MSM

My parents have made it in town to help out during my last few days/weeks of pregnancy.  I had quite a list of things to get done, most of which were not really all that important, but I knew I couldn't do it by myself.  One of which, was to make a mobile. 

Initially, I wasn't really planning on having one.  I don't know why, but it just seemed less important than curtains and chair cushions.  However, sitting in the dr's office, I found a picture of a felt mobile that was so adorable, I knew I had to make one.  I honestly don't remember what the mobile in the picture was, but I was looking for ideas and came across this...

How could I not try to make that?  It's farm animals, it's pigs, it's adorable!  So, with the help of my mom, we made our own version for the nursery.  She came up with the following pattern... 

You'll want to cut out;
two side pieces in pink
one bottom piece in pink
wing shaped pieces out of white
two pink triangles for ears
smaller pink triangle to finish the nose
two black circles for eyes. 

You'll need;
felt in pink, white and black
embroidery floss (pink and white)
clear thread
a hoop or two sticks to hang the piggies from
scissors
a little glue
stuffing
something for the tail

We used string for the tails, but you could use pipe cleaners or whatever you'd like.  The hoop to suspend the mobile was a little difficult to come by, without driving into the city to get to a real craft store.  We used pool rings.  You know the things you throw in the pool, and they sink, and you have to swim after them?  The texture on it is kind of nice, since it helps the clear thread keep from sliding around.

All you have to do is cut out the pattern, whip stitch around the perimeter, stuff, add the wings nose and ears, glue on the eyes and tail.  We used the clear string to attach the clouds to the pigs, and then the pigs to the hoop. 

this will be the view Evelyn will see most.  It's not quite as exciting, but it's something to look at other than ceiling...

This is the room pretty much put together.  I've even almost finished the curtains!!  I didn't buy enough buttons for the tabs, but those were decorative anyway, so it's not a huge deal.

Its monday again!!!

Ok, while monday's generally aren't welcome and my not posting a MSM doesn't mean that Monday doesn't come it is indeed Monday!  I have made something too!   It's a painting for over the bed.  I think I want to add a third panel, but I only had two canvases so that's that for now.  It's just a simple monogram (and yes I do mean simple.  You can get easier if you did times new roman or something.)  My tip for today however is an easy and inexpensive way to finish the edges.  You can paint them if you want, or you can glue ribbon around the edges!  I used brown ribbon for two reasons.  Firstly, I had some.  Secondly, it went with the colors in my bedspread, so there.  You can match the color to give the illusion of the painting just running off the sides, or use a contrasting color to give the appearance of a frame. 

MSM

I don't know how many of you have come across this problem, but if you've ever tried to transport cupcakes in a car, you know it's not super easy.  Those little suckers like to topple over and roll around.  Hopefully, you at least have them contained so you're not fishing melted cupcake from underneath the seats, but all the same, your hard work is down the drain.  One tip, is to stick them down with a little bit of icing.  However, if you're not intending for the cupcakes to stay on the plate or box you're bringing, then you'll get icing on whatever you are setting them on.  Tupperware and Wilton make cupcake carriers, but those are kind of expensive, and upon looking at one, they don't really look like they'd actually keep the cupcakes from taking a roll.  So, here is a solution, based on the design of a cup holder.  All you need is a cardboard giftbox, (these can be found in the gift wrap aisle at Michaels for about $0.79) a pen and an exacto knife. 

For your standard cupcake, you'll need to make an X that creates a square about 3" by 3"  mark enough for all of your cupcakes. 

Next, cut along your mark with the exacto knife.

Push the tabs in a little, so you can insert your cupcakes

Finally, tuck your little cupcakes in the holes and you're good to go!

P.S. Yes, those are candy underwear on the cupcakes...it's for a lingerie shower for my friend who got married this past weekend. 

Make Something Monday goes Green

For quite some time now I’ve admired those bowls and picture frames that are made out of old magazines.  Do you know what I’m talking about?   Like these from Target, that are $39.99 for the set of two.  That is expensive for rolled up magazines glued together.  So, I actually decided to set out and make one myself to see how easy or difficult it would be.  I found that it’s not so hard.  It’s a little time consuming, I won’t lie to you.  The end result took the better part of a Sunday afternoon, but it’s mindless so you can do it while watching a movie or tv or something.  Not only that, if you’re too lazy to get up and go to the recycle bin to throw out your magazine, you can just tear it apart instead.  Ok then, here we go!  Are you excited?  Get excited!

All you need for this project is a magazine you’re done reading and a hot glue gun (preferably with some hot glue sticks…other wise it’s just a hot gun)

Now then, I tore off the cover first in order to make cleaner tears out of the magazine.  If you do tear your book, it’s ok, you’ll fold over it and no one will be the wiser.  I recommend you tear out a bunch of pages (start with maybe half of a normal thickness magazine.  By “normal” I mean not InStyle’s inch thick issue, but not the kind that is stapled together.) at one time just to skip through that step.  Now, once you’ve got a nice pile going for you, take a sheet and fold it in half length-wise (hot dog…for those of us who still use elementary school terms.  doodle drops of glue anyone?  anyone?)

