Happy Halloween!

I hope you all have a happy Halloween!

Don't eat too much chocolate:)

Pumpkin Centerpiece

This centerpiece has a very fall-ish feel, so it would work for either Halloween or Thanksgiving.

I started with an artificial pumpkin, a candle and two fall floral sprigs.

I cut a circle around the stem using a sharp steak knife.

It was much easier than I thought it would be!

I stuck the fall sprigs in the hole and wedged the candle into the hole.

It's tight enough that the candle holds the foliage tight without having to use glue.

Then I arranged the leaves to space them out and make the candle noticeable.

Ta-da!

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

An excellent wife is the crown of her husband

Proverbs 12:4

This post is linked to The Crafted Sparrow, Too Much Time On My Hands, Life With Lorelai,
and I Heart Naptime 

Thrifty Thursday #190

Every Tuesday and Thursday I go to an exercise class at the YMCA.
On Tuesdays, I have a standing tradition with my boys.
I bring them home a burger and a drink from Sonic.
Because I'm a frugal gal, I prefer to wait until Happy Hour starts at 2 so I can get the drinks half off.
 My class ends at one, so I have to piddle around for an hour before I can go to Sonic.
I usually use this time to swing into the thrift stores.

Here's what I found there this week. . .

This set of three Good Housekeeping Encyclopedic Cookbooks

in excellent condition.

Check out the inside covers. Love those graphics!

Here's an interior page.

The books were copyrighted in 1965.

The contents are even listed on the binding.

Guess how much I paid for them?

Only $1.50 for the set of three!

I couldn't pass up this Glasbake serving dish.

It was $2.

It's actually a divided dish.
Cool, huh?

Two rockin' kitchen scores if I do say so myself:)

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

The generous soul will be made rich,

 and he who waters will also be watered himself.

Proverbs 11:25

This post is linked to Embracing Change, The Crafted Sparrow, and My Girlish Whims.

Layout of the Week #121

Are you ready for some scrappin'?

Well, let's get to it!

Here's the layout we'll be making.

To create it, you'll need:
one piece of 12"x 12" cardstock
two pieces of pattern paper measuring 3"x 3"
two strips of pattern paper measuring 1/4"x 12"
pre-printed title or letter stickers for the title
three embellishments
five photos cropped to 3"x 3"
pen for journaling
adhesive

To start, you need to place two photos along the bottom edge.
They should line up along the center of the layout.
I used a ruler to find the 6" mark and set the photos on either side of that imaginary line.

Then place another photo above the left photo.
Place your title above the right photo.
I used a pre-printed title. You could also put letter stickers in this space.

Add the rest of your photos and the two squares of pattern paper.

If you'd rather replace the pattern paper with photos, feel free!

Now place the 1/4"x 12" strips of pattern paper along the edges of your columns.

Now it's time to place our embellishments.
Put one along the lower left edge of the left column.
Put another one at the upper right edge of the right column.
Place the last one on the left edge of the second photo in the left column.

Then write your journaling around the outer edge of the layout.
Because my background is black, I used a paint pen. It kind of looks like a chalkboard, huh?
 

That's it!

I couldn't wait to get these pictures scrapped.
We were taking pictures last week on my brother's birthday and my mom was making us all laugh.

I made a video tutorial for this layout. It's less than five minutes.
(Please forgive the imperfections. It's my son and my first time to try this:)
Can you believe that you can make a layout that quickly? After cutting your papers, of course.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial.
If so, swing by every other Wednesday to complete another layout.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; 

Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

Psalm 36:5

This post is linked to Simple Nature Decor, Plucky's Second Thought,
Tatertots and Jello, and Between Naps on the Porch. 

Recipe of the Week #193- Baked Parmesan Roasted Broccoli

Baked Parmesan Roasted Broccoli
24 broccoli florets
3 Tbsp olive oil
garlic salt, salt, and pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
a wee bit of lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place broccoli in a single layer on a baking sheet. Add oil, toss to coat all the pieces. Season with garlic salt, salt, and pepper. Bake 10-12 minutes.
Sprinkle with cheese and lemon juice. Serve immediately.

