cottonball Christmas wreath

This cottonball Christmas wreath is a project created over a year ago and lost in the drafts, never to be posted. I wanted to post it because of it’s simplicity, low cost, and brightness that many of you will appreciate. Cottonballs turned into a Christmas wreath deserves a bit of love, wouldn’t you agree! (just nod your head :))

Because our housing is much smaller than in years past, I’ve been trying to create decorations with a very small budget and the ability to dispose of them afterwards. We decorated our tree with candy this year, used pinecones as garland, and cardboard and glitter for ornaments. This white Christmas wreath is made with cotton balls and dollar ornaments. Truly. It doesn’t get much cheaper than that!

I also love how bright and colorful this wreath is. Our apartment is bright and light and airy, so traditional Christmas decorations can look out of place. Light, bright, white, and colorful Christmas decor is much more fitting for our cute little place!

White Christmas Wreath Materials

cotton balls (1 bag will do a 12 inch wreath)
mini ornaments (these are from the dollar spot at Target)
wreath form (make your own from cardboard!)
hot glue and gun.

To Make Your White Christmas Wreath:

1- Pull your cotton balls apart just a bit and apply a single layer of cotton balls on your form. Pack this layer in nice and tightly.

2- Now, add depth to your wreath by hot-gluing additional cotton balls on another layer. Fill in holes, cover sides, make that wreath look awesome!

3-Use hot glue to glue the mini ornaments onto the wreath. Be sure to watch where you place them so that they will be nice and sturdy. Tucking them in a bit is usually a good idea.

Wrap a large ribbon around your wreath and hang it on your wall. You did a great job!! Look at your beautiful wreath that didn’t cost you your entire week’s worth of lunch money! You can see ours is hanging on our Advent Wall along with our zip-tie garland.

Cranberry Rosemary Orange Scones

These Cranberry-Rosemary-Orange scones are sweet, tangy, and delicious!! The orange glaze is just the icing on the top (get it — Icing on the top! :))Be sure to get this recipe!

Is there anyone in the world that doesn’t have a love affair with scones? I doubt it. Scones are sweet and buttery and light and flaky all at the same time. Add to that their ability to meld all sorts of flavors into themselves and you have a breakfast pastry that can’t be topped for its versatility, flavor, and simplicity.

My favorite recipe uses a combo of cranberries and rosemary…a classic flavor duo…but with an added touch of orange. The orange keeps the scones light, fresh, and fun. And the orange glaze drizzled on TOP of the scones? Oh. My. Gosh. It’s bright and packed full of flavor. You’ll be licking off the tops of your scones.

Wherever possible, when using orange and rosemary…use fresh. It’s tempting to pull out dried herbs and zest for baking, but the flavor you get from the fresh ingredients really is the best. The extra two minutes of chopping rosemary and zesting a lemon will be worth it.

Note:

Did you know that smelling citrus boosts your feel-good hormone in your brain? True story.

It’s important to use cold butter when making scones so that you can achieve that beautiful buttery and flaky pastry.

Why cold butter?

When the butter melts in your dough while baking in the oven it creates little pockets where steam expands and helps the dough rise. If you have butter that is melty before you get to the dough to the oven, you lose those pockets of gas expanding, leaving you with a denser, less fluffy scone.

Tip:

Freeze your scone dough for an hour or so before baking to get the ultimate in light and flaky scones!

Don’t get crazy with forming and rolling your scone dough. The less you handle it, the better. Simply pat it into a circle about 9 inches in diameter, as evenly thick as you can get it, and slice it into eight pie wedges. Then bake.

Sure, those scones will come out of the oven ready to be shoved into your mouth. Frankly, you might not make it to the glazing step before you find yourself minus scones. I would highly recommend baking these up when your family isn’t home. And if they are home, DON’T turn your back.

Off topic…

Have you played the Super Mario board that has the little ghosts that will attack you if you turn your back to them for too long? As long as you are looking at them they stay where they are but the minute you turn your back… BAM! My family is little ghosts when I’m baking in the kitchen. DON’T TURN YOUR BACK!

Anyways, you can feel free to use purchased orange juice for the glaze but since you already of the fresh orange to grab zest from why not use fresh orange juice? It really will make a huge difference!

You think that I’m crazy with the vodka addition to the glaze, don’t you? Try it sometimes and you’ll be a believer. Vodka adds a wonderful kick to the glaze that cuts a bit of the sweetness from the scones out, in the best possible way.

Plus, everything is better with alcohol. It’s truth.

ingredients.

For scones:
3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tab grated orange peel
1 tsp rosemary (just used dried, it’s easier)
3/4 cup chilled butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup cold buttermilk (for a quick substitution, see below)

For glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup orange juice
1 tab vanilla
2 tab vodka (optional)

directions.

