Cheapo Art

    I'm not usually one to decorate for Fourth of July.  When it comes to making purchases I am getting more and more picky, if it doesn't make me smile when I see it and then smile some more when I think of it then I don't want to spend money on it.  With patriotic decor I like a lot of it but it doesn't really fit with my home so I pass.  Well, as I was strolling through the Dollar Tree the other day I saw a cute gift bag that made me smile. I love gift bags. I often think they should be art and want to use them as such. Last Christmas I finally did so and I decided it was time to try it again.
    Here is what I did.... Got an old frame out of the garage (I tend to collect them from yard sales and thrift stores) and spray painted it and its matte white, not full coverage because I wanted a bit of a worn look. Next I cut the front off the gift bag and taped it to the top of the matte. Put the glass and matte in the frame and voilla!  One dollar and I have a cute, patriotic work of art. 

Simple Elegance with Pudding

This is a simple way to turn the ordinary into something special. One of my favorite things about it is how inexpensive it is!





What you need:
Fancy glasses (champagne, wine, iced tea goblets; whatever you have)
2 boxes of pudding, 4 serving size, two different flavors
¼ cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup white chocolate chips


What to do:
1. Clean and dry your glasses.


2. Print hearts, unless you want to free hand it. Do at least twice as many as you are making, due to breakages.
3. Lightly grease wax paper on baking sheet, using Crisco. Place printed hearts under wax paper
4. Melt chocolate in microwave stopping to thoroughly stir every 10 seconds. Pour chocolate into a baggie and cut a small part of the tip off. Pipe ½ of the hearts. They should be thick enough to not be too brittle. Repeat with white chocolate. My white chocolate would not melt so I used red Wilton Candy Melts. Place in fridge.



5. Make the pudding (I used Chocolate Fudge and White Chocolate). Do not refrigerate! Pour into separate quart baggies. Cut the tip, about ¼ inch, off.
6. Layer pudding in glasses (I used champagne flutes).
7. Take hearts out of fridge. Working quickly place on top of pudding. If the hearts start to get soft put back in fridge for awhile.



8. Chill in fridge until ready to serve.

Alternatives/Tips:
A. Put crumbled brownies between two layers of pudding for a delicious trifle.
B. Add sprinkles, mini M&Ms, or other candies on top.
C. Use Wilton Candy Melts (found at Wal-Mart or Craft stores) to make varying color hearts.
D. Layer in a nice bowl instead of glasses.
E. Dye light colored pudding to make different colors.
F. Two boxes of pudding fill 7 champagne flutes.

Fancy Oreos

Wow your family and friends by dressing up some White Chocolate Covered Oreos (WCCO). You'll have to excuse my poor quality pictures. I don't have the time to dress them up :)

You need any of the following you want.

Candy melts in desired color (found in craft stores or Wal Mart)
Meringue Powder (found in craft stores or Wal Mart)
Food only paint brush
Decorating sugar or sprinkles









Candy Melt design. Following directions on the bag, melt the first/bottom color of candy melts. Pour into a baggie and snip a tiny bit of the tip off. Pipe whatever design you want. Do the same in the next color. If you are doing a two tone design, you're done!









Solid sugar/sprinkle design. Mix a little meringue powder with water, one to one ratio. About one tablespoon each should do. Using a food only paint brush, paint on the meringue water, covering the whole top. Set the Oreo on a paper plate and pour the sanding sugar or sprinkles on. Shake the excess off and move on to the next!













Sugar/sprinkle design. Make the above meringue mixture and using your paint brush paint on your desired design. Pour on your sanding sugar or sprinkles. Repeat!









