Merry Christmas Eve

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone! Two weekends ago we made 7 dozen Christmas cut out cookies. They were all eaten before the week ended. So, I woke up to my mom sneaking into my room to steal some of my confectioner's sugar from my "baking tote". Here are some photos from baking cookies, though. 

We used the flooding technique to frost them for the first time. I think they turned out beautifully! 

I got Meowzers and Kitten all dressed up in their Christmas outfits. Unfortunately, I don't think they enjoy being in their outfits as much as I do. 

We even took a family picture for the first time in forever. 

My Grandma loved the painting I made for her.

Santa always comes to our Christmas party to give gifts to the kids. This was him telling them that he doesn't bring kittens or puppies as gifts because they poop in his sleigh. 

Here is the first of many Christmas 2012 pictures of Alec and I... and our matching dimples.

Today I ...

Today I got way more done than I ever imagined to accomplish in one day. It just goes to show how desperate I was for a creative outlet. Today was my first day home (with my craft supplies) since Thanksgiving. 

I wrapped all of my presents and made gift tags for each and every one out of scrapbooking paper. This year I am getting Alec "something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read." I'm using the same prompts to shop for my best friend, Kacie, as well.

My mom decorated the tree while I painted in the same room so we could spend time together. 

My Grandma and Great Aunt asked me a few months ago to paint them a scene of sailboats on the lake for Christmas. I'm almost positive that they assumed I would not have time to work on it, considering how busy I have been. Luckily, I had enough time today to start it and finish it. Now, all I have to do is wrap it before the Christmas Party on Sunday!

I also learned how to knit today! This is on my list of 40 things to do before I turn 20, but I am not crossing it off until I complete a project. Right now I am only a few rows into creating one sock. I'm going to keep working on knitting, though, because I have always wanted to make Christmas stockings! 

Finally, I made a Christmas Quilt today. I have been wanting to make a Christmas quilt since last Christmas and finally got time to whip up a small one today. All I have left to do is the binding, which I will finish tomorrow.

I'm officially exhausted from doing things that I enjoy, which is a nice change of pace. 

What did you accomplish today?

Have you ever knitted  (or even crocheted) Christmas stockings before? If yes, what pattern do you use?! 

Have a wonderful night, everyone.

My Very First Craft Bazaar

My mother and I had a table at my very first craft bazaar last week! I know, I know. You are all probably wondering where in the world I have been and what has been going on. Well, I have been sleeping a little, going to class, studying my life away, then heading off to work non-stop for weeks. It has been exhausting and this mini-vacation to a craft bazaar with my favorite lady was exactly what I needed.

Currently...

Working On:

 Exam after Exam after exam. I just finished writing a paper on "housewives as a subculture" and memorizing 75 muscles (along with their action, origin and insertion). I have barely had time to do anything other than study, work and sleep. College keeps me busy.

Thinking About:

How absolutely delicious this coffee is. I mean, wow. Sometimes I really think there is nothing better than sitting down with a hot cup of coffee.

Anticipating:

The moment my room-mate moves out. She is moving out today and I get to have our dorm room all to myself! Then, my best friend here at school is moving in with me. This move should reduce my stress a lot.

Listening To:

"Baby It's Cold Outside" on repeat. The Glee cast version is all I have on my Itunes right now. I know, it is not Christmas yet. I know, there is no snow. It isn't even Thanksgiving yet! I just can't help it. This song has been all I've wanted to listen to for the past two weeks.

Eating:

Sweets. I have never been known for a sweet tooth before. Usually when I want a snack I want something cheesy..or salty. As of late all I want is chocolate. Chocolate cupcakes, brownies, ice cream, candy bars. You name it..I have been eating it. This is clearly a trend that I am not letting become a habit.

Thankful For:

The fact that it is not raining or snowing today. It is 71 today ( almost a record high here in NY) and beautiful out. I am going to enjoy every minute of it.

Planning For:

The next two weeks. I have an Anatomy and Physiology Exam this week and a Sociology exam. Then, I have a Microbiology Exam early next week. Unfortunately, as soon as I am done posting this I have to do homework for the rest of the weekend. 

What has been going on in your life currently?

Pumpkin Seeds: 3 ways

I know this post is a tiny bit late, but I have been swamped with studying this past week and have no had time to post it. Anyway, I'm sure you can either save these ideas for next Halloween or go buy some clearance pumpkins so that you can make these delicious seeds. Now, I am aware that some of you don't even save your pumpkin seeds. After reading this, I'm sure you will save them from now on! 

3 Ways: To Tie a Scarf

Are you sick of wearing your scarves the same simple way you have been wearing them since middle school? Do you see women all around you with their scarves tied in such interesting ways and wondered how to make your own scarf look that good? If you answered "yes" to either of those questions this is the post for you! 

