Guest blogger: Simply Designing

How we ♥ this blog & fun author behind it!  Meet Ashley, so stinkin cute... I bet at least 10 of you are going to be making birdhouses this weekend while munching on nutter butter cookie balls!  ;)  Thanks for guesting, Ash!

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I am so excited to be guest posting today here at Lolly Jane!  I'm Ashley, the face and voice behind Simply Designing.

My blog is a fun blog that covers everything from crafts to interior design, recipes to floral design, home decor to seasonal items.  I host a weekly Friday link up party and my local Fox news station also has invited me to do a regular segment on their morning show: it is a lot of fun!  In addition, I offer interior design services, both in-home and online.  So I keep very busy around here, but most of all, I like to keep things SIMPLE!

Today I am excited to share with you two of my most popular posts! 

The first is my Shabby Birdhouses:

I found these bird houses at Michael's for $2 each, fully assembled and ready to be painted!

I started by painting them. 

Then I took my sander and sanded the edges to make them look worn.

Next I took brown craft paint and mixed it with water.  I used that to paint a "glaze" all over the bird houses and then I wiped it down with a paper towel.   

Aren't they so cute?!?!  I love how they add a bit of spring to my decor!

And I can't resist sharing one more thing with you.  A super yummy super simple recipe!!  (yum yum)

Nutter Butter Cookie Balls

If you like nutter butters and chocolate and making very simple recipes, then you will like these.

Ingredients:

• 1 package Nutter Butter cookies
• 1 8oz block of cream cheese
• 1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

• Using a food processor or a blender, crush up the cookies until finely ground
• Place the cookie crumbs and the cream cheese in a stand mixer (I am sure you can use a hand mixer or even mix it together with your hands, but it will take a bit more time and effort on your part.)
• Mix for several minutes until well-blended.
• Form mixture into small balls and place on waxed paper.  Put in the fridge or freezer for about 20 minutes.
• Melt your chocolate (see how to melt chocolate here) and dip the cookie balls into the chocolate, tapping off the excess.
• Let sit on waxed paper or foil until set. 

Enjoy!

Thanks so much for letting me guest post today!  I truly enjoyed it!

If you would like to see more of my creations, you can find me at my blog Simply Designing, through my RSS feed, on Facebook, on Twitter @SimplyDesigning and via Email Subscription.

Happy Designing!