DIY Teacher Appreciation Gift

It's Teacher Appreciation Week!

Time to celebrate the wonderful people who spend their days teaching and thinking of new ways to help our little ones learn...

Day One..

"Thank You for helping me write a chapter in my story"

DIY Painted Canvas

For this project you will need:

1 board {hard backed} canvas

printer

pencil

craft paint

To get started, free hand the shape of an open book..

Using two paint colors, paint in the book...

For a guide for the words, I printed the saying in a few different fonts in Microsoft Word, leaving an empty space for "write" 

To use your print off as a transfer for the words on your canvas, turn the paper over and color on the backside of each word with pencil...

Now, turn the paper over and tape it into place on the canvas. Trace each letter...

Once you have traced all of the letters, pull back the paper to reveal a perfect penciled transfer!

I used a ruler to mark of the paper lines for the word "write"...

  I asked Bryce {my Kindergarten boy} to sign his name at the bottom and then I was ready to paint it all in!

I used a very fine tipped brush and painted right over the pencil marks....

You could also add a book store gift card to go along with this gift, that's what I am planning to do before we wrap it up :)

I hope you will come back and check in for more ideas tomorrow! It's an entire week of Teacher Appreciation here on the blog and Facebook!

Thanks so much for taking a look!

Image Transfer With Mod Podge... shabby chic flower pots

Hello there!! 

It's been such a while since I have blogged... I have so much to tell you all about, but I'll save that for another post!

Today, I wanted to share a quick, super easy, and perfect gift for Mother's Day

Here's what you will need to get started:

Terracotta Flower Pot

Craft Paint

Foam Brush

Mod Podge, Matte Finish

A Printed Image, {I use my very plain DeskJet Printer, noting fancy required!}

To get started, first you will need to find an image for your flower pot... cruise on over to my favorite site for such things : The Graphics Fairy and you will find a ton of images to choose from!

{click HERE to find the image of the bee that I used}

Now it's time to paint your pot... I used "light buttermilk" Americana acrylic craft paint. After the paint was dry, I went back and distressed the pot with sand paper to give it a shabby, worn look

Next, you will need to trim around the edges of your image. Using your foam brush, paint a thin layer of Mod Podge on the image

Next, place the paper, image side down, onto the flower pot. Take care to smooth out any bubbles that may form. Allow to dry over night.... yep, that's the hardest part for me too ;) 

So... you've waited all night and now your ready to reveal your transfer!

Start by dipping your fingers in a small amount of warm water and gently start to rub away the paper...

Keep working at it until all of the paper is removed...

Now it's time to use it!

What do you think?? Would you love one of these as a gift? 

I would love to hear if you try this, or any of the other projects I share!

Hop on over to my Facebook Page and share a picture any time! I'll see you there!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Exciting Things Coming Up......Sweet Tea & Shopping Spring Market!!

I have been on a mini blogging break because I have been getting ready for a few exciting things...

First up is...

I can't tell you how excited I am for this event!! It's located on a beautiful, family friendly, working farm.

We love Bottom View Farm for so many reasons... it's one of my kiddos favorite places to spend a day. The animals, tractor train rides, zip lines and fresh strawberries will be ready for picking!! 

{These a few pics from our visit this past fall}

SO.... if you are nearby....come on out and visit the 90+ vendors that will be there!!

You can also meet Ben and Hillary from FOLK Magazine, eat some tasty food, play like a kid with your kiddos and do some serious shopping!! 

It's worth the trip, so bring your friends and I'll see you there!!

Oh.. what will I be bringing???

Here are a few things.... and I've got lots more up my sleeve!

Now... I guess I better get back to work ;) 

Mini Lemon Tarts.....

I am not a baker. I repeat I am NOT a baker.

In my dreams.....

 I am an amazing pastry chef... my house smelling of sweet, buttery smells,

 cute apron with just the right dusting of flour, and perfect little creations popping out of the oven every hour.

dream land.

not reality for me....

