Shabby Vintage Christmas {Paper Doilies: Part II}

Alright, we're continuing ideas for having your own

"Shabby Vintage Christmas" 

using paper doilies as our decorative agent.  {If you missed the first post, click here to see it}.

So this time I wanted to use our paper doily snowflakes as more of a template.  I knew their adorable holes & cutouts would look fabulous as a stencil, so I decided to use them as a snow-inspired backdrop for a large "NOEL" canvas art piece.  Modern, yet vintage-feeling, and completely unique..."these are a few of my favorite things!"

What You Need:
*paper doily snowflakes {the best place to get paper doilies is at a craft store (JoAnn's, Michael's, Hobby Lobby) or WalMart; you can find them in the cake decorating aisle, of all places! Then, if you missed it, please see this post for how to make them into snowflakes}.
*spray adhesive
*spray paint in color of choice
*"Glitter Blast" spray paint in color of choice
*blank canvas in size of choice
*chipboard letters {I found mine for $2 each at Hobby Lobby}
* hot glue gun

Take your blank canvas and go outside so that you can do some painting.  What you want to do first is position your doily snowflakes on the canvas in the pattern you want.  Hang some over the edges and overlap a few to give more realistic depth.  Once they're where you want them to be, you're going to take them, one at a time, and spray the backs with the spray adhesive {do this by placing the snowflake down on some newspapers or other material you don't mind getting spray paint all over!}.  As each is sprayed, put back in place on the canvas and hold down a few seconds to adhere {be sure to press the edges down well!}.

Once all your snowflakes are in place, you're going to take your "Glitter Blast" spray paint and spray over the entire canvas - snowflakes, edges and all!  Let it dry for about 20 minutes, and then carefully remove your doily snowflakes {p.s. do NOT throw these beauties away! they're now bee-YOO-tiful all full of glitter! Sew them together to make a garland, hang from the tree or mantle, or attach to packages!}.

{this photo does NOT do the actual item justice! the glitter spray is GORGEOUS!}

Now it's time to spray paint your chipboard letters.  Do in a well ventilated area outside, and let dry about 20 minutes. 

Then position them onto your canvas where you want them {you can break out the yardstick/ruler for this if you want, but I just eyeballed it}.  Once they're where you want them, you're going to carefully take up the edge of one side and put hot glue (glue gun time!) all over the back of the letter, and then carefully lay the letter back down into position.  You must work quickly with hot glue, as it dries fast.  Be sure to *NOT* take the letter all the way up, or you'll lose the exact position you want!  Just left one edge of the letter, being sure the other edge of the letter does *NOT* leave its position on the canvas!  Once you've hot glued them all in place, you're ready to hang your beautiful canvas up for all to see!

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Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies

Who doesn't love chocolate & cherries?  This cookie has a sweet, moist texture and complements the chewy goodness of the cherries perfectly!  Use either sour cherries for a zing, or regular dried ones for that super sweet tooth!

{photo courtesy of Martha Stewart's COOKIES book}.

This recipe hails from the "Cookies" book by Martha Stewart...and one thing I've noticed about pretty much all her recipes, is that she uses parchment paper on her cookie sheets.  LOVE this! Makes for easy cleanup and not sure how, but somehow the cookies seem to turn out better...softer and chewier....  This woman really knows her stuff!!

Enjoy!!!

Dark Chocolate Cookies with Sour Cherries

1 3/4 C all-purpose flour
1 1/3 C unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 C (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 C granulated sugar
3/4 C firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped {or just use chocolate chips}
1 1/2 firmly packed cups dried sour (or not!) cherries (9 oz)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda & salt.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter & sugars until fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add the flour mixture, and beat on low speed until just combined.  Do not overbeat. With a wooden spoon, fold in chocolate and cherries.  (Dough can be frozen at this point, wrapped well in plastic, up to 1 month; thaw completely before baking).

