Yes, another Burlap Wreath! And again, under $20!

What can I say? I'm on a roll! I have been merrily making burlap wreaths for about a week now. I am covered in burlap lint and have several glue gun burns, but I am excited to send out my wreaths and to grace my front door with this one! Burlap Wreath #2!

It's not quite Fall yet, but I feel the cool air and shorter days beginning to grace us. So for a simple and shabby look at my front door, I experimented with combining the idea of the burlap bubble wreath and the burlap rose wreath.

My Pins of Inspiration!

http://www.babblingsandmore.com/2011/09/burlap-wreath-giveaway.html

http://somekindoflovelyride.com/2012/05/05/super-easy-burlap-wreath/

Both blogs have some seriously cute ideas! Visit their sites for more!

Supplies:

1) a wire wreath ($2.99 at Hobby Lobby)

2) Burlap ribbon about 4 inches wide. ($4.99 a roll at Hobby Lobby and I used 2 and 1/2. I also got them 50% off)

3) Glue gun and plenty of glue sticks

4) scissors

5) burlap in different colors such as orange, brown, and cream.( I had left over from my previous wreath and burlap is about $3 a yard and you'd need less than half a yard. I also got the orange burlap from Hobby Lobby but in the ribbon form.)

6) Pearl pins(walmart for 2.77, but I had plenty left from previous wreath)

7) Floral wire

How to bubble:

1) Unroll one of the burlap ribbons and on one end, weave some floral wire in between the fibers. Secure this end to the wire wreath. I started on the outside.

2) Now pull the ribbon over and under, back and forth, between the wires. Push up to keep it tight.

3) Just keep going until you r ribbon ends and then secure this end with more floral wire. 

4) repeat 1 thru 3 until the entire wire wreath is covered in burlap bubbles.

You can visit   http://somekindoflovelyride.com/2012/05/05/super-easy-burlap-wreath/    for more specific photos and directions. 

For the flowers:

1) Visit this tutorial: http://www.craftaholicsanonymous.net/burlap-roses-tutorial . She explains it better than I ever could!

2) Hot glue flowers to wreath and pin the middle with the pearl pins.

For the Bow:

1) Take a piece of the orange burlap and fold ends under, meeting in the middle.

2) Take some twine and wrap int around the center. Hot glue gun in place.

3) Cutting two more orange pieces, hot glue gun underneath and cut the "V" ends.

4) Hot glue the bow to the wreath or secure with floral wire.

Ta Da!

This wreath took me an hour total. about 30 minutes to do the bubble part, and another 30 for the roses and bow. Super easy!

                                                       

Now onto my last wreath! Happy Pinning!

                               

DIY Burlap Wreath! For Under $20!

I LOVE Burlap! Almost as much as I love Chevron prints, and that's saying something. Combine the two? Heaven on Earth!!! Ha! What can I say? Its really too much fun! Burlap can be so diverse, and when dressed up, made to be country or shabby chic. Add some lace or pearls and ta da! BUT it comes with a warning...ITS A MESS! Ha! A lesson I quickly learned. This however, does not detract from my love of it, or from the list of craft ideas I want to try!

My first attempt with burlap was this wreath and I absolutely love how it turned out! Even more so, I LOVE the price tag! Less than $20 to make myself instead of spending upwards of $40 on Etsy or in a craft store. It also did not take that much time or effort. Maybe two hours and a few glue gun burns.(Glue guns aren't my friends. ha!) I could not wait to hang it up! It rests proudly on my living room wall! Here's the How To....

Supplies:
1) Your choice of wire edged burlap, 1) patterned and one not.(I got my Chevron print and regular at Hobby Lobby at 40% off. Was $6 for 15ft. Generally sold in the ribbon section.)
2) Brown and cream regular burlap sold by the yard.You will only need half a yard of each at the most.(Walmart sells it for $2.98 a yard and Hobby Lobby for just over $3. So for half a yard of each $3 total!)
3) Your choice of twine. (I had some left over form a different craft.)
4) Pearl pins. (2.77 at Walmart)
5) Straw form wreath. (I got mine from Hobby Lobby for $3.99. You could also use foam or anything like it. The cheaper the better!)
6) Hot glue gun and plenty of glue sticks!
7) Scissors

How To:
1) Plug in hot glue gun and heat up.
2) Cut your cream and brown burlap by the yard into strips of varying lengths and widths.
3) With your wire edged patterned burlap, hot glue gun one end to the wreath. Then start tightly wrapping it around the straw wreath form. (A small side note, I left the plastic wrap it came with on. The straw is poky!)
4) When you have covered the full wreath, hot glue the other end down. Securing it in place.
5) Make your burlap flowers in different sizes and colors. Here is a great tutorial that explains it better than me! http://www.katiesrosecottageblog.com/2012/01/burlap-rose-tutorial.html
6) Pin the flowers in the middle with the Pearl pins and secure in your desired pattern onto the wreath.
7) For a little added dimension, add some twine flowers as well. I just looped the twine to look like a daisy and hot glued the middle.
8) To make the bow, use the plain wire edged burlap and wrap twine in its middle. I recommend the wire edged because it holds its form, but the regular burlap would work too.
9) I used a small strip of the same burlap to hang it with. I hot glued the bow to this piece.
10) Hang on your door or in your house!

