Flashback Friday: DIY's Using China Plates

It's the last Friday of the month, and that means we're going to flashback to previous projects
all keeping in the same theme.

This month I chose to feature projects using an item that I always love to find:

china plates.

Here I used a plate as a frame.

I love how they look turned into a wreath.

I paired one here with a matching teacup to make a candle holder.

This plate was turned into a magnetic plate in one easy step.

Just follow the links to find out more about each project.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

 Bless the Lord, O my soul!

O Lord my God, You are very great;

You are clothed with honor and majesty

Psalm 104:4

 

This post is linked to That DIY Party, Artsy Fartsy Mama, My Salvaged Treasures,
Funky Junk, and Tatertots and Jello.



Thrifty Thursday #213

My hubby and I went to an estate sale recently.
Last week I showed you what we got the first day we went.
I insisted that we go back the final day to pick up a few more things
once the "last day" discount started.
I actually had a list of things that I wanted to get if they were still there.
It turned out that several of the items had already sold (an old toolbox and a typewriter)-
both were cool, but I didn't want them at the price that was marked.

Without further ado, here are my finds from day two of the estate sale. . .

How cool is this spool?!?
I love the graphics on it.
I'm going to have my hubby remove the 2x4 from the top.
Then I think we can add a piece of glass and turn it into an end table.

Don't you just love the graphics?
It was originally $25, but I got it 40% off, so I paid $15 for it.
My hubby loves that it still has the rope on it. He's hoping to put that to use.

I also picked up these baby booties.
There were a total of four pairs.

I've seen different projects using vintage booties on Pinterest and I can't wait to try some of them.

I got all four pairs for $9.

That's it. A pretty good haul for two days, I think.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

The Lord is merciful and gracious,

 slow to anger, 

and abounding in mercy.

Psalm 103:8

This post is linked to Blue Willow House, Lil' Luna, The Crafted Sparrow,
and The Crafty Blog Stalker. 

Lovelies That I Love

I enjoy having a nice camera to take photographs.
Although I don't take nearly as many pictures as I did when my boys were young,
I do love being able to take pictures to document our lives.

Along those lines, I really like camera themed jewelry and such.
Take a look at these cool things I found. . .

I can't get over how awesome this vintage camera turned bluetooth speaker is.

It's such a great mix of modern and vintage.

This darling bracelet is made from a cork. Can you believe that?
I really like the camera graphic that they used- it almost looks hand drawn.

How cute is this ring?

I am loving this retro green Kodak camera tote.

I love how this necklace looks like an adjustment knob on a camera.
 So unique!

Looking at these things are either going to make you want to shop
or break out your camera and take some pics.
Either way, I hope you have a great afternoon!

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

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

You will know the truth, 

and the truth will set you free.

John 8:32

This post is linked to My Girlish Whims, I Gotta Create, A Cup of Joe,
and Tuesdays With a Twist. 

Recipe of the Week #218- Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
10 (8 inch) flour tortillas
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb chicken, cubed
1 Tbsp oil
2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese or Colby Jack blend
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 (15oz) can chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13"x 9" pan.
Heat oil in a skillet, then add chicken, garlic, and onion and cook until no longer pink in the center. Shred chicken. Mix with one cup cheese. Place chicken mixture on tortillas, then place in pan. In a sauce pan, melt the butter. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken broth and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium heat until bubbly and thick. Stir in sour cream and chilies. Do not bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese. Bake 20-25 minutes until golden and bubbly.

Oh. My. Word. These were delicious!!! I love that they call for flour tortillas, which I like much better than corn tortillas. The recipe itself is quite simple and quick to prepare. I'll be making these again soon!

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

If it is possible, as much as depends on you, 

live peaceably with all men.

Romans 12:18

This post is linked to Plucky's Second Thought, Too Much Time, Life With Lorelai,
 and Simple Nature Décor. 

Mini Album Monday #73- Sports Themed Envelope Album

For today's mini album, I'm pulling out an oldie, but a goodie.

