I wasn’t actually going to do a SNAP recap post this year but when I asked on my Facebook page if people wanted one, the majority said yes.. so here it is.  (Bet you didn’t realize the content of this blog was reader-interactive.. did ya? Well, if you aren’t following my Facebook page, you aren’t getting a vote!)

Anyhoo..

A Paper Straw American Flag: 
And Rice Krispies Treats for your Baseball/Softball Team: 

Baseball, Softball, T-Ball season is upon us and as if you are a parent to a ball player you know that means: SNACKS!!   
Both my daughters are softball players and to this day, their favorite part of the game is still the snacks afterwards.

So I thought I'd create some Rice Krispies team treats.  The kids love them, and they don’t contain high fructose corn syrup and don’t need to be refrigerated during the game.

Today I'm SO excited to be at SNAP Conference in Salt Lake City surrounded by 500 other talented crafty bloggers learning, creating, and celebrating the friendships we've made because of blogging!  (Have I said that before?!)

To share just a *little* bit of that amazing creativity,  I teamed up with Abbey from The Cards We Drew and  a large group of bloggers (all who also plan on being at SNAP) to create Crafts in a SNAP {15 Minute Craft Ideas}
My full tutorial is for a darling little patriotic project (Look at me! Getting jump on Memorial Day and Fourth of July already!!) made from the trendy paper drinking straws you see everywhere.  At the end of the tutorial are the links for everyone else projects!  Click around and check out all the quick and easy craft ideas from these fabulous bloggers!

Now.. onto today’s project:

Earth Day is this week and so when Tree Top asked me to write a post** about their “Raising Good Apples” campaign, (which encourages children to get outside in the garden and learn about where our food comes from), I thought I would share a recycled kids' craft that also can be used in the garden!
This is our version of this craft, but you can find a pdf of the original instructions on the Tree Top/Kids Gardening site.  We just ‘spruced’ it up a bit!  (Our full tutorial is below.)

So I asked a bunch (and by 'a bunch' I mean 10) wonderful blogger to share a little about themselves, their blog and their BEST posts with my readers.  I hope you check them out! They are amazing!

Today we are meeting the first three.  They are all DIY and Decor bloggers, but they are also a lot more! 

First up, let me introduce you to Susan from Homeroad.

I have actually read Susan’s blog for a while now. She is a blogger, like myself, that has been around the DIY blog world a long time and her projects are always so down to earth and fun to read about.

I asked Susan a few questions about her blog:
What makes Homeroad unique? "Homeroad is unique because it is about repurposed items. I create objects for the home from cast offs.” 

And what can you expect of Susan in the future? "My plans are to stay the course. To have more time in the future to continue creating and selling my repurposed items.”  

People are knocking down her door to read her “Build a Firepit” post (which is sounding like a really great idea now that summer is here and her commentary about the whole experience has me chuckling!)

Susan’s favorite post is this Ikea Cart Hack, and now that I see it, I totally understand why.

You can read more on Homeroad or find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

The next blogger I’m excited to introduce to you today is Kathleen from Charm Bracelet Diva At Home.

She is another blogger that isn’t new to the scene, having blogged since 2009.  She does a lot of knock off projects (which you know *I* love) and she has that charming vintage aesthetic that is so popular right now. 

Her most popular post was this beautiful DIY Pottery Barn Storage Ladder (which I am actually really crushing on!)

But if you asked Kathleen which post holds a special place in HER heart, she would say this DIY Love Marquee Light.


I asked Kathleen about her blog: 
How did Charm Bracelet Diva {at home} get it’s start (and it’s unusual name)?"
Ironically, it started out as a jewelry blog, but it quickly morphed into so much more!"

And where is your blog it headed?
"I'd like to blog more frequently and become a better photographer in order to enhance my blog readers' experience." 

You can read more on Charm Bracelet Diva {at Home} or find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.


Lastly, and certainly not least is my partner in crime.. Kathe from Kathe with an E. Regular readers will recognize her as my cohost for the “You’re Gonna Love It” Linky party we throw every Monday night.   What you may not know about her is that she is one of the most wonderful, kind, funny and supportive women you will ever meet.  I really should do an ENTIRE post just about how much I love Kathe, but for now, this abbreviated version will have to do. 

