The Great Snownami of 2010

These pics were taken outside my Grandma's house, just 3 miles from where we live. We were officially "snowed in" on Saturday and most of Sunday as a huge snowstorm rolled over the Twin Cities. No more dreaming of a White Christmas for us, it's right outside the window!

Merry Christmas!

Project #3: Moss-Covered Christmas Trees

Another fun project I took on this year was finding a way to use 2 foam tree forms that I have had lying around for the past year. I had tried covering them in fabric, tulle, ribbon, and several other things but just wasn't happy with the results. But this year, I decided to try a new approach.

I decided I wanted them to look simple, natural, and un-fussy. So, I used the moss that has been sitting in this jar since last Spring to cover the forms.

I started by pulling out strands and winding them together to wrap around the foam tree, but that ended up being really time-consuming and was using a ton of the moss. So, I switched gears and used hot glue to affix the moss onto the foam in small patches.


Here's a couple tips, if you decide to tackle this project on your own!

1) Paint the tree form green (if the one you have is already green, obviously you wouldn't have to do that!). This helps to make them look more polished since there are no other colors peeking through the moss!

2) Moss can be kind of messy to work with, so I would recommend doing this on a surface that can be easily cleaned! I ended up with green powdery stuff all over myself and my white carpet, which vacuumed up fine but was still a bit of a pain.

3) Finally, hot glue was not the best choice of adhesive because it leaves tiny strands of glue that are nearly impossible to get out of the moss! But I would recommend using a clear glue (or something that dries clear) that dries quickly.

Happy Holiday Decorating!

Project #2: Hanging Mirrors

I actually made something similar to these for Josh and I's wedding last year. It was a really easy, cheap project and I thought it would be fun to replicate for some of our Christmas decor!


You will need:

Small, round mirrors (I bought mine at a craft store near the section where they have mosaic tiles!)

Craft glue/hot glue gun

Ribbon of your choice


I just laid the ribbon flat on the ground, cutting 3 strands at differing lengths. Then, placing on mirror in the back, I glued a mirror over the top (with the ribbon running between both mirrors). Voila! I just used white thumb-tacks to secure the ribbons to our ceiling.

I love these little mirrors- it's hard to get a good picture of them but they catch the light and bounce it all over the place! These could definitely be used year-round. I am already thinking of new ways to use them! You could hang them over a headboard, from a chandelier, in front of a window (ooh lala!). The possibilities are endless!

Project #1: Glitter-Framed Mirror

I decided a while back that I just HAD to do something with glitter this year for Christmas decorations! Then, last week I spied this old mirror hanging out in the back of my closet.

OH NO you say? Oh yes. Yes, I did glitterize this poor white mirror. In my defense, it's just a cheap-o plastic mirror that I was thinking about giving to the thrift store anyway.

Mirror, meet my friend Glitter.


The process, albeit rather messy, was really quite simple. I used a clear craft glue with a sponge applicator and smeared it all over the frame, then gently poured glitter over the glue until it was completely coated.

And, I love it. I kept the rest of the decorations surrounding the mirror as simple as possible, so the mirror stands out a little more but isn't too overwhelming.

So what do you think? Do you love the glitz and glam that glitter brings, or do you have mixed feelings? I would love to hear, so type away! (Yikes- that mirror needs to meet my friend Windex too!).

Simplicity for Christmas (Thoughts on Faith)

Lately, one word has been running through my head a lot. Maybe it's because I'm on the verge of quitting my job and pursuing a healthier, happier lifestyle. Maybe it's the fact that my salary will soon diminish quite considerably. Or perhaps it's just an aversion to the rampant consumerism that is all around us, especially during this time of the year.

Simplicity.

We've all heard it before, maybe so many times that the meaning has started to fade away. But as I look through holiday magazines, walk through shopping malls, and talk to the other people in my life I am noticing the overwhelming drive to buy stuff.

Black Friday sales, ads in the newspaper, emails from countless shops offering discounts and free shipping, billboards, TV commercials, etc. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if marketers someday figured out a way to make products speak for themselves. "You know you want me. Come on, you deserve a nice sweater for the holidays. Don't you love my sparkly beaded trim? Just try me on. I will make you feel SO SPECIAL!"

Ok, so maybe that won't ever happen (I hope not, I'm already a little creeped out). But the truth is, the reason I am celebrating the Christmas season is because of a tiny baby that was born in the lowliest, most simple of circumstances. His parents were not wealthy or well known, and they didn't have fancy, expensive gifts to celebrate his coming. All they had was each other and the knowledge of Who this child really was. And for them, it was so much more than enough.

Simplicity isn't a new concept. In fact, if anyone knew how to live a simple life, it was Jesus Christ himself. So I'm trying to follow His example this year, and move away from the idea that Christmas is something that can be bought in a store and wrapped up in fancy packaging.


He grew up ... like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
(Isaiah 53:2-5)

Christmas in the Casa- a Little Preview!

Here's a little preview of the decorating that is happening at our little Casa. I'm going to let the pictures speak for themselves for now- but please stay tuned for several tutorials for homemade Christmas decor. I kinda went crazy this year with projects, and I can't wait to share them with you!

Hope you are having a fabulous week!

Making Room for Dreams

For as long as I can remember, I have loved music.

I made musicals with my barbie dolls when I was little, started taking piano lessons at age 6, sang in the church choir and did everything remotely related to music that I could.

When I went to college, I had music on the brain. I was a voice performance major, and while it was extremely challenging I absolutely loved every single minute of it!

After graduating, I started working full-time. It was nice to finally have money to be able to pay off those student loans. I told myself that it was only for a time, that music was only on the back burner for a little while.

A little while turned into 3 excruciatingly long years.

Well, they weren't that bad. Maybe I was a little distracted by the handsome man I met and fell in love with and married during that period of time... (giggle). That's part of the reason why the time flew by so fast, I think!

But friends, it's finally time to rearrange and bring music to the forefront again. I am SO excited.

I am quitting my day job.

Yup, you heard me right. This is me, saying goodbye to my 401k, my 5 weeks of paid vacation, my swanky cubicle (haha), and all those other "perks" that come along with working a full-time job.

Yes, it's a risk. It's a big, scary, ohmywordwhattheheckamidoing kind of move. But I know it's the right thing to do. I have a job as a private voice teacher, and I will be working on a lot of other little music-related things. I don't know exactly what I want to do, or what God wants to do in my life. I just know that it's time to make room for those dreams, because I don't want to find myself looking back in 30 years and regretting that I never gave those dreams a chance to breathe.

(In case you are wondering, this is why I have been an absentee-blogger as of late. High stress work environment/big career and life change = way less time on my hands. But hopefully with a new schedule I will be able to devote more time to this!)