Domestic Charm

Home Remodel: Before and After Exterior Paint

2013-05-05T17:21:00.002-07:00

We weren't originally planning to paint the exterior of the house before moving in, so when we made the last minute decision to have it painted we had 1 day to choose the colors! I quickly began searching colors online and asking friends for any input or suggestions that they could offer. I knew that I wanted to paint the exterior grey, but there are about a billion shades! I found a picture on pinterest, here, that I really loved. I have also always loved pictures of colorful front doors, so we decided to go with a bright and cheery yellow front door! You can't really tell in the before picture above, but the roof was green, so we also painted that as a temporary solution until it is replaced in a few years. We also have future plans to one day get rid of all the rock in the front yard and replace it with grass.

Here you can see that the house originally had a beige block with green accents. We also replaced the front light with a vintage barn pendant from restoration hardware.

BEFORE PAINT

AFTER PAINT

BEFORE PAINT

AFTER PAINT

BEFORE PAINT

AFTER PAINT

We painted the exterior block and walls with Dovetail Gray by Sherwin Williams

We painted the trim White Dove by Benjamin Moore

The front door was painted with the color Daisy by Sherwin Williams,

however he added some white to match the color Lemon Twist (shown above).

Mixing it that way allowed us to get the paint in an exterior quality paint.

The roof was painted black using Behr Masonry and Stucco Paint.

Fireplace Makeover

2013-05-02T12:18:00.002-07:00

Here it is...the fireplace before in its awful messy condition and finally looking finished! The before picture is the condition it was in when we bought the home. Just want to make it clear, that is not my mess. :) We debated different options for remodeling the fireplace, like stucco, eliminating the bench, drywall, and others. However, we decided we wanted to keep it inexpensive so we stuck with mostly paint to update it. We (and by "we" I mean my wonderful brother-in-law) drywalled over the brick above mantel. We also drywalled over the brick to the right of the fireplace. The beams were removed from the ceiling in the family room to help the room feel open and the ceiling higher. That left us with holes in the brick above the mantel (shown below). This is what led us to the decision of drywalling over the top portion. We still need to place an outlet cover on and do some final paint touch ups, but for the most part it is done! My friend Alexis, with Design by Lexi, did a great job staging it for me.

Here is the fireplace in the in between stages, and my little helper.

We painted the fireplace brick in Benjamin Moore's Anchor Gray.

We painted the mantel and the tile on the bench in Benjamin Moore's White Dove.

Our wall color is Benjamin Moore Gray Owl.

Seven Great Juicing Recipes

2013-04-27T16:30:00.000-07:00

These are some of my favorite juicing recipes that I continue to make over and over. I love to drink my juice cold, served over ice. Makes it taste better to me. It seems like once I start juicing my body begins to crave it everyday. It is a great way to get lots of fruits and veggies in at the start of the day. Especially for the kids! My kids love helping me juice and they also love to drink it. So when my boys are being picky eaters, and only eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches... I make them a glass of juice and feel much better about what they're consuming for the day!

Hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we do! Some of them I have created on my own and other recipes I have found online and slightly adjusted. For all of the recipes below you will run the ingredient through a juicer, according to the manufacturer's directions.

Recipe: Serves 1
1 bundle of kale leaves, stems removed
-2 apples, cored and halved
-1/2 pineapple, cored and sliced
-1" ginger, peeled
-1/2 lemon

Recipe: Serves 1-2
-2 oranges, peeled and halved
-2 apples, cored and halved
-2 celery stalks
-2 carrots
-1/2 lemon

Recipe: Serves 1-2
-1 large golden beet
-2 oranges, peeled and halved
-2 apples, cored and halved
-2 celery stalks
-2 carrots
-1/2" ginger, peeled

Recipe: Serves 1-2

-1 large beet, quartered

-2 carrots
-1 orange, peeled and halved
-1 apple, cored and halved
-2 celery stalks
-1/2" ginger, peeled

