Christmas Snow Globe DIY

Snow Globes seem to be all the rage this season. It’s because they are awesome! While these do not include any water like a traditional Snow Globe they are still super cute! We had a lot of fun looking for cute figurines and the perfect jars and holders. These are going to be a part of our Holiday decor for years to come.

This simple Snow Globe was made with an old candle stand. A stemless wine glass from the dollar store. A small Snowman for the christmas village collection at walmart. A simple glass knob and some fake snow.

I glued the knob to the bottom of the wine glass with E6000 glue. I did not glue the glass to the candle stand because I plan on reusing it as a candle stand, but you certainly could. If you do decide to glue the glass to the candle stand I would suggest gluing the figurine to the bottom of the candle stand as well.

I think this one is my favorite! I found this cute santa at the thrift shop for 50 cents, love the thrift store. This snow globe was made with a simple vase from the dollar store. A small plate from the thrift store, a glass knob and a little fake snow.

I glued the knob on with E6000 glue. Put the santa on the plate with some fake snow and placed the vase of the top. I did not glue the vase to the plate but you certainly could.

Ok this one is may favorite. Who am I kidding I love them all! This one was made with a small dessert cup, a plate and a glass cover all from the thrift store. I also got the cute santa and christmas tree from the thrift store to 50 cents each.

To make the stand I used the E6000 glue and glued the plate to the top of the desert cup. Once the glue was dry (a few hours) I spray painted the whole thing red. It took a couple of coats. Once the paint was dry I placed the santa and christmas tree on the plate. Sprinkled some fake snow around them and covered them with the glass cover.

This project was so much fun! There are so many possibilities. I thought it would be cute to make one with a small nativity set. As soon as I find one I am going to make it.

Cherry Chocolate Macaroons

Remember to enter the Sweetest Season Giveaway. Over $600 in baking stuff including a Kitchen aid mixer. I hope Santa brings me one.

*I received free product from Imperial Sugar, Dixie Crystals and Bob’s Red Mill as part of The Sweetest Season Cookie Exchange. As always, all opinions and recipe are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that support Our Life Inspired!

If you are looking for a sweet treat to add to your Christmas baking. This is it. These are simple only 5 ingredients and they look and taste like a million bucks. Try them for yourself, you will be hooked!

This recipe was inspired by Emeril Lagasse’s recipe for Macaroons.

One 14 oz bag sweetened shredded coconut
1 can 14oz sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 jar maraschino cherries
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Remove cherries from jar and place on paper towel. This will allow the excess liquid to drain off so the macaroons don’t turn into a soggy mess. Mix coconut, condensed milk and vanilla. Spoon onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Top with a cherry in the center. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 min. Edges should be lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool completely. Macaroons are easier to get off paper if they are cooled. *Note- I used cheap wax paper once and could not get the paper off. It was a sad day. I use parchment paper now.

Once macaroon are cool. Place on rack and drizzle chocolate over macaroons. I put the chocolate chips in a ziplock bag and melted in the microwave. I cooked them for 5 seconds at a time and squish the chocolate in the bag until it is melted. cut the tip off of one corner of the bag and use it like a pastry bag and drizzle the chocolate over the macaroons.

Andrew’s Chewy Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookie

We received free product from Imperial Sugar, Dixie Crystals and Bob’s Red Mill as part of The Sweetest Season Cookie Exchange. As always, all opinions and recipe are our own. Thanks for supporting the brands that support Our Life Inspired!

Our son Andrew has been a huge help in the kitchen. He loves to help me create new recipes. When we came up with this one I told him we would name it after him. This is a simple recipe that has evolved over time. It was good when we first created it and now it is awesome. Baking has always been fun for me. I don’t know when I first started making cookies but I remember making them with my Dad at Christmas time. We always made mint chocolate chip cookies for the neighbors. That will always be a sweet memory for me.

These are a delicious combination or chocolate, oats, dried cherries, pineapple and walnuts.

Click on recipe below to access free printable

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to check out our blogs to see all of our cookie recipes throughout the week! We’re using the hashtag #sweetestseasoncookies on social media this week, and we’re joining even more bloggers baking cookies, so it’s going to be a grand time!

Now, on to the giveaway!

A whopping 51 bloggers teamed up to bring you an awesome cookie-centric giveaway! We picked out a stand mixer and other goodies to make baking this season go smoothly. And, a big thank you goes out to the generous sponsors who helped with The Sweetest Season by organizing, as well as providing products to the participating bloggers and donating some incredible prizes for our giveaway! Be sure to check out Imperial Sugar, Dixie Crystals, Bob’s Red Mill, Cabot Creamery and The Crumby Cupcake for lots of great recipe ideas. And check out Garnishing Co., who designed our graphics.

