My 3 Monsters: January 2014

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1.31.2014

DIY Silhouette and Button Art Pillow Covers

Silhouette & Button Art Pillow Covers at /
Hi everyone!  Today I want to share some new pillow covers I made.  I love to switch out the covers on my couch throw pillows often.  It's a way to keep everything fresh without completely redecorating every few months.  Pillow covers only cost a few bucks {a couple of yards of fabric and some buttons are all it took to make these} and they sew up in an afternoon. 

Fun fact:  I am a big fan of graffiti art.  I don't know if many people know that about me.  Something about it appeals to me even though it is so vastly different from EVERYTHING ELSE I like.  I spent a couple of years painting murals and I am amazed by the speed and skill of some of the graffiti greats.  This balloon girl design is my knock off of a piece by the graffiti artist Banksy.  I LOVE it.

Silhouette & Button Art Pillow Covers at /

You will need:

2 yards of fabric {this will make 2  20"x20" pillows -- I bought one yard of white-on-white polka dot fabric for my pillow fronts and 1 yard of contrasting fabric for my pillow backs.}
freezer paper
X-acto knife
an iron
black fabric paint
needle and thread
assorted buttons from 1/2" to 1½" in diameter

To begin, I measured my pillows {20"x20"} and cut a piece of the white fabric an inch longer in both directions {21"x21"} for each of my pillows.  This will be the front of each pillow.

Download the patterns for my little girl silhouettes here. Use the freezer paper stencil technique {like I used on the Sharpie Tie Dye shirts earlier in the week } with black fabric paint to transfer the silhouette images to your fabric.  Allow the paint to dry then carefully remove the stencils.

Silhouette & Button Art Pillow Covers at /
Lay out your buttons to form the bunch of balloons and bubbles on each pillow.  I arranged them just how I wanted then used a pencil to mark the button holes onto the fabric.  Once the placement is marked, carefully slide the buttons onto a sheet of paper, preserving the arrangement.  Sew each button in place by hand.

Take the fabric you bought for the back of your pillow and cut out two 20"x16" pieces for each pillow {four total}.  This will form the envelope closure in the back of the pillow cover.  I like my envelope backs to overlap quite a bit because nothing looks worse than a pillow gaping open at the back.  Sew a quick rolled hem down one of the 20" long sides of each piece of fabric.

For each pillow:  Lay the front piece of your pillow cover flat with the right side up.  Lay two back pieces on top of it, right side down, overlapping the hemmed edges in the center.  Line up all the raw edges all the way around and pin in place.  

Sew around the perimeter of the pillow.  When you get to a corner, just lift up the presser foot on your machine and turn the fabric.  I like to go back and re-sew the the top and bottom edges {the ones with the fabric overlapped} to make those seams extra sturdy.  Don't ask me how many times I have ripped a seam trying to wrestle a big, puffy pillow into its cover....

Silhouette & Button Art Pillow Covers at /
Trim the corners and turn your pillow cover right side out, making sure to poke the corners out with your fingers.  That's it, guys!!  Finished!!

Silhouette & Button Art Pillow Covers at /
I like the bold, graphic statement they make and the mixture of patterns.  The subtle nod to my love of graffiti is extra fun. Things like that are what a house a home.  How do you guys incorporate the things that you love into your décor? 

1.29.2014

Lace Appliqué Headbands

Easy DIY Lace Hair accessories at /
When Wholeport sent me that awesome sweater knit fabric that I used to make Sydney's leggings last week, they also sent me some really cool lace appliqués.  I love their pretty, romantic style and knew instantly that I wanted to make a headband with them.  You guys, they only cost less than $1 each!  This headband uses 4 of these appliqués and about 1 yard of grosgrain ribbon so it's fairly inexpensive and it only takes a few minutes to put together -- my favorite kind of project!

Easy DIY Lace Hair accessories at /
Cut a piece of grosgrain ribbon long enough to go around your head comfortably and tie in a bow in the back.  With the ribbon tied around your head as you'll be wearing it when it's finished, mark lightly with a pencil where you want your appliqués to be placed.  I just made a couple of small dots that would easily be covered when I attached the lace.

Next, figure out how you want to arrange your appliqués.  The sky's the limit here. Remember how I made the Lace Calavera skulls at Halloween?  You can use several of the same appliqués or mix and match different styles together.  You can even cut them apart and put the pieces back together differently. 

