BugaBoos Creations

Online Organization...

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole A.) — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 21:36:00 +0000

Not only is it hard to keep our homes organized, you also have to keep your computer/desktop organized. Here are a few things I do to keep my online stuff organized...

Recipes- I am constantly coming across a recipe I want to try. I started out just bookmarking but that didn't work out for me so well as sometimes I bookmark 50 to 100 things a day. So here is a couple of ways that work for me.

1. **This is my favorite** I setup a folder in my email titled Recipes and when I come across a new one, I highlight the recipe, copy and paste it into an email ( Always put where you found the recipe in case you ever want to reference it on your blog or anywhere else ) with the subject line the title of the recipe and email it to myself and then it gets moved to my recipe folder. **This works great for favorite blog posts, ideas, crafty projects, etc. as well.You can always print it right when you find it but my printer ink is pretty precious to me, so I do this method and later I will print and make a binder of the ones I have tried and liked :)

Blog Posts- When I think of an idea for a blog post if I don't put it somewhere I will never remember it. I used to write my ideas down but I go from notebook, to pad of paper, to writing on random pieces of paper I find and always end up losing it so now I go in and start a blog post like I normally would, in the title I write the post idea, then in the subject a few ideas I have if any for that post and save. Then I can go back anytime and find my ideas as well as finish the posts and schedule it.

Inspiration- I am always coming across photos that are inspiring or that I want to save to reference later on, I used to keep a folder on my desktop titled inspiration but it grew and grew very quickly and I wasn't able to write where it came from so then I seen how the Nester does it and it's perfect! She uses Tumblr to keep track of pretties she doesn't want to lose. You can check hers out here. Here is mine but it's still pretty empty as I just started doing this.

Shamelessly plugging my own etsy shop :)

Favorite Shopping Sites- I come across new sites, shops, and pretty items all the time that I don't want to lose. These you can use tumblr as well for but I have created a folder on my desktop and when I find something I right click the page with the item or just the shops page and click 'save page as' into the folder you have created for them. It's easy and helps me keep it more organized.

Email- This one is a big one for me, as you can see I haven't kept up very well ( uh over 2400 emails? ) with getting rid of junk email and sorting the good stuff to it's designated folder but this really is a good way you just have to keep up with it. For one, you can setup folders in your email like I did for recipes above but you can set it up so that your email goes directly to your folder. Now I don't do this because I would forget to check all 99 folders everyday, so if it's something I want saved or need I simply move it to it's appropriate folder myself after I have opened it. I have lots of folders setup in my email, for my blogs, twittermoms, blog spark, pictures, shopping deals, etc. This helps and makes it a lot easier to find an email I need.

So that's a few ways I stay organized online, what about you? Any great tips that help you stay organized online?

Tips for healthy smiles...

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole A.) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 21:48:00 +0000

Image from Google images.

Healthy teeth are very important for our littles and of course ourselves. Here are 5 things we do to help maintain healthy teeth...

1. Make brushing fun. Anytime you take a not so fun task and turn it into something fun, the kids are going to want to do it. Have fun little timers, Let them pick out their own toothbrush and toothpaste, make up a dance they can do while brushing, have a little radio in the bathroom ( away from the water please ) and they brush to a favorite song, reward them for brushing when they are supposed too.

2. Limiting the Sugars and Candies. Buy healthier snacks with less sugar. After they brush for the last time before bed, no snacks, no drinks ( except water ). Let them chew on some sugar free trident :) It comes in 11 flavors to choose from and what kiddo doesn't love some gum? It's all about limiting and making healthier choices.

3. Flossing. Flossing is important and kiddos need to floss once a day. Again make it fun for them, they have all kinds of cute little flossers for kiddos. They are more likely to floss with something bright and colorful than the plain white floss. Right?

4. Brush as a family. Squeeze everyone into the bathroom and brush together. They see you doing it, they are going to do it too. Turn on some music and boogie down while brushing together. Haha :) Yes, you can even create wonderful memories with your kids while brushing your teeth!

5. Regular dental checkups. Kiddos should be visiting the dentist twice a year.

It's like most other things we are teaching our kids, if we teach them this while they are young and grow up with these routines and being taught healthy habits such as good dental hygeine then most likely they are going to continue it out on their own and with their own kiddos.

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Trident blogging program, making me eligible to get a $25 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

Healthier eating but with flavor....

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole A.) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 21:19:00 +0000

Image from here.

My husband and I have been on a new diet. One where you can't eat much of anything ( haha ), no carbs and for the most part no sugars. It's really been teaching us how to eat healthier and it's also really opened our eyes to the JUNK we were eating before. I NEVER read labels on any food products that we bought before and now I check everything. While the kids still get to have their snacks and most of their regular foods, they can ( for the most part ) eat healthy with us. Teaching them good eating habits early :)

When I tell people no carbs, no sugars, they freak but It's really not that bad. We do also treat ourselves to a few carbs and sugars here and there. We aren't starving ourselves, we still eat our meals and they are very filling. The hardest for me is when I'm enjoying quiet time after everyone is in bed and I'm glued to the computer. That's when I want to snack.

We have been learning that you can still cook healthy and have all the flavor and yumminess. My new favorite is Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper seasoning, no carbs, no calories, and even NO Sodium. There are 15 different flavors available and I plan on trying every single one. It's a great way to spice up a meal and make it taste great while leaving out all the not so good stuff. We love the fiesta one too, yumm!

One of my favorite meals to make is this and there is no cleanup afterwards!

You'll need the following...
Tilapia
Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper seasoning
Raw Veggie of choice ( we like broccoli or cabbage )
foil :)

I rinse my tilapia, lay both pieces on a piece of foil rub it with a tiny bit of fake butter and season away with Mrs. Dash lemon pepper. Then I wrap it up leaving most of the top open. Next do the same with your veggies after you rinse them, put them in the foil with a tiny bit of fake butter, season and throw both foil pouches in the oven and bake it. I bake at 350 and the time varies as my oven is half dead. Just keep checking them, and take them out when they are to your liking.

When I cook a meal like this for us, I cook the kiddos a meal of the same but with chicken and corn or a veggie they prefer. They also like when I take bread and butter it, then sprinkle with our favorite Mrs. Dash seasoning and stick it in the oven. It's my oldest sons favorite and so easy! See, you can still have "Flavorful Low-Sodium Family Meals" that everyone can enjoy.

It's so easy, good for you, and guess what NO MESS to clean up! This is my new favorite way of cooking. Really. My husband loves it, I love it and even the kids love it. We cook almost all our food like this, the seasoning is great on steak, chicken, veggies, fish, bread, everything really. We eat lite, but we are full after and are eating less sodium and the other junk that's not good for us.

So how are you trying to eat healthier? Any tips? Recipes?

