Phone Charging Station

After we tiled our backsplash, I decided to add a phone charging station.  The main reason I wanted a charging station was to hide the electrical outlet. Yup, I'm the crazy lady who hates electrical outlet. While I couldn't convince my husband to cover up even ONE of the eight outlets we have in the kitchen (I do believe 50% of my entire house's outlets are in the kitchen - thanks home builder), I did convince him to create a phone charging station. He completed the task in less than 30 minutes.

Oh, and I swear it charges the phones and iPads super duper fast. Waaaaaay faster, it seems, than just the electrical outlet.

Step 1:  Find a pre-built wooden office organizer.


Step 2:  Drill holes into the bottom - large enough to fit your cords through.

Step 3:  Buy a USB outlet from Home Depot or Lowe's.

Step 4:  Replace the outlet.

Step 5:  Insert all of your devices. Keep the cords in one place. 

Okay, so the outlets aren't exactly covered, but your eye IS distracted by the charging station.  

Have a Colorful Valentine's Day!

Here are Sweetpea's Valentine day treats for her school friends!  The inspiration came from this website…. super cute, right?  Guess what??? Super easy and relatively cheap.  The total cost of this project for her 20 sweet little friends = $20.00.

I Tried It…. Shrink Wrap a Christmas Tree {Success}

Recently, I was inspired via Pinterest - specifically this blog - to shrink wrap my Christmas tree. 

The steps are easy... 

Shrink Wrap a Christmas Tree

Step One:  Buy plastic wrap and wrap your tree. Saran Wrap works or you can buy the plastic wrap wand from Home Depot or Lowe's. After using the wand, I can't imagine I would prefer good old Saran Wrap for this task.

Step Two:  Remove all decorations, except for the lights. I saved a whole $50 not getting the pre-lit fake tree. Big mistake. A pre-lit tree is worth the extra $50 and I have been reminded of it for the past 3 years. Please, if you have this option - BUY PRE-LIT.

Step Three:  On to wrapping. Hold up the branches and wrap tree. We lifted every other branch and wrapped ourselves down the tree.

Until next year Mr. Mummified Christmas Tree!

Baby Shower Quilted Keepsake

Four (very short) years ago, the shower for my baby girl was held. I remember trying to figure out exactly what craft to do at the shower. I absolutely wanted something crafty, but I also wanted a valued keepsake for my daughter to treasure. ZERO offense to all the crafty onesie baby showers that occur…. and ZERO offense to those that attend those showers and create the ugliest onesie known to man… creating onesies are fun, but I don’t think they make a valued keepsake.

My stepmom – the Martha Stewart of our family – came up with a fantastic idea! My baby shower guests would each design a quilt block with a quote and a flower. To help keep quality assurance, flower “parts” and quilt squares were prepared ahead of time.  All the guests had to do was design their flower using the flower parts – iron the flower in place and then write their quote using fine-tipped fabric markers.

The results were creative and beautiful!! 

Baby Shower Quilted Keepsake

Colorful Fabric for Flowers

Muslin

Heat n' Bond

Freezer Paper

Flower Templates (Google Pictures of Flowers)

Iron

Fine-Tipped Fabric Markers

Fantastic Quilter!

Step 1: Find the fabrics to create your flowers. Fat-quarters or the fabric sample packs in the quilting section work fabulously for this project.

Step 2: If you aren’t using the sample pack of fabrics, then cut your fabric into squares – around 6” x 6” would work well.  Remember, you are going to cut designs out of this fabric – the square is just to get it to a manageable size.

Step 3: Iron on the Heat n' Bond. 

Step 4: Using muslin, cut out lots of 12” x 12” squares.

Step 5: Iron on freezer paper to the back of the squares.  This just makes them more manageable for the baby shower guests and for storage / mailing purposes.

Step 4: Using pictures of flowers as a template (Google: Flower Templates), cut out petals, flowers, leaves and stems. Make sure they will fit on a 12” x 12” quilt square!!

Now you are ready to have your baby shower guests create quilt squares!!!

Step 1: Have each guest create a flower on a square – have them leave about ¼ inch on all sides of the design. Once they are happy with their flower, iron it to the square.

Step 2: After flower is securely ironed on the square. Each guest should write their quote and sign their name.

