Christina's Creative Side

Personalized Halloween Buckets and Bags

2010-10-19T00:28:00.005-04:00

The last couple months, I haven't been working as much at my sister's preschool and daycare, and so I've actually been at home more, yet I feel like I have less time... to craft, to blog, to watch tv even. It's crazy! But I am enjoying being at home more. :) I've begun babysitting an 18 month old boy. Maybe him on top of a 22 month old is why I have less time... hmmm! No really I am enjoying that too! He and Caden are so much fun together!

So I "personalized" some Halloween buckets and bags last week and then kinda advertised on Facebook that I would be selling some, and I am so very excited to say that I have had several orders! Thanks to my sister and a friend of ours for helping get the word out!! I thought I would share my little project with my blogging friends.

I did these with little trick or treaters in mind, but I've thought of a few other ideas that I like:

Instead of a name, I could do "Happy Halloween" and use it as a candy dish or snack bowl to hold chips, pretzels, crackers, etc or even ice and drinks! It would be especially cute at a Halloween party!
Or instead of a child's name, I thought of using a family/last name and the year and filling with candy for trick or treaters that come to visit. Or just filling with candy and setting on a table to snack on.

This first bucket is one I made for Caden for trick or treating... buuut I found I like the ones at the end of this post (You'll see!) a lot too, so I may change my mind. This bucket has two other designs available too: an orange jack-o-lantern one and a white ghost one.

I'm using this bag already as a little tote for Caden, so really the bags don't have to be just for one night of trick or treating. Oh and I have two other designs in this bag (a purple one with a spiderweb and two cute spiders-if it's possible for spiders to be cute!-on it and an orange pumpkin/jack-o-lantern one.

And my little buckets that I've had the most orders for! Cute huh?!
I am picking up some pink and purple jack-o-lantern buckets tomorrow for some girly orders I got today.

Thanks for reading!! I hope to be back sooner than the last time I was here. :)

Bedtime Story Baby Shower

2010-09-30T22:04:00.007-04:00

I'm late posting about this because it's been over a week ago that we threw this shower. It was for a friend of mine who is also my sister's cousin by marriage. She is expecting a baby girl... tomorrow actually!

We used this napkin for our color scheme:

Pink, lavender, yellow, green, and some brown... polka dots and rubber duckies.

Our actual theme was a Bedtime Story shower. Each guest was asked to sign a book for the baby instead of a card. Everyone loved the idea of building the baby's library; she left with a big stack of books along with her gifts!

We set up four tables with one end against the wall and made each one look like a bed. We used tablecloths as the “sheets” and then added two or three pillows, a stuffed animal or doll, and a book to each one. Each “bed” was different but coordinated with the theme and colors. Finally, above each “bed” we hung a mobile that I made using rubber duck cutouts and polka dots, all done with my Cricut of course. Finally, we set a plate, napkin, and glass at each seat.

This is a closeup of each "headboard":

These are some cutouts we hung above the food bar:

They were bedtime words snuggle, rest, goodnight along with polka dot cutouts in different coordinating paper.

On the gift table, we had a "Wishing Tree" where each guest wrote a wish or word of advice for the mom to be. It was a big hit!

And the actual gift table:

See the pink bear on the left end? That was one of the cutest things I've seen at a baby shower! It was like a diaper cake, but it was tricycle!

I had a picture of the gift table after all the gifts had been opened, as well as that stack of books, but I accidentally deleted it off of my camera before I transferred all the pictures to my computer. :(

This was a bag I found and then added the baby's name to it. I used it as my gift bag and put an outfit, socks, hairbows, and a bib inside.

Thanks for reading!

These are a few parties I'll be linking to:

Thing 1 Thing 2 Baby Shower

2010-09-12T23:20:00.010-04:00

Saturday morning, I helped host a baby shower for a friend who attends my church but is also my hair stylist. She's expecting twin boys next month! Browsing the internet for ideas, I came across the Thing 1 Thing 2 theme and loved it right away! Thing 1 and Thing 2 are characters in the Dr Seuss book, "The Cat in the Hat" and they were perfect for this shower that I'm sharing with all of you today.

The tables were set up to make one big rectangle. We covered them in blue and made these FuNKy centerpieces then added circle cutouts and a few other Dr Seuss books on the ends. At each seat, we had a plate and red and white checked/plaid napkin.

Close-up of the centerpiece and a view from the top. You can also see the napkins better.

This picture is a little blurry, here is the banner I made that said Things 1&2.

