An Advent Ladder

I've wanted to make an advent calendar every year since Imani was little.

 

 

I finally made one. 

 

 

Imani is almost twelve.

 

 

Don't judge me -- I just struggled with how to make one, what to put inside etc. etc.

 

 

I mean, they have a ton of advent calendars at Target and TJ Maxx and I've come close to purchasing one on several occasions. 

 

But I didn't want to fill the calendar with a bunch of presents . . . I think Christmas focuses too much on material objects already.

 

 

And I didn't want to fill it with candy.

 

 

We still have Halloween Candy left over . . . and NOT because nobody's eating it . . but because Imani is the fastest trick or treater I've ever seen.

 

I suppose I could fill it with toiletries from Rite Aid, since the Coupon Cowboy has quite a collection in my basement, but I didn't think that would be very fun for Imani.

 

 

Oh and I'm cheap "frugal."  I didn't want to spend $30 on an Advent calendar.

 

 

So I did some research online and found a lot of really great ideas of what to put inside the advent calendar so it wouldn't be all about gifts.  There are many great sites that list advent "activities" in lieu of gifts.

 

 

And remember that jewelry I found at Hub's Place?  It made its way into my advent calendar too.  I'll share more on that (along with the activities) later.

 

In the meantime, do you like my calendar?

 

 

 

 

 

 

I knew I wanted to incorporate my ladder.  We have two ladders in our house that I use simply for decorating.  I love them. If I could put a ladder in every room and not have people think I was crazy, I would do it.  I once wrote about ways to decorate with ladders here.   Now we could add the advent calendar to that list!

 

Anyway, this advent calendar was pretty simple to make, and it only cost me $2.

I found little white boxes in the wedding section of the dollar store.  You get 12 in a package for $1, so I picked up two.

 

Then I nicely asked Jason if he'd write all of the numbers on the boxes . . . since I've told you a million times I'm really sloppy and he's a perfectionist.

 

I had to nag him a bunch but he finally granted my wish . . . he's never failed me.

 

Then, I filled the boxes with the activities and tied each box to my ladder with red and white baker's twine that I had left over from my Christmas cards.

 

That's it.  I'm hoping those little boxes hold up for many years so we can carry this tradition well into Noah's childhood without having to re-create the calendar.

 

What about you? Do you have an advent calendar? Did you make it and if so, how?  What do you put in it? I'd love to hear.

 

Could it be? Christmas Cards out on time?!

Every year I order my Christmas cards through Shutterfly or some other online company that prints cards.

 

But this year, thanks to Pinterest, I was inspired to make my own cards.  I found the cutest, simplest Christmas card on Pinterest so I totally copied it.

 

I'm happy to say they were finished before Thanksgiving and sent out just a week after (only because I didn't want to send them TOO early).

 

I'm so proud of myself.  

 

I started by taking a million pictures of Imani and Noah one Saturday while Jason was sleeping in (since he gets up with Noah more than I do, he gets Saturdays to sleep in).

 

I couldn't catch a photo of both of them smiling.  Either Imani was all smiles and Noah looked miserable, or Noah was all smiles and Imani blinked. 

 

So I settled on a cute photo of the two of them in a tree in our back yard.  Imani is smiling and Noah is looking thougtfully into the distance.

 

After I took the picture I used my PicFrame app to adjust the color and give it more of a vintage feel.  Then, I placed my order right from my iphone on PostalPix.

 

The pictures arrived just a few days later.

I bought some brown cardstock at AC Moore for $4.99 and some red and white baker's twine.

 

This stuff wasn't easy to find.  It's all over the internet, but for those of you who know me, you know I'm very impatient.  So Imani and I spent an entire day going store to store to find it.  We finally found it at a local stationary boutique that Imani suggested I try.  It wasn't cheap.  $18 for the roll (but it will last me a LONG time if I resist the urge to wrap everything up with it.  I love it).

