Dollar Tree Custom Candleholders

I like to have pretty matching candles for all of my table settings. I also like to make something useful out of a Dollar Tree find. I was able to do both for this table setting in my dining room. I have done this project before with a smaller candleholder here. I found a great tablecloth with 8 matching napkins on sale at World Market. It has a beautiful, brightly colored print on it. I happened to have different shades of tissue paper that matched the colors in my tablecloth. I bought 5 of the thick square holders at the Dollar Tree. This project was easy and it took only a few minutes to do.


You will need:
Elmer's or Alene's Tacky Glue
tissue paper
paintbrush
glass candleholders

Tear the tissue into small pieces. Reserve the edges for the tops of the holders. The straight edge looks better. I've mentioned the World Market tissue paper before. It's really pretty because it has fibers in it that show when the candle is lit. It looks like handmade paper. No, I don't work for World Market. I should, though. If you don't have a World Market in your area, here is a link to buy the tissue paper. It's called Mulberry Tissue and it comes in 2 colors per pack.

Paint the glue onto the container with a paintbrush. Dilute the paint with water if it's thick.

Add the strips of tissue, one overlapping another, until it is covered. You can see the upper edge of it in this picture and how nice it looks to not be ragged on the top.

I really like how they turned out. Definitely not like I bought them at the Dollar Tree.

I love candlelight. So cozy and peaceful.


These would be great as gifts, too!

Pretzel Candy

This is a very quick and easy candy recipe that Amby told me about. Different versions of it can be found all over Pinterest. You will need pretzels, Rolos, and M&M's.

Cover a cookie sheet with parchment. Lay out the pretzels and place a Rolo on top of each one.

Bake at 350 for 1-2 minutes. This is just to get the Rolos slightly melted. Lightly press an M&M into each one. I used peanut M&M's but you can use your favorite.

Chill until hardened. These are very tasty and really cute for a party.

Colla Voce in Concert

The vocal ensemble that I am a part of is performing on Tuesday, November 29. The music is beautiful and the concert is free. If you live near the Birmingham area, it would be a great way to start your Christmas season!

Cozy Autumn Decorating

I love to decorate for Autumn. It is such a pleasant transition into cooler weather, chili, pumpkins, and Alabama Football (RTR!!). This is how I decorated my kitchen table this year. The tablecloth is a twin size comforter. The post about it, and more decorating ideas can be found here. I got the owl at Hobby Lobby 50% off and I found the lanterns at a yard sale. The soft glow is courtesy of World Market's new battery candles. It is a simple table, yet it makes a strong autumnal statement.

My pumpkins came from Melinda Smith's famous Pumpkin Party, plus a few from Publix. Here are some of them on my back porch. The crates are American Eagle props, (thanks Zac). I like them because they say EST 1977 on the side, and that's the year Gil and I started dating.



I used more of my pumpkins on our mantel. I added the candleholders I made last year and a strand of bittersweet. I was very happy with my mantel, but my fireplace was sadly lacking...



Ew. I know.


A few weeks ago, I was at my friend Tammy's house. She has a really great fireplace and she and another friend, Terri, had created this cool burlap/rope light treatment at the bottom. I loved it and I thought that would work in mine as well.

So I bought an 18 foot rope light from Walmart and looped it under the logs.


I bought 2 yards of sneezy burlap from Hancock, cut it in half lengthwise, and covered the lights with it.

It is a very easy and inexpensive way to to give your fireplace a cozy glow.


Thanks Tammy and Terri for the wonderful idea!

Super Creepy Halloween Crackers

We had a Halloween lunch at work the other day, and I wanted to make some special treats for my friends. I decided to make personalized Halloween crackers filled with candy. The full tutorial with measurements, etc, can be found here.

I realized that I didn't have any Halloween scrapbook paper, so I searched online and found a great website from the UK called Activity Village. They had some very fun patterns.

I printed the paper onto 8 1/2 x 11 white card stock. You can cut two from each page.

I organized my candy so that everyone got the same amount.

I made personalized labels with a very scary font that I found on dafont.com. I also added spooky eyes.

And, voila! A basket full of super creepy treats.

ACLS and BLS Certification Classes

This year, it became a requirement to become ACLS certified at the hospital where I work. The prospect of having to accomplish this was very stressful. Fortunately I found Brant Bice, a firefighter and paramedic, who has been teaching CPR for several years. He can come to your home, church, or workplace and teach CPR and ACLS. He provides a comfortable and enjoyable atmosphere, which is very conducive to learning. He uses the American Heart Association 2010 guidelines and combines it with his interesting insight and experiences. We just took his class and loved it. I'm very glad I found him.

If you are in the Alabama area, and are interested in BLS or ACLS, you can contact him at www.bbicecpr.com.