Valentine’s Garland {Take 2}

Last year I made some “Be Mine” Valentine’s Day garland (see here).  Since we have a new addition to our family this year, Louisa, my Silhouette Cameo, I had a new excuse to make some more…plus the hole new house thing was a another good excuse lol. 

Last week my sweet friend Lindsay, at Southern Lovely, shared a tutorial on how to make heart garland.  It was so pretty that I decided I had to have some of my own.

I downloaded a package of 11 hearts for 75 cents from Silhouette and had Louisa cut them out for me.  Since I used paper left over from the garland last year, the garland only cost me the price of the hearts.  75 cents; can’t afford not to make this craft, right?

Louisa cut them and I peeled them off of the cutting mat.  We make a great team :-)Laying out, the hearts looked like little rose petals.  If someone is getting married they might think about doing these hearts for the flower girl to throw out.  Wouldn’t that be so sweet?

When the hearts were cut out I sewed them together with a simple stitch and white thread.  I used the middle of the heart to guide my stitches and I just free-handed and fed the hearts through.

Then I hung the garland on a mirror above the buffet in the dining room.

(Please excuse the green walls; I haven't had time to paint them yet)

Even though I used a Silhouette and a sewing machine for this project, they are by no means required.  I really like this garland; it’s fun and easy.

Since I didn’t get to decorate for Christmas this year, I decided to put a few things out this year for Valentine’s day.  Aside from this heart garland, everything else is from last year.

On the mantle I put our “love” key and the Be Mine garland.

At the end of the hallway we have a nice console table with a boxwood tree.  I put some pink ornaments on the tree, and wordy hearts, doily jars, and a yarn-wrapped “love” hanger on the table.The doily jars are just mason jars with a doily and some twine. 
Here is my tutorial for the hanger wrapped in yarn.

The wordy hearts are just hearts I cut out of old textbooks (I bet my college professors didn’t see this one coming lol)

So there you have it, our house is ready to celebrate Valentine’s day :-)  What are you doing around your house to celebrate for the big love day?

Hope y’all have a great Monday!

Friday 5 Facts

Today I’m sharing a few random facts going on in the Hawley house and linking up with Joy at The Sowell Life.

1. Rest- Since moving into our house we have been going non-stop with projects.  While I can’t say with complete confidence that there wont be a project this weekend, we are really looking forward to some downtime.  We have hosted a party the past two weekends and have had projects galore, so we’re looking forward to the weekend off :-)
2. Chickens- The Mr and I have been looking into getting chickens, and it doesn’t look like too much maintenance.  Since we’ve got such a big yard now and we have been buying organic, natural eggs from a local farmer every week, we thought we could probably do this ourselves.  Does anyone else have their own chicken coop? What do we need to know about this?  Can you believe this city girl is now talking about chicken coops?!  Who am I?!  The two coop plans below are the ones I’m thinking about convincing the Mr to build (one and two).
3. Puppies- Yes I’m fully aware that both of our dogs are no longer puppies since Roo turned one in December. waaaaaaaaaaa But they will always be my pups and I will always call them that. 
4. Blogging Community- This is something I had no clue about until I dove into blogging, but it has also been my support system since moving to Houston.  I love how I have been able to meet and connect with other women and develop some of the best friendships which I cherish so dearly.  For example, Joy (the host for this awesome link up, duh) I met through some blogging avenue a couple years ago.  I’m not completely sure how we met but I do know that it was instant friendship and true sisterhood.  She is a true light in my world and I am blessed to call her a best friend.
5. The Body of Christ- Everything in the Bible has meaning and purpose.  The Lord stated that we are supposed to be in fellowship, to sharpen one another, to serve one another, and to encourage one another.  The Mr and I are blessed to be active in our church family (the body of Christ) and to be encouraged when we go through storms.  I encourage you, if you are not active in your church to find a church home.

So there ya have it: 5 random Hawley facts for your Friday enjoyment.  Click here to see what everyone else is doing today and to link up as well!

Have a great weekend friends!

