Framed Monogram

I'm trying to decorate about every room in my house right now.  Which means I end up doing a little project here and there before I actually complete a whole room.  They'll eventually all come together.

I love having a fireplace, which gives me an awesome mantel to decorate.  It's been 8 months so I had to start doing something to it, around it, over it, anything.

I broke out all of my old frames I've been saving to re-purpose and had just the right one for this project.  This is the before picture, but I had already taken the matte and picture out of the frame so I sat them together so you get the idea of what it started out as.

I spray painted the frame black and the matte white.
I found some material I liked and wrapped it around the board the picture was on.  I hot glued it on the back to secure it.
Then I spray painted a wooden D black and hot glued it on top of my fabric.
Stuck it all back in the frame, minus the glass, and done.

This was one of the quickest projects I've ever done and I really like how it turned out.

A couple of things I might change on it later...
1) I would put some hot glue under the fabric where the letter is hot glued to it.  Now that it is hanging it is kind of heavy and pulls on the fabric.  You don't really notice it, but I do and it bugs me.

2) I would paint the letter with acrylic paint.  With the wooden letter I got, it doesn't absorb the paint really well and makes it look a little streaked.  Again, I don't think it's that noticeable, but it bugs me.

Happy monogramming. 

Cakes

 I haven't posted some of my cakes & cupcakes I made, so here they are.

Dark chocolate fudge cake with chocolate ganache frosting and cake balls.  It was a tad rich.

Bowling cupcakes for a little boy's birthday party at the bowling alley.

One of the most fun cakes ever to make.  Bachelorette party!

16th Birthday Girl wanted these colors.  Brought us back to the 80's.


I have to show off what my husband was "not crafting" while I did this last cake.
His office was having a Super Bowl competition and he made the trophy for the winner.  It was pretty awesome.

Easy Cinnamon Rolls

My kids love cinnamon rolls and we have them almost every weekend at some time...probably should ease up on 'em a little and do every other week?  Naaaa.

I love homemade cinnamon rolls but they take foooorrrrever.  I wanted something quick (again), so I tried using the canned biscuits.  They turned out great so I've been doing it ever since.

This is how I make them.

Ingredients:

3 cans of cheapo biscuits (10 count) or I'm sure they work with Pillsbury or whatever you want to use.

butter or margarine

cinnamon and sugar mixture - a good ratio is 1/2 cup sugar to 1-2 tsp. cinnamon

powdered sugar

milk

I lay all of my biscuits out overlapping a little.  Using a rolling pin I roll it into about a 11"x14" rectangle.

 I don't measure my butter.  Just spread some all over the biscuits.  Then take your sugar & cinnamon mixture and sprinkle it on top.

Next you will roll it up lengthwise.  After you have it rolled, pinch it closed so it doesn't unroll.

 Get a sharp knife (or you can also use unflavored dental floss) and cut the log into 1 inch rolls.

Make sure to grease your pan first. Then put all of the rolls in touching. 

I bake them at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.  These look more done than what they really were.

To make your icing, put a couple of tablespoons of butter in a bowl and melt it.  Then add a couple tablespoons of milk.  Add powdered sugar and stir until it becomes the consistency you like.  If you need more, just add more milk and then more powdered sugar.

Pour on top of your warm cinnamon rolls and dig in.

*Sidenote: Once I used the flaky Pillsbury biscuits because that's all we had...don't do it!  They turned out pretty bad.

"Better Than Those Other" Granola Bars

For the past week I've been trying to find a good granola bar recipe.  There are a bunch of veeeery yummy recipes out there.

But I wanted one that didn't have butter, salt, condensed milk or other not-so-healthy things.  I also wanted one that had ingredients that my girls and I like, was quick to throw together, and that actually stuck together.

So here is my recipe for granola bars.

 

Better Granola Bars

1/2 cup peanut butter

2/3 cup honey

2 cups oats

1/4 cup almonds

1/2 cup peanuts

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Microwave the peanut butter and honey for 30-40 seconds and mix well.  Pour in the rest of the ingredients and mix well.  Press into an 8x8 foil lined pan.  Refrigerate until cool.  Flip out of pan and

cut to desired size.

 Most recipes I saw said to melt things on the stove, but this is much faster and you don't have to heat it so much that the chocolate chips melt.  Of course if you like the chocolate more dispersed just heat the peanut butter and honey a little longer.

To make this healthier you can use organic peanut butter, dark chocolate chips, local honey, and peanuts that you shell yourself.  It makes me feel better at least. :)
You could also add non-sweetened coconut or other nuts.

I store mine in the fridge in a sealed tupperware container.  It seems like the warmer they get the more likely they are to fall apart or be super sticky.

