Cookie Cutter Chirstmas frames

Let's face it, Grandma has everything. At least everything your seven year old can afford. The only thing she wants, the same thing every year, pictures. Pictures. This magically instant way to connect with those she loves so much; but have little time for her. It's OK, she understands, she was younger before she was older.
So, let's do something special this year, and make some uber-cheap, child skill-level perfect presents. This actually means easy enough for us; because, let's face it, these kids can figure anything out.
Get some 'spare' pics, or print some special. Buy a pack of cookie cutters at your local dollar store. Trace around the pics, then cut inside that trace about an eight to a quarter of an inch inside. This will eliminate the line you drew and make up for the 'wall' of the frame. Once trimmed, place inside and press the picture against the front of the cutter. gently work the picture up against the wall anywhere it might still be a little too large.
Using a high heat glue gun- parents do this part- trace the edges to seal in the picture. Poke a hole in the top and run twine, string, or ribbon to hang from your tree. You can even plan on using ones that are self standing to decorate your desk at work! Add flowers, glitter, tiny pine cones, whatever makes it especially perfect for your recipient.
If using older ornaments, you can spray a nice sanitary layer with spray paint, we're not eating off of these, but we could also hope not to get tetanus. Have fun and add as much fru-fru as you and your kiddos like, Grandma loves glitter!

Important Product Notice/Review

Ok, I know there are people out there with more money than sense. They are the target audience for 'gimmicks'. I love to be a (self appointed) gimmick tester. So yeah, I've tried Slow Cooker Liners. They are great. But I have more time than I have money, which are both pretty low. So I have dreamt of them each time I clean out the crock pot. Telling myself, next time you need to remember they're worth it.
And this affects what I might cook. I think, did I buy those bags? Never mind, we don't want homemade beans. Because I am a Mom, and I am already thinking about clean up before the meal is made.
Perusing the Dollar Tree, looking at Thanksgiving type items I saw the oven bags were out. And I thought, 'Hmmm..... A crock pot is like a tiny oven.' Opting for the four pack, as opposed to the one piece extra large, I figured, I have several size crock pots so whatever one it works in.
Of course I checked in in my most often used large oval crock pot first. I scrunched the sides like you're putting on pantyhose then pushed the sides to fill the space. It was almost as big!
I have since cooked a ham bone with beans and sweet and sour pork, with more plans on crock pot meals. I place my ingredients in, shake it so there is a top, twist and fold it over.
Ham bone soup:
Ham bone, hopefully with some meat on it
Bag of great northern beans, rinsed
a tsp each of salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes
Five bay leaves.
Fill water to to proper level on crock pot. Cook on High for six hours. Dredge fat and bay leaves off the top. Serve over corn bread or Frito's.
Sweet and sour pork:
Pork
Onion
2  Bell Peppers
Sweet and sour sauce
Can of pineapple chunks
1/4 cider vinegar
Cube pork, rinse and shake in a bag with 2 TBSP flour. (Optional step, grill on high to a nice color on the outside) Chop Onion and Bell Pepper. Throw full can of pineapple, pork, veggies and vinegar into bag. Cook on High four hours.

The season(ing) of gifting

Anyone who knows me knows the importance I place on gift giving, after all, it is my Love Language.
Also, anyone who knows me knows I love food. Seriously. Like to a sinful level. And people like my cooking. They love the Hubs cooking. It's all about flavor. So why not combine the two?
A seasoning shaker is like the gift that keeps on giving. Like four or five or ten meals worth.

To make a few jars of Beef seasoning buy the following ingredients
3 pack of gravy mix
'jars' of  red pepper flakes, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, minced onion, cumin, and pink salt.

Combine the full amount of paprika, garlic powder, minced onion, brown gravy.

All of this goes in.

Next add just two Tablespoons of cumin, pink salt, black pepper. 

2 TBS of these

Finally you will add just two teaspoons of the red pepper flakes.

Just a wee bit o' this one.

