the letter 4

Easy Photo Prop Ideas for Kids

2012-02-26T20:07:00.002-08:00

I was going through some old photos of the kiddos in the family, we have a TON. I love that we just go out for a photoshoot for fun :) One thing that I think make the photoshoots even more fun is props. So I decided to share some of my favorite photos I found and some easy prop ideas that you might even have on hand! Because there are never enough reasons for a photoshoot!

I think this one of Kirianna is one of my favorite photos of all time. I love how the colorful balloons really pop in the sky. And these are great too if you have a kiddo that isn't feeling like taking pictures at the moment. I think around that age will do anything for a bundle of balloons!

Toys can be a great motivator for an unwilling kiddo to take some photos too. Kermie is our man so the photo on the left is so precious to my heart! It works even better if you have a bunch that match like my real life Toy Story baby.

Janae is a genius in the chalk area! The possibilities are really endless here!

Books (or even going to the library) makes for cute shots, especially if their at the age where you can set them on a stack of books and the feet don't even touch the ground :)

I love this shot Janae did for a newborn photoshoot. So cute for spelling out names, or maybe even birthdate/stats?

This is a shot I took of Sabrina this past Christmas. The lights are a great idea for Christmas, or anytime really. I think I want to take some more of these outside once it gets warmer!

Cute suitcases/furniture even. Little Gage is sitting on a suitcase in this one too!

And last, this is also one of my favorites of Sabrina. Polaroids are so fun to use in a photoshoot or even just old photos or photos of loved ones that couldn't be there!

Because there's not enough laughs in the world

2012-02-25T20:26:00.001-08:00

I'm with Indiana...

I spend my spare time wisely, no worries.

Rose in A Mason Jar

2012-02-24T17:00:00.001-08:00

Our parents anniversary was a few weeks ago and my dad always get my mom as many roses as how many years they have been married :) One of the roses broke off so momma put it in a mason jar. I'm a sucker for anything in a mason jar.

So I slipped a couple drops of food coloring in there and snapped a few photos.

Note to self: even though I don't have any upcoming events right now, this would be so pretty to have a bunch lined up on a table.

Our Coloring Corner

2012-02-23T21:01:00.000-08:00

Because sometimes, a small coloring book just isn't enough....

Sometimes a creative mind needs to have a whole space on the floor.

We've had this up for a couple days now, I'll share another picture when we're all done :)

Potato & Ham Cheddar Chowder

2012-02-22T19:38:00.000-08:00

As most of you probably know by now my sisters and I grew up in Southeastern Idaho. And what's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear Idaho mentioned??? Yep, POTATOES!!! There's probably a bazillion yummy potato recipes out there, but this is my personal favorite and I'm going to be daring enough to say it's a family favorite. Heaven knows Janae will show up at my door if she knows this is what we are having for dinner ha ha:)

Here's what you need:

*2 tbs. butter

*1/2 lb. to 1 lb. of ham (depending on how chunky you want your chowder)

*1 large onion chopped

*1 green pepper & 1 red pepper chopped

*1 can of chicken broth

*3 to 4 medium potatoes diced (most people peel them, you'll probably notice I didn't, part out of laziness and part because I always eat the peel)

*10 1/2 to 16 oz. of cheese snack (we like ours SUPER cheesy, so add all 16 ounces at your own risk)

*1/2 tsp. of white pepper

*parsley to top

Then add milk, cheese, and white pepper. Heat and stir until cheese snack is completely melted and chowder is hot.

I don't know about anyone else, but we just got more snow so a hot bowl of chowder really hits the spot.

Enjoy,

What I Wore: Sneak Peek Edition

2012-02-21T22:31:00.002-08:00

With a crazy busy week and most of it spent in the car, we didn't have a what I wore prepared for today, so I thought I would give you a sneak peak of this amazingness!!! Hair tutorial is soon too come, I promise and it's also the tutorial for the birdcage too which I know quite a few of you were excited for! Now lets see what the rest of you wearing....

Take the scenic route Printable

2012-02-20T20:49:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I need to remind myself to stop and see those small things that can easily get overlooked but are so worth it...

click here to download

-Jamie

Lighted Canvas Tutorial

2012-02-19T18:45:00.000-08:00

I want to thank both Small Bird Studios and Hello Hydrangea for featuring my cut canvas idea! This is in the top 5 of my favorite things made so far, and it's really opened up some more ideas for me.

I had a couple of blank canvas's that were calling my name so I was inspired make this cut canvas creation.

So I sketched out some clouds on the back of the canvas. When I stood the canvas up I was able to see through the canvas to my sketches easily follow my little pattern to create some clouds. For the clouds I just dipped the brush in several colors I wanted without mixing to much and swirled it into a half circle.

After I was done and my clouds had dried, I took an exacto knife and cut the top of my ridges on the clouds on the spots where I wanted the light to shine through more.

I was so happy with the way it turned out! And from the side it gave it a little added 3D bonus since the could ridges popped out a little bit.

Perfect addition to my daughters room. :)

Decorating with Portraits

2012-02-17T20:50:00.000-08:00

I shared this a couple days ago over at Kristen Duke's Decorating With Portrait series she has going on right now, if you haven't been following, you have been missing some grrrrrrreat ideas for putting up photos in the home I for one have been loving the series!!!
I am not a huge fan of my brown walls, especially since I have black furniture. And I do not have the budget to paint my 20 ft+ living room/kitchen. I had no idea how I was going to make it work so I was ecstatic when I found Ikea fabric with brown and black and green in it (top left frame) I'll show you different thigns I did throughout the room with the fabric a little bit later but for now I wanted to share the wall....

So I took some frames I had on hand and traced them out on paper and hung them up to create my visual square. Then I painted up some of the frames and even covered one of them in fabric. The 4 corners I wanted to match with the green and then all the middle frames matched with black borders.

After all was hung up, I got to say goodbye to my big blank eye sore! My little family had a photo shoot this last summer with Melissa from Humble Takes so the larger photos I used those shots, and then the little photos will be switched out often of my little baby girl.

And of course I had to include some of my favorites like our family silhouettes! My daughter looooooooooves seeing her photos up on the wall (hey I would be as ecstatic as her too if I was that cute!) And now we rarely get to pass this wall without giving at least one photo a kiss.

Nae is officially a Senate page

2012-02-16T21:54:00.000-08:00

Although it's been a crazy past couple of days with moving Nae, I have been so crazy excited to come back and visit one of my favorite places on earth. The state capitol. As we mentioned, Janae graduated High School early to come work as a Senate Page. Something I did as well when I was a senior. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and it didn't take much convincing to get Janae to want to do it also.

Janae and I took a day before her job started to just walk around the capitol and to my great surprise so many old friends still worked there. I am also making an assignment for Janae that she has to make a post showing you all what the the day in the life of a page is like, so look forward to that coming up!

So excited for you Nae! Wish I could be a page for just one more day so enjoy it while you're there!

Maple Cinnamon Bananas

2012-02-15T18:07:00.000-08:00

If you know me at all in real life you know that I do not cook. At least not well. I can mess up Maceroni and Cheese thats how bad I am at cooking. I am notoriously known within my family as the one who said "I can't cook I don't even know what a pint is! (I said pint like you would say hint)" So I never ever EVER planned on sharing a recipe on the blog. I'm really taking a leap of faith here and stepping way outside my comfort zone, but this is an easy one..........

Slice up bananas, pour on a little maple syrup, sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon, and cook on medium heat for 1-2 minutes. You're done!

My Sabrina is an extremely picky eater (or maybe she already knows that her mom is not the best cook?) And when I struggle in the mornings to find her something to eat, I like to refer back to my good ole' First Meals book. This meal she actually ate entirely without a fight. So if your not a cook like me, this might possibly the one meal people like myself could not mess up.

And I actually enjoyed them too :)

What I Wore: Baby poncho edition

2012-02-14T20:35:00.000-08:00

Ok this poncho is just too stinking cute to not have it's own what I wore, am I right? I'm pretty sure my mom got it from Costco, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong mom :)

Happy Valentines Day!

2012-02-13T21:38:00.000-08:00

This Valentine's day, Janae and Jamie/Sabrina will be spending it driving to the state capitol where Janae, after graduating high school early, starts her new job as a Senate Page. Congratulations Janae! This will be an amazing new adventure for you!!!!

Mustache and Lips Lollipops

2012-02-12T17:00:00.000-08:00

Every year in elementary school, from 1^st to 6^th grade to be precise, I would end up missing my class Valentine’s Day party. I was usually sick or on family vacation, but one year I had the chicken pox. I can so clearly remember putting my Valentines together for my classmates while sitting on my Mom & Dad’s waterbed watching movies on this tiny little black & white TV. I tell you, I couldn’t wait for my mom to pick up ~~my homework~~ my bag of Valentine’s cards and goodies. When I finally had them in my hands, frankly and to my utter disappointment, there was a huge lack of yummy goodies. Can you say brat? Or pig? Either way I never give a Valentine without something tasty.

So this year for my daughters’ class Valentines we did the good old lollipop, but thanks to Blonde Designs Blog we were able to add some FLARE! If you’re running last minute, the mustaches and lips were easy and my daughter did a lot of the work. Then we sent the boys to bed, turned on Ever After, and enjoyed some girl time while putting them together.

Jamie also made genius little sayings to go with them.

Click here to download valentines sayings

Or Blonde Designs Blog has a little tag printables to go with the mustache and lip template.

Hope you all have a lovely Valentines Day!!!

Get Positively Beautiful: Book Review

2012-02-11T18:00:00.000-08:00

Jade you are such a beeeeeeeeaaautiful person. I remember when I was little watching you put make up on in the morning and doing your hair and thinking to myself "I hope someday I look just like my sister Jade." I'm not kidding! And I was always so proud to tell everyone you were my sister. And not just because you are drop dead gorgeous my diva sista, but also because you have such a beautiful heart! Which is why it's so fitting that you gave me this book for Christmas. I know I've told you like a million times that I love it.....but I do :)

Carmindy is such a doll. I love her and I love this book! Not only are there fabulous makeup tutorials in here, she also goes over morning/nightly routines, products that she loves/uses, and even tips for just feeling better about yourself and gaining more self confidence. What I love about this book is she doesn't just focus on the makeup. She focus's on you. What compliments you and what will bring our your eyes/cheekbones/lip shape/whatever! She talks about how makeup isn't about covering up flaws but rather enhancing what you love most about you.

And so often we all want that coveted smokey eye that we forget about the highlights which is my favorite part. She shows you where to add the highlights to really open up your eyes (which as moms/women/bloggers we're all lacking in sleep and any help to make me not look how tired I really am I am all for!)

"Looking good starts with feeling good". It's time to start feeling good people! Celebrate your differences! You are beautiful the way you are, don't focus on "flaws". Another thing I loved in this book and started doing was Mirror Mantras. "There's no better facelift in the world than speaking positively about your beauty." Instead of waking up in the morning and looking in the mirror and automatically zoning in on everything that I feel is wrong about my face I suck it up and take Carmindy's advice and think...."What lovely cheekbones I have!" Haha! Trust me you're day will start out better and will help out the rest of your day. I give you permission, right now, to celebrate yourself....

