diy kitchen art.

Hey friends,

If you have fifteen minutes to spare and are looking for something to hang on a wall in your kitchen, might I suggest this little project.

You'll need:
-Modge Podge
-Stickers
-Any size canvas
-Solid color paper of your choice
-Acrylic pain

Cut out the paper you've chosen to fit your canvas. Apply a thin layer of modge podge to the canvas and place your paper on top. Seal the corners with the modge podge. Place the stickers in the lower right hand corner and and paint over them with the color you've chosen. After the paint dries completely, slowly peel off the stickers. There ya have it. Easy peee zeee.

have your cake. eat it too.

strawberry buttermilk cake &

basic buttercream frosting with chopped pecans.

This recipe was found on pinterest (shocker. right?). I was browsing boards as I do, a lot of the time and spotted this delicious little cake. It looked too good and too easy to pass up. One of my favorite things about reading recipes is realizing I have everything I need to make the recipe without having to go to the store. As I was getting out the ingredients I quickly realized I was missing a very key ingredient...buttermilk. Strawberry buttermilk cake without the buttermilk? That would not go well. Without a panic, I remembered a little trick my mama taught me. Mix 1 cup milk (I used soy milk) with 1 tbs. of vinegar and let it sit for 5 minutes. Watch the time & make sure it doesn't get too sour. That my friends is what we call DIY buttermilk.

This was a tasty little cake that I would definitely make again. The frosting isn't imperative but let's be honest, who doesn't like a little extra sweetness?

Enjoy this cake.

cake recipe || buttercream frosting recipe {halved}

diy: polka dot punch art.

I like to call this the easy peasy polka pleasy!! Mostly because I think the word polka is a great word and this is an easy project. This is what you do: First, get inspired by something pretty. i.e. this kate spade bracelet that can be found on pinterest but is no longer available for purchase. Second, follow these steps:

1. Buy some pretty paper from hobby lobby. Specifically right now because it's on sale.

2. Punch it out using a handy dandy circle puncher ( mine was 3/4 inch ).

3. Use a good glue, spray adhesive or gel medium to adhere your dots to the canvas. Anything sticky will probably work just fine. Not chewing gum, chewing gum would be gross and germy. I painted a thin layer of gel medium on the canvas and did a random design.

4. Place it on a shelf next to something pretty. Or place it on a shelf next to something ugly and let it be the star of the show.

Enjoy this little creation.



the greeting card project.

Let me start by saying how much I LOVE the United States postal service. Lucky for me, my friends and family do too.

I have found that it doesn't matter whether you are on the sending or receiving end of the mail situation...it's all smile worthy. The greeting cards started to pour in when I left for college and was no longer living at the same address as my mother. She would send me cards all the time and still does, sometimes multiple on the same day. My friends are really good at writing encouraging, thoughtful, sometimes ridiculous little notes as well. It's part of the reason we're friends. I'm sure of it.

Ok...so true life: there are people out there have no problem placing the card they have just received directly in the waste basket the very moment they have finished reading it. I am not these people. (By the way, it's totally ok if you're one of these people. I would probably still send you things in the mail.)

So what does a person who can't throw away cards do with them? I have tried several ways to store the them in the past but I feel like I am finally on to something with this. Introducing the greeting card project:

1. gather some of your favorite cards. 

2. find yourself a little binder with some crafting potential.



3. the neccessary supplies:

4. document a postcard from your mama.

5. use your permanent marker to mark the area for hole punching. punch away.

6. fill er' up.

7. decorate the front with a pretty (documented) postcard from your mama.

8. Enjoy your greeting cards. All in one place. One little place of organized love and memories.

DIY Reusable Fabric Flower Tote Bag

Today we are visiting the land of DIY. Hip, hip, hooray!

"Do it yourself" (!!!) is a multifaceted phrase. It could be a phrase used to describe frustration with another. For instance, it may have been the very thing that ran through my mind when my grandmother persistently asked me to take a picture of her Christmas cactus one year. I didn't say that though and if you are ever faced with a similar circumstance, neither should you. Take the picture of the Christmas cactus. It will make her happy. Lesson learned.

Today's use of  "do it yourself" is much more uplifting and encouraging to you out there. So tomorrow, when asked "where did you get that cute tote?" You can reply with joy "I made it! And you can totally do it yourself!" See, that is hopeful. 

That is goal but today we are here: fabric flowers and tote bags. This bag  is totally achievable with just a few dollars and a few minutes. Please make this tote and then take it to a cute farmer's market and fill it with home grown goodies. That would be swell.

Supplies:

• 1/2 yard of assorted fabrics
• 1/2 inch glue dots (Hobby Lobby)
• Blank canvas tote bag (Hobby Lobby)
• Hot glue gun
• Scissors
• Twine (optional)

Easy as pie, right? Oh speaking of pie, I think pumpkin pie might have made it on my 'to do' list today. Get excited folks.

p.s. I love my grandma.