DIY Advent Calendar

Opening an Advent calendar every morning in December was one of my favorite things about Christmas as a kid. So many of them now are filled with cheap waxy chocolate and I wanted something different, something that I could reuse every year, and there are so many great ideas on Pintrest and this is a combination of my favorites.
I filled our with all kinds of treats, Good chocolate, mini booze to go in hot chocolate or coffee, a mini game, scratch and wins and a few other little trinkets. The best part is we came up with a bunch of Christmas activities to do as well, such as going for a walk to look at the lights, decorate the house, drink rum and eggnog in front of the fire, watch Christmas movie, play a board game (with Rum and eggnog!) We wanted to try and fit in all the little things that can get missed over the busy Christmas season.

You will need
-A wooden frame
-Dowel or wire to hang
-Clothes pins
-Twine or String
-Wrapping pepper
-Paper tags
-Paint
-Things to fill your Calendar

To assemble my calendar I started with measuring where I was going to place my lines of dowel, mine are about 4.5 inches apart, it really depends on how big your frame is and how big your treats are.

I used hot glue to attach my dowel to the back of the frame. Wire or thick twine would work great too in place of the dowel, it just needs to be very tight to prevent sagging.

I hot glued clothes pins to the spots that I wanted to have activity tags or small presents, the bigger ones I just tied on.

 I did go kind of wild with the decotating of the packages (it is going to be part of my Christmas décor after all) This a good project to use up ends and left overs of washi tape, lace, ribbon, twine and what ever you have lying around the house.

 To make the numbers, I stenciled the day numbers on the little wooden tags and tied those on with red embroidery thread, and they will stay on after the treat or tag has been opened.

The calendar looks amazing on the wall (if I do say so myself) and I can’t wait until December 1st to open it!

Fabric Bunting Flags

This fall a good girlfriend welcomed her first baby, a girl!  Mom had put together one of the prettiest
 and tasteful nursery's I have seen, calm and feminine but not to in your face girly.

With the beachy, nautical theme in mind I wanted to make a gift that would fit the decor.

Bunting flags are so cute, I think no decorating is complicate with out a festive strings of little flags, especially in a baby room.

I went with a palate of teals, grey, cream, yellow and a pop of bright pink.
This is also a great project to use up fabric scraps, its quick
and pretty easy!

You will need.

-Fabric (fat quarters work great for this)
-double wide bias tape (as long as you want the sting to be)
-Card board (as a template)
-Iron on letters (if you like)



Step 1.

Measure and cut your cardboard template to 

size, keeping in mind seam allowance (about 1/4 in) The dimensions of my flags were 5in by 3in

Step 2.
with Fabric inside out and sew together the two sides, leaving the top open. Turn fabric right out out, using a point tuner (or a pencil) to turn out the tips of the flags. Top stitch with a contrasting color along the edges for decoration if you like

Step 3.
Tuck the flags in to the fold of the bias tape and pin. Repeat with all the flags making sure that they are evening spaced. Sew along the entire length of the bias tape. (try a fancy stitch and contrasting thread)

Step 4.
Iron on letters if you like (I didn't know the babys name yet so sent them blank.)
                                               

Hang and admire your hard work!

Distressed Dresser and Night Table

For years I have been using boring and junky MDF dressers, usually found on the side of the road (though I do love free things) I had been keeping my eye out for something better.
Due to my Grandma downsizing we were given a really good quality dresser and night stand set that she had bought in 1956.
Extremely heavy, well built and beautiful and other then some water damage on the top of the dresser, in great condition. I didn't like the color of the finish as it didn't match our bed frame or anything else, so I decided to refinish it. I really love the white distressed vintage look, So I decided to go for a nice creamy white. We happened to be at Canadian Tire while they were given away miss tinted 1 gallons of paint (Yay! free!) I didn't get much of a choice of color, but it was free! The total cost of the project was about $56, not to bad! To repaint the hardware I used a nice black gloss spray paint I already had. I chose to use a eco friendly stripper, as I was going to be doing this inside.
The the thing  took about 12 hours as I sanded it by hand, which took a very very very long time. Borrow  a power sander if you don't have one. Trust me.

Before

You will need
- A piece hard wood furniture
- Furniture stripper ( I used EZ Strip, from Home Depot)
-Tupperware fro stipper
-Brush for stipper
-Scouring pads or steel wool
-Paint scraper
-Sand paper (I used 80, 100 and 150)

-Gloves
-Drop sheet
-Paint
-Painting suplys


 1. Remove hardware and set aside for painting later




2. Apply a layer of stripper, following the instructions on the container. I found that using a really really thick layer did NOT make it come off better it made more of a mess, I had to let it sit for about 40 mins.



