somewhat simple // easter bunny treat bag toppers

Just when you thought Easter couldn't get any cuter… BAM! Download these FREE printables and see the super easy tutorial at Somewhat Simple, asap! 

somewhat simple // st. patrick's day treat bag toppers

These may be the cutest things ever. And you can get them for FREE over at Somewhat Simple!!

somewhat simple // easter milk carton boxes

Remember my Easter placemats I designed a little while back? Well I decided to make some treat boxes to match! 

Download yours for free by clicking here! --xoxo

somewhat simple // more christmas tic tac labels

Just because I felt the last batch needed more friends...

Click here to grab these free printables!

somewhat simple // easter tic tac labels

Ready for more fresh breath goodness?

Good. Download these fun Easter Tic Tac Labels.  Like right now.

RUN, don't walk to your printer...

And then maybe create this Easter Garden Starter Kit:

:)

Have a fabulous week! --xoxo

somewhat simple // valentine tic tac labels

So it's official.  These Tic Tac labels are now a 'series'.  Holy fresh breath Batman.  I am speechless.  And totally overwhelmed over how warmly these have been received.  Feelin' like a Rock Star.  That's all.  What a fantastic way to start Weekend Eve. ;)

Download yours at SomewhatSimple.com and spread the minty, tic-tac-y love!! xoxo -- Sarah

somewhat simple // christmas tic tac labels

Hi loves!  It's that time of the month again!

No, not that time of the month.

My free printable is up at Somewhat Simple!  If you need a fun and quirky, but quick and cheap little gift or favor, than I would highly recommend that you print off the Christmas Tic Tac Labels, grab some Tic Tacs and get your super easy craft on!

Hope you all have an amazing week.  Hug those loved ones and remember to focus on the things that truly matter this Christmas! -xoxo

{ somewhat simple // gratitude garland }

Sooo... you know what I forgot to do? I forgot to let all y'all know about this month's free printable I created for Somewhat Simple!  Ack!! Where does the time go?  So I know everyone is (if you haven't already) taking down Thanksgiving decor and getting all the Christmas-y stuff out, but log this away for next year, or do it real quick.  ;)  Head on over to Somewhat Simple and download your free Gratitude Garland asap!

Hope everyone has a great week! -xoxo

{ somewhat simple // halloween tic tac labels }

All right all you crafty peeps out there.  Need a super easy, inexpensive and uber cute Halloween craft idea?  Then head over to Somewhat Simple today and check out my Tic Tac Halloween Labels!  

Print them off.  Cut them out. Glue them on.  Make your dreams come true.

Ok, maybe not the last part, but you will be considered awesome.  You know you want to head on over to download these puppies and see my epic visual tutorial.  ;)

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend! --xoxo 

{ the gift of gold in a bottle : buttermilk syrup }

Let me clue you in, if you are not aware, of something amazing.  Something divine.  Something that really should not exist in this world because I'm sure it has a million and five calories and I like to eat it {sad face}.  It is the miracle of BUTTERMILK SYRUP.

Sometimes I imagine Heaven.  And when I do, I imagine what we would eat.  And one cannot think of Heaven and Eating without this golden nectar popping into one's mind.  Haven't tried it?  Tried it and don't have the recipe?  Well thank your lucky stars 'cuz here ya go:

BUTTERMILK SYRUP:

· 1 cup of sugar

· 1/2 cup of buttermilk

· 1 cube of butter {or margarine}

· 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

· 1 teaspoon of vanilla

>>> Heat sugar, buttermilk and butter in medium saucepan on med. high until all dissolved.  Let simmer for 5 minutes.  Add baking soda and vanilla and remove from heat.  Perfect on pancakes, waffles, ice cream, etc.

Want to give the gift of Liquid Heaven?  Here's an idea of how you might package it {and please excuse the low quality of the pictures - I need a new camera} :

Paint the lid of a mason jar and handle of a spoon with chalkboard paint.  Pour in Buttermilk Syrup Of The Gods. {FYI -- I made 2 batches to put in the jar- I think it could've held 3 batches easy.}  Write on the lid.  {Another FYI -- don't abbreviate Buttermilk Syrup on the top.  You don't want people thinking you're giving them a jar of BS.}   ;)  

Use the spoon handle as your "To:" tag.  And voila.  Awesomeness in a jar.  I gave this one to a friend of mine for her birthday, but this would even rock as a Christmas, house warming, or hostess gift.  

Yes.  Those are Easter eggs in the background.  Yes. I've been meaning to post this since then.  Yes.  Life's been busy and I'm just now getting to it.  *sigh*

Hope you all have an amazing weekend! --xoxo

{ a red letter day }

The summer is flying by, with only a little over a month left for us.

{insert weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth here.}

And with this eye opening fact, I feel a little guilty that I haven't provided proper brain stimulating, character building and fun family activities for the wee ones.

Enter: the world wide web.

Have you seen these?

{image found here}

You find letters in nature/objects and create words. How fun would it be to make your own? How fun would it be for your kids to help? {All while adding that crucial element of proper brain stimuli.}

So I decided to take my kids on an alphabet scavenger hunt. {Around the house mind you, it's just way too hot outside. When it cools down, we will travel through the fresh air in search for any one of the 26 letters included in our alphabet.}

I was Awesome Mommy for the day . . . my kids LOVED it! I handed my 7 and 3 yr old the camera, gave them a few photography tips and then sent them on their way, in search of typographical elements they could capture for their collage.

While your kids are capturing priceless images, head on over to Leo Reynold's flicker images to find some awesome letters to create your own words. Be mindful that these are to be used only for home and personal use, though. I found him through Amy Gregson's blog. Here are some examples that I put together really quick with Leo's amazing photos:

*

*

*

Armed with the family camera, have your kids find the letters in their names and then make their own letter art.

