Winter Terrarium Globe

I got this idea from a Homes and Garden magazine and Im glad I did because I had a cracked terrarium globe sitting around waiting to be repurposed!

Here is the magazine version of this:

Super cute!
I used glue to seal the crack in the bottom of my globe. Then to hide that I coated the outside lower part of the globe with mod podge and covered that with glitter and let it dry:

The inside of my globe wasn't large enough to place all my items so I spray painted a Bath and Body Works candle lid white and glued it to the bottom like this:

Next I spray painted my deer and the cake stand I would be placing the globe on:

Before I glued the deer and tree to the bottom I glued some glitter covered leaf stems around the candle lid inside like this:

Next I glued the tree and the deer to the bottom:

Finally I covered the bottom with fake snow and tied a green glittery ribbon to the hook on the top of my globe.

Later I placed some extra pieces like a white pine cone inside and some berry stems around the globe outside. It was a super easy craft that didn't take much time except for the drying of the paint!

Chocolate Chip Cookies With a Dash of Science!

I made these yesterday and they are delicious! I used a recipe from my Betty Crocker New Cookbook but I did a couple things different. I used the science behind baking the perfect cookie to be sure they came out the way I wanted. I wanted them thick and fluffy and not as sugary as normal. I got over 2 dozen out of this recipe and they were fluffy and slightly more... powdery or firm (?) than chewy. Below I posted the recipe along with the changes I made. 

3/4 cup granulated sugar (I used baking sugar)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar (I skipped this completely- if you use brown sugar they will be more chewy and sweet)
1 cup butter (thats 2 sticks, melted or softened)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder (I added this to fluff them up)
1 large egg
2 1/4 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package of chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375. Mix sugar, butter and egg in large bowl. Then stir in flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Finally stir in chocolate chips.

Put them in the freezer for 60 minutes. This keeps the butter from spreading so much when baking, that way they don't flatten out so much.

Drop dough in a rounded tablespoon onto a cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes.

EAT THEM!

Snow Covered Tree in a Globe

This might be the easiest craft ever! Makes a super cute gift too!

What you need:
a small fish bowl from Dollar Tree
metalic pipe cleaners from Dollar Tree
fake snow
small size christmas tree from Michaels Crafts or Dollar Tree
hot glue
glitter

First thing I did was put a drop of hot glue on the bottom of the tree and place it in the center of the fish bowl. Then I sprinkled fake snow around the tree and sprinkled glitter over the tree. Lastly I wrapped a silver metallic pipe cleaner around the mouth of the jar. Thats it!

Candle Jar Christmas Decor

I buy a lot of Bath and Body Work candles and I can't stand to throw out the jars once the candles burn up so I clean them and keep them for holiday crafts. These also make great gifts! 

What you need:
miniature christmas village items or other small decor (I got mine at Dollar Tree)
any jar you like that will fit your decor- to learn how to clean an old candle jar click here
glue gun
fake snow

I used the lid of my candle jar to attach the decor to. That way I can turn the jar upside down so that light comes in and you can see it from all sides. Its more like a globe this way. All you have to do it place some drops of hot glue to the bottom of your decor and then place it in the center of your lid like this:

Let it dry and then place a drop of glue on the inside corner of two sides of your lid. Put a little fake snow in your jar and then place the lid on top. Turn it upside down and shake your snow into place. Thats it! 

Garlic Butter Brussel Sprouts

I was looking for a simple and delicious way to prepare brussel sprouts. I keep a lot of garlic in my kitchen so I decided to throw 1 minced garlic clove, a tablespoon of butter and a teaspoon of ground pepper in a pan with 6 halved brussel sprouts. I cooked them a little more than five minutes. I like mine a little crispy on the outside so once the outer layer started to turn brown I was done! They are so yummy! Quick and easy to make too! If you don't like butter you can easily substitute butter with oil. 

Snowflake Canvas Craft

This was another easy holiday craft. I got the gold glitter decor at Dollar Tree. I already had the canvas and the blue glitter.

You need:
Mod Podge
sponge brush from Dollar Tree
glue gun
glitter
canvas
flat ornament from Dollar Tree

First you spread a thin layer of Mod Podge over the entire canvas. Then sprinkle glitter over the entire canvas until its covered how you like. Let it sit for a few minutes and then hold the canvas upright over a bowl to let the excess glitter fall off. Let the canvas dry completely. After it is dry use a glue gun to place drops of glue to the back of your ornament. Place the ornament on your canvas and press down for a minute until the glue sets. Let it dry flat for a bit before hanging it or setting it upright.

Ornament Christmas Art

I got these ornaments at the Dollar Tree. I got the glitter, Mod Podge and canvas at Michaels. It was a super easy craft to make.

What you need:
Glue gun
Canvas
Mod Podge in glossy
Sponge brush
Glitter
Flat ornaments from Dollar Tree

Spread a layer of glossy Mod Podge over the entire canvas. Then gently shake glitter over the entire surface. Let that dry. Place drops of hot glue in several spots on the ornaments and place it on your canvas. Gently hold it down for a minute to make sure it dries flat. Thats it!

Christmas Tree and Car Craft

I saw a decoration like this on a website but can't recall where I got the idea. It is a really easy craft to make. You can use any jar you like and you can even get a toy car at the Dollar Tree!

You need:

a toy car

a small bottle brush tree

fake snow

a small thread or yarn

a jar

glue gun

marker

brown paint 

First thing I did was place the toy car in the jar and mark where the wheels sit on the bottom of the jar so I will know where to place drops of hot glue. 

Then I take the car back out.  I painted the stem of the tree brown. Then place a drop of hot glue on the top of the car where the tree will lay. I place the tree on the car and let the glue dry. After its dry I tied the thread around the tree and through  the car windows. Next I placed drops of glue at the bottom of the inside of the jar where the wheels would sit and placed the car inside on top of the glue. Let that dry. Now sprinkle fake snow inside and you are all done!

Teddy Bear Honey Vanilla Challah Bread

I saw this recipe and instructions at Sweet Happy Life. This is my first time making a bread bear so he isn't perfect but I would call this success! She includes instructions for both braided challah and the teddy bear challah so make sure you scroll through the instructions till the end so you know you are looking at the right ones! I used chocolate chips instead of berries for the eyes and belly button.