Crafts

Friday Flair Link Party // Christmas Star Edition

2 · Nov 29, 2012 · 44 Comments

Who’s ready for some Friday Flair fun? Better yet… who’s ready for some Christmas inspiration? I am having so much fun getting the house ready for the holidays. I just adore this time of year and all the creativity that it brings out in people. Recently I fell in love with this simple ribbon star from Beyond the Picket Fence…

img source // ribbon star from beyond the picket fence

Isn’t it lovely? It’s amazing how something so simple can create such a stunning statement piece in your home. Visit Becky over at Beyond the Picket Fence and say hello from WhipperBerry. Now…

Let’s Get the Party Started

Staying Ahead of the Game with Tyson

0 · Nov 28, 2012 · 5 Comments

Life just seems to be constantly speeding up… don't you feel that way? I think even if you don't have kiddos, life can be rather hectic. Add four kiddos and a husband on top of that and life starts to rev up to the speed of light. I thought things were hectic when my girls were little and now that I have a teenager, a couple of tweens and a toddler (the triple T) our schedule has gone nuts.

Hales a.k.a. Lil'Whip is up before the crack of dawn at 4:30 am for her first class of the day at 6:00 am. She generally returns home anywhere between 5:00 and 8:00 pm after all of her after school activities. She is one busy girl. Who drives her all these places? Yep, you got it… me! Throw in some fun on the weekends and her time to sit down for a real home cooked meal is rather limited…

And that's just one of the kiddos… Take on the other three and life become a bit of a juggling act.

The three girls are in three different schools, High School, Middle School & Elementary and here in Nebraska we don't have buses for any of them, so I have to get them to and from all three schools everyday. The little guy and I have fun hanging out together everyday, but he can create some challenges of his own. Case in point, the peanut flurries… do you know how hard it is to vacuum up broken up pieces of packing peanuts? He finds that kind of fun almost everyday!

Then you have my crazy mess…

I hate to say it, but the house and family tend to suffer a bit when I'm working on the blog. Here is an old Instagram pic of my creative mess that I'm in a good portion of the time. Making all this beautiful can be a messy business.

Each night, I actually try really hard to cook a healthy home cooked meal for a family sit down dinner at the end of the day, but there are times when it just can't happen. That's why I try and keep some Tyson products on hand in the freezer for those nights when a sit down dinner just isn't in the cards. Right now we are loving the new Tyson mini bread bowls the Chicken Bacon Club bowl is made with 100% white chicken and is full of good protein to help everyone keep their energy up during our busy days.

What about you guys? From soccer practice to PTA meetings, feeding an active and busy family can be hard. Tyson® Mini Bread Bowls help you get a little goodness on the go.

Reply below to let me know what activities keep you and your family eating on the go and you could win $500 cash from Tyson Foods!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Tyson. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.

Christmas Cinnamon Garland

7 · Nov 27, 2012 · 20 Comments

A few years ago my husband and I had the opportunity to take our girls {the little guy wasn’t around then} to Germany and France for the month of December. We couldn’t have planned the timing any better. Christmas in Europe is something everyone should experience. Wishing that everyone could have the experience without the hefty fees involved, I thought I would create something that will help bring some of the German Christmas spirit into your home.

In the German Christmas markets they sell the most amazing gingerbread cookie creations and I’ve always found the designs so inspiring. I thought it would be fun to create a gingerbread cookie inspired garland to dress the home up for Christmas…

The fun thing about this garland is that it’s made out of the classic cinnamon and apple sauce mixture that just makes your home smell like heaven. Here is what you will need to make this garland for your home…

Supplies for the Cinnamon Garland

4 oz. cinnamon
3/4 cup apple sauce
drinking straw
Wilton snowflake cookie pan
chalk pencil (found in the art supply section)
baker’s twine
yarn

Instructions

In a bowl, mix the cinnamon and apple sauce into a dough like consistency. If it’s too thin add more cinnamon or vice versa.

Knead the dough together into a ball then pinch off small gumball size pieces and press them into the snowflake cookie pan.

Using a drinking straw, place holes into the cinnamon ornaments. One at the top if you want to use them to decorate the tree or gift box. Two holes if you would like to string them on a garland.

Place in a 350 degree oven for 2 hours or until completely dry. Keep and eye on them so they don’t burn.

Once they are completely dry, take the white chalk pencil and color in the raised snowflake designs. This idea was a happy accident when I was trying to figure out the best way to have the cookies look like they have been dusted with powdered sugar. The chalk works PERFECT!!

Next, all you need to do is string it onto the baker’s twine and yarn to make the garland. I used a red and white baker’s twine along with a solid red yarn for my garland, but you can use whatever you like.

Now you can use it to dress up your home for the holidays and not only will it look fantastic, it will make your home smell amazing!

Friday Flair Features and a Silhouette Winner

2 · Nov 26, 2012 · 14 Comments

Wowza… I think I have a bit of a Thanksgiving travel hangover. We traveled to Colorado to visit our families for the holiday and had a ball, but I’m running a little slow this Monday morning post holiday. We had fun finding vintage treasures at Great Grandma’s house, playing with cousins, shopping and of course getting into the Christmas spirit with some ice skating at our favorite outside rink The Cube at The Streets at Southglenn in Centennial Colorado. Here’s a little snap shot of our fun from Instagram…

I was also excited to shop at my favorite little shop in Centennial… Old Glory Antiques. That’s where I found my baskets for my DIY Cage Pendant Lights a few months ago. I adore that shop! Dropped a little bit of change there for Small Business Saturday!

Now, for a little business before we ooooh and ahhhh over some of the talented entries from Friday Flair for the last two weeks. Yep, I’m a little behind… (you can always see some of the fabulous posts on my Friday Flair Pinterest board when ever you like.) I have a winner to announce to last week’s Silhouette Portrait giveaway! Congrats goes to Jenny B. entry #1248… Jenny has been emailed so if you are a Jenny B., go check you inbox!!

Who’s ready for our Friday Flair Features? Here’s a few of the fun projects that caught my eye in the last two weeks…