DIY Monogram Coffee Mugs

DIY Monogrammed Mugs

This is such a fun, easy, and inexpensive gift for your friends, family, or teachers. I love how these turned out and how the sharpie stayed on. This only cost me 1 dollar to make because I bought a couple of mugs at the dollar store and I already owned a sharpie.

Supplies 

• Sharpie
• White Mug

1. Preheat oven for 220 Celius 
2. Decide what type of writing you are going to do for the initials. You can look up monograms and look at fonts. Pick an inexpensive mug so the glaze isn't too thick so the marker wont wash off
3. Write out the initials and keep a paper towel and water near you to use as an eraser. You should go over the initials twice for it too stay on.
4. Let the mugs dry completely before placing on tin foil and a cookie sheet.
5. Bake for half an hour in 220c and let the mug cool down in the oven and heat up in the oven.

These have to be hand washed so you cannot place these in the dishwasher.

5 Ways to Decorate Ordaments

Ways to Decorate Ornaments

Theres so many fun and easy ways to decorate ornaments for the holidays. These are some simple ways to make ornaments for your family and friends.

Glitter and Sequins- This is the easiest way to decorate ornaments. All you need is floor cleaner, glass ornament, glitter, and sequins if you want. You put a little bit of floor cleaner on the inside and pour in enough glitter and you can add more floor cleaner if needed. If you want you can add sequins in too.




Acrylic Paint- I love painting ornaments because its so simple and you can do anything you want. I recommend using acrylic paint because it works really well on glass. You also don't have to be very artistic either and you can choose a simple design.

Glitter Polka Dots and Stripes- I did this with a couple of ornaments and I loved how this looked. First you use Modge Podge to paint dots or stripes and coat the glitter on top of the glue.

Sequin Ornament- This is a little time consuming but by far it is my favori
tes. You will need styrofoam ball, sewing pins, and sequins. You put the pin in the hole of the sequin and cover the whole styrofoam ball in sequins.

Glitter Glue- Using glitter glue over a solid colored ornament looks great. You can write out names, do fun patterns, you can really do anything with this

Newspaper- This looks very vintage looking. All you do is take an ornament and use modge podge to stick on the newspaper and sprinkle glitter on top.

Holly- Holly looks great inside ornaments. All you do is take a large clear ornament and cut a small piece of holly and stick it inside. This will last for the season until it drys up.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Tortilla Soup Recipe

I absolutely love this recipe for winter and fall. This is a very comforting and delicious soup. I love making soups and this is one of my favorite recipes by far and you cannot forget the cheese, cilantro, and sour cream on top!

Ingredients

• 1 can Tomatoes
• 3 1/2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
• 1 can Diced Green Chilies 
• 2 Cups Shredded White Chicken
• 32 Ounces Chicken Stock (1 carton)
• 3 Cups of Water
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 Can Black Beans
• 3 Cloves Garlic
• 1/2 Cup Green and Red Pepper
• 3 Tablespoons Masa
• 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Cumin
• 1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• Cilantro
• Shredded Chedder Cheese
• Sour Cream

1. Put the olive oil in a pot and cook the onion, peppers, and garlic cloves on medium heat.
2. After a 10 minutes or so add the chicken and spices and mix them all together.
3. Pour in the chicken stock, tomato paste, tomatoes, green chilies, water, and black beans. Put on high heat until boiled and then simmer for 50 minutes.
4. Put the masa into the soup and stir, then simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Add more chili powder and salt if needed. Let the soup sit for a few minutes
5. Top with cheese, cilantro, sour cream, and whatever else you would like to put on.

Heading off to Indoor Tennis!

Im so excited to start playing indoor tennis now that I'm not as busy and I am going to play about 3 times a week. I really would like to make varsity this year because I absolutely love tennis and when your on JV no one takes it seriously and theres only like one practice a week. I started playing last winter and I have been playing all summer and spring so I've gotten so much better from practice. Practice really does make a huge difference when it comes to sports and loving the sports your playing because if you don't love it your not going to give it your all and having fun and wanting do play is the most important part of doing sports. I also recommend trying all different sports if you don't find one you like and maybe you don't find one that you love but you can still stay active and go to the gym, get outdoors, walking, and running. I feel that sports are so important because it gives you a purpose and it helps you strive towards a goal.

Lululemon Hit The Stride Skirt in Red, Lululemon Laser Cut Black Tank Top, and Nike Tennis Shoes

DIY Washi Tape Nails!

This is a great look if you want to make a statement with your nails and you want something professional looking and easy. You can do this to cover up chips in your nails and you can put them on all your nails or just a few.

Materials

• Scissors
• Washi Tape
• Clear Nail Polish
• Nail Polish

1. First start off by painting a base coat and I used Essie Bikini So Teeny.
2. I used ice water for my nails for a few minutes to dry faster which I recommend because it doesn't look as neat if your nails are not completely dry.
3. Cut small triangles and strips of washi tape for your nails
4. Place each one on your nails and cut around the edges of your nails
5. Apply a clear coat over everything.

Chili Recipe

Ingredients 

• 1 cup onion 
• 1/2 cup green pepper 
• 1/2 cup celery 
• 1 can red kidney beans
• 1 can tomato purée
• 1 pound stirloin beef
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon tarragon 
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 1 teaspoon cumin 
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1/2 cup beef broth 
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• Pinch of cayenne powder

1. Brown sirloin in a pan with olive oil.
2. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a pot on the stove on medium heat.
3. Crumble sirloin in and wait for it to boil then summer for an hour and a half.

The spice in this is medium and if you want more spice you could add chili peppers. This will serve about 12. You can freeze this also.