Tuesday's Trash to Treasure: Coupon Binder

Coupon Binder Tutorial
Reuse: Office supplies

Materials:
*Binder
*Page protectors
*Baseball card sheets
*Tabbed dividers

This tutorial is super easy, and most people will have all of the materials laying around their office/home already! Let me start off by saying, I'm not a huge coupon-er; but I don't mind saving money, so coupons are my friend! Compared to most, I definitely don't have TONS of coupons, but I love being organized, so a binder is perfect!

_First off, you need a binder. What size? That's up to you. How many coupons do/will you have, how often will you use it, etc etc. I personally do not use many coupons simply because we eat mainly fruit, veggies & meat (not a lot of the "junk" food like many coupons are for). And for cleaners, toiletries etc, I do use coupons for those, but not many since I hate having product just sitting there (totally opposite to those who truly coupon). SO, having said all that, I personally use a 1.5" binder.

_Next, you'll need something to keep your coupons in: sheet protector or baseball card sheets. I use baseball card sheets so I can see all my coupons. 

_Now, to get even more organized, grab some tabbed dividers and make categories for the coupons. If you need help starting, follow this website & they have FREE print outs for each category!

Giveaway time!

A blog that I LOVE is doing a giveaway for a Cash Envelope System ~ works great for the Dave Ramsey stuff! 

Check out A Bowl Full of Lemon's blog here

Check out A Time for Everything's Etsy shop

Valentines Printables

Yes, I'm already looking forward to what Valentine crafts I can create...so, here are a few printables I've found (today). :)

Bonjour Blog

Daffodil Designs

The Girl Creative

Pumpkins & Posies 

Happy New Year!

This New Years Eve we had Mexican food, so here are a few recipes we used.

Guacamole

*1 packet guacamole mix
*1 Tomato
*3-4 Avacados
*Cilantro
*Lime Juice
*1/4 Onion

Cut guacamole and mash in bowl. Mix in seasoning packet. Dice tomato and cut onion into fine pieces. Mix the rest of the ingredients into bowl. Add a few drops of lime juice. 

Strawberry Shortcake Kabobs

*Shortbread, cubed
*Strawberries, sliced
*Almond Bark (Vanilla), about 5 pieces
*Skewers


Melt almond bark in microwave safe bowl per directions on package. Put strawberries & shortbread on skewers, then drizzle chocolate on top. (I laid mine on a tray with wax paper for easier clean up)

Tomatillo Salsa

*1lb Tomatillos, husked
*1/2 cup finely chopped onion
*1 tsp minced garlic
*1 serrano chile pepper, minced
*2 T chopped cilantro
*1 T chopped oregano
*1/2 tsp ground cumin
*1 1/2 tsp salt
*2 cups water
   *If I make this again, I'd use less water. It came out too watery for me. 

Place tomatillos, onion, garlic, and chile pepper into a saucepan. Season with cilantro, oregano, cumin, and salt; pour in water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the tomatillos are soft, 10 to 15 minutes.
Using a blender, carefully puree the tomatillos and water in batches until smooth.

Salsa Credit: All Recipes

Tortillas

*4 cups Flours (all purpose)
*3/4 cup vegetable oil
*1/2 T Baking Powder
*1 T Salt
*3/4 cup Warm Water

Mix dry ingredients. Add oil and water and start mixing. When the dough is firm enough, knead it a bit on a flat surface. Break pieces off about the size of a golf ball & place them on a floured surface (cookie sheet).
Let sit for 30min with warm cloth covering them. 
Using a rolling pin, roll balls into tortilla shape. If you have a tortilla maker, you can use that :)
Cook tortillas on a flat griddle or skillet at medium heat. You don't need any oil on the skillet. Cook about 1-2min each side. 

Tuesday's Trash to Treasure: Jewelry Armoire

Jewelry Armoire Tutorial
Reuse: jewelry armoire

Materials:
*Jewelry Armoire
*Paint(2-3), primer(1) & finish(1)
*Sand paper
*Tape, wax paper & rags

I've been working on this project for about a month now ~ thanks to the weather being cold/hot/cold :) This jewelry armoire was my aunts that my mom has had since she passed. My mom just recently passed it on to me, and I decided to give it a new look (with her permission, of course) :) I'm not completely finished yet, but I wanted to post the progress! I LOOOOOVE this project!

_Start by removing handles from drawers & doors. Take drawers out & cover hinges with tape. Cover any area on the inside you don't want painted with tape & wax paper.

_Sand the entire outer surface. I'm not entirely sure how much/long you should sand...I just went over mine to where it looked like all the shiny finish was off. 

_Wipe down with a damp cloth. Let dry.

_Fill in the holes from the knobs/handles and let dry according to directions on container. Sand down. 

_Paint a coat of primer (I used spray paint). Let dry.

_If you think another coat of primer is needed, spray a second coat. If not, lightly sand over the primer. _Next, spray the first coat of your colored paint. Let dry. I used Valspar Exotic Sea in gloss. 

_Apply a second coat of paint. Let dry. A little tip: don't spray too closely, otherwise the paint will run. BUT if it does run, lightly dab it with a cloth & spray back over it (the entire area).

_If another coat is needed, apply it now & let dry. 

_You can add your handles/knobs once the paint has completely dried (I'd wait 24hrs or so).

//Mine still needs knobs, a final coat & I need put it all back together :)

End of the year

How we celebrated December:


1. Looked at Christmas lights
2. Bought Christmas presents
3. Wrapped Christmas presents
4. Donated jackets to a coat drive
5. Read Christmas story
6. Watched ELF & other Christmas movies :)
7. Made Christmas cookies
8. Enjoyed a Christmas party!
9. Went on a trolly Christmas light tour

   

Macarons

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Macarons!! The last time I actually got to eat them were last summer on our cruise :(  I wish I could find a place that sells them in Tulsa! I did find a lady who sells them, but does not have a shop, so if I have a craving, I couldn't just "drop by" and pick some up. I've heard both that they're hard to make, and easy to make. Maybe its how much confidence you have in yourself :)  Here are a couple receipes I found...maybe one day soon I'll try to make a batch!

Maggie Mae's Macarons

I found Maggie's blog through a friend in California. I saw some birthday pics from her daughter's 1st birthday, and THESE delicious bits of color!

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