Once you have a configuration you like, lay your ribbon flat on a piece of wax paper.  Attach the lace pieces to the ribbon using craft or fabric glue.  The glue dries clear so you don't have to worry too much, but try to use small dots to avoid turning your headband into a giant glue-bomb.  Allow the glue to dry completely and you're finished!

Easy DIY Lace Hair accessories at /

While we were at it, we used a couple of these pretty Snowflower lace appliqués to make some pretty bobby pins. I like to use the mini bobby pins that are only about an inch long and they worked great for this project because the metal pin was almost completely concealed by the lace.  You could use bigger bobby pins or hair clips if you prefer.  I just slid my hair pins onto the edge of a sheet of wax paper {to avoid gluing them shut} and used E6000 glue to stick the lace to the pin.  You could leave them as-is at that point, but we decided to glue sparkly vintage buttons to the centers to make them extra special.

Easy DIY Lace Hair accessories at /
It's a perfect, simple little clip to pull your hair back out of your face or to adorn a bun or updo.  I promise, these two projects couldn't be any easier.  Let me know what you think in the comments!

Have a great day, friends!

Amy g.


1.28.2014

Say "I Love You" This Valentine's Day With a Fresh Strawberry Pie

Today I want to share one of my absolute favorite pies with you guys.  Looking at my recipes page you might think that we eat a lot of pie around our home.  Oddly enough, we don't eat it very often. Pies are just so pretty I find myself wanting to photograph them more than cakes or cookies.  This pie is no exception.  It is a real beauty, full of fresh, whole strawberries topped with a shiny, sweet glaze.  And don't even get me started talking about the oatmeal pecan pie crust!! It is so yummy I could eat it on it's own.  {But please don't make me because the combined flavor of the finished pie is DIVINE!}

Every year, in early spring, I start watching the grocery ads for strawberries to go on sale super cheap.  When that happens, I pounce and buy a ton to make several batches of jam and Fresh Strawberry Pie.  It might give Christmas a run for its money as favorite time of the year in our home.  Sometimes I add a cream cheese layer to the pie that was not part of the original recipe.  I like it that way best, but the pie is awesome without it, too.  You decide which way you prefer!


Fresh Strawberry Pie

Oatmeal Crust:

1/2 C. butter
3/4 C. flour
1 C. rolled oats
1/2 C. chopped nuts
1/4 C. sugar
Preheat oven to 400*. Melt butter and stir in next four ingredients. Mix well and pat into a 9" pie pan. Bake 12 min. or until golden brown. Cool.

Optional Cream Cheese Layer

8 oz. softened cream cheese
1 C. powdered sugar
1 C. cool whip
Mix and spread in bottom of cooled crust.


Strawberry Filling:

4 to 5 C. whole strawberries, cleaned
1 C. water
1 C. sugar
4 Tbsp. corn starch
1 small package sugar free strawberry jello


Place cleaned and dried strawberries in cooled pie crust. {If you do the cream cheese layer you will probably need fewer berries.}  Stack until nice and full. Combine sugar and cornstarch in saucepan and mix. Add water and cook until thickened and slightly clear. Add jello powder into thickened mixture until dissolved. While warm, slowly drizzle the filling over strawberries until berries are covered. Refrigerate until set. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.


It's a perfectly beautiful Valentine's Day treat to make for your honey.

Enjoy, friends!

Amy g.



1.27.2014

Make Your Game Day Party Stand Out From All the Rest!

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Rubbermaid and Sharpie but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #RubbermaidSharpie http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO



Make your Super Bowl party stand out from all the rest with these AMAZING invitations at /
Are you hosting a get-together for the Big Game this year? To me, every great party begins with a great invitation. Think about it. Your friends will probably get invited to multiple Game Day parties by coworkers, family, and other friends. How will they know that yours is THE ONE to go to? A great invite lets everyone know that this is not going to be your typical football watchin' fete! Make your party stand out from the crowd by creating AMAZING invitations made with a few simple things you can pick up on your next Target run!

Don't believe me?  Maybe you saw this photo I Instagrammed the other day:

Make your Super Bowl party stand out from all the rest with these AMAZING invitations at /
Those are the secret ingredients for some amazing Game Day invitations that your friends will not soon forget.  Sharpie markers -- check!  Rubbermaid Take Alongs -- check!  Inexpensive t-shirts -- check!