Me and a friend of mine had a wreath making day and I am working on finishing the other. Will post some photos of that one soon!

My pins of inspirations! I kinda combined the two!

http://pinterest.com/pin/56787645274625920/

http://pinterest.com/pin/26740191510853546/

My Chevron burlap wreath was inexpensive and fun to do! I recommend it to all! On a scale of easy being 1 and difficult 10, its a 2!

Happy Pinning!

Buttercream Frosting using Regular Sugar!

Ever go to make something you're craving and realize your missing a major ingredient? You're either left making something completely different or not at all? My 7 year old daughter is big into the show DC Cupcakes. She just loves it. I had this little idea to see what would happen if I let her go at it and make a batch of cupcakes from scratch. I got all the ingredients out and let her read the recipe, and away she went. She was beyond enthusiastic! Then I realized that I had no Confectioners Sugar(aka Powdered Sugar). Uhhhh.... what exactly do we do about the frosting? So I turned to Google. I found a few chat rooms and baking boards. One of them had a recipe for Buttercream Frosting using regular sugar instead of confectioners. So we decided to give it a whirl. It turned out sugary sweet and a perfect consistency! Loved her expression when she ate her first bite! She felt very proud of herself.  Maybe I have a baker in the making and I won't ever have to bake again. Ha! :)

The recipe was not a Pinterest one, and in truth I have no idea who to credit. It was a person named RLI R on a Yahoo Answers board. Whoever you are RLI R, you saved the day! :)

Here is the recipe...

Ingredients:

1 cup milk

1/4 cup flour

1 cup butter(2 sticks) at room temp

1 cup granulated(regular) sugar

2 tsp Vanilla

Combine milk and flour in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. 

Cream the butter and sugar until very fluffy. Add the vanilla and cooled flour mixture. Continue to beat at medium speed until frosting is very fluffy and sugar is completely dissolved. (If you take a little of the frosting and rub it between your thumb and pointer finger, you'll be able to tell if the sugar has completely dissolved. If it hasn't, just keep beating.

Makes 3 cups. Enough to fill, border, and frost a 9 inch cake.(I had tons left over since ours was just 24 cupcakes!

Look at that proud face! :)

Try it! Its just as good as confectioners recipes! I honestly couldn't tell the difference, but I am not a professional. It worked great and we enjoyed our treat! What more could one ask? :)

Happy Pinning!

From Boring to FABULOUS!

Phew! I just finished a time consuming project! We moved about 4 months ago and I am still working on making this house our home. It's all in the details right? There was a large blank wall behind our love seat and it was just begging for something interesting! I had revamped an old dresser(older post) to hold our DVDs and it sat along that wall, but it was very blank with just a boring mirror and some frames. Was no show stopper! I craved something eye catching and fun. I had those family photos from the spring and hatched a plan for a family wall. I perused Pinterest and found some fabulous ideas! Here is the result!

I bought the rod from Rodworks online. Its a rod that is actually made for hanging photos which is handy! I had thought about just going to Walmart or Target for a window rod, but they hang out from the wall several inches. This rod saved me that hassle and only cost me $24. I went to Michael's while they were having a frame sale and got the 11x14 frames 50% off.  I added nick knacks I had on hand and some I bought on clearance at Michael's, Hobby Lobby, and World Market. I shop sales and clearance to keep it in budget and you don't lose any value. I'm getting better at it! Then I ordered the Vinyl sign thru Etsy for $19.99. This process took me a few weeks since I was just slowly accruing pieces and ideas. We also painted the wall a cream color. I think it turned out pretty darn cute! Total cost was about $75-$100 for everything. Not bad! It accents the entire living room that it faces into, and I am very happy with how it turned out. Another project down!

Here are my Pins of inspiration!

 http://countrygirlhome.blogspot.ca/2011/10/my-new-hand-crafted-sofa-table.html

http://pinterest.com/pin/22869910577493787/

Both these are so cute and trendy! Visit their sites to see how they did theirs!

Happy Pinning!

Make it nice again!

One of my hobbies is giving furniture a face lift, and my Mom's husband gives me pieces every now and then thinking I can use them. This time he gave me an old desk. To say the least, NOT attractive, and I really have no place for it. BUT I saw that a coat of paint and little make-over could give it life again and maybe a new home. :)  So here it is, my ugly little desk turned cute!

