My Little Painting Secret...

I know it's probably against all painting rules out there but, whether I'm painting a small bathroom space, a piece of furniture, or touching up some wainscoting around the living room, I always use these brushes.

And this is why...

Cost:  Walmart - $1.50

{For a pkg. of 12 in an assortment of sizes!!!}

These little guys give a smooth finish and I love it!

Who cares if I'm breaking all paintbrush rules!

At least I'm saving money on painting supplies!!!

Psst! - They have a pointy edge at the tip of the brush too which makes cutting in between the edges of walls and ceilings really easy!

Super Simple Three Ingredient Dessert:

I'm sure I've said this before, but I ADORE recipes that only have a handful of ingredients.

It means that it's quick and easy and I can make something delicious in the kitchen and still have time to hang out with my family or do other things that I enjoy.

So the other day I was over at a friends house {she was teaching me how to make jam...I'm so excited to finally make some on my own soon!}, and she shared this simple three ingredient dessert recipe.

The next day I just had to try it!!!

I don't have an official name for the dessert so we'll just call it...S.A.D. {Simple Apple Dessert}...silly I know!

S.A.D.

1.  2 cans apple pie filling

2.  1 box spice cake mix

3.  1/2 cup butter {1 cube}

Directions:  Using a 9x13 pan, spread the apple pie filling on the bottom of the pan.  Next, sprinkle the entire spice cake mix over the top of the pie filling.  Then chop the butter up into small pieces and dot the layer of cake mix with the pieces of butter.

Bake @ 350 degrees for thirty minutes.

Simple & Delicious.

Just don't think about the calories, it tastes better that way! {LOL!}

I put a dollop of vanilla yogurt on top of mine, but it would also be really yummy with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!

Linked to:  Tidy Mom, Fingerprints on the Fridge, BigBears Wife's Blog, Tatertots and Jello

Update:  Okay, so there IS a name for this dessert.  It's a dump cake!  ...so much better than calling it S.A.D.!!!

Closet Completion!

Looking at both of these pictures side by side, the "after" picture of the closet still looks so full of stuff!!!

I seriously spent HOURS organizing/throwing out stuff to make this closet more functional.

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I even used left over paint that I had hanging around to freshen things up a bit!

LOL!!!

{So I hope you can see a little bit of a difference!?!}

I seriously didn't spend one dime to spruce things up in here.

I spray painted the lids of some old canning jars, pickle jars, and a Costco cracker container, just to make them a little cuter, and used these containers to store common items together.  I also labeled each shelf with a number {as seen in the second picture below}, using the same paint I used for the back wall and a stencil I already had.

{Click on the picture below for a closer view.}

I used a couple of baskets I already had to store covered books and fabric.

I used a paper towel holder I wasn't getting much use out of to store my ribbon {I simply cut the holes of the ribbon cardboard holder thingy they are rapped around with a knife to make the hole large enough to slide the ribbon down through the towel holder}.

I also printed up some simple labels for the small organizing drawers I had and filled each drawer up accordingly.

{Click on the picture below for a closer view.}

The NOT SO FUN  part about organizing a closet is figuring out where everything should go and what to keep and what to throw away.

The FUN part about organizing a closet is figuring out fun ways to store and organize things, using items you already have around the house {jars, baskets, paper towel holders, cute little boxes, paint, etc.}!

Be content to use what you have and you'll be amazed at what you can create!

Now get those creative juices flowing and go organize something!!!

Linked to:  The Thrifty Home, The Shabby Nest, Somewhat Simple, Tatertots and Jello

We grow 'em big & Closet Organization

Before we left for Montana, I had checked on our garden to see how everything was coming along.  We had quite a few zucchini that were about eight inches long.  {still a little small}  So I thought that after we got back from our trip {we were gone four days}, they would be the perfect size to start picking and I would get cracking on cutting and grating them to freeze for later use. 

Hahahahaha!!!  

{They look soooo much bigger in real life!}

Instead I was greeted with zucchinis so big you could probably literally club someone over the head with them.  {I didn't actually say that out loud when I saw them because I didn't want to give my five year old or two year old any ideas.  LOL!} 

After spending a few hours preparing as much of the zucchini as I could to freeze, my freezer just couldn't take any more.  So I split the rest between good neighbors and friends...who probably thought what the heck are you trying to feed us?!?

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Now onto the next topic of the day {it probably needed it's own post but I'm too lazy to do that}.

 Please hold onto your chairs!!! 

