Salsa Pie

etsy finds

2012-02-08T13:38:00.000-05:00

1. ceramic cheers pin

2. pink lollipops with pearls

3. crocheted poufs

4. geometric heart print

5. sweet vintage shirt

D.I.Y. Tic Tac Toe Tablecloth!

2012-02-03T11:39:00.002-05:00

I'm always looking for ways to keep the kids occupied while I make dinner which seems to be the time of the day when everyone is cranky (not to mention super hungry).

So, the other day I had this idea then I armed myself with some gold fabric paint and transformed an old tablecloth into a tic tac toe mat for the kids! I loved how it turned out and the kids even helped me to create the game pieces.

For this project, the tablecloth can double as a game mat and still be used as a covering for the table since the fabric paint is machine washable!

Materials Needed:

Solid colored tablecloth

Scotch Blue Edge Lock Painter's Tape

Fabric Paint

Small Sponge brush

Cardboard Coasters (your favorite local restaurant normally has tons--just ask)

Black spray paint

Gold acrylic paint (small bottle)

Small empty jars or plastic containers (like a small yogurt container worked perfect for me)

Creating the Tablecloth:

Take a solid colored tablecloth and lay it out on your table. Using painter's tape create hollow rectangles so you can paint the lines inside. You can be precise and measure or you can "eyeball" it like I did.

Using fabric paint and a sponge brush, dab the paint in between the lines. Use a small amount of paint and dab until the brush is dry.

Remove your tape and allow your lines to dry (I gave it about 30 minutes). Repeat the same hollow-rectangular outlines using your tape but going in opposite directions this time. Repeat the painting, remove the tape then allow to dry

"X" and "O" Game Pieces

Gather 9 round cardboard coasters or other round/square flat objects. I painted the coasters a solid black with spray paint.

Once dry, use acrylic paint (I used gold) and a empty yogurt container (or jar rim would work) to dip in gold paint and dab on the black coasters. You can involve the kids in this part!

3. To create the "x's" use the same acrylic paint and a small sponge brush to quickly paint them on, in laid back painterly style.

Final step:

go and PLAY!

A special thanks to Scotch who sent me the new Edge Lock Paint Line Protector tape for this project.

The Icing on the Cupcake

2012-01-31T12:35:00.008-05:00

The other day I was thinking about how, before I was a mother, it would irk me when I'd hear other people complain about parenting. Not yet having children, I had this idea in my mind that parenthood would be a world filled with giggles and cupcake decorating.

Little did I know that parenting could also be a job fraught with worry, especially when children are sick. And little did I know that parenting could also be a confusing job (to time-out or not to time-out? What does the research say this year?) no matter what the age of the children.

So, now that I am a parent, I know it's not all heart shaped candies and sunshine.

True.

But, I have found that when I open myself up to look for it, there are incredible moments when being a parent can be the most wonderful, rewarding and amazing thing I've ever done in my life. It's about being present in those little moments. In fact, spending time with my children doing something as simple as helping them frost some cupcakes can be the most amazing experience in life.

And then, of course, helping them eat those cupcakes afterwards is just the frosting on the cake.
I mean, after all, what kind of mother would I be if I didn't help them eat their cupcakes?

DIY Heart Tree!

2012-01-26T19:15:00.002-05:00

It's kind of become a tradition that I make a heart tree here each year before Valentine's Day.

I made one the other day while my older girls were at school and my littlest ones were playing around the house. It literally took me 10 minutes. You can either use branches, natural and straight from the outdoors or you can paint them. I painted mine gold this year just for something extra special!

If you want to make one--here's how:

stuff some branches into a vase. you can use shredded paper to hold them in place.

cut heart shapes out of paper. thicker paper works better, like colored card stock or craft paper.

place a hot glue dab on the base of the back of each heart

then

stick each heart to the branches in your vase

There you have it!

p.s. This was our Heart Tree last year:

Scenes from Our House: January Shmanuary

2012-01-25T14:46:00.009-05:00

This is a total "old school" blog post, as in, I write, then I share pictures with you to paint the picture. Are you up for it?

