"Orange" You Glad?

Do you have that one person who is difficult to buy for?

Or maybe that person that you'd like to give a gift to, but don't know just what to get?

How about an orange themed gift basket with a tag that says,
 "Orange you glad it's your birthday?"

Just get a clear or orange container and fill it with orange products.

I included a notebook, pen, nail polish, lip gloss,

 Ice Breaker mints, gum, and a can of orange Crush.

Then I tied a ribbon around it all and attached a tag.

You could do this and customize it to anything really. . .

Orange you glad school is starting/ending?

Orange you glad that test is over?

Orange you glad you work here?

Orange you glad to be my friend? :)

You can go here to see how to build a basket full of sunshine.

Thanks so much for stopping by and God bless.

I will be glad and rejoice in You; 

I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

Psalm 9:2

This post is linked to Skip To My Lou, It's Overflowing,
Lil' Luna, and Plucky's Second Thought.

Vintage Chair Turned Chalkboard Easel

I picked up some rusty vintage metal chairs at a yard sale.
I thought that I could pull them out when we have company.
Once my hubby sat on one and decided that they weren't fit for sitting,
I knew I'd have to come up with some use for them.

So I painted the seat and back with chalkboard paint.
When you partially open it, it sits like an easel.

I left the rest of the chair in it's shabby glory.

It would be cute propped against something or hung on a wall as a message center.
Cute, unique--- and useful!

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!
Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; 

I will tell of all Your marvelous works.

Psalm 9:1

This post is linked to Life With Lorelai, The Crafted Sparrow, Tatertots and Jello,
Simple Nature Decor, and Funky Junk.

Thrifty Thursday #181

Last Saturday morning I only had a few minutes to spare, but my hubby and I quickly stopped into a church yard sale. I had high hopes for it, but it was mostly clothes.
I managed to find a few things.

The most interesting part of the morning happened on our way to the sale. I pulled out of a parking lot in front of a truck pulling a trailer. I felt I had enough time. I guess the driver didn't see me.
Before I knew it, I heard incredibly loud screeching of tires. In my rear view mirror, I could see the truck was right on my tail.  I hit the gas and sped out of the truck's way just in the nick of time.
I think God had his hand in between our two vehicles!
Boy, was my heart racing after that!

I got this plate for my friend who is wanting to hang plates on one of her living room walls.

It's 7" across and has such a pretty pattern.

I paid a dime for it, but I would've gladly paid the original price of fifty cents:)

Patterns were marked fifty cents each, so I picked up four.

I was delightfully surprised when I went to pay and was only charged ten cents apiece for them.
It wasn't even 11 a.m. and they were already marking down their prices.

All together I only spent fifty cents.
Time well spent.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

O Lord, our Lord, 

how excellent is Your name in all the earth!

Psalm 8:9

This post is linked to Embracing Change, Too Much Time On My Hands, and My Girlish Whims.

Lovelies That I Love

Every other Wednesday, I do a little virtual shopping looking for
awesome finds to share with you guys.
While I love to "window shop," I don't usually spend money on myself,
 but if I were to do so, here's what I'd get. . . 

This is one of many beautiful necklaces by Beth Quinn Designs.

I adore everything she makes!

I love this tunic. Wouldn't it be too cute paired with some leggings?

It's very reasonably priced, too.

This triple cross ring is from The Vintage Pearl.

I discovered The Vintage Pearl online a couple of years ago. Now they have a store just 20 minutes down the road from me. How great is that?!?

I've had my eye on these Macie Bean cowboy boots for awhile.

I think the flowers are just so happy looking.

I totally love this "Week In The Life" album kit from Ali Edwards.

It's everything you need to make an album that documents one week in your life.

What an awesome keepsake this would be!

Well, that's a peek into my wish list:)

Thanks so much for stopping by and God bless.

P.S. I'm not affiliated with any of these companies; I just like their stuff.

Happy is the man who finds wisdom.

Proverbs 3:13

This post is linked to Ivy and Elephants, Skip to My Lou, Lil' Luna, and Between Naps on the Porch.