I used nine different manilla envelopes to make this one.

It features pictures from my boys' first season in soccer.

I distressed and inked all the envelopes to give them a worn look- 

since that's often the way my boys looked after a game. :)

The cover is a 6 1/2"x 9 1/2" envelope.

I placed a piece of chipboard in it and put photos on both sides.

Here's the back of the cover envelope.

I used lots of sports themed stickers and bits of soccer themed pattern paper throughout.

The second page is just the outer 1 1/2" edge of an envelope.

I cut a piece of cardstock to slide right into it.

I used a larger piece of pattern paper on the back of the cardstock.

The third page is another complete 6 1/2"x 9 1/2" envelope.

I covered just the flap with pattern paper.

I even dangled embellishments from the hole on the flap.

Inside every envelope, I added space for more photos.

The back of the envelope is covered with a large piece of pattern paper.

The next page is a 6 1/2"x 9 1/2" envelope cut in half.

I typed up a sheet of journaling full of soccer stories and tucked it into this envelope.

I placed three photos on the back of it.

The next page is a shorter page- about 3". 

I just tried to give the pages a variety of sizes.

This is my favorite page in the album.

I cut the envelope at a diagonal and placed a journaling card inside.

The next page is a smaller envelope with a tag inside.

Here's the back of that envelope.

I love the willy nilly look of all the envelopes together.

For the last page, I adhered two envelopes together lengthwise to make a page that flips out.

I placed a small file folder on the front for extra photos.

This album is so full of pictures.

Here is the page flipped out.

There's another pocket with a pull-out.

Here's the back cover.

I just love turning envelopes into scrapbooks.
Just looking at this one has made me want to do another. :)

thanks for stopping by and God bless.

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, 

or whatever you do, 

do all to the glory of God

1 Cor. 10:31

This post is linked to USS Crafty, Between Naps on the Porch, Gingersnap Crafts,
I Heart Naptime, and Skip to My Lou.

I Can Finally Crochet!

My newest hobby is crocheting.

I will admit that I have tried many times before to learn this craft.

I've taken several classes through Joann's Fabrics and my grandma tried to teach me,
but for some reason, it just wouldn't stick!

Now I've joined a crochet club at church and I'm finally learning- and remembering how to do it.

I think what has helped me is that I set aside time to do it several nights a week.

At first, I even practiced single and double crochet without making anything just so that I'd get comfortable with the stitches.

Check out my first project. . .

washcloths.

 

I was able to make these after watching this video.
She is a very good instructor.
I'm planning to watch some of her other YouTube videos for future projects.

 

I made two red washcloths and two multi-colored washcloths.
I'm super excited to have been able to finally complete a crochet project!

I think it's going to be an enjoyable and relaxing hobby.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, 
but one receives the prize?
Run in such a way that you may obtain it.
1 Cor. 9:24

This post is linked to Pretty Handy Girl, A Cup of Joe, and Tatertots and Jello.

Thrifty Thursday #212

My hubby and I went to an estate sale last Saturday.
It was just around the corner from Whataburger which worked out,
since that's where we like to have breakfast on Saturdays.

I found several items that I liked, but I knew that there would be a bigger discount the next day,
so I waited to pick up a few things.
There were three things I went ahead and got that day though.

How cool is this Boy Scout First Aid Kit?

I fell in love with it.

I think it spoke to the nurse in me:)

With the 20% discount offered that day, I paid $9.70 for it.

There were actually two of these kits. I planned to pick up the second one on the last day

if it was still there, but it wasn't.

So I'm glad I went ahead and picked this guy up.



The inside is still filled with the original supplies.

I'm not sure how old the kit is, but the copyright on the first aid guide is 1942.

I don't know why, but I just love old science beakers.

This one was a little over $2.

Wouldn't it look cute with some flowers in it?

Or it would be a pretty funny candy dish.
 



