Saturday, January 4, 2014

Green Smoothie


This year for Christmas I got a Ninja blender. I've always wanted to juice, but just didn't get the point of getting an actual juicer when you lose all the pulp (nutrients). So I decided I'd try out my Christmas present by starting off with a green smoothie! I set up my Ninja on my counter where I thought it would be easily accessible. After I went to the grocery store, the fruit I didn't put in the fridge or freezer I placed in a bowl beside the blender. I call this my "smoothie station."


My 1st Green Smoothie Recipe:
1. About a handful-handful and a half of baby spinach
2. About a cup of pineapple
3. One small green apple
4. One medium sized banana
5. A splash of almond milk


 Blend Blend Blend!


Place in your favorite tumbler or glass and drink drink drink! It tastes yummy and it is super healthy! This is my first time using a Ninja blender and I am 100% happy with its blending abilities! It works amazing and is so fast! Definitely a recommendation for anyone looking to purchase a blender for smoothies! Enjoy!

Friday, January 3, 2014

Custom State Art


Living away from home is tough. I've learned that if you surround yourself with objects that remind you of home, it makes life a little easier. So I decided to start creating a "home wall" dedicated to my love for OHIO! For those of you who do not love Ohio or have love for another state, this craft can easily be adjusted for wherever you call HOME. Enjoy.

What you'll need:

1. Background scrapbook paper (I used a solid Buckeye red)
2. State scrapbook paper (I used a silver glitter)
3. Scissors (Reg. and optional beauty size for small notches)
4. Tacky glue
5. Pen (to outline your state on the back of the scrapbook paper)
6.  Memory frame (fits the square scrapbook paper)

Step 1:
Print off an outline of the state and cut out with a pair of scissors. If you're tracing your state on the back of a glitter/pattern scrapbook sheet, flip your state backwards. I made this silly mistake the first go around which produced a backwards Ohio. Lesson learned. Another tip I found after the first try is to use small beauty scissors for the small tight areas to get a clean cut.

Step 2:


Now that you have your state cut out, trace the back of your cut out with tacky glue. Because this glitter paper is thicker, a tacky glue works best to hold it down to the background paper. Use a paint brush to spread the glue out to the edges to ensure every little piece sticks. Center your state in the middle of the background paper and gently press along the edges and center.

Step 3:


This part is optional, but I think it really helps to secure the two pieces together. Grab a large book (here I'm using my oh so informative vestib textbook) and place on top, leaving for 10-15 min.

Step 4:

Allow the glue to completely dry before placing in a frame. The next step is to hang on the wall and enjoy. :-)