Recipe: Serves 1

-1 grapefruit, peeled and quartered

-3 carrots

-1" ginger, peeled

Recipe: Serves 1-2

-2 apples, cored and halved

-2 carrots

-2 celery stalks

-1/2 lemon

-1" ginger, peeled

-5 oz spinach

(Rise and Shine Juice recipe via Giada De Laurentiis)

Recipe: Serves 1-2

-1 sweet potato, quartered

-4 stalks of celery

-5 carrots

-1 apple, cored and halved

-1/2 lemon

Play Dough Volcano

2013-04-12T14:36:00.002-07:00

Hudson made a play dough volcano with baking soda and vinegar at school last week. He wanted to make another one right when he got home! He is really into science experiments like this, and I've had to restock my baking soda and vinegar supply quite a bit lately!

You will need:

-Vinegar

-Red food coloring

-Baking soda

-Funnel

-Small water bottle

-Play dough, recipe here.

-Baking sheet

-aluminum foil

First line your baking sheet with foil.

Then use a funnel to place 3-4 spoonfuls of baking soda in the water bottle.

Next cover your water bottle with play dough.

Then mix red food coloring into about 1 cup of vinegar to make the "Red Lava"

Hudson place some small toys around his volcano.

Then pour the vinegar into the volcano.

Watch the volcano erupt!

You should be able to pour the vinegar into the volcano a few times to make it erupt.

Then we added more baking soda to ours to do it a few more times.

We Bought a House...

2013-04-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

We bought a house in February and I have been hesitant to post pictures because I wanted to have some 'after' pictures so everyone didn't think we were absolutely crazy! We have quite the project on our hands, and my VERY hardworking husband has been working all day and night to get this house ready for move-in. There's still so much to do, but SO MUCH progress made as well! This is the front of the house (pictured above), however we are focusing our time and money on the inside first. You will see why as you scroll down! The house was a foreclosure in poor condition and filled with junk! It is a basement home located in downtown Gilbert.

This is the huge side yard that the kids are going to love playing in. The yard has a garden that is already starting to come back... citrus trees, an apple tree, pomegranate tree, a vineyard, and 8 raised garden beds! There's also a chicken coup in the back corner.

This grapevine already has tons of blossoms coming back since I took this picture!

Here are the raised beds...Excited to start gardening!

Now are you ready to see a very dirty house???

Kitchen sink view

Kitchen sink view after demo

Kitchen sink view

Cabinets are going in now!

This was a large hidden pantry that we removed to open the kitchen up to the family room.

Kitchen view from where the hidden pantry was.

Family Room view to front door

(Opened up the front room, which will become formal dining, to the family room)

View to family room and front door from the kitchen.

Canned lighting in and dry wall going up.

We have filled 4 dumpsters and are finally coming out of the messy demo stages.

My sister and I working in the basement.

My brother-in-law, Kyle helping paint the basement.

My sister, Wesley removing wallpaper on the ceiling!

View down hallway to bedrooms.

New texture on walls, paint, and floors going in now!

Lots of progress happening everyday and we are so very grateful for all the help from our family that has gotten us this far! I will be posting more pictures soon. We are hoping to be moving in by the end of April with most major projects done.

Peanut Butter Apple Snack

2013-03-25T22:38:00.001-07:00

Lately it feels like all my boys want to do is snack! They are constantly coming into the kitchen saying that they're hungry. I have been getting bored with giving them the same few things to snack on, so I thought I would turn to Pinterest. I found a recipe like this by Kids Kubby. I slightly modified it based on what I had on hand. It's a quick, easy, healthy, and fun snack that the kids will love!

Ingredients:

-Apples

-Peanut butter

-Unsweetened coconut flakes

-Dark chocolate chips

-Cinnamon

Directions:

Slice the apple in thin slices as shown above. Then using a small heart shaped cookie cutter, or a pairing knife cut the core of the apple out in a heart shape on half of the slices. On the other halves I removed the core by cutting a smaller hole. Then spread the peanut butter on these halves. Top with coconut flakes and chocolate chips. Then cover each with the slices that have the heart shapes in the center. Sprinkle with cinnamon and enjoy!

