DIY canvas flower tutorial

have an old poster frame / canvas, spray paint, scrapbook paper and mod podge?! well if you do (or want to buy) you can make this adorable flower wall art!

supplies:

scissors

scrapbook paper

post frame or canvas 

mod podge

spray paint

tutorial:

i first started with an old poster frame i had just laying around because i didn't like the picture that was in it anymore.  i took it apart and used what was originally the backing of the frame for my new canvas.  i spray painted with pink spray paint (took several different light, somewhat even coats)

**if you are using a canvas that you bought (under $10 at michael's *use a 40% off coupon to get it for cheaper*) you can leave it white, or spray paint the same way.**

i then raided my scrapbook paper collection and found some paper that all went well together.

with one odd size paper that i had in my collection, i made some templates that i could use to trace the "petals"

i made sure to do them in lots of different sizes so i could have smaller "petals" as well as larger ones.

after cutting the templates, i just went to work on cutting out the "petals" out of all the paper that i had picked out.  this took the longest time, but nothing that a good episode of TV and a glass of wine cant help with :)  after i got quite a few cut out, i started arranging them on my spray painted back.

this is the final layout, before using the mod podge to stick everything down

i used the mod podge to stick the "petals" down and i just used my fingers to smear it onto the paper, but you could use a paint brush (i just didn't have one i wanted to get mod podge on)

this step also was somewhat time consuming, but as in a previous step, you should have your TV and glass of wine to pass the time :)

after i stuck everything down and it dried (not too long, maybe 30 minutes) i had to cut off the few "petals" that went off the edge.

then i simply cleaned the glass and put it back in the frame :) SUPER EASY!

the whole process took about 2 hours and cost me NOTHING because i used things i had around my apartment! i hope you enjoy! :)

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bbq chicken pizza

i CANNOT believe i am giving away this recipe for my famous bbq chicken pizza....but everyone needs to try it!!!!

ingredients:

**i have always used this package of crust mix and i will not use anything else! it always tastes fabulous! if can be found in most grocery stores right by the normal pizza ingredients**

shredded or cubed chicken

sweet baby ray's bbq sauce

1 8oz can of pineapple tidbits 

onion

mozzarella cheese

method:

1. boil 2 regular size boneless chicken breasts in water until they are cooked fully, remove from heat and place on plate to cool.  once chicken is cool, shred chicken into bowl and add sweet baby ray's until the chicken is fully coated.  place bowl of chicken in refrigerator to marinate for at least an hour.

2. drain pineapple tidbits into strainer and save the juice for a yummy cocktail :)

3. cut as much onion as you prefer on your pizza into fine slices or cubes.

4. pre heat oven to 400 degrees 

 5. follow instructions on crust mix package (you will just need water and oil if you buy this particular mix)

**i have a few tricks for this mix as well....1. the package says let dough rise, it wont.  2. i mix with a fork to start and then put a little oil on my hands and mix the rest with my hands (works much better))

6.  spread dough onto a lightly sprayed cookie sheet.  

**TIP: it tastes a dough master to get the dough to spread out across the sheet without tearing initially. here is what i have found, i spread it as far/as much as i can and then i stick it in the oven for 2 minutes and then take it out and spread the rest...it will be cooked just enough to spread the rest of the way and into the corners.**

7.  after dough is completely spread out bake it in the oven for 5-7 minutes to get the crust somewhat cooked before adding your toppings.

8.  put sweet baby ray's on the crust first and spread out.  then put the shredded up chicken on next.  then pineapple and onion and finally the mozzarella cheese on top.

9.  bake to your desired "done-ness" (usually about 15-20 minutes)

10. EAT!!!!!!!!!

i promise that you will NOT be disappointed with it! marinating the shredded chicken before putting on the pizza really adds some extra flavor!

let me know how yours turns out :)

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asian chicken lettuce wraps

i don't know about you, but i LOVE p.f. chang's chicken lettuce wraps! each time that i eat them, i analyze what the ingredients are so i can make them on my own :) well...i have come up with a pretty good recipe that tastes as much like them as i can get it! i hope you enjoy as much as i do!

ingredients:

1 lb ground chicken

3 tablespoons oil

1 cup water chestnuts

1/2 cup bamboo shoots 

1/4 cup diced green onions

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2/3 cups mushrooms

"special sauce"

1/4 sugar

1/2 cup water

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons sriracha 

1 teaspoon hoisin sauce

1 teaspoon oyster sauce

directions:

1. cook the ground chicken in a pan

2. while chicken is cooking, cut onions, water chestnuts, mushrooms and bamboo shoots

3. after chicken is done cooking, add the above ingredients and oil to the same pan with the chicken and reduce heat to low.

