Candace Creations

Valentine's 2.0 Felt Heart Cookie Set

noreply@blogger.com (Candace @ Candace Creations) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 03:16:00 +0000

Valentine's Day Post 2.0

Felt Heart Cookie Set

and

Valentine's Day Fun

My friend found this super cute felt cookie tutorial on pinterest (I think) and we decided to do it last night, just in time for Valentine's Day for our girls.

J said it was a wonderful gift!

My brother is arriving tonight for a visit before he goes off to start training for the AF Para Rescue program and so we cut out lots of hearts and the kids spend forever decorated them all for him and then J carefully, thoughfully placed them all around his room he'll be staying in the surprise him...

We also had an impromptu playdate with our friends and they made necklaces together gluing a heart doiley on a paper heart, then adding a sticker, ribbon and we took their picture and printed and cut out and glued to the back...and they decorated and ate Valentine's cupcakes

And here are the crossword puzzle valentine's we made and passed out at the retirement home with our MOPS group

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

Happy Valentines Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Candace @ Candace Creations) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:12:00 +0000

Will you be my Valentine?

I've been having fun using all the premium tools on picnik since they are free until they close and switch over to google in April. This one I did sepia, then cross process then faded and obviously font, stickers and border added :) FUN for someone like me who used to know a little photoshop but hasn't used it in years.

Lose the Love Handles while Watching TV?

noreply@blogger.com (Candace @ Candace Creations) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:38:00 +0000

Burn Calories Like Your Breastfeeding

just 30 minutes a day, no expensive contraptions

Okay, I have been weaning my son from the boob as we have had chronic PAINFUL thrush PLUS he'll be turning 2 in a couple of months so it's the right time for us. But one of the benefits of breastfeeding I'm NOT excited about giving up is the extra calorie burning power! I already exercise and so I either have to exercise even more or diet (I refuse to count calories). Well, I came across this article in my inbox today that may be a viable solution to make up for not breastfeeding and keep burning those extra few hundred calories!!! Here is the quick synopsis

Brown fat is a heat-generating type of fat that burns energy instead of storing it, acting more like muscle than fat

Research has shown that brown fat can be activated to burn more fat by cooling your body

Studies have also shown that animals convert white fat into brown fat simply by exercising. The conversion is triggered by an enzyme called irisin, which is released by the muscles during exercise. It’s still unclear whether this phenomenon is true for humans as well, but humans do have the same protein

According to Tim Ferriss, author of The Four-Hour Body, you may be able to increase your fat burning potential by as much as 300 percent simply by adding ice therapy to your dieting strategy. You can do this by placing an ice pack on your upper back and upper chest for 30 minutes a day; drinking about 500 ml of ice water each morning; taking ice cold showers; and/or immersing yourself in an ice bath three times a week

And while Ice baths are NOT in the cards for me, I think I could handle a cold pack while on the computer or watching a TV show or drinking more ice water! Also as the article elaborates...

"A NASA scientist told ABC News that's no hyperbole. In studying the effects of temperature on astronauts, he saw people's metabolism boost by 20 percent in environments as mild as 60 degrees. A Joslin researcher told National Public Radio that 3 oz. of brown fat could burn 400 to 500 calories daily."

......well maybe it' sa good thing that we don't crank up the heat haha...save money and make our metabolism work harder. Due to our frugalness we usually keep the thermostat around 63 this winter. I turn it up for company.

Check out the full article while includes four more ways to boost your metabolism here.

This Trick May Force Your Body to Burn 400-500 Extra Calories/Day by Dr.Mercola

Scrappy Saturday

noreply@blogger.com (Candace @ Candace Creations) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Scrappy Saturdays Link Up

Happy Saturday everyone! I hope your weekend is off to a great start! I had so much fun looking at all the links from last weeks Scrappy Saturday projects, you all continue to inspire me each week! Here is just a sample of the goods from last week...

Mother Daughter Sweater Pillows (I never get tired of seeing these why haven't I made any yet!?!?) by Alderberry Hill

Love this Burlap Valentines Banner by Rebekah Dawnusing burlap, twine and bookpages!!!

What a fun way to recycle a prescription bottle! Check out this Valentines Prescription by Shelstring

An easy to make sisal rope placemat by Loopyloop Creations

I've always loved those projects where you dress up an old tin can to make a utensil or pencil holder. I love how avsusanne painted the inside of her decorated tin can!

If you've been featured, you can grab a brag button here

Now link up your awesome projects using scraps (of any kind), upcycling, redo/makeovers, and anything you made including materials you found or had on hand. We love thrifty, resourceful creativity!

if you like this linky/blog you can follow me on GFC, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs...:)

Visit some of the other links and leave some comment love :)

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Bedtime Blessings

noreply@blogger.com (Candace @ Candace Creations) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Bedtime Blessings

100 Bedtime Stories and Activities for Blessing Your Child

by John Trent

We've been doing the Book Bedtime Blessings with our 4.5 year old before bed and it has been so enjoyable and something we both really look forward to each night. The stories and activities are short and sweet and each activity ends with a related blessing for your child. Tonight was maybe one of my favorites, the activity was for her to write a letter to God and here is what she dictated for me to write down

Dear God,

Angels protect us. I'm Jordan and you can send me email God. God, thank you for giving lots of dress up clothes and please, God, help me be brave. I love you God thanks for dying on the cross. God, thank you for my lipstick I got for Christmas. Thank you for my butterflies that hang on my tree and protect me. Thanks for my beautiful room. Please bless that I can have a life with you God. Thanks you for my wonderful church dresses. Thank you for art I can do.

