DIY Chicken Wire Christmas Card Holder

I love this thing!

I mean don't get me wrong, hanging Christmas cards on your fridge is totally fine, but this pretty thing makes receiving cards that much more fun!

Plus, our fridge is currently covered in ultrasounds of our tiny girl.

Also, this was SO easy to make!

Like, 3 steps easy.

So awesome.

I took this picture when I made it in November. 

We have since gotten some actual cards and I love displaying them!

Also, I attached the winter garland with velcro so I can just take it off after the holidays and keep this up year round for important mail, wedding announcements, coupons, etc...

Yay!

Supplies:

1) Picture frame. Size and color of your choice. I got mine from hobby lobby, because coupons, and spray painted it white.

2) Chicken Wire. Again I found this at hobby lobby and it happened to be the perfect size for my frame but it's also found at all home improvement stores!

3) Hot glue gun

4) Decorating materials of your choice

5) Hanging materials. I attached (well, my husband did) a little wall hanging hook. Most frames already have this but if not you can buy them at hobby lobby, or Michaels.

6) Clothespins. I found these cute Christmas ones in the dollar section at Michaels.

Directions:

1) Spray paint frame if needed and let dry completely first.

Then place your chicken wire into your frame. If you bought more than needed cut it with a wire cutter so it will fit your frame. Once you fit it properly go to town with hot glue. A staple gun would probably work here but I don't have one and hot glue worked perfectly for me. I just hot glued the edges to the frame!

2) Once your hot glue is dry... you're really already done!

I decided to make it festive so I took two garland picks found at hobby lobby, hot glued them together (I love hot glue), then made a little boy for the middle. I hot glued a piece of velcro onto the garland and onto the frame and Ta-Da! Festive. 

3) Hang on your wall and attach all your Christmas cards with your clothespins! 

Andddd... done!

Merry Christmas friends!

All my love,

Aleigh Joy

Christmas Wreath Inspiration

The Christmas season has officially begun!

Yay!

Since it's "legal" now I went ahead and decorated the outside and made my wreath last night!

I must say, I'm super excited about this wreath for both the looks of it and the cost!

I love all things gold and glittery so this wreath is right up my "Aleigh" (ha, lame joke sorry.) and it matches our tree!

Not to mention, I think it's the cheapest wreath I've made yet.

Christmas decor quickly adds up.

So, I avoided Michaels and hobby lobby and went on over to WalMart where I found everything I needed!

(confession: the JOY sign is from hobby lobby but I already had it!)

So head on over to WalMart and you'll find all you need at an unbeatable cost :)

All my love,

Aleigh Joy

Holiday Nails Inspiration!

Doing your nails during the holidays is SO FUN! (okay for me it's pretty much ANY time of the year) 

During the fall/winter months it's so pretty to wear the bold and/or sparkly colors to brighten up dreary weather and compliment all the fall and Christmas decor.

Even if you just have one bottle of sparkly polish, you can use it in lots of different ways! 

So today I'm showcasing these five beauties. 

From left to right: Sally Hansen "The Golden Rule", Nicole by OPI "Haley Good Lookin", OPI "Mauving to Manitoba", OPI "Pompeii Purple", and OPI "The Thrill of Brazil." 

(Thumb-Pompeii Purple, Index-Mauving to Manitoba, Third-The Thrill of Brazil, Ring-Haley Good Lookin, Pinky-The Golden Rule)

Pompeii Purple is GORGEOUS. This picture just doesn't even do justice. It's like a reddish pink with a purple iridescence. Very flattering for all skin tones. So so pretty.

Mauving to Manitoba is a basically what is says. A dark mauve color-brownish, pinkish purple color.

 My husband jokes about the color mauve as I tried a long time ago to explain the color to him, but he still doesn't get it because it's too ambiguous (he's a guy, only understands ROYGBP). So now he jokes and just says everything is mauve because every color is in mauve. Haha! Which he does kinda have a point ;-) 

And that's just one of the funny conversations us Moores have.