One of the things that makes these invitations extra special is the pre-party favor -- a team shirt.  Everyone chooses a side for the Big Game, so they might as well show their support at your party!  Remember the Sharpie Tie Dye Team Shirts I made the other day?  I made one to include in each invitation {in the wife's size, because her hubby most likely already has some team gear to sport on Super Sunday}.  


Make your Super Bowl party stand out from all the rest with these AMAZING invitations at /
We asked everyone to bring white or light colored t-shirts for each of their children to decorate during the game. They can pick them up at the craft or dollar store for just a few bucks or bring one they already have!  It's a simple, fun project that your older kids are gonna' have a blast with, but even little ones can do it with a little supervision.  Plus, it keeps all the non-sporty folks {like me!} entertained and happy while the sporties enjoy the game.  

All you have to provide are the Sharpies, garbage bags and rubbing alcohol, which you already have on hand from making the invites.  Cover your dining room table with a plastic tablecloth and let the kiddos and their parents get creative!  {Full instructions can be found here.}


Make your Super Bowl party stand out from all the rest with these AMAZING invitations at /
Fold the t-shirts to fit inside the containers.  Your friends can bring the Take Alongs container to the party filled with dip or finger food to share, then they can take it home again filled with leftovers when the game is over.

Don't forget to give them all the details, too.  Who. What. Where. When.  Should they bring anything?  Tell them everything they'll need to know in advance.  I designed an image to fit right inside the lid of each container.  Print the image onto card stock and cut out. Trim the corners a little to make it fit perfectly then attach one to each lid with double stick tape.  For a finishing touch, tie them up with bright team-colored ribbons.  Your friends will be super excited to spend Super Sunday at your house!


Make your Super Bowl party stand out from all the rest with these AMAZING invitations at /

If you would like to download my Game Day Plan image for your personal use:

Hold the CTRL key while clicking the image above to open it in a new window.  Make sure it's full size by clicking on the image one more time in the new window, then right click and save to your computer.  You can open the image up in a photo-editing program, like Photoshop, or on a website, like Pic Monkey, to add text before printing OR you can print the image as-is and use a white gel pen to add the info by hand.  Either way will look great.  


Make your Super Bowl party stand out from all the rest with these AMAZING invitations at /
Save a few bucks when you're picking up your supplies at Target.  Just text COUPONS to TARGET on your cell phone and grab the $1 off Rubbermaid food storage coupon and the $1 off Sharpie 4 pack or larger coupon between now and Feb. 8th.

I hope y'all have tons of fun on Sunday!

Amy g. 

 

This is a sponsored post.  As usual, all opinions are 100% my own.

1.25.2014

DIY Sharpie Tie Dye Team Shirts

Hi guys!!  Are you sooooo excited about the Big Game next weekend?!  Me neither, but my family is {both near and far} so I'm really trying to get on board.  We have avid fans on both sides, so this game should be lots of fun . . . for them.  I thought maybe if I could craft something sports-team-related it would get me into the mood.

Super Bowl Crafts:  Sharpie Tie Dye Team Shirts at /

I'm loving the Sharpie Tie Dye process lately!  It's super easy, so anyone at any skill-level can have success with it.  I thought it might be fun to try and amp-up this project by using a resist technique to create a team logo in the middle of the dye and it worked like a charm!!  I'll be predominantly showing you how to make the Bronco shirt because the fans closest to me {the ones living in my house} favor Colorado, but I'll show you my Seahawk shirt, too, and give you some specific tips for that one at the end.