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the Mrs. Dash and TwitterMoms blogging program for a chance to get a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here

5 Important Lessons for our Children...

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole A.) — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:55:00 +0000

Google image from here.

We have two boys, one 8 year old and one 1 year old. We try to teach our kids right from wrong everyday, here are 5 lessons things I think are truly important for teaching our children.

1. Treat others as you want to be treated.

I can't stand the thought of bullying, or someone picking on my kids. I can't stand the thought of them being the one "left out" so we try to teach him to be friends with everyone, treat everyone as you would want to be treated. If you see someone picking on another kid, you go be friends with the one always left out. It's no fun being the last one standing, so always try and make others feel loved, and special. Everyone is different and you never ever make someone feel bad because they may be a little different than you.

2. NEVER talk to Strangers.

The way our world is today, this one is definitely at the top of our list. We always stress that you cannot talk to strangers, never ever get in a car with someone you don't know no matter what they say. Make sure you have a system with your kids, make sure they ALWAYS know who will be there for them after school, make sure they know it will NEVER be someone they don't know.

3. Teaching Good Habits.

I definitely believe that teaching our children good habits they are going to grow up and follow them always. Teaching them good eating habits, hygiene such as brushing their teeth, showering, etc., keeping their rooms organized and clean, if you let them be lazy they will continue that throughout their lives. When our son gets home from school he always knows homework first, at first we had to remind him everyday and now he does it on his own. This is something that will always remain with him. Our kids are going to do better in school and get the better grades if we are making that daily study time for them. They aren't going to do their homework if no one cares if they do or not.

4. Love

We always make sure out kids know that we love them. We tell them 100+ times a day. It's so important. It will help them in every area of their lives knowing they are loved always and no matter what. Our oldest son tells us randomly too and I love that. We must be doing something right :)It's very important to teach your kids love and affection and that it's okay to show someone that.

5. Selflessness

Don't be selfish. Help others less fortunate. Our kids can be a bit spoiled, and I'm not saying my son shares with his little brother 100% of the time, because he doesn't. But we try to teach him not to be selfish, share, help others less fortunate, do things for others. There are many out there that don't have anything, kids with no food, clothes, and especially toys. This one goes hand in hand with #1.

There is definitely more that I could have written, but these are some that are very important to us. So what important lessons do you try and teach your little ones?

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Nanny
McPhee Returns blogging program, making me eligible to get a $50 gift
card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

A Wedding in the works....

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole A.) — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:17:00 +0000

Meet my Aunt, She is 29 just 6 months younger than myself and got engaged a couple months ago. They have set the date for October 1st, 2011 as she wanted a Fall wedding, yeah her favorite season ( mine too )! I've been emailing her about 100 times a day since the engagement with photos, ideas, etc and even now have a folder on my desktop titled Amy's Wedding, I'm obsessed people. I never had a wedding :( so it's so much fun helping plan and throwing out ideas.

Here's her gorgeous rock!

For her colors she wants the traditional, guys in black, her in white with purple as her other main color then there will be other fallish colors in the mix.

Image from Muddy's Bake Shop

We definitely want to make a bunch of these to have hanging at the reception.

Image from BHG.com

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this cake!! Probably not her style but had to share it as it's so gorgeous!

Image from BHG.com

And the vintage cake topper make my heart race.

Image from Etsy here.

We both LOVE this dress, soo gorgeous!

Image from here.

How cute are those monogrammed pumpkins? and the pumpkin centerpiece? Ahhhh, love Fall :)

Image from here.

I love the light pumpkins along the walkway, and the pumpkin ice bucket. Oh my word, so pretty, all of it.

Image from here.

Loving this Fall tree, love the hanging votives.

Image from here.

Love the wooden signs.

Image from here.

Again with the pumpkins, absolutely a must.

So what about you, ever planned a Fall wedding? Have any tips for us?

Easy Art for the Kiddos Room...

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole A.) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 08:18:00 +0000

So I know this isn't anything new but I love it so I still had to share it. I bought these cute little flashcards awhile back at Michaels for $2.49. I had been wanting them for awhile but hadn't seen them in the stores and happen to find one little pack left in a spot it didn't belong.

The frames are plastic, I had gotten a package of 8 on clearance at Target last year for about $6 and new I could use them for something. I painted them and used minwax stain to antique them a bit.

I just love how they turned out. These would be so fun to make for a new mommy as I think they would be adorable in a nursery! They would be great as well in a playroom or kids room. I think it would be fun to have them in different frames as well.

Can you imagine having a wall with the whole alphabet like this? Fun!

Just in case you want your own I searched and found them online here. They are made by K and Company, whom I loveeeee!

I LOVE these too, these just came out. I have to have them!

And the boys ones, LOVE them! Aren't they so cute? These would be adorable framed.

I keep forgetting to mention, did you notice my blog got a makeover? Sheila from DBS Designs did my makeover and she is WONDERFUL! She is affordable, super fast, and soooooo very patient! I think she did an Awesome job, I love love love my new header :) Thanks So Much Sheila! I highly recommend her if your looking to makeover your blog, you can find her on etsy here. She is super sweet!

If your on Facebook, come visit my page here. I'm trying to reach 150 "likers" by the end of the week and then I'll do a giveawy :)

Thrifty Finds....

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole A.) — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 06:46:00 +0000

It's been awhile since I have went to Goodwill or any Garage sales, so a few weeks ago we stopped in at Goodwill and of course I couldn't leave empty handed. I saved the best find for last so keep reading :) I found the above pillow for $1.99, it always makes me a little nervous buying pillows but I couldn't pass up the toile.

I found this big frame for .99 and have already started revamping it, Can't wait to show you!!

See, already working on it....

The porch post thingys were .49 each, and the books .99 for both. I couldn't pass up the finial things as I know I will come up with something for them.

Also got the little wooden frame for .99

This was 1.99, I loveeee these things!! There cute just sittin around and they are also great for hand soap or dish soap.

I had to get the big chunky candle holder for 2.99 as I have it's twin. The little mirrors were .49 each.

The bowl filler stuff was marked down to 2.99, this will be great for fall :)

Had to share these, I got 20 tubs of pampers wipes with coupons for .17 a tub!!! I love getting deals on these as we go through them like crazy.

My favorite find is this little table. Actually it's not my find, my sweet husband knows how I love my Goodwill junk and was in the area one day and stopped in and bought me this. It was $3!!! I love picturing him in Goodwill ( totally not his thing ) picking out some sad little piece for me to redo. It's great. He's great.

As you can see, she was in pretty bad shape.

Not anymore....This was actually a pretty eaasy makeover. I did it all while watching the Bears play their first preseason game, Sadly they lost. :( I wanted pretty aqua color so I mixed some blue I had with some antique white paint until I got the color I wanted. These pictures are awful, I took them at night and it doesn't go so well up against my shiny red walls.