 

 

 

 

 

Since the cardstock came in a folded version, and I just wanted mine to be one-sided 5 by 7 inches, I asked Jason to cut all of the cards in half.  He's much neater than I am and he's very precise  . . . measuring to make sure his cuts are exact. 

 

I don't like rulers. We don't get along.

 

So Jason cut all of the cards so that I could make my Pinterest vision come to life.

 

I sat down one Sunday afternoon with a glue stick, a pair of scissors, my photos, my newly loved baker's twine, cardstock and my iphone set to Pandora's classic Christmas station.

 

 

Before I knew it, I'd cranked out a whole bunch of these adorable, hand-made Christmas cards.

 

 

 

I'm in love with them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cursing Martha Stewart

I found an awesome Gingerbread Man Wreath on Pinterest last week and I was determined to try it myself.

 

It was created by Martha Stewart.  I've always loved Martha, up until now.

 

Imani and I prepared the recipe and put it in the refrigerator, as instructed.

 

But the consistency of the dough didn't seem right. I was expecting it to be like the gingerbread wreath ornaments we've made in the past . . . but this felt like real cookies.

 

 

Upon a closer look at Martha's recipe, I discovered that her recipe actually used real gingerbread cookie dough, which would mean the wreath wouldn't be that sturdy.

 

I was devastated.  Her recipe stated at the end that the wreath would last for approximately TWO weeks.

 

What?  I wanted my wreath to last year after year, just like the gingerbread ornaments Imani and I made several years ago that go up on our tree every year.

 

 

Who would make a wreath with real gingerbread cookie dough?  I should have read the recipe more closely before I started making the dough.

 

I decided to give it a go anyway, since the dough was all made and in the fridge.

 

 

We rolled out the dough and began cutting our gingerbread men.

 

 

 



Martha's recipe called for placing the gingerbread men on a piece of parchment paper that you've cut into a circle but since I didn't have parchment paper, I put a bowl in the center of the pan and lined up the feet of all of my gingerbread men.

 



 

Do anyone else's pans look all burnt like mine?  Keepin' it real.

 

 

 

I sort of pinched the feet and hands where the gingerbread men overlapped. 

 

At this point, I just didn't trust Martha or her team. 

 

I did make one wreath EXACTLY as Martha instructed and it broke apart when I tried to hang it.

 

I figured as much.  I figured that Martha probably just made her wreath for the photo and it broke within minutes after.

 

I wanted to strengthen my wreath, so I gave it a layer of Modge Podge.

 

 

 

 

The wreath now looked very shiny.  I liked the more natural look, but I didn't want my wreath to break.  I could see some of the feet and hands were starting to lift apart so I got out the old hot glue gun and secured them.

 

 When you apply the Modge Podge, it looks white, but it will dry clear (you can see the white in some areas in the picture below).

 

 



Finally, I strung a ribbon through my wreath and hung it, praying it would not break.

 

So far so good.

 

 

My advice to you would be that if you want to make a gingerbread man wreath, use a recipe for gingerbread or cinnamon ornaments.  It will be much sturdier and I don't think you'd need to hot glue it or add Modge Podge.

 

We'll see how long this wreath lasts.

 

I have a feeling these little guys might not be one big family by the time Christmas rolls around.

 

 



 

A Christmas Forest

Over the weekend, Imani and I decided to start creating some Christmas decorations.

 

I have a whole list on Pinterest of things I want to make this year

to give as gifts

to eat

to decorate. . .

We started with a simple project of making little Chistmas trees.

 

 

 

 

These were super easy.  We found thin cardboard boxes like cereal boxes, stove top stuffing boxes (love that stuff) and other pieces of cardboard that would bend easily.

 

Next, we made them into cones in various heights.

 

I almost forgot to take a picture of them! Excuse the poor quality - some of these were taken at night with only an iPhone!

 

 

 

 

We gathered up a variety of objects to decorate our trees such as ribbon, feathers, yarn, buttons and even lentils!

 

Next, we pulled out Imani's favorite tool:  the hot glue gun.

 

We began gluing the ribbon and feathers onto the cones.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Imani carefully wrapped hers with gold ribbon.

