Today I am happy to report that I’m getting my crafting mojo back. I’m sharing these fun DIY painted pumpkins with this fabulous leopard pumpkin that is the star of her trio. Isn’t she fantastic?

Simple Painted Pumpkins

Halloween has long been one of my favorite holidays, but we’ve been on a bit of a break.

Our split began a few Halloweens ago when I was home alone with all the lights out in the pitch-black dark knee-deep in gingerbread crumbs. I’d like to say that I was watching a scary movie eating warm cookies, but I was actually pouting.

It was the first year neither of my girls were home for trick or treating and I was throwing myself a big fat pity party. I had decided that since no one would be home, I wouldn’t pass out candy and the plan was to work on this Christmas table and turn my lights off when it got dark so no one would think I was home. Well, I worked all day on a gingerbread house that was completely stunning and when it got dark, I kept my word and did not turn on a single light.

The problem was that everyone in my neighborhood knows how much I love Halloween and naturally they stopped by for trick or treating. Even with the lights off, the doorbell rang and rang and then I heard a large bang. I ran into my kitchen and stomped right on my perfectly crafted gingerbread house… it was in a million tiny little pieces.

I literally cried until I had no other choice but to laugh and eat Reese’s cups.

When it got late enough, I turned on the lights, cleaned up my mess and welcomed the girls home… then I ate some of their Reese’s cups.

With the world in chaos and nothing feeling quite right, I have decided to lift my ban on Halloween and get my holiday craft on. I started with these gorgeous pumpkins. You won’t believe how easy they are to make!

Painting a Leopard Pumpkin

Leopard and cheetah are my new neutral, so it made perfect sense to paint a leopard pumpkin. It may look hard to paint, but I promise it isn’t at all!

I grabbed some white paint and gave this girl a thick base coat. Once the base coat dried, I splotched on metallic gold spots, let them dry and then outlined the gold splotches in black. Splotching is a super technical word for just putting paint somewhere with no grand plan. It is pretty much foolproof!

There were a few spots that looked bare, so I just added some smaller splotching and then painted the stem with the gold paint.

Painting an Emerald Pumpkin with Brad Detail

I’m also in love with this emerald pumpkin. She is so elegant and all I did was paint her with a couple of coats of green paint and add these brad stickers.

I also finished off this pumpkin with a gold-painted stem. A little paint, a few stickers and you have a simple way to make a pumpkin that can last all the way through Thanksgiving.

The post Easy Leopard Painted Pumpkin first appeared on Uncommon Designs.

First, I hope you guys are hanging in there okay. Things are a bit of a roller coaster over here, but today I’m sharing one of my new favorite products.

Have you ever used Swedish Dishcloths? They are amazing… seriously, y’all!

I was sent a pack of ten of these delightful beauties and they are a fabulous tool to have in your cleaning toolbox!

When I opened my the box of Swedish Dishcloths, tucked inside was a very sweet handwritten note that said “Thanks for giving our small family run business a shot! Your orders & reviews means more than you can imagine.”

I am always happy to help promote a small business, but I love that they went the extra step to be so gracious. This is what customer service should be every time and I love that they did this.

The dishcloths come in a 10-pack and they are dainty like a tea towel, but work like a sponge. Pretty, small, useful, and REUSABLE!

When dry, they are a handy size and are stored in a flat stack and take up very little space. When you get them wet, they turn into a towel with super powers.

• Swedish dishcloths are a specialty sponge cloth made from a mixture of plant-based cellulose and cotton.
• They can be used hundreds of times when you just rinse and wring their cloth out and leave it to dry for the next use.
• Swedish dishcloths dry out very quickly, helping to prevent the growth of bacteria and odors.
• They work great to soak up spills and are equally as good at scrubbing, too! You can use them anywhere in the house.
• They make great gifts, too!

I decided to jazz them up a bit by adding a little hand embroidery. It was so fun and easy. When the cloths are dry, you don’t even need to use an embroidery hoop. Score!

I think this would make a pretty snazzy Mother’s Day gift. Grab your own set in your favorite colors here.

The post Embroidered Swedish Dishcloths first appeared on Uncommon Designs.

Easter is one of the most fun holidays to celebrate.  I love teaching my children about the Easter story and how Christ has Risen more than anything. I really want me know why we celebrate this special day, but bringing in  a little crafty fun is something that they enjoy, too.  We have the best conversations when we are around the table creating!  I also love setting a beautiful table to share this special time with friends and family.  You may remember our Burlap and Bunnies Easter Tablescape from last year.  This year, we are going to share some fun decorating Easter Eggs together.

