Tuesday, June 28, 2016

DIY, Smoothing Vanilla Shave Scrub

  Okay, so my best girlfriend and I are really into these DIY beauty treatment type things. Months ago she gave me this recipe for a shave scrub and I LOVED it. It makes your skin so soft and smooth.
 Unfortunately months went by, I ran out, forgot about it, and my skin was no longer beautiful after a shave.
 Luckily, I was able to create my own recipe, adding a special touch: VANILLA

Friday, June 24, 2016

DIY Flower Hairpins


  So I came to McDonald's for good internet to write this post. And as I stand in line waiting to order a drink, this lovely older lady says to me, "I love

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Strawberry Shortcake Stuffed Cupcakes

   Perfect summer cupcake, easy semi-homemade recipe! I don't really like shortcake. And I I don't like biscuits. So I decided to use a yellow cake mix instead. Big improvement. Give it a try...

Monday, June 20, 2016

DIY Hanging Succulent Shelf




 Succulents are all the rage. I went to 4 different garden shops looking for 4 healthy succulents before I found a locally owned shop in town that had the cutest, healthiest little succulents I've ever seen. Yay for small businesses!  
  So what we are going to do is transform a simple crate into a beautiful shelf to hang succulents on!


What you will need:
White and Gray pain (I used a chalky paint I found at Walmart. It worked perfectly.)
4 Screw in Hooks (Hobby Lobby)
2 Hooks for hanging (Shown below) 
4 Small Metal Pails (Hobby Lobby)
1 Wooden unfinished crate (About 32" by 6" in dimensions) (Hobby Lobby -I had to pry a couple planks off the front, but that wasn't an issue)
Twine or thin rope (I used blue twine)

What you will do:
  

 Transplant your succulents into the little pails. 
 Do not sand the crate, leave the rough edges. Lay crate on newspaper, and use an old rag to rub in gray paint. Applying unevenly will give your shelf the rustic, antique look that we're after. 
 Dab rag in white paint and drag across middle or sides of the planks, cover only about 40% of the gray
 Allow time to dry
 Nail in hooks onto back of crate, one on the right and one on the left. 
 Screw in the four hooks an equal distance between each (The crate should be soft enough that they will screw in easily by hand. Press the end of the hook in hard, then twist in.)
 Tie about two inches of twine around each bucket handle and hang each bucket from the hooks. 
 Use large nails and hang shelf anywhere, inside our outdoors! 
















Wednesday, June 15, 2016

DIY Fresh Fruit Candy Baskets


 Perfect for party favors, gift baskets, our in our case, a special treat for a five hour car ride.
Adorable, and scrumptious, these little pints of fruit will sweeten anyone's day!



  Today we are embarking on a five hour road trip to a Lutheran retreat. With five kids in the back, you've got to have something to sooth their bordom.
 I meant to give these away as gifts, but when I got in the car I saw each box placed on separate seats, claiming the boxes for their own. That's fine. At least it kept them quiet and I got to take a nap.


What you will need:

Four paper pint baskets
Sweet & Sour Cherries
Strawberry Bon Bon wrapped hard candy 

Orange Slices
Peace Slices
Twine
Card stock
Saran Wrap 



Empty each respective candy fruit onto a square of saran wrap, bunch it up at the bottom and place it into the paper pints.
 Cut out tag shapes in the card stock and write "Fresh ___" on each tag. Use a hole puncher, or if you're like me and can't find one even after ransacking your entire home, just poke a hole near the top with a sharpened pencil.
 Run the twine through the hole and double the twine, tie it in a bow.
Enjoy!


DIY Personalized Father's Day Tshirts


 Only 4 days until Father's Day. Make this easy, personalized, 3D fabric paint Tshirt to show your dad how much you care! I had a ton of fun with this project. It was fast and easy, and I felt really creative even though I hardly did anything.

Monday, June 13, 2016

Reese's Peanut Butter Blossoms



Something you should know about me: I am a clinical shopaholic. It's true, I admit it. I have a taste for fine things. And I want those fine things to be mine.
  Unfortunately that means that money slips out of my pocket into cash registers at alarming speed.
 It also means I don't use about 50% of what I have. So, I cleaned out my closet. And I ended up with enough clothes and knickknacks to host my own garage sale. Scary, right? I need help.
  Although, including the leftover clothes I sold to Plato's Closet, I made $150. Not bad, not bad.
  At my garage sale I decided to do a little advertising for my blog with the aid of bribery via free cookies...

Thursday, June 9, 2016

DIY 3D Potted Succulent Greeting Cars




  So yesterday was my sister's birthday. And, as always, I put off making a card until an hour before her party. Traditionally, my family makes each other homemade cards. Because they're more personal, and more, let's face it, free. 

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Easy Care Rock Garden


 If you're like me you don't have time (Or willpower) to take care of a garden. Yet you have this really ugly dirt patch overgrown with weeds where you once held a garden that Mary the Contrary would even be proud of.
 But that ship has sailed and the weeds have taken root right down the the third layer of the earth. So instead of hours and hours of laborious weeding there is a simpler and more beautiful answer...

Thursday, June 2, 2016

The Best Creamy Chicken Enchiladas


  I had to wipe the slobber off my keyboard after uploading these pictures. They are mouthwatering, if I do say so myself. Normally I don't hold much to foreign food, but this is not bad. Not bad at all. In fact, pretty dang amazing. Crunchy shelled, spicy kicked, cheeeeeesy topped, and oh so creamy...





  So my sister and I spent a few days at our grandparent's cottage on the lake, and of course, Apparently it is my clumsy body's tradition to collect one souvenir injury to take home from vacation. But this time I got two.
 
  1.  I leaped off the tippity top of a sand dune unwittingly to my fate. Something deep in the sand arose with vehemence to protect its land, piercing me in the center of my left foot. It then reburied itself without a trace.
 I was assured it must have been a piece of glass or a thorn. But I know it was some evil, unearthly monster who is in charge of the preservation of beaches.

  2.  I, of course, forgot to put on sunscreen and fell asleep sunbathing. I awoke with my skin the color of strawberries and my moles as black as strawberry seeds. Well, today, two days later, I ran my hand over my shoulder and my palm held a layer of blackened, dead skin. After I held a funeral for the skin cells I had slaughtered, I dried my tears and got to work to share these healing enchiladas with you. 
                                 
    The Best Creamy Chicken Enchiladas 




What you will need:

3 Shredded Chicken Breasts
2 8oz. packages of Cream Cheese (softened)
3 Cloves of Garlic (minced)
1 Tablespoon Cumin 
2 teaspoons Seasoned Salt 
1 teaspoon Pepper 
1 Large Tomato (Diced) 
8 green onions (chopped)
7 oz canned green chilies 
1/2 Cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
1/4 Cup lime juice 
2 Cups Shredded Chedder
1 package of small flour tortillas 
15 oz canned enchilada sauce 



What you will do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Beat together cream cheese and seasonings
Mix in remaining ingredients...


Scoop 1/4 Cup filling onto each tortilla, roll and place in large greased casserole dish (I had a little leftover filling and put in on lettuce for a salad. YUM.)
Pour Enchilada Sauce over tortillas
Top with Cheese
Bake 1 hour or until golden brown




Top with sour cream and fresh cilantro, and any sauce you want