DIY Felt Flameless Candle Holder

This is a totally doable craft that adds a warm glow to your home.  I think these would be really pretty as wedding decor, too!  For (hopefully) obvious reasons, be sure you use a flameless candle in this holder!

You will need:

• White felt
• Gold embroidery floss and needle
• Scissors
• Ruler

First, make your sheet of felt into a square.  The easiest way to do this, I think, is to fold one corner over until the sides lines up, then cut off the excess.  This will leave you with a piece about 9 inches square (mine was more like 9 and 1/4).

Next, cut four, three inch slits in the square: two on one side, and two opposite.  These slits should be spaced three inches apart.

On the sides without slits, measure one and a half inches in from each edge and cut diagonally to the end of the slit, removing each of the corners.

Then, fold the edges in so you have a sort of origami a box.  Use your embroidery floss to tack the pieces together.

Finally, use a whip stitch on the outside to pinch the corners securely.

Finally, add your flameless tealight and enjoy the glow!

Saturday Snapshot: Ice and Pebbles

Beg, Borrow, Steal: Cheesy Chicken Wraps

This is a recipe idea I found from My Fridge Food, and I thought I would use the idea and combine it with my crock pot chicken that I shared with you earlier.  Basically, you combine cheese, cream cheese, and meat and bake it in a flour tortilla.

Again, this is a super simple recipe, and the results are delicious!!  It's the perfect combination of creamy and crunchy, with a little sweet and a little heat.  If you find that some of your tortillas are overstuffed, use a toothpick to hold them together.

Try it this weekend! :)  Happy Friday!!

New Year, New 'do

For a long time, I have alternated between chopping all of my hair off and growing it out.  Lately, my hair has been long for longer than usual.  So, I decided it was time to ring in the new year by getting a new haircut!  Here's my before and after pictures- there was a lot of length lost!

I'm still playing around with it, but I think my favorite might be the way it looks after straightening (not pictured).  It looks edgier when it's pin straight, which I really like.  I love having the side swept bangs, too, but I think I might get them more pronounced next time I go in for a cut.

What do you think?  Any of you decide to do something drastic in the new year?

DIY Beaded Star Door Hanger

For January, I wanted something for our door that was fun and festive, something that was wintry without looking like leftover Christmas decorations.  So, I made a star using ribbon and beads.

To make your own, you will need:

• Wire
• Wire cutters
• Wire edged ribbon (I used gold)
• 1 Strand beaded Christmas garland (I used blue to keep it from looking like Christmas decor.  You could also use Mardi Gras beads, but it will take several) 

Cut a length of wire that is slightly shorter than the length of ribbon you have.  Twist the ends together to form a circle.

Then, using some trial and error, shape the wire into a star.

Take your string of beads and twist the end around the wire, then around itself to secure it in place.

Next, wrap the beads around the wire over and over and over again until the star is completely covered.

Finally, tie on the ribbon and wrap it loosely around the star.

Hang it on the door and enjoy!

Saturday Snapshot: Black and White River Bank

January Book Club

Last month, my pick for book club was Love in the Time of Cholera.  I enjoyed it, but I think I was too slow and sporadic a reader for it to have full impact.  I'll have to read it again sometime later to really get the full depth of the work, I think...

One of my new year's resolutions is to read more nonfiction.  So, I'm starting 2014 off with a nonfiction pick: Jackie After O.  It is a biography by Tina Cassidy that focuses on Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' life after the death of her second husband.  I'm very excited to read it!

What are you reading this month?