5 minute card

Here's a super fast card idea for when you need to:
a) get a card made quick!
b) use up some scraps of paper
c) feel like you did something with your crafty time. Sometimes, that's just the way it is. :)

First, gather your materials. You will need:
-cardstock
-patterned paper
-stamp
-ink
-gem or pearl
-adhesive

Minute 1
Cut your cardstock to the size you want your card. I cut my card stock to 8-1/2 inches x 5-1/2 inches. Fold in half to make card.

Minute 2
Punch out your patterned paper. I used a square punch , then rounded two opposite corners with a corner rounder punch. Cut additional strip of patterned paper.

Minute 3
Stamp sentiment on card.

Minute 4
Adhere the punched papers.

Minute 5
Adhere paper strip & pearl.

Done!

Have you done any super fast projects lately? I have to admit, I'm not into long, really detailed projects. Quick & simple are my favourite!

I'm off to the semi annual flea market tomorrow!! I'm super pumped!! Look how many exclamation points I'm using! :)

Happy Friday! 

Enjoy your weekend! (more exclamation points... sheesh, talk about overkill.)

Linkin' Up:

Tater Tots & Jello
Mommy By Day... Crafter By Night
Oops, I Craft My Pants (the name of this blog makes me laugh every time!)

Bulletin Board Makeover

  I'm not alone am I? Every family seemingly has a ton of loose papers floating around or sitting in piles, boxes, & binders. I personally like to have some of those papers out in the open for reminders or to appreciate (such as my children's artwork), but I don't like to have my fridge cluttered up with a bunch of stuff. This was my solution. A bulletin board. Simple, right? The trick for me was to have a nice looking one & not spend a lot of money. I was so blessed with this project that I didn't end up spending a penny! The supplies was either: 1) given to me, or 2) I already had it on hand. That's what I call economical!

  Several months ago, I helped my mom go through & organize some rooms in my parent's basement. We made piles of things to keep, give, & toss. At the end of the day, I ended up taking part of the "give" pile home with me! The bulletin board, frame, silver paint, & glaze were all items that I "inherited" (wink, wink) from my mom. I took the frame with another project in mind for it altogether. It took me a few months to figure out that the bulletin board was a perfect fit for it! It was easy glued into place using white craft glue (I had on hand) after I had painted the frame with purple craft paint (I had on hand).

It hung painted like this for months. Last weekend, when we painted our hallway & back entry, I had taken it down & had another look at it. I thought it looked kind of flat & boring (the paint was flat, after all). I looked in my box o' craft paints from my mom's basement & found a creamy glaze & a silver paint.

Enter brain wave. "What about a shimmery white glaze?" Sounded lovely to me. What did I have to loose? I had no money invested in it after all. "Let's play around", I thought.

So, I concocted a mixture of 3 parts creamy white glaze & 1 part silver paint.

On it went. And then off it came. On purpose. I painted it on making sure to get it in the corners & nooks & crannies. Then I took a rag & wiped off the excess. Here's what I was left with:

 When it was dry, I edited what I had pinned on it earlier & put up the papers, postcards, etc. that I wanted to remember/display. I really like how the shimmery white adds some detail to what was otherwise kind of a boring bulletin board.

What kind of projects have you been up to lately? I did some thrift shopping yesterday & found the ingredients for several more projects. I'm excited to get started! A lamp makeover, some sweater pillows, some wall art as well as some other goodies. You won't want to miss it!

Enjoy your day!

Linkin' up to: 

Today's Creative Blog 

Mommy By Day... Crafter By Night

Transformation Thursday

Crafty, Scrappy, Happy

Tater Tots & Jello

The Creative Paige

Tips for removing wax

  Have you ever splashed wax from a candle onto your coffee table? If you have, don't despair. It's very easy to remove from hard surfaces.

I did a little visual for you. (You're welcome.) :)

1) Spilled/splashed wax - Oh no! Wait until it hardens.

2) Get out your credit card or any plastic card & start scraping. It's just like scraping your windshield in the winter.

3) The wax comes right off. If there's a bit of wax residue, use a bit of soap & warm water to wash it away.
Super quick & easy.

  Another candle tip: If you like votive candles, but not the wax that is left over after they burn down, just take the candle holder that has the left over wax & put the whole thing in the freezer. Leave it there for a few hours. After it has frozen solid it will pop right out. If there is any wax residue, wash with warm, soapy water or if  your candle holder is dishwasher safe, put it in the dishwasher. Wa-la! Pristine candle holders once more! Be warned, however, that if your candle holder is wider at the base that at the top, you will have to break up the wax after it has frozen before it will come out. I use a paring knife to break it into a couple of pieces. If you try to force out the whole chunk of frozen wax you could break your candle holder, as I did once.