Easy peasy, can go with any decor and looks very impressive. :)

How to Make a Banner

Supplies:
Scrapbook card stock to match your theme
Plain Cardstock in a complementing color
Ribbon (10ft or so)
Photo Squares
Ruler
Scissors
Circle cutter
Pencil
Computer/Printer
Exacto knife


1. Decide how large you want to make your banner. The “Birthday” in mine was about 5’ long. You will have to adjust the squares and circles to make it the appropriate size.
2. I cut the squares 5”x5”.
3. On the computer (I use Microsoft Publisher) choose the font you like and play with it to make it as large as you need and the color you want. If you set the screen at 100% you can hold the squares up to the screen and get a good idea of the size it needs to be. Use the circle button and make it large enough to go around the letter. If you want a dotted circle double click on the circle, click on “dashed” and choose the 2nd option. While the circle is highlighted change it to the color of your choice. Print on a regular sheet of paper to make sure it is the right size. When you have it how you want it copy and paste it (in the computer) for as many letters as you need, changing the letters as needed. Print on card stock.
4. Use your circle cutter or scissors to cut out the circles. This is tiresome!!!!
5. Measure your ribbons width and with a pencil mark on the back of the squares where you will cut the slits for the ribbon. I make a template from extra card stock so I can easily trace it instead of measuring on all of them.
6. Using the exacto knife cut the slits for the ribbon.
7. Attach the circles to the squares with the photo squares. You can use glue but it tends to wrinkle the paper.
8. Thread the ribbon through the papers with the letters in the right order! Tie a bow on each end and tack up :)

Bathroom Cabinet Overhaul

Two years ago I reorganized my master bathroom cabinets by adding shelf space and various sized baskets. Since then we have moved our bedroom upstairs and so repurposed the bathroom. Without having clear purpose for the cabinet and with my hair stuff collection growing, the cabinet became a disaster once again.


I hate that. Couldn’t deal with it. Had to do something about it. So the first thing I did was to organize my hair stuff. It was a mishmash of everything in a little basket. I wracked my brain for some sort of cheap containers to keep it all separate yet fit in the basket. I came up with using the baby food containers. It worked great! I sorted the hair ties, barrettes, bobby pins, etc into separate containers. Now I could just grab the container I need and not have to wade through it all.









This wasn’t enough. I had our “extras” stored in the cabinet along with other miscellaneous items and they needed organization. This meant I needed drawers of varying sizes. First I measured height, depth, width. Next I went in search of the perfect drawer set. I could not find one that was short enough with different drawer sizes, so I purchased one that was too tall and took off one of the smaller drawers, making it a perfect fit!



Now my extras, cotton balls, q-tips and other miscellaneous fit beautifully in the cabinet. No more disaster!

To improve my hair bob situation I used the top drawer specifically for that stuff. I kept the baby food container but taped the tops to the drawer to keep them from sliding around. The containers sit in the lids so I can grab them out easily. I love my drawer!

Fast Fish Dinner

Here is a quick dinner (20 minutes start to finish) that is super easy to make!
Great for all who don't like fish but eat it because it's good for you. You can't taste the fish!

Basil Pesto Fish:
lemon juice
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup basil pesto (usually found near the deli, I like Buitoni brand)
4-6 fresh fish fillets, like Tilapia

Biscuits:
Bisquick

Stuffing:
Stove Top

1. Preheat oven to 450°. Put aluminum foil on two pans and spray with a non-stick spray. Mix together pesto and bread crumbs. Rinse fish, then squirt with lemon juice. Place on prepared baking sheet. Spread crumb mixture on top. Bake for 15 minutes.

2. Once fish is in the oven put 2 to 3 cups Bisquick in a bowl and add milk until desired texture. Drop by large spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.

3. Make the Stove Top. Everything should be done in the 15 minutes it takes to cook the fish. Enjoy!

Easy Dinner

Tonight is easy Italian! Chicken Parmesan, Italian biscuits and a vegetable....the easy way.

Chicken Parmesan:
Frozen Breaded Chicken Breast
Favorite Spaghetti Sauce
Mozzarella Cheese

Cook chicken according to directions, taking it out 3 minutes before it is done. Top with sauce and cheese. Bake for 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted.

Biscuits:
Bisquick
1/2 tsp powdered garlic
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/8 cup Parmesan cheese

You can follow the directions on the Bisquick box for 6 biscuits or do what I do...
Use about 2 cups Bisquick and mix in the other 3 ingredients. Add milk until desired consistency. Bake for about 10 minutes.

Make whatever veggie you want to go with it :)