Thanksgiving Turkey Handprints

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Together, Madelyn and I are made name tags for the Thanksgiving dinner table for all 12 of our family members that will be joining us. I throw some ideas out, Madelyn agrees (or not) and we work together. She does the coloring and writing and I help with the hot glue. Check out some of our creations. We tried to make each one a little different. 

Hope you enjoyed our crafts! We surely enjoyed making them! Have a great holiday with your family!

Gobble Gobble 🐔

Gigi 

Duct Tape Trinket Shelf

I bought this shelf for $1.50 at Goodwill during one of their 50% off nights. I stood in line for 1 hour to buy it, and other stuff. So worth it! Check out what I did!

So I covered this sweet shelf in pink duck tape! Duck tape is awesome to work with because it is tape and easy to wipe off with a damp sponge. It would be great for a nightstand where you/your child leave your drink cup overnight. So, to make this shelf a little more decorative, I hot glued some frilly ribbon on and hung some homemade Pom Poms from the bottom (see tutorial below). I stuck on some Hello Kitty stickers just because she'll love them. The stickers easily come off too when your kid is too grown up for Hello Kitty. This is going to be the perfect addition for Madelyn's bedroom. And the perfect place to put her little trinkets. 

Crafting for the kids!

🌸 Gigi

DIY Tutorial - Pom Poms

These Pom Poms are so simple to make. See the picture below for visual instructions. 

1. Supplies Needed: scissors, yarn (any yarn will do. You do NOT need some expensive bakers twine as many other bloggers indicate.), and a fork. 

2. Wrap your chosen yarn around the fork. I wrapped mine about 30 times for the Pom Pom size shown above. 

3. Cut another piece of yarn and stick it through the middle fork spoke and tie together. 

4. Now slide the yarn off the fork. Tightly tie and knot the yarn. If the yarn isn't tied tight enough, the yarn pieces will slip out and the Pom Pom will not be a Pom Pom. 

5. Cut the rings of the yarn to make frayed edges. 

6. Fluff Pom Pom to desired shape. 

This is an easy craft to do. And it's always nice to personalize whenever possible. You can put this homemade Pom Pom on a gift or around a candle as a decoration. You can hang multiples from a wreath or put it at the end of your pencil. Really, the possibilities are endless. 

Trick or (class)Treats

I decided that I wanted Madelyn to take some treats in for her class for Halloween. With all the food allergies, I decided to keep the treat simple, and candy-free. I hit up the Dollar Store and Dollar Buys section at Target for some cheap treats. This is what I came up with. 

Pencils, erasers, stickers, and spooky Halloween rings. I placed them all in a Trick or Treat bag, tied it shut with yarn and called it a treat! I did something extra for the teacher- a Halloween koozie, two Halloween post it notes, and a pencil. Then Madelyn and I wrote "Happy Halloween from Madelyn" on an orange pumpkin (made out of orange paper) colored with a green stem to finish up the treat. I think they turned out adorable! 

What do you have in store for your Halloween favorites? 

Counting Down... 4 more days... 🎃

Gigi

Halloween Costume Reveal

Have you been waiting to hear about my family Halloween costume? Because I'm finally posting my share! 

We followed the yellow brick road on this Halloween, Halloween 2014! While I may be slightly biased, my kids looked beyond adorable as Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion! 

Hope you enjoyed our costume!

Can't wait to hear from YOU about your favorite costumes! Leave a comment below. 

👻 Gigi

Halloween Camp Out 2014

We camped at Granite Hill campground in Gettysburg, PA for Halloween. It's a big campground, and it was packed! And fully decorated for Halloween! There were scheduled activities for Friday night and Saturday including karaoke, ghost tour, a horseshoe contest, pumpkin carving, costume parade, trick or treating, campsite decoration contest, evening dance and haunted barn tour. We participated in a lot and the kids, and us, had a great time! 

We decorated our campsite with purple and orange lights. We had pumpkin lights on the front of the awning. My homemade milk jug pumpkins were lit up as you walked up to our trailer. Here are some day and night pictures:

And here's my milk jug Jack-o-Lantern:

Here are some close ups of the decorations. 1. I made this cute spider craft from a kit from Oriental Trading. I also made a cat (not shown). 2. And check out these fall candle holders from Pier1. At night, I stuck a LED tea light in them and they were perfect for the picnic table. 3. The pumpkin lights added to the Halloween theme. 4. Our campsite wouldn't be complete without spiderwebs, which we hung from the awning and displayed all over the trees. 

Some people really went all out with decorating, and only for the weekend! Check out these campsites! 

