Family Name {Family Blocks}

Here is yet another set of wooden blocks that I made.  This time, instead of a holiday blocks I decided to make one for display all year long!  This was a last minute decision and I didn't have time to go and get new paper so I used some that I already had.  The colors are browns and beige's, but once I finished it, I thought it looked a little pinkish.  Oh well, I still like them and they are a great decoration for my living room that Miss Priss can't break when she gets them off the shelf! :)

You will need:

• 2 x 4 wood strips cut in 2 different heights, I used a 5" and 6" blocks
• 2 x 2 wood strip cut 6" long, this will be on its side
• scrapbook paper and letters or printed image from computer
• sandpaper
• black paint or spray paint
• black ink pad and paper towel
• Modpodge and brush (I like the foam ones!)

*The two 6" blocks will lay on their side.  You can make them longer or shorter if you would like, depending on how long your name is and the size your font.  The 5" blocks needs to stay that size though so that it lines up with the other two blocks that will be laying on their side stacked.

Begin by cutting your blocks and measuring the face of each one for your background.  Once cut, paint your blocks...I prefer spray paint because it is easy.  As always, remember that it doesn't have to be perfect because most of it will be covered with paper and you want it to have an antiqued look anyway, which you will achieve by using the sandpaper after the paint has dried. 

While your blocks are drying, create a background and letters for each block.  For this project I used scrapbook paper and cut out letters on my Cricut.  Ink the edges of your scrapbook paper using a paper towel dabbed in the black ink pad and rubbed along the edges.  This part also doesn't have to be perfect. 

Once your blocks are dried and your letters are ready, sand the edges of your blocks.  Paint Modpodge on the front of the block where you will put the scrapbook paper and rub from the center out to the edges to attach it to the block without any wrinkles or air bubbles.  If you didn't print your design on the computer and you have letters to attach also, paint on top of the paper and add your letters.  Once your letters are in place, add one more layer of Modpodge over the letters to seal them and give your blocks a more finished look.

You can also check out my other blocks here. 

~ Candace

Gobble Til You Wobble {Fall Blocks}

OK, I am officially obsessed with making wooden blocks for every holiday coming up, event that is occurring, person in my family....you get the idea.  With turkey day coming up, I wanted to make something cute (and funny) to display for the next few weeks before my family and I take our first Thanksgiving trip together.

We usually spend the yummy holiday with family close to home and try to hit as many different houses as we can to get a taste of all the goodies.  My family makes the absolute best food in the world, especially Thanksgiving food!  This year though, my husband, baby girl and I are headed to Destin, Florida with my dad and grandma as well as my aunt, uncle and cousins.  We have talked about this trip for a few years now, but this year we did it!

So...since I will not be home this year for Thanksgiving Day, I wanted to go ahead and start celebrating by making this cute block set for my living room.

You will need:

• 1 x 1 wood strip cut in 3 different lengths, I used 5", 6" and 7" long blocks
• printed letters (or white paint and stencils)
• sandpaper
• 3 colors of paint for blocks
• Modpodge and brush (I like the foam brushes for this!)

First you will cut your blocks and paint each block a different color.  I used yellow, orange and brown because they are fall colors, but reds would be pretty too.  As always, remember that it doesn't have to be perfect because you want it to have a distressed look in the end and you will sand them later anyway.  I also took a little brown paint on a paper towel and rubbed it along the front of my blocks to give it a 'dirty' look.

While your blocks are drying, prepare your letters by cutting them out on the Cricut or creating stencils.  For this project, I measured and cut letters from white card stock with my Cricut.

Once your blocks are dried and your letters are ready, sand the edges to make them look distressed.  You are then ready to add your lettering.  Paint modpodge onto the front of your block and apply the letters.  I then also like to add a layer of Modpodge across the top of all the letters to seal them on the block and give them a more finished look. If you prefer to use stencils or dont have a Cricut or other die cut machine, just paint your letters onto the front of your block instead. 

Once your blocks are all done and have dried completely, you can then add your ribbon.  I added a small amount of Modpodge between each of the blocks and pressed down on them for a second or two so that they would stay together while I tied on the ribbon around them and while they are being transported for display.  I wasn't sure about this, but it seemed to work well...

