One man's trash

On my latest D.I. adventure I found this gem:

ok Devaun makes anything look sexy, but believe me, it was awful.
So I made the neckline round, took up the bodice, removed shoulder pads+collar, took out the sleeves, brought the hem up 3-4inches and took the entire dress in by about 2 inches on each side.

And here's my $4+lots-of-work dress now:

also, cardigan: Old Navy, dot tights: ASOS, necklace: gift, belt: Francesca's (in case you care)

I also found this great 60's-ish pencil skirt. All I had to do was take in the sides a few inches, and I was set for my Valentine's Day party!
Even though thrift stores are smelly, I love them!

Fondant Hat Cake

French Dip Sandwiches

These were sooo good and so easy to make! Instead of following a recipe, I just cheated and bought a packet of Au Jus mix from the store. whoop.

You need:
-sandwich buns
-4ish lb roast
-1 tsp rosemary
-1 tsp thyme
-1/2 tsp garlic powder
-1 Au Jus mix packet
-provolone or mozzarella cheese

1. Prepare the Au Jus according to package directions
2. Mix in the seasonings
3. Put roast in crock pot and pour the Au Jus over it. Add a little water so that it covers the whole roast
4. Cook on low for 9-11 hours. When it's done, shred it up.
5. Slice buns, butter and sprinkle with cheese. Toast in oven or toaster oven
6. Put however much meat you want on the sandwiches
7. Pour remaining juice from crock pot into a small bowl(s) for dipping.

Valentine Treat Bags

With a plethora of snow days I have been able to craft some fun Valentines. I made some for my lesson in young women this Sunday, and am working on some for Landon's class party at school. I filled the bags with candy, but you could add whatever you want. I think I'll use homemade cookies next time.

What you need:

Cute paper (I found this 8 pack in the dollar area at Target)

Treat bags (also from the dollar area at Target)

Stapler with staples (mine had pink staples in it for some reason)

Double sided tape or Glue stick

Picture of whatever valentine you want

*optional*

Ribbon (also from the dollar area at Target)

Hole punch

I found a cute graphic on google and edited a 4X6 picture in picnik. Depending on the size you can fit 3 valentines on one 4x6 print. Cut the paper to size. Most treat bags are 4" wide. I cut mine this size to get the most cuts from one 12x12 piece of scrapbook paper.Attach valentine to paper and fold in half. I cut the treat bags down, so I didn't have to fill them with so much candy.Fold the treat bag down and "sandwich" it between the folded paper. Staple at bottom corners.If you'd rather use ribbon- staple just the folded treat bag closed. Then punch two holes (through all layers) in the center, thread ribbon trough and tie.

I Luv Valentines!

A little somethin somethin for that special someone..

So after years of making cheap coupon books for Mother's Day, I thought my coupon-book-making days were over. Guess I was wrong!

This years valentine: Love Coupon Book

All you need is a few envelopes and anything scrapbooky.

Start with two envelopes.
Open the flap of one envelope...
And glue it to the FRONT of the other envelope.
Repeat this step a 3-46 times, depending on how big you want your book/card thing to be.
Now comes the fun part. Decorate to your hearts desire. Make coupons or love notes or whatever to stuff into the little pockets.

Here is my finished product:

FRONT

MIDDLE (it says "love." seriously.)

OPENED

The little cards for writing junk on.

Delicious Oatmeal Cookies

I found this recipe on all recipes last night, and it's a keeper!  They turned out soft and chewy.  I left the raisins out, and they were great. I'm sure they're good with raisins, or even better with chocolate chips!

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup butter flavored shortening

• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup raisins

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, butter flavored shortening, brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Stir in the oats and raisins. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until light and golden. Do not overbake. Let them cool for 2 minutes before removing from cookie sheets to cool completely. Store in airtight container.

more on my favorite subject (food)

Check out this recipe for Bajio's Green Chile Chicken Casdilla. (click that, it's a link)
Ok this one isn't quite as healthy and takes a little time, but is SO worth it. Seriously, they're good. Be sure to use good tortillas though..like the ones from Costco that you cook yourself.