A Few Things I'm Loving Right Now!

Happy New Year's everyone!  2012 has a nice ring to it!  Hopefully it's your best year yet!  Here are a few things I can't get enough of at the moment!
1.  The Riesenthel Carrybag XS

I've been using these beauties in my office/craftroom to store anything that needs, well, storing!  I also keep the polka dot version for car storage!  You can find them here along with several other cute bags and totes!


2.  Dreyers Slow Churned Vanilla + Trader Joes Candy Cane Joe Joe's

So, ala Cold Stone Creamery, I scoop out the ice cream onto my {clean} countertop.  Then I crush and mix in a few Candy Cane Joe-Joe's!  Creamy, peppermint perfection!!!!!


3.  Knitted ballet slippers

Our Mom called on my good friend Heather from Handmadebeanies.com to make each of us girls a pair of these adorable knitted slippers for Christmas!  They are toasty warm and I love how they look!  Amazing work Heather!   


images by Kara 

Holiday Cards....

are the best, aren't they? I've loved getting the mail all month long. It's been such a treat to open up all the cards from loved ones and pour over them. And I must say, this year everyone brought there A-game; all the cards were so creative and lovely! Each year I like to find a fun way to display all the cards so we can enjoy them throughout the holidays and through January. We have a pillar in our main living area that I wrapped with the finger knitting I knitted and then I used mini clothespins to attach the cards. Finger knitting is new to me and I was really intrigued when I heard the term so I did some googling, watched a youtube video and I was off to the races. All you need is your fingers and any kind of yarn. It's really simple!

If you are interested in doing some finger knitting {{here}} is the link to the youtube video. You can also type in finger knitting in the search bar on the youtube site and learn more techniques and things. Happy finger knitting to you! 

Hope you have a fun and safe weekend celebrating the New Year! Thanks for stopping by today!

images by Briana

Leg Warmers, footies & T-Shirt Pillows

Hi!  We hope you had a very merry Christmas and that your holidays are continuing to be happy and bright!  Here are a few projects I've worked on over the last few weeks!  I was in Wal-mart a while ago and found corny women's knee socks in the holiday apparel section.  Corny for me to wear, but turn them into leg warmers for my little girls and corny becomes instantly cute!  And as a bonus, I turned the leftover foot into ankle footies for myself!  And those corny knee socks only cost me $2.75!  

All I did was cut the socks at the ankles.  Then setting the footie part aside, I hemmed the bottom raw edge of the long socks to turn them into leg warmers!  So easy!  Indee has already worn them to a few different Christmas parties! 

  

Then I sewed just below the raw edge of the ankle sock to reinforce it, letting the top roll naturally.  Yay for easy ankle footies!

Now for the next project!  My very handy and talented husband built a "Man Cave" out of sea containers behind his office building several months ago!  So, for Christmas I decided to make him a few "man" pillows to adorn his "man" couch in his "man" cave!  I got the idea from one of my favorite sewing blogs Ruffles and Stuff!  I bought a few t-shirts online, went to Joanns to get the right size pillow forms for each t-shirt and then turned the t-shirts into envelope style pillow covers!  It was so easy!  And I need to give a huge thanks to Bri who stayed up late helping me finish them!  It was so fun actually!  She and I brought our sewing machines down to our parents and we had a "sew" day (and night:) while the kids played!  Disney from Ruffles and Stuff's tutorial is different from how I did mine because I wanted to be able to take the pillow covers off to launder them when needed.  So here is a simple envelope pillow tutorial.  Here are a couple of the finished t-shirt pillows! 

Christmas Movies

We finally got snow today here in Northern Utah! I'm so happy about this. Lily woke up and yelled from the top of the stairs, "It's snowing!". I hope it keeps up. All I want to do today is cuddle up and watch Christmas movies. I hope you're having a good week so far and that you find some time to kick back and watch a festive flick. Here are a few of my favorites:

A Christmas Story

Home Alone 1 AND 2

White Christmas

National Lampoons Christmas Vacation

The Holiday

Peppermint Meringues

These are my new favorite holiday treat! My friend Alison introduced me to them, who is always making fabulous things in her kitchen. She was kind enough to share the recipe with me that she found in Sunset magazine. These drop cookies have a crunch on the outside and are chewy on the inside. Delightful! I made them for a holiday party this past week and everyone loved them. Give them a whirl and I hope you enjoy the last weekend before Christmas!!!


Recipe (makes 32):
2 large egg whites, at room temperature (very important)
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/3 cup + 1 1/2 tablespoons coarsely crushed peppermint candy canes or peppermint candy


Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in your stand mixer with the whisk attachment (if you don't have one, use your hand mixer), just until soft peaks form. Add vanilla and salt. With motor running and mixer on high speed, pour in 1 tbsp. sugar and beat 10-15 seconds, then repeat until all sugar has been added. Scrape inside of bowl and beat another 15 seconds. Meringue should form straight peaks when beaters are lifted. Fold in chocolate chips and 1/3 cup peppermint candy canes with rubber spatula.