Her most popular post is her kitchen makeover, where she proves “less is more” when it comes to a kitchen backsplash. 


Her personal favorite is this lovely vintage china tables cape.  (I knew she would pick a tablescape as her favorite!  Kathe is to tablescsapes as I am to mantlescapes! They are like our children.. we just love them!) 


So, I asked Kathe about why she started blogging:
"My friends and family don't get me wanting to set pretty tables and hit the thrifts every week. So, I found blogging as a creative outlet and a way to share my hobbies with those that understand and like what I create." 
And where does she see her blog going in the future:
"I plan to continue to grow and stretch my blogging wings. I really want to get into power tools if Mr. B will turn his back long enough!" 

If you haven’t visited Kathe’s blog yet, you can do it here (of course you can also find her every Monday night, co-hosting her party with me).  You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. 


Those are my first three featured bloggers.  Over the next week or so I’m going to share some more wonderful blogs with you.  Stay tuned!

Today I’m going to share an easy hack for organizing all the canned items you have in your pantry.   This post is brought to you on behalf of the Cans Get You Cooking campaign.  As a compensated Canbassador for the program, my goal is to share the benefits of keeping a well stocked (and well organized) ‘cantry’ on hand, in order to make it easier to create creative and easy homemade meals.

The supplies for this pantry makeover are simple: a couple set of Ikea Photo Boxes (Kassett is the type I used) which cost 99 cents for a set of two!
The boxes are ‘assemble it yourself’ which make them perfect for a quick hack to create can storage racks.

I have a confession to make.  Remember when I redid my master bathroom and I installed a corner cabinet on the vanity? Remember I said I was going to install crown molding on that cabinet to finish the room?   Yeah.. you probably forgot about that since it was TWO YEARS AGO.

Well. I NEVER did it.  I was having a hard time figuring out how to miter the crown at the funky angles resulting from the weird cabinet shape.  And I only had EXACTLY 6 feet of matching crown from the cabinet company. I was paralyzed with fear of screwing it up.

Today’s post is going to be a little different than my typical DIY project.  However, a HUGE chunk of my time has been going towards my new “blogger support” business and i thought I would share a little glimpse of what I’ve been doing behind the scenes.  Plus, since everyone likes a good “before and after” reveal, I thought I would throw in a few of my latest redesigns.

If you missed my previous announcement back in January, I began working on Blogger/Blogspot blogs in my free time the middle of the night when I should be sleeping.  It has been a lot of fun, and I’ve been super busy since there is clearly a demand from bloggers that need help.  I also am getting ready to present at SNAP in a few weeks about optimizing your Blogger hosted blog.  Blogs! Blogs! Blogs! Blogs! That is all I think about these days!

So what have I been doing with all those hours?  My most recent client was Mindi from My Love to 2 Create.   Here is what her blog looked like ‘before’:

Teacher appreciation week is quickly approaching and it time to starting thinking about meaningful thank you gifts that come from the girls.   When I saw this egg carton flower wreath on Pinterest I knew the kids could make their own version.
Probably not as fancy as the original, but with a whole lot of love.

For a lot most pet owners, a pet is part of the family.  Before my children were born, my cat was my first ‘baby'.  The day you bring home a new pet is a momentous occasion to be celebrated.

So I thought it would be a fun idea to create a "New Pet Welcome Basket" to congratulate a family on their new addition.

Well, it is about time I got this posted.  Nothing like waiting until the last minute!  My easter mantel is finally done!

Today’s project is 100% inspired by Adrienne from Chic California (which is a FANTASTIC blog by the way.)   She transformed some Dollar Store plastic tubs into adorable locker bins and I IMMEDIATELY knew I was going to copy her follow in her footsteps..  In fact, I even went to the dollar store and bought the SAME BINS.  But then I also discovered these pink numbers: 
Whoa Baby!  That is the stuff Barbie’s dreams are made of.

But as they say in the real estate business.. “Look past the decor.. it has good bones.”   That is completely true. If you look only at it’s shape, it looks like it could be a flat metal wire basket.  These ones from Ballard Designs are a good example of a commercially available inspiration version:
But $35 a pop is tad steep for el cheap-o frugal me.