4. Form balls into dough, each about 1/4 cup; place balls on prepared baking sheets about 3 inches apart.  Bake until puffed and cracked, 9-11 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

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Shabby Vintage Christmas {Paper Doilies: Part I}

I love doilies.  I do, I do!  It might stem somewhere from me seeing them everywhere around the house when I was little, as my Grandma crocheted them nonstop.  Mix that in with the vintage style that's so incredibly "in" right now, along with the incredible femininity and intricacy of these little lovelies, and there ya go ~ we have ourselves a winner!

{paper snowflake doilies as part of Christmas package wrap}

So, I have just been totally inspired by these little lovelies, as of late.  I am currently working them into the adam's blankie hair accessory line {although, they're also currently available on our highly fashionable baby bibs now, if you just can't resist the doily, like myself!}, as well as all parts of our house.  Seemingly.  And much to my husband's dismay. Ha!

{paper doily snowflake in our diy shabby garland...tutorial to come later on the blog!}

Naturally, I wanted to implement them into my Christmas, too, of course!  So the first thought I had was making them into snowflakes.  Afterall, doilies inherently already have small cuts & eyelets that resemble snowflakes themselves.  So I figured I could just add my own distinct eyelets to them, and I'd end up with some "truer" looking snowflakes that are each unique to themselves...just like real snowflakes, of course.

{paper snowflake doily implemented into pre-made store garland}

 To achieve this look, you gotta go back to your grade school art class.  Not literally, of course.  But just think back to some of your earliest crafting as a child. Remember making paper snowflakes?  Yup.  I thought you would.  This is the same thing!  You're going to take your paper doily {available for purchase in any craft store {Michael's, JoAnn's, Hobby Lobby, WalMart} in their cake decorating aisle} and fold it into half 4 times, until you end up with a thin wedge, like so:

Now comes the fun part: snipping!  Just take a small pair of scissors and begin cutting tiny shapes along the folded edges of your wedge.  You can snip off the tip, or choose to leave it there.  Remember, every "snowflake" is unique, so make them all a bit different from each other!

{after all the cuts are in.  you can vary them up, tho!  rounded, heart half shape, etc.}

Once all cuts are done, open it up, and you'll end up with something like this!

So now we just need to flatten it.  To do so, you'll need to get some cotton fabric {if you don't have raw fabric yardage laying around like me {what's that you say? you don't? whaaaaat???  kidding!}, you can just grab a plain cotton tshirt instead} and put it over your snowflake.  Iron on top of the fabric for a few seconds.  Then flip over your snowflake, lay the fabric back on top and iron again.

 

 Now you should have a flat snowflake.

Now comes the real creativity!  You need to decide what you want to do with this little piece of fabulousness!  I had a hard time deciding...so of course I made tons so I could use them many ways!  Here are just a few ideas of what you can do with your doily snowflakes:

*Hang from the ceiling in clusters, creating your own snowy dream! {Would look fabulous over a front entryway buffet table/lowboy}
*Hang onto garlands {see images at top; tutorial for the diy shabby garland to come in next "shabby vintage christmas" installment!}
*Hang from your mantle
*Attach to your stockings
*Hang on the tree
*Sew together to form its own snowflake garland
*Use as tags for Christmas packages {see image above {NOTE: One was spray painted with the ahhh-mazing "Glitter Blast" spray paint from Krylon! You GOTTA get some of that stuff!  It's fabulous!!}
*Use as stencils {idea for this & tutorial coming soon!}

Enjoy!  And be creative!  Let me know how YOU decide to use your snowflake doilies!

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North Pole Cookie Dough {Recipe}

I'm always searching for a great new recipe.  And I must confess that I prefer baking over cooking.  And when it comes to the holidays, I really get in the spirit!

So, typically for Christmas I make the usuals - from peanut butter cups to peanut butter kisses.  But this year, I came across this recipe and thought I'd share it with ya'll.  It's oh-so-perfect for baking this week, too, with a name like "North Pole Cookie Dough."  Seems just about perfect for baking with your kids and leaving with the milk for Santa this coming Friday night. :)

North Pole Cookie Dough {as per cooksrecipes.com}:

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (two sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
1 cup roasted almonds or toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

1. Place 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips in microwave-safe dish. Microwave 30 seconds on high, stir and continue to microwave in 10 to 20-second intervals, stirring after each, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Set bowl aside and cool to room temperature.
2. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In large bowl, beat butter and both sugars using electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add melted, cooled chocolate and vanilla, blend until fully incorporated. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture slowly; mixing until incorporated. Fold in chocolate chunks, nuts and mini marshmallows.
3. Fill pint containers with cookie dough and refrigerate up to four days or freeze up to one month.

