My Favorite Finds

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Carrie — Thu, 26 Dec 2013 02:26:40 +0000

Merry Christmas everyone! We are enjoying our FAVORITE time of year here in our house! Jesus Christ is born, we have three super awesome kiddos to love on, and our families all live close by so there are many family gatherings to enjoy between Christmas and the New Year!

I wanted to thank all of you for reading My Favorite Finds. For following along on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram….and I hope you are finding some much needed JOY over this Christmas season!

I will be keeping things quiet on My Favorite Finds until January. I love this blog break every year, as I can do some behind the scenes work on the blog, plan for the New Year, and enjoy some much needed time with my family. I look forward to hanging out with all of you in 2014! Merry Christmas and New Year Blessings to all of YOU!

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Custom Box Top Organization (The Easy Way)

Rachel Joyce — Tue, 24 Dec 2013 13:00:37 +0000

Hey all, it’s Rachel from Architecture of a Mom with a easy, quick, and inexpensive decor and organization item for you this month! As the Christmas season comes to a close, I find myself looking for simple ways to organize. I don’t really think it has to do with New Years resolutions…rather, it has to do with the sudden influx of stuff that occurs! However, it is very easy to become overwhelmed, at least for me. If you saw my craft room, you would understand. So I decided to start somewhere small…box tops.

If you have school age children, or are related to some, you probably have been asked to collect these little slips of paper to raise money for their school. The problem: how to collect all these and remember where you have placed them! And an even bigger problem: how to make it beautiful! I wanted to share an easy project that will quickly create a spot to put your box tops at your finger tips.

First, you need a regular sized altoids tin. This is what I was keeping these box tops in, but I wanted to dress the tin up and get it off the counter.

And now, drum roll, please, here’s the really easy part: you decorate the front of the tin with Duck fabric sheets.

Yes, this is the same company that makes Duck Tape. This product is fabric with Duck Tape adhesive on the back. I selected a pattern that coordinated with the colors already on the tin. The liner paper has a grid on the back, so it’s easy to figure out how much to cut out.

And then all that’s left is to trim the corners to fit the curves.

All of this makes my storage pretty, but it doesn’t get the tin off my counter. I took a Velcro bulletin board that uses hook and loop clips to attach items to the board and placed it on the end of a cabinet in my kitchen.

I used one of those clips and hot glued it to the back of the tin so it is easy to place it up on the bulletin board, but it is still easy and convenient to access when we have box tops, and it’s right by the door where we leave to go to school.

What easy organization tips do you have?

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Holiday Outfit Inspiration

Amy Latta — Sat, 21 Dec 2013 14:15:35 +0000

Hey, friends! I can’t believe there are only four days until Christmas! I don’t know what your holiday calendar looks like, but we have family events going on today, Tuesday, and Wednesday, plus our anniversary on the 29th and New Year’s Eve right after! Which means I need quite a few festive holiday outfits. Today I wanted to show you a few combinations I put together with things I already had in my closet that you might be able to sort of recreate with things already in yours! There are a few basic pieces that play a key role in most of these, so as you start planning, think about which of these things you might already have.

A dress or skirt in a holiday color {red, green, black, white, burgundy, metallics}
A neutral jacket or cardigan
A belt
Boots
Metallics: anything sparkly, shiny, gold or silver! Jewelry, belts, tops…anything you’ve got!

Outfit 1: This one combines a holiday colored dress, a neutral cardigan {with metallic accents!}, a belt, and boots.

I absolutely love the dress and cardigan, which both came in my most recent Stitch Fix, and the color of the dress is perfect for the holidays. I’m thinking this might be my go-to choice for Christmas Eve, when we have a family celebration in the afternoon followed by a candlelight service at our church.

Outfit 2: This one combines a holiday colored skirt, a jacket, boots, and a bit of sparkle in the top and the jewelry.

This skirt also happens to be from Stitch Fix…they sent me pretty much the only green clothing I own! I don’t normally gravitate toward buying green things when I shop, but I love them on me and they’re especially great this time of year. This outfit is a bit more casual, so I’m thinking maybe I’ll use it for one of our more low key family gatherings.