And these costumes! 

The whole weekend was amazing! I was so impressed with all the effort that went into the weekend; by the campers, staff, and all the families! So.... If you are thinking about going camping for Halloween, if you're not thinking about going, or if you're not sure what you should be doing for Halloween, now you know! Enjoy this family friendly activity! Your kids will love you for it!! 

⛺️ Stay Calm & Camp On! 

Gigi

Low-Carb Pumpkin Pudding

Pumpkins, warmth, brown-yellow-red-orange colors. Those are all reminders to me that Fall is here! Fall is my favorite time of the year. I like the cool breeze, vibrant colors, and the scents of... well, Fall. While cool outside, my house is always warm with Fall scents. So I found a recipe for something yummy, something that tastes like fall...

Low-Carb Pumpkin Pudding 

Ingredients: 

For Pudding: 

1/2 c refridgerated coconut milk (actually becomes coconut cream) 

1/4 c canned pumpkin filling 

6 drops of liquid stevia (or a 1/4 tsp powered stevia or 1 tbsp maple syrup) 

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp salt 

For Whipped Topping: 

1 tbsp refridgerated coconut milk 

1 drop liquid stevia (a pinch of powered stevia or 1/2 tsp maple syrup)

1/8 tsp vanilla extract

1. Mix the pudding ingredients together. Pour into a glass. 

2. Wisk the whipped topping ingredients together. Pour on top of pudding. 

3. Refridgerate for at least 30 minutes for coolest results. 

4. Enjoy! 

Not only is this recipe Low-Carb, but it is also Gluten Free. One serving is 9 carbs. 

Low-Carb Butterscotch Frosty

Not being a cook, I was thrilled when I found a recipe on Pinterest for a low-carb chocolate frosty. I crave sweets and haven't had a milkshake in forever! So I jotted down the recipe, went shopping, and came home to make my own yummy creation!

Here's the easy recipe:

2 c ice

3/4 c water

1 tsp vanilla

3 tbsp dry sugar free pudding mix - I used SF jello brand butterscotch pudding

1/4 c cool whip 

Directions: 

1. Crush ice and water in blender - I use a smoothie maker because it has more settings. 

2. Add in the other ingredients. 

3. Blend to your preferred thickness. If you want a thin frosty, add more water. 

Disclaimer: the swirl of chocolate syrup on top is ONLY for the picture. That swirl alone is 12 carbs! 

I found SF puddings in chocolate, vanilla, butterscotch, and cheesecake flavors. You can use any of these flavors to make a frosty, or a combination of some too! Kids aren't suppose to have SF food, so I am sure you can use a sugar added pudding if you want to make this treat for kids. I know if my kids were awake, they would have wanted mine, so an alternative for them would be ideal. 

This recipe is so simple and really satisfying. I made a large mug of a frosty, which was plenty for me! Enjoy this sweet treat! 

Cheers! 🍦

Gigi 

Secrets of a Low-Carb Lifestyler

First, I want to thank everyone for the support and kind words about my new "look." Yes, I have lost weight since April 2014 and yes, I feel good about it. I'm not dieting, but I am going through a lifestyle change. Many people ask me what my secret is, how I do it, and for help, so I thought I could take this opportunity to blog about it. I like to refer to it as a Low-Carb Lifestyle. 

So, back in April I met with my doctor and a nutritionist who advised me to lose some weight. As many of you know, I had gestational diabetes with both of my kids, so I am at risk for type 2 diabetes in my later life. If I don't take care of myself now, I am at an even larger risk, so I knew it was time for a lifestyle change. 

My nutritionist put me on a Low-Carb diet, which consists of the following:

Breakfast 45 carbs

Snack 15 carbs

Lunch 45 carbs 

Snack 15 carbs

Dinner 45 carbs

Snack 15 carbs

* All meals/snacks must be 2 hours apart; 2 hours from the time of first bite. 

Now, I know that a lot of you look at this and say, how do you do it? How do you know what to eat? So I'll share a few secrets of mine with you. 

🎯 My best friend is the iPhone app: <CalorieKing.> You can type any food into the app or any restaurant, and the nutritional facts will be right there. While I only look at carbs, some people may use this app to count fat or calories, and they're there too. Also, cholesterol content is there if you need to keep an eye on yours. You can also change the portion size in the top drop down menu. 

🎯 Secondly, I track my daily meals. I use another iPhone app: <Diabetik,> which tracks what I ate, my blood sugar, exercise, and notes that you may want to add. This app is manual, so you have to put in your carb/calorie/fat, etc amounts and add them up, but it keeps you on track for every meal. 