Bathroom Redo

noreply@blogger.com (Candace @ Candace Creations) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Bathroom Reveal

Well this is one of those "reveals" where I'm a little apprehensive to share...it's not TOTALLY done because we need to paint the trim and woodwork, but I'm done with this project for now I need a break!

The original paint in this bathroom was not looking so great, there were tons of water streak stains on all the walls...I think mainly due to the fact that the towel rack was no where near the sink so people were walking around with wet hands which were then dripping down the walls? Anyways, I picked up some metal decor from Hobby Lobby 50% off and we wanted to go with an old world rustic look, using a faux finish on the walls. But here is what happened...the tan color I picked out as the base went on and looked more like a creamy, peachy skin color...I felt like I was surrounded by skin. So instead of just a light faux finish, I ended up doing a heavier, more dramatic faux with dramatic cracks in the walls to cover up the awful base color. I also painted the cabinets and doors the same light color and started glazing them but it wasn't looking that great (I'm new to this stuff) and my husband said the door looked like it was covered in "diarreah juice" okay sorry for that gross description, that is just his sense of humor...I originally wanted to go darker with the woodwork anyways so I think that's what we will do now.

Still can't decide if I like it...I've spent way too much time in that small bathroom over the last 3-4 nights and feel totally indifferent....don't know what to think of it. I also want to put a decorative bracket type thing with a vase of flowers above the toilet possibly?

Anyways, here is the before and after....and who knows...maybe there will be another "after" down the road if I decide I don't like this and redo the whole thing again! Maybe at least an update after painting the trim and woodwork differently.

Here is when I had all the colors up to pick from...and of course the one I got ended up looking nasty and NOT like cappuccino! haha The swatch I went with was the 3rd in from the right on the 2nd to last row....

I did find out after bringing home a ton of swatches that the main color throughout our house is Bistro Chair!

See, need a different color on door and trim because it's too much the same...

Mod Podged/hotglued paper over the light switch cover

Here is the faux "process" I did (really was experimenting)

Made a glaze with burnt umber and raw umber acrylic paint mixed with water and smeared a bunch on randomly with a 4 inch paintbrush....then take a wet rag, wring out all the water and then smear it, wipe it and dab it around until it looked like this....I would also go back with an almost dry paintbrush and do crosshatching to blend and texturize it as well

Anyways....did I ruin my bathroom? Last night I dreamed that I started over and painted the walls a solid darker color with light trim...

Scrappy Saturdays 18

noreply@blogger.com (Candace @ Candace Creations) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:52:00 +0000

Scrappy Saturdays Linky

Hello everybody! Last week was a great linkup with lots of awesome stuff and I can't believe it's saturday again already! I've been busy this week repainting the main bathroom at our house which my husband initially hated when he saw it last night, but after cleaning the room up and putting the decor and everything back up on the walls it's starting to grow on us. The tan paint I picked out looked more like a peachy creamy skin tone when it went on the walls and I wanted to puke everytime I walked past the room...but then I made a glaze and starting fauxing the walls to give it an old world appearance and added some cracks....maybe too many cracks...to the walls and anyways....that has been keeping me busy! (I was just winging it, the only decorative painting I've done is rag rolling my moms living room at least 10 years ago with my sister) so anyways...on with the party...

DIY Dino Hoodie by The Sasse Life

DIY Chore Magnets by Live a Fabulous Life

Valentines Crayon Art by Loopyloop Creations

Felt Logs with Canvas Initials by Felt Tree

Felt Fireplace by The Little Giggler

Lacey Heart Valentines Shirt

noreply@blogger.com (Candace @ Candace Creations) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:08:00 +0000

FYI-Head on over to Wanna Be Balanced Mom today to see my latest guest post featuring my new tutorial. It's a super cute customizable character (make it like your child) and rainbow magnet set to be used as a "chart" to get your kids eating healthy called Rainbow in My Tummy!

Doily Heart Valentines Day Shirt Craft

From Family Fun's February Issue

We have been really making use of our February issues of Family Fun Magazine! After making the Indoor Snowman...we made these Valentines Day shirt activity is something J was DYING to make when she saw it in the magazine. I found the turtlenecks on clearance at Target for $1.78 and just cut the neckline as I did with her other clearance turtleneck shirt and made the turtleneck part into a headband (SEE HERE) We also tied a piece of tulle into a bow on the headband. We did everything else the same, put a heart shaped doiley on top of the shirt and then the girls sponged on fabric paint. After you remove the doiley, this is what it looks like....

You can find the instructions for this Adoily-able Shirt Here.

And we are making a bunch of valentines for our MOPS group that the kids can hand out to the residents at a retirement home so we used one of the valentines ideas from the February family fun too. Instead of useing madlibs, We rolled up crossword puzzles, wrapped in a heart doiley and secured with a ribbon.

Turtleneck Makeover

noreply@blogger.com (Candace @ Candace Creations) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:30:00 +0000

I was at Target the other day and saw a whole bunch of turtlenecks on clearance in the girls section, but didn't really WANT to get my daughter any turtlenecks. But for $1.78 a piece, I had an aha moment in the store and picked up a few. This purple zebra one caught my eye in particular because lately J's favorite color is purple and I no one ever really gets her crazy prints like that so I thought she's be excited. Then I also saw the purple velour skirt on clearance for $1.50 and the purple polk-a-dot pants for $1.00. The next day I surprised her with the outfit and she couldn't believe it...it was so something she would put together (as you can tell, totally a 4 year old dressing herself style) And as I showed her the purple zebra turtleneck her eyes got huge and she was gasping when I proceeded to tell her, "I think we should cut the neck part off" and she gasped even louder and said "I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY THAT!!!" ..really??? well, either way wouldn't surprise me, she is always wanting me to alter things for her!

