Giveaway!!!

Bobbity-Boo is letting us give away one of four of our cute necklaces on her blog!

All's you have to do is check out her cute blog
HERE
and follow entry instructions!
CONTEST ENDS SUNDAY MARCH 7th

*Follow our blog for an extra entry
*Become a fan of our facebook for another extra entry
*Put our button on your site for another extra extra entry

Fruit + Blender = HEALTHY SMOOTHY!

...And yummy too!

So, I get on these health kicks every once and a while - - - I'm human, right? Anyways, this is a great smoothie I have been making for years. You can mix it up in so many different ways (pun intended!). I like to make it for breakfast to start out my day right, even though by afternoon I am most likely mixing up something like a big, yummy, chocolate shake! Don't I atleast get an E for Effort? :)

Here's what you need:

(sorry, I have 'zero' measurements, I just put in whatever I think)

Skim milk (alt. yogurt)

Frozen banana

Frozen blueberries (great antioxidant)

You can put in whatever frozen fruits you want

Ice

Vanilla

Mix in blender and enjoy! I like to throw my multi-vitamin in too, so I don't forget to take it!

Chao!

Colorful Spring Wreath

Yes, it's me again, wow - I am on a roll today!
I just remembered I made this cute spring flower wreath last week. I made it in hopes that it would get Spring here faster...hasn't worked yet! I just hung it today, so now maybe it will work!

What better way to welcome Spring into your home then right through your own front door!
...Tutorial will be coming soon!

Here we go...

So, I have my fabric, pattern, and everything ready for my first official project on my sewing machine...{me} and Charli's outfit{s} for her birthday. (keep in mind i am still a beginner!)
Wish me luck! Thank goodness I have my mother-in-law's help!!!

Don't worry, I will show you the finished project, only if it's blog-worthy though!!!

I just made one of these...

Good Morning, and Happy THURSDAY everyone!!

I just made one of these at Blue Cricket Design...

Isn't it cute?

Oh Bows...what to do?

If you have a little girl(s), you know what this is like...

I was going through Charli's bows/headbands today and decided which ones don't fit her big head anymore. As I was going through her 'bow frame' I thought, "Why haven't I posted about this life-saver?'.

This is what my sister, Jena, also author of this blog, made me for my baby shower. It has helped me keep charli's bows, headbands, clips, and jewerly under control.

Easy to make, easy to use, and so VERY cute!

Thanks, Jen!

LOVE,

KAMI

Tuesday Trade-Me...

{ Tuesday Trade-Me }

We thought this would be fun. If you like the following item, and have an item that you think is a fair trade for this:
E-mail us the picture or link and the info, and we'll make a deal!!
sweetcharligirl@hotmail.com
We will feature the item you trade and your store/blog if you're the one we choose!

Chocolate Oreo Brownies

{ Can you say,

"death by chocolate"? }

When I took bite three of this yummy concoction, I was going to die. This is a VERY rich recipe, but oh, so yummm!

So, my hubby and I got invited to dinner by one of his cousins the other night. We asked what we could bring, and they said DESSERT.

I had the whole day to plan for this, however, with my procrastination, and fear of the grocery store (Wal-mart, mostly. Especially when I just have to get like, one item), it was afternoon before I decided to make anything.

With my mom's idea, and the ingredients I happened to have around my kitchen, I made this beautiful, delightful, dessert. (no picture, sorry, we ate it before we knew how good it would be!)

*******

Chocolate Oreo Brownies

1 Brownie Mix (I used Pillsbury)

Crushed Oreos (I used one sleeve of a whole package)

Cream Cheese Frosting (I made my own from powdered sugar and cream cheese)

Hershey's Chocolate Syrup

Make brownies and bake. Take out when done, and with the end of a wooded spoon, poke holes in the brownies. Poke about two holes per piece. Squeeze Hershey's Syrup in each of the holes. You don't have to put a lot into them because the brownies will soak them up anyways. I also poured syrup around the edge of the brownies and it melted into the sides. Next, put a fine layer of cream cheese frosting on the top of brownies. You can put as much on as you want, I guess. But I just put enough on to glaze the top. The brownies should still be warm enough to melt some of the frosting. Then, sprinkle crushed oreos on top of dessert. YUMMM! Serve with vanilla ice cream, and ENJOY! This tastes very yummy when its warm, but also tastes great when refridgerated!