The end result is a very lovely rub/seasoning/mix in. 

Wow, look at the texture!

Place the mixture in two to three Parmesan shakers. Cut a tag from some rustic looking paper. Give it a name. Use a coffee filter before screwing on the cap. After screwing on the cap trim the filter to a more appealing length. Tie on the rustic tag with some twine. Voila!

The fully used seasonings account for four dollars. The minuscule amount of other seasonings may equal another dollar. The shakers are one dollar each. So we have seven dollars divided by two here, making each shaker 3.50. The more you make, the more value you get, as the unit cost can go down by shopping elsewhere. This is feasibly enough to fill three jars, increasing the number to eight dollars, but decreasing the cost by dividing it three ways. At two sixty-seven a jar this is a great gift for neighbors, work mates, and pastors!

Results are in!

An important element to any craft-ivity is authentic excitement. I wanted to create an air of seriousness, of importance, to what we were going to do, so I created the style box. When I broke down the cost of each style box it was 1.62 each. Of course, if doing bigger dolls, you would include two full sheets, which is one dollar on it's own, larger recyclables, like Pringles cans, and a longer piece of ribbon or tulle.
Some free things to include; mesh from fruit bags, toilet paper rolls, lids, round containers. And for pennies; plastic rings (the backs can be snipped off, or not), mesh tubing, tulle, plastic insects or animals, stickers, and of course the big money item, a variety of Skinz.
I called in my neighbor to hand letter the Style Box and challenge cards, because my writing looks like a two year-old. Cat. On Prozac. I am very happy with the end result, it looks like something that might excite me, if I was a young child. Ok, I am excited at this age.


                                         

Style Box

The boxes were presented, clothing was designed. Voting was done. In a terrible upset Mom was the only loser. I am inconsolable. However, the girls tied and were rewarded with a fun book of word games, puzzles and stickers! We discussed doing this once a month. sounds like fun to me!

Americas Next Top Monster

I don't know if the headlines will read, "Dollar Tree saves Skinz", but it might. I don't know if it's a bail out move, or a smart move for Skinz to get the word out on it's product (insert product research, blah, blah, blah). Either way it's awesome for me!Skinz, for most people who have never heard of it is a sticky backed fun fabric. You can make frames, or put it up in your locker or stick it to your headphones, etc.
I originally picked some up for the Monster Dorm we are working on, I mean it's already a rectangular fuzzy, pink carpet, a Pringles can later it's a set of stylish stools, you get the idea. Also for scrapbooking I saw endless possibilities (remember, I have a Sizzix); cutting frames, letters, shapes, FUN! Even using as a cover for a fun brag book!
But, I also have this other problem, with the Monster Dorm scraps. I play with those leftovers until they become something to. Hence, the creations Of Ichabod's Millinery. But with these leftovers, an idea forms.
A lot of families have a show they watch together, even we (I who do not watch television much), have bonded over The Voice, Project Runway, and Home Free. I have heard many stories about family bonding over American Idol. Seriously, like hundreds. And I don't have that many friends.
Know, take these completely random thoughts, barely passing each other. And BAM! I have just created a brilliant idea for craft time with the girls.
You will need, whatever doll you child does, size does not matter, you will just need more sheets of Skinz, each player needs a doll, even Mom. You will need a few different packs of Skinz (double for large dolls), mesh tubing (maybe multiple colors), lids and toilet paper rolls, be on the lookout from your daily garbage this week, scissors, work space. Each kid gets an equal package of items, mesh tubing, recycling, Skinz. The design challenge is announced, a stylish day in the park, lunch at McDonalds, whatever. And Mom or Dad must play, That's when simple seeds of confidence and gentle kindness are planted.
So here's my sample Model, and I will let you know more this weekend. Blessings to all!

