{In Love. . .with Yarn}

It's official. I'm in love with yarn.

If you are hoping to read about something related to knitting or crocheting then you may be disappointed. I did buy all the tools necessary to learn those skills a few years back (to my husband's dismay..he knows me very well), but I haven't found a real use for the yarn until just recently...

With Valentine's Day approaching quickly, you may need some ideas on gift wrap. My big idea...use yarn! I generally like to start by wrapping the item/box with brown wrapping paper. This gives it a nice clean, simple look..which gives you the perfect opportunity to do something fun with colorful yarn! (I incorporated some ric rac to add interest). You can also forgo the wrapping paper altogether and just use the brown boxes (in LOTS of shapes and sizes) available at most craft stores..I know Michael's and Hobby Lobby have them for sure. Check out some photos of my funky yarn bow...

I also did a smaller package and used similar colors...


{I have another fun yarn idea that I'm planning to use for Cora's birthday gifts (just a couple of weeks away!), and I'll post a picture once the wrapping is complete! :)}

**On a side note, if you don't have time to go out and grab a card for a gift..just use card stock and cut two pieces..one for the envelope and one for the card itself. Fold the larger of the two in a way that leaves the front of the envelope shorter than the back. Use your sewing machine and stitch along the sides to secure it (our guest blogger Allyson did this for one of the cards she gave me a while back and I've always wanted to try it out!). Add something to the top of the card (as it will be sticking out of the envelope a bit), and you're good to go.


Now on to my FAVORITE yarn project so far. When we started our blog almost 6 months ago (has it really been that long?!?), I posted about using Tulle for decor in a kids room. Tulle is old news in my book. I decided to spice up the storage in Cora's room using yarn instead. It definitely goes better with the other decor items in her room, and it turned out super cute!


I measured around my storage boxes and cut a few pieces of yarn in each color then tied it around, securing in the back (so it's not seen!), and then separated the yarn strands. I created some fun accent pieces using yarn and tied those on the front. The round, pink flower-esque piece is made by wrapping yarn around your hand..and then pulling off and tying a separate piece of yarn around the middle, then flattening and pulling the sides out in a way to create the final shape. The orange octopus-like shape was made by cutting about 8 pieces (10" each) of orange yarn and then folding them over together..and tying a separate piece of yarn (4") around the top fold. I then spread it out a bit on top. You'll notice there is some green behind that accent piece..that is a bow I made and wasn't in love with..so I used it as just kind of a backdrop for the other one. The three poms at the bottom are made just like the first (flower-esque) piece, but rather than leaving the folds as is..you cut them to give it the pom effect! I thought it'd be fun to use three of varying sizes and tie them all together, so that's what I did!






I hope I've inspired you to think outside the box with yarn! Let us know if you do anything fun with it!

sincerely fabuless, the windy city.

{Furniture "Up-do"..}

{Don't be a chicken, you can do it!}

Well ladies and gents, its that time again. The time where my husband literally disappears for two weeks for medical school block exams and I find myself in my garage with a paint brush and a piece of furniture. My husband always comments that when he is gone for long hours he usually comes home and find something has been painted and the furniture has been re-arranged. I am one of those people who owns about 20 different duvet covers and about 30 different shower curtains because I have commitment issues with design and layout.

This time around, I re-finished a desk unit that was left in my house before we rented it. The house that I live in right now belongs to a friend of mine, which was a total score when we moved in because she left pieces of furniture for me that she was done with - this desk being one of those pieces. It was perfect in the sense that it fit exactly in the hole near the kitchen table, but wasn't so perfect in the sense that it was in some serious need of some TLC. I don't know about you, but when we have pieces of furniture that we aren't crazy about, they turn into junk magnets. We had covered it in old papers, mail, magazines, kids toys, and everything else that really shouldn't be that visible when someone walks in our house. More importantly, I wanted a place where I could sit at my laptop, pay bills, write letters to my brother on his mission, etc.

Here is the before picture (I am embarrassed to show it but want to make sure you can capture the transformation - currently a total junk deposit):

My big idea for this project was to rip off the back of it and put up chicken wire (hence the title of this post) so that I could clip things to it such as cards that we receive, bills that I don't want to misplace, pictures of my kids, etc. To secure the chicken wire, I put in small nails into the back of the piece and then took the edges of the chicken wire and wrapped it around each of the small nails to make sure it was tight. It was hard to hold into place and hammer the nail so I secured the nails first and then worked around the nails with the wire. I had never really worked with chicken wire so I was a little nervous, but it turned out just perfect - I am absolutely LOVING the rustic look that I achieved with the chicken wire AND it is functional (Fabuless!).


