Hand painted ornaments

I know it’s the day after Christmas, but I didn’t want to ruin the surprise by posting these on the blog beforehand. I handed out these cute ornaments to my family during our Christmas celebration.

I’m really happy with these.

So I found these porcelain stocking ornaments at Michael’s. I hated the red string they came with so I cut that off.

 

 

I wanted to keep the trim at the top. So I used a small piece of masking tape to block it off.

I did a quick coat of my different paints. I used the Martha Stewart craft paints I have that are perfect for porcelain. The Satin ones coated the best. I used one kind of Metallic, but it got gummy and bubbly. Take the masking tape off while the paint is still wet. Otherwise, you’ll end up pulling off some of the paint.

I did the one side, let it dry for about an hour and then flipped it over and did the same on the other side. You can do a second coat if needed.

After letting them dry on both sides, I used my holiday stencils (also Martha Stewart) and put one symbol on top of each stocking.

 

Let them dry overnight. I wanted to make sure they were permanent and I didn’t have 21 days to let them cure. So I did bake them. Stick them in a cool oven on a baking sheet. Set the oven to 350 degrees. Once it hits 350 degrees, bake for half an hour and turn the oven off. I baked for 40 minutes total. Leave them in the oven as it cools down.

I then used my favorite fabric ribbon to restring them. Yay!

Something to pin and save for next year’s gifts!

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Handmade Christmas cards

I’m participating in my first Christmas card/craft exchange this year. It’s the first time I’m making a bunch of Christmas cards. I decided to go minimalist and simple.

I’m happy with how they turned out.

 

Supplies: card stock cut into card length, glue dots, three different types of Christmas scrapbook paper, a paper punch (I used a star)

Start by punching out a lot of shapes from the scrapbook paper.

 

Then come up with a pattern. I used three stars cut from each piece of scrapbook paper for a total of 9 stars.

 

Helpful tip: Prep your whole project by cutting out the cards and folding them. Then pull off the amount of glue dots you need for each card with the paper backing intact. Then stick your 9 star shapes onto the glue dots. Saves time from doing it one by one.

 

Then just apply the stars to your card in a pattern that makes you happy! Very simple and it’s a little something extra for your Christmas cards.

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Peppermint Popcorn

I’m in a peppermint sort of mood. I made those two kinds of sweet popcorn a while back and decided to try it again but with a holiday twist.

 

This is peppermint popcorn! Not overpowering, but you can still taste the peppermint.

 

Ingredients:
– Lightly buttered popcorn, popped
– White candy melts
– 1 tablespoon peppermint extract or oil
– Some candy canes
– Sprinkles

You need to crush the candy canes into a fine powder. Set up your popcorn station. I use two baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Put the popcorn onto the sheets spread out. Make sure you weed out any unpopped kernels.

 

Melt your candy melts in the microwave. 30 seconds. Stir. Repeat. Until they’re all melted. Add in your tablespoon of extract. Now, if you’re using extract, the candy melts will start to seize up. It’s ok. Stir quickly and then dump onto the popcorn. Using your hands, coat all the popcorn as best you can. Toss the popcorn around on the baking sheets.

 

While the popcorn is still wet, add sprinkles! So festive. Let it sit and harden for awhile. You can package this up for gifts or it’s a great snack at a party. If it’s in a bowl, I suggest sprinkling more sprinkles on top. They won’t stick, but it makes it prettier.

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Pretzel, M&M and Candy Cane Kisses

Updated, see the note below

I’ve seen these little treats before, but made with the Hershey’s Hugs, the kisses that have white and milk chocolate. But I just picked up a bag of Candy Cane Kisses at the store on sale. If you’ve never had these ones before, omg they are so good! I love peppermint flavored anything and peppermint chocolate? Yes please! There’s also chips of candy cane in there I think.

So I made a Christmas version of these snacks using the Candy Cane Kisses and Christmas colored M&Ms.

Ingredients: bag of M&Ms, pretzels and the Candy Cane Kisses.

Start by preheating your oven to 200 degrees. Lay your square pretzels out on a baking sheet with parchment paper underneath. You can stuff the pan more than I did.

Make sure if you get the square pretzels, you get the plain snaps and not the butter snaps. Those won’t taste as good. You could also get circle pretzels that’ll fit the bottom of your chocolate. I’d avoid the regular pretzel shape though.

Stick the Candy Cane Kisses on top of the pretzels. This is probably the most laborious part of the task! As is the problem with anything involving individually wrapped candies. I suggest getting a helper (little kids are definitely up to the task) and have a garbage bowl a la Rachael Ray nearby.

Stick the pan into the oven for about 4 minutes. If you compare the kisses in the two photos above, you can see the second photo (with the messy pretzel placement) the Kisses are sorta saggy, a bit more shiny. This means they’re melty in the middle. To avoid the pretzels moving around on the pan, I would definitely add more pretzels.

Note: If you use milk chocolate kisses, you may need to bake them a minute longer. They don’t melt as quickly as the candy cane versions. I don’t know how Hugs melt, so I’d put them in at 4 minutes, and then see if they need a little longer.

