Luke 2:11
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Merry Christmas, everyone.
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Archive for December 2012
Merry Christmas
Sunday, December 23
Merry Christmas, everyone.
No-slip Rugs
Friday, December 21
Earlier this week, I replaced our old kitchen rug with two new rugs from Target. They're not my favorite, but they were cheap and fit what I was looking for. All of the kitchen rugs I've seen lately that I've loved have had some sort of warm color in them (red, yellow, etc). With this red/orange tile on our entire bottom floor, I've been looking for cooler pieces for some nice contrast. Since I haven't found quite what I want just yet, these nice tan rugs will make do.
Another problem I've had with the tile - all of our rugs slip. Big time. I've never had a problem with slippery rugs before, but this tile in our new place is slick as ice. I found a large non-slip rug pad at Home Goods that I've been using for a few months now. It's not as durable as I'd like it to be, but again - it was cheap.
The pad itself was larger than I needed, so I cut off pieces to scale them down to individual rugs we've got in the house. So far I've been able to cut three different pads out of it - two for our kitchen and one for our guest bath - and I've still got some to spare.
Even though the pad helps keep the rugs from slipping, I still get this problem:
See that little bit of rug pad sticking out of the bottom? It happens every few days. The rug is sliding on top of the pad. I wanted to figure out a way to make it stick. So, after perusing what the internet said, I decided I had a few options:
Option 1: Try using acrylic-latex caulk via Martha Stewart's suggestion. I decided not to go with this because our rugs are really thin, and the caulk would make it slightly lumpy. Plus, I'd come across someone who tried this method and said that while the caulk helped it stay in place, it only helped the rug stay non-slip as long as you were standing on it. It was easy to move around if there was no weight on top.
Option 2: Buy a better rug pad. Decided not to do this either because a) Good rug pads can get expensive, and b) I didn't feel like going to the store (that's just pure laziness, folks. But I really didn't want to change out of my sweats).
Option 3: Use double sided sticky tape to hold the pad in place against the rug.
Option 3 it was!
I put short pieces of tape all the way around the edges and some in the middle to help anchor it. The results?
I'm pleasantly surprised. The tape holds, but it also peels off very nicely. When it peels off, it only sticks to the rug pad, and not the rug itself. So if I ever need to throw the rug in the washer, I just peel off the pad and toss the rug in. I took some of the extra pad I had left and cut off a long piece to fill that gap on the side. So far, so good. The rug is holding and the pad isn't slipping underneath it. Long term, though, I'll probably want to buy a better rug pad. But, right now, it's good to go. I've got nice rugs and I don't have to worry about any pad showing underneath.
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Stocking Stuffers
Wednesday, December 19
Young House Love has mentioned another way to help the families suffering in Connecticut. Crafting for a Cause is a list of Etsy shops who will be donating a portion (some are donating 100%) to the official relief fund for the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Click here to see the list of participating shops.
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1 favorite foundation | 2 favorite bath bar | 3 favorite lip balm | 4 favorite nail top coat | 5 favorite water bottle | 6 favorite lip & eyelash moisturizer | 7 favorite hair treatment | 8 favorite mascara | 9 favorite oil blotting sheets | 10 favorite face cleanser | 11 favorite hair straightener | 12 favorite shampoo & conditioner | 13 favorite lotion
Need a few stocking stuffer ideas? When I was growing up, my parents would always put an orange and some pecans or walnuts in ours, along with a few little trinkits sprinkled in between. I loved the simplicity - I loved getting small things of my favorite candy, or a new chapstick with some flavor my Mom thought I would love. Also, stockings were for things that were practical - things that you needed. Like toothpaste or notebooks and pens. Throughout the years, I've found a few practical face/hair/skin products that really work for me. I thought I would pass these along in case you're looking for a few practical stocking stuffers for a lady friend of yours (although some of these products would work great for a man friend, too).
If you're interested, see why each product is my favorite by clicking "Read More" below:
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Last Minute Christmas Gift Ideas
Monday, December 17
Our hearts are breaking for the tragedy that took place in Connecticut on Friday. So many families need our love, support, and compassion during this time. If you are looking for a way to help, Roo at Nice Girl Notes has written this post on how we can alleviate some of the burden and expenses of those grieving at this time, both locally and from a distance. Our prayers are going out to those dear families. Danny and I believe that one day, those parents and loved ones will be able to see their dear ones again. Let us help in any way we can, whether it's through a simple heartfelt prayer or cash donations. The world needs more kindness, more love, more helping hands reaching out to lift each other up. Let us bring good to the world in the wake of so much despair.