Cool.  Now, fold in half twice more.  For the last bit, fold it in thirds (like a letter)

Fantastic!  Now then, it’s up to you whether you want to make up a bunch of these before you glue, or to glue as you go.  I opted to glue as I went, because.  Either way, once you’re ready to glue, wind a strip into a snail shell shape. Wind it as tightly as possible and tack the loose end down with glue.  Now, just build on to that. Keep doing this until you’ve achieved the width you’d like to have for the base of your bowl.  This is probably the most tedious part, since it’s so tightly wound.
It starts moving along quicker later.  Once you’ve reached your base size, just start building up along the sides, like a stair-step.

If you’re wanting to create a more narrow vase-like shape, stack them a little higher on each-other.  If you’re wanting to make a bowl, keep your steps closer together to achieve a wider bottom.

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It starts off slowly, but then pretty quickly begins to take shape.  I’m not fully finished yet, but I’m getting a little tired of folding paper and burning myself on the glue.  So, I’ll have another segment on how to finish your bowl. I will probably seal it as well, to protect the paper, just incase it somehow gets wet.  I’ll let you know what I’ll do then too.  I have to do something to keep you guys coming back and reading more.  :) 

MSM and a life update

Hmm, it seems as though all of my blogs lately have only been making something mondays.  So, for you people who want to keep up with me, the first part of the blog will be a wee update on my life.  For those of you who don't care, the weekly tip follows.  I promise I won't know if you just scroll down. 

So, what's going on right now?  Well Brandon is officially 26 days away from his appointed winging date.  Yes that's right, in less than 4 weeks I will be married to a real live Navy pilot.  However, he's not out of the woods yet.  He still has (I think) around 7 or 8 flights and who knows how much paperwork until he's done.  Hopefully he'll finish before the 26th!  From there, he has to officially decide between the P-3 and the EP-3 (basically the same plane, different jobs) and we'll be moving to Jacksonville, FL at some point after March.  When?...I don't know.  We can be there anywhere from 3 months to 9 months for his last stint of training and then from there, depending on the plane he gets, he'll be attached to a squadron and we may move again.  If we do, it's clear across the country, to either Washington or Hawaii.  We can be stationed to stay in Florida though.  So, we'll see.  I will soon be working on another painting for my sister, as well as some things for her upcoming nuptuals.  So you can be looking forward to, or just looking to see those things featured here soonish.  I've started a Beth Moore bible study "Believing God" at the church that we've been going to here.  It's an all women's study (which may go without saying since it's Beth Moore, but I don't really know if that's all she does or not.  It's the first time I've participated in a study written by her.)  We're 3 weeks in of a 10 week study and it seems like it's going to a really good study, especially with what we're facing in our future.  I'm hoping to get to finish the study with my group, but if not, there are ways to watch the videos online, but not the social interaction with the ladies.  The book is designed with daily studies, which I'm excited about since I've fallen away from being in the Word.  I'm not proud to admit that, but it's true.  Other that that, not a whole lot going on here.  Apollo has eaten the padding that I made for his crate.  He was pooping zipper bits for a couple of days, and now has to sleep on the hard plastic.  I'm guessing he's regretting the decision now (if dogs can regret) but considering the amount of wreckage, he had fun while it lasted.  Stupid dog. 

Ok then!  This week is another modgepodge of tips.  The first of which is a tea recipe which sounds really weird, but is suprisingly very good!

Grapefruit Tea
2 cups ruby red grapefruit juice (squeezed from 2 grapefruits, or from a bottle)
1/2 cup water
2 to 4 tablespoons honey
1 cinnamon stick (or just sprinkle some in there)
1/2 teaspoon whole allspice berries (I used ground allspice)

In a medium pot, combine juice, honey, cinnamon, allspice, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil over high heat; strain and discard solids. Serve with a grapefruit segment or strip of zest.

Sounds gross, I know, but it's actually really good.  Now, if you don't like grapfruit, you won't like the tea, because it still tastes a bit like grapefruit, but if you do then definitally try it! 

Now that you've got something to drink, I've found a new tip website (and by new, I do mean new to me) that I've only just begun (does the Carpenters song pop into anyone elses head just then?  No?  Just me?) to delve into, but it looks awesome!
http://www.tipnut.com/
It's got tips about green living, repurposing (even making your own feminine products, I kid you not) frugal living, crafts, pets, you name it!  Even how to save on baby stuff!  So go check it out in your free time!  

