I hosted a baby shower a few nights ago. I was trying to decorate with things I just had on hand. I had a friend show up with balloons and streamers and immediately remembered this pin! Here is our version:
So cute. So easy. So affordable!
Map Letters
Inspiration from my awesome friend, Rachel's blog post. Check it out - her project turned out so so good that I just had to make my own. And my last name is Miles, so it makes it even cuter :)
This seriously was so easy!
Letters: You have several options. You can use wood block letters, the new cardboard type of block letters, or if you lucked out like me, super affordable FOAM block letters. Granted, the foam letters were for kids crafts and were pink, green, and blue. I had to spray paint them black, but I would've done that with wood/cardboard ones anyway. Spray paint them whatever color you want, or don't paint them at all!
Map: Found mine at Hobby Lobby and used my coupon so I got it for around $4. Now, take your time finding a map that you love. Rachel's map was more colorful and bright, mine was more neutral. You could probably find a more old school one back from the exploration days. That would be cool too! There are so many different kinds.
How To:
1. Prepare your letters (paint, sand, etc. whatever you need to do)
2. Pick spots on the map that you want to showcase on your letters. I tried to do a bit from each continent, plus places that mean something to us (Taiwan, Washington DC). Trace your letters with a pencil on the map. Now, be careful that you are tracing with the letters FACE UP. I initially started tracing with them face down, which means I had backwards letters haha! Tip: better to be a bit too big than too small; you can trim edges later.
3. Glue the map tracings onto the letters. Rach and I both used Elmers Craft Bond spray glue. Now, caution. This stuff is INTENSE! And it dries really fast. I carefully sprayed the surface of the letter, then quickly put the tracing on it, careful to avoid creases. Luckily, the map paper is really stiff and goes on pretty easily. Tip: make sure you have some newspapers or something under the letters before you spray the glue on - this glue will NOT come off of your kitchen table and is very sticky. Just be careful!
4. Let the letters dry. Once dry, that's it! SO easy. Rach used her remaining map pieces for another cute craft idea. I haven't yet. I'll let ya know if I do!
Homemade Bread
Planter Box Centerpiece
I went and bought some felt and simply hot glued it to the bottom of the box. This is important because otherwise my kitchen table would've gotten all scratched up! It's also nice because then it slides really easily on the table and you can slide it over if you need more table space.
The bottles: glass bottled lemonade from the grocery store, no joke! I was at the store one day, saw the lemonade and immediately thought they were the perfect bottles for this project. We drank the lemonade (delicious by the way), rinsed them out, soaked them in hot soapy water, and peeled off the labels.
The sprigs: Hobby Lobby! You could keep it simple like the ones in the pictures above, or you could go big! I plan on switching the colors out depending on what season it is or what holiday is near. These simple cream ones have been in all spring. I just switched them out for red/white/blue for the 4th (pics below). I plan on using orange sprigs for Fall and red holly berries for Christmas time!
Yarn Easter Eggs
I was inspired to try this craft because I saw it here. LOVE Six Sisters! And I was really pleased that they turned out so well. Making a paper mache paste was definitely the way to go - don't bother spending money on modpodge or glue!
The instructions are simple, just check out the link! I do have a few suggestions though:
- Next time you run out of eggs, keep the egg carton and your yarn eggs can dry on that.
- It definitely gets messy! Make sure you're working on a surface you don't mind getting sticky and messy.
- Lighter colored yarn turns out better. I tried to make some eggs with navy yarn, but the paper mache paste will dry kind of a milky white. You can't really see it on the lighter colors, so go with pastels!
Playing "Elsa"
I have an adorable little 5 year old friend, Miss Nora Jane! Well, I got invited to be Elsa at her birthday party and I was so excited! I found a sparkly blue dress on KSL, bought some shimmery material at Joanne's, and made myself a cape! Here are some pictures from the party :)
Happy Birthday, Nora!
