Pinned and Did | Sharpie Lampshade Redo

It's been so long since I've actually done a craft for my house!  I've worked on just about everything else in the world lately, it seems!  Though, the other night my husband left to go play basketball with some of his friends and I decided to get a little crafty.

I have seen and even pinned the writing-with-a-sharpie-on-a-plain-lampshade-thingie and wanted to try it so bad.  We rearranged our tiny living space not to long ago and I had the perfect lampshade for this project.

This little project probably took me a whole twenty minutes to complete and turned out great!  I used the lyrics to our first dance song so, it's pretty special to us!

Here's how I did it...

Work Made Fun | Asscocia Day Food Tent Cards

Yesterday I shared with you that I work at Associa - the Nations Leader in Community Management.  I love working for this company! All member companies across the county are holding Associa Day on July 11th.

I have been recruited (quite gladly) to help out our CEO to plan the Associa day for our Jacksonville office.  Yesterday I shared with you FREE printable water bottle labels I created for the event.  Today, I have food tent cards.  You know, those cute little cards on fancy food tables which label what the food is!

Associa Day 2012 Food and Drink Tent Cards

These cards were SO incredibly easy to make and I will probably be making more for every party I ever have!  I used Microsoft Word to create these tent cards.  I kept it simple with these, using a square and four star shapes...that's it!

These do not have the Associa Day 2012 logo on it, so they can be used for anything, really!

How to make them:

Click the link above or RIGHT HERE to open the document
Print out the tent cards
Write your food item names on the cards
Cut the cards apart
Fold each card in half and there you have it!

I will be sure to share pictures of our event with you and how we used each of these items in decorating!

Work Made Fun | Associa Day 2012 Water Bottle Labels

It's been a while!

I've been quite busy with work and I put some new products in my Etsy store and it absolutely took off!  Though, I've not forgot about my first love....you bloggies!

I work for Associa - the Nations Leader in Community Management.  Next Wednesday we are having Associa Day.  Each member company (we have companies all over the continent!) will be holding an even on July 11th to talk about where Associa as a whole would like to be in 2020.

Our little bitty office in Jacksonville is SO incredibly excited for Associa Day.  And, you know me...any reason to make something crafty or throw a party, I'm there!

I made some water bottle labels and wanted to share them on here so that any member company could use them to create custom water bottles for Associa Day 2012!

Associa Day 2012 Water Bottle Labels

Simply follow the directions found HERE or HERE (plus, some extra labels) customize your water bottles for Associa Day!


Happy Associa Day!

Foodie Friday - Taco Pie

As you may or may not know, I LOVE (and by love, I mean adore with most all of my being) tacos!  I loved taco night growing up, I am always up for a Mexican restaurant, when I worked at a summer camp, Taco Tuesday was my favorite night.  I'm telling you... I. Love. Tacos!

I am always looking for new ways to prepare my tacos and 'spice it up' a bit.  Taco Ring (find the recipe HERE) is a staple at my house.  I love that stuff!  Recently I found a recipe for a Taco Pie and I just had to try it.

Here's how I did it...

Goals Scrambled. Outcome: Scrabble!

So....remember those goals I set back in January?  I did so well on meeting my January and February goal!  Check out my Barbie Birthday Cake and Lumpia.  I know that my March goal was to make a flowerpot jewelry holder but...I kind of skipped ahead.  I jumped on down to my June goal of making scrabble tile throw pillows.  With good reason!

My husband's best friend is getting married...TODAY!  We drove from Florida up to Northern Virgina for the special day.  I knew that I wanted to make the couple something rather than buy it...I'm that kind of gal.

I just knew the scrabble tile pillows I keep seeing all over Pinterest would be the perfect little gift for this funky fun couple.

Here's how I did it...

embriodery hoop art

We've recently moved into a new place and we got to paint the walls...ALL the walls!  Our landlord agreed to pay for the paint (the place needed a fresh coat) if my husband and I would paint the walls.

We jumped on that chance and chose Sherwin Williams 'Blonde' for most all of the walls.  Though, for the kitchen we went with Sherwin Williams Nurture Green.  I loved it so much that I decided to do an accent wall in the bedroom in it.  I love love love how it looks with our orange bedspread (picked up on clearance for $45 at Target).

There is a soffit above the bed and I knew that I wanted to put some sort of art on that wall.  We do not have a bed frame, so a headboard wasn't going to work plus I didn't want anything too bulky.  I remembered some simple art I saw on pinterest.  I absolutely love how it turned out...here's how I did it...

