DIY Small Treat Box

I love these little guys!  So easy to do.

1. Print out the box (can be purchased in the etsy store)
2. Cut out the box
3. Score the lines for the box
4. Glue the small flap seen on the right side in the photo below to the left side shown below






Fold bottom flaps in and fill with treats!

Enjoy!

DIY Pillow Boxes Tutorial

DIY Pillowbox Tutorial

These guys are so cute and really easy to put together;

What you will need:

∙Inkjet printer

∙ 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of thick cardstock

∙Pillow box template (can be found in the Grace Warren Designs shop)

∙ Scissors

∙ Glue

1. First download and print your pillow box onto a 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock

2. Cut out the box and score the lines shown in the photo below

3. Glue the top thin flap (you can glue onto the outside or inside)

4. Fold in sides of pillow box after glue is dry



5. Fill with treats and you are all set!

My nerdy shoe rack

Okay some people think that this in genius and some people may view it as very tacky.  I am going to side with the ones who think that I am genius.  I don't know about you, but I have always dreamt of a perfect kitchen where there is a perfect little place for everything and it is always clean and did I mention that it does this on its own?  Okay so I need to wake up from the dream that I created and face the reality that my kitchen is too small to fit all of the things that I need to fit in it.  If you were to ask my DH, he would tell you that I have way too much stuff to put in a regular size kitchen (I think that may be his way of saying that I need to get rid of my "stuff"....although I am sure he would think of a different word ;-)

I really needed to de-clutter my drawers but where was I going to put all of this stuff?  I don't have a kitchen island, but I do have a small pantry with some wasted space.  So I decided to put a shoe rack to work. I bought one for $9 and started to fill it up with the odds and ends in my drawers that I don't use as often (birthday candles, candy thermometers, and other specialty tools that I need but not that often)

So here is what it looks like....a little trashy, but until I get that larger kitchen, I love it!

Peanut Butter Pie

I have been craving a piece of peanut butter pie from a chain restaurant (Baker's Square for you midwest folks). So I went on a hunt to find a recipe and here is what I came up with:

Peanut Butter Pie
 Ingredients:
•One pre-made pie crust (you can certainly make your own, but I never have time and these taste great to me)
•1/2 cup hot fudge
•1 cup creamy peanut butter
•1 1/4 cup cold milk
•2 packages vanilla flavor instant pudding (the small 3.5 oz boxes)
•1 large tub Cool Whip, thawed (1/2 for pie and 1/2 for topping)
•1/2 cup mini reese's peanut butter cups for decoration on top (you can also add some chopped ones to peanut butter layer)

1. Spread the hot fudge over bottom of pie crust. Freeze for at least 10 minutes (it is best to let it get a bit more solid)

2. Combine peanut butter and milk in mixer. Mix well.

3. Add both boxes of instant pudding dry mix (it will get thick as  you continue to mix)

4. Mix in 1/2 tub of cool whip well.

5. Spread this mixture over hot fudge layer

6. Freeze for about 1/2 hour

7. Spread the other 1/2 of the cool whip on top and garnish with mini peanut butter cups.

Let set in fridge for about 2 hours.  Tip: Use a pie server to get slices out.  Square spatulas don't work well.
Enjoy!

New DIY Wine tags

New DIY wine tags

Okay, I love these things! What a super cute way to add something to a nice bottle of wine that says " I didn't just run into the liquor store on my way to your house."  This way you can have these little guys ready and can slap one on your wine to give as gifts!

Here is what you do:

First visit the shop and pick out one that you like or create one on your own using whatever software you have. (http://www.gracewarredesigns.com/)

Then print them out onto an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of cardstock.

Cut them out using a straight edge

Then use a 1.5 inch craft punch at the top of your tag

Be sure to save the cut out part for a later date...they make really cute tags on gifts!

Then bend the top of the tag near the cut out or use a straight edge to score it.  Depending on the bottle, you can score around 2 inches or 2.5 inches

Then place on your bottle and you have a super cute wine tag for any occasion!

