Scrapbook Picture Frames

One of my favorite projects to give as gifts are scrapbook picture frames.

They are versatile and lots of fun!  Here is a quick tutorial so you can make some too!

Start with any size wood box.

Paint the color of your choice.

Pick out the scrapbooking materials of your choice.. right now I am using Christmas!

Paint letters to make your phrase.  I chose "Believe".

Glue all of the scrapbook stickers and letters around the outside edge of the box.

Glue a wood block to the center to hold the picture.

Then last add the picture of your choice.

Now you have a beautiful personalized gift!

Hope you have fun making them.  They take some time.. but they are well worth the effort!

I am sharing this with Holiday Gift Ideas @ http://kittycatsandairplanes.blogspot.com/

and Craft Catwalk @ http://embellishinglifeeveryday.blogspot.com/

and at Talent Tuesday @ http://vintagewannabee.blogspot.com/

and to Lil Luna Link Partay @ http://www.lilluna.com/

Love,

Pinkapotamus!

Pink Hippo Party #5

This week I have NOT been doing much crafting.. more cooking, cleaning and laundry than anything!  But I did get some work done on an order that I had.. my very LAST step stool.. here's how it came out!

Not bad for a weekend's worth of work!

Here are my favorites from last week:

Who could resist a turkey, especially a Chocolate peanut butter one from Jocelyn @ http://insidebrucrewlife.blogspot.com/

The cutest upcycled night stand to play kitchen ever by Robin

http://www.thetshirtdiaries.com/

And the coolest fabric Christmas trees by Q

@ http://www.jaqsstudio.com/

So ladies grab your featured button and let's get this party started!
Here are the rules to Party!

1. Grab a party button
2. Link back to this party
3. Link to your specific post and not your home page
4. Become a follower (cause it's just nice)
5. Don't forget some love to your fellow crafters.. everyone loves a compliment!

Leftover Turkey Solution!

I LOVE Turkey dinner on Thanksgiving!  So it goes without saying that I can't wait to make creamy turkey soup!  Since I did not make turkey dinner this year.. I had to beg one of the leftover turkeys from my sister in law and another from a friend so that I could make not 1 but 2 pots of creamy turkey soup!

Start with your turkey.. preferably one that has been enjoyed and is just a carcass.  Put it in a big pot with carrots, celery, onions, peppercorns, basil, oregano, plenty of salt and enough water to cover the bird. 

Let it boil for several hours until it is a yellowy color.

Strain the broth in a regular strainer and then a second time in a fine strainer to strain all of the excess fat.

Heat up your broth and start your rue.

Rue:

1 stick butter (melted)

1/2 cup flour

3 cups milk

Melt the butter in a pan.  Add flour and whisk until mixed.  Pour in all the milk and bring to a boil stirring constantly.  Once the rue is boiling add salt and pepper to taste.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 1/2 hour stirring occasionally. 

Soup:

1 onion

1 1/2 cups carrots

4 stalks celery

1 1/2 cups cooked turkey

Finely chop all vegetables and turkey. 

Add to the broth and bring to a boil to soften vegetables.

Then add in 1 cup rice and bring to a boil.  Once vegetables and rice are softened add rue. 

Serve with a salad and enjoy!  I know WE did!

Hope you enjoy your leftover turkey goodness too!

Love,

Pinkapotamus!

Non Traditional Thanksgiving Dessert~

The kiddies are nestled all snug in their beds while visions of turkey legs dance in their heads.  The hubby and I lay down for a nap and talk about our well received snacks! 

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my In laws and we get to celebrate and eat all over again tomorrow with my parents! 

Here are the yummy desserts that we brought!

Caramel Apples

And here are my yummy Cake Ball Turkey Minions!

And also a quick recipe for anyone intersted in making some!

First start with vanilla cake (I made mine from scratch) baked and cooled.  Break the pieces apart in the mixer.  Then add frosting (I make my own with 1 stick butter, 4 cups powdered sugar, 1 tbls milk and 1 tsp vanilla)

Combine the two to make a sticky mixture. 

 

Scoop with an ice cream scoop

 

and roll into balls. 

Then dip in chocolate and decorate with a candy corn and pretzels.

 

  Yum-O!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful yummy Thanksgiving! 

I know that I have lots to be thankful for! 

Love,

Pinkapotamus

Giving Back at Thanksgiving

How do you show 14 eight year olds how to appreciate what they have?  Talk to them about what they are thankful for and then about what other people are sometimes lacking in life.  My Brownie girls helped make 14 centerpieces to donate to our local food bank to make some one else's Thanksgiving a little more special.    Here are the baskets they made:

Each centerpiece was made on a cardboard round that fit into the basket.  When the holiday is over the receipient still has a cute basket and a centerpiece for next year or a scarecrow and a candle to make a new one.