I painted the desk a shade of yellow - I am not sure of the exact color because it was one of the discount paints that had been returned to Lowes (again...Fabuless!). You really can't go wrong with yellow, I love every shade - even bright yellow - its like bringing a little piece of sunshine in your house.

My big trick (so nervous when I started this part) - I taped off the desk and used a dark walnut stain to paint the top of the desk, the top shelf, and the inside shelves so that it would appear to have a combination of finished wood and yellow paint. This desk is not wood, so I basically used my brush strokes to create a "wood look" and it actually worked. I must admit, while I was painting it, I started to sweat and my heart was racing because there were a lot of moments that I was convinced I had ruined it and that the stain was a bad idea, but it actually turned out perfect!


I switched out the old cheap knobs for some cute red knobs that I found at Hobby Lobby on clearance - I paid about 2.50 per knob.


I am loving this new little pop of color off of the kitchen..


..and I am so happy with how it turned out! If you have any questions, shoot me an email or leave me a comment below.

sincerely fabuless, Las Vegas.

{Mini Heart Bunting}

Guest Blogger: {Allyson Drake, Pullin' on my heart strings..}

I am so in love with mini buntings right now. You can make them for any occasion, in any size, and in any color… especially when you use paint chips! Not only are they free (Fabuless!), they come in every color imaginable! As inconspicuous as I tried to be with a whiney toddler in my cart, I probably spent a good 10 minutes mixing and matching colors. I’m pretty sure the nice Lowe’s employee was on to me, but kindly looked the other way. Though, if I saw a crazy lady stuffing paint chips in her purse like they were candy, I’d probably look the other way too.
Once I got my paint chips home, I used a small heart punch and cut out over 100 hearts. Because my punch was rather small, I got 6 hearts from one sample (2 hearts of each of the 3 colors). You can find hand held punches at any craft store. I got mine from Michael’s and used a 40% off coupon I found online (they usually have one available every week. Michael’s can be fabuless!). With my next coupon I want to invest in a circle one. I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up with a circle bunting for every holiday.

After punching out hearts (sounds gruesome for this time of year), I glued two hearts in the same color, back to back so that both sides were colored. It’s not necessary, but these things tend to spin a little once they’re hung, and I didn’t want “Lowes” to be the center of attention. Just a quick dab of glue stick works, since they will be sewed together anyways.
When they were glued and ready, I quickly figured out a pattern and fed them through my sewing machine. A quick tip if you are trying this at home: If you don’t want your hearts to spin, you can overlap them a little. It does make the bunting a little stiffer.


If you like the spinning, moveable, flexible effect, here’s what you do: once you’ve stitched your way across the majority of a heart, slide your next one in place and push the current heart through with the new one like so:

I used 52 of my 116 hearts, and it is more than long enough for my 6’ shelf. These hearts were about 1.5” each, so the size of your punch will determine how many paint chips you’ll need to smuggle out of your local paint aisle.

Have a fun, heart punching Valentines week!

sincerely fabuless, Allyson in Philly.

(Moo, Baa, La La La)

Prior to the arrival of our little Cora, my sister-in-law Lindsay (super crafty, thrifty, creative, awesome, etc)..included a couple of books as part of Cora's baby gift. I'm so glad she introduced us to the world of Sandra Boynton! If you have kids, you should probably get to know this author. Each of her books are quick and easy reads, with fun ideas and great pictures! My daughter and I absolutely love her board book series. She has also written many other children's books that I plan to add to our collection in the future.

If you don't have a big budget for book buying (alliteration anyone?), check out your nearest TJ MAXX/Marshalls, and you're likely to find some of Sandra Boynton's books..typically about $3.99 instead of $5.99..fabuless!

My little Cora's favorites are "But Not the Hippopotamus" and "Blue Hat, Green Hat". Keep an eye out for them, and let us know if you come across any other fabuless book finds!

sincerely fabuless, the windy city.

{Super Bowl 2012}

Tomorrow is going to be a great day! Why? The Super Bowl is tomorrow! Yes! I actually am enthusiastic about this..my husband and I bond over sports..and especially love watching pro football. We also love eating some delicious appetizers and treats during the games. So, for your pre-game day post..I will be giving you some of my tried and true super bowl recipes. Go Patriots!

Super Bowl Sausage Puffs!
1 lb fresh, ground spicy pork sausage
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
2 (8 oz) packages refrigerated crescent rolls
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a medium skillet, lightly brown sausage and drain. While sausage is still hot, add cream cheese and stir until cheese is melted and mixture is creamy.
Cool completely.
Separate crescent rolls and arrange into two rectangles. Form log of sausage mixture lengthwise down center of each rectangle. Fold over the long sides of pastry to cover sausage log. Place on un-greased cookie sheet, seam down.
Brush with egg white and sprinkle with poppy seeds.
Bake 20 minutes until crust is golden. When completely cooled, slice into 1 1/2 inch slices.

