Amy’s Notebook 04.11.12

April 11th, 2012

Welcome to my little notebook of ideas to help improve your life. This is a collection of gathered links to DIY crafts, food projects, and thrifty ways to spruce up your home. Nothing brings me more joy then to highlight other fabulous bloggers. I hope you will enjoy this weekly does of loveliness with beautiful links that are individually handpicked just for you!

 

I can’t believe how cute this repurpose is of your child’s old crib. It makes me wish I had hung on to mine (@ Life as a Thrifter)

This rain gutter for earring storage is a smart jewelry storage solution (@ Blue Cricket Design)

I love this idea for dressing up your push pins for your bulletin board (@ Under the Sycamore)

This tin roof ice cream sounds like a fun summer treat to make (@ Confections of a Foodie Bride)

I want to try this recipe for brown butter rice crispy treats (@ Handle the Heat)

Black and white angel food cake looks like a fantastic way to end a meal (@ shutterbean)

I love this idea for freshening up an old folding table (@ Tadaa!)

This DIY toddler activity board is a great way to keep little hands busy (@ Mollie D)

I love this simple alteration of jeans from straights to skinny (@ Fine & Feathered)

This parmesan crusted pesto grilled cheese sounds like a fun way to switch up the traditional cheese sandwich (@ Two Peas & Their Pod)

This Asian edamame fried rice sounds like a delicious lunch (@ Skinny Taste)

I am dying to try this recipe for pasta bolognese (@ Smells Like Home)

This honey prosciutto flatbread appetizer looks like an easy appetizer to make for my next party (@ She Wears Many Hats)

I love these tips for using Evernote to get organized (@ Small Notebook)

I adore this idea for throwing a craft birthday party (@ How Does She?)

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Posted in Amy's Notebook | 6 Comments »

An Apron Full of Giveaways 04.10.12

April 10th, 2012
love elaine, $45

Welcome to our Apron Full of Giveaways! I hope everyone is having a great week this week! As we do each week, here is our round-up of giveaways for our readers. We hope that this is beneficial to you and your family! Please let us know if you guys win anything- I love to hear the success stories!

Below are the contest links-if you are hosting a contest please link it up below. Sorry, we aren’t giving away the aprons just showcasing them! Please put your site name and then what type of contest you are hosting. For example, “MomAdvice (Kid’s Movies).”

Please let me know if you have any questions and good luck to each of you!

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Posted in Giveaways | 3 Comments »

Easy Felt Fabric Brooch

April 9th, 2012

If there is one thing I love to do it is spend a little time with my glue gun and create something sweet for someone I love. I wanted to share with you a super cute and fun Spring craft you could create with just a few simple materials. This is a fantastic little craft to have in your back pocket for a sweet teacher gift or a fun Mother’s Day gift for a special mama in your life.

I am sharing this fun craft-a-long for our readers and all supplies can be found at your local Walmart store or can be ordered directly through the suppliers. Let’s get started!

Supplies Needed (Available at Walmart or online)

Dimensions Wool Felt- any color
Cutter Bee Scissors (or any scissors you might have on hand)
Laliberi Pins and Clips Multi-pack
Hot Glue Gun & Glue Sticks
Jolee’s Bumble Bees Cabochons
Cardstock (to print our FREE flower template- see below)
To begin, print out our free flower template to create this felt rose. Our template should be printed on heavy-duty card stock to help make it easy for tracing. We have put the numbers of how many to print in the center of each circle, but here is another picture of what you are doing. One piece of the Dimensions Wool Felt (12×12) will create one of these flowers. Save the scraps to create a center for your rose after you are done cutting all of your circles.

You will find the link for our flower template at the end of this post.


 Set your largest circle aside- this will be the base for your flower.  Now grab your other circles and your glue gun and let’s get gluing. Add a big dab of glue in the center of each of these circles and hold it steady for a minute. Repeat with every single circle, fifteen times in total, until your hands feel crampy and you are feeling the hot glue gun burn from trigger-holding forever. Feel the burn, baby!
If I was an octopus I could have posted better pictures, but I hope that this picture will give you the visual you need for now. Begin placing your five large circles on top of your largest circle, attaching with a strip of hot glue on the back. Repeat this process with another layer on top. Repeat this process again with your baby circles. You will have a small hole in the center of the circle once everything is stacked.

If you use the Dimension Wool, this wool is very thick and you may be able to get away with just three circles on the two smaller circles so you can fit everything nicely on your flower. I would just use your best judgement, depending on the thickness of your felt and how big you like your flower.
Taking a small scrap of felt and wrap it into a circle to create the center of your flower. Secure with a dab of hot glue. Position it in the center of your flower and cut it down (if needed) until it fits nicely in the center of your flower.

Grab your pin and secure it to the back of your felt flower brooch with more…you guessed it… hot glue!

Add a little whimsy to it and glue a little bumblebee to your flower to make it even more Spring-y.

