in the kitchen: cookies 'n cream pudding pops

Here's something for all you Oreo fans out there.

I'm sure I'm not the first one to come up with this, but I think it's pretty tasty nonetheless.   A couple of weeks ago I made these mint-chocolate-oreo pudding pops from Our Best Bites, and they were SO good.  {Incidentally, the strawberries and cream pudding pops on that same site are unreal.  Give those a try too.  Trust me.}  My husband and I are both fans of cookies 'n cream ice cream, so I adapted the recipe to try to get that classic taste in a pudding pop.  And the finished product did not disappoint!

The Ingredients.

1 small (1.7 oz) box of instant vanilla pudding mix
1 and 3/4 cups of half-and-half
10 crushed Oreo cookies

The Method.

Pour the half-and-half in a blender, and then add the vanilla pudding mix.  Blend until combined, and then stir in the crushed Oreos.  Immediately pour into popsicle molds and freeze until set.  This recipe made 6 popsicles for me; it just depends on the size of your molds.

Helpful hints:  I found it definitely works better to put the half-and-half in the blender and THEN the pudding mix on top of that; if you put the pudding in first, some of it gets stuck in the bottom of the blender and doesn't get incorporated as well.  And, since we're working with instant pudding, the faster you get the mixture in the molds, the better, since after it actually becomes more "pudding-like" (is that a word?) it's harder to pour in there.  Also, you can also use milk instead of the half-and-half, but it won't make as creamy of a pudding pop.  I actually used fat-free half-and-half for these since that's what I had on hand, and it worked great, but the regular stuff might be even better.

Enjoy!  :o)

Linking up to Creations by Kara!

think pink!

The other night I finished up an order for a former co-worker of mine.  She has a friend who is expecting a baby girl, so she asked me to make an initialed onesie and a set of three burpcloths.  She really picked out some cute fabrics, don't you think?

I love how everything ended up coordinating together just perfectly.  And it was fun sewing something for a girl for a change!  I actually had to go find pink thread!  :o)

Hope she likes them!

in the kitchen: barbecue chicken calzones

Mmmmm.  Isn't pretty much anything better when totally encased in pizza dough? 

Well, I'm sure there's exceptions to what I just said, but these beauties are still pretty awesome.  And they're a great way to use up leftover chicken.

This recipe makes two huge calzones, so if you wanted to make four smaller ones that would probably work too (just adjust the baking time as needed).  Or else just make the two huge calzones, and cut them down the middle after they're finished baking to make four servings.  Either way works.  Ready to give them a go?

The Ingredients.

1-2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
2-4 slices of bacon
2/3 cup barbecue sauce
10-oz. can of pizza dough
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

The Method.

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (trust me, you'll thank me later).  Cook the bacon until crisp, either on the stovetop or the microwave if you're pressed for time, and then crumble it.  
• Put the chicken pieces and the barbecue sauce in a small bowl and mix until everything is combined, and then add the crumbled bacon to it.  
• Unroll the pizza dough onto the parchment paper until you have a big rectangle, and then gently press with your fingers to make it about a quarter inch thick.  Use a knife to gently cut a vertical line down the center of the dough to make two smaller rectangles (and if you're making four calzones, go ahead and cut a horizontal line too so you end up with four rectangles of dough).  
• Divide the chicken and bacon mixture among the rectangles, being careful to only put it on one half of each rectangle and to maintain at least a half-inch border from the edge of the dough.  Top each one with cheese.
• Fold the uncovered half of each rectangle over the filling and use your fingers to pinch the dough together.  It also helps to fold the excess dough over and press with your fingers that way.
• Cut a small slit in the top of each calzone, and if desired, brush olive oil or butter on the top to help make a nice golden crust (you can also just spray the tops with nonstick spray!).
• Bake the calzones for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.  When they look like this, they're ready:

{And yes, those are two ginormous calzones.  My hubby and I were hungry, and I shared some of mine with my kid, so don't judge...haha.}  And it's best if you let them cool for about five minutes before you attempt to eat them (unless you like the feeling of burnt tastebuds.  No?  Okay, then let them cool).

You can also play around with this recipe.  Might be yummy to saute some onions to mix in with the chicken, or maybe use some parmesan cheese in addition to the mozzerella.  Definitely a great alternative to the traditional calzone.  And didn't we all learn from The Calzone episode of Seinfeld that "there's nothing more satisfying than looking down after lunch and seeing nothing but a table"?