Outfit 3: This one is a holiday colored dress, belt, and boots combo with a little sparkle in the necklace.

I got this red dress from…Stitch Fix. Yep. Gosh, sorry. I promise this isn’t a sponsored post for them! I didn’t even realize it when I was pulling photos, it only occurred to me right this second as I was typing things out that it’s the source of the first three outfits! Anyway, I love the bright red color and the fit of the dress. This one might be for Christmas Day.

Outfit 4: This one combines a holiday colored dress, jacket, belt, and lots and lots of sparkles!

This dress is from Forever 21, and the jacket…ah, my beloved jacket, is from DKNY. It’s that one piece of clothing I’ll wear until it’s literally got holes all over it. The shoes are from Sears, and are nothing but glitter, and the crystal accessories are too. There are actually tiny sparkles in the dress also, but you can’t tell in the photo. This one would be great for a New Year’s Eve party!

Option 5: Metallic Shirt plus sparkly belt

I am in love with this shirt…which *mumble* camefromStitchFix. Honestly, guys, I didn’t realize it until just now. Apparently they did an awesome job of styling me this holiday season! I love the metallics for the holidays, and thought it would be great for New Year’s Day!

I hope you’re inspired to find some of the same kinds of items in your own closet and put together some awesome holiday outfits!

Before I close, I need to tell you some great and some sad news. The great news is that I just found out this week that I won a major contest with P&G Beauty and Lucky Magazine to be one of four “New Voices of Beauty” Bloggers for P&G Beauty {Pantene, CoverGirl, Olay, and Secret} in 2014!!! It’s hugely exciting and I can’t wait to see all the new opportunities it brings in the new year! But it does mean that although nothing will change at One Artsy Mama, I will have less time to contribute elsewhere, so this is my last style post here at My Favorite Finds. I’m so grateful to Carrie for having me here this year and letting me share things with you each month. Best wishes for a fabulous 2014 in every way, and I hope you’ll come visit me at One Artsy Mama often!

Big hugs & Lots of Glitter,

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Beach Cone Christmas Tree

Carrie — Fri, 20 Dec 2013 15:52:05 +0000

Hello Everyone,

Today is my last post here at My Favorite Finds, as a contributor, but I hope Carrie invites me back to visit from time to time. And as it’s my last post of the year, I thought I’d have a break from showing you a piece of jewelry and instead, show you a simple beach inspired cone tree.

I whipped up this easy tree last Christmas and in my rush , left out a few important photos, so read the text this time, not look at the few tutorial pics..

Right, so you will need; A polystyrene cone, glue and twine. Quite simply, wrap the twine around the cone, securing with glue, here and there, as you go. Hot glue would work much better, but I was in a hurry at this point.

Then I painted these cute plastic beachy charms white and when dry, I threaded onto clear nylon thread and wound over the twine, securing with a dot of glue at the ends.

A small wooden craft star was painted white and once dry, I outlined with glue and sprinkled Epsom Salts on to it to give it a sparkle. Glue to the top of the tree.

And there you have a Beachy Christmas Tree…. I love it!

This is how I displayed it last year, a shelf full of beachy goodness!

And here it is this year! Cute right?

Thanks for joining me again today, pop by and say hi to me at

NorthShore Days or my Facebook page

I wish you all a wonderful and happy Christmas.

Please be safe and take care.

xxx

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M&Ms Photo Contest and Buy, Snap, Redeem Offer with Forza Motorsport 5 for Xbox One

Carrie — Mon, 16 Dec 2013 20:04:19 +0000

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and its client.

Stuffing our kids’ stockings is one thing I really look forward to at Christmas. Two items that always make it into the twins’ stockings are video games and candy. Every.single.Christmas. M&Ms, the plain ones, are their favorite, and when I can add an Xbox game they are extremely happy campers. See, we spend most of our Christmas break trying out new video games, eating fun foods like M&Ms, and hanging out as a family.

