DIY Craft of The Season: Mason Jar Snow Globes

When I saw these at my local Anthropologie retailing for about $28 my first thought was immediately "I can SO make these for SO much less." And since I need to throw myself into at least one craft a year, I went on a mission to make the perfect mason jar snow globes. 

And since all the postings on Pinterest for this craft seemed to just be a basic "HOW TO" - I thought I would take you deeper into what I have learned while trying to make these "craftacular."

1) The Trees:

The best ones to use are actually the ones from Michaels that are meant for the California Missions. Now, that being said, I'm not sure they sell all the California Mission stuff outside of California. {Duh} But I'm sure your local craft store has little model trees. Don't get the super little ones. They get lost. Get the ones that are about 5 inches or so tall.

2) The Snow:

I used 3 kinds of "snow"

1. Snow Neige - WOW, I love this stuff. It's perfect for spraying on the little trees to flock them a bit. 
2. Glittery Craft Snow - also from Michaels. Just a little bag. 
3. Regular Flakey Craft Snow - Used to create scenes with the ceramic Christmas houses, this is a pretty big bag. I actually put the glittery ones and the regular ones in a big ziploc bag to mix together. 

3) The Mason Jars

This is where me doing this first can help you out. You want the QUART sized, Wide Mouth, as plain as you can get jars. Don't do the "quilted" ones because you can't see the trees though them. Also, pint sized jars are too short for the trees. Most grocery stores carry a decent selection of mason jars and they run about $12 for a dozen. 

If you want to do a bigger display, Target does have glass jars for about $5 each.  

The steps:

1) Flock the trees with Snow Neige and try not to go crazy and flock everything in sight. {real issue, I promise. It's SO MUCH FUN.}

2) Use glue dots to secure the flocked trees to the inside of the lids.

3) Put about 2 pinches of the snow mix into the jar. Just enough to cover the bottom of the jar. You really don't need a lot at all. If you use too much it will bury the tree. (plus the more times you take it out and put it in the bigger the mess you will make)

4) Put lid on and flip over. Voila!

5) I tied a little ribbon around the bottom for a festive look. But you can use twine or add a little tag. 

These turned out SO cute I can't stand it. They are a perfect hostess gift for all those parties or even just little things to give to your neighbors. Also would make a good Teacher gift OR if you are the room mom that needs to organize the Holiday craft, this would be a good one!

Also, if you went crazy with the Neiman Marcus/Target collection and bought way too many of the Tory Burch lunch boxes thinking they would sell out in moments and that you would be the COOLEST friend ever by having extras to give as presents {yea, who could I be talking about?!} these jars fit perfectly into these lunch boxes and it looks super cute. 

The Gift of Make-Up: I'm Lovin' Votre Vu Winter Sets!

I've now been using Votre Vu cosmetics since August and I'm still head over heels in love. So when I opened the door to find a box full of their holiday gift sets for me to check out, it was like Christmas morning had come early. 

And? I've now found presents for all the hot mamas on my list. 

For the girl who has it all, the Little Miss Hard To Buy For set ($45; $83.25 value)

My FAVE - Eiffel Power mascara made with curative cotton bloom and luminous carnuba and sunflower waxes.  

Tarte D’Amande Body Soufflé - an almond smelling decadently rich in tropical nut oils and shea butter for truly haute hydration.

bébé Duette Framboise - a little tube of jojoba-based hand crème with a citrus-kissed lip balm and mirror tucked in the cap.

For my Party Mamas: Party Crashers ($49; $98 value)

We're not 21 anymore so Votre Vu’s Party Crashers skin-redeeming threesome will totally come in handy as we are rushing from Holiday performances, dinner parties, work parties and any NYE celebrations. 
 
1st start on the inside by having a SnapDragon shot for the skin. Toast to restored radiance while sipping this delicious blend of powerful anti-aging superfruits and antioxidant teas, plus calcium and collagen with a botanical boost.  I've been downing this stuff for the past few days - I'm desperate for a little holiday glow!

