Shaydes of Life

Craft Room Re-do

2011-08-19T13:30:00.000-07:00

I have a serious problem.

My art stuff is EVERYWHERE.

GAH.

So I have been researching some ideas to clean it up. Here are some photos of ideas that I like, I found on Pinterest

I love the green/white color scheme in this one

I love the shelving & organization in both the picture above & below!

I really want some drawers & table space like here, plus I LOVE the wrapping paper organizer!

I am obsessed with apothacary walls like this one, but not sure if it will be too busy for the room.

The biggest problem is getting this kind of organization on a very slim budget. I did though get an awesome sauce deal on Craigslist on a pair of super cute end tables for the MB. I want some new ones because the ones we have are going to be moved into the living room. Both sets I am going to re-furbish in the next week. I am thinking I am going to paint them yellow.

Well its the weekend, happy Friday everyone!

And The Winner Is...

2011-08-18T17:53:00.000-07:00

Research Randomizer Results

1 Set of 1 Unique Numbers Per Set
Range: From 1 to 4 -- Unsorted

Set #1: 1

Congratulations!

Comment number one said...

Susan Flory
I would love to have an official letterhead for my freelance graphic design business. Perhaps I would appear more professional. As it is, I type up my invoices and print them out on plain white paper. So boring!

The winner will receive an email with the details about your prize. Thanks to those who entered!

Green of the Week Link Party #2

2011-08-15T19:50:00.000-07:00

Click HERE to go to the latest GIVEAWAY!

HOMEMADE CLEANING PRODUCTS!

This week is all about Homemade cleaning products. I HATE how costly cleaning products are. I would say I am a pretty clean person & I use them often so it adds up pretty quickly for me. There are still a few products I like to use for heavy duty jobs but for the basics here are some recipies that I use around the house. To make them it costs about 1/10th the cost per ounce of product, saves you money and saves the planet!

WINDOW CLEANER

1/4-1/2 teaspoon of your favorite liquid detergent

3 Tablespoons of vinegar

2 cups of water

1 spray bottle

Put all the ingredients into a spray bottle, shake it up a bit, and use as you would a commercial brand. The soap in this recipe is important. It cuts the wax residue from the commercial brands you might have used in the past.

OVEN CLEANER

1 cup or more of baking soda
Water
A squirt or two of liquid detergent

Sprinkle water generously over the bottom of the oven, then cover the grime with enough baking soda that the surface is totally white. Sprinkle some more water over the top. Let the mixture set overnight. You can easily wipe up the grease the next morning because the grime will have loosened. When you have cleaned up the worst of the mess, dab a bit of liquid detergent or soap on a sponge, and wash the remaining residue from the oven. If this recipe doesn’t work for you it is probably because you didn’t use enough baking soda and/or water.

ALL-PURPOSE SPRAY CLEANER

1/2 teaspoon washing soda
A dab of liquid soap
2 cups of hot tap water

Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake until the washing soda has dissolved. Apply and wipe off with a sponge or rag.

FURNITURE POLISH

1/2 teaspoon of oil, such as olive (or jojoba, a liquid wax)
1/4 cup of vinegar or fresh lemon juice

Mix the ingredients in a glass jar. Dab a soft rag into the solution and wipe onto wood surfaces. Cover the glass jar and store indefinitely.

VINEGAR DEODORIZER

Keep a clean spray bottle filled with straight 5 percent vinegar in your kitchen near your cutting board and in your bathroom and use them for cleaning. I often spray the vinegar on our cutting board before going to bed at night, and don’t even rinse but let it set overnight. The smell of vinegar dissipates within a few hours. Straight vinegar is also great for cleaning the toilet rim. Just spray it on and wipe off.

MOLD KILLER

Tea Tree Treasure
Nothing natural works for mold and mildew as well as this spray. I’ve used it successfully on a moldy ceiling from a leaking roof, on a musty bureau, a musty rug, and a moldy shower curtain. Tea tree oil is expensive, but a little goes a very long way. I buy mine from the local health store or Body Shop. Note that the smell of tea tree oil is very strong, but it will dissipate in a few days. I like the smell though!

2 teaspoons of tea tree oil
2 cups of water

Combine in a spray bottle, shake to blend, and spray on problem areas. Do not rinse. Makes two cups.

Vinegar Spray
Straight vinegar reportedly kills 82 percent of mold. Pour some white distilled vinegar straight into a spray bottle, spray on the moldy area, and let set without rinsing if you can put up with the smell. It will dissipate in a few hours

CREAMY SOFT SCRUBBER

Simply pour about 1/2 cup of baking soda into a bowl, and add enough liquid detergent to make a texture like frosting. Scoop the mixture onto a sponge, and wash the surface. This is the perfect recipe for cleaning the bathtub because it rinses easily and doesn’t leave grit.

Note: Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable glycerin to the mixture and store in a sealed glass jar, to keep the product moist. Otherwise just make as much as you need at a time.

Happy green cleaning! ADD YOUR LINKS!!

Highs & Lows

2011-08-14T17:12:00.000-07:00

Click HERE to go to the latest GIVEAWAY!

HIGHS

After selling our old motorcycle last fall, Spencer has been itching for a new one & this week he finally got a new baby. He is in love of course.

This weekend was "Tax Free" weekend for back to school in Florida so we went shopping. I got lots of awesome clothes and some killer boots.

We finally got our wedding pictures! I am going to do a post about our big day soon but here are some sneak peeks :) Photos taken by Jillian Bowes Photography

LOWS

I have had insomnia almost every night this past week. I am hoping that this week will give me more sleep. Spencer hopes so too because that will mean a less grumpy wife!

I wanted to get the paintings I have been working on done by today but that unfortunately didn't happen. Maybe next Sunday they can be on my "Highs" list :)

LOOK! Shaydes First Giveaway! - CLOSED

2011-08-12T22:33:00.000-07:00

GUESS WHAT?! GUESS WHAT!?

The time has finally come for the very first giveaway here at Shaydes of Life! OHH AHH, I know you are all SO excited. What is to be won you ask? Well...

The wonderful people over at UPrinting.com have offered to team up with Shaydes & give to ONE lucky winner 500 pcs Letterheads!

Each letterhead will be 5.5" x 8.5", 70lb offset, & front side only printing. For you there will be 4 business day print turnaround time & FREE shipping of course :) Feel free to check out UPrinting.com & their letterhead printing , letterhead designs , & envelope printing options.

ENTRY RULES

**You MUST be a U.S. citizen & over the age of 18 to enter**

Leave ONE comment PER ENTRY

1. You must be or become a follower of Shaydes of Life - 1 Entry

2. Check out UPrinting.com (This is on good faith) - 1 Entry

3. Tell me what you would use your new fancy shmancy letterheads for - 1 Entry

The winner will be chosen by a true random number generator on AUGUST 18th. PLEASE, if you have won this same offer from another blog within the past six months do NOT enter. We want to leave room for others to win a little too!