4. dissolve the sugar in the water, once dissolved, add the rest of the "special sauce" ingredients, stir and let set.

**you can either now add the "special sauce" to the pan of chicken and other ingredients or you can keep separate and mix in as desired to each wrap.  i usually add right to the other ingredients and let simmer for a few minutes (this is where mine are slightly different than p.f. chang's because i add the sauce in with the chicken instead of to each wrap individually, but like anything else, make them however you want!)** 

5. arrange lettuce "cups" on a plate and serve!

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knitted cowl

need a mindless activity that yields an adorable cowl/infinity scarf??

items you will need:

1 ball of wool-ease yarn or something else that is chunky

size 15 circular knitting needles  *i show the brand of needles i use in this blog post*

stitch marker (these are important so you know where you started/need to finish so you have even rows)

pattern is as follows:

cast on 45 stitches 

place stitch marker on needle after casting on is complete

work in garter stitch (knit all stitches) for 26 rows (making sure to move the stitch marker at the beginning of each row)

bind off loosely

weave in the tails at the beginning and end

**pattern can be modified to your preference.  cast on more stitches if you would like a more loose fitting cowl or cast on less if you would like it to be tighter.  you could also start with a larger/smaller amount of stitches and increase/decrease once you get to your desired height of the cowl for a more tapered look.  if you wish for a taller cowl, just knit more than 26 rows.**

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pinterest

just a quick post about the new CRAZE....pinterest.

i have found myself thinking, "what did we ever do without pinterest??" it has truly revolutionized the idea inspiration on so many different levels.

for those that do not use pinterest, please stop reading and send me an email or comment on this blog so i can invite you, it will change your life! pinterest is quite simply a place to organize and share ideas, recipes, clothing, DIY projects, ect. you can create different boards for any topic imaginable and organize your ideas on the different boards.  each "pin" brings you back to wherever the original "pinner" found the idea on the WWW.  sometimes it is just back to an image on google images, but most of the time it takes you back to the how to, step by step or place you can purchase whatever the "pin" is of. *genius* 

the easiest way to do pinterest is to just "re-pin" things that others have.  if you hover over the image, an option will appear to "re-pin", just click that and select which board you would like to add it to and viola, it is THAT easy! if you choose to "pin" things that you see on the WWW, you can just copy the link, go to pinterest and simply select the "add +" button in the top right, insert the link and select which board you would like to pin to.  

while it is fun to just "pin" cool pictures all day, it has become an extremely valuable tool for those with a specific purpose.  brides to be have been able to basically plan weddings through pinterest (bye bye bulky three-ring binders) by pinning ideas that interest them.  some create boards for each room of their house and pin all ideas that have to do with a specific room in the respective folder.  almost everyone has a "food" board for all(tons) of delish recipes that are floating around out there.  DIY'ers can pin ideas for their next rainy day project.  also, boards can have multiple contributors so collaborating on something is easy and everyone's inspiration is in one place!  

when you sign up (if you link your account to facebook) you can follow everyone on your facebook that also has pinterest....LOVE this because you can see what everyone else is interested in! i have learned so much about friends based on what they "pin" on pinterest.

if pinterest equaled real life....i could cook a different recipe everyday for a year and not repeat, have a meticulously decorated shabby chic house, an elegant and rustic barn wedding, perfectly dressed children and enough DIY projects to keep me entertained for the rest of my life......IF ONLY! :)

the ture beauty of pinterest is "pin" it now and use/do it later! its not going anywhere and by golly when i do get married, i will be referring to my "dreams" board :) 

just a few quick "pins"

avocado with bell pepper and tomato 

i could totally make this!

this whole blog has some great ideas!

i wish i could do my hair like her! (she has TONS of tutorials!)

let me know your thoughts on pinterest! i have found myself spending more time on pinterest than facebook lately (probably not a bad thing!) 

**dont forget to "follow" the blog up in the right hand corner of this page, you can be updated automatically when new blogs are posted!** THANKS!

~emma

cake batter rice krispie treats

i was scanning through some recipes for something to make for the boys at work that was easy and different and i stumbled upon this DELISH recipe for cake batter rice krispie treats and they turned out so great! (i did make some modifications to the original recipe though and i will explain below)

ingredients:

3 tbsp. butter

1 (10oz) bag of mini-marshmallows

1/2 cup funfetti cake mix (just the dry mix, dont mix the batter)

6 cups of rice krispies

sprinkles

directions:

melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat, then add marshmallows.  stir until they begin to melt, adding in the dry cake mix one spoonful at a time so it is combined evenly. stir in cereal so it is completely coasted with marshmallow mixture.  press into a greased 9x11 baking dish and top with sprinkles. let sit for about 30 minutes before cutting. 