After giving one to my 4 year old she said, "These are better than those other ones."  I thought she meant they were better than the ones I had been experimenting with, but she said they were better than the ones in the packages....hence the name "Better Granola Bars."   Yea for homemade! 

Hope you enjoy!

DIY Decor = Canvas + Doily + Spray Paint

One room in my house that has never been decorated is my master bedroom.  Isn't that sad?  I've made bedding and decorations for about every room in the house, but never for our master bedroom.  So after 10 years of marriage, I thought it's time.

I'll have to wait for the big before and after reveal of the whole room (mainly because it's not done), but for now, here are some decorations I've put together.

I had bought doilies from a garage sale a couple years ago and had these canvases on hand.  I laid them out how I would want them and then Mod Podged them on.

I made my own Mod Podge, and so glad I did for this project because it took quite a bit.

 

Want to make your own Mod Podge?

Mix 1 part Elmer's glue 2 parts water.  Put it all in a jar and shake well.  That simple.  It comes out a lot thinner than real Mod Podge, so I was skeptical, but it turned out working great.

I brushed on the Mod Podge and stuck down the doilies.  Then I started brushing on the Mod Podge on top of the doilies, but resorted to dumping it on because I wanted them covered well and it was taking too long...a little impatient, yes.

I had to let them dry outside in the sun for awhile.  After they dried I spray painted them and let that dry well.  It took a lot of spraying because of all of the little spaces in the doilies.

I really love how they turned out.

And because spray paint makes all things look better, I had these stick decorations (I don't really know what to call them) but didn't like them in my kitchen anymore.

Now they are my bedroom decoration.

 

Can't wait to finish this room.  Working on the duvet cover and pillows now.

I should mention I have material for 2 other rooms in my house as well.  Hopefully in the next few months they will actually all be done.

Lots of before and after pictures to come!

Such A Lie!

I am always seeing this pin or article or idea that your house can be clean by only cleaning 15-20 minutes a day.  All I have to say...such a lie!

Ok, I get the idea.  Do a chore a day and the deep cleaning stays looking good with about 20 minutes a day invested.  I actually totally agree with this concept.  But what about the other million things you have to keep cleaned?  Just trying to be realistic.

I can't tell you how many times I've sat down and made a list for my weekly chores...dozens, I tell ya.  I did it again today, but this time I'm actually going to stick to it (hopefully).

Here is what my list looks like:

Sunday -  NOTHING (start the week off easy) :)

Monday - Bathrooms (all but floors)

Tuesday - Vacuum whole house

Wednesday - Mop whole house

Thursday - Big Laundry Day

Friday - Dust, Windows if needed

Saturday - Organize (pantry, closets, garage, kids crafts etc.)

All Week (because face it, these don't go away with once a week kind of a deal) - Dishes, Pick up, Sweep, Laundry, Trash, Water Plants, Spot Vacuum, Spot Mop

I do have 4 kids and a husband, so maybe my house takes more to maintain, but hoping it is possible to keep up better if I'm organized.  I'm also getting ready to start assigning chores for my little ones (age appropriate of course).  I think as they get older my chore list with start to shorten. :)

I'm going to try making lists for getting organized with eating healthy also.  I like my lists.

iCarly Cupcakes

Let me first say I know absolutely nothing about iCarly.

So when I was asked to make cupcakes for a little girl iCarly birthday party, I was stumped.  Google came to the rescue.

I searched and saw something about spaghetti tacos and gummy bears.  I ran this by the mom and she said her daughter loved it...I guess it does have something to do with the show or Carly, yea.

This is what I came up with.  The purple and white icing was upon request.

Fun stuff.

Reupholstering Chairs

It was my first time reupholstering.  Success!

My hubby took all of the chair cushions off and kindly put them back on, so I definitely had some help. 

My fabric was pretty thick so the corners on the chairs took the longest to get just right.  Of course, I think about every project I do takes twice (if not 3 times) as long as I think it will.  It just sounds pretty simple...take cushions off, staple fabric on, put cushions back on.

It really was simple, don't get me wrong.  It just took some patience as well.

I am so happy we did this.  Before they were an off-white microfiber.  I love microfiber because of how well it cleans up...for awhile that is.  After it has been cleaned so many times and has some wear on it, it no longer cleans up to look like new.  It just looks dirty all the time, especially such a light color.

Here's the before and after.

I would highly recommend reupholstering.  Much cheaper than a new dining room set.

1 Hour Last Minute Gifts

I don't know why I haven't thought to make these for more people for Christmas, so this may be on the list for everyone next year.

This is one of those other last minute Christmas gifts I did yesterday.

