Homemade Frosty Paws

December 1st was my dog's 6th birthday! I can't believe that it's been that long since we saw her in a little pen looking for a forever home. We fell in love with her the instant we put our paws on her!

Layla's favorite treat is ice cream! That dog is just like her momma, and loves her some ice cream, but I worry about her eating so much sugar and unnecessary processed ingredients. So we introduced her to frosty paws, and she loved them! The problem with them is they are expensive! If I was only buying it just for her birthday, it would be okay, but I like to give her treats more often than that! So I was glad to see this on Pinterest.

It is a super simple recipe for Homemade Frosty Paws! Essentially it is yogurt, peanut butter, a banana, and some honey. I had everything on hand except the yogurt, so that cost me about $3. I bought non-fat plain Greek yogurt. 

I also bought plastic single serving containers at the Dollar Store, but you could easily use egg cartons or ice cube trays. I bought two packs of ten for $2.

So I took the banana, peanut butter, and honey and blended them together. Then once they were well blended, I put the whole 32 oz container of yogurt in. Then blended again until they were all well mixed.

Then I took the mixture and poured it into the plastic containers. They are 2.3fl oz containers and this recipe filled all 20 of them, with a little left over to give the dogs a taste of whats to come. I then stacked the so cups into a gallon freezer bag, so that they weren't all over my freezer, and found a level (ish) spot and let them be for about 8 hours.

They froze up perfect! They are the perfect size for my pups. I'm sure they could eat 10 at a time if I let them, but I feel like it is just enough treat! They LOVED them! I wasn't sure my picky golden/chow mix would like them, since shes not a banana fan but I guess the yogurt and peanut butter cancelled it out enough. She could not get enough! That makes me one happy momma! 

I usually run the plastic container under hot water for a couple of seconds, and the "ice cream" puck pops right out of the plastic. That way they can eat out of their bowls and not lick it all over the house.

So around $5 in the store would have bought 4 servings of store bought Frosty Paws, but for my $5 I got around 20 servings! And since I bought reusable containers, I won't have to spend that at all next time! Score! When we eventually make it through all of these I will be making them again!

St. Patrick's Day Mantel

I wanted to do a St. Patrick's Day mantel, but I hadn't collected a bunch of stuff for it like I had the other holidays (Valentine's Day and Halloween), so this one is super simple, but still puts the house in the spirit. I hung a large felt clover on fishing line up high. Then I made a simple clover fabric banner. I just cut up some fabric using pinking sheets to give it the zigzag look, and then sewed them all in a row. I hung the fabric banner, along with a green swag on my vintage window. Then I added a green bottle, and a standing photo frame with a green bow to the bottom, to tie it all together. 

Simple, sweet, and to the point. I also have clover hand towels in the kitchen, and Layla is sporting her St. Patrick's Day collar, so we're all set here! 

What are you doing to get into the luck' of the Irish spirit at your house?  

Linking up at:

The Girl Creative 

Valentine's Day Wreath

I decorated for Velentine's Day inside, with my mantel, but I wanted to do a little something outside too, so I threw together this quick Vantentine's Day wreath. 

***

The large pink heart is from Dollar Tree, the banner is from the dollar section of Target, and a simple black frame. I simply tacked the banner to the frame, and hung it in front of the felt heart.

Simple, quick, and cheap.

It also makes me smile every time I walk in the front door, so another win! 

Just enough outdoor decor to spread the love in my neighborhood. 

***

If you like what you see, follow me on Instagram and Facebook

Valentine's Day Mantel

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays! I love all the pink, hearts, and love in the air! I decorated the mantel to get the house in the spirit. 

***

I used my vintage window was the backdrop again, just like my Halloween one. You can see I put some favorite photos in black frames, and fake roses with glitter hearts, in a pink vase. The pink wood LOVE sign is from Target, and the love box, is from the Dollar Tree. 

I got these glitter initials at Michael's a few months ago, and I knew they would be perfect for a V-day mantel. I love when buying things on sale on a whim works out... Months later! Haha! The felt hearts banner I made, but the hearts are from Martha Stewart's Michael's line. I just sewed them so they'd be strung together. The pink glitter clothes pins are from Target, and perfectly match the pink glitter star bursts that I got from the Target Christmas section! 

The "BE MINE" banner is from Michael's, and I just love how large it is, but I felt like I needed to fill the space it left, so I rigged up a dollar store felt heart on finishing line, so it looks like it is hung on the wall, not a string. 

