Nonpareil

I thought I’d act as a guinea pig {pig being the more appropriate word here} and test out the goodies from Whimsy and Spice…out of the kindness of my heart. Really. I did it for you, my dear readers. I have to report that I absolutely loved everything that I ordered. The spices were all really unique, and added to the deliciousness of the cookies! The homemade caramel marshmallows were my favorite {snarfed them down quickly, and had a really hard time sharing}. In addition to the marshmallows, I ordered the Coconut Five Spice White Chocolate Cookies, and the Chocolate Chili Cashew Biscotti. Yum!

Happy Saturday everyone!

I’m excited to have Kelly Wilkinson from the lovely blog Make, Grow, Gather as a guest blogger for me today. She shows us how to create some fabulous little candle holders, which are really easy to make. I’d love to know if you try it…send me pictures if you do!

My husband and I have a newfound love of patterned drinking glasses. We’ve picked up a couple sets from flea markets in the last couple years, rendering our plain glasses kind of obsolete and boring in comparison. So I converted some of them into a set of votives, using pictures my husband took of bare winter trees as the images. Just size your image big enough to wrap around the glass, and print out on vellum. Or, if you want to skip that step, use store-bought decorative paper. Just make sure it’s a little translucent so you get a nice, warm glow off the votives. Enjoy!

You’ll need:
2 straight glasses (mine measured 5½ tall with an 8” circumference)
Mod Podge
foam brush
craft knife
vellum or other paper printouts
ribbon to fit around glass circumference
Glue Dots

Note: Make sure the glasses you choose are the same circumference at the top and bottom. If they’re wider at the top (which many kinds are), it will make wrapping the paper much harder.

1. Measure the glass height and circumference. Cut paper to fit, adding ¼” to the circumference measurement so the edges overlap.

2. Using a foam brush, apply a thin, even layer of Mod Podge to the glass.

3. Lay one edge of paper straight against the glass and press into place. Working quickly (so Mod Podge doesn’t dry), use the palm of your hand to wrap paper around glass until the edges overlap. Let dry.

4. Cut a length of ribbon to wrap around the top, adding ¼” to the circumference measurement. Using Glue Dots, secure ribbon to the glass just under the lip of the glass. To finish, fold end of ribbon under and secure with Glue Dot.

Check out Kelly’s flickr photostream…she’s got some other really fun and easy tutorials too if you’re feelin’ crafty!

It’s been two years since the last Happily Handmade Giveaway was held, and I’m so glad it’s back! This is a great way to discover new sites with fantastic handmade goods. With each site you visit, you can put your name in to win gift baskets filled with indie goodness! My stationery biz, Zuzu’s Petals is one of the sponsors. Click here or above to get the list of sponsors…and make sure to let me know if you find something fabulous, I haven’t visited every site yet.

Alexandra Ferguson‘s pillows are little works of art. She uses felt that has been made from recycled water bottles! Beautiful and green…my favorite! She’s also having a promotion for the month of April. Check out her site for details! Thanks to the fabulous blog, Freshly Blended for this great find!

I was welcomed back home with freezing cold weather and snow! Vacation is officially OVER. We had a blast, and I wanted to share my favorite store from the little village of Sayulita, Mexio, where we stayed. It’s called Gypsy Galeria, and is cram-packed with local handcrafts. They have a ton of oilcloth goods {all my photos turned out with an ugly reflection}, Frida Kahlo’s mug is on anything you can imagine, beautiful handwovens, all of the crafts are displayed beautifully, and it’s just steps from the beach. What I love the most is that everything in the shop is hand selected. It’s not just the same ‘ol tourist crap, and it satisfies my need to buy a few cute things while I’m away. I miss it already.