Silver Boxes

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

The Organizing Itch - Ribbon Organization

The organization itch hit at the beginning of January. After all the Christmas decor is taken down & put away, it just makes me want to redecorate & organize the whole house! If only I didn't have to drive the kids to & from school, do laundry, & clean the house, then I would have time to do all the organizing & decorating my heart desires. Not to mention crafting & scrapbooking! :)

Even though I'm a busy mom, I have done a few little organizational projects recently. A couple in my craft room too!

I had lots of loose strands of pretty ribbon that I wanted to get under control as well as some larger rolls of ribbon.

I had these glass jars from Ikea that I've been using in my craft room for other craft supplies that had dwindled from use so that one of the jars was quite empty. Perfect!

Out came my package of clothespins from the dollar store & I started wrapping.

Here's how:

Don't they look pretty all displayed in the jar together?

Now onto the spools of ribbon. After looking around the house for something that might work, I came across a little wire basket that I got on a thrifting trip last year.

The ribbon spools fit perfectly!

I added some command hooks to hang it on the wall.

It's a nice little storage update to my craft space!

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar),

or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter.

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Enjoy your day!

Check out the great parties I link up to!

Monday, January 21, 2013

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Brownies with Peanut Butter Chocolate Frosting

Romeo & Juliet.

Salt & Pepper.

Elizabeth Bennet & Mr. Darcy.

Spaghetti & Meatballs.

Some things are just meant to go together. Like Chocolate & Peanut Butter.

Can I get a witness?

And what better way to celebrate this celebrity food pairing than to make Peanut Butter Cup Brownies!

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Brownies (Print recipe)

makes 16 brownies

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup cocoa

2 eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/8 tsp. salt

8 or more Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray an 8x8 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Melt butter (I melt mine in the microwave) & stir in cocoa. Set aside.

In medium bowl beat eggs until frothy. Add sugar, flour, chocolate chips, & salt. Don't stir yet. Pour cocoa mixture over top & stir all together.

Scrape half of the brownie batter into the pan. Top with the peanut butter cups.

Then top the peanut butter cups with the rest of the brownie batter.

Bake for 30 minutes. Cool for about 10 minutes before frosting.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Frosting

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 cup icing sugar (also known as confectioner's sugar)

1/3 cup cocoa

1/4 tsp. salt

5 Tbsp. milk

Cream the butter & peanut butter together. Beat in the vanilla. Stir in the icing sugar, cocoa, salt & milk. If it's still too thick, add more milk 1 Tbsp. at a time until it is a nice smooth, spreadable consistency.

Frost the brownies.

Wouldn't these make a great Valentine's treat?

Nothing says "I love you" like some yummy chocolate treats. :)

If you love peanut butter & chocolate you may also want to check out some more yummy recipes:

Peanut Butter Nummies

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Pie

Almost Instant Buckeyes

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar),

or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter.

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Enjoy your day!

Check out the great parties I link up to!

Friday, January 18, 2013

Over The Rainbow Card

Do the dreary days of winter ever get you down? I, for one, sure love to see colour & clear skies during these cold months!

Another thing I love during the winter (well, really anytime of year) is connecting with friends. Wouldn't you love to receive a happy, colourful, cheerful card from a friend on a cold, dreary day?

Me too.

The idea from this card was lifted from a card I saw in a magazine awhile ago - I think it was Paper Crafts magazine.

I just love the colourful rainbow effect of the ribbons!

Owl Valentine Printable

I'm getting ready to do a *bit* of decorating for Valentine's Day. It doesn't feel quite close enough to me yet, so as of right now I'm just compiling my goodies.

This year I wanted to use owls (still in love!) in my vignette & I wanted some kind of printable to add to the mix. I couldn't really find a printable that suited my idea, so here I go again...

I made one!

Just right click to save to your computer & use as you wish!

Enjoy!

What about you? Are you decorating for V-day yet? I need to get on the Valentine card wagon soon too. The pink & red day will be here before we know it!

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar),

or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter.

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Enjoy your day!

Check out the great parties I link up to!

This printable was featured at:

Monday, January 14, 2013

Cheater's Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie

For the past few weeks, I've been wanting to make a coconut cream pie. Having never made one (from scratch or otherwise) I wasn't sure what all went into making one. In my ignorance, I grabbed a few things at the grocery store that I thought would work to make one. Then I went on a search for a recipe.

I think I did things backwards.

I couldn't find a recipe that worked with the ingredients that I had.

So, um... I made one up.

It turned out really good & my family loved it!

Here's what I started out with:

Cheater's Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie

makes 1 pie

1 Pie crust

1 pkg. cream cheese, softened and divided in two

1 pkg. vanilla instant pudding

1 pkg. chocolate instant pudding

2 cups milk, divided in two

1 cup coconut, divided in two

4 cups whipped topping, divided

Here's what I did:

Bake pie crust according to package directions. Cool.

