Decorative $1. Pails

Lovin' that red, white and blue!
 

I recently found these 4th of July pails in the $1. section at Target.

They're designed to be used with candles, but my one thought was, let's add some ribbon!
(You know how I love ribbon!)

Using ribbon I already had in my stash, I threaded the ribbon through the pre-cut holes and tied off the ends on the inside.  (Put a piece of tape on the end of the ribbon (like a shoelace) for easy threading.)

Here I tied off the ends in a bow on the outside.

I also added a few ribbon pieces to each handle.

That's it!  Fill em' up!

Quick, cute and

 very patriotic!
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After finishing these pails, I couldn't help myself and
had to try punching my own pails...click here to see.

 

Here's some more 4th of July ideas for you!

4th of July Decorating   Fireworks Wreath      July 4th Festivities

Quick Red, White & Blue Parfaits             Uncle Sam Photo Shoot

Red, White & Blue Chip Mix                 Layered Crispy Treats on a Stick


Washi Tape Cup Markers

Linking up to:  Today's Creative Blog, Sweet Floweret, Sisters Stuff, Frugal Girls, WhipperBerry, Tatertots&Jello, Craftomaniac, Itsybitsypaper

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Quick, Easy, Guilt-Free Scrapbooking!

I've always loved documenting activities and events in scrapbooks.

The first scrapbook I made was in high school with pages full of my crazy 80's outfits and hairdos, boy crushes and dance pictures.  This page is of me getting my braces off and getting my driver's license.

I always smile when I look back at these pages full of the things that were important to me as a teenager.

Apparently my spelling errors didn't bother me back then?

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After college I picked up scrapbooking again documenting my married life full of traveling, teaching and house projects. Fast forward to today where my albums are jammed packed with my children, family events and activities that fill our busy life. It brings me so much joy to see my family looking at past scrapbooks, remembering all the fun times we've had together.

My daughter loves to pour over the pages in her baby scrapbook where I have documented all the details of her adoption. I caught her just the other day sitting on the couch looking at her baby book.

 

I love the process of scrapbooking where I can co-ordinate papers, cut patterns, create designs, add embellishments- like ribbon! (I do love ribbon!) The only thing I don't love about scrapbooking is the time it takes to make the pages. Hours seem to disappear with very few pages completed. Pictures stack up, months go by and guilt sets in as another year passes without a completed scrapbook. Well, I've finally found a solution that works for me.  

It's called Project Life by Becky Higgins.  Watch her short video and you'll be so inspired!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHJ5pox_s2M&feature=player_detailpage

Basically, Project Life is an album

filled with divided photo pocket pages.

The pockets fit your pictures perfectly.  You slip in a picture in each pocket without cutting or gluing.

The small pockets in the center of the page are designed for journaling cards...or if you want, you can always cut down pictures to fit in the pockets, too.

The journaling cards look like a deck of cards.  They're blank, ready for you to record happenings and memories.  They fit perfectly in the small pockets.

That's it!
You might have noticed that I've added some ribbon, paper and stickers...I couldn't help myself! 

But, really none of that is necessary!

You can choose to take a picture a day and journal about it, or just do a page for every month, holiday, event

or Emergency Room visit! (We actually have a few Emergency Room pages!)

It's so fast and simple to slip in pictures, that I often work on my album in the car.  If you missed my Scrapbooking in the Car post, click here.

The point of Project Life is to document your life stories for future generations to enjoy and share without spending tons of time.  Want to know more?
Visit Becky Higgins' website. Watch her Project Life video.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHJ5pox_s2M&feature=player_detailpage

Of course her kits are completely sold out for this year, however you can order the separate pieces.

-album, -pocketpages -journaling cards

That's all you need to get started.
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I'm writing this post for a few friends that asked to know more about how I scrapbook.

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Chocolate Dipped Potato Chips

WARNING!  BEWARE!  ADDICTIVE!  DIET DESTROYER!

Consider yourself warned.  If you are home alone with potato chips and chocolate do not read on...don't even look at the following pictures!  Only read this post if you have lots of self-control and you are not dieting!  Only read on if you're entertaining and need a party snack idea.  Do NOT...I repeat, do not make these just for fun!

You think I'm joking?  I don't joke.

My husband's cousin told me recently about chocolate covered potato chips.  Potato chips dipped in chocolate? Is there really such a thing?  Why have I  never, ever had a chocolate covered potato chip?  This sounded so interesting and it looked so easy, I had to give it try!

Yesterday in the checkout line at the grocery store, I saw a friend of mine.  She took one look at my many bags of chips and asked if I was having a party.  When I told her my plans, she confirmed with 'oohs' and 'ahhs' that chocolate and potato chips are wonderful.  Later that day on the Hostess with the Mostess website, click here, they showed how to double-dip Pringles with chocolate.  They looked amazing.

That night after dinner my family was very, very skeptical watching me make this special dessert. (Just so you know, it's really not a dessert, it's more of an indulgence!)  My son didn't want me to 'ruin' a bag of chips.  My husband wanted to eat both things separately...my daughter said, "I'll maybe try it?"

I simply melted a bag of chocolate chips in a bowl in the microwave and dipped the potato chips into the chocolate.  That's it!   (Being Washingtonians, we had to try the WA state Tim's Cascade potato chips first, before moving onto the CA made Ruffles.)  I put the chips on a sheet of waxed paper to harden... however, more chips made it into my mouth, than onto the waxed paper.  I could NOT stop myself!

My family was amazed! I was in shock! How come these taste so DIVINE? You absolutely, positively cannot eat just one chip!

...And just look at them!  Wouldn't these be beautiful treats at your next party?

When I got to the crumbs in the bottom of the bag, I dumped them into the remaining chocolate and stirred them up!  Oh my! 

I have to warn you one last time...be very, very careful!

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Linking up to Under the Table & Dreaming, CraftoManiac, 

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Clean Counter Solution

We have a little problem (maybe I should call it an annoyance?) around our house.  There are drinking glasses everywhere! 

All day long my counter looks like this!  (Usually it's worse!) The kids and husband are always thirsty. If they use a cup or glass, they don't want to put it in the dishwasher, because they will most likely need to use it again.  I totally understand this, however, it results in lots of glasses sitting around.  Many times, glasses get moved or my kids forget which glass they were using earlier, so even more glasses appear on my counter.  Sorry family, but for some reason this really bothers me! Until now...

Remember when my friend and I went Junkin' last week?  Click here. 

One of the things that came home with me was this cute, little, metal bottle carrier.

Well...do you see where I'm going with this?
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To match the black accessories in my kitchen, I gave the bottle carrier a couple coats of paint

using Rust-oleum Painters Touch spray paint in a gloss black.

Using my black ink and my letter rubber stamps, I stamped out the names of my family to fit inside the metal name plates I already had.

I covered each name with laminating film (to protect it from liquid) and then used this Cott'n Silk fiber yarn

(found at Goodwill for .99!) to tie the tags onto the carrier.

Here's how the tags looked tied on.

I could have printed their names out on the computer, but I love the hand-stamped look.

Now each family member will have a home for their glass without cluttering the counter. Yay!

In a perfect world, this bottle holder would have 4 spots, so I could have one too...

Yet, isn't it interesting that MY glass sitting out never bothers me?

Just think, I could carry all their glasses to any location with one hand! Why didn't I think of this before?

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Linking up to Sassy Sites, Frugal Girls, Under the Table & Dreaming, Smile Monsters, Skip to my Lou, CraftoManiac, Sisters Stuff, Tatertots Jello

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