DIY Decor with Flower Balls... and tutorial

I'm on a mission to post some of my "winter crafts." We did lots of remodeling this winter and since I couldn't clean I turned to crafting... which lead to blogging. These flower balls were one of my first finds in blog land and they are courtesy of House of Smith's... love that blog! Hopefully there are only a handful of days left inside... after that... and a 4th child of course... I may not keep up... until then I'll post my heart out! ... and it beats laundry, dishes, cleaning...ect.Place one or two of these anywhere... on a shelf, on the fridge, as a centerpiece... you can't go wrong... And thrift stores usually have oodles of candlestick holders, or if you are like me, go into your storage and pull out wedding gifts from 7 years ago:) I knew there was a reason I chose to keep them instead of re-gifting them:) lol...
Visit the link below to get the full tutorial on these beauties. All you need is crepe paper, hot glue, Styrofoam balls, and lots of patience... (I also saw a tutorial where someone used wiffle balls instead of Styrofoam which isn't a bad idea because I had to order mine from Hobby Lobby) Dollar stores have crepe paper and wiffle balls though... okay enough...Thank you House of Smiths for the great Tutorial
Come back soon... follow me... stay and take a look around... I have some great new posts in the works...
Click Here for a free mother's day printable.

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Mother's Day Ideas

I don't know about anyone else, but my mother and mother-in-law are the hardest people to shop for. They are very happy with what they have and where they are in life... so finding something worth giving them is very difficult or at least I make it difficult because I want them to love... ADORE... the gift I give:) Here are a few ideas I found floating around out there.
For the outdoors/garden loving mother make her homemade citronella candles found at
Positively Splendid This adorable stool makeover is perfect for the sentimental mother. Check it out at Brown Paper Packages... love it! This super unique planter is courtesy of Messy Mimi. Check it out!

For the Mother that loves to bake... visit Think Liz. and download the free pattern for this beautiful apron

Try one of my past tutorials like these fun pillows.
 A Homemade Salt Scrub would be a hit.

 Easy DIY Polka Pots with scented geraniums or daisies would be lovely.

 This lovely Printable is found Here.

For a very cool inexpensive personlized print of some type... CLICK HERE!

Whatever you give, be sure and tell your mother how wonderful she is on Mother's Day... after all, you wouldn't be here without her!
Follow me and Check back soon... there is always something fun brewing!

To Enter my latest giveaway CLICK HERE!

May Day Basket Ideas

When I was little we created May Baskets with Styrofoam cups, popcorn, and marshmallows. Things have evolved a little since then for sure:) Although it doesn't matter what the basket looks like, to a child the best part is leaving the treat, knocking, and running like crazy. Apparently it is called, "Ding-dong-ditching." Quite a mouthful... and be careful... say it slowly so you say it correctly:) Have some fun this May Day and check out these cute finds.
If you have lots of time to prepare, try these cookie baskets from
Better Home and Gardens For a gift that keeps on blooming check out this basket idea By Skip To My Lou found at The Crafty Crow
Create your own out of scrapbook paper... get the 411 at My Own Ideas I saved my favorite for last. Check these cuties out at Skip To My Lou

Tuesday's Recipe... Swedish Meatballs

To begin, saute one small diced onion in 1-2 tbsp of olive oil. Then combine hamburger, eggs, rice, bread crumbs, salt, pepper and onion. Mix with a spatula or dig in with both hands.
Combine until you get a nice uniform substance.
Using a 3 tbsp scoop(Pampered Chef large scoop works great) or your own judgement place the beef balls into 2 greased 9 x 13 pans.
These meatballs are 100% cooked in the oven (no need to brown them first) Makes the perfect recipe for when you are in a hurry!

No need to grab a clean dish... it is all going in the oven:) Combine cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, evaporated milk and Lawry's seasoning salt. Whisk until smooth and then spoon over the top of each meatball.
The meatballs should cook for 40-50 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Since this recipe makes so much I either deliver one pan to a friend or freeze one and our family eats the other. (Because these are not precooked they do sweat a lot of grease while cooking... my husband loves it but I do sometimes use a baster to dispose of a little grease after they are done... makes for a better presentation:)

Swedish Meatball Recipe

-3 pounds of ground beef
-1 small onion
-1-2 tbsp. olive oil
-1/2 cup white or brown rice
-1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
-1 tsp. black pepper
-1.5 tsp. salt
-3 eggs

Sauce:

-1 can cream of mushroom soup
-1 can cream of chicken soup
-1 can of evaporated milk
-1-2 tsp. Lawry's Seasoning salt
(if you like garlic minced garlic adds a lot of flavor to this sauce)

Bake at 375 for 40-50 minutes

Yields TWO 9 x 13 pans of meatballs

Boy Room Remodel

We are expecting baby number 4 sooner than later... Assuming that we would have to bunk a couple kids I asked my husband if he would build bunks and instead he said, "Nah... I think we'll just add another room in the basement, each kid needs their own room"
Uh...okay that definitely caught me off-guard but I certainly wasn't going to argue with his "idea." Anyhow it turned out lovely...
I wanted to use a green decor because I thought I would accessorize with John Deere tractors. I found this lovely camo set at JoJo Designs... super cute. The headboard is 100% Walnut, made by my husband's grandfather, as was the bedside table. (it is actually a cedar chest too) yes, I know... we are so spoiled:)

I did a little of my own art with the "boy" print... you can download one from the link below.

This piece was a fun little project. Those are Walmart wooden letters, painted with a glossy black. I took an unattractive country print and glued burlap right to the glass with Tacky Glue. Then with the glue I glued the letters on, let it dry overnight and wahlah.

Love Tacky Glue!!!

Another cute accent I did was I used little army dudes inside this Ball Jar. I attached a screw-on light bulb fixture with cord (Hobby Lobby is where I would look for one of these) I happen to have one in my craft supplies from years ago. Then I covered a blah shade with green fabric and trimmed it in chocolate ribbon.

I must say... I'm pretty proud of this closet... I put the organizer together myself! Took me an entire freakin' day but I did it. I even had to use the hubby's grinder to cut off one end of the top rack. It was a lovely sight... me, preggo, flip flops, saw horses, clamps, power-tool, sparks, but I did wear safety glasses.

Also, please note the John Deere Tractors on the top shelf:) Some accessory huh? I guess they accessorize the closet for now:)

I'm very excited to have this new space and so is the boy! The paint color was
Doughty from True Value.

Below is the link for this lovely piece of art, by me:)

Click Here for the free printable
Hopefully soon I will get a few more of our remodel/makeover pictures up:)
HAPPY EASTER!!!

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More Flowers and Flip Flops!

Remember that post where I was whining about living so far from everything... Maybe not:) Well I finally got online and ordered a few things... one, a new pair of flip flops, color gray. Yippee! Anyhow, I just wanted to show these cute little babies off. I took a relatively unattractive floral fabric and some pink/gold gemstone buttons, add them to a pair of blah Old Navy Flip Flops and what do you get? Tah dah... click the link below to view the tutorial of how to make your own. Instead of ribbon just use 3/8 inch strips of fabric and follow the instructions for the headband if you want a fuller flower.
Flip Flop Makeover Tutorial (Click Here)

Tuesday's Recipe... Homemade Doughnuts!!!

Here in my little ole town, we have no doughnut shop... I know, HORRIBLE! However these can compete and are definitely worth a try:) Thank you Pioneer Woman for the mouth-watering photo and great recipe!!! Pioneer Woman's Doughnut Recipe (Click Here)