We’re giving away The Sweetest Cookie Prize Pack, and it is worth $690! See the Rafflecopter below to enter to win this amazing set of cookie baking goodies. The prize pack includes:

One KitchenAid 5-Qt. Artisan Design Series Stand Mixer with Glass Bowl in Sugar Pearl Silver // $315 value
One $50 Bob’s Red Mill gift card and one exclusive set of Bob’s Red Mill products: One 5-lb. bag Organic All Purpose Flour, one 5-lb. bag Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, one 40-oz. bag Almond Meal, one 28-oz. bag Sparkling Sugar, one 28-oz. bag Cane Sugar // $95 value
Two 4-lb. bags of Imperial Sugar/Dixie Crystals granulated sugar, one My First Cookbook and a silicone baking mat // $50 value
Coupons for $40 worth of Cabot Creamery products, including butter and yogurt // $40 value
One OXO Good Grips 5-Quart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl // $35 value
One Jenaluca Stainless Steel Medium Cookie Scoop // $33 value
One 2-piece Calphalon Nonstick Baking Sheet Set // $30 value
One 10” x 15” Stainless Steel Metal Cooling Rack // $25 value
One 7-piece OXO Good Grips Multi-colored Nesting Measuring Beaker Set // $20 value
One GIR: Get It Right Ultimate Spatula in Gray // $19 value
One 5-piece R & M Snowflake Cookie Cutter Set // $10 value
One OXO Good Grips 11” Balloon Whisk // $10 value
One OXO Good Grips Silicone Cookie Spatula // $8 value

Giveaway rules:

Enter the giveaway through the Rafflecopter widget below. Everyone gets a free entry! You can enter multiple times, up to 65 total entries by following the giveaway sponsors on social media. (If you’ve followed in the past, that counts! Just enter the information as prompted.) All entries will be verified. No purchase is necessary to win.
The giveaway is open until Saturday, December 19, 2015 at 11:59 p.m. CST. One winner will be chosen at random and e-mailed within 48 hours. Winners must claim prize within 48 hours of initial contact. The retail value of the prize is $690. Prizes listed above are the only ones available.
Open to U.S. residents with a valid shipping address only. Must be 18 years of age as of December 5, 2015.
To read all giveaway terms and conditions, visit the giveaway terms and conditions page or click the option in the Rafflecopter below to review them.

The Sweetest Season Giveaway

We’ve teamed up with 50 other bloggers to bring you The Sweetest Season’s Sweetest Cookie Giveaway! We’ve put together an incredible cookie baking prize package, and we can’t wait to tell you more about it.

Click to set custa Rafflecopter giveawayom HTML

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Now, on to the giveaway!

We’re giving away The Sweetest Cookie Prize Pack, and it is worth $690! See the Rafflecopter below to enter to win this amazing set of cookie baking goodies. The prize pack includes:

One KitchenAid 5-Qt. Artisan Design Series Stand Mixer with Glass Bowl in Sugar Pearl Silver // $315 value
One $50 Bob’s Red Mill gift card and one exclusive set of Bob’s Red Mill products: One 5-lb. bag Organic All Purpose Flour, one 5-lb. bag Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, one 40-oz. bag Almond Meal, one 28-oz. bag Sparkling Sugar, one 28-oz. bag Cane Sugar // $95 value
Two 4-lb. bags of Imperial Sugar/Dixie Crystals granulated sugar, one My First Cookbook and a silicone baking mat // $50 value
Coupons for $40 worth of Cabot Creamery products, including butter and yogurt // $40 value
One OXO Good Grips 5-Quart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl // $35 value
One Jenaluca Stainless Steel Medium Cookie Scoop // $33 value
One 2-piece Calphalon Nonstick Baking Sheet Set // $30 value
One 10” x 15” Stainless Steel Metal Cooling Rack // $25 value
One 7-piece OXO Good Grips Multi-colored Nesting Measuring Beaker Set // $20 value
One GIR: Get It Right Ultimate Spatula in Gray // $19 value
One 5-piece R & M Snowflake Cookie Cutter Set // $10 value
One OXO Good Grips 11” Balloon Whisk // $10 value
One OXO Good Grips Silicone Cookie Spatula // $8 value

Giveaway rules:

Enter the giveaway through the Rafflecopter widget below. Everyone gets a free entry! You can enter multiple times, up to 65 total entries by following the giveaway sponsors on social media. (If you’ve followed in the past, that counts! Just enter the information as prompted.) All entries will be verified. No purchase is necessary to win.
The giveaway is open until Saturday, December 19, 2015 at 11:59 p.m. CST. One winner will be chosen at random and e-mailed within 48 hours. Winners must claim prize within 48 hours of initial contact. The retail value of the prize is $690. Prizes listed above are the only ones available.
Open to U.S. residents with a valid shipping address only. Must be 18 years of age as of December 5, 2015.
To read all giveaway terms and conditions, visit the giveaway terms and conditions page or click the option in the Rafflecopter below to review them.

Easy Jalapeno Cheese Ball

Thanksgiving was amazing. Dave made the best meal. Everything was wonderful lots of food and family. Best of all there are lots of leftovers. Nothing better than a turkey sandwich Thanksgiving night. This cheese ball was a huge hit and so simple to make. I will be making it again for Christmas and New Years.

Ingredients:
2- 8 oz packages of cream cheese
1/2 cup mayo
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
6 slices of bacon, cooked
3-4 jalapeños
1 packet ranch seasoning mix
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup pecans

Directions:
In a blender combine: bacon, seeded jalapeños and pecans. Blend just until everything is diced. In a mixing bowl combine: cream cheese, cheddar cheese & mayo. Add ranch, garlic powder, cumin and Worcestershire sauce. Add 1/2 of the jalapeno mixture. Once everything is combined form into a ball and roll in remaining jalapeno mix. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

This would be a perfect neighbor gift. Put it in a cute Christmas Cheese Ball dish with a copy of the recipe. Free printable below:

Cedar Box Fall Centerpiece

I love decorating for fall. There is something about all the warm colors of fall that get me excited for the holidays and staying in my jammies and reading a good book in front of the fireplace. Check out the cedar board centerpiece we just made. I have always wanted something to go on the mantle. Out mantle is only 6 inches wide so it is hard to find the right fit. This box was really easy to make and fun to decorate. You may be asking why the candles. Well about 18 years ago we had a warm snuggly fire going one Sunday afternoon. We left the room for a minute and when we came back the room was full of smoke and we noticed smoke coming out of the wall. luckily one of the town firefighters lived across the street. Dave called 911 and I ran across the street. The fire department got there in minutes and it only caused minimal damage. Needless to say we have not had a fire since then. So I took the ugly fireplace screen down and put in these cute candle stands.

Box measures 27″ long x 4″ wide x 3.5″ tall.

I used a 2 x 4 for the bottom to add volume to the box.
spanish moss
3 candles
sunflowers
mini pumpkins
fall leafs

*Never leave lit candles unattended. Take it from me you don’t want the fire department to show up.

This idea was inspired by the Idea Room. Check out her blog here. She is amazing!

Fall Leaf Pillow

It’s another crisp morning here in beautiful Cache Valley. The lawn is littered with leaves and the air smells like fall. If you have not noticed I am having a lot of fun making pillows for the porch. Now that I have a railing up around my porch it feels more like an extra room and I have had a blast decorating for each season. This leaf pillow is really easy. If you can sew a straight line you can make this pillow. The blanket stitching around the leaf was even fun.

My newest sewing best friend is Heat n Bond iron-on adhesive. It is essential for doing apliques. If you are lucky your machine will have a blanket stitch option. I am not lucky so I had to do it by hand. It really was kind of fun. If you are not sure how to do a blanket stitch, check out this tutorial by Holiday Crafts and Creations.

Supplies:
2 pieces of fabric 16″ x 13″
1 piece of coordinating fabric for leaf 8″ x8″
black embroidery floss
hand sewing needle
Heat n BondIron on the Heat and bond to the back side of your leaf fabric. Trace leaf pattern onto paper backing and cut it out. Remove the paper backing and place the leaf on the front of the pillow. When you have it aligned iron leaf onto pillow. Once it is secure do a blanket stitch all around. This will help insure the leaf does not come off.

Once leaf is stitched on put the right sides of you fabric together and sew around the edges leaving a 4 inch gap in one seam to allow for stuffing.

Turn pillow right side out and stuff it. Once pillow is desired firmness hand sew the small opening closed. And walah you have an awesome pillow.