The frame has some Hobby Lobby wrapping paper on one side, and a felt heart with "I Love You"  ribbon. And, of course, no Valentine's Day is complete without conversation hearts! 

***

If you like what you see, follow me on Facebook and Instagram!

Halloween Decor

Halloween is my favorite holiday, so now that we have a home, I was super excited to decorate it for it! I have had this up since about mid September, butI figured it was about time to blog about it, now that Halloween is just 6(!) days away! 

Here is a shot of the mantel, below you can see a "play-by-play" of my items. 

 

1. Bat cut outs. I image those lucky enough to have a Silhouette could use it to it these out, but Ihave access to an old school die cutter, that I used. Dana at made cut hers out by hand.

2. A vintage window that I picked up for $10 at a local antique shop.

3. Scrap paper bunting - I just free handed shapes, then sewed them together, putting about 3-5 stitches between each piece.

4. Halloween Photo Banner -  I printed photos at Walgreen's, then cut them into squares. I wanted to print them in black and white, but I forgot. I still like them though! I used mini clothes pins from Michael's to hang them on a Halloween ribbon, also from Michael's.

5. Happy Halloween Banner - I had a Halloween sticker pack from the dollar section of Target a few years ago. I used the letters and put them onto old book pages, that I cut into squares. Then I used craft glue to attach it to more Halloween ribbon from Michael's. 

6. I bought these vases at a local antique store, to spray paint black, but then changed my mind once the mantel started coming together. The purple flowers and glitter accents are from Michael's. .89 cents each, can't beat it, for a little glitz! 

7. Black Feather Boa - I draped it across the back, in front of the window base, to give a spook factor. There are also purple Halloween lights behind the window. I got then for about $5 from Michael's, but Christmas Tree Shops had them for about $4.

8. Miniature Bird Cage - from Michael's summer clearance section, for just 1 cent! Win!

9. Paper Mâché Skull - I had every intention of covering it in white tissue paper, but I never got to it. But there is always next year! 

10. Jar of Buttons - I wanted to pull my purple, black, green, and orange color scheme to really pull together so I threw some buttons in those color into a jar to add to the effect.

11. Saranac Jug - Joe bring it home, drank it, and I rescued it from the recycling bin!

12. Jar of [googly] eye balls - I bought a pack of Halloween/monster googly eyes at Michael's.

13. Owl - from Pier 1's 75% off section! after Easter. I keep him out all year, but thought he fit in on the Halloween mantel. He is one of my favorites!

14. Candle - large purple sparkle pilar candle from Michael's Halloween section. 

We also have some pumpkins on the front porch, and of course, holiday kitchen towels. 

I love coming home to all the decorations! 

This is my first try at a holiday mantel, but I love it, and that all that counts right?! 

Do you decorate for Halloween? Share your links below so I can check them out! I love getting new ideas from seeing what everyone else is up to.  

Absence Explained

So I apparently haven't written since April, really?! Oyeee! I have no excuses for April - July, but in July we bought a house, so it all went crazy from there! I have lots of home improvement project posts line up, but before that is Halloween! Its my favorite holiday, and this is the first time with a home, so I got to go all out (as I could manage) with my decorations. Post to come shortly! 

Until then, here is our home! 😊

Camp Half-Blood T-Shirt

Freezer paper is probably my favorite craft. So quick, so easy, so satisfying.

 This time I used it to make two Camp Half-Blood tshirts for Halloween. One for me, one for the tween I babysit for. She is big on the Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus series and wanted to be Annabeth for Halloween. I've read the PJ series, and am slowly but surely working my way through the Heroes books, so I decided to make one too. 

We printed a design off the internet, and then went about freezer paper stenciling it onto orange tshirts from Michael's. We bought them on sale, her regular fit was about $3, my ladies fit was $6. 

Dana from MADE has a great freezer paper stenciling tutorial, chech it out here. www.danamadeit.com/2008/07/tutorial-freezer-paper-stencil-makenna-loves-goldfish.html

I am planning on wearing mine on Halloween too, but I'll either be Piper or Hazel, depending on what accessories I come up with between now and then! 

Freezer paper is great for custom shirts, onesies, or anything you want monogrammed! 

My tween and I have plans to make Camp Jupiter shirts next, yellow print on purple tshirts. Maybe in the next couple of weeks... 

Santa to Leprechaun

Okay I am sure you all are thinking, that's weird that looks like a Christmas onesie, but its March... Well you would be right! However bear with me, I promise by the end this will be a St. Patrick's Day post!

