Debbie

Bright and Cheery Yellow Flower Wreath

May 14, 2013 By Debbie Leave a Comment

I have a pretty wreath to share with you. This wreath is perfect for summer or spring. It’s cheery, fun and easy to make. It has bright yellow flowers – some are even clip-on flowers which makes it extra easy to put together. Also, you can easily remove all the decorative items on this grapevine wreath to reuse and change the wreath’s look.

As much as I love making wreaths with different materials such as yarn, ribbon and paper, I also appreciate the simplicity of a classic grapevine wreath. I love our new bright and cheery wreath.

The most time consuming part of this DIY wreath is the WELCOME banner (which is optional). But even that is easy to create.

Most of the wreaths I share with you are meant to stay indoors. I plan to hang this cheery wreath on our front door.

The materials I used to make this easy yellow flower wreath are a grapevine wreath, big flower clip-ons, smaller flowers, burlap garland, scrapbook paper, string, Mod Podge Outdoor, foam brush and scissors.

I love the size of the clip-on flowers. It’s big enough to make an impact but not too big so it doesn’t overwhelm.

All I did was attach the clip-on flowers onto a branch on the wreath. That’s it. For the other flowers, I cut it and stuck the stem through the wreath. I then bent the stem in the back to secure it.

I added a WELCOME banner. I had fun scrapbook paper and printed the letters for “welcome” on it. I then cut out each letter.

I glued the letters onto string. I used Mod Podge for outdoors.

I also lightly coated the top of each letter with Mod Podge Outdoor.

I attached the WELCOME banner by tying the string onto the branches.

I also made a burlap bow using leftover burlap garland from another yellow DIY project. I put a pipe cleaner through the back of the bow and attached it to the top of our wreath.

Here’s a closeup view of our wreath. Isn’t it bright and pretty?

Have you made any easy wreaths lately?

Happy Crafting!

See our other similar projects:

(I’m linking up to The Frugal Girls, Weekend Wrap Up Party and Sunday Showcase Party.)

Filed Under: DIY Project, Spring/Easter Ideas, Summer Ideas

What I Love Most About My Home – Free Printable

May 9, 2013 By Debbie 2 Comments

I love this quote

“What I Love Most About My Home Is The People I Share It With“

I decided to create a printable with this quote and share it with you.

But there’s more. I made not just one color house print but seven (7) different color versions. Print the one that matches your home décor best.

Here it is in blue.

WhatILoveMostAboutHomeBlueInFrame

Here it is in yellow.

I plan to use the green “What I Love Most About My Home Is The People I Share It With” printable and hang it in our living room.

NOTES:

This printable is meant to be a 8×10 picture.
I recommend printing it on white card stock paper (size 8.5 x 11).
Check your printer settings. My printer’s “Print Quality” setting is normally on “Standard” but it tends to print streaks especially on thick dark letters or graphics. I changed the “Print Quality” to “High” and it printed with no streaks.
Check your Size Options: My default setting was “Fit” but instead I changed it to “Actual size” If not, it printed smaller than an 8×10 picture.

After printing, you’ll need to cut it to make it an 8×10 picture.

Look at all the colors you can choose – red, black/red, orange, yellow, green, blue or purple.

Download our “What I Love Most About My Home Is The People I Share It With” printables. The links for the different color options are listed below:

Have fun printing and framing your new home decoration.

See our other similar projects:

(I’m linking up to The Frugal Girls, Weekend Wrap Up Party and Sunday Showcase Party.)

Filed Under: DIY Project, Free Printables

6 Small Steps for Organizing Your Home

May 1, 2013 By Debbie Leave a Comment

The post below is a guest post written by my friend, Laura. I am blessed to have wonderful friends, like Laura, who inspire me. I want them to inspire and help you, too.

Laura and I have been friends since college. We’ve been a bridesmaid in each other’s weddings. I am also honored to be godmother to one of her kids. Laura is someone who knows how to keep a house in order. Over one year ago, she created a Facebook page to share ideas to help de-clutter and organize your home.

So please welcome Laura. She has great advice.

******************************************

This is a guest post from Laura.
Organizing our homes and keeping it that way is a challenge for many people these days. Our busy lifestyles can make it easier for us to just throw things on a counter, or in a pile by the door. But then our clutter can get out of control, causing us to feel stressed when we are home- and that is no fun.

Here are my 6 favorite organizing tips that are simple enough to set up, and hopefully simple enough to keep up with.