For scones:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Put flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, orange peel, and rosemary into large bowl.
Add butter and mix into flour mixture…gotta use your fingers! You want it to look like crumbs.
Mix in cranberries.
Gradually add buttermilk, use fork to stir until it gets mostly mixed together (it will still have clumps!).
Put the dough onto a floured counter and knead a few times so it sticks together. About 4-6 times.
Form the dough into a circle about 9 inches in diameter. Cut into 8 wedges. (if you have time pop the wedges into the freezer for about an hour)
Put the wedges onto the baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool about 10 minutes.

For glaze:

Mix all ingredients together.
If necessary, to achieve needed thickness add more powdered sugar.
Drizzle the glaze on top of the cooled scones.

To make buttermilk :

Put 1 tablespoon lemon juice into 1 cup milk.
Let sit for about 5 minutes.
Wa la! Buttermilk.

How to make a ring dish at home.

This diy ring dish is so quick and easy to make, so adorable to have, and so incredible awesome to give!. All in all…you NEED this in your life in some fashion. And after you see how to make it you will be wondering why on earth you haven’t made one for your grandma or aunt before.

This DIY ring dish is so quick and easy to make, so adorable to have, and so incredibly awesome to give!. All in all…you NEED this in your life in some fashion. And after you see how to make it you will be wondering why on earth you haven’t made one for your grandma or aunt before. This Christmas will be the year of awesome gift giving!

The CUTEST little ring dish you ever did see…right!! And it’s so easy. Here are the materials you need…

Materials:

super glue
paint (spray paint keeps this easy!)
knickknack
dish

Let’s talk about these materials for a bit. There is no right or wrong to what you choose. You want to find a knickknack that fits nicely with the dish and stands up a bit. It can be a cow, a bell, a tree…or a man :). As long as it’s fairly skinny, and not too wide that it covers your dish. If you can find a deer with antlers…how cool would that be (rings could go on the antlers!)! And, if your figurines don’t match that doesn’t matter …because you will be painting it anyways!

Glueing is just that…glueing. Nothing fancy about this. I would recommend that you just watch that you don’t glob so much glue on that it seeps out from under the figurine and creates a yucky edge. Hold it firmly for a minute or so and then let dry.

After your dish is dry…take the paint to it!! More coats with less coverage are better than heavy coverage with fewer coats. Truly! Let dry in between coats!

The gold paint I used is awesome because it dries very quickly in between coats (remember, thinner coats!) allowing me to reapply quickly after!

Tip:

Use a large box to paint your dish. Set a fan nearby to keep the fumes from being crazy bad. Or, if it’s nice outside where you are…take it outside.

That’s truly it! It is so easy to make this sweet dish.

I think this is a wonderful gift idea! You can customize it however you like, exactly the way you know the recipient would like it! DIY ring dish= happy Christmas gift giving!

poor man’s Beef Wellington recipe

I call this recipe the poor man’s Beef Wellington because it’s, well, for poor people :). Like me. Rather than using an expensive steak this wellington recipe uses easy to find, inexpensive ground beef. But don’t be fooled…it is utterly delicious and decadent. This recipe is one of my husband’s favorites and I pull it out for Valentines Day, anniversaries, and the occasional Sunday evening.

Puff pastry is every cook’s favorite secret helper because it’s utterly delicious AND speeds up prep time.

Poor Man’s Beef Wellington

(this recipe makes 8. 1/2 the recipe for 4)

2 beaten eggs

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

4 tablespoons crushed saltine crackers (or bread crumbs)

2 tablespoons dried parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cream

3 tablespoons butter

1 small onion, chopped fine

4 cloves of garlic, minced

8 ounces baby bella mushrooms

1/2 cup red wine (or grape juice)

1 teaspoon basil

mozzarella cheese (optional)

2 sheets of puff pastry

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix first 6 ingredients together well. Set aside.

In a large saucepan melt butter. Add onion and mushrooms.

Cook on medium high heat until mushrooms sweat and onions are translucent.

Turn down to medium while you add the garlic, red wine, and basil.
Turn the heat back up to high and continue to cook until reduced. Remove from heat. Cool.

Lightly grease a cookie sheet.

On a lightly floured surface lay out pastry sheets. Cut each sheet into 4 squares

Spread mushroom mixture across each square. Top with thin layer of mozzarella cheese

Put 1/2 cup of meat mixture (formed into flattened balls) on top.

Pull corners up over meat and pinch edges together. (don’t worry if this is tricky, it is for everyone…it isn’t just you!)

Put the bundles on a cookie sheet with seam side down. Cut small slits on top and brush the tops with cream or beaten egg.

Bake for 30-40 minutes (at 400 degrees) or until golden brown and meat is cooked through.

Serve with brown gravy

(I like to add 1/2 cup of red wine to the gravy, it adds so much to the flavor of this recipe!)

