Let’s get this straight. I am not a stenciling pro. AT ALL.  For this next project I thought I could display an image using my projector onto my sister’s wall for her nursery. (Yes, I am going to be an Aunt again!!) She is having a girl and through pinterest we came up with a cute little idea that we saw.

I got the projector into the room and wanted to cry because I realized how small the room was and I couldn’t get the image to zoom out without the image looking distorted.  When I grabbed the chalk and started to free hand the image my sister about killed over asking me if I knew what I was doing.

The only thing I knew is that I was going to make it happen and make it look cute- without a stencil and without a projector.  So I free handed, and used kitchen bowl’s.  It took about 4 hours to complete but I think it could have been done faster had we not kept stopping for cheeto / diet pepsi breaks.

I did learn on this project NOT to use blue chalk on a grey wall to outline.  USE WHITE!!  Don’t think I need to share what a learning experience that was!

I do want to say that this nursery is no where near finished. By the time I am done with it she is going to be the most spoiled little girl! (Can you tell I’m a tad bit excited) It makes me even more excited for when I get to be a grandma (but that can definitely wait until my kids all hit 25 right?)

I took some card stock in different shades of pink and cut out some large butterflies. I then attached them to the wall with the 3M Velcro strips.

Now my trees didn’t turn out as amazing as the one’s we found on pinterest but I do think they turned out pretty darn cute!~

I took a little break from blogging- well two weeks isn’t so little but had to play catch up in other areas of my life! I lost a little of my crafting mojo but it soon returned. Mother’s day is coming up and I had a friend ask me if I wanted to swap salon services for craft items. I jumped on the idea and started stalking her pinterest boards to see what fun crafty things she was pinning that I could make. She mentioned that she had found an idea for her mom for mother’s day so I found what she was talking about and went with it. This inspiration comes from Shanty-2-chic She has a bunch of different printables that you can use for free. Anyways, here is my version of a Mother’s day picture plaque:

I hung it up over my round iron wall hanging so that is not part of it. It is the brown board with a picture hook on the back. The clips are so you can add photos of yourself with your mother! Didn’t it turn out cute? This project came together really fast.

I used a left over piece of melanin from a previous project. I painted it a tan color, glued on the printable, added some embellishments, spray painted the clips black and glued them on. What a fun little gift don’t you think?

My husband and I built our home a little over two years ago and the building process was amazing. We have built several homes but hopefully this one is our final home until we retire. I love having a newer home because of the low maintenance. I have owned an older home in the past and I felt like we were constantly repairing something or another on that home. The expense of the up keep got overwhelming at times. With a new home you don’t have to worry about something breaking down or needing fixed.

I have also paid rent in the past and love the benefits owning my own home instead of renting. By owning my own home I get to choose what goes into my home. I can paint the walls any color I want, I can change out the carpet, lighting and fixtures on the walls. I also love having a yard to plant a garden, trees and flowers. By being a homeowner I have more privacy then I do with renting. I can fence in my yard and have a barbeque with my friends or family without interuption from any neighbors. I also love being able to open my back door and let my dog run free in my fenced in yard.

With owning a home I also like knowing that I am building equity instead of throwing away my money on rent. I like knowing that my home is an investment and that historically most home owners get a return on their investment. Also, in some cases depending on the type of home you choose it could cost less than renting.

Newly built homes allow you to trade your to-do list for a want-to-do list (no need to spend time on repairing, remodeling, etc.)
• Newly built homes are more energy efficient
• Newly built homes allow you to personalize it to fit your needs
• Newly built homes can save you time and money
• Newly built homes are built for modern families, with open floor plans, more storage and more room to entertain and play.

Here is a picture of my home!

I love owning a home and would recommend it to anyone. With interest rates currently at an all time low it is the perfect time to buy a home! BHI Start New Buy Fresh will help you explore the benefits of owning a new home! And, right now they are doing a $10,000 sweepstakes so hurry over to enter to win!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

I went up to my parents house in Idaho over Easter and I had to laugh because I realized how much I am truely like my mother. Sunday morning (Easter) I came upstairs to see this:

Now first off I had to laugh because my mother said “I found this recipe on pinterest that I had to try” (Number one reason I know I’m just like my mother) Then she said “The ham I bought wouldn’t fit in the crock pot so I had to improvise” (Number two reason: Just last week I was cussing butchers on how they don’t cut meat to fit into a crock pot and I had to “improvise” just like my mother)

The remainder of the day she fussed over that dumb ham and how it would taste and how it did end up tasting and how she shouldn’t have cooked it as long etc. etc. (Reason #3 I learned I am like my mother– yep I fuss over stupid recipes ALL the time then I criticize how well it turned out for me)

I seriously had to laugh knowing that this apple (aka me) didn’t fall far from that tree!

The ham turned out delish!

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I came home after easter and stalked my mom’s pinterest board until I found the recipe to share. It was from 13 Canadian Cottage

I am sad I didn’t get a fancy picture of the ham on my plate but it i probably because my hands and mouth were to busy snarfing it up!  You can enjoy the recipe below!

This month’s theme at card group was “Thank you” cards.

Here is mine! I am ready for spring and bright colors can you tell?

The inside of my card.

