living artfully

cookie sheet advent calendar

Growing up, we always marked the days of December with an Advent calendar. Coming from German heritage, they were known to us as the adventskalendar and were a thin cardboard box with tiny shaped chocolates hidden behind each window. Today, I still enjoy the concept, but was looking for just the right idea to create one of my own. I wasn't sure what kind of calendar I wanted to make until I saw the idea to use a cookie sheet on the Making Memories blog. After a quick run to the store for a cookie sheet and magnets, I created this calendar for my scrapbook room.

To create this Advent calendar, I used a cookie sheet that was approximately 11 inches by 17.5 inches. It's just a cheap thin sheet, which I selected so it wouldn't be too heavy; and without any type of coating on the cookie sheet, I knew my magnets would adhere.


I started by cutting my paper to go around the calendar grid, leaving a hole for the grid itself. If you purchase extremely strong magnets, you can probably skip cutting the hole, but I wanted to minimize the layers of paper between the magnets and the cookie sheet. I adhered the paper to the cookie sheet using my usual scrapbooking adhesive and it's sticking together just as well as paper to paper.

I then created a 10 inch by 10 inch grid by cutting some kraft paper to size and then drawing lines every 2 inches. This created a grid that is 5 spaces tall and wide. I opted to stitch along my grid lines but to simplify you could draw the lines with a marker.

Next I adhered the grid to the center of the cookie sheet, as well as the ribbons and the title. Once these elements were set, I began creating 25 date holders. This is a great way to use up scraps and little pieces of your stash.

Once I had 25 pieces selected, I cut small strips of magnetic tape and adhered them to the backs of my date pieces.  For this project I used super-strength magnetic tape by Magna Card. It's self-adhesive on one side, making it super easy to adhere the date pieces to the magnets.


With everything in place, I put the date holders onto the cookie sheet and moved them around until I was happy with the placement. Then I put the final touches on the calendar by adding numbers to each of the pieces and tying a big bow at the top of the calendar.

The calendar is very sturdy, so it could lean up against a wall on a shelf or sit in a large plate stand. I wanted to hang mine, so I used my mini hole punch to create two small holes along the lip of the cookie sheet, spaced equally from the center. Then I took some picture frame wire, threaded it through the holes, and twisted the ends to secure.

I am looking forward to adding the numbered pieces each day until it's full on the 25th. I am so happy to have found the inspiration for this calendar and can't believe how quickly it came together. My new Advent calendar is now hanging in my scrapbook room and I swear it makes me smile each time I see it.

 

Did you make an Advent calendar this year? What's your favorite way to mark the days of December?

 

december daily foundation - part 2

Thank you for all the sweet comments on the first half of my December album. Here is the second half...


day thirteen: red striped paper (Paper Company), kraft paper (Paper Reflections), santa accent (Creative Imaginations), date overlay (Ali Edwards)
day fourteen: kraft patterned paper (Jillibean Soup), journaling spot (Creative Imaginations), 14 (Creative Imaginations)

 
December 15th is our wedding anniversary, which is why I went with a heart-shaped journaling card :)
day fifteen: polka dot paper (Making Memories), journaling spot (Junkitz), border punch (Fiskars)


day sixteen: baseball card holders, brown patterned paper (Jenni Bowlin), santa accent (Creative Imaginations), scalloped circle punch (Marvy Uchida), border punch (Fiskars), 16 (My Little Yellow Bicycle)


day seventeen: red patterned paper (Jillibean Soup), circle journaling spot (Heidi Swapp), large journaling spot (Making Memories), scalloped circle punch (Marvy Uchida), 17 (K & Company)


day eighteen: red patterned paper (Making Memories), kraft paper (Paper Reflections), date overlay (Ali Edwards)
day nineteen: red patterned paper (Paper Company), journaling spot (Making Memories), border punch (Fiskars), 19 (My Little Yellow Bicycle)


day twenty: red paper (Paper Company), journaling spot (Making Memories), trees (Making Memories), 20 (Making Memories)
day twenty-one: kraft patterned paper (Jillibean Soup), journaling spot (Creative Imaginations), border punch (Fiskars), 21 (My Little Yellow Bicycle)


day twenty-two: kraft paper (Jillibean Soup), journaling spot (Creative Imaginations), border punch (Fiskars), 22 (My Little Yellow Bicycle)
day twenty-three: red patterned paper (Jenni Bowlin), journaling spot (Junkitz), 23 (Jenni Bowlin)


day twenty-four:  polka dot paper (Making Memories), red striped paper (Paper Company), journaling spot (Making Memories), scalloped circle punch (Marvy Uchida), border punch (Fiskars), 24 (My Little Yellow Bicycle)


day twenty-five: red patterned paper (Making Memories), journaling spot (Creative Imaginations), border punch (Fiskars), 25 (My Little Yellow Bicycle)


Just like the front cover, I adhered the date strip to the acrylic cover and the remaining elements to the paper.

 
cover: acrylic cover (Zutter), wires (Zutter), numbers strip (My Little Yellow Bicycle), red paper (Paper Company), Merry Christmas sticker (My Little Yellow Bicycle), 2009 (Making Memories)

This year I am opting to do Ali's December Daily concept, but will be filling in the gaps with the prompts from Holidays in Hand. I am hoping this will create a good balance between the "every day" and larger themes like our values.