You are finished...Gobble 'til you Wobble!  =) 

Check out my other blocks here.

~ Candace

Skinny Cookies and Cream Shake

My husband is an Oreo fanatic...seriously, I cannot buy Oreos without him eating every single one of them before I even remember that I bought them.  Apparently he was this way as a kid too and his mom still refers to him as the cookie monster.  :)

I happen to like Oreos myself and so when I go to the pantry to get one and see that the entire package that I bought is completely empty and I didn't get a single one I get pretty irritated.  So this time, I made sure that my hubby knew that he COULD NOT eat all of the cookies because I had a special treat that I wanted to make for us when I found the time to do it.

Well, I finally found the time to modify a recipe for a Cookies and Cream Shake from the Weight Watchers website and made it even better for me!  And I have to say that I really, really enjoyed it and so did my husband!  There was just enough of the chocolaty round cookie that everyone loves to make this a special snack, but not enough to make me feel guilty about eating it.  And for those of you on Weight Watchers, this snack is only 3 WW Pts+.

Oh, and they don't have the reduced fat kind in Mint, but O-M-G, DO NOT try the mint if you don't want to be totally addicted to this!

All I can say is YUM!

Skinny Cookies and Cream Shake

You will need:

• 2 cups light whipped topping
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1/8 tsp mint extract (optional)
• 4 Reduced Fat Oreos (using only 3 makes it closer to 2 WW Pts+!)*
  
  
  *Now that they have a variety of flavored Oreos, you could get mint, peanut butter, pumpkin, birthday cake, berry or any other flavor they come up with, it just wouldn't be quite as "skinny".

Place topping, milk and extract into your blender until smooth.  Add cookies and blend a little longer until combined.  This recipe yields about 2 servings at ~1 cup each.  This is not a large serving, but just enough to satisfy that sweet craving I have sometimes.  You can always add more milk and whipped topping to make a bigger shake and only add a point or two.

Another thing that I really love is mint.  I love mint ice cream, mint cookies, mint cake...you name it.  BUT mint extract is strong and so I suggest that you start out with a small amount and taste your concoction before adding any more.  Even with my great love for anything flavored mint, I have accidentally put too much in a recipe before and ruined the entire batch! 

Hope you enjoy my new "skinny" treat!

~ Candace

Birth Announcement {Subway Art}

Subway art is the new 'in' thing right now and I really, really like it!  I have made all kinds of artwork using this new twist on New York City graffiti.  It is such a neat way to use different colors, fonts and shapes to create a piece of art for your home or office.

The first project I did was a while back when my baby girl was born.  I created a piece of artwork similar to one that I had seen and liked, but didn't want to pay an arm and leg for.  I created this 8" x 10" subway art birth announcement in PowerPoint.  It took no time at all!

Since this is hanging in her bedroom and has a variety of colors I wanted to keep it simple with the fonts and so I stuck to just one that was easy to read.

You will need:

• piece of white cardstock (I even using regular printing paper)
• color printer
• Powerpoint, Photoshop or some other design software
• 8" x 10" frame

This is such a simple project; you just have to be able to use the software that you want to make it in.  I have Photoshop, but I thought Powerpoint was just a little simpler for this project and so that is what I used. 

I sized my image to be 8.5" x 11" so that it would print correctly on regular sized paper.  Something to note because you can only slightly tell by the picture, is that I left about 1" on all four sides so that the image would fit into the smaller 8" x 10" frame I was using.  Sometimes you have to print more than once to get the right size so be prepared for it to nit fit right on the first try.

It would be hard for me to tell you how to create the actual artwork step by step.  You just kind of have to play with different font sizes until you get all the information that you want on there and get it to fit right.  You can use mine as a guide though.  After you have your artwork ready, print it off and see if it fits into your frame.  If it doesn't, just resize your image and try again until you have it right.  Once you do, just pop it into your frame and hang it on the wall.

Yes, it really is that simple! 

~ Candace

Give Thanks {Fall Blocks}

Here we go...another block project!

