So We've Been Slacking

While I was on Pinterest (oh yes, the addiction is still strong) I noticed that one of my projects from the blog had like over 50 new pins. Then I remembered that neither Val or I had blogged in like FOREVER.

Rest assured people that the pinning and projects have continued but so has regular life, so we have been busy. But I have a few that I have done recently and even remembered to take pictures so I will post a few soon. And I will harass Valarie to know end until she does too ;)

Dawn Dish Soap turned Ice Packs

I have been finding more and more uses for Dawn dish soap recently, including this really easy project that I now use on a daily basis...Dawn ice packs!


LINK

 I had 1/2 a bottle of  Dawn left over from another project so I just used what I had left which turned out to be a pretty good amount. I used 2 quart size Ziploc freezer bags: I poured all of the soap I had into one bag, removed the air and sealed the bag. I folded that bag in half and then stuffed it in another bag to avoid future leaks. *Make sure to get as much air out as possible before sealing each bag!

Besides that, I decided to make a little cover for mine using some extra fabric I had lying around. I have been using this daily for a few weeks now and have no complaints. The pack comes out a little firm after being frozen overnight or all day, but it's still quite pliable and is very soft within about 20 minutes. It stays cold for a couple hours as well.



Soap pack and pouch



Final Product

 Happy pinning! ~ Valarie

New School Year Gift

My daughter "moved up" to her new room in day care this week. No longer a "Brooke Trout" but now a "Great Dane". (They use a state related theme, apparently brook trout are the state fish and great danes are the state dog....who knew?)
I decided to give the teachers a little something since its technically the "beginning" of the school year for Sophia. And hey she is 2 so I am sure they will be dealing with some tantrums so a little gift can't hurt, right?
I looked around on Pinterest for something that was easy and simple and didn't have an actual school theme to it since this is day care and it is June not September. I found this cute pin and went with it :)

The blogger had already created the tag saying so I downloaded that (no need to recreate the wheel). I pulled out my scrapbook paper and picked a cute polka dot pattern. Cut and paste...the real kind ;) and then I laminated the tags with the teacher's names on the back. BTW have I mentioned how much I LOVE my new laminator?? It was one thing I missed having access to as a teacher so I went and bought an inexpensive table top one at Walmart for $24! LOVE IT and highly recommend getting one if you like your crafts to be fancy and durable :)

I simply tied the tag on around the lid of the candle and thats it! Not great photo quality, sorry I used my phone ;)

Happy Pinning!
Tiffany

Teacher Appreciation Boxes

Teacher Appreciation Week was in the beginning of May. As a former teacher, I have received some wonderful, thoughtful gifts. I have also received probably 30+ coffee mugs. So I wanted to find something unique to make for Sophia's day care teachers. After scouring Pinterest for a few ideas I came across these "Teacher Appreciation Boxes". I love all the little compartments and I had just bought a scrapbook paper set that I wanted to crack open :)

I read through the original bloggers run down to see how she did it. You can read that here. And off to Walmart I went to collect my supplies. I was able to find these exact craft boxes for $3 each. Score and then collected my goodies to fill in my box with. I filled my boxes with gum, clips, peppermint patties, raisins, jolly ranchers, push pins, clips and hershey kisses. And I wrote a personalized letter to each teacher using each item in the box to thank them for all they do. Here are the pics of my finished product :) 

I used 3 coordinating scrapbook papers and hot
glued them in each corner to secure them. The blue was the bottom layer.
Then the pink hexagon print and then I laid the small pink herring bone stripe last.

Here is the inside all filled up. I typed and laminated my note
and secured it with hot glue in each corner. 

A close up of the note.
I highlighted the use of the items by putting them in all caps 

The finished box! I just wrapped it with hot pink
grosgrain ribbon  and added a laminated tag!

                       

Happy Pinning!

Tiffany

Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole

I really wanted to try this one out and I am so glad I did. I have tried similar recipes and have enjoyed them all as well. This was a hit for everyone in the house, including my toddler. It took a few minutes of prep time and then just pop it all in the oven. One dish, no mess and a happy family...couldn't be easier!

LINK

Happy Pinning! Val

Slow Cooker Applesauce

As with the vast majority of my food related posts, this one caught my attention for the sure simplicity. My son loves applesauce in any form and its a perfect after dinner or snack time treat for him. I had also recently acquired an apple slicer/corer/peeler appliance so I was eager to try it out.

LINK

I did not use as many apples as the recipe called for simply because I didn't have them. I had 1/2 a dozen apples that were ending their life span in my fridge so I opted to try this out with what I had. I somehow could not figure out the slicing part of my new appliance so I ended up tossing my apples in chunks versus slices. No harm done!

I did add 3 tbsp of brown sugar which may have been too much, the applesauce would make the most amazing pie filling on earth!!! Either way, my son loves it and it took a total of 15 minutes of labor. 10 to prep and 5 to mash (potato masher) and clean up afterwards.

Happy Pinning! Val

Stacked Planters Spring Project

Now that Spring is here, I decided it a was good time to get in gear and start planting and potting some flowers to brighten up around the house. When I saw this pin, I knew I had to try it. It looked so cute and easy enough that I could figure it out. Sure enough, I was right! I got the entire project done for under $50, and that is including an entire bag of potting soil and a few plants leftover (which were simply planted elsewhere around the house).

LINK to Blog

I found the 3 pots at a craft store on sale. I actually used foam blocks meant for organizing fake plants as my filler in the pots. It worked perfectly as they are square and provided a sturdy base for the pots to stand on. If you want to follow her instructions (I didn’t think about this until I was done), you can use the plastic pots your new plants come in as the fillers (free and easy). And painting the pots was quick and easy. We had leftover outdoor paint from another project and painting all 3 pots took about 30 minutes.

For the bottom 2 pots, there is not a lot of planting space at all. So definitely buy smaller plants, the kind that come 4 or 6 plants to a tray. I had some of those and some larger ones, the larger ones involved some squishing of the roots to get them to fit. I am so glad I got a large plant for the top! It helps the whole set stand out and draws your attention.

 Happing Pinning!! Valarie