Comment away & good luck everyone!

Disclamer: Required as per FTC ruling; This giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting, no monetary compensation was given & I will receive Letterhead printing by hosting. Letterhead design inspiration and envelope printing is also available. Please visit UPrinting.com for more details.

Wordless Wednesday: My Birthday Wish-list

2011-08-10T19:47:00.000-07:00

Giveaway @ Southern Lovely

2011-08-09T18:45:00.000-07:00

One of my new fave blogs is doing a giveaway over at SOUTHERN LOVELY

It is for a FREE exclusive to you blog design. This includes a banner, background & two buttons...a $35 value!! Click the button to head on over there and try for the win :D

Lady Gaga High Heels

2011-08-08T18:57:00.000-07:00

Here is a little confession about myself...

I am OBSESSED with shoes.

It is a little bit of a problem sometimes, but I am getting better about it. At one point I had over 80 pairs of shoes, sick I know. I go through serious phases when it comes to shoes & I have had the same size foot for forever so they easily accumulate. I recently went through them all and tossed out anything that was falling apart and donated ones that I no longer cared for. I am now down to about 35 pairs...kudos to me.

After going through all of those shoes I was left with these. Comfortable plain black pumps. I like them, but they are REALLY boring.

So I grabbed my trusty glue gun, some old CD's & a pair of scissors and went away at it. I cut up the CD's into little pieces, the smaller the better, then hot glued them to the shoes. I took my time to make sure each piece fit just right and I LOVE how they turned out! It was a super easy project and now they are definitely my new favorites.

Kinda Lady Gaga-esque don't ya think?

Here is some more shoe eye candy for ya...

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!

I think Gaga would be proud :) Happy Monday!

Linking to...

Highs & Lows

2011-08-07T18:20:00.000-07:00

Highs...

Since the husband was gone for the week to North Carolina on business, I went to Orlando, Florida to stay with some family who was visiting from Michigan. It was a nice little vacation that kept me occupied while he was away.

While in Orlando we went to Universal Islands of Adventure! It was SO much fun being a kid again & it was a gorgeous day.

One night for dinner, my cousin Megan & I went to Downtown Disney for dinner at Planet Hollywood. We had a spinach manicotti that was amazingly good, tasty drinks, & one of the best seats in the house on the second floor overlooking everything.

I FINALLY got a new phone today, a 3rd Gen iPhone which I LOVE. I can't stop playing with it.

I found out I am officially enrolled in my new school, Aveda Jacksonville & started my new job all in the same week! Go me.

My brother moved out on his own for the first time, I am so proud of him! It doesn't hurt he lives right next to my absolute favorite hot dog joint in all the world. I know where I'm going next time I visit Michigan :)

My cousin had his surgery and it went really well! He is well on his way to a full recovery, thank you for all your prayers xx

Lows...

It was so hot while we were at Universal my forehead got sunburned & now the skin looks funny.

I cant think of any other lows actually so looking back it was a pretty great week! Hope you all had one just as awesome.

Gimme S'more Cookie Bars

2011-08-05T14:54:00.000-07:00

Im not a huge fan of brownies so I am always on the hunt for something similar but more to my taste. During my daily blog-browsing at Sweet Escape I found a recipe for S'more Cookie Bars, and they are delish!

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 (1.55 oz. each) HERSHEY's Milk Chocolate bars
1 cup marshmallow creme

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8-inch square pan.

Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt; add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Press half of dough into prepared pan.

Arrange chocolate bars over dough, breaking as needed to fit. Spread with marshmallow creme. Scatter bits of remaining dough over marshmallow; carefully press to form a layer.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. Makes approximately 16 bars.

Enjoy!

NEW BLOG PARTY!! Green of the Week #1

2011-08-01T16:38:00.000-07:00

I have decided to start something new and fun here at Shaydes. Since I love all things 'green', color and eco-friendly, I am starting a bi-weekly post party called

Though I do love the color green, this time I am referring to the eco-friendly kind. Every first and third Monday of the month I want to show you something cool and 'green' you can do for your house, self, or family either by myself or from another awesome blog that I have seen.

To keep all the GREENESSS going I want all of you to link up anything awesomely 'green' you have posted about. It could be something old you restored, something re-purposed, something you planted, or something you recycled. It does not have to be something you just did, you could have done it 3 years ago, as long as its GREEN! If you don't want to link up, leave a comment about the green of the week, I luuurve comments!

I strongly believe in being GREEN and I always find accomplishment in giving back to the environment as much as I can. I hope you will join me in recyclemania!

This week is....dun dun dun...

A Dresser Drawer Herb Garden

My Aunt picked me up four of these super cute & simple looking old dresser drawers for FREE at a garage sale a couple months ago. Unfortunately one of them was destroyed during the move to Florida but that is okay, I like odd numbers better anyway. This week I decided to turn one of them into my new mini herb garden for my apartment (I will do the same to the other two when I live somewhere with more space).

This is what I used to have, worked fine but I have used most of the plants and needed to purchase more.

I went to Home Depot and picked up some new herbs. I was only able to get Chives & Sweet Basil because it has been too hot down here for anything else to survive. I will add Rosemary & Cilantro to the mix later, those four are the herbs that I use most.

To start I painted my dresser drawer a light teal-blue. I didn't totally cover it in paint to make it look a little bit more weathered. Gotta love the shabby chic!

I let it dry then added some cute butterfly knobs that I picked up for $3 on clearance for a set of four (I got two sets so I can add them to my other ones later). I didn't screw any hole in the bottom of the drawer for water, it had some cracks/holes in it to begin with & that will be enough with how hot it is here. Water drys up quick! Finally I added the plants and some potting soil to the drawer....

Recycled herb goodness! Not only is the planter re-purposed, but growing my own herbs is also a way to be self sustainable. Now show me your GREEN GOODNESS!

Highs & Lows

2011-07-31T14:35:00.000-07:00

Here is a rundown of what my highs and lows were this week. It is a blog party that was started at one of my personal faves: Life, Crafts, & Whatever. Its simple, give your "Highs" & "Lows" of what happened the previous week.

For the HIGHS...

Since the first plant I bought from Home Depot died in a matter of TWO days, I returned it and got a new one (different kind this time) and it is loving its new home. The cool thing about these flowers are that they "sleep" at night, closing all of their petals and opening back up in the morning when the sun comes out.