Tshirt Quilt
Oh boy... this has been quite the project! Ya see, I saved all of my high school and college tshirts because most of them carried really fun and sentimental memories along with them. I just couldn't throw them away! My friend's mom made her one of these and I have wanted one ever since. Well, I finally got a sewing machine for Christmas so I'm proud to say that the top of my quilt is now finished! I started cutting out the 10x10 squares way back in summertime and it feels really good to finally have them sewn together. Next step is to buy some batting, a queen size sheet for the back, and some extra material to do the binding. The top's been finished for weeks now, but who like the tying and binding part? Nobody I know... So I've been putting it off. One of these days I'll be motivated to move forward and when I'm done, I'll post the finished product. 
* Side note: if you're wondering why there is Jason Chaffets and Mitt Romney stuff on here, it's because when I met/dated my husband, he was working on the Chaffetz campaign staff. And while I was finishing up my last year at BYU, he was working on the Romney campaign staff.
Found the idea for this here on Pinterest. And what a great idea! I was wondering what to do with our extra announcements and wanted to keep them of course. But this is a great way to display them and always remember that exciting time of announcing to the world that you're in LOVE! Being engaged was so fun :) I found the shadow box at Michael's for less than $10 and just used some sewing pins I already had. This is now hanging in our bedroom and I love the constant reminder of our special wedding day. Those flowers were extras off of my wedding dress/same ones I wore in my hair - how fun is that! The only thing I would add to this box is a big "April 21, 2012" - I'll have to add that later when I get my printer's ink cartridge refilled.
Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts
I regret not taking a picture of these bad boys... I was assigned an appetizer for our big Miles family Christmas Eve dinner. They were a huge hit! Recipe below:
1 pkg. (16 oz) bacon
3 cans water chestnuts
1 c. ketchup
1 c. brown sugar
toothpicks
Cut bacon strips into thirds. Wrap the bacon piece around the water chestnut and secure in place with toothpick. Place close together in foil lined baking dish (I used glass pyrex pan). Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, mix ketchup and brown sugar; drain the bacon grease out of the pan. Spoon the mixture on and around the chestnuts, trying not to get it on the toothpicks (almost impossible, but they get really sticky and burnt if you don't try not to). Then return to the oven for another 30 minutes.
I know, most people don't even know what a water chestnut is. But TRY THIS. You wont' be disappointed. They're the perfect pop-in-your-mouth bite size appetizer.
Christmas Craft Day
About once a month, I get together with my high school girlfriends and we have a craft day! In November, our craft was for Christmas. We take turns choosing and teaching the craft and my bestie's idea was too cute not to post about.
That red reindeer one is mine :)
That manger scene is mine :) you can't tell, but the mat is glittery gold
Aren't they sooo fun?! We all brought old frames we had lying around, or new ones from the dollar store, and just spray painted them whatever color we wanted to. We made the frame mats out of white poster board, depending on what size frame we were working with. We covered the poster board mats with scraps of fabric - reds, golds, burlap, blacks, whites, etc. depending on what would look best with our printable. My friend had cute Christmas printables ready for us in varying sizes - some 5x7, most 8x10 - she found them for free online! And then some of us tied ribbon around the frame for some extra fun! It was so much fun and really really easy!
Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies
One night I was craving those, but didn't have Rolos. What I did have was Andes mint baking chips. Those would have to do! And now they are one of our favorite cookies, especially around Christmas time. Can't just stop after eating 1 - you have to eat about 4 or 5 - that's how good they are! Especially with a big glass of milk!
Recipe:
1 box of devil's food cake mix (or triple chocolate is good too)
2 eggs
1/3 c. oil
1 c. Andes mint baking chips
Mix cake mix, eggs, and oil until well blended. Then stir in Andes mint chips. Dough will be thick. Form 1 inch (about 1 Tbsp scoop) dough balls and place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 7-10 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Star of David
My awesome husband helped me cut some long boards to the dimensions that would make it close enough to a square shape when nailed together. You can't see (which is the point), but he bracketed them together in the back with some plywood and screwed in a picture hanging hook.
