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14 Fabulous Non-Candy Valentine Ideas

It’s almost Valentine’s Day and I’ve come across all kinds of creative handmade valentine ideas on Pinterest. I love sweet treats as much as the next person, but today I’m rounding up 14 Fabulous non-candy valentine ideas! Not all of them are pictured here so make sure you scroll down for all the links and check out the incredibly talented bloggers who are behind these fun ideas!

1. Tiny animal valentines  2. Pencil arrow valentines  3. Rainbow loom valentines  4. I’m blown away by you valentines  5. Paratrooper valentines  6. Love is in the air balloon valentines  7. Crazy owl valentines  8. I’m stuck on you valentines  9. Paper airplane valentines  10. Word search valentines  11. Funny whoopee cushion valentines  12. Sticker valentines  13. You rule valentines  14. I wheelie like you valentines

2014 Life Planner by Crystal Wilkerson: Pt I

I’ve had many people emailing and asking questions about the planner I used last year and if a 2014 version would be available. Well, I’ve got good news! The 2014 Life Planner by Crystal Wilkerson is here AND I’ve got details about an INCREDIBLE discount for all Simple as That readers!

I’ll be sharing a detailed peek inside my 2014 planner with lots of photos soon, in the meantime you can head over to Crystal’s blog to learn more. I LOVED using her planner last year (read more about my experience here and here) and I can’t wait to get things organized in 2014 with Crystal’s help!

2014 LIFE PLANNER DISCOUNT

Crystal’s got some fabulous deals going on right now. Here are four ways you can save on your 2014 Life Planner. 

1. Go to this blog post by Crystal and take $1 off your purchase for every image you Pin. That’s a total of $13 you can get off her one year all access pass!
   
2. Earn an additional $2 for sharing her blog post on social media. See details here.

**By doing all this you can purchase the all access pass for just $24.95!!

3. Save AN ADDITIONAL $5 if you follow the instructions in Crystal’s blog post {pinning the images AND sharing via facebook and twitter} and mention that you found her planner through my blog. That would take the price of the all access planner price down to $19.99!! That’s 50% off!

4. If you’d like to skip all those steps, but still want to save, then you can use the coupon code SIMPLEASTHAT to get $10 off the all access planner pass!
Here are some videos you might find helpful when navigating Crystal’s website and to learn more about how the Life Planner’s “One Year Pass” works. 


Simple as That Digi Shop New Year Clearance

I’ve been away for a while now and I thought it was about time I resurfaced after the holidays! I’ve been hiding away at home enjoying a much needed break from online life and soaking up all the family time I could squeeze into the past few weeks.

I’m back, feeling refreshed and ready to kick off 2014 with a bang! I’ve got all kinds of fun things planned for Simple as That this year, including lots of exciting stuff for the SAT Digital Shop, so stay tuned! First things first, to make room for new products coming in 2014 it’s time to clear things OUT! Keep reading for details on a crazy, one-time deal that’s going on now!

Today through Monday January 20th you can purchase EVERYTHING in the Simple as That Digital Shop for just $25.00! Every single item in the digi shop is included – collage templates, digital prints, photo overlays – EVERYTHING! Total value on all products is over $175.00!! Here’s what you get at this one-time, get-it-all price:

Printable Photo checklists
Children’s Art Collage Templates
8×10 and 11×14 Frameables Sets
Summer Lovin’ Journaling + Filler cards
Summer Lovin’ Collage Templates
Summer Lovin’ Photo Overlays
Loose Tooth Journaling + Filler cards for Boy/Girl
Everyday Edition Journaling + Filler cards
Halloween Photo Overlays
Simply Stripes Editable Paper Pack
All Christmas Card Templates
Instagram Templates
Personalized Photo Bookmarks for Mom
Personalized Photo Bookmarks for Dad
Give Thanks Printable Quote Collection
Be Happy Printable Quote Collection
Merry Christmas Wall Prints
Family Forever Wall Prints
Photography Quotes Wall Prints
Inspirational Bookmarks and Wall Prints

This is a CRAZY steal so take advantage while you can! Offer ends Monday January 20th at midnight MST. You can purchase everything in the shop here. Once your transaction is complete you will be emailed download links to all the products within 48 hours.

Certain items in the shop will be discontinued in 2014 and will no longer be available for purchase after Monday January 20th. Items that will be discontinued include:

Individual Frameables Templates
Instagram Templates
Individual Children’s Art Collage Templates
Father’s Day and Mother’s Day Collage Templates
Printable Quotes PDF
Family Forever Wall Prints
Inspirational Bookmarks and Wall Prints

I want to take this time to say a HUGE, heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported my little shop in 2013! Your enthusiasm for my products, your kind emails and your patience with me as I learned the ropes on this new adventure have meant the world to me. Thank you so much and I can’t wait to bring you more fun and exciting things in 2014!!