When giving as a gift, attach following baking instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Drop dough by rounded tablespoons, or using small cookie scoop, onto parchment-lined baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Flatten dough slightly using back of spoon.
2. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until edges are lightly cracked but centers are still soft.
3. Remove from oven and cool slightly on baking sheet before transferring cookies to wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 3 "pints" of dough or 2 dozen cookies.

{Recipe and photograph provided courtesy of ButterIsBest.com; through ARA Content.}

Now, I must also admit that when I made this, the dough was a bit crumbly after being refrigerated.  So I would advise letting warm up a bit at room temperature and being certain that you let them cool nearly fully on the cookie sheet before transferring to the wire rack {otherwise, they tend to fall apart more easily}.  Another tip to help keep them together better ~ dont' skimp on the marshmallows!!  If some do happen to break apart, just do as I did and save them for ice cream topping -- yummmmmmmm!

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Reindeer Food {Recipe}

Ahhh, the traditions of Christmas.  I simply love them.  From our Snow Village to baking and leaving milk and cookies for Santa, I go ga-ga when it comes to the holidays!

I'm sure most of you have your own family traditions, as well, and I would imagine that most of you with little ones also leave milk & cookies for Santa.  But what about his reindeer?  This year, I discovered that there is something to leave for the reindeer on Christmas Eve, too!  And this is such a great tradition to start with young children.  I can't help but think it's perfect, as I realized how much my 3 year old is getting into the spirit of Christmas already.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, he finally actually wanted to see Santa this year...and even noticed that his reindeer weren't with him.  Hmmmm...

So, here it is: the recipe for the special reindeer food to sprinkle on your lawn Christmas Eve night!  As legend has it, the smell of the oats and the sparkle of the glitter will lead Dasher, Dancer et. al right to your chimney {or, as in our case, doorstep!}!  Enjoy and happy "baking" with your little ones!!

Rudolph's Favorite Snack
1/2 Cup uncooked oatmeal
1/2 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup red or green sugar crystals {as used for baking ~ I've also seen recipes with glitter, but it is advised NOT to use glitter, as it can be toxic to birds and other wildlife that might snatch it up!}

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$72 Gift Sets for $5 ~ Hurry!

I received word of this fabulous deal from Seven slings today and so wanted to share it with you!  I haven't purchased one myself, as we don't really use a carrier around here anymore, but if you're in the market, these look to be a steal of a deal!  Basically for just $5 plus shipping {looks to be about $12}, you get:

*One Seven Slings carrier in fabric of choice
*One color-coordinate pair of baby leggings
*One adult acrylic cuff bracelet with matching sling fabric sealed inside

When you are about to order, they automatically include a "size exchange insurance" for $3.50, which you CAN remove from the cart, by the way.

Code you must put in is: Christmas

If you happen to order this set, please contact me to let me know how the quality is!!

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Santa {Revealed}.

So this is the first year that our son has shown any interest whatsoever in Santa Claus.  For the first time ever, he actually wanted to see him ~ AND didn't cry when he did see him!  Our little guy even observed that when we saw Santa, there were no reindeer.  So, of course, I thought, "awwww...how cute!" and I was glad about all of this.  But then it got me thinking...now that he's "hooked" on the idea, what happens when it's finally revealed that Santa is a phony!?

So, you gotta tell me...those of you out there who have already come and gone past this stage...how was Santa's true identity revealed to your little ones?  Did you initiate telling them? If so, how?  Did they find out from friends and get teased that they still believed?  Were they heartbroken?  How old were they?  Did you go on to tell them about the Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny then and there, too?  Would LOVE to hear about this from you! {I'm already nervous about it, and he just started getting into it this year! EEEK!}

Have a product you'd like reviewed?

