SWEEPSTAKES BONANZA

Good morning everyone. How are you doing this wonderful morning? I’m braced up like Frankenstein, but I’m alive so we’re good! I hope you are all well. I want to thank my mother for that very touching comment she left me yesterday! You made me cry mom! LOL… but it’s a good cry! My family and friends know that whenever I can help, I will be there regardless of anything else! I’m glad to help! I love you mom! And today’s blog is in honor of that phenomenal woman who brought me into this world, taught me everything I know, and has always been there for me… my best friend! Thanks mom!

Well Earth Day is April 22nd this year and we should all do a little something in honor of it (I think anyway). My mom received this email and sent it to me. It’s from H-E-B and it said “Stop by your H-E-B on April 22 between 3-7 pm to drop five plastic shopping bags into our storefront recycling bin and get one reusable shopping bag free, while supplies last.” SO, if you have a H-E-B around you, call and ask if they are going to be a part of the Earth Day giveaway! I think it’s a great idea!

There are other things you can do in honor of Earth Day as well. I think the Arbor Day Foundation does something similar, but have you ever personally thought of planting a tree? Maybe a fruit or nut tree in your yard? Not only are you replenishing the trees, but you would get fruits and/or nuts to enjoy. Just a thought ya know… Google Earth Day and I bet you can find lots of ideas.

Another great idea, is again from my mom… sweepstakes. What harm can it do in entering and taking a chance to win something you might really need or just plain WANT! If it’s free, I say NOTHING! Did you know there are literally thousands of sweepstakes you can enter on a daily basis all over the place? I thought today, I would bring you a few of them here. Bookmark them and go back and enter for as long as the contest runs. Who knows, you may be the lucky one!

Enter to win Olive Garden's 2010 Win a Culinary Tour of Italy Sweepstakes. Win an 8-day guided trip for two to Italy! (Learn from Italian chefs at Olive Garden's Culinary Institute of Tuscany, Experience the local cuisine of Rome and Florence, and Explore the Rocca delle Macie Winery are just a few of the “highlights”). Every day you return, you could win a $25 Olive Garden Gift Card!

Then there is the “Easy Home Meals $10,000 SWEEPSTAKES”. Grand Prize Winner will receive $5,000 cash. (5) First Prize Winners will each receive $1,000 cash.

Visit Redbook Magazine online and pick from tons of sweepstakes you can enter everyday! From shopping sprees to books to shoes and more… Enter one or enter them all!

(I like this one!) Purex is giving away a $20,000 Green Home makeover plus a $1,000 daily cash prize! Also on the site you can get a free sample and a coupon too if you tell a friend. It’s a multi-make-me-happy website! LOL!

Want to take home a real collector's item? Here's your chance. You could ride away in the 1972 Monte Carlo from Martina McBride's video, "Wrong Baby Wrong." Visit CMT community to watch the video and enter to win the very car you see!

Ford Vehicles has a contest called “Invasion of the Bulls” and it runs through 10/10/10. Grand Prize is An All-New 2011 Ford Super Duty® and A lifetime supply of season tickets to the PBR Built Ford Tough Series (now that’s MY kinda prize! LMAO). In addition, 3 lucky finalists will win: Trip to Las Vegas for you and a friend, Exclusive VIP treatment and tickets to the 2010 Built Ford Tough PBR World Finals, and a Private lunch with top PBR Riders.

Win A Chevy Silverado HD courtesy of Fantasy Fishing (it appears). (1) Grand Prize: one (1) 2011 Silverado HD 2500 4WD Crew Cab 153” LTZ Truck (“Vehicle”). Approximate retail value $51,670. Contest ends 6/22/10.

Win A Dodge Challenger Sweepstakes * Must Be 18 Years Old To Enter * 1 Entry Per Person * Ends Nov.30,2010 * Winner Will Win A 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T * Worth $39,930 *

Fresh Express is offering FREE salad for a year contest (saw this on TV LOL). PRIZE: (30) Grand Prizes: of (52) Fresh Express salad coupons redeemable for a total of 52 bags of salad. Approximate Retail Value of each prize: $200.

These are just a few of the THOUSANDS of sweepstakes you can find online! Just do a search for sweepstakes and you will be amazed at the tons of great things you can enter to win! What do you have to lose right? It just takes a few minutes of your time and its free! Who knows, you might actually win something! It shocked the tar out of me when I won a gas grill from Marlboro one time! So have fun and good luck!