So anyways, here is how to have a little fun with a cheap turtleneck

stretch out the neck part a bit to make it into a comfy headband.

This is her favorite outfit right now, she is treasuring it and I'm cracking up a bit because the whole outfit was under $5 and is all mismatched clearance items but she is so happy that I know her "fashion sense" and surprised her with this. :P She has so many cute and beautiful school and church clothes, it's nice for her to just have some random play clothes.

Scrappy Saturdays 17

noreply@blogger.com (Candace @ Candace Creations) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Scrappy Saturdays 17

Hey! I seriously can't believe it's that time of week again!!! This week just slipped away completely with very little accomplished! Do you ever have weeks like that? I haven't had much time for creating lately so I really am enjoying seeing what everyone else is doing!

I'm having fun looking at all the linkups from last week, there weren't very many compared to weeks past...probably because I got the link up going late here are a couple of them...

Check out this super cute and handy Jar Pin Cushion from Dear Creatives

And the Magnetic Me activity from Creative Juice looks sooo fun I really want to do that!

And I <3 this felt heart garland from Life's Jewelry Box

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House Peeking

noreply@blogger.com (Candace @ Candace Creations) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:30:00 +0000

So I've been pretty slow to do a lot of decorating and whatnot with the new house. We moved in May from and apartment so it's been kinda bare. I guess it took a while for me to get comfortable and not feel worried about if the previous owners would approve...(they had done a nice job and the house was in such great condition). Anyways, here are some of the things I've gotten around to putting up etc...it's not much but it's coming along.

ENTRYWAY

had the table since my college dorm, mirror was a wedding gift, got the wire bowl 50 cents at church "yard" sale, balls from hobby lobby, frames from home goods, topiary from west elm (clearance for $10) and the candlesticks I just got on clearance at TJ Maxx for $5 each...

J is wearing the pillowcase dress and headband I made in this pic

B is wearing the first necktie I made

Just picked up the metal decor 50% off at Hobby Lobby for the entryway

Here is how it all looks from inside

The cross is what you see when walking down the stairs, I told J that it will help her remember everyday when she comes down in the morning that Jesus loves her.

BEDROOM

Bedroom still has lots of room for improvement as we have no real bedroom set, our bed is just on rails and we have an old hand me down dresser. I picked up a sitting chair from the thrift store when we moved here for hardly anything and it's in perfect condition. I want to paint and recover it but just haven't decided what I how I want to do it yet. There are only 2 things we have done in here...Put in a different ceiling fan because we didn't like the gold and white fan that looked dated (this one isn't anything fancy but we like it better, it was only $50-i think it may end up in my sons room eventually and get something else but it's an improvement for now)

here is how the room looks (normally i make the bed)...eventually this will be part of a before and after post I'm sure! I DO love my windows though!

but my FAVORITE addition....one of my favorite things in the whole house is this lith from Carlton T Chapman 1888. When my in-laws came out to visit and brought us some things from their house, they also brought us this piece of artwork and I LOVE IT! I love how my mother-in-law had it framed and matted as well with linen. I love to look over at it when I wake up. Thanks Mom and Dad C!

Hubby went around and painted all the outlet covers so they blend in better. The previous owners left all the paint from different rooms and had it all labeled in the basement which is nice.

BASEMENT

putting up memorabilia and what not

There is a large drawing I did in college, a framed album insert from Frank Sinatra's greatest hits, a framed menu from Modern Apizza (in New Haven, CT) a bw pic of my hubby's first car and some sports memorabilia. I made the JETS banner for my hubby using felt and framed it in those cheap frames from Walmart that are like $3. We just got some more menu's and more memorabilia from my husbands last trip to CT that I'll be adding to the wall.

More memorabilia, a campaign sign from when my father-in-law ran for political office, various album art, etc.

Where I work out (a super awesome craigslist find!)

Where hubby works out (another great craigslist find...less than a one year membership at an average gym would cost)

Just put up this $2 clock from Target to look at through the glass door so I will actually know how long I've been sitting in HERE...

Yes, I love this!

It would be nice to just do everything we wanted to do and decorate everything all at once, but we are thrifty and frugal and so we just wait till we find a good deal on what we need or are looking for. I do have some serious empty wall space around the house though that I'm going to have to do something about sooner than later!!! But I've just been so happy enjoying our new home and having more space than the 2 bedroom apartment we were in, with the baby waking up 20+ times a night bc he was stuck in our room with us! But I AM glad we decided hold off on buying a house and go the cheap apartment route as long as we did because it was worth the wait :)

Indoor Snowman Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Candace @ Candace Creations) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:27:00 +0000

Since any snow we get keeps melting (not complaining!) we decided not to wait any longer to make some snowmen! My daughter saw this in the recent issue of Family Fun magazine using toilet paper, but I didn't feel like dealing with a tp mess so we just wrapped dad up in a bed sheet and she decorated him to be a snowman! (he's such a good sport! and she could not stop giggling!). (that thing in their mouth is supposed to be the pipe....made with a pip cleaner)

Scrappy Saturdays 16

noreply@blogger.com (Candace @ Candace Creations) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 17:53:00 +0000

Man these weekends keep sneaking up on me and I am super excited to see what you all link up this week! Some highlights from last week include...