Each of our guests has a their very own monogrammed Easter basket that is filled with eggs just begging to be dipped and dyed and all gussied up!

We have some butterfly tattoos just waiting to make their mark.  You guys have just adored the Temporary Tattoo Easter Eggs.  My girls can’t wait to make some just like their mama’s.

The centerpiece for the table incorporates more… Easter eggs!  It was fitting for an egg decorating party and one can never have too many eggs.  I also found the blue pots at the Dollar Tree and just adore them.

The hot pink sisal baskets were picked up from Hobby Lobby, as was the burlap runner.  Those adorable madras napkins were from the Dollar Tree.  Nothing like thrifty finds to dress up a table.

These sticker will be used to monogram dyed eggs.  I can’t wait to use them.  If you are looking for some awesome egg decorating ideas, you will definitely want to check out our Ultimate Easter Egg Decorating Collection.

To finish off the table, I included a nest of nest cupcakes. You are going to love how easy these guys are to make!

Will you be entertaining this year for Easter?  It is so easy to create a fun and beautiful table like this one.  Happy Easter!

*Trish

The post Easter Egg Decorating Party first appeared on Uncommon Designs.

Some of these games we’ve found after playing with family and friends and some we’ve just found on our own. I can tell you that these are the ones that we take on beach vacations, play on family game nights and on rainy days ALL THE TIME!

I hope you find a few new ones that your family will enjoy!

Codenames

Codenames combines wordplay, memory, and strategy. This is also a game that can be played in 15 minutes or less!

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Sequence  

Sequence is a strategy game that our entire family from kids all the way to older grandparents love to play. Play it in teams for even more fun!

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What Do You Meme? Family Edition

This is a cleaner version of the What do you Meme game. We just got this one and look forward to playing it during our time at home!

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Say Anything

Say Anything is one game that will have the entire family laughing out loud. It is so easy to play and really fun to see how people answer!

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TELESTRATIONS

We love playing Telestrations. It is like the game of telephone, but with drawing. It is tons of fun. I've linked to the larger pack because I honestly wish we had purchased this one for when we have other families join in the fun.

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 Suspicion Family Board Game

This is another new to our family board game, but it looks like an updated version of Clue, which my kids LOVE!

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Taboo 

In this game, it is all about what you don't say! Taboo is a challenging game and bonus... you get to buzz people when they mess up, which I totally love!

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Beat The Parents

Parents are against the kids in this fun trivia-centered game. The kids have questions geared toward them and the adults have a little bit trickier questions. My kids love this one!

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Family Feud 

Channel your inner Steve Harvey and gather the family to see who will win Famly Feud. This is a quick-paced game and a crowd-pleaser, too!

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Scattergories

We actually just purchased Scattergories over the weekend and have played it several times already. It really gets those creative juices flowing!

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The post Favorite Board Games for Older Kids and Teens first appeared on Uncommon Designs.

I don’t know what it is with me and my addiction for tattoos and Easter eggs.  I actually am not normally a fan of any sort of tattoo, but for decorating eggs I cave!  I think it is that they are just so easy to use.  

I ordered a package of jewelry tattoos
(affiliate link), because I loved the metallic detail.  I am a huge fan of feathers, so when I saw this package, I was completely sold!

I painted the eggs with Chalky Finish Paint first and I just love the look of the vintage chalky paint and the modern metallic tattoos.  My girls thought they were pretty snazzy, too!  Let’s learn how to make these super easy and very fancy Easter Eggs!

Supplies:

• Americana Decor Chalky Finish  Paint
• White Easter Eggs
• jewelry tattoos
• Damp Rag

It is hard to decide which is the easiest part of making tattoo Easter eggs… the painting or the actual addition of the tattoo.  For this project I added a couple of coats of chalky finish paint to the eggs and waited for them to dry.  I painted half, let that dry, and then finished the other half.  This greatly reduces any smudging.  The kids really enjoyed helping me out with this part.

Once your eggs are dry.  Apply the temporary tattoo just as you would to your skin.  Cut out the tattoo, stick on the egg and dampen the  back of the paper for about 30 seconds.

Remove the paper  backing and you are left with this little beauty.  The picture truly does not showcase how pretty these foil tattoos are and they were a cinch to apply.

I am in love and the girls are too.  They were quite  proud of their work!  My little La La even helped me photograph them and she had such a great eye for arranging the eggs and taking the photo.  Future blogger coming soon!

To see the botanical butterfly eggs we made, be sure to visit our temporary tattoo Easter eggs!

The post Tattoo Easter Eggs first appeared on Uncommon Designs.