We made punch with sherbet ice cream and ginger ale (which I could drink every day I think!) and then floated this cute polka dot rubber ducky on top! It looked like it was in a bubble bath!

Here is the gift table with a "clothesline" on the front holding the Thing 1 and Thing 2 onesies that were decorations and gifts to the mom-to-be! Aren't they adorable!!

Finally, the Thing 1 and Thing 2 cupcakes. They turned out so cuuute but the cotton candy, as I'd read, didn't stay fluffy for very long. Glad I got the picture when I did. :) Also on the cake table, I had a pail of peppermints and a framed sign that said, "A little something to thank you for coming."

Thanks for stopping by! I'll be linking up to some parties:

Thanks for hosting!!

So Far Behind!

2010-09-12T16:05:00.002-04:00

Since I started this blog, there've been times that I had to look for and find something to write about. Right now though, I have so much that I can share but can't seem to find the time! I love blogging--writing my own and reading others--but in my "free" time when I can blog, there always seems to be a higher priority with something else or something with a deadline. Especially lately, with my kitchen, showers and birthday parties, church functions, and of course the day to day things.

I haven't blogged in several weeks, yet much of what's kept me away from are things to blog about! I'm pretty much done with my kitchen, and I love it! I still have the countertops to do, and I think I'll wait for those before I post pictures of the finished product. :) So many "little" projects were done IN the kitchen though that I'm going to try to blog about some of those in the meantime. And I also have a few other projects plus showers, parties, etc.

So here I go... again....

Two Awards! Wow!!

2010-07-26T23:06:00.007-04:00

This post finds me behind in the blogging world because I should have seen this weeks ago; however, for some reason, I didn't realize I had been given an award until my blogging friend Allison clued me in! I even read her post and STILL missed it! Aaahh I feel sooo bad!

So to Allison... first of all, I'm sorry for not seeing sooner; second, THANK YOU for the award; and third, I'm glad you didn't decide to take it back because I didn't accept it in the first place. ;) If you haven't chekced out Allison's blog, A Glimpse Inside, you should definitely make time to do that! Let me tell ya, she is one talented girl! I started following her when she first started her blog and look how many fans she has now!! Yay for Allison!

Alright, so on to the award:

As I've said, Allison at A Glimpse Inside gave this to me. I now have to share 10 interesting facts about myself. I am "stealing" some from an award that I just posted about yesterday, and I will add a few new ones.

1 - I am the oldest girl in a family of nine children! I have six brothers and two sisters: three older brothers, three younger brothers, and two younger sisters.

2 - I love going to the gym and exercising, but I hate to be there alone. I get bored!

3 - I'm married to a man who helps with the dishes. Isn't that awesome?!

4 - I only went to public school for about six weeks in the 7th grade; the rest of my education was through homeschooling (til 2nd grade) and private schools.

5 - I'm a Military baby. My dad was in the Army for 13 years.

6 - If I could meet one person, it would be Nascar driver Jimmie Johnson... hands down!

7 - I love to shop! There's nothing else to add; that says exactly what I want it to. :)

8 - Pizza and spaghetti are two of my favorite meals!

9 - I can't stand not having all the pieces to Caden's toy sets in their "homes" (all the balls to his crawl and cruise jungle, all the tools to his Handy Manny book in place, all the shapes to his cookie jar shape sorter, all the monkeys in their barrel... everything has a place.). My husband says I'm OCD. :}

10 - I regret not going to college right out of high school... but am happy that I did finally go!

And now to pass this award to some blogging friends of mine:

Jaimee at The Accidental Crafter
Kathy at Mimi's Mini Tales
Jane at Designing Lady Jane
Donene at Easy Peasy Grandma
The Unorganized Housewife
Rox at Everything Else I Love

Working, Painting, VBS, Painting, Vacation, Painting....

2010-07-25T23:19:00.002-04:00

You get the picture! Those are the reasons--well some of them anyway--that I've been MIA posting since my shelf redo over a week ago! I'm happy to say that my kitchen is coming along, slowly but surely, and I have reason to believe I am going to LOVE it when it's finished! :}

Also added to that list is the sudden death of a friend/practically-family-member's mother. :( It breaks my heart to see her hurting. I can't even imagine what she and her family are going through! Please keep this family in your prayers.

Hopefully, I will be back posting more often in the next week or so! Thanks for sticking around!

I Got an Award!!

