teacher appreciation gift idea...

next week is teacher appreciation week... 

{may 6th through may 10th}

today i wanted to share with you something i put together for marina's teacher last year...{given to the teacher by the whole class}

  a lot of time was spent in that classroom...  i did art with the children every thursday and i LOVED it... 

we did several painted paper projects throughout the year and i saved every usable painted paper scrap that the kids had left over from their work...

one of the moms brought me a large terracotta pot... which i painted with chalkboard paint...

i purchased some vinca vine from our local greenhouse and planted it in our container... 

the children each chose a painted paper for their flower and center and i glued them together... they signed their sweet names on the back... and i attached them onto green florist wire...  

 then i tucked them in throughout the vinca...

it turned out really cute and their teacher really liked it... such cheery flowers... and to think... they're made from discarded paper scraps...

this was done on a classroom level...

 however... if you would like to do this project with your child... gather up a smaller flower pot... you could paint it or leave it natural... add a nice green plant like some ivy, vinca or sweet potato vine... and then have your child make their own version of flowers for their teacher... add them to florist wire, tuck them into the potted plant... and there ya have it... a super cute teacher appreciation gift...

hope you enjoyed this project...

have a happy day~

angie

an anniversary, a gift card, and some granny squares...

my parents celebrated their 41st anniversary on monday...

that's quite an accomplishment in this day and age...

{i love this picture of them... my mom looks SO happy and how about my dad's tux... he's  rockin' those ruffles...}

they're the best parents a girl could ask for... and i'm so thankful that i'm their daughter... 

we wanted to do a little something for them... but they are the parents who never want anything... who have what they need...

but they really enjoy going out to dinner... so the girls and i thought it would be nice to get them a gift card to o'charleys... 

{o' those rolls... yum!}

i didn't want to just stick the gift card in the card that we got for them... 

i always used to take the time to package things nicely... coordinating everything...

then i went through a period where it was quick grab the closest gift bag and throw some tissue in it and call it a day... 

and more recently i've found myself in the target parking lot on the day of an event rushing around like a nut... so last minute that i'm tossing the gift {that i just bought...} in the gift bag {that i just bought...} right there in the car... ugh! time to get back to my old ways...  

so i gathered up some supplies i had on hand... 

 {do you ever check the dollar bins at target... sometimes they have the cutest wrapping paper... the one above is brown paper with a white stenciled design on it...}

i used some card stock in different patterns/colors that i liked together... i grabbed my scalloped punch and began punching circles...

 one of the scalloped circles acted as a base... as for the others... i folded the edges inward creating a point... using glue dots i arranged/attached them around the base... i fluffed up the folds... and added a paper button to the center that's laced with a bit of baker's twine...

 i wrapped up the gift card in the wrapping paper... tied it up with more bakers twine... and added the paper flower embellishment...

i loved taking the time to wrap it up and make it special for them...

when we went to visit... my mom had a little surprise that she's been working on for me...

just had to share it because i'm so excited... that material in the background is going to be made into curtains... or pillows... not sure which yet... but they are going to be the new colors for our living room...  and those granny squares {that i love...} are going to be turned into the coziest blanket... 

welp, that's all for now...

have a happy day~

angie

do you like tea?

i've been feeling a little under the weather since sunday... maybe it's the goofy weather we have going on here in ohio... sunshine and 80's one day... 40's the next... rainy, windy... it's messing with me... i've been trying to take good care of myself...

cough drops... check

tissues... check

benadryl... check

antibiotic... check

tea and honey... ummm...

 here's the thing... i'm not a big fan of tea... not hot or iced...

BUT... a friend of the family {hi, laney o...} shared this tea with my mom who insisted that i give it a try...

so i did...

and hold on to your seats people... i actually liked it...

enough to head to a local health store and purchase 2 boxes of it...

it's THAT good!

it comes in a variety of flavors... i can't speak for the others but i'm tellin' ya... sweet and spicy hits the mark...

it's kind of like drinking warm, cinnamon-y goodness... it reminds me a little of big red gum {do they still make that?}... or maybe even a bit like those little red hot candies... spicy yet sweet at the same time...

just wanted to share this with you... in case you might like to try it, too...

now... i'm off to rest... it's a full rest of the week over here... {a birthday party, a first communion to attend and i have a huge project that i'm working on that's due on monday for the special ed. class that i'm taking}... this girl doesn't have time to be sick...

what do you have going on this week? i'd love to hear about it...

