Door Coat Storage

We recently moved to a new house, and found ourselves in need of some new "practical" pretty furniture. Our old house was a split entry, with the coat closest right by the front door, our new house boasted a large beautiful entry way. While I love the style of the new one way more, it was with out a closet of any kind.
I admit (quietly, to myself only) that I do have a HUGE Pinterest addiction, and on there I have seen many benches with storage that I thought were very beautiful. However, when it came right down to making something I really wanted it to be my own.
For some reason, in trying to find the right front door for our new house, we seemed to have accumulated 3 other wood doors (all part of that OCD thing) that were just smaller in size, but all not the same size either. Well being the true crafter I am, nothing like that can go to waste.. The brain started, and didn't stop.
I will say, I am highly blessed with a husband that will indulge my thoughts, even when he thinks that my designs sometimes won't work under any sane circumstance. (This was one of those times)
But in the end, he finally came to see it my way! :) And the most B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L thing I have ever done was born!
I had picked up some old door knobs and all the parts on EBay (that would be my other addiction) a little while ago and knew they would be the perfect finish to this project.

So Pretty!
 

I also found some cast iron door knockers and cast iron handle at the last Scrapbooking Expo, I know really... Of course they have EVERYTHING!!
 

And these super cool hinges, when I found them I was afraid that when I got them working it would chip away all of the old paint that made them so perfect. (it didn't... still perfect!)
 

We did need to add a little height to it, for it to make my OCD not go into overdrive, but we only had so many inches to be able to get all the pieces out of the two cut doors. So thinking...thinking.. Oh yeah! Door knob feet! PERFECT!
 

Of course I have extra rusty door knob! (Sometimes being almost a hoarder pays off!)
 

Now I have the most amazing beautiful front entry coat storage! Have I said I LOVE this!

Cheesy Veggie Medley Soup

So with snow running rampant, and the flu taking a quick stab at our house, I really have been craving soup. Looking online Cheesy Broccoli Soup really stuck out, but when I went to my cupboards... Of course I didn't have what I needed. So instead, I just made this.. It is one of those things that just got thrown together as I went. It turned out awesome! Super YUMMY!


 

 

You will need;

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can chicken broth

2 cups milk

1/2 pound Velveeta

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 medium onion (diced)

1/2 red bell pepper (diced)

1/4 cup(ish) sour cream

3-4 cups frozen california veggie blend (depending on how veggie-y you want it)

 

Directions;

Saute your pepper and onion in butter in large pot until onions are translucent. Add cream of chicken soup, broth, and milk, whisk until smooth. Cube Velveeta and add to soup mixture, and optional sour cream. Keep heat on medium to low to prevent curdling or burning. Stir soup until cheese is melted. Add frozen veggies and cook for another 15-20 minutes or until veggies are cooked thru. Stir often.

I served with warm garlic parmesan toast and it was FABULOUS!!

 

ENJOY!

 

P.s. This could be done in the crockpot on low for 3-4 hours, just saute your pepper and onion first.

 

 

  

Easier said than done.. Star Wars party.

I love my little boy, and he loves Star Wars.. Even though he is only two (and would realistically be as excited for Elmo as much as Star Wars) I could not resist this theme. I am sure I will have to redo it when is is older as well, so we will just call this "practice"..
I was so excited by this theme, that I started planning it at least 6 months before his birthday, but alas I am, if nothing else, a horrible procrastinator. So the work for it didn't start until the week before. A mental note, things usually go wrong when you don't have time to re plan and redo.
My little girl had a Princess birthday the month before (post coming soon), and it was AMAZING, so I figured Star Wars would be that easy and even more awesome. I knew I needed a pinata. For the Princess birthday I made the carriage like in Cinderella, it was really beautiful and a huge hit for all the kids (litterally). I thought how hard can a Death Star be, it is just a circle... Oh silly me..



This is the picture that I found on Pinterest, however the link did not come with any instructions. Silly me again, "Oh, no biggie, I can totally wing that!"



And this is my FAIL.. The indent was awesome to begin with, but for some reason my "ball" deflated and crumpled in the middle of the drying process.. Also, the black stripes were done with electrical tape (I thought a genius idea at the time), however they did not like to stick. I think it was the stretching them that did them in.
In the end, it a good thing that they just ended up smashing it... I wanted to!
 

 

Next on my list was the cupcakes, I found this amazing cupcake on Pinterest.. Again no directions.. No biggie right, looks totally simple.. Hahahaaha! Sometimes my thought process amazes me. Frosting cupcake queen I am not, I don't even get internship status on that. Was that going to stop me..... NO!