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It's the week before Christmas! Holy moly you guys - how is it possible that Christmas is just right around the corner? Do you have all of your Christmas shopping done? Need some last minute gift ideas? A friend and I got together for a holiday craft day last week and made these three, fun, holiday crafts. They'd be perfect for some last minute gifts for family and friends.
Craft #1: Napkin Coasters
This is a craft tutorial I found on Beneath My Heart a while back. These coasters are so much fun and they're so festive. I made a few sets last year, including the blue santa ones below. I've had them sitting out on our table all December. I super love them and we acutally use them!
Head over to Beneath My Heart to check out the full tutorial. It's as easy as buying $0.14 tiles at Lowe's and Mod Podging dollar store napkins on them. They're nice and cute and fun to give away. And you can really personalize them, too. I saw some napkins at Stein Mart this week that had beautiful monogrammed letters on them. Those would be great to put on the coasters for someone's last name.
My friend, Shauntelle, came up with this idea to make Pomaders. I'd seen pictures of Pomanders before, but I didn't know what they were. A Pomander is an orange, lemon, or other type of fruit that has been "studded" with dried cloves. They have a fragrance that smells amazing; it's very subtle and fresh.
All you need are some whole dried cloves and oranges. Poke the cloves into the orange in any pattern you wish. Tie a pretty ribbon around them for some added decoration and place a group of them together for maximum effect. Give them away as a gift, or use them to freshen up your own home. I've got some sitting in our kitchen right now. The smell really is amazing.
Craft #3: Glitter Clothespins
This was all Shauntelle, too. She came up with this fun idea to hang up all of her Christmas cards. They're really really pretty! The perfect type of sparkle for the holidays.
You will need:
- Clothespins (you can buy a whole bag for a few bucks at Wal-Mart)
- Elmer's glue (or Mod Podge)
- Glitter (Shauntelle used a chunky golden glitter with big circles)
Directions:
Prep your surface by laying out some newspapers. This can get kind-of messy with all of the glitter. Dab some glue on the top side of your clothespins. Immediately sprinkle your glitter over the glue. Use your finger to press the glitter down into the glue if you need to. Let dry.We didn't use Mod Podge, but I'm sure the effect would still be the same. Brush a thin layer of it on the top side of the clothespins, immediately sprinkle your glitter, then after a few minutes of drying time brush another thin layer of Mod Podge on top of the glitter to seal.
And there you have it. Three fun, cute, last minute holiday gifts to make for your loved ones. Happy crafting!
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Ugly Christmas Sweater Partay (game ideas + a recipe)
Friday, December 14
Hey there friends! Have any Ugly Christmas Sweater Parties you're going to this year? Or still thinking about planning your own? Danny and I went to one this week with some of our neighbor friends. After searching 2 Goodwills, 2 Savers, Wal-Mart, and every other place you would think you'd find a nice, ugly Christmas sweater, I finally found some matching beauties at Kmart.
Not you're typical ugly sweater - more like a semi-ugly long-sleeved shirt. But the fact that we could match is what mostly did me in. And 60% off - steal of a deal, I'm telling you. And it's not too late! Want to plan your own Ugly Sweater Christmas Party? Head over to Kmart and snatch a few of these beauts yourself. Need a few suggestions for some good party games? Here are a few ideas to make yours a batch of festive awesomeness:
- Have a White Elephant Gift Exchange to go along with the party. What's an Ugly Sweater Party without a few awkward items to pass around? Danny and I won these Christmas headbands we've got on. Someone stole my previous item, so I picked these instead. I'm kind-of in love with them.
- Plan a Christmas cookie swap! Have everyone bring their favorite holiday cookie and trade at the party.
- Play some "Minute to Win It" games. Check out this blog post for a family who hosted a Christmas Minute to Win It game night. This is on my "to-do" list for future parties.
- A Christmas themed "What if/Then"game. Great for big parties. Similarly great for big parties is the...
- "Name That Movie" game, but played with all of the classic Christmas movies (I'd loved to see someone use Elf for this). *If you don't know what these two games are, scroll down for descriptions.
- What's a Christmas party without Santa? Have a friend dress up as jolly ol' Saint Nick himself. This could be either for the kids or just for the adults if it's a no-kids party. Have Santa pass out dollar store presents to the kids or party favors for the adults to take home.
- Christmas carols karaoke. See who can sing your favorite Christmas songs the best... or the funniest. I prefer funniest. Whoever gets the most laughs wins. When you can't tell if you're laughing or crying - that right there is what you're looking for.
So do it! Don your reindeer antlers and santa sweaters and throw your very own Christmas party.
