Above Ground Gardens Made from Pallets

My amazing husband humored me when I asked him to grab up some discarded pallets. He was skeptical of my visions of pallet gardens. But once I showed him a few ideas on Pinterest, he ran with it and came up with his own version of a pallet garden. I must say he did a super fantastically amazing job putting these together and even went above and beyond by adding solar lights! :) Here are some "instructions", it really isn't difficult. You just cover one side of the pallet with wood to create a bottom, box in the sides with more wood to create a box and then seal the wood.

Et voila, pallet garden!

Cover the "bottom" with wood, he used one solid piece but for the next ones he said he may use planks.

 Cover each side with a plank of wood to create a "box".

 Find cheap/free labor to paint them up  for you. Just be sure not use oil based stains that could taint the soil.

We arranged them on different heights of bricks for a "fancy" look. :) 

Here they are ready to be filled with soil. 

All done and with added bonus solar lights!

Kawaii Teddy Bear Bento

I love this bento box shaped like a teddy bear head.

I used the cutest little sandwich cutters that also have a piece you can press into the bread to make an animal face. Adorable! :)

Slouchy Hat

Here is my latest crochet creation. A black and silver/gray slouch hat for a friend. :)

Made using April Draven's pattern.

More Kiddie Bento Goodness

Washing the grapes.

Hello Kitty sandwich cutters.

Bento box all ready to be packed up.

Semi Aquatic Egg Laying Mammal of Action

It's PERRY!!!!

Healthy Bento for Kindergarten

Super cute Hello Kitty Bento Box :)

Kiwi, Blueberries, Carrot & 2 Japanese Jellies

4 Tiny Hello Kitty PBJ Sandwiches & a Winnie the Pooh Egg

I got the bento box and egg mold in Okinawa and lucky for us my friend went to California and brought us back 3 big bags of the Japanese Jellies (like Jello). Yum!

Back to School Bento

Strawberries, carrots and Japanese jello. Yummy!

Star shaped egg and Hello Kitty sandwiches. :)

She loved it and ate every bite!!!

Super Kawaii Sandwiches & Cheese Bento

Made for my daughter using cute little sandwich cutters with faces you can press into the top of the bread. I also used letter cutters to cut her name out of cheese. She LOVED it!!! :)

Summer Pinwheel Hairbows

I used the tutorial here to make these!

I made about 15 or so all at once. Now my daughter chooses a new one each day to wear to school. Very easy to make and so darn cute!!

Teddy Bear Tissue Box Cover

I bought this pattern on etsy a year or two ago but it appears the shop is no longer there and I cannot find the "Amigurumi Sweet Crochet Company" who sold this pattern.

 Therefore I sadly cannot post a link to where you can buy this pattern.

But I am glad I got it when I did!

 I made this as a birthday present for my friend.

I hope she likes it!

I made one for myself a while back and it is one of the only items that I have made and kept for myself!

The kids and I love using it!

Does Absence Make the Heart Grow Fonder??

To my blog followers. I am sorry I have nothing new to post.  I recently went back to college full time and it has left me with no free time to crochet or craft.  But the good news is my creativity has another outlet!

Through my classes I am able to play around with my photography! YAY! So I may not be posting here as much, but I hope to be posting periodically on my photography blog located here :http://nikkipaigephotography.blogspot.com/ 

Wish me luck in school! So far it is amazing and I am so glad to be back at it and SO glad I took most of my prerequisites when I went the first time! :)

Valentine's Day Surprise for My Kids

I knew the kids were gonna come home from school all sugared up with more candy & treats in tow so I decided not to get them a box of candy or Valentine treat. I decided to make a fun heart shaped dinner for them to celebrate Valentine's Day and to show how much I love them.  My homemade heart shaped pizzas were a huge hit! They loved the pizzas and the thought that went into preparing them. 

Here's how to make some special super easy heart shaped pizzas for your kiddos!

Preheat oven to 375-400 degrees.

Take flour tortillas and cut them into heart shapes.

Lay tortillas on a baking sheet and spread them with pizzas sauce.

Sprinkle pizza cheese over top of the sauce.

If you wanna get fancy, like I did, cut the pepperoni in to heart shapes.  I used a tiny "cookie" cutter that I usually use to make bento box lunches. I then took the scraps of pepperoni and hid them under the cheese and placed the cute pepperoni hearts on top of the cheese.

Add any other toppings your kids like to the pizzas.

Bake in oven for 5-8 mins. Keep a close watch, the tortillas brown up quickly.

And ta-da! Heart shaped pizzas!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

Amazed by a Four Year Old

Last night Bella just sat down and went to work with her scissors and crayons.  She made this on her own NO help from anyone! Yet again, I have been amazed by my four year old! 

Yummy Vegetarian Goodness

So I've been meatless for 8 months now and LOVING it! I just tried out a new recipe that was so yummy! It is in the Taste of Home magazine's October/November issue.  It is called Moraccan Vegetarian Stew.  It was a bit spicy, but I'm a wimp when it comes to spicy. ;) It includes zuchini, chickpeas, butternut squash, potatoes, tomatoes & carrots! A meal full of healthy yummy goodness!

It's FAH-REEZING Outside!!

So we finally made it to Oklahoma. We are getting settled in our new house, yay! It has been super cold and Bella so loved my hat I made from April Draven's convertible hat pattern that I had to make her one! I used Sensations Rainbow Classic Pattern yarn which is soft and thick.  I have been wearing the one I made myself and I love pulling my hair through the top! It looks so cute! Anyway, here is the hat. It only took me a few hours since it was for a preschooler. :) I highly recommend this pattern! It is super easy and the hats look so nice! People won't believe you made it yourself! :)

Thanks for looking! Hopefully I will be posting a lot more now that we are settled again. :)

Ramune aka Japanese Soda Drink with Marble in the Bottle

A description of the origin of ramune is here. But basically the one I got tastes like Sprite. It comes with a plastic plug looking piece that you press into the top of the bottle. This releases a hidden marble into the bottle. It also caused mine to fizz like a volcano all over my counter top. :)  It is difficult to drink at times because the marble blocks the flow of liquid.  But the kids loved playing with it.  It is a pretty cool novelty drink although it was way too sweet for my liking.  The marble, apparently, is extremely difficult to remove without breaking the bottle. I used pliers and couldn't budge the plastic top. But I'm pretty sure the movers packed my bottle for me! :) So atleast I got a cool souvenir!! :)

Bottle after removing the plastic wrap that covered the cap.

Bottle with plug sitting on top just after I popped it. If you look closely you can see the clear liquid puddled around the bottle.

See the marble covered in bubbles?

Tilted so you can see the marble.

Chug it Bella!!

Chug Chug Chug!

I love the tongue sticking out while looking at the marble!

Looking for the marble. :)