 

And here is my total FAIL.. I will say, it was amazingly yummy frosting. not a great color though. The little man loved his cupcake, and that is all that really mattered. I will say Jabba the Hut, as shapeless as he is, is not an easy thing to tackle..



In the end, the little man had an awesome birthday. Even with his Mommy's crafty flops.. But you know, you can't be awesome all the time, right?

All BOY Trash to Treasure...

Being a couponer, I LOVE LOVE LOVE deals! I hate paying full price for anything pretty much (there are somethings you should take a discount on I know). So taking something that has been discarded, or ready to be discarded and turning it into something AWESOME is a bit of an addiction for me...

We have a little man (he is almost 2) and being the only boy, we went a little crazy with his BOY room (I think my husband was just happy to do a room missing the color pink). So his room is all cars, with roads on the wall stop signs, license plates, the works. We even built a shelf on two sides of the of the room, almost to the ceiling that holds all of the cars from my husbands childhood, and his dad's childhood.

When we took out the crib, we went with the blue race car bed, and decided that he needed a "MANLY" toy box (hubby's words exactly).

This is what the toy box started out as;

I sanded the outside a bit, to remove scratches and make it easier to paint, and filled all the dings and holes with wood putty. I picked a paint that matched the room, but also had a metal look to it to get the metal tool box feel. I knew the toy box needed to have diamond plating on it, but then I priced diamond plating and almost gave up on that dream. I was going to find some other way to go, but I found diamond plating vinyl on the Internet, and knew instantly that I had to have it!

Being that the original toy box had the lines in it, I used backer board to avoid seeing the lines. I just measured and wrapped each piece and attached it.

I think it turned out AWESOME and really "manly".

The little man completely loved it!

The next project wasn't really as thought out. I came across this little table at the DI (Desert Industries, the Utah thrift store), it was only $5! It has a nice lip all around the top, and the actual table part popped out. The wheels in my head started whirling very quickly (if you were standing close to me I bet you could smell smoke). I have seen the car activity tables but they usually start at about $100 and only have one top, which is the car top. I had also seen on the Internet that you can make your own chalk board paint (woohoo!), and turn almost anything into a chalkboard. Both my kiddos LOVE to color, so I decided to mix the two of little man's favorite pass times into one AWESOME table.

This is what the table looked like before;

In these first pictures I have already started painting the top of the table black so I could get easier coverage with the chalkboard paint.

I removed the table top, and sanded, filled, and then spray painted the legs the same color as the toy box. Then I painted one side of the table top with (HOMEMADE ((woohoo!))) chalkboard paint. I did 3 coats just to be sure it was well covered. I let that dry for a day.

For the other side I had found a car play mat at Toys R US that fit almost perfectly. It was just a little smaller than the table top, so I painted the edges black so it would match the edge of the play mat, and give it a better finish. I chose a play mat for ease, but also to lower the banging noise of the table (I know both kiddos see everything as drums, and who ever is loudest wins). Then with Gorilla Wood Glue (love this stuff!) I glued the mat right to the table top. Super duper easy! Next I had found some little Cars tins at Walmart and with just some nuts and bolts attached them to the side of the table, so little man had car storage.

And DONE! SUPER CUTE, and total cost was less than $30!

The cars mat even came with little road signs!

For Christmas little man got the wooden Cars play track from Grandma, Daddy set it up, and Christmas was a HIT for all three kiddos (the third being the hubby).

The last "upcycled" project for his room was this wooden plane I found at the DI. It was only $2! it didn't have an ounce of paint on it, it looked as if someone had made it and never found a use for it. So just a little time and paint, and viola, the cutest boy shelf ever!

Little man is very happy with all his new room additions!
If you have any questions let me know!!
Happy RE crafting!!

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies With Plain Cream Cheese and Nutella Cream Cheese Frosting

In the spirit of Christmas, I decided that I was in need of yummy yummy sugar cookies.. And being me, I LOVE anything with sour cream in it, so naturally these cookies are right at the top of my list.

I passed them out to neighbors and family, and they came back with amazing reviews! So I figured I would share..

Now there are many Sour Cream Sugar Cookie recipes, but here is my favorite;

You will need;

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup shortening

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

5 cups flour

1 cup sour cream

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together eggs, sugar, and shortening (cream well until it is light and fluffy), and then add the sour cream and vanilla. In a separate bowl mix all dry ingredients, and then slowly add to the sour cream mixture. Mix until well blended.  Chill at least one hour. After dough has chilled, roll out (for crispier cookies roll thin, and for softer cookies roll thicker), and cut with cookie cutters. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until edges are slightly golden. Let cool, and decorate.