The Thrill of Brazil  is a darker, true red. In case you're unfamiliar with undertones, a true red means it's not a blue or pinky-red (which is a cool toned) and it's also not an orangey-red (warm toned). I love true reds because they're neutral. And I have a neutral skin tone. 

Undertones can be confusing, ESPECIALLY FOR FINDING THE RIGHT FOUNDATION. 

Dude, that's a post all on it's own!

When I worked at Macy's at the Clinique counter couple years back that was 90% of my job. Most people came in looking for the right foundation. At first, I wasn't even a total pro with undertones so I was a little nervous, but I'm glad I was challenged because I became a total pro. My manager would commend me on my foundation matches/makeovers for people. 

So I'd love to share my knowledge with you and do a post about it if you have any questions or if foundation is just totally foreign to you!

That's what people like me are here for, no worries :-)

Haley Good Lookin' is actually more pink than in the picture. It's pretty opaque so multiple coats are needed. This is perfect for an accent color. Or painting it just at the base of all your nails.

The Golden Rule is really not that gold, because I don't like strong gold nail colors that look way to yellow. This one is a little bit more neutral. This would be fun to paint on your ring fingers and have all the other nails be red! 

Really, you should do whatever you want. 

It's glitter for crying out loud! Be creative and have fun!! :-)

So now you can look fabulous for the holidays (or maybe you know what you want as a stocking stuffer now??) ;-)

Stay Classy,

Be Merry Canvas

Yay! Another Christmas craft!

Because doing things your self, gives the best feeling of accomplishment :)

This simple little canvas art sign was so easy to do and turned out super cute!

I love the way is spruces up my shelves.

Not to mention, I think it costed all of $5-$7 to make and I just saw a very similar one for sale on an etsy shop for $30!

Seriously, just do it your self ;)

Materials:

1) Canvas

2) Wooden deer cutout (found at Michael's craft store)

3) Painters tape

4) Glitter (your choice of color)

5) Craft paint (your choice of color)

6) Paintbrushes

7) Hot glue gun. (or tacky glue, probably even super glue)

8) Paint pen

Directions:

1) Evenly place your tape on your canvas. I wanted thicker stripes so I did my tape 2 wide. Then paint the white part your color of choice. While it is drying, paint and glitter your deer cutout. I did two coats of gold paint and on the last coat I sprinkled my glitter while it was still wet.

2) Remove the tape and use white paint to fix any uneven areas.

3) Hot glue your deer cutout onto the center or the canvas

4) Use a paint pen to write "Be Merry" or whatever other Christmas saying you choose :)

And... Done!

Simple as that!

Yay Christmas!

and Thanksgiving... I've been craving mashed potatoes the past two weeks!

All my love,

Aleigh Joy

Polor Express Family Night

Last year I started a new tradition I found on Pinterest. Polar Express Family Night. Every year we drive around and look at Christmas lights sometime in December but I loved the idea of turning it into a Mini Van Express.

While Tanner was getting the girls ready for a normal bedtime routine, I went and got the car ready. I had sugar cookies, popcorn and hot chocolate waiting in their seat. I turned on the Polar Express Soundtrack very loud in the car. 

When the girls got in bed they saw their "Ticket" on their pillow. Let the giggling begin! 

You can find a print out of Tickets here (courtesy of Confessions of a Homeschooler.) 

When Tanner told the girls to come down stairs, they saw him with a goofy looking hat like a conductor. He asked for their ticket, whole punched it and lead them to their seats. They were so happy. This was a night that will forever stay with me. 

Another fun idea I added was a Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt. You can find the print out here. This made the night even more fun.

 "It's so much fun when Christmas comes to town"

Alana

7 steps to decorate a Christmas tree

Today I put up my tree. I am no pro but I do get lots of compliments on my tree so I thought I would share the steps I do to decorate my Christmas tree.