"It's your life, sugar. Make it GORGEOUS!"

Blog Organization

2012-02-10T18:00:00.000-08:00

If you were around when I shared my valentine printable, you remember that I said I would share how I organized the blog. I didn't forget! Was just trying to get completely organized. I am happy to say, that for probably for the first time since we started the blog, I feel on top of everything. Of course that won't last but at the moment we have a ton of posts ready to be posted for y'all to see, a ton of ideas tucked neatly in my binder, we're on schedule for all that requested a guest post from us, and I even managed to make dinner tonight :) (okay the house is a mess but you can't win them all :) )

Welcome to how I organize our blog. It may not be the most efficient you've seen, maybe wouldn't work for you but it works for me. It might change as the blog grows but for now, I print out this.....

...for 6-12 months in advance. Calender on top and the sponsors on the bottom. I have 3 check boxes next to the sponsor section. One too make sure I invoiced them, one is to check off when they paid, and the last is to check off that they got me their ad. And then I have my little note section which I usually write down the group giveaway for the month info there.

Sometimes I write the size they need off to the side but usually I don't have to keep track of that too much (yet)

Then I have paper in the back for notes, ideas, whatever. Recently, I took the idea that Elsie had and I write my ideas down on sticky notes and I organize them in the back.

See what did I tell ya? Lots of ideas :) I'm slowly learning to manage my time better on the blog.

Feel free to leave any tips or links to what you do in the comments! Let's have this be a forum for blog organizing tips! Can't wait to learn from some of you other bloggers!!!

UPDATE!!!

After getting a few requests from my bloggy friends I have decided to make my little organizer a printable that you can download here. Enjoy :) The I = invoiced, the P = paid, A= ad (for me obviously you can white that out or whatever you want to do for that spot)

Guest Post: Six Sisters Stuff

2012-02-09T19:13:00.000-08:00

Hello! We are the sisters who blog over at Six Sisters' Stuff and we are so excited to be here today on The Letter 4!

Over on our blog we post easy (and delicious!) recipes, crafts, and anything else we feel like sharing.

Today we want to share our Valentine Sugar Cookie Bars recipe with you:

Sugar cookies were a Valentine's Day tradition each year while we were growing up and now that I have a family of my own, I have tried to carry on the tradition. However, cutting out tons of cookies and baking sheet after sheet of all those shaped cookies can seriously take all day; plus you still have to frost each individual cookie! These bars have all the taste and texture of a sugar cookie without all the work . . . my family didn't notice a difference and I can make them in a fraction of the time!

Valentine Sugar Cookie Bars

Sugar Cookie Bars:

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

5 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each egg. Mix in vanilla.

2. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, salt and baking soda. Add to wet mixture and mix just until combined. Spread on a greased, rimmed baking sheet (use a 13x18x1" pan/cookie sheet). The dough will be just like cookie dough- heavy and sticky- so it’s best to spray your hands with a little nonstick spray and use them to help mold the dough into the pan.

3. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 min, until light golden brown or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Mom's Frosting:

Frosting:

1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine or butter, softened

1/4 cup milk

2 tsp vanilla

4 cups powdered sugar (more or less depending on how thick/runny you like it)

A couple of drops red food coloring (or any other color) to get desired pink color (optional)

Combine all ingredients until well-blended. Spread on top of bars. Top with Valentine sprinkles if you want.

For more easy and delicious recipes, stop by our blog anytime! We would love to have you come over and say hi!

Homemade Hot Cocoa

2012-02-08T20:32:00.000-08:00

Several weeks ago I got it into my head that I was going to make the tastiest cup of South American Hot Cocoa. I was going to watch Chocolat & listen to Johnny Depp play Minor Swing all while enjoying what was to be my delicious cup of cocoa. Bahahahaha! What actually went down was that I made THEE most disgustingly grotesque pot of cocoa EVER! It smelled like something scooped out of a South American gutter & tasted just as awful…if ya get what I’m sayin’. But I figured if I left out the red peppers, added more sugar, & used a whole heap less of chili powder it would be, well it would be just a regular cup of hot cocoa. That’s not what I wanted! ~~Fortunately~~ I ended up with a terrible sore throat, which ~~luckily~~ gave me the chance to have fun with my cocoa venture. This is what I came up with (from a combination of three recipes.)

You need: sugar, unsweetened cocoa (I love dark, so that’s what I used), water, milk, half & half, & cinnamon or chili powder.

Combine 1/3 cup of cocoa, ¾ cup of sugar, 1/3 cup of water in a medium pot and bring to a boil.

Add 3-3 ½ cups of milk and stir. Heat until hot then stir in half & half. I like mine on the chocolatey side so if it’s too strong add a little more milk.

Then add amount of desired cinnamon. Or if you want something little more spicy add a pinch, I stress pinch, of chili powder. Top it with some cream & chocolate shavings....The perfect cup of Hot Cocoa!

Enjoy!

What I Wore: Wedding Edition

2012-02-07T21:37:00.000-08:00

Since recently Janae wore my birdcage from my wedding and I also revamped my wedding shoes, I figured it would be appropriate to have this week's what I wore to be from my wedding! This is my favorite picture in my dress, I love that we randomly found that saying in the back "imagine being alive".

I am lucky enough to have Janae as my sister who just happens to be crazy talented behind the camera.

The shoes I got online from converse, jewelry from Forever 21. Your turn!

Navajo Painted Tennis Shoes

2012-02-06T18:00:00.000-08:00

I'm a little bit obsessed with navajo patterns right now. I blame Janae and her sweet shirt she wore on Martha Stewart

I shared this a little earlier over at Tami's blog who is a sweetheart! These are actually the tennis shoes I wore for my wedding a couple years ago :) I love them but I felt like they were a little plain. I wanted to dress them up just a bit so I penciled on a design.

Then you can take a bleach pen, or if you're like me and didn't have one on hand and are to impatient to go to the store, you can take some paint and a pen. I painted it on with a pen to get it as precise and clean as I could.

Let it dry and you are good to go!

I love them all over again! It's like getting a new pair of shoes (only a lot less expensive :) )

Tasty Healthy Tip

2012-02-05T18:00:00.000-08:00

Junk mail. Hate it. Until today...I actually got something that was half interesting. Herb Magazine wanting me to join in on their shindig. They sent a couple things, one being a salt alternative, which is great especially if you love cooking with spices and herbs and/or need to lower your salt intake. Sprinkle this mixture anywhere you would normally sprinkle salt. On meats, salads, vegetables, eggs, ect. Spices and herbs have many great benefits! I'm definitely giving this a try!

Combine:

1 Tbsp dry mustard (helps prevent migraines and arthritis)

1 Tbsp garlic powder (destroys cancer and tumor cells)

2 tsp dry parsley (prevents gas and bloating)

2 tsp dried dill weed (edible garden foliage and mosquito repellent)

2 tsp onion powder (reduces risk of head and neck cancers)

2 tsp dried savory (anti-fungal characteristics and anti-bacterial properties)

2 tsp dried thyme (one of the richest sources of potassium)

2 tsp paprika (anti-inflammatory and antioxidant)

2 tsp ground white pepper (milder than black pepper and aids in digestion)

1 tsp dried lemon peel, chopped (helps tonify the liver and strengthen blood vessels)

Enjoy some tasty health! ;)

Old key = New Necklace

2012-02-04T19:00:00.000-08:00

Remember this weeks What I Wore post I did? Did you spot a key necklace? If not I wanted to show you, cause it's ma new favorite :)

And it's also the cheapest piece of favorite jewelry I have ever owned in my life. Where did I get it? I asked my dad if he had an old key, he pulled out his key ring and handed me this VW ring (our family is a little attached to VW's since we own this old VW rabbits which was the awesomest car alive. Then my mom pulled out her old jewelry and I found within the stash an old leather cord necklace which i pulled apart, attached to the key my dad gave me, and voila! 30 second necklace.

We also have an announcement! We are going through a break up on Valentines Day....a break up with GFC (google friend connect). If you haven't heard, google is actually removing this service as of March and we figure it is now time to move on! But don't be sad! There are still plenty of other ways to stay connected with us.....

Facebook

Our facebook followers always get the news first! Plus we are going to start doing more mini giveaways on there and also have discussions every once in a while :)

Twitter

Great for getting a hold of us quickly! See what we're up to, get sneak peaks of upcoming projects, it's also where we keep in touch with most of our favorite bloggy friends.

Pinterest
This is an easy way to keep updated. We pin almost every single post we do, plus you get to see all our other favorites from the internet

Google+

Ok I'll admit, we're still figuring this one out too, but I love what I am seeing! I am usually in Gmail most of the day anyways so shoot us a message, or heck lets even google hangout!

Bloglovin'

This is an awesome service to follow your favorite blogs and shows you the previous 3 posts for those who don't have time to check every day

RSS

This is an amazing service where you can choose how you would like our post updates sent to you including email!

So there you have it! Still lots of ways to keep in touch with us :) Also, keep in mind we don't ever spam you with a million Facebook status updates. We only share each post with you once, not a million times throughout the day. We don't update you every 10 minutes what we're doing on twitter. So feel free to follow and be assured you will not be spammed with Letter 4 info!

Or you can always just e-mail us at theletter4blog@gmail.com.

Let me know if you have any questions at all!

Valentines Garland

2012-02-03T17:00:00.000-08:00

This is a tutorial I shared recently over at our friend Jessica's blog. I had this vision in my head for this cute little garland I wanted to make, and I had all the things I needed except for the pom poms. Now, I was at my parents house, and we come a very very small town. There are 3 stoplights, 2 grocery stores, and if you graduated from high school there you probably knew all the names of your 60-70 other classmates. So onto my point, I went on the hunt for pom poms there. Visited every little local store I could...no pom poms.

The moment I got back to Utah I happily traveled to my Walmart down the street from my house and picked up some pom poms. So if you live in a small town, beware, you may have to pick up some pom poms in a larger city...haha!

To make all you need is:

Paper circles

Pom Poms

Thread

& a needle

Thats it!

The rest is pretty self explanatory, I hand sewed some stitches through the middle of the paper circles and then sewed through the pom poms. Who doesn't love garlands? :) But then again I'll make a garland for any occasion!

Hope that inspired some quick valentines day decor for you!

Cutting Edge Stencil Review

2012-02-01T17:00:00.001-08:00

We were ecstatic when Cutting Edge Stencils got a hold of us to review a stencil for them. (I hope they can forgive me for how long this took! Sorry!) But this didn't take a long time because it's hard, it's actually been then funnest and easiest way that I have decorated a room in my house, my husband has just been gone a lot and I wasn't about to attempt painting a room by myself with two cute toddlers running around!

I first want to say thank you Cutting Edge Stencils! They were so amazing to work with, and if you haven't looked at their site, go look! It was so hard for me to pick one stencil and makeover a room. You start looking at those and you have a million ideas going through your head that you could do for each room in your house! (and not even just walls... pillows, vases, dressers, and more!)

