Crafty Birdhouse Creations

It was simply too much fun to create this crafty little birdhouse.  Broken down into a few steps each night, it was really simple and soothing to my work worn senses. 

It all began with a plain, nude wood birdhouse.  The first night I painted the walls and roof.  The second night I painted the fencing and made touch ups.

Turns out I did not have the color of flowers needed for this project.  However, I did have floral spray paint in the right color.  After finding some old cream colored flowers, I began an experiment to see if I could create the color I needed.  Happy to say, it worked!  The flowers turned out beautiful and added the extra special touch I was looking for.

Now, I don't know about you, but I tend to create as I go.  An idea is formed but really is not complete until I can visually see it.  Originally, the ideas was to just paint the birdhouse and add some bling.  In the long run, a fence, flowers with bling and a beautiful ribbon found their way onto the birdhouse. 

 

The fence is made from popsicle sticks and paint.  The flowers were painted, as mentioned, and then bling added with fabric glue.  The ribbon also has bling attached with fabric glue.

For new crafters, fabric glue is the bomb!  LOVE IT!!! 


And here are the other crafty birdhouses I recently created...

 

 

Hope you enjoy these crafty little birdhouses.  As you can see, the first inspired many more.  However, the original one with the fencing and ribbon is my FAVE! 


If you are more interested in crafty ideas, please feel free to follow me on Pinterest, Facebook and/or Twitter for creative ideas, projects and tips.

~ Christi T
Putting God first everyday in every way!
Live, Love, Lead

Crafty creations, projects and tips for everyday needs, gifts, decorating, do it yourself projects, party planning, cooking and more valuable resources and information are free online. I love to share my crafty finds with you. For more free resources and tips follow me on Pinterest, Facebook and/or Twitter.

My website is www.ShopChristi.com. Check it out!

God Bless You! :)

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Quick and Easy Blender Salsa - My Favorite Pinterest Recipe Find So Far

One of the best recipes I have found on Pinterest, so far, is a Quick & Easy Blender Salsa recipe.  Now, please do not misunderstand me, I have found a TON of really good recipes on Pinterest.  This just so happens to be the one I make EVERY week!

Born and raised in Texas, I know good salsa when I taste it.  This is the best I have made at home, by far!

Whether you like it mild or super spicy, this recipe is for you and your family.  My boys' love it as well!

As far as I can tell, MountainMamaCooks.com provided the original recipe and it was pinned by someone who made it.

I have searched for a true, restaurant quality, Tex-Mex salsa for years.  My search is finally over.  This recipe is made in the blender.  The first time it took me about thirty minutes total.  Now, I have it down to a fine art.  I can make two batches in less than five minutes!  It really is that easy!

It is a lot better if you let it chill for a little while before you serve it.  However, my Hubby loves it so much, he NEVER waits!

In the beginning, I made one batch at a time.  However, I quickly found it only lasted one or two days with the Hubby loving it so much.  He would literally drink the stuff if I would let him!  LOL

Now, I make two batches every week.  Since one batch leaves a blender about 3/4 full it makes quite a bit.  No worries.  It is always gone by the end of the week.  Now for the best part.  Not only is it super easy, it is also super HEALTHY!  Now of course, this depends on what you eat it with... LOL

I have copied the recipe for you here.  The notes in ( parenthesis ) are my personal revisions to the original recipe.  


Quick and Easy Blender Salsa

1- 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1- 10 oz can original Rotel
1/2 small onion, roughly chopped (1/2 regular to large onion)
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed (2 cloves minimum)
1/2-1 jalapeno, seeded or not (Depends on how spicy you like it.  I add a whole Jalapeno, seeds and all.  It usually has a mild to medium spice.  Keep in mind I live in Texas though!  LOL)
1 teaspoon honey 
1/2 teaspoon salt  (3/4 tsp. to 1 tsp.)
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
small to medium size handful of cilantro, washed (I buy one package of cilantro and use 1/2 of it)
juice of 1 lime 

Directions:

Put all the ingredients in the base of a food processor or good blender and pulse to combine for 30 seconds or so until all the ingredients are finely chopped and salsa is desired consistency. Season to taste. Serve with chips, eggs, nachos or over tacos.

Give it a try.  It is less expensive to make and much tastier than the store brand salsas.  

Hope you enjoy it!  :)


If you are more interested in crafty ideas, please feel free to follow me on Pinterest, Facebook and/or Twitter for creative ideas, projects and tips.

~ Christi T
Putting God first everyday in every way!
Live, Love, Lead

Crafty creations, projects and tips for everyday needs, gifts, decorating, do it yourself projects, party planning, cooking and more valuable resources and information are free online. I love to share my crafty finds with you. For more free resources and tips follow me on Pinterest, Facebook and/or Twitter.

