Dollar tree DIY - Make your own Home Goods style decor

What do you get when you cross budget with home decor? Doctored Dollar Tree finds!
Here's the latest I came up with. Do-it-yourself #DIY potted fake grass.

So here's what you need to do.  Find a cute container.  I found this one at a thrift store for $2.  From the dollar tree you need one packet of dry floral foam and 4 onion grass sprigs.

 

$2







$4 total







$1




Remove the bunches of grass blades from the main stock and set aside.
 

 Next cut the foam to fit your container.  Now you don't need to be an expert.  I just used trial and error until I could wedge it in.  It is better a little wider so the foam stays put once the grass is placed in the foam.

Start placing the bunches of grass in the fitted foam about 1/4-1/3 inch apart.  As you have extras you can fill in the gaps.

Here is what it starts looking like from the side

Continue with all the grass to get this beauty!

For a total of $7 and about 15 minutes of time, you get your own faux grass plant.

It's That Time of Year Again...

Question: What time is it when the berries are just ripe, the sun is warm, but not hot, and we stay up until 2 am? 
Yep that's right... It's canning season!
Here is what I have been working on for the past few days.
If you want to recreate these here are the recipes:

For the Fridge Jam:
1 part clean black current berries (you can also use blueberries or raspberries)
1 part sugar
fridge safe containers
First clean the berries and juice them.  SAVE THE PULP
next mix in the same amount of sugar as there is of the juice.
Then in clean fridge safe jars, fill them up and store in the fridge.
They should last over a year.  Great addition to tea, crepes and even pbj.


7.5 small jars of black current and raspberry jam and 4 large cans of juice.

Now for the juice - also known as кампот (kampot) in Russian
With the pulp that you saved from the jam place it in a large pot
Add about 4 liters of water and boil.
When the pot almost reaches boiling point, add in sugar to taste. 
I usually start out with a little then add more if I want it sweet.
When the juice starts boiling, have clean jars ready to pour in the
juice through a strainer.  Wipe the rim of the jar and close tightly with
the lid.  As it  cools the lid should suction to the jar making an air-tight seal.

Nothing goes to waste and all is delicious.
I hope you enjoy these recipes!

Food For Thought...

They Hatched!!!! After a long 3 weeks our little chicks have hatched.  They are so cute and cuddly and their chirp is just so adorable!

No more store bought eggs but super fresh organic eggs!

 

Food for thought: Did you know the expiration date marked on store-bought eggs are marked 90 days after they were laid? Wow those are some old eggs.... enough said.

Quick stop... Happy Shopper

So... I decided to stop by a little kitchen store (Kitchen Collection) at our local mall and look what I found on a super clearance.  A large (20"x14") bamboo cutting board for only $4.98 plus and additional 20% off making it a total of $4.00.  How super awesome is that?! If there were more I would probably buy more, but 2 is all they had. I also found a small ice cream scooper perfect for making small cookies for only $3.97.  These droppers usually retail for $10 or more. Yay for savings!

Then I decided to stop by Bath and Body Works and guess what?! Semi-Annual Sale!!!! Time to stock up on the good stuff.  I bought a Sheer Freesia shower gel and body splash spray, a Daisy Dreamgirl shea enriched shower gel and the coordinating spray, and an enchanted orchid shower gel.  A total of $59.50 without tax for only $15.25 a total savings of $44.25! Wow that's a steal.

Hurry over to BBW for your summer essentials- trust me their body washes are the best!

Have a good one-
Anna


 

Ok, so maybe it has been a while.... more like a forever but hey, I'm back.  Quick update.. Since the last blog post a few things might have changed.  I got engaged, got married, got accepted into the dental hygiene program and yea... that's about it. lol not too many changes. (right...)
I will be changing up this blog a bit and focusing it more towards organization, cooking, and other things.  So come along and see what's in store.

New post finally

Hey everyone, I know I haven't posted in a long time, sorry.

Just wanted to encourage everyone to stay strong and finish college with that last little bit of energy.  You all have worked for this up till now, so Stay strong and you know we have just a couple of days left.  

Have a good rest of the day and I hope all finals go well. :)

CAKE :)

So, have you ever had a cake that was a taste of heaven?

Lets just say, I did! 

Let me describe it for you.

Layer of cake: Sponge cake soaked in Apple Juice and Cranberry Juice.

Huckleberry and Blueberry Jam intertwined with apricots.  

the cake is tied together with a soft, sweetened cream that fit perfectly to compliment the kiwi slices on top.

If I only took a picture before I gobbled it all up, But this silly girl doesnt think of things like that.

Sorry everyone, maybe next time

THANK YOU Mike for such an amazing Cake :)