As I was making my decision, I do what I usually do and called my parents for their input. Now if you have read any comments from my dad on the blog, you know now that he is hilarious. So I must share what advice he gave me. As we were looking through the tree branches and vines, he said, "Oh ya, those are nice, then you can even put a couple birds flying around and you can feel like you are pooping in the woods!"

Hahahahah! Awesome.

I didn't include a tutorial because you can't get much better than Cutting Edge Stencils tutorial. They are the experts. Here it is. My only advice is to follow their advice and DO NOT SKIP ANY STEPS.

Click here for a Cutting Edge Stencil video tutorial

(If you can't tell, this is an extremely small space, so I hope the pictures do it justice.)

Vine behind the mirror....LOVE.

Thank you so much to Cutting Edge Stencils! Visit them at their site or on their facebook page!

Featuring adelynSTONE!

2012-02-01T17:00:00.000-08:00

AdelynStone

Blog - Shop

I was YELLING(through typing) to Jamie when I got these in the mail. I. LOVE. THESE CARDS. Say that enthusiastically. Out loud! Because I am! And I'd like you to feel my rush of love for these cards. Does that even make sense? ...don't care. I just love 'em. That's all I need you to understand.

I have been showing EVERYONE this Star Wars card. 'tis the funniest thing I've ever seen in my life, along with the tissue box card???? My Valentine's Day has been made. And it's still a week or two away.

To top all of my joyous card loving enthusiasm off, Kristan slipped in three more cards!

They basically make the cards at my grocery store look... sub par. Do YOU want to give someone you love dearly a "sub par" Valentine card? I'm guessing not. So, I'm giving you just a titch of advice and telling you to head to adelynSTONE and order some cards before it's too late! Of course...if it's too late, change that to super early for next Valentine's Day!

That's www.adelynSTONE.com people.

What I Wore: Pink Lemonade Edition

2012-01-31T20:47:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to get these lovelies in the mail the other day c/o the incredibly talented Paige! You can visit her at her shop or at her blog! :)

my headband: Pink Lemonade

sabrina's headband: Pink Lemonade

Skirt, shirt, leggings: Rue 21

click here for the hair tutorial

Now it's your turn!

Royally Doubled.

2012-01-30T17:00:00.000-08:00

We recently shared this hair tutorial on a fun site, That's What We Said!

Behold the double waterfall braid....

The waterfall braid is amazing just by itself, doubling it is a great way to make it unique. Stays in, takes two minutes, and is such a cute way to dress up your hair when you want to leave it down.

Sorry about the quality of the video! If we have people that don't understand we'll reshoot it so let me know if you have any questions!

Warm Fuzzies

2012-01-29T17:00:00.000-08:00

Today, I am introducing one of my life savers to you. A homemade warm fuzzy. Just a bundle of microwavable warmth that puts a smile on my face. Whenever I don't feel so swell or I'm just cold at night, this thing works miracles! I have a million and one in my room. It's seriously one of my most treasured things I've ever made in my life. hahaha

What's neat about it, is that you can personalize it! Get some fabric and draw any shape you want!

Cut out a front and back that match up. Put them together so that the back side of the fabric faces out and sew around it. DON'T forget to leave a small hole.

Turn it inside out...

Fill it up with rice, wheat, beans, barley, oatmeal...whatever you prefer or have on hand. You can also make it have a pleasant aroma by adding peppermint oil, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, lavender...again, whatever you prefer.

Sew up the hole, stick it in the microwave for a minute or two, and there you have an easy made miracle worker. Your own warm fuzzy!

Jamie and I made the heart as a Valentine warm fuzzy. My personal favorite and most used one is Pearl, my whale that I created. The square one is Julianna's that is filled with wheat and peppermint oil. Genius.

Lip Mustache

2012-01-28T21:06:00.000-08:00

The latest trend. No tutorial needed.

Cashew Chicken

2012-01-27T16:08:00.000-08:00

This recipe has some dear memories that go along with it. When we moved to Maryland, we left some wonderful friends back in Utah (who we miss so much!) and this is a recipe we had first at their home, and it has stayed with us since. This is my go to recipe when I don't know what to put on the menu. I am usually always in the mood for this. I LOVE the flavors and textures in this meal!

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts, or 4 boneless thighs
1/2 cup cashews

1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced

1/2 lb. snow peas
4 green onions, chopped
1 small can bamboo shoots, rinsed and drained
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
oil

RECIPE:

Cut chicken into 1" pieces. Whisk together soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, and salt. Heat oil in skillet on medium heat and add nuts to the pan. Stir fry for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add chicken until cooked through. Add peas, mushrooms, chicken broth, and soy sauce mixture. Cook until it boils and thickens, stirring constantly. Add green onions and serve over rice.

ENJOY!

Giveaway: September Wren

2012-01-27T01:04:00.000-08:00

I am so excited for today's giveaway!

September Wren

SHOP - FACEBOOK

Today we are featuring the incredibly talented Meg who is the genius behind September Wren. I about fell off my chair when I saw these gorgeous prints in her shop. She's been featured on Apartment Therapy, West Elm, Fossil, and a ton more!

via

"September Wren is a nostalgic collection of images, inspired by the feelings of
a fleeting summer. I love photos that capture the joy of childhood,
but are still suitable for a modern, grow-up home."

via

Today she is giving away $100 credit to her shop!!!

If you want to buy a print, mention The Letter 4 at check out (message to seller) and you can get another print of your choosing the same size for free!!!

To enter:

Pin your favorite print from September Wren to one of your pinterest boards

Favorite her shop

Like her on Facebook

Share this giveaway on your facebook page

Follow The Letter 4 on Facebook

Comment for each

*If you need a pinterest invite shoot us an e-mail, remember to pin a photo from her shop, not from this post, we'll be tracking the pins!

Contest ends February 1st at 11:59

Good Luck!!!

Snow art

2012-01-25T22:34:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, back when most the family lived close together, we were all excited for a family trip to Hawaii! Janae, out of excitement to see the beaches not snow, drew in the snow with markers...and it worked. I was actually really surprised! It kind of inspired this little boredom buster activity we like to do with the kiddos during the winter.

You can write in the snow with markers, or you can can take some spray bottles and some food die and spray the snow. The kids ALWAYS love it and come up with some amazing creations. This picture, Nae and I did. We're not as clever as the little ones haha! Our spray bottles wouldn't work either so we just ended up throwing colored water all over the snow...still fun. Just like working with a giant clean white sheet of paper :) So if you're bored and you got some snow, color it!

What I Wore: Bomb in a Birdcage Edition

2012-01-24T19:50:00.000-08:00

Why don't we wear these more often??? I wore this all day...AT HOME. Usually, if I don't leave the house, I tend to not dress up too much. How can you not dress up if you have this in your clutches, though?

Also, I was inspired to introduce you to one of my favorite artists, A Fine Frenzy. She has a lyric that I LOVE. Guess what? Jamie turned it into a printable! What a good ol' chap. :) So, here's the song, and here's an amazing printable! Badda bing, badda boom.

Shirt/necklace: Forever21

Birdcage: Upcoming DIY project

Happy day to you. xo

Guest Post: Adelyn Stone

2012-01-23T20:37:00.000-08:00

Hello Letter 4 readers. I am so honored to be here. I remember when I was first contacted by the sisters, their blog was brand new. It has been so amazing watching their blog grow like wild fire. They are so talented and bring so much to the blogosphere!! They seriously all have the most sweetest hearts, which is a rare thing nowadays on the internet. But I’m sure you already knew that.

I’m Kristan and I blog over @ adelynSTONE which is not only a blog, but also a shop full of simple greeting cards. The purpose of my cards: to remind those special people in your life, how much they mean to you. My blog is a simple blog with a goal to inspire and embrace all those little moments in life. You’ll find tutorials, easy recipes, repurposing ideas, confessions, my take on fashion and blogging tips for newbies. Really, I don’t think there ISN’T something I havn’t blogged about. hah. From stories about breastfeeding in public to our financial struggles. I put it all out there. I have two babes, Adelyn who just turned 3 and Stone who just turned 1. Hence the name adelynSTONE. They are the heart and soul of my life, so it’s only natural they show up on the blog, I try to get them involved as much as possible, Adelyn loves to help me bake and craft, so you’ll see little hands in some pictures and Stone likes to look like a stud-muffin, so of course I throw in random pictures of his gorgeous blue eyes.

Random fact: I’m obsessed with fake glasses.

Today I’m going to share with you a super simple Valentine garland.

You can do by yourself or with the help of little hands.

Note: If you already have scrap strips of cardstock, like me, go ahead and use those. If not, you might want to paint pieces of paper first, then cut into strips. I recommend using cardstock, as it’s sturdier than plain paper.

Alright, so first you’re going to paint, using whatever colors you’d like on both sides of the strips.

We used acrylic paint because the variety of colors is crazy, but use whatever paint you prefer. Let the strips dry, by the time we were done, the first ones we painted were already dry.

The heart shape is pretty self explanatory, but incase you want to see how it was done, here you go:

After you have all your hearts, use a needle and crochet cord (or any twine) to string them like so:

I hope you’ve been inspired to create a Valentine garland of your own!!! I can’t wait to see you over at the blog! Be sure to say HI on the blog and don’t hesitate to introduce yourself on Twitter or Facebook.

OH YEA! One more thing, in honor of Valentines Day coming up, I figured I’d offer one of you a little something. I have quite a few Valentine cards in the shop, so how about a $15 shop credit for you to use as you wish?? I think it sounds fab.

To enter: Just leave a comment here, letting the Letter 4 sisters and myself know your most memorable Valentines Day. Don’t have a stand-out memory? Tell us why you love or hate that mushy day.

Be sure to check out the group giveaway coming up here on Letter 4, I might be giving away something else awesome. Major thanks to Jamie, Janae Julianna, and Jade for having me today.

XoXo # kristanlynn

Patching Up Pants DIY

2012-01-22T19:21:00.000-08:00

I have had a hole in this pair of pants for eons. And it just keeps getting bigger! Not cool at all. No worries, though. I brought this madness to an end by sewing a feather to them. :)

Needle, thread, material, and something to sew it on to is all you need. I do admit, I did cheat just a tad and put a dab of fabric glue under it, just to make sure it had a good hold.

Cut out any shape you want. Jamie kindly cut out a feather for me. Then, I hand stitched it over the hole. I'm quite fond of how it looks. And how much warmer my knee is now.

7 Pretty Things On a Sunday

2012-01-22T05:44:00.000-08:00

photo sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Welcome to 7 Pretty Things Sunday Blog Hop! Hosted by Gussy Sews, Matchstick Molly, Much Love Illy, and us of course! Each of us chose 1 photo for our picks....

Julianna's pick #1 - I cannot stop thinking about Disneyland and the old fashioned candy you find on main street! Pretty food is always inspiring :)

Jade's pick #4 - How cute is this washie tape over the keyboard? I'm completely inspired that almost everything can be made cuter with washie tape.

Jamie's pick #5 - This bicycle wheel animation is AMAZING! A must see, go watch the video!! Such a simple idea to make for an amazing outcome.

Janae's pick #6 - Old school hats are coming back. Nuff said.

Don't forget to visit GUSSY SEWS, MATCHSTICK MOLLY, and MUCH LOVE, ILLY to see why they're inspired by their picks!

Join Gussy Sews, Matchstick Molly, Much Love, Illy + The Letter 4 for today's "7 pretty things on Sunday" linky party! Simply add your blog below by linking to your post's permalink. Your link will be automatically added to the other 3 blogs {hooray!}. Then, browse the other linkers to find even more inspiration. Happy Sunday, xoxo

Another Awesome Giveaway

2012-01-20T15:42:00.000-08:00

A HUGE XOXO to those who participated in our giveaway and to our readers! We have got some wonderful things to give away, so check 'em out! Good luck!

$25 shop credit towards anything in the shop! (excluding custom items)

Given by Laura at along for the ride

15% off coupon: 15OFFLETTER4 and bulk price orders!

ONE "Arise and Shine Forth" bottlecap pendant with a chain

Given by Jen & Amber at justbejewelry

blog

shop

facebook

$15.00 shop credit!

Given by Andi at thehollierogue.com

We're also giong to get in on the giveaway action this time! In the spirit of Valentines day we're giving away a personlized Puzzle Piece Print! (will say two names of your choosing instead of you & me)

Twitter
Facebook

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Iphone necklace case

2012-01-19T17:08:00.000-08:00

I have a serious problem. I never ever ever can find my phone. If I can go the entire day without looking for my phone it's a good day. And actually I don't know where my phone is more days then where I know it is. And yes they have that app where it will locate your phone but it's just so much easier not to lost it in the first place, right? I tell people (ok lets be honest my sisters are the ones who call me so I told them) that I can never find it cause I am always walking around the house in yoga pants and a t-shirt and have no pockets to hold my phone in. Insert, the iphone pouch necklace.....

This was one of those projects that I wasn't sure would work out, but I desperately needed something like this so I attempted it and quite frankly, I'm in love!

So how I made it was I took some white fabric I had traced out a piece of fabric that was twice as long as the iphone and then some for some seam allowance. (say hello to me in the phone!)

Then I took some painters tape and made my triangles making sure to press the tape down as flat as I could so the paint wouldn't bleed.

Then I sponged on some paint and let it dry! When you are painting it be sure to just touch the fabric rather than sweep it, again avoiding bleeding.

The next part I cheated. I used a lifeline known as "my sister Janae will sew it for me." I cannot sew for the life of me! But she simply sewed a hem at the top and then sewed up the sides! Then Janae also so graciously let me use a chain off of an old necklace that she had and I glued it into the sides on the inside and then hand stitched one of the links to make sure it would stay.

Done! Now I have NO excuse not to have my phone on me anymore. And I love love love this thing. It's been a week and I have not lost my phone once, that's kind of a miracle in my life. My sisters are thrilled they can get a hold of me!

Hope that inspires those of you that have my same "problem"!

7 pretty things on a Sunday

2012-01-18T18:00:00.000-08:00

Join the bloggers of Gussy Sews, Matchstick Molly, Much Love, Illy + The Letter 4 on Sunday the 22nd for a "7 pretty things on Sunday" linky party. All you need to do is link your "7 pretty things" blog post {click here to see past posts} come Sunday to one of our blogs {listed above} and it'll automatically link to the other 3 blogs. So easy and so much fun!

What's 7 pretty things on Sunday? Oh that's a great question! It's just a fun way to share inspirational finds with your blog community. And it's easy: pick seven things that inspire you and include them in your link-up post via blog post ~ be sure to include a photo of each!

We love to be inspired and hope to see you Sunday! xoxo

We are so excited to be a part of this blog hop! There's so many things to be inspired by and we want to see what you're being inspired by! Each of us ( Gussy Sews, Matchstick Molly, Much Love Illy, and each sister from our blog) are each sharing a photo. We'll put it up in a collage on sunday for you all to check out and then you can link up your post 7 pretty things on a Sunday (don't forget to check our Gussy's or Molly's past 7 pretty things post if you need some inspiration)
See you Sunday!
-the letter 4 sisters

What I Wore: Sevenly Edition

2012-01-17T21:33:00.000-08:00

Service has always been a big and important part of mine and my sisters lives. There's nothing like the amazing feeling you get after doing a good deed, and like Jade said previously in her TOMS post "we've been inspired to do more! You've also probably heard we've teamed up with the incredible Jessica Nicely for something very exciting. So keep an eye open for more details.

In the mean time... I want to share with you another amazing organization that gives back! Sevenly, you may have heard of them or have seen their ads. Each week they have a cause and a tee shirt. For every tee shirt sold $7 goes to that weeks cause. Helping can be as simple as buying a tee for a good cause, so of course I couldn't pass it up and had to get myself a tee! That week was all about helping women and families get away from poverty. This week is all about Autism. So make sure you go check them out:)

every wednesday!

Sweet 'n' Sour Pork

2012-01-16T17:52:00.000-08:00

My hubby grew up eating this dish as a Christmas Eve tradition. Well, Christmas Eve 2011 was the first time we had cooked it and eaten it as a family, and I gotta tell ya...I'm keeping it as our tradition now! :)

The pork perfectly battered and browned to a crispy goodness.

Meet The Sauce. So yummy and packed with veggies!

Put them together and they make one yummy duo! Great as an appetizer or serve with rice to make a yummy meal.

SWEET N SOUR SAUCE:

1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 can 8 oz pineapple tidbits, drained, reserve syrup
1/8 cup vinegar
2 Tbsp ketchup
2 carrots sliced on a bias
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red onion, chopped

In a saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch. Add enough water to the reserved pineapple juice to equal 1 cup. Stir syrup mixture, vinegar, and ketchup into sugar and cornstarch. Cook and stir constantly until mixture boils and thickens. Toss veggies in, cover, and keep warm over very low heat.

BATTER:

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup water

1 tsp. oil

Beat all ingredients together until smooth. Cut meat into 2" long by 1/2" wide strips. Dip meat into batter and cover completely. Fry in vegetable oil until golden brown. Set out on paper towel.

ENJOY!

Valentine Wall Art

2012-01-15T13:24:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love a holiday thats all about being lovey dovey, chocolate, and sticking hearts on everything? Even if your single this holiday involves all of those things. Only the lovey dovey usually comes from watching a chick flick, the chocolate usually comes in larger quantities, and the hearts are ripped in half but really it still sounds like a fun holiday for everyone :)

We needed some more valentines day feeling around, so we whipped up this super cute wall art.

And you know me, my projects are always cheap, so all you need is some paper, mod podge, and a board or canvas.

So you take some strips of paper, (mine were about an inch thick) fold them in half....

Curl up the ends and you get a super cute, super quick 3d heart! No 3d glasses required!

Now putting on your 3d hearts to the canvas you can swipe on some mod podge and press the hearts down. It's going to need to dry for a while.

Let the lovey doveyness begin! Trust me it is not to early to start celebrating this holiday, I for one have started early. I've been eating chocolate all day :)

eyelet lace flower

2012-01-14T23:38:00.000-08:00

We shared this recently over at Melanie's blog, who is a sweet friend of mine :)

My daughter is my absolute world to me. I look forward to seeing that contagious little smile every morning, the scrunch of her little nose, and the gleam of excitement in her eyes when she knows she is doing something she isn't supposed to. It's funny how quickly you forget what life was like before you had your little ones. Before my Sabrina, I'm sure I would have filled my day with work and some tv episodes. I have happily traded that in for playing horsie on the floor and making flowers for Sabrina to wear. :) And boy do I make a ton of flowers. I'm a bit obsessed! Here is my new favorite...

What you'll learn about me is that I can't sew. It's on my list of things to learn. Usually I cannot even get the sewing machine to work and even if I do, I have never even come close to sewing a straight line. So! Janae (little sister) is my designated sewer. She sewed a line on the bottom of this eyelet lace (which I am througholy impressed with, I have know idea how she managed to stay in such a small space!) with a very wide stitch and kept both ends open.

This way I was able to easilty pull on one thread to make the entire thing ruffle.

As I ruffled along, I spun it in a circle, glueing periodically as I went.

And after glueing it to some stretchy lace, I get to do another one of my favorite hobbies....photoshoots with Sabrina! (as you've probably noticed I share a picture of her almost every post, just can't help myself)

Sara Bareilles Hair Tutorial

2012-01-13T19:37:00.000-08:00

"Oooooo! How'm I gonna get over youuuuu?" Have you ever watched Sara Bareille's music video for Gonna Get Over You? I watched it, and it made me want to go jam out in a grocery store. It also inspired my look and 'tude for today. Today... "I'm going to be unspeakably fatal." (Thoroughly Modern Millie)...(best movie ever) Wanna join me? :)

Valentine Vase

2012-01-12T23:46:00.000-08:00

We shared this post a little bit ago over at Southern Institute!

We had these flameless tea lights that we've been dying to use for something....and we happen to have random vases lying around.

So after picking out a vase, grabbing a tea light, and drawing some doodles, we got this! Setting the mood for the upcoming lover holiday.

Definitely has the valentine mood to it, and you could draw anything on it! You could even write a note if you wanted. Just throwing ideas out there. :)

Happy day to you all!

Eggs Benedict

2012-01-11T22:44:00.000-08:00

My favorite breakfast food. Hands down. And, no, I did not run to catch a moving truck on my wedding day. ;) In, fact my hubby and I have always made this together. Never without each other. It's a favorite pastime. I love ya, babe!

What you need:

One cute husband :D

English muffins, separated and toasted

Slices of thin ham or canadian bacon

Eggs, poached (see tutorial below if you don't have a poacher)
Optional: plain or smoked paprika

Mock Hollandaise Sauce:
(we like this better than the real stuff!)

Miracle whip

Lite sour cream

Mustard

Lemon juice

Optional: skim milk to thin

Mix all ingredients well, except milk. After all the ingredients are combined well, add a little milk at a time to reach your desired consistency.

First, make the sauce. Turn it on a very low heat just to keep it warm and stir it every now and then.

Sizzle your ham or canadian bacon in a pan for a couple of minutes on each side.

Poach your eggs
Don't have an egg poacher? Try this! It will do in a pinch.

Boil a couple inches of water in a 12" high sided skillet. When it's boiling turn it down a bit so it's not such an active boil. Crack your egg into a ladle or a measuring cup without breaking the yolk. Lower the cup into the boiling water slowly and gently, tipping the egg out into the water.

Your eggs will look like this, and you will probably think there is no way this is going to work. Have a little faith in me! ;) I usually put four eggs in a 12" pan at a time.

Cook for about 3 minutes for the yolk to be runny. About 5 minutes for a harder yolk. Then carefully scoop it out with a slotted spoon and it will look like this. A beautifully poached egg! Magic!

Put them out on some paper towels to drain.

Now layer them! Start with the toasted english muffin, then the ham, then the egg, then top it with some sauce and paprika. Serve with orange juice or orange slices and enjoy with someone you love! Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Valentine's Day breakfast? <3

Featured post: Julie Ann Art

2012-01-11T13:09:00.000-08:00

Julie Ann Art Handmade Greeting Cards

Wow! Where did 2011 go! I can't believe it's 2012, but I'm looking forward to all the Valentines Day fun! And what's Valentines Day without a card for your loved one? Do you all know the amazingly talented Julie Ann from Julie Ann Art? Well, besides her awesome blog, she seriously has thee greatest card line ever!!! I've stood in the card section of a store for the longest time trying to pick a card out of a bunch of cards I don't even like, but I've spent hours looking through Julie Ann's beautiful handmade cards wanting EVERY single one, but the sweet Robots had me. Aren't they the cutest?!!

I love that she is so unique & bold, there is literally something for everyone! Her cards are excellent quality & even come with fun extras. Along with all that goodness, the inside is left blank so you can personalize your own message:)

So, if you haven't seen her Valentine Collection....HURRY...GO TAKE A LOOK! You'll love them all!

Thank you so much Julie! Looove my card!

What I Wore: Christmas Edition

2012-01-10T18:38:00.000-08:00

Vest, sweater, shirt, boots, necklace, bracelet: Forever 21.....I got to go shopping with some Christmas money :)

braids on your head

2012-01-09T18:57:00.000-08:00

Today was a Monday furrr surrrre. I went to bed at a reasonable time and my eyelids STILL would not open for the life of me. It's like I put a slab of glue on them before I fell asleep or something. Anywhoo, after I finally drug myself out of bed, I wanted to look, in Jamie's words....fab-oo-us. haha But, I slept a lot of my time away. So, I came up with something quick and easy. My two favorite words... :) well, nevermind. My actual favorite word is... fab-oo-us.

All I did was:
French braid my bangs to one side to get them out of the way.
Then, I plucked about 4 or 5 chunks of hair from the left side of my head, braided them, and bobbypinned them to the right side of my head.
Then, I took 4 or 5 chunks from the right side of my head, braided them, and bobbypinned them to the left side of my head.
Then finished it off with a messy bun in the back.

It may look complicated, but it's so simple.

It's is my new "I'm pretending I didn't sleep in" do.

feet

2012-01-09T16:19:00.000-08:00

Feet are not a favorite body part of mine. But who knew you could love anything covered by Kermit's face and a pair of leg warmers?

boho headband hair style

2012-01-08T21:35:00.000-08:00

When I found this hair style on pinterest I knew it was to good not to share! Elisa over at Elisa McLaughlin Designs was kind enough to share a tutorial.

All you do it put a headband over your hair (with all of it down) and then tuck your hair, wrapping it around the headband. Love it, and a bonus is this is also a technique for no heat curls! Two hairstyles in one! Maybe this will inspire a Valentine date hair-do? :)

Happily Ever After Printable

2012-01-06T21:49:00.000-08:00

click here to download

During the past few months I often find myself busy with the everyday and working towards daily goals. What needs to be done today, this week, this month, but I don't often think further than that. Sometimes it helps just to take it a day at a time. I now feel the need to force myself to look further. A year down the road, ten, fifteen even. And not just for me but for this little face too. There are so many things I want accomplished to achieve happiness not just for today but long term too. One of my new year's resolution is to be more organized, and I have lots of ideas I am excited to share. For the now, we are looking forward to Valentines Day :) Who is your happily ever after?

Forget Me Not

2012-01-05T21:48:00.000-08:00

I REALLY enjoyed President Uchtdorf's talk. We all need those reminders ever once in a while that help us remember that we are daughters of God, and we are so special to Him! I love when I read something and think..."Wow, was he reading my mind?" Lately, I've been feeling like a failure because I am focusing on all my weaknesses, and all the monotony of life. This message made me realize my strengths, and made me optimistic because it reminded me that first of all I NEED my weaknesses. That is the only way I grow and learn. Secondly, my Father in Heaven can help me turn weaknesses into strengths! How boring would life be if I had nothing to work on, and nothing to strive for? It made me thankful for what I have, and more appreciative to my family. It was empowering to me...I love when I can say, "I felt like this message was meant just for me." It make me aware that someone is aware of me, and He is aware of YOU too. :,)

click here to download

Egg Mousse

2012-01-04T21:02:00.000-08:00

Hair is a big deal in our family. You've probably noticed we all have different colors, but what you might not know is....well I'll just put in the words of a sweet friend, "You guys are the hairiest people I know." Ha ha If that isn't the truth.... Our whole family has thick, coarse, curly/wavy hair & living in a dry area brings out the frizz like you wouldn't believe! So through the inspiration of Janae's friend l found a way to calm & strengthen my out of control hair without spending a fortune on products that contain harsh chemicals.

It's actually an old & not uncommon thing. Are you ready for it?....Egg Whites.

Why Eggs?

Eggs contain lots of nutrients & protein. The protein ,especially, strengthens your hair follicles & the nutrients provide volume & shine. If your hair is curly it holds in the curls better & longer throughout the day. It's cheap, easy, & helps keep your hair healthy:)

All you need is one egg, unless you have thick hair you're going to want to use two.

Simply beat the whites until it looks like & has the consistency of mousse.

Work the egg whites completely through your hair. Then blow dry & scrunch leaving hair slightly damp.

Tips:

-Don't over dry or you'll end up with instant dreads.

-Wash egg out hair before going to bed for the night....or you'll wake up with dreads:)

-I leave a small amount of the egg mouse to the side to calm the few frizzies left on top from blow drying.

-For extra dry hair mix in a bit of hair serum, castor oil, or almond oil.

I know, the thought of wearing egg in your hair all day is kind of gross. So, you can also use it as a conditioner. To do this mix the yolk & the white together until it's all blended (like making scrambled eggs). Then work through hair & rinse with luke warm water. If water is too hot you'll end up with cooked egg in your hair. Yuck!

What I Wore: Beautiful Madness Edition

2012-01-03T19:46:00.000-08:00

Soooo, once in a while... it's fun to be a little crazy! That's why we get along so well with our family friend, Melissa! She is an amazing photographer that runs a company called Beautiful Madness. Her and her stylist did me up the craziest they could and we had some fun!

You can use anything. Really, ANYTHING. They were wrapping strips of leather around my waist and arms, feathers in my hair, insane makeup. Completely push those boundaries aside for a fun photo shoot.

It's good for ya to have a little fun. Keeps the artsy side of things running through you. ;)

Get creative. Use stuff you wouldn't normally dream of using! And have a swell time. :)

Let me hear a WOOT WOOT for the GIVEAWAY!

2012-01-01T21:26:00.000-08:00

Did you not get what you wanted for christmas? Maybe it's in here:

TWO prints of your choice!

shop: http://shop.thewonderforest.com

facebook: www.facebook.com/wonderforest

blog: www.thewonderforest.com

Nuts and bolts bracelet AND hippie at heart head wrap!

shop: http://63strings.bigcartel.com/

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/63strings
Enter LETTER4 for 30% OFF!

Medley of clips and bobbies!

shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/sweetcamijayne

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sweetcamijayne

Custom blog design!

shop: http://blogdesigninspire.com

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smallbirdstudio

twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/smallbirdstudio

pinterest: http://pinterest.com/franchesca_cox/

Free mini session! (Session can be engagements, family pictures, bridals, baby pictures, or seniors, or $100 towards a wedding package. Winner needs to live in or be able to travel to Provo, Salt Lake City, Ogden, Logan areas.)

website: elisecreates.com

photography: http://eliseypants.blogspot.com/search/label/Photography

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/elisecreates

Vintage inspired romantic haripins!

$25 dollars towards ANYTHING in the shop!

shop: http://vintagewannabeeshop.bigcartel.com/products

blog: http://www.vwbblog.com/

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/VintageWannaBee

twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/vintagewannabee/

$10 to Starbucks!

blog: http://cantelmofamily.blogspot.com

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Keeping-up-with-Cantelmos/328616297168239

twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/MelanieCantelmo

$50.00 credit toward any stencil with free shipping!

website: http://www.cuttingedgestencils.com/

video tutorials: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y352nfwJZsE

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Stencils/130488356769

Lots of prizes and lots of ways to enter!!! Winners will be chosen randomly with the exception of Elise Creates Photography session which will only be for Utah Residents.

Remember tweets are worth 10 entries!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Senior Photographs: Nielsen Edition

2011-12-31T23:57:00.000-08:00

I'd like to introduce to you one of my best friends, Andy. We've done all sorts of crazy stuff together, including his senior photos! I learn something new every session, especially when it's with a male figure, because I just haven't shot many of those.

During this particular session, I learned of a few boyish props. Girls can use anything, especially jewelry, and guys tend to have class rings, footballs, letterman's jackets, etc. Andy is cool, though. See, he thought up his own props. He's a guitar man and an extremely good snowboarder. So, we used those!

This is just a few ways we used them.

What a stud. Enough said.

Anywhoo, I hope everyone is having a lovely start to the new year! :)

New Years Printables

2011-12-30T23:04:00.000-08:00

It's a new year....

click here to download

Make it the best 2012 of all the 2012's

Bloopers from 2011

2011-12-29T22:34:00.000-08:00

2011 has been a crazy amazing year! We have enjoyed every minute of sharing this blog with you. We've only been at this for a little while so theres not too many bloopers but it's still fun :)

We are bursting at the seems with ideas for 2012! We can't wait to share them all with you!!!

Cake Cookies

2011-12-27T21:27:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't need a cookie during the holidays?! I know I do. I have to tell you my inspiration for using this particular cookie recipe. Last Christmas I was invited to a cookie exchange at a friend's house. I really wanted to take a beautiful, intricate cookie. And I did...they were gorgeous...and very intricate -- AND extremely time consuming. I wanted to kill those cookies after I was done. I was supposed to take 6 dozen cookies. I stayed up for hours the night before the party just finishing my cookies, and I ended up with only about 3 dozen.

This year, I was feeling more on the quick and easy but still super delicious, type of cookie. Three ingredients...that's it. This is seriously the easiest cookie you will ever bake and -- soft, moist, full of flavor -- THEY ARE SO GOOD! I made 6 dozen cookies, 4 different kinds all in about 45 minutes. Do I need to say that again? The only question now is......what in the heck am I going to do with all these cookies!! ;D

Cake Cookie Recipe:

Preheat oven to 350

Mix together:

Cake mix box of any flavor (each mix will make about 24 cookies)
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil

Then stir in:

Any number of mix-ins of your choice

Then, bake for 10 minutes (make them no bigger than a slightly rounded tablespoon...they puff up!)

I made the recipe 3 times (yes all in 45 minutes) and I did chocolate, butter golden, and spice cake mixes. I put butterscotch chips in the devil's food, M&M's in the Golden and also Macadamia Nut's and white chips in the golden (I just split the dough in half), and raisins and walnuts in the spice cake. There are infinite ways you could make your cookies. It was really hard for me to pick, but I will be making more for my cookie exchange in December, so that should be fun to do completely different kinds! Happy baking!

All I Ever Wanted

2011-12-24T21:39:00.000-08:00

Did you get what you wanted this Christmas morning? Michael McLean's song says it all for me.

"All I ever wanted, all I ever needed, everything I hoped, and all the things I prayed for, couldn't hold a candle to what I've been given. I've been given what I need.

