I snagged these medium sized brown bags a few weeks ago, and while they’re perfect in their own little brown paper bag way I felt the need to dress them up. If you’re looking for a simpler more personal look for your gift giving this year this is the perfect project for you.

Here’s what you’ll need…

• Brown Gift Bags
• Scrapbooking paper, or Cardstock
• Adhesive
• Cardstock Stickers (Optional)

All I did was slice up the paper how I wanted it to fit to the bag. Put a little adhesive on the back, being sure to cover the edges well. Add a Cardstock sticker if you’d like (Or really any little do bobs you might find at the craft store. Like fabric flowers, or buttons.)

The pink one has part of a book page of course. Cause you know… I love book pages.

Enjoy

This room is the only reason why I’m able to complete most all of my crafty endeavors. As an avid crocheter, reader, sewer, and all around crafter I longed for a space to house all of my hobbies, as they were quickly growing out of their homes. I had baskets upon baskets of fabric, and paper craft all over our apartment. When we bought our house we quickly realized that I had enough stuff to load up this room, and I adore the way it came together. Above is the desk that B and his dad built for me. They took my design and ran with it.

This entertainment center was happily discovered by B’s mom at Goodwill years ago, and if I remember correctly it was a steal at $10! It was in good shape to begin with, with just a few scratches. But nothing major enough that a little wood scratch pen, and murphey’s oil couldn’t solve.

A few of my favorite pieces

So I’ve been on my reading kick lately, and with the new book club we’ve started I figured maybe some fun bookmarks were in order. Originally I had fantastic plans to use fabric scraps, and sew quilted bookmarks. However, I have found with Diy type things that just because something is small does not mean it’s going to be easy! After ruining two of the four quilted bookmarks I gave up. Who knows, maybe one of these days I’ll pick them up and try again, but in the meantime I settled for simplicity.

Personal bookmarks can be such an easy little project. I’m a huge fan of creating something out of things you already have. There’s no need to run to the craft store when you can work with what you’ve got.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Cardstock
• Cardstock Stickers
• Mod Podge
• Baker’s Twine
• Hole Punch
• Book Page
• Corner Rounder (Optional)

1) I sliced up a patterned piece of cardstock, and then cut hearts out of an old copy of the Wizard of Oz.

I love, love love, using old book pages to decorate. I’ve used them before with the family tree.

2) I used a paintbrush to spread mod podge onto the back of the heart. Then applied it to the cardstock. Any type of adhesive would probably work fine.

3) I usually like to round off my corners for a nice finish, But that is completely up to you!

4) Put a hole punch in the top, and tie off baker’s twine, or ribbon. Whatever you may have that works. I added our initial, and a little cardstock sticker on the back. I’ve been going for more of the minimalist look these days.

And Voilà! A bookmark.

Happy Reading!

I’m a huge fan of one dish meals, which makes soup one of my favorite easy go to dinners. I just so happen to be making this soup tonight, as it’s an excellent soup to have on a rainy day with a sick hubby.

Serves 6-8

Heat oil over medium heat in pot. Add carrots, celery, onion, and bacon. Cook for 10min or until onions begin to brown, stirring occasionally. Add potatoes and garlic (Zucchini, Cabbage; optional) stir. Add chicken broth, tomatoes with their juice, and 1 cup of water; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; Cover and simmer 30min or until veggies are tender.

Meanwhile prepare pesto. My pesto recipe is here.

Blend 1/2c beans with 1c of soup until pureed. Stir salt, bean puree, & remaining beans into soup. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover & simmer 10min. Garnish with dollops of pesto. This soup pairs well with fresh bread. If you’re feeling up for it this is the recipe I use.

Bon apétit!

I came across a recipe in one of my cookbooks for Minestrone Soup a while ago that seemed perfect for the rainy cold day that it was. It’s an easy soup to make, and it’s very satisfying. The recipe called for pesto, and it didn’t seem to big of a task to take on, so I tried it. The recipe is very simple, only calling for a few ingredients that are most likely sitting in your kitchen this very moment, waiting to be used.

Pesto:

• 2/3c packed fresh basil leaves
• 1/4c grated parmesan
• 1/4c olive oil
• 1tbsp water
• 1tsp salt

All you have to do is blend  all of your ingredients together until smooth. I used a Ninja which I would highly recommend. The smaller piece worked perfectly for the pesto. I’m sure a magic bullet or small food processor would work just as well. That’s it! Easier than you imagined right? If you plan on making extra, it stores well in the fridge. The only trick is to put a generous amount of olive oil at the top of your jar to keep it fresh. Try it in soup, with pasta, or on bread. Bon appétit!