Line baking sheet with parchment. Using two spoons (one to help you scrape) drop by rounded tablespoonful portions onto parchment lined cookie sheet. Keeping them slightly spaced apart. Sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tbsp crushed candy cane.


Bake until meringues feel dry and set when touched but are still pale, 30-35 minutes, switching pan positions halfway through. Turn off oven, open door and let cookies stand in the oven about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely on pans. Best enjoyed that day.

images by Briana

Scrap Fabric Christmas Skirt

Well, I've tried to link this easy little craft back to the original picture that I saw on pinterest with NO LUCK!  Anyway, someone out there is a genius for coming up with this great idea!  I used fabrics with Christmas prints, figuring Indee could wear it as she wished around the house and as a dress up.  She came down the stairs from her nap just as I was finishing it.  She tried it on to make sure it fit, and decided she didn't want to take it off!  Meanwhile I had to run upstairs because Quinn Had just woken from her nap also!  I was feeding her, when I heard Indee clunking around downstairs.  When I went back down she had put her snow boots on with her new skirt and was ready to go outside and play.

All I did was measure a length of 3/4" elastic around her waist.  Sewed the two ends together.  Cut fabric into long strips, making sure that half the length of those strips was the length I wanted the skirt to be.  Then I folded a strip in half and brought the looped end around the elastic and brought the two loose ends through the loop, creating a knot around the elastic!  I used roughly 40 strips to make this skirt.

 

images by Kara

   

Easy Felt Garland

Well, a few weeks ago I was talking to my Mom about different projects that require a sewing machine and that I should probably invest in one eventually.  She sure made my day, week, month, year by telling me she had a sewing machine, still in the box, that had been sitting unused for the past 9 years and that I could have it!  I was beyond excited!!!!  Only problem?  I hadn't sewn since a was 13, in my eighth grade sewing class!  So with the help of a few good friends (you know who you are;), I learned how to thread my bobbin, machine and learned a few basics!  So for the past few weeks when my little ones go down for their afternoon naps, I go in my office, turn on the Christmas tunes and sew my heart out!  It's so fun!  I had no idea what I've been missing all these years!  Now, for one of the first little projects I made!  Felt garland!  I used leftover felt from last years (no sew) tree skirt project, cut different sized circles free-hand and then sewed them together in a straight line.  I got my inspiration from the fun Dot garland Bri did for Lil's birthday party last January.

 

We decided to get a real tree for our family room this year.  This is the first tree we saw when we drove up to the lot!  We loved the shape but didn't love that it was flocked, so immediately set out to find the same shaped tree o'natural!  Well, obviously we were unsuccessful with finding exactly what we wanted, so we went back to this flocked tree, got brave and decided to go for it!  It's messier but I have to admit, I'm kind of digging the retro/homely vibe this tree gives!  Success!!!!


images by Kara    
    

Christmas Candy & Pelmet Box

Two things:  First, my sister in law created an amazing christmas candy display in her dining room using various size and shape glass jars!  I loved it so much, I had to be a copycat!  Mine isn't on quite the grand scale hers is.  And I have mine displayed above my kitchen sink.  But I like the results!

Second, with the help of my husband, I finally hung the pelmet box that has been sitting in my office for the past month and a half!  I used the guidance of my good friend over at Kalanicut to make this beauty!  I used home decor fabric of choice instead of a table runner and the scale of my box is different than Kalani's, but the process went rather smoothly!  It adds the perfect POP of color to my somewhat masculine kitchen!  Don't get me wrong!  I love my kitchen!  It just needed something and that something has been found!

images by Kara

How To: Glittery Pinecone Garland

We made these glittery pinecone garlands for a craft night we had on Friday night. They are festive w/ a homespun flavor which is just how I like it. I brought a few different colored glitters so everyone could pick what they wanted. Their was white frosty glitter, silver, chocolate brown, and a goldish brown glitter to choose from. The glitters were Martha Stewart from Michael's and she has so many different colors to choose from! I think the goldish brown was my personal favorite....I believe the glitter is called smoky quartz. I didn't have any glitter left in that color so I used the chocolate brown color here. You could hang this garland on your mantle, or over a window or on a little tree like I did. Lots of fun possibilities here! Here is what you'll need:

• thick jute twine
• 1 bag of pinecones found at Michael's
• Spray glue
• glitter of your choice, also found at Michael's, Martha Stewart
• paper bowls

Start by tying the pinecones to make the garland. The bag of pinecones comes with 14-16 pinecones per bag so you'll need to cut roughly 110 inches of twine (this measurement is if you space your pinecones 5-6 inches apart). Make a loop at the one end of your twine, then double knot to secure it, like this:

Tie the pinecones to the garland one by one, spacing them 5-6 inches apart. Making sure you double knot to secure. This part takes the most time since you have to bring your long twine through the knot, but it gets faster as you go along as the twine begins to get shorter and shorter. At the end make a loop and secure with a double knot like you did at the beginning.