And yes, I looked up that quote to make sure I got it right.  There's a site with Seinfeld scripts on it, who knew?  :o)

a tale of two shirts

A couple of months ago, I found this cute polo shirt at Goodwill that looked like it had barely been worn.

It was too big for my son at the time, but I knew it would fit him by the spring or the summer at the latest.  But it was much too boring.  So the other night I found this fabric remnant in my stash:

And turned "boring" into some preppy awesomeness:

Is there any kid out there who does not rock in argyle?  I doubt it.

I was on a roll with this applique thing, so I pulled a plain white t-shirt out of my kid's dresser.  The tag says it's 18 months, but the shirt looks a tad on the small side, so I figured the sooner he wore it the better.  I dug into my fabric scraps and also unearthed some cute stencils I forgot I had.  And soon the plain white tee became this:

{Hopefully those tires look like O's, or else my whole vision is just ruined!  Haha!}

And I apologize about the quality of these pictures.  It was late at night when they were finished, and my dark house just doesn't allow for stellar photography.

But now my kid has two new shirts to wear.  For dirt cheap.  LOVE IT.

Linking up to Creations by Kara!

quick fix: splat mat

Have a messy kid?  I sure do.  I guess it could be a lot worse, but I feel like I'm constantly scrubbing that section of floor underneath his high chair.  Even if my kid loves the food I give him, some of it still finds its way onto the floor.  And you know what happens if I don't wipe it up right away; it becomes that much harder to scrape off later.

Around the first of the year, I found a huge rectangular plastic-coated tablecloth on clearance at Ross for $3.  I cut it in half and put one section of it underneath the highchair; the plastic coating made the food a lot easier to clean up, even if it had been given time to become fossilized.  :o)

Here's the problem, though.  My kid learned to walk.  That tablecloth became a hazard for him (and, let's face it, for Mommy too) since the other side of it was slick.  Plus it was kind of flimsy so it was difficult to pick up and move around anyway.  I ended up trashing it last week because it was pretty much beyond help.

Today during naptime I fixed the problem using the other half of the tablecloth.  Caleb's "splat mat" is now thicker, more durable, and (most importantly) completely slip-proof.  Wanna know how I did it?  Sure you do.  :o)

First I took the remains of the tablecloth and laid it out to see what I had to work with.

Then I folded it in half, right sides together, to make a long rectangle.  My kid's messes tend to fall on either side of his chair, so I wanted more coverage on the sides for sure.  I pinned everything and then sewed along three of the four sides.

Then I turned the whole thing right-side-out through the side I had left open, and then smoothed everything out the best that I could.  I also pinned that open side shut so I could sew it closed when I went back to top-stitch everything.  But before the top-stitching, I wanted to add another feature:

Grippy shelf liner!  This stuff is great for more than just lining shelves; in fact, we use this to keep our son's diaper changing pad on the changing table.  It provides just enough friction to keep stuff in its place, and with a very cheap pricetag at that.  The dollar store sells five-foot rolls of this stuff, so I got two rolls and got to it.

I unrolled both rolls of shelf liner and cut them in half lengthwise.  Then I just started pinning the shelf liner along all four sides sides of the mat, trimming and overlapping as needed.  I sewed the liner down, about 1/4 inch from the edge.  Then I went back and sewed all along the inside edges of the liner to completely secure it to the bottom of the mat.  I was a little concerned about how the shelf liner would fare under the sewing machine needle, but it worked great; the only thing that slowed me down was getting the pins out as I sewed, since some of them really needed a strong tug to get loose from the shelf liner.  So when I was done, the mat had a border of shelf liner all along the outside edges.

Then I flipped it over and tested it.  I walked all over it and it didn't move at all!  No more slipping or sliding around!  Plus by sewing the tablecloth in half first, I made a double-layer mat so it's much sturdier and easier to pick up for cleaning if needed.  Ha, "if needed."  That's a laugh.  I'm sure my son will be glad to christen this latest creation at his very next meal.  :o)  Linking up at Creations by Kara and A Little Tipsy!

the tohoku tote

 

Back in March, I came across a wonderful idea on the blog I Am Momma - Hear Me Roar.  The author of the blog had just completed a tutorial for a cute tote bag when tragedy struck Japan.  Instead of selling the tutorial, she decided to just give the tutorial to anyone who wanted to donate to any organization that would help the people affected by the earthquakes.  My husband and I sponsor two children through the organization World Vision, and I had already decided to dig a little deeper that month to help Japan as well, so I decided to definitely try this bag soon.