My craft room is NOT like the pretty, immaculate, organized one’s you see in magazines. I craft, sew, make cards, and design usually all in one room while in the process of all this I am a tornado. I work better in dysfunction (did I just admit to that?) My husband claims I am a very dysfunctional person when it comes to the way I do things- although I do not agree because my “dysfunction” gets a LOT done. So here comes the embarrasing moment of just ONE corner of my craft room. (It may look like a hoarders room but I promise the rest of my house is pretty organized and clean)

Under all that clutter you can see I’ve been using a plastic banquet table. I have hated that table since day one but have dealt with it because it is all I had. Well that all changed when my sweet girlfriend got new granite counter tops in her only 4 year old home. She was getting rid of her counter tops and I called dibs on her Island piece. The laminate looked next to new and for a kitchen Island it was perfect size for my craft room. So I snatched it up. I used a few coupons that I had from K-mart and saved $15.00 on 4 bookshelves – making them around $14.00 each. So, take note this entire Island cost me $58.00 WOOT!!

Picture one – Is a back side of the island

Hubby didn’t put the backs on two of the bookshelves and butted them up to one another to make two large shelves that go all the way through the center. He nailed the shelves in place in the center so I could put heavy items on those shelves. Plus, make the shelving double in size.

Each of the other ends of the island have multiple shelving where I could put a lot of baskets. The baskets fit perfectly (the one is just not pushed in all the way) It allowed me to sort all of my fabric and color coordinate it.

It fit perfectly in my room and still allowed me enough room to still have my desk with laptops and cricut on it. I had my husband make sure it was counter height so I could add stools around it if I wanted. I love having a stable, organized working station. Now if I can just keep it clean!

I saw this pillow on Pinterest and fell in LOVE. I knew right away that I wanted to make it. The colors were so fun, bright and little Pip the chick was too cute to pass up!  I hunted down Claire Turpin Design and just had to get the pattern for this cute pillow! While browsing her site I fell in love with her style and creativity for cute appliqued pillows and her fun funky colors of quilts! She is my kind of gal.

The pattern I received was very easy to follow but I felt so confident that dumb me made the mistake of using interfaceable fusing instead of webbing.. ugh! Just took one more step in the process!! Then I was rushing to get the pillows done so I could give one to a friend for easter and got carried away with the sewing machine and sewed through the side of my finger. OUCH!! Talk about throbbing. Thank goodness the needle missed my bone and nailbed. It has healed up – This project was not going my way but ended up overall very very cute!

I picked some different colors than what she had on the cover of her pattern. I wet a little more bold and went with yellow as my overall pillow color instead of white but ooh I am so happy when I see this pillow on my couch! I love color and it makes me smile to look at after such a dreary winter!

She has so many other cute items in her Etsy store! Go on over and check her out.
The product reviewed here was provided to me by Claire Turpin Designs. All opinions remain 100% my own and I was not compensated.

Hard economic times have left many Americans unable to make ends meet. More unemployed or underemployed people are resorting to crime to provide for themselves and their families. According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, there were 2.2 million burglaries committed in 2011 – that’s roughly one every 15 seconds.

While the rough economic climate is out of your control, the protection of your home is not. Obviously, your first priority should be to invest in a professionally monitored home security system. Many residential security companies, such as ADT, offer reasonably priced comprehensive protection packages. Check out http://www.wirelessalarmsystems.com/ if you’re looking for more information.

But even if you don’t have the wiggle room in your budget to invest in a high-tech alarm system, you can still bolster you home security in other creative, less expensive ways. In fact, the appearance of home security is oftentimes enough to deter theft. After all, perception is reality, isn’t it?

Creating the illusion of home security

Remember, burglars generally don’t target homes at random. Instead, they tend to choose the ones they perceive to be easy to break in, take what they want and bolt out of there without being noticed or causing a ruckus. If you make it look like your home is protected by high-tech security equipment – even if it’s not – you will make intruders think twice about breaking in. Listed below are some tips and tricks to help you do just that:

• Install dummy surveillance cameras around your home. These imitation devices, which look shockingly close to the real thing, can be purchased for as little as $5 in some online marketplaces.
• Strategically place security yard signs and window stickers around your home.
• If you don’t already have a guard dog, you can fake that too. Post a “Beware of Dog” sign(s) in visible locations or invest in an electronic watchdog alarm.

Burglars also target homes that appear to be empty. After all, a disgruntled homeowner is the last thing they would want to encounter during a break in. For that reason, it’s helpful to make your home appear occupied at all times. Consider the following:

• Purchase an electronic light timer. These little gizmos randomly turn electronic appliances on and off to make it look like someone is always home. You can find them for around $20-$30 in most online stores.
• Invest in the FakeTV, manufactured by the Hydreon Corporation. It simulates the scene changes, color changes and on-screen motion of a real television. Additionally, the FakeTV features a timer and a built-in light sensor, which switches it on at nighttime and off during the day.
• Maintain your yard. Nothing screams “out of town!” like an unkempt front lawn. Additionally, you should keep your property well lit and trim any hedges or trees that a burglar could use as cover.

Easter whoopie cookies

WARNING!! These cookies are very rich and addicting! Perfect for a Easter neighbor treat!

I found the recipe on Couponing and Cooking via Pinterest of course!
These are the best because they are made with a cake mix so they stay soft for days! You can find the recipe on her page and it is super easy to follow!

I whipped up a couple of these for my visiting teaching ladies. I got the idea and printables from Christmas organized home I follow organized home and have followed their system for YEARS. I try really hard to stick to a plan of keeping my home organized but it doesn’t always work out.

They had these cute printables and recipe on there! All ready to cut and use.
I just poured in the grahm crackers, put the bunny peeps in and then M&M’s on the top. I love the little lids that I picked up from Pick your plum I just put them over top of the recipe.

The printable for the S’mores brownies is included! This is a fun simple gift that keeps the holiday spirit alive!