Step 3: Magic happens!  Okay, not really – it is more like “stepmom magic quilting” happens.  If you are a quilter, then fantastic – sew together and quilt away.  If not, find yourself a fantastic quilter to finish the project for you.

The finished project is a quilt filled with quotes for my daughter. It was designed and handcrafted by her grandmothers and mother as well as many other women in her life.  A true keepsake that I hope she values for many years.

Preschool Introduction Book

Because life never stands still, Sweetpea is starting a new school soon. We are ALL very excited and had so much fun over the past few weeks picking out a new backpack, lunch box, etc. The only downside is she is starting her new school in the middle of the year and will be the "new girl".  To help introduce her to the new class, I designed an "introductory" picture book for the teacher to read during her first day.

To create the book, I used Walgreen's online photo lab.  The online design tool was VERY SIMPLE to use; no craft skills needed. You upload pictures, select the look and feel of your book, select a theme (e.g. tropical, baby girl, etc.) and then you design.  Design is a strong word.  You are really just clicking and dragging things around.

My design was, again, simple.  I selected solid backgrounds.  The left page layout contained only photos and no text.  The right page layout contained only text. I kept it consistent throughout the book because I wanted it to read like a picture book and not a scrap book. The total price was $22, with an online coupon.  The quality is pretty decent as well…. let's say it works in a pinch.  If you had more time and money, I've had wonderful results with Shutterfly books.  Note: If you use Walgreens, your book must contain at least 20 pages.  

These are not all the pages in the book, I just wanted to share a sample.  My goal was to engage the class while the teacher reads the book.  When she reads, "Do you like to swim?", I am hopeful hands will raise and Sweetpea will soon understand that friends will be easily made at her new school.

Valentine's Ribbon Wreath

It's not very often I have time to myself.  I seriously relate to the mom quote "a vacation is peeing alone"because boy does it fit my life!  And when I do get some time to myself, I usually end up doing really fun things such as fold laundry, clean house, meal plan, etc.  This is my life and I love it, but time to craft and blog…. not usually something I get around to doing. But in the last three weeks, I've had enough alone time to create a new wreath.  A wreath which only really takes an hour to create….

I chose this craft because it was simple and something I could easily pick up/put down when I am called off to do another task.  The wreath turned out super cute and cost less than $20 to make.  And I am a BIG fan of cheap, fast and easy.

Valentine's Ribbon Wreath

Supplies: 

10" Wreath (be warned - do not remove the plastic wrapping!)

5 Spools of Ribbon (more if you want!!)

Straight Pins

Thimble

Scissors

Ruler

Step 1:  Cut the ribbon into 4" strips. If you have a mat like mine, then lay out your ribbon and cut every 4" to save yourself time.  I only mention this "common sense" tip because the light bulb went off a little too late in my cutting project.  Sigh.

Step 2:  Make a loop and pin into the wreath. Each loop takes two straight pins. Be sure to utilize your thimble so you thumbs don't hate you later!  Many ribbon wreath tutorials will have you glue the loops together before pinning them to the wreath.  Since I am always strapped for time, I skipped this step and didn't experience any problems. 

Step 3:  Continue making loops and pinning using all the different ribbon types.  Pin the ribbon loops very close to one another to avoid gaps. Squish them together and pin them in all different directions. It is a craft project and the goal is to make the loops look randomly placed.

Step 4: Loop a large ribbon and pin to the back of your wreath to create the hook.  I used six pins to hold the ribbon on!!

Teaching Toddlers Shapes, Letters and Numbers

My favorite piece of parenting is watching my daughter learn.  It gives me such joy to see her understand something for the first time!  I’ve always heard that toddlers learn so fast, but I’ve never really witnessed it until Sweet Pea came along… and it is truly amazing!

Several months ago, Sweet Pea started learning her shapes.  We started simple with a circle, square, triangle, star and heart.  When she was in the mood, I’d grab her flash cards and we would go through a few of them.  But I wanted to challenge her a bit more… and give her an opportunity to follow simple directions.

Using Microsoft Word, I created these simple worksheets for her.  The concept is simple, create a table with 6 columns and 5 rows – increase your font to about 72 and type in whatever you are trying to learn or reinforce.  For the basic shapes, you will use the Insert and Symbol function and search for the square, etc.  I also created worksheets to reinforce her alphabet and number knowledge.