Pottery Barn Inspired Bat and Cat Pillows

Pottery Barn inspired Bat Pillow

Ready for a really fun simple project to make your porch festive for Halloween. I admit I wish I was better at sewing. I like to go to sewing retreats with my family but I think I enjoy the food and laughter more than the sewing.

I saw a cute pillow on Pottery Barn www.potterybarn.com (on the right) . It is what inspired these pillows. Anyone that can sew a straight line can make this 7259949_orig pillow. It was really fun to put this together.

Materials:
1/2 yard black fabric
White acrylic paint
Small sponge or stipple brush
Fusible interfacing
White pencil
Scissors
Sewing machineStep 1- figure out how big you want your pillow. I wanted a long skinny pillow for the bench on the porch so I cut 2 pieces of fabric 24 x 10 inches.

Step 2- take a large plate or bowl and use a white pencil to trace a circle in the center of your pillow. Remember to allow for a seam allowance on the pillows 5634061_orig

edge.

Step 3- put a piece of cardboard under your fabric and lightly stipple the white paint all around the circle until you have the desired effect. 8889829_orig

Step 4- Cut a piece of black fabric that is just big enough for 3 bats. Iron a piece of fusible interfacing to the fabric. Trace the three bats onto the back of the interfacing. Cut out the and bats.

3898220_orig

Step 5- remove the paper backing from the bats and arrange on moon where you want the bats. Iron the bats onto the moon. You can do a simple blanket stitch around each bat to help them stay attached.

Step 6- with right sides together sew around 3 sides of the pillow and partially onto the 4th side. Clips corners and turn right side out.

Cat Pillow-

I made the Cat pillow 12 1/2″ x 10″. follow steps 4-6.

Hope you enjoy this project as much as I do!

Jack-O-Lantern Box

Jack O lantern treat box

Once again I have found a treasure at the thrift store. I thought this was a fun idea and so simple. It only took a few minutes to put together.

7658416_orig

Start with an ugly tin. Wash it with soap and water. Let it dry thoroughly. Spray paint it with chalkboard paint. I wrapped tape around the knob first so paint would not get on it. Once paint is dry use chalk to draw Jack o lantern face. Fill with yummy treats.

* The chalk drawing can be changed for the season.

1731916_orig

Mason Jar Thankful Tree

The thankful tree has been a tradition in our family for a while now. We the kids were smaller I used their handprints for the leaves and a big sheet of paper for the tree. It was fun and a great way to get in the spirit of the holidays. I am a huge believer in being thankful all year round. This is a fun way to get the kids excited.

At the start of each day we are going to write one thing we are thankful for on a leaf. I think starting in the morning helps us start the day in a thankful frame of mind. I years past we have done it at night and the kids made it part of their nightly routine.

I have never painted a mason jar before so this is new territory for me. I was amazed at how easy it was. I just used a small bottle of ivory paint and a foam brush. When it was completely dry I used some sandpaper to take some of the paint off the words so they would stand out better.
The tree is just four branches off the lilac bush bound together at the bottom with a piece of burlap ribbon. I filled the jar with rice so the branches would stay in the center. Put a little moss on top to hide the rice.

The leafs are just plain old construction paper that I cut a simple leaf shape out of. I am using mini close pins to attach the leaves to the tree.

All in all it was a simple project that turned out really cute. The best part was most of the stuff I had around the house. I only had to buy the mini close pine. That in itself makes the project a win!

Let me know what you do to remind the kids to be thankful. I am always looking for new way to inspire my kids and me too.

You guys are the best! Thanks for stopping by.

Give Thanks- Free Chalkboard Printable

It is a crisp morning here and it reminds me of all the fun things about fall. Pumpkin pie, Corn mazes and warm fireplaces. Our son Andrew is an amazing cook and he loves to make pies so I am loading up the panty with all the supplies he will need. I think I am going to suggest he make a “practice” pie this week.

Anyway, I have been having a blast creating these free printables. They are so much fun and really add to our holiday decor. Plus who doesn’t need a reminder to always be thankful.

Let me know how this turns out for you. If you have any issues printing please let me know.

We love you guys. Thanks for visiting.
Give Thanks Free Printable. 4 X 6

Spooky Halloween Village

I love Christmas villages. I used to be mesmerized by them when I was a child, I guess I still am. It was a magical place where anything was possible. So when I saw these little houses at the dollar store I had to make a spooky village. These were colored for Halloween but I thought they would look Spookier in black. So I painted them. The bigger one on the right is actually a christmas one.

Spray paint, place on candle sticks for varying heights and add some spooky spider webs. Done. Easy peasy. Happy Haunting!

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