This is an easy snack to mix up with your favorite ingredients. Here are some other ideas:

Almond butter

Honey

Granola

Nutella

Oats

Yogurt

Nuts

Raisins

Homemade Tortilla Chips

2013-03-20T13:40:00.000-07:00

These are homemade baked tortilla chips that are super easy to make. Great for a party to go with a dip, because you can serve them warm out of the oven! They are light, flaky, and can be seasoned however you'd like.

Ingredients:
-5 raw flour tortillas (i buy mine at Costco, and freeze one pack until ready to use)
-1 tablespoon of olive oil
-Salt

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Stack your raw tortillas on a cutting board, and using a sharp knife slice them into triangles. Lay a single layer of triangles on a baking sheet. They can overlap slightly. Next drizzle with olive oil and season with salt (or your favorite seasoning). Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes until bubbling up and golden brown. Repeat with another batch, until all of your tortillas chips are cooked.

DIY Water Bombs

2013-03-13T12:19:00.000-07:00

Hudson has been asking to play with water all winter long and this week it is in the 90's, so I finally said yes! I looked on Pinterest for some ideas and decided we would make some water bombs. I found a tutorial HERE from House of Hepworths. These are really easy to make and the boys enjoyed helping.

Supplies:
-Basic sponges, in a variety of colors
-Small elastic hair ties
-Scissors

Step 1: cut all the sponges into fouths, lengthwise.
Step 2: Stack the sponges into 2 rows of 4. Hudson liked choosing the colors and creating patterns.
Step 3: Wrap the 2 rows with a small elastic hair tie or you could tie it tight at the center with fishing line.
*You will use 2 sponges to create 1 water bomb.

Water Bomb Game Ideas:

-Create a target with chalk on pavement and toss water bombs.
-Line up different size buckets worth different points and toss bombs into buckets. Keep score.
-Water bomb toss
-Water bomb tag

Albion Fit Giveaway

2013-02-18T09:01:00.000-07:00

I recently came into contact with Albion Fit, they sell women's fitness clothing and stylish swimwear. I love my Classic Racerback tank. It has a snug fit that is very flattering and comfortable.

Albion Fit would like to offer a Free Classic Racerback tank (shown below) to one lucky reader!

To enter the giveaway you must first "Like" Albion Fit on Facebook HERE.

Next visit Albion Fit and pin your favorite item onto one of your Pinterest boards.

Leave a comment below, in this blogpost, with the link to your pin.
Giveaway ends Friday, February 22nd, 2013.

Albion Fit is also offering an exclusive promotional code for all of you!

Save $15 on any purchase of $50 or more!

Use code: domesticcharm15

Offer expires 2/25/13

Tilapia with Black Bean Salsa

2013-02-11T21:00:00.000-07:00

This is a quick and easy dinner to make. I love cooking tilapia! We eat it for dinner a lot so I always have a bag of fillets from Costco in the freezer. The fillets thaw really fast, so it can make a great last minute dinner. I got this recipe from my mom, she is always thinking up great recipes!

Ingredients:

2 to 4 tilapia fillets
1 can black beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 red or orange bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
seasoning for tilapia

Saute the garlic, bell pepper, and jalapeno in the olive oil until tender. Add the can of tomatoes and the can of black beans. Season the tilapia fillets with either salt and pepper, or I sometimes use the recipe below. Place the fillets in the pan and let it cook in the simmering juices for about 8 to 10 minutes flipping the fillets halfway through. Once the fish is cooked through remove from the heat and add the cilantro.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
Yield: 2/3 cup

Wesley's Nursing Party

2013-01-29T22:06:00.001-07:00

We celebrated my sister Wesley last month as she graduated Nursing School. I am so proud of her and so excited for her to begin her new career. She is going to be an amazing nurse!

I themed the desserts in the colors mint green and red. I made a variety of nurse themed fondant cupcake toppers. Some with pills, scrubs, band aids, red crosses, and stethoscopes. I topped the mini cupcakes (below) with small red fondant hearts.

