Remake 4 Christmas Edition {Pinterest}

It's already almost the end of December and I have yet to post about my latest accomplishments!! The entire list is a mix of Christmas ideas/gifts and Pinterest projects, so
here goes:

1. Eggplant***

Eggplant is not an easy vegetable to work with. Ever since having this dish over in East Asia, I've been craving it. I think I finally found a recipe I like.....

*Nothing like the authentic :)

2. Blog Button (with drop box)****

I took Web Design for two electives in high school where I learned basic HTML, but I hardly remember anything I learned! Haha! I've been meaning to make a new Etsy banner for my shop (now accomplished), and thought I'd start out with a blog button first. 

*As long as you follow the instructions, you can do it (there are a lot of steps though)!

3. Fabric Flowers**

These were definitely harder than I thought to make. I switched the directions and did the wrong stitch lengths and had to start over. 

*I liked the flowers better when the length was cut in half.

4. Gift Bag****

What a great way to repurpose wrapping paper! I bent in the center so I could fold it up to store. Later I added handles from a Trader Joe's paper shopping bag.

*Make sure it's pretty heavy duty/thick enough to withstand weight

5. Tinsel & Ornament Wreath****

Such a fun, vintage twist on the usual Christmas wreath!

*I technically didn't really follow a tutorial. I had bought the tinsel wreath last year in the Target One Spot and then hot glued ornaments all around in green, silver, & red!

6. Tile Coasters*****

I purchased 6 basic white tiles at Lowes (16 cents each). Chose coordinating scrapbook papers and cut to size. Use Mod Podge to adhere to tile and then coat with too (I used Matte) and then spray with a sealer (I used Clear Valspar Matte). Hot glue cork to the bottom. Ta-Da! 

*I made these for every single woman in my family. That totals to 8 sets of coasters!! 

7. Puppy Chow**

My mom has a peanut allergy, so we never made puppy chow in our lineup of Christmas cookies. We decided to make some last night and split it up into 8 sandwich bags to give/portion control

*Didn't do the hazelnut step in this recipe and mixed Nutella with some Peanut Butter

[As always: the Pin & the Board]

#1 from Good Eats

#2 from Creations

#3 from Celebrating in Style

#4 from Gift Wrap

#5 from Christmas Cheer

#6 from Inspiration

#7 from Sweet Tooth

Hope everyone has a merry Christmas Eve!!! :)
and a wonderful holiday season!

My Monday Rambling

Today is President's Day & Matt's older brother's birthday!! Happy 26th Birthday!

It is sunny and gorgeous outside, but a little windy. Looking forward to a nice walk with the pup after I run some errands.

I'm SO pumped that I have crossed the 25 follower mark! THANK YOU!! I truly look forward to every new follower and comment!! It makes my heart smile :) Also, I can't wait to add some *new items* to my Etsy as well this week! So be on the lookout!!!

Matt and I were in Greensboro this past Saturday to attend a memorial service honoring his grandma and  in support of his dad and our family. It was a special time of sharing memories, stories, and words of wisdom. It is always nice just to be with family. I was able to learn more about her since I never had the pleasure of meeting Matt's grandmother.

Marian Pepin McDonald

On Friday, I decided to link up my "Happy Spring/Easter" wreath at two of my favorite inspirational craft blogs. And in doing so, I was able to check out what everyone else in blog world was creating. There were over 600 links @ Tatertots & Jello and Whipperberry had 96!! So many fun things to see!

Therefore, I wanted to share my favorite find with you!! It has many elements that I enjoy: photographs, frames, fabric, art, an embroidery hoop, a wreath, a monogram, and plenty of COLOR :)

Kari

@ Beautiful Inspirations 

made this sweet Gallery Art for her daughter's bedroom

She explains what she did in her pictures and gives 

details of where she purchased the items and what paint color she used.

How cute is this?!!?!

She is also in need of some advice for painting the bed....any suggestions?

Check out the post

here!!! & let her know what you think :)

My New Shop {Etsy}

At last!! I've finally done it!
With the help of my sweet Nikon for picture-taking and my hubby helping me change their file sizes.......
So go check it out: lifeasapepin.etsy.com


I've only listed a few items and hope to do more soon!!! Tell me what you think!!


Also, I practiced a bit with our camera yesterday on the Christmas tree lights using a Bokeh effect. How cool are these?! It's pretty easy (after fiddling with the camera settings) to do
and I used the tutorial over at a new blog I found.


First some gifts under the tree

Can you tell what shapes they are?!!

All Year Round Wreath

So I'm starting to start a small inventory to create an Etsy shop of my own!! Wahoo! Right now, though, I'm really working on making some wreaths for a few friends who expressed interest in my recent creations. *update: Shop is now open and can be found here!
BUT this specific wreath I'm really pumped about! I got the idea thru the infamous "Happy Everything" series and my sister-in-law. The concept is that you are able to switch out the attachments for different times of the year.

This wreath would be able to be used all year long. How it will work:
-You make a wreath made with basic colors (black, grey, white, cream, etc) so that it is always "in season" no matter what attachment it has.
- Then you make the attachments separately that you want to snap-on to your wreath. They will be different color combinations and different designs in accordance to holidays (Halloween, Christmas, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, etc)

I've started the process of making a couple for some friends and can't wait to show them off! I wonder if I could somehow copyright this idea :) Anyone know how to go about doing that? LOL.

 

Updated & Linking this to:

i HEART Etsy

Awesome necklace- my favorite colors!

If you haven't heard of the wonderfully amazing website Etsy, then you're in for a treat! It's an eBay or Amazon for the crafty & homemade goods. My Dad told me about the website when I was in college and suggested I start my own "shop". I have contemplated this for a few years, and really would love to sell. But, I've always thought that the crafts that I really love to make might become annoying (to make) if I am constantly making them over and over. Maybe I can do several different little crafts.......We shall see......

Love the cool, green pillow

Here are some super cute items that I saw today on Etsy:

how cute is this teapot? 

precious ringbearer pillow

fun fall colored napkins

AND I am So excited for the new season of Modern Family! That show is so hysterical and makes me laugh every single time! Here is a short little clip to gear up for the premiere in September:

They're Emmy Winners! and here is the funny clip:  George in the family