Wreath

I've been seeing so many wreaths on Pintrest lately, that I decided to make one myself. The deal I made was that it had to cost less than $5, and it did! This is the tutorial I used, but I'm sure there are lots out there! I love her colors! So off to the thrift store I went, in search of ornaments (I stopped at a few dollar stores, but it would have cost me more to make them there). BINGO! I got a whole bag (really should have taken a picture) of random Christmas things for $2.99. It had lots of red silver and blue balls. I had the wire hanger and the glue already (you need to glue the tops on, or they won't stay). I've seen many tutorials saying you need 80+ balls. I used 53 and my wreath is 15 inches tall. So I guess it depends on how large you want it to be. $3 and 30 minutes later:

 I need to add a ribbon bow at the top. I figured I could do that later, since it won't go out until Christmas.

I love the way the red compliments the brick so well. I've always loved brick houses, but had no idea God was going to give me one! So there you have it, a Christmas decoration completed.

Pumpkins

Looking around our house I realize how much room I have for things like decorations that I did not have in a one bedroom apartment, gasp! I know, you are shocked. We didn't have any fall decorations. And my husband said we didn't need to buy any. So I decided I would make some. I should have made more, but then school got busy again and this was all that happened. Oh well, at least I have something!

I made these guys out of paper towel tubes cut down. My hubby said I couldn't spend money, so I used what I had. I was inspired by some pumpkins I saw... not sure where that were made from Mason jar rings. They looked ok, but I don't love the country look :) I then painted the "rings" and added a bit of glitter, really hard to see in the picture. Hot glued them to the scrapbook paper stem and added the leaf (cut from scrapbook paper).

I made two! They are displayed more creatively now. I found a 3 tired candle display at a thrift store for $1, so I put them on the sides and added some burlap roses on top. Looks way cuter now. Just a peak into my "too busy to be super crafty" life :) Happy fall!

Creativity on the Cheap

I had the opportunity through Crowdtap and Woolite to host a clothing swap party. If you don't know about Crowdtap, it is a website that companies use to ask consumers (you) questions, get feedback on products and what you buy. They currently reward you by giving you points for each question answered/party held/discussion answer. This was my first party through them. Woolite sent me 10 samples and coupons along with a $10 gift card (to help with party planning costs). So their challenge was for me to host a clothing swap. Each person brings at least 3 pieces of clothing/accessories that she doesn't want anymore and we swap them. It's like shopping without spending money!

I invited lots of people, but in the end only 4 ended up coming (one got sick and another's babysitter got sick). That number was perfect, as I live in a small apartment. Here are some pictures of the decorations (done with my cricut):

 The streamer "runway":

 Gift Baskets with a laundry theme.

 Goodies inside included a stain stick, style quiz, samples, chocolate and mini lint roller.

 

Prizes for "best dressed"

 

 Mary Kay perfumes to complete the outfit!

 Skinny Snacks! Sorry about the sideways photo!

 These are so yummy!

 Results from our style quiz:

 And some glamour shots. We were having so much fun, I forgot to take pictures until we were almost done!

Overall it was a fun night! And who can beat free clothing?!

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

I'll admit it, I have a problem (well, I've got many, but I'm only sharing one tonight). I've become reliant on Pintrest. Not for creative ideas, but to save websites when I find one I will want to go back to. Tonight I was annoyed that the website I wanted didn't have an image big enough to pin. So, I'm getting creative. I'm writing a post about it, linking back to it and posting a picture so that I can pin my blog, which will lead to the website (sorry if you are coming from Pintrest, I realize this may be a pain to come here only to link to another site). But I have a strong desire to have things in one place, and this is the only way I can think to do it.

So my sweet hubby wanted a chicken sandwich tonight and I wanted pancakes. I typically just make him something and he eats it, but tonight I asked, so I felt obligated to fulfill his request, even if I wasn't craving it. So our apartment smells a bit funky with the mixed smells.  That aside, I goodsearched whole wheat pancakes. (I don't google when I can goodsearch. Goodsearch gives a penny to a charity for each search, in my case a local group that supports children with autism. You can choose the charity and it is powered by yahoo, so the search results are good.) I had to discard the first 6 or so due to a lack of buttermilk. But I finally found one that I had ingredients for! Whole Wheat Cinnamon Chocolate Pancakes~yum! So I've been trying to eat healthy. So even though I would normally love an excuse to eat chocolate, I substituted diced apple for the chips (peeled, diced, stuck in the microwave with water for 2 minutes, then mixed them in place of the chips). They were so yummy! And get this, the first one came out perfectly! That NEVER happens with pancakes (at least not for me!). Now, I'm not guaranteeing your first one will be perfect, but it's worth a shot :D

The only thing I would change is add more cinnamon (I think you were suppose to add more with the chocolate, but I didn't). The recipe made 13 medium sized pancakes, should inquiring minds want to know. And here is a lovely shot of the beauties:

Note: This is not my original recipe. There is a link above to follow to the creator and the recipe.

Christmas Cards

 Yes, I realize I'm about 2 months late, but I figured I'd post a few of my Christmas cards anyways. I started out with a prototype, and then I got bored and made some with random other things (I dislike doing tons of the same card).The first photo (three cards) is my prototypes. Phrases are Stampi Up Stamps I borrowed from my mil. The second was me just messing around with dying buttons. Not my favorite. The third I used Paint swatches from walmart and cut them with my cricut (simple triangle).The Frosty SVG was from Nancy and can be found here. The winter scene was from Papa Sue, although the blog has changed sites and I can't find the link to the actual SVG anymore. Either way, props goes to PapaSue; blog here.

That's all, folks!