Winner Winner

Chicken Dinner!  I know I was supposed to post the winner on Friday but we decided to go North for a cabin trip and some cooler weather. While on said trip my phone decided to go into "recovery mode" whatever that is. It won't turn on without a computer, which we didn't have. We also didn't have a tv all weekend. But, it turned out to be one of our favorite trips yet! Without all of the electronics to distract us we had some quality family time. Wrestling the girls, swinging in the backyard, taking loooong naps, and walks galore. We saw elk and searched for a "pink bunny" because my oldest wanted to try and find one. It was good times. So now I am officially posting the winner. And I can not get the picture of the random.org number to work so I will just tell you it's #32! Which means Samantha you're the winner! I'll email you this week to figure out how to get you your apron!! Congrats :)

Halloween Countdown Blocks

I got the idea here on Pinterest to make some countdown blocks. I was really excited because my husband had some extra wood on hand that was the perfect size. So I cut the blocks, modge podged some scrapbook paper to it, and then used my trusty friend's cricut to cut out the numbers and letters. I love how it turned out! I also love that it usually says something like "82 days til candy" because my kids love to play with them. Whatev! They still look cute and that's all that matters right?? Go ahead make your own! And while you're at it you should make your own modge podge because it works just as good and cost pennies :) Just mix 3:1 elmers glue to water. Or whatever ratio you want until you get a good consistancy...I got that idea from pinterest but apparently I forgot to pin it.  here is the website. Now go ahead and make your own blocks! We still have 20 days til Halloween!

BeWITCHing Halloween Craft

Yes, I just went there with the pun. I also know that I said I'd post a Halloween idea every day this month, but honestly who really believed me? Haha I always think I can do a lot more than what is really gonna happen. Today I'm going to show you a fun Halloween craft that the kids can help you with (or not if it will drive you crazy like it would me) But it is that easy people.

First, cut a shape out of burlap. I decided to do a curvy frame...
 

Second, Print off a picture of a  witch sillhouette. I seriously can't find the website from where I got this from. I've googled "witch sillhouette" a million times and now this particular one is lost forever but you can use any picture you want! Then trace around your shape with a sharpie.


Third, Fill in your sharpie picture with modgepodge (Be careful to get right up to the line, but you might have to fill in some holes later...) After you have covered the picture with modge podge you sprinkle your glitter on. Shake off the excess glitter onto a piece of paper so you can reuse it to fill in whatever holes there are...


Fourth, Take cardboard (Or a fruit snack box if you don't want to go to the store) and cover it with modge podge. Then put a piece of scrapbook paper onto the modge podge..



Last, you modge podge your witch sillhouette/burlap onto your paper and you are finished! I sprayed mine with hairspray to keep the glitter from falling off and it worked like a charm. String some ribbon through the top and hang it up! I still haven't decided where this little witch will go...



Hope everyone is getting excited for Halloween!
PS Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a ruffly apron HERE! Thanks!

Pumpkin Muffins

So I'm sure you've seen this pin floating around Pinterest lately. I decided I had to try them. I made some homemade pumpkin puree last year and figured I'd better use it up before this fall hits and I can make some more to replace it. So, I changed the recipe up just a tiny bit but it was still the easiest recipe I've ever made and was SO delicious. My husband and I may or may not have finished off 10 of them ourselves that first night. Here is the deal on how you can gain a couple pounds in a couple hours....



Homemade Pumpkin Puree
-2 pie pumpkins (I figure I should at least do 2 if I'm going to the trouble to do it, it should last me the rest of the year...)

*Cut your pumpkins in half and place them insides down in a pan. Fill the pan with about an inch of water. Cook at 350 for about 45 min. or until tender. Take your pumpkins out and scoop out all of the seeds. Throw them away or make some salted pumpkins seeds. Scoop your pumpkin out and place in a blender (the pumpkin should be so tender that it's very easy to scoop out). Blend it all up and place in separate bags. I just put it in 3 huge gallon sized bags. Turned out to be the worst idea I ever had. Since it was all thawed I had to use up 5 cups so we also got pumpkin pie this week. So, I suggest freeze in 2 cup increments.


Yummy Pumpkin Muffins
-2 cups pumpkin puree
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1 tsp pumpkin pie spices (nutmeg, cloves, etc.)
-1 box of yellow cake
-Chocolate chips (optional) I added this because I don't think pumpkin treats are the same without chocolate in them. My husband hates chocolate and pumpkin so I did half and half and they both turned out delicious!