Mix chocolate pudding mix with 1 cup milk until well combined. Add half of the package of cream cheese & mix well. Add 1/2 cup coconut. Fold in 1 cup whipped topping. Mix well. Pour into cooled pie shell.

Repeat process with vanilla pudding. Carefully spread vanilla mixture over chocolate mixture. Top with the remaining whipped topping.

Let set in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.

You're done!

Cut a few slices & share with your friends & family.

It's a perfect pie to make when you're short for time.

YUM!

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar),

or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter.

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Enjoy your day!

Check out the great parties I link up to!

Friday, January 11, 2013

Letter Sweater Pillow {Breaking In My New Sewing Machine}

If you follow me on Facebook, you may have heard that I was blessed with a new sewing machine for Christmas.

Last weekend, I finally carved out some time to break it out of the box & try it out!

This was my first project.

Since I'm such a beginner at sewing I didn't attempt to do up a tutorial, but just wanted to share it with you.

I used a thrifted sweater to sew the pillow cover & then used my cricut to cut out a template for the "P". I traced the "P" onto some grey felt, cut it out & sewed it on.

It was pretty easy & didn't take me all that long.

My son, Parker was really excited to have a new little cushion on his reading chair. His reaction was priceless. Who knew a 9 year old would get so excited over a pillow? He must be a chip of the old block, as they say. :)

Here's to many more successful sewing projects!

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar),

or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter.

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Enjoy your day!

Check out the great parties I link up to!

Wednesday, January 09, 2013

Felt Pinwheel Headbands

A while ago I shared with you how to make felt pinwheels to use as a gift wrap idea & today I'm sharing another idea of how to use the same kind of felt pinwheels.

This is a fast & simple little project. It's a really nice way to make a matching hair accessory for your little girl's favourite outfit.

Here's what you'll need to make one:

Felt in whatever colour you like
A large button
Headband
Scissors
Thread
Hot glue gun

Using this template, cut out a square from your felt. Then cut the slits as shown.

Source

Line up the edges (where the dots on the template are) to make the pinwheel & stitch the edges, adding the button to the top centre.

Hot glue to the side of the headband.

Give it to your favourite little girl to model & enjoy!

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar),

or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter.

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Enjoy your day!

Check out the great parties I link up to!

This project featured at:

Monday, January 07, 2013

Miniland, U.S.A. Layout {Basic Grey}

I'm still working (bit by bit) on scrapbooking our photos from last summer's epic road trip. I've shared several layouts with you already & I plan to do alot more in the months to come. I have 2 scrapping retreats coming up - one in February & one in March - both are fundraisers & a great way to support some great causes & get some time in with friends/do some crafting!

Can't wait!

Anyway, along to today's layout. :)

Legoland was one of our major stops on our trip & my son's birthday wish was to celebrate there.

It was pretty fantastic that we were able to swing it & be there on his actual birthday!

If you haven't been there, miniland is one of the major attractions - I think it was my favourite part of the whole park. It's major world attractions done entirely in lego!

Products used:

Cardstock - Colorbok

Patterned Paper - Basic Grey

Stickers - Basic Grey

Airplane ribbon - Making Memories

Glittered chipboard letters - American Crafts

Stay tuned for more layouts from our trip! I'm really wanting to dive into my photos, hole up in my craft room, & create for hours, but life ~~doesn't always~~ rarely allows that & I may have to wait for my crafty retreats. Until then, I'll get in what little time I can.

~~~~~

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar),

or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter.

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Enjoy your day!

Check out the great parties I link up to!

Friday, January 04, 2013

Hugs & Kisses Card

Back in August, I got some very exciting news - one of my card creations was chosen to be published in the winter issue of Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine!

I wasn't allowed to post photos of it anywhere on the net until it hit the newsstands at the beginning of December.

I was very excited to get my copy in the mail at the end of November. Then things got busy with Christmas & because it's a Valentine's card, I thought I'd wait to share it with you all.

So, at long last, here it is. My first published creation.

Products Used:

Cardstock - Michaels

Patterned paper & sticker - Echo Park

Gem tape - Making Memories

Notebook Punch & Ink - Stampin' Up!

After having this card published, it makes me want to submit my work more regularly!

~~~~

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar),

or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter.

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Enjoy your day!

Check out the great parties I link up to!

Wednesday, January 02, 2013

Happy New Year! Top 10 Projects of 2012

Welcome to 2013!! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas season & a happy New Year celebration.

Since we were away for the end of our Christmas vacation, I have yet to start any new projects. (But don't worry, I've got lots up my sleeve!) So, for your viewing pleasure, I'll share with you the top 10 most popular posts on Silver Boxes this past year. Maybe you can enjoy some of them again or have a look at some you may have missed. Simply click on the title of each photo to see the full post.

Starting at #10...