We hope they are loved and that they brighten someone's holiday!

I am thankful for my Brownies and their big hearts!

Check out your local food bank and see how you can help.. they accept donations and volunteers all year round!

Love,

Pinkapotamus

Pink Hippo Party #4

This weekend was SUPER Busy for me again!  I did my second craft show in two weeks.  It was long and not as fun as the first one.  I feel like I have to find a better venue for my particular craft items.  I am mostly child related and there were very few families with children at this show.  But here is one of the items that I sold:

So with no further ado.. here are my favorite links from last week:

The cutest use for toilet paper rolls EVER from Stacey

@ http://boyohboyohboycrafts.blogspot.com/

The coolest use of an upcycled cabinet door from Jenny

@ http://embellishinglifeeveryday.blogspot.com/

and the most adorable use of old cardboard by Ash

@ http://stuff-by-ash.blogspot.com/

Here are the rules to Party!

1. Grab a party button

2. Link back to this party

3. Link to your specific post and not your home page

4. Become a follower (cause it's just nice)

5. Don't forget some love to your fellow crafters.. everyone loves a compliment!

Now let's get this party started!

Holiday Door Bling

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.. ok not really but I would love it too!  So I have started thinking about simple ways to decorate the house on a dime!  That being said I made some cute holiday signs for the kids bedroom doors.  

They cost about $2 from AC Moore and I used scrapbook paper that I have been using for some other projects. 

Here is a VERY quick tutorial!

Start with the plaque shape of your choice.  I chose a rectangle with fancy corners.

Use paint and scrapbook paper to decorate the plaque, I chose red and off white paint with a Christmas tree and presents.

Bust out with the trusy Cricut if you have one available and print out the phrase "Dear Santa, Will Trade Brother/Sister for Gifts"

And Tada.. Christmas Door Bling!

Sibling rivalry is alive and well in the Pinkapotamus household.. so these are kinda just a funny way to lighten the mood!  The kids think they are GREAT!  Hope you fun decorating too!
I am linking this to Frogs&Snails&PuppyDogtails @ http://733blog.blogspot.com/
and to Tickled Pink @ http://www.504main.com/

Love,

Pinkapotamus!

Shabby Chic Canvas

I am LOVING shabby chic lately!  Being able to work on this weekend's upcoming craft show has really helped my creativity!  I just finished two shabby chic canvases that I can't wait to share!  The first is just a single flower.

The second is a whole garden with a fence.

I'm thinking these are really good practice for when my Little girl gets a bit Bigger!  She is still loving her fairies! 

Oh well, back to work.. lots more to do before Friday night!

I am linking this to Lil Luna Linky Party @ http://www.lilluna.com/

and Hoo's Got Talent @ http://nightowlcrafting.blogspot.com/

and to Sugar and Spice @ http://733blog.blogspot.com/

and to Inspiring Creativity Wednesday @ http://twindragonflydesigns.blogspot.com/

and Scraptastic Saturday @ http://youngancrafty.blogspot.com/

Happy Wednesday!

Love,

Pinkapotamus

Hoo Are You? #23

It's Tuesday again.. and now that we got past the business of handing out awards and naming a winner.. it's time for some fun!  Here are my answers to this week's Hoo Are You?  @ http://nightowlcrafting.blogspot.com/

1. Do you ever burp out loud in private or public?

Sometimes.. I burp out loud at home.. and the kids find it hysterical!

2. How often do you get sick each year?

I typically only get sick once or twice, which is amazing because of the amount of children (aka carrier monkeys) that I come in contact with!  Although now that I have said that I will of course get sick much more often this year!

3. Would you rather paint a room in your house yourself, or have someone else do it for you?  I would rather have someone else paint the room a solid color and then paint something special myself.. I love to paint murals for the kids!

4. If you get 30 minutes to yourself, what do you do?

I either craft, read or hit the gym (sometimes I take the book to the gym and read on the treadmill or bike.. best of both worlds)!

5. Do you allow people to wear shoes in your house?

Yes.. but I wish that we were better at enforcing the no shoe policy!

It was fun getting to know everyone a little better again this week!

Love,

Pinkapotamus

We Have a Winner and an Award!

Okay fellow Pink Hippos we have a winner of the Pinkapotamus mirror! 

After writing the names of ALL my followers and adding all the extra entries I threw them into a bowl and let my lovely little girl pick a winner (She was sooo excited)!

So with no further ado, the winner is.....

