Beatles Coasters

In my experience, boys are really hard to make things for.  I make gifts for most of my girlfriends but when the Boy has to get a gift for one of his buddies, we almost always buy something.  Here’s something that could work for boys and girls, and let’s be honest, most everyone likes the Beatles:

Coasters are one of my go-to gifts because everyone needs coasters (even if they don’t know it).  I use super cheap plain white tiles (you can get them at Home Depot or Lowe’s for like $.12 each but these ones came from Habitat ReStore and my parents got them for even cheaper).  All I do is Mod Podge scrapbook paper on them.  Here I put down the tan paper then let it dry then added the Beatles figures (I cut them out with my Cricut).  Then I do one more coat of Mod Podge and I like to spay them with a clear sealant so they don’t stick together.  I back them with craft foam but you could use felt or cork. 

Worldly Wednesday 3/30

A street in Aix-en-Provence, France

I love to travel and have been lucky enough to have visited a lot of amazing places. Every Wednesday I’m planning on featuring one picture of the places I’ve been.

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

I made these for a Super Bowl Party and they were great.  I combined a couple of ideas that I found online.

I made the cupcakes from scratch but they were a bit more dense that I would have liked so next time I would probably just use a white cake mix.  Mix some crushed Oreos into the batter before baking.  I also used store bought icing (it was a busy weekend) then sprinkled the tops with Oreo crumbs.  If that isn’t enough Oreo for you, there is a surprise waiting for your inside:

That’s right, there is an Oreo truffle in the middle.  That’s why I wanted a lighter cupcake—to contrast with the truffle.  The truffles are just crushed Oreos (well I used off-brand throughout) mixed with cream cheese.  Drop the truffle into the cupcake liner before pouring batter over it. 

Chili in Biscuit Bowls

I had bookmarked this post from Ten June forever ago and actually made this forever ago, but just never got around to posting it.  I used Ree’s PW recipe from her cookbook.  I’ll be honest, I chose it because it listed the beans as an optional ingredient, and I hate beans.  If I have to be polite, I will eat beans in my chili but if I am at home, or at my mom’s house, I will pick the beans out.  It’s a texture thing.  I think they are gross.  I did just what Michelle did with the biscuits and we really enjoyed this meal. 

In case you had noticed that the bowl is already dirty, that would be because this was Boyfriend’s second helping—he really loved it.  It’s the same idea as a bread bowl for soup but way better for portion control.  I think you could do this with other soups/stews than chili and it would be tasty.  It could also be fun to do mini ones for kids.

Worldly Wednesday 3/23

The Palais des Papes, Avignon, France.

I love to travel and have been lucky enough to have visited a lot of amazing places. Every Wednesday I’m planning on featuring one picture of the places I’ve been.

Worldly Wednesday

The Erechtheum, Athens, Greece

I love to travel and have been lucky enough to have visited a lot of amazing places.  Every Wednesday I’m planning on featuring one picture of the places I’ve been.

Going Without

Two of the things on my list of 101 Things in 1001 Days are to go for a month without fast food and to give something up for Lent.  I'm working on killing two birds with one stone--Boyfriend and I gave up fast food for Lent.  I wish I could say this was no big deal for me, but since starting law school, I find myself in a drive through lane or having pizza delivered far too often.  I'm hoping that 40 days of going without will break me of the habit.  One thing I did to keep us on track is to make a list of things that are off limits.  By coming up with a list when we are not tempted, it helps keep us honest when we are.  We're one week down and so far, so good. 

Thank You Notes

I’m a big believer in thank you notes, so these are the ones I whipped up after Christmas (I know that was forever ago, but I just realized I had never posted them) to send to friends and family who got us gifts.  Cards like this are great for using up scraps and it is cheaper than buying cards.

St. Patrick’s Day Wanna Be Mantel

I know I haven’t been posting much lately—you can blame law school if you’d like (I do).  I have zero free time and zero motivation, which is going to make between now and May 7th seem like a very long time.  I know I typed this post up already, but it seems to have gotten lost, so here it is again.  So here’s my St. Patrick’s Day sofa table/wanna be mantel:

The printable is from It's a Crafty Life—I just had it printed at Costco as a 5x7 and stuck it in a frame.  The candy bowl is from the Dollar Tree.  I already showed you my Claddagh candle.  The green candle holder was a gift a few Christmases ago and the other jar is also a candle—I poured MP in an empty jar like I did with my Claddagh candle but instead of coloring it, I left it plain and poured glitter in the jar.  It looks really pretty when lit.  The small frame is just a piece of scrapbook paper that I like and the shamrock is green glass drops (we called them dragon tears when I was a kid) hot glued to green paper.  The tulips were a birthday gift from a friend and the green wrapper fit in nicely so I added them.

Worldly Wednesday

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

I love to travel and have been lucky enough to have visited a lot of amazing places.  Every Wednesday I’m planning on featuring one picture of the places I’ve been.

Baby Girl’s Birthday Outfit

As a follow up to an earlier post, here is my friends’ (not so little) baby girl in her 1st Birthday outfit. I love how it turned out!

Worldly Wednesday

Inside St. Peter’s, The Vatican, Italy
I love to travel and have been lucky enough to have visited a lot of amazing places.  Every Wednesday I’m planning on featuring one picture of the places I’ve been.

Claddagh Candle

Boyfriend is a big fan of St. Patrick’s day because his mom’s family is Irish.  I don’t mind it myself, although I never really remember taking much notice of it as a kid (other than wearing green to avoid getting pinched).  The last couple of years I’ve played hooky and spent the day at KC’s St. Patty’s Day parade and then in one of the local bar districts within walking distance from my apartment.  Plan’s for this year are still as of yet undecided, but I’ve been trying to decorate to get us in the mood.  Here’s one of my favorite projects so far:

It was pretty easy to make.  First I colored the jar using Moge Podge.  Have you ever done that?  All you do is mix some Mode Podge with a little water and food coloring and coat the inside of a jar.  Just swirl it around until the whole thing is covered.  Then turn it upside down over an empty cup and let the excess drip out.  Put it in the oven on the lowest heat setting and leave it there until it is dry.  The more food coloring you use, the brighter your colors will be (if you want it bright, I suggest using quite a bit).  Also don’t leave it in the oven too long. 

Then after I had my nice green jar, I cut the Claddagh symbol out of contact paper with my Circuit.  I use the Sure Cuts A Lot software and I love it.  I stuck my stencil onto the outside of my jar and etched it into the glass.  I dropped a candle in and it was done.  The great thing is that it doesn’t cost anything (I used a jar I already had) and you can customize it for any holiday or occasion.

I couldn’t get a good picture of it burning, but the candle really makes the etching stand out.