Before:

After:

A little paint and some TLC can go along way even with the ugliest of items!

In this case it was VERY easy.

Supplies:

1) Paint(I used 3 colors....the green, white, and beige)

2) Paint brush or roller

3) Painters tape

4) Top coat

How to:

1) In a well ventilated area, pain the base of the desk or item.

2) You may need more than one coat so step 2 is to do more coats until all even.

3) While the base is drying, paint the top all white.

4) Again another coat or two if needed.

5) When all is dry, tape or stencil on your design.

6) Paint the stencil area with enough paint to coat well.

7) Let all dry.

8) Pull off the tape or stencil.

9) Touch up any edges or smudges.

10) Top coat!

You're done!  This took me only a few hours on a Saturday afternoon. I DIDN'T sand and DIDN'T use a primer. I used good old wall paint I had left over from Walmart in semi-gloss. I used 3 coats and it was good to go. It was really no sweat and it turned out dang cute!

Any boring item can be given new life with a coat of paint or some new fabric. I challenge you to try it! And I warn, its addictive to see your items transform!

-Happy Pinning!

DIY Mammas!

About 2 years ago, I re-stained two sets of bathroom cabinets. I just guessed at what I was doing. I hadn't found Pinterest yet, dang it! I wish I had seen this post!  www.DIYMamas.blogspot.com

BEFORE:

AFTER:

(Photos are property of DIY Mamas!)

Doesn't that make such a huge difference? LOVE it!  Visit www.DIYmamas.blogspot.com for the How-To!

I'd like to introduce you to DIY Mamas blog! Some seriously fun stuff to see and try and I had the pleasure of an interview!

DIY Mamas:

1) Tell us a bit about yourself. 

I am happily married with 4 sweet kids.  Two girls, two boys (ages 2-8).  I love being a mom.  (Although it is the hardest, and most rewarding, job I've ever had.)  My favorite movies are Oscar and The Importance of Being Earnest.  My favorite game is Clue.  I like to rock climb and fence.  (As in fight with swords.)  I am a Real Estate Agent.  I want to learn to blow glass.  I love to travel and I find peace in seeing new things, no matter how simplistic.  I want to learn photography (but cannot afford a camera).  I'm very entrepreneurial.  

2) Tell us something funny or embarrassing about yourself! :)

I AM Harry Potter.  Seriously.  I really think I am.  Lol.  I dream that I fight Voldemort all the time and wake up in a sweat with all my muscles exhausted.  I fly on my broom, fling spells, hide behind gravestones and defeat evil.  I started reading Harry Potter when the first one just came out and I was Harry's age.  I would get the next one as soon as it came out!  I would read them over and over.  I literally grew up with Harry.  As he aged, I aged.  By the time the last book came out I was married with two kids, but I still just knew I was Harry.  It was thrilling and devastating to close the last book.  I laughed, cried and loved those people.  Besides for the scriptures, I don't think there is a better set of books on earth.  I. Am. Harry Potter.

3) Tell us a bit about your blog DIY Mamas.

I enjoy crafting, improving my home, and doing projects.  BUT we don't have a lot of 'extra' income so everything I do has to be on a tight budget.  Because of that, I DIY almost everything.  I don't think that DIYing anything should have to look second rate.  I always try to make what I do look just like a professional came and did it.  I post things that have made a difference in my life.  I posted about keeping up with Pinterest parties that a lot of moms really appreciated.  I like to uplift others and share what helped me.  I hope that I can make a positive difference in the world.  No matter how small.

4) What gave you the idea to start the blog?

I have a private blog with my family on it.  (It was getting creepers so I had to make it private.)  :-(  But I wanted to share my projects publicly.  So I need a different outlet for that.  I started DIY Mamas with my sister (she is also very crafty and can even craft with nearly NO income) so we could have a place to show off our cute stuff or hard work without the creepers being able to see my kiddos.  So that is what we did.  I ended up being the only one who really posts, but she will post occasionally.  

5) What is your favorite project so far?

My favorite project was the staining project.  It was easy and produced BIG results!  My cabinet is stunning!  I have done other staining projects since then.  My latest one will be going live this week.  I have to say that the one that is coming on Wednesday might be my new favorite project!!  ;-)  I am going to give you a sneak peek!!  (See my pictures below.)

My other favorite thing on my blog is my DIY Dishwasher Detergent.  It saved my dishes and my dishwasher!  I am SO grateful that I gave it a try!!  

6) What was your least favorite or hardest project?