Here are 3 unique ways to tie a scarf:

1. The Fancy Braid

1. Start with the scarf open around your neck. 2. Twist the ends, one over the other. Adjust the loop to be the size you want your final braided loop to be. 3. Twist one end over the other again. 4. Take the bottom end and pull it over and into the neck hole. 5. Fold it back over the other side. 6. Repeat with the other end. Twist the ends over each other and bring the end you are working with through the neck hole. 7. Repeat over and through, switch ends, over and through, switch ends. 8. Knot the end and either tuck the ends to hide them or leave them out. Adjust your braid so it hangs how you want it to. 

2. Four in the Hand 

1. Fold the scarf in half and then wrap it around your neck. 2. Put your hand through the loop on the folded end and pull one of the loose ends through the hole. 3. Twist the loop on the folded end. 4. Pull the second loose end through the hole. 5. Fluff the scarf and rearrange the twists until it lays flat on your chest.

 3.  The Simple Knot

1. Tie the ends of your scarf into a knot. 2. Tie the ends of your scarf into a second knot, forming a double knot. 3. Rearrange your scarf so the knot is on the side, as shown above. 

Enjoy!

SITS Day

The time has finally come! Today is my SITS feature day! The SITS Girls is a group of over 40,000 bloggers who work together to learn new things about blogging and find new blogs that they love.

If you are new here, I've got tabs on the top of the page where you can find posts related to your interests.

 If you want to try some new recipes you could check out my apple crisp recipe or my heaven bars. 

If you like creating new little projects, check out my DIY section and learn how to make your own jewelry box or create a paper garland.

If you like to crochet or sew you might be interested in making a fusion blanket. 

If you haven't found one of these that interest you yet check out my 40 things to do before I turn 20 list, because everyone has goals they want to reach. Sew, we might as well try to reach them together.

I hope you find something you enjoy here and decide to follow along!

D.I.Y. Knotted Headband

Amy and I have been working away at the wonderful headbands for a few weeks now. Amy found the pattern here and we fell in love. Sew, we got started! This is not a hard pattern at all, in fact this is Amy's very first crochet project ever. If you have never crocheted before and want to start on an easy project that you can finish in a short time and be able to wear, this is your project. 

We headed off to the rail road tracks to photograph these beauties. The fall weather was absolutely perfect today and the leaves matched our headbands wonderfully.

You can wear them over your hair, like this.

Or under your hair, like this. You can even wear them with your hair up. They are perfect to keep your ears warm during the cooler fall months, too.

Like I said, if you want a quick and easy project to make, head over here and follow these really clear instructions. We have already made five of them and you can adjust the size for children, as well. 

Let me know if you try it!

Dorm Room Delights: Pizza Crackers

Dorm Room Delights is a new mini-series dedicated to all the little treats you can make in a dorm room. I know most of you don't live in a dorm room but, you can still make these snacks using just the bare minimums of cooking supplies. For example, this little treat was made using only a plate and a microwave. Dorm Room Delights is an attempt to prove that college life isn't all Ramen and Poptarts. All of these recipes come to life with the help of my wonderful roommate, Amy. In all honesty, this idea is 100% hers and she ran screaming into the bathroom while I was in the shower to tell me about it.

 So in honor of dorm living, we present you with Pizza Crackers.

D.I.Y. Heart Garland

This heart garland was free to make and Amy and I created in under an hour for our dorm room. You could hang them in the window, a doorway, over your bed or just on a wall.  This project could work with any color or shape. You could even make little orange and gold leaves! I know you are probably already dying to make one for yourself. 

Here is how:

10. and 17. Go to Niagara Falls and Leave a Note for a Stranger

A few weeks ago I finished two of my 40 things to do before I turn 20. 

#10. Go to Niagara falls

#17. Leave a note for a stranger

I went to visit my best friend, Kacie, a few weekends ago and we decided to just get into the car and start driving towards the falls. We followed these signs for 25 minutes, in hopes of finding Niagara Falls. Our plan was to follow these little blue signs until we stumbled upon a beautiful waterfall. Unfortunately, it didn't exactly turn out like that. These signs ended up being so far apart that we were convinced we were lost every time before we saw the next one. Luckily, we made it there in one piece and got free parking two blocks away.

I left my little "note for a stranger" at the base of a tree next to where we parked.

Excuse the photo quality of the above, they were taken with a camera phone over the summer. I had this little note in my purse with me for months waiting for the right place to leave it. Hopefully, somebody found it and it made them smile.

We got our photos taken in front of an overly touristy (is that even a word?) location. 

The falls were absolutely beautiful. It was completely free to go and ogle at them, too. The only cost we had was gas to get there. I highly recommend the trip. Its a perfect mini road trip to take with your best friend.

We tried walking to Canada on this bridge, but decided we liked the US of A better and turned around.

Best of all, I almost fed a squirrel! At the last second somebody let their dog come up and jump at the squirrel. When I looked up at her in shock, she giggled and said "OH MY GOSH THEY WERE SNIFFING EACH OTHER, HOW CUTE!". In reality, her dog jumped at my squirrel and ruined our little moment. Oh well. 

This little trip was exactly what I needed after a week of exams. It is also nice to know I can work on some of my goals even while I'm at school.

Are any of you completing anything you've wanted to do for a while?