You will need:

 inexpensive t-shirts {100% cotton work best}
Sharpie markers
rubbing alcohol (91% solution -- I got mine at Target pharmacy, but I imagine it's available most anywhere}
eye droppers or spray bottles
plastic garbage bags to put between the layers of your shirt to prevent bleed-through

Optional for team logos:  freezer paper, Xacto knife, an iron, blue gel glue and/or white craft paint


For very basic Sharpie Tie Dye,  just color a simple design onto your shirt then spray it with alcohol and watch the magic happen.  Leave a little space between your colors so they have room to spread without getting "muddy". If you want to add a logo here's how it's done:
How to create tie dye t-shirts with Sharpie markers at /
Step 1:  Use a  freezer paper stencil** with blue gel glue to create a resist pattern on the plain white t-shirt before coloring them.  Wherever the glue is, it will resist the spreading ink, leaving you with a white pattern in the middle of your tie dyed area.  Create a freezer paper stencil and paint a fairly thick, even layer of the glue on top.  {You must use the gel glue for this to work.}  Let it set up for several minutes, then carefully remove the stencil and discard it.  The glue will still be wet at this point.  Set it aside for several hours to dry or use a blow dryer set on the highest heat setting to help it along.  Just make sure it is completely dry before moving on to step 2. 

{**You'll find a great tutorial on using freezer paper stencils here at The Alison Show, if you're unfamiliar with the process.}

How to create tie dye t-shirts with Sharpie markers at /
Step 2:  Place a plastic garbage bag in between the layers of your t-shirt to prevent bleed-through.  Make sure to get it into the sleeves, too.  Using Sharpie markers, draw a design onto your shirt.  Avoid drawing on top of the glued area.  It's OK if you get a little bit on there, but don't go crazy!  I chose to create stripes, leaving about 1 inch in between for the colors to bleed.  You could draw spirals or flowers or clusters of tiny dots -- whatever you like.

I found it helpful to practice a little bit on a paper towel by drawing the design I had in mind and spritzing it with alcohol to see how it would spread out.  The colors change a little bit once they spread so it's nice to make sure you like it before you mess up a shirt.  Ask me how I know that ... For instance, I learned that the normal Orange Sharpie turned really pink when it bled, so I used a light layer of normal orange and drew another light layer of yellow orange on top of it to counteract that effect. Also, the blue inks spread a lot more than the lighter colors for some reason.

How to create tie dye t-shirts with Sharpie markers at /
Step 3:  Add alcohol and watch the colors spread!  Open your windows because the smell gets pretty intense.  I started out using a spray bottle, but that broke halfway through so I dropped the alcohol from an eye dropper to finish up.  Both methods worked great, but I think I had a little more control of the spread with the eye dropper.  I found that the the ink bled down toward the bottom of the shirt much more that it bled toward the collar even though it was laying flat on a table.  The colors will only spread as far as the fabric gets wet so avoid spraying any area you don't want color on {like the sleeves}.  Be careful not to use too much alcohol.  This is what happens if you get a little out of control with it:

How to create tie dye t-shirts with Sharpie markers at /
Allow the shirt to dry completely.

Step 4:  Rinse the logo under warm water to remove all the glue.  Throw the t-shirt into the dryer to dry then heat set the ink with a hot iron.

How to create tie dye t-shirts with Sharpie markers at / On the Seahawk shirt, the logo didn't turn out very well using the resist technique.  I don't know if it was because it was a colored shirt or if I just didn't let the ink spread enough.  Either way, I wanted to emphasize the logo a little more so after the shirt was dry I used a freezer paper stencil with white fabric paint and it looks great now.

These shirts are color-safe and machine washable.  Come back Monday to see how I will be using my Sharpie Tie Dyed team shirts to throw the best ever Game Day Party the whole family will enjoy!


1.24.2014

DIY Sweater Knit Leggings

DIY Sweater Knit Leggings at /

I saw this fun sweater knit fabric on Wholeport's website and knew I just had to make something with it.  Then I started seeing all kinds of printed leggings on Pinterest and the wheels in my brain started spinning.  "Wouldn't sweater knit leggings be soooo comfy and cozy?" I thought to myself.  "Why, yes! Yes, they would be comfy and cozy," my polite self responded, "And adorable, too!"  When I mentioned the idea to Sis, we may have squealed and done a little happy dance about how lucky she is to have a brilliant {stylish} mom who makes cute things for her.  Although . . . she may have just been happy dancing about getting some stylish new leggings . . . hmmmmmm.  Whatever.

To begin, we needed a pattern.  I like to use old rolls of cheap wrapping paper to draw out patterns.  It's a great way to get a lot of paper for very little money.  Sis has a pair of leggings that is her absolute favorite.  They fit just right and look cute, so we decided to use those to draw our pattern.  Roll out your paper until it is long enough to trace your leggings on.  Cut that piece off of the roll then fold it in half lengthwise to find the center.