I was able to use fabric I already had, so all I had to buy was the interfacing and the magnetic snap.  I was surprised at how quickly this project went, and I love how sturdy the bag is as well (gotta love thick interfacing!).  The tutorial had two different options for the bow, and let me just say, I'm glad I recently acquired a walking foot for my sewing machine, because there was no way the regular foot could go through all those layers of heavy fabric!  I added a double pocket on the inside of mine:

And also successfully installed a magnetic snap for the first time!

I realized this tote bag is the perfect size for a 3-ring binder, which is what I currently use for holding coupons.  I recently switched to this system, and I was getting a little annoyed juggling the binder, my purse, and my toddler when trying to get all situated in a store (yep...three things to carry with two hands...the math just doesn't work out, does it?).  This way I can just make this my shopping bag; when I'm ready to go out the door, I can just throw my wallet, keys, and shopping list in that inside pocket, and I'm good to go.

A great bag for a great cause.  Love it.  :o)

nursing cover

One of my friends was nice enough to suggest a use for that brown embroidered fabric I found while going through all my supplies a few weeks back.  She has a four-month-old, and the nursing cover she's been using has some...ahem....coverage issues at times.  Face it...babies grow up, and they get really active and like to pull things.  Your hair, your necklace....and perhaps a nursing cover.  :o)  So she asked if maybe I could make one for her using this fabric.  I found this free tutorial and decided to give it a go!

I liked this tutorial because it was easy, came with LOTS of pictures (great for a visual learner like myself), and allowed for some little touches, like a band of coordinating fabric along the bottom:

I also used boning and D-rings for the first time...easy peasy.  The boning went in the neckline to give Mommy a peephole to see Baby, without giving everyone else a peep show.  It might also give Baby easier access to Mommy's hair or necklace, in case Baby is one of those babies who simply CANNOT nurse if they don't have stuff like that to twirl or play with.  The D-rings and straps allow for easy adjustment for the amount of coverage needed.
.

And as you can see, there's plenty of fabric on both sides, so hopefully this cover will counteract any wiggling or yanking my friend's baby decides to do.  One can only hope.

Hope she likes it!  :o)

in the kitchen: quick crispy ravioli

Is there anything yummier than ravioli?  Um yeah there is.  Ravioli coated in breadcrumbs and then lightly pan-fried.  YUM.  My only regret is that I don't have a picture to show you, because this stuff rocks.

The original recipe is here, but I served it with jarred pasta sauce instead since fresh tomatoes are so expensive right now and my hubby's not so much a fan (unless they've been pureed to a completely chunk-free sauce).  This is also a great recipe to try this week, since I noticed at Publix yesterday that Bertolli pasta sauce is on BOGO right now.  And you can substitute an 8-oz. package of Monterey Pasta Company whole wheat ravioli, also on sale at Publix this week.  And Betty Crocker's website has a $1 off coupon for the breadcrumbs you need for this recipe.  And you can also get Fresh Express bagged salad on BOGO this week, and grab a $1 loaf of French bread at Walmart to round out the meal.  So yeah, this dinner is some cheap eats.  Here's my adapted version:

The Ingredients.
2 tablespoons water
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (yes, the stuff in the can is fine)
1 9-oz. package of fresh ravioli (though you could probably use frozen if you thaw it out first)
3 tablespoons of olive oil, divided
Around 2 cups of jarred pasta sauce for serving

The Method.
1.  Combine the water and beaten egg in a shallow dish, and stir to combine.  Combine the panko and the cheese in another shallow dish, and stir to combine.  Dip each ravioli in the egg mixture, then dredge in the breadcrumb mixture.  {Tip:  I noticed that my panko got kind of soggy the more ravioli I dipped in it, and by the end it was very hard to get it to stick.  It's probably better to go ahead and mix the panko and cheese as directed, but only add a few tablespoons at a time as you're coating the ravioli so you're always working with dry crumbs.  Make sense?}
2.  Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add a tablespoon of the oil, swirling to coat.  Also, begin to warm up the pasta sauce in a separate pot on another burner (or else warm it up in the microwave when you're about to serve the ravioli).  Add one-third to one-half the ravioli (depending on the size of your skillet; it's best not to overcrowd the pan so the ravioli will brown like it's supposed to) in a single layer.  Saute a minute or two on each side or until golden.  Remove from pan and drain on paper towels (even if you don't use a ton of oil, this step really helps).  Repeat procedure with remaining ravioli and olive oil.  Serve with the pasta sauce either on top, or on the side as a dipping sauce.

