DIY Tea Light Candle Holder

I have always had a soft spot in my heart for mason jars and mason jar crafts. They have always been an easy and fun way to decorate and organize my little home. So I was super excited to try this little candle holder project that I saw: here. I had some extra jars (big surprise) and fabric left over from other projects so I was set.

Items needed:
glass jar
craft glue
fabric
water
paint brush
tea lights... (I used battery powered ones)
scissors

Cut fabric into 1 or 2 inch strips.

In a bowl mix two parts water to one part glue.

Completely coat fabric strips in glue mixture,
then use your fingers to kinda  squeegee any excess glue mix.

Next, place fabric strip on the inside of your jar & use your
brush to push out any air bubbles.

Let dry over night and then trim edges.

And there ya go!

I hope you have enjoyed this little tutorial! 

Have a beautiful Tuesday!

-sarah

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

It was chilly today, snow flurries and all, and I had a bag of broccoli that needed to be used up before it turned into the angry brown version of itself. What better than a nice cozy soup!?

I used this recipe from Pioneer Woman (who I am recently obsessed with), and just altered it to what I had.

Ingredients:
1 whole onion, diced
1 stick (1/2 c.) butter
1/3 c. flour
4 c. (1 qt.) whole milk
2 c. half and half
4 heads broccoli cut into florets
1 pinch nutmeg
3 c. grated cheese (mild cheddar, sharp cheddar, jack, etc.)
Dash of salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Smidgen of chicken broth if needed for thinning

1. Melt the stick of butter and then add all of the onion, cooking 2-3 minutes until onions are translucent.

2. Sprinkle flour over the melted butter and onions. Stir to combine, and cook for 1 minute or so. This is called a roux.

3. Pour in milk and half and half. Stir.

4. Add nutmeg, **then broccoli, a small dash of salt, and plenty of black pepper.

**I accidentally cooked my broccoli first because I am made of straw.

Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender. IF you cook the broccoli first like I did, just simmer for a few minutes. You don't want the broccoli to get mushy.

5. Find an adorable gal to help add the cheese. (3 cups is one and a half bags). Stir and allow to melt.

Taste seasonings and adjust if needed. Serve it up chunky, mash it up with a potato masher to break it up a bit, or pour in a blender in two batches and puree completely. (If you puree in a blender, return it to the heat and allow to heat up. Splash in chicken broth if needed for thinning.)

-andrea

Melisa's House Tour Continues - My Collection Room

I have this "foyer" area in my house.

I am not sure if it is intended for something else, 

but I have made into my "collection" space.

I have been collecting religious art for about 6 years.

Anything Jesus, Mary, Saint related.

Pictures, statues, books (old Bibles).

Rosaries, Holy Cards.

I love them.

(I apologize for the terrible photography, I should have had Sarah take photos)

Side note: I covered the wall with vintage hankies.

I think I have officially run out of room for anything else.

 

What do you collect?

-melisa

Honey Butter Recipe!

Idea for a sweet and simple valentine gift!
I made some of this recipe around Christmas time and it was a pretty big hit so I decided to re-use the idea for a Valentines Day Craft show that is coming up in a couple weeks.

Here is that very quick and easy recipe:
1 cup of butter at room temperature
1 cup of honey
1 cup of powdered sugar
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
(makes six 4 oz jars)

Whip butter and then add sugar, followed by honey and cinnamon.

So delicious on an english muffin!

Try it out and let me know what ya think!

-sarah

Goodbye Mullet!

 Hey all its me again! So i have been rockin a pretty fierce mullet for the last year and today it was time we take care of that! My mum was a little nervous about this milestone so she went online and found a salon in the area that does kids haircuts called Little Snips.

So off we went on our big adventure!

 This place was pretty cool! They had little cars to sit in and televisions with cartoons playing!

I was a little scared when the lady picked me up and put me in the NYPD car i guess i thought i was going to jail or something! Then i caught a glimpse of the TV and i was fine!

I got  kinda distracted by the little cutie that was getting his haircut next to me!

All done and looking pretty good!





All in all it was a great adventure and i think I'm looking pretty cute!

~ Sadie Fay



Extra, Extra!

Take a step into one of our blog meetings! Lunch, laughs, gossip, and 20 minutes of talking shop. Mindi, our terrific photographer, friend, and fellow blogger, filmed and put together a cute vintage style movie short. Who knows, maybe there will be a sequel.

-the gals

Fashion Inspiration.

I am sure I have mentioned in past posts, that I do not consider myself a "fashionable" person.

I tend to stick to the same old outfit everyday (skinny jeans, tee, cardigan).

This blog has really challenged me just in the past few months to take small steps

out of my style comfort zone and try some new things.

Since it's the new year and the perfect time to set some new goals,

I have decided to challenge my fashion this year.

When I was younger, I wasn't afraid to wear bold, unique things and set my own trends

(although some of those old photos may haunt me haha).

As I get older, I have kind of lost my sense of personal style.

I don't obsess over shopping, in fact I only get the itch to shop a few times a year.

When  I do shop, I end up only buying more sweaters and playing it safe with basics.