 

 

 

 

 

We worked late into the night and finished seven trees to create a little forest.

 

They turned out super cute.

 

Here is one with all white buttons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is one wrapped in gold ribbon with a piece of shimmery ribbon wrapped over that.

 

 

 

 

Here is one with with pieces of shimmery wrapping paper cut and curled.  It's a bit sloppy because it was one of the last trees we made and I was utterly exhausted.

 

 

 

 

Here is a one wrapped in fuzzy yarn.

 

 

 

And another one wrapped in thick, cream colored yard with some glam wrapped around it.

 

 

 

 

Here is the tree we rolled in lentils and then spray painted gold.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here is the crazy feather tree . . . with a crazy dog in the mix.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maggie wasn't the only crazy one.  Imani was so tired, she was getting silly and kept pretending the trees were fangs.

 

 

 

And we both decided they could double up as new-year's hats!

 

 

 

 

 

Seriously, we had a great time making these. I'm not sure where I'll put them yet, but you can bet you'll find them mixed in this year's holiday decor.  The best part was, they were free!

 

 

Saving Your Old Crib

Occasionally I get requests from friends to blog about certain home-related topics.  Usually I don't follow through and blog about them - not because I don't think they are good ideas, but because I am not a very consistent blogger.  When I am blogging regularly, it's usually because we have lots of home projects going on and I want to share Jason's ability to make my crazy ideas come true.  (Remember hacking up a dresser?!)

Anyway, my friend Brittney emailed me a while back . . . okay MONTHS AGO . . . suggesting I blog about how to upcycle an old crib.

It may take me months, but when Brittney asks me to do something, I usually try my hardest to make it happen.

Brittney and I have been friends since the seventh grade.  She is one of the kindest human beings I know.  She's always been there for me . . . even though I managed to get her into trouble a few times when we were younger.  Brittney was always the innocent one.

Me?

Not

so

much.

I remember one time Brittney's parents were going out for the night and my friend Eileen and I decided we would have some boys meet us at Brittney's house.  We ran the plan by Brittney, who was skeptical.

We convinced her anyway . . . there was NO WAY her parents would catch us having boys over - and besides . . . what was the big deal? We were just going to watch movies.

Did I mention Brittney's dad is a big, traditional Italian man?

You know where this story is headed. 

Brittney's parents decided to return home early that night so Eileen and I did what any teenage girls would do - we sent the boys out the back door. 

 Problem solved.

Except. . .

Brittney's dad decided to go around to the back of the house and check on the pool before coming inside   He met our three little friends face to face on their way out. 

Needless to say, Brittney endured a lecture from her parents while Eileen and I sat upstairs figuring out what we would tell our parents if Brittney's parents decided to fill them in on our antics (surprisingly, they didn't!)

Eventually, we did go downstairs and face Vinnie and Sue.  It wasn't pretty.

So anyway  . . . Brittney is amazing . . . and her ideas are too :-)

So she was faced with a dilemma.     Apparently, since older cribs (the ones with drop down sides) no longer meet safety regulations, you cannot donate them to the Salvation Army or sell them. 

There is something a little disheartening about throwing a crib away.  First off, it has sentimental value.  Second, that's a lot of waste in landfills!

So rather than toss an old crib with drop down sides, check out some of the cool ways people have upcycled their cribs.


Make a seating area for your porch:

                         

Source: pinterest.net-pin.info via Stephenie on Pinterest

Make a bench for your house:

Source: consignmentmommies.com via Stephenie on Pinterest

                                                                                              Source: regives.com via Stephenie on Pinterest

Create a play table for your baby turned pre-schooler.

                                                                                 Source: dailydoityourself.com via Stephenie on Pinterest

Use the pieces to make a twin bed (or two)

Source: blogs.babble.com via Stephenie on Pinterest

Use the side rail as a magazine rack

             Source: tocrave.blogspot.com via Stephenie on Pinterest

Or a craft station:

Source: theartofthers.blogspot.com via Stephenie on Pinterest

 

Even the springs can be used in creative ways.  One of my favorites? 