1. Decorate a tree the way YOU want to decorate it. Some people like big, going on "rowdy" trees, others like simple trees. Do what YOU want. Red is a Christmas color staple but I don't like red. I chose to decorate a tree with no red in it. I love pearls, so I put pearls in my tree. Add personal touches that represent you or your family.

2. Lights- My tree is a fake 7.5 pre-lit tree. I add more lights than what the tree gives me. Don't be afraid to add A LOT. Lights just make everything better.

3. Ribbon- If you put ribbon on your tree, do this first. This is the bulk of the decorations. I cascade mine from top to bottom.

 

4. Start stuffing- No not your bras. The inside of the tree. Whatever flower, object or decor you want in your tree, stuff it. Dig it deep in there. This will make your tree look very full.

5. Hang outs- Now start stuffing your tree with objects that will hang out of your tree. (This is my favorite part). This gives such great dimension and life to the tree.

6. Ornaments- The last item that goes on the bulk of the tree is the ornament (ironic). Get different shapes and sizes. I love BIG ornaments. I also have words and phrases in my tree. Get creative.

7. Topper- Of course the last item of business is the topper. For my tree I have glittering sticks and golden poinsettias for the top.

 There you go. 7 steps for an awesome tree. Don't be afraid to be different with your tree. Do what you love and go with it. If you ever think you have "too much" for your tree, trust me, you can never have "too much" for your tree. That is just silly. 

Happy Decorating!

Alana

DIY Vinyl Nativity Sign

I originally had plans to post a different Christmas craft today, then I saw that the vinyl I used is on sale on groopdealz today and couldn't help but post this one so all of you can make it at a cheaper price!

I LOVED this little project.

Hobby Lobby made it really simple for me and I love looking at it hanging in our home.

I have had a hard time finding a Nativity that doesn't look completely cheesy, and I no longer have any counter space so this helped a ton :)

Supplies:

• Vinyl your choice of color Found here (buying white and attempting to paint it gold was difficult, I suggest just planning ahead and getting the right color the first time unlike me ha)
• Wooden sign already assembled found at hobby lobby. Don't forget your coupon!
• Spray paint (or keep it all natural looking)
• Glitter (if you love glitter like me)
• Mod Podge
• Paint Pen in your choice of color

Directions:

1) First I spray painted my wood, if you want the wood natural looking then skip this step

2) In the meantime I painted my vinyl. Again, just buy the right color the first time. But if you change your mind, you can always paint over it.

3) Apply the Vinyl to the wood in the order you like. Simply place on the wood like a sticker. When you have the order you like use your paint pen to write out "O Holy Night" in the font of your choice. I then brushed one coat of mod podge over the vinyl so that it would stay on for good without bubbling or peeling. Let that dry.

4) I then applied the glitter on another really thin coat of mod podge and let that dry. 

5) Next I shook off all the glitter and used an old paintbrush with rough bristles to get rid of the excess glitter. And then, it's done! Easy! :)

All my love,

Aleigh Joy

Chalkboard Christmas Countdown!

Another Christmas craft, yay!

I think this may be my favorite Christmas decoration so far... besides the tree.

Mostly because it was SO easy to do!

And yes, I have already started the countdown.

And today, there are officially 47 days left.

There's also only SIX Saturdays until Christmas!

I can't believe it!

So, get started on your decorating now, because Christmas will be over before you know it! 

Materials:

• Wood block found at Hobby Lobby or Michael's 
• Martha Stewart chalkboard paint
• Paintbrushes
• Decorating materials of your choice

Directions:

1) Paint one layer of chalkboard paint on wood. Let dry completely, then apply a second coat for best results.

2) Rub chalk all over surface to prep the chalkboard. Wipe off with dry paper towel.

3) Hot glue decorations on, and You're done!!

I told you it was easy, and SO cute!

All my love,

Aleigh Joy