This is a simple project. One I’d been planning to do for some time, but just didn’t get around to it. Do you have those projects? I’m sure you do. You know, the ones that take no time to actually complete? The ones that you keep putting off? The ones that are so rewarding once you finally just go for it? This was one of those projects!

I picked up these plain white teacups at a local thrift store for under $1 a piece. I knew I wanted to embellish them with some doodles. Originally I’d purchased them to use as vessels for making candles. Since, I am not making candles anytime soon, I decided to use them for a couple small succulents who needed some cozy containers to live in. Perfect!

MATERIALS

Old teacups, bowls, mugs or any vessel in need of a facelift
Paint pens in various colors*
Small succulents
Potting soil
Small rocks or pebbles

*I used Craft Smart paint pens. These are acrylic, non-toxic and water resistant. Ideal for wood, plastic, metal and glass. Purchased at Michael’s.

INSTRUCTIONS

- Wash and dry your vessels.

- Follow directions for paint pen. I had to shake, shake, shake it. Test on a scrap of paper.

- Start doodling! I drew on the teacups without a plan. You can sketch out ideas if you’d like or use a stencil if you aren’t feeling up to freehand. I made mistakes, but that’s ok. Don’t be afraid! Mistakes are beautiful. A lesson I’m learning…

- Let the designs dry. I waited an hour before planting. This was really difficult!

- Place some rocks or pebbles in the bottom of your vessel, and top rocks with a bit of soil in before centering your succulent.

- Hold the succulent in place while packing in soil all around it. Water well, add more soil if needed.

- Now, place you lovely custom planter in a sunny spot and enjoy!

I’m kind of addicted to this project. It’s so simple. What a lovely housewarming gift, no? Can’t wait to make lots more of these! I also plan to doodle on other dishes. It’s so much fun.

Have you tried this? I’d love to see your creations. Send me a link!

First off, let me apologize for disappearing for two weeks! Between visiting family and a quick trip to NYC last week, life got crazy. Ok, now back to the cauliflower!

This is a great, filling and healthy way to prepare cauliflower. My husband’s favorite!

Simply rinse and chop one head of cauliflower into bite size florets. Toss in a bit of olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and your favorite herbs/sprices. I use McCormick’s Italian Herb Seasoning Grinder. Season liberally. Roast in 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until tender. You can shake the pan halfway through, but it’s not necessary.

One tasty variation is to add a jar of peeled whole garlic cloves. Drain and rinse thoroughly. Toss onto pan with prepared cauliflower. So yummy! I use 1 7.75 ounce jar of Bellino Garlic Cloves from my local grocery store.

Who else is THRILLED that Spring is finally here?!?!?

I love  a good sopapilla! Who doesn’t? I whipped up this tasty dessert with some leftover pieces of puff pastry.

Simply cut the puff pastry into triangles. Place on a baking sheet. Brush with egg wash. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned, rotating baking sheet once. While baking, place cinnamon and sugar into a gallon size plastic bag. I just eyeballed the amounts, but use more sugar than cinnamon. I used about a 3:1 ratio.

When pastry is done, place into plastic bag and shake until coated with cinnamon and sugar. Remove and plate. I drizzled mine with agave nectar, but you could also use honey. Done!

This was a lovely little after dinner treat. And really super easy.

*Frozen puff pastry will take longer to cook than thawed sheets, if thawed decrease cooking time.

What do you think? Perfect little addition to purses, headbands, tshirts, jackets… anything! I’ll definitely be making more of these. So cute!

And yes! You’d be able to find me anywhere with this snazzy accessory!

Welcome to the first of many Make It Mondays! Mondays will showcase items I have made be it crafts, art, home decor items, clothing or even food (if it can’t wait until Friday!) Sometimes, handmade items and ideas from other fabulous makers will be featured. Today, I’m sharing a quick 5 Minute Ring.

Tonight, I wanted something simple. After a hectic day full of work, appointments, MAJOR thrifting and a late dinner, I didn’t want to think too hard. I managed to knock out this spunky little number in about five minutes. It took longer to pull the materials together than to actually make the ring! I have been dying to transform these old clip ons into something more wearable for my tastes.

The Project: 5 Minute Ring

The Materials:

- Any clip on earrings you adore, but don’t want to hang from your lobes
- Button Shank Remover, jewelry making pliers
- 2 headpins

The How-To:

1. Remove the “clip on” portion of the earring. Mine was quite simple. The button shank remover easily cut through three tiny metal tabs which held the “clip on” portion to the beading.
2. Slide one headpin through one hole on the right outer edge. Slide a second headpin directly across from the first on the left outer edge.
3. Now begin to twist the headpins together creating the ring shape, but remember to measure your finger early on so it doesn’t end up too small. Be sure to tuck the ends away from the inside so they don’t scratch or dig.
4. Now you’re done! See how easy that was?

You could certainly use a real ring base. I did not have one on hand, but this was a perfect solution. I can always go back and replace it later if necessary.

The possibilities are endless. Get started!

***Check back tomorrow for Trashy Tuesday!

Dustin bought this Tom Clancy book a few weeks ago from our local thrift shop for about $3. He bought it for the purpose of making a secret Book Safe. Last night, he finally started it, but I might have taken over after he was about halfway through. I was not trying to do it for him, but simply offered to help. Either way, it was definitely a joint effort! We are both really pleased overall with the outcome.

This was a very easy project, just took a little muscle to get through the pages with my Xacto knife. We also went through a couple blades. The sharper the blades, the easier it was to get through the pages. The corners are a bit of a nuisance. Hard to get them really clean. However, the roughness just gives it that handmade quality we all love, right?

Can you tell from the above photo that the watered down Mod Podge bled onto the top red page on the outer edges? I may go over that page with the Mod Podge to just finish it off. I think it would look nicer this way. The opening is pretty deep. Could it hold your secrets? 

I think I prefer the book safe to be displayed like this,
with the pages facing out towards you as you walk into our kitchen/dining area. 
 

This project was a lot of fun, but it sure was messy! Nothing that wasn’t easily cleaned up. 
 

If you’d like to try this project, Bre Pettis has a great video tutorial here.