Kid's Christmas!

I'm excited this Christmas because my oldest daughter is finally old enough to start doing some of those fun holiday activities I remember doing as a kid! We went to a Christmas carol sing-a-long, we've been baking together, wathcing old classic Christmas movies on t.v., and doing crafts!

One of my favorite activities we have done together so far this month has been making some awesome, DELICIOUS smelling Christmas tree ornaments (seriously, these things smell like Christmas!!)! I love these because they are simple to make, so much fun for kids (I think you could even do this craft with a 2 year old...as long as you were giving them some supervision), and they smell awesome. Also, I love that because it is my 3 year old decorating them, they turned out so perfectly gaudy, something to look back on 20 years from now and smile! The ingredient list for these babies is short! All you will require is the following:

Apple-Cinnamon Christmas Tree Ornaments

1 cup of cinnamon

3/4 cup of applesauce (any kind)

2 TBSP white craft glue

Combine all the ingredients together to form dough (should make consistency you see below). Roll out dough on a piece of wax paper, slightly thicker than you would a pie crust.
Cut out your desired shapes and place on a cookie sheet, lined with wax paper (we did Christmas trees, gingerbread people, hearts, and three little wiener dogs!)At this point you can either let your ornaments dry by leaving them on the cookie sheet for about 2 days, flipping them over every once in a while.

We decorated ours right away, however, using pompoms, "gems", and googly eyes from the dollar store. You really could use whatever you wish to give your ornaments some style!

After we decorated the ornaments, because ours were still wet, I used a straw to poke out a hole wherever I wanted my ribbon to go through. Don't forget this step, otherwise you won't be able to hang your ornaments!

After 2 days our ornaments were completely dry. I used some satin ribbon as the ornament hangers and sealed the ends by running a flame, from a lighter, over them for about a second or so.

And there you go...you are done! These ornaments smell just like their ingredients (cinnamon and apple) and they are so much fun for a little one to make. Obviously, just remember, because they have glue in them: do not eat!!!

If you don't have any little ones, you could still make them and put them into some potpourri or in a drawer to make everything smell like Christmas!

Since we had made so many, we saved one for our tree (you can write on the backs of them with a jiffy marker to note the year and which child made them) and then wrapped up all the rest in some festive paper, topped off with some tags I printed off on-line. We put them all in a basket under the tree and my daughter is SO EXCITED because she actually has gifts, just from her, to hand out to people she loves on Christmas eve!

It's in the bag!

This year, like every year at Christmas time, I kick myself for not starting some homemade gifts a little earlier in the season. I would love to serve up some awesome sewn, stamped, or baked goodies to ALL my friends and family but there simply isn't enough time in the day/month/year!!

With that said, however, I have managed to prepare a few handmade goodies for some special people in my life. I came across some awesome fabric on Etsy (of course) for my sister who loves the colour orange (do you know people like this? People who like orange REALLY like orange...it's a strange obsession!!). I decided that I wanted to make her a bag to go along with some of the other items I had already gotten for her. Below is a picture of what I came up with for her!

I found a tutorial on-line (who buys patterns these days?!) and used it as my inspiration for the bag I ended up with. If you want to check out the actual full tutorial, I found it on a blog called Thimble here.

I started by cutting out 2 large pieces for my outer shell, 2 large pieces for my inner lining, 2 outer shell and 2 inner lining U-shaped pieces (for the top of the bag), 2 different shapes for inside pockets (which are also lined) and then one long rectangular piece for the handle. The dimensions that I used were the same as the tutorials but you could really use any dimensions you want - depending on how you want to shape your bag!

The first step to start with on your sewing machine is to create the pleated look for the outer fabric. On the wrong side of the material, measure and mark a small line at 3",4", 7",8", 11",12", 15",16", etc. until you reach the end of you material. Once you have them marked, pin your fabric (as shown below) and then stitch down about one inch.