3. This is a really good time to paint the hardware

4. Scrape, scrape and scrape some more. I used used steel wool and Scouring pads on the round legs.

5. Once all the paint is off, give it  a good wipe down with a wet cloth to remove any residue.

6. Sand, sand and sand some more.

7. apply your first coat of paint, be patient so you don't get any runs.


8. Once the paint is dry, With 150 grit sandpaper, distress and "high traffic areas" such as corners, edges and around the drawers. If you want to chip the paint in any areas, go wild with any kind of tool. (this is the fun part!)

9.Wipe off the sanding dust, replace hardware. and congratulate your self on a job well done!

Lazy Day Bed Table

This awesome bed table is perfect for lazy mornings with coffee in bed. Its mounted on wheels so you don't even have to get out of bed, and it slides out of the way when not in use.
The table is a copy of an Ikea table, but cost only $57 to build rather then a couple hundred to buy and then struggle to assemble.
We built ours with clear pine 1 by 12's, but 2 by 12s would make an extra sturdy but heavy table.

You will need

• 1 long piece of 2by10 or 2by12 (top)
• 2 shorter pieces of 2by10 or 2by12 (sides)
• wood glue
• 4 angle brackets with screws
• small wheels
• 2 large decorative brackets ( if your table needs more support, ours did)

1. Measure how high and long you want your table. Keep in mind that you will want to get your legs comfortably under it and be able to wiggle around a little bit.
our table dimensions are 36 inches high and 72 inches wide. and we have a Queen size sleigh bed. Rember that the wheels will add a bit of height so take that in to consideration when measuring.

2. Cut (or have cut at the lumber store like we did) your wood

3. Decide where you want to pre drill your screw holes, measure and mark.

4. Mount the brackets to the tops of the side boards. making sure that they are square.

5. Apply a nice thick line of wood glue where the sides and table top will meet. Secure with screws. wipe away extra glue.

6. Sand well, stain or paint to your liking!! we painted ours a nice clean white.

7. Grab the laptop and a drink and crawl in to bed  for some much deserved relaxation!

Galaxy Print Dress

I made this dress for a Theme day at a local Music festival.

It was extremely fun and very easy.
You can pretty much go wild with a bottle of spray bleach and it will look awesome.

You will need

• A blue or black dress (I used navy)
• bleach
• Spray bottle
• White fabric paint
• Small paint brush
• Garbage bag or plastic

1. Mix bleach and water in spray bottle (about half and half)
2. Place a garbage bag or plastic inside the dress (to stop bleach from leaking to the other side)
3. Spray bleach in oval shaped patterns where you want the lighter spots to be. Allow to dry between applications. The spots you want quite light, or white will take a few goes.
4. Using a small paint brush dipped in undiluted bleach, drip small spots where you want stars or lighter spots.
5. Once you have bleached to your hearts desire, wash the dress and dry.
6. With white fabric paint (I used Martha Stewarts mutli purpose paint) paint stars where like, you can also tap your brush to create teeny tiny splatters of stars.If you really want to jazz it up, you can add some gold or silver fabric paint. Let dry
7. Wear and allow the complements to roll in.

Vintage Suitcase Cat Bed

I love our cats.
And I really love old suitcases... a lot.
What better way to justify yet another old suitcase purchase, but to turn it in to a cat bed!!
This suitcase I scooped up at a garage sale for $6 and the legs I found at a thrift store for $1 each.

You will need:

• Old suitcase, hard sided
• 4  couch or chair legs with internal bolts 
• Nuts and washers
• Foam
• Fabric

1. Remove the top of the suit case, sometimes breaking the hinge can be hard, we used a hammer.
2. Drill a hole in each corner of suit case for the legs. Secure with nuts and washers
3. Line the sides of suitcase with the fabric (we used spray adhesive)
4. Cut the fabric to fit, we just tucked the fabric very tightly under the foam, so it would be removable and washable.

If you don't want to buy foam, or reline the sides of the case, just toss a pillow in that your cats already love in there!

)

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Flourless Double Chocolate spice cookies

These soft and chewy decedent cookies are gluten and dairy free! Using parchment paper to bake them on is a must for these cookies, as they are very very delicate and sticky after baking. Using a very good quality dark Dutch coco really makes a difference. These cookies do not last long.

