Quick Tip: with A Key Fob

image via


This quick tip is a crazy one. If you have a key fob with a remote for your car, and it doesn't work good from a distance, try sticking it under your chin. Your body acts as an antenna and helps to extend the range of the key fob signal. You should try it. It has worked for me.

...or it's an urban legend and I look pretty silly holding my key fob under my chin. (no biggie)

ps. My friend Amy just shared a helpful little quick tip when you are on the go. You should check it out.

Making Valentines

We made Valentines over the weekend, and by we, I mean mostly me. Avery did help a bit with the stamping and the eating loading of the candy. I had fun making these assembly line style.
Here is a bit of the how to:

First Up: Welcome to my craft room! (aka my kitchen counter). Oh the messes my counter has seen. I've decided to embrace this mess that seems to be pretty common around here. I've started to take aerial photos of it; whether it be cooking, crafting, or just bags and backpacks. The mess tells the story. The mess is where the good stuff is.




If you like paper crafting like I do, then you probably have either a bunch of craft punches or die cuts. One reason that I love the cuttlebug (or any die cutting machine, really). Is for the simple fact that die cuts are small in size compared to craft punches, which tend to be big and bulky. Just a thought...


One punch that I think IS a must have, is the corner rounder punch. Even for the non crafter, this is a great punch to have around. With it, you'll want to round every corner you see.

To make these, I used the place card die by Quickutz and a scalloped edge heart die.

For the stamp, I used Zing embossing powder, which I was excited about (yes, I get excited about stuff like this). I have never had great results from stamps, but after trying it this way, I love using stamps now.


3 Steps:
1. Stamp with a Versamark stamp pad
2. Sprinkle powder over it.
3. Use heat tool to melt it on. (This is the fun part.)



There they are, all 24 of them, ready for the 1st grade party. Fun Stuff!

ps. Alternate Titles for this post:

a. Mission Embossible (Kyle's favorite)
b. A Paper Crafter's Soap Box
c. The Mom who spent too much time making Valentine's for First Graders (please don't pick this one)

Voting Begins Now!

DJ Earworm

While at ALT ... 2 weeks ago (what?!) DJ Earworm was one of the keynote speakers during lunch. I've been a fan for about a year now, so I was thrilled to hear from him (and meet him - wahoo!). He is known for his mashups (a mashup is created by blending two or more songs.) He highlighted one of my favorites (while I danced in my seat...SO FUN!):

If I were a free falling boy - Really, these two songs (If I were a boy: Beyonce and Free Falling: Tom Petty) blend together so well, it's crazy. At about the 3 minute mark, is where I like to belt it out in my car (my poor kids...).



For the last three years, at the end of the year, he takes the top 20-25 POP songs and does one big mashup. I love last year's that he just did for 2009 - Blame It On The Pop:






Thanks DJ Earworm for keeping it fresh!

Have a Super...bowl Weekend!

Quick Lemon Hummus

Super Bowl Sunday is this weekend - I mean Great Commercials and All You Can Eat Appetizer Sunday is this weekend! ;) Yeah, you know what I' talking about.

Let's talk Hummus, and please forgive the pic with the lack of color. Maybe some colored chips or some red bell pepper would spice things up a bit.

This recipe is from Art Smith's cookbook Kitchen Life, which is an awesome cookbook. It's full of so many helpful tips from grocery shopping to staples you should always have on hand in your pantry. If you need some motivation in the kitchen, you would love it.

This recipe for hummus is so great because it substitutes peanut butter for tahini paste (ground sesame seeds), which is normally in most hummus recipes. So it saves you a trip to the specialty market. Who doesn't have peanut butter on hand?!



Here is the Recipe:

Quick Lemon Hummus

1 - 15oz. Can Garbanzo Beans (Chick Peas) - drained with liquid reserved
3 TBL. Creamy Peanut Butter
1 Lemon zested
3 TBL. Fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp. Ground Cumin
1 clove of Garlic minced
1/4 Cup Olive Oil (EVOO)
Salt & Cayenne Pepper to taste

Combine in a food processor. With the machine running add oil and bean liquid to make it smooth at the end.

So that's it. You should try it.

What are you bringing to your Superbowl party?


