Author Archives: sam

About sam

Hi! I'm Sam. Thanks for stopping by. I'm a wife, mother & grandmother with a passion for crafting and diy projects.

DIY Hand Sanitizer

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This post is a little different for me. It was done mostly out of anger. I hate seeing people taken advantage of. When i was watching one of my usual news programs, I saw that someone on Amazon, was selling a case of 24 travel sized hand sanitizers for $400.00! I can’t begin to tell you how angry it made me. They were preying on people’s fears to make a profit!

The sad thing is that the stores are out of hand sanitizer, as well as most cleaning supplies. When i said that people are panicking, that was more proof than I needed.

I went on the CDC’s website to see what they had to say. They had the recipe to make your own hand sanitizer. It was easy & inexpensive. They said to mix 1/3 cup of Aloe Vera Gel with 2/3 cup 99% Alcohol. I couldn’t find the 99% anywhere, but I did have 91% on hand.

Click on the link below to see how I made it. It was so easy.

I hope you don’t need this, but it’s nice to know how to make it if you do.

Happy Creating everyone!

Organizing My Brain Dump ~ My Dirty Little Secret

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I have a habit of jotting down ideas while I’m sitting at my desk. The only problem with that is that I jot the ideas down on just about anything that’s handy. When my desk was filled with post-it-notes, index cards, scrap paper, I had a panic attack. It was overwhelming. I needed to find a way to have all of those ideas organized & easily accessible. This is what I came up with;

I started with a 2″ binder that I’d gotten at Walmart, some pocket dividers, tabs, card stock, page protectors & some notebook paper. I copied all of those little scraps of papers (filled with my ideas) onto notebook paper.

I can’t tell you how much I love how much this project has helped me. I can now find ideas easily & they’re organized by Season & Holidays!

Click on the link below to see how I did this!

Happy Creating everyone!

Pasta Fagioli Soup

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I was given this recipe for Pasta Fagioli Soup from a dear friend way back in the 70s. She was all Italian & an excellent cook. If you’re watching this, Thank you, Laura!

What you need is:

  • 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
  • 1 Medium Onion, diced
  • 2 Stalks of Celery, diced
  • 2 Cloves of Garlic, peeled but not chopped
  • 3 (15oz cans) Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed
  • 7 ½ cups of water
  • ½ cup of Marinara Sauce or Spaghetti sauce
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste
  • 1 ½ cup of Ditalini Pasta, or any short cut pasta
  • 2 tsp. basil leaves

1) In a large soup pot over medium heat sauté the onions and celery with the olive oil until the veggies are soft and translucent but not browned. About 5 minutes.

2) Add the garlic and beans and stir well. Add the water and tomato sauce, cover turn the heat up to medium high and cook for 45 minutes.

3) After the 45 minutes uncover, season well with salt and pepper and add the pasta. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes or until the pasta is cooked.

4) Once the pasta is cooked, turn the heat off and add a few fresh leaves of basil .

Serve & Enjoy!

To see how I did this, click on the link below!

Happy Creating everyone!


Shamrock Centerpiece

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This is a simple decoration for St. Patrick’s Day. Easy to make & filled with color.

This is a very simple Shamrock centerpiece that I’ve been wanting to do for 2 years. It started off as a 4 pack of 6″ canvas’ that I purchased at Walmart. The hardest part of this centerpiece was waiting for the paint to dry.

I’ve also showed how I make a template for the Shamrock.

Click on the link below to see how easily I made this.

Happy Creating everyone!

Easter Centerpiece

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As usual, I enjoy a little whimsy in my decorating for the holidays and this Easter is no exception! Most of the items used are from the Dollar Tree!

I started off with a Terra-Cotta pot that I painted to match the carrots a little better. I added some carrots from the Dollar Tree, a little foam & moss topped off the planter very well. The florals are 2 bunches of Tulips that resemble a topiary. The centerpiece has a little visitor… a bunny,,, or should I say, you can see his little butt?

Click on my YouTube link below to see how much fun & how easy it was to make this. Don’t forget to subscribe to my channel (It’s free) so you don’t miss any of my posts!

Happy Creating everyone!