Can't wait to get started tomorrow!

december daily foundation - part 1

This weekend I finished the foundation pages for my December daily album. I decided this year to go with a red + kraft color scheme and picked a few unifying embellishments, like vintage santas and red Christmas trees.

I learned a few things from my 2008 album that I think helped improve this year's album:
- Knowing my taste, I simplified my color scheme.
- Last year I ran out of journaling space, so I tried to include some type of journaling card on nearly every page.
- My 4.5 by 9 inch album from last year ended up feeling too small, so I went with 8 by 8 inch this year.
- I didn't like the empty backs of the pages, so this year I used the backs. I decided to do 2-page spreads on days when I think there will be a lot of photos/journaling and 1-pagers on less busy days.

Here is the first half of my album; I'm excited to share the rest with you tomorrow...

 
I used an acrylic cover and placed the see-through sticker strip on the top of the cover; the 25 is adhered to the paper. 

 
cover: acrylic cover (Zutter), wires (Zutter), numbers strip (My Little Yellow Bicycle), polka dot paper (Making Memories), border punch (Fiskars), 25 (Creative Imaginations)


day one: kraft patterned paper (Jillibean Soup), journaling spot (Creative Imaginations), 1 (My Little Yellow Bicycle)


day two:  baseball card holders, red striped paper (Paper Company), circle accent (Making Memories), scalloped circle punch (Marvy Uchida), 2 (Creative Imaginations)


day three: red striped paper (Paper Company), joyful tag (Autumn Leaves), 3 (Making Memories)


day four: brown patterned paper (Jenni Bowlin), red striped paper (Paper Company), kraft paper (Paper Reflections), date overlay (Ali Edwards)


day five: red patterned paper (Jillibean Soup), music note paper (Making Memories), journaling spot (Making Memories), 5 (My Little Yellow Bicycle) 


day six: patterned paper (Jillibean Soup), journaling spot (Creative Imaginations), label (Martha Stewart Crafts),  border punch (Fiskars), 6 (Creative Imaginations)


day seven: kraft paper (Jillibean Soup), journaling spot (Creative Imaginations), tree (Making Memories), 7 (Making Memories)
day eight: red patterned paper (Jenni Bowlin), journaling spot (Junkitz), tab (Heidi Swapp), 8 (Making Memories)


day nine: brown patterned paper (Creative Imaginations), red patterned paper (Paper Company), journaling spot (Creative Imaginations), tree (Making Memories), bracket (Creative Imaginations), 9 playing card (Bazzill)


day ten: red paper (Paper Company), journaling spot (Creative Imaginations), tree (Making Memories), bracket (Stampendous), 10 (My  Little Yellow Bicycle)
day eleven: file folder (Autumn Leaves), journaling spot (Creative Imaginations), 11 (My Little Yellow Bicycle)


day twelve: flocked red snowflake paper (Creative Imaginations), journaling spot (Creative Imaginations), border punch (Fiskars), 12 (Making Memories)

I can't wait to get started on filling in this album...good thing December is almost here! Are you making a December album? Please share links if you are; I'd love to check them out.

And please check back tomorrow for the second half of my December Daily :)

friday faves feature on suzyville

 A huge thank you to the fabulous and talented Suzanne! She featured me yesterday as part of her Friday Faves series on her blog, Suzyville. She has such a fun blog; you'll lose track of time admiring all the jewelry she creates and the great finds she posts photos of. I wish I could hire her to be my personal shopper!
Thanks, Suzanne!

paper posies - december

December looks like another great kit from Paper Posies, the kit club I subscribe to...

 

December's design team gallery is fun, with a very lovely guest designer - Heidi Sonboul! My only complaint is the kit doesn't come until December, because I'm ready for some Christmas crafting now ;)
 

happy thanksgiving

 

We had a very happy Thanksgiving! I hope you did, too!

mulled merlot

Tonight is all about getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving. We are baking this pumpkin buttermilk cake, as well as parmesan herb bread. Meanwhile on the stove, we're making macaroni and cheese with white cheddar and gruyere (my favorite!), and are also mulling wine.

Since we are busy in the kitchen, I thought I'd share this easy recipe for mulled Merlot. It's a great treat when the weather turns cold; a bit spicy, a bit sweet, and very festive and comforting.