Then I nailed in the 5 points of the star, picked out a beautiful gold, sparkly ribbon, and made the 5 point star by wrapping it around the nails (in the same pattern you would use to draw this on paper). I started and finished at the top so that I could tie the pretty bow. It's hanging next to my fireplace all Christmas season :)
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
I have always LOVED these wooden Christmas trees I've seen on people's porches. Well, when you have all the barnwood in the world at your fingertips... you can finally make beautiful wood projects!
Husband helped me pick a nice strong piece to be the trunk and helped cut the other pieces to be the right lengths.
I bought the letter stencils for around $5 at Hobby Lobby, as well as a star stencil. And let me tell you - stenciling is a LOT more work than it looks. Good thing I have plenty of time lately, because it wasn't necessarily hard, but it was sure time consuming. I just used regular acrylic craft paint. The tricky part was taping down the stencils, sponging the paint on, and then lifting the stencil off without blurring the letters. And then I realized I couldn't fit "Merry Little" on the board with the stencil letters (3" lettters btw). So I had to get creative and free-hand the word Little. Made me nervous, but it turned out pretty nicely.
And now I have myself a cute little porch tree. LOVE IT!
Merry "Kiss"mas!
Aren't these just the cutest?! These are tiny mason jars (favors swiped from my cousin's wedding haha) and they were the perfect size for this idea. I filled the jars with Hershey's kisses; I wrote Merry "Kiss"mas on a Christmas gift tag and hot glued it to the lid of the jar. These were given to the sisters in my ward that I visit teach. Cute and easy gift idea that didn't cost me a fortune.
Merry Christmas Garland
I made this tree garland that says Merry Christmas from this Pinterest inspiration.
However, I lucked out. I found glittery, red letters about the right size at Michael's and got to skip the whole painting and glittering by hand part. I simply found these letters, bought some shimmery gold canvas cord string, and hot glued it to the back of the letters. Easy! The pictures don't do it justice. AND I forgot to take a picture of it before I put it on the tree. I'll add a picture of just the garland after Christmas once it comes down.
Our Thankful Tree
This is our Thankful Tree. And although it is already halfway to Thanksgiving, better late than never! I got this idea here on Pinterest, but threw in some of my own flair.
My materials:
Wide glass vase - Dollar store
Small river stones - Dollar store
Clear glass marbles - Already on hand, but you can get at dollar store
Maple leaf template - Wood, from Michael's, 29 cents
Colored cardstock - Michael's
Twigs and branches - My backyard
The how-to is self explanatory, duh! Fill the vase with marbles & stones; arrange the twigs and branches; trace the maple leaf onto cardstock, then cut out and hole punch.
Each day, write what you're thankful for on a leaf and hang it on the 'tree'.
Lemon Bar Buddies
Want a new creative twist on the fav Muddy Buddies classic? Try this lemon version! It is SCRUMPTIOUS! Definitely one of my new favorite sweet-tooth snacks.
Layne's Chili
Layne is my best friend's dad. And Layne's homemade chili is the best chili ever! He makes it every Halloween. I decided to make it this year on Halloween because I miss it so much. No pic, but here's the recipe:
(Serves about 8)
- Brown 2 lbs. of hamburger with 1 large onion and 3 cloves of garlic
- Drain; put in soup pot on stove or crockpot/slow cooker
- Add:
- 1 T. oregano
- 1 t. paprika
- 2 T. chili powder
- 1 T. cumin
- 1 T. sugar
- 1 T. salt
- 2 qts. tomato juice
- Could substitue 1 of those qts. for 2 cans of petite diced tomatoes if you love tomatoes like I do
- 2-3 cups of pinto beans (depending on your preference)
- I did 1 can of pinto beans and 1 can of red kidney beans. You could also use black beans
- Cook on low 2-3 hours
- Simmer until served
Marshmellow Popcorn
Warning: this stuff is addicting!
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
Dozen marshmellows
Microwave until melted, about 1.5-2 minutes. Stir until blended and smooth.
