A Simple Christmas Project

I was in a crafty mood recently, and as I often do, I took to Pinterest to find inspiration for a project.  My birthday was a few weeks ago, and I decided that as a gift to myself, I wanted to make this for my birthday:

Project by CraftyMorning.com

I went to Hobby Lobby and found all of the items except the lights, which I eventually found at Menard's.  I made some changes to the snowman to fit my personal tastes, and I think he came out pretty cute!

If you want to make a snowman wreath of your own, here's what you'll need:

• One larger and one smaller grapevine wreath
• Spray paint of your choice (the original used white, I used an opaque, shimmery sparkle paint--see picture to the right)
• Floral picks of your choice (you won't need many)
• Lights--mine are battery operated, and the original was a white string that plugged in.  I didn't have an outlet nearby, so I opted for battery lights.
• Roll of burlap for the scarf
• Small Santa hat
• Floral wire
• Hot glue gun and sticks

The first thing to do is attach the smaller and larger wreath using the floral wire.  I simply wrapped it around both wreaths until it wouldn't move any more.

Next, I put some painter's plastic down and sprayed the wreaths.  It took the full can of paint to give it the shimmery white-ish look, but I liked it.  It looks like the wreath has frost on it.  You'll want to leave it to dry for a few hours.  I left it overnight.

Now it's time to assemble everything! 

The next thing I did was wrap the strand of lights around the wreaths. 

I purchased these at Menards.  They look cute, but a warning: the acrylic snowflakes kept popping off of the wire strand and I had to re-glue them back on.

I wrapped them around, trying to space the snowflakes evenly.  After I had them where I wanted them, I tied them to the wreaths on the back with more floral wire.

After that, I tied the scarf on.  I cut a long piece of burlap ribbon--probably about a 5' length-and laid it under the wreaths.  I tied it off-center and let it hang down.

Then, I added the floral picks:

I tucked them in to the wreath, weaving them through when I could.  Once I had them arranged the way I liked, I hot-glued them into place on the back. 

Lastly, I added the Santa hat and hot-glued it in place.  All that was left to do was hang it up!

With the exception of the paint drying, it really only took between one and two hours to put it all together, and I think it turned out pretty cute!  If you give it a try, let me know how it turns out! 

Merry Christmas!

Preparing for GAPS

Stock!  Lots of stock!

Last weekend was quite a weekend!  The last several weekends have been so busy.  In the midst of the holiday prepping and planning, I'm also trying to prepare for our upcoming foray into the GAPS diet to help me overcome my recently-developed intolerance to all dairy great and small.  Part of prepping has been to try my hand at making bone broth.  It's quite easy--just takes time.  It seems like everything takes time...but I'm believing more and more that good things truly are worth the wait.  I'm gaining more appreciation for making things like this!  I've always liked to make things from scratch, but I don't always have time to do so.  However, I know that much of the diet relies on homemade broth, and I imagine that it will go quickly, so the more I can make, the better!  I now have accumulated 14 quarts of chicken broth and 8 quarts of beef broth, which should get us going.  One things I'm having trouble with is getting the gel consistency in my broth, but it has a good flavor.  I'm thinking that I need to boil it down more to get the gel.

I was able to buy some grass-fed beef bones from a local farm,
along with some grass-fed chicken feet (never thought I'd say that!) to add to the chicken broth.  I have to admit, I felt like I was buying my first voodoo kit when I ordered two pounds of chicken feet over the phone.  I'm told they add a lot of gelatin to the broth, which is great for the intestinal lining.  The look a little ghoulish floating around in the pan, though!


As well as preparing for the diet, we've also been trying to eat all of the food in the house not allowed on the diet, so I took the opportunity to create a chicken soup using a quart of homemade broth (not a GAPS-friendly recipe, but pretty tasty):

• Two potatoes, cubed and boiled to fork-tender and drained
• Two cups frozen peas
• Two cups cubed cooked chicken, dark and white meat
• One quart (4 C) chicken broth
• Two tablespoons corn starch dissolved in two tablespoons cold water
• Oregano, basil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, chicken base, and other seasonings, to taste

Add all ingredients except corn starch slurry into a 5 quart pot and heat to simmering.  Add corn starch slurry to pot and allow to simmer until desired thickness is reached.