Capsule Wardrobe: the ultimate guide.

WHAT is a Capsule Wardrobe?

Before you get going on a capsule wardrobe you should know WHAT it’s defined as. It’s certainly not a hard science and these two articles answer the questions well…

What is a Capsule Wardrobe Anyway from un-fancy.

Getting Started from the project 333.

WHY you might like a Capsule Wardrobe…

A Capsule Wardrobe, although a current trend, is certainly not for everyone. Take a look at these articles and see if they resonate with you.

Your Personalised Capsule Wardrobe Dossier from looking stylish.

Capsule Wardrobe. Is it valuable for your life? from nelliebellie.

Wear One from becoming minimalist.

Keep it Realistic…

A Capsule Wardrobe might not be for you. Ever. Read a few of these articles to generate a more realistic approach to your capsule wardrobe. These aren’t meant to scare you…simply give you room to adapt to your own unique needs without guilt.

You’re Doing the Capsule Wardrobe Wrong from fashion magazine.

Capsule Wardrobes from grechen’s closet

Why I Got Rid of My Capsule Wardrobe from dallas city’s mom blog.

The Reality of a Capsule Wardrobe for Mom’s from scary mommy.

Why I’m Giving Up My Capsule Wardrobe from nelliebellie.

Getting Started (after reading the above articles!)…

Now that you have decided a capsule wardrobe is for you take a look at these articles for tips on starting your first.

Capsule Wardrobe: Beginner Guide from Pinch of Yum

Tips for your very first Capsule Wardrobe from nelliebellie.

How to Create a Capsule Wardrobe from every girl.

Capsule Wardrobe 101 from un-fancy.

How to Capsule Wardrobe from who what wear.

A Practical Guide to Owning Fewer Clothes from becoming minimalist.

Capsule Wardrobe from stylist.

How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe-the Master Plan from greater than rubies.

Read about the journey of others…

Everyone uses capsule wardrobe’s with various degrees of success. Many need to make adjustments to their approach to allow capsule wardrobes work for them. The following articles are great personal reflections on those using capsule wardrobes. Some of these articles come from sites completely devoted to insight on capsule wardrobes.

The Capsule Wardrobe-an Experiment from vivianna does makeup.

Personal Reflections (the entire category) from un-fancy.

Drew Barrymore Closet Cleaning Tips from refinery 29.

Editing an All Season Capsule Wardrobe-the Process from the lovely laura life

Truncation Blog (the entirety of it)

Printable Guides…

Printables! We all like printables, don’t we? These will help your capsule wardrobe journey go more smoothly.

Your Printable Guide to Creating Wardrobe Capsules from inside out style blog.

Capsule Planner (pdf) from un-fancy.

Children’s Capsule Wardrobe Free Printables from crumbling cookies.

Printable Fall Capsule Wardrobe List from nelliebellie.

Wardrobe Capsule Checklist from the refinery.

How to Build the Perfect Wardrobe-10 Basic Principles from into-mind.

Wardrobe Editing List from modern eve.

4 by 4 Capsule Wardrobe Template from the vivienne files.

Follow NellieBellie ‘s board Capsule Wardrobe on Pinterest.

Pinterest Boards…

Pinterest is fantastic for gathering outfit ideas and even complete wardrobe ideas. These boards are some of my faves…

Project 333 Community Board

Hello Natural Capsule Wardrobe board

StyleBook App Capsule Wardrobe Tips board

NellieBellie Capsule Wardrobe board

Extras…

And, these links are simply for fun. They help me keep my capsule wardrobe fresh and useful.

StitchFix is a fun subscription-based way to add to your wardrobe. It’s one of my primary ways of adding to my capsule wardrobe when I feel it’s needed. You have a personal stylist that takes your style into account, your fashion Pinterest board, your notes, and lots more when they pick out clothing for your box. You can change the times you get your boxes, or even sign up for a one-time box. I am always terribly surprised at how well my stylist nails what I am looking for. AND they often choose companies that are ethically sourced and/or organic. It’s a great way to eliminate shopping and still get great pieces to keep your wardrobe fresh. It’s like Christmas in a box!

StyleBook App is for those of you that might not be quite ready to jump into a capsule wardrobe all the way down to 33 pieces BUT you want to get a bit more organization and order out of your closet. I haven’t ever used this app but hear great things about it!

Rent the Runway is THE place to get specialty outfits for that one-time event. Many of us have no need to keep special outfits for a one-time event in our closet. Rent the Runway is a to get that special outfit and keep your closet clutter-free. Besides, it’s great fun to try something new!

Tips for Shopping at Thrift Stores has tips and tricks to help you get the most out of your thrift store. Thrift stores are a great place to start filling out your capsule wardrobe for those starting out. With your first capsule wardrobe, you often want to try to stay as inexpensive as possible while you are learning what works best. Then your NEXT season you can spend a bit more money on items you have learned will work best. Thrift stores are also wonderful for those on a budget but still wanting to try a capsule wardrobe.