Next I took my U-shaped pieces and applied some medium weight interfacing, which is sandwiched between the outer and inner fabrics (I used the polka dots material as the outer fabric in this case to act as a contrast to the larger part of the bag). The very bottom part of the U-shaped section will be hidden when the bag is complete so don't' worry about how perfect it looks right now. Next, I sewed the U-shape section to the top of the larger bottom piece.
After this, you are nearly done! I stitched two pockets (a square that closes with a button and a large pocket that could hold a water bottle) on the inside lining pieces. Sew those two pieces together along the sides and bottom but make sure to leave a hole in the very bottom of this piece that is big enough to pull the outer shell through later. Next place the inside lining inside and the outer shell piece (with the right sides facing each other) - the U-shaped piece should be facing down, sandwiched between the outer fabric and the lining fabric. Sew along the top raw edges. Once that is done you can pull the outer fabric through the hole you left in the inner lining fabric. Hand stitch the hole close to finish!

And finally, I took my long rectangular handle piece and finished all the raw edges. Then I stitched it to the top part of the U-shaped piece and voila, done!

Like I said, I just winged most of my project, based on the original tutorial. The instructions that I have provided are only a guideline so if you would like a bit more instruction, please check out the tutorial link I have provided above!

This is a great bag because it is large and can be used for some many different things! I love matching up contrasting materials too so I really loved the design. If you happen to make this bag, please attach a link because I would LOVE to see what you came up with! :)

p.s. Only 11 more days of crafting until Christmas is here!!! Good luck! :)

Christmas Mantel-a-go-go

I have the world's most boring fireplace mantel. My fireplace is conveniently located in a corner of my home but, while convenient, it's a pain to decorate. Since it's a corner piece, the top of it isn't your traditional long rectangular shape but, rather, a very large triangle. It's meant to have a t.v. on top of it but our t.v. hangson the wall instead, leaving a very large space to fill.

I came across a wonderfully decorated mantel on Positively Splendid (a fantabulous blog) that featured a whimsical Seuss-like Christmas mantel. It absolutely inspired me to do something with my boring old triangle.

I decided to go with gold and purple as my colour scheme and, like Positively Splendid's mantel, feature everything around some beautiful silhouette art of my two bébés! Below is what I came up with and I'm so happy every time I happen to catch a glance over at my new Christmas corner.

I started out by going to Zellers and picking out some gold Christmas balls. I also found some bright purple birds and some giant wrapped Christmas candy ornaments. All the Christmas décor was already on 40% off so I picked up a few other coordinating items such as the curly purple Christmas tree and a gold snow flake.

The tall wispy gold balls in the large vase were from Fabric Land, who was also having a 50% off sale! I was originally going to put them outside in my cast-iron urn with some shrubbery but liked them on the mantel instead, giving the décor some much needed height! I am still going to put in some more height, by placing in a cedar behind all the decorations you currently see. Like I said, it's a very large space so I have a lot of room to still work with.

I have always been in absolute love with silhouettes. I am thrilled to have finally been able to make some of my girls! Positively Splendid provided an awesome tutorial on how to make these pieces using PhotoShop (click HERE for the link). I had never used Photoshop before and I can tell you - it's a bit challenging!! This tutorial, however, makes it very easy to create your own silhouette masterpiece! I printed mine off at home and adhered them to some purple polka-dotted paper; I then used some plain black frames and some easels I bought at the good old dollar store to display my art!

There are two of these gorgeous flourished reindeer on each side of the mantel. I love them because they are a combination of antique gold and silver in colour and have a beautiful detailing on them. I used a 40% off coupon at Michaels and got them for $12 each!
This little mister is one of my favorite Christmas decorations. I have had him for a few years now but every Christmas when I pull him out from the depths of the basement's bowels I am always delighted. I went to a large warehouse that sells greenware and bisque items and bought him for around $15. I then brought my snowman into one of those coffee shops where you paint ceramics (SOOO much cheaper when you buy your own bisque, however, not all places will let you bring in your own pieces) and paid the $10 studio fee. So, for $25 I consider this guy to be a steal of a deal!

And finally, seeing that I had downloaded a free 30 day trial of the Photoshop program (here) I decided that I should play around with it a bit. This program, for me anyways, is very confusing but I did manage to make this cute cut-out of my kids with Old Saint Nick! I used the magnetic lasso tool to highlight what I wanted in my picture (when we got our Santa pictures we paid for the digital image only, rather than buying their expensive prints!) and then whited out the background. I then used my trusted super sharp Stampin' Up craft scissors to cut around the top part of the picture. I folded back the top and made a pop up tent backing. I then adhered some purple polka dot paper on the base so it would go with my décor!

