Holidays

Soup Mix Sharing Jars

146 · Nov 9, 2018 · 5 Comments

This post is brought to you by Ball® Fresh Preserving Products by Newell Brands

Not all holiday gifts need to be ooey gooey sweet. Savory holiday gifts are just as lovely, sometimes even more so. I personally have been off sugar for 3 months now and I’m really nervous for the holiday season to arrive. Having the house fill up with sweets is NOT what I’m wishing for this Christmas. I would LOVE to get one of these Ball® Sharing Jar soup mixes as a gift. Not only is the soup mix soothing to the soul, but they are also good for you as well.

You can go as crazy wild as you want, adding all kinds of savory dried ingredients that are perfectly hand-picked by you, or keep it super simple and dress-up a store bought soup mix. My favorite Ball® Sharing Jars are the inspiration for my Sharing Jar Soup quartet.

I love the simplicity and earthiness of these soup mixes paired with a simple label & ribbon. As Ina would say, “How easy is that?”

Sharing Jar Soup Mix Labels

Before we get into the soup, I want to chat about the labels. I selected some classic soup recipes and created home wintery labels that are not only good throughout the holidays, but all through the winter. You can download and use these free printable label s HERE.

They are designed to be printed on card stock paper and then, using double-sided tape, taped onto one of the sections of the beautiful quart sized Sharing Jars. It’s a stunning way to highlight the character of the unique BALL® COLLECTION ELITE® WIDE MOUTH QUART SHARING JARS, which are perfect for gifting.

The Sharing Jar Soup Mix Collection

Here are three soup mixes along with their recipes that work perfectly for gifting and are typically real crowd pleasers.

SPLIT PEA SOUP, a classic, and one of my family’s favorites! You can download the recipe cards for this concoction HERE.

This spicy gem, BLACK BEAN SOUP, is a staple at many houses and will for sure be appreciated by whomever you gift this soup too. HERE are the recipe and mixing directions.

Lentils have become a favorite of mine and this soup does not disappoint! You can download the recipe for this treat HERE.

Now, last but not least is a little cheater method… If you are in a super hurry, grab a packet of a Tomato Based Soup with Pasta and an extra bag of Mexican style noodles to add to the mix and dump it into your Sharing Jar. This simple but heartwarming soup is fabulous during those winter months. Plus, it’s SUPER easy to throw together this gift!

You can download the mixing directions HERE.

Now you need to go stock up on some of the giftable Ball® Sharing Jars and get busy, those holidays wait for no one! Surprise your friends and neighbors with this thoughtful gift this season.

Whimsical Neon Halloween Mantel

5 · Sep 17, 2018 · 1 Comment

When it comes to my typical style choices I typically stick with classic and timeless. However, I also have a real love of fun and whimsey that sneaks out every once in a while. This year I’ve created a whimsical mantel using all kinds of fun finds from DecoArt, Target & Refined Design for my whimsical NEON Halloween mantel!

• This post brought to you by DecoArt •

You may not be able to tell by looking at me but, I tend like walking the line sometimes when it comes to following the rules. Nothing that would involve a felony conviction or anything, more like… When my daughter was born, I felt like she looked better in blue. She had beautiful blueberry eyes and I loved highlighting that. To this day she still is weirded out by the fact that I dressed her in blue instead of pink.

The same holds true when I decorate for holidays, sometimes I don’t really want to stick with the normally prescribed color palette. For example, we don’t really have to decorate with black and orange for Halloween, we can decorate in NEON and create a really fun, whimsical Halloween display.

Neon Halloween Mantel Supplies

With a mission in mind, I grabbed my DecoArt Americana Neon Light paints and headed to the Target Bullseye’s Playground (the former dollar spot) and grabbed some inexpensive Halloween trinkets to add to my mantel and got to work. Here’s my supply list…

- Americana Neon Lights 2oz – Pink Explosion
- Americana Neon Lights 2oz – Peach Punch
- Americana Neon Lights 2oz – Green Energy
- Americana Neon Lights 2oz – Knockout Blue
- Americana Neon Lights 2oz – Radiant Yellow
- foam paint brushes
- small witches broom

various fabric pumpkins
tiny witches hat (it was a headband originally)
mascarade mask
wood beads in various sizes
cotton bakers twine
an upholstery needle
a set of Letters and Ledges
scissors
command stips

Instructions

With this project, I wanted to add touches of color to typical Halloween objects. Kind of like color blocking in some cases without the hard lines. I wanted it to have a free spirit air about the mantle. Remember, we are going for whimsical.

I started by painting the stems of the pumpkins green.

While those were drying, I painted the edge of the masquerade mask with the neon pink and you can find a mask for sale on Masquerade Store.

I have a quirky llama picture that I found at Target that sits on my mantle. Her name is Poppy and I adore her!

I thought it would be fun to get her in on the action, so Poppy will be wearing the mask for Halloween.

Then I added the color block on the bottom of the pumpkins, the broom & the little witches hat.

While I was waiting for them to dry, I starting to string my wood beads to create a garland. I was inspired by this tutorial from Design Love Fest…

You have to vist Design Love Fest to learn how to make fun bead garlands like this. Click on the link above.

I decided that since I didn’t want to paint the entire bead, it would be easier to string the garlands, hang them on the fireplace and then paint them.

Worked like a charm and saved a ton of time!

Once all of the paint was dry, it was time to dress the mantel.

With the addition of the Ledges & Letters and the bats the mantel was complete!