For starters, let me disclose that my daughter loves this kind-of thing.  Guess she has her mama’s nerdy streak – LOL!  Your child might hate it and that is okay.  At the end of the day, whatever method works for you and your kid – go for it!

Now, this example is of us reinforcing her knowledge of numbers. I gave Sweet Pea the worksheet and asked her to color all the number 1's pink.  She had to find her pink crayon and then she had to find all of her number 1's.  After she colored the last number, she had to count how many she found. In all of 5 minutes, we practiced our numbers, colors, following direction and counting.

I then told her to COLOR CRAZY… and color crazy she did!

For shapes, we had to upgrade Sweet Pea’s from the basic to the advanced (diamonds, trapezoids, pentagons, hexagons….  To create these, you will need to use Word's Insert and Shape feature and then "draw" them in your squares. Only draw each shape once... much easier to just copy and paste it into other squares!!

Learning + Fun = WIN

Valentine Day S'mores

A few weeks ago, I had a strange urge to make heart-shaped s'mores... so I hit the web, researching home-made graham crackers. My goal was to find a recipe that used the ingredients that I already had at home. I found this recipe from Annie's Eats. 

My crackers were actually crack-a-lackin {yes, yes I did just say that}... they were more like a cracker-cookie. This is mainly because I rolled my dough out a little too thick. However, they tasted truly fantastic and I liked the softer cracker-cookie - it made the s'more just slightly less messy.

Cut my heart out.

Too thick.

After you have followed the recipe for home-made graham crackers, then you need to assemble and bake your s'more. While baking a s'more indoors isn't nearly as fun as a campfire, it does get the job done.

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Step 2: Lay a graham cracker face down and place your marshmallows on top. Indoor s'more making might be the only reason for those strange flat marshmallows!!

Step 3: Bake for 3-5 minutes - until your marshmallow gets a little puffy and brown.

Step 4: Place your chocolate on the marshmallow and top with another graham cracker.

Cute.

Step 5: Squish it together and let the warm marshmallow melt the chocolate - MY marshmallow wasn't quite done {because I got impatient}, so I popped it in the microwave for 5 seconds.  That did the trick!

S'more Amore!!!!

These graham cracker-cookies are also great dipped in chocolate and decorated! The hubs LOVED these with a tall glass of milk. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Paint It Black

"I wanna see it painted black, painted black 

Black as night, black as coal" 

Paint It Black, Rolling Stones

My decision to paint my interior doors was an easy one and it was based on 4 main factors:

• I hate anything builder basic. Even when you spend money at the design center, you still end up with a house that looks like everyone else's....and NOTHING like those cool pictures on Houzz. I have the same issues with cookie-cutter landscaping, but that is a whole 'nother blog posting. 

• I have touches of black all around my house. A picture frame here, a knob there, etc., I felt like I needed a way to ties these items together. 

• I saw THIS POST and fell in love. Scroll down until you see the black door.

• I am a huge sucker for all things tan and black. Love, love, love.

Once my decision was made, I got started right away. You see, if I don’t immediately work on a project, my mind will chew on it at the most fun times {oh…2:00 AM to 5:00 AM}. Trust me, I don’t need more reasons to not sleep. Does anyone else get insomnia from home décor, or is it just me?? I was kind-of hoping to find a support group on this subject….

Here are two techniques that one can use to paint their doors:

(1) Removal of Door.  Honestly, painting it while it was lying down was not worth the effort of the removal and reinstall. Plus, you miss painting it in its room, under its specific lighting conditions.  This method took LOTS of time and four coats of paint, plus extra touch-ups once it was back on the hinges.

(2) Door on Hinges. This method takes three coats, but doesn’t take too much total time – maybe 3 hours (INCLUDING dry time).

Guess which method I used for the majority of my doors?? I'll give you two tries....

Painting Your Interior Doors Black

Supplies

Black paint, satin finish. I used "Broadway" Behr paint with primer added.

Small roller

Paint Brush

Thin Cardboard

Painters Tape

Step 1: Clean your door. I used the Lysol wipes for this task. 

Step 2: Tape off the handle, lock, hinges, etc. However, if you get some paint on the metal, it scrapes off super easily with your fingernail.

Before = Boring

Step 3: Paint everything you can with the small roller. I used a magazine (or thin cardboard) to place in the space between the door and the moulding.