You may have been wondering what in the world happened to my "Scenes from Our House" posts. Well a few things have been going on: for starters, I haven't been taking as many pictures because half the time my camera is not charged (where is my brain?) or has no more memory (aka I have a problem deleting pictures) and then my chord thingie that connects the camera to the computer to upload pictures is on the fritz. To transfer my fun pictures I have to hold the baby, hold the chord still, press the connector into the camera firmly and click with my third arm.
What, you don't have a third arm?

You get the picture, right?

Man, January is always a doozie!

Also, the kids have done the normal winter thing where they pass around every cold virus known to man and I have done the normal winter thing of trying to figure out how to make the foods they love more interesting (cinnamon bun pancake, anyone?)

And then at one point, everyone in the house (except my three year old daughter) was on antibiotics.

Seriously.

Here are the things I look forward to this time of year:

1. Valentine's Day. Hearts are just cool and I love making random craft projects with my kids--especially when they take the lead.

2. Soup. Especially when my husband makes it.

3. Netflix movies.

4. When my kids surprise me with a craft project that they designed themselves. The project pictured below, is a tin can covered in cut-out shapes which were then glued and taped.

I like to think of it as a pop-up-story-tin-can and it's the most awesome gift anyone has ever given me. My four year old daughter who made this even taped her favorite barrettes on top.

Now, how cute is that?

5. I also look forward to fresh snow. Not the brownish-gray melty snow that looks all gross after three days--but the morning snow. Fresh and white and gorgeous.

How about you? What do you wish for this time of year?

Cork Stamp Art

2012-01-23T16:45:00.001-05:00

The truth is, I can be a bit of a slacker when it comes to DIY projects. Believe it or not--I'm always looking for the shortcut to a project! So, when I saw some great cork stamp ideas buzzing around, I was determined to make it easy on myself (and you!)

I skipped a few steps (as in all of them) and just used the cork, round and ready for my stamping tool! Possibilities are endless on this one, plus this is an awesome project for kids too!

Materials Needed:

Stamp Pads

Paper

Corks

Frame (optional)

Gather materials and lay out your paper

Press one end of your cork into the ink pad and then stamp onto your paper. It helps to twist the cork when you stamp it.

I chose to make two patterns--lines of dots

and then a heart out of dots. the possibilities are obviously endless

I framed my cork art but you can just do this for fun!

This is a great activity for kids too!

The End.

p.s. The battery on my camera died during this project so while charging it, I used the webcam to take most of these. See? I'm a photography slacker too!

Weekend Etsy Finds

2012-01-21T21:29:00.000-05:00

I love Etsy so much that I'm making sifting through all the fun stuff over there a little easier for you! I hope to make these posts a regular feature at least a few times a month on the weekends!

Here's what I spotted this weekend:

These colorful and fun Set of Knobs would make some fun artwork, don't you think?

How about his clever Mac Clock?

I love these Embroidered Necklaces. I think the aqua fabric with red thread is my favorite combination!

This Striped Purse would feel right at home with my other striped belongings! I know, I know. Someone should have an "obsession with striped things" intervention with me. This too shall pass.

Have a Happy Weekend!

Happy Heart Necklace (SUPER simple)!

2012-01-20T00:08:00.004-05:00

A great beginner sewing lesson for toddlers:

Materials Needed

Felt

String

Scissors

1.
Cut hearts out of felt

2.
Cut tiny holes in each heart like so (see above)

3.
Thread your string through each heart and tie a knot to close the necklace. This is the part where you could also have your child help you thread the string through the holes.

4.
Find someone you love VERY much and give them the necklace.

Happy, Happy hearts!

Easy DIY "Spatter" Dot Nails for Kids (no special tools required)!

2012-01-17T10:40:00.003-05:00

My daughters are constantly asking me to paint their nails, and although I really don't mind, I must admit that their is nothing more precious to me than a child's hand with natural, unpainted nails.

Am I the only one that feels that way anymore?