Grab your FREE Easy Felt Flower Brooch Template here!

I am a part of the Walmart Moms program, and Walmart has provided me with compensation for these posts. My participation is voluntary and opinions are always my own.

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Posted in DIY, Gifts, My Work | 8 Comments »

Ham & Vegetable Breakfast Strata

April 9th, 2012

Throwing brunches is one of my favorite entertaining tricks for staying ahead on food preparation and staying under budget. A breakfast strata happens to be one of my favorite brunch dishes to prepare because all of the work can be done ahead of time, allowing me the chance to really be in the moment and visit with our guests.

Breakfast strata is nice and frugal because you can use what is in season and on sale to create this elegant dish. Better yet, you can use the leftover Easter ham and leftover vegetables in a fun and creative way. Even the bread can be stale or leftover from your Easter feasting. If you don’t have any bread to dig into, don’t forget my super awesome resource for day old bread. Between that and your Easter leftovers, you have the makings of a meal for mere pennies.

This strata is unlike my usual meat and cheese strata because it is filled with delicious fresh vegetables. I used zuchinni, mushrooms, and green peppers in mine, but you can mix up whatever variety of vegetables you love or have on hand. Leave the meat out to keep it vegetarian or add your favorite meat to add another dimension of flavor.

The creaminess in this comes from a tiny bit of half-and-half and a whole lot of cream cheese.

In my grandmother’s words, “Cream cheese just makes everything better.”

We couldn’t agree more.

Breakfast Strata
Recipe Type: Main
Author: Adapted from AllRecipes.com
Prep time: 45 mins
Cook time: 35 mins
Total time: 1 hour 20 mins
Serves: 16
A breakfast strata that you can assemble the night before. This is a winner for any brunch or when entertaining. This makes two. Cut your recipe in half for just one strata.
Ingredients
  • 3 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
  • 3 cups chopped zucchini
  • 2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup half-and-half cream
  • 12 eggs
  • 4 cups cubed day-old bread
  • 3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
  1. In a large skillet, saute the mushrooms, zucchini, ham, green peppers and garlic in oil until vegetables are tender. Drain and pat dry; set aside.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and cream until smooth.
  3. Beat in eggs.
  4. Stir in the bread, cheese, salt, pepper and vegetable mixture.
  5. Pour into two greased 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dishes.
  6. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
  7. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

We wanted to share with you a few of our favorite pictures from our Easter celebration. We hope you all had a wonderful Easter with your families!

What is your favorite way to use up those Easter dinner leftovers?

 

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Posted in Breakfast, Celebrations, Main Dishes | 1 Comment »

Celebrating Earth Day as a Family

April 5th, 2012

Looking for some fun ways to celebrate Earth Day with your family? This week I am over at the Kenmore Genius Blog to share some ways that our family has found to celebrate Earth Day and make it special for our kids. We hope you can join us and find a new way to celebrate with your family with these fun tips!

If you are in the Spring Cleaning mood, you will also find my article on Spring Cleaning Your Refrigerator.  Your refrigerator might be one of those appliances that may get overlooked, but it is one of the most important appliances in a home. Simple maintenance and cleaning procedures though can greatly extend the life & efficiency of your refrigerator and today I wanted to show how to keep your refrigerator running efficiently for your family with a few of these easy spring cleaning tips!

Today I wanted to share with you some tips for spring cleaning your refrigerator and keeping it running smoothly for your family.

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Posted in Celebrations, My Work | No Comments »

Amy’s Notebook 04.04.12

April 4th, 2012

Welcome to my little notebook of ideas to help improve your life. This is a collection of gathered links to DIY crafts, food projects, and thrifty ways to spruce up your home. Nothing brings me more joy then to highlight other fabulous bloggers. I hope you will enjoy this weekly does of loveliness with beautiful links that are individually handpicked just for you!

I am going to have to try this tip for getting rid of hot glue strings on my craft projects (@ craftaholics anonymous)

I adore this giant yo-yo garland (@ Salty Pineapple)

I want to try this recipe for easy chicken nuggets (@ weelicious)

This spiraled yarn circle garland would be a cute addition to my Spring decor (@ Two Shades of Pink)

These Peeps cake pops are adorable (@ i am baker)

This salted caramel Easter popcorn looks divine (@ Two Peas & Their Pod)

These pom pom fringe drink toppers would be a cute addition to a party (@ Daily Mixer)

I love this tutorial for turning your purse into a camera bag (@ Make It & Love It)

I love this tufted ottoman made from a drop cloth (@ from gardeners two bergers)

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Posted in Amy's Notebook | 2 Comments »

Tips for Hosting a Great Easter Celebration

April 3rd, 2012

Looking for some tips and ideas for hosting your Easter celebration this year? Today I am sharing my tips & ideas for hosting the best Easter celebration over at the Snackpicks site.