"A mansion on a hill, or love like in the movies. Perfect little dreams, where no one has a problem. Instead of all those thing I thought I really wanted, I've been given what I need.

"Even when I didn't understand, what I thought you had in your hand, thank you for rejecting my demands, and always giving me the better part.

"All I ever wanted, I all I ever dreamed of, everything I hoped, and all the things I prayed for, couldn't hold a candle to what I've been given, I'VE BEEN GIVEN WHAT I NEED."
-Michael Mclean

I love Christmas for much the same reasons as most people love this time of year. Baking, singing, gift wrapping, jingle bells, falling snow... you get the idea. And more specifically, during this season, my family and I celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. He gave me everything. EVERYTHING. I say that, knowing that I don't even fully comprehend it, and yet, at times I still find myself being greedy and ungrateful and wanting more, more, MORE. This is one of my favorite songs and I find it extremely comforting, and it always brings me to tears...happy happy tears because no matter what comes into my life -- wonderful things, hard things, fun things, heartbreaking things -- I know that God is in control. He gives me what I need, and that is incomparable to the things I want.

Chocolate Pretzel Wreath

2011-12-24T12:07:00.000-08:00

We've talked many time before about our mom's genius...here's another one for ya :) Alright, our mom is kind of obsessed with chocolate covered pretzels, and she often likes to give them out to people for Christmas. This year she took the cuteness factor up a notch by making these wreath pretzels! So cute!

what you need:
Melting chocolate
Pretzels
wax paper
A bottle (something to drizzle your chocolate over the pretzels)
and anything else you may want with it! M&M's, gummy bears, chocolate molds even ribbon or bows to make it look cute!

Lay your pretzels out in a circle on your wax paper...

Melt your chocolate...

Drizzle your chocolate over your "wreath" making sure to connect the edges with the chocolate. We wanted to do it in green to make it look more like a wreath but didn't have any green chocolate, but I thought they were all still super adorable.

Get creative! We had a ton of different ones that everyone made, Janae even made a star out of the pretzel sticks! But they happened to get eaten before photos were taken, haha like I said, there are people in this house obsessed with chocolate covered pretzels. Janae will have to show you her awesome star sometime though.

aaaaand here's a picture of the cake my mom put one on....just because it's awesome.

Merry Christmas Eve!!!!!

Posole...a Christmas Eve Tradition

2011-12-23T19:47:00.000-08:00

I pronounce this Poh-SO-leh -- although, I've heard it said different ways and spelled different ways. Say it, spell how you please, this is one way. Meet my absolute FAVORITE food. A New Mexican soup made with pork and hominy. Yes, if someone put me on an island and told me to choose one thing to have with me, it would be Posole, no matter how it's pronounced/spelled. The End.

No, not really the end. I'm gonna share my family's New Mexican version...and the christmas eve tradition!

GOMEZ FAMILY TRADITION
(dear gomez family, please feel free to correct me, add thoughts/memories, or comment on this!)
In my husbands family, it was/is a tradition to eat posole on Christmas Eve during the reenactments of the posadas. A posada is where people will reenact Joseph and Mary trying to find room in the inn. My father-in-law as well as my husband, both remember doing this when they were younger. Family members would follow two people chosen to be Mary and Joseph, around from house to house while singing christmas carols. At each house they would be turned away, until they finally reached one home where they would be allowed in. For my husband's experience, it was his grandmothers house, where he remembered then being let in and served a bowl of Posole.

I was served this recipe at my in-laws house shortly after I was married and ever since then it has been my favorite food. I have been married for going on 8 years and my sweet husband makes this for me every birthday, anniversary, mothers day, or whenever I am craving it. :)

"WHAT'S HOMINY?" you ask.
(again, gomez family, feel free to help our readers out here...you are the experts!)
Very basically, hominy is dried corn soaked in a lye solution to remove the tough outer covering. You might have seen it in the stores, canned. Less commonly, where I live anyway, you can find this dried. Much like beans, canned hominy is ready to be used out of the can, and dried hominy will need to be soaked and cooked for hours. I like both ways. They do have a slightly different flavor. Some people prefer one to another. Faster, cheaper, tastier, ect. They both have their pros and cons.

First, let me help you find the right stuff. For the canned, you can find it in most grocery stores. It will say White Hominy on the can. For dried, you might need to go to a latin/spanish market. (However, just be aware they might not call it hominy, sometimes its called maiz mote.) Here's some help. It's NOT roasted corn, however it will look similar. The second picture shows hominy but its broken down into tiny pieces. Not right either. The third is called maiz mote. That would the right choice. It holds the same shape as the corn, but its lighter in color.

Just like the name, there are many ways to make this. I chose to use what I found works best for our family; however, there are many Gomez's out there who make this, and they are WELCOME to comment and add their advise, tips, variations, comments, and anything else they'd like to add on this recipe! Thanks Gomez's! Love you all! xoxo

Grandpa Garry's Version

FAST, EASY, TASTY

4 cups water + 4 teaspoons chicken granules

4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 lbs cubed pork

2 cans white hominy, rinsed and drained

Dried Hominy Version

SLOW, SATISFYING, SAVORY

4 cups chicken stock

4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 lbs cubed pork chops

3 cups of hominy (cooked)

1 teaspoon salt

Toppings for both versions:

dried oregano

onion, chopped

1 chile sauce recipe (see below)

Grandpa Garry's version DIRECTIONS:

Salt the pork then brown it. Add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, make the chile sauce.

Dried hominy version DIRECTIONS:

If you chose to use dried hominy, open the bag and pour it into a crockpot. Cover with PLENTY of water. Soak this over night. (about 8-10 hours) In the morning, rinse the hominy well and cover with plenty of water again. You can't have too much, in fact, throughout the day you might need to add more if you see the hominy is not covered. Cook the hominy on low for about 6-8 hours.

When it's done, it starts to "pop" open. It will look like the picture below.
Drain hominy. From here measure out the 3 cups you will need, then you can put the rest in a freezer bag and pop it in the freezer for whenever you need it!

Salt the cubed pork. Then brown the pork and add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer for 30 minutes while you make the chile sauce.

Time to make the chile sauce. You need:

about 12 New Mexican Chiles
I fresh garlic clove
1 tsp. salt
1 cup water

CHILE DIRECTIONS:

We like to use these New Mexico Chiles, they aren't extremely hot, and they have a nice flavor. If you want it spicier, then add some of the thin, bright orange chiles (second picture.) My father-in-law uses red chile pods. Really, use what you can find, where ever you live. (remember to check your spanish markets)

Depending on size, I toss about 12, 4" chiles on a sheet pan. Stick them under the broiler on low for about 30 seconds. (DO NOT LEAVE THEM AT THIS POINT. THEY DARKEN AND BURN EXTREMELY FAST -- I would know...you'd think I'd learn after 3 times. Go ahead...laugh.

That's what I get for trying to be like Mark. Or you could do it his dad's way and bake them in a 200 degree oven for 2 minutes. The chiles will darken slightly. This is important because it enhances the flavor.

Next, dump out the seeds. To do this, bend the top stem to snap it off. Then stick a fork inside the chile and turn it to loosen all the seeds. Turn the chile upside down and they pour out easily. Put the chiles in a blender with 1 cup of water, 1 tsp. salt, and 1 fresh garlic clove. Blend until smooth.

Serve the soup with dried oregano, chopped onion, and your homemade chile sauce. (the soup is good without the chile also, if for example, you are serving it to children who don't like spicy food)

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! Thanks for letting me share a tradition. Have fun doing your traditions and making new ones with loved ones!

Peanut Butterscotch Bars

2011-12-22T21:31:00.000-08:00

Anyone need a last minute treat for Christmas?

I like to call these the 1 CUP OF EVERYTHING bar.

1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup sugar
1 cup karo syrup
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup peanuts
1 cup + 1cup rice krispies (ya, I cheated...this has 2 cups)

Measure everything out in bowls so it's ready to go in. We are cooking candy here, so we need to move fairly quickly. Peanuts and rice krispies can go in the same bowl, both kinds of chips, and the sugar and the karo syrup can go straight into a pot on the stove together.

Boil the sugar and karo syrup for 1 minute, stirring. This part makes all the difference if your candy will be soft or hard. I start timing the very minute the edges of the pan start to bubble. But also, the liquid will go from a foggy, whitish color to almost completely clear. It's very quick, so don't leave your pan.

Next, take the pan off the heat and stir in the peanut butter until its melted, throw in the peanuts and krispies and mix quickly. The mixture will be getting stiffer. Quickly pour into a non-stick pan and spread out evenly.

Take both kinds of chips in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in microwave on high for 30 second increments, stirring well in between, just until smooth. Spread evenly over peanut butter candy. Then let this set up until the top chocolate layer is hard again. To speed this process up, you can put the pan in the fridge (but then to cut them, it will be easier at room temperature.)

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Unique Present Bow

2011-12-21T22:04:00.000-08:00

'tis the Christmas season and Jamie and I were messing around with ideas of how to wrap a present. This is what we came up with. Grab an old newspaper of yours and cut it into strips. 3 real long, 3 long, 2 short, and one real short.

Fold each end of the strip to the middle and staple it down. Do it to each of the strips except for the real short one. Tape that one into one loop.

Layer these strips on top of each other from longest to shortest and put your small loop in the middle. Now that you have your bow, tape some feathers down to your present, and place the bow on top. Vwa-lah! Your own homemade wrappage.

What I Wore: Caroling Edition

2011-12-20T22:26:00.000-08:00

Sabrina's headband: The Pink Ruffle

Jamie's scarf: Forever 21

We decided to mix in a few photos from our caroling trip in with our what I wore today :)

Janae is sharing her What I Wore with Love Notes By Lauryn today!

Martha Stewart and us...The whole story

2011-12-19T22:37:00.000-08:00

It started with an e-mail, our blog caught the eye of some FABULOUS people working in the Martha Stewart show. We could not believe it when they said they were considering having us come on the show! They told us not to get our hopes too high, we were just being considered, and they were also looking around for others that they might possibly want to come on the show.

We kind of decided to try to take fate into our own hands. Jade whipped up a handmade ornament that said "We love Martha" (that we later gave to her) and we took pictures of it and sent them in an e-mail along with this photo:

Finally, after waiting impatiently we were asked if we would like to "hangout" with Martha using Google + new feature "google hangout" which is like a video chat over the computer. Hangout? Martha Stewart? Obviously answer, YES!

Click here to watch our Google Hangout with Martha Stewart and Vic Gundotra

At the end of this clip Vic Gundotra surprised us with a paid trip to New York to hangout with Martha live on one of her episodes! We were all so surprised! So the craziness began, we started working like crazy sending her team some ideas/photos/tutorials of what might be fun to do on the show. In the end they decided we would be showing Martha how to make our glittered citrus ornaments and we made a bunch and packed them to take to New York with us.

We flew out on a Sunday. Julianna, Janae, and Jamie (and Sabrina) all from Utah, and Jade (and Rosie) left from Maryland.

We met up with Jade at the airport, and The Letter 4 sisters were united once again! We hopped in the taxi and headed to the hotel.