But...

that doesn't mean I don't try ;)

After all, I am a lover of all things sweet so it's bound to happen that I try to bake every now and then, right??

Last night's attempt turned out pretty good... better than I expected...

I found this recipe on a grocery store coupon mail out.... I love lemons, and I already had everything to make it so I went for it..

Here's what you will need

Crust:

1 & 1/3 cups flour

1/2 stick cold butter {cut into small pieces} 

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

4-5 teaspoons ice water

Filling:

6 egg yolks

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tsp lemon zest

To make the crust:

Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter... I don't have one of these {remember I am not a baker} so I just used two forks and worked the butter into the flour until it was crumbly. Using a stand mixer on a low setting add in a teaspoon of ice water a little at a time until a smooth dough starts to form. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

*high school home economics flashback* 

cutting the butter into the flour will make for a flaky crust... what happens when each tiny little piece of cold butter gets covered in flour is magic. Once in the oven, the butter will start to let off steam and form tiny pockets of  flaky goodness through out the crust. The same goes with biscuits.... so work that butter in good ;)

Wow... so I did learn something from that class?! 

okay, moving on now...

Once your dough has chilled, roll it out onto a floured surface. Roll it as thin as you can get it and, using a scalloped cutter, cut and place your ""tart shells" into a greased muffin tin. I used a 2" cutter, and a regular sized muffin pan. Lightly press the dough into the pan to form the shells.

Preheat your oven to 400*

For the filling:

Mix all  of the filling ingredients together and whisk over med/low heat until it thickens slightly. It should remain at a med temp and not boil.{about 8 to 10 minutes should do the trick}

Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for about 5 minutes.

spoon the mixture into the tart shells... don't fill them to the top, leave a little room for bubbling and rising.

bake for 10-15 minutes or until the crust is toasty brown.

Allow the tarts to cool completley {this will be the hardest part...at least for me it was}

 Top with whipped cream just before serving....

And this is the part when I tell you, 

"If I can do it... YOU can do it!"

haha.... remember, I am not a baker... so go easy on me!

Hope you enjoy!

The Wild One.... A Little About Liam

Liam, Oh... Liam.

We call him our "wild one"... He is the baby of our three kids and couldn't be more different than the other two.

At {almost} 18 months old now, I find, that most days I run and run just to keep up with him. He climbs... on EVERYTHING, he runs from me at any given chance, he tends to hurt himself somehow daily.

He is wild.

I see myself giving apologetic looks to strangers that are in waiting rooms with us. You know, the "I'm so sorry I can't seem to control my wild child" look. They smile, some maybe give a little, "bless her heart" under their breath. {It's a southern thing... we bless a lot of hearts around here}

As much as I would dream of him just slowing down, recently, I started to change my thinking. I started praying. I prayed that God would show me how to be a momma that could appreciate his energy. A momma that didn't look around in waiting rooms to see if anyone was shaking their head as my wild child ran wild. I prayed that I would just watch him.... and be grateful. 

Watch him and be happy to see such an active boy with a sweet spirit.... because what  I didn't tell you up there while I was describing this wild child of mine is that he is so sweet. He says, "Hi! Hi!" to everyone he sees. He smiles.... at every single person he passes. And, boy oh boy, when he slows down to give you a hug... it will be the best you ever had.

The fact is, I was wasting too much time just trying to make him slow down.... trying to make him into someone he simply is not.

Take a look at the news, or your facebook feed, and you will see stories of mommas who long to see their children healthy again. They pray and pray just to see them run wild, play, and smile at strangers. 

Yes... it was my "Ah-Ha" moment.

All that praying I did revealed to me that to be a good momma to Liam, I just needed to be grateful for all he is... wildness included.

So if you happen to see me out and about with my boy, I hope you will see that being wild isn't so bad.... and not everyone is meant to be tamed.