American Crafts Sale

If you live in the Utah County area and scrapbook, make cards, invitations or anything with paper crafts, stop by the American Craft warehouse sale in American Fork.  They are hosting it where the old Sears used to be (behind the Target and Old Navy shopping complex).  I stopped in yesterday and found a cute little gift to give to some friends.  I've never seen so much ribbon, stickers and paper on sale!  And I love their little gift tags they make...I got 36 of them for $3!

Fun find...frames

I went to Roberts on Black Friday for a 12x12 binder and also came away with this...

I'd been looking for a frame like this to go along one of baby girl's walls and this one was perfect.  This line carries really cute chipboard frames in a few different styles (including the cute oval shape).  With a 50 percent off it was $5.50!

Covered with some paper and a cute little saying I love, it turned out great!

I know I've been teasing about showing the nursery for awhile.  Still waiting to decide if we are going to paint the crib.  So the bedding isn't in yet.  But it will have to be done sooner than later so pictures will be coming in short order!

The Christmas Season

It's here!  It was a wonderful weekend putting up Christmas...

This year I decided to create a calendar and plan one fun Christmas activity and one service/Christ-centered activity for each day leading up to the 25th.  Not everything is a big, planned event, but something fun to look forward to with the kids and family every day. 

Here's a few things on my list and maybe it will help you map out your December calendar too!

Thursday, December 1st...Read three Christmas stories
Friday, December 2nd...Festival of Trees
Tuesday, December 6th...Make neighbor gifts
Friday, December 9th...Shop for Angel Tree gift
Saturday, December 10th...Draw Christmas pictures for Grandparents
Sunday, December 11th...Gingerbread houses ($10 kits at Costco!)
Monday, December 12th...Learn a few new Christmas songs
Wednesday, December 14th...Pick toys to give away to charity
Thursday, December 15th...Make suckers (we've never done this!)
Friday, December 16th...Go shopping for Dad and each other
Monday, December 19th...Thanksgiving Point lights and reindeer
Thursday, December 22nd...Read and watch The Polar Express

Along with five or six Christmas parties planned in here it should be a fun holiday season!  Happy planning to you too!

After Thanksgiving Recipe

For today's recipe, I share that Harts in Lehi has the best hot chocolate around.  Stop by and pick up your own steaming cup of Honeyville Hot Cocoa.  Then drive down to Spanish Fork and join us at the Christmas Gift and Craft Show at 475 S Main Street.  Stop by our booth and pick up "Christmas Tree!"  It will be a hit at all of your holiday parties!

Jackie's House: Day 3

With one curtain panel from Pottery Barn, Jackie made these curtains for the kitchen

and these great pillows for her window seat.  Great way to stretch your dollar.



Jackie's husband made this table.  I know right!  Using a piece of plywood topped with a piece of hardwood, he added trim to the edge and the legs to the bottom.  I was super impressed.  Contact us if you want his information.



Jackie's kitchen is beautiful.  My favorite touches are the pendant lights and the metal stools.  The lights were her most expensive purchase, but she still found them on a good sale online.  Her house is beautiful and proves you can decorate well on a budget!  Don't we all want Jackie to go shopping with us!

Jackie's House: Day 2

Here's day 2 of Jackie's amazing finds.  I love this picture shelf.  Jackie took a $20 door, cut it in half, added mounting brackets to the back, and hung it on the wall as a floating shelf.  Genius!

Love the white mirror on top of the medium tone wood piano.



Perfect entry table.



I love her girls' bedroom and the mustard/grey scheme.



Jackie made these by covering frames with fabric.  Click here for a tutorial.



I love how she bought an inexpensive bumper from Ikea and added the satin bows.  It is so simple and elegant.



Using old tin from the Harley Davidson shop, she made her son's room truly unique.  Love the masculine colors and texture it adds to the room.



Aren't the license plates a great touch?



Jackie found these metal boxes at DownEast and put them under the bed for extra storage.  I hope this gives you some great ideas of how to search for the perfect items for your home.