Late-night puffy peepers are soothed with a dose of SpécialEyes serum, infused with curative nutrients like primrose and avocado oils to promote a brighter, more toned eye area.  

Finish with a wake-up call to the complexion, as Tragic Magic stabilizes and hydrates your visage with a restorative recipe of fruit extract, botanicals and vitamin E.

For my mamas dreaming of a shopping trip to Paris.. Pretty in Paris ($34; $76 value)

This set includes my other GO-TO make-up love of the past few months;  Le Joli Crayon-Aubergine, Vu’s eggplant-tinted gel pencil that feels like a liquid but allows ample time to smudge and feather before setting its mineral-based mix. This liner is a fabulous color alternative to brown or black and really lasts all day on your eyes. 

Helping to make eyes POP, this set also includes Eiffel Power mascara, which illuminates lashes with natural waxes while cotton bloom strengthens the hair’s keratin.

Lastly, Vu-On Rouge in the perfect red "ma cherry" , an anti-oxidant rich, moisture tint in the perfect color for cheeks and lips of every skin tone.  

SO many good choices... Which would you choose?

Here's to a beautiful December!

Holiday Traditions

This week, Zoe had her first “homework” assignment. It was a collage of our family holiday traditions. Since it was her very first project of {transitional} kindergarten, I helped a lot. Okay, I may have done most of it. Whatever. She’s 5.

As we were talking about it, I realized that when she thinks “Holidays” she thinks solely of presents – not of the zillion other things we do each year to “make memories.” Which would lead me to think I’m a horrible failure of a mother, if it wasn’t for the fact that she this is only her 5^th December and probably really only the 3^rd one she has any comprehension of.

And let’s be honest, December hasn’t really a shining month for me in the past… maybe it’s better she doesn’t remember much.

A few years ago in a desperate attempt to fight my December demons, I signed up for a scrapbook “challenge” of sorts - Journal Your Christmas – as a way to “take back December!” The thing is, I don’t really scrapbook. And I get a little OCD about crafting. But a store I had never seen before, Paper Source, had just opened by me and I needed an excuse to buy all that paper and to heat-emboss EVERYTHING IN SIGHT. Amazingly, I actually got the book done {sometime in February}.But now every year, I know it’s the Holidays when I start getting my daily “prompts” from Shimelle.

But, if I learned one thing about myself, it's that I’m a really crappy scrapbooker. So how excited was I to hear about her Instagram photo version this year! That I can totally do.

The first assignment was all about “first signs” of the holidays in your area. How do you know when the Holidays are here. It was fitting that this prompt came in as I was at Disneyland, for a Holiday visit that has become a bit of a tradition for us.

As Zoe and I sat and chose pictures to use, her beginning to understand the concept of “tradition” – she chose the picture I took this past weekend of Sleeping Beauty’s castle all lit up for the holidays.  

It was the same picture as I used for the first day of my challenge – first signs.

Because in Southern California THAT’S how we know the holidays are here. This is our Winter Wonderland. 

Nebraska and Back: 10 days, 6 states, 5 hotels, 1 speeding ticket and 3,000 miles in a 2013 Cadillac SRX

Honestly, before this trip I would never have considered getting a Cadillac. To me, luxury meant European - preferably German. Caddys were what grandmas in Boca Raton drove. But after 10 days of practically living out of the back of the 2013 SRX, I'm now obsessively wanting to get one. Without a doubt I can say this was THE best car for our family road trip and we loved (almost) every minute of riding in it. 

Our trip took us out to Omaha NE to visit Jason's family for Thanksgiving. The route took us up the I-15 through Nevada, the corner of Arizona, Utah, up through the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and across the Western plains of Nebraska. Some areas were breathtakingly beautiful and serene, while others were…um… not. I lost my favorite pair of flats, the kids watched about 25 movies (some a few times) and we experienced a trip of a thousand family memories. 