I try to pick up this old style of clipboards when I find them.
I like the clip on these better than the new style.
I paid $1.40 for it.
It's always nice to have a clipboard around when I need one.

My hubby and I did go back on the last day (Sunday), and we picked up a few things.
Not as much as I had hoped to get- as a lot of what I wanted was gone.

Anyway, stop back next Thursday and see what else we brought home.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

To everything there is a season,

 a time for every purpose under heaven

Ecc. 3:1

This post is linked to Too Much Time, Life With Lorelai, and Blue Willow House.

Layout of the Week #129

Today for Layout of the Week I thought I'd show you one of my favorite layouts.

The title is "I love office supplies" and I used lots of office supplies to make it.

Here's the title. I started with a label sticker as the base, then used two different styles of letter stickers, and typed a word with a label maker.

To carry through the office theme, I used small scraps of ledger paper, message pads, envelopes, etc. around the outer two edges.

I taped them to the back making sure that they stuck out willy nilly.
I used a small file folder and printed the journaling on it.
Then I attached two pieces of twine with staples.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

Hear my prayer, O Lord, 

and let my cry come to You.

Psalm 102:1

This post is linked to I Gotta Create, Artsy Fartsy Mama, I Heart Naptime,
and Simple Nature Décor.  

Recipe of the Week #217- Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Dip

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Dip
1 (8 oz) block of cream cheese, softened
1 stick of butter, softened
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Using a mixer, mix together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and brown sugar. Stir in chocolate chips. When you refrigerate the dip, it becomes thicker. If desired, you could shape it into a ball and roll it in chopped pecans or mini chips to make a chocolate chip cheese ball.

Serve with chocolate animal crackers or graham cracker sticks.

I served mine with chocolate animal crackers, although it was good enough to just eat with a spoon! I made this to take to a get-together and it was a big hit. I'm telling you, if I could only eat one thing for the rest of my life, this would be in the running for my choice.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

For the Lord is good; 

His mercy is everlasting, 

and His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100:5

This post is linked to Tuesdays With a Twist, The Crafted Sparrow, and Gingersnap Crafts.   

Check This Out. . .

Here it is. . .

my absolute favorite magazine.

This is the most recent issue on newsstands (it was reprinted by demand).

If you haven't read it, you simply must.

I found mine at Michaels.

You can also find it here.

By the way, I'm not affiliated with it; I just highly recommend it.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

The Lord reigns, He is clothed in majesty

Psalm 93:1


This post is linked to USS Crafty, Skip To My Lou, My Girlish Whims,
and Between Naps on the Porch.

Earth Day Decor from the Dollar Store

Earth Day is next Friday.

Normally, I don't usually pay much attention to it, but this year, 

I thought I'd take advantage of the opportunity to turn some trash into treasure.

You know how that's always a chore for me;)

 

 How cute are these?

Believe it or not, I got everything to make them at the Dollar Tree.

I picked out three cans that had a vintage-y look.

I opened the cans, emptied the contents, then washed them up really well.

(I used one of those can openers that doesn't leave rough edges.

If you don't have one of those yet, you need to get one. They are awesome!)
 

Then I chose flowers to match. 

I think this project would be cute with real flowers, too.

 

For this one, I used a succulent.

I'm tickled with how they turned out.

I think it was six dollars well spent!

I would love to make some of these with vintage cans or even foreign cans.
The next time I drive by an ethnic grocery store, I may have to stop in
and check out their canned goods.

I'm thinking these- along with some vintage scales and spice containers-

 would make a nice addition to a kitchen themed wedding shower.

Here are some fun facts about Earth Day:

* it always falls on April 22

* it arose from an interest in gathering national support for environmental issues

* the most common practice of celebration is to plant new trees

So if you're not up for planting a tree, maybe you want to make a cute floral arrangement.

 Thanks for stopping by and God bless.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving 

and into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him 

and bless His name.

Psalm 100:4

This post is linked to I Heart Naptime, Pretty Handy Girl, Artsy Fartsy Mama, and Funky Junk.