Guest Post: Stuffed Mushrooms by cleverlyinspired

I have a delicious treat for you today.  Actually Tracie at cleverlyinspired has a tasty treat for you... so, I'll let her take over:

So happy to be here today on While He Was Napping!!! Thanks for having me Krista!

My name is Tracie and I am the author of cleverlyinspired. You will find all sorts of projects, recipes and crafts. I hope you can stop over!!

On Sunday's I tend to pull everything out of the fridge that need to be "use it or loose it" . It is all an experiment....sometimes it works...others, not so much. This Sunday it was the mushrooms...

So I chopped them all up....

Sauteed in a dash of olive oil. Add in pinches of salt, pepper, red pepper and parsley and garlic powder. Mushrooms tend to absorb alot of the flavor they are given....so add the heat as you like it. We added a touch of cayenne....hence the name Firecracker mushrooms...they had a kick!

Place the mixture in some phyllo cups....if you don't have them you could probably use baguette toasted...whatever you have really :) Shred some cheese...I had Gouda which is like swiss sort of.

Bake until cheese is melty and bubbly :) About 9 minutes...so yumm!!!

Oh, drool.  I'm definitely going to have to make me some of those.  How yummy!  Thank you for sharing this. Mmmmm.  Ok, go check out Tracie's other awesome recipes!  

Guest Post: Strawberry Syrup by Dew This

Today, Delina from Dew This is here.  She has a fantastic, make you drool, perfect for summer recipe.  Berries are some of my absolute favorite things about summer.  So, here's Delina:

Hi! I am Delina from Dew This. I like to dabble in a bit of everything from sewing to scrapbooking and backing to home decorating! I am excited to be guest posting today and I have something everyone needs for the summer!

Homemade Strawberry Syrup!!

I found this recipe last year, whipped up a batch when strawberries came on sale (as they are starting to do again!!) and then canned it so it would last through the winter! Well, you can just make your own little or big batch and keep in the refrigerator for some yummy ice cream sundaes or pancake/waffle breakfasts, or any thing else you want! I hope you enjoy it!

Strawberry Syrup

Ingredients:

8 cups strawberries (about 3 1/2 lbs.)

7 cups sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions:

1. If you are going to can your syrup, make sure you get your lids, rings, and jars ready in their boiling water before you start to make the juice:)

2. Wash and cut strawberries into fourths.

3. Puree the strawberries in a food processor (I found myself a little tiny one at Wal-Mart a few years ago for $3. Best thing I ever bought)!

4. Mix strawberries and lemon juice together in saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar and bring to boil for 1 minute.

5. Remove from heat and scrape off any foam that may have acquired on top.

6. Ladle into your hot jars.

7. Wipe rim, put lid on and screw on rings until JUST finger tight. Replace in boiling water.

8. Make sure jars are covered with boiling water. Place lid on top of pot and let boil for 15 min. Remove jars from water bath and let cool for 24 hours. Check lids to make sure sealed. And you are done!!

This yields about 64 oz. of syrup

Have fun canning!!

How yummy does that look!?  Oh my, I'm drooling a little.  Thank you so much for coming to visit today, Delina.  Double thanks for the recipe!  

Guest Post: Newsprint Nail Art by Chica es Artistica

Today I have a neat Guest Poster for you.  Maggie from Chica es Artistica volunteered to help out while I'm stuck with incredibly limited internet service.  So, without further delay, here she is:

Hi! I'm Maggie from Chica es Artistica . I'm so excited to be here at While He Was Napping!
Around Tumblr, I saw a post about how to paint your nails and have text on them. It looked pretty simple and cute. I just had to try it out. Since my nails were already beautifully done, I looked to my sick little sister and noticed her itty bitty chewed up nails were looking rather plain. Hmmm. Cheer her up and test out this idea? Sounds like a plan to me.

   

Photo Courtesy of  http://www.passionnailart.com

Here's how to get these babies:
1. Paint your nails in a desired color. The lighter the shade, the darker the words will show up on them.
2. Dip your nails into alcohol. It suggested vodka but all we had were alcohol swabs so I just used those.
3. Press a small piece of newspaper onto the nail and leave it there for a few seconds, applying some pressure.
4. Peel off slowly and be amazed. Mostly.

This doesn't work all the time. Since we used the swabs, it didn't get the nail as wet so we didn't have as high of a success rate.

The writing is pretty hard to see in the pictures but you can still tell we didn't get too many words on them. In the picture I saw, they had a lot of print on them. I was lucky if I got one or two words. This is definitely a repeat but with lighter polish, actual alcohol, and bigger nails.

Thanks so much for having me!

        -Maggie



Thanks for sharing, Maggie.  That is pretty cool and definitely not something I would have thought to do.

