Adding a little Flair

I have been working on many projects lately, and discovering my love for power tools. Of course I can't show you that project till later, but I do have a few things to share. I love fun hair accessories, I truly think they can make a plain outfit turn into a real head turner! Thank goodness I have a little girl who loves wearing them as well! Here are just a few that I made last night!


A girl can never have enough pink!



A little splash of love!



My Daughter modeling in her PJ's!

Here is an easy tutorial on how to make the adorable fabric rosettes!

You will need:
A strip of fabric.
Hot glue gun and glue sticks.
Beads for embellishing.


First take a strip of fabric and knot it in the middle.

Next,place a dab of hot glue on the knot and wrap the fabric around it and hold it for a few seconds.

Then twist the ends and begin to wrap it around the knot. Place a small dot of hot glue every time you wrap the twisted fabric around. Be careful where you place the glue. You don't want it to show when your rosette is done.

See how the ends flap out sometimes? You can close up the ends that seem to flap with a little hot glue. Just make sure you place the glue in a well hidden areas.

Finally add some beads. Again be careful of how much glue you use. You only need the tiniest dab of glue for these beads. These are super fun and easy to make!




Hope you enjoyed!

Blogs I linking up to:

Mommy Madness Blog Hop- Favorite Recipe

I am joining Jennifer at Life With The Lebedas, I love her Friday Blog hops. They are a great reminder that being a mommy is a tough, but very rewarding job!! Check it out and join the fun!

Mommy Madness Friday Blog Hop!


Theme of the Week
Sharing a Favorite Recipe

My favorite breakfast recipe is quick, healthy, and super easy!

"Peach Melba Shortcake"



What You Need:

1 frozen Whole Wheat waffle, lightly toasted
1/2 cup low fat vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup honey-flavored multi-grain cereal flakes with oat clusters and almonds
3 peeled fresh or drained canned peach slices in juice
1/4 cup raspberries

Make It:

TOP waffle with Vanilla yogurt, cereal and fruit. Serve immediately

I love this as a quick, healthy, out the door breakfast! Of course you could also cut the waffle into fourths and use it as a snack!! Let your imagination run wild with this super yummy recipe!

Don't Walk, RUN and join the fun!!

Valentine Canvas

I found this adorable project from Jenn at Clean & Scentsible and I knew that I had to make one of my own. It just amazes me how quickly our little ones grow. This is a great project to remind me of the little hands that hold my heart today and always!!





Here is what you need to make one of your own:
•a canvas
•paint and foam brush
•painter's tape
•Fabric or scrapbook paper {I used fabric)
•vinyl letters. I used black vinyl and cut them out on the Cricut. If you don't have access to a Cricut or Silhouette you can always use stencils and paint.
• 2 different colored ribbons
•any other embellishments you would like.

Now Let's Get Started:

•Paint your canvas starting with the lighter color. Once it is dry, mark off a border on the front of the canvas with painter's tape. Paint the sides of the canvas and the border with a darker paint.

•Stamp your kids' hand prints in the top right corner. I painted the paint right onto their hands so I could be sure there was even coverage. (As best you can)

•Using the Cricut, cut out the letters.

•Cut out a heart from fabric.

•Position the heart on the canvas. Apply Modge Podge over the top of the fabric making sure to get out all bums or bubbles.

•Using a hot glue gun, add a strip of ribbon along the bottom of the canvas. Then add your second ribbon on top of the first using the same method.

And there you go a wonderful reminder of those that hold your heart!

I am linking up today with many great parties, check them out I'm sure you will love them all!

What I Wore Wednesday!

I love linking up with Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy. Lindsey has a super fun linking party every Wednesday! You must join in on the fun and get great fashion ideas as well!! Not to mention all the other great things she offers.


Thursday:


Lime Green Tuxedo front Tank- Old Navy
Black long cardigan- Gap
Black leggings- Target
Black Boots- Target
Black bubble gum style necklace- Forever 21

Friday:


Seven Jeans- Nordstrom
Black BP Heels- Nordstrom
Black tank- Old Navy
Coral Sweater- Target - wish I had taken a photo of the back it is the best part!