I started painting again. I haven't done one just for fun in a loooong time so I picked up a brush on Friday. Still a work in process, A LOT of cool things to do to it yet

Today Spencer and I went to our local farmers market and look what I found...FUZZY EYEBALLS!! It's real name is Rambutan, an unusual tropical fruit that I had for the first time in Bangkok, Thailand. They are so yummy and I have never seen them in the states (They are not a shippable fruit). I about fell over when I found them because I have not had them since the last time I was in Thailand in 2007. YESSSSSSSSS!!!

And for the LOWS....

We found out that we can't have Direct TV like we wanted because the stupid HUGE satilite would take up our entire (already tiny) balcony. Ughh, so we settled for Netflix on demand on our Playstation3

Found out my cousin was hurt a few days ago, and now has two broken legs. He needs surgery for one of them because it is so bad. Praying for a safe surgery and a speedy recovery. My dad & friend Michael also recently had knee surgeries, praying for the same for them.

I hope you all have had a fantastic week,

Shays Slow-Cooker Chili

2011-07-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

So here is my new Friday go to deal...RAD RECIPE OF THE WEEK! Why Friday you ask? Because Friday is the end of the week, when I want to go to fun crazy stuff and that does not include sitting at home blogging. Don't get me wrong, I love you all buuut I do need a social life.

This is my no fault chili...heck who doesn't love chili?! It is a nice and tangy recipe with a bit of a kick

INGREDIENTS

1 onion, chopped (I like to use half of a red and half of a white)
1 green or red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup of fresh sliced mushrooms (or one can)
1 cup of chopped carrot
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of green olives, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds ground beef
11oz of tomato-vegetable juice cocktail (I use V8 low sodium)
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 teaspoons chili powder
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon of cracked black pepper
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
1 can of chili beans, drained (optional, I don't care for beans so I don't always use them)

In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the onion, bell pepper, garlic, carrots, mushrooms, and green olives in the oil for 5 minutes, or until tender. Stir in the beef and cook until brown. Transfer these ingredients to a slow cooker.
Then, to the slow cooker, add tomato-vegetable juice, soup, chili beans, cayenne pepper, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, garlic powder, cheese, and water.
Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting for at least 2 hours, you can cook longer for a thicker chili.
Serve hot! I recommend serving it with tortilla chips and some Zinfandel to compliment.

all that is left is to ENJOY!

Our new home in Jax

2011-07-28T09:24:00.000-07:00

Since Spencer and I have moved to Jacksonville, a lot of people have been asking about our new apartment. What does it look like, the surrounding area, how did I decorate, blah blah blah. So today I am here to sorta answer those questions (I am no where NEAR being done with this place). Being the perfectionist that I am of course. But here are a few 'before' photos to satisfy your cravings. You don't quite get the 'afters' yet!

All of the walls were painted this pale yellow. Don't get me wrong, its a nice yellow, but an entire house in yellow? I think not. Even though we are only renting I HAD to do some painting. I have always steered away from blue, so this time when choosing colors for our mater bedroom I decided to go with something different...blue. In the pictures it looks a bit purpley (?) but in real life we love it, it's just the right shade. Not too girly, not too masculine. Here is a photo of our MB looking towards the closet/on-suite bathroom.

When we were deciding what to do with the kitchen/living room/dining room of course I had to go with my favorite color, green. It is a pale green with the coolest name, Margarita..of course I picked it! Our ceilings are really high so we painted only about 2/3rds of the walls. We would have needed to rent really big ladders for it all so we left them the pale yellow (you can see it on the breakfast bar in the picture) Here is a picture of the Living room/Dining room and a teeny bit of the open-plan kitchen mid paint job, can you tell I'm short? Just to the right (not shown) is the entrance to the MB.

The view from the Dining room towards the balcony/patio. Saying its a patio is a bit of a stretch because it is quite small, but I did manage to fit perfectly a suuuuper cute vintage ice cream set that my mum and dad bought for us as a wedding gift. I am sure there will be a photo of that on here in the future.

Our awesome open-floor plan kitchen, complete with breakfast bar, dishwasher, and of course wine rack. Unfortunately the cupboard space is minimal but I did manage to fit all of those presents in there and keep them pretty organized. Kudos to me!

And finally our master bathroom. Not that exciting really. I am planning on painting it a really pretty teal color, I already have the paint (I can hear my mom gagging, she despises 50's teal). I think it will look nice with our sort of 'beachy' themed place. Plus I need a little less pale yellow in my life. Unfortunately I do not have any photos of the guest bedroom/guest bathroom but in reality they look exactly the same at the master so you're not really missing much. I probably will put up 'after' photos of them anyway.

Keep checking back because I have a toats awesome tutorial coming up really soon!

Shaydes: Back In Business

2011-07-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

SHAYDES IS BAAACK! And with a facelift to boot! A brand new look to go with all the brand new posts I have in store for you. I know, I know. I have been gone a while, and basically three words can sum that all up.

Planning. A. Wedding.

But now that is all said and done, Spencer and I are fully moved into our apartment here in Jacksonville, Florida and things are settling down. Whew!

When I was thinking about what to write here as my "Welcome Back" post, honestly I was pretty much at a loss. So since I have no cool project, don't feel like giving a recipe, or going into some philosophical discussion etc etc...I am going to just fill you in on what you missed over the 3 months with cool pics. Here's a hint...A LOT OF WEDDING JUNK

MAY

Started with moving in to the new place in Jax and then I flew back up to Michigan to see my beautiful cousin Erin marry her man Zach.

After being in Michigan for about 4 days, I flew out to LA to visit my best friend from when I lived in Denmark, miss Kari. We spent time in San Diego, Corona, Laguna, & Hollywood.

After a week there I took the train up to Sacramento, CA where I met my family to see another one of my beautiful cousins get hitched. It was my first time meeting her fiance Will and we all had an awesome time.

JUNE

After another week in Cali, my family and I all flew back home to Michigan together. I spent the next month finishing up plans for my own wedding & spending time with my friends (whom I miss massively).

and of course going to more weddings! My old friend Allison and Spencer's bud Mike got hitched too.

JULY

Bachelorette parties ensued with almost all my closest girls corrupting me.

Annnd FINALLY it came time for Spencer and I's turn to tie the knot

So that's what'cha missed! For the rest of this summer I have a lot of really cool tutorials, decorating ideas, yummy new recipes, and so much more in store for all of my lovely readers. I can't wait to share them with you.

Spring Things

2011-04-19T18:17:00.000-07:00

One simple word can pretty much sum up my life as of now... INSANE.

In the past two weeks, on top of my already crazy school schedule & planning my wedding in July, my fiance Spencer was offered an amazing full time position with Southeast Toyota in Jacksonville, Florida. For all of you who don't know, we currently reside on the opposite side of the country in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In other words this means that our lives have been recently turned upside down. (Not all bad though :) Spencer graduates on the 7th of May and we are moving two days after...UGH. We had never been to Jacksonville before and needed to find a place to live ASAP. We flew down there this last weekend and did a ton of apartment hunting. With the help from our awesome realtor we found a beautiful two bed/two bath apartment in Orange Park, Jax (Southern Jacksonville). Now that it is all taken care of I can go back to my normal life of school and of course blogging!

