Creative Juices Decor

I know, some of you are thinking WHAT is Xylitol?   I'll try to make it short and sweet  ~ ha! Xylitol is another HEALTHY natural ( not artificial ) sweetener.  It has become VERY popular in sugar free gums (and toothpaste) because xylitol actually fights tooth decay .   One of my personal goals has been to get rid of all my sugar free (aspartame-ahhhh!) gums and switch to 100% xylitol gums/mints.  They don't hold their flavor for hours like the generic chemical laden gums but the health benefit is SUBSTANTIAL!   Xylitol is not a no calorie sweetener like Stevia, but it has about 40% less calories than normal table sugar and is safe for diabetics  (10 calories per tsp. instead of 15)   Today I'm going to give you a SIMPLE yummy healthy Caramel Corn recipe that was adapted by the most amazing healthy desert blog,  Chocolate Covered Katie . This is SOOOO good - you will not be disappointed! Seriously, my kids were f...

My two favorite ways to decorate and add personality to a home VERY inexpensively is by hanging plates, or setting up a pretty vignette with old vintage books. The best place to find BOTH of these items for under a buck is at the thrift store.  I know that Etsy and eBay also offer "lots" of old books so you can always check there too. I picked up these maroon encyclopedias for .50 cents a piece.  I move them around to different locations when I'm getting the decorating itch :-) I thought for this version of my Creative Juices Award I would show you beautiful vignettes  with ideas on decorating with vintage books.   Wrapping jute rope or raffia around a collection of books is a great way to add substance to your book collection and make it a focal piece on your dresser, mantel or console table. Could not find source How about using books on your table to make a centerpiece!  It's a great way to add height to somethin...

Believe it or not, I am still keeping to my January resolution and attempting to eat "clean" and healthy!  So........ finding good chicken recipes is top on my list. I found this Chicken Cacciatore and it was simple and delicious. It is made with chicken thighs which aren't as lean as the breast but those pieces of meat are TENDER! (And thighs have 50% more iron per equil pieces of breast.) CHICKEN CACCIATORE  (serves 4, adapted from link above) 4-5 Boneless skinless Chicken Thigh (I get a big frozen pack at Costco) 1/2 tsp pepper 1 large onion chopped 3 celery stalks thinly sliced 6 small mushrooms quartered 1/2 c dry red wine (or chicken stock, but I feel the wine is what makes this dish!) 1 can crushed tomatoes 1 bay leaf 2 sprigs fresh rosemary (or sprinkle in dried if you don't have fresh) 6 sprigs Italian parsley, plus 1 tbsp chopped to garnish top. 1/4 tsp paprika Thaw out the chicken and then sprinkle the thighs with ...

Every once in a while, you run across an obscure blog and your jaw drops..... You're thinking, What?  She should have a billion followers!   That's what happened when I ran across Lynda's trompe l'oeil painted barn styled carriage garage doors .   She mentions that they were STARK WHITE before she began.....ya, WHITE! She PAINTED them to look like cool barn wood! From white to brown in no time! (I love paint) Or how about this little scrolly work she did on this ladies home - isn't it amazing??  Really! The pattern reminds me of an artistic wall art board my friend and I saw at a local home decor shop.  I would LOVE to make something just like that.....maybe I will :-) This next set of photos was one of the very FIRST projects I saw when I entered the world of blogging.  I am still a subscriber to Remodelaholic and Cassity has even featured a few of my projects on her blog. :-) Garage doors make up SO much of yo...