*Cook as directed on box, sprinkle with some powdered sugar and enjoy :)

Easiest and fastest recipe ever!
PS Don't forget to enter my giveaway HERE! Thanks!!

Halloween Month Begins...

Yep, I know, I am once again late for the beginning of a holiday/season. Four days to be exact but who's counting? I decided that I would feature some type of Halloween{ish} post a day. And to kick it off I will share with you my halloween wreath I made the other day. I used this pin to make the wreath form. It was super duper easy and verrrry cheap. BUT I don't know how she got a perfect circle (Maybe hers didn't get run over by the car....just a guess)  Oh well it still worked out. All I did was take some leftover black fabric and black tulle and cut it into strips. I honestly just cut whatever sizes I felt like and then trimmed them down to the size I wanted. Then tied knots alternating 2 fabrics to 1 tulle. I'm thinking I like it! Stay tuned this week for more cheap/fun Halloween ideas :)




**Don't forget to enter my giveaway for your own Ruffly Apron!! HERE**

Giveaway!!

Hey friends! It's been awhile I know...I've been busy with my loads and loads of laundry, and cooking, and cleaning (what's gotten into me??) I used to never like to cook but maybe it's the thought that fall is coming soon!? But I've been baking up a storm. I have my favorite new recipe that I will be posting soon :) But for now I will leave you with a giveaway. I finally hit 100 followers woot woot! It's taken me foreeeever to decide what I'd giveaway and finally have concluded that I will be giving away a RUFFLY APRON to one lucky winner!




*Winner will be able to choose the color combo of their Ruffly Apron and have it shipped to their door :) All you have to do is be a follower of Sugar Baby Boutique and leave a comment saying so & tell me what color combo you would pick. Some extra entry options include:

-Blog about this giveaway (leave a separate comment saying you did)
-Facebook about this giveaway (leave a separate comment)

**That gives you 3 chances to win!! Thank you to everyone who follows my blog I love reading all of your comments and emails it makes my day! I will use Random.org to pick the winner on October 14th (which also happens to be my birthday...:) )

Pinned. Food Edition.

I have a slight obsession with Pinterest. It's addicting on so many levels... But I decided it almost leaves me struggling to decide on what I need to accomplish. Like my To Do list grows to over 100 in minutes... Yesterday was definitely a Pinterest filled day (in a good way) I got a lot accomplished and also had a couple failed attempts at things. Here are the results:

Yogurt Covered Pretzels


* I was really excited about this recipe because I love yogurt covered pretzels, but alas it was a FAIL. I followed the recipe almost exactly but they did not set up like the picture. So, try at your own risk ;) 

Zupas Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup

*My husband and I love a restaurant in Utah called Zupas. They have the yummiest salads, soups and sandwiches YUM This soup recipe for our favorite was a HIT!  We loved it. I added a little more flour because I was nervous it wouldn't thicken and then it was too thick, so stick to the recipe!
 

Paradise Bakery Sugar Cookies

*These cookies didn't taste exactly like Paradise but they were still pretty good. I'm more of a chewy sugar cookie girl but they were fun to make and tasted pretty good! I'd call it a success overall...

*I can't remember where I got this picture? But we decided to try to make Zupas Nuts about Berries salad and it was a pretty close match...We topped romaine and iceberg lettuce with strawberries, blueberries, and candied almonds. The recipe for the dressing is:

1/2 cup of oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 tsp sugar

salt and pepper to taste

(a little bit of fresh lemon juice is always refreshing to add as well...)

This is my favorite dressing for salads and is SO yummy paired with berries! 

PS I hit over 100 followers this week! Woohoo! Thanks to everyone who cares to listen to my ramblings :) Look out for a giveaway sometime this week! 

Happy Birthday Bear!

It was my lovely daughter's birthday this last week and she was turning 3. I have always thought 3 year olds looked so big and now she's one of them. My baby is all grown up... Here are some pictures from her big day! I got the cute subway art from one of my favorite blogs here. and I got the cute little yellow print somewhere online and now I can't find it for the life of me?? So if you know where it's from please share :) I made the fun birthday hats one night while I should have been sleeping. Maybe it was the coke I had at dinner, mixed with the migraine medicine I took but I was up allll night. But the party hats were a hit and Miss B loved her birthday girl hat and kept asking when her friends and cousins were coming so she could wear it. I drew my own template for them and hot glued them together. I used up a bunch of my fabric strips for the "ruffles" (which you know how much I love using those up!) All I did was cut my strips, glued a line of hot glue along the bottom of each hat and scrunched the fabric as I went. Then I used elastic thread and glued it to each side. SO easy and SO cute :) I'm thinking I need a picture of them in a hat for each birthday they have. Now that the birthday is over, it's time to start tackling some much needed projects that need to get done. Wish me luck!