  I'm still working on how to get rid of wax from fabrics. I don't have that one down yet. :) I will let you know if I ever figure it out. If YOU know, PLEASE share your wisdom!

 On another note, our youngest child, our daughter Audrey, has her first day of school today. I'm having mixed emotions. She is absolutely ecstatic!

  I'm looking forward to sharing my bulletin board project with you tomorrow! I hope to see you then.

Enjoy your day!

Chocolate Marshmallow Bars

  What kid doesn't like Rice Krispies, peanut butter, & chocolate? Can't think of any? Me neither. That makes these Chocolate Marshmallow Bars the perfect treat for an after school snack.

Chocolate Marshmallow Bars
makes 3 dozen


Base:
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1-1/3 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. baking cocoa
4 cups mini marshmallows

Topping:
1-1/3 cups chocolate chips
3 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 cup peanut butter
2 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Preheat oven to 350*.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter & sugar. Add eggs & vanilla; beat until fluffy. Combine flour, baking powder, salt & cocoa; add to creamed mixture. Spread in a greased 15 inch x 10 inch x 1 inch cookie sheet. Bake at 350* for 15-18 minutes.

Sprinkle marshmallows evenly over cake; return to oven for 2-3 minutes.

It will look like this after baking the marshmallows.

Using a knife sprayed with non-stick spray or dipped in water, spread the melted marshmallows evenly over cake. Cool.

For topping, combine chocolate chips, butter, & peanut butter in a small saucepan. (Or melt in the microwave for about a minute or until melted.) Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until melted & well blended. Remove from heat; Stir in cereal. Spread over bars. Chill.

Try to control yourself after you try them. :)

Enjoy your day!

Linkin' Up:
Chef In Training
Tater Tots & Jello

From Green to Grey

  Happy Monday! How was your weekend? We tackled our painting project this weekend & I'm here to show you the results.

  Our main floor hallway needed some freshening up. When we bought the house, the hallway was a drab beige colour with dated gold veined mirrors on the far wall. Before we moved in, we removed the old mirrors & painted it a light, cheery green. After 4 years of little fingers & just life in general, it was in need of a fresh coat of paint. We were out of the original paint we used & had to purchase paint to get the job done. So we figured if we were going to make a change, now's the time! I chose a pretty grey from General Paint called "Windblown". After two coats, the deed is done! And I LOVE the results! It looks sophisticated & is fabulous next to my "Camelot" walls in the Living Room.

  I looked through all of our pictures from when we bought the house & sadly, I didn't take one of the hallway. This is the closest to a hallway before picture... the hall linen closet. One really great thing about this house is the fact that it has lots of closets! We have 8 now & there were 10 when we bought the house. We took one out when we renovated the kitchen / dining area / living room & we took out the one in the basement bathroom to redo the shower. The shower is still incomplete but there will probably be a small storage cupboard going in the plans. Anywoo... the old hallway closet...

The hallway closet now:

And here is the green that the hall & back entry have been the past 4 years:

AFTER shots:

I also quite like how the art work I have looks against the grey. 

  My weekend also consisted of copious amounts of laundry, mending a pile of toys & books, cleaning off my craft table, & a few other random cleaning tasks. What kept you occupied this weekend?

  I also added a new tab to the menu bar here at Silver Boxes. "Come Tour My Home!" is up & running. I'll be adding more rooms as I blog about them, but feel free to poke around my house & have a look. :)

  Stay tuned this week for a yummy recipe involving marshmallows, my bulletin board project, papercrafts, & some household tips. I'm also excited to be attending the semi annual flea market here in Saskatoon on Saturday! I'll be posting about that next week. But for now, we'll focus on the week ahead. :) Have a great one!

Enjoy your day!

Linkin' Up:

Tater Tots & Jello

Pinspiration

  As I told you last week, I have joined Pinterest. What a wealth of inspiration it's been! There are so many decorating ideas, crafts, recipes, fashion trends... the list is endless. 

  Here are several of my favourite finds. I will break them into categories so they (hopefully) don't overwhelm. I hope you enjoy & are inspired by these images. (Disclaimer: I do not own these images. I will link back to the source provided on Pinterest.)

Ideas for the home:

I love this plate arrangement on the wall as well as the amazing turquoise the piano has been painted. I don't think I would have the courage to paint my old friend (my piano), but I might if I came across one thats wood was in bad shape. The thing is, I don't NEED a piano. But that colour would be pretty somewhere else, perhaps? 

See? Pinterest = inspiration! 

Classy Clutter

Okay, I love pretty much everything about this kitchen. The turquoise ceiling, the awesome backsplash, the very cool hardware on the cabinets, & the fact that the cabinets go all the way up to the ceiling. 