Saturday:


Wow, looking at these photos now I see that I dressed very similar to Friday!
Lucky straight Jeans- Lucky Store
Black tank- Target
Black Ballet flats- Target
Pink Sweater- Nordstrom


Sunday:


Roxy hat- Quicksilver Store
Joe Jean's- Nordstrom
Black Tank- American Eagle
Black hoodie- local boutique

Monday:


Cream leggings- Forever 21
Flower Tunic- Forever 21
Boots- Steve Madden Boutique
Pink Tank- Target

Tuesday:


Black Pants- Gap
Black Tank- American Eagle
Blue Sweater- X-mas gift
Black Heels- Nordstrom

Wednesday:


Khaki pants- American Eagle
Coral Tank- Old Navy
Tan cardigan- Old Navy
Brown Heels- Steve Madden
Pearls- Gift

Chocolate Bliss Cookies

Yes, these are just delicious!



What You Need:

2 pkg. (8 squares each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, divided
1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp. CALUMET Baking Powder
2 cups chopped PLANTERS Walnuts

Make It:

HEAT oven to 350°F.

CHOP 8 chocolate squares; set aside. Microwave remaining 8 chocolate squares in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min., stirring after 1 min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Add butter; stir until melted. Stir in sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add flour and baking powder; mix well. Stir in chopped chocolate and nuts. (Note: If omitting nuts, increase flour to 3/4 cup to prevent excessive spreading of cookies as they bake.)

DROP rounded tablespoonfuls of dough, 2 inches apart, onto baking sheets.

BAKE 12 to 13 min. or until cookies are puffed and shiny. Cool 1 min.; remove from baking sheets to wire racks. Cool completely.

My Valentine Topiary

This weekend the weather was fabulous, the sun was shining and there was just a slight breeze! I loved being able to be outside playing with my little girl. We enjoyed hours on the tire swing and in her play house. Of course we made plenty of time for crafting as well! I couldn't have asked for a better weekend!! One of the crafts I made was my Valentine's Topiary Tree, I made one for Halloween and I couldn't wait to get started on one for Valentine's Day! So here you have it my lovable Valentine topiary tree! I am hoping the weather will stay nice for a while so we can continue to enjoy a little more of Mr. Sunshine!!



Check out more crafts and link up with Jenn at Craft-o-manic and Tiffany at Making the World Cuter! They have wonderful blogs and great linking parties that you don't want to miss!!

Mommy Madness-A little "ME" Time

I am linking up with Jennifer at Life with Lebedas Mommy Madness blog hop!! I love this Friday blog hop it allows me to gain the reinforcement that I need by the end of the week to remind me that I am normal and not the only mom feeling like this. It's a great opportunity to laugh, or just listen to other moms and their wonderful, exciting, stressful, hardworking lives.

Today's blog hop focus is Mommy Time.
How do you escape the madness?

My mommy time is spent working out or just relaxing in a quiet room. I tend to spend most of my mommy time working out since it seems to be impossible now days to have any room in our house quiet with a 3 year old. I am sometimes able to escape to my room without anyone knowing where I am but it doesn't seem to last long. Two days a week I am able to escape to teach my Cardio Kickboxing class and the other three days a week I take off on a nice jog. I feel so refreshed and ready to tackle life after I have had my mommy time. On the weekends I tend to put my daughter in the jogger and head out for a nice jog, even though she is with me it is still a great mommy "me" time. She loves to be outside and riding in the jogger keeps her so content.

I know how important it is for me to have my mommy time. I used to feel guilty but I have come to realize that it makes me a better wife, mother, daughter, friend, and a better "ME" by having some mommy time!!

Valentine Framed Art

I found a similar idea from Jenn at Craft-o-manic, and couldn't wait to make my own version. I had a frame that was broken and at first I was just going to toss it, thank goodness I didn't. I brought out my trusty old glue gun repaired the broken corner, cleaned up the glass, and I was ready to begin!

I first painted the frame with black craft paint. I found some cute valentine fabric on sale at Joanne's which worked perfect as the background for my framed art. Next, I glued the ribbon down on the matching fabric to create 4 sections of my art. Finally using my Cricut, I cut out the words "hugs & Kisses" and a heart. I placed each in a rectangular section and tada, there you have it my Valentine Framed art!





This fits me just perfectly since I sign everything with x's and o's!!

