Scrapbook Paper Trees

I found the idea for the folded paper tree on Pinterest here. The other I just came up with on my own (super creative I know). I'm all about using things I already have in the house so I adapted Balancing Beauty & Bedlam's tutorial. 

I used the fun paper cutter again, and cut my scrapbook paper to half inch strips. Then cut them down to 1 1/2 inches in length. 

Instead of using a Styrofoam tree I used card stock to form a cone, which is what I did with regular scrapbook paper for the plain tree.

I folded the paper and taped it on with my clear scotch tape. 

Then I finished both of them off with a tiny fluff ball for the star that you see how to make here.

I really like how they add more holiday spirit to the house!

Let me know your thoughts as always and thanks for stopping by!

Linked up on:

http://chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.com/2014/12/flaunt-it-friday-236.html

http://itssoverycheri.com

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http://www.familyhomeandlife.com/p/perpetual-link-party.html

http://thebestblogrecipes.com

http://www.lifeonlakeshoredrive.com

http://www.pinkwhen.com

http://www.dearcreatives.com

http://sweethaute.blogspot.com

http://piecedpastimes.blogspot.com

http://thefreshmancook.blogspot.com/2014/12/celebrate-it-blog-party-22.html

http://thecottagemarket.com/2014/12/junkin-joe-8.html

http://bacontimewiththehungryhypo.blogspot.com/2014/12/anything-goes-linky-184-and-features.html#

http://www.dianarambles.com/2014/12/pin-me-linky-party-116.html

http://www.kitchenfunwithmy3sons.com/2014/12/kitchen-fun-and-crafty-friday-link_18.html

http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/2014/12/frugal-friday_18.html

http://romantichome.blogspot.com/2014/12/white-christmas-show-and-tell-friday.html

http://www.frenchcountrycottage.net/2014/12/feathered-nest-friday_18.html

http://www.aglimpseinsideblog.com/2014/12/handmade-hangout-27.html

http://www.craftberrybush.com/2014/12/the-inspiration-gallery_18.html

http://www.myrepurposedlife.com/2014/12/catch-as-catch-can-194.html

http://www.answerischoco.com/2014/12/bff-open-house-link-party-189.html

http://www.thepinjunkie.com/2014/12/pin-junkie-pin-party-97.html

http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/2014/12/linky-party-207.html

http://www.dwellings-theheartofyourhome.com/2014/12/amaze-me-monday-90.html

http://www.flourmewithlove.com/2014/12/mix-it-up-monday_21.html#more

http://www.keepingitsimplecrafts.com/

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2014/12/clever-chicks-blog-hop-118-with-3.html

Crunchy Doritos Chicken

I found the amazing recipe at Six Sisters Stuff. This chicken is like crack (I assume I’ve never tried the stuff), I could not stop eating it. It was the perfect amount of crunch on the outside and juicy on the inside. It could have used a bit more seasoning by itself but when I added my Kraft Spicy Ranch dressing as a dipping sauce it was amazing!

You will need:

4 Boneless Skinless chicken breasts (I stock up on the frozen bags so I just defrosted in the fridge)

Bag of Nacho (or any flavor really) Doritos

Flour

3-4 egg whites (I only used 3)

Salt and Pepper to taste

If your oven is slow to heat, like mine preheat a bit before you even start dredging to 400 degrees. I didn’t really measure my flour, just poured enough into the container. You could really add the salt and pepper to the flour or the Doritos. I also didn’t end up using the whole bag of Doritos so I would recommend putting about half the bag in a gallon Ziploc bag then crushing them. A lot of the recipes I read said to use a rolling pin or meat tenderizer to crush the Doritos. I just used my hands and was able to get them crushed but not minuscule pieces, which is kind of what you want. If the pieces are too small you lose all the flavor.

I cut my chicken into half inch strips, cutting off any fat as I went.

Some other recipes I saw suggested soaking the chicken in buttermilk for a couple hours before dredging in the flour. I wasn’t going to buy buttermilk just for this one meal so I skipped this part (as did the Six Sisters, I knew I liked them). After I cut the chicken I dredged in the flour making sure all sides were coated.

Then on too the egg, again making sure its well coated.

Last but not least the Doritos. This is where it gets uber messy. I took a kind of roll and press down approach to this to make sure I was getting all sides and that the Doritos were staying on the chicken. By the time I was done with all the chicken my fingers looked like the chicken rolled 100 times in egg and Doritos. Normally I keep a cute red towel in the kitchen for hand washing and occasional goop on hands. Anytime I am working with chicken I just remove it from the area since I know, out of habit, I will wipe my hands on it. Even though I would wash it right afterwards I still don’t trust that it’s fully clean. So I set out two sheets of paper towel to use instead.

Once you are done place the chicken on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray!! I forgot this step and paid for it, half of my delicious crust ended up stuck to the pan. So don’t forget to spray! Once you have all your chicken on the sheet pop it in the oven for 15-20 minutes. I always go a little higher than the middle of cooking ranges so I ended up cooking mine for 17 minutes and they were perfectly cooked!

