My family loves Cheesy Potatoes and every time I make them I wonder why I don’t make them more often. I usually just make them for holidays or big Sunday dinners. Some of the recipes I’ve seen are complicated but who needs complicated when you can simplify it and get the same great taste? I made these gluten free by omitting the crushed corn flakes for the top and using gluten free cream of chicken soup.

Ingredients:
1 package frozen diced hash browns (thawed)
1 can cream of chicken soup (gluten free)
1 stick melted butter
1 cup sour cream
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup dehydrated onion

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl (leaving out 1/2 cup of the cheese) until mixed well. Spread in a 9 x 13 greased baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake for 50-60 minutes.

Enjoy!!!

It’s hard not being near family for birthdays, especially the grand kids. I thought it would be fun to send Maddux a Birthday in a Box for his 4th birthday.

It’s not the usual Birthday in a Box which traditionally includes baking and birthday party supplies. I knew his mom and dad would provide all those essentials, so I sent some fun little toys and other surprises.

I started by using the Rainbow Birthday Printables by Jen Goode. These are so bright and fun! I printed mine smaller than the originals because I wanted to use them on and inside the box. They’re easy to resize by opening the file and resizing them before you print. I resized mine to 75%.

I made this fun gift card holder out of a tiny paper bag, twine, and printables from the Mini Accessory Kit. I added the cutouts to the front of the bag using adhesive tape. Then I made a small banner by attaching the pieces to a small piece of twine using tape. I taped one end to the gift card and attached a flag to the other end that says “pull”. Wouldn’t this be a fun way to give any gift card?

I used the larger banner to add Maddux’s name to it. Even if he doesn’t use it for his birthday it will be fun for him to pull it out of the box and see his name on it.

I used the Rainbow Ribbons and more of the Mini Accessory Kit to decorate the Birthday Box. I just used a glue stick to adhere it to the box. I also cut out the Thank You Notes to add to the inside of the box.

Wow, Emilee barely squeezed her segment in this month. She’s been really busy with a play, concerts, and 10th grade testing, then there was Spring break. She decided on a simple project this month. She’s been making nail polish painted hair pins since last year and loves being able to match them to her nails, clothes, and even her jewelry.

These hair pins are so cute and colorful and you don’t even need to be crafty or have paint to make them. They would also be a fun gift for friends or even Mother’s Day.

All you need is nail polish, glitter nail polish (if you want to add glitter), and hair pins.

Start by folding a piece of wax paper in half and sliding the hair pins onto the paper.

This makes it so you only get nail polish on top of the hair pins. You don’t even have to be really neat painting it on.

Apply the nail polish and let it dry a few minutes between coats. Let the final coat dry until it’s completely dry to the touch.

Slide them off the wax paper and they’re ready to use or add them to a piece of scrapbook paper with some ribbon to give them as a gift. The glitter hair pins are on the yellow card.

Isn’t this such a fun and easy project? I wonder if she’ll make me some for Mother’s Day.

Emilee has already started working on her project for next month. It’s another really great project for a teen.

Here are links to her first 2 projects if you’d like to go back and check them out:
No Sew 2 Minute Hair Bows
Glitter Heart Jars
Introduction

I made these for Easter and just had to share with you my favorite gluten free yellow cupcake I’ve made so far. Obviously you can leave the peep off, I have no idea why I didn’t take a picture without it. I don’t love peeps so I didn’t eat them anyway, but my family loves them and they did look cute on top of all the cupcakes. I like to make things as easy as possible so I started with a gluten free cake mix.

Ingredients:
1 package (15 oz) yellow gluten-free cake mix
1/4 cup vanilla instant pudding mix
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons orange juice
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 18 liners in cupcake pan and set aside.

Place dry ingredients in a bowl and stir together. Add wet ingredients and beat with an electric mixer on  low speed until they are incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape sides of bowl, increase mixer speed to medium and beat the batter until smooth, about 1-1 1/2 minutes. Fill cupcake liners two-thirds full.

Bake the cupcakes 16-20 minutes, until the top springs back. Place pans on wire rack and let cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:
4 ounces unsalted butter
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk

I’ve experimented with cream cheese frosting and this is my favorite. It makes a bit extra which is perfect if you like spreading it on gluten-free graham crackers. Didn’t you love when your mom made graham crackers and frosting for you as an after school snack?

Beat together the softened butter and cream cheese with electric mixer. With the mixer on low speed add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until smooth and creamy. Beat in the milk and vanilla until well blended and smooth.

Cut a small hole in the corner of a large ziplock bag, place a decorative tip half way through the hole, then spoon the frosting into the bag. Pipe the frosting through the decorative tip. Start on the outside of the cupcake and frost towards the center.

Yields 18 delicious cupcakes!!!

Today is Earth Day! As I was looking at my Easter mantel yesterday, I decided I was done with it and needed an Earth Day Mantel. This mantel is so simple and only took about 10 minutes to bring together. (Continue to the end of this post for the free printables.)

Luckily Ammon has a small collection of globes in his bedroom so I decided to borrow them for a few days.

I made the map garland a few years ago. Click on the link for a full tutorial.

I’m often asked how I hang my banners, garlands and other things around my fireplace. I use Command Hooks. I love that the hooks come in clear so you can use them on any color wall. I’ve never had textured walls before so I wasn’t sure if they would hold well, but I haven’t had any problem with them. I’m using them on the banner and also on the framed picture.

