Girl's Headband Holder

Happy Thursday All!

Last week I shared with you my daughter's room make-over.  Thank you for all the sweet comments you all gave me.  It made me feel like my hard work paid off! If you missed it, click here.

As promised in that post, I want to share with you today how to make the headband holder.

This was seriously, the easiest project ever!!!  It took me about 20 minutes from start to finish!

Here is what I did...

Here are all the materials you need (minus the glue gun ~ didn't end up needing it ~ plus the iron ~ see next step).  Yes, only 4 items!!!

I used the same material I used to cover my daughter's toy chest pad (click here for post) in order to keep with the 'theme' of her room.

After cutting the piece to size, I ironed about an 1/2 inch seam because I didn't want a raw edge, it keeps it prettier!

I then took the project outside!  I grabbed my handy spray adhesive and sprayed part of the oatmeal container.

I then laid out the material, right side up, and placed the part of the oatmeal container that had the adhesive on it on the material.  I then sprayed the container as I rolled it along the material until I got close to the end.

When I had about 2 inches left to cover, I turned the container around so I could carefully guide the part of the material I ironed along the container.  This helped smooth the application.

Finally, I sprayed the inside of the container at the top and folded the material over until it stuck to the spray adhesive.

There wasn't any drying time with this project, so I took it right in and filled it with my daughter's hair supplies.  I put her brushes and bottles inside the container and her hairbands on the outside!

Perfect place for all her hairbands and easy enough for her to take them off and put them back on!

Again, this project was so easy and it's really a clever idea for storing girl's hair supplies!

I hope you have been inspired....thanks for stopping by!

~ Kerri

Chicken Breast with Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette

Happy Food Frenzy Friday!!

 

As you know, I don't have a lot of time on my hands, but I love providing a home-cooked meal for my family, so I'm always looking for quick and easy recipes that are also very delicious.  Today, I'm sharing with you another one!!

 

 

I'm not sure where I found this recipe, but I'm sure it originally came from www.finecooking.com.

 

I had all the ingredients already, so it made it that much easier to make! 

 

 

Only 8 Ingredients!  Yay!

 

1. 6 Tbs Olive Oil 

2. 2 Tbs Dijon Mustard

3. 2 tsp Ground Coriander

4. Salt

5. Pepper

6. 4 tsp Lemon Juice

7. 4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

8. 3 Tbs Fresh Basil, chopped

 

Okay, so here is how easy it is;

 

Lay out your chicken breasts and slice about 1 1/2 inch slits on the top (this will help the marinade soak in better).

 

 

Then, lightly season the chicken with salt & pepper.

 

Next, prepare your marinade:

 

Wisk together 3 Tbs of Olive Oil (you will use the other 3 Tbs later), mustard and coriander.

 

Put the chicken in a Ziploc and pour the mustard mixture into the bag and smoosh it all around!  If you are preparing this ahead of time, you can place it in the refrigerator at this point.  Otherwise, get the grill ready! Grill each side for about 4-6 minutes (8-12 minutes total!!)

 

While that is grilling you can prepare your topping.  Wisk together the remaining 3 Tbs of olive oil with the lemon juice and basil. Add about 1/4 tsp of salt and a pinch of pepper for taste.

 

When the chicken is cooked, transfer it to a cutting board and slice it at an angle.  Finally, top it with the lemon-basil vinaigrette and serve it with your favorite sides.  Couscous and veggies go great with this dish!

 

 

Now you know what you're making for dinner tonight, right?!

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

~ Kerri

 

Little Girls Room ~ Make Over

Today, I'm so excited to share with you my daughter's new room!  This is something I have been working on little-by-little all summer and it's done! Well, I do have one wall to decorate, but considering how much is completed already, I can take my time with that!

My daughter will be turning 4 in a few months and I can already see the little girl in her.  She is moving out of the toddler stage and becoming a little woman...sigh. 
So, with that, I wanted to make her room more "little girl."  This meant I was going to start from scratch and decorate more simply than I had before.

When we found out we were having a girl, my cousin made me an amazing quilt (see picture below).  I loved it so much, I decided to decorate her room around it.  The colors were perfect and who doesn't love owls (this was when the whole 'owl' fad was just beginning)?  So, I had the idea to paint a tree on her wall and put owls on one of the branches.  I thought painting it would make way for personal detail whereas a decal would not. This is how that turned out...

A lot of work went into creating that tree.  We had a good friend trace the tree and owls on the wall and then I painted it and added the accents.  I used extra material from the quilt to make the leaves of the tree and the wings on the owls.  I thought putting material on the tree would bring out different dimensions.
 
Sadly, as you can see from the first picture above, it was time for the tree to go.  I wanted to get away from the owl theme as well as minimize the amount of colors in her room.

In her first room re-do, about 2 years ago, I brought in the kitchen set from when my sister and I were kids and updated it.  I created a whole wall for her to "Cook," "Bake," and "Dine." 

Now that wall looks like this...