MSM

You've heard it said many times. Your mom told you, your doctor tells you, the cereal companies tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. However, some people (and I'm not pointing fingers, because I'm busy typing and I don't really know for sure) don't eat breakfast. Say it ain't so! "I don't have time, I'm tired of the same old same old, I'm lactose intolerant"...ok the last one is legitimate. However, I’ve got a few ideas for breakfast that are fast, delicious and some don’t even involve milk.
CEREAL: Alrighty then. Soggy cereal is a problem. It’s right up with global warming. Your morning can go from perfectly fine to completely ruined when your crispy goodness becomes a soggy soupy mess. Now, I usually Kashi Go Lean Crunch and it would probably take an hour to become soggy, however some people don’t like that cereal. So then, my favorite breakfast is to use plain Greek yogurt (Fage is really good and ridiculously thick) and mix it with my cereal. Granola-ey cereals are fantastic in yogurt, but flake based cereals handle the yogurt well too. (such as special k) Now, you’re not limited to plain yogurt. Yoplait flavored works great too, but depending on your cereal of choice the flavor of your yogurt may not mesh well with your cereal. So then, you’re probably asking yourself, “self, why wouldn’t I just use milk?” I am so glad you asked. Yogurt is higher in protein per serving than milk, which will keep you fuller longer and it doesn’t slosh around like milk does. Thus, your dash out of the door won’t be prohibited by having to change your shirt last minute because you sloshed milk on it.

EGGS: Ok Amanda, I am tired of cereal, give me something else, something involving eggs that I can cook in a mug at work or at home. You’ve got it! Hungrygirl.com is a great resource for healthy swaps for all sorts of meals, but this particular suggestion is quite delicious and easy! All you need is;

1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original or southwestern flavor)
One wedge The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese, or weight watchers I think has a version, cut into pieces.
Spray a large microwave-safe mug lightly with nonstick spray. Add egg substitute and cheese and stir. Microwave for about a minute. Stir gently, and then microwave for another 30 - 45 seconds, until scramble is just set. Stir and enjoy!

She’s got other variations on this recipe if you’re feeling adventurous. It’s really good and quick, and all you have to clean is a mug and a spoon!

PANCAKES: Now then, my last favorite breakfast idea takes a little work ahead of time. We like waffles and pancakes, but they take some time to make. Yes, I realize they’ve got a freezer section devoted to just this predicament, but those aren’t homemade. I will make a batch all at one time and freeze the extras. Let your pancakes cool then stack, layering a piece of paper towel in-between each cake, and wrap in aluminum foil. Pancakes work out of the freezer, I promise! Just microwave for a few seconds and you’re good to go!

Make Something Monday

Best ever Chocolate Cake...from a box!
Ok, well maybe you're all chocolated out from yesterday, but let's pretend you're not and we'll make a fantastic chocolate cake, and yes it's from a box mix!  Okiedokie, here's what you'll need
One box of chocolate cake mix (Duncan Heins preferably)  it can be swiss, dark, devils, milk, whatever
the stuff from the back of the box
plus....
1 egg
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 small box of pudding mix (if you don't use duncan heins you won't need this, but weirdly the others don't come out as good..)
1 tsp extract (I like vanilla but you can use orange or coconut or almond)
1 small bag of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350
Mix everything together in/with a mixer (except for the chips) until well blended.  then stir in the chips
Pour into two 8" round cake pans, or a 9x13.  bake for 50 min or until you insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.  Let cool and ice.  It tastes incredible with buttercream mixed with 2 Tbsp of raspberry spread/jam/preserves as the filling.  No one will guess it's from a box, it's so delicous!

MSM part deux

Alright you doubting doubters!  You nay-saying nellies! You  poo-pooers of painting!  You can do this and I’ll show you another shortcut.  No one is expecting you to be Claude Monet.  Don’t put pressure on yourself to make something “perfect.”  That takes all the fun out of painting!  So, you can’t draw a straight line!  Who can?  That’s why we have rulers and straight edges!  If you doubt your drawing capabilities, trace your shapes.  Here, I’ll show you.  Again, I’m using the Ken Bailey dogs.  The prints are simple shapes and solid colors, which are a great thing to look for if you’re nervous about making custom art.  This is what you’ll need.  (my canvas is a little big, but my plain smaller ones have paint on them, so I couldn’t use those for this purpose. ) You need your canvas, scissors, a pencil and your print of choice.  Now, if you’ve got a nice print, I wouldn’t recommend cutting into that.  Make a copy, or find a high resolution version online and print it out.  Or, trace around it on computer paper.  If your canvas is larger than your print, you can just go to Kinko’s or something and make an enlarged print for a matter of a few cents.