I made this cute onesie and tutu set for my favorite little girl to wear in some fun photos for her first Christmas. I made it knowing that six month olds don't really wear tutus for extended periods of time. It was just a fun prop for her. 

So anyway I didn't blog about it then but I came across the picture in my phone and something clicked, that same onesie but paired with a green tutu she would look like a leprechaun! So I called her Momma and asked if the onesie would still fit, she confirmed, so off to Hobby Lobby I went! (Please use your talented imaginations for the picture at the right, I wasn't able to get a picture of her in it)

I picked up a white headband for .79 cents and a roll of tulle using my 40% off coupon it probably came to $3.00. I know that the rolls of tulle aren't as economical, but they make the tutu making process so much easier. Hobby Lobby didn't have a kelly green in either the bolt or rolls so I went with an apple/lime green. I wish it was kelly but I think it will work for her first St. Patrick's day celebration just fine. The color would actually be perfect for a Tinker Bell costume, so I will probably add more tulle to it so that it can do double duty later in life.

The onesie is just fleece and felt that I cut to look like a belt (Santa's belt in December, and conveniently a Leprechaun belt in March). I ironed it on using wonder under, and then sewed over it to make sure it wasn't going anywhere. 

The tutu doesn't have to go with the belted onesie, it can easily go with any other St. Patrick's onesie that she has. Including the Shamrock one I made her.

So an appliqued belted onesie, a green tutu, some adorable shamrock tights/leggings and she is going to make just about the cutest little leprechaun that ever was!

Golf Course Cupcake Cake

This is not a pinterest fail to me just a pinterest different.

I made is cake for my then boyfriend (now fiancé) for his birthday last February. He loves to golf so when I saw this cupcake cake on Pinterest, I wanted to make it, but knew it would come out like hers. I don't have e tools and I know that, so I made it my way, and I think it turned out great!

http://pattycakesbakery.blogspot.com/2011/05/whats-new-cupcake.html?m=1

I just made a boxed mix for the cupcakes, and used Pillsbury vanilla frosting. My guy doesn't really like sweets, so I knew if I made from scratch it would have been a lot of work for little reward.

I separated the frosting into containers and mixed them with food coloring. I added brow. Sugar to the yellow ones to simulate sand. I added blue sugar to the blue cupcakes to simulate water. The green, I gave some texture to look like grass. The hole is an upside down chocolate chip.

I made a flag out of paper and a straw, and used mini marshmallows as golf balls.

Simple easy, and much less time consuming than from scratch, but still a fun "wow" factor from the unsuspecting recipient.

I love the way it turned out, and Joey was very surprised!

St. Patrick's Day Onesie

Another holiday, another holiday project! So...

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!

This is the last onesie that was shipped up to New York for my BFFs daughter a few weeks ago. You can check out the other ones here and here.

I just did a simple, standard, applique process. I use fusible interfacing on all my appliques. In the past I did not use it, then I did a project with letters, that tend to be more noticeable if they are crooked, so I tried it. Ever since I used it that once, I was hooked! It is not that expensive (especially on sale!) and it really gives a nicer finished product.

I googled clover/shamrock to find a shape that I liked. I cut out a square of fabric big enough, and ironed on fusible interfacing on the wrong side. Then I traced it onto the paper side of my fabric using my laptop screen as a light-box.

I cut out my shape. Ironed it on to the cotton onesie. Then I carefully sewed around my shape using a zigzag stitch.

I thought I was finished but I thought it didn't look girly enough for that cute girlie so I made a little bow out of a green polka dot fabric and hand sewed it onto the stem of the shamrock. Perfect!



A Shamrockin' Collar

Valentine's day is officially over! At my house we don't just change our decor we change the dogs collars. You can see my other collar creations here and here. Since the next holiday is upon us, so it is time to switch our my pups collars! Goodbye conversation hearts, hello shamrocks!

I made these just like the Valentine's Day collars with the nylon webbing fused in-between the fabric "bias tape."

Layla's webbing is pink.                             Dylan's  is green.

Don't they look adorable?!

(PS - This blog newbie is LUCY! Her mom LOVES St. Patrick's Day so I knew Lucy

had to have a Shamrockin' collar to help her celebrate too!)

Layla's thoughts on pictures...

Valentine's Day Photo Shoot

Happy Belated Valentine's Day!

I know I had a few before Valentine's Day projects posted but I wanted to do an after post too.