The cupcakes were Wesley's favorite; Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting and a Peanut Butter Filling.

We made a Dirty Shirley Punch.

I made heart sugar cookies and frosted them with royal icing designs of heart shaped stethoscopes and EKG patterns. The recipe for the sugar cookies is by Sweetopia, you can find the recipe HERE. It is great for cut out cookies that you plan to frost because the cookies come out nice and smooth.

I placed this nurses prayer on a canvas for my sister to take home.

Found the nurses prayer via Pinterest.

Congratulations Nurse Wesley!!!

Salmon with Cucumber Pineapple Salsa

2013-01-02T19:00:00.001-07:00

I typically make a mango salsa with salmon, however tonight i had fresh pineapple on hand, so I decided to try something new. I adapted this recipe from one of Martha Stewart's here. Her original recipe looks really good, however I did not have all of the ingredients. I'm also trying to stay away from anything spicy in my diet while breastfeeding and her recipe called for a jalapeno. I added some spice to the salmon instead, using Emeril Lagasse's Essence seasoning. It's easier to control the spiciness this way.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cucumbers, finely diced
1 cup fresh pineapple, finely diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
3-4 salmon fillets
Olive oil
Essence seasoning

Directions:

In a bowl whisk together the lime juice, honey, and vegetable oil. Add the cucumber, pineapple, and green onion. Stir together and season with salt and pepper.

Place salmon fillets on a baking sheet lined with foil. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with the essence seasoning. Broil the salmon in the oven for about 12-15 minutes. Serve over rice or quinoa and top with the salsa.

Granola with Coconut, Pistachios, and Cranberries

2012-11-10T14:40:00.002-07:00

I saw a recipe for Toasted Muesli in my Whole Living magazine and was excited to try it. However, I was unable to find the millet that it called for when I was at the store, so I improvised. You can find the original recipe here. I left out the millet and added wheat germ, flax seed, chia seed, and cinnamon. This makes a great healthy breakfast or snack. Eat is plain or serve with yogurt, milk, or fresh fruit.
I was originally unsure the difference between Muesli and Granola, however I believe that most muesli is not sweetened with honey and toasted. So I am just going to call mine granola...

Ingredients:

4 cups rolled oats
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 cup shelled pistachios
1/3 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup flax seed
1/4 cup chia seed
2/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl toss together the oats, coconut, pistachios, wheat germ, and seeds. Then is a small saucepan over medium high heat whisk together honey, coconut oil, salt, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Pour over the granola mixture and toss to coat. Spread the granola onto a rimmed baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. I tossed my granola halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and let cool. Toss in the dried cranberries. Store in an airtight container.

This is a great basic recipe that can be altered to create new granola recipes. You could replace the pistachios with any other kind of nut or even chocolate.

Vegetarian Chili with Avocado Salsa

2012-08-30T18:53:00.000-07:00

I realize it is still 110 degrees outside... but I still made chili for dinner tonight. I am ready for some cooler weather and all the Fall food that comes along with it. This is a really yummy chili recipe that is different then most. It's a vegetarian chili topped with a fresh avocado salsa. I got the recipe from my Mom, who always made this for us. However, I think it originally came from Cooking Light. This time I made it I added some corn to the recipe.

Ingredients:

-2 teaspoons canola oil
-1 cup onion, chopped
-1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
-2 teaspoons chili powder
-1 teaspoon ground cumin
-1 teaspoon dried oregano
-3 garlic cloves, minced
-1 4.5oz can diced green chiles
-2/3 cup uncooked quick-cooking barley
-1/4 cup water
-1 15oz can black beans, drained
-1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
-1/2 cup frozen corn
-1 14oz can vegetable broth
-3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
-1 lime, cut into wedges
-Tortilla chips
-Avocado salsa (recipe below)

Directions:

Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onion and bell pepper and saute until tender. Add chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic, and green chiles. Saute 1 minutes. Stir in the barley, water, tomatoes, corn and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer. Cook about 20 minutes or until barley is tender. Stir in cilantro. Serve with lime wedges, chips, and avocado salsa.