My website is www.ShopChristi.com. Check it out!

God Bless You! :)

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Bling Bling Wooden Cross Project

The latest crafty creation project was super fun and turns out easy as well.  The idea began while visiting the crafts store.  I noticed they had beautiful, decorated wooden crosses in all sizes and most colors with all kinds of embellishments.  Light bulbs start flashing in my head!  It is time to make my own wooden crosses with bling bling, stones and/or fabric patches. 

The project began by going back to the crafts store and purchasing plain wooden crosses in different sizes.  Turns out this is the only item I needed to purchase.  All of other items were already in my craft room.  So easy... I tell ya!

Usually I find it is much easier and time efficient to work on several projects at one time.  For example, I will paint a few things and let them dry while starting to work on something else.  The cross project was no different. 


The first night I hand painted the crosses with black or brown paint.  Two brown and one black cross later, it was time to let them dry and move onto another crafty creation for a while.  The embellishments and bling were added the next day.

Another option you might consider... spray paint!  I choose to hand paint mine for a higher quality finish.  However, if you are short on time or an expert at spray painting, which I promise you I am NOT, it may be more time efficient for you to spray paint the crosses.

The next step was deciding how to decorate the crosses.  The creative process began.  Venturing outside for crafty inspiration, I grabbed some old, dry tree stems, rocks, etc.  Grabbed my camera and went to the craft store for creative ideas.  In the long run, I decided to go with fabric cross patches and bling bling. 

Once the fabric cross patches were made and added to the wooden crosses, it was time to add the smaller embellishments and bling bling.   
 

Choosing to make a variety of crosses, some were embellished with a butterfly, a smaller wooden cross or turquoise stones and lots of bling bling. 

 

The next go round will definitely include different colors and embellishments, such as natural, outdoor elements, but for now, this beginner is quite pleased with the results.  It was fun working on them.  Give it a try, create your own bling bling cross decorations!   Hope you enjoy.


If you are interested in more crafty ideas, please feel free to follow me on Pinterest, Facebook and/or Twitter for creative ideas, projects and tips.

~ Christi T
Putting God first everyday in every way!
Live, Love, Lead

Crafty creations, projects and tips for everyday needs, gifts, decorating, do it yourself projects, party planning, cooking and more valuable resources and information are free online. I love to share my crafty finds with you. For more free resources and tips follow me on Pinterest, Facebook and/or Twitter.

My website is www.ShopChristi.com. Check it out!

God Bless You! :)

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Latest recipe... Walking Taco Casserole

Today, I made a brave attempt at cooking a NEW recipe for my Hubby's potluck dinner party.  It is pretty scary trying a new recipe for a large group of people.  After attempting several recipes from Pinterest and ending up extremely pleased with ALL the results, I plunged head first.  No back up plan, no alternative strategy in mind, the grocery store was my next stop.

After buying enough ingredients to make two casseroles, a semi-back up plan evolved.  Make both casseroles tonight and keep one for us at home.  Of course, this gives us the opportunity to try it before we present it at the party tomorrow.

With the plan worked out, the cooking began.  The recipe is actually very simple and straight forward.  The ingredients were also very easy to find.  The original recipe did not call for any additional seasonings.  However, I added salt and pepper on this first attempt.  In addition, along with cheddar cheese some delicious Mexican four blend shredded cheese found it's way into the dish! 

Walking Taco Casserole

(originally from Pinterest, revised)

Brown 1.5 lbs ground beef with 1/3-1/2 of large onion, chopped.

Drain grease and pour into mixing bowl.

Add small can of Rotel green tomato chilies.  (*I used generic.)

Add 1 can of enchilada sauce.

Add 2 oz. cream cheese (optional) to the meat.  (*May add a tad bit more next time.)

Layer your casserole in the following order.

Frito's chips, meat mixture, shredded cheese.  (*Used shredded cheddar and Mexican 4-blend shredded cheese.)

Repeat layers once again.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly at 350°.  (*17 minutes seemed perfect.)

Garnish with lettuce, salsa, sour cream or your favorite taco toppings. 

Time to enjoy with family and friends!  :)

Moving forward, the next attempt will include additional spices and a tad more cream cheese.  

Overall, the Walking Taco Casserole was a success!  It turned out to be very easy to find the ingredients and execute the recipe.  The results were well worth it!

If you are interested in more crafty ideas, please feel free to follow me on Pinterest, Facebook and/or Twitter for creative ideas, projects and tips.

~ Christi T
Putting God first everyday in every way!
Live, Love, Lead

Crafty creations, projects and tips for everyday needs, gifts, decorating, do it yourself projects, party planning, cooking and more valuable resources and information are free online. I love to share my crafty finds with you. For more free resources and tips follow me on Pinterest, Facebook and/or Twitter.

My website is www.ShopChristi.com. Check it out!