I used a little minwax stain after some sanding. I'm not so good at that technique but all in all I think it turned out great. One of my favorite makeovers.

I love it A Lot. I love this blue.

It's got a little opening on the side to store crap even.

So how did I do? How did hubby do with his find? You like?

I'm linking up with Rhoda over at Southern Hospitality for her Thrifty Treasures party.

Easy Fall Pumpkin Sign....

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole A.) — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 07:53:00 +0000

I absolutely positively CANNOT wait for Fall, I love it and everything about it. Seriously. I love wintery snowy weather just as much but I love that in Fall there is bonfires, trick or treaters, it's sweatshirt weather, the leaves are all pretty and changing, I could go on and on...I LOVE it! I love it so much I usually bust out the Fall goodies first day of September and I'm not kidding. So while I'm patiently waiting for Fall, I thought I'd share a super easy cute little Fall sign I made with you....

This is a piece I had leftover from a 1x10, it's about 14 inches wide. I painted it Gingerbread Spice which was one of my FREE quarts from Glidden last year :)

This is seriously so easy. So I got my basecoat of gingerbread on, it's dried. Now I have a Big Pumpkin Die ( mines all painted up as I have used it a few times ) Cut and a glue stick. I got my die cut at a local scrapbook store last year, but I searched and found you one here. So turn your die cut over and paste it up with your glue stick.

No flip it over and position it where you would like it on your board, for this one I had a little more than half of the pumpkin on the board. Smooth it out really good, I put the lid back on my glue stick, flip it over and use the top of the cap to smooth it out.

Now you need a second color, I used Dark French Chocolate, another free quart I received from Glidden last year :) I use a foam brush, don't get to much paint on it as it's like a stencil and you don't want paint seeping through. Paint your whole board with the brown, After it has a nice coat of brown peel back the die cut....

You'll be left with this! As you can see there is spots of glue, those will wipe right off. I use a baby wipe, any old rag will do. Then I go through and wipe up any little spots where a little paint may have seeped through. Then whip out your sander or some sandpaper ( sorry didn't take pictures for this part ) and sand away, I sand a lot as I like a lot of distressing. Then drill to holes at the top and use some pretty ribbon or twine, I prefer twine, it looks Fallish :)

Now you have a cute new sign for Fall!!!

I told you I'm obsessed, more board gluing. I made this one, painted the boards first, glued them together, and stenciled the letters on.

This one is my favorite, I love love love how it turned out. More board gluing, used the same technique and die cut as above, easy peasy :)

So Are you excited for Fall? Are you working on any Fall goodies yet?

I'm linking this post to Jen over at Tatertots and Jello weekend wrap up party :)

Back to School Savings Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole A.) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 21:05:00 +0000

We only have one little guy in school right now and back to school can be very expensive and even more so when you have more than one kiddo in school so I wanted to share a few of my Back to school savings tips with you so I'm linking up with Twittermoms here for a Back to School Savings Tips contest.

1. Shop ahead if you can. Shop out of season and buy your clothes, supplies, etc. when they are clearanced. This is when you can get the best deals. Buy their clothes a size up, stock up on crayons, markers, erasers, pencils, etc. when they are clearanced, it'll save you a lot.

2. Coupons! You know I love me some coupons and yes you can save on clothes, and school supplies with coupons. There are coupons out there for pens, notebooks, etc out there.

3. I didn't shop ahead last year so this year my little guy needed a whole new wardrobe for school. I love to shop online for clothing deals, I had a percent off code to The Childrens Place plus they were having a mega clearance event that I matched the coupon with, I also shopped at kohls online and had a code for that as well plus they were having .99 shipping. I NEVER shop without a coupon code online or at least free shipping. ( you can see the deals I got pictured below )

4. If you have to buy everything shop a little at a time all summer long, for instance if you go to the store once a week grab 2 things off the supply list each time, then by the end of the summer you should have the supplies covered.

5. In store coupons - Old Navy, Jcpenney, Kohls, etc. They are always mailing or emailing coupons to save a percent or dollar off when you shop in stores. I received one last week for Jcpenney for $10 off a $10 purchase which I will use for the little guys backback, last year I put it towards new sneakers. It helps!

6. Sign up with your favorite stores to receive their emails, find their facebook pages, etc. They are almost always running a promotion. Right now their is a link to a coupon for 10% off your Old Navy purchase here on their facebook page. Kohls I believe sends out a coupon after you sign up to receive their emails. American Eagle/77 kids is one of my favorites to shop online, they are always emailing codes and specials. Staples is always having sales, they also do a lot of rebates which can make your items free after the rebate!

7. We don't reuse much of his school stuff as he is pretty hard on it, what is usually salvageable is the pencil box, and gym shoes ( not a whole lot ) if they still fit. If you can reuse.

8. Shop Goodwill or Craigslist. I will be honest I don't buy to many clothes at Goodwill, nothing against it I'm just to busy shopping over in the home area :) but a good thing to look for at goodwill is jeans, shorts, etc. I have found some nice name brand shorts in the kids clothes and I never buy more than a couple of pairs of NEW shorts for school as they don't wear them long. Craigslist you can find some deals as well, I've seen a lot of ads on ours for new shoes. It always varies for each are though.

9. Newspapers- Watch your newspapers every week around back to school time and go through all the ads, make your lists of where and what they have at each store that you want to check out. Plus there is often coupons for stores in the papers to combine with the sales they are having.

10. Another great way to save if your shopping online is there are a few different websites that if you shop through their links to all the stores you earn a percentage back on your purchases. It varies from store to store how much but my favorite site is shopathome.com

Here is my back to school loot, the clothing part anyway. I got everything above pictured for under $40 which includes shipping to my door AND a pair of pjs that is not pictured. That's 9 shirts, a pair of shorts, and pjs for under $40! Pretty Awesome in my opinion. That's 3.63 an item!!!!

All of this was bought online at Kohls for under $30, the Adidas basketball shoes were marked down to $19.99 plus I had a coupon code for 10% off plus it was .99 shipping. Awesomeness!

So what's your back to school savings tips? What deals have you scored?

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Staples
blogging program, making me eligible to get a $50 gift card. For more
information on how you can participate, click here.”

Wood Sign with Vinyl Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole A.) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 03:28:00 +0000

Finally a tutorial....I'm warning you I am pretty bad at writing these but it's easy peasy!

