Buffalo Plaid Wreath

 Fall is one of my most favorite seasons so I always go crazy with the decor. This year I kept seeing all of these amazing wreaths made from the Dollar Tree Wire Pumpkins so of course I wanted one too. 

I follow this awesome woman on Pinterest, Cottage on Bunker Hill by Jennifer Howard, and loved hers the most so I went for it. This was super easy but has to be one of the cutest swags I've ever had on my front door. 

Like I said above, the wire pumpkin is from Dollar Tree, the buffalo plaid beads I ordered from Amazon and the ribbon and stems came from Hobby Lobby, all for about twenty bucks. Jennifer's video showed exactly how to put this masterpiece together. The only thing that took me a couple tries to figure out was reattaching each wire after the beads were put on. What worked best for me was to fill the last bead with hot glue and connect the wire that way. I've attached the video so you can make one of your own:) Happy Fall!

Buffalo Plaid Wire Wreath

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Pumpkin Stack

 I kept seeing different variations of these all over social media and then my nieces went and made one so of course I had to jump on the bandwagon. In my true nature I waited to get my plastic pumpkin buckets until literally everywhere was sold out (and I mean EVERYWHERE!). Thanks to my cousin and her kiddos for parting with some they had so I could get this finished. Since I didn't have to buy the pumpkins this project cost me $12. Although I usually don't stray from Hobby Lobby, these Wal-Mart .99 flowers were perfect. 

I rattle-canned the pumpkins in this heirloom white color and then colored the faces back in with a black acrylic paint. Filled the bottom two buckets with soil for some weight and then hot glued them together, arranged the flowers and voila...I LOVE IT! Something simple and cheap, just my style:) Happy Halloween!!!

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Remembering Vacation

Summer has come to a close and we get to start looking and thinking about Fall and the holidays. 
As the hot summer months become a distant memory, wouldn't you like to remember that special vacation? What fun to find just the right personalized ornament to adorn the Christmas tree that reminds you of when you were warm. 
It is a wonderful tradition to start and add to yearly. These become meaningful keepsakes that when you pull them out each year and hang them on the tree you have those wonderful memories.
Check out our complete selection in the Travel and Vacation category. 

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Spring Swag

     I've been wanting some new spring swag for my front door and after perusing through Pinterest I realized I do not have the floral arrangement gift nor did I want to pay the steep price for some flowers tied together with a zip-tie, so Hobby Lobby is where I ended up with a little inspiration from my sister. 
     I won't bore you with the long winded blah blah blah of how I did this, it's pretty self explanatory. What the best part is, with all of the Hobby Lobby sales and the 40% off coupon I got it all for a grand total of $14!

Painting the base...

I may have wasted a little tape but this insured my spacing was exact, and took a lot less time.

Painting the top layer...

Ta Da!

The burlap bow I bought already made and the flower, just snip the stem off and hot glue to the bow. The good thing about this is it'll be super easy to re-paint and change out the color of the flower to roll with the changing of the seasons.

My life motto..."Ballin' on a Budget":)

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Candied Tradition

     One of my most favorite things to do during the holidays is bake! Anything with lots of sugar and makes my home spell scrumptious is on the list. Last week I made one of my all time faves...Cinnamon Sugar Almonds in the crockpot...mmmmm!! If you're like me, I love to give to everyone, the mailman, my hairstylst, co-workers and so on. I've found over the years that some sort of baked good can please almost all. I've done caramel apples, the ingredients for Chocolate Chip Cookies in a mason jar, chocolate covered pretzels, and sugar cookies with no complaints thus far. 
     This year I opted for the never failing candy coated almonds. These are so easy I almost feel guilty about not putting more effort in but let's be real, who really has a lot of extra time during the holidays. I just want to make sure everyone gets a little something so they know how special they are to me. All it takes is a few common ingredients and you'll have gifts to go around.
     This is all you'll need. The complete recipe is at the bottom.

     

     First, you'll mix together both sugars, cinnamon and salt in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. 