have a happy day~

angie 

recycled water bottle flowers...

hi there... hope you're all having a great weekend so far...

ours has been good... busy... but good!

marina had an extra dance class today... after that we had some chipotle {yum!} for lunch... stopped at barnes and noble... and then headed home... i did some cleaning... picked some flowers since it's supposed to get so cold tonight and put them in vases about the house... we had cereal for dinner... and the girls and i did a project for earth day...

recycled water bottle flowers... {i'm going to apologize in advance for the coloring in these pics... the lighting in my house in the evening is the worst for photo taking...}

we started with a pile of empty water bottles...

i cut the bottoms of the bottles off at various heights...

then we took the half of the bottle with the cap... this is where you can get creative with it... by snipping into the plastic... you can cut the bottle into any shaped petals you would like... we did a variety... rounded, pointed, squared... even a tulip as you can see above...

then we bent the petals downwards towards the cap... {except for the tulip... those petals stayed upright...}

 and then the fun part... painting!

 this art table has seen many projects...

and that makes me happy...

paintbrushes and paints = a creative mess

i love to watch the girls choosing colors and coming up with their own patterns...

 while the flowers were drying... we used wire and wrapped it with scraps of fabric for the stems...

 we added crinkles of tissue paper to the centers of some...

 these girls made quite the bouquet...

a little close up...

 i think they turned out really cute...

a fun project to do with your kids for earth day... 

we put them in one of my milk glass vases when we were all done :)

have a happy day~

angie

one of my {many} favorite things...

on tuesday... while i should have been cleaning... i took a break... and headed over to ichabod's treasures and lou berry's...

it's been a little while and something was telling me that i needed to stop in...

i'm so glad that i did... they are continually switching up their shops... there's always something new to look at... and they even hang up magazine inspiration pictures of similar items throughout the store to get you thinking...

i love milk glass... it's one of my {many} favorite things... and i have a nice, little collection going... about a year or so ago, i found a snack tray/cup set... in milk glass... at an antique shop in columbus... don't ask me why, but i left it there... and i've been on the hunt for one ever since... 

while at the store the other day, i walked over to the ichabod's side... and lo and behold... a treasure... a set of four milk glass snack trays and cups... the pattern is dogwood... and it was too cute to leave behind... so it came home with me...

{love the scalloped handles...}

i really wanted to use them so

i whipped up a little snack for us this morning... peanut butter banana wontons... it's such a beautiful day here, so we enjoyed them outside... and that made me happy!

 {i found the recipe for the yumminess above over at lemon tree dwelling... if you like to cook/bake, you should check out cathy's blog... she shares the best recipes... and some cute projects, too}

so how about you... have you found any treasures lately?

have a happy day~

angie

peony wreath...

do you like peonies?

i do... they are such a pretty flower... i have them in my yard and every year i look forward to them blooming... they started peeking through the ground this week...

in a previous post i mentioned this peony wreath kit from paper source...

it's made out of paper... 

and i couldn't wait to get started on it...

i got all of the pieces ready to go...

{the kit is very user friendly...}

first attempt at a bloom... not too shabby...

the kit includes the wreath form, the paper, the foam tabs, and the ribbon... {additional supplies needed are double sided tape and a bone folder... but i just used a pencil to bend/roll the petals of the flowers}

i did switch up the ribbon on mine... that's the only change that i made... it came with plain, white satin... but i saw this green checked at joanns and thought it would bring out the green leaves a little bit...

making the flowers was fun... 

i think they would also be cute on the top of packages...

i kind of want an excuse to make more of them... 

 really pretty... don't ya think? 

here's the finished wreath... 

now i just need to find the perfect spot to hang it...

what fun projects are you working on?

have a happy day~
angie

creamy potato soup...

there have been so many recipes floating around on facebook lately... today i'll be sharing one that my friend paula posted... a recipe for potato soup that doesn't disappoint... 

so yummy...

made with hash browns... of all things...

and the bulk of the ingredients get tossed into the crock pot...

i usually never really care for crock pot recipes but this one's a keeper...

try it out... you'll like it...

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here's the recipe... {i'm not sure why, but i couldn't get the link to work through facebook...} 

creamy potato soup

1 30oz. bag of frozen, shredded hash browns {i used ore ida}

3 14oz. cans of chicken broth

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/4 tsp. ground pepper

1 pkg. cream cheese {don’t use fat free...it won't melt...}

1 pkg. of bacon, shredded cheddar cheese and green onions {scallions} to garnish

i only made 2 changes...

1.  i used cream of onion soup instead of cream of chicken soup... {i don't like little pink bits of chicken floating around in my food... so whenever cream of chicken is called for, i go with the cream of onion instead...}

and

2.  once the cream cheese was added and all melted/blended in... i added a 1/2 cup of the shredded cheddar to the mix and stirred it in until it was nice and melty... you can never have enough cheese :) 

directions

put the hash browns, chicken broth, cream of chicken soup {or cream of onion, if you want to make it like mine}, chopped onion and ground pepper into the crock pot... cook for 6-8 hours... {mine was finished in about 6 hours}... i started off on low heat but then switched it to high heat after about 3 hours... believe it or not... those tiny pieces of potato cook really slow... {just keep an eye on it}...

about an hour before serving... add the package of cream cheese to the soup mixture in the crock pot... let it cook for approximately an hour... you'll be able to tell when it's ready to serve... it will all be melted and blended together... this is when i added the 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar... stir it in and let it get melty...

garnish with bacon, shredded cheddar and green onions {scallions}

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SO good... and the crock pot does most of the work for ya... win-win!!!

have a happy day~

angie

ten on 4-10-13

it's time for ten on ten again... phew... these months are flying by... have you heard about the ten on ten photo project? {if not, you can check it out here...} i kind of love the idea... the whole gist of ten on ten is to capture 10 moments throughout your day... on the 10th of each month... it's to help with remembering the little moments that make up our everyday lives...

here we go...

i opened up some windows this morning to let some fresh air in... it's finally nice enough to do that... the girls were playing with maddie... once they left for school i noticed her in the window... with some yarn across her noodle... just sitting there... soaking up the sunshine...

i went to school... stopped at the park police office for a copy of the police report {from the stolen phone incident}... and headed to meet my friend... she had a phone for me to temporarily use...

don't be jealous... you know you love the flip :)  verizon hooked me back up... so this will be my phone until the 19th when i'm due to upgrade...

had a bowl of this yumminess for lunch...

creamy potato soup that i made for dinner last night... i'll be sharing this recipe soon...

thankful for this burst of color in our yard...

and i caught the first glimpse of peonies breaking through... so many leaves still need raked out of these beds...

even though it's been nice and warm today... this is the sky i'm looking at right now... doesn't look too friendly...

did some laundry... the towel load is always my favorite... easy to fold and put away...

 see those beach towels in there?... we did NOT just return from the beach or the swimming pool... they somehow always make it into the regular rotation no matter what shelf in the linen closet they're tucked away on...

got a little bit of work done...love these snippets of fabric that are being turned into some cute things...

little miss just got home from school... and that umbrella just got tossed... i'd say it's a little out of whack... wouldn't you?  haha...

and onto homework with both girls... with maizie missing 2 days this week... there's quite a bit...

have a happy day~

angie

linking up with...

the best nest...

when i was little... the best nest by p.d. eastman was one of my favorite stories... the book was floating around at my grandma's house... and had crayon markings on the inside... i'm not sure whose book it was or where it ever ended up but i remembered it always... i liked the pink cover...

for my 25th birthday... my mom found and bought a copy of the best nest for me... i was so excited to have it in my hands again... knowing that i would one day love reading it to my children...

{check out mr. and mrs. bird :)}

fast forward a bit... i got married... and when we moved into our house in 2000... there was a huge ball of cement in the back yard with a tall metal pole coming out of it... the cement ball was too large for anyone to move so my dad had the idea to make me a bird house to sit on top of the pole... and that's just what he did... that ugly cement ball is buried deep in the ground and perched on top of the pole is what i like to refer to as... 

"the best nest"

my 2 girls were born in 2002 and 2005... the best nest is a story that i've always read to them and they both love it as much as i did when i was little... {i just read it to marina's class a few weeks ago}...

over the years the little bird house that you see up there has been home to many mr. and mrs. birds...

the picture above was taken yesterday... 

when i went outside this morning... there was a bit of activity going on there...

 straw...

and this little bird... waiting for me to stop taking pictures of it...

maizie and i watched as it flew back and forth...

 and back and forth...

busy little bird...

maizie hung up some yarn and string in the tree for them...

and...

they actually took some :)

it's been kind of fun to watch...

i think we'll have to read the best nest tonight... 

do you have a favorite childhood story that holds lots of memories for you?

have a happy day~

angie

linking up this post with: