Chipboard Albums...

I had never seen these until Valerie (she has the best idea's) had told me about them! So I went to Michael's because I looking for a new idea and got a chipboard album in the shape of a fish. I did this one for my nephew Ryder and I think it turned out great if I do say so myself! Especially for my first one. Since my sister in law Tara lives in Utah, she sent some adorable pictures of Ryder to our Walmart for me to pick up. I have a ton of scrapbook paper, ribbon, buttons, etc and so the only part I had to buy was the chipboard which was a dollar and Tara ended up paying for the pictures she sent so it was an inexpensive gift but ends up being priceless in the end! You can do it anyway you would like, there are different shapes and sizes and there's no right or wrong way to make it. It took me about 7 hours to do this and I actually loved every minute of it! Not too many days until Christmas so get started now and give a gift that nobody will expect but may just be their favorite one they receive!! What do you think?

I forgot to mention that when you buy them they look like cardboard. What I did was scrapbook both front and back with paper that I had but you can buy paper that's already cut to whatever shape you picked. I didn't like the ones they had so I did my own but you can do whatever you want!!!

Less than 3 months till Christmas people!

Are you looking for a simple, easy, cute Christmas gift? Well have I got an idea for you! Turning tumbled tiles into coasters. They are so cute, you could use them just the way they are. You can find them at any hardware store. You know the usual, Lowe's, Home Depot. You can't beat the price either. I picked up mine for .38 per tile. Every time I go there now, I pick up 4 or 5. Now I have all these little tile towers all over. I'd take a picture but then you'd also have to see all the other stuff packed (stuffed, thrown, piled) all over from our kitchen remodel. Trust me, it's not pretty.

So here's what you'll need for this project. Yes, once again I've forgotten to take pictures of the actual process but I think that you gal's can figure it out. It really is easy. I chose to use stamps on mine.

4 or 5 tiles of your choice.
Stayz on ink (this really does work best. You can get it at most craft stores)
Stamps
Polycrylic protective finish
Felt pads for the bottoms

*So first you wipe any dust off the tiles. Then start stamping! If you make a mistake just use a little wet paper towel and wipe away. I think you have a few seconds at least to do this. NOT that I would know anything about having to re do any of mine. (only about 10 times!)

*And of course since it's about Christmas gifts I made mine with some Christmas stamps but I think any kind would look really nice. I made some nice florishy (lol I love to make up new words) ones for my mom and mil.

*After I finished stamping and the ink was dry, I'm impatient and didn't wait too long, put a few coats of sealer on. I think I waited maybe 20-30 min in between coats. I told you I was impatient! After everything is all dry then add the felt pieces to the bottom to protect.

Then to finish off the gift don't forget to wrap it in some pretty Christmas ribbon and add a cute little tag. I love ribbon! Hi, I'm Valerie and I have a ribbon obsession. :)

Okay dokey! That's it. This one is so easy that you can chill out with your favorite movie on and create these cute little gifts for friends and neighbors. They are going to love these!

"Receiving" BIBS

From time to time we thought it would be great fun

to have a guest poster. Our first one is the very lovely, and

fellow Idaho spud....Tiffany! She's mom to, two cute little girls. She's

got a lot of great, creative ideas, and we can't wait to hear all about them.

Are you tired of those teeny tiny bibs that you buy in the stores,

that catch almost NONE of the food that falls from your child's mouth!

Then I have the perfect solution for you!

I introduce the "receiving" bib!

These bibs are wonderful because they are made from used (or new) receiving blankets! Each bib is sown double-sided either with the same pattern or something different to give your kids a choice! There's no right or wrong way to making them, and the best part of it is that one size fits ALL! My 2 year old is really good at taking the bottom end of the bib and wiping her mouth off when she's done eating! I have also caught her wiping up her spilled messes with the bottom end! I can usually get a few days out of each bib before washing them. If you don't have a bunch of receiving blankets lying around then a good place to pick them up at is on K-Mart or Wal-Mart's clearance racks. I just bought about 15 more at a yard sale this summer for under $2.00!!! If you choose to you could also buy this kind of fabric by the yard at a fabric store.

A dear friend of mine made me these bibs and I have been making them ever since! If you don't have any young children, then keep this idea in mind for the next baby shower you attend!

If anyone needs the directions to make these handy bibs can leave their email address in the comment section and I will send you them.

Quick and easy dinner!

I'm so silly and I should have taken pictures while making this but maybe next time! My mom used to make it while we were growing up and its one of my favorites to make! I love easy and yummy recipes!



Boneless Chicken Breasts

6-8 boneless chicken breasts

1 pint of plain yogurt

2 rolls of crushed Ritz crackers

1 1/2 sticks of melted margarine

salt & pepper



Heat oven to 350 degrees. Salt and pepper chicken breasts. Coat chicken with plain yogurt. Roll chicken in crushed ritz crackers. Pour half of melted margarine in bottom of the pan or a glass dish (that's what I use). Place chicken into the dish. Drizzle remaining margarine over top of chicken. Bake for 25 minutes then turn over and bake for an additional 25 minutes.



Usually I'll do a salad, some type of veggie, and mashed potatoes and gravy! Its so easy and my hubby takes the left overs to work the next day for his lunch and it heats up great and is just as yummy!!!

Monday Makeover!

Hey it's monday again and that means it's time for a makeover! This summer when I was working at hubby's office it was kind of slow so I was blog stalking- I mean, looking at blogs and I came across this really cool idea. However for the life of me I cannot remember where I saw this idea at so if you've seen it, let me know and I'll give it the linky love it deserves.

Ok now for the idea! Some of you may have seen this on my life blog may be thinking, DEJA VU, but your not going crazy! I really did show you this one, but I wanted to share it on the Spud blog as well. Ok, I know your thinking, just get on with it already. Ok. Ok. The idea I saw was to take an old cast off cupboard door and turn it into a serving tray. BRILLIANT! I love this idea so much!

First you find your door. I went to the Habitat for Humanity store. TONS of things to turn into treasures there. For this project I found some square doors. LOVE EM! After you've found the door of your dreams, you sand it down. You don't have to get tennis elbow or anything, just a light sand so that the paint will stick. Next is painting it. I almost think this is the hardest part! Not the actual painting, but what COLOR to paint it! I think I painted this three different times before I finally settled on a color. Don't kill me. I didn't actually take pictures of the painting part. I promise to be better at picture taking in future projects! Ok, are you ready for the end result?

TA-DA!

After I painted it, I gave it a little sanding on the edges to give is a little roughed up look. I also stamped on some flowers. I tried free drawing them on but yeah, that was a disaster! lol. After your done painting, seal it with a clear protective finish. I used a Polycrylic finish. Seal it a few times to make sure that everything gets a good coat. Make sure you let it dry over night. Ok, I confess, I was too impatient so I only waited a few hours and then I added the handles. I picked these up at Lowes but you could pick these up anywhere or use your imagination! I think there are many things that could work here.

This next one I used scrapbook paper and the sealed it with the clear sealer but after awhile it turned the paper a bit yellow so I need to look into that, and see what else you could use. Maybe modge podge first, several coats and then the sealer. Anyway I still like how it turned out so I made it more into a frame.




So there it is, my Monday Makeover project. This would make a great Christmas gift too! come on people- There's only 95 day's till Christmas! ;) Hope every one has a great day and if you have any fun project ideas let us know! We'd love to show case them. :)

Time for a Girls Night!

One of my good friends is moving within the next few months :( so I told her that we would have a girls night!!!! Lately I've been thinking, should it really take someone moving for us to all get together!?! That's nonsense! A few days ago I was looking through a magazine and one of the articles was Girls Night! They had all of this fancy food and it just sounded like a lot more work than it really should be! Most everyone knows I'm a list maker and I love planning BUT if it gets all complicated then its probably not something I'm going to look forward too! So I say (and you can do it anyway you want) but I say keep it simple! Pick a night that everyone can get together and just do it! I think its good for us ladies to get together without any distractions and have a night to enjoy ourselves! Don't worry about babysitting, I'm sure your hubby will do it, because we do it all day long and deserve a night off!

How do you shop for Groceries?

Today I went grocery shopping. It is so nice that the kids are back in school so there is no one hanging on the cart, or begging for the coolest cereal EVER! As I was almost at the end of my shopping trip a older couple were commenting on how much groceries I had in my cart. I admit it was pretty full, and it was getting tough to manuver it down the aisle. It got me thinking on how people shop for groceries. I go every two weeks. I make a menu and then make my grocery list off of that. Have I ever mentioned how I love to make lists? I do! Love em! I also do coupons. At first this seemed like such a big hassle but the more I got into them the more I saw how I could really save on some of the very things I was buying every time I shopped. There a ton of resources on the web that you can download coupons from as well like Coupon bug. Or you can have a sil who has extra coupons and shares a lot with you! Thanks again Carrie! ;) So how do you shop? Do you go every week? Two weeks? Or do you go once a day? Tell us your shopping habits and great ways to save a few!

Time for a few Terrific Tips

I can always use a good tip and here are some that I've found. Thought I would pass them along and maybe some would be useful to you as well!

Instead of using a regular tv stand, opt for something different like an old chest or maybe a modern bench!

Save the rolls from your used paper towels and put them in your boots! Its a great way to keep your boots upright and looking nice!

Since its pretty much Fall, create a new and unique centerpiece by combining some red apples and pine cones in a nice big bowl!

Once you've read your magazines, swap with a friend who has a different one!

Write a love note to your hubby or a positive note to your kids by using washable markers on the bathroom mirror. (I have also used lipstick)

Drop off a treat to your hubby at work or your kids at school! It makes them feel good knowing that you are thinking of them!

Put up a family calender so everyone knows what's going on!

Well I hope that you have enjoyed some tips! Let's hear some of YOUR favorites!

