Craft-o-palooza, A Little Ole To Start Your Day and To The Potty We Go

  Did ya hear we are getting some snow in Chicago? I took this "before" pic of my back patio so that I would have a gauge to show all my friends and family how much snow we actually got. So keep posted for the "after" pictures.....


So now that the holidays are over and one birthday is down (Anna's is only in less than six weeks), I have some breathing room to get some things done I have been putting off doing around the house. I have been a crafting fool this weekend! I got a little time away on Saturday to hit Michael's and Hob Lob and here is what I found:

I have been drooling over this similar looking one in Ballard Designs Catalog (or as I like to refer to it, Rich People With No Worries Catalog) for months:

See how much alike they are? The one on the bottom is from the catalog and it costs $44.00 without shipping and tax. So around $53.00 total.
I got mine for......wait for it........



$19.99



I KNOW!!!


I love it so much and now I think I might need to go to Dollar Tree and buy me some fake lemons to fill it with. :)

I found the above in the Valentine craft aisle at Hob Lob for 79 cents less 30 percent off.

This was also in the Valentine craft area for 3.99 less 30 % off.


Just glue them together and you have this:

All for $3.35.

I also found these cute little signs to make for the girls Valentine gifts (because, really do they need more chocolate...or I should say, do I really need more chocolate in the house???)

Add some cute stickers

Just a cute little gift for them to use all year if they like.

I am also adding a book of Valentine coupons for McDonald's, only a dollar for a book of coupons (free hamburgers, apple slices, etc.). Check out your local McD's for this cheap little gift.

I also worked on some overdue Goodwill finds:

I got this frame months ago at our local Goodwill and I loved the details but not the color; but for 49 cents, I can do something about that. ( Notice the price tag ON the glass??)

A little vintage white spray paint later and tada!! The graphic is from my friend Melissa who got it off of Becky Higgins blog (see my blogs I love links on the right).

I love how this looks and only 49 cents. :)

I got this tray at Goodwill for $2.99. Cute enough but needs some lovin'. So after spray painting it two coats of basic black, I decided I wanted to modge podge something funky on it.

I love this "4" graphic I found online, I even use it as my profile pic for my blog's Twitter account. Plus there is meaning behind 4, four of us in our little family. (I had to point this out to the hubs when he asked "why the number 4?")

So I cut it out a little more and got out good old modge podge:

And....

It will look like this at first but then after a few hours ......

It looked like this! It gives it a funky, vintage-y, side of a barn look, doesn't it??
And all for $2.99!! You can do this too because I guarantee that most Goodwill's in the US right now have one or two wooden trays sitting in the wooden craft aisle. So easy and really cute. I was originally going to put magazines in this thing but it is so cute I don't want to cover it up.

Recipe Time!!!

I love me a good ole' taco and I especially love Chipotle. (I can hear my brother cringing as I write this)- Why? Because lets just say that we live in an area that is known for some really great authentic Mexican food and Chipotle isn't really authentic. I love the mexi-joints around here but Chipotle is in a class of its own. I love fresh tacos not the kind you make with the taco seasoning packets....PUT THE PACKET DOWN PEOPLE. Here is a great recipe I came up with on my own and that the kids and hubs love:

Kari's Tacos El Fresco

1 pound ground beef

2-3 fresh limes

1 white onion

Flour Tortillas

sides as you like (sour cream, cheddar cheese, guacamole etc)

Brown the beef and then add the onion at the end (just when the beef is brown). Squeeze two or three limes over the browned beef.

Add to a flour tortilla and add sides as you like.

Easy. Good. Inexpensive. Not too bad for you.

So I was gonna start the potty training process this week but......

Yeah, maybe not.

Happy Monday!