Jackie's House-Day One

My friend Jackie has champagne taste and makes it on a Diet Coke budget!  Let's start with this drum pendant lamp.  She found this shade at DownEast and made it work with an old pendant lamp.

Don't you want to sit and relax here?

This table lamp was black, so she just painted it to fit her room. 

Love this simple grouping on her mantel.  Groups of 3 always work.

Love her minimalist design aesthetic.



Love her picture wall with the letter "c" for her last name.

So here is the best find in Jackie's house.  If you've been looking for a sunburst mirror, you've noticed they can be pretty pricey.  Jackie made her own using bamboo skewers, a $5 circle mirror and a round wooden disc from Hobby Lobby.  The mirror is one that you put candles on, so it was super cheap.  She sharpened the ends of the skewers, glued them to the back of the disc, sprayed it all pewter and glued on the mirror.  Amazing $10 project.  Thanks for the inspiration Jackie!

Fun Find: Artwork

My mother-in-law got this great sectional last weekend in her basement.  She called me and asked how she could decorate the room.  I loved the colors in the geometric pillow and built the room around it.  I headed to Ikea and found the great prints.  The bright flower print was made for her room and at $50 was a steal.  The other set of 3 was the perfect balance and was $50 for the set.  I found the mirror and Hobby Lobby and only paid $50.  I found the fabric at Hancock and made the coordinating pillows to add a bit more lightness to the room.  She loves it and it really freshens up the basement.  Again, Ikea didn't disappoint.

Scotcharoos

This a recipe I thought everyone would have...but I made them a few weeks ago for a get together and a few people asked me for the recipe!  So if you've never made these you must!  They are always a favorite.

Scotcharoos

1 cup white sugar

1 cup karo syrup

1 cup chunky peanut butter

4 1/2-5 cups Rice Krispies

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

Melt karo syrup and white sugar together over medium low heat.  (You don't want this mixture to boil...it will make the scotcharoos go hard later! I just watch for it to become more runny.)  Take off heat and add peanut butter.  Stir well.

Gradually add Rice Krispies until coated.  I usually add about 4 1/2 cups and it's just right.

Pour into lightly greased 9x13 pan and spread.

Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips together and pour over Rice Krispies.  Let cool at room temperature about an hour before serving for chocolate to harden. 

Work great as a Christmas treat with a red or green M&M on the top!

Latest from Pinterest

Thought I'd share a few of my latest finds from Pinterest...
I always source back to where I find things to give proper people credit...a few of these today I wasn't sure on but still had to share! 

Love these for Christmas and they look so easy!

Not sure on the source...

Drop a Hershey's Kiss in the  middle of a cupcake after five minutes of baking...my idea?  White cupcakes with a peppermint Kiss in the middle...

Not sure on the source...

Marshmallows dipped in white chocolate, sugar and a candy cane in the middle...LOVE!



Courtesy of icingdesignsonline.blogspot.com

This is more of a summer treat idea but could be used anytime...who doesn't love Smores!



Courtesy of meandjilly.blogspot.com

Pumpkin Muffins

In honor of Thanksgiving next week, I'm throwing an extra recipe in for today.  My friend Renee posted this on Facebook and I had to try because they sounded so easy.  And they are good too!

Pumpkin Muffins

1 boxed spice cake mix

1 15 ounce can pumpkin

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

(She and I added chocolate chips...)

Combine all ingredients and stir.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Thanks for posting Renee!

 

Bijou Market

Awhile back I told everyone about a fun boutique/market to check out in November...it's this weekend!

If you visit their site they are doing a great drawing to be entered into.  Check it out!

Last week I also stopped into Oh Sweet Sadie, a cute boutique at Daybreak.  I got these cute headbands and bows for baby girl.  My bad for not announcing it again if you didn't hear about it, but they do it a couple times a year so don't miss out next time!  They had lots of fun things. 

I'm itching to get my Christmas stuff out...anyone else?  It may just start creeping out this weekend...



Fashion Fun Find

If you live in Utah, you've probably heard about clothing superstore H&M opening at Fashion Place mall.  Well, I was one of those crazies who went up opening day for a sneak peek.  It didn't disappoint!

