Creative Juices Decor

At the end of September (yes, September) my mom sent me an email that read this: Hi Family, You know I like to start early on Christmas gift ideas . Please have your kids email me links to things they’d like...otherwise they will get coal in their stocking. Love, Mom All to say, it was the first time I began to think WHAT IN THE WORLD my kids might want for gifts this Christmas.   I was completely overwhelmed looking on Amazon, but while I was searching I had the idea that it might be really helpful if I did a post on some gifts my kids have LOVED over the years.   I could list gifts or toys that have lasted.....lets say for more than 6 months, OH and was NOT an electronic!  (These are my amazon affiliate links.) The ages of my kids right now are 5, 9 and 11.  These gifts were given them over the past 3 years. Top 5  Christmas Gift Idea List : My #1 gift my kids has received - it's lasted FOREVER...

One thing I really love about the new house is how the upstairs was built into the roof rafters.  I actually believe doing it that way saves money but I just like it because it reminds me of an attic space with neat nooks and crannies! You can contact your all around roofing company to talk about the different ways to incorporate rooms into the architecture of the roof.   This is my eldest daughter, she adores animals, but unfortunately, my husband does not!!!  (Any one else in this predicament?!)  He did let her have a dog, and a few years later he gave in to a hamster.  She really would like to BREED her hamster now and that is where my husband has drawn the line – he says, NO BABY RATS cute adorable baby hamsters in the house.      I am not sure how I got on this animal kick when I am supposed to be showing you her bedroom but, I guess you really are getting to know the lady (family) behind the blog – right? :-) OK here is a sneak...

  Do you remember doing this kind of potato art in school?  It is such a fun kid (or adult) craft!  You can use almost any vegetable and just GO FOR IT!  You can even use the potato art on a big roll of paper and use it as your own special wrapping paper.   My friend Kaylene did this with her girls and sent over the tutorial.  Most of you have met Kaylene before.  She's my crazy talented friend that is currently enrolled in the Portland Art Institute.  I've told her many times I'd adore her to be a monthly contributor to the blog, but going back to school with three little kids means there isn't a lot of time to do anything else!  So, I'll take whatever I can get from her......keep them coming Kaylene!!! Collect all your supplies: -Printing surface: fabric, paper, etc. -Variety of paint, paint brushes -Vegetables - whatever you might have available -Cutting board, knife, exacto k...

I’ll admit, I’ve always been on a quest to see if there was a way to make a chocolate chip cookie just a little healthier .  The reason is, I’d like to be able to eat 6 cookies instead of 3, you think I’m joking, but I’m not! Ha! In the past, I have NOT had a lot of success.  They usually taste just gross and my kids won’t touch them with a 10 foot pole.  Well I finally  HIT THE JACKPOT with these!  They are moist, full of flavor and delicious.  They passed the most important taste test as my kids said they were great!  :-) These cookies have around 100 calories each instead of 200+ for a regular CCC.  They also have a lot more fiber and protein.  Very cool – huh! Healthier Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies   (approx. 3 dozen)  2 cups rolled oats (dried) 2 cups flour (I did 1 c whole wheat pastry flour and 1 c regular white) 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 4 Tbsp. coconut oil 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil ...

Like always, people amaze me. The ideas that come from such creative minds is inspirational!  This Creative Juices Award is about SCRABBLE pieces and gift ideas! Tonya’s blog Trey and Lucy gave an amazing and quite easy step by step tutorial on how to make these scrabble piece pendant necklaces .  Really, you just glue on some scrapbook paper and use diamond glaze on top to seal it.  She has all the links where to purchase the stuff to make it yourself. I think it’s a GREAT gift idea and would be a great craft to do with a bunch of woman. What about making a Scrabble Coaster??  This could be a good gift even for the GUY in the family.  My father in law LOVES the game of scrabble.  The link will take you to the makers Etsy shop , but with a little craft dissecting, I am sure these would be easy for you to make. (or just buy them pre made!) Lastly, my friend Heather from Mom4Life made the cutest scrabble art ....

I know I know, I'm at it again.  Thrift store shopping, spray painting and adding MORE pumpkins.  Today's "special" were these 2 planters that I got for $3.75 each .  They still had the $24.99 price tag clearly applied to the bottom.  (I LOVE thrift stores!)   Of course, my initial thought was to paint them a good dark bronze color, like I ALWAYS do.  But I got to thinking about all of YOU my readers who are probably sick of seeing everything I take home from the thrift store painted the same ol brown color so I decided to SURPRISE you and do a YELLOW .  Yes, this project was done specifically for all my readers.  Dare I say you guys make me a "better" person - hee,hee.  Oh no, I can't say that because I have burnt WAY too many dinners because of you :-) Step One: Wipe off dust Step Two: Spray paint! Step Three: Mix a brown paint with glaze - my portion was around 1 part paint to 3 parts glaze.  Use a brus...

Alright - let's jump on the  holiday pumpkin recipe bandwagon!!! (The Healthy Way) Most of these recipes are set up to be  gluten free and sugar free.  Although, they also work with regular flour and sugar too. First up my favorite - CROCKPOT Pumpkin Custard For those that love their crock pot because they seem to lose time instead of gain time during the holidays - this post is for you ;-)  This is easy, moist and a delicious treat.  Don't forget to let this sit in the refrigerator for a while before serving. Second - Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting. OK, maybe this is actually my favorite.  These are dense and full of the best pumpkin flavor mixed with a creamy topping.  One thing that is so great about these is you only use 2TBSP of coconut oil for the entire recipe!  It's hard to find a delicious recipe that isn't just loaded with butter or the like.  You will LOVE this, I promise. Third - Cro...