Supplies You'll need-

Gorilla Glue ( I have tried a couple of their varieties and the one pictured holds the best IMO, in some of the pics you'll see me using another variety, ignore that I switched and didn't retake my pics, Go me. )
A damp rag
1x4s ( no tools? no worries, home depot, lowes, etc. will cut them to the size you need, i've never been charged but they may charge a small fee )
Vinyl
Sander or Sandpaper ( I highly recommend a sander, I just recently got one and thought I'd died and gone to Heaven, saves so much time. )
Clamps or something heavy for each end while it's drying.
Paint
Paintbrush

****Because the Gorilla glue does expand and may get a little messy, please do this somewhere won't it won't hurt the surface your working on. Garage floor maybe?

For my piece of vinyl I needed Nine 24 1/2 inch 1x4s, always cut or have them cut you a few extra pieces in that size just in case you get a bad piece that won't lay flush.

After you have your supplies all gathered up take your damp rag and wipe your boards down really good. Then you will want to get them all laid out to how they will be glued to make sure they are flush with each other.

Now one by one start gluing and putting them together, remember this glue will expand!

Because I'm not cool and have no clamps of any kind, I had mine out on the floor with heavy objects on each end to keep it together. Leave it here for 24 hours, yes it's a longggg wait. Be patient.

After 24 hours you'll need to sand off some of the glue that expanded out, give it a good sanding on the top and on the edges as well. After wiping it down you can paint, I did a creamy white and afterwards sanded again for a little bit of antiquing.

Now it's vinyl time, this isn't as scary as it seems. It's easy, just takes a little time to get it on there perfectly. Lay it out on the board to place it where you want it. Follow the directions that will come with the vinyl, just peel back a little at a time and for smoothing it out I instead used a wooden paint stirrer. I also started at the bottom with my vinyl, that just seemed to work best for me. Go Slow!

Now if you made it through the vinyl you should end up with something like this :) It's totally worth it!! Yes you have to buy the vinyl, then the wood, it's not the thriftiest of projects but you end up with an expensive looking piece of art that you will have for many years, rather than just applying the vinyl to the wall which is not repositionable once removed.

Makes a very nice anniversary, or wedding gift! I actually made this one for my Dad and Stepmom :)

and Remember the other one I made here? I love this one and it's all mine, hehe :)

Oh and I've done smaller versions with paint and stencils I made, isn't it cute??

And this one for Fall, yeahhh I can't wait for Fall!!! These were all made with 1x4s and Gorilla Glue :) I made do a tutorial on the pumpkin one as it's soooooo easy!

Alrighty I think that's it, Happy Crafting :)

I'm linking up with Gina over at The Shabby chic Cottage for Transformation Thursday, head over and see all the other great projects!!

I'm linking up with Wendy over at the Shabby Nest for Frugal Friday!

I'm linking up with Jen over at Tatertots and Jello for a weekend wrap up party!

Shop is Open!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole A.) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 23:52:00 +0000

It's finally here, my Open Sky shop is open!!! Now you can shop with me, right here, at home in your pjs! Items in my shop are items I have used and recommend.

$27

When I signed up I was able to pick a product for review, I chose this vinyl monogram from Back40Life and I'm so Happy with it!!! ( you can order yours buy clicking the blue button )

Instead of doing the traditional thing and applying the graphic to the wall, I made a sign to apply it to! This way it's a keepsake for many many years and you don't have to worry about not being able to move it around when you want to redecorate, which is usually often :) Plus these make FANTASTIC gifts, perfect for weddings, anniversaries, yourself, etc.

How cool would one of these looked propped up on your fireplace ( boo, no fireplace here ) mantle? I love it!

$25

You could also order the one above! I love the floral design in the letter, so cool!

Today through August 16th, you can receive 25% off any purchase through Open Sky with code EXCITE25

Okay, now I have a tutorial lined up for this that will post tomorrow, so get your vinyl ordered and come back tomorrow and learn how to make yours!

You can also visit my shop here if you prefer to shop from there!

Something Exciting is Coming....Get your Pjs on!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole A.) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 20:41:00 +0000

Google Image from here.

It's a given, I LOVE me some shopping. But my most favorite shopping ever is done right here from my laptop. I love sitting in my Pjs with my coffee, surfing the net for that next great find while the kiddos snooze it up. It's my me time and I love it. Last year I did 90% of my Holiday shopping right here in this very seat I sit in and it was Awesome. ( just look at how happy the above lady is )

What do I shop for? Everything from home decor to vintage goodies, and things for the kiddos, a variety of things and guess what? Now I get to share my love of shopping with you, Coming August 10th you can shop with me in my own little virtual shop right here on the big wide net thanks to Open Sky. That's right my lovelies, I'm going to share my favorite shops and finds with you and you'll be able to get them all in my little shop. I'm so excited!! My shop will be a lot of items for around the home, all my favorites with a mix of others as well. Products I love and want to share with you.

With Open Sky you have the ability to buy a product that someone you know ( we go way back, right? ) and trust has recommended to you!!! Open Sky was recently featured on Good Morning America, you can check the video out here. So come back August 10th with your Pjs on, your favorite drink ( iced coffee yummm ), and you can shop with me!

Around here I am the Go to Gal for everyone, if they are looking for it they come to me. No seriously. When I shop for something I search and I google and I search some more until I have found the best deal, the best shop, and exactly what I am looking for. I love it and now I get to put all my hard work to good use and share it with you.

If you haven't heard of Open Sky you must head on over there here and check it out, you can learn more about opening your own shop and even becoming a supplier. That's right you can even apply to become a supplier or a seller for Open Sky to!

Your browser does not support iframes.  But you can still <a href="http://www.somethingexcitingiscoming.com">visit the Something Exciting is Coming Countdown Clock</a>.

Fun with Glue Dots!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole A.) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 03:52:00 +0000

I signed up through a Twittermoms contest here to receive a package of Glue Dots products to play with. I have yet to do any actual scrapbook layouts or scrapbooking for that matter so I wanted to come up with something else using their products. I also wanted to include the little guy as he loves crafting right along side of Mom! You can head over here and learn more about this contest which sadly I am last minute and it's ending in about 15 minutes but you can still sign up for Twittermoms as their are always great contests going on like this one. Also I recommend heading over here to the Glue Dots facebook page to learn some great ways to use Glue Dots as well as stay up to date with their products.

Glue Dots are fabulous for many reasons, they are so many uses for them!! Glue Dots bond instantly to a wide variety of surfaces including: Paper/photos, Metal, Wood, Plastic, Textiles/Fibers, Plastic, Foam, and more! These are Great for the kids to craft with and best of all they are Non toxic and Acid free!

Alright, let's get Crafty!!!

So Cameron ( my son ) and I decided to make some pinwheels, they were a bit girly for him but he also worked on his own little project which I will show you as well.

First you take a square piece of scrapbook paper, cut it diagonally starting at each corner going to the middle leaving about an inch or two uncut.