Healthy School Lunches in the New Year

2014 is here and I couldn’t be more excited! One thing that I’m recommitting to in the new year is making fun and healthy school lunches for my kiddos. We’ve fallen into a bit of a rut lately and I’m looking forward to adding some more variety to our typical lunch lineup.

Last year I shared a weeks worth of healthy school lunch ideas and I’ll be starting with these five favorites and branching out from there. Here’s a quick rundown of the ideas I shared. Continue reading for a list of valuable lunch resources AND a fabulous giveaways from Easy Lunchboxes – my favourite containers to pack the kids lunches in!

Sandwich Kabobs:

Meat, Cheese + Veggie Wraps:

Pizza Buns:

Butterfly Sandwich:

Tuna Salad and Crackers:

I’ve shared all the recipes and how-to’s for these lunches in this blog post titled: Simple and Healthy School Lunch Ideas. These are all tried and tested lunches that my kids loved and are great alternatives the typical sandwich. Here are some other great resources when it comes to healthy, kid-friendly meal ideas.

 
Supplies used: Easy Lunchboxes 3 compartment containers, mini dippers, insulated lunch box cooler

Top Ten Posts of 2013 + a Giveaway!




















*This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Eileen Alps – you won the $50 Target gift card. Shoot me at the above ‘say hello’ link to claim your prize. Thank you to everyone who took the time to enter! 

It’s so hard to believe that 2013 is almost over! It’s been a great year here at Simple as That and I thought it would be fun to share my top 10 blog posts from 2013.  To make things extra fun I’ve got a $50 Target gift card to giveaway! Just scroll down to the bottom of this post for details on how you can enter! I’ve also joined some of my favorite bloggers who are sharing their top posts AND hosting their own fabulous giveaways, there’s all kinds of great content to be found and exciting giveaways to enter! Details and links to all the blogs below!

Simple as That Top Ten Posts of 2013

10. Back to School Printable Chore charts and checklists.

9. Printable Photo Checklists

8. 2010-2011 Project Life® Album

7. Favorite Quotes Mini Album

6. Simple Kids Crafts and Activities for Easter

5. Organize and Display Children’s Art

4. Simple Ways to Organize Kids Art Supplies

3. Free Photo Collage Templates

2. A Week’s Worth of Simple and Healthy School Lunch Ideas

1. Twenty Five No-Fuss Elf on the Shelf Ideas

Enter to win a $50 Target gift card by following the prompts in the rafflecopter widget below, then hop on over to these other awesome blogs and check out their top 10 posts and giveaways!

1. Thirty Handmade Days 2. Or so she says… 3. Your Homebased Mom 4. Lolly Jane 5. Capturing Joy with Kristen Duke 6. Simply Kierste 7. Somewhat Simple 8. Is This Really My Life? 9.Landeelu 10. Paging Supermom 11. What’s Cooking with Ruthie 12. Babes in Hairland 13. Simple As That 14. The Crafting Chicks 15. It’s Overflowing 16. Lemon Tree Dwelling

Simple things Sunday Photo Link Party No. 138

Welcome back to another Simple things Sunday everyone. This will be our last official link up of 2013 as we’ll be taking some time off for Christmas.  We’ll be back in the New Year starting January 12th. It’s been such a pleasure to visit your blogs and enjoy your beautiful photos throughout the year!

I’d like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and all the best in 2014! The blog will be a little quiet for the next couple weeks, but I’ll be popping in now and again and sharing updates on instagram.

Now it’s your turn to share what simple moments you’ve been celebrating this week! Join Stacy of KSW and I for Simple things Sunday! You can share your photos on both of our blogs using the linky tool below or  join us on instagram using hashtag #SimpleThingsSunday. Stacy on Instagram // Rebecca on Instagram

 
What is Simple things Sunday?

This weekly photo share is all about taking time to photograph the everyday details that make your life unique, beautiful, and special. Each Sunday we gather here to share our photos with each other. To enjoy the beauty that can be found in the ordinary and to be reminded of just how important the simple things are. 

Just a few quick rules to play:

1. Grab a Simple things Sunday button and include it in your simple things post.

2. Link back directly to your simple things post not your blog/website.
No links to other linky parties, giveaways or craft projects pretty please. 
This linky is all about the photos.

3. Be sure to pop by and visit at least 3 other links and leave a comment. Leave as many as you can.

Making Gift Tags from Children’s Art

Today I’m over at The Art of Simple sharing a quick Christmas project. As much as the kids and I love holiday crafting, in an effort to simplify  this year, we decided to scale things back to a minimum. We went back to the very basics. Armed with pencil and paper, we got to work creating some one of a kind gift tags. You’ll find the full tutorial at The Art of Simple here.