Adult Cami into Girls Ruffle Shirt @ babblings and more

Valentines Tic Tac Toe @ Life's Jewelry Box

Scripture Chair Makeover @ Rustic Living

Baby Legs @ Living the DIY Lifestyle

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3-D paperbag snowflakes

noreply@blogger.com (Candace @ Candace Creations) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:30:00 +0000

3-D Paper Bag Snowflakes

Since there's been very little snow this winter might as well make some

I originally shared this tutorial as a guest post over at Dear Creatives and have been meaning to share it again in case you missed it! (click here to see the original post over at DC)

Spend a cold winter day with your kids making these beautiful 3-D snowflakes that are super easy. These snowflakes have a very dramatic effect, especially if you make a collection and hang them together. My friend and I got the idea when we were at Whole Foods and they had big snowflakes like this made from various kinds of paper bags hanging from the ceiling in the front of the store. You could use any kind of paper bags you have on hand, we used white lunch paper bags. This is a great craft you can do with the little ones too, which is what we did.

What You’ll Need

10 paper lunch bags (for 1 snowflake)

scissors, edge punch, etc

stapler

ribbon or string

hole punch

Cut the top edges of all the paper bags to make pretty snowflake edges.

Take two bags and line them up. Open the tops and staple one side of the bag to one side of the other bag.

Repeat until you have five bags stapled together. Staple the five bags together at the bottom and then open it up creating a fan…half your snowflake.

Take the other five bags and repeat, attaching them all together and making another fan shape.

Take the two half snowflakes (fan shapes) and staple them together through the openings at the top of the bag. Staple the tops of the bags together, but also the bottom edges as you can see in the picture above.

Use your hole punch and make punch a hole for stringing a ribbon or yarn through so you can hang your 3-D paper bag snowflake.

Adjust all the bags so all the creases are straight.

After putting it together I decided to go around all the edges with the hole punch to add more detail.

We had 4 year olds cut the edges of the snow flakes, but you could make more dramatic or designed edges changing the look of this paper bag snowflake, so it has more shape and is less of a giant circle when looking straight on. These also look great when made with brown paper bags. You could even get more creative and spray the finished snowflake with spray adhesive and sprinkled with glitter to give it some bling, glue on some jewels or sequins…or just enjoy as is. My daughter wanted me to hang hers above her bed, she loves it.

Thanks for looking and I hope you enjoy making some of these fun 3-D paper bag snowflakes.

Scrappy Saturdays 15

noreply@blogger.com (Candace @ Candace Creations) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 03:06:00 +0000

Sorry for the late start! I was having trouble logging into inlinkz and finally figured out the problem. I thought it wasn't working, but apparently I just kept using the wrong password....derrr!!!

So here we go, thanks all for your participation, I always look forward to seeing what you have done each week! Here are some from last week...

Dollar Store ActivityBags @ Second Chance by Susan

Baggy Hubby Sweater Turned Chic @ DIY Home Sweet Home

Wine Cork Bracelet @ A Creative Princess

Decorating With Sugar @ Brassy Apple

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I LIKE Green Eggs and Ham!

noreply@blogger.com (Candace @ Candace Creations) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:23:00 +0000

Green Eggs and Ham

or in this case bacon

What you'll need

Eggs
Ham/bacon
Blue food coloring
Bowl
Fork
Frying pan
Non-stick spray/vegetable oil
Spatula

Depending on your child's capabilities, you can let them help a lot or a little but this is a fun one for them to make

Place a frying pan on the skillet over high heat, once it gets real hot, reduce to medium heat (I do this so the eggs don't stick to the stainless steel...we don't use non-stick frying pans, they are a no no but you can read more about that at end of post).

Let your child help you crack the eggs on the edge of counter or side of bowl and carefully break the eggs into the bowl.

Let them put a few drops of blue food coloring into the bowl with the eggs. If you have the wilton food coloring in the little jars, dip the tip of your fork in the food coloring to get just a tiny amount. Use your fork and stir the eggs up in the bowl, mixing in the food coloring. (if kids are going to stir the eggs, use a bigger sized bowl so prevent them from spilling over the edge)

Lightly coat the frying pan with oil or cooking spray to prevent sticking.

Pour green eggs into skillet and cook, folding and chopping with the spatula to make scrambled eggs.

When green eggs are cooked, remove from skillet and serve warm.

As for the ham part, you can either take some deli ham and cut into small pieces and stir into the eggs before cooking or you can make a side a bacon like we did.

And DON'T FORGET to read them the book Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

We got our 4.5 year old Green Eggs and Ham for Christmas and I'll never forget the first time I read it to her that night. She had no idea what she was in for when it started, and as we got into the book, her eyes widened, filled with delight and she rose up higher and higher on her knees 'till she was no longer laying down but bouncing in her bed as the story went on. We have to read the book at LEAST two times in a row, then we have to act it out 2 times, taking turns being Sam I Am and the guy who doesn't want the Green Eggs and Ham. Dr. Seuss has just acquired a new fan...and today she requested Green Eggs and Ham for lunch...and of course I had to be Sam I Am when serving it to her...."You do not like them so you say. Try them! Try them! And you may. Try them and you may, I say."

I know we are not the first to do this fun activity by any means, but it was our first time and it was fun!!! I was also thinking after the fact, that you could make this healthier by using spinach puree to color the eggs, I'll have to try that next time and see if they still like Green Eggs and Ham!

*We have thrown out most of our non-stick cookware. It has been banned in other countries because it is toxic and carcinogenic. When Mary Anne bought a gerbal for one of her kids, the pet store warned them not to keep the cage near the kitchen when cooking because the fumes from non-stick cookware can kill the animal. We stick to using stainless steel and cast iron for cooking. For more about that, read my Nutrition and Healthy Cooking posts.

