My Easter Tree

Are you proud of me, I actually got a project done! It is the one that I "wanted" to do vs. the one I "need" to do, but hey it's done! Last year I scoured high and low for an Easter tree I liked. I could not find one. Honestly, it was slim pickin out there, I couldn't even find one that I liked, but was out of my price range, which is usually what happens. I have been casually on the look out again this year, but nothing struck my fancy, so I decided to make my own.

A few weeks ago, after a wind storm, I found this branch outside, perfect for my tree.
I broke the branches apart and arranged them how I wanted. Then I secured them with some florist tape I had leftover from Hershey Kiss Roses.
My Mother-in-law gave me a block of florist foam, which I glued to the inside of my pot. While the glue was drying, I took the tree outside and spray painted it white.
A little Easter grass and a few river rocks and my tree was complete!
I added my ornaments and placed it in it's home, I really LOVE how it turned out. These pictures don't do it justice, but that is just my poor photography skills. This lovely tree cost me a whopping $2.50, all I purchased was the pot, everything else I had on hand. It is WAY better than anything out there I could find and at a better price.
Love it!

One Dollar Wednesday... cupcake pedestal

You may remember my post from October, when I revamped some burner covers to make a Halloween Pedestal. Well, the same trip I took to the Dollar Store~~Honk's for you lucky SLC peeps~~ I found these beauties.



I knew with the "springy" colors, they would be perfect to transform for my Baby's birthday. I've held onto them for long enough... Baby's birthday is next Monday!

Out to The Spray Paint Place for the candle sticks. A good coat of primer, and Ballet Slipper Pink.



While the paint was drying I made a scalloped edge on my scrapbook paper... using a "D" battery of course :).



The result...



the set...



here they are stacked...


and even with a yummy chocolate cake!


Okay, the cake isn't real, but looks good enough to eat, huh!

Pretty Little Projects: DIY Bird Bath

My good friend Liv from Liv(e) is sharing some of her projects from around her pink house. I love a good project, the little things always make a big difference!

Kev and I collaborated on a project this month for the PH. I saw this teacup bird feeder/bath on a blog or random website (I honestly cannot remember where) and I thought it'd be a great addition to the front yard.


I mean, I had the idea, so I can still claim to be involved, but since I couldn't find sandpaper or glue when I was home alone one day, Kev ended up doing each phase of the project. And then he finished it and I saw it planted in front of the PH last Friday when I came home.


It was a simple project that we did in about a week- Kev found the awesome teacup and saucer at DI and used silicone to secure them together. He let it dry for a couple of days before using extra PVC from the basement as a post on the bottom of the saucer. He even went so far as to use a fitting slightly larger in diameter than the post so we can slip the saucer on and off when we want to relocate the post.


Whenever it rained I noticed that the birds are very interested in drinking from the small puddles that collect on the sidewalk and driveway. That's when I decided this project was right for us. Now the birds can perch on either handle of the teacup and take a sip from the cup rather than from the sidewalk. It's the least I can do to thank them for NOT eating the grass seed Kev spread last spring.


I loved seeing the little birds right outside our front window enjoying the seeds on their little yellow perch. I can't wait for this winter to end so Aspen can join me and Maddie in our birdwatching from the living room.

I LOVE this project!! So simple and cute, it makes me wish I had a yard. Thanks so much Liv for sharing your fun projects, we love them!

Do you have a pretty little project you would like to share? Are you interested in doing a guest post on a lil bird told me? Email us at alilbird3 (at) gmail (dot) com.

A few of my favorite things...

So lately I have been in a funk. I have tons of projects that I am working on/ need to be working on, but I can't quite get it together to get anything done. HELP! I have 2 Easter projects that need to get done, well I guess only one NEEDS to get done, the other one I want to get done. And April is coming. April is a crazy month around here, besides Easter, all of our birthdays are in April. Mine doesn't really matter, but my husbands is in a week, and my son's is at the end of the month, hence the lots of projects. I am going to try to buckle down today and tomorrow and at least get 2 of my projects done this week. Wish me luck!

You are probably sick of my favorite things, but when I find great stuff, I just have to share! My favorite things today are brought to you by Target, you know my love for that store. The other day I went shopping and fell in love, with these......

Aren't they amazing?? I seriously get giddy just looking at them. I am a dork, I know. They are the perfect match for my dark grey shirt and grey polka dot skirt. So comfy and so cute.

I had to get some fun spring/summer nail polish while I was there. I thought this pink was fun. I am glad bright colors are the trend right now, I need some color in my life to get over these winter blues. Can someone tell the weather to stop it already with the snow? Even if it does melt the same day, I am done with winter and snow. Time for warm and sunshine!

Lastly I have found this next one to be a lifesaver in a pinch. The Happy Tot organic toddler meals are great! I make 90% of my own baby food, but have found that these are about just as good. Organic ingredients and NO added anything. I bought a few and keep them in the diaper bag to avoid situations like last weekend. What happened last weekend? I was an air headed Mom and went to lunch with friends without bringing any lunch for my baby. He was hungry and cranky and lunch wasn't as fun as it should have been. I have since learned that keeping a few of these in my diaper bag helps when I am an airhead and forget to grab something. He loves them and the packaging is great, I just hand him one and he sucks it down.
These are a few of my favorite things? What are yours? Do you have any tips for me getting out of this funk?

