Valentines Day Hydrangeas

I love the fact that instead of getting me a bouquet of flowers for Valentines Day my husband thoughtfully picks out a plant to add to our garden! We have been in our house going on 3 years so we don't have an elaborate garden yet, but with this great tradition our garden will definitely grow with love! ;-)
Our first year he gave me a Knockout Rose bush, the second year was a gorgeous hibiscus, and this year he got me a vibrant hydrangea. I cant wait to plant it!
~Samantha

Bumble Bee Clippies

Good crafternoon everyone, I am the other sister in this sister group LOL Recently we had a girls craft night and my project was to get these bumble bee clippies done for my little one's school auction. I committed myself to 20 bumble bee clippies and 5 bumble bee bow organizers. As you can see there is a theme, her school is the Beehive pre-school.

I have not finished the organizers but I did get all 20 of the clippies done on our girls craft night. I got the instructions for this website: http://www.theribbonretreat.com/custom/free_projects.aspx
The instructions on this site are wonderful!!
I will however post my step by step because I did them a bit different.
The supplies I needed:

• Yellow, black, and green grosgrain ribbon 3/8"
• White satin ribbon with frillie things (don't how the name but you will see, it is for the wings)
• glue gun
• rotatory cutter or scissors
• lighter
• needle and white thread
• the clips
• cutting mat

I started by lining the clip. I cut the green ribbon to 4 1/2 in long and gun it to the clip. Seal the edges with the lighter.

Cut the black ribbon into 1 in strip, then in half. Use the lighter to seal the edges. Next use a clip to hold one of the pieces and melt the it so that it begins to curve and look like an antenna.

Cut the ribbon for the body. You will need yellow at 4 in and 3 in and the black at 3 1/2 in and 2 1/2 in. Seal edges then hot gun the edges together.

 With this one I put a stitch but I found that it took too long and the points did not stay together. It kept sliding so I just hot glued them.

Glue all the pieces on top of each other with the 4 in yellow to start. Glue the 3 1/2 on top, then the 3 in yellow loop and last the 2 1/2 in. Cut a piece of black 1 1/8 in for the "head". Make sure you seal the edges.

Time for the wings. Cut the white 4 in and seal the edges. Use a pen to make a make at 1/8in, 2in, and 3 7/8in. Use your needle and white thread to sew the wings. Start in the center and curve the end over to meet the mark. Do the same for the other side.

Time to glue the whole thing together. Start with the antenna then the body. I use a lot of glue for the body because I don't want it to come off while using it. Now put on the wings. I try not to use that much glue because I found that it could show a yellowish stain because the glue is too hot.

That is it. I hope this was helpful and you have fun making these cute clippies.

~Jenny

Flower Wall Sconces

As part of our weekend full of crafts my friend, Mary, came over my house to do her flower sconce project. She wanted a flower arrangement  to go on each side of a mirror in her office. Starting with two candle wall sconces we selected the flowers from Hobby Lobby (yay, 50% off sale) and picked up 2 styrofoam cones, some moss for around the base, and a few extra glue sticks. 

She started by gluing the cone to the base of the sconce. From there she cut and arranged the flowers to her preference. To finish, she glue moss around the base to cover the Styrofoam. The final product was beautiful!! I can’t wait for her to make me one for my house!

~Samantha

Project Weekend Extravaganza

This weekend was jam packed with projects galore!  Saturday morning started bright and early with my best girlfriend and sister on their way to my house for a nonstop project session.  Each of us had our own list of items that we wanted to complete. We took a journey to all the craft stores we needed to get our supplies and we sat around my kitchen table all night listening to music, telling stories, and doing crafts. 

Here is a list of our success!

20 Bubble Bee Bows

2 Flower Sconces

Fitness Vision Board

Frame Family Photos

THE OFFICE (when you see it you will know why its in bold)

Stayed tuned for pictures and walk throughs ;-)

Samantha

Recipes

Carb Confused?
Just as I was ready to rule out carbs completely from my diet I came across this Healthy Living article that had some good information about the importance and benefits of “resistance starch.”

So with new inspiration I am featuring 5 fat burning carbs and some recipes to try. Recipes are courtesy of Health.com

1)Banana

Banana Maple Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1/2 ripe banana, sliced
• 1/2 cup maple low-fat yogurt
• 1/4 cup ice
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons pecans, toasted, plus more for garnish
• Dash freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for garnish

Preparation

·         1. Purée all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour into a chilled glass, and garnish with toasted pecans and grated nutmeg; serve.

2) Oatmeal

Chai Oatmeal

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups 2% or whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 teaspoons honey, plus more to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
• 3/4 cup regular (not quick-cooking) oats
• 2 tablespoons oat bran, optional

Preparation

Combine the milk, salt, and spices in a small saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer 5 minutes, stirring constantly; add the honey, vanilla (if desired), oats, and bran (if desired), and stir until combined. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the oatmeal is thick and creamy. Serve hot with additional honey to taste.

3) White Beans

Chicken, White Bean, and Spinach Stew

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium coarsely chopped onion
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 2 (16-ounce) cans cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 canned plum tomatoes, drained
• 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 3 ounces baby spinach leaves (3 packed cups), coarsely chopped
• 2 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes or until softened, stirring. Add garlic and thyme; cook 1 minute, stirring. Add beans, water, tomatoes, and broth. Increase heat to high until stew begins to bubble. Reduce heat; let simmer 5 minutes, breaking up tomatoes with a spoon. Add more water, if needed.

2. Add spinach, stirring until wilted. Add chicken; cook 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

4) Whole Wheat Pasta

Penne Parmesan Zucchini

Ingredients

·         2 cups uncooked whole wheat penne pasta

·         3 tablespoons olive oil

·         1 garlic clove, minced

·         1 medium zucchini, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices

·         1/2 teaspoon salt

·         1/2 teaspoon black pepper

·         1/4 cup shaved fresh Parmesan cheese, divided

·         3 tablespoons chopped bottled roasted red bell pepper

Preparation

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add penne, and cook 7-9 minutes or until al dente. Drain penne, reserving 2 tablespoons of the pasta water.

2. While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, and cook about 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the zucchini, and sauté over medium heat another 3 minutes or until the zucchini is tender. Then season with salt and black pepper to taste.

3. Add penne and reserved pasta water to the zucchini in the skillet; toss to combine.

4. Remove from heat and transfer to large serving bowl. Add 2 tablespoons Parmesan and toss gently to combine all ingredients. Serve garnished with the roasted red bell peppers and the remaining 2 tablespoons shaved Parmesan.

5) Brown Rice

Un-Fried Healthy Rice

·         1 cup organic brown rice

·         2 cups purified water

·         1 cup organic frozen peas and carrots, thawed

·         ½-1 cup raw cashews, halved or large pieces

·         ½ tsp. sea salt

·         1-2 T. shoyu, to taste

·         2 tsp. sesame oil (optional)

Cook brown rice according to basic brown rice recipe above. Last 10 minutes of cooking, pour peas and carrots on top long enough to heat through. After 10 minute wait, add remaining ingredients and toss gently with a fork until mixed well.

Garden

I would love to have a vibrant garden this spring.  Are there any DIY Sisters out there that can give some advice?

Laundry Room

I just got the sexiest washer and dryer for Christmas!!!! So I began to think....even though my laundry room is only seen by me, that doesn't mean it cant look great. I came across this adorable picture that re-purposed an old dollhouse for storage shelves. What a unique idea!
I'll keep you posted on the progress of my new laundry room.