New Year New Hair

noreply@blogger.com (Candace @ Candace Creations) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:30:00 +0000

Bit the Bullet and Dyed my Hair (at home)!

BEFORE

3 weeks prior

AFTER

So I've been thinking about dying my hair on and off since Jordan was born but always chicken out so the other night I finally bit the bullet and tried it. I checked around on the internet and Tyler called his aunt who is a hairdresser and the general consensus was to use clairol nice n easy #10 lightest blonde. I was so nervous and totally freaking out but I knew I could go get it done professionally if I didn't like it.

It didn't turn lightest blonde, but it turned all my darkest dirty blonde areas of hair to strawberry blonde. I guess people will stop asking where Bronson got his hair color :) My hair feels much nicer after using the dye, highlights always dry out my hair and now it feels so silky I'm not used to it! Now I can actually get the straightner to go smoothly through an entire length of hair, before, trying to curl my hair with the straightener was difficult, it would always get caught or stick as I got towards the bottom of each section of hair (yes even when brushing the sections well before straightening). So when I curled my hair with the flat iron the other day, I couldn't believe how much easier it was! PLUS it only took 10 minutes to process once I got my hair covered...going to the salon always takes half the day, my highlights always take forever to process. Although I did almost throw up when I finished washing the dye out...it looked bright orange at first but it didn't stay like that, it toned down and when I dried it looked like it does in the after pictures. And below is with the flash.

Anyways here it is. :) Honestly, it looks a lot different to us, but only a couple of people have noticed the difference, not even Jordan has said anything and she doesn't miss a thing so yeah, maybe I'm making a big deal about dying my hair, but it really wasn't a big change, just the first time doing all over color (besides my embarassing hair days (which I shared on wannabebalanced recently to win the personal microdermabrasion system, thanks everyone who voted!) when I had Karen Kane hair in 8th grade and dyed it maroon, then bleached it and got a firey orange...which was cool because that was the same time as the movie the Fifth Element of course! LOL! I still looked like a "shim" though....apparently.

Anyways....I don't know what my deal is, I'm just a DIY junkie, I like to try doing things myself. I also did my own trim a couple months ago after giving B his first haircut, looking at my ends in the picture above...I think it's time for another one!

Did I mention it cost $10? That is less then what I tip when I get my hair done!

Gluten Free Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Candace @ Candace Creations) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 07:04:00 +0000

Gluten Free Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

Also Dairy Free

OK so maybe this isn’t the best recipe to be posting the first week of the new year when so many of use are trying to be healthier, but sometimes you need things like this to get through certain things….okay…yeah, we don’t NEED food to cope with things, but sometimes, if I can just eat something chocolate…I’m a much better person. Anyways, the kids love ‘em too. For some reason I got thinking about muffins and those jumbo chocolate chocolate chip muffins you can buy at Costco or other bakeries and I just really missed being able to have that. So I pulled out the best muffin recipe I have ever used (including pre-gluten free days) and just made one change to it to make these delicious gluten free chocolate chocolate chip muffins or double chocolate chip muffins….however you want to say it!

Here is the gluten free muffin recipe, but to make them double chocolate, just like the ones from the store, you are going to subtract 1/3 cup flour and replace it with 1/3 cup cocoa powder. Then add a cup of Ghirardelli semi-sweet or 60% cocoa chocolate chips (they are dairy free and I use coconut milk when making these).

Gluten Free Homemakers Basic Muffin Recipe

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

1 2/3 c. gluten-free flour mix
1/3 c cocoa powder
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1 Tb. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 – 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla or other flavoring
3/4 – 1 c. milk, juice, or water
up to 1 c. chocolate chips

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt and sugar. In a smaller bowl, or measuring cup, combine the oil, eggs, vanilla and milk. Add that to the dry ingredients and whisk together until moistened. Stir in chocolate chips. Divide into lined muffin cups and I like to sometimes sprinkle a little sugar on top like the bakeries do. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes. Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Usually best served warm.

(note: I use Silvana Nardone's GF blend and leave out the xanthan gum when making this recipe since her blend already has the xanthan gum in it. I just love her blend and all her recipes!

I love this recipe because it is so versatile! I've also used this gluten free muffin recipe to make

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Muffins

Gluten Free Strawberry Muffins

Gluten Free Blueberry Lemon Muffins with Coconut Streusel

Gluten Free Coffee Cake with Maple Frosting

Highlights of 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Candace @ Candace Creations) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 16:30:00 +0000

Best of 2011

Seeing everyone else do it, I figured I might as well hop on the wagon and share some my favorite and popular posts from 2011.

Hand Painted Family Last Name Established Art

Hand Painted When I Grow Up Sign

Unicorn Knock Off from Rosenberry Rooms

Painted Restoration Hardware Inspired Pillows

Branchlers Tutorial

Butterfly Mobile Tutorial

Personalized Baby Name Hanger

Newborn Tutu & Headband

Glowing Rapunzel Hair Tutorial

Gourmet Nutrageous (gluten free and dairy free)

Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets

Dairy Free Chocolate Ganache

Coconut Ice Cream

Blueberry Lemon Muffin with Coconut Streusel Topping

Gluten Free and Dairy Free

Grilled Onion and Potato Slabs w/ Grilled Honey Dijon Chicken

DIY Baby's First Haircut

Pillowcase Dress Tutorial

Prince Cape for Boys

Matching Mommy Daughter Aprons

Mom and Baby Portrait

My Demand Media Promo/commercial

Scrappy Saturdays 14

noreply@blogger.com (Candace @ Candace Creations) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the first Scrappy Saturdays Link Up of 2012! I have enjoyed all of your great projects this past year and can't wait to see what the new year holds in store! Let's get the inspiration for the new year flowing! And before we start linking up, here are a few of the great projects from the last linky.