Anyway, with that being said, I also "get it" and think it's cute when my girls want to have some color on their nails. I normally use "sick days" home from school for our DIY nail salon days. And as a a big post script--we've had some sick days around here lately and it's been a bummer!

So, the other day I had this idea to paint little brush spots all over each nail in different colors. I just worked with the colors that I had but later I thought it would be really cute in lighter colors and maybe even little dabs of gold and silver?

I think the key is to use contrasting light and dark colors. I just used the regular fingernail polish brush but I made sure to really get most of the polish off the brush my dragging it against the inside opening of the bottle before I used it for the "dotting". Just an easy idea for you to make nail painting a little more fun!

How about you--do you ever paint your children's nails?

DIY Gold Striped Door Mat (flip the old mat and use the underside for a new look!)

2012-01-09T13:54:00.001-05:00

Well friends, I'm still at it with that can of gold spray paint!

When my husband and I bought our tiny townhouse in the Baltimore/DC area back in 2005, the previous owners left a rubber doormat on the back deck that was pretty crummy. But, function over design prevailed and I kept the mat and used it anyway.
Fast forward seven years (and 4 children) later and I've never really found the time to do anything about that old mat. But the other day I had this idea to flip the mat over and use the rubber underside with textured dots as the top. "I could spray paint a design on it!" I daydreamed.

So, I devised a plan with a simple striped design.
Armed with old school masking tape and a can of spray paint, this is how everything turned out:

p.s. If your mat is really, really crummy (like mine was) you could spray it with a base coat of black paint initially. I didn't but if you really wanted to--it would "clean it up" a bit.

DIY Gold Painted Frame (brushed-on spray paint technique)

2012-01-06T17:49:00.004-05:00

A few years ago, I bought a mirror at Home Goods for about $45 to go above my fireplace mantle. I thought it was a great find but a few days later when I lit a candle on the mantle below it, one side of the frame melted from the heat of the candle. The candle basically made a drippy looking dent in the corner. While I was SUPER thankful that nothing worse happened (like a fire in my home) I was pretty bummed about my mirror.

No biggie--but how was I going to hide the dent in the corner?

I decided I would try to paint the mirror and give it a restoration/antiqued kind of look. So, I bought two cans of spray paint and devised a plan for my 2012 mirror.

For the full tutorial, click here.

2011 Salsa Pie Highlights: A Year in Review

2012-01-04T00:44:00.001-05:00

Shabby Apple Dress Winner! Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T00:40:00.001-05:00

And the winner for the Shabby Apple Dress Giveaway is April G!

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; The numbers generated by this widget come from RANDOM.ORG's true random number generator.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br /&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

April G, Congratulations and Happy New Year! Check your inbox as I have emailed you the details!

Happy 2012 to all!

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T16:30:00.000-05:00

Wishing all of you a very Happy New Year!

I am grateful for so many things in this life--my children, husband, family and friends--but I also feel so fortunate to have had so many fun opportunities open up as a result of this blog. I keep my children as my main priority but when I manage my time correctly, I am able to squeeze in some projects and other fun things to keep this space a (hopefully) cool place to visit.

You have all been so amazing to me and I want to thank each and every one of you for stopping by when you do.

I send you my sincerest wishes for a warm and Happy 2012!

Much Love,

Caroline

Shabby Apple Dress Giveaway! CLOSED Winner Drawn.

2011-12-29T07:06:00.006-05:00

Happy New Year!
Here's a New Year's gift just for you:
The online boutique, Shabby Apple is sponsoring an amazing giveaway here at Salsa Pie and offering one of my readers the chance to win this gorgeous little black Boogie Woogie dress from their Jazz Age collection.
What better way to start off this new year?

Now, on a personal note:

I've always been a big fan of Shabby Apple clothing. And, a couple of years ago, I even won a Shabby Apple "Anchor's Away" dress through a giveaway too! It's become one of my favorite dresses and whenever I wear it I receive tons of compliments.