1. Corral kid paperwork

If you have children, you know that the amount of paper they come home with could wallpaper your home. Important papers like schedules or permission slips can get misplaced easily when they don’t have a special spot. Consider getting a pretty accordion style filing system with a pocket for each family member to hold important papers. A binder with dividers or a notebook style pocket folder book can also help keep things safe. Keep your system in a location that you see often- on a desk in an office or kitchen, for example. Once you no longer need a paper, purge.

2. Don’t overlook the backs of doors

Doors can be a wonderful clutter buster, and the backs of doors are often over looked. Using a clear pocketed over the door shoe organizer is a great way to store winter accessories in your hall closet, and small toys and dolls can be stored in your child’s room. They are also great for corralling craft supplies.

3. Keep closets organized

Closets look wonderful if you have like clothes together. Investing in the same style no slip hangers also makes a closet look organized. Keep pants, skirts, long sleeved shirts, etc. together (and if you are really organized, try by color as well). Consider canvas bins for storing off season items on a shelf, adding a tag attached with ribbon so you know what is inside without having to take the bin down. Keeping shoes on a shoe shelf or in clear boxes helps you find what you need quickly, and keeps them clean and neat. Hanging bags and belts on hooks in the closet (or behind the door) is another way to keep things where you can see them.

4. Stop the search for kitchen utensils

If you are like me, you have a gadget for just about any kitchen need, but only use a handful regularly. Weed out what you only use occasionally, and store them in a pretty box in a pantry or kitchen cabinet. This will clear up your utensil drawer or crock, and you will not have to rummage through looking for what you need.

5. Have a peaceful bathroom

Again, bins work wonders here for keeping bath products together. Hair accessories store nicely in little baskets or those cute tin pails you see everywhere, and cosmetics can be neatly stashed in the small plastic organizers that have 3-4 drawers and can fit under a bath cabinet. And for towels and bed sheets, experts say that you should have 2-3 sets of sheets per bed- keep them folded together, or store sets in a pillow case.

6. No more drop and run (Foyer/entryway)

This is an area that can become clutter central- you walk in and drop what you have. If you are a household that removes shoes before entering, have a basket handy to corral all the shoes. Keep bags on a small side table or hook. End the great search for missing keys and phones by keeping a little tray or basket on the side table, or hang a small basket on the wall by the door for these items.

The key to keeping your home organized is putting things away when you are finished with them. The old adage “A place for everything and everything in its place” is really something to strive for- the time it takes to put something away will save you a lot of time later when you realize you have a major clean up on your hands.

Happy Organizing!

Find other organizing ideas HERE.

Laura Hoyler is a mom to 5 kids, and the owner and lead teacher of a small preschool. When she is not at one of the kids’ many activities, you can find her working on her backwards crossovers at the ice rink, or trying to find time to have a date with her husband. You can “like” her on Facebook at Decluttering and Organizing or follow her on Twitter at @OrganizeNMore.

(Photo Credit: iStockPhoto.com)

Filed Under: Featured, Household Tips, Organizing

DIY: Pencil Flowers – Cute Teacher Gift Idea

April 30, 2013 By Debbie 8 Comments

It’s almost the end of the school year. This means it’s time to think about teacher gifts. Today, I’m sharing our cute pencil flower arrangement – not to be confused with our Colored Pencil Vase.

These pencil flowers are pretty and practical.

I decided to create flowers with pencils the students could use in a classroom. If the teacher wants to use the pencils, she can just pull the flower tops off. Or she could keep the flowers on and leave as decoration. It’s that flexible.

Want to know how to make Pencil Flowers? Here’s our tutorial:

The materials I used to make Pencil Flowers are pencils, patterned scrapbook paper, card stock paper, flower punch, glue, ribbon, scissors and a hole punch.

I first cut flowers using a flower punch. I made 6 pink flowers and 6 purple flowers. Each flower has a solid color for the back and a pretty floral pattern in front. The flowers are similar to ones I made for a banner.

In total, I punched 24 flowers. 12 solid colors (6 pink, 6 purple) and 12 floral patterns (6 pink, 6 purple).

I glued each patterned flower on top of a solid colored flower.

I made a hole in middle of each flower using a hole punch.

Please Note: One punch from the hole punch I used was not big enough to fit through a pencil eraser. I had to do two holes close to each other. This made a slightly bigger hole. You may be able to see the difference in the picture below.

I then carefully inserted the flower through the pencil eraser.

Optional: I also tied a small green ribbon around each pencil. This is the “leaves” of the flower pencil stem.

I placed the Pencil Flowers in a glass jar. It’s a glass jar I repurposed. All I did was wrap a piece of burlap around the jar. I used Mod Podge to adhere the burlap to the jar.

We also plan to give a gift card with these Pencil Flowers.

