Wine Glasses SAVED!

Maternity leave has given me a lot of time at home...so, I needed some projects to keep me busy while Lily naps. I tried my hand at glass etching...and FAILED miserably! Glass etching seems like one of the easy projects to tackle...but it was not for me.

Instead of tossing the two wine glasses that I wrecked, I tried to think of a way to save them. I had some chalkboard paint left over from my herb markers, so I put a touch over my mishap and BAM! Chalkboard Wine Glasses! A true trash to treasure story!

These would be perfect for a shabby chic themed luncheon or a large cocktail party where glasses could get mixed up easily. I love it!

{Made with Love} Herb Markers

I have a new obsession....chalkboard paint. It is a wondrous thing! You can literally turn anything into a chalkboard. I didn't even know how much I like chalkboards until now...but it's all over...I love 'em!

As I was washing a soup can before tossing it into the recycling, I asked myself...what could I do with this? Re-purposing trash is one of my favorite things to do. So, I thought and thought and thought...

Finally, I came up with an idea...decorative herb markers!

Enjoy!

Materials

Top of Tin Can
Chalkboard Paint
Wooden Dowel (painted, if desired)
Glue Gun
Ribbon or Raffia







1. Paint your top with the chalkboard paint. Its best to do two coats of the paint, one with horizontal strokes and the other with vertical strokes. For best results, wait at least an hour between coats. I also painted my wooden doyle a light blue color.

2. Once dry, glue your wooden dowel to your painted top.

3. Lastly, add your lagniappe...AKA your raffia or ribbon and chalk the name of your herb!

Ta-Da!

My husband recently completed his "23 Pot Challenge". Basically, he found 23 flower pots in our shed and wanted to fill them all with something different. We have various herbs, wildflowers, even trees growing in various pots in our backyard. As much as I love it, this challenge of his makes herb/flower makers a necessity...so, until they are all marked properly...it looks like we'll be enjoying some soup!

DIY Fabric Flowers #1

In an attempt to flex my creative muscles, I searched some of my favorite "Do-It-Yourself" blogs and found a few tutorials for fabric flowers. These are the perfect projects for me because they are simple and I'm currently obsessed with the trendy, hair flowers for Lily...and maybe myself as well...we'll see!

The first tutorial came from Simply Vintagegirl Blog and was super fun! I'll admit, I was a little nervous about this project because it involved fire...but it was easy!

Materials:

Cardstock
Scissors
Fabric (a silky, synthetic fabric)
A tea-light
A bead (or button...really anything you like for the center of the flower)
Glue gun (or needle and thread, if you are more awesome than me!)
Hair Clip

First cut 5-6 circles out of the cardstock. You want the largest circle to be about 1/2 an inch larger than you want the finished flower to be and the remaining decreasing in size slightly each time.

Next, use the cardstock circles as a pattern to trace the circles onto your fabric with a pen before cutting them out.

To create the petals, cut 4-5 slits into each fabric circle. When I did this first one, I didn't cut deep enough into the circle. You want to cut about 1/3 to 1/2 of the way into the circle...this will help with the next step.

This is the "hard" part. You are going to use the tea light flame to crinkle the edges of the petals. Hold each circle approximately an inch away from the flame. Be very, very careful as it is NO fun when you burn yourself! Make sure to rotate the circle so it doesn't catch on fire.

When you have done that will all the fabric circles. You simply need to attach each of the circles together. I "cheated" and used a glue gun!

Lastly, glue your bead or button into the center of the flower, a small piece of cardstock to the bottom to stabilize it a bit and, finally, your hair clip...and BAM, you're done!

Of course, I had to try it out on our little model...but she wasn't too happy about it!

Sorry these photos are so horrible!

This is the last post where the photos come from my phone!
We are moving on up!

{Made with Love} Wine Bottle Tops

I love the blog Skip to my Lou! They share the cutest homemade gift ideas...including this next "made with love" Christmas gift! These bottle tops are a little time-consuming but I think they will be a hit! (The ones on Skip to my Lou are way cuter than mine...but I'm ok with it!)

Wine Bottle Tops

1 1/2" wood ball knobs
acrylic paint of your choice
primmer
clear varnish
bottle corks
gorilla glue








To allow your paint to coat easier, first prime your wooden ball knobs. Once completely dry, give your knobs a base coat. I went with Christmas Red and Green colors for my bases. Depending on your paint, you may need additional coats for the background color.