Candle Jar Makeover @ Ode to Inspiration/ DIY Accessory Holder @ Khadjia's Creative Mind/ Scrap Triangle Scarf @ Av Susanne/ Tote Tutorial @ About Blogging Time

Alrighty, if you've been featured, you can grab a brag button here

if you like this linky/blog you can follow me on GFC, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs...:)

Visit some of the other links and leave some comment love :)
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grab a button below and post it with your other linky lists

Link up your awesome projects using scraps (of any kind), upcycling, redo/makeovers, and anything you made including materials you found or had on hand. We love thrifty, resourceful creativity!

Make a Bubble Machine!

noreply@blogger.com (Candace @ Candace Creations) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:26:00 +0000

Make Your Own Bubble Machine

On another winter day last week that was sunny and beautiful looking but had some nasty freezing wind we were looking for some fun. I found this old better homes and garden activity book that my MIL gave me that my mom also had for us growing up. I remember when I was a kid with my brother, pouring through the books getting ideas for crafts, activities and experiments, my brother’s entire birthday party was doing almost everything from the outer space book. Nowadays we just go on pinterest and find a million awesome ideas for anything and everything!!! But it was fun to pull out the old book and read the page and tell my daughter we were going to make a bubble machine. They loved this, even my 20 month old figured this out quickly and didn’t even accidentally suck on the straw which I thought might happen…yuk!

Watch it in Action

To Make a Bubble Machine

You’ll need a empty and clean plastic bottle, milk carton, sour cream container or other container with lid.

Using a knife, cut a small X on one side and then make another X on the opposite side.

Add some dish soap, about 1-2 tablespoons and fill with water halfway.

Insert a straw into one of the holes and have your child blow and make as much bubbles as they can!

To extend the activity, when they got tired of making bubbles, we used all the suds on the table to finger paint!

Finger paint with soap suds!

(I needed to clean the table anyways!)

Later that day they got to go to Bounce U. They needed to get out….I thought it would be fun….wow….we rarely go to places like that and yes it is fun for the kids…it’s also kind of like being in hell! Lol! However, despite the pushing, shoving, crazy maniac kids and the getting knocked down by bigger kids and accidental bumps to the nose...it was worth it in the end just for the precious moment of Big Sister coaching right before we left. Bronson kept watching Jordan climb up and go down the big slide but he was too timid...I mean he's 1 and 3/4, I would be too! But she kept encouraging him so he went for it, but it was hard for him to climb all the way to the top so she stood gaurd behind him, not letting other kids scramble by or jump around and coaching him all the way up, just hearing the way she was encouraging him and talking to him and keeping her hand on him to help him make it to the top, even at times when he got reluctant and wanted to come back down was worth the trip! I was impressed by her big sistering. Of course once they got to the top there were two slides to choose from and whichever one he went for was not the one she wanted so she would grab him by the arm or back of his shirt and drag him over to the other slide! lol

Official New Years Post

noreply@blogger.com (Candace @ Candace Creations) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Happy New Years!!!

I know I'm behind the times already, but I wanted to do an official new years post so Happy New Years to you all! I hope you rang it in the best way you know how, whether that's dancing with glow stick wands to Barbie Girl Aqua station on Pandora (like our kids) then passing out on the couch before the ball drops once the kids are in bed....or actually doing something more adventurous or glamorous, I hope it was wonderful and that you all have a year filled with joy, blessing and accomplishment!

So what are your New Years Resolutions? How about a little Pinterest Inspiration?

I have a print out I made with 8 different things on it that I am actively working on, but they aren't new year's resolutions per se, it was my Christmas Gift to my husband as he didn't want me to spend any money on him as his gift....so I wanted to give him a better version of me starting with all the obvious things I needed to work on or that would be nice first. Maybe once these things are all integrated into my lifestyle without having to actively think about doing them, I'll work on some other things.

Some of the things are

Waking up with Hubby in the morning (he always gets up before me and a lot of the time I wake up and he's already gone to work and I was in such a deep sleep I didn't notice him getting up and getting ready. So I've been trying to wake up when he does, make his lunch for him and spend a little time together in the mornings before the kids get up.

Juice Everyday we recently got a Juiceman Juicer and haven't used it yet but just started and it's been great! I let Jordan help me and she things it's so fun and she also thinks it's the best juice ever in the world. And today, Bronson drank half of mine, which excited me because he's been so picky lately it's been hard to get anything besides applesauce and cereal in him! It's good for me too...I've never been a good veggie eater but I have no problem with the juice.

Work out at least FOUR days a week and use the sauna Before the move, this was part of our routine and I loved it, it was such a stress reliever but after the move we got out of the workout routine and we also have a sauna in our basement and I haven't been using it as much as I want to. So far that's going great, I have been doing Yoga and using the Elliptical and doing a little bit of free weights and then sweating it out in the sauna.

Stay on top of my vitamin/supplements regimen I've had some pretty crummy health this year due to hypothyroidism, anemia and low vit D. I got to a new doc and got on NatureThroid and now my thyroid is finally doing much better but I still struggle with fatigue physically and mentally from the low iron and vit D....and I mean REALLY REALLY LOW...off the charts low....and I have the supplements I need but I am forgetful about taking them....so I made a chart that I keep out so I can check off at the different times of day when I'm taking my supplements to make sure I don't forget.

