via on Pinterest
December 30, 2010
Merry Christmas to Me- Another Use for a Great Gift
I have been drooling over this little item from Anthropologie...
And then Christmas came and I got not one but TWO! One from my sister Natalie & one of my best-ies Lucy…er…Bree. Here is one of them…
I just love how… Anthro & Frenchie they are and you know you can never find a clever place to put the utensils at a party and I just can’t wait to use them.
As I was sitting there, being thankful for the gifts, gazing at their loveliness, it occurred to me that there was another use for my merry-go-rounds…..
I am always fighting with my extensive collection of pens & colored pencils. I love having them. But I don’t like leaving them out because they just look sloppy. But then it’s harder to use them. Problem solved!! I love how…. put together… they are now and they are out where I can easily grab them. Ahhhhh…. .satisfaction!
December 28, 2010
My Pinecones
Remember the post on pinecones with the template to make your own? I couldn’t take it anymore, I ran out to Michael’s and bought a bunch of felt and some Tacky Glue (I haven’t used that in years!) and started making my own pretty little pinecones. Here’s what I have figured out so far:
It has been both easy and hard. The template is pretty straightforward, just print it out. They recommend using freezer paper to adhere to the felt then trace the template onto the freezer paper then cut out the “leaves”. That seemed like an extra step to me so I just traced the “leaves” straight onto the felt with a black marker. Yes, it’s a little difficult because the felt is not smooth. Yes, it made it a tiny bit harder to cut out because I had to stay inside of the lines. Yes, I have a bunch of excess felt with pen marks all over it. But in the end, I think it’s easier my way.
I had forgotten how difficult it can be to cut through felt! My large scissors were a little worse for the wear to begin with but they were barely cutting at all. So I bought 2 new pairs of freshly sharpened scissors: 1 small, 1 large. It turns out the small pair were the only ones that would go through the felt, short cuts are the trick. From start to finish each pinecone takes me about 1 hour to complete. I’d say a good 1/2 hour of that time is spent cutting out the pieces because felt just takes longer to cut out.
The top was a mystery. Family Circle doesn’t really show you how they put together the top pieces. They just say to pinch the pieces together. Let me tell you, I tried to pinch them them together a bazillion different ways, none of which turned out pretty or remotely looking like the tip of a pinecone. So once again, I winged it, and I’m happy with it.
And as for the glue, in hindsight a hot glue gun might work a little better. But I don’t have one so the Tacky Glue is a good substitution, just takes a little longer for the top and bottom to adhere. No biggie.
I thought by now I would have a bunch of pinecones but it’s a little slower-going than I thought it would be (like I said, about 1 hour each) and 7 is all I’ve managed to finish. But it has been a fun little project to work on while watching Christmas movies!
I had planned to put them on top of the Christmas presents but… I didn’t want to part with them! I’m thinking they might look awfully cute in a wooden bowl…hmmm…..
December 21, 2010
A Very Short Christmas Rhyme
…because “short” is all I have time for. Here it is:
Christmas shopping is now done.
Christmas wrapping has begun!
December 21, 2010
Blog Love: Tasty Kitchen
I read a LOT of blogs. They are part of my morning routine: a cup of coffee, check my email, then check my Google Reader and catch up on all of my favorite blogs. By far ,the genre of blogs I read the most are food blogs. I just love to read about food, see pictures of food, learn about new cooking techniques or equipment, etc.
Well, one of my favorites is Tasty Kitchen, managed by the lovely Ree from The Pioneer Woman. One of the reasons I like it is the content is from just regular people like me. The recipes remind me of food I would see at one of our own family gatherings and the recipes, in general, are simple and straightforward. Users of the site rate the recipes they have tried so you can confidently pick a winner.
You won’t get bombarded with ads or outside marketing on this site and it’s organized really well. You can even create your own “recipe box” to collect all the yummy recipes that you want to remember.
Scoot on over and take a look around. I’m betting you will find something delicious for dinner tonight!
December 20, 2010
just feelings « Brave Girls’ Club
just feelings « Brave Girls’ Club.
“They’re just feelings. They are not who you are or what you believe. All they want is some attention. So give them some attention and then teach them the truth.”
Read the rest of this insightful post at Brave Girls’ Club.
December 18, 2010
Tip: ID Your Bakeware For A Safe Return | Apartment Therapy The Kitchn
Tip: ID Your Bakeware For A Safe Return | Apartment Therapy The Kitchn.
I am so going to do this project! It looks pretty straight forward, you use glass-etching for the underside of the glass. Baking and serving dishes are always traveling back and forth between family members, this is a great way to keep track of what belongs to who!
December 16, 2010
The Ultimate Caramel Apple Pie Recipe : Tyler Florence : Recipes : Cooking Channel
The Ultimate Caramel Apple Pie Recipe : Tyler Florence : Recipes : Cooking Channel.
I keep trying to get someone in my family to make this pie. I said I would make the coffee! Any takers? Anyone?
December 14, 2010
Recipe Card Maker | Skip To My Lou
Recipe Card Maker | Skip To My Lou.
Need to make a recipe card but don’t have time to handwrite it… or your handwriting looks like chickens dipped their little feet in ink and ran across the page? Skip To My Lou has a great feature on their website, free no less, that allows you to type in your recipe into a stylish premade template, click print and voila!
December 12, 2010
Building Cookie Cottages: Peppermint Place – Martha Stewart Recipes
Building Cookie Cottages: Peppermint Place – Martha Stewart Recipes.
Here’s another little holiday project (from Martha Stewart) I want to do this year, make a gingerbread house. I just don’t know when I can fit it but I’m going to try!
This is a different take on the classic gingerbread house, you make it out of graham crackers! It looks so easy, especially because you don’t have to go to all the trouble of making the gingerbread panels yourself but its way cheaper than buying one of those pre-made kits. So cute!!