Are lunches hard for you guys? John and I both work from home most days and trying to find something that is delicious and quick is so hard for me. I get super tired of soups and sandwiches and really only have a few minutes to throw something together. We have recently been enjoying these easy chicken burrito bowls with Minute® Ready to Serve Cilantro & Lime Jasmine Rice. They are SO good, SO fast, and cleanup is a breeze.

Minute® Ready to Serve Rice is good to go anytime, anywhere. I found Minute® Ready to Serve Cilantro & Lime Jasmine Rice at my local Walmart.

Hover over the picture above to click through and shop. Or click the button below to add it directly to your cart!

Minute® Ready to Serve Rice is available in three new delicious flavors, all available in 7 oz. larger single BPA free cups – Minute® Ready to Serve Cilantro & Lime Jasmine Rice, Minute® Ready to Serve Southwest Pinto Beans with White Rice and Vegetables, and Minute® Ready to Serve Garlic & Olive Oil Jasmine Rice. They are convenient to eat, as you can eat them right out of the cup.

For this recipe I used the Minute® Ready to Serve Cilantro & Lime Jasmine Rice with flavor made with heavenly aromatic Jasmine rice.

Making the burrito bowls could not get any easier! Simply microwave the Minute® Ready to Serve Rice cups for just 90 seconds. Toss in pre-cooked chicken, pinto beans, Mexican corn and you are ready to eat!

FREEBATE ALERT! Ready to eat better and save more? Be sure to check out this fantastic offer. Buy any one (1) Minute Ready to Serve 7 oz. cup and get it FREE through an Ibotta FREEBATE, while supplies last. You can get this offer by clicking

Hover over the picture above and click to shop Ibotta!

Minute® Ready to Serve Rice Cilantro & Lime Jasmine Rice is vegan with no artificial flavors, no preservatives are gluten-free. This really helps me make lunch a meal that is healthy, real and simple. Real life moves fast, so Minute® Ready to Serve Rice is here to empower you with good, fast options for any occasion.

Here is the full recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Minute® Ready to Serve Cilantro & Lime Jasmine Rice
• 1 Cup pinto beans, drained
• 1 Cup cooked chicken strips
• 1 Cup canned Mexican corn
• garnish: sour cream, cheddar jack cheese, green onions

Instructions

• 1. Prepare rice according to package directions (heat in the microwave for just 90 seconds).
  2. Combine all ingredients.
  3. Top with your favorite garnishes
  4. Enjoy!

Visit minuterice.com for recipe inspiration. Minute® Ready to Serve Rice: Real Flavorful. Real Convenient.

The post Easy Chicken Burrito Bowls first appeared on Uncommon Designs.

Guess what is even better than just one Christmas cookie recipe? Lots of them! I’m participating in Maryann from Domestically Speaking’s Christmas Cookie Week so be sure to check out them all out all of the yummy holiday cookie recipes at the end of the post. 

My sister is the baker in our family, but these Christmas Spritz cookies are the one cookie that I am the master of. I can still remember helping my mom make these cookies and now I’m passing that along to my girls.

The one thing every good spritz cookie needs is a cookie press. I love this Wilton Cookie Press. It does a great job and you can use it year after year! It comes with all sorts of plates that you can use to make any shape you wish, but I love the classic tree.

Add some sprinkles and your tree is fully decorated!

Grab your apron and let’s get baking!

Yield: 4 dozen cookies

Easy Christmas Spritz Cookies

Print

Use your cookie press and this basic recipe to make Spritz cookies. They are perfect for Christmas and are a blast to make!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• rainbow sprinkles

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until smooth (about 2 minutes).
3. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract, and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute.
4. On low speed, mix in the flour and salt. Turn up to high speed and beat until completely combined.
5. Using a cookie press (use the tree plate), pipe trees about 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet.
6. Top with colored sprinkles.
7. Bake for 9-11 minutes, until edges are golden brown.
8. Remove cookie sheet from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Monday’s Cookies

Christmas M&M Peanut Butter Cookie
Bars

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Almond Horn Cookies

Santa’s Whiskers Christmas Cookies

Tuesday’s Cookies

No Bake Cookies

Really Good Gingersnaps

4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookie

Wednesday’s Cookies

No Bake Cookies

Easy No Bake Peppermint Gingersnap Cookies

Italian Horn Cookie Recipe

Easy Spritz Cookies (not pictured)

Thursday’s Cookies

Gingerbread Whoopie Pies

Christmas Seven Layer Bars

Christmas Surprise Cookie Recipe

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

Easy Holiday Nutmeg Cookies

Friday’s Cookies

Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies

Holiday Coconut Apricot Bars

Traditional Christmas Cookies

The post Easy Spritz Cookies first appeared on Uncommon Designs.