My least favorite (to do) and the hardest is the same one.  My girls' room.  We ripped down the wall, insulated, it put it back up, did built in drawers and shelves and did a paint job that our painter friend said would have cost us at least $400 just for that room!   The problem is that I was pregnant and we had some personal things going on so it was a VERY SLOW project.  It took months.  And we spent a lot more money than we were planning on spending.  But going through it, I have good advice to do a room like that so that doesn't happen to you.  I actually have not even finished blogging that room because of how much work it was.  I will get there!  Stay tuned if you want to see it!

7) Any advice for your readers?

Please read the whole post.  I don't say that because I want you to cling to my every word.  I have had SO many questions, specifically on my staining tutorial that were things that I had already addressed and answered in my post.  If you plan on doing something a dramatic as staining something please read all of the instructions before proceeding.

8) Any additional input?

The other thing I would like to say is, Ladies, you CAN do it!!!!  I believe in you.  It doesn't matter if you have never touched a power tool or gotten your hands dirty.  If you want to learn something you CAN.  I have had people laugh at me at Home Depot and beg me to hire someone to do the job.  I was offended.  Yes, I was 7 months pregnant but that didn't mean that I was unable to do the job.  (Please consult your doctor.  I knew I was able with my Dr.'s permission.)  If you want to learn how to do something look it up.  Get some advice and then go for it!  You can do it, Mama!!

-Danielle

Thank you Danielle!

Here are a few more fun photos/projects from her blog:

And lastly, her promised sneak peak! This is so cool! Wish I had a small bathroom to do this to!

Hope you enjoyed DIY Mamas! Visit her blog for more fun tutorials! Its a must see!

Happy Pinning!

Laura's Shepard's Pie!

My sister is an amazing Chef, and every time she visits me, I demand a home cooked, mouth watering meal. (drool!) She can pretty much make anything from scratch and she has the patience in the kitchen that I do not! This Shepard's Pie is one of the best I have had! She makes her own variations and this one is ALL hers. She also did something completely different. Not only did she have a potato layer, but she added a mashed carrot layer and it made it incredible! So, while I usually use a Pin, this recipe is my sister's and a MUST EAT NOW!  (I will mention a wonderful Shepard's Pie Pin that I tried myself and was delicious at the end!)

Ingredients:

For the potatoes:

4 lbs Potatoes(we used russet)
1/2 can Carnation evaporated milk (can use regular milk as well)
2 tbsp Garlic and herb Rondell or Allouette dip
2  tbsp Sour Cream
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Carrots:

Whole bag of carrots
2tbsp butter
2tbsp canned milk

For the meat mixture:

1 1/2 lb to 2 lb ground beef
2 cups brown gravy
salt and pepper
garlic cloves
1 onion chopped
can of green beans
1/2 can corn

Ok, so this has 3 parts to it, but it is so worth it! Here's the how to:
 (Also a small warning, This makes a boat load!)
Potatoes:
1) Bring a large pot of water to boil.
2) While water comes to a boil, peel and chop potatoes.
3) Boil potatoes until tender
4) Drain water from Potatoes.
5) As you mash, add the evaporated milk, sour cream, cheese, salt, and pepper.
6) Mash and mix all ingredients together. Please note, the consistency should be slightly stiff.
* Please note that you can totally sub real mashed potatoes for the flakes or pearls. Just know you're missin out on the real potatoes, but we understand when time is crunched!

Carrots:
1) Bring small pot of water to boil.
2) Peel and chop carrots.
3) Boil carrots until tender.
4) Drain carrots.
5) Add butter and the milk.
6) Mash until nice and smooth. Can be a little chunky. That's ok.

Meat mixture:
1) In a skillet, melt 2 tbsp butter and brown onion. Just light and golden.
2) Then add the ground beef and garlic. Brown the meat mixture.
3) Drain fat.
4) Add the gravy, green beans, and corn.
5) Simmer for about 5 minutes.

To Assemble:
1) Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Spray a 4 qt casserole dish with cooking spray or coat with butter.
3) Place the meat mixture on the bottom.
4) Next, the carrot layer.
5) Lastly, the potato layer.
6) Sprinkle the potato layer with more cheddar cheese.
7) Put in the oven to bake for about 45 minutes or until the cheese is golden.
8) Garnish with some green onions when done baking.
9) Serve while hot! We added a Caesar side salad to complete the meal.

* Side note: If a layer of carrots is not your thing, chop up the carrots and put them in the meat mixture instead, the traditional way, but I encourage you to try the carrot layer at least once! It just adds something!

This is a delicious homemade, feel good meal! Even my 2 year old had second helpings and my 7 year old thirds! My photos may not be pretty or do it justice, but this recipe rocks! Give it a whirl!

Now here is a Pin that inspired me to ask my sister for Shepard's Pie in the first place, but this is not the above recipe to be clear. :)

http://www.thecomfortofcooking.com/2013/05/shepherds-pie.html

I realize its hot out there, but you can tuck this recipe away for a cold day! It is worth every minute and every bite!

Happy Pinning!