Now's here's your chance to win one too!
Even better:
Every single reader will receive 10 % off when they shop Shabby Apple. Simply use the discount code:
SalsaPie10off
To enter the giveaway:
Please be sure to "Like" Shabby Apple on FB then leave a comment!
For extra entries:
"Like" the Salsa Pie FB page
Follow Salsa Pie on Twitter
Tweet this giveaway
Post about this giveaway on your blog if you're a blogger

Leave a comment for each entry.
The dress will only ship within the U.S.

A winner will be chosen at random on Sunday morning 01/01/2012 (New Year's day!)
Good Luck!
**This giveaway is completely donated by Shabby Apple, I was not paid to post this nor was I compensated in any other way.
It's just a gift to you, so please enjoy! **

Favorite Things and Tomorrow

2011-12-28T10:12:00.000-05:00

While we were away on vacation, we spent part of the time at my parents house. The children love it there and they especially love the vintage riding horses my mom has outside! I took some pictures of the kids riding these horses and they were some of my favorite memories of the trip. My son even had his first ride!

Tomorrow I will be posting a an awesome Shabby Apple dress giveaway for you so stay tuned! Just in time for the New Year!

Aruba!

2011-12-27T10:16:00.002-05:00

We are home sweet home after a super fun and gorgeous trip to the Caribbean!
I've missed all of you SO much and although we had an amazing time, it's nice to be back to the routine of things. Our three older children stayed with Nana and Papa while my husband and I took our baby boy and attended the wedding of a beloved family member in Aruba. The island was breathtaking and it won our hearts. I know we will visit again someday and next time take the entire family!

Thank you for being so patient while my blog sat idle...and I hope you all had a lovely holiday with your friends and family. We celebrated Christmas yesterday at home in Maryland, but it was also fun to get into the holiday spirit while in Aruba. I loved all of the Christmas lights and decorations on the island which was full of warmth in the weather and in the lovely spirit of the people.

It was truly a magical time of the year to visit!

Sending love to all of your and your families and hoping you are well!

Ribbon Spool Ornaments (Secret tip: Q-Tips!)

2011-12-27T10:03:00.001-05:00

I can't take credit for our ribbon spool ornament idea this year. My 4 year old daughter brainstormed this project and saw it to fruition!
And guess what helped her little hands craft this cute little number?
Q-tips! Read how here.

Ribbon Spool Ornaments and a Blog Holiday!

2011-12-12T15:14:00.002-05:00

Need a last minute ornament idea?

How about transforming all those empty ribbon spools (from all of your wrapping) into cute holiday ornaments. The ulimate upcylcing project!

We saved our spools then removed one side of the flat round cardboard, painted then glittered them then glued a ribbon on as a hanger. The kids LOVED this project!

p.s. I am taking a blogging holiday but will return soon with lots of fun stories from my vacation! Until then, I will miss you!

DIY Stocking Stuffers

2011-12-05T08:33:00.003-05:00

Happy Monday my friends!

Do you need some DIY stocking stuffer ideas? Kirtsy has another great slideshow from some of the web's favorite craft-y/design bloggers with great ideas for you. My fun and a little quirky glitter tape decorated tins are featured in the line-up.

Want the full How To?

Get the tutorial over at Kirtsy.com!

p.s. Ever wonder how I take pictures of my craft projects with the kiddos around?
My secret?
I let them help me. In fact, I put them to work! ;)
See? Here's one of my little elves diligently "prop styling":

Easy Felt Flowers

2011-12-02T08:22:00.004-05:00

I'm going crazy with these--perfect for the holiday season and you can use them just about anywhere!

1.
Cut out a circle of felt, scallop the edges and cut a scalloped swirl in the center
2.
Twirl around and around, gluing the
3.
Glue the end piece to the bottom of the center of the swirl
4.
Voila! Find a home for your new little friend

Being Jolly

2011-11-30T22:56:00.002-05:00

Don't let the greenery fool you--this year, I have absolutely no clue what I am doing!

The children have ransacked the holiday ornaments and glitter is everywhere. But despite the mess, the excitement is contagious. One of my daughters keeps asking me to be sure to lift her up into the air so she can reach the "tippy top" of the Christmas tree. She'd like to put the star on the top and I can't wait to see her do this.