While I was at it, I also decided to try a bag of einkorn flour that I purchased online from Jovial Foods.  It's made from unaltered, non-GMO, non-hybridized wheat that is easy to digest and does not seem to affect people with gluten intolerance (not to be confused with Celiac).  I used it to make some dinner rolls to go with my soup, and they turned out very nice--they browned well, had a good texture, and had a really nice, light flavor.  Hubby liked it, too!  Once we're done with GAPS, I'll be purchasing a larger quantity of this flour and using it as a regular flour staple in my pantry.  It seems to corroborate the suggestion that the altered wheats available today to make our flour really is harder for our bodies to digest.  I thought it was interesting.  (P.S.--this isn't a sales pitch, and I wasn't compensated for mentioning this flour.  I was just pleasantly surprised with the product!)

While I was at it, I came up with this fun Christmas decoration:

I found a gallon Ball jar at Wal-Mart for $14, found the glittery balls at Hobby Lobby, three bags at half price for $10, and I had purchased the fun Christmas twigs on clearance last Christmas.  The silver picks have battery-powered lights wrapped on them.  I tried to make each color of the balls in the jar as individual layers, but as you can see, when I was arranging the picks, some of the different colors mixed layers.  I still think it looks good!  I might just shake it all up and mix them together.

I'm not sure if I'll be back on here before the New Year.  It's just so busy this time of year.  So I'll wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, and hopefully be back at it at the beginning of 2015!

Image from Little Birdie Blessings

Christmas Bells!!!

Sleigh bells...they bring to mind Victorian paintings of families in horse-drawn sleighs out for a ride in the beautiful snowy countryside in a time before automobiles.  They conjure memories of seeing Santa ride through town in the Christmas parade before the world went crazy and banned the term "Christmas".  They're nostalgic, and while they are heard only infrequently at most nowadays, I love them.

"Sleigh Ride 1838" by Thomas Birch

"Sleigh Ride" by Thomas Kincade

I mentioned last year that I had purchased a set of antique sleigh bells from our local antique store.  Knowing that the place I wanted to send them for restoration, Classic Bells, would be quite busy around the holidays, I waited until January to send them off for cleaning and re-setting on a leather strap.  Earlier this week, I received a notification that my bells were finished and on their way back home, and I was so excited to see the finished product!  I highly recommend them to anyone who has antique bells to be restored.  Their finished product is well worth the wait!

Before:

After:

I absolutely love them.  It's hard to believe that they are the same bells!  They are just as I imagined they would be...the perfect size for the door, and just in time for Christmas decorating!

We just got our Christmas lights up this year, and our decorating is almost done.  I love decorating for Christmas, but since it's a short time between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, we're just going to put our fake tree. 

Also because of the short Christmas season this year, I'm going to take a break from blog posts until after the first of the year.  I wish everyone a blessed and joyous Christmas season!

A Fun Ornament Project

Last weekend I was in a crafty mood.  I've actually been working on some of the projects in my craft room, and am happy to say that I'll be crossing three off of the list.  Three off of the list means that there's room for three new projects, right?

So, of course, I started something new.

I went to Michael's in search of wooden laser-cut ornaments and glitter.  I have lots of glitter, but I really love the Recollections brand of glitter that I can only find at Michael's, which is located about forty minutes away (they have some of the most vibrant colors in glitter that I have ever found).  But it was okay, because I was itching to go for a ride.

We had a fun time in the big city, going to Michael's, Bass Pro (for my hubby to regain his manliness after wandering around with me in a craft store), Chick-Fil-A, and Chili's (Chili's has a delicious new margherita flatbread dish, which I recommend, but I don't recommend the pesto ranch sauce that comes with it).  I came home with exactly what I had been looking for: eight laser-cut unfinished wood Christmas ornaments and MORE GLITTER! 