     Whisk the egg white and the vanilla together until they're a little frothy and then pour in the almonds to coat, and coat well. Next, pour the almonds into the sugar mixture and stir making sure to coat all of the almonds. Thoroughly Spray the inside of the crock pot with a non-stick spray and pour the sugar almonds in. Here's what it looks like, a little weird but just trust me, the magic is about to happen.

   

     Cook on low with the lid on for 3-4 hours stirring every 20 minutes. At the last hour, stir in the water. The will give them the crunchy coating. After adding the water, continue to cook for an hour still stirring every 20 minutes.

     Get ready, here comes the yumminess!

   

     Dump them out of the crockpot onto a baking sheet to cool, separating any of the almonds that might have stuck together. 

     Now it's time to be creative. I chose clear, cone shaped Cello bags I found at Hobby Lobby. Fill each bag with the sugar almonds and add a festive ribbon to top it off...voila! Adorable gifts to spread the holiday cheer.

     Complete Recipe:

                          1 1/2C. Sugar

                          1 1/2C. Brown Sugar

                          3 Tbsp. Cinnamon

                          1/8 tsp. Salt

                          1 egg white

                          2 tsp. vanilla

                          3C. Almonds

                          1/4C. water

     In a medium sized bowl, mix together sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside. In another medium sized bowl, whisk the egg and vanilla until a little frothy. Add almonds. Make sure almonds are thoroughly coated in the egg white mixture. Add almonds to the cinnamon mixture and toss until coated. 

     Spray crock pot with non-stick spray and add the mixture of almonds and sugar.

     Cook on low 3-4 hours stirring every 20 minutes. In the last hour, add the water and stir well. Make sure to continue stirring every 20 minutes for another hour after the water is added.

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The Mischievous Elf on the Shelf

    The Elf on the Shelf tradition is based on a children's book written by Carol Aebersold and Chandra Bell to explain how Santa knows who's naughty and nice. 

    The story describes how "scout elves" hide in people's homes and watch over the daily events. When the family has gone to bed, the scout elf flies back to the North Pole to report to Santa the activities, good and bad, that have taken place throughout the day. Before the family wakes each morning, the scout elf flies back from the North Pole and hides. By hiding in a new spot each morning, the scout elf plays an ongoing game of hide and seek.

    Scout elves get their magic by being named and loved by a child. There's only one rule you must follow and that is not to touch the elf as the magic will disappear and Santa won't hear all that was seen. Although it can't be touched, they may speak to the scout elf and tell all of their Christmas wishes so that the elf can report back to Santa accurately. 
    Since the elf moves daily from Thanksgiving until Christmas, parents have found some creative ways to make him hide. My long-time friend, Mandy Engelbrecht, has to be one of the most creative Elf on the Shelf masters I've ever seen. Her pictures of their mischievous elf named Chippy are featured in this blog. Even after a long day of "momming" where I'm sure she would just like to go to bed, she always comes up with a fun way for her kids to wake up and find Chippy waiting. What an awesome tradition her kids will remember always!

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Favorite Holiday Traditions

What is your favorite holiday tradition? The one that I love most is designing and planning my annual family photo Christmas card. Now that my family is grown I include my kids, grandkids and even my granddogs. This is something I've done for over 40 years. I look back in awe as I see the way everyone has changed over the years. 

I'm not really sure how I got anything done before Pinterest but it is definitely my go-to for any and all ideas in every aspect of my life. The possibilities are endless! Whether you want to include your entire family, just the kids or even your furbaby, follow my Christmas Card board to find your own inspiration. Now is the time to start planning the perfect holiday greeting!
The first known personalized Christmas card was sent in 1891 by Annie Oakley, the famous American sharpshooter and star of Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. She was in Glasgow, Scotland at Christmas time that year and sent cards back to her friends and family in the states featuring a photo of her on it. 
As you can see in the photo, honoring her time in Scotland, she's wearing a tartan (a pattern consisting of criss-crossed, horizontal and vertical bands). Annie reportedly designed the cards herself and had them printed by a local printer. We found this great story at whychristmas.com.
Stay tuned...each week we'll be blogging on all of the wonderful and unique traditions during this magical holiday season.

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