Avocado Salsa

-1 avocado, cubed
-1/3 cup tomato, seeded and chopped
-1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
-1 tablespoon jalapeno, seeded and diced
-1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
-1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Toss together in a bowl and serve over the chili.

Tofu Pad Thai

2012-08-29T20:03:00.000-07:00

Tofu Pad Thai is always what I order when Casey and I eat out for Thai food. For that reason I was excited to try making it at home, but also wary that I wouldn't be able to make it as tasty as they do at the restaurants. However, I really liked how this recipe turned out! By making it at home I knew, and could taste, that it is was healthier. I followed the recipe from Martha Stewart, however slightly modified it.

Ingredients:

8 ounces rice noodles
1/4 cup fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving (3 limes)
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark-brown sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 package firm tofu, drained, thinly sliced
3 medium carrots, peeled and shredded
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
6 scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
Vegetable oil
Sesame oil
Coarse salt
5 tablespoons roasted salted peanuts, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped plus more for garnish

Directions:

Soak the rice noodles according to package instructions. Whisk together lime juice, soy sauce, and brown sugar.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat about 1 teaspoon vegetable oil. Add eggs and cook until just set, then transfer eggs to a cutting board and cut into pieces. Next add some vegetable oil and and a little bit of sesame oil to the pan and heat. Add the tofu and cook until golden brown. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Next add a little more of both oils to the skillet with the carrots, garlic, and scallion whites. Cook until softened. Add the lime-juice mixture and bring to a simmer. Now toss in the noodles, eggs, and tofu until heated through. Place noodles onto plates and top with peanuts, cilantro, and scallion greens. Serve with lime wedges and garnish with extra cilantro.

*If you want it spicy you can add chili sauce such as Sriracha sauce to the lime-juice mixture.

Salmon with Mango Salsa

2012-08-13T21:12:00.000-07:00

Here's a great recipe for Salmon with Mango Salsa, it's one of Casey's favorites! However, salmon has a lot more to offer then just great taste. It is packed full of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s help protect our bodies from heart disease, promote healthy skin and joints, and they are essential to the proper neurological development in children and unborn babies.

Salmon with Mango Salsa

2-4 Salmon Fillets
Olive oil
Seasoning mix:
1 tablespoon paprika
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
3/4 teaspoon white pepper
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Heat large cast iron skillet over very high heat until it is beyond the smoking stage. Combine seasoning mix in a small bowl. Rub each fillet with olive oil then sprinkle seasoning mix generously and evenly on both sides of the fillets. Place in hot skillet. The fillets can also be grilled with this recipe on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes on each side.

Mango Salsa:

1 mango, cubed
1 avocado, cubed
1/4 cup red onion, diced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt

Toss all of the ingredients together and serve over top of the Salmon.

Baby Taggie Blanket Tutorial

2012-08-13T20:16:00.000-07:00

I haven't sewn anything is a while, but now that my due date is approaching I have been thinking of lots of baby girl sewing projects. The trouble is finding the quiet time to make them, but this taggie blanket is super quick and easy to make! It would make a great handmade baby gift.

Supplies:

-Two 16" squares of fabric
(I used two different colors and patterns of minky fabric
that I bought locally from Create Your Own Joy Studio)

-16 to 20 5" longs pieces of ribbon (I chose 3 different colors and sizes)

-Scissors

-Pins

-Sewing Machine

-Thread

First place your 16" square pieces of fabric with the right sides facing each other.

Next cut 16-20 pieces of ribbon each 5" long.

Begin folding the ribbon in half to create the tags for the blanket.

Tuck the ribbon with the folded edge inside the two pieces of fabric, leaving some of the other side sticking out. Pin each ribbon into place.

Once all of the ribbons are pinned into place you can sew along the edges. When I passed over each of the ribbons I sewed back over then 3 times to make sure they held in place. Also make sure to leave a small opening in between two of the ribbons so that you can turn the blanket the right side out when you are done sewing.