So however you decide to decorate this year, I hope you have fun with it and maybe try something new! It's fun to add each year to your Christmas stock and maybe even add in some new traditions along the way! I would love to hear what new things you may have tried and if you've posted some pics to your own blog, post your link in the comments so I can check it out!! :)

Wishlist Wednesday!

Oh man...I love etsy. I have a wishlist 14 pages long of items that I would gladly spend all my hard earned cash on in a heartbeat! Of course, this is obviously not realistic seeing that I have little mouths to feed and have become accusomed to the little perks in life, such as heat and electricity. BUT...hey, if I didn't have these hiccups - watch out.

I suppose all I can do is dream for now. My wishlist is a collection of beauties that are handcrafted by truly talented men and women. Sometimes I am in awe with what can be accomplished with talent and a bit of hardwork.

Today's wishlist item are these absolutely adorable little baby boots. Like for real boots...yes, I'm talking about baby cowboy boots!

These beauts are from an Etsy shop called Pods Shoes and Patterns where you can find wonderfully delightful boots, shoes, and - you guessed it - patterns. Made from recycled leather you can gets these in many different colours, including grey, pink, brown, black and red. There is velcro down the sides to accomidate chubby little baby feet and suede lining inside. Sizewise you can get a pair for anywhere inbetween 0 to 18 months. I think what really makes these boots, however, is the amazing top-stitching. It's the little details that really make or break an item like this and Pods Shoes have really hit the mark!

You can't help but smile when you see these and at $46 (plus shipping) you can't ask for a cuter keepsake for any little baby in your life!

As promised....

Okay, so I promised to post something with some actual content and I've decided to start with a real bang...a recipe for my homemade Turtles! I just picked up all my Christmas baking ingredients this afternoon and was anxious to get home and get started. I love this recipe because it's quick (I made these while the 7 month old was sleeping!), easy, and absolutely mouthwatering!

Homemade Turtles
yield: approx. 13

Ingredients:

-Butter, for wax paper

-24 soft caramels (approx. 1 1/4 cup)

-1 cup pecans

-4 oz. milk chocolate, chopped coarsely

Instructions:

-Line a baking sheet with wax paper and generously apply butter.

-Unwrap caramels and place them in a large, heatproof, bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until the caramels are completely melted and smooth (approx. 10-20 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in pecans.

-Spoon 1" mounds of the caramel mix onto the waxed paper. You may have to use your hands to coax the mix into clusters. Refrigerate the clusters until firm (approx. 15 minutes).

-Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring frequently until melted. Remove from heat.

-Dip the tops of the cooled caramel clusters into the melted chocolate and then replace onto cookie sheet. Return the turtles to the refrigerator to harden the chocolate (approx. 1 hour). Enjoy!

**Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Each turtles contains approx. 150 cals.

So there you go. A super fast recipe that doesn't take too much out of you and is certain to impress! Of course you can play around with this recipe, using different types of nuts (walnuts, cashews, almonds, etc.) or chocolate. I hope you enjoy them and, please, let me know if you try this recipe and how it turned out for you!

OOOppss....I did it again!

Okay, Okay...so I promised I wouldn't do this again....and I broke my promise. I've been MIA for about, oh I don't know, 8 months or so. BUT now, yes, - I am back...uh, again. In my defence, however, I do have a good excuse for my extended absence...her name is Kate and she is maybe the cutest little thing in the whole entire world.

After this long break from my blogging life (and etsy, and crafting, and sleeping properly, and doing whatever I want whenever I want for that matter) I have finally become accustomed to being a mom to 2 little peoples and, if I do say so myself, I'm getting pretty good at it! So, with this newly achieved confidence, I've decided to jump feet first back into my lovely blog. This time, however, I've decided to expand my horizons and go beyond solely exploring my etsy obsession.

Lately, I have been drawn towards the jack-of-all trades blogs. They do baking, they do tutorials, they do crafts - yes, it's like visiting a virtual megamall for all your handmade, handcrafted, and handcreated needs. So, I thought to myself, why not. I can do it too. Right?

Stay tuned...I promise, I'll be back soon and post something with some actual content. I promise. :)