ignore the other stuff! Projects to come!

Next, since I used a long sleeve shirt, I cut off the sleeves

Then on one of the sleeves left, I cut it in half a little above where the neckline is. Then following the directions on the overall packet, nail in the button.

Next I attached the clip portion. BEFORE you glue it down, try it on to make sure that you have pulled enough of the shirt through and that it fits right. From there I used liquid stitch to glue it into place around the buckle.

My finished shirt!

Excuse my son's potty in the background.. I am not the best at self portraits! The husband was napping with baby.

Horray! The shirt I have wanted for 5 years is finally mine! This would be really fun in other colors too! Have fun, and message me if you do this yourself!

Play Cupboard MAKEOVER

2011-08-15T12:28:00.000-07:00

My husband's Grandma gave me this really really cute old kid's play cupboard about a month ago. It has been sitting in the garage waiting for me to do something with it. I could not decide what color I wanted to paint it, but yesterday I decided to paint it BLUE with chalkboard paint on the cupboards and counter top. I also found some really adorable pull knobs at Hobby Lobby. Here is the before and after shots!

I love it! It is a little darker than I expected with the chalkboard paint, but I think she will love it when she gets a bit older. I like that it is a neutral color in case my son decides to play with it too!

Latest Dresser Makeover

2011-08-07T15:44:00.000-07:00

I found this dresser on craige's list. Sadly I forgot to take a before picture! Basically it was a gross color of yellow and kind of chipping away. I did a plain satin black paint, and then heirloom white for my stencil. I LOVE how it turned out. It's also for sale!

Texas Roadhouse Copy Rolls and Butter!

2011-08-03T19:35:00.000-07:00

I LOVE Texas Roadhouse. I usually eat 2 baskets of rolls and butter all by myself when we go, so I was searching around and found a recipe for the rolls on Envy My Cooking! The recipe is fairly simple, and doesn't take a ton of time. Here it is:

Texas Roadhouse Rolls - Copycat Recipe

adapted from: Good Stuff Maynard

(Printable Recipe)

4 tsp. active dry yeast

1/2 c. warm water

2 c. milk, scalded and cooled to lukewarm

3 Tbl. of melted butter, slightly cooled

1/2 c. sugar

2 quarts all purpose flour (7-8 cups)

2 whole eggs

2 tsp. salt

Dissolve yeast in warm water with a teaspoon of sugar. Add yeast, milk, sugar and enough flour to make a medium batter. Beat thoroughly. Let stand until light and foamy. Add melted butter, eggs and salt. Beat well.

Add enough flour to form a soft dough. Sprinkle a small amount of flour onto counter and let dough rest. Meanwhile, grease a large bowl. Knead dough until smooth and satiny (or put in your kitchen-aid, use the dough hook and knead for about five minutes.)and put in greased bowl; turn over to grease top.Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk. Punch down. Turn out onto a floured board. Divide into portions for shaping; let rest 10 minutes. Shape dough into desired forms. Place on greased baking sheets. Let rise until doubled.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Baste immediately with butter. Yield: 5 to 6 dozen.

**************************************************************

Simple Enough??? So, you can't have the rolls without the butter, so I went searching for the butter recipe, and it is SOOOO easy I was shocked. I got this recipe from Food.com

Texas Roadhouse Butter

1/2 cup sweet creamy butter (softened, salted)
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

In a small bowl, with a handmixer, beat butter till fluffy.
Add confectioner's sugar at a time, blending well.
Add cinnamon to mixture and blend well.

ENJOY!!!

Mini Vacation!

2011-08-02T11:50:00.000-07:00

This weekend, we took a mini vacation to lagoon! We took my brother and his girlfriend with us so that we would be able to ride some rides while they watched the kids. Our trail blazer only fits three adults after the two car seats, so we decided to take my dad's car that had a bench seat in front. it was a TIGHT fit! On our way there, we weren't really paying attention to the gas gauge and realized we were getting super low!!! We were frantically looking for a gas station, because we were literally in the middle of nowhere. We finally saw a Sinclair station in the distance, and pulled off. The little convenience store attached to the gas station was called "Welcome to the Middle of Nowhere" Huh. So. We go in, get a drink, come out and my husband tells me.... the car won't start! I am not freaking out yet, so I told him, let's just get someone to jump us... we tried. Did not work. SO. I called a tow truck. Gabe and Thomas left in the tow truck, (probably the highlight of my son's trip was riding in the tow truck) My brother, his girlfriend, Mia and I waited at the gas station for................. 5 HOURS! My dad met Gabe and switched him cars. Turned out the starter in my dad's car was broken, but they had it fixed before he even got there. We arrived in Salt Lake about 6 hours later than scheduled, but everyone was in good spirits! We had a BLAST at lagoon!!!

One Sleevish Shirt Refashion

2011-08-02T11:40:00.000-07:00

I have had this idea forever to make a long sleeve or tee or whatever into just a one sleeve, but with one of the actual capped sleeves still intact. This is from a previous refashion that I wasn't crazy about. The cinched sleeve tutorial. Basically all I did was cut at a diagonal from right under the hem for the top of the shirt, the neck part, cannot think of the real name for it! So, cut at a diagonal until just below the second arm. I loved the look of just the one sleeve, but I absolutely hate wearing a strapless bra, so I added the little strap, and I don't think it looks so bad!

BEFORE

AFTER

I just sewed the little strap on sewing right side to right side. I had the shirt on first, and then pinned where I wanted the strap to go. I did this for the front, but forgot to for the back, so it is a little off in the back. oh well! Fun and easy! Took me about 5 minutes!

Satin Flower Tutorial

2011-07-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

My little girl got dedicated on Sunday. She had a white dress, and then the red shoes, so she needed a red accessory to go with it! So. I made this headband for her. Here are the steps!

First cut out however many circles you want to use out of a satin polyester blend fabric. I used four circles

Next, CAREFULLY burn the edges of the flower so that it sort of curls upwards. Be careful not to set the thing on fire!

Your circles should look like this

Once all your circles are done, arrange them how you want, and then I used hot glue to get them done together.