Then put apply a glue dot to the center of your paper and fold on corner in, continue to do this until your pinwheel is complete. Applying a Glue Dot each layer.

I used buttons that had wire prongs on the back, stuck it through the middle of my pinwheel, then applied another dot to the back of the stick and wrapped the wire around it.

Then I took an old cardboard container I had, wrapped it in paper, and added some ric rak at the top, filled in with floral foam and stuck my pinwheels in it.

These are great to make for birthday party centerpieces, holidays, and they are super quick and simple to make. Pinwheels are on of the very first crafts I made on this blog. :)

That's it!!! Super easy and I think they are cute!! These are really fun to make with the kidlets, he had a blast helping!! Thanks Glue Dots for providing such great products!!

Oops, almost forgot my son made this out of a pampers tub, it's a mailbox for me to leave him notes everyday :) He used glue dots and papers, and rub ons for it.

I started out with this originally, I used beadboard wallpaper to mat the picture using Glue Dots of course, then I trimmed it in black ric rak, added some buttons. Cute concept but mine didn't turn out how I wanted, Booo, so I will definitely try this again soon.

“I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Glue Dots blogging contest to be eligible to receive a $30 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”

Playing with Pink....

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole A.) — Sun, 16 May 2010 03:43:00 +0000

It's been one of those weeks. My husband has been sick all week and still is and I feel like I am going to lose my mind, I'm exhausted, stressed, you name it. I need a vacation. But I won't bore you with the details just wanted to share a few things I finished up this week.

I made these for a long overdue gift. Seriously the girl probably has a new room by now. Go me.

Cute nonetheless. These are so much fun to make and I buy my letters wholesale from a place online and they are significantly cheaper and you can pick ANY font as well as any size. It was so much fun playing with pink for a change.

Can you see my mistake on this? I totally forgot to add the green star under the M, when I began this it was never my intention to put the stars under all the letters, it just happened and then at the end I guess I just lost it. But no worries, the little guy loves it and it will still look perfectly in his little art nook. I cut the letters with my cricut, covered the clothespins with matching paper, glued it all on an old board I had, super easy and he couldn't be happier. I finished it last night while he was staying at a friends and he was super excited when he got home.

This I made awhile back, it was one of my first. I am totally addicted to making these, they are soldered frames. Two pieces of glass with the prettiness sandwiched in the middle, then you wrap the edge in copper foil tape, and solder away. I was completely scared of the soldering iron at first but now I love it. It's so much fun and the possibilities are endless with these. I am doing a bunch with pictures of the kids and the backs will have quotes or bible verses.

Not my favorite ones but not bad for my firsts.

That's it!!! Tomorrow I will have an end table redo and hopefully pictures of my curtains to share.

Have a Wonderful Sunday!!!

A Simple Mirror Makeover...

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole A.) — Wed, 12 May 2010 06:35:00 +0000

Though I'm not completely finished with this, I'm going to show you anyway. I found this oval mirror in the dollar section at Target for $2.50 and I knew with some spray paint I could make her work in my space.

I taped off the mirror and spray painted her black. Now I don't have a huge stash of ribbon, or a little one even so for now it hangs from a strip of burlap which I do like however I want a bow at the top but I stink at making bows. I also want a big pretty knob to hang it from. I think.

But for now she hangs on my door table in our entry way and I like it. With the burlap tied in a bow at the top and maybe a glass knob I think she'll look perfect. It definitely needs something though. Don't you just love the Target dollar section??? Later this week I will show you a tray redo from the dollar section.

It definitely looks better.

Come back tomorrow to see my pretty new curtains!!! I searched and searched and searched forever for affordable and pretty curtains that would go with my red walls and finallly I found them and LOVE them!!! Now I just have to find something to replace the awful plastic mini blinds. Ugh.

Family Tree Art!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole A.) — Tue, 11 May 2010 01:59:00 +0000

I'm sooooooo excited about this project and it's been a LONG time coming!!! Last year I had won a giveaway from vinyl vineyard, sadly she no longer does vinyl. She however has an awesome blog here with the most beautiful home. I chose the Family tree and I knew I didn't want to put it on the wall as you can't move it so I came up with this....

I got some ~~2x4s~~ Edited* 1x4s NOT 2x4s and had my husband cut them down to the size I wanted. Then using Gorilla Glue I glued all of my boards together....This was my first time using Gorilla Glue and I was completely amazed at how well it held the boards together!!

I knew the glue would expand out but east to just sand away...

I didn't do to well taking step by step photos so here she is!! Once I had my boards glued together I painted the whole thing a creamy off white then did some sanding around the edges and here and there. I did start to use stain to antique it a bit but quit, that stuff and I just don't work well together, never comes off enough for me. I still have a few finishing touches before hanging it but I LOVE it!!!!

Now I have to find a place for her, I will either hang her or prop her somewhere. If I had a fireplace she would be perfect over it! So creating this fabulous piece of art cost a few dollars and it's something I will have for many years.

****Edited

I'm not the greatest at tutorials but I have a step by step coming up in a smaller version of this in a couple of days :) Also a quick tip for this.....

If you don't, won't or just can't cut your own wood, Lowes, Menards, and probably Home Depot will cut your wood for you. I have only done it once and wasn't charged but there may be a small charge.

I'm Linking to DIY Club!!! Head over and check out all the wonderful projects using the sponsored products for their party( Gorilla Glue was mine :) !!!

I'm also participating in DIY day over at Kimba's a Soft Place to Land!!! Head over and check out all the projects this week!!

I'm participating in Show and Share over at Just a Girl!! Head over and check out all the wonderful projects!!

I'm linking up for Transformation Thursday over at The Shabby Chic Cottage, head over and check out what everyone has been working on!!!

I'm linkin up for Creative Cats over at Poppies at Play, head over and checkout what everyone has been working on!!!

I'm linkin up with Wendy over at the Shabby Nest for Frugal Friday, Head on over for some frugal goodness!

A Goodwill clock from Drab to Fab!!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole A.) — Mon, 10 May 2010 06:24:00 +0000

Please forgive the messy blog, the other night while messing around with the HTML I completely lost hours upon hours of work and though I was smart enough to save a backup copy sadly it was a save from a long while back so this is how she will be until I can pay to have her made over :)

I love doing these kind of makeovers, taking something outdated and hideous and making it fabulous with just a little paint and pretty scrapbook paper. It's amazing what you can do!!!

I purchased the clock at Goodwill for a few dollars, I have done several clock makeovers similar but this is by far my favorite!!

All I did was paint her black, distress the edges ( of course ), add some scrapbook paper and voila, she's so pretty!!! I love love love this scrapbook paper!!

This....

To this!!!! I Love it!! So for a few dollars ( already had the other supplies ) at goodwill I have a Beautiful new clock!!