Guess what I did yesterday? You guessed it… I was back on the sewing challenge. I swear every time I turned around and looked in the green crate I found another pile of material that was pre-cut to make shopping bags LOL! I didn’t get an enormous amount done, but the ones I did get done were pretty snazzy I think! Check these out!



This is the Kitty Klaus tote bag I made from a pillow panel I found in the crate. I had 2 sets of the panels, so I made it into a bag. The sets had 6 different pictures, so I might make totes out of all of them or pillows or who knows yet LOL! But I know it had cows and dogs as well and something else I can’t remember LOL!



Here you see the Native American/Eagle shopping bag. It’s funny that I had enough to make a bag out of this one really. Now you see what my DH’s Christmas stocking looks like! LMAO! It’s actually a really cool fabric (SHHH don’t tell him I said that! LOL)



Now ya know, I had to do at least 1 patriotic print bag, right? Of course. I found this one rolled up on the side of the crate already cut and ready to go. Sew LOL I sewed it together and I think it’s actually pretty neat! I like the multi-colored webbing for straps. Gives it just that right amount of WHOA factor! LOL!



Ok this bag got my brain exploding with ideas! This is a purple Ronald McDonald fabric I found at Wal-Mart years ago, before they got rid of their craft section (which really depressed me btw LOL). They had this one and I have a red one too. This bag was already cut, so while putting it together I had an explosion of thought come into my head! I have to have probably 6+ yards of EACH of the McDonalds fabric right? Well remember those crayon totes I was making?? HELLO! Make some in the McDonalds fabric and fill them up with crayons and such when the school supplies are on sale super cheap and I have DONATIONS to the kids at the Ronald McDonald House!!!!!! I’m gonna start on those right after I get this challenge complete and I am actually going to ask my wonderful readers to consider helping with a small donation for things like crayons, coloring books, etc. You can send the actual items or you can send a financial “gift” (I can’t legally call it a donation, sorry). I’ll let you know more about this idea when I get it worked out better… still in the preliminary stages of this idea LOL!

Ok now, I want to talk crafts. With Earth Day coming up, we must be in the “recycle” and “earth friendly” mindset! So I am double duty-ing this craft project today! I am honoring Autism Awareness with the Puzzle and Earth Day with the recycling! This recycled craft project is a great way to recycle those old puzzles that have pieces missing. This project uses a Jumbo piece from a child's jigsaw puzzle.Check it out!



Craft Idea of the Day: Puzzle Photo Magnet

Supplies:

Large Puzzle Piece
Magnet
Cardstock

Directions:

Start by cutting a window into the puzzle so that you can insert your photo. You can cut it using some scissors or a craft blade.

Paint the puzzle piece then allow it to dry, You can finish it off with a spray of clear varnish.

Run some glue around the back of the puzzle and secure your card stock to the back of the puzzle piece.

Glue on your magnet piece, You can get magnets from your local craft store or use a recycled advertising magnet.

Cut your photo to size and you can now slip your photo into the frame from the front.

You can decorate your frame further by adding small puzzle pieces, cut out hearts etc.

Pretty nifty huh? OK ok I hear you… no not you… My STOMACH! It’s yelling at me and telling me it needs food LOL. So I am always ready to serve LOL! I’m in the mood for pancakes… but not just any pancakes- we are going gluten free today!



Delicious Gluten Free Pancakes

Ingredients

1 cup rice flour
3 tablespoons tapioca flour
1/3 cup potato starch
2 cups almond milk (or 2 cups water and 4 tablespoons dry buttermilk powder)
1 packet sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum or 4 Tablespoon gluten substitute
2 eggs
3 tablespoons canola oil or applesauce

Directions

In a bowl, mix or sift together the rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and xanthan gum. Stir in eggs, milk, and oil until well blended and few lumps remain.

Heat a large, well-oiled skillet or griddle over medium high heat. Spoon batter onto skillet and cook until bubbles begin to form. Flip, and continue cooking until golden brown on bottom. Serve immediately with condiments of your choice.