My hubby and I have been eating the heck out of this lately. He's been trying to stick to meat and veggies, so I had to figure out some new ways to prepare them. I'm not the biggest fan of veggies, but when I tried this, I couldn't believe how good broccoli tastes with garlic on it! Yum!

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

For You are my rock and my fortress

Psalm 31:3

This post is linked to Ivy and Elephants, Skip to My Lou, and It's Overflowing.

Halloween Projects

Want to see some Halloween projects?
Just follow the links to see more details.

  

This project is cute and super easy. 

They're doily pumpkins.

They are simply decorative pumpkins with vintage doilies adhered to them.

I made this Halloween wreath with supplies from the dollar store.

You can go here to see this pumpkin covered with sheet music 

and another one decoupaged with a map.

This Halloween garland is made from dollar store items, too.

For this paper covered pumpkin, 

I cut up Halloween patterned papers and adhered them to the pumpkin with Mod Podge. 

As typical for me, all these projects are quick, easy, and cheap to make.:)

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

I will bless the Lord at all times; 

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Psalm 34:1

 This post is linked to Natasha In Oz, The Dedicated House, Lil' Luna,

Funky Junk, and Tip Junkie.

French Book Page Candles

I've had this project on my to-do list for awhile-

French book page candles.

I got a French textbook at a thrift store and thought the pages would look
so lovely wrapped around candles.

Once I put it on, it was a little lackluster.

So I added wide lace with pink edging

and wrapped some twine around them.

I think the lace and twine were just what they needed!

The French text is still able to be seen through the lace.

I used beige candles because the book pages were old enough that they weren't white anymore.

I got my candles at a dollar store.

Then I trimmed the pages to fit. It took two separate pieces to cover the entire candle.

Then I held the lace on by wrapping it with twine.

Kind of elegant and girly, huh?

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

He who earnestly seeks good finds favor, 

but trouble will come to him who seeks evil.

Proverbs 11:27

This post is linked to Embracing Change, The Crafted Sparrow, I Heart Naptime, and Funky Junk.

Thrifty Thursday #189

There is an older lady in a nearby neighborhood who has a garage sale twice a year.

And her sales are a-mazing!

She runs them for three days, Thursday through Saturday,

and she always has great stuff.

Not only that, but she sets up darling vignettes with her stuff.

My hubby and I were so excited when we happened across her sale last weekend.

Wait til you see what we got.

We picked up this wooden chair for $6.

We have an eclectic mix of chairs around our kitchen table.

With two teenage sons who like to lean back on chairs, we go through them faster than I'd like to.

This guy will fit right in with the rest.

How cool is this old wine box?

It cost me $2.

When I spotted this awesome card/photo holder, I snatched it right up.

I don't know if it's old, but it's certainly cute.

It was $6.

I think it will end up on my wall holding vintage photos. 

(Please forgive the ugly cooler in the background, but I had to put it against something 

that would make the rack show up.)

This lovely rusted rake head was $2.

I've turned one of these into a fall wreath.

Not sure what I'll do with this one yet.

I got this small glass mixing bowl for $1.

My hubby has a real love for cast iron skillets. I can't actually tell you why. . .

Maybe it's because his mom used one while he was growing up.

This was $8 and was in pretty good shape.

My hubby was excited to get it that he went right home and reconditioned it right away.

We picked up $26 worth of stuff. 

I wasn't going to barter with this old gal because I really like her.

She started adding up our stuff and reduced the prices on everything. She only charged us $18.

How awesome is that?

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

For our heart shall rejoice in Him, 

because we have trusted in His holy name.

Psalm 33:21

This post is linked to My Girlish Whims, Life With Lorelai, and Too Much Time.

Lovelies That I Love

Ready for a little Halloween window shopping?

