DIY Christmas Crafts!


DIY Christmas Stars!


Learn how to organize your Christmas decorations and grab the FREE Printable Box Labels to help you!  


Advent calendar using mini altoid tins plus supplies from Taylored Expressions


Mini Hoop "Chalk" Art Christmas Ornaments 


Engraved and Illuminated Plastic Ball Ornaments

Garden Ideas!


Planters

 

Wine bottle water fountain 



Fruit holder for the birds..... grab some wire and start twisting!


Great use for old shutters. I love this! 


Butterfly stepping stone

Crafting!


Pink Candles and Glitter Candle Holders



Dollar glasses, rubber bands, and spray paint to make beautiful candle holders. 


DIY glitter candles


DIY “Stained Glass” Candle Holders - these are so cute! 


DIY Fall Leaf Candle Holder

Salted Peanut Butter Nutella Sandwich Cookies


Ingredients
Cookies
  • ½ cup butter {113g; unsalted; at room temperature}
  • ½ cup peanut butter {at room temperature, or 20 seconds in the microwave}
  • ½ cup granulated sugar {100g}
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar {110g}
  • 1 egg
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • 1½ cups all purpose flour {188g; or fluffed, spooned and leveled}
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • granulated sugar {for rolling}
  • coarse sea salt {for sprinkling}
Assembly
  • 1 cup Nutella
Instructions
Cookies
  1. In a large bowl, beat butter and peanut butter until well combined. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Mix in egg and vanilla.
  2. In a separate small bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder and baking soda. Mix into wet ingredients.
  3. Scrape down from sides of bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
  4. Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Line cookie sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
  5. Roll dough into 1 tbsp sized balls, roll in the granulated sugar to coat. Place on baking mat and press down slightly with a fork. Sprinkle with sea salt.
  6. Bake for 7-9 minutes until bottoms are golden brown. Cookies will look under-baked when removed from the oven but will set up on baking sheet. Cool for 5 minutes, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Assembly
  1. Spread 2 or so tsp of Nutella on the bottom of one cookie. Top with another cookie. Smoosh. Eat.
Source

Strawberry Surprise Cake


Ingredients
  • 2.0000 Betty Crocker Pound Cake Mixes
  • Butter, eggs, and water (or milk) needed for cake mix
  • 2.0000 Betty Crocker Whipped White Frosting
  • 1.0000 frozen whipped topping, thawed
  • 1.5000 strawberries, wiped clean with a damp paper towel
  • 36.0000 red fondant
  • 4.0000 green fondant
  • Black food coloring marker
DIRECTIONS
  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  2. Spray four heart-shaped pans with non-stick cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
  3. Make cake mixes according to package instructions. Divide batter equally among four heart shaped pans (each cake mix will make two layers of the cake for a total of four layers.)
  4. Bake cakes for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  5. Allow cakes to cool completely, then remove from pan and level them by cutting off any parts that puffed up past the edges.
  6. Set one cake on a heart-shaped piece of cardboard. Cut 6-inch hearts out of two of the other cake layers.
  7. Whisk frosting and whipped topping together.
  8. Spread or pipe frosting around the edge of the bottom layer.
  9. Stack the one cut out layer on top, then pipe on more frosting and add the second cut out cake layer.
  10. Fill the heart-shaped hole with strawberries.
  11. Spread frosting around the top edge of the cake, then place the final cake layer on top.
  12. Carve cake into a more rounded-looking strawberry shape, if desired.
  13. Frost cake.
  14. Cover with red fondant.
  15. Cut leaves out of green fondant and attach to the fondant covered cake using a very small amount of water.
  16. Draw on seeds using a black food coloring marker.
  17. Serve cake the day it is made.
Source

Crafts!


Make leaf art



DIY Mamas: Staining - The EASY Way with Professional results! 


Wall gallery ideas; already started the frames on the office wall - like the added bonus pieces like an R or a saying!


Fire pit using concrete tree rings... I love it! 

 

Easter Wreath Tutorial using plastic eggs and easter grass. Adorable and easy

Christmas Photography!


There will always be a light in the darkness


Christmas 


Santa cat 


Christmas lights


Merry Christmas 

DIY ideas!


Creative gift


Genius! 


Storage idea for earrings.


DIY :: storybook paper roses  


This will help keep my son out of the cords!
 

Colorful garden


The Artful Gardener


Bird house planters 


Rooting plants in water in glass vases. 



Tsukubai, water basin, in Yasaka Shrine, Kyoto, Japan


Modern fire pit 

Places I love!


French Riviera town of Juan-les-Pins, France


The alluring beauty of village Grimaund ~ Provence, French Riveria 


Likuliku Lagoon Resort in Fiji Islands


Big Ben, London 


St. Barts

Christmas Stuff!


Wine bottle Christmas tree


I found the directions for the Snowman Tree. I wanna make one.


This is so cute anytime. Pinecone Owls  


Great Christmas Idea


Fill glass containers with lights, pinecones & branches. Simple beauty! 

Spicy Butternut Squash & Black Bean Burger



Ingredients
  • 4 Cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 squares (saving the seeds)
  • 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
  • ¼ Cup Quinoa
  • ½ Cup Water
  • ¼ Cup red onion, minced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 Serrano Pepper, minced
  • 1 Tablespoon ancho Chili Powder
  • 2 Tablespoons ground Cumin
  • ¼ Teaspoon ground Coriander
  • ¼ Cup Pistachios, finely chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon Sea Salt
  • 1 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs
  • ½ Cup Cilantro, chopped
  • Olive Oil
Instructions:
  1. Toss 4 cups of butternut squash with just enough olive oil to cover and place it in a baking dish. In a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees F, roast the butternut squash for about 45 minutes or until it is super tender.
  2. Wash and clean the butternut squash seeds and then fry them in a small frying pan over a medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When they just begin to brown, transfer them to a paper towel lined colander and finish them with sea salt.
  3. Bring 1/2 cup of water to a boil. Add 1/4 cup of quinoa, reducing it to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 10 minutes until the quinoa is tender.
  4. Add the roasted butternut squash to a large mixing bowl and mash. Add in 1 can of black beans and mash them too. Fold in the cooked quinoa, 1/2 cup of cilantro, 1 tablespoon of chili powder, 2 tablespoons of ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon of coriander, butternut squash seeds, 1/4 cup of pistachios, and salt.
  5. Lightly sweat 1/4 cup of red onion, 3 cloves of garlic and 1 serrano chile in a small sauce pan with one tablespoon of olive oil over a medium heat. Fold that into the mixture.
  6. Fold in 1 cup of bread crumbs.
  7. Using a biscuit cutter, make your veggie patties. You don’t have to do this but I am a bit anal retentive.
  8. Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a cast iron skillet and warm it over a medium-high heat. Fry the burgers til browned on each side, adding more oil as needed.
  9. Enjoy!
Source

Christmas


Mini Cakes

 
Christmas pony!


Silver Christmas


Beautiful 

Waterford Lismore in red crystal