Charlene from Adventures in Mommy Land!  Yeah.. email me at amieirwin@yahoo.com and we can discuss what custom mirror you would like!

In addition to the giveaway, I was given an award over the weekend from Chelsea at Crafter's Anonymous Club @ http://craftersanonymousclub.blogspot.com/

Rules for accepting this award are:

1. Thank & link back to the person who awarded you this.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Pay it forward to 15 recently discovered great bloggers.

4. Contact those bloggers and tell them about their award.

So here are 7 things about me~

1.  I recently got my SPIN certification.

2.  My new spinning shoes are silver so I call them my silver bullets

3.  My first pet growing up was a dog named Rocky Michelle

4. My favorite snack is popcorn made in a giant stainless bowl with lots of butter

5. My favorite movie is the Shawshank Redemption (the book was great too!)

6.  I have only dyed my hair 3 times in my entrie life: red, blonde and then brown to cover the blonde

7.  My favorite cookies are italian sprinkle cookes that I only make for special occasions because they are ALOT of work!

Now on to my award recipients:

Stacey @ http://boyohboyohboycrafts.blogspot.com/

Amanda @ http://patriciaraedesigns.blogspot.com/

Jocelyn @ http://insidebrucrewlife.blogspot.com/

Amie @ http://kittycatsandairplanes.blogspot.com/

Mel @ http://livvyloowho.blogspot.com/

Karen @ http://karismaheartsavannah.blogspot.com/

Dana @ http://danajeanward.blogspot.com/

Maryanne @ http://www.scrappy-gifts.com/

Tammy @ http://www.she-wears-flowers.com/

Cassie @ http://somethingfromcassie.blogspot.com/

Sarah @ http://takens-tidbits.blogspot.com/

Courtney @ http://www.thepaisleyabbey.com/

Vicky @ http://vicky-myart.blogspot.com/ (who was my 100th follower!)

Haley @ http://wideeyedsmilin.blogspot.com/

Courtney @ http://notsohomemade.blogspot.com/

Ladies, I love following your blogs.. so glad I found you .. now display that award with pride and share the love!

Again, anyone interested in doing a blog swap shoot me an email at amieirwin@yahoo.com

Love,

Pinkapotamus

Pink Hippo Party #3

Welcome to another Pink Hippo Party!  I am soo excited that last week we made it up to 45 links.. not to mention 9 new followers!  Hooray!  So here is what I have been working on:

Here are my favorites from this week (it was really hard to choose, you guys rock!):

A holiday earring holder from Kim

@ http://733blog.blogspot.com/

and an adorable Pilgrim from Mariah

@ http://gigglesgalorenmore.blogspot.com/

And this beautiful handmade journal from Cecily @

http://craftopotamus.blogspot.com/

So ladies, please grab your featured button! 

Now for our party suggestions!

1. Grab a party button

2. Link back to this party

3. Link to your specific post and not your home page

4. Become a follower (cause it's just nice)

5. Don't forget some love to your fellow crafters.. everyone loves a compliment!

And now lets get this party started!

 

Phew! I did it~

Okay.. I am beyond tired.  I am soo tired that I am now officially delirious (cannot even spell right)!  I have been crafting at EVERY available moment for the past week. 

This one I made at home and personalized at the show!

In addition to which I have been woken up ripped from my sleep every night in the middle of the night by one child or another (3 in total for those newbies out there) and every morning at 4 am by the youngest who has not yet adjusted to the fall behind schedule.  AHHHH!  Is all I can think to say.  However, on the up side of all of this I have gotten LOTS of work done! 

The morning of the craft show I was STILL trying to get some last minute things together as well as get the kids ready for the day.   I was a wreck!  But I made it and I started selling some items, got a couple of orders, met some great people, got invited to do another craft show this weekend and just had fun!

Here is my mother in law manning my table!

And don't forget the mirrors!

Oh and to add to my good karma feeling... I won a giveaway at Embellishing life!  I am going to get these adorable cupcake toppers from Jenny!  She is amazing at anything and everything to do with scrapbooking!  Thanks Jenny!  You can check out her blog at http://embellishinglifeeveryday.blogspot.com/

Also my cute little Tom Turkey was featured over at Scrappy Gifts @ http://www.scrappy-gifts.com/

The last day to sign up for the Pinkapotamus 100th follower Mirror Giveaway is today!  I will announce the winner on Monday.. we are going to be really low tech.. the kids are going to pick a name out of a hat, literally! 

Also in other news.. when all of the craft show craziness is over I would love to do some blog swaps.  Anyone interested please email me @ amieirwin@yahoo.com.

Love,

Pinkapotamus!