Now for the yummy yummy frosting! Both frostings are the same base, so one batch will give you enough to decorate one batch of Sour Cream Sugar Cookies about half and half .

You will need;

1 8oz package cream cheese (softened)

1/4 cup butter (softened)

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/4-1/2 cup Nutella

1/2 additional powdered sugar

Cream together cream cheese, butter and vanilla until it is light and fluffy (the softer the butter and cream cheese are, the easier this will be). Slowly add the 2 cups of powered sugar. Mix well. Remove half of the frosting and place in separate bowl or frosting bag.
To the remaining frosting add Nutella, add either 1/4 to 1/2 cup depending on how strong of a Nutella flavor you would like. Mix well. Slowly add the extra 1/2 cup powdered sugar (if it is still too thin, you can add more). Frost cookies and ENJOY!

"Redneck" Wreath Tutorial

My oldest brother has just moved into a new home, and in light of the season and my AWESOME sense of humor I decided to make him a beer can wreath.. I think it turned out awesome, and would work with a multitude of colored cans!

So here's the How To;

You're gonna need to start with a LOT of empty cans. Make sure you wash and dry the well to avoid having a STINKY wreath.

Again, for the gag gift I went with beer cans (some great friends contributed to the stack), but any cans would work.

 

Take a heavy duty wire and curl one end into a hook, and the other end into a swirly ring. Make sure your ring is big enough that the tab of the can cannot slip over it. This step will not only help with building your wreath, but also putting it together.
 

Next take your clean cans, a rubber mallet, and a cutting board (to protect your work surface).
 

Hammer your cans until they are a good height to you, I made all my cans just a little under half the size. WATCH OUT FOR SHARP EDGES!!

 

After all your cans are smooshed, it's time to start placing them on the wreath. Gently pull the tab up, and slip the hook side thru the large opening on the tab. The more you put on the wire, the wreath will pretty much just fill itself out.

 

I did try to make a wreath with out smooshing the cans first, but it pretty much just looked like a jumbled mess. After a few different idea trials, I found smooshing the cans produced the best look.
 

After your wreath is full, just hook your hook side of the wire to your loop. This really is way easier said than done, and in the end it took the most time, and adding and removing cans. But with a little bit of patience it came together in the end!

And then just finish off with some ribbon or another piece of wire for hanging.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

2x Super Easy Leggings

I have been seeing all over the Internet these cute leggings, so I decided to give it a go. I am not a seamstress, I think I swear at my sewing machine more than I use it.. Surprisingly enough, this project had no cuss words coming out of my mouth! I actually had both pairs all cut and sewn together quicker than my dinner took to cook in the oven! Having 2 very sometimes mischievous toddlers, this is a great selling point for this craft!
So here is my super non-skilled quick sewing leg warmers:

To start you are going to need some long socks. (mine came in a pack 3 pair for $4). You can find really cute ones with patterns too! Possibilities are endless!

Next cut right above the heal, right below the heel, and just before the toe. Cut both socks at the same time, I use a rotary cutter and it makes is super easy! Save the middle section for the next step.

Take your middle section and fold it so that the raw edges are together and the right side of the fabric is on the outside. This is going to become the top cuff on the leg warmers.

Next slip the cuff over the long piece of cut sock. Placing all the raw edges together.

For easier sewing, pin all of your raw edges together making sure they line up nicely.

Then sew all together. I line up the edge of my pinned sock to the edge of my sewing foot, gives me a straight line to line up to, and catches all my raw edges. Do a straight stitch all the way around. One pair down!! On to the next pair.

For the second pair, you only need to make one cut, just above the heel. No pinning or anything! How easy is that!

For sewing, I put my length on 1.

And picked a mid zig-zag stitch.

Sewn all around your raw edge with the zig-zag stitch, getting as close to your raw edge as you can. This sewing is very forgiving, so don't fret too much. As you sew you want to stretch you sock a bit, i find if you just slip it over the machine it works great!

Pair two down! Now you have two pairs of finished leggings, one with ruffles and one with out. (the cuff leggings would be great for boys!)

Now time to add just a few pretty touches..

We are potty training our 2 year old. I love leg warmers they remove the hassle of taking pants on and off every 20 minutes..

Love the cute little ruffle!! You can pick a thread that will match so it doesn't show too. I like the white showing for a little extra accent.

Two pair, less than a half an hour!! LOVE IT!!