Looking for a good party recipe? At the get-together we went to, we were asked to bring an appetizer or dessert. I found this recipe for some cucumber rolls, and then decided to try out my own version. I didn't take a picture of the actual cucumber rolls once they were all pretty and done up, so this is the best picture I've got:
Look declicious, right? Actually, it looks kind of gross. But - they were really, really good. The husband and I are in love with cranberries in salads. I figured they'd make a nice addition. And so, without further ado, here's the recipe:
Cucumber Feta Cranberry Rolls
Ingredients:
- 1 Cucmber
- Feta cheese - crumbled
- Greek yogurt (optional)
- Dried cranberries, diced
- Grape tomatoes, diced
- Red bell peppers, diced
- Almonds, sliced
- Lemon juice
- Pepper
I just played with the ingredients until I got the right taste that I was looking for. Initially, I added all of the ingredients without any Greek yogurt. I decided to put some in at the last minute to thin the mixture out a bit and make it a little more creamier. But the mixture still tasted good without the yogurt. The cranberries give it a deliciously light/sweet taste.
And I leave you with this picture:
I laughed at Danny's face for a good 5 minutes before I was able to catch my breath. This is his "funny" face. I think it's safe to say that this one might scare the kids. Too bad we already sent out our Christmas cards this year - I would've been more than slightly tempted to use this photo.
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To see descriptions for the "What if/Then" and "Name That Movie" games, click "Read More" below.
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Christmas Peppermint Sugar Cookies
Thursday, December 13
It's Christmas time! What's Christmas without a lot of delicious baked goodies? The only problem - I can't bake. Really. I've burned so many cookies and cupcakes and I even have a problem with melting chocolate. It's bad. Luckily, these Christmas Peppermint Sugar Cookies are nice and easy. It took a few batches with some scorched chocolate and a lot of crispy cookies, but eventually, these little babies came out nice and perfect.
Christmas Peppermint Sugar Cookies
You will need:
- Sugar cookies (made from scratch, or store bought sugar cookie dough)
- White chocolate baking chips
- Candy canes
- Vegetable oil
- Cooling rack
- Parchment paper
Instead of baking sugar cookies from scratch, I bought ready-to-bake Pillsbury sugar cookie dough. I was serious when I said I couldn't bake. For this dough, all you have to do is pull the pieces apart and lay them 2" apart on your cookie pan. It was as easy as it could get, which is what I was looking for.
If you're going with this type of dough, preheat your oven to 350 degrees, then bake your cookies for 11-12 minutes. I went with the least amount of time required in order to get a softer, chewier cookie.
While your cookies are baking, unwrap four or five candy canes. You're going for little broken up candy cane pieces. I first used a ziploc bag and the bottom of a cup to mash them up, but - the bag broke on me and got candy cane powder all over the counter. So I transferred what I had left to a glass bowl and used the bottom of the cup to "grind" down the rest of the big pieces. I like to leave a few big pieces, though - nothing too chunky, but fun little pieces to sprinkle over the chocolate.
While there's a few more minutes left on your cookies, start melting your white chocolate chips. Before I melt chocolate, I like to use 1/2-1 tbsp of vegetable oil (depending on how many chips I'm melting). It can thin out your white chocolate, so be sure you don't overdo it. It helps the chocolate melt smoothly and prevents me from burning the chocolate like I usually do.
Some tips I've learned during my vast experience of melting/burning chocolate: Stir the vegetable oil and coat the white chocolate chips entirely before putting it in the microwave (you can melt the chocolate via the stovetop, but last time I did that I burned the chips... again). Microwave at 50% power for 30 second intervals. If you don't know how to set your microwave to 50% power, you can use the defrost setting instead. Also, after every 30 second interval, stir stir stir stir your chocolate. Once it starts to melt, keep stirring it until the chips melt into each other. Don't microwave the chocolate longer than necessary.
Once your cookies are done, take them out of the oven and let them cool for 2 minutes on the pan before removing them to a cooling rack. Let the cookies cool until they are "firm" - i.e. they don't feel like they're so soft that they're going to fall apart when you pick them up.
Once your cookies are firm, start dipping them in your white chocolate. I dipped about half of the cookies and then spread white chocolate over the entire top of the rest of the cookies. Once it's been dipped/smothered with white chocolate, lay the cookies on parchment paper and sprinkle your candy cane pieces over the white chocolate. Let the chocolate harden before you pull the cookies off of the parchment paper.
And voila! You now have soft, chewy, white chocolate peppermint christmas sugar cookies!