Once the blanket is turned right side out it should look something like this. Now you can sew up the small hole either by hand or with your sewing machine. Then you are done!

Easy Dinner Recipes

2012-08-09T20:33:00.000-07:00

Mediterranean-Style Brown Rice Bake via Food For My Family

This was a really easy dinner to throw together! I even made mine earlier in the day, stuck it in the fridge and when we got home later that evening it was ready to go in the oven for a quick 30 minutes.

Greek Turkey Meatballs via Skinny Taste

This is a great healthy dinner; meatballs without all the carbs to go with them. We ate ours with a Greek Salad on the side. I improvised a bit with this recipe for the meatballs using what I had on hand and they came out great. Don't forget to make some taziki for on top!

Avocado Basil Pasta via Recipe.com

This is a really easy dinner to throw together quickly. I made mine with whole wheat bow-tie pasta and used freeze dried basil instead of fresh.

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad via Nutmeg Notebook

I love salads for dinner, especially in the summer because it means I don't have to heat up my kitchen. For the chicken in the salad I bought a rotisserie chicken and in place of sour cream in the salad dressing I used Greek Yogurt.

I love finding new recipes on Pinterest, however I pin way more then I am able to keep up with making! These are a few recipes that I have actually made, tried, and loved! Hope you enjoy them as well! You can follow my Recipe Board HERE.

Black Bean and Goat Cheese Quesadilla

2012-08-03T13:13:00.001-07:00

There are many days during the week that I am eating peanut butter and jelly with the boys for lunch, but when I am wanting a little something more this is one of the lunches I often turn to. It is quick and easy to throw together, and my kids sometimes like it too. It could also make a good appetizer.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of Refried Black Beans with Jalapenos
1-2 tablespoons of Fresh Cilantro, chopped
3 tablespoons of Goat Cheese, crumbled
2 Whole Wheat Tortillas
1/2 Avocado, sliced
1 tablespoon of Butter

Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat with butter. Spread the black beans onto one of the tortillas, then sprinkle with the cilantro and goat cheese. Press the other tortilla on top and saute in the butter, flipping half way through. Cook until the tortilla is golden brown on both sides. Use a pizza cutter to slice. Serve warm with sliced avocado and garnish with cilantro.

Organizing Outside Toys

2012-08-02T11:09:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to organizing the outside toys! I was inspired by a picture on Pinterest a while ago via Random Thoughts of a SuperMom, you can see the pin HERE. I loved the idea of having buckets for all the little outside toys that can get scattered all over the yard. I used my silhouette machine to cut black vinyl labels for each bucket. We bought the galvanized buckets and shelf at Home Depot. Having the buckets labeled makes finding toys and cleaning up easier for Hudson...and it looks cute too. :)

Hudson's Shufflin' Party

2012-07-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Hudson's 4th Birthday back in March and I never got around to posting pictures, but thought it was about time I get some up! For those of you who know Hudson, you know that he LOVES to dance and listen to music. He quickly had a new favorite song after hearing and watching LMFAO's Party Rock Anthem music video! He calls it the "Everyday I'm Shufflin Song" and for Christmas even asked for the CD along with "Everyday I'm Shufflin' snacks". :)

SO for his birthday party I knew that it had to be a ~~Dance~~ Shufflin' Party! We all had such a great time celebrating together. You can check out the pictures below and more details about the party follow.

THE STAGE:
Since it was a dance party I really wanted to have some kind of a stage for the kids to dance on. Thanks to my wonderful husband and brother-in-law they made that happen! They built a stage from wood and PVC pipe then painted it all black. I had bought a backdrop at Oriental Trading that we attached to the back of the stage. You can find the backdrop HERE. I draped a plastic table cloth across the top, hung a small disco ball in the center, and then hung silver door streamers around the sides of the stage. I had found all of those decorations at Party City. We also had a fog machine going behind the stage.
I had a bucket full of props next to the stage that I also ordered at Oriental Trading. Sunglasses, inflatable guitars, and microphones.

