Menu Organizer and Recipe Holder

Hi Beautiful Bloggy Friends!  I hope you are having a wonderful week!  I don't know about you, but I'm ready for the weekend!

I've been on a cooking kick lately.  I really do not like to cook, but I know it is so much better for my family and our pocketbook if I do.  I've been making a valiant effort.  I'll head over to KraftRecipes.com, pick out my dinners, add them to my shopping list, and print it out with all of the recipes.  A week's worth of recipes and a shopping list equal several sheets of paper, so I came up with a way to help keep my weekly menu organized.

This project was so easy!  Here's what I did:  a scrapbook paper covered file folder holds all the recipes for the week.  I glued the outside edges of the folder together to create a little pocket.  I used my Cricut to cut out the label and the letters and spruced them up with a little distressing ink.

I Mod Podged scrapbook paper onto a metal sign (I found mine on clearance at Michael's, but I've also found them at the Dollar Tree), used my Cricut to cut out the word DINNER, and made some satin rosette magnets.

The magnetic board is the perfect place to display the recipe for dinner that night.

Now for the best part!  I used 3M Command strips to adhere these to the inside of one of my kitchen cabinets.  This cabinet is right next to my stove, so it stays open while I'm cooking and my recipe is always visible and up out of the way (so it doesn't get covered in dinner). :)

This system has been working brilliantly!  It's so fantastic knowing that dinner is already planned, I just have to pick out what I want to cook.  What do you think?  :)

Have a great weekend, Everyone! :)  I'll be linking up to these super parties!

Valentine's Day Mailboxes

Hi Friends!  I hope you all have been well!  I've missed you!  These past two weeks have been extremely busy at work, so I haven't had much time to create.  Now that things have died down a bit, I've had a chance to finish up this project that has been sitting half done on the shelf in my office. :)

This project has been on my TO DO list since last year!  I was inspired by Stephanie Lynn over at Under the Table and Dreaming.  She is always a source of inspiration for me, and this was too cute to pass up!  She made this Pottery Barn inspired version for her little boy. 

For this project, you will need:  a mailbox (small - Target $1.00 bin, large - Michael's), wooden candlesticks, round plaque for base, super glue, craft paint, paint brush, and embellishments (depending on the embellishment you use, you might also need Mod Podge and a foam brush).

I gathered some "prizes" for Kason's (a.k.a. The Monkey) mailbox.  I didn't spend a lot of money.  In fact one of the prizes is a Happy Meal toy from my lunch one day. :)  Other prizes include: crayons, socks, Little People figures, a silverware set, a stuffed monkey, and fruit snacks.

To get started, construct the bases by stacking and gluing the candlesticks on top of one another and then gluing to the round base.

Each base got a coat of white paint.

While the glue and the paint are drying, decorate the mailbox.  I used my Cricut and vinyl to create Kason's Love Rocks themed mailbox and Keith's binary code mailbox.

 Creating Valentine's Day things for a guy is a little challenging.  Even though Keith said I could cover his mailbox in hearts (so love him), I knew that I wouldn't be happy with it.  He is pretty technologically savvy, so I decided to go with I love you in binary code.  I cut it out on vinyl using my Cricut and changed out some of the zeros and ones for I "heart" U. :)

I Mod Podged some floral embellishments onto mine and all of the bases got dressed up with a little craft paint.

 

I love how each one reflects a little bit of our personalities and I can't wait to start filling these (and opening mine) on the 1st of February!

I love the little "rock hand sign" on Kason's!  Too cool!

Is love in the air around your home too?

I'll be showing these off at my favorite parties!