Christmas Decor

Well, I've had my Christmas decor up for about 2 weeks now. I put it up early because we are going to be taking it down early before we go on vacation in Mid-December so that is my excuse. As I was decorating I realized that I don't even have that much decor.  Here is my front door...Welcome!

A few little trees gracing my entry table...these are waiting for the villages to join them when I stop being lazy and dig them out soon. :)

The only nativity I own. My mom gave me these when I first went to collage. They are about 3 inches tall. I love em' though. Someday when we get settled into our real home and stop our cross country moves I want to invest in a large nativity. (hopefully this coming summer will be our last huge move!)

Some fun crafty blocks we made one year. Every holiday season the girls in my family do a "craft". It is sooo fun!

I still have some villages and things in boxes...not sure if I will get them out. My tree is cream and like whitish gold. I love it! So calming and beautiful to me. I do an artificial tree because it is cleaner and easier.

This ornament above was 1 inspiration for my bead tree.

These next two ornaments don't match my "color scheme" but when we move to a new place we like to collect an ornament to remind us of our time there. These are from Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque. We loved it there so much, Albuquerque is an AMAZING town and the balloon fiesta was always a highlight to our year. So even though it doesn't match, I can't help but smile every time I walk by and see them.

And here is my tree altogether. I was too lazy to take down my home decor behind my tree...and I realized after the fact that my angel is tipping and I am too lazy to go take another picture...but you get the idea!

P.S. I think I have had to re-edit this post 3 times already...I guess I was in a hurry and missed words and spelling errors. Sorry for my lameness. :)

My Travels and Breakfast

 I'm back. Whew, sometimes holiday vacations don't seem much like vacations! We got back last night and I think I will be super busy trying to clean up our luggage and house to get things back in order.
But first...I have to go grocery shopping! We have to restock! Whenever we are going out of town we use up all our perishables and so when we get back we have nothing! With no milk for breakfast...I went to the trusty cupboard and found this mix I bought last month at a Tastefully Simple Party.
  Ever heard of them? I hadn't. They have some good things, I ordered some things to try (my husband didn't love that...this stuff is pricey!). Overall, I like that stuff they offer but in my opinion homemade would taste even better! I was happy for these muffins though, otherwise we wouldn't have breakfast. These were so yummy!

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am so grateful for all of my blessings and freedoms! Not much crafting going on, we have been traveling and are now in Colorado with the inlaws. See ya next week! 

The Idea Room

Okay, I found another Silhouette giveaway! Its at the idea room, go check it out here!

Beaded Tree- Ballard Inspired

 Well, I got my Ballard catalog in the mail and fell in love with so many things! My Christmas tree is cream and white gold sparkly so when I saw their holiday collection it just made me smile! I especially loved the Mariana Button Tree. I don't love the price of $79 bucks though! I was inspired to come up with something similar. I looked all over for the perfect buttons, but couldn't find the right shade in bulk so while laying in bed I remembered this bead pearl garland I bought for my tree from hobby lobby a few years ago. I got it home and put it on my tree and it just wouldn't hang right so it went into a baggie and hasn't been out since.

Perfect!

I had a foam tree that I spray painted and added a few sparkles.

I decided to leave the beads on the strand and just wrap around and glue them down with hot glue.

Easy, easy, keep on wrapping.

Finished up and added a long bow ribbon on top. I love it, and it matches my tree perfectly! I will be posting my holiday decor pics soon, hopefully before we head out on vacation this week starting tomorrow! What I also love is that this was practically free! I used everything I had on hand from my stash. 
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Today's Creative Blog

Getting it together for the Holidays

I am jumping into the Holiday Version of my get it together series.

Managing the Holidays- This card list and need/want list, I keep in my "life organizer"  aka binder. Read my first post on that here. I thought it would be helpful to share these since they really come in handy this time of year! As with all of my sections, I just have these in plastic sleeves in the calender/holiday section of my binder.