What I’m Lovin’ Wednesday: Spice Rack

A couple weeks ago I shared with you how I organized my pantry. Well Louisa (my Silhouette Cameo) & I didn’t stop there…. we were on a roll.
While I was at The Container Store looking for items to straighten up our pantry, I came across this spice rack and knew it would definitely help organize our spice cabinet. 
Like every bride-to-be, when I was engaged I registered for a spice rack (something similar to this).  What I didn't know then was that I tolerate very few things taking up counter space.  Now I know that I prefer my spices in the cabinet.  I also have specific spices that I use on a regular basis that are not always in the prefilled spice racks, and vice versa, some spices that do come with the rack get wasted.  So I really like that this spice rack comes empty, leaving me with the freedom to fill it with the spices and brands that I prefer.  Just as a preference, I also like that the containers are glass and refillable.

So I added it to the list of “must-haves”, loaded up the car, and got home so Louisa and I could get to work.

Here is what I was working with before.  It’s not terrible, but it also isn’t uniformed either.

When I got home, I filled the containers with the spices that I wanted.  I put small post-it notes on the  tops so that I wouldn’t get them confused.  I mean can you imagine accidentally mixing up cayenne pepper with paprika or something?! Yikes those would be some spicy deviled eggs! lol

Louisa, my Silhouette Cameo, and I used white adhesive vinyl to make labels for the jars.

The final product is much more orderly and clean…perfect for this Type A chef.

Now I can find everything quickly and it's also pleasing to the eye.  What other projects would you recommend for Louisa and I to tackle…we are ready for your ideas!

I was not paid for this review; everything written is of my own opinion.

Love is in the Air

…and also in review.

Since it is now February, it is time to start thinking about Valentine’s Day.  Most stores (and Pinterest) starting thinking about Valentine’s Day on December 25th.  So in that case I’m probably super late to the game.  Oh well.

I wanted to share with you some lovely crafts (pun totally intended) from last year to help you prep for the upcoming chocolate gorging and sappy love talk holiday that is right around the corner.

Puppy Love

Sweetheart Cupcakes

Wordy Hearts

“The Key to my Heart”

Yarn LOVE

Doily Jars

Hanging Tea Towel

“Be Mine” Garland

Love Bird Mantle

I hope this helps you start getting ready for the big love-fest!

Happy Tuesday loves!

Not Cool Robert Frost

From "not cool Robert Frost" to "we were made to be awesome"

We all need a pep talk sometimes; because you're "gooder" than that.

This kiddo says it way better than I ever could.

This is your pep talk.

No go and tackle this Monday....like a boss!

..be on the path "that leads to awesome".

Love Affair with a Jalapeno

If I could attribute our happy marriage to one recipe, this would be it: Jalapeno Poppers.  I promise if you bring this dish with you to a party (or the Superbowl this weekend) people will fall in L-O-V-E with you.  I’m not sure what the secret ingredient is, but it will be instant love.  Since I’m counting on having happy guests at our Superbowl party you can put money down that I will be making these bad boys on Sunday.

Ingredients:

• 18 ripe jalapenos
• 2 packs low fat cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups sharp cheddar, shredded
• 6 green onions, chopped
• 2 packs bacon
• toothpicks
• barbeque sauce (I use honey BBQ)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line the inside of a broiler pan with aluminum foil (You’ll thank yourself for this later).
2. Slice jalapenos in half and scrape out the seeds and membranes (I strongly recommend wearing gloves for this step).  Soak jalapenos in a bowl of cold water for about 15 minutes, then soak again for another 15 minutes with fresh cold water.   This will help the jalapenos cool off a little bit.
3. Mix cream cheese, cheddar, & onions, and scoop filling into jalapenos.
4. Cut bacon strips in half and wrap each jalapeno with a half strip of bacon, and stick a toothpick through to hold in place.
5. Put jalapenos on broiler pan with the toothpicks in the broiler pan cracks.  This will prevent the jalapenos from falling over.
6. Brush about a teaspoon of barbeque sauce on each popper and “pop” them into the oven.  Cook until the bacon looks done, about 30-45 minutes.

Praise the Lord for jalapeno poppers!

Super Bowl Cake Pops

I will not even pretend to be a cake pop connoisseur.  I am not the best at creating cake pops but I’m certainly a pro at eating them ;-)  Here is how I make cake pops festive to eat for Superbowl Sunday :-)

Bake a cake...

