Day 7: Baked Brie with Apricot Jam and Figs!

November 5, 2013 | Posted by Chelsey

Day 7 of my 50 DIY Days of Christmas: Baked Brie with Apricot Jam and Figs, from the super lovely Lauren of Love Lola! Today’s guest DIY-er brought you this tasty idea! She originally found the idea here and had to try it! Turns out it’s delicious and she wanted to share it with all of you. I don’t know about you, but I could eat all the brie 24/7. Add some jam + bread… so yummmmy. Check it out:

Baked Brie with Apricot Jam and Figs

ingredients:

apricot preserves
1 can of Pillsbury crescent rolls
1 round block of brie cheese
4 fresh figs, rinsed and chopped
crackers
fruit (grapes, sliced apples, pears…)

– Roll out the crescent roll dough into one large, square piece. Ensure that it stays together and does not break into its individual pieces.

– Unwrap the brie and place it in the center of the dough. (And don’t worry about the rind, it softens as the cheese cooks)

– Spoon the apricot preserves over the brie, using enough preserves to completely cover the top and sides of the cheese.

– Fold the dough over the cheese and jam, cutting off any excess dough, and pinching it together on the top and sides so that the cheese doesn’t peek through any holes.

– Place the brie concoction on a prepared cookie sheet (sprayed with cooking spray) and follow the Pillsbury dough directions for cooking the crescent roll (this is usually 350 F for 15-20 minutes).

– When the dough is brown and flaky, remove from the oven.

– Top with the chopped figs, and transfer your masterpiece to a decorative plate, along with crackers and fruit of your choice.

– Serve immediately…otherwise you might be tempted to eat the whole thing by yourself. It’s that good.

This appetizer is sure to impress your Thanksgiving guests. It looks and tastes super fancy, yet its so easy to prepare. But don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. Hee.

– Lauren, Love Lola

To keep up with the series, click here or on the image below!

P.S. If you’d like to reminisce in the past 50 DIY Days of Christmas… here you are: 2011 & 2012.

Don’t forget to check out Love Lola and thank her for this lovely brie appetizer idea!

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Tags: christmas, thanksgiving

Categories: 50 DIY Days, food, Snacks and Appetizers, tried it

Today is the day: Make Your Day DIY is here!

November 4, 2013 | Posted by Chelsey

Our baby is ready. We’ve been working for months on this thing, and now it’s ready for you: Make Your Day, it’s a crafting and DIY ebook. I’m SO happy with it and can’t wait for all of you to see it. There are beautiful photos, lovely illustrations, and there are more free printables than you can shake a stick at.

Chelsea and I want to celebrate this day with a glass of bubbly… oh, and sharing a 20% off the purchase price for our readers! Enter the code: MYDAYISMADETODAY at checkout. PLUSANDALSO: all purchases before December 24th, 2013 will come with bonus holiday printable materials! Yes. It’s all so awesome. Ok. I hope you love it! Thank you for following along on our journey… it’s been crazy and fun! Follow the link below to buy your own copy!

Make Your Day.

– Chelsey & Chelsea

P.S. we chose the winners for our giveaway, so you should have received an email if you’ve won. Thanks SO much for entering!

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Tags: announcement

Categories: announcement, make your day

Homemade Bath Soak

November 4, 2013 | Posted by Chelsey

This post is sponsored by HP.

I never realized how simple it is to make a homemade bath soak until recently. With Mother’s Day coming up I thought this would be a wonderful gift for my mom. She loves a comfortable and relaxing bath, so this would be perfect. Epsom salt and baking soda baths are traditionally used to improve well-being and relieve joint pain, plus the peppermint will energize while the ginger provides a refreshing effect. It’s very easy to make, here’s how you can do it:

Supplies:

1 cup unscented Epsom salt (Epsom salt can be found at most grocery stores in the health section)
1/4 cup baking soda
1 tsp. ground ginger (purchased from a store)
8-12 drops of your favorite essential oil (I went with peppermint)
1 glass jar that can hold 1 1/4 cups of bath soak (or 12 ounces)
Bath Soak printouts: Blank Labels or Bath Soak Labels
Scrapbook adhesive

Directions:

Step 1:

In a bowl, combine the Epsom salt, baking soda, and ground ginger. Mix well.