Less is more and that means less things/toys as well as less colors!  My husband made that toy chest a long time ago, but it isn't until now that it has a pad on it!  I bought foam from JoAnn's when it was 60% off since that stuff is so expensive.  Then I went to about every fabric store in San Diego County until I found this one at Yardage Town in Chula Vista!  I love the muted colors and pattern.  It's not too busy, but allows for a few color accents. I used the same method to make the toy chest pad as I did these Throw Pillow Covers.  It seemed the easiest to sew and it allows me to take it off to wash when needed.

These throw pillows are my happy place because of how I found them.  I was prepared to make my own, but I thought I would take a quick peek at what Anna's Linens had...you never know with that place...and I found these that were PERFECT!!!  You can't tell in these pictures, but there happens to be a bird in the material I used for the pad!  I couldn't believe it when I saw this pillow.  And they happened to have the salmon and gray color to match!  I was thrilled!!!

Another area that I created 2 years ago was her reading nook.  I transformed her closet into a little reading area.  She used it from time-to-time, but when I moved her dresser into her brother's room, it was time to use her closet for storing clothes again!

Everyone asks how my husband got the changing table into the closet and although I'm not completely sure, but I think he had to take it apart and put it back together!  Good man!  This was the changing table I used for my son when he was in our room, but now the changing table pad is on top of the dresser in his room.  To see those posts, click here: Baby Boy's Own Room & Nursery For Small Spaces

Now that my daughter is at the age that she can dress herself, I put all of her 'everyday' clothes where she could reach them.  Then, all of her personal care items went on top.  Be looking for the tutorial on the headband holder in a future post.  I did use the same material to make that as I did to make the toy chest pad. It was so easy!

A kids room wouldn't be complete without an Art station!  My daughter loves to draw and paint, and since we will be working on writing her letters and numbers soon, I thought it would be perfect to have a place to do that!

I had seen on Pinterest the idea to hang the art on clipboards and thought it was brilliant!  I found the metal letters at Michaels.



I had purchased the wire basket a long time ago with the intention to use for it's intended purpose ~ hang plants from it, but I never got around to doing that, so when I needed something to put her art materials in, I thought, why not?!  I had the metal buckets left over from her 2nd birthday party and filled them with markers, colored pencils, crayons, etc.

Also at this age, she loves to play dress up!  I love how she gets creative and either pretends to be a Disney princess or just a normal girl with a lot of jewelry on! But with dress up comes all the 'stuff' and it's a lot!!! So I needed somewhere I could store all it, but be accessible for her.  I have had this armoire since college and I have used it in in almost every room of the house! Now it's back in her room and it is perfect for storing all of the dress up clothes and accessories!  All I have to do is close the doors and drawers all that 'stuff' goes away!  Ha!

 The top of the armoire is perfect as her night stand!  She loves the fact that she can turn her lamp on and off all by herself!

She loves her loft bed.  It's the  bunk bed MYDAL from IKEA turned it into a loft bed (something I had seen on Pinterest as well!).  I found the bedding at Anna's Linens as well, which was a perfect accent color to contrast the color we chose for her walls.

The table and chairs were hand made by a dear family member.  He made one for me, my sister and my cousin for when we had kids.  My sister and cousin's kids are all grown up, but mine are just starting, so I love that I finally get to use them for the reason he made them!

I decided to place them in the middle of the room instead of up against a wall, as I had before, in hopes that she would use it more...and she does!!  I can't believe it!  It's the perfect distance from her art station as well as her kitchen area and her other toys!  I love how much she is using now!  

It's a sweet reminder of Papah and his beautiful heart!

For her window coverings, I copied what I did in her brother's room.  I liked the blackout curtains for her room too as well as the sheer panel for accent. 

And finally, for stuffed animal storage, I came up with this idea!  I saw online how people had used the galvanized garbage cans as a laundry basket and I thought, it would also work for putting all of her stuffed animals in...and she has a lot!!  I spray painted it white and made the liner using the same material I used to make the toy chest pad cover.  I used to have her stuffed animals in a basket on the floor and it just became too overwhelming!  It was as if stuffed toys were everywhere!  This is a perfect solution because I can stuff them down, put the lid on and not see them! 

I could not be happier about the way her room as turned out.  It used to give me anxiety just walking in there because there was stuff everywhere and so many different colors and themes.  Now, things are stored in closed containers and there are only a few simple simple color schemes!  I still have to find something to put on the wall above the toy chest, but I have some ideas I'm working on, so keep an eye out for that post!!

Thank you for stopping by!

~ Kerri

Nectarine Pizza with Basil & Balsamic Glaze

Happy Friday!  And for us at Snippets of Creations, that means it's Food Frenzy Friday!!!

 

Today I want to share with you one of my most favorite dishes this summer!  I found this recipe on Pinterest, of course, and kind of made it my own....I made it a little easier.

 

The blend of the sweet nectarine and the salty goat cheese as well as the tangy balsamic glaze, makes this pizza melt in your mouth at the first bite.  It almost tastes gourmet, but it's too simple to make that I don't feel right calling it gourmet...maybe though! I can't believe there are only 7 ingredients to it!

