DIY Art with Wrapping Paper

Hello.

I had a baby shower for a sweet little baby girl this weekend for a neighbor :) I love baby showers and I love baby shower gift giving! I use coupons, so I was able to score a small stock of diapers, wipes, rice cereal and stage 1 baby food for her :)

Being a mother myself, you ALWAYS NEED more of the essentials :) But its fun to get the cute stuff too.

I decided to make her some cute art for her baby nursery ;) At the Dollar Tree, I saw some gorgeous wrapping papers with lovely floral prints and I snagged several.

Excuse my terrible photo :( lighting right!

Here's what I used:

Various wrapping papers

card stock

glue stick (not pictured)

pencil

scissors

washi tape (not pictured)

11x14 artist mat

I first made a heart template from the card stock. I then measured it to fit a base layer of a pretty patterned wrapping paper. Measure and cut to fit your mat.

Hmm.  Looks like my heart is a bit too big 

(I resized the heart template :)

That's better ;)

Trace and cut your heart shape onto another patterned paper.

Got a little carried away and forgot to take some pics of the next few steps. 

That creative process, ya know ;)

I added another square layer under the heart, secured with the glue stick and then bordered with a pretty peach washi tape.

I then added the flowered heart in the middle as pictured.

I felt the piece needed some bling, so I cut another smaller heart template and decided to cover in a pretty gold patterned washi tape.

I added strips as seen and let the tape over lap the shape of the heart.

Then cut off the access with the scissors.

I added the bling-y heart with the glue stick and then was ready to mat!

I secured the final piece to the back of the frame mat with masking tape.

All done! My neighbor really liked it :)

Enjoy!

xoxo

Ginger

I will be linking to these awesome parties!

Easy Chicken Crockpot Recipe

Hello.

Time for a tasty crock pot recipe that s super easy and you probably have all the ingredients on hand! A super yummy chicken thigh and rice casserole :) Easy to put together quickly before you leave the house and you return with the generous aroma of deliciousness!

Just a quick note: I generally will buy meats from the market on "managers special". They are usually large packaged items, like 12 pack of drum sticks, etc. Now, my family can't eat 12 drum sticks in one dinner so I divide the package into 2 - 3 dinners and then freeze ;) A good tip I'm sure many of you already practice.

In this case, I had some left over chicken thighs :) Talk about YUM! Savory dark chicken meat coupled with this recipe - you'll think Thanksgiving arrived early :)

Here's what you'll need for this feast:

3-4 chicken thighs (or 1-2 breasts)

1 1/3 cups white long grain rice

1 1/2 celery sticks

1 medium onion

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 3/4 cups of water

2 spoonfuls of pre-chopped garlic (or two cloves; not pictured)

2 chicken bouillon cubes (not pictured)

salt and pepper to taste

All-Purpose Seasoning

First, chop up your onion.

Then your celery sticks.

Add your garlic to the mix.

Throw into the crock-pot. Measure out your rice and add.

Measure out the water and add as well.

Then add the can of mushroom soup.

Give it a good stir and throw in the chicken bouillon cubes.

Nestle the chicken thighs (or breasts) into the pot and season generously with salt and pepper and some All-Purpose Seasoning ;)

Set on low for 4-6 hours ;)

When dinner time came around, we were all so hungry, I didn't even get a picture of the finished dish! A great side for this meal? How about some saute'd cabbage? Super simple too.

Chop a quarter head of cabbage and saute in a large pan with extra virgin olive oil over medium heat with salt and pepper.

My husband loves this side dish and was super satisfied with this meal :)

Enjoy!

xoxo

Ginger

I will be linking to these awesome parties!

Trip to Hollywood!

Hello.

I had the recent fortunate opportunity to travel to Los Angeles for work :) I was super excited about the chance to visit California again. I had been only once before, with my mother and grandmother, when I was about 14. We did the whole experience then - Disneyland, Universal Studios, Rodeo Drive.... it was fun :)

However, timing was odd in that my boss asked me to fly out THE VERY DAY after wisdom teeth removal surgery. *note: It absolutely was not mandatory and I didn't have go if I didn't want to.

But I'm a really tough girl ;) and honestly, I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to visit California again!! So I went for it - day after mouth surgery and all. To tell you the truth, it was not bad at all.

SO! Here are some things I got to see and do:

First off, a view from the flight out! I love clouds and could photograph them forever.

Gorgeous palm trees everywhere! Super tall too.

Getting to hang with my friend and colleague while she showed me some sights!

We visited the Red Carpet where the stars walk to see the Oscars!

Some amazing views!

We hit up Hollywood Boulevard and saw some interesting spectacles ;)

And of course, the Stars ;) If I posted all of the pictures I took of stars, we'd be here all day but here are a few.

Chris Pratt........xoxo

Also did a little souvenir shopping for my family :) 

I got my boys some toy Oscar statues! Bought some Star Wars promotional prints for my husband for his collection.

I wasn't going to buy myself anything, but then came across an amazing antique store. I picked up this beautiful ring.

I generally do not wear jewelry other than my wedding ring, nose stud and ear plugs. But this pretty thing caught my eye and I had to have it!

Two major "must see" sights I wanted was the Hollywood sign (of course)

And the actual building where they filmed the famous balcony scene at the end of Pretty Woman.

It's facade has changed a bit from the movie after 27 years ;)

My last day in town included a lovely brunch with all the mimosa's I wanted :)

Then it was time to go home. My flight was delayed which was a bummer, but upside: I got a cool night shot of the city from the window.