Amid all of the insaneness (if that's a word) I did manage to finish a fun project. I thought our quite bare apartment needed a little sprucing up so I whipped up this easy peasy little wreath:

For the finishing touch I crocheted circles and a strap then hot glued them to the wreath

Simple but I love it.

My cousin just posted these cute pics of a fun project she finished, a Jewelry Organizer. She has my brain turning now to come up with a cute way to organize my jewlery...hmmmm...we will see what I come up with later.

She went from this...

...to this!

She started with these supplies...

Painted the frame blue, and then once again with a light blue lightly over top for a distressed look. The stapled the chicken wire to the back.

She then covered the edges of the chicken wire with some felt fabric & glued it on to keep it from scratching the walls.

And added some hooks.

and once again the awesome finished project. LOVE IT.

Thanks Chelsea for the super cute project!

Get Inspired!

Curio Cabinet turned Chameleon Terrarium! Part 2

2011-04-03T18:53:00.000-07:00

Hello bloggers! First off I want to say that I am so sorry for being away for too long. To say that life has been crazy these past couple weeks would be a serious understatement, for example about 3-4 hrs of sleep was a 'good' day...yuck. Buuuuut this weekend I finally accomplished something other than my mounds of homework and "end of the semester" projects and I am SO excited about it! Remember my earlier post about turning an ugly curio cabinet into a terrarium for the chameleon Spencer said I could get? Well here is a little reminder:

After a TON of work and elbow grease I turned it into this!!!

Okay so not the greatest picture (its still living in the storage room until we move next month), I still have to find sticks/branches and such for chameleon climbing material but unfortunately it decided to FREEZING RAIN today so I wasn't about to trek outside in that nastiness. I will have to post again when I do and I can introduce the little guy. We still have to come up with a name...SUGGESTIONS?? (As long as its a boy name of course)

Spencer took pictures as the process went along. To start I sanded and primed the entire thing.

Then I painted it this pale robins egg blue. Its hard to tell in the pictures, the bright lighting makes it look pretty white but you can tell in this pic

I just absolutely love the details at the top of the cabinet and the door of the cupboard at the bottom.

Since the cabinet didn't have a door Spencer helped me make one. I went to the local hardware store and purchased wood to make the door frame, hinges, locks, screening and wood trim. I forgot my camera the weekend I did all that so sorry for no documentation. I measured for the door and Spencer cut the wood and nailed it together. I used my staple gun to screen in the entire cabinet and door frame then used the wood trim to cover up the staples and frayed edges of the screen. Once that was all done I screwed the door onto the cabinet with the hinges and locks I bought.

To finish it off I cut some terrarium green liner for the floor and added the CUTEST little door knob I found at World Market Cost Plus.

I am SO HAPPY it is finally finished and I can't wait until the new babies arrive and we can make this house a home

Yummy Jambalaya

2011-03-21T21:20:00.000-07:00

Ohh this is one of my favorites! SO easy to make and so full of flavor. I've made it for my fiance, his roommates, and my family and they all loved it so now I am going to share it with you!

Ingredients Needed:

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 pound fully cooked/skinless kielbasa or Polish sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices

1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

I can of kidney beans (optional)

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 tablespoon of Cajun seasoning

3 pinches of white flour

3 drops hot pepper sauce (I used Tobasco)

2 bags of Brown Ready Rice

1.   In either a deep skillet or a medium soup pan, saute onion and green pepper in oil until tender.
2.   Stir in the sausage, tomatoes, water, sugar, all seasonings, flour, and drained beans if using. You can add more water for more sauce. Doing that will thin it out so add a few more pinches of flour to thicken it up if you do. Also add more hot sauce for more spice.
3.   Once it comes to a boil it is finished. Cook your ready rice by instructions in the microwave.
4.   You can stir in the rice with the jambalaya or serve it separately. I serve it separately because some like less rice and more of the veggie and meat mixture.

Now all you have to do is enjoy it! I guarantee it will be a hit even for those picky eaters :)

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend. The terrarium I am working on is almost finished and I CANT WAIT to show it to all of you readers because it is looking AWESOME!

We still have to come up with a cool name for our new Chameleon, it will be a boy. Any suggestions???
Linking up to:

Spring Break Kiddo Activities

2011-03-17T10:48:00.000-07:00

I am not a mother but after being a nanny for 6 years and babysitting since I was 12, I know a thing or two about kiddos. Spring break is about here for most grade schools and that means keeping them occupied for a week without breaking the budget, that is if you aren't heading somewhere warm! So here are some of my tricks that I use to keep the kids entertained and you sane.

1. Create a tentative schedule of special activities around town:

Most towns have some sort of website with a list of fun things to do around your neighborhood. Do some research on google to see what special events are going on during that week, things like a book reading at your local library, a discounted day at your local museum, etc. Pick some of those things, maybe one a day or every other day. Try this website at Sprout.

2. Get together supplies for random crafts:

Of course keep the staples near by, things like colorful paper, glue, foam paper, markers, crayons, paint, and ribbon. I loved to pick up 'random crafts' at local thrift or dollar stores. Things like plates, bud vases, picture frames, etc. They end up being fun things to decorate. Let them paint, add stickers, glitter, anything fun. You can have them create the projects for a special person, let them help wrap it and make a day trip to give the gift. Grandmas love it!

3. Cooking classes are always a blast

Make creating dinner fun. Let your kids help with every step of the process, giving them kid friendly duties of course. Baking and decorating is always a hit, it doesn't have to be Christmas to make fun shaped sugar cookies and douse them with frosting and sprinkles

4. Fort sleepovers

Building forts was one of my favorite things to do as a kid. Some of my best memories about it was when my mom was cool enough to have 'Fort Sleepovers' with me. We would build the biggest, coolest fort we could of course leaving access to the t.v. so we could snuggle up in our sleeping bags, watch a cool new kiddo movie and eat loads of popcorn. Following the movie we got to read stories and sleep in our fort for the night. Its like camping inside!

Do you have any other fun and cool spring break kiddo activities?? Good luck to all of you mommas, nannies, and babysitters and enjoy your break blogland!

Accordian Photo Book

2011-03-10T21:38:00.000-08:00

A couple weekends ago I got the opportunity to spend the whole time with my mom scrapbooking, awesome! She has been a consultant with Creative Memories for the past 18 years so I am spoiled when it comes to all things scrapbook. While we were at our retreat with about 10 other ladies, one of them showed us how to make these super cool/cute photo books. They are super simple and a lot of fun and they make for great gifts for any occasion. So now I am sharing them with you!