Again the spicy ranch really makes it. It’s not too too spicy, but it will have you reaching for a drink after a few bite.
Thanks for stopping by! As always let me know what you think, your thoughts, or anything you feel like sharing!



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http://733blog.com

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Before and After Spice Cabinet Upgrade

This all started because I needed cinnamon. That's how most of my projects start, I can't find something, then I get frustrated and the next thing you know the whole kitchen has been rearranged. This usually works out in everyone's benefit, until someone else can't find something that is.

As you can see my spice cabinet was a hot mess. I don't know how I lived with it like that for so long. Every time we acquired a new spice it just got shoved in there. Eventually I would like to free up this cabinet for dishes, but it's located right next to the stove, is not very deep and fairly narrow so I have yet to come up with another use for it. Until then a spice cabinet it shall remain.

So much better! I used my label maker to label the tops, making sure all the spices could still be opened and with some of them making sure both sides of the flip top could be opened. The way I stacked them allows me to grab a spice and just put it on the top rather than a specific place and I can still find what I'm looking for.

Overall it works but could always be improved. Make sure to check back for my pantry overhaul.

Thanks for stopping by and as always comment away.

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http://thissillygirlslife.com/2014/12/project-parade-no-22/

http://www.ducksnarow.com/2014/12/wonderful-wednesday-blog-hop-102.html

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http://thediydreamer.com/from-dream-to-reality/share-your-inspiring-projects-147/

Crockpot Lasagna "Soup"

I use the term soup loosely since I tweaked the original  recipe to make it not so brothy. I'm not sure what it is about my cooking or following recipes, but my versions never seem to turn out like the photos on the original sites. I wonder if they have food stylists like in all the food commercials?

What you will need:

1 pound ground beef

2 cups beef broth

1/2 Tb garlic powder

1 Tb parsley

1 Tb basil

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste

1 cup V8

Shell Pasta (I used about 1/2 the box, you can use as much or as little as you like)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Now the original recipe uses fresh minced garlic, chopped onion, more broth and she adds water (to be honest I forgot about the water). This could also be why mine tasted like it was missing something.

I followed the rest of her directions pretty much to the T. 

I added my crockpot bag first (I hated clean up before I found these babies), then mixed the tomatoes and tomato paste. 

Next I added the broth, beef (more about that in a minute), garlic powder, parsley, basil, V8 and salt and pepper.

Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.

Once you are down to 30 minutes left of cook time, add the noodles and give it a stir. This is also where you would add the water, which I forgot and my noodles turned out awesome. 

So the beef...is uncooked. I was so scared to do this. I have boiled beef before for our dogs, but never personally ate it. When I read the note at the beginning of the recipe telling me to just add the beef, no pre-cooking needed, I thought of the dogs. If it didn't have garlic in it that would have been the back up plan if it didn't turn out (they get all my nummy dog healthy scraps anyway). Thankfully no back up plan was needed as it turned out ok. As I said in the beginning it was just missing something. I ended up adding more salt and pepper to my bowl and that helped but I still felt like it could use something. I just couldn't put my finger on what it was. I think I may try a few more things if I make it again, like using Italian sausage instead of ground beef, putting onion in it or different seasoning. 

As always let me know your thoughts and thanks for stopping by! 

Handmade Table Part II

As promised, my second handmade table. 

We unfortunately didn't take pictures during the whole process of making this one. Out of the two of them, though, this one is my favorite. We mostly did the same process as the first one with a few adjustments. 

For the top of the table we used 4-2x8's at 4 feet long, since we needed a smaller table in the dining room. The legs are my favorite part, they are 4x4's at 29". They were so much easier to attach, minus the fact that the Kreg Jig doesn't go wide enough so you end up having to measure where to put the Kreg Jig and having to remove it from the base. Which all sounds harder than it really was. 

For the supports and the apron we used 2x4's again, nothing fancy there.

We added the same supports to the underside of the tabletop just as we did on our first table, but also added better corner supports to this table.

I went a little less Kreg Jig crazy on the tabletop for this table as well. 

I LOVE how the stain on the top turned out! We used wood glue in between the boards on the top and I really tried to sand the residue off, but some was left over and the stain didn't really take where there was residue. Overall though I ended up liking that as I think it gives it character. Which is what we say about everything that is a "mistake". 

The legs were actually stained with a deck stain I was able to find in a small amount. I wanted a stain rather than paint since I wanted a more weathered look and to also be able to see some of the wood grain through it. The Kreg Jig came with wood caps that worked out perfectly for this project.

This table just fits perfectly in our dining room and the size works for the two of us. I know come Christmas day I will regret downsizing, but that's what folding tables are for I guess. One day when I have a bigger dining room I will probably build a larger table, but until then this table works perfectly for our needs and adds to the cottage charm I am working towards in the house.

Let me know what you think and thanks for stopping by!