2010-07-25T22:08:00.003-04:00

I received this award a few days ago, and I am sooo happy to accept it!! My mother-in-law gave it to me from her blog, Mimi's Mini Tales, which is about her two grandchildren (my son Caden being one of them and her daughter's daughter being the other). She's been blogging for over a year now, and I don't think she'll be running out of post ideas any time soon with these two!

Madison and Caden

Go check out her blog when you get a minute!

There are a few rules that come with receiving this award:

1. Thank and link back to the person that gave you the award.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Pass the award to at least 4 fellow bloggers who inspire you.

4. Let them know about the award.

My seven things are:

1 - I am the oldest girl in a family of nine children! I have six brothers and two sisters: three older brothers, three younger brothers, and two younger sisters.

2 - I love going to the gym and exercising, but I hate to be there alone. I get bored!

3 - I'm married to a man who helps with the dishes. Isn't that awesome?!

4 - I only went to public school for about six weeks in the 7th grade; the rest of my education was through homeschooling (til 2nd grade) and private schools.

5 - I'm a Military baby. My dad was in the Army for 13 years.

6 - If I could meet one person, it would be Nascar driver Jimmie Johnson... hands down!

7 - I love to shop! There's nothing else to add; that says exactly what I want it to. :)

And these are fellow bloggers that I'm passing this award to:

Brook at Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

Lori at Nitty Gritty Pretty

Danielle at Hookable Designs

Ginger at SSB

Karie at Karie's Chic Creations

Before and After Yard Sale Shelf

2010-07-15T09:31:00.010-04:00

I picked this shelf up a few weeks ago when I was driving through town and saw it at a yard sale. I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to do with it but actually thought to myself, "This will make a great before and after project!" That's what blogging has done to me. Lol. I paid $4 for it. When I got home, I saw the Pottery Barn sticker on the back with an original price of $29.99, so I think I definitely got a good deal! It needed to be cleaned and even had a few scratches but nothing major... and nothing spray paint couldn't fix. ;)

So here is the before:

I'm in the process of redoing my kitchen, so it didn't take long to decide that's where it's going. I cleaned it, sanded it lightly to rough it up a little, and then painted it black. It looked tons better but was still kinda plain so I measured and cut squares of scrapbooking paper then Mod Podged them to the back.

And here is the finished product:

And a close-up of the paper I found at Hobbly Lobby:

I looove the way it turned out! And it's going to look even better hanging on the wall with a few red pieces I have to display on it (I'm waiting until the kitchen is done before I show that).

Thanks to the ladies hosting the parties I'm going to link to:

Super Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

2010-07-11T23:39:00.006-04:00

I haven't had a whole lot of time to blog this last week. Besides "normal, everyday" life, I was out of town with family and have now begun painting and redoing my kitchen.

For the Fourth of July, my husband (Brett) and son (Caden) and I, Brett's sister and her husband and daughter, and Brett's brother and his girlfriend all joined his parents for an overnight stay at the beach that is about an hour and half from where we live. We left Saturday morning and met them at a park on the island; we played games and grilled out til check-in time at the condo. We all took different foods (meat to grill, bread, condiments, chips, desserts, and drinks) to share. I made some brownies, cupcakes, and cookies. The cupcakes, I'll probably blog about later so that I can tell all of you about my new--and, yes, awesome!--cupcake carrier! =) Anyway, these cookies were THE easiest batch of homemade cookies I've ever made! The recipe called for a total of three ingredients!!

Peanut Butter Cookies
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg

Mix all ingredients together. Shape into balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until done.

These pictures are actually of the very first batch that I made (before our beach trip for a going away party). I'll admit that I was doubtful with only those three ingredients--no flour or baking soda, no butter, nothing else. But I was pleasantly surprised! For the second batch, I pressed a chocolate Hershey's Kiss into the center of each cookie right when I took the pan out of the oven. I liked them plain too, but the Kiss made them that much better! And I didn't take a picture. :(

Next time, I think I'll try them with chocolate chips, chocolate drizzled over them, or half dipped in chocolate. Any other ideas besides or in addition to chocolate?? What else goes so good with peanut butter though?! :)

Thanks for reading!
I'm linking to these parties:

Menu Plan Monday

2010-07-11T23:04:00.005-04:00

I always try to plan my weekly dinner menu--now that doesn't mean it always goes according to plan!--and shop around it, but now I've decided that I want to display it, too. Only problem is, I don't have anywhere to display it right now considering my kitchen is TotAL dIsArRaY since beginning the redo last week (but yay for making progess!). I've seen so many cuuute ideas for menu boards! Now I have to figure out which idea I'll go with in my NEW kitchen. So no menu board officially, but I'm still going to participate in Menu Plan Monday. When I fix my board up, I'll be sure to post a picture; it just may not be until after my kitchen is finished. :}

Monday – broccoli beef stir fry over rice, egg rolls
Tuesday – smothered pork cubed steak, mashed potatoes, green beans
Wednesday – (trying a new recipe today) chicken casserole, lima beans, macaroni and cheese
Thursday – jambalaya, green beans
Friday – sloppy joe sandwiches and fries

Thanks to Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting!

Cute Baby Wipes

2010-07-05T23:20:00.005-04:00

Just wanted to share a little project I finished today...

I got the idea from the tubs of baby wipes that now come with designs on them--from polka dots to stripes to Winnie the Pooh--but I wanted something to match Caden's room. I mixed some scrapbooking papers together and Mod Podged them onto the tub then added Caden's name in another coordinating design. I do love the way it turned out!

Doesn't it match nicely?! It is setting on his changing table mat here.

I'm thinking a "decorated" and personalized container of wipes along with some diapers and other baby changing essentials would make a cuuute--and useful--shower gift!

Linking to a few parties:

As always, thank you so much for taking time to read and for any comments you leave!

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-04T21:22:00.001-04:00

Fourth of July Table

2010-06-30T22:40:00.008-04:00

Fourth of July is just around the corner, yet I am just getting my decor done! I didn't do much inside the house, but I did want a centerpiece on my dining table. This is what I came up with, and I was very happy with how it turned out. :)

I used a red fabric placemat for the bottom along with the striped hand towel.

This is a tin can that I wrapped in red, white, and blue coordinating scrapbook paper. The stars were cut with my Cricut and glued to cookie sticks then placed at varying heights. Last, I added the flag.

I made the "fireworks" using toilet paper rolls, scrapbook paper, and silver tinsel/basket filler. They were probably my favorite part of the centerpiece!

And these stars were a last minute idea to complete the whole setting.

Parties I'm linking to:

Thanks for hosting! And thanks to all of you for reading!

Weekly Finds

2010-06-27T14:31:00.006-04:00

Have I mentioned that I ♥ Goodwill?! :)
Here are a couple things I found this weekend.

Zebra print curtain panels:

I got six panels for $4.00! They're about 5 feet wide and 7 feet long and in excellent shape!

Close-up:

Now I don't have anywhere in my house that I plan to hang these--they won't match my decor (although I am considering black and white and turqoise in the office... eventually)--but I didn't get them with the intention of hanging them here. I'm helping throw a bridal shower next month, and we are going with zebra print and hot pink for the theme. Perfect for tablecloths, I'm thinking!!

And another find I'm ThRiLLeD about is this white pedestal bowl/compote:

I do looove my white dishes! If I remember right, this was $1.99.

~Parties I Will Be Linking To~

I Was Featured!

2010-06-25T14:18:00.003-04:00

So recently I was featured on a couple sites, and I never did post anything about it. I was sooo excited, but I really didn't think about doing this until I saw a couple other bloggers do it. Well here it is, my post celebrating being featured!!

Both of these blogs are run by Ginger; one is her personal blog, and one is a blog shop. Both are awesome!

She showed this bridal shower at Appleseed Gifts and my monogrammed flower pot at SSB.

Thanks, Ginger!

Father's Day Gift

2010-06-23T22:54:00.010-04:00

I finally got a chance to post some pictures of Caden's present to his Daddy for Father's Day this past Sunday.

I started off with an 11x14 dark wood frame....

.....and ended up with this framed scrapbook page.

"Daddeee" will be taking it to work to hang in his office. :)

I'm going to link this to a few parties:

Thanks to all of you dedicated ladies who host them!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T23:56:00.000-04:00

I had a great Father's Day... and I'm not a dad! ;) I did get to spend it with my daddy though... as well as with my husband and son, mom, sister and her family, and a brother and his family. Good times!

This is a picture of my husband and son:

*great daddy, great son*

Happy Father's Day!

Fourth of July Decorating

2010-06-20T23:10:00.007-04:00

All of the decorating in this post is outside in my yard and garden.

This first picture isn't anything for the 4th really, but I did want to show it. :) It's a mandevilla vine and trellis that I planted last week. It's on my front porch.