Step 2:

Add 8-12 drops of whichever essential oil you chose. The more drops you add, the stronger the smell will be. I put in 12 drops. Mix very well.

Step 3:

When your mixture is ready, spoon your bath soak into the jar.

Step 4:

Print out the bath soak tags. There are multiple sizes and two different shapes. I’ve also included some blank tags. Cut out the tags you’d like to use on your jar. I chose a blank circle tag for the top and the small “Bath Soak, Handmade” rectangle for the label on the side. I chose to write “Peppermint & Ginger” on the top so my mom would know what sort of bath soak I made for her.

Step 5:

Attach the tags to your jar using the scrapbook adhesive.

Notes:

The bath salts should keep for about a year in a cool, dry space.
Optional: Put together a whole gift basket to celebrate your mama for this holiday. I put in some hand cream, almond lotion, almond soap, and a bit of chardonnay for a relaxing spa day for mom.

Enjoy!

– Chelsey

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post from HP. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website. There are affiliate links in this post.

Day 5: Painted Party Tights DIY!

November 1, 2013 | Posted by Chelsey

Day 5 of the 50 DIY Days of Christmas: It’s party season! Time to wear all those fancy things you hide away during the Summer. Sparkle jacket? yes. Painted Party Tights DIY? Ummm, yeah! Beautiful Christmas sweater with all the bows? Woo! Let’s start with those tights. You can paint your own! Of course you can buy them, but why not make some pretty custom pieces for yourself!

Supplies:

– Tights (I used Hanes because they last)

– Acrylic paint

– Saral Paper

– Painters tape

– Paintbrush

– Plastic wrap

– Pen

– Some sort of cylindrical item (I used a wipes case)

Directions:

– Try on your tights. Use a pencil to mark the spots on your knees. Take them off.

– On a piece of paper, draw the shape you’d like to have on your tights!

– Tape some plastic wrap onto the cylindrical item (so the tights are easy to remove).

– Put your tights onto the cylindrical item. Tape the Saral Paper (red side down) onto your tights. Tape your drawn shape over the Saral Paper. Trace your drawn item with your pen. This will put a red line for you to follow from your drawing.

– Carefully paint on your shape. Let dry completely (maybe a couple of hours).

– I suggest waiting to wear these until the paint has cured for about 24 hours. JUST in case.

– Optional: make it SUPER easy and skip all the steps above. Want some polka dot tights? Perfect. Pull your tights onto a roll of wrapping paper (make sure the paper is wrapped in plastic). Use a small circle sponge to pop on polka dot spots. Wait 24 hours and wear. Ta-dah!

– Go to a party wearing your fancy tights.

Done.

– Chelsey

To keep up with the series, click here or on the image below!

P.S. I do have a couple of spots open for the DIY Days, so if you think you have the perfect project to share send me an email. First, check out theDIY/Submission section in my FAQ’s for a bit of post submission info. If you’d like to reminisce in the past 50 DIY Days of Christmas… here you are:2011 & 2012.

This post is sponsored by Hanes. All opinions expressed within are 100% my own. Visit: https://www.facebook.com/HanesHosiery for style tips, trend alerts and additional information on Hanes Legwear.

6 Comments

Tags: accessories, diy, hanes, nylon, paint, saral paper, tights

Categories: 50 DIY Days, diy, DIY Accessories and Clothing

Day 4: Harvest Garland

October 31, 2013 | Posted by Chelsey

Day 4 of 50 DIY Days of Christmas: The lovely Harvest Garland (my most recent DIY for Better Homes and Gardens). This sweet thing was inspired by the beautiful pops of flowers I still seeing holding onto the last bits of summer, next to the crispy fall leaves.

To get the full DIY, please head on over to BHG to see how to make this for yourself! It’s really so lovely and I have it hanging up in my studio!

– Chelsey

To keep up with the series, click here or on the image below!

I’m a paid contributor for Better Homes and Gardens.

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Day 3: You Plus Me Pillow DIY

October 30, 2013 | Posted by Chelsey

Day 3 of my 50 DIY Days of Christmas: This lovely You Plus Me Pillow DIY I made for HP Create!