DECORATIONS:
I went with the color theme of bright neon colors to decorate, along with some animal prints since LMFAO always seems to dress in those prints and colors! I bought bright colored table cloths, colorful striped paper straws, leopard print tissue paper pom poms, and designed a simple printable using LMFAO's logos.

FOOD & DRINKS:
We ordered subs for lunch since it is easy and also had some fruit and other snacks. I made coconut mojitos for the adults, you can find the recipe HERE. We also had beer and water in coolers with some colorful koozies I had found at Hobby Lobby. I had capri sun juices for the kids and placed some of the printables and striped straws in some of them.

THE CAKE:
I made Hudson a guitar cake using a cake kit by Ace of Cakes that I found on clearance at Micheal's. I also made vanilla cupcakes with lemon mousse that were served in animal print and glittered cupcake wrappers. Then had microphone cupcakes for the kids, and you can find the tutorial for making those HERE.

DRESS:
On the invitation I told everyone to dress in their disco gear, so it was fun to see what all the kids... and adults came wearing! I had ordered T-shirts for our family that all had different LMFAO logos on them.

GAMES:
I didn't really plan many games for the party. We just had music playing for the kids to dance to and also had a pinata. I found the disco ball pinata at Party City and filled it with little toys and things instead of candy. We also had a bounce house and other toys outside for the kids to play with.

PARTY FAVOR:
For the party favors Casey made a dance mix with some of Hudson's favorite songs to dance to on it. We bought some colorful CD cases and printed stickers and inserts to go on the CD's and in the cases.

Party Supply SALE!

2012-06-06T19:32:00.001-07:00

I am hosting a local Party Supply Sale on all of my Etsy Shop items!

The sale will be held on June 23rd from 9 am to 1 pm in Chandler, AZ.

2232 East Jade Court Chandler, 85286

I will be accepting CASH and CREDIT CARD.

All Sales will be final.

ALL items will be discounted 50-60% OFF!!!

I will be selling Paper Straws, Sprinkles, Mini Baking Cups, Cupcake Wrappers, Striped Paper Cups, and Baker's Twine.

A great time to pick up supplies for the 4th of July.

Other holiday supplies will also be available.

I was planning to re-open my shop this month after putting it on vacation, however after much thought and prayer I have decided to close my shop. We are expecting baby #3 in early November and it was my morning sickness that kept me from running my shop the last few months. As much as I enjoyed running my shop it was becoming something that was taking over too much of my time. I felt I had less and less time and energy to devote to my family. Knowing that those challenges will only become greater as our family grows has made the decision to close my shop clear to me. I do plan to continue posting on my blog, and hopefully more regularly, as I begin to feel more caught up on life. Laying on the couch for the last 3 months sick was no fun... But I am finally feeling better and we very excited to welcome a baby girl into the family in October or November!

If you have any questions about the sale please contact me at: domesticcharm@gmail.com

View the event on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/events/246841868755198/

This is a local sale, these discounts are not being offered online in my Etsy Shop at this time.

Hope to see and meet any local friends and followers at the sale!

Microphone Cupcakes

2012-04-16T21:16:00.001-07:00

I made these cupcakes for Hudson's 4th Birthday Party, which was a dance party themed around the Party Rock Anthem Song. We called it a "Shufflin' Party" :)

We had so much fun and I can't wait to post more pictures soon! Until then, here are some easy cupcakes to make for any music or dance themed party.

I made Funfetti cupcake for the kids and baked them as directed on the packaging. Once they have cooled you can peel the cupcake wrapper and place each one inside of an ice cream cone. I used the jumbo sized cones and they fit perfectly. Once the cupcake was in the cone I frosted them with butter cream frosting. Then dipped the cupcakes in black sanding sugar.

I also made this cake for the party and used the guitar cake kit by Ace of Cakes. I found the kit on clearance at Micheal's. It included the stencils to cut the cake to the right shape, a knife, and some edible and non-edible embellishments for the cake.