Once the background is completely dry, go to town with your design! Since I was doing so many at once, I decided to keep it simple with polka dots.  I wish I would have read the Skip to my Lou post a little closer, because the tip to use a wooden dowel is genius...that would have made everything easier!

And, once your design is completely dry, varnish away. I used two coats of varnish because I wanted these knobs extra shiny!

Lastly, once the varnish is completely dry, get out your gorilla glue and your corks. I found it easier to put a thin layer of the glue on the cork and then stick it to your knob. Keep in mind that this glue expands around 3-4 times. So, as the glue expanded, I lightly pressed the cork to the knob to ensure that the cork was right against the knob when it was finally dry. This glue is major so be careful!

Once the glue is done drying...gift to friends!

Holiday Card Display

Chris and I are blessed with really creative friends and family...so there was no surprise when we started receiving some of the most adorable Holiday cards around. I've been putting my creative juices to the test trying to come up with an impressive yet simple way to display these little pieces of art work with no luck. Until, I was flipping through an All You magazine and stumble across the solution!

Holiday Card Display

You do not have to be crafty for this project! All you need is a tension rod to fit your window of choice, paint, decorative ribbons and clothespins. Now, before you fuss me, I know spray paint is not the most eco-chic way to tackle this project...but it is the fastest so I apologize for my lapse in judgement!

First, paint your tension rod and clothespins the color of your choice. Once dry, place in your window and drape with your ribbons, securing with the clothespins. Lastly, hang your cards with the clothespins. VOILA...easy and fun Holiday Card display!

How are you displaying your cards from loved ones?

{Made with Love} Pepper Jelly Gifts

Looking for a budget-friendly, "made with love" Christmas gift for your family and friends? Look no further! This Pepper Jelly recipe from Paula Deen was simple, impressive and delicious!

Pepper Jelly

3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh hot green pepper, such as jalapeno or serrano
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
6 cups sugar
4 ounces pectin (recommended: Certo)
4 drops green food coloring
Special Equipment: 6 (1/2-pint) canning jars with lids



First and foremost, sterilize your jars. This isn't as difficult as it sounds. First preheat your oven to 175 degrees. Then, simply wash with hot and soapy water, rinse well, and then arrange jars AND lids open sides up, without touching, on a tray. Lastly, leave in oven for 25 minutes. Remember, these are now hot and sterilized so move them with tongs (but make sure those are sterilized too-dip ends in boiling water for a few minutes). All items touching the jars need to be clean...especially your hands...so soap up!

Now to the jelly...

In your food processor, work your bell pepper and hot pepper until finely minced.

Combine your pepper mixture, vinegar, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. (This takes a little longer than I expected...so be patient!)

Now, remove from heat and add your pectin and food coloring. (This scared me because it didn't look like the pepper jelly I was expecting...but trust the process!)

Lastly, pour into sterilized jars and seal. This is where the fun begins. To seal the jars, check out the instructions on your canning jars. To properly seal the jars I purchased, each needed to undergo a "hot bath" in a canner. Since I didn't have a canner, I filled our largest stock pot about half-way, making sure that when the cans were placed inside the water would cover with an inch or so of water. After bringing to a boil and letting sit for a few minutes, I turned off the heat, let the water cool and then removed the cans. I let that cans sit for 12-24 hours and then prepared for gifting! (My favorite part!)

I test drove this creation with some cream cheese and crackers...yum, yum, yum!

This jelly is very, very green in color. So feel free to spice it up!

Easy-to-Make Wreath

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Chris and I have been busy getting our home decorated for the holidays. I just had to share this easy-to-make wreath. It took me no time and I love the way it looks on our front door!

To get started you will need an artificial wreath, your choice of decorative mesh foil, your choice of decorative ribbon,  and little extras to add into it. Since we have a very shiny Christmas with glitter everywhere, I've chosen a Santa sign and decorative glitter sticks.

First things first, gather your decorative foil and wrap one of the stems around it. Since they are wired-based, it makes it really easy to keep everything gathered and in place. I'm obsessed with decorative foil because it makes a great show when used in bunches. Continue to bunch and twist around the entire wreath.

Next, add your decorative ribbon, in the same fashion.

Lastly, add your decorative extras. I used the wiring of the wreath to keep everything in place. It was so easy!

We finally finished our front door and I love it with all the lights on. This picture isn't very good but I just had to share! We have garland, grapevine and more decorative mesh around the door frame. Just love it!

How is your holiday decorating coming?