Mmmmm.  Delicious.  This would also work as a fun appetizer for a party!  That layer of breadcrumbs packs a huge amount of flavor for very little additional bucks.  :o)  Enjoy.

thrifty finds: recovered clock

 

Remember this clock I found at Goodwill last month?

I liked it, but it was kind of blah.  So I decided to try to take the sucker apart and give it some new life, using only what I already had on hand. My husband and I are soon celebrating our fourth anniversary with a mini-getaway, and we're also in dire need of a new computer, so the less I spend on stuff, the better!

It took me a few minutes to figure it out, but once I removed some screws in the back, I was able to pop the glass out of the front and remove the hands so they wouldn't get messed up.  The original paper they used to decorate the face of clock was really stuck in there, so I left it there and figured I'd just stick stuff on top of it.

First I tried paper...but it looked weird and it just wrinkled really easily.  So I decided to try fabric instead.  I went ahead and Mod-Podged the paper circle on the clock face anyway, just in case the original design would show through the fabric once that was on there.

Then I found a fat quarter I got on clearance at Jo-Ann a few weeks back and cut the same-sized circle out of it. I ironed the circle really well and Mod-Podged it down over the paper circle, smoothing out all the wrinkles with a rag.

I felt it needed something else....probably because some of my edges were uneven and it was pretty noticeable.  Oops.  Gotta cover that up.  So I found some twine in our laundry room and decided to line the edges with it using some hot glue.

In the end, three rows of twine looked the best to me, so I did that. Then I removed a BUNCH of those annoying little hot glue strings that seem to stick to everything like spiderwebs.  Can they just go ahead and invent some non-string-producing hot glue already??  :o)

Now for the numbers.  I decided to just do 12, 3, 6, and 9, since I didn't want to have to worry about the face of the clock looking too crowded (and, let's face it, naptime was almost over!).  I printed out the numbers in a cute font and laid them on the clock to see how they looked:

Then I used double-sided fusible interfacing to bond the numbers to a coordinating fabric; this made the numbers sturdier and easier to cut out.  This step would have been unnecessary if I had a Silhouette or other kind of craft cutter.  Then the numbers would have already been cut out for me.  On fabric.  Because Silhouettes can do that now.  Sigh.  Maybe one day... :o)

Anyway, I cut the numbers out, peeled the paper off the back, and stuck them on the clock to figure out exactly where they needed to go.  This is what's nice about double-sided interfacing...it provides kind of a temporary hold so you can move stuff around before you commit and iron it down.  If I had planned this out better, I would have ironed them directly on the fabric circle before I Mod-Podged it to the clock face.  Instead, I ended up just brushing some Mod-Podge on the back of the numbers and sticking them to the fabric, using the hook on the back of the clock as a guide so I would know where the "top" of the clock was.  When I was satisfied, I let everything dry, then replaced the clock hands.

I cleaned the glass really well, screwed everything back in its place, and just like that I had a new clock.

Total cost:  $4.14 for the clock.  Everything else, I had on hand!

Love it.  My kitchen loves it too.  Only thing is, the thing's a little temperamental.  Even with a new battery in it, the clock just stops ticking randomly, and usually starts again only if you really press on the battery (which is pretty snug in its holder already).  Weird.  Perhaps this is why the previous owners were kind enough to donate it.  Remember, I found this at Goodwill so you just never know.  I still love it though, and it looks great just as a decoration.  And ticking gets on my nerves after awhile so maybe it's for the best.

So if you have a clock you're not loving that much, give it a new face!  :o)

Linking up to DIY Under $5 at A Little Tipsy today... although I accidentally put MY name under the thumbnail instead of the project name.  Duh.  :o)

I also linked up with Creations by Kara!

in the kitchen: peanut butter granola bars

They look pretty good, huh?