You don’t have to do exactly what I did to make these pencil flowers. You can simply cut out flowers instead of using a flower punch. You can use one paper flower instead of layering two together. Our pencil flowers are just an example of what you can do, a guide…inspiration. Feel free to make it your own. We’re all creative in our own way.

Have you made any Teacher’s Gifts recently?

Happy Crafting!

See our other similar projects:

(I’m linking up to I’m Lovin’ It, Weekend Wrap Up Party and The Frugal Girls.)

Filed Under: DIY Project

DIY: Canvas Art with Laser Cut Frames

April 25, 2013 By Debbie 8 Comments

This is a special DIY project because I made it for my mom. It’s a beautiful Canvas Art with Laser Cut Frames. I created not just one but 4 pieces to hang together. They look wonderful hanging in my mom’s bedroom. My mom agrees. She loves her new wall decorations.

My mom, who my kids call Nana, moved into our home about 1.5 years ago. We turned our guest bedroom into her bedroom. When my mom moved in with us, she did not change anything in the bedroom. Recently, she decided she wanted to make the room her own.

The first thing she changed was the bedding. She bought a beautiful set with the colors red, cream and brown.

I had originally decorated this bedroom with a blue and green color scheme. Above the bed’s headboard was a framed picture of a front porch. It looked great with the old bedding. But it did not match my mom’s new bedding set of reds and browns.

I think the canvas artwork looks gorgeous above my mom’s bed. I love the intricate design detail of the laser cut frames on top of the simple stripes. I wanted some variety so I painted two canvases with vertical stripes and two with horizontal stripes. I also used two different laser cut frame designs. Put together the whole canvas artwork looks great.

Want to know how to make this Canvas Art with Laser Cut Frames? Here’s our tutorial:

The materials I used to make this Canvas Art project were four canvases size 11×14, laser cut frames, paint, paint brush, glue, ruler, pencil and painters tape.

The paint is Americana. The paint color on the canvases are Mink Tan. The frames were painted Napa Red in gloss.

The laser cut frames came in a 2 pack. They were on sale 2/$10. I got 4 frames for $10. Canvases were also in 2 packs at 50% off. Paid $8 for 4 canvases making each canvas $2.

I purchased the paint, laser cut frames and canvases from Michaels.

The blue painters tape is 1.5 inches wide.

I first created stripes on the canvases.

I placed my blue painters tape on the canvas measuring 1.5 inches in between each. I marked the canvas, lightly with a pencil, at the top and bottom. Then I lined up the tape and pressed. I made sure the entire width and length of the tape was firmly secure onto the canvas.

Two (2 ) canvases has stripes going vertical and two (2 ) canvases has stripes going horizontal.

I painted 2 coats of paint for the stripes.

After the paint was completely dry, I pulled the painters tape off carefully.

I then painted the laser cut frames. I painted 2 coats.

I glued the laser cut frames onto the canvas making sure they were centered.

The next step was hanging our new artwork. I used the same technique I did for our kids art gallery.

I believe this is an easy DIY project. It’s quick if you only do one canvas. Remember, I did four so it took longer. The best part - my mom loves it. That’s what really matters.

Have you made any canvas art projects?

Happy Crafting!

See our other similar projects:

(I’m linking up to I’m Lovin’ It, Weekend Wrap Up Party and Sunday Showcase Party.)

Filed Under: DIY Project

Disney Vacation Countdown – Free Printable

April 23, 2013 By Debbie 6 Comments

If you are looking for an easy Disney Vacation Countdown to make, then you’ll love this. I created a free Disney Vacation Countdown printable for you. All you have to do is print it, trim it and frame it. Make sure the frame has a glass top. You just simply change the number of days using a dry erase marker.

We are so excited about our upcoming Disney World trip (which also includes a cruise on the Disney Dream). It is a few months away. We normally don’t start counting down until about 30 days. But the kids wanted to start a countdown as soon as possible.

This is not my first DIY Disney Vacation Countdown. If fact, I’ve also made a Chalkboard Mickey-Shaped Disney Vacation Countdown. Unfortunately, it is no longer available. I accidentally dropped it on one of it’s ears and it broke.

We needed a new one. I wanted a countdown that was quick and easy to put together. So, I created this new Disney Vacation Countdown printable.

Download our Disney Vacation Countdown printable HERE.

This printable is meant to fit in an 8×10 frame. I recommend printing it on white card stock paper.

I also recommend checking your printer settings. My printer’s “Print Quality” setting is normally on “Standard” but it printed the black Mickey silhouette with streaks. I changed the “Print Quality” to “High” and it printed with no streaks.