PS. I'm happy to add my Bullet List to The Mother Huddle today. If you are interested in 10 fun ways to say I LOVE YOU to your special someone, then come on over!

Make Your Own Envelopes For Valentines

If there ever was a time for snail mail, Valentine's Day is it. Well, maybe Christmas too, but with Valentine's Day, there is a lot less to make and less pressure.

I love the thought of loved ones receiving little Valentines in their (real) mailboxes, and right away they would know that it's fun mail (not a bill...boooo). With so many darling printed scrapbook papers available these days, there is so much to choose from.

Also, don't you just love the look of the back of an envelope that is sealed with a heart? I love it.

While making the little envelopes for the little mailboxes, I was wanting to make full size ones to send to the grandparents for Valentine's Day. So I traced an old envelope to make a stencil that could be used and reused for more than just Valentines.



Are you mailing any Valentines this year?

Eclair Squares...

make for an awesome birthday breakfast.

Can I just say a big honkin' THANK YOU (with lots of these...!) for all the nice comments, facebook wishes, tweets, texts, emails, snail-mail and birthday gifts...and to think my birthday week just started(!).

I had a great day. But c'mon, how could it not be great? When your breakfast looks like that; you get to watch giant blue people mate in 3-D on the big screen (whoa); and have Five Guys for lunch? I'm a lucky girl.

My sweet MIL made one of my favorites, Eclair Squares, for dessert Sunday night and sent us home with some too. I love this recipe because it feeds a big group and it's easier than individual eclairs.

Here's the Recipe:

Eclair Squares

Ingredients:
1 stick butter
1 Cup water
1 Cup flour
4 eggs
3oz. cream cheese
2TBL. milk
1 large package Vanilla Pudding
1/2 Cup Milk
8oz. Package Cool Whip
Chocolate Syrup
Fresh Berries


For the Crust:

Boil: 1/2 Cup Butter (one stick) & 1 Cup Water
Add: 1 Cup Flour & 4 Eggs (beat well between each egg)
Spread into a greased pan.
Bake @ 400 for 25 minutes until puffy, and then let cool.

For the Filling:

Beat together: 3oz. Cream Cheese with 2TBL. Milk
In a separate bowl mix together: 1 Large Package Vanilla Pudding with 1 1/2 Cup Milk
Combine both until thick
Fold in 8oz. Package of Cool Whip
Spread over the top of crust. Refrigerate. Serve with chocolate syrup and fresh berries.

Enjoy!

Quick Tip: Open Dishwasher for Cooking Spray

Open your dishwasher door when you spray cooking spray, to avoid greasing up your counter top. I wish I could remember where I first heard this one, but I use it all the time. And while we are on the topic of dishwashers, it's a good thing to leave the door open over night every once in a while to let it dry out in there.

If you have any little quick tips that you'd like to share, I'd love to hear them. Any little thing that you have learned along the way that makes life easier.

Also, if you'd like, you can find a bunch more little Quick Tips, Right Here.

Feb. 1st

I'm 32 today.

What?! I know... craziness! At first when I thought about turning 32, I felt bummed out...not much going on there. It's not nearly as exciting as turning the big 3-0. But then I got thinking about all the great that is life...my life, all that I have to be thankful for, to love, to be happy about, and then I thought differently about 32. So here are 32 things I love to love:

01. a wonderful husband who does really great (internet) birthday tributes (see last year and the year before)
02. my three babies: one, two ...and three
03. sleep, especially that moment right before you fall asleep at night, I love that.
04. Friends! old ones, new ones, blog ones, blue ones -really, the word friends alone makes me happy.
05. friends who use multiple exclamation marks at the end of every sentence (funny).
06. music. It can change my mood in a second.
07. family: his, mine and ours, I love spending time with them all.
08. snail mail - the fun kind (ie: Christmas cards & birthday cards)
09. my iphone (I can't help it, it had to make the list)
10. coke slurpees
11. romantic comedies
12. Feb. First - umm duh ;)
13. GLEE
14. kitchen gadgets
15. feeling organized
16. thrift stores
17. the blimpie best - with lots of sweet peppers and vinegar - Yum!
18. sunscreen
19. spray paint
20. filet o fish sandwich (I can't help it...I love it.)
21. milk glass, and collecting it
22. left overs for breakfast
23. working in my yard
24. mini ziplockbags
25. foot massages
26. girl trips
27. sleeping in
28. adoption
29. paper crafts
30. laughter
31. a clean car
32. dental floss

It's the little things (and the big), that make life enjoyable. Here's to 32!





ps. You can make your own conversation hearts HERE.