So are you drooling now? LOL I am… alright I am gonna get off here for the day. Time to do some more sewing, check my garden, and whatever else may strike my fancy. You keep safe, be happy, and I will see you back here tomorrow! HUGS!

WE’RE GOING GREEN!

Good morning my darlings! How are you on this bright and sunny weekend? I’m doing alright. One thing I am happy to see is everyone groovin’ on the recycled crafts! I’m so diggin’ the vibe ya’ll are giving! It’s awesome! SO I decided that this weekend’s entries are all gonna deal with recycled crafts! I have so many that I want to share with you… so be prepared. Geez, there are so many great things I could share with you… I’m gonna have a hard time picking AND limiting this to a weekend deal LOL! And I think to stay true to form… we need to recycle some food too! Yep, leftover recipes baby! WOOHOO! This is gonna be an interesting weekend, so sit back and enjoy yourself… LOL… cause here we goooooooooo!

Ok, today’s first few craft ideas are gonna answer Hazel’s great comment from yesterday about empty CD cases. Those little clear jewel cases are very versatile and so many great things can be done with them. I gave you an idea yesterday on how to used scratched and damaged CD’s to make cute little cake toppers and centerpieces. And there are tons of other ideas to use CD’s on. But now I bet you’re thinking what do I do with all the empty jewel cases right? Well here are a few ideas you can make for yourself or would make cool gifts too!

Craft Idea of the Day: Recycling CD jewel case crafts



Collecter Frame- this could also be used for smaller photographs, stamps, pressed flowers, etc.

Materials Needed:

CD Case
Construction Paper
Glue
Tape
Baseball, Pokemon, or Other Card

Instructions:

1. Cut a piece of construction paper into a square that will fit into the cd case. Place your card in the center of the square and trace around it. Cut out the rectangle you traced, cutting it about 1/4 inch smaller than the line you traced (figure 1). Put a dab of glue in each corner of your square, on the opposite side of your trace lines. Open the cd case and stick your square on the inside of the clear cd case cover.

2. Cut a strip of construction paper about 1 inch wide and 6 inches long. Cut another piece of construction paper about 1 inch wide and 4 inches long. Lay your card down between the trace lines in the center of your square. Lay the strips over the back of the card (figure 2). Tape the edges of your strips so they hold your card in place. Make sure the tape does not get on the card.

3. Close the cd case. Glue a pop can tab on the back of the cd case towards the top and you can hang up your Frame on your wall, or add a magent strip to the baack and hang it on your fridge! You can even add stickers and other miscellaneous things to decorate your frame.



Standing Picture Frame- Display photos of your children or other loved ones proudly on a desk or table!

Method/Instructions

A. Preparing the CD Jewel Case

1. Open the Jewel Case and remove the top cover. The best way to do this is to gently lift the top cover male connection until it separates from the bottom female opening. Be careful as prying them too wide cracks the top cover. Remove the CD title paper on the top cover.

2. Remove the middle plastic attached to the lower cover; ie the plastic part which has the circular shape to hold the CD. Depending on the type of Jewel Case, it can be removed with varying degrees of difficulty. For the difficult ones, the best way to remove the middle part is to flex the back cover so that the back cover and the middle plastic separate where you can place your finger between them. Pry open where there is only 1 connection first (each side has 3 connection - 1 in 1 edge while 2 in the opposite edge). When that has separated, pry open the other 2 connections on the same side or the other 1 connection on the other side, whichever pries more easily first. Remove the CD title paper on the back cover.

3. Replace the top cover to the back cover. This time, however, place the top cover on the opposite direction such that it won't close. You now have a slanted surface with the CD title clips facing back.

B. Preparing the Décor

4. Depending on the theme you would like to do, cut and shape your papers, cards, giftwraps, photos etc. Take note of the Jewel Case's internal dimensions so that you can lay-out accurately. Typical dimension available for décor is 4 3/4" wide and 5" high. Also, don't forget that you can use the paper that comes in the CD already as your guide to measure your new picture, no need for the extra work of having to bring out a ruler!

C. Putting together the Jewel Décor

5. Insert the decors/photos you have prepared in B into the top cover such that the CD title clips are securing them. Adjust accordingly.

6. Use a cardboard for backing the papers or photos so that they look firm from the front. Arrange them in your display area and you've got personalized décor you can change over and over again as the mood changes or as the season changes. No need to repaint the house every season!