🎯 I also weight myself weekly, not daily, weekly. A daily scale reading is not accurate and it makes you feel defeated when you don't get the results you want to see. I weigh myself every Friday, in the morning, before I eat breakfast or take a shower, in the nude. This gives me the most accurate read because it's consistent. I use an iPhone app to record my results: <WeightRecord.> 

🎯 Invest in a food scale and measuring cups. Most food packages have the exact amount of chips, pretzels, cookies, etc for each portion size, but some packages state portion size by ounces or cups. It's just a good idea to have these kitchen items in case you find yourself needing to weigh a food item before you eat it (like fruits and veggies). 

This lifestyle doesn't take anything away from you, and it's easy to follow once you're committed. You can eat whatever you want, but you have to follow the recommended portions. I personally stay away from foods that are very high in carbs, because, to me, they aren't worth it. These include: 

🍍 pineapple

🌽 corn

🍚 rice

🍜 pasta 

🍟 potatoes 

🍹 fruit juices

I tend to eat more meats 🍗 and cheese. I've always been a salad lover, so I eat plenty of that too. I eat out everyday for lunch and I am still able to eat my favorites like the Med Salad from Noodles & Co, Greek Salad with Chicken from Panera, and the Chopped Salad and Lemon Chicken Orzo soup from Corner Bakery just to name a few. Some of my favorite snacks include: Keebler 100 calorie packs- cookies, pretzels, etc which range from 14-17 carbs per bag, individual size bag of chips, raw veggies- green beans, peppers, and fruits- strawberries, blueberries, plums. 

I am on Pinterest, pinning away, searching for low-carb recipes. I am not a cook, but I have found some recipes that sound so delicious and are low-carb! I am dying to have a Frosty from Wendy's and now I have the low-carb recipe for it. I'll share that recipe and others on my blog, as I make them. 

What I want you to take away from this post is that a Low-Carb Lifestyle is nothing to be afraid of. Sometimes it's a choice and sometimes a necessity. Either way, if you're motivated to change, then it is easy to follow and adjust to. Of course, if you have ANY questions for me, feel free to post below or email me. I am so happy that I am changing my lifestyle for myself and my health and I think you will be too! 

A Happier and Healthier,

Gigi 😀

Homemade Halloween - BOO wreath

I like to blog and if I didn't craft, I wouldn't have anything to blog about. I think starting this blog has gotten me motivated to do more crafting, by myself and with my kids. After all, crafting is cheaper than therapy, and we all need therapy! Hope you enjoy my posts!

BOO Wreath 

My inspiration came when I found some medium-small sized, circular foam wreaths at the Dollar Store. I thought about how boring my front door was for the Halloween holiday. After all, Every door needs a little decor, whether it be inside or outside. 

I made my wreath using Halloween ribbon that I had bought at the Dollar Store for other projects. Some of the ribbon was thick and some were thin ribbons. I used three rolls and still didn't  cover the whole thing. I secured the ribbon with sewing pins, which are so easy to use and small enough that they go unnoticed. I then adhered self adhesive stickers and Halloween rings to the wreath as spooky embellishments. I paid $1 for this wreath since I already had the ribbon and embellishments. 

As you see, I stuck a pre-lit tea light in the center to add some light when the wreath goes outdoors. 

While I created this wreath, I thought about how I could make a larger, longer wreath to write BOO. I went back to the Dollar Store and bought another circular foam and two small circles of foam. I didn't like the size of the rectangular foam so I figured I could search my house for something that could suffice.

Here's my crafting stash:

I used the larger circular foams for the "O" in BOO and the two small circles of foam for the body of the "B." I cut the center out of the small circles of foam with scissors. I then found a paper towel roll that I trimmed slightly, to use at the line in the "B." (These foam pieces are "supposed" to be used to secure flowers into a vase - the green ones - and can be found in the craft section of the Dollar Store.) I individually decorated each piece and then secured them all together with yarn hanging from a hanger. Look how cute the project came out! 

Close-up. With pre-lit tea lights. 

This whole project cost me less than $10! It was so simple to make. I can reuse it Halloween after Halloween; It's not like it goes out of style! 

Crafting an original! 🎨

Gigi 

Repurposed Hangers

I have all these hangers in all these sizes from baby to kid to adult. I was thinking about giving a stack to my friend for her baby shower, but I thought that giving a bunch of store hangers to someone for their baby shower would look tacky. Instead, I thought of a creative way to repurpose the hangers and make them beautiful. 