Okiedokie smoky!  Let’s get cutting.  We’ll start with the main part, the dog.  Cut that little sucker out See, easy!  Now then, put your little doggie (or whatever) on your canvas in the place you’d like it to be, and trace around it lightly with your pencil.  (no I am not left handed)There, you’ve drawn a dog.  See, you can draw.  Now then, there’s the little matter of the red stripe along the side.  Cut that out too. Very nice, now just trace along that line like so…(see, now I’m right handed…)Now, just paint inside the lines!  You can change whatever colors you’d like to make it suit your style.  The black dog licorice wouldn’t make as much sense if your dog is blue…but you can use the outline to make blue dog bistro.   Once that’s all dry and good to go, you can take a paint pen and write on the lettering if you want.  See, not so bad once you break it down a little!  No one has to know you traced.  I wouldn’t know the difference unless you told me, and I promise I won’t ask.  Mostly because that’s a weird thing to ask…   

MSM Art

It’s no secret that I like to find ways to decorate on the cheap. Usually, if I find something that I like I ask myself the following; “Do I have a place to put it?” “Do I want to move with it, and if so, will I be crushed if it…well, gets crushed?” “Is the price worth it?” “If the price isn’t worth it, can I replicate it?” So, if the first two are a yes, and the third is a no, and the last one is a yes, then I’ve got a project on my hands. That makes me happy, because I like projects. So, this week, Brandon and I are painting pictures for our kitchen.

I enjoy paintings. I love the look of canvas and the textures created by the paint. It’s just so much more dimensional than a print. However, they’re an investment and we’re not all at that stage in our lives to invest in something like that. If you are, fantastic, but we are not. However, canvas is cheap and so why not have paintings in your home, if you can just do it yourself!?

When we first moved in to our apartment, I found these prints by Ken Bailey. I thought they were just so cute, and I was able to find pictures online that allowed me to print out 5x7’s without being pixilated. You could just stop there if you’d like.

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However, if you know me, then you know that I can’t just stop there. These are available for purchase at art.com on 11x15 canvas for the low low price of $150.00. (By low low price, I mean yikes!) I can beat that! And so I have! All you need is; some paint (acrylic and a black paint pen), canvas (which can be purchased at Michaels in packs of two 11x14’s for less than 8 bucks) and some brushes. All in all (since I already had most of my paints) the total for 4 pieces of art is less than $20. (As a side note, when buying paints you do get what you pay for. In the acrylic aisle the cheaper paints are much thinner, and thus require more coats. I’m not saying not to buy them, because I have and do, but just so you know)

Don’t be intimidated by painting! If an elephant and a pig can paint, so can you! Start simple if you doubt your skills. Basic shapes and colors are modern and chic. These Bailey prints might look daunting to duplicate, but if you break it down they’re just simple shapes and colors. The lettering is by far the hardest part, but if you use the paint pens, that’s not really all that bad! Now then, how do you get started you ask? Draw it out. “But Amanda, I can’t draw!” Sure you can! I find the simplest way to replicate something that already exists, is to divide the picture into about 8 squares. Then, very lightly draw those eight squares onto your canvas. Now, you’ve got a grid system. Look at the top left square on your picture, and draw whatever is in that square on the top left corner of your canvas. Break it down, take it slow, and draw very lightly!

Once you’ve drawn your picture, start painting! Slow and steady wins the race. Don’t worry about it being “perfect” it’s your art. Acrylics are fantastic because if you do “mess up” it’s an easy fix, since the paint dries faster, just cover it up and move along!

As you can see, we’re still working on one more but you can see 3 of our paintings. The first two are mine and the last one is Brandon’s. It looks more polished to me than the framed paper, less like the afterthought that it was to begin with. (not that paper can’t be art, but ours looked a little….cheap) The Boxer Bakery is based off of the Boxer wine. We’re not big drinkers though, so I changed it. The Three Lab Bakery was my favorite, so I just copied it, the same with the Black Dog Licorice. Brandon is custom making the forth one (the one pictured above)

msm

Happy February! We're already one month down, can you believe it! I feel kind of bad for February though, because it's kind of forgotten, like the middle child. It's short with not a whole lot goin on considering it follows December/January madness. (that and next month will be filled with big excitement) All that aside, let's make something shall we? Let me start with, did you know that if you press ctrl + you can zoom in on any webpage (and inversly ctrl - makes it smaller)? I knew that worked in Photoshop, but not on the internet. Of course, I think I'm always the last person to realize these things...anyhow, let's move on.

Did you get things for your wedding/birthday/whatever that is nice, but you don't really know what to do with it? For instance, I received a silver platter. Now, I'm sure Brandon would apprieciate his dinners presented to him on this platter, but that's not going to happen. So, I'm sure that Miss Manners will turn in her grave, but I am using it under my indoor plants (which are still alive surprisingly) to make them look more defined, (like a floor rug for your plants) and keep water that spills over from getting on the wood table on which it's sitting. Now, it is serving a purpose, and not taking up valuable storage space! You can also hang it on the wall with other plates/platters in an interesing way for free art.

Now then, do you have 14 differnt remotes? Does your husband like his gaming systems, and thus controllers sit strewn all over the house? No? Congratulations. Anyhow, if you do here's an idea, if you've got a nice little basket (or small platter...I'm stretching here with the platter idea) you can just throw them all in there and place it on your coffee/side table. Now they're all wrangled and not stuffed in the sofa cushion, and you've decorated your house. Bada bing.