...and crumble it up (seems like a crime, right?) Since you’re just going to be crumbling it up, I wouldn’t take the time to bake a cake from scratch. Just buy a cake mix.

Add in 1/2 a can of frosting, & mix it up until it's not gooey, but still moldable.

Mold the "dough" into any shape you like (mini footballs for the Superbowl), then put them in the fridge and go fold some laundry
Oh sorry, let me clarify, I meant come fold MY laundry!

Melt 1 bag of Wilton’s candy melts in the microwave.

Dip lillipop sticks (can buy at a craft store) into the chocolate, stick it into the hardened dough, & put them back into the fridge (this step uses the chocolate like "glue" so the dough doesn't fall off the lollipop stick).

Once the chocolate on the pops has hardened, dip the entire football into chocolate. Once that dries, I use yellow icing to add laces to the footballs.  I purchase Wilton’s Ready-to-Use decorating icing.  You can get this at most grocery stores or craft stores.  The awesome thing about this icing is that icing tips will screw right onto the bottle. So all you have to do is draw some laces on your footballs.

I wont lie to you: this will take some time and patience, but they really are so fun and festive. Here is where I got the recipe. Mine are not nearly as pretty as hers, but after all that work, I'm pretty proud of the ones I made.

Have you all made cake pops before?
What tricks have you used to make it easier and faster?

What I’m Lovin’ Wednesday: Wings & Things

To be honest…I don’t love wings.  I don’t even like them.
I loathe them.
Eating foods with my fingers where gross sauce could get stuck under my nails is the worst.  Please tell me I’m not the only one who hates to eat messy food.
While I hate messy food, there are always exceptions. 
Here is an exception….I love the flavor of wings so I eat these guys with a fork.  Yes I’m the weirdo eating chicken wings with a fork.

I made these last year for our Superbowl party and promised the recipe.  I figured a year of suspense is long enough, right? #epicbloggerfail

Ingredients:
3 lbs chicken wing drummies (I buy the generic store brand of frozen wings)
canola oil (this works best for the high heat you will be using)
2 sticks butter
12 oz bottle Frank's Red Hot
Tabasco sauce

Directions:

1. Cover the bottom of a deep skillet with 1 ½ inches of canola oil, and heat over medium/high. Rinse your drummies (also make sure they are thawed out if you purchased frozen wings.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Once the oil is hot, gently place your drummies in the skillet. To keep yourself from being overwhelmed, work in manageable batches of drummies.  Keep them moving with a pair of tongs so that they don’t stick to the bottom of the skillet.
4. In a medium sauce pan melt the butter and then add your Frank’s sauce.  Stir the mixture until incorporated and then shake in 10-15 drops of Tobasco (base this on your own preferences).
5. When the drummies have cooked for about 18-20 minutes, remove the drummies and drain the grease on a paper towel.  Once you’ve cooked all of your batches of drummies and the grease has drained  put the drummies into a 9 x 13 pyrex dish.  Pour the hot sauce over the drummies and stir the wings until they are all covered. 
6. Allow drummies to cook in the oven for 10 minutes, stirring the wings half-way through to make sure they are well coated with the sauce.

Ok and now for the “things” part of this post.  You didn’t think I was going to forget that did you?  Every Superbowl party needs dip!  It’s part of the football cheering section.  It's as if no one can cheer without one hand assuming the official dipping position.

Ingredients:
1 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing mix
4 oz. crumbled blue cheese (optional)
omit dieting anxiety

Directions:

1. Combine mayo and sour cream.
2. In a separate bowl whisk together milk and ranch mix.  Once incorporated, pour over the mayo mixture and stir to combine. Now you’re done!!!!!!  Simply cover and refrigerate for 2 hours and you’re ready to get dipping.
3. If you also want the option of blue cheese dipping sauce, before putting the ranch dip in the fridge, separate the dip into two equal parts.  Pour in 4 oz of crumbled blue cheese into one of the dips .  Cover and refrigerate both for 2 hours.