And hanging right above it next to my front door is this American flag metal sign that I got last week. I still find it hard to believe that the 4th of July is just a couple weeks away!

Oh and by the way, I paid $.50 -- yes, that is fifty cents -- for this flag!! It had a $9.99 tag on it; I was actually taking it to the register to see if it was on sale because some other Americana items were, and when I got there, it rang up for $.50!!

Remember my begonias in my monogrammed pot? I stuck a cute little American flag in there.

Close-up:

And I put one more small decoration out but totally forgot to take a picture... so hopefully I can do that tomorrow!

Some parties I will be linking to this week:

Thank you for reading and all of you for hosting!!

Now isn't this THE cutest candy for the 4th of July?!

2010-06-17T01:31:00.001-04:00

My Deals this Week!

2010-06-11T14:31:00.016-04:00

Just wanted to share some of my recent Goodwill and yard sale finds! I've always loved to shop, but I'm so into second hand bargains lately!

I found this plate at Goodwill. Won't it be even prettier with a cake on it?! :)

Thought I'd try some ribbon going through all the holes... I think it's cute!

I love serving dishes! White is probably my favorite with clear not far behind.

A couple vases...

I am planning on redoing my kitchen (walls and cabinets and countertops) in the next few weeks; these are some things I found that I plan to use in the "new" kitchen. I'm going with red, black, and white by the way.

Big plate from Goodwill... I looove this pattern!!

Small red vase:

Pottery Barn picture frame also found at Goodwill:

This Norman Rockwell metal picture came from a consignment shop:

I think I'll hang it in the back entry/hallway that leads to my kitchen.

Scrapbook from Goodwill; I've been wanting one for the pages I've done for Caden:

Speaking of Caden, I also found some things for him, but nothing new there. :) He loves Thomas the Train! This is Thomas, James (red), and Percy (green); James and Percy go when you press the engineer's heads. His Aunt Brandy had just bought him the Thomas one like these.

And a few books from Goodwill and the same consignment shop as the Norman Rockwell picture.

So I spent between $10 and $12 and got allll that! I'm still happy about everything!! I got a couple other things too but am saving them for some before and after posts.

Thanks everybody for stopping by and reading!

*Fun parties I'm linking to*

Father's Day Awards Show

2010-06-09T22:40:00.007-04:00

Last month, I mentioned that this month, the ladies group at church would be hosting a dinner for the men to celebrate Father's Day and just let them know they are loved and appreciated. We did this last night, and it was suuuch a success and sooo much fun!! I was in charge of decorating, so I'm going to post some pictures of things. Let me clarify that I didn't do it all by myself; I had lots of help and couldn't have done it without them! 8)

The colors were black, red, and silver.
The setting was an awards show, complete with a red carpet!
The theme was the CMA's which stood for Christian Men's Awards.

I loooved this fabric! It was gossamer. One was solid red, and the other was white/black/gray; it had movie reels, clapboards, stars, etc all over it. And it was all so great to work with! We twisted it and draped it above the serving area as well as over a few doorways.

Most of our decorations were borrowed from the local high school; the prom this spring was an awards show theme. We were so happy to get to use everything! And to not even have to BUY it all... awesome!

Ok so I also loved this movie camera and director's chair. The camera, as you can see, lit up. This added so much to the room!

Centerpieces were these wire vintage looking cameras and Hollywood clapboards (Which I totally forgot to take a picture of! Aaahh! There is one in the background of the picture above, just behind the director's chair.) We had mini battery operated "candles" in each one.

These photo/placecard holders were also on the tables and used in the centerpieces. I cut out the stars and had different sayings on each one... VIP, Lights! Camera! Action!, Tickets, Please!, Red Carpet Walk were some of the quotes.

At each seat, we had forks and knives wrapped in tuxedo napkins. Cute, huh?!

And what is an awards show without paparazzi!!

This is how guests were greeted when they arrived:

And just a picture to show the entire seating area:

We had nominees and winners for awards that we came up with. All of them were based on men in the Bible (Samson for the strongest, Daniel for the prayer warrior, Zacchaeus for the shortest, Methusaleh for the oldest, David for the musician, etc). Some were funny, and some were serious. I really think that everyone had a great time! It was a lot of work but definitely worth it!

Thanks for reading!

And thanks everyone that I'm linking to for hosting!

Workin' in the Yard!