Final product! I added a little rhinestone in the middles, and then attached it to a piece of elastic lace that I sewed together to make a headband.

My beautiful girl.

$3.00 Goodwill Desk Makeover

2011-07-24T13:38:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I was shopping around at goodwill, and found this little desk

I had absolutely no idea what these little wing things that came out were for. They folded right under the desk. Later I found out this was an old vanity, and they use to attach fabric to the wings. Weird. I just left them folded under, and with a little white and gray paint and a stencil and new handles. My final product.

I think it is for sale, but it is so cute and would look great in our bedroom... we will see what happens!

Ruffled Baby Shirt

2011-07-19T14:20:00.000-07:00

Girls are so fun! I went to one of our local thrift stores that has baby stuff, and I got a few plain onsies for 50 cents or so, with the intention to dress them up! For the fabric for the ruffles, I just used some scraps I had laying around.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut your strips for your ruffles. You can do as many layers as you want, I did 3. Sew one edge of the strips with the widest stitch on your machine. Then pull one of the strings to make it ruffle. Arrange the ruffles however you like, then sew onto the onsie.

2. Sew the top layer first, then add each strip underneath one at a time, and try and sew as close together as possible, or farther away depending on the look you want.

ALL DONE! I added the little rosette because when I pulled off the price tag, I made a hole in the onsie... SO, I just added a little accessory!

Swag Bucks!

2011-07-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

One of the fun things I use to help me afford all these crazy crafts is to use swag bucks. This is just a search engine like google or yahoo, but you earn "bucks" that you can turn in for prizes. I use my bucks to get FREE amazon gift cards. I have gotten over $160 to amazon just in the last year for using swag bucks. It is really fun because then I can buy all the things that I wouldn't normally buy because of the money. Using swagbucks, I don't feel bad about buying some fun stuff every now and then! Click the button below to get started! It is TOTALLY free and so worth it.

A HUGE advantage to swag bucks is getting friends to sign up under you as a referral. This way anytime they search and get "bucks," however many they earn, you earn them as well. This helps add up the bucks so much faster so you can get more free stuff! Have fun!

Easy Skirt Tutorial

2011-07-13T07:38:00.000-07:00

I saw this skirt on icandy handmade and had to try it! First I made one for my little girl, then I decided to make one for myself. The one for Mia was a whole lot cuter than the one I made for me! Here is the tutorial

First you will start with a rectangle that is double the length of your waist, or babies waist. And about 4 inches longer than you want the skirt.

Next fold it in half and sew the sides together. Then, using your elastic as a guide, fold down the top hem so that it is a little longer than your elastic. I used 2" elastic. Sew all the way around leaving an opening to put your elastic through.

Next put your elastic through, then sew the elastic together and close the opening. Arrange your ruffled area however you like it. Then, take a zig zag stitch and sew around the top again, and then a little above your elastic seam at the bottom. This just makes a cute little effect, you don't have to do it, but it looks cute!

Here is my daughters finished skirt! It is a little bit higher on the waist. I love bright colors for her since she looks so good in them with her dark hair!

Here is mine... Excuse my dirty mirror, I was feeling lazy as usual and didn't wait till my husband got home to take a picture. Also, I probably wouldn't wear this with a red shirt, but I was again, lazy and didn't bother to change. Enjoy!

Pulled Pork!

2011-07-12T13:46:00.000-07:00

My husband is amazing. One of the famous things he makes is pulled pork. Normally he does a kahlua pork that is a mixture of hawaiin sea salt and other spices and the pork is baked inside banana leaves. This time he decided to mix it up and added some veggies, and a spice rub.

This is 8 pounds of pork! He added, onions, green bell peppers, red bell peppers, salt, pepper, a spice rub on the meat, and then a few cans of beer for cooking. Cooked at 350 degrees for 3 hours, then dropped to 250 degrees for 4 hours. The longer you cook it, the more tender and juicy the meat is. Check it throughout to see if you need to add more liquid. Enjoy!

Baby Shoe Refashion

2011-07-12T13:23:00.000-07:00

Mia is getting dedicated in a few weeks, and I found this adorable fluffy dress from gap! Gap is a dangerous place for baby girl clothes, and I don't think I am allowed to go back... Her dress is white, I didn't really want white, but the dress is adorable. So I thought I would pair her with some colorful accessories! We are going with red shoes and a red head band. I was having trouble finding red baby shoes, so I decided to buy some used ones, and make them red! I got these shoes for 12 cents at a local used kids clothing store.

Simple plain white shoes

Painted RED

They kinda look like Minnie Mouse shoes, but they are so cute on her little feet! SO SIMPLE!

Baby Sack Dress TUTORIAL

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

Here is the tutorial from the dress I posted earlier that I made for my daughter. This dress is a little different because it is not a halter, and actually fits! She had a little girl cousin that is only 3 months older than her, so I made the girls matching dresses! Here is the tutorial.

First I just roughly measured my daughter, then I cut out a shape kind of like a trapeze dress would look like. I made it about four inches longer than I wanted to account for the top and bottom hems.

Then I hemmed up the sides about 2/3 of the way, leaving room for the arms and the top seam.

FIRST hem the arms, then fold under twice for the hem of the top. Make sure it is open on both ends so there is room to put the ribbon through.

Then, using something to push the ribbon through, push it through the front, then continue the ribbon to the back of the dress. You should end up with both ends of the ribbon on one side of the dress.

I taped my ribbon to a crochet hook and pushed it through.

FINISHED PRODUCT! It ties on one side, and looks like a cute little sleeveless dress. VERY EASY!

Baby Dress/Shirt

2011-06-28T14:34:00.000-07:00

Having a little girl is SO fun. I swear I dress her more fashionable than I dress myself. Here is a cute little dress and matching headband I made her.

It started out as a dress, but since I am a non measuring person, it ended up being a tad short, so I paired it with some jean leggings, and it looked like it was suppose to be a shirt! I will have a tutorial to come!