Friday Freebie... bedside table update

It's so great that I'm posting about free furniture finds. If you'd have told me 10 years ago that I would be uploading pictures of my "redos" on the computer, and allowing people to see the progress, I would have never believed it! This redo features a little bedside table that I picked up for my first-born. It was a roadside rescue, and was heavy as could be! I pulled my little 2 door car over, and hefted it into my tiny trunk. It just needed a quick coat of cream spray paint, and it was good to go!

That was 10+ years ago. This little table's been through 3 more kiddos, and it's age was starting to show!



I wasn't able to get to the store, and had to use paint that I had on hand...
PINK I think! I only had a half a can left, but knew I could line the inside of the table with wrapping paper. I focused on getting the outside painted really thoroughly.



While my paint was drying, I measured and cut this paper to line the inside.



Here's the finished table...I love the vintage look of it!



A close up... added a couple little friends, and our "G" block.



The original knob...



It really adds a little "pop" to baby's room.

Quirky Tidy Tip

I am kind of embarrassed about this post, it is SO ghetto! My husband thinks it is a great thing to share, I am not so sure. I have a ton of projects going on right now, but I also have a very busy 11 month old, so they are not getting done as quick as I would like....enter this crazy post. I have a lot of weird, quirky habits and this is one of them. I somewhat upcycle my butter wrappers. This is another one of those tricks I learned from my Mother. If I use butter or margarine in a recipe, I fold up the wrappers to use for later. I have a stash in the fridge by the butter.

They really work well when things need a little grease, for pizza and cakes especially, I find they work better than using Pam. They have just the perfect amount of butter residue.

I know I am a total weirdo!?! Do you have any crazy quirks? PLEASE share so I know I am not alone, or maybe I am?

One Dollar Wednesday... what a difference a paint job makes

I have been on quite a spray-paint kick lately. Thus, today's One Dollar Wednesday project features a can of Color Place spray paint. You can get this spray paint at Walmart for just $.96. It's not the highest quality, and you need a couple more coats, but for little projects, it's fine.

I have this little COLORFUL birdhouse in my downstairs bathroom. (I am a SAVER, so obviously I still have birdhouses sitting around, even though they went "out" a few years back.) I decided to update the little thing, instead of tossing it.



Here's the giant rustic star that hangs in the bathroom. It's hard to tell, because this shot doesn't show the true colors, but it's a pretty grayish-blue color.



I also have these cute prints from Karen Hillard Goode hanging in there.



I decided black was the natural choice to update the birdhouse, so I sent it out for a couple coats of Black spray paint.



Then, to add a little life, I mixed and dry-brushed on this paint.



Here it is all finished. I think it looks pretty cute with it's new coat.

Pretty Little Projects: In The Nursery

My good friend Liv from Liv(e) is sharing some of her projects from around her pink house. I love a good project, the little things always make a big difference!

My step-dad Marc came into town about a month after Aspen was born and worked around the PH almost non-stop. Kev made a chore list and Marc diligently got a whole lotta things done for us.


My favorite chore was the one that got the art work up on Penny's wall. Soon after she was born I reorganized her room for the tenth time and it left me with a big wall space that needed to be filled.

Marc did an awesome job, especially since Kev had all his levels with him at work. I told Marc that as long as everything looked level from the nursing chair we'd be good. Wouldn't it be awful to be staring at crooked frames in the middle of the night with a baby attached to your chest?


Many thanks to my parents for all the help last Fall!

Thanks so much for sharing Liv! I LOVE Aspen's room, it is so bright and fun! Stay tuned for more pretty little projects from the pink house.

Do you have a pretty little project you want to share? Would you be interested in doing a guest post? Email us alilbird3 (at) gmail (dot) com.

Monday Meal: Chicken Enchiladas

I am a big fan of meal planning for oh so many reasons.

01: It saves money, any financial advisor will tell you the less trips you take to the store, the less you will spend.

02: It is healthier. I know what is going in my meals and I can choose to use light sour cream instead of regular.

03: I am a planner by nature, so meal planning is something I enjoy.

I usually start out meal planning on Mondays, I was just writing all my meals on a piece of paper until I saw a cute menu board at make and takes, I made one and I love it. I meal plan and write my grocery list at the same time, so I don't miss anything. I usually work 3 nights a week, so naturally those nights are leftover nights. No matter what I would suggest at least 2 leftover nights a week, so no food is getting wasted. My challenge with meal planning is finding new meals, I get bored quickly and I don't like to repeat a meal for at least 2 weeks. Although, I don't think my husband would mind a bit if we had pizza once a week, but that contradicts the whole healthy goal a bit. I love finding new recipes, but I am a bit picky with them. I like them to be easy, fairly quick, and less ingredients the better. I really enjoy cooking & baking and love to try new recipes. Every now and again I will share a recipe that meets my above mentioned criteria to hopefully add to your meal planning so that you can add something new! If you have any recipes to pass along I would LOVE to hear them! Are you a meal planner? What are your tricks and tips? Here is my favorite recipe for chicken enchiladas. Please ignore my chipped plate, I really need some new dinner wear.

Chicken Enchiladas

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Makes 4 enchiladas.

1 large chicken breast, cooked & shredded

4 flour tortillas

3/4 C shredded cheddar cheese

Mix together the following:

1 can cream of chicken soup (I use the reduced fat and cannot tell a difference in taste.)

2 TBSP Mayo (I use light)

1/3 C sour cream (I use light)

1 TSP dried onion

1/2 TSP garlic powder

3/4 C shredded mozzarella cheese

Mix half of the above mixture with the chicken. Cover a square glass baking dish with about 3 TBSP of the soup mixture. Warm each tortilla for about 10 seconds in the microwave. Put 3 TBSP of chicken soup mixture in each tortilla. Roll tortillas and put in glass dish. Spread the remaining mixture over the top of the tortillas. Spread the cheddar cheese over the top.

My plate above is an enchilada with salsa on top, corn tortilla chips, and corn. A special bonus for you, since I am counting calories, below is the calorie count for this plate.

Enchilada- 345 calories

Salsa (3 TBSP)- 15 calories

Corn (1/2 C)- 90 calories

6 corn tortilla chips- 87 calories

Total: 557 calories

Bedroom lamp redo..redo

You may remember this little lamp redo that I did a few months ago. My lamps went from this...



to this...




I decided to use a pair of lampshades that I picked up during a thrifting escapade, but the cream base with the cream shade just wasn't working.



Thus, another makeover was in store for this pair. I bagged them, and taped them up really good.



Then sent them outside for a couple coats of this...



In the meantime, I cut some fabric strips and rolled some roses for my lampshades. You can find my tutorial for this here.

I attached them to my shade and popped it back on top of my newly painted lamp.






I like the contrast much better, but it's almost like I've gone back to the original. What do you think?

A few of my favorite things...

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I hope you are having fun, catching leprechauns, and finding pots of gold around your house. I made my rainbow jello last night, a quick side note, I felt it worked better to let each layer set up for 20 minutes instead of the recommended 15, I nearly ruined my blue layer.

On to some of my favorite things as of late.....

First up, my Camelbak water bottle. For some reason I am better about drinking lots of water if I have a cute water bottle to drink from. A few years ago a friend gave me a cute hot pink Camelbak for my birthday and I was hooked! My husband was jealous, so we had to get him one, then a few months ago my son got a hold of mine. I didn't think he would know how to drink from it, boy was I wrong! I think since it is a similar concept to nursing with suction and compression he caught on quick. A few months ago, Target had all Cambelbaks 30 percent off, so I picked him up his very own Camelbak, dinosaurs and all. He has done better with this than a sippy, and loves to drink water from it.

Next, I am loving my Vans no show socks. I took a trip to the outlets in Park City this past weekend and picked up a couple pair of these to go with my new glitter Tom's. My hubby is the best, he got me them for V-day, don't you love getting your tax return? I do. I prefer the Vans over Peds for a couple reasons. First, they are a cotton sock, not just a nylon, so no stinky feet. I made the mistake last year of not wearing any socks with my Tom's, BAD IDEA. Second, because they are a sock, they are more comfortable.
Lastly, I love love the PocketBacs from Bath & Body Works. The cute little holder fits perfectly on the outside of my diaper bag and I use these babies a TON. I am a germaphobe, so they are just what I need to keep my mind at ease. It is nice to have the fun scents instead of the standard, boring alcohol smell. I am not going to lie though, I only shop at B & B twice a year... you guessed it the winter and summer sales. I stock up when they are cheap, I think $1 each, and I am pretty sure I got the holder for 50 cents.These are a few of my favorite things, what are some of yours?

Dig it out and use it up!

I have been Spring Cleaning for the past week, and one thing that I realized, is that I collect too much stuff throughout the year. I am from a long line of collectors. My grandfather had an entire orchard of things, mostly machinery, that he collected. My mother has a couple craft rooms filled with her wonderful collections. If I had the luxury of a craft room, it would be filled to the brim with crafts and my collections. It's probably a good thing that I don't own more square footage, because I keep way too much stuff as it is.

One of the things that I collect, and would love to use in my home, is vintage sheets. I buy them with the intent to use them in a sewing project, but it's too hard for me to cut them to bits.



I also collect fabric. It seems that whenever I find fabric that's on clearance, if it's in a shade of color I like, I buy a couple yards. This little obsession has led to quite a few baskets FULL of fabric.



I had a couple sick kiddos this weekend, so we couldn't leave the house. I decided it was a good time to get to work on some quilt covers for my girls. I was able to dig through my baskets of fabric and pull together some fabrics that coordinated well enough for this project.

My first attempt... big floral in the center was a little too over-powering. When I laid it on the bed, I didn't like it at all.



Second attempt...I love a plaid and floral mix, but wanted a little more color.


Final attempt... I found this cute plaid, buried in a basket, after I had cut all my green plaid strips. I started over with the multi-colored plaid. It may be too busy for some, but i think it's FUN!