As always, if you decide to make this, e-mail or leave a comment telling us how you liked this!!

LOVE,

KAMI

Fun DIY's coming your way:

Easter/Spring Wreath

Glitter Toes

Flower Bracelets...and more!

DIY Spa Repeat!!

{ My Hubby's V-Day Gift }

Okay, so if anyone knows me, you know that I am obsessed with the spa...I could live there! I don't go there as often as I'd like, mostly just for my birthday present (I told my husband he can NEVER go wrong with a certificate!)

Anyhow, for Valentines day I would have loved to get my hubby and me a trip to the spa together. But that was just unrealistic right now. And because he has been working so hard at school and works a lot, I wanted to give him a night of relaxation. So here's what I did!

A few weeks ago I wrote him a professional letter (I created my own letterhead) from 'my spa'. I told him he had a special appointment and he had the choice of getting a pedicure or full body massage, and a salt scrub with either a eucalyptus steam shower, or lavender silk bath soak. He circled his choice and returned it to the spa's owner (me!).

I turned my home into a spa. Dimmed all the lights, lit some candles, put some spa music on, and lit inscents.
The night of his spa retreat, he came home to a candlelight dinner. We had a light, healthy meal - sushi. This wasn't just any ordinary sushi, it's what I like to call 'faux sushi'. He and I have only had sushi once. We liked it, but haven't tried it enough to love it...yet. So I created my own kind. And to drink (we like the hard stuff) Crystal Light with Cranberry Garnish! The Sushi recipe, along with all of my other concoctions for the night are at the end of this post.

Doesn't this look like sushi??

After our dinner he sat in the relaxation room (our living room) with the fire going and candles. I gave him a hot, steamy, eucalyptus towel to put around his neck while he was waiting for me to get his shower & salt scrub ready. When it was ready, I came and got him and he enjoyed his steam shower very much. Can you tell I used to work in a spa? (one of the most blissful in town!). I have always made up my own sugar scrub when doing pedicures from my home. It leaves your skin feeling so soft and smooth.

After his shower, it was time for his 1 hour massage. Yes, one hour! I thought it would seem like a long hour, but it actually went by really fast! I could tell he was super-relaxed as the spa music (mostly Enya) was playing. After his massage was over, we ate his favorite dessert by the fireplace:

...And that was his luxerious night!

You all should try this for your hubby's on your next anniversary, or even their birthday!


Concoctions and Recipes

'Faux Sushi'

Tortillas

Chicken

Avacado

Lettuce

Rice

Terayaki Sauce

I cooked the chicken in tortilla sauce then refridgerated. Cooked the rice, refridgerated. About an hour before serving, I rolled the rice, chicken, avacado, and lettuce up in the tortilla really tight. I cut into slices and put a toothpick through to hold together. When serving, we dipped in the terayaki sauce, and wahlaah, it was yummy! It really tasted like the real stuff!

(alteration: Using a spinach tortilla would have really made it look like sushi)

Sugar Scrub

about 4 spoon-fulls of sugar

about 2 T. oil (I use baby oil, but you can use massage oil. Then I put a few drops of essential oil in such as lavender or eucalyptus)

easy huh?


Eucalyptus Steam Shower/Towel

Fill a spray bottle with water and add a few drops of Eucalyptus Essential Oil:

Spray all over shower and put shower on hottest temp until you get in.
For the steamy towel, get a washcloth wet with hot water, spray the towel with spray bottle, heat in microwave about 20 seconds.

Love,
Kami

1/2 hour Jewerly Stand!