Organizer from CD Cases (One of my favorites)

Recycle your old CD cases and make an organizer. We made a Father's Day organizer for my husband. I placed photos of the kids on each side and let them decorate their own page. We placed a poem on a blank side. You can use this organizer for many things. You can even place the cds back inside of the organizer. It would make a great Christmas gift for grandparents etc. We even made on for the teacher for Earth Day.

You need 5 empty CD cases and some hot glue. Start with one case on the bottom and glue each side one at a time. Be sure you can open the case cover as you glue it to the bottom. When you are done gluing, open each case and add decorative paper or photos etc.



CD Coasters

What You’ll Need:
1. old cd case (clear, with no stickers on the back)
2. decorative paper (from art and craft stores, or leftover wrapping paper, or magazine cut outs would look cool too)
3. scissors
4. masking tape (i found black at the art store, but that japanese colored masking tape that has been all the rage on blogs recently is now available in the us here)
5. exacto blade and cutting board

Instructions:

1. Open the CD case and remove all album artwork papers from front and back. clean the cd case and dry it off.

2. Trace the back of the cd on the back side of your paper. cut these templates out.

3. Remove the plastic cd insert ( the part that holds the actual cd) from the back piece of the cd case. it should snap out and snap back in again later. slide your paper in and cut down any excess until it fits exactly in the back of the case. fold the left edge of the paper where it meets the spine of the case.

4. Snap the plastic insert back in place. now you have a cd case with your pretty paper in the back and on the spine.

5. If you want your coaster to be double sided, trace the front of the cd case and cut out the template. slide the front template piece into the front of you cd case, like you would the album cover art. this is an optional step.

6. Cut four pieces of tape that are each 1″ longer then the sides of the cd case. to cut out the designs, stick the tape down onto a cutting mat and use an exacto blade to cut the shapes. if you do not want to free cut it, you can draw the design on first with a pencil to make sure it looks okay, then cut the design.

7. Gently peel up the tape from the cutting board and stick it on the sides of your cd case, overlapping with the back just enough to cover the edge. fold it down over the sides to hide the edges of the cd case. wrap the tape on the sides like you would a present. do this on all four sides with your four pieces of tape and snip the extra flaps off the sides with scissors.

8. If you are making your coasters double sided, you will want to overlap two pieces of tape just slightly lengthwise to form one thick piece of tape. follow step 6, but cut the design on both sides in a mirror image. then proceed to step 7.

So there are some great CD case crafts… now see all these other great ideas!



Recycled Vinyl Record Bowl

If you don't have an old record collection, you can buy records very reasonably at thrift stores and yard sales. These recycled retro record bowls make wonderful containers for potpourri - or you can line them with a doily or paper coffee filter and use them at parties to serve chips and crackers.

Supplies:

old vinyl record album

large ovenproof bowl

oven

oven gloves

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees.

2. Place the record on top of a large bowl turned upside down and carefully place in the oven.

3. Heat for about five minutes, or until record begins to soften and melt.

4. Wearing oven gloves, quickly remove from the oven. Flip the bowl the right way up and press the record into it so that it takes on the bowl shape. You'll find that the sides will curl in a fluted design, similar to the bowl in the picture.

5. While the record is hot and pliable, you can adjust the shape to your liking. If necessary, reheat for a short time to make adjustments.



Tea Tin Candles

Recycle old tin containers from tea, etc. into homemade candles! Make a day of scavenging flea markets, thrift stores, etc. if you don’t have any at home! These make unique and wonderful gifts. Add drops of essential oils for wonderful smells.



Post Card Wallets

Stitch attractive or vintage postcards into slender, pocket size wallets or business card holders! View the printable PDF instructions HERE!



Foody Fridge Magnets(Another one of my favorites!!)

Food comes in all kinds of shapes, sizes, and packages. Your kitchen cabinets, pantry drawers, and refrigerator shelves are already filled with marvelous little boxes and baggies of goodies. Some of these are cultural icons, others are silly modern wonders of neo-retro design. You may even have your own little collection of interesting little containers in the form of left-over little boxes of candy from Halloween. What can you do with all these things? Make them into an awesome array of fridge magnets!