I thought I wanted to use a white frame but it was just too white so I added some color using washi tape. I also used washi tape on a frame on the Easter mantel. I love how easy it is to change the color using something as simple as tape.

I also love how the pattern of the tape adds something extra to the frame.

It’s so simple but perfect for Earth Day!

I have 3 free printables for you. Use just one or all three. If you would like to use these printables for yourself, just click the link below each one. Printables are for personal use ONLY and are available to subscribers of Organize & Decorate Everything. SUBSCRIBE NOW to get full access to all printables.

I Heart Earth

Earth x 3

Earth Day

The one above my mantel is printed as a 5×7.

Happy Earth Day!

This Cupcake Liner and Doily Banner is the last of the banners I made for Emilee’s Birthday. I decorated her door with 3 banners (or garlands). You can check out the other 2 here: Straw Garland with a Surprise and Dollar Bow Garland.

For this Banner you will need:
Small Cupcake Liners (candy liners)
Small Doilies
Bakers Twine

Flatten the liners the best you can.

Then fold them in half. Fold the doilies in half also.

I folded all of mine at the same time. My banner has 12 cupcake liners ( 6 of each color) and 12 doilies. You can use as many as you want to make it as long as you like.

It’s time to warm up that hot glue gun! Run a bead of hot glue down the fold of the doilies and liners one at a time and attach them to the bakers twine.

I spaced mine about a 1/2 inch apart from each other with a doily between each cupcake liner.

This is such a fast and easy project. It would be perfect for any celebration, even at the last minute. You can use any colors and even add celebration letters to banner.

I like decorating the kids bedroom doors the night before their birthday so when they wake in the morning they get a fun start to their day. I made a fun door for Zachary in January and had done the same thing for Ammon’s door the year before. Emilee really liked hers. In fact, it’s still up.

Need more banner ideas? I’ve got more for you in this post: Awesome Banners

My whole family loves Deviled Eggs and they have been a staple at our Easter dinner table since the beginning. I have to confess we don’t eat them much in the colder months, but as soon as the weather starts warming I start thinking about picnics, barbecues, and warm weather holidays, and the first food I think of is Deviled Eggs.

Can I tell you a secret? I don’t usually hard boil the eggs, my husband does. He has it down perfectly so I let him do it! Here’s his tips for perfect hard boiled eggs: Place eggs in a single layer in saucepan and cover the eggs completely with water (an inch or so above the eggs). Bring water to a rapid boil for 5-10 minutes, cover and remove from heat. Let stand 15-20 minutes. Drain water from eggs and fill pan with cold icy water. Change water and add more ice if necessary until completely cooled. If you follow these tips I promise you they will be cooked to perfection and be so easy to peel.

Deviled Eggs should have a little kick to them, don’t you think? I mean, just the name says it should be a little fire-y! I already love the sweet and tangy taste of MIRACLE WHIP #ProudOfIt and by adding a jalapeno pepper to the mixture it gives it just the right amount of kick! My whole family loves them. We took a little weekend vacation and they were the perfect snack to have in the cooler, ready to eat.

Here is another garland I made for Emilee’s birthday and to decorate her bedroom door. This is another great way to give money as a gift. To make the Dollar Bow Garland you can make as many bows as you like and in any denomination.

My folding skills aren’t amazing so I decided on making a simple bow. Start by folding the bill in half length wise.

Fold one end of the bill toward the center, then the other end. Overlap them slightly in the center.

Accordion fold the center of the bill a bit then smush it together.

Cut a length of bakers twine and wrap it around the center of the bill a few times to secure it. Tie in a double knot on the back of the bow and cut off the excess.

Cut bakers twine for the length of the banner. Thread it on a needle and take it thru the center of each bow. Space bows as desired.

Emilee loved it! It would make a great necklace too. Just space the bows closer together and cut twine to desired necklace length. Graduation is fast approaching and any high school graduate would think it was fun to receive a few bucks like this, don’t you think?

I have one more garland I made for her birthday. I’ll be posting it in the next few days.

Check out these posts if you missed fun ways to give money to teens:
Straw Garland
Birthday Money Balloons

Do you know the perfect birthday gift for your teen? If you do, my hat’s off to you! The older my kids get the harder time I have buying gifts for them. I’ve resorted to giving them cash a lot of the time, but I want to give it to them in a fun way. That’s even getting hard lately because I don’t want to do the same thing or something similar too often. Emilee turns 16 today and she woke up to this Straw Garland with a little surprise this morning.

I started with 50 $1 bills and 18 straws. I needed extra big straws for this project so I bought the Spritz paper straws from Target.

I measured and cut the straws in half.

Then I used a needle to pull the bakers twine through each straw. I used a dollar bill to roughly measure where the holes would go.

Once all the straws are on the twine it’s time for the fun part. Roll up each bill and place it in a straw. You can actually fit 2 bills in each straw if you need too.

This is so exciting! Once it’s hung I don’t think she’s going to be able to see the money rolled inside. I wonder how long it will take her to figure it out.

It’s hung right in front of her bedroom d00r along with 2 other garlands so they’re the first things she’ll see in the morning. I’ll be sharing the other 2 garlands in a separate post later this week.

This is how I surprised Zach with his birthday money a few months ago: Birthday Money Balloons

Happy Sweet 16 Emilee!!! Love you so much!!!