My favorite 5

I see that everyone is doing a fun list of top projects for 2010. I think that is a fabulous idea so I am going to join in on the fun! I have only been in the blogging business for about 6 months, so I don't have a lot on here yet, but here are my 5 favorite things I shared with you in 2010, in no particular order! This cabinet is probably my favorite. I get so many compliments on it and I have more projects like this in the works. You can view my tutorial on making bread dough roses here.
This bench was a work of art for both my husband Cody and I. He built it and I painted and distressed it. It fits so perfectly on our patio!

This was a copy cat project that I had a lot of fun doing. You can view the framed nest tutorial here.

I can't tell you how many sets of these scrap pumpkins I ended up making for all of my friends and family. They are super cute and super easy-another project that I just love!

A more recent project is my blue wreath. Even though all of my Christmas decorations are now taken down and put away for another year, I think I will keep this frosty wreath up through January!

I have really enjoyed being a member of this blogging world. The generosity, kindness and friendship that comes from it truly amazes me. And the inspiration I get is astonishing as well. I have so many things going on in my head that I want to accomplish in this new year and I can't wait to share it with you all! Wishing you all a very Happy New Year and looking forward to all that 2011 will bring to us all!

Baby Evan

If you watch ABC World News or Nightline tonight, chances are you will see this story about little Evan. I went to school with both of his parents as well as his aunt's and uncle's. This is a very touching story as well as a story about miracles too. Evan was born with Epilepsy and recently underwent surgery to remove part of his brain. Even if you don't get to watch it, this article is worth a read as it is very uplifting to see what medical miracles can do these days.

Last minute ornaments

I get so much inspiration from all of the wonderful blogs I follow! I am always amazed at the beautiful things people come up with and I always want to try it for myself. Here are a few ornaments that I just created. They aren't as fabulous as some, but I really like them!

Here is an altered glitter star. I simply found a picture of an angel that I loved, cut it into a circle, glued it on the star and outlined it in glitter. Then I added a pretty blue ribbon around the edge, tied a bow and added some bling on the bow and on the bottom of the star. Such a pretty ornament with beautiful colors!
These two ornaments are the clear plastic ones from Michael's. The one on the left is full of vintage sheet music stars. There are probably 60 little stars inside! I then used the same sheet music to make a bow. I actually enjoyed folding all these stars! For the one on the right, I tore the sheet music and rolled it up. I then tied a simple bow for the top. Very simple yet pretty!

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I can't believe Christmas Eve is tomorrow! I still have a lot to do so I better get to it. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas filled with lot's of love, magic, and dreams come true!

Christmas pastels

I have been making a lot of trips to Michael's lately. When everything is 60-70% off, I just can't resist! It's becoming an addiction and I need to stop! But look at the pretty things I got! I absolutely love the colors in this little vignette that I put together. Pink, green, silver and white-so pretty! I threw this together really quick and I love the results!
Although Christmas is literally just a few days away, I am still crafting and creating more things to use in my decorating! This too is an addiction!

To be honest with you, I plan on making a few more trips to Michael's before the year is over. I am sure the sales will be getting better and better!!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas week! It's hard to believe that it is almost here...where did this year go?

Four-legged baby

So when I said earlier that I wanted to add to my little family, I meant a baby. A real life human baby that I would carry in my womb for 9 months. I didn't mean another dog, but for now that is what I got! Apparently my husband has been wanting another dog for sometime now. I had no idea! So when his friend from work had this cute little girl in need of a home, he said we would take her...without consulting me first! Yes, I wanted to kick his butt for it, but look at that sweet little face, how could you say no to that! This is little Miss Bella. I am still working on a middle name for her. She is an Australian Shepherd/Blue Heeler mix. We have had her for just over a week and she is already starting to fit right in. I am still not 100% sold on the idea of a 2nd dog, but she is already a daddy's girl! And Grady seems to like being a big brother so far. He is easily annoyed by her never ending playful biting, but every once in awhile, you will catch them cuddled up together sleeping!

So yes, we have quickly added another member to our our little family. And just in case someone is listening, I still want to grow our family, but this time with a human baby with two legs and two arms. I don't need any more paws in this house!!

Lucky me!

I have been a pretty lucky girl lately! I never win anything so when I saw that I had won two giveaways right in a row, I couldn't believe it! The first giveaway I won was from the sweet and beautiful Frenchy at La Chateau des Fleurs. I won a copy of Holiday by Matthew Mead as well as a beautiful Hydrangea Still Life Giclee Print painted by the very talented Lara Harris of A Vintage Touch. Lucky, lucky me!!! A big thank you to Frenchy and Lara!

The very next day I saw that I had won a $20 Amazon gift card from the very generous ladies at A Sheltering Tree. Since it is Christmas and it is the season of giving, I decided to use my $20 prize to buy my husband an unexpected Christmas gift. Not only am I lucky, but I am nice too!!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! to these wonderfully giving friends that I have made. Your generosity is so greatly appreciated and I absolutely feel like such a lucky girl!

Icy blue wreath on a budget

I am a self-proclaimed bargain shopper. I never like to spend full price on anything. Not sure where I got my "cheapness", but I am glad I did! Thrifty is probably a better word than cheap. And just think of all the money I save by being that way. See this beautiful wreath that I just made? It cost me less than $8 to make and I love it! Here is the original wreath that I bought at Michael's a few days after Christmas last year. It was marked down to $5.99 and then I got an additional 40% off. So it cost me less than $4 for the wreath, ribbon included. The ribbon is the reason I bought it. It hung in my laundry room all year, waiting to be taken out and decorated.