DIY Sweater Knit Leggings at /
Fold your leggings in half and lay on top of the paper, lining up the side of the leg with the fold in the paper.  Your waistline will probably be higher in the front than in the back.  We need to take that into account to get a really good fit. Trace around the outside edge of the pants, stopping at the front waistline point.  Flip the leggings over and line up the side of the leg with the fold in the paper again.  Trace the outside edge of the pants onto the paper again, this time stopping at the back waistline point.  Use a long ruler or straight edge to connect the waist front with the waist back point.  Add 1/2" for seam allowance to all edges except waist edge, where you will add 1 1/2 - 2".  Cut out your pattern.

DIY Sweater Knit Leggings at /
Fold your fabric in half.  Lay pattern out on top of fabric, keeping the center line of pattern parallel to the folded edge of fabric.  Pin in place and cut out through both layers of fabric.  You will need two identical pieces of fabric to make your leggings. 

Now you're ready to sew the leggings!! I have sewn a million pairs of pajama pants in my day and leggings use basically the same method.  I am an OK seamstress, but a terrible teacher so I sat here for about an hour trying to write up a tutorial that would make sense to y'all.  Finally, I threw in the towel and found an AMAZING tutorial at One Little Minute.  No sense in trying to re-invent the wheel, right?  Miranda teaches you how to draft a pattern from scratch, which is pretty fancy.  If you copied a pair of leggings you own and love like I did, you can begin following along about halfway down the page where she starts sewing the black and white fabric.  She sews her leggings exactly the way I sewed mine, only she is awesome at explaining what she's doing!!  You'll be grateful I sent you her way, I promise.

My only tip for you is that you need to make sure and finish your edges when working with a sweater knit like this.  If you have a serger, that would work beautifully.  I do not have a serger, so I sewed each seam then went back and sewed a zig zig stitch along each seam allowance so that the leggings won't start unraveling at the seams. 

After less than an hour of cutting and sewing I ended up with these fun, stylish leggings for Sis:

DIY Sweater Knit Leggings at /
DIY Sweater Knit Leggings at /
 It is unseasonably warm here in Arizona, so I'm not sure how much longer she'll get to wear them this year, but they are, in fact, comfy, cozy AND stylish.  Triple win!  Head to Wholeport to get some sweater knit fabric to make some for yourself.

**Supplies to make this project have been provided by Wholeport.  As always, all opinions expressed are 100% my own.**

1.23.2014

Vintage Valentine Bunting

Vintage Valentine Fabric Bunting Tutorial at /
When I showed you the new chicken wire display area I created in in my dining room, I told you that I had a few ideas for it to bring some color into that space.  Today I'm showing y'all my first idea -- a colorful bunting kicked up a notch with vintage Valentines.  When I dismantled the $4 Vintage Valentine Wreath I created last year, I saved all the old Valentines I had printed out.  My kids got such a kick out of all the corny sayings and silly pictures that I knew I wanted to use them again this year.  It adds such a bright, fun feeling to an otherwise kind of boring space!  {This previous post has links to printable Vintage Valentines I found all over the web that you can use for this project.}

To begin, I sewed a fabric bunting. For a bunting this size {about 7 feet long} I bought 1/4 yard each of 6 different fabrics.  At Hobby Lobby that worked out to about $1.25 per piece of fabric, so I only paid about $7.50.  If you have a stash of fabric you could probably make this for free.  I picked up a pack of  mini clothespins from the scrapbook section while I was there as well.

I cut a pattern for my pennants by folding a sheet of paper in half and cutting a triangle about 9 inches long {along the fold} by 7.5 inches across the top.  Cut 4 triangles out of each piece of fabric.  This will make 2 pennants of each design. If you want a longer bunting, just cut out more triangles -- it looks like you could probably get two more pennants {four triangles} out of my leftover fabric.

Vintage Valentine Fabric Bunting Tutorial at /
 For each pennant place two triangles with the fabric right-sides-together and stitch down each angled edge, leaving the top open.  After sewing, snip off the extra fabric at the point of the triangle and turn right-side-out.  Press each pennant to create nice, crisp edges.