What you'll need:

2 - 4.5"x4.5" squares of thin cardboard or matboard
2 - 5.5"x5.5" squares of patterned paper
3 - 8.5"x8.5" squares of cardstock paper in colors of your choice
scrapbooking/acid free double sided tape
Scissors
Ribbon

1. With your tape, adhere the 5.5"x5.5" to each of your cardboard squares. Cut off the corners and put more tape on the flaps. Fold each flap onto the backside of the cardboard. These are going to be your covers to your book. Set them aside to create the inside next.

2. Fold each of your cardstock squares in half (the 'hotdog' way), unfold and then fold the opposite direction so you have plus sign looking creases across the middle of each sheet. Then fold each of your papers from one corner to corner adding a diagonal crease to each square. ONLY DO THIS ONCE!

So now each of your squares will look like this:

3. Now overlap each of your squares, leaving the diagonal creases exposed. The two squares on the outside, the diagonal crease needs to turn upward and the center turning downward. This is how you will attach each of them. Using your scrapbook tape attach the three squares like so:

5. Once you have attached each of the three pieces of cardstock they should fold up like this:

6. Next you need to attach the covers that you made in the beginning. Attach each cover to either side of your accordian with your scrapbook tape.

7. Now its the fun part! You have finished making the bones of your book so now all is left is to decorate, best part i know :) Cut your photos into 4"x4" squares for your book. You can choose to put a photo into each square or you can put little notes or embellishments to add a little decorative touch. If you are going to place a photo onto a square that has a diagonal crease in the center all you have to do is cut your photo where the crease is going to be.

And when you have finished it all......

WHAALAHHH!

To add a finishing touch to your book add some more decorative elements to the cover, a name for the person it is for, a flower, another picture, whatever you like! Take a piece of ribbon and tie a bow around your book to keep it closed. Now you have a picture perfect and unique little keepsake that makes great gifts for your friends, family, or anyone else special in your life.

If you try to make one of your own I would love to see it! So please link it back to me so I can see all of your creations :) Have a great weekend all you lovelies

Linking up to:

Bored Jars - For All You Mommas!

2011-03-08T15:55:00.000-08:00

HAPPY FAT TUESDAY EVERYONE!! I am so sorry readers, it has been a while. School has been a bit INSANE, but I am now finally on a break and can get back to blogging away! So here is my latest little project...

Whoa does this bring me back to my childhood! All growing up I remember having this "terribly-great" thing called a bored jar. It was an old canning jar my mom had filled with little scraps of paper. On each scrap there was something to do, according to my brother and I some were terrible and some were great! They said thing like, 'clean your room', 'play with chalk', 'go for ice cream', 'vacuum your room', or 'ride bikes for an hour'. The catch to the bored jar is whenever someone says that infamous phrase "IM BORED" you were now forced to pick a scrap out of the bored jar, and whatever you picked you HAD to do. No whining, no ifs ands or buts about it!

My mom didn't put a whole lot of the 'terribles' but there were a few. She says this was to discourage us from saying it at all, saying it means you take your chances! It was such a fun game sometimes, especially if I picked something cool and my brother had to go do something like vacuum his room...tehehe :)

I have a close girlfriend who is having her third child in a few months and I thought this would be a cute idea as a gift for her two older girls, now that she will need to keep them occupied doing things that allow her to take care of the baby more often. All you need is some sort of jar, preferably with a lid, scrap paper, glue, and anything else you want to decorate your jar. You can just keep it simple or go crazy with all that glue, mod podge, paper, ribbon and/or glitter! You decide but make it totally your own. I used some scrap fabric and mod podged it to the jar then added the little label out of sticker letters and computer paper. I got the jar for only 1.99, which was my only cost. So easy, cheap and fun! This is how it turned out:

I am thinking about doing a GIVEAWAY pretty soon...I don't want to spoil the details but its going to be pretty awesome so keep checking back over the next week or so!

Linking up to:

Curio Cabinet turned Chameleon Terrarium! Part 1

2011-03-01T18:12:00.000-08:00

I am SOOO excited about my current big project! Weird I know, who would have thought a piece of furniture created to house cheesy knickknacks and old glassware would turn out to be a fabulous new home for a reptile?! I have to give credit where it is due, I got this idea from one of my fave blogs Life, Crafts, and Whatever. She turned her curio cabinet into a new home for her three geckos. I needed something similar for our new addition to our family so I borrowed her idea but changed it up to better suit the needs of our little dinosaur :)

I searched Craigslist for a couple weeks or so and with no luck I decided to look at some local antique/thrift shop and I found this gem. I talked the lady down to $38 bucks, it has a space on the bottom to store bugs (aka food) and gear and it also has a built in light on the top...Awesome! I am going to finish it over this coming week. It is my spring break so I will have a lot of extra time. Check back in about a week to see the finished product!

Linking up to:

Wooden Plank Wall Quotes

2011-02-27T20:23:00.000-08:00

While I was picking up some supplies for another project I was currently working on at my local trusty Lowes, I found some amazing Pine planks on sale for just a buck! Now when anything is just a buck, I simply cannot resist. Being my crafty self I knew I could turn them into something sweet, and this is what I came up with:

I love wall quotes, but I am not so sure about the ones you just rub onto your wall. I need something with a little more substance. I used supplies that I already had so this project didn't cost me anything extra other than the wood, so that means only A DOLLAR, awesome I know. And its easy as pie...even though pie isn't that easy to make :/

What you'll need:

1 wooden plank - your choice of type and size

3 to 4 paint colors - your choice

scrap matboard or thin cardboard

Mod Podge

Hot Glue

Paintbrushes, large and small

First you are going to need to choose what you want your wall quote to say. I chose a quote from The Beatles, "All you need is love, love is all you need". Paint your wooden plank your first paint color. This is going to be the color that 'peeks' through the top paint color. Allow the paint to completely dry, you don't want it to mix with your top paint color.

While my paint was drying I chose which word I wanted to stand out, Love of course! I drew each letter (you can stencil if you like) and then cut them out of scrap cardboard aka an empty Budlight 12 pack box. I then mod podged each letter to my fabric, and cut around each letter leaving about a half inch of space. Next I mod podged the fabric edges to the back of each letter and then set out to dry. When that dries (takes about 5-10 minutes) flip your letters over and do a thin layer of mod podge the front.

While my letters were drying I went back to my plank and painted the second color over the first, but this time very lightly. You dont want the second color to be too thick, leave some of the bottom color showing through.

I decided to use a third color to make it look even more aged, the blue was too bright for me. I took a thinned brown paint with a little gold mixed in and did an even thinner coat, but you can choose to only use two. Allow your paint to dry. (Don't mind the junk, I live in a very small student apartment...They don't leave much room for crafting!)

