Shadow Box Idea

DIY shadow box for the twins!

Since it's too cold to go outside, we are still decorating and crafting at my house! A couple of us are starting to work on our first quilts! This should be exciting! (Feel free to share any quilting tips).
The project of the week was inspired by a previous post from Angie, Simply A Memory Box. This was a simple and quick decorating project (under 15 minutes) that my daughter worked on last week. It's a great time to buy them, or at least in our part of the country they are on sale! A personalized wall display is a fun way to share your treasured items. It's so much fun to display things rather than keeping them stored away in boxes!
For this project, Tasha wanted to use the hospital items when the twins arrived. In the box, she arranged the ultrasound pictures, their little caps, bracelets and birth cards. You can line the back of the shadow box with material or paint it if you wish and then choose how you will place the treasures in the memory box.
Blessings for a wonderful weekend!
Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

Decorating Kids Bedrooms

My daughter recently moved and began decorating on a budget. Since her youngest children are twin girls, she wanted to use their favorite color, pink, for some wall decorations. This is an easy project to complete and it only takes a short time.

• The first step is to purchase wooden letters, these are 18 inch letters but choose whatever size works for you and remember to use your coupons! We used the first letter of each child's name.
• Brush paint (we used acrylic paint) onto the letters and around the edges. Wait for the paint to dry.
• Decide what you will use for the trim around the letters. We used white pearl strands (leftovers from the Christmas tree decorations) and attached them with hot glue.
• For a little extra bling, you can make fabric flowers or purchase some from your local craft store. These were on clearance so we bought ours this time. If you want to make your own flowers, use the instructions from our previous post, Simply DIY Fabric Flowers.
• That's it! You have now completed your DIY project! 

Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

Organizing Crafts

New year, new ideas and it's time to clean out and organize! I'm not sure how it works for you but I can keep most of my house organized throughout the year but my Creative Workspace (as Peter Walsh refers to it) I refer to it as my craft room, is another story. Of course, I may have mentioned it before but this year I was in procrastination mode and everything started to pile up at the end. Yeah, not a good idea so I won't do that again! I started cleaning out my craft room last week. My system was slow at first because it was so overwhelming when I saw everything in the middle of the room. That's how I do it, just like Peter Walsh says (the great organizer and de-clutter expert) check out his web site and organizing store, Peter Walsh Organize By Room, take everything out, that means closets too! Make 3 piles, donate, keep, throw away and start organizing.
It took 4 days of about an hour a day to decide which craft projects I was actually going to work on and which projects I knew I would never get to. I ended up with 2 boxes to donate, a full garbage bag and the rest left to organize. Then on day 5, I came home to a HUGE surprise. My creative workspace was completely organized. Sometimes it works better to have someone help you with these projects, it really can be overwhelming at times! While I was at work, my helpers had purchased 2 inexpensive cube organizers and color coordinated bins. All of my fabric was neatly folded and placed in the empty cubes and labeled bins contained the rest of my supplies, ribbon, such as yarn and needles, chalk paint, paint, soap making supplies, lotion making supplies, glue and scissors, patterns, etc. Handmade tags were placed on each bin so I can easily see where my supplies are. A large, labeled glass container houses my sewing thread. My ironing board and portable craft table are stored in the closet. I love this room!

I have room to work and everything is where I can see it, no more digging through the closet to find my project supplies. And to keep my on track, due to my tendency of becoming distracted, my old bulletin board was converted to a "Project of the Week" board. They also made 2 signs...More Ideas Than Time. Does that sound familiar to you?

Hope you enjoyed the tour and let's get organized!
Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

Cheeseburger Soup

Happy New Year everyone! We are freezing cold in the Midwest and nothing can warm you up like a bowl of soup. Our family likes cheese so this soup really hits the spot! You can make this gluten-free also, just change the flour.
I couldn't decide on just one New Year's resolution but one of my goals is to work on my organizational skills, especially my project organization skills. In 2014, I have vowed not to be sewing 11 pairs of Christmas pajamas on Christmas Eve day! I think maybe I'll start my sewing and holiday knitting projects in June this year! Overall, I'd like to do better this year in many areas of my life, to be more intentional and see what happens. I could go on and on but I won't.
Alright, back to this delicious soup recipe...
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef or veggie crumbles, browned and drained
1/4 sweet onion or shallot, diced and cooked with the hamburger
4-5 potatoes, diced
3-4 carrots, sliced unless you use petite carrots (I leave them whole)
2 T flour (all purpose or white rice flour for gluten-free)
4 cups chicken stock (or broth)
1 cup evaporated or whole milk
8 oz Colby or cheddar cheese, cubed or shredded (you can also use Velveeta if you like that)
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Cook the ground beef and onion, drain the grease. In a glass measuring cup, combine flour with about 1/2 cup of the chicken stock. Heat in microwave until it thickens. If you make this in a crock pot, add the ground beef, flour mixture and the rest of the chicken stock. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the cheese and cook on low heat for 3 hours. When the veggies are tender, add the cheese and heat another 20-30 minutes. If you make this on the stove, your cooking time will be about 30 minutes over medium heat. The most important thing is to add the cheese last or it will get too hot and curdle. This makes about 8-10 servings.
Stay warm and enjoy your soup!
Thanks for spending time with us over the past year and blessings for a wonderful 2014!
Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi