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Crock Pot Taco Soup

Ingredients:

*1 lb. Taco Meat

*1 Can Black Beans

*1 Can Pinto Beans

*1 Can Whole Kernel Corn

*1 Can Rotel

*1 Large Box Beef Broth

*1 Onion

*3 Cloves Garlic

*1 Packet Powdered Ranch

*1 Block Cream Cheese

*Optional Toppings*

*Monterrey Jack Cheese

*Sour Cream

*Corn Chips

Crock pot meals are definitely my go to during the winter months. Not only are we always on the go with sports but it is also nice to come home to the house smelling amazing and not having to cook supper!

The thing I love the most about this is that you simply just throw everything in the crock pot and forget it! All I did was combine all my ingredients except for my shredded cheese, sour cream, and corn chips in my crock pot and cooked on low for 6-8 hours. When I was ready to serve it I added my cheese, sour cream, and corn chips. Don’t get me wrong, it’s amazing without adding all the extras but why not make it even better, right? HaHa! It doesn’t get much easier than this! My kiddos even loved this that’s an added bonus! Perfect for those chilly, dreary days!

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Diy Christmas Gift Box Sign

Supplies:

*Wood-my piece was 2 ft. tall by 10 in. wide

*Christmas Gift Boxes-10 pack from Wal-mart

*Paint-I used the color deep burgundy by Decor Art from Hobby Lobby

*Mod Podge

*Paint Brush

*Scissors

*Sanding Block-optional

*Ribbon and Raffia-optional

I did this project live but it was a fan favorite so I had to put it on the blog too!

This could be used both inside or outside as long as it is sealed properly! I absolutely love how this turned out! What do you guys think?

- lraedesign

DIY Hanging “Joy” Sign

Supplies:

*Hanging Pallet Board-Hobby Lobby

*Wood “J” and “Y”-Hobby Lobby

*Small Christmas Wreath-Hobby Lobby

*Antique Walnut Stain-Affiliate Link

*Apple Barrel Paint-I used “Bright Red”

*Hot Glue Gun-Affiliate Link

*Paint Brush

*Christmas Ribbon-optional

The first thing I did was stain my board. I used the color “Antique Walnut” by Minwax for my sign. I then sat that aside and painted my letters red with my “Bright Red” Apple Barrel paint.

Once all of my pieces were dry I then hot glued glued them on my sign.

Now, it’s adorable just the way it is but I just bought some super cute Christmas ribbon so of course I had to add a bow! All of my supplies for this project came from Hobby Lobby except for the paint and stain which I already had on hand, so it’s a one stop shop kind of project!

Let me know what you all think! Will you be making one?

- lraedesign

DIY Twig Christmas Tree Decor

I did this craft live on my Facebook page and thought it was to cute not to put on the blog! So, just in cased you missed it live you can see it here!

Isn’t this just the cutest? I know a lot of people don’t like to decorate with the traditional reds and greens for Christmas so I thought this would be great for those who prefer the more rustic, farmhouse look!

- lraedesign

Buffalo Check Scrap Wood Christmas Tree

Supplies:

*Scrap Wood

*Mod Podge

*Scrap Book Paper-Buffalo Check

*Waverly Chalk Paint-Agave

*Apple Barrel Paint-Bright White

*Wood Star-Wal-Mart

*Paint Brush

*Hot Glue Gun

I’m sure you all think my scrap wood pile is never ending! HaHa! I wish that was the case! I just happened to score big last time I was at my parents place so I am taking full advantage of it and figured why not make a Christmas tree since I just happened to have the perfect pieces to do so.

I started off by painting my pieces as shown in the picture. My longest piece is 11.5 inches, my second piece is 9 inches, third piece is 7.5 inches, and my top piece is 4 inches. Now, like I said this is just what I had laying around so don’t feel like you have to have these exact lengths to make this work! Remember it’s a “scrap wood” project so it does not have to be perfect!

Next I took my bottom board and my third board and traced them on my scrapbook paper. I then cut my paper pieces out and mod podged them on my pieces of wood.

I put one layer of mod lodge on my board and the layer on top of my scrapbook paper. The mod podge will dry clear so don’t worry about that.

Once all of your paint and your mod podge is dry you can take your sanding block and distress your wood if you desire. I of course distressed mine!

Next I hit glued all my pieces together and added my wood star at the top. I found these stars at Walmart in the craft section and knew I had to buy them! They come in a bag of 4 or 5.

It’s cute just like this but I thought it was still missing something…so I added a bow of course! I just used some buffalo check ribbon and burlap I had on hand and made a quick little bow to finish it off! Love how this turned out! I think I’m officially ready to decorate for Christmas! HaHa!

- lraedesign

Scrap Wood Snowman

Supplies:

*Scrap Wood-

*Apple Barrel Paint-I used Black, White, Harvest Orange, and Pink Parfait

*Paint Brush

*Small Spouncer

*1 Inch Burlap Tape-Wal-Mart

*Hot Glue Gun-Amazon Affiliate Link

*Black Sharpie

*Raffia-optional

*Black Buttons-optional

You all know I love me some scrap wood projects so I thought why not make a snowman now that we are approaching that time of year! I just happened to have the perfect pieces laying around for this. If you don’t, there are tons of different things you could use to make one similar to this such as, 2×4 boards, bricks, or even a sock! Use those creative minds! My dad has access to all kinds of scrap wood where he works so of course I take full advantage of that! HaHa!

The brim of the snowman’s hat was actually from an old little tree fence that i tore apart. I have had them sitting around for over a year and finally found a use for them!

First off, I painted the body of my snowman white and the pieces for the hat black. Once that dried I then hot glued my pieces together.

Next, I used a small spouncer to add the eyes and the blush for the cheeks. I didn’t push all the way down when I did the eyes as I wanted a bit of the white to show through. I painted the nose on myself using my “harvest orange” paint and a small paint brush. For the mouth I cheated and just used a black sharpie marker! So much easier then trying to freehand it with paint in my opinion! I also added some eyebrows with my sharpie!

I decided the hat needed spruced up a bit so I used 1 inch burlap tape and made him a hat band.

Next I added a couple black buttons and made him a burlap scarf! If you don’t have black buttons you could just use your spouncer and make black dots like we did for the eyes! Of course I had to add a little raffia bow to the hat too!