Did you hear that?! My Lord! My stomach just grumbled so loudly!  I can’t wait to have these wings on Sunday.  Who’s with me?!
Yum-O!

Football Cupcakes {2}

Since the Superbowl is right around the corner, this week I want to tease you with a bunch of recipes that scream football snack and make you salivate.  Have I peaked your interest? 

Since chocolate is the most important food group, let’s start there.  These are some fabulously fun cupcakes that will make all your guests think you’re a real fancy pants, but really they’re SO simple to make.Step 1: Bake cupcakes and let them cool off to room temperature.  You can make cupcakes from scratch or from a mix.  I choose funfetti for a party.  Duh, who doesn’t love funfetti cupcakes?!

Step 2: Once the cupcakes are cooled, take a star icing tip and fill your icing cone with chocolate frosting.  Squeeze the icing cone in a zig-zag motion for each cupcake.  Again the icing can be from scratch, though I recommend a buttercream icing if you make it from scratch so that it holds the shape, or from a can.  This will require more icing than you probably anticipate.  I had to send the Mr back to the store on an emergency trip for more icing because I ran out right before our guests came over last year.

Step 3: I purchased some Wilton’s Ready-to-Use white decorating icing.  You can get this at most grocery stores or craft stores.  The awesome thing about this icing is that icing tips will screw right onto the bottle. So all you have to do is draw some laces on your footballs.

How easy was that?! 

There you have it: festive and delicious football cupcakes :-)  Not only would these be great for a football game, but also a boy baby shower, or a young little boy’s birthday party.  See the possibilities are endless!

Shut the Front Door

….or should I say window?

On Friday I mentioned my desire to add charm to our new pad without slaughtering our checking account.

This is was our boring house:

Then we added carriage-styled hardware to the garage.

Next we had to tackle the windows. 

I told the Mr that shutters would be a nice addition to improve the curb appeal.  I debated on colors, but ultimately chose black.  We measured and did our research to find the best deal for what we wanted to do. 

And guess what. 

To add shutters to each window is only $18. Yay!!!

Another cheap & fast project for more charm!  We are seriously on a roll. 

Check out the new front of the house.

The next project is the front door and entry column. I can’t wait to tackle that with the Mr.

I hope y’all had a great weekend and are ready to hit the ground running this week!

Charm for under $20

Something that was extremely important to me in house hunting was finding a home that was not a “cookie cutter home”; that was not an identical sibling to every other house on the block.  The Mr was looking for practical and functional spaces (because he is so wise), while I was looking for charm and character (we make a great pair if I do say so myself).  With our new house, I knew that it was different and had the older charm I was looking for. I also recognized that it had great potential for more character.

But honestly, I thought that the front of the house could not be more plain! Boring!

There were a couple things that could be done to add charm without breaking the bank.  To add some curb appeal to our new home we decided to add some hardware to the garage.  We purchased a hardware kit from Home Depot for $19.98, and about 15 minutes later the project was done.  Easy project that only requires a drill.  I’m pretty sure it doesn’t get much easier than this! Score!

What do you think of my “new” Carriage Styled garage doors?

Crepe Murder

Funny stuff should always be passed along, right?  I think so! 
It’s been a while since I mentioned my love for Crepe Myrtles, but I really do think they are so pretty and a signature bloom of the south. 
Since moving into the new house I have been planning what I want to plant this upcoming spring and paying close attention to the Gardening section of my Southern Living magazine.  This morning when I was drinking my coffee and flipping through my magazine, I saw in the Grumpy Gardener article an ad for Crepe Murdering…..get the spin? Instead of crepe myrtle it was crepe murder….oh corny gardening humor lol Apparently there is a contest for the most murdered crepe myrtle of the year (Sidebar, in case you’re unfamiliar, these trees are often pruned back so that they can “grow fuller later”.  However they look practically dead and pathetic when pruned back too far; not to mention, that it really isn’t a healthy practice for this plant)  I just find this contest to be quite humorous and had to let y’all know about it. 

Here is the most assaulted myrtle from 2012.  So very sad looking :-(

So if you’ve seen some crepe myrtles being assaulted with chainsaws, take a picture and enter it into the contest with the Grumpy Gardener :-)