Coffee Cozies!

Go Green! Just kidding. There is nothing green about these hot drink cozies, except that they have green felt in the middle to keep your hand safe. Cute as can be and adorned with a variety of buttons. Looks like a good excuse for Starbucks!

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Another Gluten and Milk Free Sunday

 The gluten and lactose free lemon poppy seed pancakes from last Sunday were so good that I decided to make apple cinnamon pancakes this weekend.  I used about 3/4 of a granny smith apple in the pancakes and saved 1/4 to put on top for a sweet, cool crunch.

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 I have never used fresh ground cinnamon and nutmeg before, but I bought some from a delightful little spice shop in Asheville, NC  .  This is a mix of the two and the inside of a nutmeg. The fresh spices made a huge difference!

Shadow Boxes

Two new packs of shiny paper, a little ribbon and two shadow boxes turned out to be a wonderful and fun project.  Of course, each shadow box will get a photo in the middle, but that would give away a surprise!

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Snuggle up!

 I may have to make one of these minky blankets in every print. My husband actually asked if I would make him one :-)!  These blankets can be personalized with custom embroidery.

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Leftover Buttons

 I will admit, Pinterest is inspiring me!  I will never throw away another button. Who knew there was so much to do with leftover buttons. They are currently buy one get one free at JoAnne's, as well.

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My second youngest/third oldest favorite chiquita.

This year I sent my oldest niece 6 one dollar bills for her sixth birthday (because we all know that 6 one dollar bills is more money than a five and a one :-).  I decided to do the same for the second oldest, with five dollars bills for her fifth birthday. My third oldest niece, or second youngest (are you able to keep up?) cried and couldn't figure out why she didn't get three dollars and a card for her birthday (which was in SEPTEMBER!).  Here it is, cutie pie. Signed, stuffed with dollars, and delivered. xoxoxoxo

 

Card Making Extravaganza!

Just playing around on my Cricut one evening. Thought I would make some birthday cards as a preemptive strike on missing so many birthdays. *Note: It is possible to use a sewing machine on cards :-)!

Gluten & Lactose Free Lemon Poppy Seed Pancakes

No milk, no gluten = no fun. However, Bisquick is now selling a semi-clean gluten free mix.  These lemon poppy seed pancakes turned out light and fluffy.  Great treat for a Sunday morning breakfast. Topped with lemon zest, raspberries and real NY pure maple syrup!

Love and Kisses

 My sister always makes these little guys for winter holidays and I just love the sweet and salty mix. With a bag of V-Day m&m's I turned them into Valentine's Day treats for school today. So simple and so cute!

 

P.S. 350 degrees is WAY to hot. Although, I learned that at that temperature Hershey's Hugs will actually bake into the consistency of cookies, but won't melt. They were very delicious, just not what I was going for. Insert bag of hugs #2 :-). 

Bookmark Love

As a new lover o'Valentine's Day, I decided to get creative for my students. I made these bookmarks for them using paint swatches from the hardware store, a flower hole punch and a short piece of ribbon. I wrote a little note on the back and handed them out today. They had them in a book by the end of class!

Valentine's Decor

I'm in the mood for love! Took down our "winter wreath" and replaced it with this Valentine's Day wreath. Who knew I would ever care about wreaths, let alone be making them. Made with 20 flowers from the Flower Shoppe cartridge, my Cricut and ol' faithful...the hot glue gun. She is underpaid and overworked. (Cannot get the picture to rotate....my apologies.) More love fun to come...

Valentine's Day Season!

 As a former V-day hater, I have caved on my husband's prodding for the first since I learned the definition of cynic, which was at about the age of 5. Four cards made using my Cricut for my nieces...pink, hearts...the whole nine yards. Jim and I may even celebrate love day this year. 

 

 Sealed up in a flowery envelope on its way to California with the cards are these four little love bugs made out of little girl's socks for my four favorite love bugs. Simple, silly and very cute. (I am making myself a little nauseous :-) Life is good.

Cupcake Wrapper Pom-Poms

We hosted game night last yesterday evening for the couple's from my team at school. The only place we have to hold 12 people is our unfinished basement.  We have it fixed up a bit, but it is still not that cozy. I an attempt to jazz things up I made these cupcake wrapper pom-poms and coordinated the decor around their colors to blend everything together and liven up the space. Mission complete!

Start with a styrofoam ball (the cheaper the better, these babies are actually quite expensive!). They will nearly double in size, so don't be afraid to use small balls. Push the cupcake wrapper onto your finger to dent the bottom, dab with a dot of hot glue and stick to the styrofoam ball.

This first picture is what the ball will start to look like. I followed the equatorish line around the ball, then proceeded to fill in. I liked the look of the wrappers when they were not very tightly squished together, but you can play around with that. I did run out of wrappers VERY quickly. The small balls used about 125 wrappers and the larger ones used about 200. I bought the colored wrappers at Joanne's and the black and white wrappers at Kroger. Good luck!

Party Time!

 A few of the treats I made for game night. Hummus with organic veggies and lentil crackers. Tostini with goat cheese and sun-dried toms, coconut macaroons and strawberries. Layered chip dip cups. Easy ideas for guest-pleasing dishes.

Egg'n Pepper

Ever had Egg'n Bread? Here is a new spin on the same delicious idea, minus the carbs and gluten. (Thank you Pinterest!)  Let the eggs cook a bit longer than you normally would. The moisture of the peppers lengthens the cooking time slightly.