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{DIY advent calendar}

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November 30, 2011 By | 31 Comments
{advent calendar}
It hit me today: Tomorrow is already the first of December!!
I have been planning on making an Advent Calendar for a while now, but forgot all about it until this morning.. Ooops!
So, I quickly went shopping for supplies and assembled this year’s Advent Calendar this morning.
A little side note: In Germany, Christmas is celebrated on the 24th of December. That’s why there are only 24 little bags in our calendar.
{advent calendar}
What you’ll need:
  • white paper bags
  • old book pages
  • clothes pins
  • crazy scissors
  • glue stick
  • decorative stars
  • a printer
  • enough candy and chocolate for 24 (or 25, if you’re in the US) bags
{advent calendar}
How to:
  • print “Merry Christmas” written in different languages on paper bags.
  • cut the top of the bags with crazy scissors.
  • fold the top down about 1 inch.
  • print numbers on old book pages and tear the pages into squares around the numbers.
  • glue the numbered squares on the paper bags.
  • attach the little golden star.
  • fill the bags with yummy goodies.
  • hang the finished bags on a string between two nails.
{advent calendar}
I know this is a little short notice, but maybe this inspires you to make an Advent Calendar this year. :)
{advent calendar} 

I’m partying here! ♥

Filed Under: Christmas, Crafts, DIY, Gifts, Holiday, Nifty, Thrifty | 31 Comments

{nifty thrifty sunday #33}

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November 27, 2011 By | 15 Comments
Welcome to this week’s {nifty thrifty sunday}!
We just got back from the flea market. It was unsuccessful, but fun. We went a little earlier than usual and it was nice beating the crowd for once. :)
What have you been up to this weekend?

Here are some of my favorites from last week’s {nifty thrifty sunday}:

{1} Saved by Love Creations: DIY Crepe Paper Tree
{2} Eat Cake for Dinner: Cinnamon Honey Butter
{3} Too Much Time on my Hands: Gift Tags
{4} Funkytime: Christmas Garland
{5} The Rickett Chronicles: Pumpkin Cheesecake Truffles
{6} Gingerbread: Holiday Tags and Wrapping

If you were featured today, feel free to grab the button from the button pageat the top navigation bar!

{nifty button}

 

Filed Under: {nifty thrifty sunday} | 15 Comments

{make it merry: 14 days & 14 DIY ideas}

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November 26, 2011 By | 19 Comments
A few weeks ago, the lovely Diane of home sweet homemade asked me to be part of the blog collaboration Make it Merry, honoring Winter and Christmas time.
I loved the idea and was really excited when she asked me to post about Wreaths & Door Swags.
All in all there are 14 days & 14 DIY ideas. I’m looking forward to seeing all the other participants and I hope that you will visit as well (just click the blog names on the image below for each day)! :)
nifty thrifty things the blue velvet chair homework project possessed meridian road modern country style Truly Lovely home sweet homemade Jill Ruth & Co. Rustique Art hello lovely inc. Decor to Adore Inspire Me Heather Ladybird Ln Image Map


On to the door wreath:
This is yet another project I worked on together with my mom and we each made a wreath to hang on our door.
My mom’s wreath:
My wreath:
What you’ll need:
  • vine wreath
  • crafting wire
  • pruning shears
my mom’s wreath:
  • different pine tree limbs
  • olive
  • hydrangea
  • walnuts
  • pine cones
  • beechnuts
  • anise stars
my wreath:
  • different pine tree limbs
  • ivy
  • boxwood branches
  • ilex
  • cinnamon sticks
  • anise stars
How to:
Start by gathering up a few pine tree branches and wrap the wire around and around and around.. ..adding more branches, ilex, boxwood, ivy, hydrangea, …
Make sure to cover the whole vine wreath with greens and if necessary go back in to fill little gaps by wrapping smaller branches into the wreath.
Create a little hook out of the wire and attach it to the wreath to hang it on the door.
Depending on what you want to use, decorate the wreath with anise stars, walnuts, pine cones, cinnamon sticks and/or beechnuts.
  • Wrap 5–6 cinnamon sticks with wire and attach to the wreath with a hot glue gun.
  • The walnuts and pine cones can also be attached with a hot glue gun.
  • Twist golden wire around the anise stars and/or beechnuts and wrap them along the wire to make a string. Wrap the string of anise stars and/or beechnuts around the wreath.

PS: It’s a little messy.. But totally worth it! ;)

I’m partying here! ♥

Filed Under: Christmas, DIY, Gifts, Holiday, Nifty, Thrifty | 19 Comments

{floral friday #37}

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November 25, 2011 By | 13 Comments
Wow! Has it really been over a month since my last {floral friday} post?!
So, welcome to this week’s month’s {floral friday}!
Today, I have several flowers to share with you and some of them I don’t even know the name of.. Oops!
While the hubby and I were enjoying being in our other home, Texas, my mom and one of her close friends got to experience a completely different “world”. They went to Vietnam for three weeks and brought home some amazing pictures. Along with photographs of the incredible country, my mom brought back some beautiful flower shots.
Here are some of my favorite:
anthurium
plumeria
ginger
hibiscus
heliconia
crown of thorns
coral bean tree
alamanda
ixora
bauhinia
peacock flower
java glorybower
lipstick tree
water lily
water lily
PS: If you happen to know any of the untitled flower names, please let me know and I’ll add it to the description.
Oh, and please also let me know if I didn’t identify any of the above flowers correctly. :)

I’m partying here! ♥

Filed Under: Photography, {floral friday} | 13 Comments

{cinnamon roll muffins}

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November 22, 2011 By | 24 Comments
It’s my first post (with the exception of {nifty thrifty sunday}) since we’re back in Germany and I’ve missed blogging an awful lot! I missed all of you!!
But before starting today’s post, I wanted to shout out a huge THANK YOU to all the fabulous Guest Bloggersthat shared a little about themselves and their blogs. I hope you all enjoyed them taking over my blog as much as I did while I was gone. ;)

————————-

It’s my beautiful mom’s birthday today (herzlichen Glückwunsch, Mama!)!

To celebrate her special day, I tried to make one of her favorite American treats (which we can’t get over here): cinnamon rolls. I didn’t have time to bake the yeasty version though. So, I consulted my good friend Google and found a no-yeast easy-to-make cinnamon roll muffins recipe.
{cinnamon roll muffins}
Unfortunately they didn’t rise as much as I would have liked them to (and stayed a little dense), so I might try and modify the recipe a little next time I bake the cinnamon roll muffins.
They still tasted pretty delicious and were liked by all birthday guests at my mom’s house. ;)
{cinnamon roll muffins}
What you’ll need (recipe source):
for the muffins

  • 1 cup of buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 3 to 3 1/2 cups flour
for the filling
  • 2 tbsp. butter, room temperature
  • 2/3 cups brown sugar
  • 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
for the icing
  • 1–2 tbsp. milk or cream.
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
{cinnamon roll muffins}

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Measure the brown sugar, baking soda, salt, vanilla and egg into a mixing bowl.
  3. Add the Buttermilk. Add the flour. Stir until thoroughly combined.
  4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute or two.
  5. Roll the dough into a 12-inch by 24-inch rectangle.
  6. Using a rubber spatula, spread with butter. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
  7. Roll the dough into a log and stretch slightly.
  8. Cut into two-inch pieces and put the pieces into greased muffin tins of muffin tins lined with cupcake papers.
  9. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
  10. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes, and then remove from the muffin tins.
  11. Drizzle with icing when cool.

I’m partying here! ♥

Filed Under: Baking, DIY, Good Eats, Handmade, Recipes | 24 Comments