Tasty Tuesday- California Style Barbecue Chicken Pizza

California-Style Barbecue Chicken Pizza




What You Need:

3/4 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1 green pepper, cut into thin strips
1 ready-to-use baked pizza crust (12 inch)
1/3 cup BULL'S-EYE Original Barbecue Sauce
1-1/2 cups KRAFT Shredded Triple Cheddar Cheese with a Touch of PHILADELPHIA

Make It:

HEAT oven to 400°F.

COOK and stir chicken and vegetables in large skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat 4 to 5 min. or until chicken is done.

SPREAD pizza crust with barbecue sauce; top with chicken mixture and cheese. Place crust directly on middle oven rack.

BAKE 15 to 18 min. or until cheese is melted.

This is super yummy and a great dinner to have my daughter help prepare!

Mommy Blog Hop- Most Embarrassing Moments

Mommy Madness Friday Blog Hop!


Theme of the Week
Embarrassing Moments


Have you ever been in an embarrassing situation with your child? Maybe in Target and your child decides to test his lung strength out?

I have decided to join Jennifer at Life with the Lebedas, she has a great blog with so many different things to enjoy.
Today's blog hop is all about embarrassing moments with our little one's, Yes it does happen to all of us and I can guarantee it will happen many times through out life.

I have a wonderful, happy, energetic, loving, and witty three year old little girl, Ava. She is the love of my life and there isn't anything I would change about her. However, my husband and I always seem to wonder what she will come up with next. Ever since she was old enough to talk she has always referred to a "wedgie" as "crack". Let me also remind you that Ava is very picky about itchy tags, the seam on her socks, and anything that rubs her the wrong way. Yes, getting her dressed is a chore everything must be lined up just so! Anyways, when ever she tells any of us in the family that she has "crack" we know what she means, unfortunately not everyone else does.

A few months ago Ava and I were in the grocery store getting a few things at what I call grocery store rush hour; the aisles were filled. As we went down the crowed aisle Ava rode in the shopping cart and was actually being very well behaved. Out of nowhere Ava announces loudly, " I have crack Mom," I stop immediately to look around at the other shoppers in our aisle. Embarrassed at what the others are thinking I quickly tried to calm her down and announce, "OK, honey I will fix your wedgie". I can only imagine what some of he shoppers thought. I was embarrassed but to of course it didn't phase her one bit!

You've gotten love toddlers, the things they say always seem to surprise us!! Head on over to Jennifer's blog at Life With the Lebedas and join the fun and her wonderful blog!

Want to join in on the fun this week?


To Join Us -


1. Become a follower of the 3 hosts

**We follow back - just leave a comment so we know your following from the hop**


2. Grab our Mommy Madness button and add it to a blog post with your story.



3. Link up to your blog and Start hoppin'!
(Blog link only - no giveaways or others, those will be deleted)


4. As a general rule, please follow everyone back that follows you.


Next Weeks Theme:
'Mommy' Time
How do you escape the madness?

T-Shirt Make Over- Lovin' Ruffles

Yesterday I was determined to start a project and finish it. You see I love to craft, however the week nights are not usually free time for me to get my craft on. Being a full time teacher, mom, wife, and cardio Kickboxing instructor doesn't allow me a lot of "me" time, but I am learning to make things work. Yes, it is very hard for me to sit down and craft when I know that there are things that could be picked up, laundry that could be started, or even bags that could be packed for the next day. Fortunately I am beginning to learn that all those things will still be there later and "Me" time is very important for myself and my family!!

Last night after dinner was done, jammies were on, and everyone was relaxing I pulled out the sewing machine, a T-shirt that I have been wanting to redo and got started. I love Michelle's blog, Polka Dots and Pizza, she has some of the cutest ideas. I loved her redo on a plain old boring t-shirt and I finally completed mine.

Drum roll please. . . . . . . .


An up close of the ruffles!


A full view of the shirt, which is not hanging on the hanger neatly at all!

So Thank you Michelle for your great ideas! If you haven't been to her blog, please check it out, I love it. Click here Polka Dots and Pizza.

For the complete tutorial on this t-shirt refashion head over to Dorian's Blog, That's Sew Me, which is an awesome blog as well!

Thanks Ladies for your inspirations!!