I was at the Dollar Tree the other day and spied these super cute blue ornaments. The color is so pretty and I thought they would match close enough with the ribbon that they would work. I got 5 in a tube for $1. Then I found some snowflakes at Target, they were 2 for $1. And the silver picks behind the bow are from Michael's. They were originally $.99 but were half off when I bought them.
Isn't it amazing how well all the blues match? They are from 3 different stores and look so identical to each other. Such a pretty, icy blue color!
If you want to get all technical about it, I spent $7.42 on this wreath and that includes tax!

I hung it in side my big white frame in the dining room above the table and it looks perfect there. Some silver tinsel adds just the right touch of whimsy. I am loving my new wreath and I am loving the price I paid for it! Things always seem more beautiful if you don't have to spend a ton of money...don't you think??

Christmas movies, stars and cookies

Is it possible to pick only one Christmas movie as your favorite? It's not possible for me! Today's Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound is all about your favorite Christmas movie. Here are just a few of my all time favorites! Home Alone, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and A Charlie Brown Christmas. Love them all plus many more! Now I want to watch them all! Thinking of all these Christmas movies has really put me in the Christmas Spirit, even more than I already was. Part of being in the spirit for me is crafting and creating. I saw these super cute stars at the Dollar Tree, and knew I could do something with them. Don't get me wrong, these are super cute the way they are, but I wanted something a little more me!

I did a little searching and got my inspiration for them from My So Called Junky Life. I painted one white and one aqua. I distressed both of them and added white snow covered roses to the aqua one and pink snow covered roses to the white one. Pink, white and aqua ribbon added the final touch.
I am a sucker for stars, roses and the colors pink, white and aqua!

They hang on either side of my white shabby mirror. I like them so much, I will probably not want to take them down after Christmas!

Tomorrow is our town's Christmas Parade and tree lighting ceremony. They are also holding a cookie baking contest. I decided that this year I would enter it. I wanted to make a delicious cookie that looked good, tasted good and made you really think of Christmas when you ate it. So Chocolate Chip Candy Cane Cookies it is! They taste so good! Just the right amount of peppermint flavor to go with the yummy chocolate dough and chocolate chips. I used soft peppermint sticks so the candy canes are so smooth and creamy!

I don't know what the prize is for winning, but I think I have a really good chance! Cross your fingers for me!!

My little family

Right now, we are just a family of 3. Me, my husband Cody and our black lab Grady. We live in a little house that is just right for us at this time. We spend the cold winter nights cuddled up on the couch, with Grady at our feet on the floor. During the summer, we like to camp, fish and ride four wheelers. We are a happy little family!This is the first year that I have sent out Christmas cards. We used the picture above to send to all of our loved ones. I just love the sweet look on Cody's face and the way Grady seems to be smiling too!
Cody & I would like to have kids soon. Having kids is a scary thing. Sometimes this world just seems so messed up. But I have always wanted to be a mom and Cody would make an amazing dad. So we will leave it in God's hands. Having a baby is expensive too. I don't see how we can afford it. My mom says that if you wait until you can afford it, you will never have kids. And she is ready for some more grandbabies! Everything will work out the way it is supposed to! I pray that God chooses to let our family grow very soon. But for now, this is my little family and I wouldn't change a thing!

Magazine Christmas Trees

Apparently, making Christmas Trees with magazines has been around for years. I just discovered it this year....so I am a little behind! They are easy to make and turn out pretty cute! Start out with a nice sturdy magazine or catalog. I used a Silpada jewlery catalog for the big one, it had about 101 pages and you have to fold them all 3 times! The smaller one is a Scentsy catalog. The most important thing is that they hold up to the folding.
I removed the cover and started folding. This is a great craft to do while you are sitting on the couch "watching" football with your husband! Start by taking the top right corner, folding it down toward the spine to make a triangle.

Next, fold that triangle down again toward the spine to form this diamond shape. You will then fold the extra little piece up so that it will create a flat bottom.

Just keep folding and folding...you will eventually start to see how it will become a Christmas tree!

When you have all of your pages folded, glue the first and last page together so it doesn't seperate. I spray painted mine white, but you could do them in any color. I am on the lookout for little things to decorate them with. Glitter is a definite must! You could also do these with an old book. You wouldn't even need to paint them if you did this.

Right now these are sitting on our little faux fireplace, nestled among a snow covered rose garland. These are something that you could throw away at the end of the season and make new ones the next year. Or you could just keep adding to your collection each year as well, because that's just the way Christmas decorations seem to be!

Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies

Doesn't the name of this cookie make you want to try one? Once you see how easy they are to make you will definitely want to bake a batch or two for yourself!

Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies

*1-8 ounce brick of cream cheese, softened

*1 stick of butter at room temperature

*1 egg

*1tsp vanilla

*1-18 ounce box of chocolate cake mix

*Powered sugar

Preheat over to 350 degrees

In a large bowl, cream the cheese and butter, beat in egg, then vanilla. Add cake mix. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm up.

Roll into tablespoon sized balls. Roll in powdered sugar. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes. Cookies will remain gooey. Dust with more powered sugar.

I love the way they crackle when baked. They have a rich, creamy flavor and they are so soft, moist and gooey.

I think I would like to try this using a red velvet cake mix. Pretty sure that would be wonderful too. You could probably even add a little peppermint extract as well for a completely different flavored cookie. Easy and delicious, don't you think!

I am joining all the other girls at How Sweet the Sound for a very special recipe edition of Pink Saturday. Go bake up some of these yummy Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies, have a glass of milk, and see what everyone else is baking up!