Easy Microwave Caramels

I love making holiday treats, but I’ve always been a little intimidated when it comes to candy making. I especially enjoy caramels at Christmas, but after a few failed attempts at making them, I gave up. That was, until a few years ago, when I discovered a delicious and simple recipe for microwave caramels! We just made a batch of these today and they turned out perfect, just like they do every time!

This is the easiest homemade candy you'll ever make! They only take a few minutes in the microwave and they turn out perfectly delicious every time!

Easy Microwave Caramel Recipe

3.3 from 3 reviews
Easy Microwave Caramels
 
Print
Ingredients
  • 1 c. butter
  • 2½ cups packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup light karo corn syrup
  • 1 - 14oz can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
Instructions
  1. Generously butter a 9x13 inch pan and set aside.
  2. In a large microwave safe bowl melt butter.
  3. Add all the remaining ingredients except the vanilla and mix well.
  4. Microwave on full power for 4-5 minutes. Remove from microwave and whisk. Microwave on high for another 4-5 minutes. Whisk again.
  5. Microwave an additional 4-5 minutes. Whisk while adding the vanilla.
  6. Pour the caramel mixture into the 9x13 inch pan.
  7. Let cool for 1 - 2 hours.
  8. Using a knife, cut into bite size portions and wrap in wax paper. Keep refrigerated.

This is the easiest homemade candy you'll ever make! They only take a few minutes in the microwave and they turn out perfectly delicious every time!

Like I said, they’ve turn out perfectly for me every time!! It always surprises me when they do, given my track record with making these tasty treats. I think the trick is to take them out of the microwave and stir thoroughly every 4-5 minutes.

This is the easiest homemade candy you'll ever make! They only take a few minutes in the microwave and they turn out perfectly delicious every time!

If I can make them, then you know this has to be a foolproof recipe! Take it from me, a candy making novice, these caramels are easy and delicious!

To package the caramels, wrap in wax paper and twist the ends to seal. I found these precut waxed twist papers and they make it so easy!


This is the easiest homemade candy you'll ever make! They only take a few minutes in the microwave and they turn out perfectly delicious every time!

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Simple things Photo Link Party No. 137

There’s nothing quote like the wonder of a child at Christmas time. Our sweet 6 year old Addie is soaking up all the excitement and magic of the season and it is pure joy to watch her. She wrote a darling letter to Santa this week. Her number one wish is for a pair of ‘kowgrl boots’ and I can’t wait to see her surprise when she opens them Christmas morning! Experiencing the simplest of joys with my kids during this Christmas season is so special and I’m grateful for the way they encourage me to slow down and enjoy the magic right along with them.


“If we could all see the world through the eyes of a child, we would see the magic in everything.”

Now it’s your turn to share what simple moments you’ve been celebrating this week! Join Stacy of KSW and I for Simple things Sunday! You can share your photos on both of our blogs using the linky tool below or  join us on instagram using hashtag #SimpleThingsSunday. Stacy on Instagram // Rebecca on Instagram

 
What is Simple things Sunday?

This weekly photo share is all about taking time to photograph the everyday details that make your life unique, beautiful, and special. Each Sunday we gather here to share our photos with each other. To enjoy the beauty that can be found in the ordinary and to be reminded of just how important the simple things are. 

Just a few quick rules to play:

1. Grab a Simple things Sunday button and include it in your simple things post.

2. Link back directly to your simple things post not your blog/website.
No links to other linky parties, giveaways or craft projects pretty please. 
This linky is all about the photos.

3. Be sure to pop by and visit at least 3 other links and leave a comment. Leave as many as you can.

Rudolph Christmas Lunch for Kids

I came across this cute pin and knew I had to make these reindeer sandwiches for the kids school lunches sometime before Christmas. I got around to making them in our favourite Easy Lunchboxes yesterday and they were a big hit with the kids! See the details below on how to make your own Rudolph Christmas lunch!

I like to make cute holiday lunches for the kids once in a while, but I don’t like to do anything over the top. This little lunch was really easy and the things you need to put it together are not hard to find.

What you’ll need:

Circle Sandwich cutter
Twisty pretzels for antlers
Red M&M
Candy eyes
Red/Green Jello
Other red/green foods

First make your sandwich, then cut it into a circle shape using a larger circle cutter. Use pretzels for antlers, candy eyes and a red M&M for a nose to make Rudolph’s face.  Lastly, add a variety of red and green foods to the lunch and that’s it!

I included some brocoli, strawberries, kiwi and red/green Jello but you could also do red and green peppers, christmas colored fishy crackers, a red grapes, etc. For the Jello, I prepared it right in the containers the night before.We absolutely LOVE our Easy Lunchboxes! For more simple and healthy school lunch solutions for any time of year, visit this post where I share a weeks worth of ideas!

Have a fabulous weekend everyone! We’ll see you back here for Simple things Sunday. 🙂

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