{ Earrings & Jewelry Stand }

Seriously, this project took 30 minutes max! And I literally had everything I needed to make it laying around my house!! Here's what you will need:

Any kind of frame
Paint
Sand Paper
Fabric
Wire/String/Chicken Wire - (your choice)
Hot Glue
Cork Board
(the soft kind, your earrings will not poke through if it is hard)
Jewelry!

Here is an old frame I had...
I painted in black, then sanded itTook my cork board and cut it to fit in one of the sides of my frame...Wrapped one of my fabrics around it and glued the ends

I took my wire (you can use chicken wire, that'd be really cute, and I think you could probably fit more earrings), glued it to the inside of my frame.

Here's a closer look:Then I put the other fabric in the other side, added all my danglies, and studs, and some rings and a bracelet...(I put push pins in to hold my rings and bracelet)
and whaalah!
PS: aren't those cute pink, green, and blue stud button earrings the cutest? I got them HERE.

It not only makes a great jewelry stand, but also an added home-decor item!
Isn't it cute?

FYI: If you decide to make this cute item, and have lots of earrings like muah (me), I suggest using a bigger frame!! And if you do make this, please send us a pic! We love seeing all the different ways one item can be made. We will post your pictures for everyone to see!

Love,
Kami

Pinkalicious Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

I wanted to make something fun for Lily to take to her Valentine playdate. Lily loves the book "Pinkalicious", she basically has it memorized, so I thought it would be fun to tie that into her treat.

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

1 box white cake mix

1/3 cup pink lemonade concentrate

1/2 cup buttermilk

3 eggs

2-3 drops red food coloring

Mix together all ingredients until smooth

Pour batter into paper liners and fill 3/4 full

Bake 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees or until cake springs back when lightly touched

Cool completely before frosting

Pink Lemonade Cream Frosting

8 Tbsp (1stick) butter, room temperature

3 3/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

3-4 Tbsp milk or cream

1-2 drops red food coloring

2 tsp lemon extract

Place butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds. Stop the mixer before adding the sugar to avoid a large mess.

Add sugar, 3 tablespoons milk or cream, food coloring, and lemon extract. Beat frosting starting on slow speed and increasing your speed until frosting is nice and creamy. Add up to 1 more tablespoon of milk or cream if frosting is too thick.

Enjoy!

Happy LOVE Day!

Love, Jena

Accidental Discovery...

I love when I don't mean to discover something!

Last night, "Pretty Woman" just happened to be on TV (I've never seeen it all the way throught), and I felt the need for some Hot Chocolate. I made it with the perfect portion of chocolate, and it was the perfect temperature. I went to add marshmallows, (I can't have hot chocolate with out them), and they were gone. :(

But, I had some left-over chocolate-dipped marshmallow pops from our Valentines (pictured below), so, I stuck to sticks in my hot chocolate (they were dipped in chocolate and covered in oreo), and it was super-delish! (and not to mention, cute!)

I think I will do that again, but next time, on purpose!

Love,

Kami

New V-DAY Idea...

{ Love Pots }

last minute? super-easy if so!

So, Charli is lucky enough to have 4 full sets of grandparents, and 2 sets of grandmas. For Valentines, we wanted to give them something unique & sweet to show how much we love them! It starts with
1. Small terracotta pots

2. Paint them [black]

3. Embellish [hearts], put on with mod-podge
When I am giving things to many people, I like to keep things neutral and simple, so they can re-use if they want.

4. Fill with candy, YUM!

5. And your favorite treat on a lollipop stick!

Now, if you are anything like me, you love marshmallows. If you are really like me, you love anything dipped in chocolate!! This year, instead of doing cake bite pops (I'm burnt out on those), I thought I'd simplify and do hand-dipped marshmallows. These were super-easy, and just as cute! I don't think there is any need for a tutorial on those, right?? :)

...Enjoy!

Love,
Kami

YUMMY!

