Ribbon, Twine, Jute Handmade Ball Christmas Wreath

I recently made a yarn ball wreath for a friend and loved the technique so much, I thought I would create one in a completely different style than the other more modern one. I am in love with this one! Totally my style, kind of old fashioned but with a modern twist and definitely cute. ;-)
 I found the centerpiece ornament at Joann Fabrics and used it as my inspiration. I added the bow myself to match the other balls. I had all the ribbons and laces and jute and twine on hand and found the rusty jingle bells at Hobby Lobby (50% off!!) I used a ton of hot glue on this wreath too. Not as much as the other, but still a lot. I need to restock for my next wreath which is in the works. I am loving these! Hope to have time for at least a couple more for gifts. I suggest you give them a shot. Here is a great tutorial for the yarn balls themselves. Enjoy your season!

Homemade Yarn Ball Christmas Wreath

I have a friend that recently requested that I do her a favor and make her some kind of a yarn ball wreath for her front door. She is having a party soon and since I am all over the idea crafty challenges, I accepted the opportunity with enthusiasm. :) I asked her to send me a picture of  what she had in mind and it seemed like something I had the skills for. I asked her if she didn't mind if I just used her photo as inspiration and came up with a design of my own. She said to go for it! Yay!! So here is my result. It is on an 18" wreath form, covered in white fabric strips with all the ornaments and embellishments and yarn balls hot glued on.
I will give you a tip, if you decide to give this project a shot. Get a TON of glue sticks! I went through a whole bag of mini ones to put this together.

I had another friend ask me if I purchased the yarn balls somewhere and I explained to her that I made them. It was super easy too! I did a little searching and found the styrofoam balls were REALLY expensive. 6 for $4.79. Since you need about a gazillion for this wreath, I searched the internet for a solution. I found a great tutorial on how to make them with newspaper and tape. Hooray! Since I had the tape on hand, the total cost for the balls themselves was $0! Love a good bargain!

I think you can have a blast designing your own wreath. I know I have! I am currently designing my third. Kind of addicting actually. Have fun!

Fall Embellished Coaster Decoration

In case you are new here... I am in MOMSnext. We meet with one of our local MOPS groups until we are big enough for our own shindig. Someday...
One of the things I really enjoy is that it gives me the opportunity to make crafts and gifts for and with my new table friends. This month, our group is getting together for an outside activity craft night without kids. SO fun!! I was asked by my group to create a project and gather supplies so that we can meetup and have a grand ole' time. Makes me so happy! I wish I could do things like this every day and get paid for it. Would be the coolest job ever!

Lately I had been stalking Pinterest (again) and saw some really cute ideas that I wanted to try someday. Then, I happened to be at Target and saw that their "purple dot" merchandise in their dollar spot was 50% off! My favorite!! I found a package of 8 chipboard coasters for 50 cents. Score! Suddenly had my project ready to go. Seemed like a perfect thing for all skill levels- from the crafty to the not-so-crafty. Hopefully everyone will have as much fun creating it as I did.

First, I drilled holes in the corners of the coasters. Then I used my trusty Mod Podge to apply the scrapbook paper. Sanded the edges and inked them with Stampin'Up ink. Then I thought some sparkle would be good so I used my glue pen to apply some coppery Martha Stewart glitter. Next I used my Big Shot machine and my leaf die to cut out the leaves, crinkled them and inked them with my Stampin' Up ink then embellished with buttons and some linen thread. I also cut out the "Fall" letter in vinyl with my Cricut machine. Next step was to coat the whole project with another layer of Mod Podge to seal it, let it dry, then hot glued the leaves in place. Last step was to thread brown organdy ribbon through the holes and created a bow to be used to hang the project. Really happy with the results! Thanks to my find on Pinterest for the inspiration!
I will call this my weekly Pinterest project, even though I have missed so many weeks it is ridiculous. Just got to throw myself back in the game! (again...)

Fresh Apple Cake with Caramel Drizzle

 
We were invited to a friends house for dinner the other night and they had planned to make a giant slow cooked roast and some super yummy green beans. I offered to bring some scalloped potatoes and a dessert.

 I had recently found a Pinterest recipe that sounded very similar to a cake I had and loved when I was younger. I happened to have most of the ingredients on hand and it seemed like a perfect fall dessert to share with our new friends.
It was a great night! Hoping to do it again soon!

I tweaked the recipes just a bit to suit my tastes and really enjoyed the results. So, I am happy to share the most amazing recipe for the yummiest apple cake ever!
By the way, it tastes even BETTER the next day. Moist and fabulous until the very end. Hope you get a chance to make this one soon. You will be happy that you did!

Fresh Apple Cake

2 eggs
1 cup oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp. baking soda
4 cups unpeeled diced Granny Smith apples

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×13 inch dish.
Cream the oil and sugar then add the eggs and vanilla and blend well..
Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and baking soda together in a bowl. Add to the wet ingredients and stir to combine. The batter will be VERY thick. (Don't worry, it is supposed to be that way. The apples will loosen it up.) Fold in all the apples and then place it in the greased dish.
Bake it for 45-50 minutes or until the center is completely done. While it cools, make the Caramel drizzle.

Caramel Drizzle recipe

1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. milk
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Melt the butter, brown and white sugars, vanilla and milk over medium heat, stirring constantly. When it reaches a boil, boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the cinnamon and the powdered sugar until well combined. Drizzle over the cooled cake and enjoy! Serve with ice cream if desired.