**Just an FYI--you should be able to get the die cut ornaments at most local chain craft stores: JoAnn, Hobby Lobby, Michael's, etc. for around $2 each.**

It's a really simple project--just paint on the glue with a paintbrush and apply the colors one at a time.  The different colors of glitter won't stick to each other unless the glue is still wet.  Spray them with clear sealer once they're done, and you have a simple project with a huge WOW factor!  String jute rope or pretty ribbon through the top to create a hanging ornament.

Here's what I have so far:

I used two shades of blue on these trees.

These are going to look GREAT on the Christmas tree in a few months.  It might take me that long to get the rest of the die cuts glittered.  I hope I've inspired you!

The Twelve Days of Christmas, Day 12: Fun Family Crafts and Merry Christmas!

I can't believe that Christmas is merely a few days from now, so I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year!  Whether you're traveling or staying home, I hope that you have a wonderful and blessed holiday.  I'll be back online next year.

I tried to think of something super-neat to post as my last Twelve Days of Christmas Recipes entry.  I thought about recipes and I contemplated crafts, and I decided that crafts would be more fun, especially since most families have children who are going to be on Christmas break, if they are not already.  I decided on a few simple crafts that children and adults can do together, and chances are you have many of the supplies already in your house. 

Day 12: Assorted Christmas Ornaments

My hubby made this ornament when he was six years old!

The first ornament requires a recipe:
4 C all-purpose flour
1 C salt
1 1/2 C warm water

Yes, salt dough ornaments!  Simply mix all of the ingredients together until smooth.  Roll out on a floured surface to the desired thickness, and cut with cookie cutters or shapes found in your kitchen.  Use textured items, such as cheese graters, to create designs in the dough.  If you have rubber stamps, you can stamp designs into the dough.  Punch a hole into the top of the ornaments using a toothpick and bake in a 300 degree oven for about an hour or until the ornaments are hard.  Paint as desired and run string or ribbon through the holes, and allow to dry before hanging on the tree.  A great way to make memories with the kids, and if properly stored and cared for, will last for many years.

Now, while those are baking, you can make the second ornament.  The second ornament requires supplies:

Package of C4 light bulbs (found at Wal-Mart for $0.98)
Glue that dries clear
Glitter of your color choice
16 gauge wire (found in jewelry-making sections of your local craft store-I used aluminum)
Paint brushes
Empty cupcake liner container
Wire cutters, pliers, and round-nosed pliers

You knew I'd use glitter at some point!  These are really easy to make, and beautiful to hang from the tree.  They even bring a hint of nostalgia to your Christmas decor.  Appropriate for slightly older children who can be careful around fragile things.

The first thing you will do is wrap wire around the top part of the lightbulb.  You can do this however you want; I chose to coil it completely around the metal to conceal the screw part.

Be sure to leave a small loop at the top for the decorative hook.

Then, pour a good amount of glitter into the cupcake liner container.  Don't be shy; the more, the better!

Now, paint your glue onto the bulb.

Dip the glue-painted bulb into the glitter, and roll it around until the whole thing is covered to just the way you like it.

Set it aside to dry.  Repeat on the remaining bulbs.

Now, for the hook:  Cut a 12" section of wire.  Hold your wire with the regular pliers, and take the very end of the wire with the round-nosed pliers.  Grip just hard enough to hold the wire in place, but no hard enough to leave tooth marks in the metal.  Begin to wrap the wire, tightly at first, around the ends of the round-nosed pliers.

Slide the straight end of the wire through the loop on the bulb.  Then, create another curl, more loosely this time at the other end of the wire.  Curl until you like it.

Repeat on the rest of the ornaments!

You can also embellish with ribbons or beads.  Be sure that the beads have holes that are large enough to accommodate the size of the wire--all of the beads I had had holes that were too small to fit on the wire.   Be creative!

Luke 2:19-20: But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.  The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Merry Christmas!