2010-06-01T23:29:00.009-04:00

The last few weeks, slowly but surely, I've been getting my yard spruced up... planting and replanting, moving things around, washing and cleaning, painting, the list goes on. And still it isn't all done! I do have a few pictures I want to share though.

Morning Glories always remind me of when I was a little girl; I loved them as a child, so I decided I would plant a few. They haven't bloomed yet--they're only a few weeks old--but they are growing so good up my tiny trellis!

I can't remember the name of this flower, but I planted them to add some color next to my porch; I am loving yellow lately!

My “cigar” or “firecracker” plant that I just bought this Memorial weekend.

Its name was given to it because the flowers resemble a small red firecracker with a fuse, or a cigar with a burning ember on the end. A close-up:

Wish I would've gotten the jasmine plant that was there, too!

And finally, my latest project: a monogrammed flower pot that is now on my front porch steps. Before:

And after, with begonias planted in it:

I had planned to cut the rope handle off but ended up liking the way it looked, so I left it on there. And I punched a few holes in the bottom so water can drain.

Oh and this project cost me less than $5!! Including flowers and potting soil!

Linking to:

Thanks everyone for reading and of course all of you hosting!

Memorial Day 2010

2010-06-01T23:02:00.005-04:00

Last night, I watched a video in honor of a friend of mine whose life was taken in 2005 while he was in Iraq. It brought back lots of memories, as well as tears to my eyes. I think, all over again, of all that has been sacrificed to give us this privilege: freedom.

So ThAnK YoU!! to all of the soldiers who have served or are serving still!

And ThAnK YoU!! to the mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, sons, daugters, etc who encourage and support those you love the most who have chosen to serve our country in this way. I know it's not always easy.

God bless you all!

Happy Memorial Day from my family!

Brett, Christina, and Caden

American Flag Serving Dish

2010-05-29T23:03:00.005-04:00

With Memorial Day on Monday, I decided to share this favorite yard sale find of mine! I came across it awhile back actually but have never posted it on my blog. It's an American flag dish and coordinating bowl... perfect for crackers and dip, chips and salsa, fruit and dip, lots of things really. I didn't take a picture of the sticker on the bottom, but this is a Home Interiors and Gifts item. I paid a whole $4.00 for it! What a deal!!

Isn't it great?! :}

Happy Memorial Day!

Linking up with:

Thanks for hosting! And thanks everyone for reading.

Summer Vacation!

2010-05-25T23:36:00.003-04:00

Last year, my husband and son and I, my husband's parents, and my sister-in-law and her husband and daughter all went to Fernandina Beach in Florida. I looked forward to it for weeks, had suuuch a good time, and then it was over way too fast.

Well vacation time is here again, and we are officially booked for a four day stay in the mountains!! This year it's the same eight going plus Brett's brother and his girlfriend. We've reserved a four bedroom waterfront cabin! I'm already making a mental packing list. ;)

Come on July!!

This is Caden last year during our vacation:

Linking to Woo Hoo! Wednesday!

What a Difference a Curtain Rod Makes!

2010-05-24T00:08:00.003-04:00

Just a quick post of my before and after valances in the livingroom.

Plain ole white not-the-least-bit-stylish curtain rod...

....to a modern much more attractive style in brown.

Big difference, huh??!!

Linking up with:

Thanks for hosting!!

And thanks everyone for reading. :)

Tortilla Chip Cutouts

2010-05-21T00:55:00.005-04:00

I made these Tortilla Cutouts back in February (sorry the date is wrong):

Ingredients:
Flour tortillas (You can also use corn tortillas; I've tried both, and I prefer flour.)
Olive oil
Sea salt

I used heart shaped and X's and O's cookie cutters since this was around Valentine's Day. Just a tip --> my cookie cutters were plastic, and I ended up having to use a knife some to cut the shapes out, so I would recommend metal cookie cutters; you get the same result, but metal will save you time.

Simply cut the shapes into the tortilla.

Lay on a baking sheet.

Brush with olive oil.

Sprinkle with sea salt.

And bake at 350 degrees for 4-6 minutes, until desired color and crispness.

Remove from baking sheet and let cool then enjoy with your favorite dip! Or even plain is good!

The dip I made was with Velveeta cheese and a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies. Cut cheese into cubes, place in bowl, pour in can of tomatoes and chilies; microwave, stirring a few times, until melted. Tastes great and super easy!

Linking up with Foodie Friday. Thanks for hosting!

And thanks everyone for visiting!

