Now Featuring: 32 Turns

Today I'm blog swapping with Britany at 32 Turns.

She's my best friend and I adore her!

She is super creative, stinkin' funny, and down-right gorgeous.

Please show her some love!

Take it away Brit!

 

Hi everyone! My name is Britany from 32turns and I am super excited to be taking over today for TJ. She is my bestie on and off the blogging scene and I think she is TERRIFIC!

Lately I have been crushing hard on chalkboard paint! I change my mind A LOT and chalk boards are seriously perfect decorations for someone who is often changing things up!

I made this banner for my daughter's 5th birthday a few weeks ago. Super easy.

Here is the supply list:

• chalkboard paint in any color (I got mine here)
• foam roller or brush
• heavy cardstock or cardboard pieces
• ribbon

I used pre-made heavy cardboard pennant pieces for my banner that I bought at JoAnn's. I spread them out on newspaper and rolled the black chalkboard paint on.

I did let it dry and paint a second coat just to get really good coverage.

After your banner pieces are dry, grab the ribbon of your choice and tie the pieces together.

Last step, grab some chalk and write your banner message. Of course since this was a birthday, that is what I chose to chalk on the banner. But....the awesome thing (for you constant mind changers like me) is that you can change the words and switch out the ribbon and have a completely different banner!!!

In my house this banner has now been transformed for Halloween to hang over my spooky decor! The post about my Halloween decorations will go up this week on my blog so check back to see the banner transformation! Thanks for having me today, hope to see you over at my little corner of blogland!

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I am Britany from 32 Turns. I am fast moving and fast talking. I love to cook, create and shop for great bargains! Creating is often the only thing that keeps me in my right mind. :) I am a mom to 2 beautiful girls and a wife to one sweet husband. I hope you will come see me in my little corner of blog land where you will find me sharing lifestyle tips, crafts, free printables, and yummy recipes. I try to keep things sane but I can’t help the bit of crazy that always sneaks through! Would love to get to know you too! You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Recent Posts from 32Turns:

Piano Makeover, Burlap Halloween Wreath, Chalkboard Lunchbox Notes

 

THANK YOU BRIT!!

Sweeties, visit her, follow her, love her!

Happy Sunday: How Others Feel

Truth, plain and simple:

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Aspen Tree Kid's Craft

Sometimes I miss teaching preschool.

I don't miss the yucky noses, temper tantrums, and constant running.

I do miss the little hands, the happy giggles, and sweet smiles.

 

The other day I saw some stuff in my craft desk that reminded me of a fun project we did in preschool:

Paper Trees.

They're so pretty and easy to make!

We did one for every season.

 

This is how we do it:

You'll need: 

•  a paper bag (we used white for aspen trees but brown for others)
• colored tissue paper (yellow for an autumn aspen; add red and orange for other varieties or green for summer trees. You can even crumple red tissue into little balls for apples.)
• liquid glue
• scissors

STEP 1: Turn the folded paper bag upside-down and cut up

toward the base, making a 4-5 inch cut.

DO NOT CUT ALL THE WAY TO THE END.

Make several cuts about a half-inch apart from edge to edge.

 

STEP 2: Open cut paper bag.

 

STEP 3: Grab bag in the middle between the cuts and the base.

 

STEP 4: Squeeze and twist toward the bottom of the bag to create the trunk and base of your tree.

 

STEP 5: Twist each individual cut piece to create branches.

 

STEP 6: Arrange branches by separating and re-twisting if necessary.

 

STEP 7: Tear small (dime-size) pieces of tissue paper for leaves.

 

STEP 8: On a scrap piece of paper, make a small pool of glue.

 

STEP 9: dip corner of "leaf" in glue.

This makes it MUCH easier to control amount of glue on a leaf. =)

 

STEP 10: Place glued leaf corner on branch.

 

Continue adding leaves until you're satisfied with the appearance of your tree.

Make several to create a forest of Fall. 

 

Beautifully simple!

Blended Conference 2013

I went to my first blog conference!

BLENDED

It was so much fun!

I got to meet some amazing bloggers right off the bat.

{Check out the business cards I made for the big event HERE.}

 

One of the BEST parts about the whole thing was spending the day with my bestie, Brit.

She blogs at 32 Turns and is one of my favorite people on the whole, entire planet.

We ALWAYS have a blast together!

 

The Hostesses, Wendy & Wendy, were SO great.

They had some pretty fabulous sponsors there!

I am a HUGE fan of Fairytale Brownies!

Trust me when I say that  literally could've eaten one ^this^ size!

 

Britany & I made a bee-line for that table before even hitting the breakfast buffet. =)

 

All of the sponsors spoiled us!

Besides getting some awesome swag,

I discovered some products that I'm SUPER excited about!

 

Shamrock Farms seriously brought their A game!

They've introduced these new protein drinks.

The nutritional value is outstanding!

I seriously cannot wait to get my hands on these.

 

They also had samples of their new line of flavored sour cream.

I LOVE the zesty jalapeno flavor!!!

{I'm working on a recipe with that stuff.}

 

 We played with props,

ate delicious food,

met new friends,

laughed a ton,

and had a BLAST!

 

I hope I see you there next time!

BOO! with Pumpkin Blossom Cookie Recipe

I love surprises!

A little something (any little something) can go a long way to brighten your day.

 

This is the time of year that my boys look forward to a BOO! surprise:

you know, when someone knocks and runs but leaves you a little yummy with a BOO! sign to hang in your window. Then you have 2 days to re-BOO! someone else. My kids love it!

 

Here's what we're sharing this year: 

{feel free to print and share}

 

attached to a quick and delicious treat:

 

And this is how we do it:

{print it here}

 

This is how the steps look:

This will look very familiar! I use this basic cookie recipe a lot!

{like HERE and HERE!}

 

And VIOLA! The finished product: 

 What's your favorite Fall treat?  

The Ultimate Pumpkin Cheesecake

This is my all-time FAVORITE pumpkin recipe!

I get requests for this little number year-round,

but especially during fall.

(I made one last night and it's already gone!)

 

Here's how to dazzle your tastebuds:

{print it here}

The combination of graham AND Ritz crackers adds a hint of salt that I love.

You HAVE to use Philly cream cheese. Anything else won't give you a creamy texture.

 

It's very hard to tell when a cheesecake is done. It should be firm to the touch, not like pudding.

You can add a pan of water on the lower oven rack to keep it moist if it needs to bake longer.

Before refrigerating, drape a paper towel over the pan (not on the cheesecake itself)
to absorb condensation before covering with foil.

 

What's YOUR favorite pumpkin recipe?



Happy Sunday: Hope

Happy Sunday, sweeties. =)

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