These little babies are so delicious. And the peppermint gives them the perfect bit of crunch. Me and my friend, Ixchel, from The Weekly Make-up Challenge, made these earlier this week for a few friends. The next day, I made another whole batch for Danny and I to pass out to our neighbors. We kept a few for ourselves, though - I've been sneaking some all day.
Also - quick tip: If you want your cookies to stay nice and soft and chewy, store them in an airtight container with a piece of bread. The sugar in the cookies will absorb the moisture from the bread and keep your cookies deliciously soft.
Enjoy your Christmas Peppermint Sugar Cookies!
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Wish List 2 | the mister
Monday, December 10
Here's the husband's wish list. He has mainly requested clothes this year. Danny and I have a bad habit of buying other things we want instead of getting clothes when we need them. But he's got a few special items he'd love - mostly some nice new golf pieces and a few specific accessories for his iPad. And a couple of these I threw in there for him... like that Abercrombie & Fitch cologne. He put cologne on his list, and this is one of my favorites on him. And also those aviator sunglasses. He found the perfect pair of sunglasses at a street vendor during a culture festival in downtown Provo a few years ago, and now, those perfect pair of sunglasses are sitting somewhere at the bottom of Lake Powell. They have been sadly missed. We've been trying to find a replacement pair ever since.
Anyone else trying to finish their Christmas shopping this week? I'd like to think I'm going to get it all done before Christmas Eve, but there's just something special about last minute procrastination. It tends to put you in the right type of mood for the perfect kind of inspiration.
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Wish List 1 | the missus
Saturday, December 8
I've got Christmas on the brain. We're heading to California this year, and the in-laws have requested a Christmas wish list for me and the hubs. I don't like to know what I'm getting - being surprised is the best part. The husband is the exact opposite. He picks out what he wants, then acts surprised (and sometimes forgets) when he finds it wrapped underneath the tree. But I still like to try and sneak a surprise or two in there for him. Here are a few things I wouldn't mind finding Christmas morning. The husband's list coming soon.
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DIY: Wall Mounted Coat Rack
Wednesday, December 5
The husband and I recently moved into our first house! We're still renters (right now we only plan on being in Arizona for a few years), but it sure is nice being in our own place. I'm a little more than excited to have a home (a home!!) to decorate.
Our entryway was one of the first places I wanted to focus on. We had this big space on our wall that was just begging for a pretty coat rack.
I wanted a dark wooden one that would mesh well with the color of our door - something a little darker, kind-of like this:
But I wanted something a little bit wider and with this type of texture:
I did a bit of searching, but I couldn't find exactly what I wanted in any stores around the area. I searched online, but everything was so expensive! I decided to try and make the coat rack I wanted for a lot less than what I was finding.
After buying supplies and putting everything together, here's my DIY version:
I honestly couldn't be happier with the way it turned out. It's one of my favorite pieces in the house. I love the way it fills up the space and it adds just the right amount of homey touch I was looking for. Just the other day I added my little "Let it Snow" sign to officially welcome Christmas in the door.
Here's what I did to make my own wall mounted coat rack. First things first, you will need:
- 2"x6" piece of lumber 4' in length
- Sanding block (I used a very fine grit)
- Wood Stain - red mahagony
- Coat hooks (5 count)
- Two small picture frame hangers
- Drill/Driver
- Screws & nails
You also might want to have on hand:
- Painter's tape
- Measuring tape
- Level
- Stud finder
I measured the space on our wall and decided that I wanted the coat rack to span almost the whole length. Our wall is 5' in length, so 4' was the perfect size. I stopped by Home Depot and headed straight to the lumber clearance section. I found the perfect piece of wood and - bonus - it was the perfect size. No cutting required.
*Awesome tidbit if you didn't know - Lowe's and Home Depot have a lumber clearance section with awesome prices. You can also have your wood cut in-store to the size you need. Although most lumber stores I've gone to will only do straight cuts - no angles. Which is kind-of a bummer. Sigh... I need a nice miter saw.
I wiped down the wood with a dry cloth, and then started sanding it down. I still wanted a lot of texture to the wood, so I mainly focused on the ends and edges where splinters where a few splinters were sticking out. Once I had everything nice and sanded I wiped the wood down again and cleaned up my workspace from all of the sawdust. Super important if you don't want any of that dust getting into your stain.
To stain the wood, I used a dry rag and just "brushed" it on the wood (make sure you mix your stain very well before using). Some people like to use a paintbrush, but I prefer using a rag. I feel like I have more control over how much stain I'm putting on the wood and where I'm rubbing it in.