My girls are constantly snatching my rice bag.  I thought I should just go ahead and make them their own.

I made all of them 1 larger bag and then 2 little hand size bags.  They'll probably end up being more like fun bean bags to throw around.

However, if you were making them for adults, you can heat any of these up and use them as heating pads for your back or use the little ones for hand warmers when you're going out in the cold.

I even thought it would make a great gift for hunters...just make sure the fabric is camo or something instead of the flowers and monkeys.  Everyone likes hand warmers, right?

To make all of these, it literally took exactly an hour.  Perfect for a quick last minute gift.

Jewelry Box Redo

 I always seem to be working on something last minute for Christmas.  This year it was a couple of things.

First off, this (not so) pretty little jewelry box.  

 

Found at Goodwill for $4.99...which was actually more than I wanted to spend, but was the only jewelry box in 2 thrift stores.

I think it turned out pretty much as I imagined. 

It's for my oldest daughter and all of the fabric on it will be used in her quilt for her bed.  I'm all about the matching stuff.  

I Mod Podged the fabric on the drawers and replaced the glass with a doubled layer of cardstock covered in material.

Can't wait for her to open it Christmas morning. :)

I Can Crochet (well, kinda)!

I have never crocheted a single thing in my life.  But I might just be a crocheter now.  Just what i need...more projects that I want to do.

I saw this rug that someone had made...yes, on Pinterest, and figured I could surely do it too.

Then I saw she was crocheting it...

I'll tell you, it almost made me not even look at how to do it, but I decided to press on.  It really is very simple and very repetitive.  Shoot, you use a crochet hook the size of a baseball bat so it can't be too difficult.  Ok, not that big, but you get my point.

I've always wanted a rug in my baby's room for some reason.  So I happened to have some old sheets that will match my navy and white theme in my soon to be baby boy's room.

I bought a plastic crochet hook, the 11mm, which is one step away from the largest I saw at Joanne's.

I ended up using all of 2 sheets (queen size).

In the tutorial she suggests cutting your sheet a few inches and then just tearing your sheets in strips, which I did with my white one, but my navy sheet would.not.tear.

I ended up using my rotary cutter.  The strips don't have to be exact so I didn't even use my ruler.  I actually think this was faster and easier in the end.  Then your strips are also already folded up and you don't have to wind them up in a ball.  It seemed to go quickly even when you have to attach the strips together.

 I wanted a round rug instead of an oval (like in the tutorial) so I didn't really know how often to make a chain stitch. 

I just put one in here and there when I felt like I was really having to reach to get to the next loop.  Does my rug lay perfectly flat?  Nope.  Does it still look fine to me?  Yes.  For my first time to make a rug and crochet, I'm pretty happy with it.

I guess my daughter's are too since now I have a request for one in each of their rooms.  This really would be pretty in zebra print and pink.

This is where I learned how to do this rug...http://www.sugarbeecrafts.com/2010/02/rag-rug-tutorial.html.   She has a video that shows you just how to do it.  Really helpful.

Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring

Now that EVERYONE is addicted to Pinterest...I have to share some more fun things I've actually done since pinning crafty ideas.  I got the rainbow rice from someone on there too.

I made this great Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring the other morning.  So simple and the family loved it.

Here's the recipe I started with:

2 tubes (10 count each - I even used the generic brand) refrigerator buttermilk biscuits

3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

1/2 C. syrup

1/3 C. packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 C. chopped pecans, opt.

Spray a bunt pan with non-stick spray. Combine the melted butter and syrup in a small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts (if desired).

Place about half of the syrup mixture in the bottom of the pan.  Sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture on top.

Lay the biscuits on the bottom of the pan, overlapping edges (closely together) to form a ring. 
Top with remaining syrup and sugar mixtures.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Now, the things I did differently.
I used 3 tubes of the biscuits because 2 just didn't seem to fill up the ring very much.  Not thinking, I should of increased the other ingredients, but didn't.
Next time I will double the syrup and sugar mixtures.  I will also pour the syrup mixture in every so often as I lay in my biscuits to get it good and in there.  I also didn't have pecans on hand, but will absolutely use them next time.
Lastly, this took 25 minutes to cook instead of 15.

It was really great this first go around, but next time they'll be even better since I've tried them out.

This is where I got the original recipe...http://all-things-delicious.blogspot.com/2011/03/sticky-bun-breakfast-ring.html.
Enjoy!

*Update: A friend tried doubling the syrup and sugar mixtures and said she ended up with it pouring into the floor.  Guess it was a little TOO much (so sorry!).  So instead of completely doubling those mixtures, just use about 1 1/2 times the recipe if using 3 cans of biscuits.  Which actually makes sense, right?