Hope you all had a Lovely Mothers Day!!!

It's Thrifty Treasure time over at Rhoda's from Southern Hospitality so head on over and see all the goodies everyone found this week!!

Also stop over at Between Naps on the porch for Met Monday!! Lots of great things so check it out!!!

Winner!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole A.) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 01:18:00 +0000

Thanks to everyone for entering the Simply...Gogurt giveaway, I used Random.org and Comment #5 was chosen which was......Wendy!!! Congrats Wendy, you have 48 hours to claim your prize!!

I will be back tonight with a couple of projects :)

Have a Great Evening!

Simply Go-Gurt Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole A.) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 06:00:00 +0000

I have a tasty little giveaway that both you and your little ones will enjoy!!! I was recently sent a cute little package ( pictured above ) with a coupon to try the new simply...Gogurt, we chose the Strawberry and we all loved them!! Not only are they a good source of calcium and vitamin D but we love the convenient packaging. These come in a handy little tube that are great for on the go or easy to grab on your way out the door.

Product Description

New Simply… Go-Gurt is made from simple ingredients moms look for and contains no high fructose corn syrup or artificial colors or flavors. Each convenient portable yogurt tube contains a good source of calcium and vitamin D. Simply stated, Simply… Go-Gurt is a good-for-you, low fat yogurt snack that you can feel good about giving to your kids.

Not only do you have a chance to win a prize pack like pictured above but the first 30 people to click on the Free Yogurt tab can print out a coupon for a free box of simply...Gogurt and after that others can print a coupon for $1.10 off!!!

*This coupon offer for free Simply… Go-Gurt is not valid in some states, including California, Idaho, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, Nevada, North Dakota and Tennessee.

Now for the giveaway! Thanks to MyBlogSpark and Yoplait, I have a Go-Gurt “Simplify Your Life” prize pack that includes a pocket Etch a Sketch, weekly planner, a back seat organizer, and a coupon for the simply...Gogurt to give away to one lucky winner!

To enter:

Because I always need help with this, to enter simply share some of your wholesome snacking tips that keep your little ones smiling before Midnight ( CST ) Sunday, April 25th.
Winner will be selected randomly through random.org
and lastly winner will have 2 Days to Respond and Claim their prize

And of course for extra entries....( PLEASE leave a comment for each additional entry )

You can tweet about the giveaway with a link back to the post and please include @BugaboosCreate in the tweet.
Follow BugaboosCreate on twitter.
Become a fan on Facebook here.
Post about this giveaway on your blog.
Subscribe to my blog via email
subscribe to my blog via Google Friend Connect

Giveaway is open to US residents and will end Sunday April 25th at Midnight CST.

Disclosure: the Simply… Go-Gurt, prize pack, information and additional prize pack to give away were all provided from Yoplait through MyBlogSpark.)

I will be back....

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole A.) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 23:59:00 +0000

Kitchen paint colors. ( except the tan color )

I promise, I will be back very soon. A lots been happening over here. A LOT. Among a cranky toddler getting in tons more toofers and everyone going through their monthly colds here we have been organizing, painting ( lots more painting this weekend ), plus a few things being done to the house like a new furnace last week, tomorrow a few ( yup a few, not all but a few, it's a start ) new windows, etc. I have so much to share and show you and I cannot wait!

Lots of changes to come here at Bugaboos Creations as well, bigger projects, how tos, lots of organizing tips for smaller homes ( like ours ), how to make the not so perfect home your kind of perfect with little to no money.

Our house is a much older home, it was the one we could get and we were so sick of renting after 7+ years we jumped on it. We are a family of 4, it's basically a 2 bedroom ( the master bedroom more suited as a closet ), 1 bath house, galley style kitchen, no garage, unfinished basement, etc. It has newer laminate wood ( which isn't even that wonderful looking ) flooring, and new kitchen cabinets when we moved in and that was about all the new we got. The walls are the old sheet rock kind, there is missing trim here and there, everything except the upstairs needed paint, the bathroom was way gross and hasn't changed since we moved in, ( almost 2 years ago ) until now, the living room/dining room was just odd, it's one huge room that is all open to each other and very difficult, the dining half is larger than the living room half, there is next to no wall space as it's broken up with doorways and windows, the living room had an odd little room that was open off of it and we did add a wall there with french doors, which is now my craft room, our bedroom is so tiny and hideous, no flooring ( yea really ), it had carpet but was nasty and had to be ripped up so now there is nothing still, there is basically room for a bed ( not really ), and a dresser.

Anyway, lots of little things are needed to be done here and there and that's what we have been working on. We cannot afford to do any major renovations at all, and after renting for 7+ years we are tired of not being able to make it ours. You don't have to have a ton of money and you don't have to completely overhaul and gut that hideous bathroom to make it your kind of Beautiful and I am going to show you just that. I completely changed my bathroom that had cracked walls full of holes, the bottom half of the wall was tiled and awful, and it's completely different now and all for under $40 and it could have been free had I not needed a shower curtain, and had I stuck with the free paint I already had.

My sis!!!

I planned this post for last week but that didn't happen either as my lil sis came to visit for a week and she kept my busy and wore me out! Her and my two little nieces stayed with us and we had a blast!! I miss her already and hate that we live so far apart :(

Also if you have any interest in couponing, I have been posting a little info on my experiences with it at my other blog here.

So stay tuned, I am alive and will be back no later than the end of the week with lots of great things!!!

New headers, and Some signs....

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole A.) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 07:37:00 +0000

I know I'm horrible. It's been a blah week, ever have those? I love my little blog and get so excited to post things as they come up but this week has just been blahhhh! Not about my blog, just nothing that I felt worthy of posting, blah with my crafting. It's just been an off week. Anyways I am back. I promise I will have all my organizing posts caught up by Monday. You will be sick of me before the week starts :) I shouldn't promise but I am. Anywho. I have done like zero crafting except for a few little things. I do have some goodwill redos to share soon. I hit up the goodwill a couple of weeks ago for the first time since this summer! They have missed me tons I'm sure of it.

Meet my newest obsession....signs. They are so easy, fun, and the possibilities are endless! I really liked this one not sure about the big pink letters but it's still cute? I used a turquoise color to paint it, sanded it down around the edges then went over it with minwax walnut stain and wiped it down. Now let me just say I recently finally just started using minwax and I like it however some things it seems a little much and it sure does not wipe off much. It says to leave it on 3 minutes then wipe uh no, I wipe immediately or none of it would come off. Anyone? Am I alone?

This sign I made by tearing up a piece of sccrapbook paper that has old looking bookprint on it ( make my heart go pitter patter, love this paper ) and then I cut letters with my cricut on cardstock and used them as stencils, then sanded some more over the letters.