It was really simple and cost me nothing. I used ribbon left over from a previous project, fabric from literally 12 years ago that hadn't been used, and sewing pins and beads I already had too. I wrapped the ribbon and fabric around the hangers and then added a decorative touch using the pins and beads. 

The brown hanger is ribbon, the blue hangers are made from denim fabric and the "I love you" is a lightweight fabric. The ribbon and lightweight fabric were easiest to maneuver and stick pins through. They also kept the shape of the hanger best since they could be pulled tightly around the hanger. 

I used a sewing needle and a very small bead to add the embellishment. 

I'm happy with the end result and I'm definintely adding them to my gift bag for my friends baby shower. It gives a little life to something that was so boring before. 

Gigi

Homemade Halloween- dollar pumpkins redesigned: take 2

Tonight I made two new Dollar Store pumpkins to share. 

I was shopping at Walmart and found this adorable Little Mermaid ribbon and just had to make my little princess a pumpkin too! 

I used two colored ribbons and the Little Mermaid ribbon. The solid ribbons came from the clearance bin at Walmart. Because I wanted to make the pumpkin "fit for a princess," I added self adhesive hearts in all the empty spaces that the ribbon wasn't covering. I also added some white beads in between the hearts. Madelyn came home and was super excited for her pumpkin; she asked if she could have it in her room! Of course!! 

While in the craft aisle, I also saw some buttons that got me thinking about another creative idea for a pumpkin. At first I had picked out different colored buttons and was going to pin buttons all over the pumpkins, but then I saw these letter buttons and had a better idea! 

I bought Halloween ribbon at the Dollar Store and bought sewing pins to attach it to the pumpkin. I also used the pins to attach the letters. I bought plastic rings at the Dollar Store in the shape of bats, skulls, and spiders, and put them on the pumpkin too! Plus, this 50 pack of Halloween rings can be used to fill the gift bags for Madelyn's class at her Halloween party. 

I'm constantly thinking of new and creative ways to decorate these inexpensive pumpkins. I'm also thinking about Thanksgiving and what projects I can create for another holiday! 

Owen's Personal Chalkboard

I hadn't intended for this recycled cabinet door to become a personal chalkboard for my little man, Owen, but it's the perfect size and he seems to love it!

All a toddler needs is some wood, chalkboard spray paint, and chalk to have a little fun! Your toddler can have some cheap fun too! 

Freebie Thursday!

Gigi

Homemade Halloween - lawn signs

When we renovated our dining room in July, we had wood left over from a cabinet we tore out. I thought I could recycle the wood to make a Halloween sign for our yard. I had my very kind and patient husband cut the wood into squares and then cut a long piece into a stake. We spray painted the wood pieces with black chalkboard spray paint so that we could write on the signs. We made the signs double sided. 

My daughter drew some spooky people and wrote a Halloween message on hers.

I decorated one with a spiderweb and spider, another with a ghost and Halloween message, and a third with a tombstone. My husband then screwed the wood to the stake and we plan to stick each sign in the ground. 

I can't wait to see our front lawn when all of our Homemade decorations are up! Because they're homemade and fairly fragile, they won't be put up until Halloween- at both our campsite and our house! Full yard frontals to follow! 

What's your favorite Halloween message?

👻 Boo! 

Gigi 

Homemade Halloween - candy corn candle holder

I got inspired to make this Homemade Halloween craft by my love for candy corn and my love for fall/pumpkin scented candles. So what's better then putting them both together? 

I bought a small square glass container at the Dollar Store. This would have been the perfect opportunity to use a vase or other glass container that I didn't know what to do with to make this craft. But I didn't have another glass container, so I bought one. I then bought a bag of candy corn and started glueing them all over the container. I used plain white glue. I spread the glue all over one side at a time and stuck the candy corn on. I didn't make a specific design, but you surely can to add a little more character to this simply delectable craft! 

I worked on this craft for four days. I wanted to allow enough time for each side to dry before putting the next round of candy corn on. I will say, the candy corn melted and fell off, so when it was all done, there were still repairs to be made. I don't know if there's a better glue (maybe a glue gun) that would have worked better, so please, enter your suggestions to me in the comments section. 

The final display has two tea lights in it. It doesn't let off a lot of light, but it looks pretty cool. A design would probably look really cool as the light would really make that shine. 

This craft is perfect for other holidays too - conversation hearts for Valentines Day, red and green M&Ms for Christmas, chocolate gelt for Chanukah, birthday candles for a birthday; be creative! Creativity is the fun in crafting! 

