Giving a small treat or gift in a bag is fine but why not dress it up a bit and make it extra special? These sweet little bags would be perfect for a thank you gift or filled with treats for a neighbor or friend. They would also be perfect for a birthday or party goodie bag.
You’ll need:
Patterned paper bags
Doilies
Tiny clothespins
Tags or scrapbook paper
I cut these cute little tags out of the Recollections scrapbook paper. You could also use the flags or cut out your own tags using any scrapbook paper you have on hand.
Fold the bag over, fold the doily in half and place it over the bag. Clip the little tag onto the bag and doily. Don’t forget to fill it with treats first.
Change the paper and tags and these little Halloween treat bags would be perfect for any holiday or special occasion. I’m sure the receiver would appreciate the little extra effort you put into them.
I love this time of year and I love decorating for Halloween. I haven’t been able to start decorating yet this year, hopefully in the next day or two though. Would you believe I’ve been working on Thanksgiving and Christmas projects? Anyway, I needed some inspiration and I thought you might too so I’m sharing some of my past decorating ideas with you today.
Whether your Halloween style is spooky or silly I hope you’ve found some inspiration. Now that my kids are older I can decorate on the spooky side if I want, but I’m not sure what I’m doing yet this year. More ideas to come!
It’s one of my favorite times of the year – decorating for Halloween. I’m just starting to decorate this week and I thought the front door would be the perfect place to start with my Spider Frame Wreath.
Items needed:
Frame (mine is 18×12)
Small Cutout Frame (this one is from Michael’s)
Large Spider (from Michael’s)
Ribbon
Tulle
Glue dots
I bought the small frame and large spider, but I had everything else on hand.
Start by cutting the tulle in 3-4″ wide strips. Cut enough to go around the frame. I had to cut 4 long strips to be able to overlap a little and wrap all the way around the frame.
I used glue dots to secure the tulle to the back of the frame. I like how the tulle adds a bit of texture and color but it’s really subtle.
I tied the spider onto the cutout frame.
Then the small frame unto the large frame.
I also added a new vinyl to the door.
Well, if nothing else, my door is ready for Halloween.
I try to convert my favorite recipes to gluten-free whenever possible. It’s sad when I prepare a meal and I can’t enjoy it along with everyone else. This Crispy Cheddar Chicken recipe is gluten-free but you could easily substitute regular crackers or bread crumbs and regular cream of chicken soup for the gluten-free version.
Ingredients:
4 large chicken breast
6 ounces gluten-free bread crumbs
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup milk
3 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 can gluten-free cream of chicken soup
2 Tbsp. sour cream
2 Tbsp. butter
Cut each chicken breasts into 3 large chunks. Pour the milk, cheese, and bread crumbs into 3 separate pans or shallow bowls. Add salt and pepper into the bread crumbs and stir mixture. Dip each piece of chicken into the milk, then the cheese and finally the bread crumbs. The cheese falls off a bit so I hold it on with my fingers while I roll it in the bread crumbs. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray and lay the chicken pieces inside the pan. Sprinkle the dried parsley over the chicken. Toss out any of the remaining milk, cheese, and bread crumbs.
Cover the pan with tin foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove the tin foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the edges of the chicken are golden brown and crispy. In a medium sauce pan combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and butter with a whisk. Stir over medium high heat until the sauce is hot. Serve over chicken. Serves 7.
This recipe freezes really well. Make the sauce just before serving.
This was originally posted on the Crafting Chicks but I’m sharing it with you here in case you missed it over there. I’m showing you an easy way to reupholster a bench. It took less than an hour and cost less than $10 in supplies.
Let’s start with a before and after. Isn’t it always fun to see them side by side? I love seeing what a big impact a little fabric and some spray paint can have. When Emilee saw the before pic she said, I don’t remember it being that ugly.
The first step is to get the bench taken apart. It was an easy process but the most time consuming part was taking the staples out. Start by taking the screws out of the bottom of the bench to take the legs and attachments off. I chose to paint the legs white to match Emilee’s desk. Prime them before painting then paint with 2 light coats of your color choice of paint. While the legs were drying I took the dusk cover off the bottom of the bench. Use a flat head screw driver to pry the old staples up.
