Chandelier Upgrade

I completed a project over the weekend that has changed the entire look of the dining room and given a warmer feel to the table. Much thanks to my visiting parents who helped me with logistics.

Here is the before picture (standard contractor-grade light fixture):

The problem was that the light was not directed anywhere, therefore it went everywhere. We had shadows on every wall. Most importantly we had no light directly on our table, all we had were shadows. When we couldn't see the food we were eating, I knew I needed to take action.

I found these chandelier shades at Goodwill for $1 a piece. What a lucky girl I was! But the white part still showed and that bothered me. So I wrapped some jute twine around the tubes (which are easily removed after taking the bulbs out) and used 2 dots of hot glue to secure the twine. Super easy, 5 minute project that created an immediate difference in the look and feel.

You could also paint the tubes or wrap some fabric around them. The possibilities are really endless.

Here's the after picture:

And an upclose shot:

This project will be my first original 'Pin' to Pinterest. I'm so excited! 

I've completed many that I've been inspired by...but I've never been the inspiree (is that a word?).

Christmas Card Holder

Pinterest Pic:

My Pic:

I've decided that I love this board so much, and the location is convenient enough that I'm going to keep it up long after the Christmas cards come down. A simple straight pin holds the cards to the board.

I used a piece of styro-foam purchased at JoAnn Fabrics and covered it with a cotton fabric using spray adhesive. I then tacked the jute twine down with a couple of straight pins. No sew, no glue gun. Took me all of maybe 10 minutes to complete.

The original post used hot glue and foam poster board. I like my version better!

Felt Tree

I have a 3 year old. A very curious, busy 3 year old. And the Christmas tree is just HEAVEN for him. I can hear his inner dialogue, "Look at all those sparkly, shiny fun things I can destroy!" So I came across something that I hope will help with that.

A Felt Christmas Tree

Pinterest Pic:

My Pic:

The best part? It only cost me about $3 and a few minutes of my time. We'll continue to make and add more ornaments and spruce up (no pun intended...get it...spruce...hehe) the ones that are there.  I need to purchase a brown piece of felt to make a trunk, it looks as if it's floating right now.

S'mores Cups

Pinterest Pic:

My Pic:

Turns out this was a Pampered Chef recipe; who knew! These were VERY time consuming. Lots of in and out of the oven over and over. I will not make these again. So much easier to just make the real thing. If you decide you want to make them, keep in mind they don't keep well. They should be eaten within a day or two (usually not a problem!).

Rolo Pretzel Bites

I'm making up for lost time and adding some goodies I made for Christmas this year.

I really don't do a lot of Christmas 'baking'...I do a lot of Christmas 'making'. I love simple and boy were these ever!

Pinterest pic:

I decided to use a big tub of Utz Christmas-Shaped pretzels. My boys decided these looked more like turtles and I think that's kind of cute.

Here's my pic (pardon the muted iPhone camera quality):

Rice Krispie Treat Bar Pops

Pinterest Pic:

I used this pin as an inspiration for a Super Bowl Party treat. I wanted to make sure I had the team colors incorporated in the dessert, so we used sprinkles and colored sugar. As I started inserting the sticks in to the bars, they just weren't holding in. So I decided to freeze the bars afterwards. That worked wonderfully until after I dipped them in chocolate. The chocolate made them entirely too top heavy. If you held the stick in your hand it would start to break in half. So we nixed the sticks.

My pic:

Chocolate Topped Peanut Butter Bacon Bars

OK, I know what you're thinking. Bacon? But come on, doesn't bacon make everything better?

Or so the saying goes. These were very simple to make and came out beautifully.

First, the Pinterest pic:

Now for my pics:

I followed the pin recipe almost identically. I didn't have any extra peanuts on hand to add to the cookie mix, but I don't think they were missed. I love sweet & salty and these definitely fit the bill. I think it's the perfect game day dessert.