Eureka Springs Vacation Recap Part 1

About a week ago the hubby and I went to Eureka Springs, Arkansas for a quick weekend trip. It was so nice to just get away from everything, and we both needed a little bit of time off. 

I've been to Eureka Springs before, but this was the hubby's first trip.

We started off the day by visiting the big Jesus statue, which is in the same location where they show the Passion Play. 

The season had not yet begun for the play, but I was still very excited to go check out the statue. I've only ever seen it from a distance, and it was amazing up close.

Next we drove over to Pivot Rock and the natural bridge. 

Both of these beautiful creations are featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not. It was quite a walk to get out to check out the rock and the bridge, but it was also so peaceful and worth the walk. 

After that, we headed downtown to eat some lunch and window shop. 

We had sandwiches from Geraldi's Restaurant. I had a Chicago Beef hot sandwich and my husband had the Torpedo hot sandwich. We both just got the regular sized sandwiches and we were FULL, but they were oh so good. The restaurant itself was fantastic too. It was beautifully decorated with tin ceiling tiles and brick paneling. There was limited seating, but since we didn't eat lunch until like 3 in the afternoon it wasn't busy at all. The waiter was fantastic, he checked on us often, kept our drinks full and was just a really friendly guy. I would definitely go back again. 

After lunch we waddled around downtown for a little while. Here is one of the random springs downtown.

It was definitely crowded, so we so took that as a chance to go visit the Blue Spring. 

 The blue spring was really pretty, but since it had rained recently the water was more green than blue. That's ok though, it was still a very pretty place. And a nice long walk.

Whew! This recap is taking longer than I planned. I'll be back tomorrow night with more! To be continued.......

Fun, fuzzy OSU Feather Wreath!

I have always always always wanted an OSU feather wreath, so after putting together the OU wreath, I just knew I had to make one of these for the upcoming craft show. 

 

Seriously, this thing was so easy to put together. If this doesn't sell at the craft show, it will be hanging on my front door during football season, if it does sell, I'll be making another one!

 

What you need:

 

Wreath form

Marabou boas (I used two, but it was a stretch, I suggest getting three) If you wait, Hobby Lobby has these on sale from time to time.

Hot glue gun

Ribbon for hanging

Wood letters (I got these fun curly letters at Hobby Lobby and then painted them black.)

Fishing wire

 

Start by wrapping the wreath form with the boas. Be sure to use hot glue at the beginning of each boa to hold them in place and just randomly add hot glue on the wreath form as you go. Finish wrapping until the wreath is completely covered. Wrap the black hanger around the top of the wreath and hot glue into place. 

 

I using fishing wire to tie the letters onto the wreath form and then secured them in place with hot glue. 

 

Love love love it!

 

And this could be done in so many different ways, so many different team colors. Have you ever tried the feather wreath trend?

OU Sooners and Denver Broncos Wreaths!

 Not too long ago I had a friend request an OU wreath for her son, and I was happy to do that for her!

I started with a foam wreath form and wrapped it in OU ribbon that I found at Wal-Mart. I painted some small wooden letters black and hot glued them to the bottom of the wreath. I attached a cute pre-painted football from Hobby Lobby to the top and used a piece of black ribbon for hanging! I actually ended up making another for the craft show!


After finishing that one up, I ended up making a Denver Broncos wreath for another one of my friends! I got the ribbon at Wal-Mart (again). It was on clearance, so I don't know if it would be easy to find for long.

I promise you, finding Broncos ribbon online is NOT easy. I spend an entire evening searching and I found just about nothing. I DID find some on Amazon.com, but it was 3 rolls for ribbon for about $15. If you are a Broncos fan, you might have use for that much ribbon... I however wouldn't have been able to use it all.

I attached the same football from Hobby Lobby and painted wooden letters to the Broncos wreath. I ended up using some more Broncos ribbon for the hanger. I think it turned out pretty cute! What do you think?

And while we are on the topic, who is your favorite football team? I'm not really into any NFL teams, but I love Oklahoma State for college ball. Stay tuned to see the adorable OSU wreath I made for next months craft show!

DIY Tile Coasters

Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great day. I was off work today, so most of it was pretty enjoyable!

 I'm not sure I've ever used the words "Monday" and "Enjoyable" in the same sentence before. Eh, once in a lifetime is probably ok, right?

We've all seen the Sharpie projects on Pinterest showing that you can draw on ceramics with a Sharpie, bake it and then use it over and over again.

We are probably all pretty much aware that the above method doesn't work. At all. I have seen that you can use paint pens and it will stick, so I had to test it out.

I had picked up some cheap ceramic tile at the Habitat for Humanity Restore a couple of months ago, and decided to test that out. 

I picked up these paint markers at Wal-Mart. 

I cut out an "R" with my Cricut and traced it onto the ceramic tiles.

Then, I put them in a cold oven on a baking sheet and then set the oven to 350. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow the tiles to cool. 

Cut pieces of felt to put on the bottom of the tile and hot glue into place.

Ta-Da! We've been using them for about two weeks and they are still holding up great!

Best.Alfredo.Sauce.Ever.~ Copycat Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce

 Don't you just love stumbling upon millions of recipes on Pinterest? When I found this one I knew I would have to try it out right away. Mainly because it is a Olive Garden knock off, and I've been craving some Olive Garden BIG TIME here lately.

This took very little time to make. This is a perfect weekday meal and its definitely worth repeating over and over!

I found the recipe on Pinterest and it led me to a dead link, but it looks like the recipe originated from here:  http://www.budgetsavvydiva.com/2012/01/olive-garden-pasta-alfredo-recipe/

Copycat Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce
 Penne Pasta
1 stick of butter
1 clove of minced garlic
1 pint of heavy cream
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons of cream cheese
salt and pepper

Cook pasta according to package. (I just cooked up a full box)

In a medium saucepan over medium heat melt the better and cook with the garlic for 2 minutes. 

Add the cream and cream cheese. Heat until bubbling, but not to the point of boiling. 

Add in Parmesan cheese, mix until it melts. Salt and pepper to taste.

And enjoy! I ended up mixing in some cooked chicken breast when I mixed the pasta and sauce together. We ate it with spinach dip and garlic bread. However, the sauce is good enough on it's own. This would make a perfect meatless meal!