Here a Ribbon, There a Ribbon...

I just love ribbons... and who doesn't love them? They make them in so many great colors, textures, patterns... geesh! A girl can get overwhelmed with so many ribbon choices. Not to mention, every craft store seems to have there own assortment, making choosing the perfect ribbon for a project even more difficult.

I recently added some new ribbons to my collection so my mother and I can make some hair bows for my baby girl. With the new ribbons added, my collection quickly outgrew the small shoe box I was storing them all in so I took a trip to the craft store to buy a ribbon holder... only to find out they were a whopping $39.99. There is no way on this green planet that I was going to spend that much on a ribbon holder.

Disclaimer: I am not saying there is anything wrong with others spending that much if they choose too... it just won't be coming out of my pocket.

So I looked at this $39.99 ribbon holder and upon closer inspection I saw it was pretty much a pretty frame with rods.

...and so my brain went to turning...

When I got home I searched every room of the house looking for something to use as a frame... with no luck. Just as I was about to sit down, a light bulb turned on! In my recycle bin was a USPS Priority Mail shipping box from gift my grandmother sent before she passed away early this month (blog coming soon). This was it!

I cut the front out of the box. I wrapped it with masking tape to make the edges smoother. After all, it may be made out of a cardboard box, but it doesn't have to look like it.

Next I used a ruler to make small holes on both sides of the box. These are for our rods we are going to add soon.

Measure your rods before you make you holes. you want them to fit in the tight... too loose and you may end up with more of a mess than what you start off with.

My son is going to be adding a mosaic tile design on the sides for me, but for the time being, I added a quick coat of white spray paint. I also wanted the inside to be white, instead of cardboard brown. Another idea for you crafty crafters... add scrapbook paper to the backing to give it a cute, personal touch.

To finish it I took some thin rods I had from another craft project and stuck a thumb tack in one side to hold the rod in place... added my ribbons... and *wallah*

I don't know if I am more excited that I have a ribbon holder now, or that it cost me less than $1 to make.

   

Yen can cook... and so can Isaac

My son is no stranger in the kitchen. If he is not cooking from a recipe, he is experimenting with created his own. This Isaac created one of his personal bests... Steamed dim summish, dumpling won-tons. Yes, I know, it makes no sense... but he really took a combination of all 3 and made an amazing dish.

These "Chinese trios" can be made with the traditional pork, beef, chicken or even the healthy choice, turkey. Add your seasoning to the meat... as explained to me, this is your only chance to add seasoning. He used salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic salt and soy sauce. I also shredded some cabbage which he added to the mix.

Next he took the (store bought) won ton wraps & added a small amount of the seasoned meat to the center of the wrapper. "Not too much or it might explode!" I did notice he overstuffed one... it was called, "his experiment." And no, it didn't explode.

While he was making the little Chinese trios, we started cooking the rice and a pot of cabbage for the sides. Timing is everything when cooking. We browned about a half a cup of the meat and added chopped onions & mushrooms to add to the steamed white rice.

After he stuffed the wrappers, he then dabbed the edges with a tad bit of water to help seal the wrapper as he pinched the top shut. He saw that technique on Iron Chef one night... it worked well.

After his first batch was ready, I added them to the steamer lined with cabbage. Notice I said I added them? The steam was extremely hot & this step should be done by an adult... he agrees.

They sat in the cabbage steam bath for about 15 minutes and then I used a tong to remove them. We added some steamed rice & cabbage to complete the dish.

The meal was amazing! I'm so proud of my little chef... speaking of "little chef." After dinner we cuddled & watched Ratatouille... Remy the rat is called, "little chef" by Linguine, the big chef.

Mommy-Made Baby Blocks

First comes love... then comes marriage... Then comes a baby in a baby carriage, playing with blocks!

It did not take me long to figure out that my baby daughter would much rather play with something hard, than soft. I guess when she hits her big brother with her chosen toy, she wants to make sure she hears a playful, "Ouch!"

