Back to School Countdown (she: Brooke)
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Back to School Countdown (she: Brooke)

ByBrooke

Well, ready or not, school is just around the corner (a week from Tuesday for my boys- way too soon!). We just got back from a quick camping trip over the weekend. Apparently we aren’t the only ones who frantically rush out and try to fit in all the last-minute summer activities we can. It took us searching through four campgrounds to finally find a spot. It wasn’t our first choice, but ended up being the perfect little spot for our family!

I’m not sure if you’ve been counting down the days until school starts since the second week of June, or if you’re ignoring all the school supplies that are lining the shelves right now, and hoping the first day of school won’t happen. I have to say I’m a tad bit excited. I’ve LOVED every minute of our summer vacation, but there’s something rejuvenating about this time of year for me.

Ruler Frame Chalkboard Sign Tutorial by The Thinking Closet
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Vintage Ruler Frame Chalkboard Sign Tutorial (she: Lauren)

ByLauren

So, when Mariel told me that the blog hop theme for this month was chalkboard and asked if I wanted to tackle it, I jumped at the chance! I mean, chalkboard and I go together like Jackson Pollock and splatter paint, like Martha Stewart and apple pie, like Marilyn Monroe and subway grates. I’m sort of a chalkboard fanatic. And I had just the idea of what to create!

Here’s the tutorial, so you can play along at home! And I’m going to be sure to tell you what not to do…because this project definitely almost became a craft fail! *Click ‘Full Article’ to read more, discover 9 other fabulous chalkboard craft ideas, and enter this week’s ‘Your Great Idea’ link party!

Frozen peppermint patty pie on www.orsoshesays.com #pie #recipe #dessert #peppermintpattypie #peppermintpatty
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Frozen Peppermint Patty Pie (she: Jana)

ByJana

One of my favorite treats is a York Peppermint Patty straight from the freezer. I love going home during the summer because my parents always have a big box of them stored in their freezer. What a delight! (I don’t dare do that at home or I would constantly binge!) And incidentally that’s not the ONLY reason I like going home!:)

And if there’s one thing better than a frozen peppermint patty, it’s a Frozen Peppermint Patty PIE!! And it literally takes about 10 minutes to throw this bad boy together & you don’t have to worry about heating up your kitchen in the process! So throw this together and …taste the sensation!

Blog Buddies: Mique from Thirty Handmade Days

Blog Buddies: Mique from Thirty Handmade Days

ByMariel

Hi everyone! I’m Mique from Thirty Handmade Days. I’m excited to be here today to share a little bit about what I do over there. When I’m not creating, I’m busy trying to keep up with my 7, 11 and 13 year olds. I’ve been married to Josh for (almost) 15 years. And I own the Queen Bee Market, a craft boutique based in the San Diego area.

My favorite things to create are: recipes, printables and gifts. I make those things over and over and over every day of the week if my laundry would let me.

Banana Oatmeal
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Baked Banana Oatmeal

ByMariel

I’m a huge fan of oatmeal, so any oatmeal recipe will quickly peak my curiosity. I’ve had this recipe for Baked Banana Oatmeal kickin’ around the kitchen for a while now, just waiting for me to make it. I tore it out of the Parent & Child magazine and had a hunch it would be perfect for my family. And, it was! …especially with the addition of chocolate chips. It made plenty, was delish, and it’s always nice when I can serve everyone at once. I was afraid it wouldn’t be enough, so I doubled the recipe. But, it made tons! I had an entire 9×13 pan filled and 6 ramekins. So, we’ve been eating this for a couple days now.

The Coolest Day of the Month ~ My Stitch Fix!!
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The Coolest Day of the Month ~ My Stitch Fix!!

ByMariel

A few months back, I started hearing a buzz about this new site called Stitch Fix. What intrigued me was their pictures of super cute, original clothing and the fact that they become your PERSONAL stylist and MAIL you cute stuff. I had to know more! With six kids, as you can imagine, I don’t get out of the house much to buy myself clothes. I can always find fun stuff for my kids online (hello, Zulily!), but rarely do I find anything for myself. And, sometimes I want a cute outfit, dang-it. So, I decided to give Stitch Fix a try, see if it was as cool as it sounded.

I went online, signed up, and filled out their style form …not sure of the official name. But, it was a form that asked your sizes in everything, how much is too much to spend on specific clothing items, and lots about what sort of styles you like. They had pictures of all different styles, and you pick your favorites, to help them understand what you like.

Faux Sea Glass Vase Tutorial (she: Allison)
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Faux Sea Glass Vase Tutorial (she: Allison)

ByAllison

I’d never heard of sea glass until I was an adult (perhaps that is due to living in landlocked Oklahoma?) We went to beaches very rarely when I was a kid, and even now I’ve never found sea glass when scanning the beaches in the Gulf of Mexico. But I did buy some at a craft store once and it was so much prettier in real life than it was in the pictures I’d seen online. Once I’d actually handled the stuff I kind of became obsessed. It’s so pretty and such an amazing little thing that the sea kicks out.

I decided that I wanted to make a faux sea glass vase to hold daisies and other pretty things. At the craft store I spied these gigantic mason jars. I’m talking bigger than my hand and as tall as a can of potato chips – to say I was a weensy bit obsessed by the large-ness of my new mason jar is a bit of an understatement! I decided to try and make the mason jar my faux sea glass vase.

‘The Gathering of Friends’ Cookbook & Apron Review & Giveaway!

‘The Gathering of Friends’ Cookbook & Apron Review & Giveaway!

ByRebecca

Christmas will be here before we know it … sounds crazy, I know, when the weather is hot and we’re all thinking more about sunscreen than Santa. However, I’m a big believer in snatching up Christmas gifts as I come across them, regardless of the time of year. I have a gift box I keep in my closet, and I keep a running list of gift ideas for family and friends. I find that makes the Christmas season much less stressful.

Well, I just added this beautiful cookbook from The Gathering of Friends to the top of my gift list! It will make a perfect gift for my mother-in-law and some of the classy ladies in my life who love to entertain. Not only is the cookbook packed full of doable, yet classy recipes and simple centerpiece and tablescape ideas, it also comes complete with a shopping list of everything you’d need to replicate the meals yourself.

Privacy Policy

ByMariel

Privacy Policy Welcome to Or so she says… ‘Or so she says…’ has created this Privacy Policy in order to set forth the principles governing our information-gathering and dissemination practices, including but not limited to such activities as forums, chat rooms, personal profile pages, product reviews, article commentary, blogs, RSS feeds and newsletters, among other…

Gift Ideas: 9 Year Old Boy

Gift Ideas: 9 Year Old Boy

ByMariel

This was a hard shopping year for Shane. He gave me two ideas: fishing stuff and a remote control helicopter. Both lovely ideas, but the problem with fishing is my husband doesn’t love it. So, Shane has to wait for Uncle Marc to come to town, so he can go with him. I didn’t know if it was worth the moolah if Shane didn’t get to go that much. The problem I have with remote control helicopters is that I think we’ve probably owned five of them already. I have no idea where they are, if they work anymore, or if they were ever used in the first place. Do we really need another one? I wasn’t convinced. So, that left me with… let’s see… oh, that’s right, NO ideas.

But THEN, I saw something soooo perfect. Eeeeeek!! Let me show you…