Quick dinner tip

I was reading over at my friends Kitchen blog In My Kitchen about some quick dinner ideas. I so need these, this time of year. My son has football practice every night from 5-7. Too early to eat before, but by the time I get him home it's almost 7:30 and the rest of my family have been killed off by starvation. What to do? Serve them Top Ramen? While this would probably work with my 9 year old, there is not much nutritional value. One thing that I have found that helps us out is making extra of a meal that I happen to be cooking one night and then putting it in the freezer. Let's say your making tacos. Make an extra few servings of the meat all seasoned and ready and put in the feezer for that night when you need something really quick. Missty from In my Kitchen also mentions Lasagna. OH YUM! Love it. Make an extra batch. Initially it's a little more work, but, on that one night when you and the family are tuckered out, you can pop this into the oven (even hubby can do this!-I put a little notecard with the oven time and how long to cook) and it's one less thing you need to think about. Throw together a salad and some french bread, and you have a meal. :-)

Happy Cooking!

Getting Active!

Running shoes...check! Work out clothes...check! Treadmill in the spare bedroom...check! Motivation...uh....Everything is there for me to work out but the motivation! What's the deal? Back in high school I loved to run and work out but ever since then I hate it! Yes time has changed...6 years, marriage, a kid! But that's no excuse I'm pretty much just lazy AND I do love me some chocolate! I love to go out for walks and I should get out more often, but it never fails, something always comes in the way and I don't get out. So in light of being lazy, I'm making new goals for myself! I am going to become a more active person and I'm going to get back in shape! I'm going to switch it up and maybe to TaeBoe one day and a walk another. Nothing too extreme and maybe I'll get back in the swing of things and like it again! So now I want to know, am I the only one with this problem or are there others like me!?!

Monday Makeover!

I don't know why, but lately I have been totally into going to garage sales and flea markets. I LOVE to find old stuff. I also like to find stuff that is ugly, or not my style and change it into something else. Take this small bench for instance. A few weeks ago I missed out on some garage sales but what better place to find a deal than to go shopping in moms basement! Look what I found.

Now really. Not my taste with the ivy painted on and it looked like it might have seen a better day or two, but I knew this baby had potential! You should have seen my hubby's face when I came back upstairs with all sorts of goodies. My dad on the other hand, was real happy that my mom was getting rid of some stuff.

I did a little sanding and used some black paint I had and viola! A new bench for my bathroom.

I really do have more plans for this bench, but I didn't make it over to the fabric store this week so this is all I had to go on, but I still love it and it goes great in the bathroom. And best of all the cost was, moms basement + paint I already had = FREE! Um..just ignore that blue checked linoleum you see on the floor. Sigh, maybe one day everything will actually match in there. lol My goal for this bench is to pick up some foam maybe and cover it in fabric to make it a little softer or maybe I'll just get some pillows. Who knows! The ideas are endless. Hope this little makeover gave you some ideas for your own house. You never know what you might have discarded away into the dark corner of a closet. Pull it out and see what you can do to give it a little more life!

HELLO!

Hey girls! (and if there does happen to be a male reader out there, welcome too!) Even though it's saturday and we probably won't post much on the weekends I still wanted to say hi and welcome to the blog.


HI! Hi! Hi!


I am really excited to be starting this blog with Alycia and look forward to reading all your comments. This is going to be so. much. fun!

Don't forget to turn in on monday for what else? Make over monday! See what I can come up with by shopping in my moms basement. :)

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

How do you Date Night?

Do you do date night? Once a week, month...year? If you do it once a week then you will have something to look forward to once the week comes to an end! Are you always doing the same thing? Dinner and a movie? Take out? Well try switching it up and see what you think. Go online and find a listing of events that are going on in your area and take advantage of them. Depending on where you live I'm positive you'll be able to find some fun things that you and your honey will enjoy. Now I'm not saying you have to go out of your comfort zone and do something wacky and wild. Maybe instead of just going out for dinner you can get all dressed up. Maybe that will be just enough of a change and something you haven't done in a long time! Pinching your pennies in this economy? It actually might be a good thing and help us to be creative with our dates! Drop the kids off at friends house and come back and have the house to yourself. Who doesn't like McDonalds and a good movie (in whatever you want to wear) in your own home with just you and your hubby without having to be interupted. Get your honey involved in the date planning too. You never know what he could come up with that would be fun. Remember those first feelings you had for the person you are now with? What did you do for fun then? Go rollerskating? Night swimming? Or maybe just a walk? Whatever it was, bring it back and have some fun! Its still so nice out at night so take advantage of the weather before it gets cold! So what are some fun dates that you have been on?

Here's to a new beginning!

Welcome and thank you for checking out our new blog! Valerie and I are always talking on the phone about new idea's that we have or that we have seen and want to try! We are big list makers too and so now we are going to get those lists out and start doing them and we want you to join in with us! We will have set topics that we will blog about on Monday, Wednesday and Friday but you may see things on Tuesdays and Thursdays as well! We are asking people to join in and follow us and make comments and let us know what YOU think! And if you do then we will be doing drawings and giving fun stuff away!! Alright lets party!!!