Jade's husband, Mark, and daughter, Chloe rode the bus and met up with us after we got to the hotel. That night we walked down to times square and went shopping in Forever 21 (we couldn't help ourselves!)
Mom and Dad and Julianna's daughter, Kirianna, didn't get to New York till 7 am the next morning.

An intern picked up our ornaments early from us that morning and we walked down the street to the Martha Stewart show!

We went into a side entrance and walked down these halls filled with Martha's gorgeous photos from her modeling days and passed a room filled with all of her many Golden Globe Awards, which was right across the hall from our fabulous dressing room.

We were super excited just being in the dressing room and HUGE bathroom.

You should have seen our moms face when they brought in very pretty (and not cheap) Martha Stewart craft paper and stickers for the kids to play with.

After we got settled, we went into hair and makeup...most relaxing experience ever! We could definitely get used to that every day and we LOVED our make up artists and hair dressers! After we were all gussied up, it was rehearsal time. While we were getting ready, our producer, Lenore, laid out somewhat of a script we were going to follow and we practiced a few times (but of course when Martha comes on, she doesn't have to follow script! It was spontaneous and fun!)

After a trial run it was back to hair and make up for touch ups and then it was the show for real! We came back out and the studio audience had been filled and they all cheered as they announced us and we walked out. (celebrity moment? oh ya) Everyone we met on the set was SO fun! We laughed with all the camera crew and it really felt like we knew these people forever. Our favorite was when right before the show started and one of the crew members came up and told us "Just have fun! It's just TV it's not brain surgery we're not saving lives here." I think at that moment we all completely forgot the audience was there. Martha was fun as you saw during the show and very sweet to us during commercial breaks.

The filming started and everyone clapped as Martha walked in. Our first clip with her she got to know us a little bit better. She couldn't pronounce Janae's name for the life of her but we loved it....
Click here to watch the Get To Know Us video we had with Martha Stewart

Click here to watch Martha and The Letter 4 make citrus ornaments
(video is on left hand side of the page)

Click here to watch Martha and The Letter 4 make Noah's Ark animal stamps
(video is on left hand side of the page)

Not shown on the internet clips, at the end, Martha surprised us with her own sign...

We have her sign it, it's now our favorite :)

Julianna's Personal Experience
The whole experience from the beginning has been so surreal! I kept thinking "oh I'm just dreaming. When I wake up I have to tell my sisters about this, their going to laugh!" Then one moment we're hanging out with Martha & Vic. Oh my gosh! Vic is saying...what?! They want to bring us to New York?! Next I'm hugging Jade in the airport & all four of us our standing there with each other too excited to be bothered with the little fact that eventually we need to grab a taxi to our hotel. So after the screaming, jumping, hugging we find ourselves in front of the hotel. The next thing I know my sisters & I are crafting with Martha & she's telling me mine is a mess haha! One of the best parts about this whole adventure was that it brought us all together. Not only did I get to share it with my sister & parents, but also with my most amazing Kirianna. Yes, I struggled with the fact that I couldn't bring my boys, but really, how could we have possibly spent girl time better any other way!!! (Thank you Nana & Jon for watching the boys & mom & dad for making it possible for Kirianna to be there.) Martha & her fabulous staff welcomed us & our families with opens arms & made us feel at home. The kids kept busy crafting too, the parents, Jade's husband, & Kirianna got to see the show. And my sisters & I were treated like royalty. The hair & make up team couldn't have been better. They were all so sweet & fun & I'm sad I had to leave them there haha. There are so many amazing people we got to work with, you all know who you are:) It was just an unbelievable opportunity to be a part of the Martha Stewart Show.

Jade's Personal Experience

This was an absolutely amazing experience for my little family. We packed our bags and Daddy and Chloe took the bus, and Rosie and I caught the plane. (barely!) We were on our way to NYC. For Mark and I, it was our fourth time, but this was the first time I would get to be there with my girls, my parents, and sisters ! When we were all settled in our hotel room, I loved how us sisters would randomly scream and be giddy like we were little girls again, waiting for a surprise.

I was so nervous for our first google hangout with Martha and Vic. I thought my heart was going to pound right out of my chest, so I tried not to think about how nervous I would be being there on the set, but it ended up being the complete opposite. That morning, we walked our 4 minute walk down the street and passed all the people in line waiting to sit in the audience. Was this real? Everyone was so extremely nice, helpful, welcoming and CALM. We had a tour, and rehearsed. The Martha staff was incredible, as was the set.
In our room, which was equipped with a nice large flat screen to watch the show and comfy cozy furniture, we were greeted with a fruit plate and a pile of magazines and checked on every minute, and checked out...making sure we all looked our best. "Can I press your shirt?" they asked me, and then held out three brand new shirts from the Gap. "What size would you like?" Wow. In between rehearsals, they'd kindly tell us, "Please go to hair and makeup for touch ups." (my favorite part! It was a BLAST!) I have never experienced being treated like a porcelain doll...and that's really what it felt like. I wore Armani foundation on my skin. (I didn't want to wash it off, haha.) I felt like I was watching a hair advertisement as the stylist threw my hair forward when he was finished, and it all landed P.E.R.F.E.C.T.L.Y. (How did he do that?!?!)
The kiddos were treated just as well, or better! They brought them beautiful Martha Stewart craft paper and stickers to play with which they were enthralled with. And then Rosie took a nice long nap in a big, comfy chair. Mark was in heaven during the segment after us. He got a free butchering book from the guy showing Martha how to make sausage. (Perfect segment for him to be watching! He loves meat!)
It was time to record. We went out and took our places at the craft table. Some of the camera/sound crew would be talking and joking with us while others would be telling them to stop bothering us because it was time to record. Loved it. They were all hilarious. The last time my cheeks hurt that bad from smiling was when I competed in the Junior Miss Pageant in high school. The last words we got before going on the show? Kind, genuine, happy words spoken to us from someone who seemed to read our minds, "Hey, this isn't brain surgery. You are gonna be great. Just have fun!" And that's exactly what it was, pure Martha Stewart fun. You don't get much better than that. :)

After it was all over, I realized I never once got those horrid nervous butterflies in my stomach. My heart never pounded. Everyone working there just made it too comfortable to even have the thought of being nervous. We laughed, we played, we crafted, and we met some incredibly, wonderful people. I loved having my parents and my husband in the audience watching and smiling. We had the time of our lives.

Jamie's Personal Experience:
From the very first I thought it was a joke. I kept waiting for it to hit me, maybe it would hit me after we talked to Martha, after we got on the plane, once we got to New York. I don't think it ever hit me! It's still so crazy to me that it actually happened! I can't believe how nice everyone was to us. I came home from New York incredibly pumped and ready to accomplish a ton. I think I learned so much from this experience because honestly, the thought of even giving a speech in class used to make me want to cry. But I have never had so much fun being in front of so many people. This is not the end of you seeing The Letter 4 sisters make it big time! Thank you to all of Martha Stewart's team and Google for this opportunity!

Janae's Personal Experience:
Sweet mother of pearl! Can we do that again?? :D I woke up 4:00 in the mornin' to drive two hours and hop on a plane for another four hours to go to the big apple, the city that never sleeps, the melting pot, NEW YORK CITY! From the time we had received that very first email, I was set on going. Everyone was saying don't get your hopes up, and it's probably a scam...but "it's just one of those ideas, I'm just psyched out of my mind about...ya' know, it's just one of those ideas where you're like, YES!"
We walked to the building that they film it in, passing happy ladies with Martha Stewart gift bags, thinking I'M GOING ON THAT SHOW!! :D It all went by so fast after that. We took a tour, ran into the crafter of all crafters, Martha, went into hair and makeup with the COOLEST hair and makeup crew you could ever meet, went over what we were going to do with Martha, and was just having the time of my life on a REAL set! I went back to the dressing room while my parents were freaking out because Martha was having her lunch break right across the hall where we could ~~stalk~~ see her. Then we were walking out with a crowd of complete strangers applauding us!! The show started and it was a breeeeze. Martha's crew is so amazing. They made me feel so comfortable and relaxed that I wasn't nervous in the least bit. I felt like I was making a few crafts with some old friends or something! I could do that everyday if they would let me. I absolutely enjoyed every minute spent in New York. Even if my feet were swollen when I got home. Gross, right? Anywhoo, I LOVED IT!

More New York photos:

and that's the end of that story! We definitely will have lots more adventures to share with you though :)

love,

Mark's Chicken Paella

2011-12-18T22:41:00.000-08:00

Nae, every time you are planning to come visit, you ask me (or Mark) to make the same dish. I can hear you now -- "Will you cook that one meal for us. You know, the one with the red sauce, and there's rice, and chicken. That's my favorite." Well, Janae, I don't know if you know this but first of all, you are not the only one who loves that. In fact, everyone who has ever had it at our house asks for the recipe. And second, it's so fast and easy (my favorite kind of meal) and I am going to give you the recipe so you can make it any time you want. You know those days when you are sitting around just dreaming ~~about my face~~ of being at my house and eating Chicken Paella? I know those days are frequent, so just pull up ~~a picture of me~~ this recipe and indulge. ;) I miss your face.

4-6 Boneless, skinless thighs
3/4 cup white rice
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons chicken granules dissolved in 1 1/2 cups water
14 oz. can STEWED tomatoes
1/2 cup frozen peas

Take a large, deep skillet. Brown the meat on both sides. About 5 minutes. Toss the onion in and saute with the meat for the last couple minutes. Take the chicken out, and put the rest of the ingredients in the pan. Stir it up a little so its mixed. Set the chicken thighs back on top. Bring to a boil. Cover and turn down to a simmer for 35 minutes. Open the lid and pour the peas on top to steam for 10 minutes (don't mix them in yet).

TIPS: When I first started making this, it would never turn out like Mark's and I have since figure out the two problems I was having, so I'll share.

1) USE STEWED tomatoes. DON'T use diced, or crushed, ect. The flavor is completely different.

2) It is essential that you take the chicken out before put in all the other ingredients. If you don't, all the rice won't get mixed with the liquid good enough and you'll get crunchy, uncooked, or burnt rice. The rice needs to be submerged in liquid, so mix it together and lay the chicken on top so the rice does not end up on top of the chicken.

Grab a fork. Take a bite. MMMMMM.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANAE!!!

2011-12-18T08:48:00.000-08:00

Janae is the most incredible person and little sister we know. We feel pretty dang awesome we get to call her our sister :) She is so amazing! She is an amazing photographer, a certified scuba diver, student body VP president, Seminary class president, Runner up for prom queen, Laurel president in her church class, was in homecoming royalty, will be a page in the Idaho State Senate this coming February, loves snow and is a talented snowboarder, participated in Jr. Miss, can play the Ukulele, was on the Martha Stewart Show before the age of 18, has an amazing talent for finding less known songs that are amazing, and that's just skimming the surface!

We love you so much Nae! Happy Birthday little sis!!!

Julianna, Jade, Jamie, Jon, Mom & Dad

Peppermint Candy Cane Bath Salts

2011-12-17T20:20:00.000-08:00

In our house we keep the peppermint oil or tea on hand, especially during the cold season. Peppermint has so many health benefits. It helps settle stomach aches, acts as an expectorant for colds and cough, helps ease body aches and pains, and many other things. Even my 8-year-old asks for a peppermint bath when she's sick and loves it!!! This is to great of a thing to keep to ourselves though, so I'm sharing how we make peppermint bath salts.