Every baby needs a set of blocks to play with. They assist with hand / eye coordination, thinking and fine motor skills. After seeing the selection most stores had to offer with block, I decided to take a whirl at making my own.

I started off with several 1-1/2" wooden blocks from the craft store. They were $1 each BUT of course I purchased them when they went on sale for 50% off. *Most local craft stores run sales on a schedule. If the item(s) you want is not on sale this week, give it a week or two... chances are, it will go on sale within a month's time.

First thing I did was sand down the edges. We already know my baby daughter likes to hit her big brother with things, we do not need him actually injured from sharp objects.

After I sanded the edges I painted them with a non-toxic craft paint. Be sure to check that all the materials you use are non-toxic, non-treated, etc. We want our children to be safe with their mommy-made toys.

After I finished painting, I cut small squares out of coordinating scrapbook paper. I used 5 different patterns, so each block used 1 pattern twice (no biggie).

Last but not least, I glued the scrapbook paper squares on to the blocks & finished it out with one of my good friends... Mod Podge.

And tada... mommy-made baby blocks.

Kinda like... doing laundry

Finding one's faith is an experience that I would hope everyone would get to enjoy at least once... and hopefully only once, but to each their own. People choose to embrace their faith in different ways.

Have you ever met someone who decided to accept faith after an emotional event (such as a death) but then you never saw them on Sunday morning again? Or someone just going through a rough patch & decided to turn to faith to help them get through it... then once they were through it, absent Sunday mornings... until the next rough patch in their life.

I think of this as those who throw in a load of clothes into the washing machine because they need a particular shirt cleaned, then forget to transfer the clothes into the dryer so when they think about the shirt they needed cleaned a few days later, the whole load has to be washed again.

I personally wash the clothes, dry them but do not usually find the time to put them away. I recently learned that I need to make a schedule as to when I am going to wash the laundry so I plan it around a time I know I will be able to fold the clothes & put them away when I am done.

The hardest part is folding the laundry. But what's the point of doing the wash if you are not going to fold the laundry & put it away.

It's similar to my faith... Sunday mornings are a no brainer... be there {washing the clothes}. Wednesday evenings, every 1st Monday of the month (and every Thursday during August), are times I set aside to help continue my spiritual growth {drying the clothes}. Then comes serving & living a positive faith-filled life, such as: helping my neighbor, donating my time, finances or skill with others, sharing my faith story with others, etc. {putting the clean laundry away... folded & ironed}.

That is usually the most time consuming, and most avoided task when it comes to doing the laundry, yet one of the most important... as all three steps are important just like when it comes to our faith.

Accepting, growing & serving {washing, drying & putting it away}.

Welcome to My Home... On a Budget

Lately I have been posting home projects on my other blog, Ten23 Designs, which is my vinyl decal business blog because they involve decal decor. Today I am back with another budget makeover.

I love "sprucing up" & "thrifty makeover" projects. Yesterday, Tip Junkie posted steps on creating a welcoming front entry. I thought of this as great inspiration to get my front entry a step closer to being "inviting."

One of her step was to have plants on the porch. This one I decided to skip, even though I love potted plants. I live out in the country & bunnies nibbling on your plants is all too common around here.

So here is the budget breakdown on my front entry project:

"Welcome" vinyl decal for the front door - $5 from http://www.ten23designs.etsy.com/ (Yes, my shop, I made it).

Next my mother & I ventured into Hobby Lobby for the wreath. I picked out the floral pieces for it & she put it together. I love the look.

I bought these 2 wicker chairs from a yard sale for $25 for the pair. They are from Pier 1 Imports so it was a pretty good deal. I spray painted them black ($4 spray paint).

My mother & I went to Garden Ridge during the end of summer sale & found these beautiful damask chair cushions for on $7 each. The table ($5) in the center of the 2 chairs and the awesome la fleur de lis staph ($3) was also from Garden Ridge. Both were originally brown & I also spray painted them black.

So what do you think? Do you fell welcomed?

You can find more great budget makeovers @ Reinvented.