Close

Wine bottle Christmas craft

We drink a lot  a little wine around our house and with all the adorable wine bottle crafts I've been seeing on Pinterest lately, I've been dying to try some myself. Soooo, naturally I told Matt he had to get drinking and make sure to save the bottles. Once I had 6 ready, I was ready to create a festive "Ho, Ho, Ho" holiday craft!
First, I gave each bottle a base coat of paint. Simply in case some of the glitter fell off, I still wanted them to look festive. 
I let the paint dry completely. Like overnight, completely!

Next, it was time to apply the glitter. First, apply a coat of Mod Podge and then add the glitter so it sticks to the Mod Podge.
I did the Mod Podge and glitter part in sections to make life easier. 
Now, let the glitter dry on the bottles. Once the bottles are dry, finish up the tops of the bottles (it's easier this way - no finger prints!).
While the glitter dries it's time to paint the wooden letters. I wanted to spell "Ho, Ho, Ho".
I painted them red and gray to compliment the bottles. Then once the glitter was dry I used hot glue to apply the letters to the bottles. Worst. Picture. Ever.
Almost done! Now, just add some pretty flowers to each bottle. I went with these glittery silver things and red berries. 
And that's it!









11 comments
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Festive Mod Podge Holiday Art


This time of year I get a little ambitious, wanting to decorate every nook and cranny of the house for Christmas. But with everything else happening day to day, it's impossible. Not to mention fiscally irresponsible due to our limited budget.

However, as any good crafter, I have a lot of things just sitting around in my craft supply stockpile that I can use to make cute decorations! The first project I worked on this year was a piece of canvas using scrapbook paper and Mod Podge.

I already had some random sized canvases lying around, so I worked with those.

For the first one, I simply cut out some different sized triangles out of green scrapbook paper to act as Christmas trees. I positioned the trees on the canvas to see if I liked the spacing.


Then, I cut out some squares for the tree stumps and added them to the triangle trees.


Once I was sure I was happy with the layout, I glued the trees and stumps down with Mod Podge.


Next, I used my Cricut machine to cut out some Christmas carol lyrics "Peace on Earth, good will to men". I applied the lyrics to the canvas using Mod Podge.


That's it, easy and quick and it didn't cost me anything since I already had all the supplies on hand! Here it is displayed in our entryway.



For my second piece of art I used a much smaller canvas (because that's what I had available) and painted it a light blue.


After the paint was dry, I glued some white paper to the bottom to look like a snowy hill with Mod Podge. I didn't worry about bubbles or imperfections because I figured that would make it look more like a snowy landscape.

Next, I cut out some snowflakes, using a paper punch and glued them onto the canvas.


Finally, I used the Cricut machine to cut out the words "let it snow" and applied it to the canvas with Mod Podge.


I haven't decided where I will put this little one yet, but it's super adorable and I love it!



No comments
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

Baked Banana Bread Donuts with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

You all know my obsession with Banana recipes. I'm even thinking about starting a "B-A-N-A-N-A-S" section to the blog devoted to my love of all things bananas!

Here is my latest creation, which is delicious and it a wonderful way to wake up in the morning: Banana Bread Donuts!!!

Donut Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
1/2 cup applesauce
3/4 cup sugar
2 whole eggs
4 egg whites
2 2/3 cup flour
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp baking soda
5 ripe bananas

Frosting Ingredients:
1 cup butter (room temperature)
2-3 cups confectioners sugar (depending on how thick you want the frosting)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp milk

Instructions:
1.) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. 

2.) Blend butter, applesauce, sugar and eggs for 2 minutes on high. 
3.) Add flour and mix until well combined. Batter will be thick (like a pancake batter). 
4.) Add baking soda, lemon juice, and bananas. Mix until well combined. The addition of the bananas should have thinned out the batter to a nice consistency. 
5.) Fill donut pan 2/3's full and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. 
6.) Place cooked donuts on wire rack for cooling (and frosting!).
7.) Whip up your frosting. Simply add all the ingredients into a bowl and mix until light and fluffy! 

8.) Make each donut happy by frosting them. 
Enjoy!!!







No comments
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

DIY Guest Room Art (great gift idea)

One of my best friends is letting having me paint a dresser for her guest room, which is slowly coming along. But, it was her birthday this past week and I wanted to make her a quick gift that she could use as art for her guest room. Being that we're close, she can appreciate my love for 1980's sitcoms, so I knew she'd be okay with me going with a Golden Girls theme! 

First, I spaced out "Thank you for being a friend" in vinyl letters on a blank canvas. 
Then, I painted over those letters with a light blue acrylic paint.
I let the blue paint dry completely. 
Next, I cut out "Travel down the road and back again, your heart is true. You're a pal and a confidant" using my Cricut cutting machine. (smaller letters in a different font).
I then applied the "Travel down the road and back again, your heart is true. You're a pal and a confidant" letters to the canvas.
Once those letters were applied, I painted over the entire canvas with a darker, almost navy blue acrylic paint and let it dry fully. 
Once the paint was dry, I carefully removed the vinyl letters. First I removed the larger "thank you for being a friend" letters. 
And then finally removed the smaller "Travel down the road and back again, your heart is true. You're a pal and a confidant" letters. 
And viola - sign done! It will look adorable on the dresser once I finish it for her (don't worry, I'll share that with you once I do). 

Want a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card?! I mean, tis the season for gifting, so who wouldn't?! Simply fill out the  Rafflecopter giveaway for a chance to win awesome prizes and visit some of the amazing #handmadegifts below!

1 comment
Labels: , , , , , ,

Leftover Halloween Candy Recipe (part 2): Whopper Chocolate Chip Cookies

So, I told you all about Halloween (and our costume) in my last post, but since this is a continuation I thought I'd share this adorable picture of our little Winston in his Gorton's Fisherman costume!! 
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter (2 sticks, room temperature)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup leftover Halloween candy (Whoppers in this case)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2.) Cream together butter, oil, eggs, sugars and vanilla extract. 
3.) Add the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt) and mix until combined. Do not over mix. 
4.) Gently fold in your Halloween candy (whoppers) and chocolate chips. 
5.) Shape into round balls and bake for 9-12 minutes.
Enjoy!!!





No comments
Labels: , , , , ,

Leftover Halloween Candy Recipe (part 1): Milk Duds & Butterfinger Cookies

Well, Halloween at our house was a bust. Literally ZERO trick-or-treaters. I was so sad! Not to mention all the candy I purchased, meaning my pants were going to be even more sad than I was. LOL

We did get to go to pull off our awesome couples costume at a friend's party though. Can you tell who we are? Think 1980's: There is no Dana, only Zuul. 
That's right! We were the Keymaster and Gatekeeper from Ghostbusters! Overall, I think we did a pretty good job. And can I just get a shout-out for my husband and the awesome helmet he made?! Who knew he was so crafty?!
Once we recovered from the party I realized I didn't want all that Halloween candy in the house, knowing full well that we'd eat it all. Soooo, I decided to make cookies and send them to friends! Genius! 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
1/2 cup oil
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 cups all purpose flour

Instructions:
1.) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. 

2.) Beat butter, sugars, vanilla extract and eggs until creamy. 
3.) Add your dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt) and beat until combined (do not over mix). 
4.) Prepare your leftover Halloween candy to be gently folded into the batter. 
5.) Shape into round balls and bake for 9-12 minutes.
Enjoy!!!





No comments
Labels: , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)