My little girl's room, AND Dresser makeover

2011-06-20T11:38:00.000-07:00

With all of two hours notice for our sweet little Mia, we didn't have a ton of time to get a room ready! In the past year of waiting for a baby, and I had been going back and forth on what color scheme I wanted to use if it was a girl or boy. I always had in my mind that red would be so cute for a girl, and different. I am also OBSESSED with polka dots, hence the blog name, so I knew if we got a girl I had to do something with polka dots. Here is the room before Mia came into the world. It was my junk/craft room.

Mia's room before

Mia's dresser before

Yellow paint and red polka dots!!!

Little Sis and Big Brother. I LOVE her room. I still need to add some decor to the walls, get some blinds, and put a few finishing touches, but I think it turned out great! I also love the red dresser!!!

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake!

2011-06-19T17:15:00.000-07:00

I thought cheesecake was very intimidating. I grew up on the Jello No Bake cheesecake, which I love! ;) It is not too rich, and I think I could eat the whole pan of it! This cheesecake is a recipe from my roommate from Master Chef. She is from Texas and we had so much fun together on our time at master chef!

This cheesecake is AMAZING, and not difficult to make. It is also not extremely rich! Here are my horrible pictures, but go to her blog, 3 Maries Catering for a beautiful picture of it, and the recipe!

ALL the shirt refashions I have done!!! In one post!!!

2011-06-10T11:39:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be fun to compile all the shirt refashions I have done, and put them all in one post! Under the picture I will have the link so you can go to the direct post for the tutorial! Enjoy.

Shirt Makeovers with rosettes

Shirt Refashions I have Tried

Another Shirt Refashion

Ruffle Shirt

Ruffle/Rosette Tee refashion

Ruffle Shirt

Plain Shirt into Cardigan

No Sew Shirt Tutorial

Clearance Shirts into Awesome Shirts

Simple Shirt Decorating

Flower Shirt (Shirt I wore on MasterChef!)

Ruffle Embellishment Shirt

Simple Shirt w/iron on transfer

No Sew Shirt Upcycle

Plain Tee into Cardigan #2

Braided No Sew Shirt

Ruffle Convert Shirt

WATCH MASTER CHEF REMINDER!

2011-06-03T11:00:00.000-07:00

Master Chef airs on Fox Monday June 6th and Tuesday June 7th! Watch ME cook for the judges! I swear I am in that crowd somewhere!

Easiest Headband in the WORLD!

2011-06-02T20:29:00.000-07:00

So, now that I have this ADORABLE sweet little baby girl, it is time to girl it up around here. Hobby Lobby has a wonderful supply of CHEAP baby headbands and accessories! Here is one little head band I made for our sweet girl.

SUPPLIES:

Sweet sleeping baby girl!

Braided NO SEW Shirt

2011-06-02T14:23:00.000-07:00

Now that I am a stay at home mom, and I am figuring out how to handle two kiddos, I am back!!! Here is a fun shirt that I got the idea from Welcome To the Good Life.

Start with a CHEAP plain shirt... I love Old Navy. They had these for $3.

Next, Either cut off some of the bottom of the shirt, if it is long, or do like I did and use another scrap shirt in the same color. I had some hideous white polos in my closet from when I worked at Jo-Ann fabrics... I was not sorry to cut one of them up!

I decided to change up my neckline a little bit. I basically just cut off the shirt collar, then I was lazy and used liquid stitch to tack down the edges.

With your scrap shirt or whatever you use, cut three long strips of fabric, then tie the top, or use a safety pin and braid all the way to the bottom.

Tie knots at both ends, and then start attaching to the shirt with liquid stitch!

Finished product!!! A cute little accented shirt.

And then.. because you know I just can't help my self with accessorizing, I added these little rosettes. They are on a pin, so they don't always have to be attached!

Our New Addition!

2011-05-26T20:31:00.000-07:00

Well. Needless to say the last week has been CRAZY, but WONDERFUL. Last Wednesday I got a shocking phone call... A birth mom had picked us, a baby was waiting for us! She was born Tuesday, May 17th... on my mom's birthday. Totally a God thing. We had 2 hours to get to the hospital to meet our little girl and her birth family. What a crazy trip this has been. Here is our little sweet heart.

Amelia Raymona Dean (Mia)

Meeting our sweet girl for the first time.

Proud big brother giving kisses!

So SOON, there will be many new crafts for girls! Headbands, clothes, I am already starting to go crazy with accessorizing. Our family feels complete. God is GOOD.

Roadside RESCUE!

2011-05-16T17:18:00.000-07:00

My husband and I found this AMAZING bench at a yard sale in the country. We bought a lot of stuff at the yard sale, so I think this was probably $1.

BEFORE

AFTER

I did a little touch up with white paint, and then I had a canvas table cloth I found at target on clearance that I was saving for just the right project, so that is what I used to re-cover it! I think it is a fantastic little bench now!

Raspberry Lemon Cupcakes and Chocolate Caramel/stroopwafel cupcakes

2011-05-14T20:20:00.000-07:00

My husband's family is Dutch. They are also a HUGE family. His cousin recently got engaged, so we are having an engagement party for her, and I volunteered to make the cupcakes. These cupcakes turned into a huge labor of love! Through many mishaps and a big mess, four hours later I had about 50 cupcakes. Here are the recipes I used!

Raspberry Lemon Cupcakes

Ingredients:

3 cups light all-purpose flour (like White Lily)
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 lemons, zest of
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
raspberry cream frosting
8 ounces cold cream cheese
3/4 cup room-temperature butter
1/2 cup raspberry jam
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 pinch salt
1 drop red food coloring
3 powdered sugar
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1 Preheat oven to 325°F.
2 Line cupcake pans with paper liners and spray the liners with non-stick spray. (It makes the liners peel off easier.).
3 Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest and salt in an electric mixer. Mix on low speed until combined.
4 Add the butter, mixing until just coated with flour.
5 In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, lemon juice and vanilla.
6 With the mixer on medium speed, add the wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down the sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not over-beat.
7 Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about two-thirds full.
8 Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes.
9 Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
10 Repeat process with remaining batter. â?¨Should make about 30.
11 Raspberry Cream Frosting~ In the electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter and jam together until smooth.
12 Add the vanilla, salt and food coloring; mix until an even colored pink is reached.
13 Turn the mixer on low and add the powdered sugar a little at a time to avoid a sugar cloud. Then turn the mixer up until the frosting is smooth.
14 Place in the refrigerator until and cupcakes are cooled and ready to be frosted.
15 Once the cupcakes are completely cool, frost the cupcakes and garnish with fresh raspberries.
16 Makes 30 cupcakes.