You're family name is another great thing to do . . . get creative!

When you're done, Costco or Walmart can make poster sized prints, or there are other websites that will do the same. Print them off, frame them, etc. It's something you can do all together, especially for Family Night!

Now go grab your cameras and get out there!

--------------------------

Happy Alphabet Scavenging!

--------------------------

xoxo

jordan

ps- forgot to do Camryn's Corner last Monday. Check out her post here, in which I would also like to echo her title, "Where has the month gone?"

{Sorry Cam!}

{ the multi - tasking office supply }

I have the same sized hands as one of my 9 year old students.

So when it comes to handular {new word - emailing Webster right now} strength, or any strength for that matter, well... I'm kinda lacking in that department.

I would like to introduce you to my Nemesis:

No, I'm not talking about delicious apricot preserves.

I'm talking about

Screw Top Lids.

I hate them.

Especially those that involve anything sticky or juicy.

I know a few tricks to getting them open.

Hit the rim with a butter knife,

run it under hot water,

but there is another way that I just read about.

I feel really stupid for not thinking of this earlier.

Enter:

The Rubber Band.

By slipping one of these bad boys around a lid, it acts as a gripper and voila!

Apparently, lots of people have already heard of this.

Hi, my name is Jordan and I was sheltered all my life.

;)

So I began "researching" other uses for this rubber band.

{I like to say "researching" 'cuz it sounds way more intelligent than "googling"}

{so does using the phrase "way more"}

And I need to add a warning.

This post has nothing to do with funny or being a mom.

I'm just lacking in material this week, so bear with me as I ramble about my discovery.

;)

Here's a few research morsels that popped out at me:

Gauging liquids.

Placing a rubber band around a paint can or any other solid color container will let you know at a glance how much is left without opening it.

Wiping your paint brush.

Extend the band across the opening of a paint can.

A bookmark.

Wrap it around the page and closest cover.

Wearing those skinny jeans.

We all know this 'pre-maternity clothes' trick.

Or 'pre-getting-back-into-regular-clothes' trick.

Keeping thread from tangling.

Or any other cord-like material.

Use different colors for identification.

3 root beer cans? Grab 3 different colored rubber bands to tell who's is who's.

Anchor the cutting board.

Place a large one around the sides to prevent slipping.

Use this on remotes too.

Stop candle drips.

Wrap around the base of a candle to stop drips from reaching the surface.

Keep apples fresh.

After slicing an apple, reassemble the wedges so it looks intact again, then wrap a disinfected band around it to keep it from browning.

Keeping wallet from slipping.

...out of your pocket by accident or by thief.

Shower grip.

Keep bottles of shampoo or your razor from slipping out of your hands.

Chinese jumprope.

Remember that?

Label maker.

Slap a band around a jar and write the contents on it with a permanent marker.

Pencil eraser.

Wad and wipe.

Koosh ball.

Wrap a large rubber band around a wad of smaller ones. Cut through the loops of the smaller ones.

Bracelet.

Peg board art.

Keeping garbage liners from slipping.

And the list goes on!

Here are the links - check them out for more ideas:

52 uses for rubber bands

40 practical tips for an ordinary rubber band

17 extraordinary uses for rubber bands

I feel really bad now for throwing out a bunch of them when I was dejunking.

Now you may think, I don't want my house to look trashy, but there are ways to make them look trendy. Use different colors, or just make your own designs on the tan ones. For black remotes, color the band completely black so no one can tell {perhaps clear nail polish would keep it from transferring to/rubbing off on your hands?}. Or customize your very own here. How many awesome uses could one come up with, if you had options like these:

There's something about office supplies that makes me swoon....

Weird.

--------------

Happy Banding!

--------------

xoxo

jordan

ps.thanks for making it through this random ramble.

:)

{ book wreath - first mmb post }

All right peeps. Here it is. My first post as a Mormon Mommy Blog contributor:

Book Wreath on a Budget

I was reading mmb and thought hey, this looks familiar, and then BAM!

I realized it was my post that I had submitted. Kinda weird. But a good weird. ;)

Yes. I should have put the title as Book Wreaths on a Budget, since there were 2.

Oh well.

xoxo

jordan

{ps - I made these for FREE}

{now you REALLY want to check it out, huh.}

;)

{ lemon sugar hand scrub }

It's teacher appreciation week, and I don't know about you, but I really appreciate my son's teachers! So while trying to come up with something meaningful, cheap and {of course} cute, I decided to stop racking my brain and turn to the blogosphere.

I came across a delightful blog called Under The Table and Dreaming. And she had posted a fabulous tutorial on how to make your own

lemon sugar hand scrub.

Perfect.

I ran to Walmart and grabbed a glass bottle {in the kitchen isle} for a little over a dollar, and came home ready to concoct this new dreamy recipe.

I followed Stephanie's directions, but she called for olive oil, and it just overpowered anything else I put in it. So I turned to my good old canola oil. The original recipe is found here, but I decided to 'tweak' it a bit.

This almost filled my 10 oz. jar. Feel free to 'tweak' this version too. I haven't tried, but if you omit the lemon juice, you could probably use any flavor of essential oil you have. This would make a great mother's day gift as well!

And for all of my readers who have amazing mothers and teachers, here are my labels if you don't want to make your own. Super easy!

It's because I care...

;)

{front label}

I just used packing tape to secure it to the front.

{lid labels}

And for the teachers, here is a blank one:

Type or write your teacher's name, then glue or modge podge to the top, or even cut out the lemon and tape it onto the inside of the lid, if you have one of these kind from Walmart:

Tie a cute spoon with ribbon or jute and voila! Cute and thoughtful gift!

{although, Stephanie's spoon is infinitely cuter}

xoxo

jordan