A Dollhouse sized Aluminum Christmas Tree

Blog friend, Michelle had requested that I share some other decorations I was making for the dollhouse. So, here is the tree I briefly shared about about in the last post. It's my version of the popular vintage aluminum Christmas tree. I made it out of silver pipe cleaners and half of a styrofoam ball. For the ornaments I just used beads and wire. It's far from perfect but I think it's fun for the dollhouse. Plus, my daughter likes it so that's what really counts. I'm still debating if I should make a tree skirt for it. What do you guys think?

Deck The Dollhouse Halls

The other day I got the idea to decorate my daughter's dollhouse for the holidays. I thought it would be a fun project for both of us to do together. So far, we made a wreath for the doll house (there's also a tree in progress). I gave her the option of a sparkly wreath or a yarn wreath. Of course, she picked the sparkly wreath (she loves all things pink and sparkly). My inspiration came from the cover of the December Martha Stewart magazine (picture below). We used whatever we had around the house so it's not an exact replica but it's pretty close.

Supplies:
Silver pipe cleaner
Gold wire tinsel ribbon - a old pipe cleaner will work too
Pink, Gold, and Silver beads
Scissors
Hot Glue Gun

Bend pipe cleaner into a circle and twist ends to secure.

Attach gold wire with one of the silver pipe cleaner ends.

Wrap gold tinsel ribbon all the way around the wreath ( I let my daughter do this part). Make sure some of the silver still shows. Secure end of gold tinsel ribbon with the remaining silver pipe cleaner end.

Hot glue the beads onto the wreath. Hang the wreath up with some of the extra pipe cleaner.

Gift Card Holders Made with Japanese Masking Tape

A while back someone left a comment asking for craft ideas using Japanese masking tape. I've shared about ideas before here, here, and here. However, if you're still looking for new projects to make with the tape, try out these gift card holders. Directions below.

Supplies:
Strip of paper cut to 7" x 2 1/4"
Japanese masking tape
Scissors

*Click on pictures for a larger view.

Take your strip of paper and fold in half (refer to pictures).

Place the paper on top of half of the tape. Wrap the tape around the other side to seal one side.

Trim top and bottom edges. Repeat steps on opposite side.

Place a piece of tape down the center and have it fold over at the bottom and up the other side. Your card holder should look the same on both sides now.

Place a piece of tape on the card to make a tab to pull the card out of the holder. Make sure the tape doesn't cover up any bar codes.

Place card in holder. Done.

For a different look, I used newspaper with grey tape. I also wrapped the card holder in string and made a string tab for the card.

Recipe: Persimmon Bars

The last of our persimmons were over ripe so I knew I had to do something with them quick. Then I remembered I had a great recipe from a friend that I've been wanting to try. And as luck would have it, I had all the ingredients it required, even the dates! Love when that happens. So I whipped up a batch and they're just as good as when my friend makes them. Well, maybe hers are a little better. But, doesn't everything taste better when you don't have to make it yourself? Recipe below.

Persimmon Bars

Lemon Glaze: Mix 1 cup powdered sugar with 1 - 2 T lemon juice. Add a little juice at a time to get desired consistency. Add a little lemon extract also for taste.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup persimmon pulp
1tsp baking soda
2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1 cup chopped dates or raisins (or 1/2 cup of each)
4 T or rum or brandy
1 cup chopped nuts ( I used pecans)


1. Soak raisins and dates in rum and set aside.

2. Cream butter, beat in sugar. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each egg. Add persimmon pulp and lemon rind.

3. Mix flour, baking soda and spices in a separate bowl. Add to wet ingredients and mix.

4. Mix in raisins, dates and nuts. Include any brandy the raisins didn't soak up.

4. Spread onto a greased jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. May take less then 20 minutes depending on oven.

5. Let Cool. Drizzle with Glaze. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Dressing in Vintage for The Holidays

I don't know if I've ever mentioned that I really enjoy vintage clothing. The draw for me is unique pieces that are simply made better. I find the construction, fabric, and details are all superior to what I can find in any retail store for equal price. The key here is same price. Sure I can spend hundreds of dollars for a quality dress, but how about a price range of say, $36 - $80? It's not so easy. So if you haven't bought a dress yet or can't find what you're looking for you might want to try vintage.

I picked up this dress over the weekend at Hot Couture Vintage Fashion in Santa Rosa. I bought the dress above to wear specifically for the holidays. It's from the 1960's and was made by the label Carlye. The Carlye Dress Corporation was a junior label created in 1938 according to the Vintage Fashion Guild.

Here's a closeup of some of the dresses' details. I think my favorite part about the dress is how the velvet wraps around the back of the shoulders. The dress is wool and fully lined.

Here's another vintage dress I wore for a Christmas party held at the Dunsmuir mansion. The theme was Great Gatsby. The dress I'm wearing above was my Great Grandmother's engagement dress. As you can see, my husband didn't dress in 1920's attire much to my dismay.

Anyone else wearing vintage for the holidays? What's your favorite brand or era?