The post-Christmas Christmas post

So I have been meaning to post for a long time because I have all these amazing Christmas crafts and recipes that I wanted to share.  But time got away from me.  I guess that's the holiday season.

Also, my dad has been sick with heart problems and a broken foot.  It's been so scary to see my dad in and out of hospital beds.  My dad has always been a big guy and has not lived a healthy lifestyle so a lot of this has been a long time coming.  Still though, that doesn't make it any easier to see someone that you love so much in a hospital bed or not feeling good.  I love my dad and cannot imagine my life without him.  It's been scary but he has been making some good food decisions and is excited to start exercising once his foot heals.

ANYWAY.  Here are some fun pictures of things I did for Christmas!

In my classroom, my students made these cute little reindeer fingerprint ornaments.  I have a million of these ornament bulbs so I thought I would use them up!  We used acrylic paint for the head, eyes, and nose.  (First graders love Rudolph so all of them were red-nosed reindeer.)  Do it in steps so that the paint completely drys.  I (and another teacher) did the reindeer antlers on all of the kids' ornaments in black Sharpie.  I am sure kids could do it themselves, we just didn't have the time.

Here's one of the students who decided a whole herd was needed.  It turned out cute!

So cute!

I can't claim this idea by myself.  I got it from here, and she totally takes a picture of each step so enjoy that from her.  Not me. 
http://www.littlebitfunky.com/2011/11/20-minute-crafter-reindeer-thumbprint.html

One of my favorite things to do at Christmas time is BAKE!  I think I made like 10 different types of cookies this year, 2 kinds of popcorn, 3 different types of bark, and a peppermint cheesecake!  I said I like baking right?!

Here are a few pictures of my favorites.

Hot Chocolate Cookies

Molasses Cookies

Here's a plate of my "variety pack."

Grinch cookies, Gingerbread, Swirl cookies,

Peppermint Swirl Cookies, Aunt Cindy's white velvet cookies

I'll include a few recipes and links, but I just can't share ALL of them or else no one would eat my stuff when they can make it themselves!

Peppermint Swirl cookies:  http://www.overthebigmoon.com/peppermint-kiss-sugar-cookies-and-santa-hat-cake-pops-guest-post-by-kinnas-kreations/
Grinch cookies:  http://pinlavie.com/grinch-cookies-mint-chocolate-chip/

Hot Chocolate cookies (recipe from Real Simple magazine)
1 1/2 c. flour
3/4 tsp. sea salt (or kosher)
1/2 tsp. baking power
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. unsalted butter
24 oz. (2 bags) of semisweet chocolate chips
1 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 mini marshmallows

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  (Definitely do this because the marshmallows get sticky.)
2.  In large bowl whisk flour, salt, baking power & soda together.  Set aside.
3.  Combine butter and 12 oz (2 cups) of chocolate chips in separate bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals until all melted.  Stir each time.  Cool slightly.  Then, add sugar, eggs, and vanilla to mixture.
4.  Add the flour mixture a little at a time.  Mix in remaining chocolate chips and marshmallows.  Don't overmix!
5.  Bake for 10-15 minutes.  Electric oven is like 12 minutes.  Gas oven is like 10.  Rotate sheets halfway in between.

All that cookie talk has made me hungry....I better find something to snack on!  I'm feeling pretty nostalgic about 2012 coming to an end so I am sure tomorrow I will post again. 

Revamp the Lamps

Okay, I am not that clever of a person, but HELLO was that not a clever title?!  I thought of it while running my 9.86 miles the other day.  (Oh yeah, I increased my mileage again!!!!!!!)

Anyway....upon moving into my house I immediately realized how DARK it was without lights!  It didn't matter how cute my sofa was if no one could see it.  So I started looking at table lamps and floor lamps at stores.  IMMEDIATELY I realized how EXPENSIVE lights were.  For goodness sake, did you know a base to a lamp can be like $30?  Then the shade is like $20!  And if we are talking  a floor lamp plan on like $60.  Not cool.  Didn't God say, "Let there be light"?  So why does lighting have to be so expensive?!  And of course I have expensive taste and couldn't even bare to look at the ugly cheap ones.  Forget it.

So for a few weeks I sat in the dark (with no TV) and pretended to be Amish.  That got old fast.  Then my mom came up with the idea of secondhand stores.  GENIUS MAMA!  It takes a bit of creativity and paint but you CAN find a lamp with a shade for under $25.  And it can be cute!

Before:  Look at this "beautiful" lamp!  It had a shiny wood finish to it.
Goodwill $3



I used this sanding deglosser which is like my favorite thing.
It gets the shiny finish off of anything without sanding.  Just rub it on with a towel.
You can see the change in the color of wood as I deglossed.

After!!  I spray painted the base with Rustoleum Hammered Spray Paint
in a steely gray color (Conveniently found in my parents' garage).
The shade was in the bargain room at IKEA for $3.
New lamp for around $7.



Before:  This metal lamp had a reddish brown color with black
specks on it.  Purchased for $8 at a local secondhand store.



After:  I used the same color spray paint for the base.
Had to do a couple layers on this one because I had to hold it
upside for the very bottom.  The shade was 50% off at Shopko for $10.
Total:  $18 lamp

I am really liking my new lamps!  I honestly like them better than anything I found in stores for mega bucks!  I like getting what I want for cheap!  So go to Goodwill or another secondhand store and use your creativity.  A bottle of spray paint can be your best friend!  

I also bought a floor lamp base for $10 at Goodwill and a shade for $20 at Shopko (again, 50% off).  It's not my total favorite base but for $10 I can't beat it.  I am debating on spray painting it because right now it is a tan and so is the lampshade.  What do you think?  I can't decide.  Don't worry, I don't think it is actually going to go in that place either.  Opinions are welcome!!  

Only 7 days until Christmas break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  This teacher is excited!  

Getting crafty!

So yesterday was a rough day, but I got through it!  The day started with breakfast with a friend and then I spent some time with my dad.  Then my mom and dad came over and put themselves to work on the house. We finished the evening with a family dinner at a restaurant which was fun!  As long as I stayed busy I didn't think about what the day was....too much at least.

I just have to keep remembering to move on.

So in moving on I wanted to share a craft project that I made to get in the holiday spirit!!  This blog (A Diamond in the Stuff) has TONS of great holiday ideas that are mostly DIY and not too expensive!

http://adiamondinthestuff.blogspot.com/

For a take on the "traditional" Christmas wreath, she used a frame, ribbon, and ornaments to decorate her door!  I did something similar!

I just started with a regular picture frame.  Remember how my sellers left me lots of holes in the walls?  Well a few of those holes actually still had pictures on them.  They weren't pictures that spoke to me (i.e.:  ugly...), so I selected one of the frames and took it apart!  The frame wasn't old and cool, just regular!

1st step:  The frame had a glossy coating on it, so I used my favorite DeGlosser to get the sheen off and allow the spray paint to stick better.
2nd step:  Spray paint it!

3rd step:  Start adding ornaments & bells with ribbon.  I recommend using shatter-free since it will be hanging and banging against your door.

I attached the ribbons using the flat, metal thumb tacks.  I pushed them into the back of the frame.

                           

Make sure you vary the type of ornaments and the length of the ornaments.  

Here's my finished product!!  I am not super-duper crafty or creative but I really like the way it looks.  And I already had the frame, spray paint, thumb tacks, and ornaments.  All I bought was the ribbon!  What do you think?  

Definitely use 2 door-hangers so that it hangs evenly.