Easy 30 Minute Headboard

I've been wanting/needing a headboard for my guest room bed for quite some time now. I finally decided today was the day I made something. I didn't want anything heavy because my husband doesn't like poking holes in the walls of our new house, so I had to do something that could be hung up via command strips (those things are magic).

Here's the items you'll need to buy or dig out of your craft closet:

1. Foam board, 3 pieces (I used the 20X30 size and they are $3 each at Hobby Lobby)
2. Fabric of your choice (around 3 yards)
3. Quilt batting (I got the cheapest, thinnest roll for $4)
4. A light duty staple gun and staples(they have plastic ones at Hobby Lobby next to the sewing section for $9, but if you download the free Hobby Lobby app you get a daily 40% off coupon for one non-sale item that I used on this)
5. Rope for detailing (I bought 3 rolls at 15ft each)
6. Scissors
7. Glue gun and glue sticks
8. Double sided 3M Command strips that can hold up to 1 lb. (a pack with at least 6 pieces should do)
Here's how you do it

1. Lay the batting over the foam board and cut to size
2. Lay the fabric face down, then the batting, then the foam board (like a sandwich with the batting in the middle) and cut the fabric, leaving about 2-3 inches hanging off on each side.
3. Fold over the fabric edges to the back of the foam board and use your staple gun to secure along the edges (staple about 1 inch from the edge all the way around)
4. When you get to the corners, fold them or pinch them at a diagonal and staple so that no fabric hangs out and is visible from the front (no rhyme or reason to this, just kind of make it work)
5. Flip your board over and glue your rope edging about 1/2-1 inch from the edge all the way around.
6. You're done! (now repeat steps 1-5 for the other 2 boards)
7. Peel and stick the Command strips to each board, one at the top and one at the bottom (on the foam board, not the fabric, so they'll be about 4 inches from the edge), then find the bed you want to adorn and stick them to the wall. I stuck them about 2 inches from each other.

So pretty! And then, when you're ready to move or you want to change up your look with a different headboard, just peal them off by pulling the command strips parallel to the wall (pull sideways, not out! Ouch walls!)

This project cost about $35-$40, pretty good for a custom headboard.

Lasagna Pie

Warning: This is not a quick recipe, this is not an easy recipe, but boy is it delicious and definitely has some ingredients that I will use in the future for other recipes. But I just thought I would share. If you're feeling like a super chef and you've got about 1:30-2 hours on your hand, then try this. It's awesome (plus this recipe is floating around facebook and pinterest and you'll probably impress your friends with your awesome cooking skills) What is it exactly? A lasagna made in a spring form cake pan with noodles that stand on end, stuffed with all kinds of Italian goodness.

Here's the recipe Rigatoni Pasta Pie: 1 lb rigatoni pasta 1 lb ground beef 2 garlic cloves (minced) 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper 1 small jar of spaghetti sauce cooking spray salt 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese 4oz cream cheese 15oz ricotta cheese 2 eggs 1 tsp basil 1 tsp oregano 1 cup onion spring form pan DIRECTIONS: Boil the noodles according to the directions on the box. Stop cooking when they're still very firm and avoid stirring so they do not fall apart (this is really hard to do, you should stop cooking them before you think they're done or they will be floppy noodles). Once done, drain and run cold water over so they are cool enough to handle. You can add a little bit of oil if they start to stick. Brown the ground beef and drain excess grease. Add chopped onion and garlic. After about 5 minutes add cream cheese and stir until melted. Add spaghetti sauce next. Sauce is done, keep it warm, but stir occasionally so the tomato sauce doesn't burn. Use a small mixing bowl to mix the ricotta, Parmesan, basil, oregano and 2 eggs until smooth (I added an extra garlic clove and some salt to taste). Set aside. Make sure your spring form pan is sprayed with PAM. Tightly pack pasta into pan, standing each piece on end. Put a zip lock bag inside a tall glass and fill the bag with the cheese mixture. Close the bag and snip the corner of the bag and pipe a small amount into each noodle. After piping, pour the red sauce over the whole top and push down as much as possible. Top with 2 cups of mozzarella cheese. (Recipe calls for 2 cups but you could use low fat or skim to cut calories.) Heat oven to 350 and cook for 20 minutes. Broil for about a minute to bubble the cheese (gets that golden brown on top). You must watch this because broiling happens really fast. Here's a picture kind of showing how to make it (not my picture, can't find a link, got it from Facebook, bad writing skills?)

Peanut Butter Banana Brownie Pizza

OK so you're in a rush to make a delicious dessert for a party or maybe you just really love clogging your arteries with yummy chocolate goodness. Whether entertainer is your name or stuffing your face is your game, I've got a desert for you: DESSERT PIZZA.

