Christmas Round-Up from Last Year

One of the fun things about blogging is being able to look back on past years to see when I started decorating and crafting for each season. Now, last year was my first Christmas in my own home with my hubby to celebrate, so it was pretty exciting. But, looking back, I posted my first Christmas craft on NOVEMBER FREAKING 15TH! Sheesha! I really was ahead of the game! I was all decorated by now! I still don't have my Christmas tree up and just started getting other decorations up yesterday. Eeck! I feel so behind now!

I was quite productive in my Christmas crafting last year as well.  I made stockings, a tree skirt, ornaments, and some various decorations.  Here's a round-up from my posts last year. No promises that I'll be quite as productive this year though :)

Christmas Stockings 

 

Winter Pearl Wreath

DIY Gold Mini Christmas Trees

DIY Christmas Ball Wreath

Tablecloth to Tree Skirt

Felt Gingerbread man Ornament

Felt Reindeer Ornament

Felt Candy Cane Bunting

 Well, at least since I was pretty productive last year I don't have to make another tree skirt or stockings, so hopefully I'll just have some more fun decorations to share soon!!

Am I the only one without my tree up yet?? Please tell me I'm not alone :)



Tons of Beading Inspiration through Issuu

I was selected for this opportunity as part of the Girls' Lunch Out network. All views expressed are entirely my own, and were not influenced or directed by either Girls' Lunch Out or Issuu.   I always prided myself on being a self-taught jewelry maker.  I've literally never been to one jewelry making class!!! Everything I've learned I've figured out on my own, from reading things online or reading books and magazines.  In reality, I really learned how to make jewelry mostly from books and magazines because I really started learning when I was around 13-15ish way before the age of pinterest and DIY craft blogs like there are now. I would love to go into book stores and peruse for the lasted Bead Style magazine or pick up a new how-to book.   As the way of the world has changed though, I really can't remember the last time I bought a beading magazine or book! If I'm lacking for inspiration I normally browse around online. Sometimes though, I do really miss some of the great content that a real magazine or a real book provided, but just don't feel like putting out the money for it. Or, ya know, physically going into a bookstore because for that, I would have to make myself look semi presentable (and I'm not well known for looking presentable while browsing pinterest) I've just recently discovered an awesome solution with Issuu! Issuu is an online digital publishing platform that is quickly becoming the place readers are turning to online to discover new content and for publishers to use to find a worldwide audience. How about I just put this simply....IT'S LIKE PINTEREST BUT FOR MAGAZINES!

Publishers can upload magazines and articles right to Issuuu, for people like you and me to read for inspiration! Check this out: the latest edition of Bead Style! Right here on my computer!! AWESOME!!!    

Now I can get so much more jewelry making inspiration without dragging my butt into a bookstore!!!  Here's a quick peek at some cool project ideas I found:

 Making Beautiful Bead and Wire Jewelry

Simply Beautiful Beaded Jewelry

Bead Trends

Now let's be real: I love pinterest and craft blogs as much as anyone, but sometimes it's just nice to read something with professionally edited content and professional photography for easy to follow step by step projects and just to switch things up!!

Here are a couple more cool things about Issuu I'm loving:

1. You can build "Stacks" with different themes of things you are interested in - it's almost like building a music playlist but with articles! You can follow other people's stacks to find new content.

2. After you use Issuu a few times, it starts recommending new articles and magazines it thinks you will like. It basically reads your mind :)

3. You can publish your own online magazine or even your own ebook to gain exposure worldwide!

Curious, want to find out more? Just visit Issuu and start browsing around for things you like, you'll probably get sucked in :) Click HERE for more info. You can also follow along with Issuu to learn more on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Your Whims Wednesday #140 {And Features}

Time for another Your Whims Wednesday Party!

<center> <a href="http://www.mygirlishwhims.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77/Becca187/YWWsnip.jpg"/></a></center>

 Here are some of my favorites from last week:

Igloo Village Advent by Meeha Meeha

Gingerbread Cookie Wreath by Saving 4 Six

Cranberry Orange Mimosa by Simple Living and Eating

Nutella Mint Stuffed Crescent Rolls by This Silly Girl's Life

Thanks to all who linked up! Grab a button if you were featured :)  
<center> <a href="http://www.mygirlishwhims.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77/Becca187/featurededited.jpg"/></a></center>   Now... onto this weeks party!

I show off my girlish whims weekly on my blog, and now I want to see yours with 
Your Whims Wednesday!

Guidlines:

1. Link up as many projects as you would like: as long as it is one of your girly ways, you can link it! I'd love to see crafts, recipes, style posts, etc. Anything and everything feminine :)

2.Please add my button (code at the top of this post) to either your blog post or somewhere on your blog. 

3. Take a quick moment to comment on at least one other entry. We we all love comments!! 

4.I'd love if you would follow me as well :)

DIY Burlap and Glitter Christmas Trees

It's Officially Christmas Season!!!!!

I for one am so excited to start sharing some Christmas crafts. I'm sharing my most time consuming craft first so you can set some time aside to work on it if you want to make some for yourself :)

I actually got the idea for these trees from Target.  It would have cost $25 to buy two trees and I just didn't feel like spending that much when I knew I could make something similar.  They were quite time consuming to make though...so with all time I put into them it might have just been worth buying :) But I had fun making them and catching up on episodes of Breaking Bad (PS: OH MY GOSH!!! I only have two episodes to go.  No one tell me what happens!!!)

So if you have some shows to catch up on, here's a fun craft to start for the holiday season.

Supplies:

Needed to make your own trees: cardboard tree forms, tacky glue, glitter, and burlap.  Mine was a laminated burlap from Michaels so it didn't fray as much when I cut it out.

Steps:

Cut a scalloped pattern out of cardboard and trace out a bunch of petals on the burlap.

Cut out your petals

Outline the edges of the petal with tacky glue (regular white elmers glue works too!)

While the glue is still wet, sprinkle on some glitter

Shake off the excess and let dry. Repeat. Repeat, and repeat a whole lot more.  You will need a lot of these!!!

After all your petals are done, hot glue them onto the cardboard tree form

After everything is glued on, this is how your trees should look!

I just love how these trees turned out. I'm going to be decorating with a lot of gold in my Christmas season decor this year so these should fit right in. The neutral of the burlap though makes me think that they would go with most decor.

The touch of sparkle of the edges of these trees is just so cute!

So even though they were a little time consuming...they mean much more to me now than something I might have bought at Target for $25 bucks.  Call me DIY crazy ;) Merry Christmas and here's to a new crafty season!!!

I'm linking up with these parties:

Monday: CraftOManiac Monday, Making Monday Marvelous, Made By You Mondays, Making the World Cuter

Tuesdays: Take-a-Look Tuesday, Show Me What Ya Got, Homework

Wednesdays: Your Whims Wednesday, Creative Share Wednesday, We did it Wednesday, Sugar and Spice, Whatever Goes Wednesday, Show & Share,

Thursdays: Catch a Glimpse

Friday: Link Party Palooza, Frugal Friday, Weekend Bloggy Reading

Saturdays: Saturday Night Special, Show and Tell Saturdays, Positively Splendid

Sundays: Sunday Showcase, Think Pink Sundays

Prepping your Bathroom for the Holidays with Cottonelle

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Cottonelle, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #CottonelleHoliday  http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

With the holidays coming up, we are bound to have more guests over.  I'm at that phase in my life where about half of my friends are married and in their own place, and the rest still with their parents.  So basically we have friends over a lot because we have our own space and don't have to worry about waking up parents at 11PM while we are laughing and drinking and being merry (man, being a grown up is fun!). So with Christmas around the corner and the season of polyannas and ugly Christmas Sweater parties, I'm sure we will be having guests over a bunch.

I try to keep our downstairs powder room fresh, clean and decorated to look nice for when we have visitors. It was painted tan when we moved in, so I just added a couple of fun accents like some purple flowers, candles, a painting, and other accessories.  I have a wallflower from Bath and Body Works plugged in to make it smell good, and always make sure to give the sink and toilet areas a good wipe down before we have guests come over. 

I can prep my bathroom to be clean and neat before we have friends over, but I never thought there was much I could do beforehand to prevent walking into the bathroom halfway through the evening to THIS:

Ugh. Isn't that just the worst???? My husband is TERRIBLE at changing the toilet paper roll, as are most of my guy friends who come over.  Us ladies have a little more manors...but still. Always being the one stuck with changing the roll is annoying!!

And, in the sake of all honesty, I do use a LOT of toilet paper.  I know this for a fact because senior year of college I shared a suite with three other girls.  Our bathroom got cleaned and restocked with toilet paper once a week. We would ALWAYS run out before the week was done! We literally would go around looking for the cleaner's carts in the hallway to snatch up extra rolls because they would never leave us enough! Or...at least that's what we thought.  Until halfway through senior year I graduated early and moved out, and my old roommates got a new suite mate.    They never had a problem with running out of toilet paper anymore.... SOOOO I guess it was just me who had that problem.

Seriously, I don't know, I just use as much as I think I need??? Well I guess it's more than most ;)

So between me using massive amounts of toilet paper and a hubby and some guests who never change the roll, I was in need of a solution before entertaining season gets too far underway this season.

Luckily, while shopping at Target this weekend, I found it!!

Cottonelle's Triple Roll is THREE times as large as a regular roll of toilet paper, meaning it should last THREE times as long...which means I can go THREE times longer than regular before I have to change the roll :) But to help things along, I added a toilet paper holder into our powder room to keep some extra rolls nice and close:

This way my guest won't have to feel awkward digging around under the sink to find another roll of toilet paper, and maybe, JUST maybe, keeping it in sight will make it easier for my husband to change the roll as well. A girl can hope....

Between a triple roll of toilet paper and extra rolls on hand, I'm looking forward to spending LESS time in the bathroom changing rolls this holiday season and much more time with my guests!!

How about you...do YOU need to spend a little less time in the bathroom this year?? If so I've got a GREAT coupon for you to try out Cottonelle:

Head to Target to buy a Cottonelle Triple Roll 12 pack or larger and get a FREE box of Kleenex with this coupon!*

*While supplies last

Happy Holidays and Happy Toilet Paper Shopping to All!!!! :)