I have to confess that I have a VERY messy closet in my upstairs hallway.

{Pardon the unfinished molding...we're still in the process of getting to that.}

It mostly stores games and craft stuff but a lot of other things have found their way in there too...like when company is coming over and you're rushing to clean the house so to quickly clean up clutter you shove random objects in a closet...anyone else do that too???

Well I'm not going to do that anymore.  I have a mother who is very good at organizing everything!  So much so that when I was younger I got really sick of hearing that word!...organize.

But there's a reason for it!!!  You know where everything is!  When someone in your household is looking for something{...and let's face it, if you're the mom in the house you're expected to know where every little thing is}, you can find it!

That's such a good feeling!

So starting this last weekend I got to work.  I'm far from done but I'll have an "after" picture for you by the end of this week, if not sooner.

Here's a little hint as to how I'm going to keep everything in it's own little organized space:

...and guess what?  I'm going to organize the whole thing without spending a dime!

Wish me luck!!!

MIA

I apologize for being MIA this week.  My family and I have been visiting the beautiful state of Montana for a relative's funeral.

{The picture above was taken as we were driving in the car...such beautiful scenery!}

I will be back Monday with some fun new posts.

C-ya then!!!

Baby Shower Gift Idea

A few days ago I was invited to a really good friend's baby shower.

She's having her first baby girl!

{So exciting!!!}

I wanted to get her something really great but it was a few days before pay day so I was on a really slim budget. 

{Ever know that feeling?!?}

I decided to make her little one a couple of unique little one peices and then package them uniquely as well.

I wish I'd taken more pictures but I'll just share what I've got.

I bought two white organic cotton bodysuits at Walmart for $2.00 a piece.

{I'm not a big organic kind of person so that was just a bonus.}

My Walmart also has a fabric section {I know some Walmart's don't} and they sell individual pre-packaged pieces of fabric that measure 18" x 21" for $1.00 a piece.

I bought two...each one with a different design.

And then here's what I did:

I used Heat n Bond {$1.97 for 1 1/4 yards at Walmart}

and, following the directions on the back of the package, I ironed it onto the back of a small piece of the fabric that I cut out.

For my template, I used a butterfly silhouette found HERE.

I followed all the directions on the back of the Heat n Bond and then I pinned my template onto the fabric and cut it out.

The next step was to peal the paper backing off of the back of the fabric from the Heat n Bond, decide where I wanted to place the butterfly, and then iron it onto the bodysuit.

Sooo simple!

I can't believe I've never done this kind of thing before!

{I know this butterfly is pretty big.  Looking back, maybe I should have downsized it!}

I chose to do a bird silhouette in a different fabric on the second bodysuit.

For those who don't already know, there are two kinds of Heat n Bond:  Lite {purple package}

and Ultra hold {red package}.

If I had used the red package I could have just stopped here and been done...but I didn't.

So I hand stitched all around each silhouette to make sure it was going to stay nice and snug on each little bodysuit.

This took a lot of time but turned out super cute!

{Close up}

{Finished Product}

{Cute little bird!}

I packaged both bodysuits in a jar that I already had on hand by rolling the bodysuits up and tying them up with twine.

I spray painted the lid of the jar to make it a little cuter and added a twine bow and a card.

I've never received a gift in a jar that wasn't jam or some kind of food, so hopefully my friend didn't think this was too far out there.

But I think it's kind of cute!!!

Linked to:  The Shabby Nest, It's FUN to craft, Home Is Where My Story Begins, The Tidy Mom, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Tatertots and Jello, The Girl Creative, Making the World Cuter, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Skip to My Lou,

C.R.A.F.T., Today's Creative Blog, Hope Studios, C.S.I. Project

Freezing Herbs

My garden this year is thriving and I am beyond thrilled!

So far we've harvested some zucchini, sugar snap peas, and cilantro.

The thing with cilantro, or any herb for that matter, is that if you planted a lot of it, it's hard to use it all at once while it's fresh.

So I freeze it!

In case you've never done this before, here's how:

After the cilantro is picked and thoroughly washed, chop it into small pieces.

Then put it into ice cube trays and fill the trays with water.

{Approx. 1 tbs per cube...but I didn't measure it exactly.}

Put the ice cube trays in the freezer for about one day and then break the frozen cubes of cilantro out of the tray and put them in a Ziploc freezer bag.

Now when I want to make salsa or some other yummy dish later in the year, all I have to do is defrost the cubes.