Do you have issuses on where to put your cookbooks? Do you have cookbooks....? Do you have a bar in your kitchen? Do you use your bar? Do you like answering a lot of questions? Do you like popcorn? Well, if you're like me, and you've got cookbooks, and bar and no use for a bar, then you've got yourself a bookshelf! The books are right where I need them (in the kitchen) You may need to go out and buy some bookends, but you can find some cheap ones, if you don't have anything heavy enough to hold them up, but other than that, again, no wasted space and you can actually use those books!

Ok, I'm tapped out this week. Have a happy monday!

MSM

I know that some of you are already fans of weekly/monthly menus, but I am here to convert those of you who haven't started doing this. It makes life so much easier, not even kidding! If you can do all of your cooking over the weekend so that you just heat up your food during the week, it's all the easier! (but that's not necessary) So, I'll share how I go about making a menu, and you menu making gurus out there are more than welcome to share your thoughts/ideas/whatever. This does take some planning, but it'll save time and money in the long run.

Saturday

• Now, I like to bake, but not so much cook. I don't hate it, but my kitchen doesn't lend to great culinary experiences. So, when I start my weekly planning, I usually start at bettycrocker.com because it has easy/quick recipes and it has coupons. (double whammy!) Of course you can look anywhere, but like I said, this is how I do it.
• Generally, I choose one meat for the week, because let's face it, meat's not cheap. Ground beef, chicken......yeah that's usually the only things I use, but sometimes I mix things up and get ground turkey. On special occasions I'll buy beef to make into pot roast. Anyhow, you can check online generally to see what specials your chosen store has, which can aid in the choosing of your meals. I usually also have some beans or pasta or some non-meat substitute (no not tofu..ugh) on hand to pad the menu, just in case for some reason the food doesn't last all week.
• Ok, now that you've chosen your meat (for this examples sake, I'm using chicken) you can choose your recipes. *I'm assuming that you are either single or married with no children out of the womb. If you have a family...this may not work.* Usually a package of chicken breast is WAY too much for the two of us. If you fix all of the chicken the same way, you'll burn yourself out on it! So, I can generally make 2 different recipes out of one package. (Betty has a feature that you can type in the ingredients you have and it'll generate some tasty options) This week, I'll be making baked potatoes with chicken (much like the kind you'd get at Jason's Deli, the pollo mexicano potato) and we'll also have baked eggrolls stuffed with chicken and veggies. Generally, we'll have leftovers, we don't only eat dinner twice a week. We actually have leftovers from last week too, so don't worry. If you fear you'll run out, your beans or pasta will come into play.
• Now, write down the ingredients that you do not have onto your grocery list, and check for available coupons. If you're a superstar you can check your coupons first and plan accordingly. Don't forget to write down the amounts the recipe calls for. How many times have I found myself looking at canned tomatoes and forget how much I need, and don't buy enough....oy!

Sunday

• Now, you know exactly what you need, you're not buying ingredients that you've already got and you can avoid the frightening experience of walking into the grocery store unprepared! Now get in the kitchen and get cookin'!

MSM cupcake stand

So, I'm pretty excited about this upcoming weekend. I've been asked to make a cake or cupcakes for a baby shower! I don't actually know the expectant woman, but she's having a boy and she is the wife of a Navy pilot. Other than that, design is up to me! (Whoop) So, since it's a smallish shindig, I decided to do a 6" round cake as a top tier and then make 2 more tiers out of cupcakes. I've seen cupcake stands that allow for just this, and they look something like this...

Pretty right? Yeah, those stands can cost over 200 bucks. Yes you read right $200. (I've seen the one time usage ones for as low as 9.99 but it was target.com so there are shipping costs and I can make one for less!) So, I realize that most of you guys don't care for cakes like I do, but I'm sure that you all have made or will be making cakes/cupcakes in the future. I am sure. (yep, sure about you too Craig) Anyhow, here we go, let's make a cupcake/cake/petit four stand!

Stuff you'll need

foam board (1/4" is best, but Michaels had buy one get one free on the 1/8" so I just doubled up since it was much cheaper)

glue (I suggest rubber cement and hot glue)

wrapping paper and/or contact paper

ribbon (1/4" width and 1/2" width)

something to make a divider that stands at least 3" tall (I used round cardboard boxes with a 4" diameter that are like $1, you can use foam)

Scissors & xacto knife or box cutter

compass

Okdokie, here we go. You'll first need to decide the size of "plates" you'll need. I used an 8", 10" and 13" (yes, I know that sounds weird, but it's ok I promise) I chose 8" for the top so that the cake will have room for a boarder around the bottom and the appropriate amount of cupcakes will fit on the other tiers. I need about 18, if you need more, you'll probably want to add more tiers. Now, use your fancy little compass and draw out your circles and cut those bad boys out with the xacto or box cutter. Scissors will not work unless you're the hulk.