Picture Frame Redo

2010-05-17T16:54:00.000-04:00

Well I am going to attempt to link up with another blog, Between Naps on the Porch, for the Metamorphosis Monday! This blog party features before and after stories and pictures from room transformations to reupholstered furniture to completed scrapbooking pages.

For my first MM and my first blog "hop," I'm keeping it simple (to make sure I can do it!).

Several months ago, I found a 20x20 signature frame on sale; it was such a good deal that I got it not knowing exactly what I would use it for. A few months later while planning my son's first birthday party, I decided to make a collage of his first year and display it at the party.

This is a picture of the before frame straight out of the store:

I printed black and white pictures of Caden--one for every month until he turned one in December--and used scrapbooking paper and stickers to create this after picture frame:

And now it hangs in my hallway:

Again, I'm linking up with Metamorphosis Monday at BNOTP. Thanks for hosting!

And thanks to everyone visiting! Leave a comment and I'll stop by your blog and repay the favor. :)

Yellow and Green Lemony Shower

2010-05-16T23:49:00.011-04:00

This past Saturday morning, I helped host a bridal shower for a friend who is getting married next month. The shower was a brunch, so we wanted a springy and happy feel! That helped us decide on green and yellow for the colors.

For the centerpieces, we filled different sized Mason jars with water and sliced lemons and had tall green grass coming out of the tops of some of them.

A little closer:

Now how cute did they turn out!! Very springy and brunchish! Not to mention, way inexpensive!

Another little touch was in these. We wrapped each fork in a yellow napkin and tied it with green and white polka dot ribbon and put one at each place setting.

And the tissue paper pom poms I mentioned last week... we got to use some Saturday! They were a hit and very eyecatching in yellow and green! We hung them above our food tables.

I just love this tall pitcher/dispenser we borrowed from a friend. It's the same one we used on the parade float last weekend. We sliced limes to float in the lemonade to add some color.

And finally the "Best Wishes" banner made in different patterned green and yellow cardstock and scrapbooking paper.

Oh I almost forgot... we had old fashioned lemon drops for favors, but I forgot to take a picture. :(

Thanks for checking out my post!

Happy Birthday to My Hubby!

2010-05-14T14:40:00.007-04:00

I'm going to do a mini post today because I have a little event to post about. :) My husband turned 28 on Monday, and I planned a surprise party for him. It was nothing big; I just invited some family for supper, cake, and ice cream. Buuuttt that gave me an excuse to decorate, and that's all I need!

I kept it simple, bright blue and green for the colors; I decided to go with those based on a pack of napkins I had picked up on sale awhile back. Yay for clearance items! I already had a green tablecloth, green and blue balloons, and the blue plates and cups. I made the table runner out of wrapping paper (from the Dollar Tree, might I add!) and baked the cupcakes myself... just yellow cake, some homemade frosting, and M&M "polka dots" on top!

Close up of the cute little cupcakes:

And a "surprise" banner that I made with my new toy, the Cricut!

Close up of that too:

Happy birthday to my Brett!

Parades and Festivals and Fun

2010-05-13T22:39:00.001-04:00

I have had a busy few days! So busy that I have two posts I need to do tonight, but one may have to wait until tomorrow. This past Saturday was our annual Sweet Onion Parade and Festival! Glennville is a small town known for farming, but more specifically, growing onions. We're about 40 minutes from the town of Vidalia, even more "famous" for onions, the Vidalia sweet onion. I'm not crazy about onions, but I do enjoy the parade and festival every year. :)

My sister owns a preschool/daycare, and I work with her a couple days a week. For the last few years, we have entered a float in our local parade. This year, the name of the preschool--Little Rascals--was also our float theme. So yes, we went all out with a Little Rascals clubhouse theme!

This first picture is of the entire float:

This next collage of pictures is of the clubhouse (front, back, and each side). My brother-in-law built it, and my sister and I decorated it. We had a girls side and a boys side.

And the last one is some decorating we did to the front of our float. We made signs like we were selling lemonade but, as you can see, scratched that out to make it look like the kids were selling onions instead! ...since it was allll about the sweet onions! We even filled a lemonade dispenser with onions. And would you believe we actually sold two bags while riding through the parade!

Thanks again for stopping by!

Ladies Meeting

2010-05-04T23:18:00.006-04:00

My last post was about an upcoming women's meeting at my church--we have these every month--that I was decorating for. When I posted, I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to do, colors or theme or much of anything... except that I was planning to do it. :)

Well I decided on black and white and green for the colors, something cute and fun but still pretty. And since Mother's Day is this month, I went with "Mom's Love Hits the Spot" for my theme.