Head on over to find out some ideas for setting your table, choosing a great color scheme, and get recipes idea for elegant and effortless dishes to serve for your Easter gathering. I hope you will find some great ideas and inspiration for the Easter season!

Looking for other fun Easter projects on MomAdvice? Here are six recommendations for a fun Easter season.

1. Marbleized Easter Eggs

2. Homemade Bunny Bread (in the Bread Machine)

3. Deviled Eggs (to be created from your dyed eggs)

4. DIY Fabric Flower Barrettes (for Easter accessories)

5. Budget-Minded Easter Celebrations

6. Kool-Aid Easter Egg Dying

 

Don’t forget, I also have a fun Rolled Ribbon Rosette Hair Bow that would make the perfect Easter accessory for a little girl in your life. Be sure to head over to that tutorial and find out how to make this craft that requires no craft skills at all.

Happy Easter, everyone!

 

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Posted in Celebrations, My Work | 1 Comment »

An Apron Full of Giveaways 04.03.12

April 3rd, 2012
Paisley Pockets, $22

Welcome to our Apron Full of Giveaways! I hope everyone is having a great week this week! As we do each week, here is our round-up of giveaways for our readers. We hope that this is beneficial to you and your family! Please let us know if you guys win anything- I love to hear the success stories!

Below are the contest links-if you are hosting a contest please link it up below. Sorry, we aren’t giving away the aprons just showcasing them! Please put your site name and then what type of contest you are hosting. For example, “MomAdvice (Kid’s Movies).”

Please let me know if you have any questions and good luck to each of you!

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Posted in Giveaways | 3 Comments »

Banana Crumb Muffins

April 2nd, 2012

I had a rainy day with nothing to do on the horizon. I put on a little Ella Fitzgerald on my laptop and headed into kitchen to spend the morning baking and thinking. I always do my best thinking in the kitchen, don’t you?  There is something about the mindless concentration of measuring, scooping, leveling, and mixing that appeals to me. With ripe bananas sitting on the counter, I knew these Banana Crumb Muffins would be the ideal treat for a sweet snack for my kids. Everyone has a favorite recipe for bananas and these Banana Crumb Muffins happen to be my favorite for putting those bananas to good use.

If you are looking for a bakery-worthy recipe, these muffins would be right at home in any bakery. The cinnamon and sugar streusel topping is really what makes these rather ordinary banana muffins stand out. The crunch from the topping with the moist cake makes these a winner in our family.


I love to double the crumb topping on these and keep this in my freezer. It is a fun addition to any of your favorite muffin recipes and makes the process of creating these just a little bit easier the second time around. When you want to use the crumb topping, just use a fork to break the topping up a bit and add as you normally would to your muffins.

Serve these delicious muffins with big glasses of ice cold milk for an easy and satisfying snack.

Banana Crumb Muffins
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author: AllRecipes.com
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 18 mins
Total time: 28 mins
Serves: 10
A light & fluffy banana muffin with a delicious cinnamon and brown sugar struesel topping.
Ingredients
  • Banana Crumb Muffins
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 t baking soda
  • 1 t baking powder
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 3 bananas, mashed
  • 3/4 cups white sugar
  • 1 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/3 cup butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/8 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 t ground cinnamon
  • 1 T butter
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. Lightly grease ten muffin cups or line with muffin papers.
  3. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  4. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter.
  5. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened.
  6. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
  7. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Cut the butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
  8. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
  9. Bake in preheated oven for eighteen to twenty minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of muffins comes out clean.

 

Looking for other delicious muffin recipes? I love these Healthy Banana & Blueberry Muffins, these Apple Pie Muffins, and my Lemony Blueberry Muffins for some other fun muffin alternatives!

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Posted in Breakfast, Desserts, Kid Eats | 10 Comments »

Amy’s Notebook 03.28.12

March 28th, 2012

Welcome to my little notebook of ideas to help improve your life. This is a collection of gathered links to DIY crafts, food projects, and thrifty ways to spruce up your home. Nothing brings me more joy then to highlight other fabulous bloggers. I hope you will enjoy this weekly does of loveliness with beautiful links that are individually handpicked just for you!

This DIY LEGO travel box is such a great idea for kids (@ finley & oliver)

I love these tips for hosting a no stress party (@ Nesting Place)

This Easter egg lunch hunt is a fun Spring activity (@ Gluesticks)

I want to try this lemon thyme chicken for a weeknight dinner (@ Annie’s Eats)

This tea stained coffee filter wreath is beautiful (@ Design Dining & Diapers)

I am in love with these cute wooden letters covered in scrapbook paper for Spring (@ Hoosier Homemade)

I want to make some of these aqua fishbowl dessert cocktails for my next party (@ ModCloth)

This sourdough starter would make a cute gift to share with a friend (@ Design Sponge)

This spinach, mushroom, & feta panini sounds delicious (@ This Week for Dinner)

 

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Posted in Amy's Notebook | 4 Comments »

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