* Hand-Dipped Heart Cookies *

When I first saw these cookies I thought they were so cute, I didn't know if they'd be good or not, I was just drawn to their looks! After making them...I wanted to eat them all, they were so good!
Try them for yourself!

Ingredients: (ingredients vary based on your own likings) Here's what I did:
Sugar Cookie Dough
Heart Cookie Cutter
1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 T. shortening
sprinkles

There are a few different ways you can do this. You can either make your own home-made sugar cookie recipe (soft and fluffy), or you can do what I did (short on time) and go get the Pillsbury sugar cookie dough roll. (These cookies will be more crispy, which I thought tasted really yummy under the chocolate). If you choose to make your own cookie dough, let me know how they taste!

While letting the cookies cool, heat in a pan the chocolate chips, and 1 T. shortening. Heat and mix until smooth. Remove from heat and dip half of the cookies into the chocolate, sprinkle with sprinkles, and let set. You can also drizzle the chocolate, if that's what you choose.
Instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips you can use any candy melt you choose. Strawberry would be good, vanilla too. I really wanted to use Hershey's raspberry chocolate chips, but apparently they don't make them anymore. :(
Just remember, when using chocolate chips, the chocolate takes a while longer to set up than your average chocolate bark or candy melt!

After they are all set up, enjoy! They are super-delightful!

I wanted to put one on a heart string so after the cookie was dipped and set, I made a hole in the top with the end of one of my beaters to my hand-mixer, stuck a string through, and wahlaah!

Enjoy!

Love,
Kami

Tutorial

{ Basic Fabric Flower }
tutorial


Finally, here is the tutorial you have all been waiting for! Sorry we have been flaky lately, but I have to blame it on my stupid camera. So all these pictures here are taken with an iPhone. I apologize!

This is just a totally, basic flower. We are showing the absolute basic because there are endless ways to embellish these. With beads, tulle, jewels, and more, you can make these totally unique! There are also other styles of flowers, ...we will maybe show those later down the road. But here are the steps to make it:

Find desired fabric and tear/cut about 18in x 1in (these are rough estimates, you can really decide for yourself the measurements based on how big/ruffly/small you want it.) I promise, you cannot mess these flowers up!

Now take your needle and thread and tie a knot in the end near one of the sides

Start running your needle up and down the fabric (running stitch) and it does not have to be perfect!

Once you are done with your running stitch and get to the end of the fabric, it should look something like this:

Now fold the circle in half, and meet the two ends together, and make a running stitch to seal the two ends. Then tie a knot to lock in the stitch.

When you are done with that step, it should look like this. You will need to play around with it a bit to make the ruffles even. You can repeat this step if you want more layers on your flower.

Here is how to do the center rosette part:

Tear/cut fabric about 18in x 1.5 inches (a little wider than the last). Remember, these are just rough measurements. Once you make a lot of these, you will find that you can pretty much just work with whatever you choose to rip!

Fold fabric in half long ways, then tie a knot in the fabric at one end.Now roll the knot into the fabric and hot glue it. Then continue to roll the fabric switching it in and out every turn. (this is a hard step to explain and photograph. You just kind of have to figure out the rhythm on your own!) Remember to keep your fabric folded in half. After a few turns make sure to glue just to keep the fabric in place.

When you get done, it should look like this:

Then just glue it onto your ruffles:

Wahlaaa~!

Now, there is only one clip we like using for our fashion clips. You can use a pin of course, but when we use a clip we like to use this kind:

The only nearby store that carries this specific kind is Hobby Lobby. You may think this is a common clip, but it isn't. It is the perfect size (1in), and has the perfect curve so that it stays on your shirts (or whatever else you clip them to) with out falling off. If you choose to use this specific clip, beware, they go fast. You have to catch them at Hobby Lobby on either a Tuesday or Wednesday when they get their new shipment. Take it from us, we have it down to a science!

Hope that tutorial helped! We wanna see all your cute flowers. So e-mail them to us when you have made them! And we will be posting some yummy treats for V-day in the next few days so watch out for those too!

Love,

Kami & Jena