This one is staying in my "dream home" file. 

Canadian House & Home

I am IN LOVE with the colour combo grey & yellow. 

Southern Living

I'm thinking I may try this yellow stripe in my basement bathroom. 

houzz

Desire to Inspire

Craft ideas:

Look at this lovely wreath made of old book pages. Thrift shops are full of cheap 2nd hand books!

Brassy Apple

Wood letters covered in old maps. You could even use maps you brought home from a trip. 

Pinterest

House number pumpkins. Such a great idea!

Lookie What I Did

Cookie Recipes 

(a.k.a. get out a napkin 

because you're going to start drooling):

Salted Caramel Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies

The Diary Of Dave's Wife

Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies... are you kidding me?!

Scrambled Henfruit

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Flickr

Makeover Goodness:

Adorable painted school desk

Brown Paper Packages

Union Jack Packing Palett Table

Tres Chere

Pink bedside tables - how cute!

Natty By Design

I even have a whole folder (on Pinterest it's called a "Board") of just Owls. 

Cuz you know I love me some Owls:

I think I may have to attempt these Christmas tree owls

Juicy Bits

AMAZING owl cake

Cake Wrecks

A Pumpkin owl is perfect at this time of year

Sara's Party Perfect

 Well, does that get your mojo flowing? These are just the tip of the Pinterest iceburg! I'm pumped & ready to do something to make our home a nicer place. This weekend, we're tackling the painting of our main floor hallway & back entry. What's on your to do list? 

Enjoy your weekend!

Linkiin' up with: Two Things In Common

Potato Soup & Cheddar Biscuits

  Fall is in full swing & I am so very much enjoying all the autumn crafts & recipes out there in blog land. Fall at our house means a return of some of our favourite warm meals. This one is my son, Parker's, favourite. There's no prodding to "eat your vegetables" when I make this!

Potato Soup & Cheddar Biscuits 

Potato Soup
makes about 5 cups (I usually make a double batch so we have left overs)


3 Tbsp. Butter or margarine
1 Large Onion, chopped
1/2 cup Thinly sliced carrot
1/2 cup sliced celery
1 garlic clove, minced

4 cups diced potatoes
2 cups frozen corn
2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp. parsley flakes

2 cups milk

Put first 5 ingredients into your soup pot. Saute veggies until onion is soft & clear.

Add next 6 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Cover & simmer slowly until veggies are cooked. Stir occasionally.

Stir in milk. Heat without boiling. This only takes about a minute because the soup is already very hot.

Serve with Cheddar Biscuits. Refrigerated leftovers are good for up to a week.

Cheddar Biscuits
makes 1 dozen


2 cups flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup oil (I use canola)

Preheat oven to 425*.

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients & cheese. Stir in milk & oil just until moistened. Don't over mix. If you're careful, you can do this in a stand mixer, but it's also easy by hand.

Using a heaping tablespoon, roll batter into 12 balls. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 425* for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Refrigerate leftovers.

Note: I've also made these without the cheese because I didn't have any on hand. They were tasty too!

Thanks for stopping by today. I love all my friends & followers.

Tomorrow I will be sharing some of my favourite finds from Pinterest. 

Enjoy your day!

Linkin' Up:

Tater Tots & Jello

The Creative Paige

"Gilded" Pumpkins & Squash Tutorial

  What do water, pumpkins, & spray paint have in common? Well, for today they are three of the objects needed for the "gilded" pumpkin & squash project I made yesterday.

  First of all, let me tell you that this project is super fast! It only took me 10 minutes plus drying time.

Here's what you need:

-Pumpkins and/or squash. I used the mini ornamentals that you can buy this time of year at the grocery store.
-A bucket of water
-Metallic spray paint (I had some silver spray paint left over from my silver side table project)
-Rubber gloves
-Newspaper or cardboard to place pumpkins on while they are drying

1) Fill your bucket with water almost to the top for easy dipping.

2) Shake your spray paint & generously spray a layer of paint onto the surface of the water. Spray paint floats because it's oil based.

3) Dip your pumpkins / squash into the water & paint mixture. You may want to dip a few times to get the desired amount of "gilding". I found that I could dip 2 pumpkins / squash & then I had to add more spray paint to the water.

4) Allow the "gilding" to dry. Mine took about 2 hours to dry.

5) Display & enjoy!

How easy is that?! I think they are so pretty. They would also be pretty in a display with a few different metallics... silver, gold, & bronze, for instance. If you give it a try, be sure to link me up with your pictures so I can see your results!

Enjoy your day!

Linking up to: Nest of Posies Fall Festival & Someday Crafts