Now it’s time to add the new fabric. You can either take the old fabric off or leave it on and upholster over it. I chose to leave it on this time to help keep the shape of the seat since this type of fabric is difficult to pull tight. Cut the fabric large enough to wrap around all sides of the seat cushion and at least an inch onto the underside. Center the seat, upside down, on the fabric. Pull one side of the fabric tight and use a staple gun to hold it in place, now do the same thing on the opposite side. Check the fabric at this time and make any adjustments before stapling the other 2 sides. Pull the corner fabric up and staple the center of the fabric onto the bottom of the seat.
Gather and fold one side of the corner and staple, now move to the other side of the corner and do the same thing. Always work on the opposite side of the seat next. There will be some extra fabric making it bulky in the corner. Cut off the excess fabric at this time. Now it’s ready for the dust cover.
Use the old dust cover as a template for the new one. Cut the fabric to size plus an inch to fold under so there’s a smooth edge on all 4 sides. I used an Exacto knife to cut slits where the screws need to go through the fabric. Place the screws back in the holes temporarily to hold the dust cover in place while you pull and staple it on the bottom of the seat. Once it is stapled all around screw the legs back on the bench.
Emilee’s room is much smaller since we moved. She didn’t have enough space for her keyboard bench and a desk chair so we decided to make the bench work for both spaces. By painting it and add new fabric it works perfectly in both spaces now.
Of course she needed to try it out as soon as I was finished with it. You can use this same technique to make a new cushion for a dining or desk chair. I love being able to use things I already have and make them like new again.
I haven’t made cards in such a long time so when I was asked to make baby shower invitations I was excited and a bit worried. They needed to be flat for mailing purposes but I wanted to add some depth and texture so I came up with the idea of using washi tape and burlap.
Here’s What You Need:
White cardstock (to make the card) or pre-cut and folded blank cards
Patterned scrapbook paper
Colored burlap
Washi tape (2 different sizes and patterns)
Stamp set
Stamp pad
You might already know this burlap cutting trick but I’m going to share it with you today if you don’t. Pull out a thread where you need to cut the burlap and it will leave a nice line. Now you can easily cut along the line and not have a lot of little, loose burlap threads.
I started with pre-cut and folded blank cards to save time since I was making 35 cards. It’s easy to cut and fold your own cards though using a paper cutter and paper scorer blade. I cut little burlap flags by cutting rectangles then folding them in half length wise and cutting the bottom off on an angle to give them a banner look. Cut the patterned paper slightly smaller than the card and apply with a glue stick or glue tape. Attach the burlap flag with a glue dot. Add the washi tape to the bottom of the card. Then stamp your words. This card is for a baby shower but could easily be made for any occasion.
I like to make my cards so they can be used again by the recipient, so I printed off all the baby shower info and attached it to the inside of the card using more washi tape. The inside of the card looks really pretty printed on vellum.
35 baby shower cards hand made and ready to be mailed out. I used to belong to a card making group. Maybe it’s time I form one in my new area, that was a lot of fun.
I love this time of year: buying school supplies, new clothes and shoes, labeling all the supplies, and making teacher gifts. It’s like Christmas in September!
The teachers usually send home a “wish list” for their classroom at the beginning of the year. We try to help out as much as possible to send in the supplies needed, including Wet Ones. I don’t think I even want to know how many icky things my kids touch throughout the school day. Having antibacterial hand wipes available in the classroom and knowing that it kills 99.99% of germs is a big comfort.
Ammon wanted to make some gifts for his teachers for the new school year so we decided on Painted Clipboards. We taped the boards off then Ammon painted them.
I used a circle punch to punch out circles on strips of tape for this board. Ammon painted each clipboard with 2 coats of paint, then peeled the tape off once dry.
He got a little messy painting so the Wet Ones came in really handy for quick clean up. I love how convenient they are at home, at school, or while traveling.
I love how the clipboards turned out. Ammon did such a great job and he is so proud that he made them for his teachers. I even like the colors he chose.
I love useful gifts but I also like to make them a little fun so I made a free printable to go along with the Wet Ones. Just click Hands Down to print out your own.
I’m sticking one of the Wet Ones travel packs in Ammon’s backpack. Sometimes he doesn’t have time to wash his hands before lunch or at the end of school and since the travel pack is so small and convenient it’s perfect for his backpack. The canisters are perfect for the classroom to clean up after messy projects or before lunch and snacks.
Wet Ones are hypoallergenic and contain aloe and lanolin so they’re soft and easy on everyone’s skin. They are available at mass, drug, and grocery stores nationwide. Pick up some for the classroom. I’m sure the teacher will appreciate it and you will feel confident knowing the kids are practically germ free at school.
Halloween is still a month and a half away but it’s never too early to start thinking about crafting and creating for this fun holiday. I can’t wait to get started on new creations this year, but until then here are 7 Awesome Halloween Projects from previous years you might be inspired by. I have to hold myself back from decorating, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to get my Halloween craft on. Are you ready to start crafting?
Do you need to make quick and delicious dinners now that school has started? The weeknights can get crazy busy so I like to prepare meals that my family loves but are also easy to fix. Some nights we barely have time to eat dinner together not alone prepare the meal. So I love making this Chicken Fiesta Casserole, especially since my family will eat all of it.
Here’s what you need:
3/4 lb. shredded chicken breast
1 tbsp garlic spread
1 pkg. taco seasoning
4 oz. can green chili
15 oz. can black beans
8 oz. can sweet corn
1 cup salsa
1 cup Mexican style shredded cheese
1 cup crushed tortilla chips
Start by preparing the chicken to be shredded by covering it with water and boiling it on the stove for 15 minutes in a large pot. Let the chicken remain in the hot liquid for 1o-15 more minutes to continue cooking. Place chicken pieces on a cutting board and shred using 2 forks. In a large skillet saute shredded chicken with the garlic spread over medium heat. Add taco seasoning, beans, corn, green chili, and salsa. Cover skillet and simmer over medium for 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Transfer Chicken mixture to 9 x 13 baking dish. Top with 1/2 cup of the cheese and all the crushed tortillas chips. Bake for 15 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup cheese and bake until cheese is melted and bubbly. About 5 more minutes.
Serve with salsa, lettuce, sour cream, onions, and chips.
When we move to a new state we like to play tourist and visit as many places as possible. You never know how long you will live in an area (or at least we don’t) so why not see and do as much as you can while you’re there. I know people who have lived in a state all their lives but haven’t experienced things outside their own little area. I don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to share places and experiences with my family so we like to explore our new surroundings as soon as we can.
Living in Las Vegas gives us the opportunity to be outside most of the year, we haven’t experienced that since living in Florida. We’re also in a pretty awesome location. Being between our old home state of Utah and sunny California is pretty sweet. Plus we get lots of house guests, because who doesn’t want to visit Vegas? You can’t take everything with you as you go throughout life but memories of your experiences stay with you. We love making memories!
Luckily memories don’t cost anything, but sometimes the experiences do. Having a financial institution we can trust is important to me and my family. Planning our activities together as a family is almost as fun as the experience itself. Okay, not really, but we do like planning and researching our activities. Planning our finances for our weekend adventures is also an important part. You never want to come up short on money when you’re having one of those memorable experiences (it kinda ruins the whole thing). Since we take small weekend trips or weekend staycation adventures we use the credit unionto help us plan and save for those experiences.
Given the choice between going to the store and buying something or going on a weekend adventure, my kids will take the adventure every time. That’s a win for me and my husband because that’s what we enjoy also.
Now some of you might be wondering what our favorite things are to do around Las Vegas. There are so many things! Let me share just a few of our favorite activities in the short year we’ve lived here.
Hoover Dam
Red Rock Canyon Area
Container Park
Mount Charleston
Lake Mead
Natural History Museum
The High Roller
Valley of Fire
Las Vegas 51s
Shark Reef Aquarium
There’s all this and so much more to do in Vegas. Of course, you can’t forget the Strip and all the free live entertainment. It’s people watching at it’s finest! What are your favorite thing to do in Las Vegas?
