Southern Scraps

I'm sure you've seen the home made mixes around Pinterest . I finally bit the bullet and made my own taco seasoning mix. I used it to season some chicken in the crock pot for tacos and the hubby loved the chicken.   I started this year off by trying to eliminate processed foods. They have so many unhealthy additives and so many things can easily be made at home in your own kitchen. Taco seasoning is one of them. Having your own premade seasonings also helps cut down on the extra time you spend in the kitchen preparing whole natural food.   Pictured below are the spices I used (you can tell I shop everywhere, where ever the best sale is, lol.) Here's a word of caution- check each individual spice for additives as well. That black pepper- the label says it contains wheat, and therefore, gluten. It's no longer in my kitchen. There is no need for anything in black pepper other than black pepper.   Here is the recipe I followed (adapted from here  and the bo

Washi tape continues to be a popular item to work with. Last year I posted a round up of seven ways to use washi tape . So many more great projects have shown up so I think this topic deserves to be revisited. Here are five more ways to use washi tape. Make washi tape stickers Decorate binder clips    Decorate party utensils Make fun twist ties   Decorate party cups   source

I've been a little MIA this week. I've spent more of my time in the kitchen than in the craft room. One of my goals this year is to eat healthier, so I've been cooking a lot lately. We are eating whole natural foods and there is a lot of chopping, cutting and cooking involved. That's okay, I like to cook. It's the dirty dishes I don't care much for. Anyway, I popped in here to talk about spring crafts. It seems like everyone is getting the itch for spring and I've been seeing lots of great spring projects in blogland. I thought I'd pull up a couple of my older projects that have gotten lost on the blog. This little butterfly and daisy arrangement sits in my guest bath, giving me a dose of spring year round. Find the details here. These punched pomander balls are still a lot of fun to have around too. Are you ready for spring? I'll be sharing these here: Think Pink Sundays * Under the Table and Dreaming * Sundae Scoop * Craftom

Something about long cold winter nights makes me want to curl up and watch movies. And what better to watch movies with than popcorn? Here are five ways to make plain popcorn a delicacy.   Cinnamon bun popcorn   Cookies and cream popcorn     Salted dark chocolate popcorn   Snickers popcorn     Peanut butter popcorn    

Remember the black and white tablescape ? With just a few quick changes and additions, I had the table ready for Valentine's Day. I replaced the white place mats with red ones and the white plates with these cute heart shape paper plates (97 cents for 6 at Wal-mart). I swapped the white napkins for red ones. I kept the white flower bouquet centerpiece and added red roses and glitter heart picks to it.   I changed the smoky colored glasses out with red ones. And the table runner- it's reversible so I just flipped it over!   I pulled out some red candles holders that were used a few Christmases back. I'm all done and ready for a sweet dinner with my hubby. I hope you have lots of time with loved ones today. Sharing at Tablescape Thursday .

I thought you might like to see how I put together my Valentines mailboxes ,  tree, and snow globe for a little vignette. I didn't decorate my mantel this year, but I got this vignette up. I've been doing a little more healthy cooking so my time has been consumed in the kitchen rather than decorating.     The star of my vignette is this little bear I picked up at Goodwill for 49 cents. I was looking for a piece to make the snow globe with but this one didn't work. Hubby had commented that he liked this little bear, so I knew he had to be used. I thought he needed just a little extra touch so I cut out the word love with my Silhouette SD and attached it to the bear with glue dots.     Isn't he sweet? I hope you get to spend lots of time with the ones you love this week. I'll be sharing my vignette here: From Dream to Reality *I t’s a Party * Whatever Goes Wednesday * Show and Share * Hooking Up with HOH * Blissful and Domestic * Handy Man,

Do you ever rock a headband or hair wrap? Do you think they look better with long or short hair? I've become more interested in them since I've had short hair than when I had long (maybe it's because you can't do much else with short hair). Here are DIYs that I'd like to give a try. by Lilac Lane

  Do you still need to get Valentines ready for school or loved ones? These whip up quick and easy with the help of free printables. I made these yesterday using printables from Catch My Party and I Heart Naptime . I made them for the young adults we teach Sunday School to so I edited them to include "Sunday" and I added a tag with Matthew 18:20 so they would be more Sunday School appropriate.     If you need a few more ideas, these were some treats I put in hubby's basket last year .     Check out a couple more ideas here.   I'll be sharing here:   Think Pink Sundays * Under the Table and Dreaming * Sundae Scoop * Craftomaniac Monday * Make the Scene Monday * Masterpiece Monday * Motivate Me Monday * Market Yourself Mondays at Sumo’s Sweet Stuff * Pink Hippo Party * More The Merrier Monday * Make It Monday * Mop It Up Monday * Take a Look Tuesday * Handmade Tuesdays *   Tell Me Tuesday * Tuesday Talent Show * My Uncommon Slice of Su

Hey folks! Today I'm over at Sumo's Sweet Stuff guest posting. I'm sharing how I made these: Hop over there and show some love! If you're visiting from there, welcome! Browse around and see more ideas. Follow me here or on Pinterest and Facebook. (Links up near the top right.) Thanks!

  I saw a version of this  pampering in a jar on Pinterest . I decided to make one as a Christmas gift for my sister-in-law last Christmas. It would also make a great Valentine's Day gift for the wives, Moms, sisters, best friends,... you get it.     I started out with an empty almond jar from Target. (Those are the best containers- wide mouth and plastic so they won't break. I've saved several more to put to use for craft storage.) I wrapped a piece of lace around my jar and tied a bow. I printed the label on cardstock and punched it out with a circle punch. I made a couple of paper rosettes from patterned scrapbook paper. I filled the jar with some fuzzy socks, lotion, lip balm, a loofah cloth, and chocolates. I embellished the lid with some paper flowers. I love giving gifts like this. I find it to be more thoughtful than some higher priced, single item gifts. Go grab yourself a jar and show someone some love. Sharing here: Think Pi

    I love my Christmas tree each year and have always thought heart trees were cute for Valentine's. I have this wire ornament tree that doesn't really get used for Christmas so I thought I'd repurpose it into a heart tree for a little Valentine's decor. I had some felt heart ornaments that I picked up on after-Christmas clearance at target and some other after Christmas clearance supplies from Wal-mart that I used to make some more ornaments. My wire tree has a star topper so I used some glue dots to cover the star between two hearts for a heart topper.   Here are the supplies for some of the ornaments- fuzzy garland (from the Wal-mart Christmas clearance- did you know after Christmas clearance is a great time to stock up on Valentine's and even 4th of July crafting supplies? That red and pink can be used for more than Christmas); a wire hanger (it's a pretty flimsy one); and wire cutters. Cut the wire and shape it into a heart. Wrap the gar