After you have your plank looking the way you want it take your dried mod podged letters and place them whichever way you please. From there you can tell where the rest of your quote needs to be spaced. I decided to just paint on the rest in my own handwriting but you could use stencils if you like. I then hot glued my letters on to the planks. Finito!

I attached some frame hooks on to the back for easy hanging, whatever works for you. I plan to hang them over our headboard as soon as we have our new (BIGGER) apartment this May. Pretty cool for only a buck if I do say so myself!

What do you think?? If you try this, please link it back to me, I would love to see it!

Linking up to:

Throwback Reflections

2011-02-24T14:19:00.000-08:00

I have been wanting to do a post about my Aunt Nancy and cousin Megan's company and all the AWESOME stuff they do, so here it is! Their business is called "Throwback Reflections". They do a lot of cool stuff with antiques but probably the most awesome stuff they do is the decoupaged suitcases they make. These things are SO cool!

Megan restores vintage suitcases and uses vintage cartoons and photos to decorate the exterior of them. Here are some photos of some of the previous ones she has done and sold....

Spiderman! Love this!

I loved these books as a child, Dr. Suess and Raggety Ann bring back good memories. I still even have my old raggety doll!

Charlie Brown & The Lady and the Tramp

She is so talented right? Someday I will have her make me a super cool one, mabe little mermaid or 101 dalmatians? I was obsessed with those movies when I was a kid. Im still dying to get a Dal, but Spence says not until we have more room :( Megan is still creating some of these wonderful suitcases, here are two that she is working on right now and will be available to purchase...

"These pictures are from a children's book from sometime between the 1920s and 1940s. The illustrator is Hank Hart. I LOVE his work and it can be pretty hard to find. These are reproductions that I made so I didn't have to rip my book apart." - Megan

Megan is also working on this Raggedy Ann and Andy case from vintage Johnny Gruelle books. These are from the same time period.

Nancy and Megan have an etsy site where you can find more stuff by them HERE !!! CHECK IT OUT!

Comments are always loved :)

Linking up to:

Garage Sale Gems & Funkified Bookcases

2011-02-22T19:02:00.000-08:00

When I was looking for furniture to fill my apartment this past summer I quickly realized how expensive it all was going to be. There was no way I could afford to spend $500 dollars on a kitchen table and chairs let alone even $100! There is a lot of truth to the title "broke college student"! So thrift stores and garage sales became my only option and my new best friend. Since a young age, my mom has passed on the love for both and of course tagged along on our many 'thrifty' excursions! Good mother-daughter bonding time :)

My first find of the summer was this gem, oh how I love thee!

It was at a moving sale of this single retired teacher of 30 some years. She was such a sweetheart, I really enjoyed talking to her. For some reason people have the tendency to tell me their life stories within the first 10 minutes of meeting me, I seem to have a "I will listen to absolutely anything you have to say" sign flashing on my forehead. This old trunk was originally her fathers and is from the early 20's. It's a little rusty and beat up but that is why I love it so much, so much character! I use it as a coffee table in my living room. It makes for a great conversation piece!

My second great find of the summer was this pretty basic round table and four chair set. It was originally this nasty light brown color and pretty scratched up but other than the cosmetics it was in pretty awesome shape! I found it at Goodwill. The manager said she didn't have any room for it and just wanted to get rid of it so she gave it to me for an amazing $20 bucks!! YES! It originally looked something like this: (I forgot to take before pictures of all of these projects but I found ones that are almost exact)

I sanded all the chairs and table down and then painted them a semi-gloss black. I found the super cute chair cushions at World Market on sale for $8 a piece. I am not totally finished with them yet though, this coming summer I would like to paint them in a antiqued white and then sand them down for a distressed look.

And my last but not least find (well for this post anyway) was just a plain old bookcase. Boring? Of course not! I LOVE bookcases. I'm not sure why but I just love the look of them displaying all things adorable. I found mine at a local thrift store called The Red Barn for just $6 dollars. It originally looked something like this: but grosser...if grosser is a word.

Similar to my table and chairs it was also a nasty light brown color so I also sanded and painted it black to match my dining set (I will eventually distress the same too). I thought it needed some pizazz, and then it hit me! Re-purpose the back!! It was gross and falling apart anyway so I ripped that sucker off. I went to my local Walmart (they seem to have the best fabric prices) and found this fun geometric print. Starting from one end I slowly stretched and stapled the fabric to the back of the bookcase until covering the entire thing. I cut off the excess and whalah! I LOVE it! I used some of the left over fabric to make matching couch pillows, so coordinating I know :)

The only down side is that it does not make for a very sturdy back to the bookcase. Mine is pressed straight up against a wall so it doesn't really matter or bother me, the thing is a beast and isn't going anywhere I'm sure.
Have any of you ever done something like this? Let me know!

Easy Thai Coconut Soup - Tom Ka Gai

2011-02-20T21:28:00.000-08:00

When I was 14 was the first time I traveled to Thailand and I absolutely fell in love. I was lucky enough to return for a second trip when I was 17 and I can't wait for the next. One of the best things about Thailand, or Southeast Asia in general, is the food. I know when you think Asian food most Americans immediately think sweet and sour chicken, tofu, or sushi. Thai food is none of these. I think it is a fabulous combination of all things great about food. You get all the best vegetables, lots of fresh fruit, steamed noodles, and simple chicken and seafood dishes with a twist. I could go on and on about how much I love Thai food but none of that would do any good if you never try it! Thai is quickly becoming more and more popular in the U.S., especially in the Midwest, East coast, and West coast states. If you look on Restaurant.com I am sure you can find one nearby and check it out! Don't be shy to ask questions and I am sure you will not be disappointed.

Now for those of you who already know and love Thai or are feeling a little more adventurous here is an amazing Thai recipe. I am a big fan of coconut and lime and this soup completely embodies that. I get cravings for this at least once a week, and once you try it I am sure you will too! It takes less than a half an hour and can feed up to six, depending on how big your serving sizes are.

What you will need to make Tom Ka Gai:

1 handful of Thai rice noodles -optional

3/4 lb boneless skinless chicken breast

1/2 lb of tailless/deveined uncooked shrimp - Optional

3 tbsp of vegetable oil (can substitute with evoo)

2 14oz cans of coconut milk

2 cups of water

2 tbsp of minced fresh ginger or 1tbsp of dried ginger

4 tbsp of fish sauce

1/4 cup of lime juice - add more to taste

1 tbsp of red curry paste

handful of shitake mushrooms

6 cherry tomatoes - quartered

2 green onions -sliced

1 tbsp of fresh cilantro - add more to taste

Noodles : To start you want to cook the noodles. Bring a pan of water to a boil and add the rice noodles. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until tender. Do not cook too long or the noodles will become gummy. Drain the water, cover, and set noodles aside.