FOODIE FRIDAY: Potato Cakes

My grandma used to make potato cakes all the time and I remember my older sister absolutely loving them.  I never really cared too much about them.  Then, one day a few months ago I had some left over mashed potatoes and thought 'hmmm....I bet the hubs would like some potato cakes' and called my mom to get the recipe.

I knew it was simple...but I didn't realize it was THIS simple!  I customized my cakes a wee bit more than my grandma would have...but, she wasn't married to a Puerto Rican who LOVES seasoning!

Here's how I did it...

Lumpia: revisited

If you recall, my first attempt at lumpia wasn't exactly a success.  Yeah, the hubby and brother-in-law gobbled them up like they were going out of style.  Though, they just weren't pretty and I wasn't quite satisfied with the outcome.

I wouldn't quite until I felt as though I had conquered it and by golly...I did!!

Here's how I did it...

German Chocolate Cake Frosting

Yesterday I shared with you the recipe I used to make German chocolate cupcakes.  Today, it's the frosting.

 This recipe was so simple and did not take long to make at all.  The ingredients are common and nothing crazy that I would never use again.

I made cupcakes rather than a layered cake.  So, I decided to cut my cupcakes in half and put a layer of frosting between the two 'layers' of cake.

Here's how I did it...

Foodie Friday: German Chocolate Cupcakes

It's a Foodie Friday over here and you know what that mean!  A delicious and simple food recipe for all of my friends in blogland.  This week you're in for a real treat...a sweet treat!  I have a SUPER simple German chocolate cupcake recipe for you.

I make the dessert of choice for each of my co-workers on their birthday.  I've made a strawberry Barbie cake, yeast rolls (recipe to come) and this month German chocolate cake.  Though, halfway into make the batter I realized that I do not own any round cake pans...only cupcake pans.  So, cupcakes it is!


Here's how I did it...

Quick Trick: Buttermilk Substitute

While baking the other day I found a recipe which called for buttermilk.  I don't just have buttermilk on hand and I didn't want to buy a whole half gallon to only use a cup of it.

Than low and behold I found a substitute for buttermilk and I was shocked at how simple it was!

Add one tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to one cup of milk and let sit for ten minutes.

I had lemon juice handy and used that.

It worked like a charm!  I was quite impressed and so relieved that I didn't have to go buy another ingredient.  Oh, and no one could taste the difference!

Check out what I made using this little trick!

V-Day Recap: Flowers, Cheesecake and Pizza

I know it's a wee bit past Valentines Day but...who cares.  It's my blog and I get to write whatever I want and I want to share with you all my Valentines day!

Oh February 13th while sitting at work on just another Monday I heard a man at the front desk ask the receptionist for me.  I walked out of my office and saw him holding a flower arrangement of nothing other than tulips, my favorite flower.  I knew right away that my hubby was to thank for these goodies!  I called him right away and gushed over how much I love him and all that jazz. (Back story: last year, our first married Valentines Day he didn't get me anything...I may or may not have pitched a little fit and on February 15th he got me my favorite candy...fun dip...and some movies)  He told me about all of the obstacles he went through trying to get them to me.  Somehow despite computer and internet connection errors, page refreshes and the unavailability of the flowers he ordered they got me my flowers.  He said that he got them one day early this year to make up for one day late late year!

Added bonus: these flowers came with a heart lollipop stuck in them.  SCORE!

My hubby works on Mondays until 9:00 and usually does not get home until 9:30.  I friend at work told me about Papa John's Pizza and their heart shaped pizza for Valentines Day only.  Papa John's is my husband's favorite...not at all mine.  Though, I knew I could make the sacrifice for my honey.  I ordered two pizzas and had then delivered right before he got home from work.

While waiting for him to get home I made some of his favorite dessert, the Kahlua Cocoa Coffee Cheesecake cupcakes.  I made a whole batch just for him!  Check out the recipe HERE.

When he got home..a little late, about 9:45ish we sat at our dining room table and ate heart shaped pizza and watched an episode of Lie to Me (on Netflix...a great show).  No, it probably wasn't the most romantic of Valentines that was ever had but it was simple...just how we like it.

Oh, and we got to hang out with this little guy...our puppy named Gus!

February Lumpia Goal: Check!