Chocolate Caramel Cupcakes

(Adapted from A Bakers Field Guide To Cupcakes)

(Makes 20)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup Cocoa Powder, unsweetened

3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1/2 cup Butter, unsalted, at room temperature

1 + 1/3 cups Sugar

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

2 Eggs

3 ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted and cooled

1 cup Milk, at room temperature (I used buttermilk)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the cupcake pans by greasing or placing paper liners in them.

2. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl; set aside.

3. In a large bowl with an electric hand mixer on medium beat butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add sugar gradually, beating until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down bowl occasionally. Beat in Vanilla Extract. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in cooled chocolate.

4. Beat in the flour mixture in 4 additions alternating with the milk. Begin and end with the flour mixture and beat briefly until smooth on low-medium.

5. Fill cupcake wells 3/4 of the way. Bake about 22 minutes or until a toothpick in middle shows a few moist crumbs.

6. Cool on wire racks ten minutes. Then remove cupcakes to racks to cool completely.

Caramel Frosting*

(adapted from Betty Crocker)

1/2 cup Butter

1 cup Packed Brown Suger

3/4 cup Milk, divided

3 cups Powdered Confectioners' Sugar, plus a little extra if needed

1. In a 2-quart saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly, reduce heat to low.

2. Boil and stir 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup Milk. Heat to boiling, remove from heat. Cool to lukewarm, about 30 minutes.

3. Pour the caramel into a large mixing bowl gradually stir in powdered sugar and milk. Beat with an electric hand mixer on low about 6 minutes until light and fluffy. If too stiff add milk a teaspoon at a time to get the right consistency. If too watery add additional powdered sugar beating on low until it reaches the right consistency.

4. Store in refrigerator for 15 minutes before frosting to help it firm up.

I then drizzled some caramel over the top of the cupcakes, and added some mini chocolate chips, then I topped them off with a stroopwafel! (They are a Dutch little dessert biscuit thing. I find them at World Market)

Homemade Tortillas

2011-05-06T14:25:00.000-07:00

I am a HUGE fan of homemade toritllas. My friend Liz makes authentic mexican food all the time, and I go crazy for it. I always thought that making your own tortillas would be really hard, but... it isn't! And it only calls for a few ingredients! Here is the recipe I used thanks to

A thrifty Mom

You will need:

4 cups of flour
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable shortening or lard
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 3 table spoons Hot water (not boiling)

1. In a bowl add 4 cups flour, 1/8 teaspoon baking powder and vegetable shortening.

2. With a fork cut the shortening into the flour, till it is well blended. It will have the texture of cornmeal

3. In another bowl at 1 1/2 teaspoon salt to your HOT water. Stir till salt is dissolved.

4. Add the salt water to the flour mixture in a thin stream, stir as you add the water.

5. Knead with your fist, till well blended (add a little more water if needed)

6. Dough ball will start to form

7. Place dough ball in bottom of bowl, cover with a cloth and let rest for 20 minutes

8. Split into 4 pieces, and then cut each of them into 3…. for a total of 12 mini dough balls

9. Use a rolling pin or tortilla press to press flat. Or in our case we used a cup

10. Get it as thin as you can without tearing

11. Cook on hot pan over medium/high heat 15 seconds on each side till done.

12. Total cook time of 30-60 seconds depending on pan used and temp.

WHO knew flour and shortening could taste SOOOOO good!

ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

2011-05-03T16:22:00.000-07:00

I FINALLY have the go ahead to announce....

WATCH ME ON MASTER CHEF SEASON 2 ON FOX!!!!

PREMIER is JUNE 6th on FOX!

I am wearing an orange shirt... may have been one from my no sew shirt tutorial!!!

Furniture Makeover

2011-05-03T07:10:00.000-07:00

Like I said, I am addicted to dressers, and I love to find old junky ones and breath new life into them! Here is my latest re-make.

BEFORE--- Missing a bottom drawer, which is unfortunate, but I found a solution.

Finished product! The flower is hand painted from a vinyl stencil and I added the photo boxes to the bottom for storage, to make up for the missing drawer!

FREE Photo Books

2011-05-02T10:37:00.000-07:00

I LOVE getting photo books! Buy one photo book, get one free!! Here are some examples I have done.

Ruffle Shirt Convert.

2011-04-30T19:13:00.000-07:00

I am normally not a big ruffle fan. In fact, I normally hate ruffles. If we ever get a little girl, she will be in polka dots, never ruffles. BUT. I do love making ruffled shirts. They are just so easy and add so much! I got this idea from a girl I went to high school with named Erin. Sadly her blog is no longer around or I could have linked you to her tutorial! Here is mine.

First, I start with a 97 cent old navy shirt. That way if I screw up, It was practically free!

Next, I cut off the sleeves to make it a short sleeve shirt.

Then, from the sleeves, I cut little strips that are about the same length and width. No need to be exact. These are going to be our ruffles

Then, using the widest stitch on the sewing machine. Sew down each of the little strips. Make sure you don't go back to seal the stitch, not necessary on these!

Then, go back to your normal stitch, pin the ruffles into place, and sew them on. Using the normal stitch it will seal the ruffles and they will not come undone. Excuse my brown thread... It doesn't look this bad without the flash, but I was out of black thread and wanted to do this project! It just makes it more personalized I think! :)

Buffet Cabinet Before and AFTER!

2011-04-19T18:32:00.000-07:00

I am really into furniture re-do projects lately. The best part is buying them cheap and then re selling them! Here is my latest transformation.

Before... Ugly Ugly UGLY! But I knew it had potential!

A fresh coat of paint and a little stencil, good as new! FOR SALE!

Construction Big Boy Room COMPLETE!