In a well ventilated area, place a garbage bag underneath your paper bowls. Drop each pinecone into the paper bowl, like this:

Get spray glue and glitter at the ready. Pinch both ends of twine together to avoid getting glue and glitter on the twine. Spray pine cone with spray glue, coat evenly. Do your best to spray down into the bowl. Sprinkle with glitter, allowing excess glitter to fall into the bowl (you can reuse this).

After all pinecones have been glittered, allow to dry for 15-20 minutes. You can spray them with a sealing spray that you find at craft stores but this is optional.

Hang wherever you desire!

This little tree is my kids tree. Lily is begging me (as I type this) to pull the ornaments out so she can hang them on it.

Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you're all enjoying getting into the holiday spirit!

images by Briana

Holiday Lights and Holiday Music

How was your Thanksgiving? I hope it was a memorable one. We've been eating leftovers non-stop since Thursday and I haven't gotten sick of it yet! My favorite way to eat leftovers at the moment is to toast a piece of french bread, then top with pieces of roast turkey, pour hot gravy over it and serve with cranberry sauce (you could even throw in a layer of stuffing too). It's a home-run. Give it a whirl. Another thing that has got me excited is the fact that I can finally turn on my holiday lights! I've been patiently waiting since they came and hung them in October (early bird discount). Here they are:

Nephi, our holiday light magician shared that the trick to doing colored lights and still make them look bright is to mix in a white light between each colored light. I never would have thought of that, but I thought it was good information to pass along......in case you are in the midst of trying to hang lights right now. It's pretty hard to beat an all white set up, though. Kara does all white at her place and it's classy as can be.


Lastly, we can all finally blast Christmas music w/o a second thought! Truth be told, we listened to Christmas tunes all throughout Thanksgiving and you probably did too. I think it keeps things fun and festive, especially when you are working your buns off in the kitchen. Here is some Christmas music that I'm excited about listening to:

Carpenters Christmas Portrait....a childhood favorite.

The Elf soundtrack always puts a smile on my face.

Nat King Cole's Christmas album is my man's favorite.

New out this year if you're looking for a hipper spin on Christmas tunage. 

And you can't go wrong here. Perfect when you are entertaining to play in the background.

All this tunage can be found on itunes or amazon! Hope you have a great day! I best be gettin' to trimmin' my tree. 

house image by Briana

Thanksgiving Recipe Round-up

Today I'm sharing some of the links to Kara and I's favorite Thanksgiving recipes! We've posted them here on the blog before but I thought it would be nice to have a little reminder in case you need some last minute ideas. I hope this post finds you in good spirits, looking forward to all the feasting and traditions in the days ahead! We hope you have the happiest of Thanksgivings! 

((Mom's Sweet Potato Casserole))

((GRAVY! GRAVY! GRAVY!))

((Fruit Crisp in a Pinch))

((Kara's Coconut Cream Pie))

((Our Favorite Chocolate Cream Pie))

Images by Kara and Briana: top and bottom photo by Kara, the rest by Bri

Fragrant Mulling Spices

Make your house smell wonderful and inviting during the holidays and through the winter months with this mulling spice blend. There is nothing more inviting then a house that smells of cozy spices, don't you think? Enjoy!


Recipe:
Fill a small pot with 3-4 inches of water.
2-3 cinnamon sticks
1 heaping tablespoon whole cloves
Peel of a whole orange (you could also use clementine peels!)
Pinch of all-spice
If you have it on hand, you could also add one vanilla bean


Add all ingredients and simmer over very low heat. Simmer all day and enjoy the fragrance. Adding more water to the pot as needed. If you need to leave your house make sure you turn the heat off. Never leave the simmering mulling spices unattended. 

images by Briana

Folded Bunny Napkins + Lindt Carrots

This little folded bunny napkin is a snap to do and they turn out cute (but not too cute, if you know what I mean). I'm always drawn to things that create a big impact, yet take under a minute to do. Your Easter guests will instantly feel all warm and fuzzy inside when they see these. All you need is napkins and these instructions and you're set.

A few tid-bits: Martha's tutorial specifies using heavily starched napkins, but I didn't do that and I really liked the result. You can twist and play around with the ears better this way. Since I didn't starch my napkins, I used a twisty tie (easily accessible) to secure the back, so it would stay in place. I know a professional napkin folder would frown upon this.:/ Here's a picture of how I secured it:

Let's talk about chocolate in the shape of carrots for a sec:

I find these to be absolutely, positively charming! I've seen these pretty much everywhere Easter candy is sold. Lindt chocolate is some of the best, so they're cute and delish all at once.

Hook a chocolate carrot on a cup at each place setting.....

and BAM, you've got yourself darling (but not toooo darling) place settings!

Hope you all have a beautiful Easter weekend! xoxoxoxo

images by Briana