Saturday Skinny

Here are a few of my favorites from last week. Happy weekend! :) 

• Hey, Jealousy! : The Lazy Christian
• Quiz: Are you an introvert or an extrovert? : How About Orange?
• What I Would Feed My Family On a Monthly Budget of $250 : Keeper of the Home

Paint Your Own Pottery

I have to be honest, I wasn't sure how much I would like our local Paint Your Own Pottery place. Turns out, it's REALLY fun!! I loved it! There were actually a lot of things that I would use which suprised me. I guess I was just expecting coffee cups and plates. :) Not that there's anything wrong with those! I actually want to do something like this plate from Pier 1 next!

Before my friends and I went, I thought about what I wanted to do. (which is sort of unusual for me--I'm more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants sort of girl. Except when it comes to giving speeches. But that's another post.) 

 My dear friend IRL, Amy, took this photo. :)

I decided on a tea pot; 1.) because we really do drink a lot of tea around here and 2.) I wanted to knit a tea cozy! That's a good reason, right? Like this pineapple one from The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brockett. ;) (sort of an inside joke..) Anyone else LOVE that book?!

I also knew I wanted to put a bird on it. 

I came across this embroidery pattern (which I know is technically an OWL) and thought it would be perfect!

Turns out I was right. 

Do you love it or do you love it? Of course I really can't take credit for it. I didn't design the owl or anything. I'm a great tracer, though, don't you think?

And there's absolutely NO WAY I'm covering this up with a cozy, let alone use it for tea. Oh, the horror! It's just way too cute.

I loved painting the teapot so much that I decided to go back for more. And not only do I love things with BIRDS on them, I also love monogramming/initial/name art. So I made this:

 

Once again, I really can't take credit. I just copied a font I liked then painted over it. Not a whole lot of talent involved, but it sure is fun! And I really like having things in my home that I've made. :)

Saturday Skinny

I thought I would add a list of my *new* favorite blogs this week along with my favorite posts. 

Blogs:

• Jungle Deals & Steals ~ This is a blog dedicated to post Amazon deals which also happens to include FREE Kindle books! I buy SO much on Amazon; REAL books (you remember those?), music, deodorant, diapers (they're SO CHEAP), wipes, hand lotion, toys, etc., so I love this blog. (I won't tell you how long it took me to get why it's called JUNGLE Deals & Steals. *ahem*)
• Contented at Home ~ I JUST found this one and instantly fell in love. I mean, she has a WHOLE POST dedicated to Home Management Binder printables! Isn't that cool? Gives me the warm fuzzies. *sigh*
• IHeart Organizing ~ To be honest, this blog makes me feel a little inadequate at times. ;) But it sure is fun to dream about a perfectly decorated and organized home. *sigh again*.

Posts:

• 5 More Tips for Feeding Your Family Whole Foods on a Budget : Money Saving Mom
• I'm excited to say that I won a copy of her book, The Money Saving Mom's Budget over at Cents to Get Debt Free!! Yay! Can't wait to start reading it!
• My 2012 Financial Workbook (Plus Free Download) : Simple Organized Living
• Whatever Happened to Play? : Steady Mom
• Hoop Art: The Basics : Simple Organic

And last, but not least, my friend Amy had a baby, Phoebe Joy Grace!!   Congratulations, Amy! Welcome to this world, Phoebe!

My Favorite Smoothie Recipe

I love smoothies. I'm pretty sure everyone does. Well, everyone except my 3 year old. She's a tough sell when it comes to anything that's not white and doesn't resemble bread. It's a work in progress. :)

I have these pictures of her, but what you don't see is her face after she takes the drink. She scrunches her nose, squints her eyes, purses her lips and through clenched teeth, says, "Mmm. That's good." Then walks away from the table. You can sort of see the beginning of that look in the following photo. See? She's like, "Yum." Cracks. me. up.

On to the recipe! I use the term "recipe" loosely. You can pretty much put in whatever you want and however much of it you want. Just make sure there's the same amount of liquid or more than the fruit. Once it starts to mix easily, you know you've got enough liquid. :)

 Lorelei, on the other hand, can not get enough!

• 1 frozen banana (I unwrap my bananas if they're too ripe to eat then wrap them in plastic wrap and stick'em in the freezer for a rainy day. Or banana bread. Or smoothies. Whatev.)
• 1/2 to 1 cup of frozen berries I use frozen fruit so I don't have to use ice, which makes it too watery in my opinion.
• 1-2 cups of orange juice or apple juice or both Like I said, this really isn't a science.
• 1-2 cups of soy milk This is what makes or breaks the smoothie if you ask me.
• a SMALL handful of spinach, kale or other leafy green I'd stay away from iceberg lettuce. ;)
• kefir How much? Maybe a 1/4 cup or less? Probably doesn't matter. I just received some kefir from a friend and I'm so excited about it! Who gets excited about kefir, you ask? This girl.  

That's it! Blend it all together, drink it up and enjoy! :) Do you have a favorite smoothie recipe? Feel free to share!

Cell Phone Charger Holder

I'm loving Pinterest! Are you on it yet!? Are you following ME yet!?! 

I found this cell phone charger holder thingy on Pinterest and it was love at first sight. I couldn't wait to use up some lotion/shampoo/etc. so I could make it! 

Here's my version: 

I drew my lines with a marker then just used scissors and an exacto knife to cut the shape out...

 ..grabbed my trusty Mod Podge, a brush, and some scrapbook paper.

I cut slits in the paper to fold it over the edge.

I ended up using my fingers to apply the Mod Podge. It was so much easier than using the brush. A little more sticky, though.

 Did the same slit-cutting, folding and gluing on the bottom.

 Mod Podged the whole thing..

 ..then finished by putting coordinating paper on the back.

 Here's the (ugly) picture of it in action! I'm very happy with how it turned out. :)

Have you been inspired by Pinterest? I have a friend who has a board dedicated to Pinterest Ideas She's Tried.  Great idea, Ames!