{canvas crafting made simple}

Travis and I got married a little over three months ago, which to me, seems like forever ago!  With two years of planning behind us (me) we took the plunge and said the I dos!  Throughout the planning, we were also setting up our first home together.  One of my main hobbies is decorating, and I really like personal decorating with personal touches, including pictures, pictures, and more pictures!
I was so very excited when we received our wedding photo CD in the mail about two weeks ago.  I couldn't wait to go through each and every one of them and decide what do with them, specifically where to put them around the home.  700+ pictures later and in love with each picture, I knew that I couldn't hang each of them up!  I'm not into the personal shrines and I'm pretty sure our land lords wouldn't appreciate all of the holes in the wall!  So, to start my project, I choose one picture that I'm just in love with and wasted no time!
Being that I'm new into the crafting world and have never used Mod Podge (which I can say that I have now), I thought I would take a stab at the cheap alternative of canvas photo art.  After looking through many Pinterest examples I found the following to be the easiest.

Thanks Instagram for capturing my excitement!

My picture of choice!

The process-- Click on the image below to make it large

Supplies:

• Pick your favorite picture.  You can print it on a regular printer with paper or get a photo copy of your favorite image.  I choose to order a larger size through Shutterfly.  
• You will need a canvas in the matching size of the photo, Mod Podge (Matte), and a paint brush **(Don't use a sponge brush like I did, or else it will leave black residue)**

Directions:

• Paint the canvas and the back of your picture with a coat of Mod Podge.  Place image on canvas and let set for 10 minutes.
• The photo will not have adhered to the canvas after 10 minutes, but it will be close enough that you can begin your top coat.  To begin, paint a good amount of the Mod Podge vertically on your photo.  If you are a newbie at Mod Podge, do not worry that it looks like nasty glue all over-- It will dry clear
• After you paint vertically, do the same step horizontally over your picture.  
• Let dry for 2 hours.  You may need to do some touch ups during the drying process if you have clumps here and there.  After 2 hours it should be pretty dry.
• Once dry, enjoy, display, and repeat! Easy!

Wedding photos by: A Fleeting Moment Photography

{opa chicken!}

We had an awesome dinner tonight, if I do say so myself!  Before getting married, I didn't cook..at all.  I was scared to death that I wouldn't know what to do and we would end up eating frozen pizza every night...(yet to do that!)  So, in my quest to become a fancy-dancy cook like my mom and grandma, Pinterest has proven why it truly is and always will be my best friend...sorry Travis.
The particular recipe that you will see below was given to me by my mom and also found here.  It is so very good and so very easy.  I also served steamed asparagus and Uncle Ben's Wild Rice with it.  Needless to say, both Travis and I won the clean plate award and I have a feeling that you will too...

xoxo,

michelle

"Opa Chicken"...make sure to say "Opa" a lot when you a preparing and then of course eating..

(Ingredients & Directions below)

What you'll need:

• 4 
  boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 
  5 ounce container 0% plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 
  cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 
  teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1 
  teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 
  teaspoon ground black pepper

Cooking directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
• Combine yogurt, Parmesan cheese, and seasonings.
• Spread over chicken breasts. Bake for 45 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and topping is browned. Serve immediately.

{welcome}

Today I post the first blog post of what will hopefully be many.  Meet the McBrides! Hello to you and yours from Travis & Michelle..well..mostly Michelle, but Travis too for moral support. :)  I hope to fill this blog with helpful tools and tricks from the newlyweds, recipes to delight, diy & decor around our home, and some fun in between.

In my quest for finding a hobby, I hope this will satisfy that creative need.  Just like beginning any new relationship, our marriage (3 months strong) in our case, every new project is an experiment, a trial and error, and encouraging, and this project may be no different.  

So, enough of me babbling on to who knows might be readying this, and let's get on with it and have some fun!  

xoxo,

michelle