Recipe of the Week #184- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cup flour
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
2 cups mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Mix together butter and brown sugar for 3 minutes until fluffy. Add vanilla and beat until combined. Turn mixer to low, and alternate adding the flour and condensed milk until combined. Fold in mini chocolate chips. Press dough into the bottom of 8"x 8" pan lined with parchment paper. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.

To make topping, combine the peanut butter and chocolate chips in a bowl. Melt in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds. Spread over the top of the bars. Chill for 1 hour until firm.

These are so very tasty. I had doubled the batch which made a crazy amount, so I took them to church to share. They were gobbled up! I have a new favorite:)

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

Ask, and it will be given to you; 

seek, and you will find; 

knock, and it will be opened to you.

Matthew 7:7

This post is linked to It's Overflowing and Plucky's Second Thought.

Mini Album Monday #60- Summer Memories Album

I have found that I don't scrapbook nearly as often as I used to (although I still love doing it),

but I love going through the mini albums that I made in the past

For several summers, I used to make mini albums that documented what we did over our summers.
 (Now that I keep a month-by-month album, I feel it's repetitive to do a summer album.)

Here is one from a few summers ago that I made using part of a Capri Sun box for the cover.

I liked the summer-y feel of the box, so decided to make it the foundation of this book.

When I cut the box, I used the front and bottom sides. I used the bottom flap to fold up and make a pocket on the inside covers.
The first page of my book is a piece of vellum covered in summer themed words.

I used different sized and shaped papers.
The paper on the left has was waves cut into the top edge and
the paper on the right was cut into a large oval.

I folded each page in half and punched holes in the center,
 then held them all together with a piece of ribbon.

Each page has just one photo on it.

For my journaling, I taped four tags together (you can see two here- the other two show up towards the end of the album).

Because all my journaling was on the tags, I just needed to add a caption to each photo.

For one page, I cut it longer than it needed to be so that I could fold up the bottom flap to make a pocket. I stuck the boys' swimming lesson certificates in this pocket.

Here you can see the ribbon that is acting as the book's binding.

On the right is the other side of the pocket page.
 I placed two tickets from Chuck E. Cheese in it.

The page on the right is the other side of the tags.

Even thought this album measures only 5"x 5 3/4", it holds quite a few photos.

Here are the other sides of the oval page and the page with waves at the top.

In the back pocket, I placed part of a pamphlet and a ticket from a trip we took.

 

Here's the back cover.

This is one of my favorite albums. It's so unusual-- this truly is turning trash into something useful:)

I hope everybody had a good first day back to school today!

 

You can go here to see another summer mini album that I made.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

Do not be wise in your own eyes; 

fear the Lord and depart from evil. 

Proverbs 3:7

This post is linked to Skip to My Lou, Natasha In Oz, I Heart Naptime, and Tip Junkie.

Take a Tour Around Yeya's Antiques and Oddities

If you've stopped by around here for any length of time, 

I'm sure you've gathered that I am a lover of junk.

Besides thrift stores and estate sales,

 sometimes it's hard to find a place that is full of good, old junk.

Well, have I got a place to share with you. . .

It's called Yeya's Antiques and Oddities in San Antonio.

My hubby and I stopped in there last week.

Take a look at some of what we saw. . .

giant letters,

vintage military ammo cans,

this awesome metal shelf,

huge casters,

all these rolling carts,

gauges,

and tables full of stuff.

The yard and two buildings were full.
We took our time looking, and I'm sure we didn't see it all.

The day that we stopped at the store, it was actually closed..
I called the owner and when he saw on caller ID that we were from the Houston area,
he decided to open it up so we could look.
Can you believe that?
What excellent customer service.
If you're ever in the San Antonio area and are up for some vintage stopping, you'll want to stop here.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

Judge not, that you be not judged.

Matthew 7:1

 This post is linked to Embracing Change, Too Much Time, My Girlish Whims,
 and Tatertots and Jello.

Thrifty Thursday #180

Recently I showed you a toolbox that I rescued from the trash.

I actually do quite a bit of roadside shopping.