How darling is this baby girl's Halloween romper?

This vampire bat headband could be paired

with a black blouse and you'd be set for your costume.

I totally love the vintage Halloween images on this bracelet.

This pack of vintage Halloween ephemera just makes my fingers itch to craft!

They could be used in any paper crafting project or to make a darling banner/bunting.

I love the smiling pumpkin on this ring.

I'm not the creepy, scary kind of Halloween fan; hence the cute, happy Halloween finds:)

I'm not affiliated with any of these companies, I just like their stuff.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

The counsel of the Lord stands forever, 

the plans of His heart to all generations.

Psalm 33:11

This post is linked to It's Overflowing, Ivy and Elephants, Lil' Luna,
and Between Naps on the Porch.

Recipe of the Week #192- Tupperware Bread

Tupperware Bread
3 1/2 cups warm water
3 packages yeast
6 Tbsp sugar
6 Tbsp melted butter
4 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
10 cups flour

Using a large Tupperware bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar and melted butter. Stir in salt and eggs. Add the 10 cups of flour, stirring as you go. Stir until thoroughly mixed- the dough will be sticky. Place the lid on the bowl and put in a warm place until the seal pops on the lid (30-60 minutes).
Turn dough onto a floured surface. Divide the dough into four equal parts and place in greased loaf pans. Cover pans with a damp dish towel and let rise for 30 minutes.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until done.

Don't be intimidated by this recipe. Once you get started, you'll see it's quite easy. If I can make this, anybody can! Beside, who doesn't love homemade bread? Seriously, when it's still warm from the oven, it's like a bite of heaven.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; 

and the God of love and peace will be with you.

2 Cor 13:11

This post is linked to Plucky's Second Thought, Simple Nature Decor, and Skip to My Lou.

Mini Album Monday #64- Easy Halloween Mini Album

Halloween is right around the corner, so I know you'll be getting some good pictures.

Here's a quick album you can make to showcase those photos.

The reason that it will go together quickly is because it's made of decorative treat bags.

 To make it, you'll need:

6-8 Halloween treat bags (mine are 4 1/2" x 7")

6-8 pieces of pattern paper measuring 5"x 3 1/2" 

stickers in your theme

6-8 pieces of cardstock trimmed to 4"x 6"

optional: small doily and tickets or scraps of pattern papers to act as tabs

adhesive

hole punch

two office rings

Decide how many pages you want in your book. Keep in mind that you need one for your cover too.

I used seven bags. They should all lay horizontally with the openings to the right.

To start, we're going to put the title on the cover.

If you'd like, place a doily at the lower right corner.

Now place a small piece of pattern paper at the bottom of the doily.

Place your title sticker on the pattern paper.

On the remaining bags, adhere the pattern paper near the centers.

I used the same pattern on every page.

Punch two holes along the left edge of all the bags.

I did mine all at one time.

Place your office rings in these to bind the book.

 Adhere tickets or small squares of pattern paper to the short ends of all your cardstock.

These will become inserts for your paper bags which makes pocket pages.

I staggered my tickets left, middle, and right so they weren't all the same.

Place one piece of cardstock in each bag. I like how they look with tabs sticking out.

That also makes it easier to pull them out.

Now it's time to add photos.

I chose photos of my siblings and I from when we were young.

Place a photo on each page.

Add journaling or a caption and an embellishment if desired.

Don't forget to add photos to the pages inside the bags.

Even though we just used horizontal mats, you can still feature vertical photos.

Some of my pages have very little journaling as I can't remember much about what went on!

I used an orange Sharpie marker and wrote right on the photo mats.

It was so much fun using older photos.

I can't wait to show this album to my mom!

 

If you'd like, add a piece of ribbon to each office ring.

That's it!

Thanks so much for stopping by and God bless.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; 

I will guide you with My eye.

Psalm 32:8

This post is linked to Natasha In Oz, Tip Junkie, Tatertots and Jello, and The Dedicated House.