Spray Paint & the Frog

Do you remember this guy?

No? Then let me refresh your memory. :)

I purchased this ceramic golden toad on a thrifty adventure last fall. 

At first, my kids informed me that it was a poison dart frog, but after some more research, 

we discovered that an orange frog is actually called a golden toad. 

You needed to know that, right? ;)

I finally got around to giving this chap a few coats of black spray paint...

He now holds a place of honour in my kitchen with his pot scrubber at the ready. 

He sure adds a touch of whimsy to the kitchen. And a touch of nostalgia as well. 

I remember my mom having something similar next to the kitchen sink when I was a kid.

Good memories. :)

Another successful mini makeover!

Enjoy your day!

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Chickpea Salad

  Welcome to a new week! Are you ready to take it on? I am. We had a beautiful, productive weekend around our house. Everyone had a to-do list to knock off on Saturday & we just about finished everything on the lists. I think I was a bit too ambitious with mine & put on a few too many things, but that's okay. I'll just finish next weekend. 

  The weather was beautiful & the kids enjoyed lots of time outside. We got in some family time outside too. 

  My 8-year-old son even learned to vacuum this weekend! Can I hear a WHOOT, WHOOT?! I'm *hoping* that my vacuuming days are now few & far between. 

  The warm(ing) weather has me pulling out my barbecue & salad recipes... Time to enjoy the sun! 

  This is a great make-ahead recipe... it's even better after it's been marinating for a few hours!

Chickpea Salad
makes 8 servings


2 cans of chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1 bottle green olives, drained
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 cup cherry tomatoes

Mix all salad ingredients. Set aside.

dressing:


1/3 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Whisk all dressing ingredients. Pour over salad. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

So easy & delicious!

Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy your day!

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Catching Up

I'm kind of laughing at the title of this post... 

Is anyone EVER completely "caught up" when it comes to scrapbooking?

Oy.

I continually have to remind myself that this is a hobby & it's supposed to be fun. 

I don't have to be caught up... ever. I chose this hobby & it's a part of my life to be a creative outlet, not a burden.

With that in mind, here are a couple of layouts I accomplished at the recent scrapbook fundraiser I was at last month:

Vintage Layout:

• All supplies by My Mind's Eye

First Day of School Layout:

• Cardstock - Bazzill Basics
• Patterned Paper - Basic Grey (Oxford collection)
• Tag - Simple Stories
• Stickers - October Afternoon
• Alphabet stickers - Making Memories & American Crafts

How do you treat your creative hobbies? Do you ever feel like you're behind & try desperately to catch up? 

I'm interested in hearing your thoughts.

Enjoy your day!

What Is Keeping Me Busy These Days

  Happy Monday! How was your weekend? Did you relax & enjoy some warm, spring weather; do spring cleaning; create something lovely; or something entirely different? 

  I had the pleasure of spending some time with some dear friends on Saturday. It was a fun time that involved Starbucks, shopping, & lunch. 

  Here in Saskatchewan, the days are getting warmer the weather can't decide what it wants to do. Should the sun shine or should it snow? We've had snow the past 2 days. The trees are getting thick with buds anyway & I'm longing to see the first hint of green on the branches, but that will come soon enough. I must remind myself of the blossoms of May that are on their way. 

Things are still busy around here although Easter is over. My kids had this past week off of school & we kept busy with:

• Dentist appointments (no cavities for either kid - yay!)
• Grocery shopping - I've been going through the fliers & "shopping the deals". It requires some more planning & driving around, but we're seeing a difference in the grocery costs. Perhaps I'll do a post about this soon.
• Going through the kid's toys, books, & puzzles - cleaning, organizing, & making piles of what they no longer wanted to keep. 
• Posting the kid's items for sale on Kijiji. They have both already made a good amount of money & they plan to save their earnings for spending money on this summer's trip.
• Doing some spring cleaning. My list is coming along bit by bit. This weekend, we washed all the bedding & curtains.

  In the midst of all these tasks, we have had some rest & relaxation. I got to sleep in here & there & get in some reading. It's been a nice Easter break.

  Stay tuned for a little thrifty makeover & some new scrapbook layouts later this week.

Enjoy your day!

Spring Cards

Last month, I attended a scrapbook fundraiser that my sister-in-law, Carrie, organized for her children's school.

Each of the attendees paid a fee to attend & the school (organized by Carrie) provided a huge table for each person to work at, meals for the day, & workshops that you could attend to learn some new techniques. 

We brought our scrapbook gear & got our creative juices flowing!

There was a great turn out & tonnes of raffle prizes that were donated. Alas, I didn't win anything this year. 

Oh well. :)

Here are a few of the cards I created that weekend...