The banner I made:

Let me tell you, I am loooving my Cricut!!

The banner hanging in the social hall:

And my centerpieces:

Round cylinders, balls, polka dot ribbon, and dots scattered on the tables!

Thanks for checking out my post this week! Hopefully I'll figure out this linking-to-other-blogs stuff soon so I can do a little more...

Last Minute Decorating

2010-04-30T13:55:00.008-04:00

On the first Monday of every month, we have a ladies meeting (WSM = Women's Service Ministry) at my church. They're basically the same every month--food, prayer requests, we discuss the ministries we're involved in and any upcoming events, watch a video or have a special speaker, you get the point--but sometimes we'll do something special for a holiday or such. Every month, my sister and I try to come up with a theme and decorate for the meetings. Well this coming Monday is our May meeting, and I have to admit that it has sneaked up on me! Last year, we had a big mother daughter banquet. This year, the ladies voted to do something for the dads of the church next month (Father's Day is June 20th) instead of having another banquet for us moms and daughters. We'll still have our May meeting though, which means that I will still be decorating, but I am still not as prepared as I like to be!

I've decided to use some green tablecloths that I have; they're a bright green but not quite lime. I'm doing polka dots, but I haven't decided yet if I am going with black and white or pink and orange. This is a picture of my colors against one of the tablecloths.

I'm going to also have a theme, probably "Mom's Love Hits the Spot" to go along with the spot/dot theme. I know that I'll have dots on the tables, but I'm still thinking about exactly what to do for centerpieces. Oh the ideas in my head!!

I found these Martha Stewart tissue paper pom poms that I really want to do, buuuttt the ceilings are high at the church, so I'm not sure if that's going to work out or not.

Let me get back to brainstorming....

Game Night

2010-04-27T23:30:00.003-04:00

I had some family and friends over this past weekend for a game night. I had so much fun planning everything!! From the theme to the food to the decor! And of course the games. Here are some pictures (sorry about the wrong date on a few).

I went with black and red for my colors and worked everything around those.

My centerpiece was a clear glass cylinder that I filled with regular and oversized Checkers pieces. I made the signs with cardstock and scrapbooking paper. I found the perfect paper for the words, "Game Night"... it was black with dice all over it!

I made some garland using regular playing cards and red and black ribbon. I had an all red and black candy buffet; above that is where I hung the garland. The marshmallow treats you see... these were super easy to make and turned out so cute!!

I decided to do finger foods, welllll, because I love them and I'd come up with some neat game night food ideas. :) I covered my dining table with a black tablecloth, put my centerpiece in the middle, and the food arranged around that. You can see the entire table here and a close up of the Dominoes brownies and sugar cookie sandwiches (hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades)! I found the cookie cutters on Ebay!

And finally, the cupcakes and homemade picks! I printed some fun quotes on plain white paper, cut them out, glued them onto red circles, attached them to toothpicks, and stuck one in each cupcake! Some of the other sayings were, "Victory is sweet!" "What's the score?" "Time's up!" and "Play nice!"

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Getting Started

2010-04-21T23:42:00.000-04:00

Well I’ve finally decided to start a blog! It was about five months ago when I first thought about blogging. I put it off because I don't have internet access during the day, so I was afraid I wouldn't be able to maintain it. I'm eager to get started though, so I'm going to go ahead with it and catch up later if I have to. :)

I was planning my son Caden's first birthday party, scouring the internet for ideas, when I came across the wonderful world of blogs!! Sure I had heard of them, read some, even knew people who blogged (my mother-in-law is religious about posting to her two blogs!); but I didn't know all that could be done with a blog or the benefits of reading and/or having one. As I looked through the different ones I came across, there were several that just blew me away! I was impressed! I would lose track of time just reading ideas and looking at pictures. But I wasn't only impressed; I became inspired. Any time after that when I hosted a shower, threw a party, decorated for a ladies meeting at church, or just baked holiday goodies, I would think and brainstorm to come up with unique and interesting concepts. I've always loved coordinating and planning events, but it was like I developed this whole new outlook! I had so many ideas and was just looking for ways to make use of them. I enjoy it more now than I ever have! I love LOVE coming up with color schemes, themes, and ideas. Creating, acting them out, seeing everything come together... it's exciting to me! And so this blog is dedicated to all those little details that I’m nuts about and being able to have fun with them!