🎨 Craft Away! 🎨

Gigi 

Homemade Halloween - dollar pumpkins redesigned

This foam pumpkin can be purchased at the Dollar Store for $1. It can be decorated for another dollar. The Dollar Store is loaded with crafts for decorating or you can use what you already have at home. 

I bought some Halloween ribbon and self adhesive foam Halloween pieces to decorate my first pumpkin. These are both available at the Dollar Store. 

The black ribbon is see through with glitter. When I unwrapped it, I wasn't pleased that you could see the orange pumpkin through it, but I am pleased with the end result. Then I put a few foam spiders on the top to make it a little spooky. The ribbon was stapled on (for my convenience) and the spiders at the top hide the staples. 

My second pumpkin was spray painted with chalkboard spray paint. I drew spiders and spider webs on it with white and colored chalk. 

While I haven't completed anymore pumpkins, I have some great ideas for the next batch. 1. Glow in the dark spray paint! I saw this for less than $10 at Home Depot. Those pumpkins would be great to line your walk as trick or treaters came to your door. 2. Duct tape! There are so many new designs of duct tape these days that you could really make a pumpkin covered in duct tape for any occasion. 3. Burlap! As I was told by a shop owner in New Market, VA, "burlap is the new silk." Plus, burlap can be dyed to any color you desire. 

These crafts were done with my 5 year old who enjoyed spending time with me, wearing a smock, and doing a craft. The pumpkins are foam so it's easy to put a hole in them or tear off the stem, so handle with care. Thank you to *A Cultivated Nest* for your blog on "15 Dollar Store Pumpkin Crafts" that gave me the inspiration to create my own pumpkins. 

You can easily make your own pumpkin too! You can redesign an original or carve out the foam for a scary face! Be creative and enjoy! 

Gigi  

Halloween Memories

I am thrilled about Halloween. I think it might be my new favorite holiday. Actually, I didn't have a favorite holiday before, but this year, Halloween has become my clear favorite. Halloween isn't about presents, which means expectations that aren't always filled. It's just about having a good time. And every year, I have a good time watching my kids have a good time! (And the loads of candy we come home with doesn't hurt!)

I stopped trick or treating around 4th grade. I don't know why, but I remember not going through the neighborhood with my friends after around that time. So when I had kids, I've tried to make the most of the holiday every year. 

Madelyn is 5 now, so for her first Halloween at 2 1/2 months, she was a strawberry and I was her farmer. My sister, Julie joined us, so I had the pleasure of farming both pumpkins and strawberries.

At Madelyn's second Halloween, we were matching ladybugs.

Halloween number three wasn't too eventful, but Madelyn was a cute garden gnome and I was planning to be the gardener. But the outfit wasn't fitting for me, so that idea didn't last.

For Madelyn's fourth Halloween, we matched as mother and daughter Eskimos. These were cute outfits and bought for $5 a piece from the Halloween clearance bin the year before. My parents joined us, as they usually do, and we had a great time. Plus, I was 7 months pregnant.

Last years Halloween was a sad one for me. Madelyn was 4 years old and didn't want to dress up with me. They say girls eventually have a mind of their own and don't want their mommys to pick out their clothing anymore. This is so true, yet sad. She picked out her outfit with Aunt Julie and trick or treated as a Halloween fairy. I recycled an old costume and was a ladybug again. I welcomed a new addition though, and my little Owen was an adorable little devil at 10 months old. 

But this year, this year we are planning a family outfit and that is why I am so thrilled for Halloween of 2014!! We are coordinating as.... NO WAY! I can't give it away before Halloween. You'll have to wait for that post to see what we dressed up as! But I'm telling you, this year is going to be the best year yet!

Stayed tuned....

Gigi  

Homemade Halloween - milk jug pumpkins

I've started to get ready for our Halloween camping trip to Granite Hill RV and camping resort in Gettysburg, PA. I'm trying to create a homemade, family friendly Halloween campsite for my husband, myself and the kids to enjoy, as well as the other families trick or treating with us! Here's a simple and free decoration that will be perfect for our campsite! 

Milk Jug Pumpkins 

I used empty milk jugs, drew a face on them with a black sharpie marker, cut a hole on the back, and stuffed Christmas lights in them! So simple! We drink a lot of milk in my house and we already had Christmas lights that weren't in use. I hope to make a few more of these guys before our camping trip too! 

All you need is an electrical outlet and voila! - instant decor for this spooky holiday! They're perfect for your own house too - yard or inside. I plan to plug them in on Halloween too, on our front porch. 

Stay tuned. I have a few more ideas for homemade Halloween decorations up my sleeve. 

🎃 Happy Halloweening 👻

Gigi