Orange Creamsicle In A Glass

This smoothie tastes like an orange creamsicle in a glass!  It served as a great afternoon treat.  My family really enjoyed it.  Hope you like it too!

Ingredients

1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons instant vanilla pudding
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
6 Ice Cubes

 Directions
Add all ingredients, except ice to blender and blend until smooth.  Add ice cubes, then blend to crush ice.  Serve immediately.

Inexpensive Valentine's Day Decor

For Valentine's Day this year, I decided to decorate my daughter's room with a little love.  As much as I love decorating for the holidays, I enjoy creating inexpensive ways to fill my home with seasonal decor even more!

I created inexpensive floral vases using recycled food jars.

I made a heart template out of card stock.  Then filled the heart in with puffy paint.

For this vase, I added rub on transfers and filled in the "o's" with puffy paint.

This vase is my favorite!

I used stickers as my template.  Then I dotted around each letter with more puffy paint.  I think it's pretty obvious how much I love puffy paint!

I purchased the felt hearts at Target after Christmas.  They were only 30 cents for a pack of 3.  They were originally tree ornaments.  I snipped off the ties, then strung them together with twine.

The flowers were on clearance too!  I picked them up for $1.29 while in the grocery store.

So there you go!  You can still make the day special without spending a lot of money! 

*A special thank-you to the Cheri @ I Am Momma Hear Me Roar and the ladies @ iLoveToCreate Blog for featuring this post.

I am linking this post to:Sew Many Ways

Homemade Granola Bars

My teenage daughter loves Pinterest just as much as I do.  She confessed that she often visits the site when she's bored or slacking on school work.  Because of Pinterest, many of our conversations have started out like this, "Mommy, I saw this great recipe on Pinterest.  Do you think we could make it this weekend?"

Recently she stumbled upon a homemade granola bar recipe that looked too easy not to make.  This recipe is a great base.  I liked that we were able to play with the ingredients and mix in flavors we both enjoyed.  This recipe is delicious!  I can't wait to make another variation.

Ingredients
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup oat flour(grind rolled oats in food processor until fine)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup Nutella
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup raisins

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Line an 9 by 9-inch pan with parchment paper.  Lightly coat the parchment paper with a non-stick spray.

Stir together all the dry ingredients, including the fruit and nuts.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.  Combine with the dry ingredients until the mixture is even.  Spread mixture in the prepared pan.  Press the mixture evenly into the pan.   *Be sure to press the ingredients into the pan, so the bars don't crumble!

Bake the bars for 25 minutes or, until they’re a light golden brown.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.  Cut into bars.

*If you are not a fan of Nutella, almonds or raisins, you can replace them for things you like!

recipe adapted from http://www.foodnetwork.com

Chair Makeover with Beadboard Wallpaper

Way back in June, I purchased this chair at the thrift store for $2.50(1/2 off sale).  It sat in my garage until recently, because I was really unsure what to do with it.  I knew I would paint it and change out the fabric on the seat, but I wanted to do something of interest to the back rest.

To freshen up the chair, I started by removing the seat from the chair frame.  It was held in place with 4 screws, which were easy to remove.

Removing all of the nails and staples that were there to hold the fabric in place, not so easy!  While I was in the garage removing all those staples and nails, I noticed a leftover roll of beadboard wallpaper that I used in my kitchen and bathroom.  I decided it would be perfect to cover the backrest of the chair with.

I decided to put the chair in my daughter's room, for extra seating when her friends come over.

I painted the chair with leftover paint and the houndstooth fabric was purchased at Hobby Lobby.

As much as I'd love to think that my daughter is just going to use the chair for extra seating, I'm quite certain it will be used for anything but!

*A huge thanks to Allison @ House of Hepworth's and Becky @ Beyond the Picket Fence for featuring my chair makeover on their blogs!

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!  Today I am sharing with you pictures from my family's visit to The King Center, located here in Atlanta- a beautiful testament to Dr. King's work and life.

While visiting the King Center, my children were given the opportunity to have their picture taken with Dr. King's eldest and only living sibling, Christine King Farris.  It was a  moment I hope they cherish forever!  

As my family and I walked through The King Center, I became emotional as I wondered what it would feel like to be so selfless that you would give your life to fight for racial equality.  Thank-you Dr. King...

What I Did With Puffy Paint- part 2

I absolutely love puffy paint!  The puffy effect it gives once added to fabric or any hard surface really appeals to me.

After the holidays, I purchased a pack of tea towels at Target on clearance for $1.99.  They were great as they were, but I decided to add to them with some puffy paint.  Which can be purchased at craft stores for about a buck!

I looked around my house for some inspiration and found it in a pillow.

I love this pattern and it was pretty simple to duplicate.

Using simple round objects and a ruler, I traced my pattern in pencil.

Then I dotted over the lines with the puffy paint.

I waited 3 days for the paint to dry completely.  Then I washed it, to remove the pencil marks.

I ironed the tea towel on a cool setting on the opposite side of my pattern, after letting it air dry.

I love the way it turned out!   The pattern makes me happy!

There's so much you can do with puffy paint.  It's not just for decorating t-shirts! 

You can view what else I did with puffy paint here and here, if you like!