Homemade Snow Globes

I am very lucky to have an Anthropologie store just down the street from me. Everything they sell seems to be so expensive, but once in a while I discover a good find that I can afford. Or even better I get a lot of inspiration for things I can make myself! The style of their clothing, decor, etc. appears to be very vintage, found in the attic, thrifty, or DIY. Which is definitely why I love it there and also why I am able to make things that can compare to what they sell.

Recently when I was strolling through one afternoon I stumbled upon all of their holiday merchandise. It was all very original, cute and just my style. However, the price tag was ridiculous. So I put it upon myself to make some of the decor. One of my favorite decorations was the cute mason jar snow globe! And it seemed to be such an easy craft, which it was! Not to mention a lot easier on the wallet.

Image via Anthropologie 

A friend and I went to Michael's one day and found everything we needed. We got medium sized mason jars for about $1.50 each, a package of small trees for about $4 (though we were disappointed with the selection, unless you wanted to buy a package with 50 small trees), some white glitter for $2.99, and then just used my glue gun and mod podge type glue that I already had. So for just $10 we were able to make 2 medium sized snow globes, with enough glitter and glue to use for others. The Anthropologie globe costs $30 for one! The selection of jars and trees are different at every craft store, so the pricing may vary when making your own.

Here is how it turned out:

Like I said, we had trouble finding a variety of mini trees, so they are a tad small for the jar, but overall it is cute! Most mason jars have 2 pieces within the lid, so you just need to glue those together with a glue gun. Then you glue gun the trees to the inside of the lid however you want. Next you would use the mod podge type glue to to get some of the glitter to stick to the trees and also some glitter to the inside of the lid. I decided to use the glue gun to create some little piles of "snow" made of glue around the trees, then covered with glitter. So just be creative. Then lastly you put about an inch or 2 of glitter inside the jar and screw on the lid, and Ta-Da!

Happy Holidays and Crafting!

-M

December is here!

I cannot believe it is December 1st already, this year has flown by! I do not enjoy winter in Chicago very much, but December is the best winter month due to all the holiday decorations around the city! There are tons of lights on the trees, and colorful window displays everywhere. Everyone just seems to be in a better mood close to the holidays; more giving, kind, and friendly. Then January and February come around with their bitterness and freezing cold temperatures.

Here are a few things I like about December and the Holidays:

Holiday Cards

*Keep those few favorite cards and put them in a frame to showcase each year. 

Hot Chocolate

*Have a few friends over and make a hot chocolate bar to make it more fun!

Holiday Parties

*Dress up your bottle of wine for the hostess with a cute 

sweater bag instead of the usual paper one. 

Snow

*Be more creative when playing in the snow!

Gifts

*When you give this year, be a little unique 

by making some homemade bows and tags, your gifts will stand out!

Images via my pinterest

What do you enjoy this time of year?

-M

Make yourself a burlap wreath!

I am sorry I have not posted in a while! I was very busy with work and family around the holiday, but I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving if you celebrated. I definitely had to work out today for all the food I ate last week! Also I have been busy making some holiday crafts the past couple weeks, there are so many good ideas that I have been finding on Pinterest lately!

I made this burlap wreath a week ago and ended up giving it to my boyfriend's mother for her birthday. He kept telling me how much she would like it, so finally in the spirit of giving I wrapped it up. We saw her at Thanksgiving and she absolutely loved it! I will have to make another one for myself someday soon.

What you need to make a Burlap Holiday Wreath:



*A Foam Ring (or you can use foam tubing from the hardware store, just tape it in the middle!)

*Burlap (in a strip or a sheet)

*Twine

*Pins

*A Large Bow or Flower

I was able to find all my materials at Michaels, or also Joann's Fabric is great too.

Basically I just pinned the end of the fabric strip underneath, and started wrapping it around clockwise and pinning it as I went. I had to fluff it up and pin it in several spots to give the burlap some oomph. Of course there are several different ways you could pin the burlap to the ring, be creative! Then I used a large fake poinsetta flower, that had a little clip on the back and just clipped it right on. Or you could tie or pin a large bow. The nice thing is that you could really use this wreath all year if you change out the bow or flower. I just love burlap! The twine is for tying it on your door.



*More holiday craft posts to come!

-M

Glitterize

A couple months ago I had a pedicure and decided to put some gold glitter on my toes, I loved it so much! I found this new brand of glitter nail polish from Lynnderella. You can play around with each color because when adding 2 or 3 coats, or layering it over a color, it totally changes the outcome! With the holidays coming up, I think glittery nails are the perfect idea!

Here are a few of my favs:

It appears that you can order right through Lynnderellas website, but it is limited supply and they are only for sale every so often. Each bottle is $12. Right now OPI has a nice line of glitter nail polish too, but they are within a few different collections. Most nail salons will have the OPI lines. 

Image sources via Steffels

Which color would you choose?

-M

A twist on Deviled Eggs

One of the easiest appetizers is by far deviled eggs, and very inexpensive as well! My boyfriend loves these, and will make these himself, but does an awful job distributing the egg mixture into the halved eggs whites. I taught him that an easy trick is to use frosting bags and tips. Or if you don't have those handy simply use a large baggie and clip off one of the corners as a homemade frosting bag. There are so many recipes out there for the egg mixture and it is fun to try new ones or make something up! I will definitely need to try this Bacon one that I just found, because who doesn't like a little bit of bacon!?

 

Bacon Deviled Eggs

Bacon Deviled Eggs Recipe by The Hungry Housewife-Leslie Green 12 large eggs 8 pieces of bacon cooked until crisp and crumbled 5 Tbsp Mayonnaise 3 Tbsp Dijon Mustard 1/2 Tsp White Truffle Oil ( optional, if you can not find it) 2 Tbsp Chives, finely chopped Large pinch salt Small pinch of Cayenne Pepper Chives cut into 1/2 inch pieces for garnish Place the eggs on the counter and bring to room temperature, about 45 minutes. In a medium pot cover the eggs with cold water going about 1” above the eggs. Over high heat, bring the eggs to a rolling boil. Cover the eggs and remove from heat. Allow them to sit covered for 13 minutes. Remove the eggs and submerge in an ice bath for 10 minutes. Peel the eggs and slice them in half lengthwise . Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl and put the egg white halves on a flat surface or  preferably a deviled egg tray. Mash the egg yolks and add the bacon,mayo,mustard, truffle oil, chives, salt and cayenne pepper. Mix until nicely incorporated. Place the egg mixture in a large zip top baggie. Snip a hole in the bottom and pipe the mixture into the egg whites. Garnish with the chives and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper if you wish. Image source Hungry Housewife

What is your favorite holiday appetizer?
-M

Spend your holidays with Burlap!

After buying my new couch recently, I have been thinking about some pillow covers I can make to go over the ugly couch matching ones that came with it. I know pillows should be comfortable, but it's just a throw pillow so I am going for more cute and stylish than comfort! I absolutely love these burlap pillows I came across on Etsy. They are hand sewn with paint stenciling. More than half of them are geared toward the holidays, and there are some very cute ideas. I feel as though this is something I can sew and try myself. I have been trying to use the sewing machine more, and I love that I can take a great idea and personalize it to my taste. I am thinking I might start with some Christmas ones, as it might take me until December to finish!

Images via Etsy

Have a great Monday!

-M

Happy 4th

I love Google's main picture today, it is so festive!

I hope you are all enjoying your holiday weekend, and celebrating with some friends and family! Eat some good food, enjoy some bright fireworks, and relax in this gorgeous weather!
-M

images via google and dnjournal