Thankful Banner

So...I have been loving the prospect of fall...if only it would get here already! I decided to make a fall/thanksgiving banner yesterday. I used burlap for the pennants and glitter because I had no craft paint :) and we all know I don't go to the store unless I have to. Battling two toddlers at the craft store is basically the worst thing ever. So, I had bought some stencils from Michaels and I traced them onto each pennant (each one measures around 7.5 in x 8 in) with a sharpie. Then, I filled each letter with modge podge and then sprinkled the glitter onto the modge podge. I tipped each letter upside down to shake off the excess glitter and set it aside to dry. Once the modge podge/glitter was dry I sprayed each pennant with aerosal hairspray to help any of the glitter from falling off. I'm hoping this will help keep the burlap from fraying too much...we'll see!

Then I hot glued ric rac onto the top of each letter and it's done! Easy peasy but super fun! I love me a good banner...

Autumn Subway Art {free printable}

Since it is officially September, I thought I'd bust out some of my fall decor. Even though it is still 127 degrees here in AZ I'm hoping that if I pretend it's fall, the weather will follow my lead. Since I got married the decorating budge was pretty much non-existent. So, I decided I'd add to the holiday decor little by little every year. That is why this year I decided to add  an Autumn Subway art to my collection. Because it's free. I love that. Here are some pictures of my fall "mantle" this year. I'm hoping to get some more decorations done soon...Also, I made the Subway art printable for free for all of my readers! Just download and print! I printed mine on an 8x10 sheet of cardstock and it worked perfectly. Enjoy!

Download Here

And the Winner is...

#2 CHERYL!!! Congratulations :) I can't wait to hear what you use the brochures for. Thanks to everyone for participating! I'm getting so close to 100 followers which means....another giveaway! So recruit some friends and be on the lookout for a giveaway real soon! Thanks again and have a great Monday!!

Clever Organizing Tips & Tricks...

Here are some of the latest {free} organizing tips I have. (Since those are the only tips I usually go for...) We all know I love to decorate/make use of crappy stuff because I may be the cheapest person you know, so here are some of the things I've done to organize the little things in my house. It's the little things that count? Here it goes...and no I did not think of all of these myself so I will try to give credit where credit is due.

I did this project about 2 years ago before I had even thought about getting a blog. So, I'm not sure where or who I got this idea from...But this is just two old formula cans covered in paper with modge podge, to hold all your headbands. I also added some twine on the top to hold bows, because we have a bajillion bows around here. (I know bajillion isn't a real number...)


Here, I used this tutorial and turned an old soda carton into my canned food storage! (yep I was too lazy to take it out of my crammed pantry to take the picture, and I also was too lazy to cover the second soda carton. Don't judge.)


I haven't actually done this  one yet but I just got all of my boxes in the mail and I'm so excited to get all of our magazines organized! You cut flat rate boxs into magazine holders, and then of course you can paint them or cover them in scrapbook paper...

Last but not least, the last craft day I did with some friends I decided I'd take the time to organize my unruly ribbon collection. At the time it was taking up: 1 tub, 2 wipe boxes, and a mason jar. Now...


It's ok to be impressed because now I'm only taking up HALF of the tub and that's it. Now I feel like I don't have any ribbon at all. Does that mean I'm allowed to buy more?

* I know part of my problem with getting my stuff organized is that it takes a lot of time and money. But there are so many ideas out there to get organized for free/cheap and I am loving it. Anyone have any other good storage ideas?!

P.S. Don't forget about the giveaway ending on Saturday!! Please go enter, you may be my new best friend if you do :)

Teacher Printables!

So, I'm probably a little late on this one but my daughter doesn't start preschool for another week. I just now started to think of a cute way I could get some supplies to her teacher. Here are the printables I used for our little teacher "gifts" this year...


*Feel free to use these for personal use only :) Just right click and save as...then print, cut out, and tie to highlighters/glue sticks with ribbon, yarn, raffia...the possibilities are endless.


*PLUS! Don't forget to enter the giveaway HERE Thanks!!

Giveaway!!