I did a little Valentine's day photo shoot of my dogs using my iPhone. I even snuck into a few shots. The dog already had their pink collars on. I grabbed a red tie from my repurposing pile to put on Dylan. Layla got a big bow tied from a v-day bandana. The backdrop is simply a quilt tucked into my closed dresser drawers.

The pictures were originally to send toy my boyfriend who, unlike me, works normal hours. Just to send some Valentines day love from home while he's at work.  I was having so much fun with it, I kept going! Sometimes when you're home alone you have to make your own free fun! So have some fun with it! Bring in whatever props you have, or think would look cute. This can be done for any holiday. Green sheet backdrop for St. Patrick's day or Easter. Red for Christmas, the possibilities are endless!

I hope you all had an excellent Valentine's Day with whoever or whatever you love! My adorable boyfriend got me these beautiful roses, some Lindt truffles, and a wonderful dinner out. We had a great time and it was nice to get dressed up and go out on a weeknight, it made the week feel shorter.

The two top pictures were edited using instagram and frametastic (both free from itunes)

Faux Chenille Blanket

It is finally, FINALLY, done!!!


I started this blanket so. so. so. long ago. Whenever I would get frustrated by it whether it be because a pin pricking me one too many times or just being beyond bored, I would just put it off to the side for another day, another week, another month, another season. But the other day I bunkered down and finished it and I am so. so. so. glad that I did! I am madly in love with it!

This is not a tutorial as I used Aesthetic Nest's and MADE's tutorials for making this beautiful blanket. These are just how I did it, and my thoughts about it.

I used a heavyweight cotton from Hancock Fabrics for my top fabric, and four layers of flannel for my bottom layers. The two layers closest to my top actually have really ugly patterns on them but you can't really tell since they are covered and cut. That was one way that I cut the costs.

I did not use glue, or saftey pins (just straight pins). I used a chalk line (out of the boyfriend's tool box) to make my first line. My fabric didn't shift too much but I do wish I had used saftey pins because with so much fabric flapping around its hard to see where they are and not get pricked. I wish I had used the chalk line a few more times to straighten out every so often, since when one line gets out of whack it can lead to all of them being that way. Luckily you can't even really tell now that it is washed, but just a thought.

When I was sewing I was initally not taking my needle out just leaving it down and turning my blanket, but once I started doing it the proper way, I liked how taking the needle out and clipping off the extra thread broke up all that sewing.

I cut using my erganomic spring assisted scissors and I think that they made it easier not to cut through the top fabric than regular scissors. I do wish I put one more layer in and left it uncut, I missed my lowest layer in some sections and I like the look a little better.

The biggest problem I had with it was how to "square it up" (mostly because I was making a rectangle, not a square) once I finished all the sewing. I trimmed the clearly wonky ends with scissors then tried to clean it up with the rotary cutter. I could still tell that it wasn't totally perfect, then I got over it! It was as straight as I was ever going to get it, and who was really ever going to notice? I also rounded the edges because it looked so cute on both of the tutorial blankets, I used a plate as well.

I am not a very patient sewer, but once I looked at Dana's bias tape tutorial over at MADE I knew that I needed to take my time and do it the right, or proper, way as Dana calls it. Which meant going around not once, but twice. But it was totally worth it! I knew I would have messed up if I had done it the sandwhich way. The right way, gave me a little more control over sewing it in a straight line. It came out just as beautiful as I had hoped! 

I am so happy with this blanket. It took me forever and drove me nuts. It is almost maddening to make, but once it comes out of the dryer, you don't remember any of it. It makes it all seem totally worth it. It is so plush, heavy, beautiful, and perfect. I wish I had the patience to make a bigger one that me and my love could snuggle under together, but it will probably never happen. So this one will have to do.

Everyone loves to snuggle this blanket, no matter how many legs you have...

two...

or four ...

I'm not sure if I will ever make another one of these blankets, because it is so time consuming, but if I found the right sale on flannel, I just might be tempted...

Vintage Valentine Iphone Cover

Just another paper insert. This time its an adorable vintage valentine. Just size, print, cut, and stick in the case. Happy Valentines Day!

Valentine's day cake

A simple heart shaped cake. A quick and easy last minute Valentine's Day treat.






One boxed cake mix.

One round cake cut in half.

One square cake.

Assemble.

And frost.

Done simple and adorable.

Look what just arrived...

My very first Pick Your Plum order has arrived! A bunch of adorable resin flowers. Not sure what they'll become yet, but I am glad they're here! Oh the possibilities!