Guest Post: Butterfly Garland by Running With Glitter

Kelly @ running with glitter is here today to share a fun tute that is great for so many, many occasions.  She's too cute and her garland is simple and adorable.  So, I'll let Kelly take it from here:

  

Hi! I'm Kelly from Running With Glitter. Mamma to two and wife to one.
 I'm just simple girl from Oklahoma and a wee bit cheeky. I love to create and blog.  I'm really excited to be a guest here today. Thank you so very much for having me! 
If you get a chance I'd love for you to check out my blog.

Today I'm going to share my Butterfly Garland Tutorial.

 It is one of my favorite projects.  

At night when the house is quiet and the kids are in bed I craft. I love to create and have time just to think. Last night I made this butterfly garland for my daughters dresser. I think it turned out simply beautiful. 

This month I'd love to work on getting her room spring cleaned and decorated. I think these butterflies add a touch of spring! Now if I can just get motivated to go thru her closet!

Here is how I made it...

{Look at my little helper.

 As soon as I went to take the picture of the supplies needed 

Blueberry hopped up on the ottoman. 

He wanted to be on the Glitter blog I guess!}

Supplies: 

Scrap Book Paper 

Needle

Scissors

Heavy White Thread

Paper Punch{see below}

Martha Stewart Martha Stewart Large Punch, Monarch Butterfly

Punch out several butterflies. 

Thread your needle and thru the top two holes string you buttlerfly. 

String away!

Hang your garland. 

I secured mine to the back of the dresser mirror with clear tape. 

To create a scalloped look hang a second row of butterflies then lift from the middle of the garland and tuck over the top row.  Now step back and see how beautiful! 

 You can chase a butterfly all over the field and never catch it.

 But if you sit quietly in the grass it will come and sit on your shoulder.

Author Unknown

I truly love this and I hope you do too!

Didn't that turn out gorgeous?!  That butterfly punch is fantastic, but you could use just about any punch.  Thank you so much for sharing, Kelly!  Head over and check out Running With Glitter and some of the other great projects Kelly's done.

Guest Post: Felt Flowered Sundress by J&M's Eye Candy

Today, Britney is here from J&M's Eye Candy.  There are some gorgeous things in here Etsy shop.  Definitely worth checking out.  I love the red, white and blue head band!  And her blog...  Oh goodness.  Red, white and blue dipped strawberries, kid's crafts, home decor, fashion and so much more.  Check it out, but first Britney's going to share a great way to add some flair to a sundress (or any little girl outfit).

Hi there! Britney here from J&M's Eye Candy Blog and Shoppe!

My SIL Kristine and I created our blog as a place where we can collectively archive our projects and share it with others like you.  We have a good time over there, and would love to have you come visit.  When not writing blogs, reading blogs or creating, I am a momma to two little monkeys, J and P.

  I am super excited (and a little nervous) about guest blogging for someone as cool as While He was Napping!  Thanks for having us!  

Today I wanted to share a quick and easy way to dress up a boring sundress.

I bought this at The Children's Place for $10.  Pretty cute, but it definitely could be cuter.  It needs some J flair :)



I bought turquoise, purple and white felt. I cut out circles in each color.

I used the end of a glass, the top of a honey bottle and a spool of thread to trace my circles, but since that doesn't help you at all, my big circles were 2 1/2 inces, medium circles were 1 3/4 inches, and my little circles were approx 1 inch.

Place the circles on the dress randomly, and layered.



Before I sewed the circles on I took a lighter and fringed the edges. It kind of seals the edges, and makes the circles kind of turn in.

Now just sew them on. I am not a sewer by any means, so this is not a fancy job at all. I just used a needle and thread and did like a star looking stitch. Super easy, even for me.





That's it. Now wear, and ohh and aww over how cute it turned out! Go us :)

What an adorable little girl.  And how easy was that touch of flair!  That little sun dress is amazing.  This is so going in my "When I have a girl" file.  Thanks so much for sharing Britney!  It was a pleasure to have you.  Now, go check out J&M's Blog and make sure to visit their cute shop too!

Weekend Wander #36

Hey, my fellow partiers!  Welcome to this week's link party.  There were some great links last week, so if you missed it check it out here!

I'm in a huge rush to get my to do list crossed off before we head out of town... so only one feature this week:

Rebecca @ My Girlish Whims re-styled this tube top into a super cute tank.  Check out her how-to!

Thanks for linking up everyone!  Let's get this party started!  And... GO!

Ima Bella Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations to KeriAnne with comment #27! KeriAnne is the winner of the Ima Bella giveaway pack. I've sent you an email with instructions for claiming your prize. Congratulations! And thank you to everyone who entered. Lauren has some great stuff in her shop, be sure to check her out for all your adorable girly accessory needs.