I get overwhelmed and don't know what I can pull off or how to put an outfit together.

It can be frustrating (I am weird, I know).

I had this idea of starting a "fashion inspiration notebook"

(which I have shared with the other gals).

I collect pics from magazines, etc of looks I like and things I may want to try 

in a notebook and take notes.

This way, before I shop I can browse through it and remember some

styles, accessories, color combos that I may want to try.

Here are some photos of my book.

If you are like me, maybe it will inspire you to do something similar.

This is not the easiest challenge for me.

I tend to be a little self conscience.

If anyone has any advice, let me know!

What is your personal style?

How did you find it?

-melisa

The Year of The Rabbit In Review

It seems that 2011 has ended with some of the craziest celebrity news we have heard in a while. With 2012 trucking along with a bazillion new babies and divorces, we want to get together and remember some of the best news 2011 Hollywood had to offer. *Cue sad music and black and white award show "in memoriam" montage*

10. J-Lo's Comback, Divorce, and Re-bound Man- 2011 was really J-Lo's year...kind of? She made a pretty successful comeback with her radio hit "On The Floor" or "On Tha Flo" I am not sure which it is. I don't know if it's obvious, but we are not the most educated on hip lingo. SORRY. She also is a new judge on American Idol along with my one true love Steven Tyler (if you read our bios you will know who is writing this), and AI staple (this is a joke, he had his stomach stapled..wakka) Randy Jackson. Melisa feels strongly about this entire situation. "Ok, so Jenny's been around the block and her love is costing her a thing or two I am sure, but American Idol is showing the loveable side of J-Lo and I am standing by her. However, this re-bound dude has go to go!" THINK OF THE CHILDREN J-LO! I just decided my New Year's resolution is not to type J-Lo this much ever again.

9. Lindsay Lohan's Several Arrests and Court Hearings- This photo is one of the best finds the internet has ever offered me. 2011 was definitely not Lindsay's year. She was in and out of court for various reasons and I think she was given at least 3 different types of community service. The latest being time at a morgue...that she brought cookies to....formaldehyde chip anyone?

8. Jesse James and Kat Von D: The Trilogy- Engaged/split/engaged. Ok, I am about to take this blog from PG to PG-13 for a hot second. THESE freaking assholes. The minute I heard they got together in the first place I thought she was a moron. He first cheated and broke the heart of America's one and only sweetheart, and then it turns out Kat found out about the 19th girl he cheated on her with. NINETEEN. Someone has been watching too much 19 Kids and Counting. Nineteen is not a number to strive for in anything. Too many babies and too many whores.

7.  The Royal Wedding- I will just quote Melisa on this one. "Thank you for adding some class to 2011, William and Kate". Amen.

6.  Justin Bieber Daddy Scare- Can I just say Ellen looked fabulous this night? Just kidding. It's The Bieb, and bielbe me, this will be the one and only time he shows up on this blog. At the end of 2011, a crazy fan claimed he was the father of her baby. Babies having babies claming babies are the daddy. People are insane.
"They told me I was the daddy and I was like baby, baby, baby, noooooooooo!" Danielle not only has the voice of an angel, but she is super funny too.

5. Beyonce Pregnancy- I hate to inform you all, but 2011 won't be the only year we hear about the Beyonce/Jay-Z spawn of hip hop. The kid was born January 8th and you can't get away from hearing about her. Her reveal at the VMA's gave people the boo-hoo's and the yahoo's of happiness. I have a really hard time believing she was actually pregnant. CUT TO ALL OF THE EVIDENCE. Dead. Melisa was right, I don't think we were ready for that belly either.

4. Kim Kardashian: The Dream Wedding and Stunt Divorce- Christ on a cracker. These two. As a newlywed herself, Sarah had it completely right. "Congratulations on spending millions of dollars in order to cheapen something that is meant to be beautiful and sacred." 

3. Arnold Schwarzenegger's Secret Love Child-  Arnold's housekeeper claimed that he fathered her 14 year old son and it is all true. If this were an episode of Maury, after reading the results Arnold would have gone Terminator on everyone's asses and stormed off. That was not a tumah, and it's definitely not a secret anymore.

2. Ashton Kutcher: Cheated, Divorced, and Possible Daddy of January Jones' Baby- Oh busted! Demi and Ashton filed for divorce after news of him cheating with a 23 year old blondie in San Diego. Ruh ruh Raggy. To top it off, there are rumors that he could possibly be the secret dad of January Jones' little boy. No one knows who the father is, but after reading some of my Blind Item's I am almost convinced it is Ashton.

1. Charlie Sheen's Meltdown- 2011 was the year of the rabbit, but really, it was the year of the Sheen. Charlie Sheen properly lost his mind and shared every bit of it with the internet. Here is just some of it. He also had his own vlog for a while called Sheen's Korner. Maybe he need to stand in the "Korner" a little longer and think about what he's done. I actually hope 2012 turns around for this warlock because I just loved him in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

Well, that's it for our review of 2011's best(?) celebrity news stories for the year. Cheers to 2012 and cheers to you!

-the gals