A shoe rack.

Source: curbly.com via Stephenie on Pinterest

Or you can use the springs for a memo/memento board

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Stephenie on Pinterest

You can turn the crib pieces into a cool chalkboard message board

Source: consignmentmommies.com via Stephenie on Pinterest

Or a jewelry organizer

Source: infarrantlycreative.net via Stephenie on Pinterest

So there you have the coolest ideas I could find on how to save your old crib.


Be inspired.

Save your crib

Save the Earth


Any other good ideas? Please share!


And thank you to Brittney, who inspired this post!

Fun, Fun, Noah Turns One!

This past weekend, we celebrated Noah's first birthday.  I cannot believe a year has already passed!  It seems like just yesterday, we were bringing him home from the hospital.

And showering him with kisses.

As much as I wanted to stop time weeks before his birthday, I knew I couldn't.  So instead, I channeled my emotion into creating his first birthday party.

I spent many late nights pinning ideas on Pinterest and finally decided to throw Noah a Dr. Seuss-inspired birthday.

I found inspiration from several different websites, including this one at "Hostess with the Mostess" and this one at "Annie's Eats."

Our invitation looked almost identical to the ones at "Annie's Eats" except we changed the wording a little, since it was Noah's first birthday.

I used my Silhouette cutting machine and Jason glued all the pieces together.  The invitation read

"It's hard to believe Noah is already turning one! 

Come one, come all, and join in the fun! 

Whether it rains or if it is sunny, we will have lots of good fun that is funny! 

You should not, would not want to miss a birthday celebration quite like this."


The color scheme was similar to that in "The Cat in the Hat."  All decorations were red, white and aqua.  I used a big piece of red and white polka-dotted fabric that I purchased at JoAnn's Fabric as a tablecloth for the food table.

I also purchased red and white vintage paper straws online.

Dr. Seuss books were placed around the house as part of the decor.

We served food inspired by Dr. Seuss books including Green (deviled) eggs and ham and cheese sliders (which were absolutely delicious!)  You can find the recipe for the ham sliders here at "Annie's Eats."  

We also served "Oodles of Noodles" (Pasta Salad)

The dessert table featured Oreo truffles, which were not inspired by a Dr. Seuss book but are incredible and were gone in less than 15 minutes.

In addition to the Oreo truffles, the dessert table also had Pink Ink Yink Drink (Lemonade punch),

Truffala Tree Cupcakes (cotton candy on pretzels for the trees),

the Cat in the Hat Cake & Strawberries on sticks (dipped in white chocolate and blue sprinkles).

For favors, guests received "WhoFoo Fluff on a Stick" (marshmallows dipped in blue white chocolate and sprinkles and wrapped in cellophane).  These were tied with a string and a note was attached that read:

"Today was good, today was fun!  Thank you, thank you, everyone!"

Imani and I made big tissue balls to hang over the dessert table in red, white and aqua (I should have removed the bronze wall hangings . . . oops!)

Noah wore a "One Fish Two Fish" shirt that we found at Target.

I made his party hat using my Silhouette machine.

I also made his birthday banner using the Silhouette.

We made a timeline highlighting pictures from Noah's first year.

There was a table set up that had Dr. Seuss' "Happy Birthday to You" book for guests to write a little birthday message to Noah that he can look back on when he is older.

We only played one game, which was to guess the number of blue gumballs and red sweedish fish in jars.  The winners got to take the candies home with them.

Overall, the party was a lot of fun.  There is so much you can do with a Dr. Seuss theme and it was hard to narrow down all the ideas online.

Most of all, I think we discovered that Noah loves being the center of attention!  I was nervous about how he would sit still opening all of the presents, but he enjoyed every bit of it:

Trying on his first camo hat and making faces for the camera,

and hugging bears in a book.

He especially enjoyed when everyone sang to him and he got to eat his  Truffala Tree cupcake!

He even shared with his sister!

Happy Birthday Noah!