Alright people, it's time for my first giveaway!! I'm so excited about it...I was going to wait until I had something from my shop to giveaway but since I've been such a slacker I decided to go ahead with this one! I was so excited when I was asked to do this giveaway and have been thinking of all of the possibilities ever since! These brochures are high quality, and are the perfect way to get the word out about your business. I haven't decided what I will do with mine. Although, my husband thinks he has claim on them :) I also do hair, and they would be the perfect way to reach all of my clients and send out special offers. As well as using them to promote any business (small or large), Etsy shop, upcoming boutiques, etc. You, my friend, are eligible to win 50 brochures from Uprinting. Here are all the prize details:

50 pcs Brochure printing for One (1) Winner

8.5" x 11"

100lb Paper Gloss

With Folding (Half Fold, Trifold/Letterfold, Z-Fold, Roll Fold, Accordion Fold)

Outside and Inside Printing

2 Business Days Turnaround

*Free shipping

Restriction: Limited to *US residents 18 years old and above only

Now for the fun part! All you have to do is be a follower of Sugar Baby Boutique and leave me a comment. Tell me how cool I am. HA jk Just tell me what you think you would use your brochures for!
ALSO If you'd like extra comments please do any or all of the following:
-Blog about the giveaway
-Facebook about the giveaway
-Twitter about the giveaway

*That's 4 chances to win!!(Please leave a separate comment for each entry)  I will use random.org to pick a winner announce it on Sat. Aug 27th so you don't have much time to enter!

**Giveaway is now closed! Thanks!!**



Disclaimer: This giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting.com, an online printing company. No monetary compensation was given and I will receive brochure printing services for hosting. Print brochures online at UPrinting.com and see their available brochure templates.

And 8 Months Later...

Finished! I finally finished my new "entertainment center"!!! Hallelujah! This baby has been sitting on my back porch for the last 8 months. Why? Because I had no idea where to begin. Plus I have 2 toddlers and found it way to difficult to find a saturday that my husband could take the kids so I could work on it. Well, this last weekend was the day! I picked this up at goodwill for...wait for it...$5! Yup practically free. That's what I told my husband at least. And I conveniently left out the little tidbit of info about this hole...


When he came to pick it up at Goodwill, he almost turned right back around. Our conversation went a little like this
K: "What the?? You're kidding. You're kidding right??"
C: "It's perfect!! The one and only..."
K: "There's no way to fix that. This is ridiculous, I'm leaving"
C: "Please please please please..."
K: "Fine."

I Love my husband. He may think I'm crazy half the time but he usually will go along with my insane ideas (while rolling his eyes the whole time haha) But this time I think it is project success :) Here's the before again, in all it's glory. Yes there is a huge spot of nastiness on top that took forever to clean up. And crayon all over it from my children. AND about a thousand crickets living in it. (I might have gagged the entire time I cleaned this out.) I used up one whole can of lysol and 2 full canisters of clorox wipes. I was that grossed out, but it was worth it, I think.


After the hubby patched it up...


And now all primed, painted, sanded and glazed...




*Total cost for this was under $20...I love that. And now you know you don't have to pass up the nasty of the nasty if there is potential :) It's definitely not a perfect patch job {I know} BUT I don't think you can see where the hole was too badly and for $20?? I'm ok with it...

So Delicious...

This recipe is definitely one of my family's faves. I had completely forgotten about them until the other day and then I couldn't get them out of my mind. So of course I had to make them, and by 9:30 AM they were half gone. oops! haha I may or may not have self control. Here is the recipe, you can thank me later...or be mad at me for the 5lbs you might gain :) Enjoy!

Fudgey Squares

1 pkg. Choc. Chips

1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk

3 Tbs. Butter

2 tsp. Vanilla

(Melt in pan over very low heat.)

1 C. Butter

2 C. Brown Sugar

2 Eggs

(Cream Together)

2 ½ C. Flour

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Salt

¾ C. Oats

(Stir in to egg/sugar/butter mixture)

Spray 11/14 pan, pat ¾ of mixture into bottom, pour fudge over top, then add remaining ¼ of dough on top in splotches.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

*Here they are all packaged up to take to some friends...You may want to do this before you taste them or you might not have any left...just sayin...

*I got the cute tags here

Lace Bow Tutorial

I just made a bunch of these for a bow exchange and thought I'd share the how-to on here :) It's pretty simple...

Cut a piece of pretty lace, and run a basting stitch along the bottome. Pull until it becomes a little flower-ish. Haha or pull until it becomes a circle. Make sense?


Do the same with another piece of coordinating lace


Sew or glue the two together...


Add a felt circle on the back to cover the stitches with a hair clipe


Finally, hot glue a fancy shmancy button on top and....


Hope everyone has a great Monday!