Wanna make them?

Get ready, because your house is about to smell amazing.  I baked these a couple hours ago and my house still smells like peanut butter.  In a good way.

I got this recipe from my sister, who got it from someone in her Bible study.  So yeah, can't take credit for it, although I want to.  The only thing I did differently was add chocolate chips!  I also baked these at 325 degrees instead of 300 degrees, but it just depends on your oven.  These bars come out firm around the edges but also very moist and chewy (in case you're not a fan of those granola bars that break your teeth).  :o)

The Ingredients.
Dry~
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1/3 to 2/3 cup sugar, depending on how sweet you like your granola bars
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Optional: 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Wet~
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup water

The Method.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  In a smaller bowl, combine the wet ingredients.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well (clean hands work better than a spoon!).  The mixture should start clumping together pretty well.
Spray a muffin pan with nonstick spray and fill each cup about half-full with the mixture, using a scoop or two spoons.  Press firmly with your fingers so the mixture is more like a solid cake (it helps if you wet your fingers with water since the mixture is kind of sticky).  Bake for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown (just watch them to make sure they don't get overdone).  Let them cool completely in the pans before you take them out.
This recipe is enough for 24 bars, so if you have two 12-cup muffin pans you can bake them all at once.  Or, if you're like me and only have one muffin pan, you'll have to wait for the first batch to cool completely before you can use the pan again.  :o)


You can also add other nuts or some dried fruit to these....feel free to experiment!  I used creamy peanut butter but crunchy would also be really good.


Now go make them.  And enjoy some peanut buttery goodness.  :o)

Linking up to Creations by Kara!

recipe book re-do

So while I'm waiting for a new part for my sewing machine to arrive, I decided to finish a no-sew project I've been meaning to tackle for awhile.

I love to collect recipes...and most of the time I actually try them.  But my recipe binder was in sad repair.

This puny 1-inch binder was literally falling apart at the seams trying to handle all the recipes I crammed in there, and my collection of recipes was reduced to this:

So I got a huge 2-inch binder and some new dividers from Target.  I made sure to get a binder with that plastic sleeve on the cover and the spine so I could make it look the way I wanted without having to worry about covering the whole thing.  I got plain white dividers for the same reason (that and they were the cheapest!).

I got out my scrapbook paper and just started messing around.  I had a really nice book of 12X12 sheets I got at Goodwill for a few bucks awhile back, and most of them coordinated really well with the color of the binder.

I also just cut out rectangles of paper and attached them to the dividers themselves to add some color.

Then I just labeled the dividers, stuck all my recipes in, and then let out a huge sigh of relief.  :o)

Plus if I ever get sick of the cover, I can always do something different and just slide it right in.

Simple project....big results.  I really miss sewing so hopefully that bobbin case will come in soon!  :o)

sheet music "art," part 2

So the more I looked at my sheet music display, the more I disliked it.

The frames were too big, and the wall was really looking crowded.  Plus I realized that if I ever get around to putting some kind of a window treatment up on that window (even if it's just a valance), that would bump up against that frame to the left, making things even more crowded.  So I decided to brainstorm and figure out what else to do.  And I ended up fixing it last night because the bobbin case in my sewing machine decided to fall apart so I couldn't do the sewing project I wanted to do.

First of all, I knew I wanted the lyrics of the song to show as much as possible.  And I didn't want to spend any more money.  So....I took a deep breath, took all the pages of the music out of the frames, and cut out all the blank space.  Then I traced the outline of that back part of the frame onto a piece of posterboard and cut it out so it would be the same size.  I lined up all the bars of music on the posterboard, letting the edges hang over as necessary.  Then I Mod-Podged them down.  Then I added a layer of Mod Podge on top to seal it all in.

Then I ate a popsicle while waiting for the Mod Podge to dry.  :o)

I used Word to print out the letters of our last name in a cute font (I tried just an "I," like a monogram, but let's face it, I's just look boring...and they look like Roman numerals...or first person pronouns...not what I was going for).  I traced them onto different colors and styles of scrapbook paper, and then Mod-Podged them on top of the music, finishing with one more layer of Mod Podge on top.

Once it dried, I trimmed up the edges of the posterboard, put it back in one of the frames, and ta-da!

