Keep On Dreaming …

I use to have a piece of wall art in my house that said “Live, Laugh, Love”.  I thought it was cute and fitting for my home but one day, a {guy} friend of mine walked in and said “Oh that’s original” referring to the sign and laughing.  He told me how he had seen that in just about every home he’s ever walked in {If a GUY has noticed this same saying over and over again … Then I have to believe that it is being overused}.  Even though he was joking, I knew I had to take it down and find something else.

Something came to mind when “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” sung  Eli Young Band became my favorite song.  I could listen to this song over and over again; it seems so fitting for my life right now.  Never heard it? {CLICK HERE}.  I decided to place part of the lyrics on an old piece of wood.

I ordered my vinyl from {SWAINSTON VINYL AND DEZIGN}.  Shannon has great prices and is always willing to help with the designs.  I have ordered all on my vinyl from her and look forward to coming up with other projects that include vinyl.

I am absolutely in love with this!! 

I am super excited how it turned out!!

Burlap’d Ceiling Tile Bulletin Board

We needed a bulletin board at the office; nothing cheesy but something simple without a lot of fuss.  I decided to use my ceiling tile bulletin board technique that I used a few years ago {HERE}.  The ceiling tile is covered with a solid brown fabric and then brown burlap.  I used my Cricut to create a stencil for the word “blessed”.  Super fast and easy; only took about 45 minutes of my time.  This could be personalized for any color scheme by changing out the fabric or changing up the words that are stenciled.  {{I need a picture of it in our office.}}

Giraffe and Paisley Crib Set

I was super excited to make this crib set because my only restriction was a color scheme.  While I don’t mind having restrictions when sewing for others; I totally love having free reign when I can.  The color scheme was pink and brown; with distressed blue furniture (not pictured) and a giraffe rug (not pictured).

I found this fabric selection at Hobby Lobby.  Can we say perfect?!

I made the bumper pads, sheet, blanket, crib skirt, curtain topper, 
changing pad cover and boppy cover.

I think it turned out super fabulous!  And it totally matches the style of the parents and baby.  

Turquoise Dresser Re-do

Turquoise blue is one of my new favorite colors.  It is so popular right now and I feel like I could never get tired of it.  My BFF, Mrs. S, scored this super cheap dresser for her living room.   She painted it with Better Homes and Gardens paint by Glidden in True Turquoise (from Wal-Mart).  I like the idea of taking out the drawers.  I think she did a fabulous job!

Jalapeno Jelly

Last Christmas one of my friends brought over a jar of jalapeno jelly … and I was in love with this stuff!  I decided to try to make some of my own.  Wow!  It was super easy to make!  Pour over a little cream cheese, serve with crackers and you have a delicious snack or appetizer.  I am probably going to make a million half pint jars to give away at Christmas time.

I used the recipe found {HERE}:

Jalapeno Jelly

• 3/4 lb jalapeno pepper
• 2 cups cider vinegar, divided
• 6 cups sugar
• 2 (3 ounce) envelopes liquid pectin
• green food coloring (optional)

Directions:

1. After removing stems and seeds from jalapenos, puree in food processor with 1 cup cider vinegar.
2. Combine puree, additional 1 cup cider vinegar, and sugar in large saucepot. Bring to a boil; boil 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Stir in liquid pectin. Return to a rolling boil and boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
4. Skim foam, if necessary, and stir in a few drops of food coloring, if desired.
5. Ladle hot jelly into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust 2 piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.

(I actually didn’t have to place my filled jars into a boiling water canner, they ended up sealing on their own by the time I woke up the next morning.  My Mom said that this was okay- she use to can a lot as a child, so I am trusting her word.  Also, I added about a pound of jalapenos and a little red bell pepper to give it some color.)

This is what the liquid pectin package looks like. 

I actually found mine at Walmart in the canning section.

Cupcakes!!

I have been on a mission to make super snazzy looking cupcakes for about a year.  I’ve posted about them a few times but I think I finally have this cupcake thing down.  Not only do they look snazzy but they taste pretty awesome too!  It thought icing a cupcake would be really hard, but it totally isn’t.  Once I had the right supplies, I was able to master the icing.  {GLORIOUS TREATS} is a great blog about making cupcakes and icing with tutorials.  {THIS} blog post is my favorite because it shows how easy it is to ice cupcakes and she provides information about the right supplies needed.

I use a boxed cake mix and add additional ingredients.  I just don’t see how it would be that much cheaper to make a cake from scratch; it seems like it would take longer … Time is money.  I always use milk instead of water. Sour cream, coffee creamer, and yogurt can all be substitutes for the water but not limited to those.  Also, do NOT bake for 20+ minutes! I don't not know why the box says that. I would bake for 13 minutes, stick in a toothpick to see if they're done.  Different flavors bake for different amounts of time. About 15 mins- give or take ... Depending on your oven (or elevation?!?! Not sure if that really has any bearing on the bake time.) My cupcakes never bake for more than 15 minutes. 

Also, if you ice the cupcake and it doesn't turn out, just push the icing off the cupcake and redo it.  I  always have about three or four that I have to redo. I push the icing off with a butter knife and reuse the icing if I need to!

Mother’s Day Key Chains

Almost all of my BFF’s have children; so this Mother's Day I wanted to make all of them a small something.   I decided to make them photo key chains.  You can buy photo key chains at Hobby Lobby for only a few bucks.  I used the same technique as these {PERSONALIZED BRACELETS}.  Print your picture, place in the key chain and then add clear dimensional gloss on top.  Super easy and quick to make!  All of my friends have such cute kids!  

{{I’m a slacker … I totally ran out of time and didn’t get these in the mail in enough time.  Let me be honest, they’re sitting here next to my laptop in my craft room.  It’s the thought that counts right?! LOL}}

I Mustache You

“I MUSTACHE YOU A QUESTION AND SHAVE IT FOR LATER” 

Ha! Ha! Okay, I know that was cheesy …

A good friend of mine is hosting a mustache baby shower for her sister.  She asked me to make up some mustache invitations.  I created the invite in Microsoft Word, printed them on cardstock and then adhered them to another piece of colored cardstock.  I think they turned out super stinkin’ cute!