Fold a 3-1/2 yard  piece of  3/4 or 1-inch wide twill tape {or grosgrain ribbon} in half along the length of the ribbon and press. You will use this as the "string" connecting all your individual pennants together to create a bunting.  Measure 18 inches in from one end of the twill tape.  This will be where you begin attaching pennants.  Put the top {unfinished} edge of the first pennant into the fold of the twill tape and pin in place.  Overlap the pennants by about 1/2 inch on each corner as you pin on each additional pennant.


Vintage Valentine Fabric Bunting Tutorial at /
Once all the pennants are in place, sew down the length of the twill tape with a zig zag stitch to hold everything in place.


Vintage Valentine Fabric Bunting Tutorial at /
Trim the twill tape on each end to the same length and you're finished!  I tied the leftover ribbon on each end into a bow and then used the mini clothespins to attach it to my chicken wire board.  I also used mini clothespins to hang a few of the printable vintage Valentines along the length of the bunting.


Vintage Valentine Fabric Bunting Tutorial at /
I LOVE THE WAY IT LOOKS IN MY DINING ROOM!!!! It makes my little heart skip a beat every time I look at it.  If I have to have those stupid cabinets there, I'm so glad I could finally make them into something pretty.


Vintage Valentine Fabric Bunting Tutorial at /
I love the bunting because it feels fun and festive, almost like going to a country fair, and I can use it for just about any season by changing out the extra little elements.  Yeah, I'm dorky enough to admit that I want to go to a country fair every day of my life.  I'll be baking a country-fair-esque Fresh Strawberry Pie in that kitchen soon -- watch for the recipe next week!

Have a great day, friends!

-amy g.


1.22.2014

Why I Am Loving Zubie ... & Why I Think You Will, Too!

This post brought to you by Zubie. All opinions are 100% mine.



Remember before Christmas how I told you about this cool new device we were getting to help us monitor our teen drivier and keep our vehicle at optimum performance?  Well, we got all signed up with Zubie and have been using it for a little while now so I wanted to give y'all a little update.  The Zubie key you see Sydney holding in that photo is easy to install and register -- just download the app, give them a little bit of info about your car, plug in the key, and start driving.  {The instructions in the package make the process a breeze.}

You can adjust the settings to tell you what kinds of alerts you want to receive.  My favorite is the My Places tab.  I entered several locations that we travel to on a regular basis -- the high school, the church, friends' houses, and my husband's workplace.  When the car arrives at one of those locations, I get a little message on my iPhone so I know that they are safe and sound.  That will be especially nice when Miss Sydney begins driving solo in a few months, but it is also nice to know that Brent is safe at work every morning!



Another thing I love about having Zubie service is being able to see where my car is on a map at any time.  A few weeks ago I took a nap on a Saturday afternoon.  When I woke up I was all alone in the house.  That is the weirdest feeling!  I was grateful that my family had let me sleep, but I didn't know where they had gone without me.  I could have sent my husband a "Where R U" text, but if he was driving he couldn't respond right away and I'm never sure if he has his phone with him or not. Instead, I pulled up my Zubie app and saw that the car was at the library.  Easy cheesy.  No need to worry!

My husband's favorite feature of Zubie's service is the engine diagnostics.  I mentioned in my first post that neither of us are mechanically inclined so it is really nice to be able to see that everything is working as it should be -- or not, so we can get it fixed!  If we do happen to need repairs, Zubie will even tell us how serious the problem is and what we can expect to pay.  Unbelievable!




We are super excited to keep using Zubie and figure out some more of the cool things that it does and see how it will help us as a family.  Now is a great time for you to get in on the action as well.  Have a Zubie New Year!  order today with code SAVE20JANand SAVE 20% on one year of Zubie always-connected car service and a free Zubie Key. {Offer good through February 28, 2013. Shipping charges may apply}  It's the perfect way to use your Best Buy and Amazon holiday gift cards!

Follow Zubie on Facebook and on Twitter for more information!

Visit Sponsor's Site

1.17.2014

Another {FREE} Printable Valentine!

After seeing the Valentines I made a few days ago, my kids requested something a little less silly and cheesy to give to their friends.  Whaaaaaaat?!  That's crazy!  Valentines are supposed to be silly and cheesy.  That's what makes them fun.  I was happy to give it another go, however.  I started reminiscing about my high school days, which took me straight back to 1990.  That was the inspiration for these bad boys:


More free printable Valentines at /
Is that any less cheesy?  Not really, but I don't know a teenager anywhere who would turn down a bag of their favorite chips any day of the week so maybe it will pass the intense scrutiny of my children.  Shoot, if they don't like them, I'll pass them out to all of my friends! 