Makes about 2 dozen 2 inch cookies

3 cups powdered sugar
¾ cup coco (good quality dark Dutch process)
4 egg whites2tsp vanilla
¼ tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg
¼ cup chocolate chips.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. Sift coco and sugar to remove any lumps

2. With a hand mixer, mix coco/sugar mix with eggs, vanilla and salt

3. Stir in chips. The batter will be running and sticky, like glue.

4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a tablespoon, scoop batter in to little puddles on paper. Space cookies well as then can spread.

5. Bake at 350 for 8-12 minutes until the tops are shiny and cracked and just set in center. 

Remove pan from oven, and gently remove parchment paper( with cookies on it) from pan and lay on counter
to cool (do not remove cookies yet!)6. Once cookies are cool, peel gently from paper using a damp spatula to prevent sticking. Layer parchment paper between layers of cookies when storing.

Gluten free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Walnut cookies

Stuffed with walnuts and chocolate chips, they are perfect with a glass of milk.
These cookies are so good, you would never know that they are gluten free!

Preheat oven to 350

Wisk together
1 3/4 cup gluten free flour blend
¾ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp baking soda
1 tsp xanthium gum

Cream together
1 cup coconut oil
¾ cup coconut sugar (or cane)
2 eggs (at room temp)
2tsp vanilla

Stir the flour mixture in to wet, add
1 cup chocolate chips
½ cup chopped walnuts
3 ½ cups gluten free oats

Shape dough in to 1-2 inch balls and flatten to ½ inch place on a greased or parchment covered baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned.

Lemon Raspberry Tofu Cheesecake

This vegan and wheat free tofu cheesecake is just amazing, this recipe is adapted from the green cuisine cookbook by Andy Cunningham, defiantly worth buying if you are in Victoria and have a chance to visit Green Cuisine in market square.   

 http://www.greencuisine.com/      

Using a really good quality blender makes the filling light, fluffy and creamy. 

Cake crust:
2 cups gluten free graham style cookies crumbs (or regular crumbs if wheat is not an issue)
¼ cup melted coconut oil
2tbs coconut sugar or brown sugar

Mix together in a bowl, and press in to a greased 9 inch 
spring form pan. Refrigerate for an hour before filling.

Filling:
Combine in a blender-
2/3 cups sugar
¼ cup coconut oil
¼ cup cashew butter
½ tsp salt
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2tsp lemon zest



Combine in a small pot and bring to a boil-
2 cups medium tofu crumbled
1 cup vanilla soy milk
1 tsp Agar powder

Pour the tofu mixture in to the blender and blend until very smooth

Pour over crust and shake to settle bubbles, then refrigerate until partially set

  

Place whole raspberries in a decorative pattern on top of filling. 

Pour glaze over raspberries and allow to set for another 3-4 hours.

Glaze:
2/3 cup water
1/3 tsp agar powder
1tbs lemon juice.

Bring above ingredients to a boil. drizzle or brush over top of cake

Home Made Bath Soak

I have made these for my mom for mothers day a few times, she loves taking baths in her amazing bath tub. These salts are uplifting and refreshing, a blend of pink grapefruit, ylang ylang and Neroli blossom essential oils with rose hips and hibiscus petals to add color to the water. 

The salts and oils are available at your local health food or herb store. 

You will need

• Bath salts, I use a blend of dead sea salts and Epsom salts
• Essential oils (your favorite!)
• Baking soda
• Rose hips (or petals)
• Hibiscus petals
• Large bowl
• spoon
• Glass jar

1. Mix salts and baking soda
 2. Add essential oil, a few drops at a time, mixing in between to get your desired sent.
3. Crush rose hips and petals with a mortar and pestle until fine
4. Add rose and petals to salts, mix and pour in to a glass jar with tight fitting lid.

Melted Crayon Art

I was hanging out with my younger cousin for a weekend and was looking for a fun activity to keep us occupied. I had seen this melted crayon success (and fails) all over Pintrest and was looking for an excuse to try it. We decided to give it a go and it worked out great for us!

You will need:

• a large box of crayon
• canvas
• glue gun
• hairdryer

1. Protect your work surface
2. Remove any colors you do not want in your art (we pulled out all the blacks, grays and browns)
3. Remove all the wrappers off the crayons (this is time consuming but worth it, it stops the crayons from  escaping as they melt)
4. Hot glue the crayons to your canvas in what ever pattern you like,
5. With the hair dryer on low start melting while pointing DOWN, that should avoid any spray or splatter. Its important to take your time, its worth it!

Try making other shapes!