Pour over 10-12 cups of popcorn, depending on how sticky and delicious you want each mouthful to be!
*Note: No, that isn't wine in the picture. That is homemade grape juice. No drinking going on here!
Mr. Spider
Mr. Spider on the ceiling is something my mom did every year when we were little for Halloween. It always made the house more festive and fun! When I decided to throw a Halloween party on a tight budget, I needed something cheap and easy to spruce up the place. Mr. Spider was my answer!
My materials:
A bunch of plastic grocery bags I'd collected for a month or two
Cheap black trash bags (30 gallon size, twist tie type)
A stapler
Some push pins
Fishing line
Tape
-The body: Fill one of the trash bags halfway with the plastic grocery sacks to make the body of the spider. Twistie tie it off - leave a little air in there. Tape down the corners so that he's round. With the remaining end of the trash bag, you will make the head. Fill that with some grocery sacks, round it off and tape the ends down. *when we were really young, my mom would tape some big googly eyes on the head so the spider wasn't too scary
-The 8 legs: cut the side seams off of 4 trash bags. Leave the bottom seam intact. Cut each bag into 4 strips. By leaving the bottom seam intact, the strips should be double in length once you unfold them. You should have 16 strips total. To make the legs long enough, you can either knot two strips together (end-to-end) or staple them together, leaving you with 8 legs.
-Attaching the legs to the body: Twist one end of each leg (1-1.5 inches) nice and tight and tape it to the top of the spider (the top meaning the part that will be against the ceiling). Tape 4 on each side, lined up with the legs on the opposite side, all along the body.
-Hanging Mr. Spider on the ceiling (definitely need two people for this): I hung the body/head of the spider first using fishing line and push pins. I put a string of fishing line between the body and the head and tied a square knot to make a loop. I did the same thing with each set of legs, totaling 4 loops of fishing line on the body of the spider. With your helper holding the spider, pushpin all 5 knots into the ceiling. The spider should be light enough that pushpins work just fine.
-Hanging the legs: Once the body is hanging, simply spread the 8 legs of the spider out evenly across the ceiling, taping the ends and the middle joints (where you either knotted or stapled the strips of bag together) to the ceiling. You can leave a little lag so that the legs dangle a little and look more life-like.
And Voila! Mr. Spider is complete, easy-peasy.
Halloween Wreath
This wreath was inspired by something I found on Pinterest (of course). I spiffed mine up a bit to make it a little less 'spooky' by adding a 'Happy Halloween' and some purple Christmas trim that I cut up with wire cutters. Follow the directions on Martha Stewarts page. ESPECIALLY about using acrylic paint to paint the plastic/rubber snakes. So many people in the comments section didn't listen and used a different type. Unlike those other types, acrylic won't take forever to dry and will stay on the snake (for the most part). I didn't have to use much floral wire - I kind of just entangled the snakes into the wreath.
My materials:
Grapevine wreath - Michael's
Black spray paint - Walmart
2 large rubber, coiled snakes and 2 packages of small plastic snakes - Dollar store
Purple 'Happy Halloween' - Honks
Purple christmas tree trim - Michael's
*Tip for hanging wreaths: If you have a door like mine that is too tight to fit a wreath hanger, here's what I did - put a Command hook upside down on the inside of your door, near the top. Hang your wreath using fishing line and the hook! Can't see the fishing line, it's strong and durable, and the tight door is no longer an issue.
"Halfway There" Missionary Package
I'm SOO mad at myself for not taking pictures of this! What was I thinking?! Geez. Apparently, I wasn't thinking at all. Although I got the idea here on Pinterest, my version was so much better haha! You'll just have to believe me without a picture.
Here's what I did- somehow managed to fit all of the items in this poem into a flat-rate box:
I sent this package just for some fun.
I hope it makes you laugh a ton!
I'm proud of you, my brother dear,
Because you've made it 1 whole year.
October 17th, you're halfway through,
So here are some funny "half"s for you!
Half a pair of sunglasses,
For you to wear in style.
Half a leg (random-ness!)