Then, work quickly and place one M&M on top of the Kiss and push down. Once you’re done, stick the pan into the fridge for at least 15 minutes to help the chocolate set up. I’d say leave it in there longer just to be sure the chocolate isn’t still melty and gooey.

Now, if you want to give it an extra minty kick, you could use mint M&Ms. But I used the milk chocolate ones. These treats were seriously yummy and it’s a great little thing to bring to a party.

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Snowflake tealight holder

I was looking to make something that is both holiday appropriate and could still be kept around once the holidays are over. Something wintery seemed great. I had gotten a bunch of snowflake stencils recently and I had a few blank tealight holders left over from the glitter tealights I made before.

I’m really happy with how these came out, and just like snowflakes, neither one is the same.

 

Supplies: glass paint, tealight holders, stencils and foam brushes

I used four kinds of Martha Stewart craft paint: Wedding cake, wet cement, surf and sea lavendar, all in the satin finish. In hues of white, blue and gray. Totally winter right?

You only need a little bit of paint for this entire project. A little dollop of paint is all you need. I will say I didn’t use much of the wet cement paint. It looks like a nice gray when it’s on the plate there, but it sorta looked like a dingy and dirty snowflake.

I put the stencils all around the tealight holder. I let some hang off the holder so they would look like they were falling snowflakes.

Dab the paint onto the stencil. I went all the way around the tealight holder before pulling the stencils off. I didn’t want the paint to dry all the way, because I’ve experienced the paint pulling off the glass with the stencil when it’s too dry. If there are some larger gaps between the pattern, you can fill them in with other stencils. If you want to paint over the other snowflakes, let them dry at least an hour.

 

Love! Simple and pretty.

I’m going to follow the curing method that’s just leaving them out for 21 days. Otherwise you could bake them for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. You put the glasses into the cold oven, turn the oven on and let it hit 350 degrees. Then start the half an hour counter. Then turn the oven off and let them cool. Then they should be set. You need to wait 24 hours for them to dry before the baking method, btw.

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Glitter on the inside ornaments

I think one of the worst things about Christmas is the glitter. However, one of the best things about Christmas is the glitter. You can’t win! Well, you can at least minimize the terrible glitter hands that come with the sparkly and really pretty ornaments that you hang on your tree.

I present to your: Glitter on the inside ornaments!

They are super pretty and take no time to make. Finding the specific Pledge you need to make the inside of the glitter sticky was the most difficult part of this.

They’ll also make great gifts and you can even decorate the outside of the ornament, like putting the year and a family’s last name on it.

Supplies: an envelope, clear ornaments, glitter and Pledge Floor Care Tile & Vinyl Floor Finish

I had to go to four stores to find the right pledge, this one has the blue top and the Futura symbol. I eventually found it at Wal-Mart. Target one that was orange scented, I don’t know if I’d want orange smelling ornaments.

Tip: The Pledge is super sticky. If you use it, then store it for awhile, run the top under hot water. It will loosen the cap and the topper. Don’t struggle with it before running the water cause it’s a fruitless battle.

Also, I highly suggest using a superfine glitter. You can use whatever kind of glitter you want, but superfine covers the inside of the ornament amazingly, no empty spaces or gaps between the glitter.

Cut the corner off the envelope and then snip off the tip of that. That will be your funnel. Put it to the side for the glitter portion of this crafting excursion.

Take the metal top off the ornament.

Squirt a little bit of the Pledge in the ornament.

Start gently rolling the Pledge around in the ornament. Don’t shake it. You don’t want bubbles forming.

Open up the cap of the bottle and put the ornament into there upside down, in order to get rid of the excess liquid.

Take your funnel and put it into the ornament then pour in your glitter.

About two tablespoons worth I think.

Again, roll the glitter to get the best coverage.

Before you get to the top of the ornament, either get a paper towel or use your thumb to cover the opening. You don’t want to spill glitter everywhere and you want to make sure you get the last bits of the ornament covered in glitter. Pour out the excess glitter back into the glitter container.

Pop the metal topper back on and you’re all set!

Look! Pretty glitter ornaments, no glitter on your hands. If you look at the gold and pink ornaments, those are done with normal glitter (bought at the dollar store). You can see some of the gaps. But it’s really not noticeable unless you’re picky (like me!) or you look really close. Also, I love the purply black ornament in front and the champagne gold one in the back. Those were also made with superfine glitter (found at Hobby Lobby).

Have any fun ornaments you’ve made? I’d love to see them! Share links in the comments or head over to my Facebook page, Crafting and Cooking. Don’t forget to check out the Christmas ideas Pinterest board.

S’mores bark

I’ll be honest, I’m not a huge fan of s’mores. However, I am a big fan of marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers. Just not together, really. Go figure. But, I saw this pin on Pinterest and was like, wow, I must try that! It seemed like a pretty awesome gift idea and a very interesting sweet bark idea.

It took no time at all too. Within half an hour, I was munching on a piece of the bark.

Supplies: graham crackers, mini-marshmallows and 1-2 bags of chocolate chips

I opened one package of the graham crackers and laid it out on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet.