1st Coat with Roller

Step 4: With your paint brush, paint any area that you missed with the roller.  Important:  Look for any drips and wipe them up... drips will ruin the finished look.

1st Coat Finished!

Step 5: Let this first coat dry for approximately 15-30 minutes. I live in a dry climate, so it only took 15 minutes.

Step 6: Repeat steps 3 and 4.

Step 7: Let this coat dry for about an hour or longer. 

Step 8: At this time, you have to retire your roller.  I'm sorry, but the last coat MUST be completed entirely with your paint brush. You can try it, but I guarantee you will regret it. 

All Three Coats -- Dry Time!

Step 9: Let it dry.

Step 10: Remove the tape and touch-up where necessary.

A GREAT tip: Keeping your moist {hate that word} paint brush and roller wrapped in foil will allow you to avoid washing your brushes/roller out between doors. 

{Gag-Me-Grape} Kool-aid Play Dough

A few weeks ago, Sweetpea and I decided to have some fun in the kitchen. She, to my knowledge, has never had the pleasure of playing with play dough. I know what you are thinking... but I am NOT a terrible mama. You see, my little darling LOVES to eat, chew, naw on everything she possible can. As such, I delayed buying any play dough simply because I really didn't want to have her eat it as her afternoon snack!  But after finding a recipe for kool-aid play dough, I figured we would give it a try. Guess what, she DIDN'T eat it.  And honestly, I don't blame her. REAL play dough has a more appetizing smell than the gag-me-grape play dough I made. If you make your own play dough, please use a pleasing scent {strawberry is always nice}.

Gag-Me-Grape Play Dough

1 cup flour

1 pkg Unsweetened, kool-aid

1/2 cup salt

1 tablespoon cooking oil

1 cup boiling water

Step 1: Mix the flour, salt, oil and kool-aid together in large bowl.

Step 2: Add a cup of boiling water to the mix. Mix well. 

It smells worse than it looks.

Step 3: After mixed and cooled a bit, plop it out of the bowl and knead it into a large ball. I would like to state, at this point in time, my kitchen, my counter, my hands -- all smell like gag me grape.

LOOKS just about right.

Step 4: This makes a LARGE batch. SUPER LARGE batch. So, put some in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for future fun. Then hand over a small hunk to the kiddos for fun!!

See those sweet little hand prints!

Yes, paci stayed in. I didn't want to take any chances.

Oh boy! Smashing, squishing, fun!

Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream featuring Dark Chocolate Chips

Not so long ago, I was known as "plain vanilla".  I LOVED just regular, old, plain vanilla ice cream. If I was feeling particularly daring, I might add chocolate syrup or sprinkles. However, that has now changed!  A few weeks ago, my husband and I purchased an ice cream maker -- nothing special, I think it cost a whole whopping $24.00 at Target.  The key (for me) was getting an ice cream maker that used ice and rock salt -- not the kind that you stick in the freezer for hours at a time. Let's face it, when I want something, I generally want it NOW -- not 24 hours from now.  In our new ice cream maker, I tried out The Pioneer Woman's "Blackberry Chip Ice Cream" and it was delicious!!!! This coming from plain vanilla and blackberries are not my favorite berry!  After that, my tastebuds revolted and demand we try different flavors of ice cream, so we tried Strawberry and Dark Chocolate Chip next.

Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream, with Dark Chocolate Chips

• 
  
• 2 pints fresh strawberries

• 1 1/4 cups sugar

• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half

• 5 egg yolks

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

• bag of dark chocolate or a big bar of dark chocolate

Step 1: Combine the strawberries and 1/4 cup of sugar in a saucepan.  Cook over low heat until the strawberries break down a little and get syrupy.

Step 2: Place strawberries into food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside.


Step 3: Add half-and-half and sugar to saucepan over medium heat. While heating, place 5 egg yolks into separate container and wisk a bit. Splash in some of the warm half-and-half to eggs. The pour eggs over the half-and-half and cook until thick (5 mins). Stir constantly and do not overcook!


Step 4: In a new bowl, add the strawberries and heavy cream. Then pour over the half-and-half/egg mixture. Mix well.

Step 5: Add mixture to your ice cream maker and follow your ice cream maker's instructions.


Step 6: After ice cream has been made, pour in a bag of dark chocolate chips or a chopped bar of dark chocolate. Stir.


Step 7: Freeze until hardened.