Instant Sanity (later, not now)

An organized pantry not only saves time and frustration, it can actually have a calming affect to just stare at it. As what I consider a great shopper, I often stock up. The most important rule of stock up? Rotate. In order to do this better I write the expiration dates on the top of bottles. You may think, I am totally gonna' use fourteen bottles of ranch by next week, throw it all in your cart and soon what started as a bargain turned out to be one very expensive bottle of ranch and some trash. (Insert expiration date gurus commentary, that is not my forte).
Today I wasted a couple hours making magic, and I am going to share it with you.
I spent fifteen dollars at the Dollar Tree on bins. Quite nice sized, orange, bins. The lovely lady behind the counter asked, "What are you going to do with these?"
"I am organizing my pantry," I chirped happily in a totally uncharacteristic version of a Disney animal.
"With orange?" In an amazing fete she managed to raise her brows while lowering her lips. Seriously, I cannot do this.
"There's a door." I deadpanned. So much judgment.
Well, let me tell you I have good intentions when I go to the store. I am tired of the out there peopling and I think, I will finish organizing later. Then later I kinda' get it on the right shelf. And sometimes I don't even add the date, which helps later on.
So, you go looking for ketchup and there's none and you have ten kids showing up in an hour and run out for ketchup instead of putting batteries in the lamps and it's all just a mess. And pointless. Because there was ketchup. Behind the pasta sauce, because you didn't do it right.
Or, you plan a dinner with the neighbors and you know you have the ingredients, so you vacuum instead and lo and behold in the final touches you realize your dressing expired in July. 2013. Run to the store or ask them to bring some? You feel silly either way.
Finally, today was the day. It wasn't that I had nothing more pressing to do. No. Au contraire that is when I am at my finest. Working my way from the easiest shelf (cereal) I went nuts. Fifteen dollars and two hours of labor later, my bottles are dated (with some dressings rotated into the fridge now). The bonus I threw out less then three bucks worth of food, I know I should be sad, but really, It will be none by next year because I am organized! Plus, it was all candy. So that's bad for you anyway.
Cans were best fit on their sides, fitting a couple more per basket that way. Here you go, you read though all that and you deserve a peak:



I will be adding labels another day, I'm not Supergirl! Those smaller ones can be written on with dry erase markers, woohoo! Yes, I know you can do it better. So go. DO!

Auto fun.

Not automatic fun, like 'just add water!', but car fun. There's been a few great ideas I have used to make my car feel more like the home away from home it is.
There's a few that are easy to figure out, I love my fuzzy steering wheel cover, who cares if it needs replaced ever year, I'm tired of it by then anyway. There's an easy clean ash tray, that once you take the top off to dump it work great as a tiny trash can, for gum wrappers, straw wrappers, etc. It fits in the cup holder, how nice! They have wipees great for keeping in your car for emergencies. One trip I even found a tissue dispenser that clips on your visor. I surpassed this great deal, because that's just one car rides worth of tissue.

Smelly stuff, for sure, I prefer the good old fashion mirror hangers, but your dollar store has the vent doo-dahs, which work great but require changing like every month, and I am so lazy. There's the sprays, which my children can't wait to ge their hands on, so no go there as well. I have even made a handy smeller using a parmesan shaker with my scentsy cubes added. The Hubs loves his, and it smells sooooo good. It just doesn't work in my car, you know I need all my cup holders!

One extra idea is stickers, yes! I found the alphabet at the Dollar Tree with multiples of letters, and I was able to write my own message! I also have seen those handy balls in the windshield stickers and some really pretty fish! I have loads of leftover letters, so if one falls off or gets removcd I probably have a back up. These have not slippe doff or bleached from the sun in two months, and that's something here in the desert!





I love my eyes! You may have noticed a fixation with googly eyes, so when they got them in for your doors, or trees, or whatever spooky idea, I was excited! Well, I immediately saw what must be done with these peculiar peepers.



Tada! And no, I didn't think you'd want me to clean my car for these pics, lets just keep it real, kay? But, if I had it would be with dish soap, sponge and bucket bought from the Dollar Store.
How does the dollar store make your home away from home/parental taxi vehicle a better experience?