Chalk painting wood candlesticks

I found some plain wood, boring candlesticks & decided to chalk paint them. I painted them with chalk paint mixed with a little beige acrylic. I waited for them to dry then distressed them by rubbing a nail file in various places to rub the paint off. I think they look pretty cool. Decorations on the cheap!

Turning regular jars into cute containers

I took 2 regular food jars, washed them & decided instead of recycling, I'd make use of them. The cap was already black, so I didn't have to paint that. I washed the packaging off well. I then hot glued a knob to the top. Then I hot glued some raffia wrap to the body of the jar. Be careful here, you could burn yourself - I did! :( I finished it with stringing some of the painted salt dough ornaments I made a few weeks ago & wallah! A cute container!

changing up home decor

I had a hanging planter that was pretty, but I it had snowflakes & was white & a bit rusty. I wanted to change this planter to something crafty/artsy/beachy, so I painted it & hot glued on some of the salt dough ornaments I made (see previous post). I can't wait to add some dry hydrangeas to this & hang! The first one you can see some coasters that I painted & decoupaged starfish to also. It's great to take old, tired items & make into something new! Recycling! :)

Mexican Bean Soup

I kind of combined 2 recipes for this soup, but my husband absolutely loved it! It was so quick & healthy!

 

1 package frozen corn 

1 small onion chopped

1 can black beans rinsed

1 can large kidney beans rinsed

2 cans rotel (kind w/chilies)

6 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 can enchilada sauce

1-2 cups tubetti or other small soup pasta

2 tsp cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder

Cilantro, salt, pepper, coriander if wish

You may also add sauteed peppers if you wish (I didn't because hubby doesn't like)

Saute onion, add other ingredients except pasta, which you add last. Cook till pasta is tender & soup is warm. You can serve with tortilla chips, shredded cheddar, soup cream etc. if you choose.

~ Enjoy! 

Salt dough Crafts

Easy salt dough recipe:

1 cup flour
1 cup salt
1/2 cup water
Mix and roll out with rolling pin. Shape as you wish, or cut out with cookie cutters. You can also stamp the dough to make embossed design.

Bake 250 for a few hours until hard. Cool & paint if you wish.

You can use these for:

Kids dough crafts, Christmas ornaments, ornaments for gift bags, decorations for the home, etc.

I will show ornaments I made, then will update when I use these ornaments in various ways. :)