2011-04-12T15:07:00.000-07:00

Sorry there have been no new crafts. This big boy room has pretty much occupied ALL my time! The tractors on the wall took longer than I thought they would to fill in! Here is my big boy's room complete!

The trackster

Track hoe

Track Hoe

Loader

My nifty little curtain hooks! It is a fork! My husband bent the fork for me, and nailed between the spokes of the fork, and there you have it. A cheap/free curtain hook.

His future bed spread I made, I need a twin bed then this will go on it!

Needs some shelves, but other than that he loves it!

Big Boy Room in the making!

2011-04-08T21:02:00.000-07:00

My little man is almost two! I cannot believe it... We decided his nursery was ready to be turned into a big boy room. T is very very very into trucks, construction trucks preferably, thanks to his daddy. So I figured a contruction room would be perfect! I thought about getting some vinyl decals of trucks for the walls, but they were all coming out too spendy. So I thought of the idea of projecting trucks onto the wall, tracing them and then painting them! Lucky for me, my dad happened to have a projector that I simply plugged into my computer and projected images to the wall!!!!!!!!

Here is one of the images on the wall

Here is my projector set up with the computer and one of my traced tractors.

Another tractor. I am going to fill them in with yellow and black! If you don't have access to a projector like the ones I used, an old fashioned overhead projector works great too!

Mother's Day Cards!

2011-04-08T12:34:00.001-07:00

Get some cheap adorable mother's day cards! Mother's day cards are only 99 cents with free shipping!
http://tinyprints.tellapal.com/a/clk/2jtMl

Plain T-Shirt into Cardigan TUTORIAL #2

2011-04-03T20:45:00.000-07:00

Here is another project from my stack of shirts in my earlier post Cinched Sleeve Shirt. This is so easy it is crazy! Here is the tutorial!

First start with a plain long sleeve shirt. This is another shirt I got from old navy for 97 cents!

Next, cut straight up the middle of the shirt.

Choose some sort of embellishment. I got his trim at Jo-ann fabrics. I only sewed it to one side of the shirt, because I thougth that was cute! You could do it on both sides if you wanted!

Finished product! Cut little accessory cardigan. These are sooooo simple! There are so many different ways you could do this too. Check out my other Plain Tee into Cardigan Tutorial.

Dresser BEFOR AND AFTER

2011-04-02T19:55:00.000-07:00

I got really into this online estate sale auction last night... I got a little excited and probably paid more for this dresser than I would have liked.

After a little paint and stencil, the purchase may not have been so bad!!!

FOR SALE! :)

Pot Holder, Towel, Oven Skirt

2011-04-02T15:51:00.000-07:00

My friend Liz is SO creative and came up with this little contraption! I was so excited about it, because Thomas is always pulling my rags that have hanging off the oven handle. THIS makes it so he cannot do it! Here is how to do it!

First I strated with a clearance dish towel and pot holder. I thought they were festive!

Next, Sew the pot holder, open, down the middle to the middle of the rag.

I bunched the rag as I went so it would be gathered.

After that, fold up the pot holder, and sew a button to the opposite top as the loop

And here it is! My cute little oven skirt! Now I will be able to wipe my hands when I need to, or I can use it as a pot holder if need be as well!

Thanks Liz for the GREAT idea!!!

Cinched Sleeve Shirt

2011-03-27T16:09:00.000-07:00

I went to old navy the other day and found a TON of shirts for only 97 cents! Even if they were a little weird looking, I bought them because I figured I could find something to do with them.

Here are my stack of shirts.

I decided to do a simple cinched/gathered sleeve. First I cut the sleeves to three quarter sleeves. Then I made my sewing machine go to the widest stitch I had, and sewed straight up the arm.

I then grabbed one of the strings and pulled it until the fabric started to gather. Once I had it gathered to where I wanted it, I put the sewing machine back to a normal stich and sewed a little back and forth at each end to close off the stitch!

No Sew Shirt Upcycle

2011-03-21T17:37:00.000-07:00

MY SEWING MACHINE IS BROKEN!!! I am very very very sad..................... So I am trying to come up with projects where my sewing machine is not needed, so I did another no sew shirt refashion. Here it is!

Here is my plain shirt. It is old and has stretched out a lot over time which makes it perfect for this project!

Next I cut up the side halfway up the shirt, cut to make fringe, then tied the two pieces of fringe together! (just like the shirts we all use to do in high school, but more fashionable!)

Finished Shirt!

I like it!

Culinary GENIUS! EAT DRINK EXPERIENCE FOOD BLOG

2011-03-19T13:43:00.000-07:00

This blog is my friend Alvin's blog. He is AMAZING with food. The things he comes up with will blow your mind and he has some awesome easy to follow tutorials. He uses some difficult technicques, but he helps you through all the steps with pictures and directions. Here are some of his creations, Click Below for the Recipes:

Black Mole Surf and Turf

Kung Pao Chicken

Gumbo

Check him out at Eat. Drink. Experience. He is someone you will want to watch! Check him out and show him some love!

Re-Finished Roll Top Desk COMPLETE!

2011-03-15T18:59:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I found this desk on craiges list for $30! It was the victim of a shabby chic project gone wrong! A few coats of primer, paint and an antique glaze over the top, it is finished! It even came with a light attachment at the top of it! Here is the process of the desk.

What do you think? I need to add a few more handles but other than that, she's done! She is also FOR SALE!

Simple Shirt w/ iron on transfer

2011-03-14T15:56:00.000-07:00

I had a LOT of coupons for JoAnn Fabrics this week. So I got this fun little iron on transfer for less than $2. Here is what it ended up as.

I started with the fun little bird transfer, my iron and a cheapo shirt that I got for $3.

Put the Bird in place, ironed it on.

All done... It didn't come out exactly like I would have liked, but hey, it gives a plain tee something. If I were to do this again, I probably would have put the bird at one of the bottom corners of the shirt!

Craige's list find... Re-make in progress!

2011-03-13T21:55:00.000-07:00

I found this awesome desk on craiges list for $30! They said it was a shabby chic project gone wrong.

