Faux Four-Leaf Clover Print

 The idea for this came from Sherry at The Charm of Home.  Sherry just did a great post called "A Hint of Spring" where she featured a REAL pressed four-leaf clover that she framed.  I thought it was such a cute idea but of course, I don't just happen to have any four-leaf clovers laying around the house so I decided to make one.

 I used fake ivy leaves because they had the nice "vein" patterns on them.  I peeled off the plastic "vein" from the back of the leaf first.  Using a little template, I traced the shapes onto the back of the leaf, centering them over the light lines and cut them out.

 To achieve that white 'squiggle' on each leaf, I used a fine point, paint pen.  The trick here is to immediately blot and rub the white lines before they dry so it doesn't look too fake.  The leaf below on the left was rubbed off, the one on the right was not so you can see the difference it makes.

 Once I had the leaves cut, I attached them to book pages that I distressed with some rubber stamps/images.  For the stem, I took a thin piece of green card stock and crumpled it, twisted it and then attached it to the picture.

 I made a few of these to place around the house for St. Patrick's Day but you could certainly leave them up all spring and summer.

 Thanks Sherry for the inspiration!

Linking to these parties this week . . .

The DIY Showoff   http://diyshowoff.com/

Knick of Time Tuesday http://knickoftimeinteriors.blogspot.com/

Marvelous Mondays http://www.jamscorner.com/

Uncommonly Yours http://www.uncommondesignsonline.com/

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/

Cedar Hill Ranch http://cedarhillranch.blogspot.com/

Savvy Southern Style http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/

Ivy and Elephants http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/

From My Front Porch to Yours http://frommyfrontporchtoyours.blogspot.com/

The Brambleberry Cottage http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

French Country Cottage http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

The Charm of Home http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

While He Was Napping http://whilehewasnapping.blogspot.com/

Funky Junk Interiors http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/

Under the Table and Dreaming http://www.bystephanielynn.com/

 

Smoothies To Go

 

 Here's a simple, money-saving way to enjoy a snack "on the run". 

I found these little cups that hold 9 oz. and come with the lids and straws.  Using frozen fruit, plain, fat-free yogurt, skim milk and sugar or sugar substitute, I whipped up 15 of these in less than an hour.  I got one of those Magic Bullets for Christmas so I used that but you could also use a blender.

 Whenever I have fruit that I know I'm not going to use up, I chop it up and put it in zip lock bags in the freezer to use for smoothies.  You can also use fresh or store bought frozen fruit.  Another favorite combination is peanut butter, banana and chocolate.  

 Mix them up in batches, pour into the cups, label and freeze.  Grab one on your way out the door in the morning for a quick, delicious, healthy snack.

I don't really follow a "recipe" but here's my 'rule of thumb' for smoothies (Note this is for one large or two small smoothies using the Magic Bullet.  If using a blender, you'd probably double or triple this.)

Fruit Smoothies

1/4 c crushed ice

2/3 c fruit

2 T fat free, plain yogurt

1/4 c skim milk  

1 t sugar or sugar substitute

Peanut Butter/Banana/Chocolate 

1/4 c crushed ice

1/2 banana

2 T fat free, plain yogurt

1 T reduced fat peanut butter

1 T chocolate syrup

1/4 c skim milk

One other note:  I've found blueberry smoothies need some extra fruit flavor so I substitute 1/4 c fruit juice in place of the milk. 

Fruit Combinations I've Used 

Strawberry

Strawberry Banana

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana

Peanut Butter Banana

Blueberry Cranberry

Blueberry

Pineapple

Pineapple Coconut

Just a few minutes and a few dollars and you'll save a lot of money over the coffee shop smoothies and you can control what goes into them!  What's YOUR favorite smoothie combo?

Linking to these parties this week . . .

The DIY Showoff   http://diyshowoff.com/

Knick of Time Tuesday http://knickoftimeinteriors.blogspot.com/

Marvelous Mondays http://www.jamscorner.com/

Uncommonly Yours http://www.uncommondesignsonline.com/

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/

Cedar Hill Ranch http://cedarhillranch.blogspot.com/

Savvy Southern Style http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/

Ivy and Elephants http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/

From My Front Porch to Yours http://frommyfrontporchtoyours.blogspot.com/

The Brambleberry Cottage http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

French Country Cottage http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

The Charm of Home http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

While He Was Napping http://whilehewasnapping.blogspot.com/

Funky Junk Interiors http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/

Under the Table and Dreaming http://www.bystephanielynn.com/

 

Valentine Cards from Napkins

 

The front of this card is made using a napkin.  There are so many pretty napkins out there -- now you can use them for more than just wiping crumbs from your mouth!

Good quality, 3-ply napkins are what you need because using scotch tape, you're going to separate the printed design layer from the other two white layers.

  Open up the napkin and cut it into four pieces. Just touch a piece of tape to the back and gently pull away the layers one at a time until you are left with the translucent printed layer.

Cut a piece of card stock the size of the design you want to end up with.  Hold it with a clothespin over a box so you don't get the spray on you and everything else!  Spray, move the clothespin and spray where the pin was at first so all surfaces are covered.

 Lay the napkin piece face down and place the sprayed card stock over it.  Turn over and use your finger to 'burnish' the napkin and smooth it all out.  Trim the edges.

 Embellish however you like.  For this card I used a fine, glitter pen to outline the flower and added a few of these clear dots to look like water droplets on the rose.

 I always create my own sentiments, print them on plain paper and attach them inside the card.

If you're like me, once I learned this technique, I never looked at napkins the same way ever again!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Linking to these parties this week . . .

The DIY Showoff   http://diyshowoff.com/

Knick of Time Tuesday http://knickoftimeinteriors.blogspot.com/

Marvelous Mondays http://www.jamscorner.com/

Uncommonly Yours http://www.uncommondesignsonline.com/

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/

Cedar Hill Ranch http://cedarhillranch.blogspot.com/

Savvy Southern Style http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/

Ivy and Elephants http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/

From My Front Porch to Yours http://frommyfrontporchtoyours.blogspot.com/

The Brambleberry Cottage http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

French Country Cottage http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

The Charm of Home http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

While He Was Napping http://whilehewasnapping.blogspot.com/

Funky Junk Interiors http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/

Under the Table and Dreaming http://www.bystephanielynn.com/