If you were lucky enough to score an Xbox One to give for Christmas this year, then I suggest you add the Forza Motorsport 5 Xbox One game to go with it. It is rated “E” for “EVERYONE”. Our boys (my husband included) all love racing games. But, some can be sort of inappropriate for our ten year olds. That’s where the Forza Motorsport 5 game comes in. All three “boys” can play together, and snack on their M&Ms all snowy afternoon. Forza 5 and Forza Motorsport 5 are easy to find at your local WalMart for the Xbox and Xbox One.

M&Ms has a fun photo contest going on via Instagram right now. You can take your M&Ms, create some fun Pixel Art, and submit to Instagram to win! It’s called the M Pixel Art Instagram Sweepstakes! What creative pixel art could you create out of M&Ms? I know my boys would make cars, to go along with the Forza 5 Motorsport Game, probably Christmas trees, vehicles like airplanes & cars, and who knows what else!

WalMart also has this cool promotion going on right now called Buy, Snap, Redeem. You “buy” $8 of participating M&Ms products along with the Forza 5 Motorsport game for Xbox One, “snap” a photo of your receipt and text it to “811811″ with the code “M&M”. Then, you’ll receive a $10 WalMart e-card to “redeem” the next time you are shopping. So basically, you’re getting your awesome M&Ms for FREE! How cool is that?!

The following M&Ms products are participating in the Buy, Snap, Redeem promotion:

M&Ms Peanut 42oz Stand Up Pouch, M&Ms Milk 42oz Stand Up Pouch, M&Ms Peanut Butter 38oz Stand Up Pouch, M&Ms Pretzel 30oz Stand Up Pouch, M&Ms Peanut 19.2oz Large Laydown Bag, M&Ms Milk 19.2oz Large Laydown Bag, M&Ms Peanut Butter 18.4oz Large Laydown Bag, M&Ms Pretzel 15.4oz Large Laydown Bag.

So, are you going to skip the traditional stocking stuffers of deodorant, toothpaste, socks, and tacky Christmas candy? And opt for M&Ms, and the Forza Motorsport 5 Xbox One game? I hope so! If you enter the M Pixel Art Instagram Sweepstakes, I’d love to see your creations!

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My Holiday Cards from Minted

Carrie — Sat, 14 Dec 2013 17:44:24 +0000

Minted.com totally came through for me this year for our Christmas cards. I was so excited when these cute cards arrived in my mailbox, all tied up with a mint green bow, of course! Love! And, it’s not too late for you to order your Christmas holiday cards through Minted.com. Here are the ones I chose. Keep in mind, it’s a picture of a picture LOL! But I LOVE how they turned out!

I chose the Brightly Shining Design, with the picture below:

They turned out so cute….even though my daughter was in no mood to smile that day. The cards are awesome quality card stock, with a matte finish. I love the lyrics to O Holy Night, in trendy chalkboard, on the half of the card. We have already sent a lot out, and have gotten a lot of compliments.

Thanks to everyone who helped me choose which card to use via Facebook! Minted.com has so many fabulous designers, and I know I’m supporting a hard working designer when I order my cards. Plus, you can choose the shape of your card, some have a few different color combinations, and like I mentioned the quality is fabulous. Plus, I’m heading back to Minted.com to order some other goodies….calendars, journals, stationary! So many cool things to choose from!

So hurry over to Minted.com and get yourself some awesome Christmas cards! I promise you wont’ be disappointed!

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Kids’ New Year’s Party

Laura Falin — Sat, 14 Dec 2013 17:29:05 +0000

My kids love a good New Year’s Eve Party. Staying up late, eating festive foods, making lots of noise — what’s not for a kid to love? Here’s how we in the Peace but Not Quiet household celebrate the evening:

1.) We don’t actually stay up until midnight. Or at least, not midnight here. I have little kids — they probably would make it, I certainly wouldn’t make it. We find another time zone and celebrate their midnight, about an hour after normal bedtime — late enough to make it a special treat but not so late that we’re all grumpy in the morning. We use this countdown clock (if you have one of those fancy TVs with The Internet on it, you could even project it on a nice big screen for everyone to see).