Cheers!
Shelby

Easy DIY Baby gift

I have a lot of friends who have had babies and I always struggle with what to get them.  I like to be creative, but practical.  And since I have my own little ones running about, I don't have time to shop around town or print off registries.  Plus, babies grow out of clothes so quick and diapers are needed, but impersonal to most (even though I remember wanting them from visitors instead of outfits because they never got worn as cute as the clothes always were)

So I came up with a cute and budget friendly way to give something unique.

I bought a fancy frame from my local fabric store (you know the kind that gives crazy 40% off coupons every week but everything is on sale so you can't evenuse them).  Anyway, I got a frame that was already matted so I didn't have to buy one.  I was also on a time crunch. I had to buy the frame and give the gift within hours of each other.  I work best under pressure (that is code for I procrastinate but manage to get things done on time)

Then I edited the text I wanted in photoshop.  Nothing fancy....Just justified the text to fit.  I used the newborn stats and did the font in something clean and classic so that it can be kept around for a while.

The nice thing about this is that they can reuse the frame for years to come. You can't (and should not) say that about diapers ;)

To make it even easier, I made it fit on a regular piece of paper and just taped it in place.

Here is the design closeup (I blurred the little guy's last name...)

Enjoy creating one!
♥Shelby

Guilt free healthy and delicious

Guilt free Cinnamon Tortilla

Okay, after the cake batter bark I listed, I felt a little guilty   hungry.  So I thought I would add a new post with something good and pretty healthy.  I made this for a treat the other night and my 5 year old told me I should make it every night.  So here is why I love it.  Besides being really simple to make, it is actually a GREAT source of fiber.  (I try to keep my little ones as regular as possible)

So here is the ingredient list:

♦1 tsp canola oil for heating

♦1 T of cinnamon sugar for topping

♦1 whole wheat tortilla ( I used mission carb balance....8 grams of fiber and only 80 calories!)

♦1 tsp of sugar free chocolate syrup or caramel sauce(optional)

♦strawberries or any fruit for topping

  Use the oil heated in a small skillet and fry the tortilla. Once both sides are slightly brown, I put on a paper towel (to absorb excess oil) and then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.  I add strawberries and add a drizzle of chocolate syrup. 

Enjoy!

Cake batter bark

So I do a lot of searching for healthy foods....but I always end up finding things that I know I shouldn't eat....but MUST.  I found this amazing blog that covers a few of the bases I love...fitness and food!

http://www.howsweeteats.com/

She made chocolate bark (one of my favorites to make at christmas) but added a little something to it. CAKE MIX!


Here is her recipe:
Cake Batter Chocolate Bark
6 ounces high quality dark chocolate (I used Lindt 70%)
12 ounces high quality white chocolate (I used Lindt)
3 teaspoons yellow cake mix
sprinkles of your choice (at least 3 tablespoons worth or more)
Melt dark chocolate either in the microwave or a double boiler. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour chocolate on. You can smooth it with a spatula to the thickness you desire. Stick in the freeze for 20 minutes.
Melt while chocolate. Whisk in cake mix slowly, stirring well until no lumps remain. Let it set for 3 full minutes (or at least until it slightly thickens). Remove baking sheet with chocolate from the freezer and immediately pour white chocolate on top. Sprinkle on sprinkles. Freeze for 20 minutes.
Once set, break into chunks. Keep refrigerated.


I can't wait to try it!

♥Shelby

Reward Board is getting things done

 

So I am finally getting this reward board going and it is going great!  So far I have put together the tasks and the stars.  The crazy thing is that I have yet to list (or make) the magnets for the board, but my kids are doing all of the items without even knowing the reward! 

I am still trying to word some of the tasks in a positive way.  The truth?  How do I put "Oh dear God stop whining"  or "If you say picklehead one more time I might jump off a bridge"

So I went for "Be a happy boy" for Jack and some other ones for Ella.  So far....so good.  It is not finished yet, but we have been using it for about a week.

It was pretty easy to make, just a little time consuming.  I got a large dry erase magnet board from Sams Club (had a cork board on the back) for only $16.

Then I had some old printable magnet paper and I made the tasks and stars on it and cut them out.

The lines were put on by my DH (he is an architect and does much better with spacial tasks than I ever could).

I am not really feelin the stars, so we might go to the store and see it they have better magnets.