 
1 bottle Merlot
1/8 teaspoon orange zest
2  thin slices of orange
2-1/2 tablespoons sugar
4 peppercorns
3 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 whole vanilla bean
1/2 cup water

 
1. Zest the orange, avoiding the white pith.
2. In a pot, combine the orange zest, sugar, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, vanilla bean, and water.
3. Bring to a slow boil for 5 minutes.
4. Remove pot from heat and add the wine and orange slices to the pot.
5. Return pot to heat and warm on low for 30 minutes. Do not allow the wine to boil.
6. Pour wine mixture through fine wire mesh strainer, discarding solids.
7. Serve and enjoy!

I'd recommend serving this in mugs, rather than fragile wine glasses since the beverage will be hot. If you'll be serving this all day long, as we will on Thanksgiving, it keeps very well in a crock-pot on the low temperature setting. When serving, just place a cinnamon stick in the glass and you are ready to enjoy!

reflecting

I spend a lot of my time looking forward. Thinking about the things that need to be done, the next project, whatever holiday or event is upcoming, goals, things we'd like to do in the future.

So I'm relishing this time spent looking backward for a change...

 
Yesterday and Today: Week 6

This is my family. I am blessed with this visual reminder of the people who came before me and made me who I am. To stop and think for a minute about the ways that we are connected to one another is both amazing and overwhelming.

This may be my favorite layout I've ever made. Not for the patterned paper. Not for the techniques or the design. But for the words and the photos. Every photo on this layout fills me with joy and gratitude.

Feeling grateful for family. And for this crazy addictive hobby that is so much more than gluing pictures to paper.

blog around the world

I hope you are enjoying the trip around the world!  Thank you for stopping by my blog to take a peak of my view from Milwaukee, Wisconsin!

Here is a photo from out the front door; it's sadly the last tree to still have leaves. Very soon those leaves will be gone and all our trees will be bare. I had to cheat a bit and take the photo from our porch because we've sealed up all our windows for the winter.

Your next stop on this trip is across the US to Washington at Tammy's blog: Lens and Pens.

I hope you're enjoying the trip! Safe travels ;)

creative circle blog party

 

Are you enjoying the Creative Circle Blog Party? And how fabulous were Mel's mini designs?!

If you're just joining us and aren't quite sure about the details, visit Rinda for a full list of blogs participating in the Creative Circle Blog Party. We have lots of inspiration and projects to share with you, and Rinda is even offering a giveaway.

So on to the cake... Because every good party needs a cake, right?!

 

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and this Pumpkin Ginger Buttermilk Bundt Cake would make a great alternative to store-bought pumpkin pie.  This recipe, which I've adapted from Whipped, is festive, easy to make, and offers a bit of a twist on tradition. Of course if you just want to make it for the simple pleasure of eating cake, well I say, why not!

 
cake ingredients
2-1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1-1/4 cups canned pumpkin
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
 
 glaze ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons of milk
1/2 teaspoon rum extract

 
cake directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Coat a bundt pan with butter and then lightly dust with flour.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, buttermilk, and vanilla.
5. In a third bowl, beat butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Then add eggs and beat again until combined.
6. Slowly alternate between adding flour mixture and pumpkin mixture to the bowl with butter and sugar. Beat on a low speed just until smooth. Begin and end with flour.
7. Spoon batter into pan and shake the pan a bit to remove any lumps.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes.
9. Once a wooden skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, remove from oven and let cool in pan for 15 minutes. Then place a wire cooling rack on top of bundt pan and flip so that the cake releases from the pan onto the cooling rack. Let cool another 15 minutes.

glaze directions
1. Heat butter until melted.
2. Stir in sifted powdered sugar.
3. Stir in milk slowly until the glaze is near to your desired consistency.
4. Stir in rum extract.
5. Drizzle glaze over cake while it is resting on the wire cooling rack.

There are so many possibilities for the glaze! If you're not sure you'd enjoy the rum extract, consider using your favorite extracts such as vanilla or almond. Or omit and add a touch more milk instead. Want a unique look? Mix food coloring into your glaze.

 
 
If you're making this cake for a special occasion, have fun dressing it up a bit! The hole in the center is the perfect spot for a tiny vase and a few small blooms or fake flowers. I just tied together a few very small flowers with string. Then I stuffed the vase so the flowers would stand straight up and not actually touch the cake itself. Not all flowers are food-friendly, so for safety use artificial or consult a list like this.

This cake is comforting, festive... and oh so delicious. I'm looking forward to baking this for Thanksgiving and sharing it with my family. 

Now that you've had some cake, it's time to keep this party going! I'm sure I'm not the only one with tons of photos on my computer, waiting for the perfect project. I hear that Gemma has a fabulous photo project at her lovely blog that you'll want to check out next! 

And before you go, I'd love to hear what desserts you'll be baking for the upcoming holidays!
 
PS - There will be more fun happening here this weekend... Please check back for a photo blog hop around the world!