We love candles in this house...I mean LOVE. Being me, I didn't want to throw away the jars. Some candles come in some amazing looking jars that can be reused! So I looked up how to do it and it is super easy!


(I know that they are two different candles but you get the idea)

First you put the candle in the freezer for at least an hour. This will shrink the wax and make it easier to remove. After you take it out, get a butter knife or something else with a dull tip that will not break and start breaking up the wax. Next, put some baby oil on a cotton ball and wipe the inside of it. This will remove the film left by the candle. Then just was and there you go! Something else to use for storage or an art project!

Oh yea, if you are into making candles or would like to, you can save these bits of wax to use

I love the way glitter looks but HATE using it. It is so messy and impossible to clean off of anything! So when I saw how to make these I was excited! I did make a small mess with the glitter but not too bad. I put the glitter inside the ornament this way none of it will come off.


I used some floor cleaner and glitter to make these. I didn't have an actual funnel so I just made one out of paper. Make sure to tape it if you are making your own. The glitter will come out of the cracks in the paper. I also used some cotton balls which are not in the picture. I used these to put on the opening of the ornament while shaking the glitter around, keeps it off of your fingers.


I used three different kinds of glitter; fine glitter (left), regular glitter and fine tinsle glitter (right).


First put some of the floor cleaner in the ornament and swish it around. Next add the glitter to the ornament through the funnel. Make sure you add more than you need. If you don't add enough it will all stay in one place on the bottom.


When you are finished just put the top back on the ornament and you are finished!



Above pictures are using regular glitter




Above pictures are using fine tinsle glitter

And my favorite: fine glitter




(I put my animals names on some of them; Scooter, Kat, Oliver and then there are two more at my boyfriends house, Sirius and Bella.)

Starting with a plain ornament, I put some red crepe paper inside and then painted the outside like a santa suit.

Very easy!

So a few years ago we threw away a lot of our Christmas stuff because it was just so old. Included in that were some very ugly ornaments that was given to us, therefore we needed more so I finally got around to making some this year. I was going to put all of the ones I did in one post but I think there are just way to many pictures so I am doing them seperatly.

 



Above I printed out some sheet music or a page out of a book, cut them up and used mod podge to glue it onto a plain ornament.

My sister makes an after dinner drink called nuts and berries and it is DELICIOUS! It is almond milk, frangelico hazelnut liqueur, amaretto and chambord. The problem? She said she spent close to $100 on all three bottles. But once you actually have them they will last a while because you don't really need much of each, depending on how you like it.


(left to right: Amaretto, Chambord, Frangelico)

I spent around $35 on the ingredients to make all three. That is so much better than $100! This will be part of her Christmas basket this year and it makes enough that it will go into some others also. I still have to find some cute jars to put them though.

Frangelico

1 C sugar
1/2 C water
2 C vodka
1 C brandy
1 1/2 C hazelnut syrup (I used hazelnut coffee creamer and it turned out fine)
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Bring water to a boil and add sugar. Boil slowly stirring constantly until the liquid is clear. Remove and allow to cool to warm. Pour in vodka, brandy, hazelnut and vanilla.

Tips:

You can use whiskey in place of brandy.
Can be used immediatly but is best if it is allowed to rest in a dark cool place for 2 months.
If you would rather use real hazelnuts, you can steep 1 pound of them in the vodka for 2 weeks, shaking every day. Then strain and use in place of the hazelnut syrup.



Amaretto

1 C water
1 C white sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
2 C vodka
2 Tbsp. almond extract
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine both sugars and water in a sauce pan over medium heat. Heat until it is boiling and the sugars are dissolved (remember to stir once in a while). Remove pan and let cool for 10 minutes. Stir in vodka, almond extract and vanilla extract. Pour into a sealed bottle.

Chambord

3 C sugar
1 C water
12 oz fresh raspberries
3 C vodka

Heat sugar and water together until all sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let it completly cool. Chop rasperries into small pieces.

(it would have been so much easier if I had a food processor!) When the sugar and water is completly cool, add the rasperries and then the vodka. Put into a jar with a secure lid. Let it rest for 4 weeks, shaking every 3 days. After 4 weeks strain the mixture with a cheesecloth. 

I ended up using the vodka bottle I had bought since that was the only thing big enough to fit all of it and I didn't want to split the raspberries fearing that one jar would be stronger than another.

Tips:
 
You can use other types of fruit to do this such a plums, strawberries, cranberries (which is what I think I am going to try next). This can also be stored up to a year at room temperature or in the fridge.

There are a few other types of infused vodkas I want to try. I have a friend who is turning 21 this December so what a perfect time to try!

I hope you enjoy!

Very easy to make! Just draw the bubbles on the pillow cases

These were very simple to make. One is thicker than the other because that is just what I had around the house. They are just circles covered in white felt and then I cut out the red pieces and hot glued them together. From there I took some of the clear bags that you use to cover gift baskets with and made the wrappings for them. The plan is to attach them to the mail box once it gets closer to Christmas!

So theses are very easy to do...I am making them for Christmas. The family is putting together baskets so these will go in the ones for the readers. I have seen different ones that have been stamped or with some kind of cut out. I might do this if I can find an affordable one, I refuse to pay $5 for a stamp!

Last night I thought about this and figured it would be a good addition to my decorations.



I also put some glow in the dark paint on it so here it is glowing!

Probably could have just added this one with my witch shoes but oh well...