I'm probably going to hang it up on the opposite wall, to one side of our china cabinet, since it's a smaller area of the wall.  So now we have our wedding song on display.  And I get to return the other three frames to Michaels, because I honestly can't think of any reason to keep them!

The only bad thing about redeeming this project is that there are all those nail holes left in that other wall.  Oops.  Either we just live with it until we decide to paint all the walls, or else I need to find something BIG to hang up there to cover it all up.  :o)

in the kitchen: strawberry-peach popsicles

Let me start off by saying that this recipe makes four popsicles, not two as pictured above.  Guess this photo indicates that these are pretty tasty, since my hubby and I each had one before I snapped a picture of all of them!

I found these popsicle molds at Walmart yesterday and got really excited.

Almost too excited.  I've been wanting some for awhile but they were hard to find since they're a seasonal thing, and I didn't want anything super-fancy off of Amazon.  I bought two of these molds for around five dollars.  Not bad.

I decided for my first batch I'd just mix up a smoothie recipe and pour it in the molds.  This recipe is enough for four popsicles:

Strawberry-Peach Popsicles

Ingredients:
1 cup sliced peaches
1 cup sliced strawberries
1/4 cup orange juice
3/4 cup lowfat vanilla yogurt

You can use frozen fruit, or fresh, or a combination.  If you used frozen fruit, just put some in a bowl and thaw it in the microwave for 30 seconds or so.  Also, play around with the amounts of orange juice and yogurt if you want.  They're not set in stone.

Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth.  Pour into the popsicle mold, place the tops on, and freeze for a few hours.  I mixed mine up around 2:00 yesterday afternoon and we ate them around 9:00 last night, but I'm sure they were ready before then.  Probably doesn't take that long at all.

Now that I have these, I'm already thinking of other combinations.  Peach-raspberry, strawberry-blueberry, lemon-blueberry, banana-peanut butter?  :o)

Enjoy!

sheet music "art"

Okay, I know what you're thinking.  How many posts is she going to do about wall decor?  Does she just have hundreds of picture frames on reserve?  Are there any blank walls left in her house?

To answer that last question, yes, in fact there are.  Especially in our living room.  But that's for another time.  :o)

Lately I've seen people do a lot of cool stuff with sheet music.  They roll it up to make wreaths, or Mod Podge it onto candles or furniture.  Maybe it's the musician in me, but I just really like the look of it!

My husband and I have some wedding pictures hanging up in our dining room, and it dawned on me that I could track down some sheet music of the song we danced to at our wedding and hang that up.  So I googled "At Last by Etta James sheet music" (still love that song....who doesn't?) and as luck would have it, I found a site where the song was available for FREE download.  FREE. Love it.

So I downloaded it as a PDF file, and then had to reduce it so it would fit onto regular 8.5X11" paper.  I used some of my husband's fancy resume paper to print it out on, and I really like the effect.  Almost makes it look vintage, rather than just something I printed off of the computer.

Adding to the "vintage" effect are the numerous little lines and smudges that have become our printer's MO.  Maybe it's running out of ink, I don't know.  But for this project, I was able to work with it and make those imperfections look like they were supposed to be there.  :o)

I didn't want to reduce the music any more to make it fit into normal 8X10 frames (which stinks, since my parents have a bunch of those up for grabs).  I went to Michaels and looked at document frames, but they were just so boring; it was hard to imagine even a coat of spray paint redeeming them.  Then I found these 10X13 frames...I've used these frames before in my son's room.  They're inexpensive, but don't look it.  And this week they're on sale for $3.99 each.

I could definitely swing that, especially since I also had a coupon for an additional 25% off my entire frame purchase. So basically I got one of those frames for free.  :o)

I found some pretty scrapbook paper, also on sale at Michaels, and then put them all together.  I took the matte out of all the frames, and I had to work with the layout of the paper so there wouldn't be any gaps, but all in all I think it looks pretty decent.

I hung these up last night, but now I'm thinking this wall looks a bit crowded.  Might have to move stuff around a bit.  Or maybe somehow reduce the size of each one or use different frames so they're not taking over everything.  Either way, this might mean more nail holes in the wall.  Sigh.  Oh well, I still like the idea, just might have to do a 2.0 version soon.  :o)

Linking up to Creations by Kara...maybe one day I'll be brave and link up to more places.  :o)