Posted in Holidays, Thanksgiving

DIY Mayflower Photo Prop

You thought I was joking about being able to make anything out of a cardboard box??? Made this baby out of two giant Active Panel boxes left over from the Elementary School. I also had my kids help out with the painting, made a fun Thanksgiving break project.

Here’s the progress….wish I was blogging back then, I probably would have taken more pictures!

Posted in Holidays

Instant Pot Chili with Cornbread Topping

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 35 Minutes
Total Time: 50 Minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb Ground Chicken
  • 1/2 lb Ground Sausage
  • 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 Medium Onion, chopped
  • 1/2 Green Bell Pepper
  • 4 Cloves Garlic
  • 1 Package of Mixed Mushrooms (Optional)
  • 2 Cans of beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 Can (28oz) Crushed Tomatoes
  • 3 Tbsp Tomato Paste
  • 1 Tbsp Chipotle Powder & Brown Sugar
  • 1 tsp Paprika and Dried Oregano
  • 1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 1 C Unsalted Chicken Stock
  • 1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce & Soy Sauce
  • 1 tsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
  • 1-2 packages of Jiffy Corn Muffin mix.

Directions:

STEP 1: Heat Olive Oil in your instant pot, saute mode. Brown Chicken and Sausage

STEP 2: While chicken and sausage are cooking, make the Chicken Stock Mixture. Mix chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and cocoa powder and set aside.

STEP 3: Add Onions, Bell Pepper, Garlic, Mushrooms, Chipotle Powder, Brown Sugar, Paprika, Oregano, Tomato Paste and Vinegar to pot. Saute until onions are translucent. Approx. 3 Minutes

STEP 4: Deglaze the Pot with the Chicken Stock Mixture.

STEP 5: Add Crushed Tomatoes and Beans. Pressure cook for 10 Minutes + Natural Release.

Step 6: Prepare Jiffy Corn Mix using the box directions. Add Chili to Skillet to Oven Safe Dish, spread Jiffy Mix and bake for 20-25 Minutes until topping is fully cooked.
Serve with Sour Cream, Jalapenos & Cheese.

Servings: 6

Posted in Holidays

Scraps Aren’t Crap – Spooky Frames

Believe it not, I actually had a tub of Styrofoam balls that I bought at Home Goods last year….why did I have a tub of Styrofoam skulls you ask….? No idea! I’m sure when I at the time i was convinced that I could make something fabulous with them, NOT! Truth is, they were probably on clearance and I couldn’t pass up the deal.

Supplies:

  • Skulls (Styrofoam is easiest to work with
  • Unfinished Frames
  • Acrylic Paint
  • Modge Podge
  • Hot Glue
  • Paper Towels
Posted in Halloween, Holidays

Easy Owl Costume

I made this costume for my now 14 year old back in 2014. Can I just tell you that I ABSOLUTELY LOVED making my kid’s Halloween costume. Nowadays, they prefer to either scrape something together themselves or….dare I say it?….buy one, ugh! Needless to say, this was one of my favs.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Felt (for Feathers, Feet and Eyes)

Brown Fabric, approx. 1.5 yards

Batting/Stuffing for the feet

Sewing Machine

First I CUT my brown fabric to make the wings, gloves and super simple dress. In hindsight a brown pillowcase, with armholes cut out, would have done the trick.

Cut 2 of each shape

Next CUT the felt pieces into enough feathers to cover the dress and wing fabric pieces. Starting from the bottom, SEW* the feathers on, one row at a time, layering each row over the previous row until your entire piece of fabric is covered.

*NOTE: You can also use fabric or hot glue

If you used glue you can skip this next step. I cut two extra wings to cover the stick lines and create a lining on the inside of the wings.

Again, in hindsight, I could have used a brown glove for this next step…lesson learned. MAKE the brown gloves using the brown fabric, then ATTACH them to the wing ends using a brown piece of ribbon.

Finally, Attach the wings to the dress by either hand stitching or running it through your machine. Cover any stitching with leftover feathers.

FEET: You can create the feet like I did using felt and stuffing them to create a 3D effect, I just attached them to my daughter’s shoe using a safety pin. Alternatively, you can just do 1 piece of felt and attach that to the shoes too, much easier.

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Posted in Halloween, Holidays

Witches Cauldron – Quick Costume

Everyone that knows me, knows that I love all things Halloween. In fact, I generally dress up in a different costume every day the week leading up to that night! When the kids were little, I tried to match their costume theme. This was one my all time favorites to make and wear!

Supplies:

Big Plastic Cauldron

1.5″ Ribbon or straps

1 Small bag of Ployfill

Multi Size pack of Styrofoam Balls

Lime Green Acrylic Paint

Old Headband

Utility Knife

Hot Glue

Directions:

Step 1: Using the utility knife, cut the bottom of the cauldron. Optional: place black duct tape on the cut edge.

Step 2: Take the Black Ribbon and hot glue them to the top opening of the cauldron to make the suspenders.

Step 3: Using a paint brush apply lime green paint on the Styrofoam balls. NOTE: Do not use spray paint as it will melt the Styrofoam.

Step 4: Glue Styrofoam balls and Poly-fill on the top rim of the cauldron to make it look like it’s bubbling over. Also glue a couple of Styrofoam balls to an old headband with some Poly-fill.