Rachael Ray's Guacamole
2 avocadoes
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 large jalapeno chile, seeded and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped or grated
Grated peel and juice of 1 lime
Salt

In a medium bowl, mash the avocado. Mix in the onion, jalapeno, garlic, lime peel and lime juice; season with salt.

Queso Dip
1 can (10 oz each) Ro*Tel® Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained
1 pkg (16 oz each) Velveeta® Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Combine undrained tomatoes and cheese in medium saucepan.
Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until cheese is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring frequently.
Serve warm as a dip with tortilla chips, crackers or cut-up fresh vegetables.

To make in microwave, combine undrained tomatoes and cheese in 1-1/2-quart microwave-safe dish; cover. Microwave on HIGH 5 minutes or just until cheese melts, stirring after 3 minutes. Remove from microwave; stir until mixture is well blended. CAUTION: Dish will be hot; use hot pads.

Pretzel Poppers
1 1/2 C warm water
1 tbsp
2 tsp kosher salt
1 pkg active dry yeast
4 1/2 C all purpose flour (approx)
2 oz unsalted butter
vegetable oil (for pan)
10 C water
2/3 C baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten w/ 1 tbsp water
pretzel salt

Directions:
Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed unit well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, approximately 4-5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl an then oil it well w/ vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover w/ plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50-55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line 2 half sheet pans with parchment paper (NOT wax paper!) and lightly brush w/ vegetable oil. Set aside.

Bring 10 C of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart saucepan or roasting pan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into about 1 or 2 inch pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Place onto the parchment-lined half sheet pan.

Place the pretzel poppers into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a slotted spoon. Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel popper with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with pretzel salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

I like to serve these with the queso! Yum!

Quick and Easy Apple Dip
1 1/2 C brown sugar; packed
1/2 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 8 oz cream cheese
1 C grape nuts cereal

Blend together sugars, vanilla and cream cheese. Stir in grape nuts. Cut up apples into slices and soak for a few minutes in lightly salted water or orange juice. This will help prevent browning.

I hope you find something you're interested in trying out for your Super Bowl parties tomorrow! Have fun and enjoy!

sincerely fabuless, the windy city.

{The Best Cookie You Will Ever Eat}

My husband has a pretty high standard when it comes to cookies. Who do I blame for this you might ask? His best friend's mom. Jeanine was always baking delicious cookies (and other sweets!) for McKay and his friend Opie. Once we were married, he made sure to get the recipe from Jeanine for me to try out. At that time, baking was not one of my strong suits, so I managed to ruin this amazing concoction on more than one occasion. A few weeks ago, the baking fairy was on my side when I tried these cookies out yet again. Success! Check out the recipe below..

Jeanine's Crazy Cookies
1 C butter flavored Crisco or shortening
1/2 C brown sugar
1 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 (12 oz) package of chocolate chips
**Jeanine recommends using half chocolate chips and half butterscotch or Reeses peanut butter chips..and I second that!

Cream together Crisco, brown sugar, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in eggs. Fold in flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and chips. Scoop out on to un-greased baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes only at 350 degrees. Cookies will not look quite done, but if cooked longer they will be hard.

To achieve the "Jeanine" as I like to call it..try scooping out a bigger portion of cookie dough..about 2 spoonfuls instead of one, and flattening it a bit, so the cookie spreads out nicely and is bigger than your average cookie.

Check out my results (with some Photoshop effects):



I hope you have success! Comment if you try it out!

sincerely fabuless, the windy city.

{The Sandbucket}

Our guest blogger, Allyson Drake (in Philly!) has shared some information with us regarding the debut issue of a new magazine...The Sandbucket!

This is a magazine that inspires and uplifts families. The first issue is chalked full of fun articles. Be inspired to get reading with your children...gather new recipes that you'll want to try out for yourself...get to know Denise Demarchis of Matilda Jane a bit better...and read of the giving adventures of families in Atlanta. There is even a fun teen section where you will meet some real teens and learn about their talents as well as some fun DIY projects!

Enter to win a digital copy of the first issue by liking The Sandbucket on Facebook!
Comment under this post to let us know once you've liked The Sandbucket, and please include your email address so we know who to enter in the drawing!

We'll announce the winner by next Wednesday, and you will receive your digital copy of the debut issue soon after!

Happy Saturday!

sincerely fabuless, Las Vegas and the windy city.