Now, you'll probably want to cover the foamboard with decorative paper. If you like the white, you can just cover the foamboard with contact paper to protect the paper from the oils of the desserts. You can use anything you want depending on the occasion. Just trace your circles on to the paper and cut out with scissors, then glue down on the foamboard. (this is where I like the rubber cement, because it dries flat with no bubbles, you can use a glue stick, but you may get some air bubbles later...I'd know, it happened to mine. Once that's done, cover with contact paper. (I found some at Target in the home section around the laundry aisle with the stuff you can line your cabinets with, in case you were wondering where to find it)

Now, you'll want to cover the sides with ribbon. Of course you don't have to, but it gives it a more finished look. This is where the hot glue gun comes into play. Just glue the ribbon along the edge of your circle. when you reach the end, fold the end inward and glue down to avoid unraveling.

So now, all you have left to do is cover your supports, if you so wish. You obviously don't have to, but again, it just looks a little nicer. The example I have below is from Cakejournal.com, I'll show mine when it's finished. The finished product cost me probably $10 total, including the paper, ribbon, and contact paper I still have left over, so less than that! Huzzah!

MSM

Hey it's the first make something monday of the year! Woo! Well, as you know, I am not a big fan of Hobby Lobby. It's not really fair since my deep seeded resentment is because it was the only craft store in College Station while I was studying architecture. Their poor art and drafting supply stocking abilities mixed with being closed on Sundays was not at all convienient. I do admire that they're closed on Sundays to allow families to go to church, but when that's the only place in town and you've got a project due on Monday and someone has stolen some of your stuff and you've used your last xacto blade......things can get ugly. However, they've now decided to open an online store! (the store that just a year or so ago got a real debit card machine and still doesn't use barcodes....) I'm not a huge fan of buying supplies online, since you have to wait a few days and pay shipping and such, but HL is offering free shipping for $25 orders (which is pretty low in comparison) While currently they're not selling stuff that ENDS kids would order (like chipboard, foamboard, and xacto blades...the stuff they can't seem to understand to keep in stock at all times...! Simmer down Amanda, simmer) They do have a broad variety of other things. However, if you are in need of stocking up on xacto blades (because I know you are) here are some of my favorite art supply stores online.
www.dickblick.com (yes, it's a funny name....) This has everything art. everything.
www.joann.com -this is joann fabrics website. If you're looking for specific fabrics, patterns or whatnot, they've got even more than the have in their already well stocked stores. I found Steelers fabric to give my mom last year.
www.amazon.com - yep you can find most anything here too and usually for less. yay

I know it's monday, and I saw a tip today that I'll share, but I'll be upfront with you. I'm mainly going to talk about Christmas. On the Today show this morning, a woman was talking about ways to organize your house. Most of them were pretty run of the mill like "label" and "put stuff in labeled boxes" and "label the troublemakers in your house...no I'm just kidding about that one. Anyhow, she actually had a pretty cool idea on how to keep your linen closet organized, and that was to fold all of your sheets and put them inside of the coordinating pillow case. Now, they all stay together and you just pull out one thing at a time without the avalanche of sheets! (btw I am not against labeling, but it's just not a new idea)

Okiedokie, Christmas time! Apollo didn't actually act any worse than last post's which was good. He annoyed my mom's dogs, and they taunted him, and he drew and quartered his gift from them in about 5 minutes. (it was a not stuffed monkey toy, and that monkey no longer has limbs.....) Other than that though, he acted alright. We joked that he'd sleep for 3 days straight once we got him home and that was just about right. He passed out in the truck on our drive home and has slept pretty much the past couple of days. Enough about Po though. We had 2 Christmases. The first was with Brandon's mom since they got a gift to go on a cruise during Christmas week, but I've already talked about that. Then, the actual day we spent with my folks and sister and almost brother-in-law....and actual brother-in-law come to think of it. Between barks and squeeks (did I not mention every dog got a squeeky toy...no? Yeah, all 3 dogs got squeeky toys) we opened gifts and ate and had a merry old time. I got a wacom tablet that will allow me to draw straight onto the computer (or write, or paint or edit photos, or scrapbook...which I don't do, but I could) it is a lot of fun to play with. Now all I need is a desk..... If you give a mouse a cookie...Anyhow! Brandon got a lot of camping stuff and now he's itching to go camping. I'm hoping he'll wait until spring. He also now owns a ps3 and a universal fancy pants remote. I've never seen him happier. Not even on our wedding day....just kidding. (I think)

MSM tuesday edition

I have been under the weather this past weekend. I'm now at the same level as the weather and hope to soon be over the weather by mid week. Now that I'm feeling ok again I'm still not quite up for making more booger...uh..... sugar cookies, so I've stopped baking for other people. You're welcome. I did, however, manage to complete the thumbprint cookies, pecan brittle and fruit cake. I didn't get to the snowflake cookies or the pizzells and I made gingerbread muffins instead of cookies. So, no food this Monday, instead I came across an article that I thought was pretty cool. It was of course from my favorite magazine (real simple) and you may already know this stuff, but I didn't, so I thought I'd share it with you. We're making the most of Google searching.