Now, every few days we can change-up the Halloween quote and tickle our funny bone all over again!

Disclaimer • This is a paid post with my friends at DecoArt. I am a member of the DecoArt Core Creator program and do receive payment and product to help facilitate these creative posts. However, keep in mind… I will NEVER share something I don’t truly love and use in my everyday life.

America The Beautiful Porch Sign

9 · Jun 8, 2018 · 3 Comments

Dressing-up the front porch at my house has become one of my favorite things to do each season. Summer is always my time to show a little love for the good ol’e USA. I host a huge 4th of July party each year and I always try to dress things up extra special for that event. This year I created a new America The Beautiful porch sign to the mix and I jazzed it up with some great stars from Michaels!

+ This post is brought to you by the fine folks at Michaels +

Shopping at Michaels Online

Michaels has all your red, white & blue needs this summer! And it’s now easier than ever to get all your supplies with Michael’s new buy online and pick up in store feature! Simply place your order online, select your store and your items will be ready and waiting for you there! I saved a ton of time by shopping online and then running in to my local michaels store to pick-up my order. I’m LOVING this option. No more wandering the isles with kiddos in tow. I can virtually wander the isles with my kiddos happy at home. So much less stress. Then I run in and grab my order when it’s ready… Super Slick! Have you tried this out at Michaels yet?

Supplies for the America the Beautiful Porch Sign Look

Here is what I ordered for this fun patriotic look…

Red Stars
Blue Stars
White Stars
Red Star Pillow
Blue Star Pillow
24×48 canvas
red spray paint
3M Command Strips
Cricut SportFlex – Midnight Blue • This one I did have to order online via Michaels
Cricut Iron-On Glitter – Red
Cricut Foil Iron-On – Gold
Cricut Easy Press or personal iron
Cricut Design Space File
Let’s Flamingal Sign

How to Put This Look Together

Now, this look has several different elements. We have the sign and the stars on the garden wall. This was using my new tried and tested method of using the Cricut Maker to cut Iron-On Vinyl and then affixing it to a canvas using the Cricut Easy Press. This is my new favorite sign making technique. You can learn how to do everything from start-to-finish in my Sign Making 101 post.

Then all you need to do is visit Cricut Design Space with the link above in the supply list and you’ll have access to my cut files that you can re-size to your desired sign size then, cut on your Cricut Machine for your sign.

Once your sign is finished then it’s time to hang everything. I’ve found that the 3M Strips are BRILLIANT even on outdoor walls.

I hand new signs each season on my brick wall with my Command Strips. They have withstood strong winter storms without a problem at all and, let me tell you… Nebraska is no joke when it comes to strong winds and crazy storms. I have yet to have a sign fall using my Command Strips on Brick.

I used the Command Strips to hang the large 24×48 America The Beautiful porch sign on the garden wall. With the size of the sign, I did need to use a fair number of the Command Strips to make sure the sign was secure. Then I used the command strips to hang the stars as well.

I kind of have a love affair with Command Strips if you can’t tell!

I also hung one of the stars on the front door to tie the two areas together and added the great star pillows from Michaels on my old chair. Add a few plants and the look is complete. It’s perfect for your 4th of July gatherings for sure!

What are you going to order from Michaels and pick-up at your local store this week? They have some amazing sales going on right now!!

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12 Cricut Maker Projects + How to Replace a Cricut Maker Rotary Blade

39 · Jan 26, 2018 · Leave a Comment

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Cricut Maker! I’m especially loving creating more with fabric these days. I’m always looking for more Cricut Maker project inspiration & ideas on how to take care of my machine. For example every Cricut Maker user, there comes a time when you will need to change out your rotary blade. This is something that is relatively new to the Cricut world and is super easy to do following the proper instructions. If you are new to creating with Cricut, the Cricut Maker Rotary Blade is the magical blade that cuts fabric when using the Cricut Maker machine! With its gliding, rolling action, it cuts virtually any fabric quickly and accurately – without backing material. It’s pretty fabulous! After you’ve cut to your heart’s content, you will eventually have to change out your blade, here’s a tutorial for how to replace a Cricut Rotary Blade. And, if you’re not sure if a Cricut or a Silhouette is right for you then make sure to read that article first. Ok so, down for the tutorial.

Below is a quick Pinable graphic that you can save so that you can reference it later on how to change your Cricut rotary blade. You can even print a PDF version of it HERE if you’d like.

How to Change a Cricut Rotary Blade

Before you begin, you need to make sure you remember you are working with a VERY SHARP blade and to be safe while working with it at all times.

Carefully remove rotary blade from your Cricut Maker.
Slip protective cover, from the Rotary Blade Kit over the blade with the large opening over the housing screw. View graphic to view safety warning.
Make sure you feel the protective cover click into place.
Use provided screw driver to remove the screw from the housing. View graphic for step-by-step photo instructions. Keep in mind, the blade is meant to stay within the protective cover. This is a great feature created by Cricut to protect their Cricut family of users. I think it’s genius!
Remove the new blade, already in a new protective cover, from the package.
Place over your housing like before.
Using the provided screw driver, replace the screw making sure not to over tighten.
Carefully remove protective covering and replace rotary blade in your machine.
Just to be safe, I place my old blade, still in the protective cover, back into the packaging before I toss it in the trash.

That’s it, you’re ready to rock’n roll again. Looking for some inspiration on what to make with this fabulous new cutting tool? Here are some that might get your creative juices flowing…