Christmas Card Lists- 

 I keep this list in my binder and use it year after year making modifications as needed. (write addresses in pencil!) It is so helpful. Here is the first way I was keeping track. It is a good list, but I decided to modify it. However, if you want to download this first version click here for the pdf.
Here is my modified and preferred version, just more room to write.

 Click here to download a pdf of the Christmas Card list. 

Wants/Needs-This little sheet has also been a Holiday Organizing Staple for me. Doesn't hurt for birthdays either! It is a needs/wants list. Here I can keep track of any needs or wants which really helps when I am shopping. You know when you hear your sister mention how cool a 'this or that' is? Or how your husband could really use another tie? This handy dandy list will keep those ideas fresh and ready for when you need reference. It seriously helps so much and your friends/family will be so surprised when "you remembered" something they mentioned. I add things to the list and cross off as I go. This a must for me because I do NOT remember things like I use to! Click here to download the pdf of this list. 

 P.S. As you could tell, all of the things in my binder are coordinated in the same color scheme. I like to keep it cohesive! Also, let me know if you have problems with the downloads. I am not very tech savvy.

Beef, Barley, & Noodle Soup

It is cold and rainy here today. My little boy had his first field trip, they grow up too dang fast! Anyways, I wanted some comfort food...and this hit the spot.

Beef  Barley & Noodle Soup


* 2 pounds extra lean beef stew meat, trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1-inch pieces (I never use this much and usually trim it smaller)
* Salt & Pepper to taste
* Nonstick cooking spray
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1 teaspoon minced garlic
* 1 cup sliced carrots
* 2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley
* 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
* 5 cups fat-free beef broth
* 1 cup water
* 1 cup celery
* 2 cups potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks*
* 1/2 cup medium barley
* 1 cup Egg Noodles (I used the thick old fashioned kind)
* 1 cup frozen peas (I omitted because I didn't have any)



Directions:

Season meat to taste with salt and pepper. In a 6-quart nonstick Dutch oven coated with nonstick cooking spray, cook meat over medium heat until browned, about 5 minutes.


Add onion and garlic, sautéing for several more minutes. Add carrots, parsley, and thyme; sauté for 3 to 5 minutes. Add broth and water and bring to a boil, scraping bottom of the pan. Add potatoes, celery, noodles, and barley. Reduce heat and continue cooking, covered, over low heat for 30 to 45 minutes or until the meat and vegetables are tender. Add peas, stirring for one minute.


At this point I threw it in the crockpot and we enjoyed!

Scrap Ribbon Christmas Tree

Christmas Already?? You bet!

I made this cute little scrap ribbon tree the other day. I only used things I had on hand. I think it turned out really cute and would make a fun gift. I really like how it turned out. First I gathered random scraps. White broadcloth fabric, white organza fabric, various ribbons, and my bedazzler (I know, welcome to the 80's). I actually just received the bedazzler in October as a birthday gift. LOL

I took a piece of scrapbook paper and fit it to my frame backing, I did not use the glass. After that I just cut out a little Christmas tree by hand in the cotton and fit it to my cheap 8x10 frame I had lying around. I frey-checked the edge just to prevent major freying.

I wanted to give it a little kick so I found some white organza in my stash and cut out the tree to match. It wasn't perfect, but I was going for the imperfect scrappy look. Next I cut out the various ribbons and rick rack I had into different lengths across my tree.

 I started glueing them down and then came the bedazzler! I grabbed a few styles and randomly added them as "ornaments" to my ribbon tree.

Then I glued the whole tree onto the paper in frame. I really love it, its quite adorable and unique. Better yet it cost me $0 using all stuff I had on hand! These would make a fun gift.

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Today's Creative

Christmas Printables

These pdfs print as 8x10's on 8.5x11 paper. Just cut the excess after you print and they'll be ready to frame. :) Enjoy. (download links below)

1. Go Here
2. Go Here
3. Go Here
4. Go Here
5. Go Here
6. Go Here