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MADNESS MONTH!

Well, October is here, and that means it's (gasp!) time to start thinking about Christmas shopping!!

And to kick off the shopping season, I've decided to give some stellar deals on all our hair couture!  After all, what girl doesn't love a little love in her hair?!  These make for fabulous Christmas gifts for girls of any age!!

Here's the scoop:

with code: HAIRMADNESS (good October 5-October 25th):

*BUY ANY 2 HAIR ITEMS, GET THIRD HALF OFF!

*BUY ANY 3 HAIR ITEMS, GET 4TH FREE!

*BUY ANY 4 HAIR ITEMS, GET 5TH HALF OFF AND 6TH FREE!

{Please email me at adamsblankie.com or convo me via Etsy "contact" to adjust pricing before purchasing OR I can reimburse you via PayPal after payment goes through. Thank you!!}

Have a product you'd like reviewed?

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Thank you to all who entered our giveaway!
The winners are listed below! Merry Christmas!

Bib and Burp Set - erin, maker of chimes
Tea Bag Set - Hailey

***************************************************************************

Tis the season to be jolly...especially since we have 2 festive {giveaways} for you to enter!

Win this decadently divine Ironwork bib and burp set from {Adam's Blankie}. The fabric is a designer print from Joel Dewberry and is backed with plush, absorbant cream chenille.

Win a cute, creative tea bag set (2 flavors) for your little one's play kitchen from
{Gourmet Play}.

{To enter}:
Become a follower of this blog, and then submit a comment on this post/thread for your entry.
The drawings will close December 16th, and the winners will be chosen and posted December 17th.

Good luck and Happy Holidays!

Anthropologie Love.

So am I the only one who didn't realize Anthropologie has a kids section? Granted most of their kids' items are online only (and, believe it or not, I usually don't go online to stores I could visit in person instead), so that must explain my neglect.

Anyway. Here are some fabulous {crafty} finds from their lovely collection of kids' items...enjoy the eye candy. P.S. They would all pair nicely with our Doodle Diddie Crayon Rolls to make a fabulous Christmas gift, if I do say so myself!

Miss Doodle Coloring Doll, made from paper and polyfill, $50.00


Deciduous Puzzle, made from cardstock and recycled paper, $38.00

Doodle Giant Coloring Book, 368 pages to color/doodle, $18.95


Apron, cotton, machine-wash, $24.00

As I eagerly anticipate the arrival of our baby girl in March, I have been busily making things for her...and the list of things I'd like to make just grows longer instead of shorter. (Sigh). Such is the life of a seamstress/craftster, I guess. Most of the items I've been making (or that are on my "to do" list) are quite girly ~ pink, purple, ruffles, flowers, etcetera. But these sensory bags I made are actually great for any gender and will stimulate the newborn to the toddler!


I crafted them in red, white and black, as these are the first colors a baby sees. I sewed in some ribbon tabs for her to maneuver and suck while teething. When she moves them, they'll have a light rustley noise to please, and they also have french lavender inside. This will help keep her soothed if fussy, and help to reduce my headache (because I know inevitably there will be one). :)

Once older (actually, I'm sure our son will take these from her to use himself...better plan on set #2 for him!), she can use them to learn matching (the set has a pair of 3 different coordinating fabrics) and distinguishing and even later as a traditional bean bag set! She can play "basketball" {or beanbagball, rather} by herself or catch with her big brother, which I'm sure he'll be trying to get her to do!

They are currently available for purchase at Adam's Blankie.

Christmas Traditions.

What are your family's Christmas or Holiday traditions? One of my favorites has always been setting up our Christmas village. And it is definitely one I want to "pass down" to my son, but for now, he's definitely too young to be handling such delicate, breakable pieces!

So this year, besides doing our own Advent Calendar chain (a couple posts ago, if you missed it...), I decided we're going to start doing a gingerbread house. And believe it or not, I'd never done one before myself. So what a great tradition to start for all of us. I must say, it took much longer than I thought it would, and didn't turn out nearly as well as I would have liked, but our little guy absolutely loved it, and we had a blast! Below are some pics of our process....