Shelby

Mothers Day!

I am loving this day so far. The weather is amazing and I am catching up on my DVR episodes of Grey's and Private Practice.  My little girl just ran up and gave me a hand drawn card with all of my favorite princesses. 

I am also allowing myself to eat just about anything today (I am sure I will pay for it tomorrow) but it is worth it right now!  I am about to snack on my favorite cheddar and caramel popcorn.  Hopefully tomorrow I will go for a run!

I did order a new fun toy that I am anxiously awaiting its arrival...I got a silhouette machine.  I am taking a bit of a leap of faith of this since I have never used anything like it.  I never had any type of cutting machine...so I hope I can put it to good use!

♥Shelby

Reward board

So I have been putting this off for WAY TOO LONG.  I bought a reward board and my DH put it up and it has been sitting on the wall blank for weeks.  I have so many ideas of what I want to put on this reward board for my kids.  I guess my worry is that I will put it all together and either have a better idea (doesn't happen very often) or I will put it together and it will not work at all with our kids.

Basically I want my children to behave as the little angels I know that they have in there somewhere.  But they have proven to me in the past few weeks that I need to change something if I want them to be the little angels that I know that they have the potential to be.  So now I am scrolling through sites to get ideas on how to set this up.  I have a few things (behaviors) that I want my 5 year old daughter to work on:

♥Being nice to younger brother
♥Not interrupting when others talk
♥saying thank you on her own
♥helping out with chores on her own
♥memorizing her address and my cell #

My little man has a little more to work on
♥potty training (okay, this is itself needs its own chart)
♥not whining so much
♥being nice to his sister
♥listening to mommy and daddy
♥staying in bed

Okay...so how do I get all of this on there? 

Do I do it per day
♦ or ♦
reward when they do it ten times?

Off to brainstorm!
Shelby

Idea for my peeps...

I was looking around this evening on a sugar crash from all of the food and treats I had today and came across this little gem:


from http://www.cheekykitchen.com/2011/03/tuxedo-peps.html

So cute!  Now if only I could keep my husband from eating all of them before I can make some of these.  Then again....that would mean I would eat all of these cute little guys.  Oh what to do!!!

Peeps anyone?

As we end our Lenten season, let us give thanks for all that we have and have the ability to change the things we can.  I am blessed to be part of a loving family with a wonderful husband and two great kids.  May your Easter holiday be filled with family, friends, and joy.  As I head to my parents house, I am excited to spend time with loved ones and see the happiness that the Easter bunny brings to my little ones.

I tried not to go overboard on their baskets, but I did as I tend to every year.  I was hoping to not have so many treats, but the toys and games add up.  All of a sudden it seems like Christmas all over again.

We currently have SEVEN packages of PEEPS on my kitchen counter.  Any takers?

♥Shelby

Appreciation photos

I love that some of my etsy customers have taken the time to send a photo of their finished Grace Warren Design items.  I was tickled that these turned out so great!  Check out this wine label that has been a hot seller recently and how cool it looks on the bottle

These are from a different customer who ordered custom kiss stickers for a shower she was hosting.  Love it!

Enjoy your day!

♥Shelby

Easter

I am all about getting things ready for any holiday.  I am struggling a bit this year with not wanting to fill all of the eggs for the easter egg hunt with candy.  It seems that for every single holiday known, my little ones end up with enough candy for a village full of kids.  Now, we certainly allow them to have some, but the rest ends up on top of the fridge for mommy and daddy.  So what is the big deal?  About 5 pounds per holiday I am averaging for weight gain because the candy calls to me ever so quietly at first....and then turns to an all out scream by day two and I give in.  I try to take some to work, but working in an environment where we are preaching a healthy lifestyle it doesn't seem to be welcomed there either.  (It actually does get eaten at work by my co-workers, but I hate the guilt I have when it is in my home and I then just pass that guilt onto my friends at work).

That being said, I do love decorating and getting little items ready for Easter.  I created these little guys to fit onto the bottoms of Hershey kisses, peanut butter cups, or rolos.

and this set is great, too

Now if I could just find the plastics eggs I bought last year to do our egg hunt for Easter morning...

Enjoy your Easter!

♥Shelby