Art by Debbie Saenz

Mod Podge Monday: Elegant Christmas Box

With Christmas just around the corner (I still can't believe it!), here's an idea for a homemade gift...and, of course, made with Mod Podge! I don't know about you, but I always like to make homemade gifts for my family. I've done this ever since I was a little girl. I remember gluing magnets to little sea shells I collected at the beach. I wrapped them up and gave them to my family as my  special little gifts.  Oh so many memories!

This was a Christmas project I designed for Plaid. You can find my complete instructions here.

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Just a Note...

(In case you want to suppliment your craftiness xo)

I have been busy adding more items in my Etsy shoppe. If you are not already a fan of my facebook page, you can find  the code for a 20% discount on everything in my store...simply "like" A Creative Life by Debbie Saenz here. Hurry hurry! Sale ends tonight, 11/28, at midnight (EST). 

I'm so happy you stopped by & I hope you give yourself some time to reflect on what Christmas really means! 

Mod Podge Monday: Thanksgiving Wall Hanging

I made this Thanksgiving wall hanging last year as a gift exchange for a blog retreat I went to. Since I shared it at the end of a rather long post, I thought I'd share it again. 

I cut out a piece of illustration board for the back and used layers of paper napkins and scrapbook papers to cover the board. Of course, I applied all of this with Mod Podge.

I wanted the scripture to be the focal point, so glittered up a small frame I cut from a cereal box. Yup, as I mentioned before, those cereal boxes do come in handy!

I created a small bouquet of fall embellishments which I added to give it some interest.  The beaded heart dangle and chain hanger completes it! 

Give Thanks to the LORD,

for he is good;

His love endures forever.

1 Chronicles 16:34

I'm so thankful for Jesus! It's His love for us that's better than life and bigger than we realize. He became everything that we needed when He died on the old rugged cross and now, offers us life-giving hope everyday and forever! Thank you Jesus, my faithful and loving Savior!

With a heart full of thankfulness,

Ham and Pasta Casserole...Yum!

This Ham and Pasta Casserole is really easy to whip up. Nothing beats a homemade sauce! I like to make this recipe when I have leftover ham and especially since I normally have most of the other ingredients on hand already. That means no trip to the grocery store for this one...

Cheesy goodness! 

 I made this dish last weekend and served it with stir-fried yellow squash and fresh baked crescent rolls....Yummy!!

 

Ham and Pasta Casserole

6 to 8 ounces spaghetti, broken in half

2 cups diced ham

3 tablespoons butter

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

6 green onions, sliced

4 tablespoons flour

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic seasoned pepper or other pepper blend

dash cayenne

1 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

 

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside.

2. Dice ham and set aside.

3. Melt butter in large sauce pan. Add sliced mushrooms and cook several minutes,  stirring often, until mushrooms are tender; add green onions.

4. Stir in flour and blend well; cook a few minutes until flour begins to brown slightly. 

5. Gradually stir in chicken broth and milk. Add seasoned salt, pepper, and cayenne and cook and stir until bubbly and thickened. 

6. Taste, add more salt and pepper if needed. Stir cooked spaghetti and diced ham, and 1 cup of cheese into sauce until blended well.

7. Transfer into a 2 quart baking dish and bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Add 1/4 cup of cheese and cook for 3 more minutes or until cheese is melted. 

Makes 4 very generous servings. 

Enjoy! xoxo

Mod Podge Monday: Thanksgiving Cone

It's hard to believe Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away. Wow! where, oh where has this year gone? Even though it seemed to have whizzed by, one thing is for sure, we do have so much to be thankful for. 

I made this cute little Thanksgiving Cone out of the cardboard from a cereal box. I have a 17 year old son who lives off of cereal, which means I always have a generous supply of cereal boxes on hand for my creative endeavors. I'm sure you can easilly get your hands on a cereal box too. There is so much you can do with this lightweight cardboard! 

This would make a sweet gift. Simply fill it with candies and slip it into a clear cellophane bag and tie with a pretty bow! 

You can get the complete instructions, including a template, to create this project...

Here: Download Thanksgiving Cone Instructions.

Hand Felted Brooch

In Downtown Buford, at the Tannery Row Artist Colony, the Gallery where two of my paintings are currently hanging, they offer a gathering each week called Thursday Things where artists and various others share their knowledge and expertise just for the fun of it! I've attended several lately and wanted to share what I made last week (in a simple tutorial). 

When I walked in, I was surprised to see a table full of wool, fresh, right off the sheep's back! We were going to learn Hands on Felting taught by Mavis Stevens, a Fiber Artist.  

The off white color was the fresh unwashed wool and the colored wool, which was clean and dyed, came from Hobby Lobby. We first began with the fresh wool. We were all told to grab a clump, but honestly, I was hesitant to touch it as my germaphobia kicked in. But since I needed my hands to begin the process, I gave in and just tried to enjoy the lanolin that began to envelope my hands as I manipulated the wool.

I did run across a thorn that was in my fresh wool clump. Ouch! I don't know if that hurt more than the sharp felting needle I kept poking myself with. We used needles with "spurs" to hand felt our wool. Poke, poke, poke, that's what we did over and over again before we added the colored wool. And then more poking. So far, I don't know if I have the patience to hand felt wool...it took forever! I did learn that they make machines to do this. Hmm, seems so much quicker and easier...if I were to become a master felter that is! But probably not :)  

Shhh! Don't tell anyone, but I cheated, after I gave mine a good bath at home, I threw it in the dryer to finish felting the wool. Mavis said if we "shocked" the wool with heat it would do the same thing. Yes! I like that method. 

As you can see, I sewed in some bling to my wool creation....just a touch as not to take away from the pretty colors of the wool.

Then I created a brooch by adding a pin on the back. 

Ta Da! I think it turned out really cute and gave my simple and plain shirt some pizazz. 

Thank you Mavis! Now I know how to hand felt wool,

something I always wondered about...

Linking up to:

Primp

The Trendy Treehouse

Mod Podge Monday: Vintage Yet Modern Floral Frame

This Vintage yet modern floral frame is really fun and easy to make.  I designed this for Plaid and yup, I featured my two beautiful daughters in this frame! All you need it an old book and a few other basic supplies. You can find my complete instructions here, on Plaid's website.

There are really so many variations that can be done with this project...change up the stencil or colors and you have a totally different look!

Have fun Mod Podge fans! (Oh, and if you're not yet a fan of Mod Podge, just wait until you try it)

 

Linking Up to: 

Todays Creative Blog

Skip To My Lou

Craft O Maniac

Sumo's Sweet Stuff