To find: a product you saw online, but can't remember where...
Use: intitle:
Example: intitle:"dark chocolate and mint chips"
Why: "the term 'intitle' searches the words in the title bar of web pages and can be particularly helpful if you remember the name of a product you liked but not where you found it. Just be sure not to put a space after the colon and to use quotation marks around the phrase."
This particular search lead me to the blog "Lovin' from the Oven" where a woman is doing a clever 12 days of cookies! (I've tried the nestle dark chocolate and mint chip cookies and...let's just say we don't have any more and my pants aren't happy about it.)

To find: PDFs, Excel spreadsheets or Powerpoint presentations
Use: filetype:pdf, filetype:xls, filetype:ppt
Example: grocery savings filetype:pdf
Why: "If you include the file type in you rsearch, Google will turn up only relevant files." My example gives you coupon mom's guide to saving money while grocery shopping.

To find: narrowed down info
Use: a hyphen (a minus sign more like it)
Example: boxer -underwear -fighting
Why: "you want information about Boxers- the dog not the undies or the fighters. Placing a hyphen before terms you want to exclude will omit pages with those words. Type a space before the hyphen, but not after"

You can also do the following

• look up addresses-type in a persons name and phone number and if they're listed you can get their mailing address
• find movie showtimes- just type in movies followed by your zip code to see theaters and their showtimes for the next three days
• convert measurements-How many cups equal a liter? type in "cups in liter" and it'll pop up for you (btw 1L=4.22675284 cups) You can use this for currency conversions too.

MSM

So, I'm in a bit of a tough spot this week as to what to make. I've been working on one thing in particular, but I can't show you because it's a christmas gift (if you've got facebook, you can see it, and if you don't...don't sign up for it until after Christmas) So, I guess I'll have to fall back on recipes this week.

Have you ever had left over chicken breast that you just don't know exactly what to do with? Sure you could eat it as is again, but the magic of chicken is that you can make it in to anything but beef! For instance, yesterday, I just grabbed a can of condenced cream of chicken soup, a bag of mixed frozen veggies, threw all of those into an oven safe dish and topped with dumplings that I made with bisquick and milk. Bake at 350 for 25ish minutes and Bada bing, chicken pot pie-ish dish! (I have since become Italian...it happens from time to time)

I was making another Christmas present that called for cheesecloth in the list of ingredients. (No, I'm not making cheese) Well, I don't have any and didn't really know where to find any, so you know what I do have that works just as well for the purpose that I needed? A coffee filter! Yep. And if you know where I could find cheese cloth...let me know! I looked in the baking aisle, but it was so crowded in there, I could hardly find flour much less something like that.

Sorry, I don't have much for this week. I'll be spending a lot of time in the kitchen this week working on Christmas cookies, so I'm hoping that next week will be better. I've taken on a big challenge this year and have decided to try to make all of the following cookies
Sugar that will of course be decorated
gingerbread
thumbprint
snowflake
pizzelle (if i can get to my pizzelle maker...)
pecan brittle

within the next two weeks...Lord help me find my sanity

MSM

Hello folks! Hope you guys had a yummy and very happy Thanksgiving! Due to the past weekend of stuffing one's face, I've decided to save some recipes for next week, because I figured you probably don't even want to hear about food anymore. So after that last sentence I'll try not to bring it up again. So then, this week I'll discuss some cool ways to decorate for Christmas! (hooray Christmas!) So crank up your Bing Crosby and let's deck them halls! (and living rooms and dining rooms, because really how much time do you spend in your hall?)

I realize that most of my readers are young and don't really mess with the whole Christmas card thing. I'm not even sure if I'll send any out this year or not. However, we usually get some and then what do you do with them? Throw them away? Recycle them? (I don't mean whiting out someones name and sending it out as your own...although.........) Why not use them as Christmas decor? They're festive, and free! There are many things you can do with the cards. You can set them up on your fireplace mantle (or if you're like me and don't have a fireplace you can just put them wherever there is a ledge) However, that takes up space, and lets be honest. Are you really going to read them again? Probably not. Soooo. Take down those framed pictures on your wall and seasonally replace the photos with your favorite cards. They look clean and classy and you have instant free Christmas art, without the glitter cascading all over your mantle!

If you're like Charlie Brown and don't give nor receive Christmas cards, you can just place some festive wrapping paper in the frame instead, or you could mix and match.

Now, what to do with your kitchen/dining room table? You can always place a wreath on it and put candles around, or Brandon's cousin made this clever table decoration using cake plates of various heights. The one, she arranged glittered fruit on the plate and then placed a glass dome over the top. (now that fruit was fake, so I wasn't actually mentioning food!) On another, she placed some 3-d snowflake cut outs and the third, I don't remember what was on it, but ornaments would look really cute on a third. They add instant interest and you may already own these things! (Also, if you're like me, you may not have a Christmas tree, but for some reason have ornaments and have no where to put them, there ya go!)

Another use for ornaments without a tree home, hang them at varying lengths from a light fixture. My mom uses snowflake ornaments and the table looks as glass and porcelain snowflakes were going to cover the table.