Linked up on:

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http://thebestblogrecipes.com/2014/12/weekend-re-treat-link-party-97.html

http://www.lifeonlakeshoredrive.com/2014/12/a-bouquet-of-talent-party-with-most.html

http://www.thoughtsfromalice.com/2014/12/sundays-at-home-no-41-weekly-link-party.html

http://www.pinkwhen.com/diy-sunday-showcase-1213-favs/

http://www.dearcreatives.com/my-favorite-things-linkup-party-103-join-us/

http://sweethaute.blogspot.com/2014/12/show-me-saturday-11.html

http://piecedpastimes.blogspot.com/2014/12/saturday-sparks-link-party-93.html

http://www.familyhomeandlife.com/p/perpetual-link-party.html

http://www.huckleberrylove.com/2014/12/much-ado-about-monday-no-90.html

http://www.keepingitsimplecrafts.com/2014/12/13-last-minutes-stocking-stuffers-mmm.html

http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/2014/12/make-your-own-diy-stencil-and-linky.html

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2014/12/clever-chicks-blog-hop-117-with.html

http://www.bystephanielynn.com/2014/12/sunday-showcase-no-270.html

http://www.waittilyourfathergetshome.com/2014/12/14/crazy-christmas-time-monday-funday-party/

http://www.dwellings-theheartofyourhome.com/2014/12/amaze-me-monday-89.html

http://www.flourmewithlove.com/2014/12/mix-it-up-monday_14.html

http://itssoverycheri.com/2014/12/14/party-time-12-14-2014

http://www.findingsilverpennies.com/2014/12/silver-pennies-sundays-link-party-features-99.html

http://diyshowoff.com/2014/12/14/diy-party-holiday-edition/

Ornament Window Display

I have seen this idea all over Facebook and Pinterest and thought it looked so neat. Mine? It's alright in my book. I wish I would have kept them organized by height like I originally had them, but I guess I was also trying to go for a disorganized look so it works and there is always next year to perfect it.

You will need:

Ornaments (I got mine at the dollar store)

Ribbon or fishing line

Scissors

Bungee Cord (optional)

When I first started I cut all my ribbon in two different lengths. I then realized that my longer ornaments where level with the bar of the lower part of the window and that it looked pretty sparse. So I cut random lengths of ribbon and hung more ornaments. I also wanted to use fishing line to make it look like they were floating, but alas I didn't find it till the next day when I went looking for something else (isn't that always the way?). I left the ribbon since it wasn't worth redoing the whole thing to me. 

Once you have tied your ribbon to your ornaments, organize them into the order you want them to go in the window. This makes hanging them so much easier when you don't have to be up on a step ladder trying to figure out what color or length goes next. I did not do this so I stood in my window sill looking like an idiot to all my neighbors. 

This next part is optional, but I wanted to be able to still close my curtains and have the ornaments hanging in the window, so I hooked a bungee cord from one curtain rod arm to the other and tied my ornaments to that. Now I can close my curtains at night and still have the ornaments on the other side. 

Overall I think next year I will use the fishing line and better organize the different lengths. It would possibly look pretty awesome to have a long one in the middle and then go up in length on both sides. There really are so many possibilities of what you could do with the length and different colors. 

If you have sone this, want to try it, hate it, love it comment away! Thanks for joining us!

Tissue Paper Fluff Balls

I found these fun guys on Pinterest back in November and had almost forgotten about them. A problem I frequently have with Pinterest. Thankfully I was going through my Christmas board and found them all over again. You can find the original link here.

They are incredibly easy to make and depending on the tissue paper you use can really stand out. I combined them with my 3D Snowflakes to make my dining room more festive and help the lighting look a bit better till I can update it. And yes you will see from the photos two light bulbs are out, they refuse to work and I can't wait until we can replace that lighting fixture.

You will need:

Tissue Paper (7 sheets all the same size)

Scissors

Wire

Ribbon or String

I have tried these in a variety of sizes from really tiny to large and the bigger, the easier it is to separate the sheets.

I happened to have some shiny tissue paper hanging out in the basement from a couple of years ago and decided it would work perfect for this project. My tissue paper was a bit wrinkled from being stored in the basement, but since you will be folding it that's ok. I cut all of my tissue down to the same size (I didn't measure it before or after so I don't know the exact size). I figure since you'll also be cutting off the ends, this was ok too.

Accordion fold the tissue paper going the long way.

Wrap your wire around the center and slip your ribbon or string through the wire for latter hanging. I used a small piece of clear tape on my wire just to make sure it stayed in place.

Cut the ends of your tissue to a point. This is where you can even it up if your wire was a bit off center, or your ends were kiddiwampus.

Unfold each end, it should look like two fans. I started on one side, pulling one sheet from each side of the "fan" at a time, then go to the other side. This is slightly difficult if you are a klutz like me, you can't see it now but I ripped one of the sheets slightly. You can hand fluff and shake them out to get them looking fluffier.

My finished decorations. I think they add to making the house more festive.

Let me know what you think, if you have made these or if you have any questions. Thanks for stopping by.