(spraying a knife with cooking spray helps cut them without sticking)

MY MODIFICATIONS:

the original recipe only called for 1/4 cup cake mix, but after i made them, you couldn't really taste the cake mix in the treats, so i upped it to 1/2 or even 3/4 cup cake mix (you cant really add too much)

recipe called for yellow cake mix, i used funfetti because i like the flavor better, but use whatever brand/flavor you would like!

original recipe also called for sprinkles to be added into the marshmallow/rice krispie mix while still in pan.  i did that my first go around and found that the sprinkles melted with the heat and turned the whole mix a funny color because of the melted sprinkles.  when i made them again, i only added to the top of treats after already in the pan and they turned out WONDERFUL!

(this isn't my image, as i forgot to take a picture, but they look exactly like this!)

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knitted dishcloths

as many of you already know, i tend to knit these a lot and they are SUPER easy! even for the novice or completely inexperienced knitter.  

supplies:

size 7 knitting needles (i use circular vs. 2 straight)

Lilly's Sugar and Cream cotton yarn

**i know the picture is of a size 8, but i couldnt find one of a size 7.  these Takumi bamboo circular needles are the BEST!**

CO - cast on

K - knit

YO - yarn over

K2tog - knit 2 together

the pattern is as follows:

CO 4

K one row

next row: K2, YO, K2

next row: K2, YO, K to end of row

continue to repeat the last row until you have a total of 45 stitches on the needles

next row: K1, K2tog, YO, K2tog, K to end of row

continue the 'decreasing' row until you have 5 stitches left on the needles

next row: K2, K2tog, K1

bind off the 4 stitches

weave in the ends.

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epsom salt candles

super cute, super quick epsom salt covered candles

supplies:

mod podge 

epsom salt

candle

THATS IT!!!!!

i used 2 pillar candles that i had around my apartment already, so they cost me NOTHING!

cover however much of the candle that you want with a generous amount of mod podge

then roll in the epsom salts.  i put the epsom salt on a paper plate so it would be flat.

then let dry! its that simple!!!!

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shabby chic chandelier

i found this horrific brass chandelier at the habitat for humanity restore in st. johns for $10, i bought it with the intention of painting it white and adding some fake crystals to make it shabby chic.

i bought 1 can of  rust-oleum white primer and 2 cans of 'satin blossom white' paint from the local hardware store.

i carefully covered up the light sockets so spray paint wouldn't get in them.  i also took some steel wool to the whole chandelier to 'rough up' the brass so the spray paint would stick better.  after sanding, use a damp cloth to wipe the chandelier off, then let dry.

**you could also use fine sand paper.  there is no need to be extremely rough as you aren't trying to sand the brass off, just rough it up.**

i then hung the chandelier from our clothes line (just somewhere that you will be able to reach all sides) and sprayed it with a coat of the primer and let dry, after it was completely dry (about an hour) i sprayed it a second time with primer and let dry again for another hour.  by this time the chandelier should be completely white with no brass showing through.  i sprayed 2 coats of the satin white spray paint on it as well, letting it dry in between.

**make sure you are not spraying too close to the chandelier because it will be thicker it areas causing drip marks.**

(also, i apologize for the lack of pictures from the middle steps....i forgot!)

while you are waiting for spray paint to dry completely, you can work on stringing up the crystals that will be draped across the chandelier.  i purchased a few bulk packs from michaels as well as a few packages of beads that were different shapes and sizes to offer a little more visual appeal.  i strung 2 different strands of beads on mono-filament string, one was about 3 feet long and the other was about 4 feet.  

the beads that are hanging from the 5 lights were purchased from michaels as well (they were slightly more expensive ($4.00 for the package) and were supposed to be used for earrings)  i attached them with super glue.

crayon monogram

i decided to make a crayon monogram for my sister for Christmas so she could hang it on the wall in her classroom!  i saw a picture of one on pinterest.com a couple weeks before Christmas and it totally caught my eye! it turned out quite adorable.

supplies:

2 boxes of crayons (i purchased 3 boxes because i some of the areas in the letter S needed 3 crayons to stretch across the whole letter (you will see later) so you may need more than 2 boxes depending on what letter you are doing 

foam board or thick piece of paper

picture frame

tacky glue

spray adhesive

razor blades (or a knife that you don't care if you cut crayons with it)

i started out by searching google images for a printable bubble letter S that i could then use in a word document so i could also type her name at the bottom. 