Once I actually decorate my apartment, I'll post some pictures that hopefully illustrate what I'm talking about a little better!

It's Monday!

I'm not going to lie, there are some Monday's I have no idea what to share with you guys. This week is not an exception, so it'll be a little rough, and theme-less but I've collected a few tips and ideas that have been shared with me, or something that I've figured out along the way that I'll pass along.

Right now, I am making a Christmas wreath from a kit that uses felt and sequins and beads (oh my!) There are tons of these little pieces that I would never be able to keep track of unless I used a mini-muffin tin. I found these at the local grocery store in the baking aisle, and it's just the cheap aluminum kind that come in a set of 3. They are just the right size to organize all the sequins and beads! Now if I had a tip to keep me from sitting on the edge of the tin and sending sequins everywhere...well, I wouldn't still be finding beads in the sofa cushions. :)

Next, is a tip in the kitchen. I find myself attracted to recipes that use peppers in adobo sauce, however most recipes only use a tablespoon at a time. While watching a Rachael Ray show, she showed that the extra can be put in a baggie and frozen, which is awesome, but I'm taking it a step further (oh yes!) I got some press and seal wrap (which is awesome) and divided the remaining adobo sauce into tablespoon portions onto a sheet in a grid pattern. Then, I lay another sheet and place it on top and press down around the little plops of sauce. This way, when I need some, I go into the freezer and cut off what I need and it's already measured out for me. It takes a little time in the beginning, but it's nice in the long run!

Need more protein in your life? Or are you bored with your cereal routine? Try plain greek yogurt instead of milk with your cereal! I won't lie, it's best with granola-ey cereals, but I like with with flaky kinds too. I'm not sure it'd taste very good with cheerios... It is thick (many people use it instead of sour cream) but your cereal wont get soggy as quickly! It's tasty and packed with protein goodness. Yay!

MSM

I like to re-arrange stuff. Pictures and furniture move around our house all the time. You may be thinking to yourself "what a loon!" or, you may be thinking "ok, I think about doing that too, but I'm afraid that when I start moving stuff around that I'll realize that nothing will fit anywhere else, and now I have to move everything back!" Here are a few tips I've discovered along the way that saves time and backache.

First off, you'll need to measure your room and your furniture. Just base measurements, don't figure out the volume or anything...unless you like to do that sort of thing, then knock yourself out. After you've gotten your measurements, get some graph paper and set a scale. Generally graph paper is divided into 1/4" squares. If your room is small enough you can just make each 1/4" square equal to a foot and draw out the floor plan of your room. Make sure you make note of the general locations of the cable, phone and electrical outlets. Then, on another sheet of graph paper, draw out (in the same scale) the footprint of your furniture. I find it helpful to color in the furniture. You don't have to make it actually match your fabric, just color it so it'll contrast on white paper. Ok, now that you're done with that, cut out your furniture pieces and start playing around with them on your previously drawn floor plan. See, it's fun interactive and you don't have to scoot around furniture until you're ready (If your pregnant, don't move it, make Craig do it!)

I use the same principal when I hang pictures. This time, I use any old paper that I cut to the size of the frames and then place them on the wall with some painters tape. This way, I can shift stuff around without putting 438459 holes in the wall, and once I am happy with the placement, I can mark the location of the nail right then! Wee! (again, unless you have colored walls, which I don't normally have the luxury of, use colored paper to make it stand out from the wall.)

MSM

I'm not much of a table cloth person, that is unless the table is ugly, then I'm all for it. I realize that they protect the wood better, but if you can't see the wood, what's the point of the nice table? Instead, I like place mats. They're small, festive and visually allocate the amount of space you're allowed to use on the table. My mother in law got us some really cute place mats when Brandon and I were first married. However, at the time we had an ugly table and no use for more than two (even though she got us four.) Now, we have a nicer table and 6 chairs. If we have family over, then someone gets doubled up paper towels for a place mat. (that is not what we're making, I'm ghetto, but not that much so) Anyhow, after much searching, I could not find the matching place mats! Then, I came across these cute napkins that matched my decor. Not only that, Kohls has a perpetual sale going on, so they were practically a steal, and they had 6 left! So I snagged them up and decided that I was going to make my own place mats out of these napkins! That my friends, is what we're making this Monday!

Now then, you start with your cloth. Like I said, I used a napkin which is already treated for food abuse, but you can use whatever you'd like that is durable and washable. This particular pattern made it easy to make a template, I just used 4 squares by 6 squares. You may have to measure...

Okiedokie, now that you've measured your fabric, all you have to do is sew the seams. If you're not a sewer, you can use the iron on seam stuff you can find in the fabric store. Super simple!


Just sew up all four sides, and there you have it! Repeat however many place mats you need! You may want to spray with scotch guard or some other sort of coating that will help keep liquids and foods from staining too deeply, but other than that, there ya go!


Hooray!

I haven't quite figured out what to do with the scraps yet. I was thinking about making napkin rings or something (like we use napkins!)