This exquisite treat only takes about 30 minutes! Here's what you need: 1. Brownie Mix (I use Betty Crocker) 2. Eggs 3. Vegetable Oil 4. Water 5. Cream Cheese (1 box) 6. Peanut Butter (about 2 or 3 big scoops) 7. Sugar (2 table spoons) 8. Large Bananas (3) 9. Meltable chocolate (I use the Bakers strawberry dipping kind in a tub) 10. Pizza Pan Here's how you make this yummy in my tummy dessert: 1. First set your oven to 350 degrees. 2. Next mix your brownie mix with the eggs, oil and water as directed by the box and poor the mix over the pizza pan so it's nice and even. Pit this guy in the oven for about 20 minutes! 3. Now mix the cream cheese, peanut butter and sugar in a medium sized mixing bowl until smooth and creamy. It may be difficult if your cream cheese isn't soft yet so you can put it in the microwave for 20 or 30 seconds to soften. (I usually make my boyfriend do this mixing part because he's strong and muscly haha) 4. Now chop up the bananas into about 1/2 cm slices. 5. Once your brownie is cooked and cooled (for about 10 minutes), paste the peanut butter and cream cheese paste on like it's a sauce of a pizza, leaving about an inch of the brownie peeking out on the sides. 6. Then, place the bananas on the pizza like they're pepperoni's, working from the outside in. 7. Finally, melt the chocolate in the microwave until it's smooth and runny and then take a spoon and drizzle it over the pizza in whatever fashion you'd like! YUM!

Sweet Berry Cupcakes

These are one of my absolute favorite cupcakes to make AND eat! They're light, fluffy and filled with fruit to make it a great snack, light dessert and delicious summer treat! Watch out though, they might all be gone in a few days (especially if you have a granny like mine who can eat 3 in one sitting).

Ingredients: 1. Box of White Cake Mix 2. Water 3. Eggs (you'll need just the whites) 4. Vegetable oil 5. Raspberries 6. Blueberries 7. Cupcakes sleeves 8. Cupcake pan 9. 2 boxes of Cream Cheese 10. Powdered Sugar 11. Vanilla Extract How to make the cupcakes: 1. Preheat the oven to 350. 2. Mix the cake mix according to the instructions on the box. Getting the egg whites can be a little tricky. I like to put them in a separate bowl incase I mess up! 3. Mix in the raspberries and about 1/2 to 3/4 of the blueberries. 4. Scoop in the mixture with a ladle until each cupcake sleeve is about 3/4 full. 5. Place in the oven for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 6. Let cool for about 10 to 15 minutes. How to make the icing: 1. Melt the cream cheese in microwave for about a minute. If it's not melted all the way, put it back in for another minute or until creamy and smooth. 2. Mix in 1/2 cup to a cup of powdered sugar until it meets your sweetness level. 3. Add in a teaspoon of vanilla extract. 4. Mix until smooth and creamy! 5. Scoop into a plastic baggy and put into the fridge to let cool. 6. Once it's cooled, cut a dime sized hole at the corner of the bag and ice the cupcakes in a swirl fashion starting from the outside going in. Dab the icing and pull up in the middle of the cake!

You're done!! Now sink those teeth into the most juicy, delectable cupcake you've had all summer. Yummmmmmmm!

Simple Stationary

Simple Stationary

Need something cute, cheap and easy to give a friend for their birthday or your mom for mothers day? Here's some adorable stationary and the steps to making it! Supplies: 1. Paint and paintbrushes 2. Card stock or plain cards 3. Rubber stamps 4. Markers 5. Ribbon (for gift wrapping)

How do I do it? 1. Paint on the rubber stamp that you have chosen and stamp it on the front of the card. 2. Alternate how you stamp and if you want you can choose multiple stamps in different colors. I like to choose a design (like a flower) and a word (like love, hope or peace) and pair them together. 3. Let the cards dry and then add some detail with a marker that compliments the colors you've stamped with. I like to add dots, zig zags or tiny flowers. 4. Stack the cards together and wrap with a ribbon like a present and you're all set. These are perfect for gift giving because they're simple, usable and something unique that was hand crafted! Now go get your creative juices flowing and create some cute stationary!

New Blog

So some of you may know me as "the crafting queen" from the blog thecraftingqueen.blogspot.com BUT google is having eternal problems with me logging into that account so I'm just making a new one. Hopefully this one will be better. I'm also more mature and no longer in a sorority so the crafting and cooking options on this page with now be more sophisticated. Enjoy! -Courtney