I love fall, let me say that again, I LOVE FALL!  Ok, do you get it yet?  Well, I do love fall.  I love the mild weather, I love the colors...which is basically my home decor, I love pumpkins, I love pumpkin recipes the most, I love Halloween, I love thanksgivings...because I love to eat!  I love everything about fall!

Thanksgiving, there are so many things to be thankful for.  A lot of people start November 1st of every year writing out what they are thankful for via email, Twitter, Facebook or some other social media network.  I always attempt to do this and then life gets in the way...go figure!

So, I am going to take time right now to list a few things that I am thankful for to get caught up and maybe a little bit ahead on the month.  Here we go...

1.  My baby girl Conlea...I cannot express how thankful I am for my baby girl to be here to celebrate Thanksgiving with me...there was a time when I didn't think this day would ever come and now it less than a month away! 

2.  My husband...who puts up with me no matter what my mood is.

3.  My career...I have a job that I enjoy at a company that I like and I couldn't be in a better place right now.

2.  My family...I have the best family any one could ask for!

3.  My dog Cricket...I can always depend on her to cuddle with me when I need it most.

Now to the blocks...



You will need:

• 2 x 4 wood strips cut in 4 different heights, I used a 4", a 6" and two 5" blocks
• 1 x 1 wood strip cut 7" long, this will be on its side
• scrapbook paper and letters or printed image from computer
• sandpaper
• black paint or spray paint
• black ink pad and paper towel
• Modpodge and brush (I like the foam ones for this!)

After you have cut your blocks and measured the face of each one, create letters for each block.  For this project I used scrapbook paper and cut out letters on my Cricut.

Paint your blocks...I prefer spray paint because it is easy.  If you want it to be dark black acrylic paint is the best, but I wanted the black to be lighter on this project.  Remember, it doesn't have to be perfect because you want it to have an antiqued look anyway, which you will achieve by using the sandpaper after the paint has dried. 

While your blocks are drying, ink the edges of your scrapbook paper using a paper towel dabbed in the black ink pad and rubbed along the edges.  This part also doesn't have to be perfect. 

Once your blocks are dried and your letters are ready, sand the edges of your blocks.  Paint Modpodge on the front of the block where you will put the scrapbook paper.  Rub from the center out to the edges to attach it to the block without any wrinkles or air bubbles.  If you didn't print your design on the computer and you have letters to attach also, paint on top of the paper and add your letters.  Once your letters are in place, add one more layer of Modpodge over the letters to seal them and give your blocks a more finished look.

That is it...done until next time.  You can also check out my other blocks here. 

~ Candace

Chicken, Ranch and Rice Soup

Ahh...Soup...

What sounds better when you spend a chilly fall day at home watching football (and the ACM awards from last week on my DVR)?  The weather is just perfect for a warm bowl of soup, and one that has a little kick to it at that! 

I had a few guinea pigs at my house this afternoon to test it with me and they enjoyed it as much as I did.  This isn't an original recipe, but one that I modified just a bit.  I would really like to make this in the crockpot next time.  The crockpot just makes such good shredded chicken, which is what I like in my soups.  But until next time, here is the stove top version, which was pretty awesome anyway.  This recipe yields about 8 servings at 4 WW Pts+ each.  Enjoy!



Chicken, Ranch and Rice Soup

You will need:

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2  medium onion, finely chopped (can use more if you want a bigger kick)
• 2 carrots, peeled and slices
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 1-2 tbsp garlic powder (try 3 tbsp fresh minced garlic)
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 1 cup instant rice
• 4 cans chicken broth
• 1 tbsp Ranch Dressing seasoning
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Saute onions, carrots and celery for 10 minutes until soft.  Stir in garlic powder or if fresh garlic, cook for another minute or two.  Stir in chicken breast and rice. 

 

Pour chicken broth over mixture and add Ranch seasoning, salt, pepper and hot sauce (if using).  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until ready to serve.

I found the original recipe here.  This recipe adds Dijon mustard and uses more onion than I did, but I felt like half of an onion was enough after tasting the soup.  Hope you like it!

~ Candace