Chicken Rosemary Rice

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This is one of my favorite side dishes.

It can be served as is or changed up to become a favorite for your family. It uses only 3 ingredients & is ready in 20 minutes. I hope you enjoy it.

To see how I made this, click on the YouTube link below. Don’t forget to subscribe (it’s free) so you don’t miss any of my posts.

Happy Creating everyone!

Easter Dinner Bells

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These started off with some little Terra-Cotta Pots from the Dollar Tree & some 1 1/2″ wooden doll head beads.

A little bit of paint, wooden hearts, some felt & bells turned the little pots into sweet Easter Dinner Bells. They’re going to be perfect for my Easter tablescape.

If you’d like to see how they were made, click on the YouTube link below. They are easier to make than they look.

Happy Creating everyone!

Heart Yard Art

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Now that my Grandson is getting a little older, I’ve been wanting to do some holiday decorating outside. Have you seen the price of outdoor signs & decorations? They’re ridiculously expensive! Being a crafter, I can usually find a way to create what I want at a fraction of the cost of store bought items. This is what I did when I created some yard art that looks like candy conversation hearts.

I started off with wooden heart shapes that were purchased at the Dollar Tree & at Joanne Fabrics. I did what I usually do & base coated the hearts with white acrylic paint & then painted each of them on the front, in different colors of pastel acrylic paints. The lettering was done with royal rouge acrylic paint, which looks very similar to the lettering on the conversation hearts.

After the hearts were painted & dried, I gave them a good coat of Krylon triple thick clear glaze paint to help to waterproof them enough to use outdoors. I then used white Duck Tape to attach a hanger/wire to the back in 18″ lengths so they could be inserted into the ground. They look adorable along the walkway as well as a corner display. The Grand-baby loves them!

To see how I made them, please click on my tutorial on YouTube & don’t forget to subscribe so you won’t miss any of my posts.

Happy Creating everyone!

Valentine’s Tablescape 2020

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

This is this year’s Valentine’s Tablescape. I had a lot of fun putting this one together.

I stayed with reds this year. The base is a red tablecloth covered with white lace to break up the red.

Starting with a red charger that I had gotten at Michaels, years ago. I added a red dinner plate from the Dollar Tree. The salad plate & bowl are from Better Homes & Gardens that I’ve had for over 20 years. The flatware I believe I got at Ollie’s. The napkins are from Walmart & the napkin rings were made using satin ribbon, heart gems added to a Dollar Tree silver napkin rings.

The centerpiece is made from 3 goblets that are from the BH&G set. I glued the center goblet on to a crystal bowl to give it height. The bowl was filled with red roses. I surrounded the bowl & goblets with red roses & glitter hearts. Red glass heart scatter & rhinestones were added to give it a little ‘bling’. I love the way the diamond pattern of the goblets light up when the candles are lit.

To see this tablescape, please click on my YouTube channel & don’t forget to subscribe (It’s free) so you don’t miss any of my posts.

Happy Creating everyone!

Vegetarian Vegetable Soup

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This is an easy recipe that can be customized to your family’s liking.

2 Tbs. Olive Oil

1 medium Onions, diced

2 Cups Carrots, diced

2 Stalks Celery diced

2 Cups Potatoes, diced

1 Clove of Garlic

1 can Green Beans

1 can Corn

1 can Peas

1 can Cream Corn

1 large can of Diced tomatoes

2 Tbs. Tomato paste

32 oz. Vegetable Broth

Cabbage, diced

ABC Pasta (or any small pasta) cook, rinse & set aside.

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In a large pot heat the olive oil on medium

Add onion, carrots and celery and sauté until the vegetables start to cook about 3 minutes,

Add the Potato and Garlic and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes.
Add Diced Tomato, Tomato Paste & Vegetable Broth

Add either canned or frozen Green Beans, Peas, Corn & the Creamed Corn.  Mix well

Add Cabbage & simmer until veggies are softened, about 30 minutes.

Add in cooked pasta & serve.

To watch how I made this, click on my YouTube channel:

Don’t forget to subscribe to my channel so you won’t miss any of my posts.

Happy Creating everyone!