Photo courtesy of Michelle Tolboe

The best part about H&M for me is the great selection of boy clothing.  I don't think I've ever left the store without buying something for them.  They have a great selection at awesome prices.

 $9.95 each

 $6.95 each



And of course they have cute girl things too...most places do!  So baby girl got some things also. 

$12.95 (not the greatest picture...but it is really cute!)

My sister in law Melissa and I went up together and we were pleasantly suprised at how organized and stocked the store was still for the evening of the grand opening.  I'm sure this week will be a little more calm so make your way up for your own H&M experience!

All Things Boy

For today's recipe, I want to share the ingredients for the perfect baby "boy" shower.  We held one last night for our friend Amanda, and it turned out darling.  The theme of our shower was "Little Man."   All of our food choices, colors, and even beverages served revolved around this theme.  My favorite food picks were Lil' Smokies in honor of baby BOY, as well as bottled root beer, my mini parfaits, and these darling treats featured below.

My friend Jackie found this great tie cookie cutter and made darling sugar cookies.

She also found this mustache mold for these chocolate party favors.  It was just perfect for celebrating all things boy.  Hope this gives you some ideas for hosting your next baby boy shower.

The Perfect Namesake Gift

My dear friend Amanda is having a baby boy and naming him Mason.  Tonight is her shower so to add a personalized touch to the pennant banner, I added his name in coordinating fabric.  I backed each one with stiff interfacing and attached it with Stitch Witchery.  No sewing required.

These Ball jars have "Mason" printed on the bottom and filled with marbles add a perfect whimsical touch to his bedroom decor.  Look for namesake items as they make the perfect gift!  I got the marbles at Walmart for $1 and the jar at Hobby Lobby for $.99.

Apothecary Jars-Thanksgiving

A few weeks back, I posted how Roberts has a great selection of inexpensive apothecary jars.  For my Thanksgiving decor, I filled the two smaller ones with foam beads from TaiPan and the larger one with gourds from Rod Works.   I unified them by tying the same ribbon around each one and put picks from Hobby Lobby at the bottom.  All of their Thanksgiving decor is 50% off right now.



Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

A Twist on Family History

 I've wanted to create a family history photo tree for some time now.  I've been searching for just the right tree, frames, etc.  Well a few weeks back, I found it all.  I got the tree from Rod Works, the frames from Hobby Lobby, and copied the pictures at Costco using the wallet size option. 

 I collected pictures of our wedding, Davy's parents and grandparents, my parents, and grandparents.  I copied each in black and white and love how it turned out.

This is my Grandma and Grandpa Reedie's wedding picture.  I want my kids to be able to see who our ancestors are and love the vintage look of the old wedding pictures.

I spray glued Damask scrapbook paper to the back of each one.  It was a simple project that connects our families.

Preserving the Past

Fall is my favorite time of year to take family pictures.  When I print the new ones, I am sad to cover up the old ones.  So I found a wall in my home to create a collage of each year's picture.  I had four of the frames already, and found one at Target and one at Roberts.  Each Tuesday, Roberts does double coupons so you can get two items for 40% off.  Also, IKEA has great inexpensive frames.  I simply went with the same brown wood hue for them.  Now, I have a spot to see how we've changed over the past six years.

Vanilla Pumpkin Pie

Here's another recipe from one of my favorite people...Melissa.  This pie is so very delicious and a perfect twist to the normal pumpkin pie.  Thanks for sharing!

Vanilla Pumpkin Pie

1 graham pie crust (you can buy or make)

2 packages (3.4 ounce) jello vanilla instant pudding

1 cup cold milk

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 tub (8 ounce) Cool Whip, thawed, divided

Melis made a graham crust from the graham cracker box.  Most should have a recipe on them.

Beat jello, milk, pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl with whisk until well blended.  Stir in  1 1/2 cups Cool Whip.  Spoon into crust.

Refrigerate one hour.  Top with whipping cream (you can use the Cool Whip or make your own with heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and a little vanilla).