God Bless You! :)

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Momma's Bling Bling Cowgirl Boots

My Mom asked me to add bling bling to her cowgirl boots.  A new, fun, crafty project is a challenge so I gave it a whirl. 

Little did I know Mom was giving me her FAVORITE cowgirl boots to play around with...  Now I don't know about where you are from, but here in Texas, we take our boots seriously!  The last thing on earth I wanted to do was mess us Momma's best boots.

It took some time to figure out the process.  For example, what type of glue would hold the bling best, what color of bling, what size of bling, how much space to leave between each, etc.   

Once my plan was worked out and I actually began adding the bling, it didn't take too long.  The hardest part is holding onto the tiny bling and making sure your spacing is even.

Here is the before pic:

 And here is the after pic:

They turned out pretty well considering it was my first boot project.  I am very curious to see how long the bling bling will stay on with normal wear and tear. 

Go ahead, give it a try.  Add some bling bling to your favorite boots!


If you are interested in more crafty ideas, please feel free to follow me on Pinterest, Facebook and/or Twitter for creative ideas, projects and tips.

~ Christi T
Putting God first everyday in every way!
Live, Love, Lead

Crafty creations, projects and tips for everyday needs, gifts, decorating, do it yourself projects, party planning, cooking and more valuable resources and information are free online. I love to share my crafty finds with you. For more free resources and tips follow me on Pinterest, Facebook and/or Twitter.

My website is www.ShopChristi.com. Check it out!

God Bless You! :)

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My Dad's Crafty Jesus Plaque

My Grandmother, on my Mom's side, was the very first arts and crafts person to influence me.  I remember her making my baby and toddler clothes, paintings, etc.  She was also a great cook.  My father was a very close second.  My very first memories include going to work with my Dad.  He was a custom cabinet maker.  Custom cabinets, hutches, tables, chairs, desks, you name it and he could make it out of wood.  I remember the smell of saw dust like it was yesterday.

Unfortunately, both my Grandmother and my Father have passed.  Now, fortunately, I am blessed to remember many of the things they taught me as a young child.  One of the things my father taught me how to make, and I still have it, was a Jesus Plaque.

My Dad was a very dedicated Christian man of God.  He raised my brother and I the same way.  As many men of God do, my Father volunteered and dedicated a large majority of his free time to the church.  He was especially fond of working with the Royal Rangers.  The Royal Rangers met every Wednesday night.  Daddy worked with the group my brother participated in so they could spend time together.  The Jesus Plaque was one of the projects he shared with the Royal Rangers.

Daddy included me because he knew I loved to make things.  He provided all the materials and invited the parents to attend as well.  The project required fire so I believe he wanted the extra backup!  LOL

Recently I decided it was time to try the project for myself.  I must say.  The results were awesome.  I ended up making two plaques.  One with a black background and one with a brown background.  The hardest part was burning the pictures in the wind.  The smell was terrible in my craft room so I had to move outside.  Wouldn't you know it, I picked the windiest day possible to begin the project.

Something to keep in mind, after you burn the edges of the Jesus picture, the picture itself is very fragile and will crack easily.  Also, I accidentally touched one of the pictures with a tiny bit of glue and it left a huge white blog.  Lesson learned:  use caution, do not touch your picture with sticky fingers before or after it is burned.  

(*Please Note:  Even though children are mentioned, this project requires adult supervision at all times and is not intended for children to attempt on their own.  In addition, it is wise to keep a wet towel and extra water handy or fire extinguisher close at hand, just in case the fire gets out of control.  It is very easy to drop the picture if it burns too fast.)

The Jesus Plaques look great on a simple stand.  However, just in case, I had the Hubby drill nail holes in the back for hanging.

Taking it one step each day, the project was completed in 4 days.  Not too bad considering I only spent about 30 minutes each day working on it.  Including the picture search and edit time, it took probably three to fours to complete.

The Jesus Plaque my Dad helped me make still hangs in my kitchen right above his picture.  It looks the exact same as it did ... years ago.  (A lady can't give away her age, now can she!)

Thank you Daddy!  You probably never knew what an impact you made on my life with the simple things you taught me.  To this day I love working with wood, any kind of wood.  The smell of saw dust brings back many fond memories and more than likely always will.




If you are interested in more crafty ideas, please feel free to follow me on Pinterest, Facebook and/or Twitter for creative ideas, projects and tips.

~ Christi T
Putting God first everyday in every way!
Live, Love, Lead

Crafty creations, projects and tips for everyday needs, gifts, decorating, do it yourself projects, party planning, cooking and more valuable resources and information are free online. I love to share my crafty finds with you. For more free resources and tips follow me on Pinterest, Facebook and/or Twitter.

My website is www.ShopChristi.com. Check it out!

God Bless You! :)

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