Mason Jar Snow Globe Nightlight

The Art of Doing Stuff recently posted THIS on their Facebook wall.  I loved the idea and thought it would be an awesome little holiday decoration for the kids rooms at night.  Last night while Kevin and I were at Menards looking for battery powered LED lights for his ice shanty(hmmmm....), I was suddenly reminded of said post and with little effort at all found the perfect lights and Christmas trees to complete the project (thirty precent off too)! It took less than 5 minutes to put together and cost just around $3.50 per jar.   

1.  You'll need epsom salt, a large wide mouth mason jar, a strand of battery powered lights, and little fake Christmas trees...you know the kind people put in snow villages.

2.  Wrap the lights around your fingers to create a contained ball of sorts.  I might advise not unwrapping the lights at all, although I didn't try this so can't promise its the best option here. I do however not recommend putting them in the bottom without any kind of order.  You will need to use half a bag of salt to bury the strands and your tree will end up not fitting in the jar.  Moving on.

3.  Place your large tree(s) on top of the strands of lights.

4.  Cover the lights with epsom salt and screw on the lid!

Now you have yourself a pretty little snow globe that you can put virtually anywhere in your home!  Enjoy!

Burlap Bag Christmas Advent Calendar

One of my favorite holiday memories as a child is waking up in the morning, running to my advent calendar, prying open the tiny little doors and seeing what surprise awaited me.  The last door was always the largest which meant one thing, Christmas was only a sleep away!  Today, with two children of my own, I wanted to create an advent calendar that would bring the same excitement to their holiday season mornings that I felt as a child.  With this simple DIY, you too can create a tradition for your family that will last for years and years to come.  Stuff the bags with ornaments to hang on the tree, little pieces of candy, notes, or create homemade coupons for adventures that you will take. The possibilities are endless,  the memories will last forever.  

What you will need:

-24 burlap bags.  These can be purchased online or sewn at home.  Size is of no importance unless you plan on packing the bags with larger objects such as ornaments.  Keep in mind that you will be hanging them and if you plan on doing so above your fireplace or other small area, you may want to keep them on the smaller size.  

-Red and Green fabric paint.  

-Number stencils 0-9

-Two stencil brushes

-Twine or rope to hang your bags from.

-Clothespins to hang your bags with.

Directions:

1. Lay your number stencil on top of your burlap bag.  

2. Using your stencil brush, apply a small amount of paint to the inside of the stencil until you have achieved the desired amount of coverage.  

*Take note that the paint will probably soak through the bag and onto the other side.  If this is bothersome to you,  you may want to put a plastic bag inside to prevent the paint from soaking through.  

3. As you paint your bags, alternate between the red and green paint. 

4. Paint your bags 1-24.

5. Allow your bags at least a few hours to dry before hanging.

6. When hanging your bags,  begin with the number 24, counting backwards. Don't forget to remove each bag after it has been opened to allow your children to see how many days are left until Christmas!