For real. . . every time I see a pile by the road, I slow down to make sure there's nothing I want.

It drives my boys crazy!

Anyway, somebody commented that they never find anything vintage by the road.

This week I've got a picture of something that I saw while I was out walking my dog in the neighborhood.

It's a Wurlitzer organ.

Check out all those buttons!

I didn't bring it home because I don't know what I'd do with it.

Plus, there isn't any room in my garage for anymore finds.

My hubby is starting to get frustrated with my "finds" that are taking over his garage space.

I keep telling him that one day I'll have a booth to sell them. :)

Anyway, this organ is still by the road if anybody reading this lives near me. . . 

Let me know and I'll tell you where to find it:)

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Matthew 5:7

This post is linked to Ivy and Elephants, Life With Lorelai, and The Crafted Sparrow. 

Layout of the Week #116

It's Wednesday which means we're making a quick and easy layout.

Grab a few photos and come along with me.

 Here's the layout we'll be making.

Besides the background pattern paper, there's very little on here besides the photos.

This is a guaranteed quick layout!

To create it, you need:

1 piece of 12"x 12" pattern paper (I used a shooting target)

4-6 vertical photos

3 embellishments in your theme

3 rolls of decorative tape

journaling card measuring 3"x 3" (you can use an index card or graph paper)

letter stickers for the title

adhesive

paper trimmer

Trim your photos to 3" wide. 

The height will vary depending on if you use two or three in each column.

Place two or three along the right edge of the 12"x 12" pattern paper.

Now place your second column of photos to the left of your first column.

Again, these should be 3" wide. You can use two or three photos in this column. 

My middle photo is 3 3/4" wide because I couldn't trim anymore off of it.

Place your journaling card slightly overlapping your bottom left two photos.

Using letter stickers, add your title below the journaling card.

Place your three embellishments in the upper left corner of the pattern paper.

Place strips of decorative tape along the corners of a few of your photos 

and one strip just below your title.

That's it! 

Did you time how long it took to do this? I think we may have set a record!

If you enjoyed this, please come back every other Wednesday to complete a quick layout tutorial.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, 

but do not consider the plank in your own eye?

Matthew:7:3

This post is linked to I Heart Naptime,  Skip to My Lou, Tip Junkie, and Simple Nature Decor.

Recipe of the Week #183- One Pot Beef Stroganoff

One Pot Beef Stroganoff
1 lb beef
1 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 pkg (8oz each) sliced button mushrooms
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
2 cans (14 oz) beef broth
1 lb egg noodles
1 container (16 oz) sour cream

Cook beef, onion, and garlic until brown. Don't drain. Add mushrooms and salt and cook for five minutes. Add evaporated milk, broth, and noodles. At first the noodles won't be covered. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 7-8 minutes. Stir frequently until noodles are tender. Remove fro heat. Stir in sour cream and salt and pepper to taste.

This is one of my new favorite recipes! I love beef stroganoff and this particular recipe is so easy to make.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

Matthew 6:27

This post is linked to Between Naps on the Porch, The Dedicated House, and What's On the List?

Alphabet Vase DIY

School is set to start in one week.

In some places, it has already begun.

Here's a little something that would be a great teacher gift or even cute classroom decor.

It's an alphabet vase.

I got everything I to make it at a dollar store.

1 large vase

1 medium vase

ribbon

2 packages of alphabet/letter magnets

I started with two vases- one should be able to slide into the other

 with just a little bit of space around it.

Then I dropped the magnets one at a time into that little space.

By dropping them individually, I was able to make sure they didn't double up on each other.

This photo shows that the interior vase isn't as tall as the outer one which is ok

 because that part will get covered up in the next step.

Then I added a bit of tulle. Ribbon would have worked also.

The final step was adding flowers.
I used silk flowers, but real would look beautiful, too.

Here's to the last week of summer!
Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

The lamp of the body is the eye.

 If therefore your eye is good,

 your whole body will be full of light.

Matthew 6:22

This post is linked to Natasha In Oz, Plucky's Second Thought, Lil' Luna, and It's Overflowing.