After printing, you’ll need to cut around the red frame of the Disney Vacation Countdown printable to make it an 8×10 picture.

Make sure your frame has a glass top. The glass is where you write the numbers. It’s also why you’re able to erase and change the days with a dry erase marker. We use a slightly damp napkin to erase the numbers.

We’ve been updating our Disney Vacation Countdown every morning. Recently, someone changed the countdown to say “Too Many” Days Until Disney. This made me laugh. Do any of you, Disney fans, feel like this – there are too many days until your next Disney trip? Anyways, it was not one of the kids who wrote that. It was my husband.

Are you going on a Disney trip soon? Have a magical time!

Download our Disney Vacation Countdown printable HERE.

See our other similar projects:

(I’m linking up to Weekend Wrap Up Party and The Frugal Girls.)

Filed Under: Disney, Disney Craft, DIY Project, Free Printables

Homemade Bisquick Recipe Using Food Processor

April 22, 2013 By Debbie 1 Comment

I originally posted a Homemade Bisquick recipe about one year ago. In that recipe, I used a pastry blender to mix in shortening. Well, I have made the baking mix several times. Along the way, I made a few changes. I now use butter instead of shortening. I also now use a food processor instead of a pastry blender to mix in my butter.

Over the past year, I discovered a recipes for homemade crackers and homemade graham crackers. Those cracker recipes use a food processor to mix up the ingredients. That’s when I thought about using it for my Homemade Bisquick recipe.

Homemade Bisquick Recipe Using a Food Processor

(Recipe adapted from Food.com)

Ingredients

3 cups flour (I use 2 cups all purpose flour and 1 cup white wheat flour)
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold

Place flours, baking powder and salt in food processor. Cover with lid and lock. Pulse to mix.

Take cold butter out of refrigerator. Cut butter into pieces and place on top of flour mixture in food processor.

TIP: Make sure to keep the butter in refrigerator until you need it. The butter mixes best when it is cold.

Cover with lid and lock. Pulse to combine. Do this until mixture resembles fine crumbs.

Store the mixture in an airtight container. I place mine in the refrigerator. The original recipe state it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 months but I’d also make a note of the butter’s expiration date.

Makes about 4 cups baking mix.

NOTE: It’s important to not overfill your food processor. That is why I only put 3 cups total of flour into my food processor because that’s all it can hold. My food processor is a Hamilton Beach 10 Cup Food Processor.

TIP: I like to make things in big quantities. Since I have all my ingredients out anyways, I double, sometimes I even quadruple the recipe above. So to quadruple the recipe, I repeat the steps above four (4) times. This gives me about 16 cups of baking mix.

Use whenever your recipe calls for “Bisquick Mix.”

WHAT I MAKE: I use our baking mix for waffles, dumplings, easy cheeseburger pie, mini pot pies and drop biscuits.

NOTE: I have not had luck using this to make pancakes. Instead, I use a wonderful homemade pancake recipe.

I do love making waffles with this homemade baking mix. I follow the Bisquick Waffle recipe plus I add 2 tablespoons of sugar. If I don’t add the sugar, the waffles taste bland. I also quadruple the recipe because I like to make a lot of waffles at one time. See all the yummy waffles below.

Have you ever made your own homemade baking/Bisquick mix?

Have a Sweet Day!

(Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.)

(This is linked to Life in Bloom and Tasty Tuesday.)

Filed Under: In The Kitchen

DIY: Flower Mirror

April 17, 2013 By Debbie 2 Comments

I made a little mirror that is a bright spot in our living room. Some may say it’s a sunburst mirror. I think it looks more like a flower. So, that’s what I’m calling it – a Flower Mirror. You may call it whatever you’d like.

Let’s take a closer look at our Flower Mirror.

This is not the first DIY project I’ve made for our living room. Although, it’s been too long since I made anything for this room. Two years to be exact. You may remember our Repurposed Glass Jars and Patchwork Wood Wall Art.

I still have one more wall I want to fill. I also would love to freshen up the room possibly with new pillows and a rug. Someday, it will happen but for now I’m happy with our new Flower Mirror.

I think it looks perfect hanging in our living room.

Want to make this Flower Mirror? Read on for the tutorial.

The materials I used to make this Flower Mirror were a 7 inch circle mirror, ten (10) wood circles, ten (10) wood ovals, the inside of a 7 inch embroidery hoop, a 6 inch floral ring, piece of poster board, paint, foam brush, glue, pencil and scissors.

The paint is Americana Green Tea and Americana Wasabi Green.