This little bit of work and planning makes cooking in the future so much easier!

Beautiful Blogger Award

I am so honored to share with you all that Julia from Blissfully Content has nominated me for a beautiful blogger award. 

Julia is SUCH a sweet person and has SUCH a beautiful blog about being content with what she has.

...that is a lesson I'm constantly trying to teach myself.

So the rules of this award are:

1. Thank the person who gave you this award

2. Share 10 things about yourself

3. Pass the award along to bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic!

4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.

Okay so here are 10 things about me:

1. I'm shy...so it's a little hard coming up with 10 things about myself!!!

2. My favorite food in the whole wide world is cheese cake...any kind.

3. I LOVE Jane Austin movies but I'm guilty of not reading hardly any of her books...yet.  I still have time.

4. I want to be a morning person really bad and I set my alarm clock every night so that I can get up before my kids do, but once morning arrives, I ignore the alarm clock and stay in bed until I absolutely have to get up.

5. I am very active in my church

6. I'm the wife of a Police Officer

7. My favorite part of the day is cuddling up with my husband on the couch and watching a movie with him after all my children have gone to bed.

8. I have a love/hate relationship with my two dogs: Daisy and Annabelle {they're still puppies so I guess that is to be expected}.

9. Being a Stay at Home Mom is my dream job.  It means we're tight, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

10. In case any one doesn't already know, I love all things that have to do with decorating a home.

I think it's important to make your home feel like your own heaven on earth; a place that makes you feel happy when the world around you is not.

So now I would like to pass the Beautiful Blogger Award on to...

Melissa at 320 Sycamore.

I really admire what Melissa is all about on her blog "...bringing out the charm and potential in our homes and families."

If you get the chance to check her blog out, I'm sure you'll be impressed!

Make Your Own Subway Art

I am in love with some of the subway art I've seen HERE and HERE.

It's so easy to make and super cheap too!!!

So I decided to make some of my own using the 9 Be's by President Hinckley.

Because I had most of the supplies needed already on hand, my total cost for this project was 20 cents!!!

{The price of an enlarged copy of the original image I wanted to use.}

So the supplies for this project include:

- a piece of wood {I used a left over piece of mdf, but places like Home Depot will cut wood to your exact dimensions if you need them to.} 

- paint

- mod podge

- Paint brushes {one for mod podge/one for paint}

- an enlarged copy of whatever you want your subway art to be

{Here is my enlarged copy.}

For some reason, the copy place people had to retype my subway art copy in order to enlarge it to the dimensions that I wanted {11X17}.  When they did this, they spaced the words out a lot more than I originally had them and made them a bit smaller.  I didn't bother making them fix it because I had two kids that we're dying to go potty!

So anyway, to make the back ground of my copy look a little more aged and not so stark black, I sanded it both horizontally and vertically.  It left a lot of black dust so I wiped it off using an old rag.

{Kind of looks like a chalkboard now...although that wasn't exactly what I was going for.}

I painted my mdf board white and then when it dried I brushed mod podge onto it, placed my copy in the center, and then brushed another layer of mod podge over the whole thing.

After it dried, this was the finished product.

I really like it!!!

My favorite part is that once I hang it in my home, I'll be reminded of some pretty important qualities I need to always be working on.

Linked to:  Someday Crafts, My Backyard Eden, Blue Cricket Design, The Thrifty Home, Trendy Treehouse, Somewhat Simple, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Tales From Bloggeritaville, The Shabby Nest, Finding Fabulous, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Home Is Where My Story Begins, Tatertots and Jello

Simple Tip Tuesday {Part 7}

Cleaning my blinds is one of the last things I usually put on my to do list.

However, living in a deserty, dusty, windy area makes my  blinds extra dirty every time I want to open my windows for some fresh air.

So here is a simple way to clean blinds.

Mix equal parts vinegar and warm water in a bowl.

Slip an old odd sock on your hand and wipe all the grimy dirt away.

When your sock gets really dirty, rinse it in some clean water and repeat the cleaning process.

Happy Cleaning!!!

...also re-posted HERE.

More Free Art Work

Today I will be busy spending time with my children and working on some new projects to post later this week.

But I still wanted to share a fun site I recently stumbled across incase any of you are interested.

This site shares free art downloads that you can print out {copy them to a word document and then size them however big you want them} and frame just as I did HERE from The Graphics Fairy.

*Note:  These downloads are for personal use only.

Here are a few of my favorites:

{Click on the link below to find more adorable FREE art!}

Feed Your Soul:  The Free Art Project

Happy Monday Everyone!!!