Put mini-marshmallows on top of the graham crackers. I was trying to figure out how full of marshmallows I needed to make this. I left gaps so the chocolate would get down to the graham crackers but you can fill it up more I think.

Melt your chocolate in the microwave. 30 seconds. stir. repeat until melted.

I used a spoon to get the chocolate onto the marshmallows and graham crackers.

I realized I just didn’t have enough chocolate to cover it all. But it sure looked good and gooey.

I had some white chocolate chips left over from making peppermint bark, so I melted it up.

Oh yes. Gooey and chocolatey. It became marbled as I tried spreading the chocolate over everything.

Stick the pan in the freezer for about 10 minutes to help the chocolate set up before you break it up. It was really good. My sweet tooth was immensely satisfied.

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Wedding invitation ornament

If you’re like me, you have been getting invited to a lot of weddings lately. After the wedding is done, I feel bad just tossing out the invitation.

This feeling has grown since one of my best friends got married last year. I helped her put together all those invites (because I was the maid of honor), with the ribbon and the two charms that needed to be tied on and all the little pieces of tissue paper and on and on. It’s so labor intensive just to end up in the trash. I did end up re-using the invite she sent me by including it in a photobook I created with all the photos I took throughout the year of festivities.

I got this fabulous idea at from glitter to gumdrops. It’s an awesome way to provide the couple with a personalized gift. I think I might do this for all the invites I get in the future. Although, if the bride uses Pinterest, there’s a good chance she might have seen the original pin as one of my other friends did. She posted a photo on Facebook of her ornament.

Supplies: wedding invitation, clear glass ornament, a paper slicer, ribbon (the one I used for this ornament was tied around the invite) and a pencil

Start by slicing up the wedding invite into strips.

Use the pencil to curl up the invite strips. I did it at an angle so that it looked a tad bit fancier.

You’ll end up with a pile of curls. Some of them, you’ll need to trim and use as filler for spots in the ornament.

Twist the curls into the ornament.

I used the pencil to help arrange the curls so that the words would show among the other curls.

There you go. a really pretty ornament for the newlyweds. As I said in the supply list, the ribbon I used for this ornament was provided by the invite sender. If your invite didn’t give you a ribbon, try finding one that matches the wedding’s colors. If there’s a charm included with the invite, try tying that onto the outside. You can also write in Sharpie on the outside of the ornament their last name and the date of their wedding.

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Festive pom-pom ornament

When you’re at the craft store, try and avoid impulse buys. Although, this impulse buy totally worked out for me. Sparkly, holiday pom-poms make a great ornament filler.

Supplies: Glass ornaments and holiday pom-poms

What do you do? Just shove them in there. The really large pom-poms do take a little more pressure. Don’t try too hard though, you don’t want glass shards embedded in your hand if you accidentally break the ornament.

I mentioned how these sorta look like atoms or whatever to my science-loving boyfriend. He wanted to try and make some that were actual representations of said atoms or elements because the ones I made weren’t exact and he had no idea what they represented. haha.

I fancied up the ornaments with my favorite ribbon.

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Chocolate covered pretzels

Do chocolate covered pretzels make you think Christmas? It seems like it’s the only time that chocolate pretzels are readily available is Christmas time. I love the white chocolate ones that have sprinkles or have ribbons of chocolate laced across them. Then there’s the milk or dark chocolate ones with the toffee pieces. So good!

Well, I wanted to try making my own. This is part of the test batch I made.

 

Cute right?

 

Supplies: pretzels (I used mini-sized), a bag of white chocolate chips, a pan with parchment paper, sprinkles, a measuring cup with a spout, a fork and a spoon

Scroll to the bottom of this post to learn why I chose the white chocolate chips over candy chips too.

 

I poured half the bag of white chocolate chips into the measuring cup. Microwave it for 30 seconds, then stir. Repeat until the chocolate chips are smooth.

 

Ok, so, the way I did this was pour about a tablespoon of the chocolate onto each pretzel. Then I would stick the fork underneath the pretzel and raise it out of the chocolate. If you look at the photo above, there’s a second pretzel under that pile of chocolate.

 

As you can see, there’s a pile of chocolate building up. Before it cools too much, scoop it up and put more pretzels down. Don’t waste the chocolate! It may be better to use a second sheet pan and parchment paper for the already covered pretzels otherwise you’re dragging little ribbons of chocolate over the other pretzels. That’s fine if you want a pattern on them.

 

While they are still wet, sprinkle the sprinkles on top. In order to set the chocolate, I put them in the freezer for 10 minutes.

 

Let the pretzels come back to room temp before handling them. Otherwise the condensation will allow the sprinkle colors to run when you touch them.

They would make great gifts and aren’t that expensive. But it can be a bit time consuming. I didn’t do too many since it was a test run to figure out how to best coat these kinds of pretzels.

I did start the test run using vanilla candy coating. But I ended up with this:

 

Candy coating would be good for stick pretzels if you’re not coating the entire pretzel. You’re just going to dip them. The coating is super thick otherwise. And I did burn the first batch when I was melted it in the microwave.

If you have a better method let me know! Share on my Facebook page or leave a comment here. Remember to check out the Christmas ideas board on Pinterest.