I first painted the circle wood pieces and oval wood pieces. I also painted the embroidery hoop. I did only one coat of paint.

I traced my embroidery hoop on a piece of poster board and cut it. This gave me a 7 inch circle.

I glued the floral ring on top of the circle poster board I just cut.

I placed the painted circle wood pieces all around the floral ring. I glued them placing some glue on the circle poster board and ring.

I placed the oval wood pieces on top and in the middle on the circle wood pieces. I attached the oval wood pieces by placing glue on the wood circles and also on the floral ring (see picture below).

I glued the 7 inch mirror on top making sure it was centered.

I glued the embroidery hoop on top of the mirror to frame it.

The Flower Mirror is complete.

Let’s look at our lovely Flower Mirror again.

Have you made any mirror projects?

Happy Crafting!

See our other similar projects:

(I’m linking up to Sunday Showcase Party, The Frugal Girls and Tatertots & Jello Weekend Wrap Up Party.)

Filed Under: DIY Project, Featured

Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars Recipe

April 10, 2013 By Debbie 6 Comments

I’m excited to share this Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars recipe. It’s not just because of the obvious - such as it’s yummy and has chocolate. After several trial and error attempts, I have a few helpful tips to share with you. This doesn’t make me an expert but I do hope it makes your granola bar making experience go more smoothly.

Be sure to read the entire recipe and all the tips. I wish I had know about them the first time or the second time or third time I made chewy chocolate granola bars. You get what I mean. I hope my mistakes (I should call them learning experiences) makes it easier on you.

The first thing I tweaked with this recipe was the ratio of oats to rice cereal. Too much or too little oats and it didn’t taste right to my family. You can modify this – it’s may be a personal preference.

This recipe may seem familiar to our No-Bake Chocolate Chip Granola Bites and our Granola Cereal. But out of all the granola recipes I make, Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars are my family’s favorite.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars Recipe

(adapted from Everyday with Rachel Ray)

1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2.5 cups oats – I use quick oats
1.5 cups crispy rice cereal – I use Rice Krispies
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Melt butter, honey and brown sugar together in a pan until it bubbles. Simmer on medium low heat about 2 minutes until sugar dissolves.

TIP: This step is important. I’ve made this without simmering until sugar was dissolved and the granola bars did not turn out right.

Remove from heat.

In a separate bowl, combine together the oats and crispy rice cereal. Pour this mix into the wet ingredients in pan. Mix together.

Place granola mixture evenly into a 9×13 ungreased pan and press into pan.

TIP: Let cool for a few minutes before topping with chocolate chips. If the granola mixture is too warm, then you end up with a mess of melted chocolate chips. That’s not the worse thing in the world because chocolate is chocolate. But, I prefer to keep my chocolate chips in tact.

Top with chocolate chips. Press entire granola mixture firmly into pan. You want to press the mixture into the pan tight so your granola bars are compact and won’t fall apart.

TIP: I discovered a technique to press the granola mixture into the pan. I use another 9×13 pan and place it on top of my granola bars. So, first place parchment paper on top of your Chocolate Chip Granola.

Then place your extra pan on top of that.

Now, press down hard on the pan. Remove the extra pan and parchment paper.

Now, you have nicely packed granola bars.

Set in refrigerator for about 15 minutes. Cut into bars. Enjoy your yummy Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars.

Have you made any homemade granola bars?

Have a Sweet Day!

DIY: Monogram Burlap Decor

April 9, 2013 By Debbie 5 Comments

I recently made my first monogram craft project. I call it a Monogram Burlap Decoration. If you can paint, cut and glue, then you, too, can make this project. It is a simple DIY decoration that also happens to be beautiful. Simple and beautiful – that’s the kind of projects we love to share here at Happy Clippings.

I think this monogram decoration is a great display for spring or summer. It’s bright yellow color makes me think of a marvelous sunny day. The burlap gives it texture. The flower embellishment adds another pretty layer to the overall design.

Want to make this Monogram Burlap Decoration? Read on for the tutorial.

The material I used to make this Monogram Burlap Décor are a basswood 8×8 canvas, yellow paint, white paint, foam brush, W letter, burlap, glue and small flower.

The burlap is a garland wrap from Michaels found in the floral section.

The paint is Martha Stewart Multi-Surface Satin Acrylic Craft Paint. The color is Yellow Jacket. First, I painted the wood canvas yellow. I did two coats. I also painted the letter W white. (The photo above shows it white because I painted it already.)

I cut a square piece of burlap and attached it onto the wood. I used Mod Podge to attach it.

You may notice the burlap is not cut exactly square but I like it this way, The imperfection gives it charm.