homemade box of chocolates

I love chocolate. Every year when Valentine's Day comes around I get excited to see all the chocolate that permeates the aisles at the store. There are so many boxes of chocolate, but I often find that unless you spend a large sum of money to get the good stuff, most of the heart shaped boxes just don't satisfy. You don't get much bang for your buck. This year I thought I would make a few of my own mini boxes of chocolate to give to some friends.

The process was really simple, and much cheaper than buying a box of chocolate. First, find yourself a box and some decorative paper you love.


Next cut a piece of paper that is big enough to fit your box. I picked two papers. One for my box and one for the lid. I then cut slits at each of the four corners so you can easily fold the paper up to glue one side at a time. Use a brush to apply mod podge to the sides of the box.


Pull the paper up and press it on the side of the box to cover it completely. Smooth any bubbles out. Repeat the process until every side is covered, trimming any excess paper as needed. Follow the same process to cover your lid.


I filled my box with my favorite chocolates. Oreo balls! They are so delicious and easy to make. I am not promising any health benefits, however. You can find the recipe at the bottom of a past post HERE.


Tie on a pretty ribbon and you are finished! A pretty, delicious, homemade box of chocolates for you to surprise someone with (it can even be for yourself, I won't tell!).

crystal pendant tutorial

Crafting with friends is one of my favorite things in the world. Stacy may not be a regular contributor to this blog anymore, but she's still our dear friend, the crafting queen, and a major inspiration to us! We got together with her for some crafting this week and made these gorgeous crystal pendants. I couldn't believe how easy they were!


Crystal or Glass Tile Pendant Tutorial

You will need:
-a crystal pendant (this one is from Connie Crystal-Stacy bought it at our local Ben Franklin) or glass tile
-a pair of scissors
-patterned paper
-a pinch bale (Stacy bought ours at Ben Franklin)
-A clear crafting glue like Diamond Glaze, Crystal Effects, or Glossy Accents
-a chain (any length you like, we chose 24")
-a pencil

First, pick out a patterned paper that you love. The possibilities are endless; you should have seen us trying to choose one! Once, you have chosen, trace the pendant on the paper and cut it out with scissors.


Add some Diamond Glaze / Crystal Effects / Glossy Accents glue to the back of your pendant. Use sparingly, if you add too much it will bleed out the edges after you press the paper on.


Now press your paper face down on the back of the pendant so it can be seen through the other side. Press firmly to release any air bubbles.


Once it it firmly in place, you can trim any excess paper from the sides with a pair of scissors or Exacto knife, and then file with a nail file to make sure there is no paper sticking out. Be careful not to file the crystal--it will scuff easily. To protect the paper, we suggest applying a thin layer of Diamond Glaze to the back of the pendant as well.


Once, the glue has dried you can pinch your bail through the hole in the pendant. If you're using a square glass tile (you'll find these from tons of sellers on Etsy), use some Diamond Glaze glue to attach a glue-on jewelry bail like these.


Hang your pendant on a chain and you're done!


You can also make an adorable necklace with square or oval glass pieces, which can be found online at Etsy. I made a bunch of these on a girls weekend last year and they are wonderful! I love that I can pick one to match many outfits and they also make fabulous gifts! You can make these following the same steps above and gluing a glue-on bail on the back.

hand-cut snowflake banner tutorial

Yea! Something fun to do on Christmas day, courtesy of that crafty Jennifer. We'll be making a few of these for sure once the fun of unwrapping is over! Merry Christmas!

Snowflake Bunting Tutorial

I’ve been trying to think of a couple of fun projects to keep everybody busy on Christmas Day. As soon as I saw this idea at How About Orange, I knew that we would be cutting snowflakes.


I picked up a big pack of Christmas tissue paper at Costco a few weeks ago, so I had plenty of paper work with. I cut a stack of tissue paper into 6 inch squares and started playing with them while I was waiting for my husband to finish one of his projects. It was so fast to make them. I had a stack of about 6 or 7 in just a few minutes. Once I mastered the basics, I started looking for some patterns online. There were lots, but I really fell in love with the Christmas tree and snowman designs that I found here. I was able to draw the tree onto tissue paper and cut it out. I was pretty impressed with myself.


Once I had cut a whole stack of them, I was wondering what I should do with them next. I ironed them flat and then used baker’s twine to make them into a banner to hang in front of my window. So easy, so cute and so much fun to make, just watch out for all the teeny, tiny paper pieces that are left over from cutting. They are all over my floor and I think I will have to get the vacuum out to clean them up