Wednesday, April 27, 2016

TEACHER OF WILD ONES (FREE PRINTABLE)

Show your kiddo's teacher some love with this free printable coffee mug! And throw in a gift card to Starbucks... because that's what they really want! This is perfect for my preschool-aged kids. Trust me, they really are wild ones.

Scroll down for the link to download and to purchase the coffee mugs.

Simply print out the free download on cardstock, cut along the lines, and insert into the inner layer of the coffee mug (it just screws off really easily). It would be fun to have glitter or confetti in there too. Or you have your kiddo color the paper or put a photo in there... the options are endless. 



For another free printable for teachers, click HERE!
Treat yo teachers!
xo

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

DALMATION WALL STENCIL | BEFORE & AFTER

      We recently purchased a fixer upper of our own, and have big plans for it. However, we are having to start small. One thing we did not have that I felt was an immediate need was a place to hang our jackets and bags and put our shoes. Our laundry room is the room we enter into from our garage, so I decided to make a small utility wall in there. The entire room is getting a makeover... new floors, cabinets, countertop, light fixture.... the works. Until then, I just needed a space to hang all of the crap that would make its way onto our sofa and living room floor. No Bueno!
    
 I recently became obsessed with all things dalmatian, and wondered how I could incorporate this print into my home. I just wanted that one scene stealing wall in my home. I toyed with doing removable wallpaper, but truthfully, it was a bit pricey for a laundry room. Also, what if I want something different in the future? I just didn't want to deal with removing wallpaper. With stencils, you can use paint and just paint right over it and even use the stencil on a different wall if you want. The more research I did, I felt confident that I could handle doing a stencil... on my own....for the first time. Well, I was at least going to try. 
     
I came across the amazing stencils from Gypsy Mint, and fell. in. love! They were kind enough to send me their dalmatian pattern to try, and I could NOT wait to get it up on my wall. The best part was that they let me customize my stencil. They have such great designs ready for purchase, but customizing is their specialty, and it allowed me to get my stencil just the way I wanted it. I also really love this one for a little kids' room as well as this one. They are just all so good friends!
 First, I had to pick the colors that I wanted to use. White is not just white, and black is not just black guys. I wanted a specific warm white with a softer black shade. I ended up going with BM's White Dove and Space Black. Space Black actually looks like a true navy when it is put up against something black, but on the wall.... it is "black" and perfect! This was my wall before ( kind of). I may have gotten a little paint happy before snapping this photo. It was just a dark grey room with no windows that needed some serious brightening. 
The stencil comes with clear cut instructions on how to transform a wall in no time. I altered those instructions a tad so that I could work with what I had on hand rather than buying more supplies. For instance, I used painter's tape to hold my stencil up rather than spray adhesive. It worked just fine. There was a little bleeding here and there, but I am such a perfectionist, that I was planning on doing touching up afterwards anyway. The stencil was extremely sturdy and such great quality!! I was really impressed!
From left to right: I placed my stencil in the center of my wall as instructed. Then, I got the paint on my mini roller. I used a mini roller cover for a roller handle I already owned. I used a knit roller, NOT a foam roller. I rolled over the stencil after getting as much excess paint off as possible. I didn't want it to bleed underneath the stencil. It is really really important to go slow and not get impatient. SO. HARD for me. I left the stencil on while the first (very thin) layer dried enough for me to add a second coat. Then, I removed the stencil and just laid it down until I was ready to place it in the next space. The great thing about this pattern is that you can't really mess up! There are arrows on the stencil to help you with placement, but if there were spaces that had less spots, I just went back and added them at the end. I did the edges of the wall very last. I got as many full stencil coverings as possible first. 
Here is what this tiny little Gypsy Mint box allowed me to create in my own home. I am obsessed with it, and it is by far my favorite thing to look at around my house. I can't thank them enough!

For our coat hooks, we simply took 2 1x4 planks, stained them with our stain of choice, and after searching, purchasing, hating, returning, and searching some more for the perfect brass hooks.... Target saves me. Have you guys seen their new brass hardware? Sigh.... I love you Target!! I cannot wait to reveal the entire room with you guys here in the next few weeks. Sad to say, I spend a lot of time doing laundry. An efficient room that is pretty to look at is just a must!
Sources:
Stencil - be sure and check these ladies out! | Basket | Brass Hooks | Mirror  

Sunday, April 24, 2016

MOTHER OF DRAGONS (FREE PRINTABLE)

Even if you don't watch Game of Thrones (ummm ya need to get on that btw) you'll understand the meaning of "Mother of Dragons"!! Here's a little 5x7" print for yourself for Mother's Day. Just a reminder of what a tough job you have, and what an amazing job you're doing! Scroll down for the free download...
This is my office slash hoarding print gallery wall!
Mother of Dragons black and white print HERE
Mother of Dragons green print HERE
Yo Momma card HERE
Grammar card HERE
Gilmore Girls card HERE

Happy Mother's Day to yourself!
xo

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

RECIPE: CHOCOLATE TOFFEE CRACK


You know when you're eating something and every time you take a bite, you have to say how good it is? Even if you're by yourself? Ooooooor is that just me? I think this crack chocolate salted toffee cracker will have you doing just that. Crunchy, rich, and sweet with a touch of salty. Since Passover starts Friday, we made ours with matzo, but you could certainly use Ritz crackers or Saltines. 

Scroll down for the super simple recipe.
Rich bittersweet chocolate topped with fleur de sel

This is the best baking investment you can make. I sprinkle this on every chocolate dessert I bake.


RECIPE

CHOCOLATE SALTED TOFFEE CRACK(ERS)
Ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
fleur de sel (or course sea salt)
6 sheets of matzo or your fav crackers
10 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips
toppings - fleur de sel, toasted almonds, sprinkles, candy, peanut butter chips... the list goes on!

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Line baking tray with parchment paper. Cover tray with matzo, edge to edge.

3. Melt butter and sugar in a pan over medium heat til boiling. Boil 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla and a large pinch of sea salt

4. Immediately pour over matzo and spread with an offset spatula. This will turn into a sea of bubbling toffee so it will sort of spread out naturally- don't stress if it's not perfect.

5. Bake 10 or so minutes until toffee is bubbly and brown. Watch or it will burn!

6. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Cover loosely with foil. After 5 minutes remove foil and spread the now-melted chocolate chips evenly over toffee. Sprinkle with your fav toppings.

7. Put the tray in the freezer for about 30 minutes until chocolate is hardened. Break into pieces and keep in a ziplock bag in the freezer. This will keep it from getting all melty... and hide it from view...

8. Try not to consume all at once.

-L

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

YO MOMMA! MOTHER'S DAY CARD (FREE PRINTABLE)

Let the "yo momma" jokes begin! We're keeping this one sweet though... 
This is totally our moms!! Starting a business and having that fear of "what if no one likes what I'm doing??" and mom is always there to the rescue on instagram and blog posts! Ha! Thank goodness for moms, right?! 
Happy Mother's Day!
xo
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