I couldn't decide if I wanted a lighter or darker stain on the wood. The darker the stain you want, the longer you let the stain sit. I did one side lighter and the other side darker. I ended up going with the darker side, but it was a tough choice - the lighter side has these pretty light highlights that streaked throughout the grain. In the end, the darker side just matched a little bit better with the door color.
I let the wood sit overnight to let the stain set. I didn't use a sealer as either a primer or a top coat - I wanted a little bit of an uneven stain with a rough, "natural" look to the wood. If you want more of an even stain and you're concerned about protecting your wood, consider using a stain sealer.
After the stain was set, I brought the wood in, laid it on the couch (I wouldn't recommend laying it on the couch - I don't think the husband was very happy that I laid it on the couch), and used blue painters tape to mark where I wanted the picture frame hangers to go. Danny and I had found the two studs in the wall we wanted to use for the screws and picture hangers. I much prefer using studs to wall anchors. Much smaller holes and I feel like there's a lot less room for error.
It's a little tricky spacing out where the studs are on the wall to where you want the hangers to go on your board. I wanted the coat rack to hang a little closer to the left edge of the wall than the right. I didn't take pictures of this step - honestly, it's a lot of painter's tape, measuring tape, and having a pencil with an eraser in your hand at all times. Oh, and use a level! Level, level, level. Even when I use a level, the things I'm hanging still tilt a little sideways the first time I put them up. Drives me crazy.
After measuring for the picture hangers, I nailed those in on the backside of the wood. Then came the coat hangers themselves. I laid the measuring tape across the middle of the board and used a pencil to mark where I wanted the hangers to go. I used our drill to put those suckers in and voila! Our new coat rack was done!
This was my first phone picture I texted to the husband when I had it all up and decorated. Here are a few more pictures in some (somewhat) better light:
I eventually want to hang three pictures up above it, but those two do for now. I'm really in love with the way it all turned out. It looks so... weathered and rustic and it matches our door perfectly. And in since we're still having 80 degree highs out here, the husband was ok with me stealing a jacket or two of his to see which looked best hanging up. :)
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Handmade Christmas Cards
Monday, December 3
Christmas cards have always been one of my favorite parts of the holiday season. I love getting letters and pictures from family and friends and seeing what everyone's been up to throughout the year. Even though it's just me and the husband right now, I still love sending out our own card each Christmas. I missed last year, so I was really excited to send one this time around. The original plan was to order cards from Etsy. I had a couple that were top on my list:
Etsy shop: DeanWorks Studios
Etsy shop: Melissa Olsen Photography
Etsy shop: DeanWorks Studios
I wanted to do the whole deal - have professional photographs taken, order some beautiful cards, maybe even buy that cute little "please do not bend" stamp I've had my eye on for forever now to stick on the envelopes. But, with the husband back in school again, we're counting every penny. Instead of ordering cards, I decided to make some this year. I found this picture on pinterest for inspiration:
And this is the version I came up with:
Not the best quality - I need a new camera. Ours is held together with tape... literally. Here's a better close-up of our card (the scanner cut off the edges a little bit):
And here are our envelopes. One of my favorite things to do to spruce up letters and make them a bit more personal is printing on the envelopes. The back looks a little yellow on here, but they're more of a shimmery gold color, kind-of like in the first picture. Also, I added a few fake addresses. I apologize if there is actually a Whitmore family who lives in Cleveland, Ohio on 123 ABC Parker Ln. I don't even know anyone in Cleveland.
To make our cards, I used:
- Kraft cardstock paper (went to three different stores before I found some at Hobby Lobby)
- A decorated corner cutter
- White photo tabs
- Green and white string
I already had the green and white string and the decorated corner cutter. Originally, I wanted to use a red type of twine instead, but I wanted to try and buy as little as possible for this project. I also went with a 4'x6' card instead of 5'7' and drew up a template that fit three cards on one page.
After that, it was just cutting the cards out, punching the corners, adding our photos (wallet-sized prints from Walgreens) and tying the string around the middle. The holly I used right below "Peace on Earth" was a free clipart image I got from this webpage.
The envelopes were actually really simple - tedious, but simple. I set up our return address in a word doc and ran the back of the envelopes through our standard HP pinter. Then I set up the addresses on another word doc, added the holly graphic, and printed those off one by one on each envelope. The "North Pole Postage" graphic on the bottom right corner on the back of the envelope is a stamp I bought from Hobby Lobby. I stamped all of the envelopes after I'd printed on them (so I wouldn't smear the stamp ink as it went through the printer in case it was still wet) and then let them dry overnight.
All in all I sent out about 30 cards. If I could, I would have sent out 100 (we have a big family...). Next year, though, I do want to order some of those etsy cards. They're just too pretty to pass up.
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