Record Clock

I made my dad a record clock for Christmas. It's hard to find a good gift for those people in your life that seem to already have everything. I think that's why I usually end up making a lot of gifts for the holiday, so people will get something unique...since my dad collects records and has close to 5,000 now, I thought this clock would be a good addition!

If you want to make your own, it is super simple. I just got a record at the thrift store (this one is "Dreamboat Annie" by Heart, isn't the mushroomie center as cute as pie, or as cute as a button-mushroom?!!). I bought the clock parts at hobby lobby and assembled it in less than five minutes. The only thing you have to remember is that the clock parts will probably end up being a little bit bigger than the hole in the center of a record, so just use a knife to gently make the opening larger...be careful to check the size of the opening periodically so you don't make it too big!

Lulu's Holiday Shindig

My best friend, LL is one half of "Lulu's"(and I am of course the other half). The concept of Lulu's was created one fateful night (after a few too many glasses of wine). We decided that when we cooked for friends we would have a pretend food television show and our friends would be the audience. This evolved into an actual video taping at our first holiday party 4 years ago, equipped with commercials done by party guests.

Now, it's a holiday tradition to cook up as many delicious food items as we can to fill the gullets of our friends and family! As you could imagine, it gets a little hectic, so I only managed to take pictures of two of the items on the menu this year.

Cake Balls (just bake cake according to box, crumble in bowl, add icing, roll into balls, freeze for at least one hour, then dip into white bark and add sprinkles.)

Salmon Sushi Bites (recipe from food network here)

Tooth Plush Pillow

A good friend of mine is a dental hygienist, so for Christmas I made her a cute little tooth plush pillow. Doesn't he look happy?!!

Lisa Loves Yarn!

I have a friend Lisa who is super crafty and an avid crocheter. I can knit (and by knit I mean in a straight row, up and down...so if you want a scarf, headband, belt, dog collar, pot holder, or anything else straight I can do that). However, I have always admired people who can manipulate yarn into intricate and lovely creations; via knitting or crocheting. I crocheted as a child (believe it or not, my super manly step-dad taught me), but when I tried to pick it back up in college it confused me.

These are some of Lisa's amazing creations (the "booger girl" tissue box cover up top is my favorite)!

Bath set with hand crocheted washcloths and other goodies!

Crocheted monster hat (Lisa's son is modeling, isn't he cute?!!)

The Spice Project

I cook...alot! I love it. However, my dilapidated lazy-susan spice rack (shoved into a tiny cabinet) was not cutting it. So, I picked up some of those nifty magnetic spice tins at World Market and voila! Happiness! I already had my homemade chalkboard hanging by my oven, so I put them on there and labeled them with colorful chalk. So organized! So fabulous!

Luna's Heating Vent

Anytime it's cold in the house, Luna goes to a certain heating vent in the kitchen and sits on it to warm up. It is absolutely adorable and ridiculous looking at the same time. I love her!

Stockings

A couple of years ago, my mom gave me the beautiful stocking she crafted for me when she was pregnant with me. I have always loved stockings and haven't done them in a while. So, this year, I decided to make one for my dog, Luna and my boyfriend, John. Here they are... hanging in a row!