Because you walk for miles.
Half a football for old time's sake-
Good luck throwing that perfect spiral!
Half a sticky pad for notes you take;
Good thing there is no final.
Butterfingers, half dozen, (that's six)
Your favorite yummy treat.
Mike n Ikes, a flavorful mix,
Another sweet to eat.
After all those treats you'll need to brush
Those pretty pearly whites.
Half a tube of toothpaste lush
To keep them clean and bright.
Half a pack of toothbrushes, too,
Might help you out a bit.
Half a pack of gum to chew
Will get rid of stinky spit!
175 Q-tips and
A half used up Chapstick.
I know, you're thinking, "Oh my land!"
But it's only had 1 lick! ;)
To keep you warm, I've sent a few
Things that are my loves:
A half a pair of socks for you
And half a pair of gloves.
Just one slipper, half a pair,
And half an ugly tie.
Half a roll of TP to share.
Need more? You'll have to buy!
4 pens, that is half a pack
For you to write to me.
A half-burnt candle you may lack,
For when your poop's smelly!
Paper towels, just half a roll-
I know that isn't much.
A dirty home will take its toll-
Be sure to clean a bunch!
Last of all, a contact case
With only the right side.
Choose the right and with good grace
Take all hard things in stride.
I love you, Bro, more than you know,
And pray for you each day.
Keep working hard- the work will flow.
You're halfway there, HOORAY!
Crispy Chicken Rollups with Creamy Avocado Dipping Sauce
P.S. I'm not a photographer with a fancy schmancy camera; I won't have fabulous food photos like most blogs. Just fyi.
I was craving a good, hot meal from a Mexican restaurant. You know, like one of those delicious, scalding hot enchilada platters? But rather than go blow $20, I made my own!
Step 1:
8-10 uncooked flour tortillas (standard 8" size)
1/3 c. canola oil
1 t. minced garlic
Preheat oven to 400. Heat the canola oil and garlic in a saucepan over medium heat. Once heated, turn off the burner and let sit 5-10 minutes to let garlic infuse into the oil.
Place the tortillas on a hot griddle (medium heat). Once one side is bubbling and cooked, flip to cook other side. Set aside while you make the filling.
Step 2:
Make the filling by combining the following in a bowl:
12 oz. chicken, cooked & shredded (approx. 7-8 tenders or 3-4 breasts)
1/2 c. colby jack cheese
1/2 c. cheddar cheese
1/2 c. corn
2-3 green onions, sliced
1/3 c. salsa
1 serrano pepper, seeded (opt. - if you like spicy)
1 container plain greek yogurt (6-8 oz.)
1 t. minced garlic
1 t. cumin
1 t. salt
1T. lime juice
Step 3:
Assemble the tortillas. Fill each tortilla with approx. 2 T. filling, then roll. Place seam side down on cookie sheet lined with foil and greased.
Brush rollups with garlic oil and sprinkle with salt and dried cilantro.
Bake 8-10 minutes at 400, flipping over at 4-5 minutes in order to brown and crisp both sides.
Serve with avocado dipping sauce, spanish rice, and refried beans.
Creamy Avocado Dipping Sauce:
Mash 1 large avocado in small bowl until creamy.
Add:
1 container plain greek yogurt (6-8 oz.)
1 T. lime juice
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. chili powder
Mix well and serve with rollups
Want a printable version?
Tip for Restaurant-style Refried Beans:
Mix together in bowl until creamy:
1 can refried beans
1/3 c. sour cream
3/4 c. colby jack cheese
Heat in microwave for 4 minutes, stirring at 2 minutes.
Yummy! You can always put your own spin on this recipe. Next time, I think I'll add grilled onions to the filling. I'd also like to try using smaller tortillas so that the rollups would be more of a finger food, kinda like taquitos?
So fun Chay! You are so creative :) love love love!
ReplyDeletelove this chay! you are so crafty! :)
ReplyDeleteLOVE THIS!! I'm going to try the marshmallow popcorn soon :)
ReplyDelete