My favorite holiday has always been Christmas. I love everything about it - decorations, lights, Christmas carols, yummy food...well, maybe not everything, because I really hate snow, LOL! Christmas crafts are my favorite type of craft, too, so I'm really excited to be working with Jo-Ann to make something fabulously festive!

Do you have a favorite type of decoration? I have several, but it seems like every year I am attracted to a specific type of decoration. This year, it's Christmas trees! Not just the large ones we decorate, but also all of the little ones - metal, paper, fabric - all shapes and sizes. So cute!




Have you seen the trees made of burlap loops? And the prices? Yikes!! Adorable, but I'm not spending that much, so I figured out how to make one of my own - and I'm going to share my tutorial with you!

What I used:

• burlap, cut into strips (I used 6" strips from the bottom to 2/3 up the tree, then 5" strips from the 2/3 to about 2" from the top, then 4.5" to the top - all were 1/2" wide)
• styrofoam cone
• 8mm metal brads
• hot glue gun
• something to top the tree (I used a glitter star from a Christmas floral pick)

Directions:

1) I didn't want to worry about any of the styrofoam showing, so I wrapped the cone in burlap and hot glued it in place.


2) Starting at the bottom of the cone, I attached the burlap strips one by one. I formed a loop with the strip, then attached it to the tree by pushing a brad through the burlap into the styrofoam. With each successive row, I staggered the loops so that they layered between the previous row.


About 2/3 of the way up the cone, I switched to 5" strips - and then about 2" from the top, I switched to 4.5" strips.


At the top, taking two slightly longer strips, I shaped each one into double loops, then hot glued them together crosswise. Then I hot glued them to the top of the tree.


To finish, I hot glued a gold glittered star to the top of the tree.


See? Super easy - super cute - and costs just a fraction of what you'd pay in a store!


You could also easily do variations:

• add glitter to the edges of the loops
• glue tiny ornaments or jewels to the loops
• use fabric instead of burlap

To get you started on your own fabulously festive project, here is a link to the Jo-Ann holiday catalog and a printable coupon for 50% off a regular-priced item!


What holiday crafts are you making this year?



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One of my favorite craft mediums is paper, so I was thrilled to be asked to create a papercrafted Christmas project with Jo-Ann and Die Cuts With a View (DCWV).

Do you find yourself being drawn to a certain type of "decoration" each year? I always love snowmen, but last year, I seemed to be drawn to stars - and this year, it's Christmas trees. So I decided to make my own papercrafted tree!



Supplies needed:

• 12" long wooden dowel to fit in base (mine is 1/8" diameter)
• 4" circular wooden base with hole drilled in center for dowel
• several different red and green papers from DCWV's Christmas & Winter stack (I used 10)
• decoration for top of tree (I used a star cut from a floral spray) 
• misc: glue, scissors, ruler, pencil, paint, paintbrush

Directions:
1) paint wooden base (you can finish it however you like, or even leave it unfinished - I used silver metallic paint); I also covered the top of it with green paper and a coat of glitter Mod Podge.

2) insert dowel into base

3) For the tree, you're going to roll paper strips and stack them to look like a tree, so they will need to be different lengths. I found it easiest to roll them up first, then trim them to the desired length. You can make them any size you want, but these are the measurements I used:

• cut 5 strips 3" x  6"
• cut 4 strips 3" X 5"
• cut 6 strips 3" X 4"
• cut 5 strips 3" x 3"
• cut 4 strips 3" x 2"

(My tree has 24 rolls. The bottom roll is 6" wide, roll #6 is 5" wide, roll #10 is 4" wide, roll #16 is 3" wide, roll #21 is 2" wide, and roll #24 is 1" wide.)

4) Use a pencil or dowel to roll the strips, then glue the end in place so paper stays rolled.


5) Place the rolls in order on a flat surface, and use a dowel to push one side into the desired sloped shape (the other side will look weird, but that's okay). Now carefully lay another dowel on top of the uneven side, making the dowel mimic the shape you want that side of the tree to have (probably the mirror image of the other side). Take a pencil and lightly mark where you want to trim the edges. Using scissors, make the necessary cuts, being sure the cuts are straight up & down, not slanted.


6) Now start gluing the rolls onto the base & dowel. Make sure the bottom roll is centered by placing a mark on the center back of the roll, then gluing it to the dowel at this mark. Now you'll be able too center the remaining rolls by "eyeballing" it. I placed my tree base so that the dowel was horizontal while I glued the paper rolls onto it.


7) I used a tacky glue, so I only worked with about 5 rolls at a time. I glued them in place and let them dry before moving on to the next rolls because I wanted to be sure they dried straight. If you use a hot glue gun, you will be able to work more quickly since the glue sets in seconds.

8) Once you have all of the rolls in place and the glue has dried, you can attach the tree top decoration.


Note: You can see the dowel if you turn the tree around. I don't have a problem with that, but if you prefer, you could glue a second set of paper rolls up the back of the dowel to make a double-sided tree.


And that's it! A papercrafted tree for your holiday delight!!

To help get you started with your own papercrafted Christmas project, here is a link to coupon for 50% off any one regular-priced item at Jo-Ann http://bit.ly/17UXWOx  (can be used in-store or online)

You can find DCWV products at your local Jo-Ann or on Joann.com  http://bit.ly/It8v1m!

What are your favorite papercrafted projects?

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I'm so sorry that I've been MIA lately!! Lulu was home for Thanksgiving, I was in charge of dinner, we hit the holiday sales, and I've been having a lot more neck and back pain (which makes sitting at the computer very painful).

I remember when I was a kid, my grandfather used to love "TV dinners". I don't know why, because my grandma was a fabulous cook. Maybe it had something to do with growing up during the Depression Era. One of his favorites was Salisbury steak...


I'm not really a ground beef fan, but this recipe for Salisbury steak is pretty good. And Gus loves it!

Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/4 c. plain bread crumbs
1 egg
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 can French onion soup
1 TBSP. flour
1/4 c. ketchup
2 TBSP. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. dried ground mustard
1/4 c. water

Directions:
1) Mix together ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and 1/4 c. of the French onion soup. Do not overmix.


 2) Shape into 3-4 patties - do not pack tightly.


3) Brown both sides of patties in skillet.

4) In bowl, mix flour and 1/2 c. of the remaining French onion soup until smooth. Then add ketchup, water, Worchestershire sauce, and dried mustard.

5) Pour over patties in skillet and cook for about 20 minutes, flipping the patties over once during that time.


And in a nod to those long-ago TV dinners, I served my Salisbury steak with mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables.


A quick, easy meal for those busy days!!

I hope you and your family enjoy the Salisbury steak - I'd love to hear if you try it!

Are you blog-stalking me yet? If not, you should be! You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Bloglovin', Pinterest, LinkedIn, & Polyvore!

I link up at these parties: party, Party, PARTY!