Soup:

1. Cut chicken into thin strips and saute in oil with the tomatoes and mushrooms for to 2 to 3 minutes until the chicken turns white.

2. In a pot, bring coconut milk and water to a boil. Reduce heat. Add ginger, fish sauce, lime juice, and red curry paste and stir. Simmer until the chicken is done, 10 to 15 minutes. If adding shrimp, rinse them first in cold water and then add to the soup in the last 2-3 minutes, just enough time to turn them pink.

3. Add your noodles (if made) to the soup and stir them in.

4. Sprinkle with scallions and fresh cilantro and serve steaming hot.

Extra tips!

For a sweeter more authentic taste, instead of water use chicken broth with a tbsp of sugar. This creates a sweeter taste that I like but it is not necessary. I don't put this in the recipe because it cuts down on cost.

I hope some of you try this and enjoy it as much as I do.

Do any of you love Thai food too? Have any good recipes or Thai experiences? Let me know!

Life, Crafts, Whatever Giveaway!

2011-02-19T09:34:00.000-08:00

So today is Saturday and unfortunately I am feeling a bit under the weather today :( Which means probably no new crafty things will arise out of this day, bummer I know. But of course as I refuse to get out of my fiance's comfy and warm water bed, I still can at least do a little blogging!

One of my favorite crafty bloggers is having a giveaway! I did a post about Jen not too long ago and I am currently in the middle of recreating one of her original projects. She now has reached 250 followers and is doing a giveaway of one of her other projects...

Super cute right!? The winner gets a recreation with the word/s and colors of your choice. I definitely recommend checking out her site. Have a lovely weekend!

Bee Friendly Friday Follow!

2011-02-18T12:51:00.000-08:00

Today is a "Bee Friendly Friday Follow"...and please be friendly and follow my little blog :)

Click the link to join in on the fun!

Clutch Purse

2011-02-17T18:53:00.000-08:00

Hello all you lovely readers!

Since I am planning my wedding this upcoming summer I have been busy crafting up as much as possible. I really want the entire day to just scream Spencer and I. For my latest project I sewed some cute little sashes for my flower girl and mini bridesmaid. I am pretty much obsessed with anything Liberty print so I of course had to use the super cute orange, cream and green print I found at JoAnn's the other day. It was on sale and there was only just over a yard left on the roll so I picked up up for a mere 5 bucks, steal of the day! It didn't take hardly any fabric to make the sashes so with all of my remnants I was thinking and thinking of what to make with it and then it hit me...matching wedding clutch! YES.

I did some internet surfing to get some inspiration photos, something like this...

This project only cost me about 5 dollars!

The materials that you will need:

1 2mm Foamies Sheet in white - .99 cents

7''x36'' piece of fabric (your choice print) $2

Sewing machine or needle and thread for hand stiching (I hand stitched, I like the messy look) I already had these

1 cute button - larger sized $2

Start off by cutting your fabric to the size you want, if you want a smaller clutch, use less than 36'' length or 7'' width. Fold the fabric in half with the face of the fabric or the 'good side' on the inside of the fold and iron to give you a good seam and stiffer fabric that is easier to work with.

Sew or stitch up the two length sides leaving the one short width end open. Now that it is like a large tube, turn the fabric inside out so that the face of the fabric is now on the outside. However large you decided to make your clutch, cut the Foamie sheet to size and slide it into your your 'tube' leaving about a half of inch of fabric on the open end. Then fold each side of the open end of the fabric in and sew/ stitch shut.

Decide how you want your clutch to fold shut, you can fold it into thirds giving you one flap to shut or you can fold it completely in half and then fold both sides over. I decided to do the first style like the picture above. The picture below is an example of the second option.

Once you have made your folds sew/stitch up the sides, whether half or all the way up depending on what style you choose. Once again turn your clutch inside out so the stiching is on the inside. All that is left is to add button and loop. There are a lot of ways to do this but I just wanted mine to be quite simple. Using a piece of fabric, ribbon, or yarn attach a loop on the inside of the flap and a button on the outside.

Now whalah! So cute right? When making your clutch you do not have to use the Foamie sheet you can instead use a thicker fabric. I wanted mine to hold shape even when not much was in it so the Foamie sheet was my solution. Now I have a super cute clutch to hold all of my 'rescue' supplies on the big day that works as an extra matching accessory!

Opinions are appreciated!

Linking up to!

Valentines Day!

2011-02-16T09:04:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day everyone, hope you all had a lovely time with your loved ones :)
My hunny brought me to Chicago for the weekend and it was fantastic! Friday evening we drove downtown and went of for a super authentic dinner at this quaint place called 'Russian Tea Time. As you guessed it, we had some pretty amazing Russian food. If you are ever around downtown Chicago and are feeling adventurous I would definitely reccomend stopping in, amazing food and pretty decent prices (for Chicago anyway) and it is SO cute inside. For an appetizer we tried the Russian meat dumplings with sour cream and carrots with vinegar called "Pelmeni"...

For dinner we shared a dish called "Chicken Breast Ragu", it was chicken with portabello mushrooms, mint, onions, and tomatoe wedges. It was topped with this weird tomatoe sauce but was very delicious. I love trying new things, especially foods. I wanted to take a picture of our main meal but forgot...

some cool cars from the Chicago Auto Show...

Spencer and the smallest four person car ever!

Octopus car! Im obsessed

And at the Field Museum we saw lots and lots of dinosaurs!!

Her name is Sue and she is the largest and most in tact T.Rex in the world.

We definitely need to take more little weekend trips like this again. I'm such a lucky gal to have such a wonderful man! Hope you all had a great weekend with the ones you love most too <3 XOXO

Candy Button Valentines

2011-02-11T21:39:00.000-08:00

For valentines day I decided I wanted to do something homemade but a little more fun than just your regular old pink, red, and purple sugar cookies loaded with more pink frosting and sprinkles...I have had enough of those! I was blogging around again, as usual, and I came across this super easy recipie on Mrs. Bettie Rocker. She had made them for her sons birthday party but I decided to put a new V-day twist on them :)

What you'll need:

3 cups of confectioners sugar (aka powdered sugar)

2 egg whites

Any color food coloring

Your favorite paper

First I cut out the paper shape that I wanted to put the buttons on, I drew out this 'X and O' and traced about 40 of them. I decided I was going to fill up two for each valentine. I used just regular white computer paper for this but you can use whatever fun paper you like most. After I finished cutting all of them out I beat the powdered sugar and egg whites together for about 5 minutes until it became a thick almost pasty like consistency. I then separated the mixture into two bowls and added the food coloring, I made one bowl pink and the other purple for my candy buttons. I didn't have a piping tool so I just put each color into a separate plastic sandwich bag and cut a small hole in one corner. I then squeezed out all of the little dots onto my papers, I got better at it as I went! (The first ones kind of looked like little turds...yum right?)

