Winter Bear Gift Tag

I can't help it.  I'm all about Christmas.  Truth be told, I start Christmas shopping and planning sometime during the summer.  It's just what I do!  So I decided that I might as well post Christmas ideas when I have them instead of waiting and trying to cram them all into the month of December.  So, you're getting Christmas before Thanksgiving.  Just be thankful (get it?) that I didn't start before Halloween! ;)

When I'm out shopping for Christmas decorations, I get tons of ideas for things I can make for the holiday season.  Lately, I've gotten a bunch of inspiration from Gilt Home.  This winter bear is no exception!

You will need:

• Stiffened felt in red
• White emmbroidery floss
• Tiny little jingle bells
• A stencil from me (optional- you can always just free hand!)

Free printable bear stencil

First, trace your stencil onto your stiffened felt.

I actually freehanded mine and then made the stencil for you all from the picture I took!

Cut around the edges, making sure you cut just inside the lines so there aren't any pencil marks in the end.

Then, simply tie a jingle bell around the neck of your bear and stitch a loop of embroidery floss through his back.

Such a simple gift tag!  And I love that it makes a sweet little ornament, too.  So it's like giving two gifts really :)

Happy crafting!

Saturday Snapshot: Cabbage

Apple Bacon Pizza

Our new house has a double oven. Double. Oven.  It's amazing.  The top oven is small, so it heats up super fast and it's perfect for toasting sandwiches, baking some quick cookies, or making pizza.  And boy have we made pizza!

For this tasty pizza, you will need:

• My homemade quick crust (but substitute sage for the Italian seasoning)
• 4 pieces of bacon, cooked
• 1 apple, cored and sliced thin on a mandolin
• 1 1/2 cup or so Tillamook cheddar cheese, shredded

Simply make the pizza crust and pre-bake for about 5 minutes at 400 degrees.  Then, add the toppings.  Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown and bubbling, about 15 minutes.

Yum!  So delicious :)

Cheers! (it's delicious with champagne)

DIY Kitchen Decor

I'm back!

To tell you the truth, it was a delightful break.  With my first year teaching and all the chaos of moving, I guess I just really needed some time away from blogging.  And honestly, I didn't miss it for a while.  But then one day I was perusing Gilt and I saw some Christmas ornaments.  My first thought was, "I could make that!" followed by, "I should probably get back to blogging!"

I'm planning on sharing with you a lot of Christmas crafts and foods, probably earlier than I should, definitely before Thanksgiving, and who knows, this might just become a Christmas blog ;)  Kidding... maybe.

But before I go nuts with the Christmas, I have a little craft I made for our new house!  I'd love to show you pictures of the house, but it's kind of a mess... someday soon!  Anyway, I wanted to make some pieces for the kitchen and it was pretty easy (with the exception of some modge podge trial and error).

You will need:

• 8x10 inch canvas
• Decorative paper
• Modge podge
• Acrylic paint
• Fun sayings either handwritten or printed in a cute font

First things first, modge podge your paper to the canvas.  Don't be skimpy with the modge podge!

After it is dry, simply paint your saying onto the covered canvas.  I didn't trust myself to just do it freehand, so I printed out two pages with cute, kitchen-y phrases: "Life is short, eat dessert first" and a Julia Child quote "People who love to eat are always the best people."

After printing them, I traced very hard over them onto the canvas.  This gave me just enough of an indent to follow the letters with my paint brush.  I did two coats over the lettering just so it would stand out more.

Let it dry, then hang it up!

I decided to use two different prints, but I think they coordinate well!  Bonus: check out the white board/message board the previous people left in the kitchen!

Saturday Snapshot: Ornamental Maple

Saturday Snapshot: Stone Fence

Saturday Snapshot: Little Mouse