Keep our Room Clean Not that it's super messy (mainly my closet) but I did tell him I would keep our room clean...I don't always remember to make the bed and he doesn't know how to hang up his dress pants the right way, they always end up twisted, but then I never hang them up either so they get draped everywhere...and sometimes I let the laundry pile get a little too big (you know I'm just trying to be green and conserve energy by doing less frequent, large loads rather than lots of small loads!!! lol)

Meal Plan Daily so I have dinner figured out and either ready or in the process of getting ready or at least know what I am going to make so I have what I need by the time he gets home from work. I've been good at this in the past but for a while now it always seems like a scramble last minute what to have for dinner.

Pray for him Daily I pray for the kids ALL THE TIME, but I wanted to make an effort to be praying for him every day too. There's a book called "The Power of a Praying Wife"....um...I haven't read it...but the title inspires me :P

Anyways, these are some of the main things I'm focusing on right now...I've also been enjoying having all the Christmas Decorations put away and working on decorating the house and everything...Since we moved I just hadn't gotten that motivation or inspiration I needed to really decorate the new house, but after putting Christmas stuff away, it was a lot more bare looking and the motivation and inspiration came! PLUS it's been fabulous weather, I feel like I'm still in Texas with this mild winter weather we've been having...I've been loving all the sunshine, it spills in through all our windows and warms the house up I don't even have to turn on the heater sometimes!

Next Up...a recap of my favorite posts of 2011 and more so stay tuned.....

Felt and Pom Ice Cream Cone

noreply@blogger.com (Candace @ Candace Creations) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:41:00 +0000

Felt and Pom Pom Ice Cream Cone

Up until today we have been enjoying lots of time at home “not going ANYWHERE!!!” as my daughter surprisingly exclaimed with glee each morning of Christmas break. We enjoyed lots of little activities aside from the kids just enjoying their Christmas gifts, and in Jordan’s case, some of her new craft supplies….such as these jumbo pom poms. She got a big bag of these pom poms and wanted to make something, and being that the plush cake and strawberries I made are one of her favorite playthings, we decided to make more play treats and whipped up this triple scoop ice cream cone using felt, pom poms and a glue gun.

Yummy Triple Scoop Rainbow Ice Cream..."mmmmm..my favorite mom!"

And although Christmas is truly over, she suddenly gasped one day and exclaimed to me “MOM!!! We didn’t make gingerbread cookies!!!” Which I had no idea she even knew about them because it’s not anything we have done before, so we just made these paper gingerbread men and J enjoyed using her new glue (who would of thought glue in a stocking was so exciting!) googly eyes and craft scissors.

Like the Christmas Clothespin Magnet holding the paper gingerbread man?

And since I haven't been keeping up with the things I've wanted to post, here is another after the fact picture from Christmas...makes me laugh

And a few more from the day while I'm at it...

No One Likes a Frowny Face...

noreply@blogger.com (Candace @ Candace Creations) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 16:30:00 +0000

Lately our 4.5 year old has really been making an effort to perfect her unhappy mad face, just she she can express herself more clearly at any given opportunity. It's been getting to be a little much and we were trying to explain to her that if she keeps making ugly faces, her face will stay that way and she will make ugly faces at people even when she doesn't mean to, and no one will see the kind, beautiful person she truly is. So to help remind her, we told her she was going to have a warning first and then a time out anytime she makes one of those ugly faces. Then I made this special mirror with her, I was planning to make it anyways just for fun, but decided to tell her it was for her to practice her nice faces. So yesterday we put it together...

I picked up a purple feather boa and the hand mirror from the dollar store. The glitter is from the dollar store too...it came in her stocking. we just hot glued the boa to the edges and also hot glued the edges of the mirror and added the glitter. So far, seems to be helping...She's been proudly practicing :)

Kids Defense - Keeping Kids Healthy

noreply@blogger.com (Candace @ Candace Creations) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 17:07:00 +0000

Homeopathy and Gemmotherapy

I have a couple of things I would really like to share with ya'll! (I lived in Dallas 2 years I can say it now! haha! I can also say eh! Because I grew up in Canada....and although I'm also from Washington state, I will never say WaRshington....nope...that one just didn't rub off!). Anyways...and while I'm off topic (yes, before I've even gotten on topic, just a quick question for you...Look at your computer screen....How many windows or internet tabs do you currently have open? I think within 5 minutes of being on the computer I usually have at least 10 non-related tabs open on my internet browser. Sometimes I'll have 3 seperate windows open, each having t a bunch of tabs open...my husband will get on the computer and be like "what the heck are you doing?!? How can you be looking at that many things at once?" Well...I think I may have the answer to that. Yesterday a friend on facebook posted a link to an adult adhd test so I thought it would be funny to find out..since I always joke I have add anyways. Scoring above 70 is severe ADHD and I scored an 86...so that's my excuse for always having a gazillion windows and tabs open...Curious how you score? Check out the Adult ADHD Test Here

Anyways...back to kids health, I wanted to share with you some of the key things we have done this year to stay healthy that have seemed to have worked really well. The kids have stayed healthy even when around others who have come down with the flu later that day after playing, coughs, colds, runny noses, etc...their immune systems have done a great job. The only ailment this whole year was Jordan got a bit of a cough after playing outside in the snow but we were able to nip it in the bud with lithy tree, extra briar rose and doing a warm lemon compress on her chest so she could lay down and sleep without coughing. (I soaked a linen hand towel in a bowl of strongly brewed lemon tea, wrung it out a little so it wasn't soaking, then placed it on her bare chest and then placed a rice heating pad on top to help drive it in. It was amazing the difference it made, she wasn't able to recline without a coughing fit, but when she had the lemon compress on, she had no problem. At bedtime I set it up inside her zip up sleeper pj's so it wouldn't move around and she was able to fall asleep with ease...later I came to check on her and removed it once she was sleeping. I got the idea for this as well as many other great natural childcare tips from the book Natural Baby and Childcare by Dr. Lauren Feder, M.D.. I also kept her home from school for a day, even though she was on the mend, just to keep her from catching something else while her immune system was down a bit.