When done piping them all out let the harden overnight or for about 12-15 hours. I put mine in the fridge which seemed to speed up the process a little bit. While mine were hardening I glued on little notes and ribbons to the valentine themed mini gift bags I bought, 20 for a buck at the dollar store :)

I put one of each color into a bag and then stickered them shut. I LOVE how they turned out! Something a little out of the ordinary and brings me back to my childhood, couldn't have been more of a success. This recipe/project was so easy and everyone so far has really seemed to appreciate the little bit of extra effort PLUS it only cost me about 3 dollars, two bucks for the powdered sugar and a dollar for the bags (everything else I already had). Oh I just love holidays!

Hope you all have a great Valentines weekend with all of your most loved ones!

Find the original recipe and a bunch of other sweet ideas at...

Progress

2011-02-08T20:03:00.000-08:00

So my original plan was to finish my Paint Chip wall art yesterday, and as usual that didnt happen with a ton of homework that was dumped upon myself. But I am mostly finished! I have taken pictures along the way but for some reason I am having trouble putting them on my computer, I will try to fix that asap because I want you all to see how cool it looks! Spencer helped me pick out all of the colors and they are looking fantastic.

Superbowl weekend turned out to be a success, good food, good friends, good parties, and of course good game! Go Pack! So I tried out a new dessert this weekend and it was probably one of the most amazing things I have ever had so I knew I had to share it. They are mini cheesecakes, sounds amazing (I know). Trust me too, they were! I took this original recipe off of AllRecipes.com and tweaked it a little to my liking.

I followed most of the instructions from the original recipe except instead of making the extra mini size I did use the normal sized cupcake pan. I placed a full oreo cookie (any other round cookie you like would work too) on the bottom instead of crushing cookies or graham crackers. This made for a sturdier bottom to the cheesecake that didnt crumble. I also added juice from half of a lemon into the cheesecake mixture. You can top the mini cheesecakes with your favorite pie filling, not just cherry. I decided to use raspberry. With this recipe you will get about 20 mini cheesecakes. Needless to say they were AMAZINGLY good and I can't wait to have an excuse to make them again! So check it out at this link: All Recipes Mini Cheesecakes

Snow Day

2011-02-05T10:41:00.000-08:00

So my uni had our first snow day in three years this past Wednesday, and was it a doozy! Over two feet of drifting snow kept us all from even leaving the apartment complex. We couldn't even open the door until maintenance came to dig us out! I took pictures of what I could get from windows and peeking our balcony door open, we were on the opposite side of the wind so luckily we didn't get a whole lot of build up on our porch. And just think, this is the good side of our complex! Other cars were completely covered with snow.

As I am stuck inside all day, doing homework, catching up on laundry, I of course had to squeeze in a fun little project! I had a ton of fabric left over from school projects last semester and some batting I picked up at a second hand store for .50 cents (!) so I decided to make some fun throw pillows for my new apartment this May.

I know they are not perfect but that is why I love them, it gives them so much more character! I hand stitched both of them, my sewing machine is current out of order. But that was fun and killed a lot of time being stuck inside all day. On the first one I added the monogram with some scrap fabric and some scrap ribbon (the 'F' is for my soon to be new last name) and on the second pillow i cut out a flower shape from some more scrap fabric and stitched that on. I thought it needed a little more so I made a miniature fabric flower from a post that I had seen on one of my 'Fave' blogs Colour Her Hope. I hot glued a little gold tulle in between the two and wha-lah!

A drab day turned into a fab day!

First Blog Project!

2011-02-04T14:14:00.000-08:00

Hello friends!
So while doing my normal daily blogging, I found probably one of the coolest projects I have yet to find. The original project is from one of my "Fave Links" at Life, Crafts, and Whatever. Jen calls this project 'Paint Chip Wall Art', rightly so. To put it simply, I will be recreating her original piece that is made out of paint chip samples, plywood, spray adhesive, modge podge, a little stain, and some gold paint.

A picture of Jen's inspiration (Ballard Designs) and recreation, just beautiful!

So I have decided to make one for myself. I am not totally sure what colors I am going to go with yet. I will probably consult with Spence first and see what he thinks. I showed this to my cousin Brie, who is also a DIY enthusiast, and she is going to make one too! I will have to get a photo of her recreation as well. I am planning on getting this finished by Monday (cross my fingers) but with all of the Superbowl hoopla going on we will see!

Speaking of Superbowl, my fiance and his three other roommates are throwing two parties this weekend. Them being avid Green Bay fans, it didn't really surprise me. Myself being the awesome fiance i am, is making a bunch of goodies for the boys and the rest of the gang. I am planning on Swedish meatballs (per request), stuffed mushrooms, crockpot weenies, and some cherry rum balls for dessert.

Yum!!

I will be sure to keep you posted on my progress with my very own 'Paint Chip Wall Art' and I can't wait to get started! GO PACKERS!
For original instructions for this project link to:

About Me

2011-02-04T12:27:00.000-08:00

Hello all of you fellow bloggers, internet junkies, and all the rest alike out there! I, Shayna have finally decided to buckle down and create my very own blog. For years I have been obsessed with anything DIY, crafty, artsy, etc and I have come to the point where I think it is time for me to share with the world my inspirations just as others have done for me.

I am a young aspiring artist and designer and I have a great passion for life. Though life right now as an extremely overloaded college art student, sometimes clouds my enthusiasm. Even still I manage to keep myself sane through others awesome artsy blogs, my travels, my two cats, goldfish, my fantastic husband, family, and friends

So I am looking at this as my new 'stress-relieving' outlet. Before I became a student, lots of traveling was my release. After High School, one of my best friends and I decided to take a trip. I had already been around the world a few times doing volunteer work in Thailand but after that taste of adventure, I of course wanted more. We spent 6 weeks traveling from Stockholm, Sweden all the way down to Palermo, Sicily and back. It was probably the greatest experience of my life thus far. Once again after all that adventure, I wanted more. A few months after coming home I finagled my way back to Europe working as an Au Pair in Copenhagen, Denmark. I lived there for six months, mostly having the time of my life. I learned so much about myself then, my strengths and weaknesses and so much more. I also met some of the greatest people on this planet (at least i think so!) who will forever be so dear to me.

But now that I am back here in the good ol' U.S. of A. I am on a new type of adventure. I am now married to the love of my life, Spencer. He is a fantastic husband and we have so much fun exploring life together.

In addition to all of that, all I wish for out of this is that all of you readers (whether few or many) enjoy sharing life and art with me through this blog. That you may be either inspired, intrigued, or even just amused for a minute or two from these postings. I hope to do the same as so many others have done for me...now go have fun creating!