Christmas Time Is Coming.

The advent calendar I made this year.  Amazing what a bit of scrapbook paper can produce.  

Tutorial to come!

These blocks are Rudolph products.  Found them on Amazon.com for about $15.00.  LOVE them!

I might not have shared my candy cane filled beer mugs at Halloween time, but I'll share the cinnamon and peppermint ones!  My husband was stationed in Germany for several years...and he collected many a beer mug.  I've put them to good use!  The tin there on the left has been dedicated to our "Crack Pretzels".  Crack pretzels are those ones you cover in chocolate...and we love them!

Here's the newest addition to my Christmas decor.  I eat A LOT of cheerios...and therefore have a lot of boxes.  With a bit of red and white paint, here's what I produced.  "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is by singing loud for all to hear" is a great quote from one of my favorite holiday movie.  Elf, starring Will Ferrell, came out on my birthday several years ago, and I'll always be a fan.

Here sit my favorite scents this season.  On my kitchen counter sit Red Apple Wreath from Yankee Candle and Blackberry Tart & Lemon Pound Cake that happened to be $4.96 at Wal-Mart.  Go get yourself some...you're welcome.

Here is a vase...that I once began to hate, considering it held flowers from a not-so-special-someone.  But I've repurposed it.  Now it holds beautful vintage ornaments that my mother gave me.  I looped in a string of white 20-count lights from Hob Lob ($1.99)

Here's one of my favorite finds.  Red Velvet Cupcake 14.5oz for $4.96 at Wal-Mart.  In the background is a wine bottle of St. Chapel, the bottle we drank on our wedding day...with our red velvet cupcakes.  You can also see another Rudolph accent, my Rudolph snow globe.  Really, I'm crazy about that silly reindeer.

Pizza Boxes... Who Knew?!

In becoming a Pintrest addict, like the rest of the general population now it seems, I have discovered many crafty things.

Here's the crafty-iest I discovered this week...I literally said "AH HA!" with joyous over exaggeration.

My husband and I eat pizza A LOT.  When I say A LOT, it means almost twice a week.  Now pizza boxes don't just fit comfortably into the trash can.  And I GET TIRED of trying to break the stupid things in half or fold them or cut them or throw them out the window.  And the husband, well he sure isn't too good at remembering things that don't "fit" in the trash can.

SOOOOO...

Here's what I did:

I painted those dumb pizza boxes and used Martha Stewart stencils and created masterpieces using some of my favorite Disney quotes.  (For those of you who don't know me, I LOATHE Martha Stewart and I LOVE Disney---This being said, Martha's paid associates make some killer stencils and other things)

These will hang in our bedroom, my Disney movie watching sanctuary.

Oh, For The Love of Caffeine! Part 2

 

I painted the painting for the wall in our kitchen...If you can't tell, I LOVE coffee...and the color RED!  Here's another bottle cap magnet!

Oh, For The Love of Caffeine!

My 3 day weekend has been spent working as a busy bee here in the South.  I have been collecting bottle caps for weeks...even digging through the trash at times just so one doesn't get thrown away!  Here's why:

Bottle Cap Magnets

 

I saved all kinds, soda caps, juice, and the large Gatorade ones.  I painted them all with acrylic paint.  I fear that Eggs got a bit painted as well.  He's suffering for a case of the "red paws".  He enjoys playing with the caps, fetching them and chasing them across our tiny kitchen floor.

Mike even likes them :)

Cat In The Hat Diaper Cake Creation

 

Earlier this year, back in March I believe I opened my big mouth and volunteered myself to make a diaper cake for a friend's baby shower.  Me, who is over-worked, stressed-to-the-max and obviously speaking nonsense.  The Mom-To-Be had her heart set on a Dr. Seuss theme, and thank goodness already had the lovely Cat In His Dumb Hat stuffed animal I placed on top.

I am creative, yes, but I often find that my creative juices come to a stand still after I've worked a 60 hour work week and really have never even seen what contraptions occur inside these awful "diaper cakes".  

I did no planning, no list making, no thinking.  I drove straight to Wal-Mart the night before the baby shower and loaded my cart full of these wonderful treasures:

Ivy's Diaper Cake Ingredients:

-equate brand infant gas relief

-hand sanatizer

-organic diapers

-Pampers sensitive wipes

-5 pairs of teeny-cutesy-wutsy baby socks

-3 cards of girly baby head bands

-Baby's first MIZZOU Tigers t-shirt

-baby powder

-nipple cream

-awesome bottles

-pacifiers

-baby lotion

-baby shampoo

...and those are just the ones I remember!

I was at a loss as to how the whole cake would stay together, how the diapers would stay rolled...so I picked up the first thing that came to mind.  rubber bands!  The large ones in the office supply section made it easy to hold the items together in the center.  I then found the tiny rubber bands that I believe are in the hair care section to wrap around each diaper as I rolled it.  

I also grabbed several rolls of red ribbon.  Checked, satin, striped, polka-dotted, really it's all wonderful stuff.  I've always had a thing for ribbon!

Starting at the base, I made a tower of products, using what felt like hundreds of big rubber bands to hold it all together, and then I simply just started adding rolled diapers.  After I finished a section, I'd wrap a large 1 inch wide ribbon around it for decoration...and support..and I'd cross my fingers and hope it stayed!

Honestly, I don't know how it turned out so well, but I'm entirely glad I took the challenge.  When it comes to crafts, planning obviously isn't a necessity.  When it's made from the heart it always turns out great.