I sure hope to go back again one day :)

Enjoy.

xoxo

Ginger

Support Your Fellow Crafter Linky Party #8

Hello.

Today is Support Your Fellow Crafter Monday - 8th edition! Some lovely bloggers linked up last week with some super cute and easy DIY's and I'm happy to share some of their projects :)

First up is this super cute and easy DIY Chevron tray from A Sprinkle of Joy!

I'm also loving this super easy DIY storage cube tutorial by Just Measuring Up!

I love blue berries so I'm definitely going to have to try this blue berry buckle crumble cake from Brooklyn Farm Girl :)

Lastly, I'm digging this room re-do at From Play-dates to Parties ;)

Thanks bloggers for such awesome inspirations!

If you were featured for last weeks Support Your Fellow Crafter, please snag a featured button below!

<div class="Support Blog for Moms of BOYS!-button" style="width: 150px; margin: 0 auto;"> <a href="http://superstinkyboys.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow"> <img src="http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b440/gingercochran/IMG_0663_zpsyyxskqa6.jpg" alt="Support Blog for Moms of BOYS!" width="150" height="150" /> </a> </div>

Now lets move on to Support Your Fellow Crafter :) I hope you are all excited!

First the rules of the house:

Please link only to your blog post, not your blog

Please link back to my blog on your post

Please visit and comment on the 3 links before your link

Please do not link your Etsy or other similar site
Please snag the linky party button to the right
Have fun!

Trip to The Hamptons, New York

Hello.

So I had a company retreat not too long ago! One of the more pleasant reasons I haven't posted as much as I'd like :) Another pleasant reason is my recent trip to Los Angeles; post coming soon ;)

Such a beautiful place with some of the most lovely homes! And the BEACH! Just gorgeous:)

Here's what I was up to while way up north! 

Gazing at dreamy homes right off the beach.

Munching on yummy food and wine while tossing across ideas!

See my journal in the bottom left? It says whistle while you work! LOL

I even hosting a "Paint and Sip" team building exercise. I guided my colleagues in a recreation of Edvard Munch's "The Scream". Guess which is mine?

Oh I'm silly like this..LOL! Decided a Pop Doll nun was much more fun ;)

A quick exertion to the beach took place, where I lifted some sea rocks and gorgeous sea shells for my already massive collection! These are just a few ;)

I got searched at security due to the suspicious objects showing up on X-ray. 

Knock yourself out security man! I'm just the chick that collects sea shells.

Enjoy!

Xoxo

Ginger

DIY All-Natural Lotions and Salt Scrub

Hello.

A good friend has been ill :( so in addition to several meals for her and her family, I decided to make her some all-natural lotions and a salt scrub using essential oils. I've used essential oils before here. In addition, I've made sugar scrubs, fever reducers, and mixes for colic.

I love essential oils for so many reasons. One of the top reasons is they just plain do the trick with several medical conditions. I've used essential oils in my home, with my family, from headaches or cuts all the way to anxiety and Bacterial Cellulitis.

They work. Period.

So whenever a baby shower comes up, or there is an illness in the family, I ALWAYS whip up some essential love :)

Here are the essential oils I used in today's recipes. Most of these are from Young Living, but I actually buy essential oils from the drug store as well. They work just as well and are less expensive. I will also have links below for these oil blends on Amazon ;)

Stress Away is just that. An essential oil blend that provides a general calming effect. It also helps with anxiety, ADD, and ADHD. Find the same blend here.

Lavender is a great, go-to oil. I'll put it on the kids scraps and blisters. Also very calming. You can find it is most drug stores or here.

I love Joy! I use it in my air diffuser all the time. I usually pair it with lemon or orange for a happy and uplifting scent :) Find a similar blend here.

Same with Purification. A cleansing scent and it's good for your skin. Find a similar blend here.

I've done some research and have not found a similar blend for Young Living's Family oil blend. However, any blend that promotes uplifting moods, acceptance and is anti-negative thought would work just fine :) See the three previous oils! LOL

Thrive is a blend that I picked up at CVS drug store (among others). It is a great cleansing oil with a pleasant lemon-y fresh scent. Good for skin, for purifying the air and for teas. You can find it here.

So on the recipes! Here is what you need to get started:

Essential oils of your preference

Metal tins (I got mine at the Dollar Tree. You could also use glass jars)

glass bowl and spoon (not pictured)

All-Natural grapeseed oil

Organic cold pressed coconut oil

epsom salt (for salt scrub. Also from Dollar Tree)

Ingredient measurements will vary depending on what size tins or glass jars you use. 

**Glass of wine is totally optional ;)

Lotions:

I used about two tablespoons of coconut oil per small tin. I then mixed about 3-5 drops of each oil I wanted and stirred well. Then spooned into the tin ;) Easy as that!

I made two different lotions. 

1. Calming - using Stress Away and Lavender

2. Uplifting - using Joy and Family

Salt Scrub:

Measure the amount of salt you will need for your tin or jar.

Place in bowl and add a little grapeseed oil (great for skin).

Should be about the consistency of grits. Not too soupy from the grapeseed oil.

Then add about 4-6 drops of your preferred essential oil. I chose Thrive and Purification.

Once all in the tins, I added sweet little heart labels in different colored papers :)

I hope she enjoys them and they add in her recovery.

Enjoy.

xoxo

Ginger

I will be linking to these awesome parties!