So, this is super easy!

You need:

Epsom Salts

table/sea salt

peppermint oil (can be bought or homemade)

food coloring (optional)

All you do is mix 1 1/2 cups of epsom salt, 1/2 cup regular salt, 3-5 drops of peppermint oil together. For a holiday touch separate mixture into equal halves. Set one half aside and add about 5 drops of red or green to the other half (you could even separate into 3 equal halves to use all 3 colors.) Then layer it in a jar/container. Make sure to fill the jar to the top and pack tight so that the colors won't mix.

This all takes literally seconds to throw together and is inexpensive, which makes it a perfect gift idea. Or it's just nice to have a jar for yourself:)

Have and enjoyable Holiday Season!!!

Featured post: Over the Big Moon

2011-12-16T22:14:00.000-08:00

Hello The Letter 4 Readers!

We are Lisa and Pam from Over the Big Moon and we are so excited to be here today!

Over the Big Moon is a blog where you will find a little bit of everything! We offer Free Printables, Pre-K Packs, DIY/Tutorials and anything that is related to our daily lives, children and homemaking! We would love for you to stop on over and see what we have to share!

Today Lisa is going to show you how to make this easy and fun lighted candy garland.

Lisa here! I remember my Mom coming home about 15 years ago so excited with this idea. We spent hours listening to Christmas music and putting together enough candy garland to border their whole yard! It's such a fun memory and I wanted to create one for our big Christmas party this weekend. All you need is cellophane, a white strand of Christmas lights, ribbon, and square plastic clam shell containers.

We were able to get the 6 inch clam shell containers from one of our local gas stations for 15 cents a piece.

The first step is to stuff your clam shell containers with the lights. Icicle lights are great for this because you can get multiple lights in the containers and still be able to make a really long garland. I didn't want a very long garland and so I put 3 strands into each clam shell.

Make sure the wires are coming out of the middle of both sides.

Add a piece of tape to seal to keep it closed as a precaution.

Keep stuffing until all of the lights are inside.

Next you need to cut your cellophane. For a 6 inch clam shell I cut them 18 inches by 16 inches. At first I was cutting the cellophane with scissors and it wasn't very neat. It was then I noticed the perfect straight edges in my table from our leaf and it hit me to use that as a way to cut my cellophane with a razor blade!

It worked SO great! I was wanting to do a white and red garland, so I used white tissue paper under the clear cellophane. I cut it the same way and again I got perfect straight cute.

Now it's time to assemble! Place your garland on the ground in a line. Start by taking your first color and placing it under the clam shell with the clam shell in the middle.

I wanted my red to be really vibrant so I doubled the red up. Take one side and fold it over and tape it to the plastic.

It's important to do this, so when you are tying the ends, the clamshell won't move. Then, fold the other side over, pull it tight, and tape into place.

I thought it might be easier to wire the ends before I tied it with ribbon, but the ribbon was much more effective. Cut the ribbon pieces about 7 inches long. Slide the ribbon under the cellophane and then carefully tie it loose, to make sure you have it right in the middle. When you are sure it is in the right spot, then finish it by tying a knot really tight and double knot.

Do this to both sides and you have yourself a candy!! Go down the full length of the garland until all of the clam shells are covered. I trimmed my ribbons down and then fluffed the ends of the candies up.

Then its time to hang it up and add a few bows!

I used mine inside, but my parents hang theirs outside in their yard held up by Candy canes!

It's so pretty at night and makes a big bang for a very little buck!

Now go and create your own Candy land! We hope you find the time to stop by Over the Big Moon and check out some of our Free Printables, Tutorials, Pre-K Packs, Traditions, Recipes and More!

Thanks girls for letting us do this post! We both fell in love with your blog the second we discovered it!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Printables

2011-12-15T20:01:00.000-08:00

I love making printables simply because they can be whatever doodle I have in my head at the moment. Christmas has definitely been in my head. Enjoy :)

click here to download

Click here to download

(print, cut out, glue backsides together)

click here to download

(ps, yes that is me in sock monkey onesie pajama's. They are Janae's and they are incredibly comfortable...so I stole them)

click here to download

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Paper Trees

2011-12-14T21:29:00.000-08:00

I'd like to make an announcement. I am an economic advisor over Canada...in my Economics class. When I say "economic advisor", I mean I just get to go to the Econ Summit and decorate our table. My job is to make it... Canadian. A few things popped into my head. Their flag, forest, bears, Niagara Falls, hockey...etc. So I've been working these things into the table. But guess what?!? You can use these trees during the Christmas holiday, too! That's why I'm going to teach you how to make them. Mmk? I found the original instructions here over at the Martha Stewart website!

All you need is: Green paper, scissors, skewer sticks, pencil, multiple sizes of circles to trace(I used bowls), and something to crease the paper.

Trace circles on onto the green paper and cut them out. You can do as many layers as you want.

Fold the circle in half four times and make sure the folds are creased very well.

Cut a small hole in the center and slide it down the skewer stick. Use a dab of hot glue to make it stay.

And there you have it! Your own little forest. You can grab some glitter markers and things to let the lil' tikes decorate them for Christmas!

Hope you all have a happy, safe, and handmade holiday!

What I Wore: Beautiful Madness Edition

2011-12-13T21:02:00.000-08:00

Scarf/shirt/pants/necklaces: Forever 21
Headband: The Letter 4
Shoes: Payless
Earrings: Real pheasant feathers from my friend, Carlie. :)

(Scroll down for the What I Wore Link Party)

These amazing photos were taken by Melissa at
Beautiful Madness
&
Humble Takes

We were so ecstatic when Lauren sent us these cute prints from her shop One 17. These are definitely going up in "The Letter 4 House" girls! Lauren is such an inspiration to me. I love hearing others birth stories and hers is just chalk full of amazingness. Her adorable baby boy came into their lives at 4 months old when they adopted him from Ethiopia. You can read the full story here. I love that he had the opportunity to come into such a sweet family and loving couple. The best part? They are now looking adopt again! Visit her shop to buy her adorable prints and help raise money for them to bring another bundle of joy into their family!

She is giving away a print to one of our readers and there is still one day to enter!

Click here to enter the giveaway!

Thank you so much Lauren for being such an inspiration and for our adorable prints! We love them!

Citrus Ornaments and Noah's Stamps with Martha Stewart

2011-12-12T20:23:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday, we had an early flight to New York. We were a little tired and flustered and trying to get use to the humidity but then we walked into the heavenly Martha Stewart Studio filled with amazing people! (Lenore, Tina, our makeups artists, hair stylists, Martha and many more...you know who you are!) They all made us so comfortable and made for an amazingly fun experience and quite honestly we wanted to do it again after it was over! Watch the video's for yourself and see the adorable crafts we made...

(There are 3 clips to watch, scroll through her videos and you should also find a video where Martha also gets to know us!)

Click here to watch Citrus Ornament clip

Click here to watch Noah's Ark Stamp clip

We'll share more details at the end of the week!

Ziplist: A Grocery List App

2011-12-11T20:59:00.000-08:00

I know all you lovely people out there LOVE organization as much as I do, especially grocery organization. Check this out if you haven't already, it could come in handy for you Christmas meal grocery shopping!

My favorite part about Ziplist is that my husband downloaded it on his phone also, and so now we both have an updated copy of the list whenever we make changes! (just make sure you sign into the same account in order to do this)

I love that you can find recipes right on the app and then add them to your grocery list with one click!

Need to add more to your list? Just type it in and it will find it for you and sort it for you. (LOVE!) And it works VERY well. I have tried other apps that say they will sort it for you, and it was a complete mess. I haven't had a huge problem with this sorting it wrong, and if it does you can change it easily.

Oh, then if you are like me, and you can't do all your shopping at one store, then you can make a separate list for each. :) And hey, if you are out of town, you can search for stores nearby.

Just thought I'd share my new favorite app! Happy grocery shopping!

Clove Studded Oranges

2011-12-10T19:46:00.000-08:00

With the holiday season upon on us, I so look forward to all the traditions it comes with. There are so many, old and new! My favorite to do with my three amazing little ones, is a very old tradition, from the 15th century. Clove studded oranges. They look gorgeous and smell wonderful.

What you need is: Oranges, whole cloves, and toothpicks.

First poke holes in the orange with a toothpick in the pattern or design you want. Just like my sweet little helper! Then put the cloves in.

Making holes first, helps the cloves go in easier without crushing them.

Simply awesome right?! I don't remember exactly when we started doing this, but my kids and I get so excited to enjoy Christmas music and make pomanders together. Good family time too:) And I love seeing what kind of patterns their little creative minds come up with each year. No two are ever the same.

Hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season!

Featured post: ONE 17

2011-12-09T21:29:00.000-08:00

Hi, I’m Lauren! I am the incredibly blessed woman who gets to be mama to the sweetest and most beautiful boy in the world… not to mention wife of the greatest man ever. Okay, so I’m partial, but they are amazing! A bit about me… I love Africa like crazy (Ethiopia to be specific). I also adore coffee and the two passions go together nicely since Ethiopia is the “birth place” of coffee! I also love crafting just about anything, home DIY projects (which means I paint my rooms a different color just about every year), graphic design, and blogging. I’m a full time house wife and stay at home mama… it’s basically my dream come true. You can read all about my story here.

(this is my little family...)

So what’s going on that is so special right now? Well, we are adopting a SECOND little one from Ethiopia! Yup, our precious son Mareto was born in Ethiopia and we brought him home this past February. The entire experience from start to finish was completely life changing. He is the delight of our lives! The two weeks we spent in Ethiopia left a permanent mark on our hearts. We fell in love with our son’s birth country and the people there. We left with a deep desire to return one day and to bring more of Ethiopia’s precious children into our family. Did you know that there are more than 5 million orphans in Ethiopia (a country less than half the size of Texas?) That statistic alone is hard to imagine, but then when you’ve been there and visited the orphanages and held these children who cling to you and long for you to love them forever… well it just becomes real, and heartbreaking. So, after a wonderfully smooth transition with Mareto and much prayer, we decided it was time to start the process again to bring home our second child. We can’t wait to find out who this little person will be!

Here’s the crazy part – we’re fundraising for every dime of this adoption! Adoption is expensive and the two trips to Ethiopia to complete the process aren’t cheap either! So, we’re working hard and getting as creative as possible! I recently opened an online boutique selling graphic prints. All profit from my shop, ONE 17, goes straight into our adoption fund! I also have a little web design business where I do custom blog designs, buttons, shop banners, and more. Same there – all profit from L.C. Graphic Design goes directly toward getting our little one home. Want to follow our journey and read all about the fun we had bringing Mareto home? Come visit me at my blog Love Makes a Family.

Today I would love to giveaway one print of the winner's choice from my shop! Here are a couple options...

(customizable Hanging Hearts Family Tree)

(Love Never Fails Print)

( 1 Samuel 1:27 print - also available in pink!)