Guest Washcloth Holder

I got this idea from both my sister and my sister-in-law. I wanted to share it with everyone because I thought it was cute idea.

In my sister's bathroom she has a tiny wooden basket with a bunch of rolled up washcloths for her quests to use.

In my sister-in-laws bathroom she has a glass container with a bunch of rolled up washcloths with ribbons tied around them for her quests to use.

So I decided to put both ideas into one and this is what I came up with:


I just bought some brown and tan washcloths to match my colors and I tied little bows around them with golden ribbon and placed them in a cute little wooden basket.

I found the monogram washcloths at TJ Maxx and they fit perfectly with my colors.

I love it!

Tips for Painting...

I have recently been working on getting my nursery ready for our new addition - scheduled for next month. As always I wait until I am 8-9 months pregnant to get my nursery done. I did it with my first one and now here I am in the same boat with the second one. Believe me I am paying for it - my body hurts! Anyways I thought I would share with everyone some things I have learned last week as I attempted to paint a mural on my nursery wall...

Painting Tips:

1. 
   You don't need a gallon of brown paint when you are just painting a tree trunk.
2. Mr. Clean Eraser pads come in handy when you paint something you didn't want to (like a window seal or wood work).
3. Mr. Clean Eraser pads don't work if the paint is already dried.
4. Don't get frustrated when you can make a perfectly straight line on a heavy texture wall.
5. It doesn't have to be perfect (That's a big one for me, I'll repaint 100 times and I am still not happy).
6. When you open the paint - that's not always the color you get.
7. If you don't like the color - sleep on it, it's amazing how it can change magically over night when it has dried.
8. Paint usually dries a tad darker.
9. Experiment - you can always repaint (And I usually do)
10. Don't be afraid to try something new.
11. Painters tape doesn't always work.
12. If you have a steady hand just use an angle brush for painting around windows, woodwork, and ceilings.
13. No matter how small the project is, you should always use a drop cloth because accidents DO happen.
14. If you don't want fuzzies on your wall - don't buy the cheap rollers from Wal-Mart.
15. Don't paint over nails or screws - it takes a few seconds to pull them out and it looks so much better.

These are just a few things I have picked up by painting my nursery. I needed a way to separate the boy side from the girl side. I was so afraid to paint this tree mural over the window wall, and I am so glad I tried it because I love it! And yes I freehanded all of it - shocker I know, I didn't think it would turn out!

Oh and if you were wondering this isn't all I am doing to the walls, I am putting monkeys on the tree branches. That's why I left a lot of bare space. If I remember I will try and post a finished photo when it's all done.

Amish Friendship Bread

If you would of asked me a month ago what I loved to eat, I would have told you Amish Bread!

One of my friends gave me a start for Amish Friendship Bread and I kept it going for a month or so and finally I had to stop because I was the only one eating it! (and because I am never home anymore)

If you haven't had Amish Bread you are missing out. I kept the directions (which tell you how to start your own) and thought I would share them with you.

It takes 9 days to make but believe me this little bread is heavenly!

Just click on the image and you'll be able to read it better. If not right click it and save it to your computer, than you can print it out.

How to Make Orange Julius

My husband totally loves Orange Julius and lately we have been stocked up on Minute Maid frozen orange juice and I was trying to find a way to make something similar to an Orange Julius with the frozen Minute Maid....and I actually found how to make Orange Julius through a simple Google search. And it is just as yummy as the Orange Julius in the Mall.

Thought I share it with everyone! Enjoy!

Things You'll Need:
1 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (6-oz.) can frozen orange juice concentrate
1 c. sugar
12-15 ice cubes

Step 1
Put the milk and 1 c. water in a blender.

Step 2
Add the vanilla extract.

Step 3
Add the frozen orange juice concentrate and sugar.

Step 4
Start the blender.

Step 5
Add the ice cubes, one by one, until the beverage reaches the desired thickness.

Step 6
Pour and enjoy.

Scrapbooked Magnets

Making cute magnets is a breeze!

I did some of these scrapbooked magnets last year and I have loved them!


When I was doing my $.88 Tuesday shopping at Honks $1 I found these colorful magnets that I thought would be fun to scrapbook.

They are so simple and cheap! Just find some cute scrapbook paper (mine was left over from an older project) and some plain colorful magnets:

Cute the paper to fit:

And scrapbook some fun extras to finish:

See how easy and cute they are!

Flip-Flop Home

I came across this idea, about 3 years ago, in a magazine. They had turned a planting box into a flip-flop holder and I thought it was a cute idea. And about a week ago I was going through the many flip-flops I have and I remembered that cute idea. So I decided to get crafty and make my own version of a filp-flop holder. I'd like to call it my flip-flop home.


Here is how I made my Flip-Flop Home:

I found a good size container (you could use anything) I found this little planter pot-basket (don't know what you call it) at Ross for $2.99 and I thought it would be perfect because I wanted some texture.


Spray paint your whole container with your base color (I chose hot pink because I thought it would be cute with all my flip-flops) I used Krylon Outdoor spray paint - Satin finish because I didn't want my flip-flop home to be shinny with gloss finish.


Than I took another fun bright color and added some demention to my home.


After all the paint was dry I added these really cut buttons I found at Wal-Mart they matched so perfectly and added a nice finished touch.

I do have to say my flip-flop home is much cuter!

Other ideas:

-You can add sand to you holder to make it extra fun (I decided to hold back on the sand because I know my 1-year-old would love to play in it).

-If you have a pool you could use it for a flip-flop holder and/or towel holder located pool-side.

Oreo Cupcakes

I had a roommate in college that would make these really yummy giant oreo cookies. And for some weird reason I have been craving them lately. Today was a bad crave! The only problem was I didn't have any clue how to make the cookies. So I improvised and came up with my very own type of Oreo creation.

I'd like to call it the "Oreo Cupake" -

they may not look the prettiest but they are REALLY GOOD!

They are so simple to make.
Just get a box of Duncan Heines Devil's Food cake mix (mix as the box says)

place batter into well greased muffin pan (fill cups 1/3 - 1/2 full - to get flatter cookies)

Follow the cooking temp and time on box

Let cupcakes cool. Cut in half and spread your favorite type of frosting in between halves.

There you have it, "Oreo Cupcake"

ENJOY!

Warming if you are pregnant and hungry it will be hard to eat just one!

I am trying to freeze the rest to see if they are good frozen. It would also be fun to use colorful frosting and decorate the tops - but Im not that creative! Let me know what you think!