2.) We do fondue. We have a very simple recipe for chocolate fondue (1 1/2 c chocolate chips, 1 c heavy cream — melt in a saucepan and pour into fondue pot — or plunk the saucepan on the table and dig in). It’s fun for the kids to dip fruit and graham crackers, it’s festive…but fair warning, it’s also very messy! Stock up on the baby wipes for clean-up

3.) We make shakers. One of the best parts of the night — cheering, banging on pots and pans, blowing party blowers, and generally making a lot of noise. Sometimes we make our own noisemakers while we’re waiting for midnight. They’re simple and cheap and fun to make. Take one paper plate, fold in half, and tape ribbon along the inside. Staple the plate shut along 3/4 of the edge, leaving a hole at one end. Fill with dried beans,

staple the rest of the plate shut and decorate the outside with stickers, markers, crayons, etc. Then shake, shake, shake!

4.) We toast! For a midnight toast, use sparkling apple cider, or make our new favorite: Orange-Apple Surprises (really non-alcoholic mimosas, but it sounds weird to call a kids’ drink by an adult name, right?)

Happy New Year, everyone!

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Caprese Mozzarella Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Carrie — Tue, 10 Dec 2013 14:00:31 +0000

Caprese Grilled Cheese Sandwiches? Yes, please! These hearty, warm, and super cheesy sandwiches are fabulous for a cold winter afternoon lunch or an easy weeknight dinner! Stop over by Mom’s Test Kitchen to see my full recipe for these!

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Apple Brown Sugar Cinnamon Muffins

Jaime Oliver — Tue, 10 Dec 2013 12:00:01 +0000

Happy December y’all!! Jaime here again! Can you believe we are only weeks away from Christmas & the end of 2013?? I don’t even know where the past year went! Are y’all ready? Finished up your Christmas shopping yet?

Today I’ve got a delicious Apple Brown Sugar Cinnamon Muffin recipe to share with y’all. These were so good! Packed full of fresh apples & then topped with a crunchy brown sugar cinnamon topping! They would make a perfect breakfast for Christmas morning! They are also versatile. I ended up making 12 muffins with just the apples and then for the other 12 I added in dried cranberries! So good!!

Apple Brown Sugar Cinnamon Muffins

yield: 24 muffins

1 cup sugar
1 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 container (6 ounces) plain Greek yogurt
3 small apples, cored and diced
2/3 cups brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup dried cranberries (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 muffins pans with non-stick cooking spray or line with paper baking cups liners.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, blend the sugar and butter. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly each time. Add vanilla and mix to combine.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly mix flour mixture into butter/sugar mixture. After flour has been combined, gently stir in greek yogurt and diced apples.

In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.

Spoon batter into muffin liners 2/3 full. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes, or until a knife is inserted and when removed is clean.

Notes: if you are adding the dried cranberries, fill one muffin pan (12 muffins) with just the apple muffin mix & then add the dried cranberries to the remaining mix. Fill the remaining muffin pan with the apple/cranberry mix. If you want to add dried cranberries to the entire batch, increase amount to 1/2 cup.

Recipe inspired by: The Seaside Baker

So, what’s your favorite Christmas morning breakfast?

Be sure to stay connected on social media for all the latest recipes & behind the scenes fun!

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Snowflake NOEL Sign & A $155 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway {December Silhouette Challenge}

Carrie — Mon, 09 Dec 2013 15:00:43 +0000

This December Silhouette Challenge is EPIC! You know, every month I have loved participating in this challenge. And, the inspiration and encouragement that come from this group of ladies is AWESOME! You all know I LOVE crafting with my Silhouette, and that awesome-sauce Silhouette Black Friday Sale that was happening until December 8th, makes me hope that a lot of you ordered machines, or supplies, and getting ready to get your Silhouette craft on over the Christmas holidays and when that cold weather sets in! However, if you DIDN’T order a machine, or you need some crafting supplies for those snowy winter days, my sweet gals and I with the Silhouette Challenge are bringing you a chance to win $155 to Amazon!

