Beef Bulgogi (Korean beef)

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Sometimes you come across some absolutely awesome recipes that are blog worthy.  This would be one of those recipes!  Here is a link to it on allrecipes.
I've also included a link to the sugar snap recipe I used as well.  I think it made the perfect side dish.

Here are a few photos of my bulgogi. Mmm, lots of ginger, garlic, soy sauce and little sugar to sweeten it up.

 The beef is marinated and then grilled.  I used my grill pan, which I love for winter days.

 Here is the sugar snap pea side.  

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Belt Cuffs: DIY

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You know how sometimes you have this stellar idea and you think it's totally original to you?!  I had one of those moments a few weeks. ago.
Leather belts at the thrift store cost $1 - at least around these parts.  I was thinking, there had to be a way to repurpose them.  Especially since there were some super cool designs on a few.

Aha!  I, Mrs. Artsy Fartsy will make designer leather cuffs!  All I will need is snap sets and a hammer, scissors and...tada!

Much to my dismay...I went where any smart, crafty lady goes...ya know, Pinterest.  Wha??  This leather cuff/belt thing has been done?  Um, yeah.  Like, over and over and over and over.  Did I mention over?  If you want to see a more in depth tutorial, here you go.

Oh well.  So, I decided since one belt I purchased had a neato embossed design on it, that I would paint it with one of my favorite colors.
So, here are a few photos of how I did that with the before and afters.  

 This is the cuff after I had rounded the edges and put in the snaps.
You can find the snap sets at any craft store in the sewing notions department.

 I didn't use any fancy tools.  Just scissors, hammer and the snap set with the tool it comes with.

 Here it is snapped around my wrist.

 I took an old cloth and dabbed it in my yummy teal acrylic paint.

 I didn't saturate it, as I waned the pattern to still be visible.

 All done!

I didn't put any finish on it, but I suppose you could.
I've worn mine several times and had no issue with the paint rubbing off.

One of these days I'll get around to painting my very own design with multiple colors on a plain leather cuff.

Hope you found some inspiration for a new project!

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two little rams

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Seriously, though.  I can't get enough of these boys.  They will be no stranger to the camera...that's for sure.

going in for the kiss

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Free Christmas Printable

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Hi friends!
This will be the first of many free printables created by yours truly.
The PDF will create two cards that are 4.25 x 5.5"

Follow this link to the PDF where you can print as many as you'd like (for personal use only, please). 

Hope you enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by...

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Animal deco jars

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I promised to post some mini DIY tutorials for you.
Disclaimer:  I wish this was my original idea, but alas, not so.
Here is a link to the image where I first discovered this awesome repurposing idea.



Supplies:
Glass or plastic jars: cleaned with labels removed.  I used a combination of PB, pickle & baby food jars
Plastic animals: or other small objects.  I found a big bag of random mini stuff at a thrift store for $2
Adhesive: super glue or other permanent sticky stuff
Spray paint in your favorite colors

 Make sure all surfaces are clean before you begin.  You don't want any oily or sticky residue or your little objects may not stay in place.  

 Using your adhesive, glue each object to the center of a jar.  Let is set for at least 24 hours to ensure it is dry before the next step.

Using your favorite spray paint, lightly spray your jars with a first coat.  Let set at least an hour between coats. This gorilla had just had his first green shower.

Depending on the paint and what object you are spraying, it may take from 3-5 coats to get the desired effect.

 That's all there is to it, folks!!

The red rhino was one of my favorites...

 Stuff with your favorite crafting item or put some treats or office supplies for the perfect teacher's gift.

THE END.  (oh come on...I had to do it)

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craft bazaar!

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Admittedly I have stayed far, far away from vending at craft bazaars over the last few years.  I usually get overly optimistic about potential sales and think that customers will fall head over heels for my cool stuff.  I then stress about having enough product, creating more/different items, etc.  All the while driving my husband and kiddos bonkers. 

From out of nowhere I just got the itch! Sometimes you just have to get your hands dirty, kwim? I also thought it would be fun to have my oldest daughter sell her fun bracelets with me at our booth.
  
I really tried to focus on just three items.  Book paper wreaths, animal deco jars and chalkboards.  I'd say I did my best at keeping it low-stress and fun.  Did I sell much?  Nope. Will I do it again next year? Probably not.  However it wasn't a total loss.  I got to spend time with my girls and completed most of my Christmas shopping while there.  That's not hard to do when there are 50+ vendors.

 My daughters bracelets and cuffs. 

I will be posting a mini-diy tutorial with links for each of my items.  Stay tuned.

P.S. If you are a close friend or family member, don't be surprised if one of these little gems ends up on your door step this year. 

Thanks for stopping by!


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Thanksgiving at our place

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Sometimes keeping things simple allows us to truly enjoy a holiday.  KWIM?

We decided to have our own turkey dinner at home.  Everyone had a hand in the preparations...minus the baby boys.

For appetizers we enjoyed a cheese ball and a pepper jelly/cream cheese dip with crackers.  The pepper jelly is something my late Aunt Laura used to make and it felt good to pay her homage. Although, she would make the jelly from scratch.  Quite a woman, my Aunt Laura.  Ben's always thought the jelly was strange.  This year, he decided he likes it...quite a bit.  Ah yes, he has "seen the light" in my pepper jelly ways.

Lydia rolled up the rolls and got them oven ready.

Lin helped prep the brussels sprouts after I cut them off the stalk.  Did you know they grow on a stalk?  Seriously though, this was the first time I've bought them that way.  I noticed they grow in a hexagonal pattern.  Pretty neat.

I was even able to wrangle the teenager into the kitchen to peel potatoes.  You would think he was about to call CPS on me.

 I roasted up some garlic bulbs to mash into the potatoes. Delish.

 Ben spent a good deal of time prepping and smoking our T-day turkey.  In case you're wondering, yes...it was good.

 Time to dish up!

And of course, no blog post would be complete without a photo that has nothing to do with the post...at all.

 "take a picture of my foot, mom!"  Okay...

Thanks for stopping by!


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