Managing Your Time

{Image Courtesy of Google}

As a busy mom, my time is precious.  I can scream all I want for more hours in my day, but all I get are 24!!!
So I don't care if it's summer, fall, spring, or winter; if I don't keep a running to do list or calendar of all my family's activities, I become one really frazzled mommy.
Staying organized is what keeps me sane.
For anyone else out there who is like me, I thought I'd share some really great free printables for staying on top of things.
Weekly To Do List

Weekly Meal Planner
{Courtesy of momadvice.com}
 Also, for all you busy bloggers, a
Weekly Blog Calendar
{Courtesy of livinglocurto.com}
And if you're struggling to find a routine that works for your family, check out familieswithpurpose.com.
It gives some great ideas HERE for figuring out and planning your family's daily routine.
Have a great weekend friends!!!

Managing Your Child's Art Collection

 I love my children's art work

...but sometimes my fridge gets too overcrowded with it.

 This is a great alternative to displaying your children's art without overcluttering your fridge. 

Supplies Needed:

Wire

Wire cutters

Clothes Pins {Any size will do!}

Mod Podge & Brush

Scissors

Scrapbook Paper

Two nails

This is a really simple project.

First I took a clothes pin, layed it on some scrapbook paper, cut around it, and then mod podged the paper right over the top of the clothes pin.

Repeat this step for as many clothes pins as you'd like to use.

Then I stretched out some wire, eyeballed how long I wanted it, & cut it with some wire cutters.

I hung my wire with a nail at each end, wrapping the wire around the nail a couple of times to make it stay.

I left some extra wire on each end and wrapped it around a pencil to make it a little curly.

This was so fun to make.

I think I need to put one in each of my other children's rooms too!!!

Linked to:

Somewhat Simple

Fireflies and Jellybeans

Blue Cricket Design

Beyond the Picket Fence

Life As Lori

The Shabby Nest

Tatertots and Jello

Tea Towel Skirt

I don't know if I'm the only mom out there that feels like this, but buying clothes for girls after they're out of the

"T-stages" {2T, 3T, 4T, 5T} is really tough.

It's like once girls are six and above, they have to wear teeny bopper clothes.

My daughter is seven.

A cute little innocent seven year old.

Not a teeny bopper.

I've learned where I can buy clothes for her that look more classic and girly for her age, but sometimes the search is still tough.

Especially if I don't want to spend an arm and a leg.

So I decided to spruce up my sewing skills... which up until now have only been to sew pillows or curtains

...basic stuff.

My daughter has been needing something more in her wardrobe for summer so I thought I'd start improving those skills of mine by making a skirt.

I started with two tea towels.

{Other supplies include: matching thread, 1 yard of 3/4" elastic, and 2 yards of ribbon.}

I placed the tea towels together with the wrong sides out and sewed the short sides together at both ends.

{Here it is with both ends sewn together.}

{Here I am reading up on how to finish sewing this basic skirt.  My husband took this picture as proof!!! LOL!}

The next step was to hem the top and put the elastic in.  I folded the top down 1/2" and then again 1" {big enough to slide some 3/4 " elastic through}.

I pinned the folds and then sewed towards the bottom of the fold.

I left about a 2 1/2" space un-sewn so I could slide my elastic through.

{Pin a safety pin on the end of the elastic to easily slide it through.}

After I slid the elastic all the way through, I tried the skirt on my daughter to measure how long the elastic needed to be to fit snug around her waist. 

I cut off the extra elastic, overlapped the two ends just a bit, sewed them together inside the opening making kind of a rectangle around the overlap of the elastic, and then closed the opening and sewed it up.

After this step is done, flip the skirt right side out and it's done!

The bottom of the skirt is already hemmed because it's a tea towel, not just plain fabric.

I had bought two yards of ribbon to use as an embellishment for the bottom of the skirt.

Using my machine I sewed the top and bottom of the ribbon to the bottom of the skirt.

Here's the finished project!

She loves to twirl in it and it's perfect for hot summers or for going to church on Sundays!

...and now I can add "little girl skirt" to my sewing resume!!!

{***Total cost of skirt:  $7.50}

Linked to:

Someday Crafts

Trendy Treehouse

The Thirfty Home

Lucky Star Lane

Fireflies and Jellybeans

Blue Cricket Design

Beyond the Picket Fence

Life As Lori

The Shabby Nest

Tatertots and Jello