 

The original recipe calls for making your own dough, and although I'm sure it's much more tastier, I found that buying premade thin crust pizza dough worked just fine and shaved about an hour off of the prep time!  After making it a few times, I found that Boboli has the best taste.

 

I shaved off about another 20 minutes by using Trader Joes Balsamic Glaze instead of reducing the balsamic vinegar, which the original recipe calls for.  This stuff is delicious!  I use it on my caprese salads!! 

So, here is what you will need:

1. 1 Pizza Crust

2. 1 to 2 tbls Olive Oil

3. Goat Cheese

4. 1 Nectarine, cut into slices

5. Parmigianno Reggiano Cheese, grated or shaved

6. Balsamic Glaze

7. Fresh Basil, chopped

 

Here is what you do:

 

Start by preheating your oven to 450, or whatever the instructions on the pre-made crust says to do.  While the oven is heating up, brush on a little Olive Oil, just enough to thinly coat the pizza crust. Then, spread your goat cheese on.  I used 4oz and found that to be plenty.  You don't want to spread it on into a thin layer, just spread it so there are big and small chunks all over the crust.

 

 

Next, take your sliced nectarines and place them all over the goat cheese and top it with the parmigianno reggiano cheese.  Then, place it in the middle of your oven for however long the  instructions on the pre-made crust says to do so (usually about 10 min).

Some pre-made crust instructions say to place your pizza directly on the oven rack, which you can do, but I chose to use my pizza stone.  Either way works!

 

 

When the pizza is done, carefully remove it from the oven and drizzle your balsamic glaze all over and top with your fresh basil. 

 

 

Finally, slice it up and enjoy!  It's seriously one of my favorite recipes and take about 20 min to make!  Can't beat that!

 

  

You better hurry and make this before the Nectarines are out of season!

 

~ Kerri

Baby Boy Room ~ Update

Last month, during Snippets Of Creations "Blogging Break, I shared with my son's new room.  To see that post, click here.  I am so excited that now it's fully complete!  I know that's an oxymoron, but I mean it's totally complete!  I don't plan on changing a thing for a very long time because I'm so happy with how it turned out!

 

 Today, I would like to share with you a few final touches that I made.  You may notice in the picture above that the words on the wall read, "Dream Little Big Man"  That bugged me for so long because I meant for it to read "Dream Big Little Man," so I changed it:

 So much better!! Don't you think?!

 

 

Something else I 'touched up' were the curtains.  You will notice in the picture, the sheer white curtains puddled on the floor.  I like that look, but it became a hassle to get them to lay nicely.

 

 

So I hemmed them!

Lastly, I added this basket of toys! I found the basket at JoAnn's Fabric for 50% off!  I like the idea of having some of his toys in his room because it gives him somewhere else to play than in the living room.  Less toys to trip over!
 

 

Thanks for stopping in and checking out my update!  Next week, I'll share with you what I have done so far on my daughter's room!!  Whoop Whoop!

 

~ Kerri

 

 

Back To School Teacher Gift

We are back!

 

That's right! Now that school's back in, we have a little more time on our hands, well, at least I do.  This time of year means my daughter goes back to school, but for Julie, it means she goes back to school!! 

 

This summer was wonderful and very productive.  While I spent time planning and attending play dates, going to water parks and spending quality time with my babies, Julie spent time growing her Etsy shop (click here to see it all), fulfilling orders, making new product...oh, and spending quality time with this little princess:

 

Meet Cali Rae!  Cute, right?!

 

Well now it's back to the grind and I'm actually looking forward to blogging again!

 

So, as a Welcome Back, I wanted to share with you my "Welcome Back" teacher gifts I made for my daughter's teachers. If you haven't given your child's teacher a gift yet, no worries...I think you have a month...at least that's what I say ;)

 

As I have mentioned before, my daughter has 6 teachers at her preschool.  Although, one of them is her primary teacher, they all play a big role, so it's only fitting to get them each something.  This means, I'm always looking for an inexpensive and easy-to-make gift. 

 

I came across this idea on Pinterest and thought it was perfect, but of course, I had to make it my own!

 

Originally, I was going to use Mason jars that I already had, but then I saw these amazing glasses at Bed, Bath & Beyond.  They were $10 for 4!!!  Not bad! 

So next, I made my tags.  I used Picmonkey.com to create them and printed them on card stock.  I grabbed some blue card stock I already had and taped them on using Washi tape!  I gotta use that stuff more often!  It's so easy and adds a little something every time!!
 

 

I then strung some baker's twine through the tag and wrapped it around the glass.

Finally, I filled the glass with cookies and put the lids on (I already had some lids that fit perfectly)!

 

I'm so excited about how easy, yet adorable these turned out! We all have a sweet tooth and at the end of the day, when you have been educating and entertaining preschoolers, it just sounds perfect!

 

If you would like to use the tags I made, you can right-click on the picture below, "save as" and print!

 

 

Happy Monday and Welcome Back!!!

  

~ Kerri