These blocks are bigger than my normal, 5x5. I really love the colors on this. I don't do much decorating for Valentines Day but found the prettiest vintage valentines papers I couldn't resisit. I stink at embellishing and that is something I am working on. I have so many wonderful ideas and images in my head but when it comes to putting it together I stink.

Completely off topic I made this header for my other blog. What do you think? I am pretty proud of it. The only thing borrowed is a the free frame and heart that came together from Cutest Blog on the Block ( love them by the way ) the rest I put together on a couple of different editors one being picnik.com

This one I was playing around trying to create my own for this blog. It's not there yet, I need new pictures as in I need to make some cuter stuff to put in the header. And it needs more embellishing which again I stink at. I just got a new header but really am thinking I want one with my photos in it and more me? Not sure what I want half the time. I am so obsessed with changing my blog around until it feels perfect to me.

Last but not least, isn't he freaking precious??? We were at grams and gramps and he was sportin papas hat. So adorable!! Ohhh and he is totally walking now! He's been steppin but while we were there he was walking for bananas lol. Literally.

That's all, I know I stink. Ohhhh hey, Notice I am now www.BugaboosCreations.com , yippee!! I bought the domain almost a year ago and finally switched it over. Go me.

Also if you want to check out my other blog it's pretty boring right now, but will be recipes, couponing, and family things. I have actually posted more over there this week then here. Here is the link http://thealiceas4.blogspot.com/ It's a work in progress. I made it last year and never touched it.

Oh and notice my little owl in the address bar up top?

Have a Wonderful Weekend!!!

Cheap and Easy Storage Containers...Plus a few Household Tips..

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole A.) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 08:35:00 +0000

I am a freak for all things storage ( not that I am good at organizing it all ), I LOVE baskets, boxes, plastic containers, you name it, love em. I especially love when they are cheap! They can be used virtually anywhere around the home to organize or contain something. As I posted here before I am working on getting my house organized by the end of February, now I know I have done horribly at posting my updates and such but I promise it's coming along.

After Halloween I bought a bunch of these at Big Lots on clearance for .30 each as they were 90% off. I knew they could be prettied up and used around the house for odds and ends.

I cute squares of wrapping paper out. The wrapping paper I had bought 50% off before Christmas at Hobby Lobby as it's not Christmasy and I knew I could use it on alot of projects. I got a huge roll for like $2. Anyway....

Using modge podge of course I basically wrapped it like a present and smoothed it all out. ** Hint if when using modge podge you end up with bubbles in the end, don't stress my friends, let it dry then go over it with a hair dryer while smoothing it out. Works for me. Just don't get it to close :) My containers had the little scallop edges around the top, I just lightly pushed down on the paper after gluing it down to get the scallop look. Also don't be a dummy like me, make sure your paper is plenty oversized when gluing it on so when you fold it into the inside it covers up the ugliness in there that you see.

The inside if the cluttery little mess in the entertainment center....

No moreeee....and it's pretty. I covered all 4 of them I had and they fit perfectly inside here and are great to house the remotes, gaming junk, and some misc. dvds that lost their cases. Also I will probably go back and give the outside a coat of modge podge so they hold up better. Four pretty storage containers for under $2 and an hour of my time. If your like me and on a strict budget and can't spend the money on expensive, pretty matching conatiners. Something like this is perfect. They can be pretty, functional, and very affordable.

Now this is a 2 for one post, haha. Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick is having a So Fresh So Clean Party and if you haven't already you must stop over to see the pics of her and her bff dyson. Love it! Plus I have had so much fun going through all the links to the party and have learned so many great tips and tricks. I don't have to many but here is a few.

1. This one may sound a ~~bit~~ ok a lot insane but it works. Our poor stroller from our first little guy had sat outside and was abused, sadly it was a very nice stroller. So one day moms ( she's brilliant ) and I headed to the car wash, we opened it up, sat it in the back of her truck and sprayed away and the thing was seriously brand new afterwards. Seriously. People. I remember taking it all apart before and washing all the pieces and hating putting it back together and it didn't look near as good. Now when your spraying don't get the washer thingy to close as that's alot of pressure, also hold onto it, it will blow, lol. When your done take it home and set it out to dry. It will be perfect.

2. Same thing with shoes. I know, I know crrrrazzzyyyyy...But seriously, when my lil sis and I were cheerleaders in highschool, our shoes were white and would get horribly dirty after football games. We would wear them to the car wash and spray away ( again don't get to close ) then take them home and let them dry, looked like new. Much better than the washing machine or spending an hour scrubbing on them. It's kinda fun too :)

3. I know most of you already do this one but anyway. Clorox Wipes are Fabulous! I remember my aunt talking about them once, I used them but not like I do now since hearing her discuss it. I have canisters of them all over the house, my fave the orange ones for the kitchen, you can smell it forever and it smells so clean and good. They are so great for in the bathroom, to do a quick wipe down everytime your in there, then it stays clean. Same goes for the kitchen. Wipe, wipe, wipe, if your in the room get one out and do a quick wipe down. I use them on my desk, my coffee table, the walls, doors, everywhere. Wipe as you go and you won't be wiped at the end of the day but your house will sparkle. Bahhahaha, ok so that was lame. Anywho....

4. If your a modge podger and like me, you use LOTS of those foam brushes with the wooden handles. I use them for everything and especially when I am working with modge podge. I feel so wasteful though as I use them once sometimes and throw them out. If you have a quick little project and just need a little modge podge and have to use one, either rinse it and use it again later or clip off the end of the brush and reuse it. The wooden handles usually pop right off and those are great little stir sticks for small cans of paint or smoothing paper out when modge podging. I am sure they could also be used in a craft project somewhere down the road.

5. Coupons. I love me some coupons but I hate to organize them. I don't have a fancy organizer so I started using envelopes. I personally keep mine in a bin at home now, somewhat organized but I have envelopes that go in my purse with the different store names written on the outside. Then when I make out my lists or know that coupon will be used there, I stick it in the envelope for that store and it's so much easier when I go to do my shopping.

6. Now like the bins I showed you above, if your looking for organizational items. Craigslist is another great place to look. I got 9 or 10 of the above jars that are originally from Ikea ( we don't have one nearby ) from a lady on craigslist for $5 for all of them. These are perfect to hold little things in my craft room. I also got the 10 matching baskets below for $20 I believe awhile back from craigslist and they will all fit perfectly on my bookshelf in my craft room to house all kinds of things and I love that they all match!

7. If you have lots of ribbon, or even ribbon pieces and scraps you would like to store easier, they are so cute wrapped on the old timey clothespins. For a tutorial go here. I found Nichole's blog the other day and you must go over and check out her pretty ribbon storage! I don't have a ton of ribbon but think it's so cool and will be doing this with what I do have. p.s. Isn't that scrapbook paper awesome? I got it on clearance and can't wait to make something with it. I love paper with writing and text.