HERE is the before... In bad shape

This is my progress SO FAR... I still have a lot of work to do. I am going to do some antiqueing glaze and put the handles back on and it ever has a light that attaches inside! Very excited about it.

Ruffle Embellishment Shirt

2011-03-13T21:50:00.000-07:00

My mind has been SO many other places, but I think I am back! I am finally feeling crafty again! Here is a new shirt refashion.

First I started out with a plain tee that had a hole in the shoulder from a project gone wrong. Then I found this little flower embellishment at jo ann fabrics for $2 with a coupon!

Next I cut off the sleeve to make it a 3/4 sleeve. I will use the sleeves to make the ruffles

I then cut othe sleeves into four pieces and sewed all the pieces together. Then, using the widest stitch on my sewing machine I sewed right down the middle of the strips, then pulled one string to make it ruffle. When I had it ruffled where I wanted, I sewed it on the shirt!

My finished shirt! After sewing the ruffle one, I sewed on the flower embellishment!

So many possibilites!

Chicken and Waffles w/ Rosemarry Maple Gravy!

2011-02-18T17:41:00.000-08:00

I was watching Rachel Ray the other day, and she made a variation of this chicken and waffles! She grilled the chicken with just salt and pepper, I thought it would be even more delicious with fried chicken! So here it is and then the recipe will follow!

Savory Waffles

Regular Pancake Mix

1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese

Salt & Pepper

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Fried Chicken (My mom's recipe)

1 cup Flour

2 teaspoons paprika

1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

2 teaspoons Pepper

2 teaspoons Garlic Salt

1 Egg

1/2 Cup Milk

Mix the dry ingredients together and then mix the egg and milk together. Put the chicken in the flour mixture first, then the egg wash, then back to the flour. Put it in a pan of 350 degree oil. Bring down the heat once the chicken is crisped on both sides.

Maple Rosemarry Gravy

1/3 cup Maple

1 tablespoon Butter

1 cup Chicken Stock

a few sprigs of rosemarry

Use the same pan you cooked the chicken in and drain the oil, but leave some of the chicken pieces. Put the butter with the rosemarry in the pan and melt the butter. Once the butter is melted add about 2 or 3 tablespoons of flour. Mix that together and then add the chicken stock. Cook for about 5 minutes then add the maple syrup. Keep cooking it until it is the thicknesss you want!

Assemble the Sandwich with Waffle, Chicken, Bacon and tehn Waffle on top!

I was shocked at how tasty this recipe was! Definately something I will make often!

He was enjoying the mashed potatoes!

Another AMAZING Book for your kids or grandkids

2011-02-17T20:24:00.000-08:00

A tale of learning honesty and forgiveness

Authored by Luther M. Maddy III
Eight year old Michael Jamison takes his hobby of collecting butterflies very seriously. He knows more about butterflies than most adults. After Michael receives a book from his Grandmother and learns of a beautiful butterfly found in southern Florida, he pleads with his parents to take him there to collect this prize butterfly.

Finances make this trip out of the question. The family needs about $1,000 extra to make the trip possible. Determined to get to Florida, Michael decides to work to earn enough money for the trip.

Hiring himself out as a handyman, Michael is hired by Mrs. Garvey. Mrs. Garvey is a mean, bitter widow who constantly yells at the neighborhood children. This elderly woman asks Michael to help clean a spare bedroom so her daughter can stay with her.

Michael struggles with honesty and forgiveness over how Mrs. Garvey treats him. In the end he and his entire family will witness the transforming power of Jesus in a bitter elderly lady, because of his honesty.

TO BUY THIS BOOK GO HERE! https://www.createspace.com/3555704

Vanilla Cupcakes w/ Berry Cream Cheese Frosting

2011-02-17T20:18:00.000-08:00

Today I FINALLY got a kitchenaid! Thanks to my friend Jen who informed me of an awesome deal at Kohl's, I got a killer deal! So to break in the new mixer, whom I named Keiko, here are some delicious cupcakes::

Vanilla Buttercake

6 Tablespoons Butter (softened)

1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla

1/2 cup Sugar

2 Eggs

1 Cup Cake Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

3 tablespoons Milk

Cream Cheese Berry Frosting

1 stick of butter

1 package Cream Cheese

2 Cups Powdered Sugar

1 tespoon vanilla

1/2 cup fresh or forzen berries

Flower Shirt

2011-02-10T18:52:00.000-08:00

SORRY FOLLOWERS! I have been out of town for a bit and have been neglecting the blog! Here is a fun shirt I did from another old navy clearance sale!

I used felt for the flower. My suggestion is to do this flower on a safety pin so you can take it on and off for washing.

Simple and cute! Look up the No Sew Flower tutorial to do this flower!

For the MEN in your life!

2011-01-27T20:16:00.000-08:00

FOR THE MEN OR ANY HUNTERS IN YOUR LIFE!

This is such a fun book! It is multiple short stories about hunting, lack of actually shooting anything, and some hilarious stories of hunting trips. I promise you won't be disappointed!

Here are the chapters in the book:

Chapter 2: I buy a skunk and get an education- MY FAVORITE CHAPTER

Chapter 3: Can you tan a squirrel hide?

Chapter 4: A new rifle and a sore shoulder

Chapter 5: What’s a federal duck stamp?

Chapter 6: Are you cooking a rat?

Chapter 7: What’s that smell?

Chapter 8: Finding paradise

Chapter 9: When caught trespassing, lie

Chapter 10: In the ditch

Chapter 11: Who needs a spare tire?

Chapter 12: Securing me freedom with a rifle

Chapter 13: We need a dog

Chapter 15: Hit by a logging truck

Chapter 15: My son poaches his first buck

To read the first chapter go here and check it out!

The paperback edition of this book is only $9.99

https://www.createspace.com/3536867

The Kindle version of the entire book is only $2.99
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004JHYMJU

Simple Shirt Decorating

2011-01-27T19:17:00.000-08:00

I ALWAYS hit the old navy clearance when the clearance goes half off. I know I will be able to find some plain tees that I will be able to do something with. So I had this gray shirt from old navy and it has been sitting here waiting for me to figure out something to do with it. I had some leftover striped shirt from a project I did earlier, so I decided just to add a little embellishment.