Boredom Buster Jar

Sometimes I have a hard time trying to vary our daily activities.  Now, toddlers crave some routine, but the exact same thing every single day and well, this momma starts to go crazy.  Right now, we are a one-car family, which my husband takes to work or the Army pretty much every day.  So, I’m stuck at home with Little Monkey.  Just under 1000 square feet can feel like 3 square feet when trying to entertain a rambunctious (almost) 2 year-old day in and day out.  I kept seeing good ideas in magazines and blogs and other sites, but when it came down to crunch time and Little Monkey was ornery and bored, and I’m frustrated from listening to the whining, I’d crumble and turn on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or Cars or whatever.  Just for a little peace and quiet.  I didn’t like us watching that much TV though.  (And you can only watch the same four shows so many times…)  So, I created the Boredom Buster Jar.

 
Here’s the How:
1)  Come up with as many activities as you can think of.  Everything that comes to mind, write it down.  I typed it.  I took all the ideas I’d seen in magazines, things that Little Monkey likes to do, and ideas I’d been pinning on Pinterest and made a list of them all in Word.
2)  Then, I printed the list.  Cut the different activities apart and folded them up. 
3)  Then, they went in an old Similac can that I covered with scrapbook paper.  Little Monkey got to help put the foam stickers on after nap time.
 

That’s it.  Easy as 1-2-3, but seriously, it’s a three step deal.  So, now when Little Monkey starts to whine, and I catch myself reaching for the remote, I grab the Boredom Buster Can instead.  Little Monkey loves to pick the papers.  In fact, that should have been one of the activities in the can, he could do that for a good half hour. 

Little Monkey can’t do any of the activities on his own (which is good, I need to spend more educational time with him), but older kids absolutely could do the activities on their own.  When those dreaded “Mom, I’m borrreedd-ah” whines hit your hear, send them to the can… The Boredom Buster Can.  At this point, mostly it just gives me ideas without causing any kind of migraine.

Happy Boredom Busting!

Krista

Do You Pin?

Ever heard of Pinterest?  Well, if not, you are seriously missing out on some good stuff.  What is Pinterest?  Basically, it’s a visual collection of your bookmarks, organized by categories you establish.  It has social networking options as well, if that’s your sort of thing.  I use it mostly as a bookmarking tool.

It’s amazing.  I’m totally addicted.  I honestly don’t remember when or where I first heard about Pinterest, but I had to request an invite to the site.  I waited less than a week for my invite, but I hear the wait is longer now.  If you are invited by someone who is already a member of the site (say… me?) you can start pinning right away.  (If you would like an invite, leave me a comment or email me with your email address and I’ll send you one.)

My favorite part?  You can make your own categories.  I always got frustrated with my bookmarks because they weren’t organized, it was just one big list.  And it stretched on and on and on and on forever.  I currently have 15 boards, or separate categories, that I pin things to.  For example, my Snips, Snails and Puppy Dog Tails board has ideas for things to do with my Little Monkey.  And my Fan the Flame board has ideas for date night.  It’s awesome.  I can go straight to the source of what I’m looking for and not have to go through and sort ideas.

 
With my bookmarks it was all just text.  With Pinterest, you get pictures!  I’m definitely a visual person and I love the visual aspect.

Go check it out.  And like I said, if you want an invite, let me know.


Krista

Say It On The Wall Giveaway!

There are so many amazing things you can do with vinyl!  So, when Laura at Say It On The Wall contacted me and offered to sponsor a giveaway, I jumped at the chance.  The things I do for you guys… wink, wink. 

Here are some of the amazing things offered at Say It On The Wall:

They also have a selection of LDS Temple cut-outs.  San Diego is my favorite.

There are so many possibilities with vinyl.  There are chore charts, name boards, car decals, wall quotes and FHE assignment boards, just to name a few.  They also offer discounts for groups of 10 or more and free shipping on orders over $100.  Perfect for your Super Saturday or any other girls night in craft-a-thon.  Have a custom design you want made?  Laura will help you get it perfected just like you want.

There is also a great competition going on right now through the month of June 2011.  The Custom Design Promotion is your chance to get your custom design for FREE!  Now, who doesn’t like free?!  Check out all the details HERE.

Say It On The Wall is giving one of you lucky ducks a $25 gift certificate to their store!
How do you enter this super sweet giveaway?  Well, all you have to do is follow Say It On The Wall.  Easy as pie.  For an extra entry, you can enter their custom design competition!
Giveaway will close Sunday, June 26, 2011 at midnight PST.  Winner will be chosen via random.org and announced within the next day or two.  Winner will have 48 hours to claim the prize.  Please leave a separate comment for each entry and include an email if you would like to be contacted, should you win.

Wedding Subway Art Printable

I’m not sure about you, but it seems my mailbox has been inundated with wedding announcements the past couple weeks.  So, it’s only fitting that one of these comes about, right?  Enjoy!  Click the link to download a copy.

http://www.4shared.com/photo/uMp6akRw/Wedding_Subway_Art.html

It would be super easy to make this into a card and then emboss it with some silver or gold.  Ooh.  How pretty would that be?  I am also really awesome at custom orders on Etsy, so if you want a piece personalized to the happy couple, let me know.  I’m fast and easy.  =] 

Krista