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Super Simple DIY Necklace Holder
A while back a friend asked me to come up with an inexpensive and pretty way to display jewelry. I immediately had tons of ideas floating around my brain, just itching to come to life. I decided to start with this easy DIY cork-board for necklaces. It took less than 10 minutes and I managed to do this project while one of my kids was home sick. If I can do it, you can too. . . here is what you need:
Supplies
- Cork board
- Fabric large enough to cover cork board plus a bit extra (make sure the material you choose is not too flimsy)
- Staple gun & staples
- Glue gun & glue
- pretty push pins
- Fabric scissors
The pictures below are pretty straight forward but here we go anyway:
Using fabric scissors cut a piece of fabric large enough to cover the cork board plus a couple of inches extra to wrap around. I used some basic push pins to place my fabric and make sure the pattern was straight. Make sure to pull the fabric taught. I used a light duty staple gun to secure the fabric to the back of the board (safety first: always use protective eye wear and lock the gun when not in use).
My cork board already had tabs to hang it up after so I made sure not to cover those. I wish I could give you a neat little trick for dealing with the corners, but the truth is I suck at corners. I just pulled, tugged and folded until they looked good. Any bits of fabric I couldn't tame with the staple gun I tackled later with a hot glue gun.
Once I had stapled all around the board I used the glue gun to secure the ends of the fabric to the board. This will prevent it from running and keep it flush against the board. alternatively, you could probably sew the edges before you staple it, but I am useless with a needle & thread or a sewing machine. The only way I do anything with fabric is pinning or gluing. Then, once the glue was dry I flipped it over and put some decorative push pins in to hold the necklaces. There you have it folks, a pretty, easy DIY necklace holder.
The better way to fold your T-shirts
Like most of you I have been folding my t-shirts more or less the same way my whole life. I saw some posts on Pinterest, BuzzFeed, etc about a better way to fold shirts and finally decided to give it a shot. I took all the shirts out of one of my husband's stuffed to the brim, messy drawers and refolded. The result: way more space and much neater looking. I am never going back!
Here are the 5 (super easy) steps:
- Fold shirt in half, lengthwise
- Fold in sleeves
- Fold in half, from the bottom up
- Fold in half again
- Flip over and admire :)
Slowcooker Weeknight "Chicken Pot Pie"
Mmmmmmm
My family really enjoys Chicken Pot Pie. I personally, am not a huge fan of the "pie" part (way too doughy for me). For the past few years I've been making a chicken stew/soup thing and topped it with some puffed pastry. I've played around with a few recipes and this seems to be the winner, I adapted this recipe from here. There is a part that requires the stove, but you can do it in advance or use a shortcut.
Slow-cooker Chicken Pot Pie
Slow Cooker Part:
- 1.5-2 lbs cubed cooked chicken (I use leftover BBQ or cooked chicken and freeze it until I'm ready to use it. Alternatively, you can also put raw cubed chicken in if you like)
- 1.5 cups frozen peas
- 1.5 cups diced carrots (fresh or frozen)
- 1 medium chopped onion
- 2 cups cubed potatoes
- 5 cups of Cream of Chicken soup (I use homemade but you can also used canned: 3 cans condensed + 1.5 cups water)
- (Optional: 2 tbsp cornstarch + 3 tbsp water)
- Puff pastry ( I buy the frozen sheet kind and leave it in the fridge that morning to defrost)
Stove Part: Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
- 4 cups chicken broth (homemade or in a box)
- 1/2 cup cream (15% to half & half, whatever you have around)
- 1.5 cups milk (I use 1%)
- 3/4 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Salt & Pepper to taste
If you're going to make the Cream of Chicken soup start here:
- Bring broth and cream to a light boil over medium heat
- While its coming to a boil whisk together the milk and flour until smooth
- Once the broth just comes to a boil reduce heat a bit and slowly whisk in the milk/flour, stirring constantly
- Add seasoning and keep stirring over a lower heat until it thickens up a bit
In the Slow-cooker:
- Put the veggies and chicken in the slow-cooker
- Add the Cream of Chicken soup
- Mix it all up and cook on low for about 6-8 hours
- If you don't find it thick enough you can add the cornstarch mixture, stir and let thicken for 10 mins.
- About 25 minutes before you're ready to eat preheat the oven to 400F
- Cut the puff pastry into squares (or use fun shaped cookie cutters to get the kids to eat it) and bake for 15 mins or until golden brown.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and place 1-2 pastry squares on top (my kids like to eat it with crackers instead)
- Enjoy!!!!
There are a variety of shortcuts you can take as well as things you can do in advance to make this even easier for the weeknight.
- Cut up all your veggies in advance or buy already cut frozen ones
- Make the cream of chicken soup in advance
- Use leftover chicken or buy the precooked BBQ whole chicken and take the meat off
- If you want to make your own broth simply put the chicken carcass in the slow-cooker, covered with water for 10-12 hours on low, then cool and strain.
- If you are out of the house too long and don't want your stew to overcook try plugging your slow-cooker into a timer (like the one you buy at the hardware store for your lights)
Comment if you have any questions!