First I just cut out this flowerish shape and put it on the shirt.

Then I added some little no sew flowers and it is complete! Just a little something to make the shirt more exciting!

Latest DRESER Rescue!

2011-01-27T19:08:00.000-08:00

My husband calls me a dresser hoarder... I LOVE old dressers and fixing them up. Our household of 3 has 6 dressers! Everytime I get a new one, I always tell him I will fix it up and sell it, but then I can't stand to part with them! This dresser will go perfect in our bonus room to house my fabric! Here is the before picture.

$20. Thank you craige's list!

First I painted the front portion white.

Next I got these great flower vinyl stickers from ikea for $5! They came in a pack of 5, so I still have four more to use on whatever I want. I painted over the stencil in white to seal the stencil so when I painted over it with green, nothing would bleed through.

Then, I painted over the entire dresser with a green paint I had on hand! Added some knobs at my house and here it is! I LOVE it. All in all this dresser cost me $25 between the original dresser price and the stencil! I love dressers!

Free PHOTO BOOK!

2011-01-19T12:04:00.000-08:00

I really LOVE these books! My husband and I are hoping to adopt again, so we had to make a profile book to show prospective birth parents. I used this site because I got to use a lot of coupons to get them cheap! DEALS RIGHT NOW! Buy one Classic photo book or Calendar, get a copy free through January 31st at Picaboo. Use code BGFCBC.

Ugly Sweater to Ear Warmer

2011-01-16T19:40:00.000-08:00

I got this idea from Delia Creates. She has a much more detailed tutorial, but I am a little less... organized? :) Here is my little project.

I started off with this ugly sweater that I got form a thrift store. I thought it would make a cute bag, and then I decided to do this ear warmer thing with it too. The bag will come soon!

First I cut off the bottom portion of the sweater. I made it about 4 inches wide, which was probably too big. I wrapped a ribbon around my head to measure the lenght. Then, I cut a piece of fleece the same size I cut the sweater.

Next, I sewed the two pieces together right side to right side, leaving a small opening to flip it right side out. And that was all! I clasped the ear warmer together with a button. I don't have a picture but I just sewed on a button by hand and then did a button hole on the other side. That is how it stays together.

For the flower detail, I just cut out four awkward flower shapes, of different sizes. Then I laid them one on top of another and sewed them on the ear warmer. Then for a little flair I glued on the rhinestone.

Awesome picture of myself. If I were to do this again I think I would have made it a whole hat, but the ear warmer is a fun change!

Here is my "pretty" husband in the ear warmer! It was huge before I re-sized it and fit him perfectly! Good man.

Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

2011-01-15T08:49:00.000-08:00

I love making cupcakes. I really don't have a huge sweet tooth, but I love to bake! Here is my latest creation! They are a very refreshing cupcake! I added a little bit of green food coloring to the icing for the color.

Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Ingredients

• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 2/3 cup granulated sugar

• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature

• 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature

• 2 tablespoons brewed coffee

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 cup good cocoa powder

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Mint Butter Cream Frosting

Ingredients

• 4 cups confectioners' sugar

• 1/2 cup butter, softened

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon mint extract

• 4 tablespoons milk

• 2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
• 2 tablespoons butter
Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream 1 1/3 cups sugar with 1/2 cup butter or margarine, and salt. Blend extract, 2 tablespoons milk, and remaining sugar into mixture. Gradually stir remaining milk into frosting until desired spreading consistency is reached.

NEXT WEEK

2011-01-11T08:58:00.000-08:00

Hello people who read this! :) I am sorry I have been so boring and have not posted anything lately. My mind has been focused on some other matters and I can't seem to make any room to craft. Next week hopefully my mind will be at ease and I can do some more crafting! Thank you for reading my blog and I am sorry I have been idle!

Canister Fun

2011-01-11T06:56:00.000-08:00

My sweet heart husband brought me home a suprise today. He brought me a $20 gift card to hobby lobby! He is always surprising me with fun things. So this evening I headed to hobby lobby to find some goodies. It seems like everytime I go there without a gift card, I find tons of stuff. Then, when I go there with a gift card, it's difficult! I ended up finding some glass canisters that were 50% off! I got four for $10. Here is what I did to make them pretty!

The look really cute on my counter! Try it out yourself!

Cheap Photo Books!

2011-01-04T12:14:00.000-08:00

I made a BUNCH of these for Christmas presents for the family. Now that Christmas is over I need to make one for myself to show all the great Christmas photos we took! I love these books because you get to design them yourself and they are super easy and very reasonable! Click below for some of their current offers! Here is a book I made of our cutie.

Clearance Shirts to Awesome Shirts Tutorials

2010-12-30T14:17:00.000-08:00

I had a coupon for Kohl's, so I got two shirts that were exactly the same, because I had a plan! I hate cutting up brand new shirts, so I carefully only cut the bottom portion off so I could use the top portion for something else. Here is what I came up with for my purple shirts!

First start with two shirts. They can be the same color or different colors, your choice!

Cut off the bottom half of one shirt under the bust line. These will be your pleats

Cut that piece in half

Leave the first piece the same size, and then cut pieces of different lenths. make sure there are two sides, because we are goign to sew them together so it has more volume.

Take t he pieces and sew right sides together, then flip them right side out. Lay them on your shirt to see the look you want, then sew them on at a time, laying another strip on top every time.

Done. Simple easy accented shirt. Not my favorite, but it does jazz up a plain shirt.

Now for the shirt you cut up. I got this gray shirt really cheap because it was huge, and had this weirdo hole right in the center of the back. Who does that? Cut the bottom of the second shirt also at the bust line.

Sew Right sides together all the way around and now you have a to toned shirt! I made mine a little tighter on the sides on the gray portion, because it was looking like a maternity shirt. If you actually want a maternity shirt this is a great one!

Deep Fried OREOS

2010-12-30T14:01:00.000-08:00

I am on an oreo kick, and a deep fried stuff kick... Next month I will be on a diet kick. :) My friend Sam from Utah came to town, and we made DEEP FRIED OREOS! Yes, it is exactly how it sounds. Here is how to make them!