Yay!  I completed my February goal of making lumpia!  My husband was quite thrilled as well, he has been asking me for the longest time to make 'his favorite food'.  I was incredibly nervous about making Lumpia (a Filipino Spring Roll)...I'm not exactly an 'exotic foods connoisseur'!

However, I followed a super simply recipe and was so shocked at how easy they were to make and how much my husband liked them!  I learned a lot about making any sort of roll...believe it or not I hit a few snags along the way.

Here's how I did it...

PI&DI: loaded potato soup

I know it's been a while since I've posted a 'Foodie Friday' post but trust me, this one is worth the wait!

I wanted a quick meal that was yummy and satisfying...but most importantly warm!  It was one of those super cold and rainy days where you just want to curl up and do nothing...but when you're moving in less than a week that's just not going to happen!

I found a recipe for homemade loaded bakes potato soup on Pinterest and I've made it a few times.  I know I haven't posted it, I have made it a few different ways and want to perfect it before I share with you bloggies!

This soup took me about fifteen minutes to cook and left me plenty of time to pack.  Here's how I did it...

PI&DI - Scarf Hanger

One thing I love is organization...those closest to me might not believe it but, it's true!  I've recently acquired a fondness for scarves as well.

While on Pinterest one day I found this...what an awesome idea!

I had all of the supplies on hand so for me, this solution was FREE!!  Who doesn't love a free project?

All you need is a hanger and some shower curtain rings...

Here's how I did it...

Decorating a Barbie Cake

Now that we have our Barbie cake form made and ready, let's get to decorating! 

I used pink icing (of course) for my cakes.  I used three different tips.  Each cake took me about half an hour to decorate. 

No, I'm not kidding...it's that easy!

Here's how I did it...

Barbie Birthday Cake

As I promised, here is the tutorial for making a Barbie cake.  I made these cakes for birthdays.  However, you can use them for anything.  I had a Barbie cake for my 4th birthday (just a few years ago) and I LOVED that cake.  I still remember it...take a look at that beauty...

I was so impressed with that cake and no other every compared.  For my bridal shower my mom, sisters and best friend got me a Barbie cake and it was SO perfect!  They bought it from Publix and when they told me the price my usual response came out "I could make that for less!"

Jan. Goal - Check and Check!

I shared with you my goals for each month.  My goal for January was to make a Barbie Birthday Cake.  I am elated to report that I not only have reached my goal but also have EXCEEDED my goal!  What a great way to start off the year!

I've made two Barbie birthday cakes so far and it's only the middle of the month!  I am so happy with how the both of them turned out and can't wait to show you more pictures!

For now you will just have to wait anxiously for the tutorial (still working on that) and drool over my little teaser photo to the left!

CLICK HERE for the tutorial.  I'm telling you, ANY ONE can make one of these, and everyone will be impressed!

PI&DI - Simple Shredded Chicken

I have another 'pinned it and did it' story for you!  This one I just couldn't wait to share!  I saw on Pinterest a little while back that you could shred chicken in a Kitchenaid mixer.  I was QUITE skeptical.

However, my womderful hubby spoiled me and bought me a Kitchen aid mixer for Christmas (in the color Pistachio, none the less)!  I had forgotten about the shredded chicken trick until tonight.  The hubby works late on Saturdays and decided he wanted to make chicken quesadilias when he got home this evening.  My job was to cook the chick and cut it up.

I accepted my mission an started cooking the chicken when all of a sudden...DING (that is the light bulb over my head going off)!

12 New Years Resolutions

Whew!  It's been quite a while since Ive written a post.  We've been quite busy here for the past few months.  My husband came home from being gong for six months with the military, we both started new jobs, we briefly attempted to buy a house, we got a new puppy, and then oh yeah, the holidays!  This is the first weekend in over a month that we have actually been at home.

I've missed crafting and baking and creating and writing so much.  I've decided to set myself some goals this year, some new years resolutions if you will.  I've set a goal of at lease one thing that I want to complete each month.

January - make a Barbie birthday cake Check it Out Here!
February - make Lumpia (a Filipino egg roll) See How I Did It!
March - make  scrabble tile throw pillows  Take a Peek Here
April - make a fabric belt
May - make peanut butter dog treats
June - make   flowerpot jewelry tower
July - make homemade mozzarella sticks
August - make homemade cheesy bread sticks
September - make homemade pretzel bites
October -  make homemade household cleaners
November - make homemade doughnut holes
December - make a ruffled Christmas tree skirt

I'll be sure to let you know how these all turn out...if they even do!