I am also linking this post to DIY Day over at Kimba's a soft place to land. Head over there here or by clicking the above button to check out everyone's projects for the week. Don't forget to head over to Sarah's for the Clean and Fresh Party here .

Head over here and see the super cute clay birds my Moms made on old light fixtures!! They are the cutest!

Have a Wonderful Week Everyone!!!!

2 Yummmy Meals out of one Roast in the slow cooker!

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole A.) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 22:22:00 +0000

Photo from here.

I found this recipe here a couple of years ago when googling and looking for a new roast recipe. I absolutely LOVE cooking in my slow cooker! It's awesome as it's basically dump and go, and then about 8 hours later you have a Fabulous meal that you did virtually nothing to prepare.

Now I admit I was skeptical at first myself, sounded a bit to salty but TRUST me it's Awesome! This is the only way I make my roasts now....

I do everything exactly as the recipe from RecipeZaar says except I always brown my roasts beforehand in a tiny bit of olive oil.

Ingredients

1 beef roast, any kind
1 (1 1/4 ounce) package brown gravy mix, dry
1 (1 1/4 ounce) package dried Italian salad dressing mix
1 (1 1/4 ounce) package ranch dressing mix, dry
1/2 cup water

Directions

Brown your roast in a tiny bit of olive oil. Then place in your crockpot.
Mix the dried mixes together in a bowl and sprinkle over the roast.
Pour the water around the roast.
Cook on low for 7-9 hours.

A little more than halfway I add in cut up potatoes and carrots. LOTS of carrots for us as we love them!! This recipe makes a yummy gravy for the potatoes! I always make angel hair pasta right before the roast is done and the roast, potato, and carrot mixture with the gravy is sooooo goood!!!! Serve it with some yummmy bread or rolls and your ready to eat!

Not only is this recipe easy peasy but I love that it requires only a few ingredients and is very inexpensive to make! We always have leftovers. Wanna know what I do with the leftovers? This is almost better than the first time around. I said almost.

1. Take your leftover roast, doesn't matter if it's pork or beef, whatever will work and tear it all apart.

2. Now heat up a skillet with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil ( butter works to ) in it and add your meat.

3. Just cook it long enough to very slightly crisp it and warm it up.

4. Take some sandwich rolls, sliced bread, or hamburger buns with mayo ( that's how we roll ) or whatever your preference and fill with your meat and Enjoy!

It is soooooooooooo good! It's good with a slice of provolone cheese too!

One Super easy and Yummmo Roast = 2 nights of dinner or dinner and lunch the next day!!

Making a Photo Wreath....

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole A.) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 05:26:00 +0000

I have been wanting to post this for awhile now. I seen something similar done with Christmas cards on Martha's site here, I did her tutorial exactly but instead of Christmas cards was going to use black and white family photos. I got all my clothespins glued on and it was ready for pictures then I seen one like mine only much better above in my December issue of Country Living and liked it better. So off I went...

I used an old quilting hoop, randomly glued all of my pictures on to my liking trying to mix the sizes up. I order prints of all my photos through either shutterfly, cvs, or walgreens. Depends on who has the best deal when I go to order. Shutterfly is my favorite as if you sign up to receive their emails they are constantly emailing you deals. You definitely don't want to go gluing your favorite pictures unless you have doubles :)

Lay them out however you like best. I actually had my craft table to work on which is easiest to do standing at a table so you can move around and see it from all angles. Yes, my craft table is clean.

I completely recommend black and white photos with maybe a mix of sephia toned photos, however I could not find all my photos and was lucky ( hence the whole organization saga ) to find these and well I'm impatient so I worked with what I had. So I edited in black and white to give you an idea.

There are lots of fun things you could do with this. This looks odd but if you have the right frame it would look pretty sweet hanging over an empty frame. Or you could make a cute little sign with your family name on it to hang in the middle or something vintage and fun. Ohhhh and by the way I will totally be hanging this from some chunky black ribbon, however again with the organization and not being able to find things. I have a door table that my mom made me in my entry way and as soon as I have the ribbon and my entryway organized ( check the organization calendar to the right ) I will be hanging mine there.

Try it with vintage valentines, Christmas cards, or maybe even a mix of vintage photos, papers, postcards, or any ephemera. Super cool.

I'm linking up with Kimba over at a soft place to land for DIY day!!! Head over and check out all the cool projects everyone has come up with for this week!

A little bit of everything....

noreply@blogger.com (Nicole A.) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 04:58:00 +0000

First check out the Awesome amount of snow we received on Thursday!! I think we ended up with almost 7 inches. Some may not think it's awesome but I love snow, it brings a smile to my face.

Secondly, Are these not the coolest push pins ever? I found these Christmas Eve in the clearance at Hobby Lobby while doing a little last minute shopping.

I bought a bunch! I LOVE them! They are a nice size and heavy

And these giganto scissors husband bought me. They are about 18 inches. We seen them Christmas Eve at Hobby Lobby and they were on sale for like $6?....I have been wanting some to hang on my wall in my craft room. These will go nicely with some super cute artwork I'm working on for in there :)

I haven't gotten to do ANY crafting the past few days as I am hard at work getting my craft room organized as I HAVE to have it completed by the end of tomorrow so I can go down the list. Next is the kitchen and I will be posting about that on Wednesday. I have been working on some new fun blocks, like the one ( don't worry it's not done ) above.

I also did finish these up last week. They turned out ok. I just printed my pictures out on regular ole printer paper. I added the letters to my pictures using my fave www.picnik.com Anyways, I was just playing around and trying them out. I do like them and they will look so much better using the proper paper and color. They are supposed to be black and white but they were printed on a black and white printer only so hence the dullness.

Also some more Love blocks.

Oh and check out my new etsy banner, isn't it cool? Love the little owl! I got mine here and let me tell you this girl is Rockin Awesome!! SUPER FAST and she does a wonderful Job workin with you! You can get a custom etsy banner or blog header for about $12. She's working on one for my blog now :)

I have lots of cool projects coming your way this week and FINALLY the washer video tutorial. I am working on a photo wreath, a couple of knockoffs from Ballard Designs and Pottery Barn, a giganto bulletin board for my room, and finally finishing up the toile dressform that has been sitting and waiting for me....

I also now have a few things to make and mail before Tuesday as today I found out that a girl that I went to highschool with is battling cervical cancer and they are having a benefit next weekend the 16th and I was asked to send some things to be auctioned and of course I said yes. She is married and has 4 little ones, so please keep her family in your prayers. If anyone is interested in donating an item to be auctioned contact me and I'll tell you where to mail it.

Have a Lovely Sunday!