To download and print this file for your personal use:

Click here to go to my Drop Box to download and save the pdf file to your computer.  You can print these Valentines from your home printer, but I prefer to use Staples Copy & Print Center because their printers are much higher quality and the colors turn out better. Either upload the file to their website and order prints or put the file on a flash drive and take it to the store and they will print it onto cardstock for you.


More free printable Valentines at /
Just cut them out, fold each one in half so that the polka dots are on the back and the words are on the front, then staple to a small bag of chips.   Write a quick, sweet message on the back and you're all set! 


More free printable Valentines at /

Have a great day, guys! 

amy


1.15.2014

Free Printable Valentines

Free Printable Valentines at /
I know it's a little early to be talking about Valentine's Day, but time is flying so quickly these days it will be here before we know it!  I LOVE Valentines Day, but my husband is pretty ambivalent.  That's OK because he adores me every single day of the year.  Valentine's Day is my chance to dote on him and my children. I wanted to get my Valentine gifts for my family ready early so that I don't end up scrambling at the last minute.

This is the first year in forever that I don't have any kids in Elementary school. We won't be doing class Valentines, but my kids will still want to take a little something to their best friends. I thought it would be fun to make one Valentine that could be customized for each individual recipient, so I came up with this "check all that apply" format.

Free Printable Valentines at /
Just print them out onto card stock, check the boxes that apply for your Valentine,  and attach it to your sweetie's favorite sweet treat -- I'll probably make up some boxes of yummy cupcakes when we get closer to February 14th.  Easy, cheesy!

To download and print this file for your personal use:

Click here to go to my Google drive to download and save the pdf file to your computer.  You can print these Valentines from your home printer, but I prefer to use Staples Copy & Print Center because their printers are much higher quality and the colors turn out better. Either upload the file to their website and order prints or put the file on a flash drive and take it to the store and they will print it onto cardstock for you.

Enjoy!  Do you make home made Valentines or do you buy the boxed Valentines from the store? Leave a comment and let me know!

Have a great day, friends!

amy g.


1.13.2014

15 Delicious No Bake Desserts

No Bake Treat recipes at my 3 monsters.com
I do a whole lotta' baking between Thanksgiving and New Year.  If my poor, weary oven could talk, it would be begging for a day off right now.  For New Year's Eve I was looking for a delicious sweet treat I could make to snack on all night that didn't require baking.  When I think "no-bake treat" rice krispie treats and classic no-bake cookies immediately come to mind, but I was amazed by the variety of goodies that a quick search of a few of my favorite blogs and websites unveiled I was pleasantly surprised!  If you {and your oven} need a break from the baking, here are some yummies you can chef up in the mean time!


No Bake Treat recipes at my 3 monsters.com
I got a jar of Biscoff in my stocking for Christmas so I HAD to make these on New Year's Eve. They are my new all-time favorite cookies.  I have to fight myself not to make a new batch every single day!

No Bake Treat recipes at my 3 monsters.com
Yummy No Bake Bars from Jamielyn of I Heart Naptime on BHG Delish Dish

No Bake Treat recipes at my 3 monsters.com
Marshmallow Caramel Popcorn from allrecipes.com
Our favorite movie night treat!

No Bake Treat recipes at my 3 monsters.com


No Bake Treat recipes at my 3 monsters.com
 "The Best No-Bake Bars You Will Ever Eat" from I Hear Exercise Will Kill You.

No Bake Treat recipes at my 3 monsters.com


No Bake Treat recipes at my 3 monsters.com

No Bake Treat recipes at my 3 monsters.com


No Bake Treat recipes at my 3 monsters.com

No Bake Treat recipes at my 3 monsters.com


No Bake Treat recipes at my 3 monsters.com


No Bake Treat recipes at my 3 monsters.com


No Bake Treat recipes at my 3 monsters.com


No Bake Treat recipes at my 3 monsters.com


And here's one  from right here at My 3 Monsters:

No Bake Treat recipes at my 3 monsters.com 

I hope you are as inspired by these recipes as I was! 

 Have a great week, friends!

amy g.


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