Christmas Link Countdown

So today my little guy & I constructed a countdown-to-Christmas link. I figure it to be our little variation of an advent calendar, only I'll give him his "treat" each day, instead of him opening a door to find it. The theory is the same, isn't it?


Here's a picture of it. We just used some holiday paper, cut them into strips and stapled them together. We decided to hang it with some ribbon from a doorknob...only 23 days to go!

{Holiday GiveAways}!

{Holiday Giveaways}. You gotta love them. So I thought I'd bring you one...it is the season of giving, afterall. It will be happening some time in the next week or two, so be sure to stop back to see what's on the goodie list! The {giveaways} will include one item from my Adam's Blankie shop
and one from my Gourmet Play shop!
Can't wait!

Here is a sneak peek at one of the {giveaways}...can you guess what it is??


Also, we are donating one of our {sushi bib & burp sets} to Fabulous K for her own {holiday giveaway}, which starts TODAY! Just click the "fab k's giveaway" button on the right
to find some lovelies to win!
Enjoy!

Cyber Monday!

So...you've been out and about all weekend, striving to find those perfect gifts at the perfect prices, right? And now that you're completely exhausted from the hustle and bustle of Thanksgiving AND Black Friday, you {and your feet} should heartily welcome "Cyber Monday." What's that mean for you, you ask? Ways to score FREE SHIPPING, FREE GIFTS and DISCOUNTS at Adam's Blankie and Gourmet Play! You better head over now, though - these deals will only last 24 hours starting...NOW!

(Check shop announcements at the tops of the shops for details on how to score these deals!)

By the way, if you'd like to purchase the beautiful swag (or other similars) shown above, just head on over to www.twoinspireyou.etsy.com. They have some absolute holiday lovelies there!

Make Your Own Memory Board: FREE Tutorial

So I have always wanted to put up a gloriously plush memory board in my office for things that inspire me, and I actually got around to it this past month and wanted to share the process with you. These would be great for your own office, playroom or kitchen and would look absolutely adorable with your fave kids' pics (or kids schedules, notes to husband, meal planning, etc.) posted up on them. They also make great Christmas gifts, if you're looking for something creative you can make that's relatively low on cost but high on style and meaning. Afterall, I'd rather have a beautiful way to display all my treasured memories and inspirational items as opposed to the trite & ordinary dry erase board or fridge, wouldn't you?

Materials Required:
picture frame (with matting and picture - premade)
glue/glue gun and/or mounting tape
fabric
batting
ribbon or trim
staple gun
cork board squares

1. So, instead of starting from scratch, since I'm not much of a woodworker (although if you are handy with wood, you could build your own frame and board, too) I bought a pre-made picture with frame (find clearance deals! I found mine at Kirkland's) and removed the picture box from the front. (You'll probably just end up finding a plain 2D picture, but the frame I found, which was the large size I wanted, actually was 3D, so I needed to remove the 3D object first).

2. I then glued on all my cork board squares (my picture frame (about 24"x24" square) fit all 4 cork board pieces perfectly, but you may have to trim them if you're using a smaller picture frame). I decided to add some mounting tape to each piece, as well, for added security.





3. Next I cut the batting and fabric, making it overlap the size of the frame by about an inch on all 4 sides. The batting went on first, and the fabric went over it. (Note: The batting isn't necessary, but I wanted an extra plush, rich look). I pulled the layers taut over the cork boards and used a staple gun to attach to the back of the frame.

(this side with the print is actually the back-side of the board)

4. I then added my trim (or you could use ribbon) on my board. I started with a large "x" (using 2 separate pieces of trim) that went through the center of my board, and then made a diamond shape (using 4 separate pieces of trim) with the trim over my "x" (see pictures). I used the staple gun to secure the ends to the back of my frame corners.



5. Then it was just time to put the board back into the actual frame. Once in place, I added some staples from my staple gun to the sides of the frame in the back, right behind my board and around all 4 sides, to keep the board in place. And voila! A new memory board! Now just time to "doll up" with my motivational items, pictures and more!