1000 FB Fan Giveaway

2012-03-23T16:29:00.001-07:00

$50 Gift Certificate to shop

SHOP / BLOG / FACEBOOK

Orange Blossom Shop

5x7 frame

SHOP / BLOG / FACEBOOK

Mateo & Tobias

Set OF 4 - 5x7 Forest Friends Wall Art (glossy finish)

Live Your Dream (matte finish)

I Love You to the Moon and Back (matte finish)

SHOP / BLOG / FACEBOOK / TWITTER

On Heather's Hook

$20 Gift Certificate to shop

SHOP / FACEBOOK

A to Zebra Celebrations

$20 Gift Certificate to shop

SHOP / BLOG / FACEBOOK / TWITTER

Party On! Designs

$25 Gift Certificate to shop

SHOP / FACEBOOK / TWITTER

Domestic Charm

50 striped paper straws

50 yards of bakers twine

4 oz of sprinkles

SHOP / BLOG / FACEBOOK / TWITTER

The Pink Ruffle

Teal Hex Nut Bracelet

SHOP / BLOG / FACEBOOK

Poofy Cheeks

Vintage Inspired Resin Cabochon Necklace

SHOP / BLOG / FACEBOOK

The Paisley Tab

Navy Mod Fiesta Wristlet

SHOP / BLOG / FACEBOOK / TWITTER

I recently reached 1,000 facebook followers and thought it would be fun to celebrate with a big giveaway! There are lots of fun items to win and there will be 4 winners chosen!!! Enter below and please be sure to check out the shops and blogs of these talented ladies, they have lots of fun things to share!

Feel free to leave a comment on this post of which prize package you'd like to win! I will try my best to match winners with the package they'd like, but it will be based on the order of comments, so there is no guarantee.

Thanks so much for entering!!!

Winner #1:

$50 Gift Certificate to Vintage Rose Wraps

5x7 Frame from Orange Blossom Shop

Winner #2:

Set OF 4 - 5x7 Forest Friends Wall Art (glossy finish)

Live Your Dream (matte finish)

I Love You to the Moon and Back (matte finish)

From Mateo & Tobias

$20 Gift Certificate to On Heather's Hook

Winner #3:

$20 Gift Certificate to A to Zebra Celebrations

$25 Gift Certificate to Party On! Designs

50 striped Paper Straws

50 yards of Bakers Twine

4 oz of Sprinkles

From Domestic Charm

Winner #4

Teal Hex Nut Bracelet from The Pink Ruffle

Vintage Inspired Resin Cabochon Necklace from Poofy Cheeks

Navy Mod Fiesta Wristlet from The Paisley Tab

TO ENTER YOU MUST FOLLOW ALL OF THE SHOPS ON FACEBOOK.

ENTER BELOW USING RAFFLECOPTER:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Brown Rice with Golden Raisins, Walnuts, and Feta

2012-03-07T15:45:00.000-07:00

We have made this brown rice recipe a couple times now in the last couple weeks. It is really yummy! I modified it slightly from Fine Cooking here. I like to buy the frozen rice bags that you can throw in the microwave for 3 minutes and you've got your rice cooked! This is a great recipe to make plain brown rice a little more interesting.

Ingredients:

-1 bag frozen brown rice
-2-3 tablespoons olive oil
-1/2 small yellow onion, diced
-1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and finely chopped
-3 tablespoons golden raisins
-2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
-salt and pepper
-3 tablespoons feta cheese, crumbled

First toast the walnuts in a skillet over medium heat. Finely chop and set aside. Next heat the olive oil in the skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and saute until tender.

Meanwhile, place the rasins in a small pot with a steamer basket and small amount of water. Bring water to boil and lower to simmer for 6-7 minutes.

Place you frozen bag of rice in the microwave and cook according to packaging. Usually 3-4 minutes. Once rice is cooked pour rice into the skillet with the onion. Stir and cook for 3-5 minutes to heat through. Add the steamed raisins, toasted walnuts, fresh parsley, and salt and pepper. Toss in skillet.

Serve rice warm and top with crumbled feta cheese on each serving.