Friday Favorites →

lots of favorites on this Friday:

-Forty & Fabulous! - celebrating the big 4-0 with Mindi

-being featured on Today's Creative Blog this week - Kim who runs Today's Creative Blog is too funny, I loved her commentary. Thank you Kim!

- How not to hurry - I needed to hear this one this week.

- This video for Mom 2.0. is beautiful. I just want to take in all the gorgeous images... it makes me wish I was going to the conference.

- a darling Gingerbread house, to use up all those candy canes.

- a look into the past is really cool.




- one last thing... Glitter Cups! (shown above) Aren't they a hoot?! My friend Amy makes them, so you can sip in style... Over the Top Style.

Happy Friday Y'all!

Thoughts on a Thrifty Thursday

See those darling love plates above? Can you believe I passed on them? Crazy, I know. With Valentine's just around the corner, I keep thinking how fun they would be to fill with candy or just decorate with. That's the thing about thrifting, if you don't want it right then, someone else will. I could just buy them right here, but for me thrifting is all about the hunt and the price tag... that's what makes it all so fun.



Also, a few of you commented, saying that you found little mailboxes at Target in the Dollar Spot. I really didn't pay that much less for the thrifted ones(above). Did Target have any pink ones? If so, then that's a bummer, but if not, then at least I can feel good about recycling them into something cuter more cute.

I was curious, have you passed on any great finds, only to regret it later?

all you need is LOVE

A few years back we were invited as a family over to our friends home for Valentine's night. I loved that night for so many reasons:
- we didn't have to try to find a babysitter to go out
- we celebrated Valentine's night as a couple a few nights before, avoiding the dreaded unromantic overcrowded lobby (yuck!)
- we got to be with family friends and the kids had a blast

For an activity, we played a game of Name That Tune with all songs that have the word LOVE in the title. I searched our itunes and tried to pick the songs that were most well known.

FEB. 14th is on a Sunday this year, and I'm thinking this would be a great night to play it again. Here is the (random)playlist to give you an idea of some of the songs I included. I'm all over the map when it comes to music.



ps. Maybe I'll add a little Juice Newton to the mix.

Altitude Design Summit

Last weekend I went to Alt, a conference for design and lifestyle bloggers. As much as the conference was about design, for me it was about blogging and the beautiful people behind the blogs. It was way more than I had hoped for. When something like this comes to your hometown, you have to go. Everything from the beautiful location, to the amazing speakers, to the chance to meet some of my favorite blog celebs, and do it all with my Utah tweeps, made it a weekend I hope to repeat next year. A big thanks to Design Mom and her team who made it all happen.





I wish I had time to link everyone I met, but for now, here are a few Alt recaps I really liked:

Making It Lovely
Apartment Therapy
Petite Elephant
Mint
sfgirlbybay

and for more Alt photos, you can go here.

Valentine's Snowman

We got so much snow over the weekend, and whenever we do, a snowman is always in order. While you're at it, make a sign to go along with his happy face.

To do this, I used craft paint on poster board that I had first cut into the shape of a heart. For the mittens, stuff them first and then duct tape them on. The sign hangs with wire around his neck.

I'm getting excited for Valentine's Day, how 'bout you? This time of year, you just can't have too much pink and red.

Friday Favorites →

• two new mags full of pink, red and hearts galore; floating oreos and Mr. Bigs on speaker phone
• Being highlighted as this weeks Creative Chick(!) Thanks Quinn!
• More quick tips from Tipper Gore
• Fun mail full of minis
• You are #1 jewelry
• Polka dot love
• This is the good stuff image

I hope your weekend is Super... super-dee-duper!

Thrifty Thurs. - Little Mailboxes

Today's Thrifty Thursday post can be found on Make and Takes today, and I'm thrilled about it!

Click here for more about these cute little pink mailboxes.