Organizing Magazine Tear Sheets....

Over the weekend, I seriously dug into some organizing projects that really needed attention.

I had stacks and stacks of magazines that needed to be dealt with.

Let me preface this by saying that for years I have been a huge magazine junkie.

I love reading them and they have been such a source of inspiration to me.

 I hate letting them go, but I cannot have piles of stuff around the house for very long.

For years, I have ripped out 'inspiration' pages from magazines and organized them into file folders.

I debated switching them into binders, but that would require hole-punching and page protectors which would also require time, so I decided against it because I just wanted a quick 'drop & dump' method.

This works for me.

A simple box with file folders inside.

 I label the files to show the different ideas I want to keep.

And I clean them out every so often...discarding what doesn't appeal to me anymore.

 I recently got this file out to look at. Can you guess what I am waiting for?

I have noticed a  lot of my tear out sheets have come from Martha Stewart, Country Living and Style At Home magazines. So obviously, I should keep those subscriptions.

But you know what is replacing all this?

Pinterest.

And yes, I pin!

I think I have 42 boards now with hundreds of pins.

So eventually, I think my magazine tear sheet box will be empty...which is ok with me.

But it works for now.

Do you save magazine tear sheets? If so, what do you do with them?

Do you 'Pin'?

 I love pinning because it's pinning and organizing all in one step!

This post is linked to these terrific parties:

Valentine Sweet-spiration Week:Valentine Vignette

If I had to choose between decorating for Valentine's Day and Christmas Day as a favourite way to spend a few hours...I am not sure I could choose.

I mean, who could not help but love adding the theme of romance to their home?

It was a perfect day for decorating projects because it was insufferably cold outside again today....in the area of -40.

I put on some big band music and dug around my collection of Valentine's things to create a vignette.

 Here's a tip for creating a vignette...books with coloured spines are great things to use...today I gathered up my red-spined books to add to the theme.

 I found these darling little cupcake decorations at Pier 1.

The decorations on the branches are all dollar store finds.

 You may remember I found these at the dollar store for $2 each and I took them apart to make napkin rings.

If you notice the bottom 2 hearts only have 1 hole for wire.

I used this scrapbooking tool set and....

added another small hole...

 and then pushed the wire into the other hole to make the heart into a hanging decoration for the branches.

And these soft velvet looking hearts were in a package for a dollar.

I prettied them up a bit by using a hot glue gun to add a button for a bit of homemade charm.

I think you could also easily paint these.

It makes for such a pretty valentine tree!

This project is the end of the fun for Valentine-Sweetspiration Week!

It was a lot of fun as I shared ideas for a little crafting, a little tablescaping, a little baking, a little packaging and some decorating!

I so hope that you found some inspiration!

Thank you so much for joining me & all of your lovely comments!

You are all fabulous!

Valentine-Sweetspiration Week: Pretty Packaging

If you have read my blog for any amount of time....you know how I love pretty packaging.

And I want to share with some you great ideas for packaging for those little cupcakes we made yesterday.

But first, I want to tell you about my day.

In my little corner of the world, it was -28 celsius when we woke up this morning at 6:50 am.

Check out the thick frost on the inside of the window in our breakfast area.

And on the door.

Brrrr.

I spent my day inside of course. We drove the kids to school this morning and dropped them off at the door.

Then I came home to change one person's bedsheets to flannel.

I made a BIG pot of soup...Italian Wedding Soup.

Made a huge fruit platter...so when my baby birds returned to the nest, there would be warmth and food.

I kept the fireplace burning.

At 2:48 pm, I drove to my daughter's bus stop to pick her up.

The windchill made the temperature feel like -48.

She said a grateful 'thankful' as the icy wind sliced thru the car when she opened the door. 

So let's get back to the little cupcakes we made yesterday...

I wanted to share with you an idea for using a recycled cracker box to package baked goods.

 Cut the box open like shown.

 Cut off one large side of the box that will allow the box to become an open basket.

 Now fold the box back up with the printing on the inside.

 And staple the sides to secure &  hold the shape.

 Now add some pretty tissue paper and place the goodies inside.

And wrap using some cellophane wrap.{saran wrap would also work.}

Finish off with a ribbon and a little decoration.

Now you have a pretty package ready for giving.

{I found the cupcake ribbon at Walmart after Christmas for 54 cents a roll.

It was part of the Christmas inventory. Such a lucky find!}

 I also found these darling little chinese take-out containers at the Dollarama.