Are you in love? Instead of carving your initials into the nearest tree or getting a name tattooed on your arm, let’s make a You + Me Pillow! I’ve created a lovely grouping of printouts for you to use to create your own custom pillow. There are all the letters of the alphabet, you + me =, Love, and heart symbols in both red and grey colors. Printed out on some HP fabric transfer paper, then ironed onto a pillow. What do you think, sound fun? Here’s how you can make your own:

Supplies:
– 1/2 yard of white fabric (I used bottom weight cotton).
– 1/2 yard of pretty patterned fabric for the back of your pillow.
– HP iron-on transfer paper
– A 14 inch square pillow form or 1 bag of stuffing.
– You + Me Printouts: Hearts, “LOVE”, You + Me Red, You + Me Grey, Alphabet Red, and Alphabet Grey.
– Optional: zipper

Directions:

Step 1: Cut out a 15 by 15 inch square from your white fabric and patterned fabric. The goal is to make a 14 inch square pillow, with 1 inch seam allowance (I personally like a bit more seam allowance, just in case I make a mistake).

Step 2: Decide what you’d like to iron on to your pillow. You + Me? OR, would you like to get more personal… maybe C + M = Love? Or, even I Love You. Once you pick it out, do a test run print. Make sure the ink in your printer is printing right. ALSO: read the directions for your iron-on transfer paper, do you have the proper printer for this paper?

Step 3: After your test run, print out your chosen word/letters onto the fabric iron-on transfers. Let this dry for a few minutes, then cut it out. Leave about 1/4 inch of “white space” around your printed items while cutting.

Step 4: Following the directions of your iron-on transfer paper, heat up your iron to the highest setting (steam turned off). Place a protective fabric barrier onto your floor or countertop (don’t use an ironing board, since it’s not sturdy enough).

Step 5: Place the wording exactly where you’d like it to go on the white fabric. Iron-on the words. Let cool for a few minutes, then peel back the paper.

Optional: Sew a zipper onto the fabric. This is a good option if you’d like to easily wash your pillow cover (good if you have kids, right?). Follow the sewing directions on the back of your zipper package.

Step 6: With the fabric’s right sides facing each other, pin the fabric squares together. If you stitched in a zipper, don’t forget to unzip it before sewing the pieces together. If you DIDN’T install a zipper, leave an opening large enough for you to flip the fabric right side out and add the pillow form or stuffing. Stitch around the whole thing (leaving a 1 inch seam allowance).

Step 7: Flip the fabric square inside out. Add your pillow form or stuffing. If you installed a zipper… all you have to do is zip it closed.

Yay! You now have a sweet customized pillow.

– Chelsey

I am a paid contributor for Hp Create. If you’d like to reminisce in the past 50 DIY Days of Christmas… here you are: 2011 & 2012.

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Tags: iron on, printable

Categories: 50 DIY Days, diy, For The Home, HP

Day 2: Glitter Wire Name

October 29, 2013 | Posted by Chelsey

Day 2 of 50 DIY Days of Christmas: Glitter Wire Name! My kiddo has been showing an interest in how the mail system works, so I thought I’d set up some pen pals with her! It’s a totally new thing and we haven’t even started yet, but we will soon. She’s got about 3 of them (all girl’s about her age). I expect most of it will be colored pictures and stickers, but I thought it would be fun to send something special for the holiday season. That’s why I’ve created these Glitter Wire Name necklaces/ornaments!

There VERY inexpensive to create and cute. I can see them worn as a necklace or used as an ornament for the Christmas tree. If the kiddo receiving this gift is a bit on the young side (and/or seems to put everything in their mouth), I’d recommend this be an ornament. My girl will be wearing her name as a necklace. Hopefully her pen pal buddies will love their necklaces (or ornaments), too!

Supplies:

– wire

– Mod Podge

– fine glitter

– clear acrylic spray

– necklace chain or string

– needle nose pliers

– wire cutters

Directions:

– Draw the name of the person you’d like to gift this creation to on a piece of paper.

– Cut a section of wire. I’d recommend cutting an 18ish inch piece of wire. That should be a good length for most names (unless it’s a super long name). Note: make sure there’s about an extra couple inches at the end of the name, this will be useful for hanging the piece to dry.

– Paint a layer of Mod Podge onto the name. Pour a bunch of glitter all over the Mod Podge. Hang the name to dry overnight.

– In a well ventilated area, spray a couple layers on each side of the name (waiting about 2 minutes in between each layer). Wait about 24 hours for the name to cure.

– At each end of the name, twist a loop. This will be to attach the chain or string.