You need:

1. Oreos

2. Oil for frying

3. Pancake Mix or homemade pancake mix

Dip the oreos into the pancake batter and cover them completely

Gently drop them into the deep fryer, or your hot oil on the stove top. We had the oil at about 350 degrees

Finished products!

They taste like little delicious donuts with a gooey oreo inside! We really enjoyed them!

Here is Sam kicking it up a knotch and adding some hershey's chocolate

Oh yes... Heaven

Deep Fried Corn Dogs

2010-12-28T08:18:00.000-08:00

On Black Friday my husband and I bought a deep fryer. We have been having LOTS of fun deep frying things and trying new things out! Here is a corn dog batter recipe that we came up with!

Corn Dog Batter

1/2 Cup Flour

1/2 Cup Corn Meal

1/2 Teaspoon Dried Mustard

1/2 Teaspoon Paprika

1/2 Cup Sweet Chili Sauce (my husand's creation)

2/3 Cup Buttermilk

Salt

Pepper

Stick a hot dog on a skewer and throw it in the dep fryer at 375 degrees until golden Brown

Sour Cream Cocoa Cupcakes w/ Coffee Butter Frosting

2010-12-28T08:09:00.000-08:00

After a week break, I am back! I was too caught up with Christmas to do any crafting! My best friend and her husband have been in South Korea teaching English for a year and a half, and they also came home this last week! Very exciting!

This recipe is from one of my favorite Christmas presents. My step mom got me this really cool cookbook from the 1950's. It is old, worn, and so cool! It is called the "American Woman's Cookbook"

Sour Cream Cocoa Cake

½ Cup Cocoa

¾ Cup Boiling Water

½ Cup Shortening

2 Cups Sugar

2 Cups Sifted Cake Flour
½ Teaspoon Salt

½ Cup Sour Cream

½ Teaspoon Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

3 Egg Whites

Mix Cocoa in boiling water and stir until smooth. Cool. Cream shortening and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add cocoa mixture to creamed mixture. Sift flour, salt and soda together. Add dry ingredients alternately with cream to first mixture. Beat until smooth after each addition. Add vanilla. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour into pans lined with waxed paper or into muffin tins. Bake 350 degrees. For Cake bake 30 minutes. For cupcakes 20-25 minutes.

Coffee-Butter Frosting

1 ½ Cups Confectioners’ Sugar
1 Tablespoon Dry Cocoa
1/3 Cup Butter
1 Tablespoon Strong Coffee

Cream the butter and add gradually the sugar and cocoa mixed together. Beat well. Stir in the coffee.

My husband got me some mini silicone cupcake liners and also a mine cupcake pan, so I did both mini and regular cupcakes! Then I used some of his fancy decorating tips to do the little stars. These are DELICIOUS cupcakes!

Winner of Giveaway! Lillie's & Lollipop's Etsy Shop

2010-12-24T06:33:00.000-08:00

Lillie's & Lollipop's is a baby and child boutique! Here are some of the items she has for sale!

She has tons of these ADORABLE appliqued onsies for boy and girls! I wish my son was smaller so he could wear some of them! She also has VERY reasonable prices!

She also sells these stylish carseat covers! These are great so your baby can be covered and stay asleep or to protect from any weather conditions!

These couture headbands are my FAVORITE! They are so cute and unique and also reasonably priced! Go check our her etsy shop!

Lillie's & Lollipop's

WINNER OF GIVEAWAY!!!

2010-12-24T06:24:00.000-08:00

From the 17 comments I got, I did a random number generator, and the winner is #14! Lynsie from www.lynsflinders.etsy.com! I will be doing a blog bost about her etsy shop shortly and she will now be on my sidebar! Thank for everyone who participated!

200 Follower GIVEAWAY!

2010-12-20T12:05:00.000-08:00

When I was close to 100 followers, I said I would maybe have figured out giveaways by my 200th follower.... I still do not know a whole lot about giveaways, but I am going to try one out. Since I yet have no sponsors and no "stuff" to give out, I am going to giveaway some advertising! If you win this giveaway I will place your button of your blog, etsy site, or whatever you want on my right sidebar. I will also do a whole post about you, your blog, your etsy shop or whatever it is you do! SO.

TO ENTER:

1. Become a FOLLOWER!

2. Leave a comment on this Blog post about your site or whatever you want me to advertise!

I will first have to figure out how to do a number generator thing, and when I do, I will do that on FRIDAY. So you have a few days! Thank you ALL SO MUCH!

Brownie Covered Oreos

2010-12-20T11:30:00.000-08:00

Another great recipe from my friend Sam! It isn't so much a recipe, but it is a delicious treat! Here is what you need for Brownie Covered Oreos!

NEED:

1 Box of Oreos

1 Box of Brownie Mix

Mix the brownie mix according to whatever package you are using

Dip the oreo into the brownie mix. Make sure it is covered all the way

Oil a muffin tin, and put the oreos inside. You can even put a little bit more brownie mix on top if you want lots of brownie

Cook them at whatever degrees the package says for about 15 minutes. They should come out of the muffin tin very easily. I melted a little bit of white chocolate on top just to make it pretty, but not neccessary!

Last! ENJOY! They are best hot because the oreo is kind of melted and delicious.

Flower Accent Pillow

2010-12-16T16:13:00.000-08:00

A few moths ago I was at Kohl's shopping around, and I saw this pillow:

I think it was $15-$20, so I thought I could re create it for sure! Here is what I did.

I covered one of my old gross pillows with this rose fabric. I thought it was really pretty, and it was on sale!

Then I started with my first layer of petals. I spaced them out because I knew as I added more petals, the holes would get filled. I used my trusty hot glue gun to attach the petals, but you could sew if you wanted.

Then I added two more rows of petals, I made them a little smaller each time. To fill the empty spot in the middle I added three of my no sew flowers.

The final product! It doesn't look exactly like the one at kohls, but I like it!

This is how it is going to sit in our room. There are so many possibilites with colors you could do with this pillow! Enjoy!