There were 8 in a package for a dollar.

 They are the perfect size for the little cupcakes we made yesterday.

Just add a little square of tissue paper...and place the goodie inside.

 Perfect for taking to school for little friends, or sharing with neighbours.

They would also make a great table favour or take home treat for a gathering.

Tomorrow I will be sharing some decorating for Valentine's Day.

Stay warm...xo

Sweetheart Mini Cupcakes...

If I were going to open a cupcake shop....this would be the chocolate cupcake that I would treat my customers to.

It is that good.

Moist, rich and absolutely divine.

And the best part....it is a super easy recipe that takes about 5 minutes to mix up.
No special equipment or ingredients needed.

The cupcakes are topped with a chocolate glaze that is equally easy to make without complicated ingredients.

Before I share this recipe with you, I must put on my recent favourite apron.

And here is my kitchen assistant....my soft fluffy. Her name is Rigley.

She always keeps me company in the kitchen.

 Here is the recipe for these divine cupcakes.

In mixing bowl, measure:

1 & 1/3 cups white flour
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Stir the dry ingredients. Then add:

1 cup water.
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix until combined. Grease mini muffin tins. Fill tins about 2/3 full. Bake in 350 oven for about 10 -12 minutes.

 Let cupcakes cool in pan for a few minutes. Then turn onto wire racks to cool completely.
While cupcakes are cooling, make the chocolate glaze that the cupcakes will be dipped into.

Chocolate Glaze:
4 Tablespoon Butter
4 Tablespoons Water
4 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder.
1 Cup Icing Sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter gently in pan on stove. Stir in cocoa powder and water. Stir until slightly thickened but do not let boil. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Add in 1 cup of icing sugar and vanilla extract and stir with wire whisk until smooth.

 Dip the tops of the cupcakes into the glaze. Add nonpareils if desired. I added this sweet heart mix from the Bulk Barn.

Now stand back and admire your work.

For an hour of your time, you have made a delicious homemade dessert.

 This recipes make approximately 4 dozen mini cupcakes.

Perfect to share with those you love!

Please come back tomorrow when I share some ideas for pretty packaging!

This post is linked to these parties:
The Frugal Girls, Inside Bru Crew Life, Tatertots and Jello, Block Party, Monday Funday, Tip Me Tuesday, 

Valentine Sweet-spiration Week: Table Decor...

 I am so happy to be able to share with you some budget-friendly table decor ideas for
 'Happy Hearts Day'.

This pretty table was created for just  under $10.

Yes! It's true! $10.

Fresh flowers would be awesome for  decor, but I wanted decor that I could use a few times.... for a little brunch with some friends the week before Valentine's Day, as well as for a special family meal on the day itself...and fresh flowers wouldn't last that long.

And I wanted the decor to be budget friendly and re-usable.

 In the aisles of Dollarama, I picked up 2 packages of red heart paper doilies for $1 each, and 3 packages of Valentine picks.

While browsing at Homesense, I found the red & white paper flowers marked down to $1 because they were 'Christmas decor'...but they looked more Valentine-sy to me.

The large red heart doilies made a bright & fun base for the centerpiece by arranging 3 in a row.

Can I mention here that having a white table cloth, white dishes and white vases are a great investment?

They can be dressed up for any occasion!

I purchased all my white dishes and vases from Goodwill a few  years ago.

Goodwill is a terrific source for dishes...the prices are perfect for a small budget.

Just bring them home and run them thru the dishwasher so they are sterilized and you are good to go!

 I also used the red doilies to layer between the dinner dishes for a dressed up look.

 And they are a perfect compliment to the heart napkin rings I made earlier in the week.

 I popped the flowers and the Valentine's Day picks into the vases.

 Here is 1 flower and the 'XOXO' pick tucked into a vase.

I used a bigger vase in the center with the heart pick, the 'love' pick and 2 red & white flowers.

{the white daisies I already had.}

I love the sparkly red with the white...simple but it works.

 And here's another tip for table decor and dessert.

Dollarama had these adorably wrapped little boxes of chocolates for $1, so I picked up a few and piled them on a white cake plate.

This would make a super easy dessert for a Valentine's day meal....most people are very happy a little piece of chocolate for dessert.

 And Valentine's Hersheys hugs in a white bowl make a sweet little touch to the table as well.

Just add a frozen pizza and a salad for a time-friendly & easy meal, or go all out and make a gourmet meal to celebrate Valentine's Day with your sweeties!

Either way, this simple decor will work!