The first step is to pick some appropriate boxes to use. Most anything will work. Things that are small, recognizable, and come in (large sets of) small packages are a good choice. Right after Halloween is a particularly good time of year for little boxes of things. Depending on your age, you've probably just been out trick-or-treating, or at home handing out little boxes of things to trick-or-treaters, so you may already have some cute boxes on hand. Even if you haven't gotten involved in the sugarfest, it may not be too late; you can sometimes find discounts the week after Halloween. Beyond the box, you'll also need some magnets and some glue to hold the magnets in place. If your box is bigger, needs to hold more to the fridge, or you just like overkill, it's good fun to use one of the monstrously strong magnets. If you've chosen to use a mint tin or other ferromagnetic box, your life will be easy: Just drop your magnet(s) in the box, shut the lid, and stick it to the fridge. Otherwise, welcome to the trickiest part of the project: Opening your boxes without making it look like they've been opened. If you've got large boxes, like the cream cheese box shown here, start with those. Most cardboard boxes used for packaging are assembled with glue. Find a flap that's held down by glue. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut through the glue that holds one of the flaps down. Be sure to not bend the flaps as you open the box this way. Remove the contents of the box, drop in a magnet, and glue it in place. A hot glue gun is great for this. Drizzle in a little hot glue, and drop the magnet in on top of the bead of hot glue. Quickly place the box on a horizontal ferromagnetic surface (like the top of the fridge) so that the magnet is pulled down, flat against the side of the box and is then held in place when the glue cools.

Optional extra step: Once the magnet is in place, add some weight to the box. Dried pinto beans are cheap and are the right size to substitute for many candies, such as sugar babies. For less rattly things like Dots or raisins, you can use additional hot glue to hold most of the beans in place.

It can be a little bit tricky to seal up the box without making it obvious that the box has been opened and resealed. Your best strategy is to try and put a small drop of hot glue exactly where the original glue was, right beneath that flap that you cut open. If you do this correctly, it will leave no trace whatsoever that the box has ever been opened. Once you've put that last drop of glue in place, fold down the flap and firmly hold it in place until the glue is cool, around one minute. That's it, stick 'em to your fridge. Make lots of them. Give them out as party favors. Give them out as birthday presents. Come up with new varieties. Completely cover your fridge. If you are devious, mix them in with real candy and confuse the heck out of everyone. It's up to you.

See… it really is true! One person’s trash CAN be another person’s treasure! OK now on to food! First off Jean would like a recipe for a thicker potato soup. Granted I don’t make this one in the crock pot but it is very thick and very yummy!! And if you really think about it, you are recycling a baked potato… if you don’t eat it as a baked potato, but use it for a secondary purpose… its recycling! YAY! LOL…



Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients

4 baking potatoes
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups milk
1 cup chopped green onions
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
12 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
5 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

Directions

Bake potatoes 1 hour in a 400 degree F (200 degree C) oven. Scoop out the inside of the potatoes and set aside. Reserve the skins for another recipe or discard.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium low heat. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Cook about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually pour in the milk while stirring until all the milk has been added. Bring heat to medium and keep stirring until the soup mixture starts to get thick. **You can also mix 1/2 cup of flour with water to form a slurry and then add to the mix after the milk to make it super thick!

Add the potatoes, green onions, salt, ground black pepper, bacon and cheese. Stir well and continue to heat for about 15 minutes, allowing the flavors to blend. Stirring well, mix in the sour cream until well blended with the soup. Serve immediately.

Oh deary me… yummy goodness! OK and here is a sweet treat for you to make with leftover mashed potatoes!



Chocolate Covered Peppermint Patties

Ingredients

1 cup mashed potatoes
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
8 cups confectioners' sugar
8 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
2 tablespoons shortening

Directions

In a large bowl, mix together the potatoes, salt, butter, and peppermint extract. Gradually mix in confectioners' sugar; mix in enough to make a workable dough, between 6 and 8 cups.

Knead slightly, and roll into cherry-size balls. Flatten balls to form patties. Arrange on sheets of wax paper, and allow to dry overnight.

Place chocolate and shortening in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth. Dip patties in melted chocolate, and let cool on wax paper.

Ok, well that’s all for today kids. Join us again tomorrow for another great adventure in the life and times of your friendly blogging buddy! LOL! Love ya all! HUGS!