Some moments I just want to freeze in time...

What are your holiday traditions?

Do you decorate on your own or does the family join in?

DIY Leaf Garland and a HAPPY Homecoming!

2011-11-25T16:46:00.005-05:00

The most wonderful news I have to report is that our daughter is home from the hospital and we were able to spend a lovely Thanksgiving with her! Her treatment is going very well and she is (slowly) making a nice recovery! I feel drained so I don't have many fancy words to write...I just feel thankful that she is okay and home with us.

I am delayed with this, but Wayfair asked me to share with you all about some of their great new products on their newly revamped site. You can read all about that here.

Also before my daughter became sick, the girls and I made this cute little leaf garland. I obviously haven't had time to post anything about it and I know Thanksgiving was yesterday, but perhaps you can "Pin" it and use it for another year? Maybe even a garland for your Christmas tree?

I hope you all had the loveliest of Thanksgivings.

I could feel your prayers for our family, I honestly could.

Sending love to you all,

Caroline

Fall Leaf Garland

Materials:

Pressed Fall leaves (collect them then press them in a book for about a few days)

Elmer's Glue

Glitter

Scissors

Parchment or Freezer Paper

Yarn

Step 1:
Glue the pressed leaves to paper (parchment or freezer paper)
Step 2:
Cover leaves with glue and sprinkle with glitter
Step 3:
Allow to dry then cut each leaf out. Tip: If part of the leaf crumbles/falls off when you are working with them/gluing them on, just use the paper and cut around in the same shape of the leaf part that crumbled. Personally, I liked how this looked--with the paper
showing in place of where the leaf part would have been.
Step 4:
Punch holes with a hole-puncher in the top of each leaf

Step 5:
Gather your yarn and thread through each hole-punched leaf
Step 6:
Form a knot where the yarn threads through each leaf to hold it in place. I looped the yarn then kept wrapping a knotting it around forming a knot.
Step 7:
Pull the leaf down to the knot so it will stay in place. You can add a knot on the backside too--but I didn't and my leaves stayed in place well.
Step 8:
Drape your garland on the table or around your Christmas Tree or hang them where you please

p.s.
Our Thanksgiving with my daughter home--she's the one holding the toy puppy in the bed:

Hospital Stay

2011-11-22T23:55:00.006-05:00

Dear Friends,

I have not been posting lately because my five year old daughter has been in the hospital a few days with Pneumonia. We are expecting her to come home tomorrow. For those of you who have already heard this news and have been praying for our daughter--thank you. She is doing much better and your prayers and thoughts were and are so appreciated.

I checked my email this evening to find that my feedburner was sending out a very old post to my email subscribers--a post from September. I am not sure how this happened or how to correct it, but the for those who knew about what was going on in my personal life, the timing of this old post being emailed seemed odd. Anyway, sorry for that technical glitch.

Sending much love to you all and we hope to be back to our normal operating mode here soon with our sweet little girl home and healthy.

The Leaves Are Falling

2011-11-17T07:45:00.002-05:00

Autumn is my absolute favorite season. There is something so magical about playing outside while colorful leaves are sprinkled to the ground by the wind. I am enjoying this time of year and trying to savor every moment until the last leaf falls.

Not much to report on the home-front except the busy schedules of two children in school and two little ones at home during the day. That keeps me on my toes! I'm in the mood to make the house cozy which means making lots of macaroni and cheese and working on little craft projects like a fall felt wreath (tutorial in the coming days). I've found less time to blog since the children started school. Lately, I've also been receiving lots of emails related to my blog. I am amazed how much time it takes time to respond to each one.

I've been trying to work on all-things-blog-related (except for photography and DIY things) after the children are sleeping which I think is the best plan. I also try to sneak-in some blog reading during the day, but most of the time I am interrupted, as you can imagine!

On that note, you have no idea how much I appreciate it when you visit here. I know you are taking time out of your day to read or maybe even comment and I value that so much and I always will.

How are all of you? Are you ready for Thanksgiving?