As part of our routine, and recommended by Dr. Bain from Frisco, TX I give the kids Dr. Carlson's Baby Vitamin D Drops daily. I give my 4 year old 2 drops in her juice or water each morning, and was especially diligent once preschool started.

And several drops of Briar Rose by Boiron every couple of days during cold and flu season to keep the immune system strong. If I notice any symptoms of oncoming illness or find out one of her friends she was playing with is sick, I will give her Briar Rose daily, or twice daily.

Lithy Tree is the other gemmotherapy remedy we have that I reserve for coughs and sore throats. you can find all sorts of gemmotherapy drops through Dr. Feder's website.

We recently ran out of Briar Rose and I haven't had time to look up local healthfood stores to buy more or order more (I bought mine before the move) so I was at Whole Foods looking to see if they carried it, which they didn't. However I saw something called Kids Defense herbal drops for around $12 and decided to grab some.

On Christmas Eve, by the time we got home from service, my husband was starting to feel all the symptoms of the flu. That would make this the third year in a row he has had the flu ON Christmas. I thought, well, the Kids Defense drops are to be given at onset of symptoms so I decided to try it out on Tyler. I gave him a full dropper in some OJ and he then fell asleep while I wrapped everything and got it under the tree. The next day he said he was feeling a little bit better but still felt like he had the start of the flu, so I gave him another full dropper in some OJ and then again later that day...we took that long afternoon nap that resulted in an overcooked turkey, but by that evening, he was amazed at how much better he was feeling. Tyler is always the skeptical one and whenever I give him stuff like this he doesn't think it's going to do anything, but he admitted he thought it must have helped because he knew he had the flu and he always get really sick for a week, and he improved majorly and was almost back to feeling normal within a day and a half. He said "I think that crap you gave me saved me." lol..that's Tyler. Other times he has started to get sick I have put a big shot of Briar Rose and Lithy Tree in his juice without telling him just to see what happens, and within a day he'll be surprised at how much better he is feeling so quickly. So anyways....I don't know what gemmotherapy is or how it works, but we use it along with Vit D and it does seem to work pretty darn good!

Other things that may help are

We don't eat a lot of processed/packaged foods. Breakfast is usually GF Old Fashioned Rolled Oats with real maple syrup and cinnamon or scrambled eggs. And some days I'll make gluten free pancakes, waffles or muffins. Lunch is usually smoothies, sandwiches with homemade gluten free bread, homemade gluten free pizza, turkey hot dogs (no nitrates or sulfates), fruit, peanuts etc... my daughter loves muffin tin meals to eat a variety of things.

We don't eat very much dairy, my son and I have none at all (and we never get sick) and my daughter only eats cheese and yogurt sparingly...and when I notice any onset of symptoms I also restrict her dairy intake...dairy makes us mucusy which increases phlem and can worsen cold symptoms. (and info out there that denies the connection between milk and mucus are wrong. My son was so mucusy and constantly congested until I went off dairy and as a benefit to me, I noticed I no longer had excess mucus either...I used to always notice a slight coating of mucus on my throat that I thought was normal but when it went away I was like, oh wow! so much nicer... Go off dairy and you won't have any loogies to spit out!!!) Everyone in the house uses Coconut Milk.

We try to get exposure to natural sunlight and be active when we can.

We drink mostly water, some juice (we like fruitables for juice boxes or Treetop applejuice made in WA not China) and chocolate smoothies made with chocolate almond milk, peanut butter, banana and ice.

We always use the anti bacterial wipes at stores and fully wipe down our cart and when we leave the store we use either hand sanitizer or wipes to clean our hands as soon as we get in the car.

We try to eat lots of fruits and veggies but I can't say we deserve any awards in that category, our kids are average eaters in that regard. But if they want a treat, I usually tell them they have to eat something healthy first like an apple, banana or a carrot...then they can have the cookie. And for my picky 20 month old, the applesauce and other fruit and veggie puree blends in the fun colorful squeeze pouches are a life saver! That's the only way I can really get things into him! Also the fruitables juice boxes help get some extra fruits and veggies into them.

For more tips on Having a Healthy Family check out these posts

A Healthy Family

Nutrition

Healthy Cooking

And for a wealth of great information for your family's healthy, you can visit Dr. Feder's website Here. Our old NP used to work with her and turned us on to her, she is our go to resourse with a balanced approach of conventional and natural family care.

Gemmotherapy definition and more info on uses @ OrganicTherapy.org

Gemmotherapy
Gemmotherapy is one seminal origin point of modern Phytotherapy. Gemmotherapy uses ONLY the flower buds and/or young shoots from the mother plant. It could easily be called “Phyto-embryonic Therapy”.

Traditionally, Gemmotherapy has been used by knowledgeable nutritional practitioners and homeopaths to assist in the gentle drainage and detoxification processes of the human body. This form of plant-based nutritional therapy has long been popular in Europe. The use of buds in traditional herbal pharmacopoeia dates back to the middle Ages when Alchemy was the common means of treatment.

Search Gemmotherapy remedies by condition Here.