Easy Scrapbooking: Skip-bo

Back when we lived in Rock Hill (before Charles joined the Air Force), my friends Cheryl, Morganne and I would hang out at least once a month. We would often play Skip-bo. Cheryl was struggling to come away from a game with a win until finally one night she did it! I had to immortalize it in my scrapbook.

With only one picture, I knew I would have a lot of room to fill. I decided to scan some Skip-bo cards and print them out on card stock. I love how it turned out. It was really easy to do and a fun way to remember Cheryl's victory. 

Pineapple Painting

Have you ever been to one of those painting/wine parties? They are a lot of fun! You can learn a lot about painting techniques and it is always interesting to see how different everyone's paintings end up.

I went to one a while ago, but I wasn't a fan of the painting they were going to be doing. I brought my own supplies and created my own art while enjoying the company of the group.

I had seen a watercolor pineapple piece on Etsy and fell in love. I wanted to recreate it. I did not have any watercolor paints and experimented with acrylic.

Before the party, I searched for a pineapple pattern. I chose the one below (from Google) and made a stencil out of it. 

I love how it turned out! The colors are fun and bright. It is very different from the piece I found on Pinterest, but that is totally fine. I have it in the downstairs half bath next to a pineapple scented candle. It goes well with my You are my Sunshine painting.

 

Design: Smoothie Sale

I recently had the opportunity to create a flyer for a booster club smoothie sale. I whipped (or should I say blended?) it up in no time, but I like how it turned out. The colors all remind me of smoothies. And who doesn't love a nice, refreshing smoothie on a hot summer day?

Charles and I were talking about reducing our intake of sugars the other day. We were only talking about it because I know some people who have cut out sugar or are in the process of cutting out sugar. I have no interest in limiting sugars in my life. What can I say? I am a sugar addict. Every morning (pretty much) I drink a Bolthouse Farms Protein Smoothie drink. They taste so delicious, but are loaded with added sugar. Maybe I should drink more homemade fruit smoothies instead... There would still be sugar from the fruit, but that's much better than added sugars.

Fonts used:
Keep Calm Med
Barkants

Easy Scrapbooking: Girls Weekend

I was looking back through my old scrapbooks to make sure everything was completed. I realized there were some pages that still needed a few extra details. While going through the old books, it was fun to see what patterned paper and colors I used for various events.

One page that I love is from a girls weekend. If I remember correctly, the shoe patterned paper was purchased before I even had a plan for it. Sometimes you see some paper and know that at some point in the future you will want to use it. And if you don't buy it now you'll never see it ever again.

I used my Silhouette to cut out a high heel shoe for the title.

It's a very simple page, but it represents an amazing weekend with some of my favorite ladies.

Pinterest Party Craft

A couple years ago I went to a Pinterest party for a friend's birthday. I have been meaning to share the craft I brought to the party, but have not gotten around to it until now! It was hard to decide what craft to make.
For my craft I chose a little painting project. Everyone got an 8x10 canvas. I printed out a picture of Sullivan's Island, a beach in South Carolina. This is the spot where Charles proposed to me, so it has a personal meaning and significance.

We modpodged the photo onto the canvas and then white-washed over it. On top of that we painted a sunshine and added the words You Are My Sunshine.

I have it hanging in my half bath downstairs. It makes me very happy.

Creamy Cheesy Polenta

I have a spouse social coming up and was trying to decide what to serve. Sometimes we do potluck style, but lately I have been enjoying menu planning and cooking. I know not everyone has the time or expendable income to bring something. I was thinking about making polenta, but I have never made it before. So I made it for dinner to try it out.

It turned out to be really easy and a yummy side. I found the recipe on Pinterest and it is from Shared Appetite.

Creamy Cheesy Polenta

Ingredients
1 cup milk
2 to 3 cups water
1 cup cornmeal
3 T butter
1 T olive oil
1 cup cheese, shredded
Salt
Black pepper

Directions
Bring the milk, 2 cups of water and a large pinch of salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat to a low simmer and add cornmeal in a slow and steady stream, constantly whisking to prevent lumps.

Polenta should be at a bare simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the mixture gets too thick, add water 1/2 cup at a time.

Remove from heat, stir in butter and olive oil. Then stir in cheese. I used a mixture of cheddar and pepper jack. Season with salt and pepper.

For the cornmeal, the Shared Appetite author suggested medium grind. I have no earthly idea what grind I had. I store everything in containers and lose the bag. But I think pretty much any kind of grind will work.

Homemade pizza

One of my all-time favorites pizzas is the Hula Hula at Spinoza's near Dayton, OH. The thing I love the best about that pizza is the crunchy macadamia nuts on top. I decided to try my hand at re-creating it (kind of).

I used a bread machine pizza dough recipe from Mom on Timeout. Her recipe gives both a one pizza and two pizza option. Below I am just sharing the recipe for the one pizza option.

 

Bread Machine Pizza Dough

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 T butter, softened
1 T sugar
1 t yeast
1 t salt
1/2 cup plus 2 T water (105 to 110 degrees)

Directions
Add all ingredients into your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Make sure the water is warm enough to proof the yeast.

Turn your bread machine to the dough setting and let it do its thing. After a couple of minutes check on your dough to make sure it is not too wet or too dry. You can add water or flour a teaspoon at a time if your dough is too dry or too wet.

After the bread machine is done, dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and work it until you have your desired shape. It was hard for me to make it perfectly circular and that's OK!

If using a pizza stone, dust with cornmeal. If using a another type of pan, you make want to grease it a little, too. Make up your pizza and bake at 425 degrees for 18 to 25 minutes. 

 

For my pizza, I started with Newman's Own marinara sauce. For the cheese, I used mozzarella and cheddar; I'm not exactly sure how much of each I ended up with. Just eyeball it to your desired cheese level. Then I spread freshly cut pineapple and freshly cut tomatoes (that we grew in our backyard!) and slightly chopped macadamia nuts. It was so delicious!