"Like a Lear Jet on Wheels" - Jason on Twitter

While the SRX is a crossover SUV, it drives like a sedan. Smooth and quiet, this car has power and our model had all the bells and whistles. The moon roof that stretched back over the backseat was perfect for not feeling "cooped up" after 7 hours of driving, and offered the kids a panoramic view of the snow-covered Rocky Mountains and unique sandstone canyons of Utah. The back-up camera helped us to make sure we were not about to run over a left-out piece of luggage, while the side mirrors signaled if there was someone in our "blind spot." And did you know that after a long day in the car, the seat warmers act like a heating pad to ease your sore back? That's not something you see in the literature! 

The Cadillac CUE system kept the kids entertained in the back with the Blu-Ray player, and mommy and daddy happy to be able to listen to the music THEY wanted to in the front. The navi led us astray once or twice - but for the most part kept us on route, with weather and traffic updates in addition to where the closest Starbucks was located. We even got the "chance" to test out OnStar's emergency service when we came upon the scene of an overturned big rig outside of Moab just minutes after it flipped. 

And yes, the car drove so smooth and quiet that Jason even got a speeding ticket. 

In his defense, he was going 10 MPH more than the posted speed limit and within the flow of traffic - but I'm sure that NE State Trooper saw the CA plates and thought there was no way we'd be back to fight it. Regardless - what's a road trip without a ticket of some sort? 

And we put that car through the paces. Packing it up, in and out, fast and slow, up and down altitudes of thousands of feet above sea level and across rolling, flat plains - the SRX PERFORMED. It got good gas milage and looked as good in Moab, Utah as it did pulling up to the Aria in Las Vegas. We were all comfortable and able to charge up when needed with the multiple USB ports throughout the car. My kids normally can't drive to Target and back without fighting, and while the trip wasn't scuffle free, they did about 90x better than I expected them to do. And yes, I will happily give the SRX credit for that.  

I will admit, when they came to take the car back yesterday I considered chaining myself to it and screaming "NOOOOOOOO!"

1 vehicle, 3,000 miles and about a bazillion memories….

*Thank you to the GM West News PR team for allowing us to drive this car for our trip! Opinions are true and our own. While we were loaned the car for the purpose of this travel, we were not compensated for any tweets or posts. But we would totally be okay if the car reappeared in the driveway with a note saying "it's yours!" tomorrow. Just throwing that out there. You know - "the secret" style and all. 

Talking About: Child Identity Theft

Road trips are great times to talk. And with 10 days in the car, Jason and I had plenty of time to chat about everything from budgets and food to missing shoes, friends and, yes, Child Identity Theft. 

And because I didn't think you would believe me, I have video evidence of this conversation. Check us out as we are speeding across the highways of America discussing social security numbers and the little things we are doing to protect our kids. 

And yes, I look like crap and have a head cold. But don't watch it for me, but for Zoe in the background. 

In my last post on this topic, I included some useful tips to protect yourself, and your kids, against identity theft and information on kID Sure℠ - all from the Is My Kid At Risk website.

Things you will find when you click on over are: 

• Quick Start Guide to Child ID Theft: The consequences of child ID theft are staggering. Get all the facts you need to know.

• Risk Factors Worksheet: Review the Risk Factors to see where you can eliminate some risk for your kids.

• Bankrupt at Birth: eBook Excerpt: Get a glimpse into a new book whose authors are on a mission to end child identity theft.

• Child ID Theft Safety Tele-class: Author of the book, Bankrupt at Birth, teaches you about child identity theft and what you can do to help protect your kids. 

• Free trial of Identity Guard®†: Get a FREE 30-Day trial of Identity Guard®

• Subscription to Child ID Theft News: Subscribe just by registering your email address

While this may not be the most exciting present for the kids, as a parent I would love the gift of peace of mind!

Have you given any more thought to child identity theft? Have you talked to your spouse or your parents about the risks? 

For more information on child identity theft visit the Identity Guard blog.

*I'm proud ot be an Identity Guard Ambassador and yes, this is a sponsored post. 

†Free trial requires successful enrollment. After your trial period, you will be billed either your monthly or annual fee unless you call to cancel. You may cancel your membership at any time.