**i also printed out a couple sheets that just had her name at the bottom (no letter) so i could trace lightly with pencil for the final project.  i just erased any lines that showed up after gluing crayons down.**

next begins the process of picking the crayons you want to use.  i elected to not use very many of the browns, tans, greys, ect in my project because i wanted it to be vibrant and colorful, but pick whatever colors you want!  

**there are several ways you can arrange the crayons on the letter.  i chose to do crayon points alternating directions each row.  if you do a google image search of "crayon monogram" you will see tons of other variations to look at**

i used a razor blade to cut the crayons, but i was told that if you warm up an old knife for a second with a lighter they will cut very easy as well.  i didn't have any problems with the razor blades though.

there isn't an exact science to this obviously.  you can see below that some of my crayons didn't line up perfectly with the template, but like i said above, i just traced the letter onto the final page so i could erase any parts that didn't cover perfectly.  

i then took that traced page and used the spray adhesive to hook it to a piece of foam board that i had cut to fit the frame i bought (11x14)  you don't have to use a certain frame though! choose whatever size and style you like.

**if you buy a frame that has a mat with it as well you can use the mat as a template for the foam board size and you can also use the mat to figure out where the center is to attach your page so it will be visible under the mat.**

after i had everything laid out like i wanted, i then took my traced letter page and started moving crayons over to it, hooking them down with a bead of tacky glue across the bottom of the crayon.

the tacky glue doesn't take too long to dry, maybe an hour or so, and then i erased any lines that showed through from the traced template.

frame and done :) super cute for a child's bedroom, playroom or classroom!

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homemade apple crisp

here is the recipe for my wonderful apple crisp <3 ENJOY!

5 peeled, sliced apples (cut the whole apple into 4 quarters and then i slice each quarter into about 4-5 slices)  **depending on apple size, sometimes i use 6 apples**

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup flour

3/4 oatmeal

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

2/3 cup cold butter

arrange the sliced apples in a buttered 9x9 baking dish.

mix remaining ingredients in separate bowl with fingers until the ingredients are crumbly.  then spread equally over apples.

bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

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ceramic tile coasters

have an extra couple hours???? why not make some DIY coffee table coasters?!?!

supplies:

ceramic bathroom tiles (home depot/lowes - $.16 each for white, -$.38 each for colored)

scrapbook paper or photographs

felt ($.39 cents per sheet for plain felt / $.99 per sheet for adhesive backed felt)

mod podge (michaels or joanns - $2.99)

spray enamel ($3.44 at home depot)

i created a template using a piece of cardboard so i could use that to trace onto the scrapbook paper so everything would be in a perfect square.  my template is 3.5 inches around on all 4 sides.

i then poured some of the mod podge onto a paper plate and then just used my fingers to spread the mod podge around on the top of the tiles.  you can also use a paint brush, but the mod podge comes off your fingers really easy with hot water.

cover the top of the tile with a moderate amount of the mod podge and then center your cut piece of paper or photo onto the tile and press down all over to ensure that there are no air bubbles underneath.  then cover the paper and tile with another moderate coat of mod podge and let dry.  **if you havent worked with mod podge before, it will have a creamy, milky appearance when wet, dont worry! it dries clear, i promise!**

when mod podge has completely dried (about an hour) do another coat of mod podge and let dry again.  i usually let them set for another hour or so to make sure that they are good and dry.

once tiles are dry, take your felt and cut to fit the back of the tiles (cut slightly smaller than the actual size of the tile to ensure there wont be any overhang on the underside) and either peel and stick the felt to the back of tile or use tacky glue to attach the felt if you didn't get felt with an adhesive back.

the next step is to spray your tiles with the spray enamel so they tiles will be waterproof (important if you are using them for coasters! lol) and it also gives them a nice shiny appearance.  follow the instructions on the can, and when it says do outside, do it outside! the fumes are horrendous.  

**if after you spray your tiles, it looks like the paper is wet underneath, no worries, when the spray dries, so will the wet appearance of the paper.  also, i use what i would consider "normal" scrapbook paper, i wouldn't advise using textured, super thick, or bedazzled paper as the mod podge and spray enamel do not seem to work as well with it.**

after the enamel dries, you can spray a second coat to ensure full coverage, but it is not completely necessary. 

i have made several sets of these coasters and i am amazed at how easy they are each and every time! i usually make a couple sets at a time and set them aside for whenever i need a wonderful, quick gift! ENJOY!

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