But first let me show you what I made for this month’s Silhouette Challenge. I created this simple addition to our holiday mantle using Silhouette Adhesive Backed Cardstock. Yep, it’s awesome. Although, I think just about anything Silhouette is awesome! It cut my snowflakes so intricately, and sticks well to the canvas I painted. Now, it’s a part of our mantel! I love how my Silhouette can take simple materials and allow me to turn it into something impressive!

Snowflake NOEL Sign Using Silhouette Adhesive Backed Cardstock

12×12 canvas

Green Paint {I used DecoArt’s Turf Green}

Deco Art Glamour Dust paint

Silhouette Adhesive Backed Cardstock

Directions:

1. Coat the canvas with the bright green paint and allow it to dry overnight.

2. When the green is completely dry, give it a few coats of the Glamour Dust paint. This will give it some glitz and glitter!

3. Cut out the letters N, E, L from Silhouette Adhesive backed cardstock. Cut a snowflake for the “O”.

4. After the glamour dust is dry, and you have the desired shimmer you want, adhere the NOEL to the canvas. I laid mind face down, with a glass vase on it overnight, to make sure the letters and snowflake would adhere well.

I must be loving the snowflake theme this year, because I also cut snowflakes to add to my glass vases for my Christmas mantel! The adhesive backed cardstock is SO easy to use, and it’s so fun!

Want to Check Out More Silhouette Projects?

My Silhouette Challenge buddies and I are all sharing projects on our blogs today, so peruse the projects below for a wealth of Silhouette inspiration!

2013 Snowman Christmas Card by Please Excuse My Craftermath…
Christmas Hoop Art by Lil’ Mrs. Tori
Silhouette Nativity Advent Candle Box by One Tough Mother
Christmas Party Photo Booth Props by unOriginal Mom
Another Stenciled Tea Towel by Cutesy Crafts
Silhouette Gift Tags by Rain on a Tin Roof
Snowflake Pin / Ornament by Coley’s Corner
State Sign Couple Gift by It Happens in a Blink
Mason Jar Christmas Ornaments by Vintage News Junkie
Merry Christmas Wall Decor by One Artsy Mama
Deer Head Holiday Banner…featuring Santa’s Reindeer by The Thinking Closet
Restore your UGGS (with PAINT) by From Wine to Whine
Monogrammed Snowflake Ornaments by Architecture of a Mom
Christmas Countdown Sign by The Girl Creative
Elf Chalk Sign: “The Best Way to Spread Christmas” by Weekend Craft
Glittery Christmas Subway Art by The Turquoise Home
Sketch Pen Labels by Sowdering About in Seattle
Snowflake NOEL Sign by My Favorite Finds
DIY Holiday Hostess Gift by Everyday Paper
Folding Nativity Backdrop by Chicken Scratch NY
Recycled Glass Jar Advent Calendar by Nearly Handmade
Reindeer Card: Double-Sided Print & Cut by GetSilvered
Personalized Block Ornament by Suburble
Paper Medallion Christmas Tree by Create & Babble
Mini Mid-Century Homes by Tried & True
Glitter and Vinyl Minecraft Christmas Ornament by A Tossed Salad Life
DIY Countdown to Christmas Refrigerator Style by My Paper Craze
Reversible Recipe Holder/Block Frame by The Sensory Emporium
DIY: Lettered Christmas Pillows by The House on Hillbrook
Simply Charming Christmas Ornaments by Life After Laundry
No Glitter was Worn by GiveMeAPaintbrush
Make Easy Ornaments from Paper Circles by Bringing Creativity to Life
Cutting Machine Embroidery Applique by Terri Johnson Creates
“Believe” Christmas Banner by Daily Dwelling
DIY Christmas Nativity Card by Pitter and Glink

Do you have a Silhouette machine?

Looking for Silhouette inspiration, support, trouble-shooting? Interested in joining us for our group posting event next month? Then, we’d love to have you join our Silhouette Challenge Facebook group. To join, simply fill out the new member request form, and Lauren from The Thinking Closet will get you squared away.

So are do you want to win an Amazon gift card toward a Silhouette Portrait or Cameo of your own? How about some supplies to go with it? The Rafflecopter will walk you through. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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