For more capsule wardrobe posts along with easy recipes, crafts, and simply living tips SIGN UP to get NellieBellie posts!

lemon cake recipe |2 ingredient|

Why spend a lot of time and energy putting together a completely homemade cake when you can cook up a two-ingredient lemon cake recipe? We think that is a valid question.

Let’s get something straight; we love homemade cake. We have several recipes for homemade cake, including our favorite chocolate and white cakes. And we encourage everyone who likes baking to try them. Even people who don’t like baking should try them, so they can see how easy baking really can be. But sometimes, and for some people, spending a couple hours baking a cake just isn’t worth it all the time.

We have more important things to do. Or we realized at the last minute we needed to bring something for church. Or any number of reasons we just don’t feel like taking the time to bake a cake completely from scratch.

Enter the two ingredient cake easy lemon cake recipe.

We are not claiming that this cake is as delicious as homemade ones. It isn’t. And it would be very sad if all our work making cake from scratch didn’t matter. It does!

But, if you add a delicious frosting or a bunch of whipped cream…it’s still quite good. And there are some events that don’t require you to spend the time necessary to make the most amazing cake ever. Good is good enough. In those cases, make this cake!

This is also a great starter cake for kids. A box of mix, a can of soda, and a supervisor to make sure they don’t burn themselves on the oven is all you need. Then, as they get older, you can graduate them to 3 ingredient peanut butter cookies.

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Visit Mankato–Christmas Lights Festival

This post brought to you by Visit Mankato

Christmas is coming, Christmas is coming!

Children are at their brightest during the Holiday season, don’t you think? Their faces are shining, their eyes are bright, they even seem to have an extra bounce to their already bouncy steps.

They get Christmas. They understand that this time of year the world around them seems to get a bit brighter, happier, and festive. And children thrive on it.

I have always tried to take time each Holiday season to bring our kids to festivities and events around the Holiday season that foster this love for the season. Holiday events seem to bring out the best in people, the kindest of the kind, and the giggles in even the most stern of people. I try to teach my children that the world and people in it are good. There are lots and lots of good people.

What better way then Holiday activities and events, right!?!

If you are able to make the trip to Mankato, MN you will find one of the best and brightest of the Holiday events…

Pat Christman Cars travel through the lighted tunnel at the Kiwanis Holiday Lights as the rest of Sibley Park shines behind it last week. The park is lit up for 33 nights this Christmas season. — Pat Christman
Cars travel through the lighted tunnel at the Kiwanis Holiday Lights as the rest of Sibley Park shines behind it last week. The park is lit up for 33 nights this Christmas season.

The Mankato Holiday Lights event runs from November 27th until December 31st and features over 1 million LED lights you can walk or drive through. It is so much fun to watch children’s faces (okay, even adults!) when they see it!

When you go, be sure not to miss the ice skating, sleigh rides, or reindeer. Children of all ages love to see that!

And of course, smile and giggle at the joy and cheer from those around you. It’s contagious, people!

my Social Media Diet experiment: day one.

By the time you all read this, I’ll probably be on day four or five because of the way the editorial calendar is scheduled here at NellieBellie. But, does it really matter? One, four, or five all seem like they would be relatively difficult to take social media out of.

At least for me.

I can make excuses all day long about how my line of work requires me to stay in touch with social media and all the comments, likes, messages, and stuff. But it’s bull. Don’t believe a word I say.

Sure, there is some truth to it. I do have more interaction in the digital world than your average person might. But I sure as heck know how to draw out every. single. minute. I can. I’m a pro at reading everything on my timeline-twice. And finding “cool articles” in places that I can’t possibly remember where I got them.

The other day I caught myself looking through feeds, comments, and stuff for the hundreth time that day. What I was looking for? Couldn’t tell you. All I know is that I’m drawn to head back to social media when I’m bored and just scroll. And I’ll keep doing it again and again without thought.

Okay, not even when I’m bored. When I’m tired. Or frustrated. Or procrastinating.

Heck…even when I’m not.

I will scroll through my Facebook feed as if my life depends on it. I’m going to die if I don’t. No really. Probably from the plague, or something :).

Anyways, the other day after I caught myself for the crazy zillionth time I paused and had a heart to heart with myself. We did some honest talking. And decided to try something new. An experiment of sorts.

What would happen if I drastically limit my social media use. And schedule times to use it for work? What if I remove the apps off my phone and force myself to use my computer during work hours for “work social media use”?

What would happen if I did this for a month. What would happen if I didn’t scroll endlessly. Or look at Instagram feeds without commenting. Or scrolled through Twitter to see “what was happening”.

LET’S FIND OUT, SHALL WE?

For a month I’m going to use social media in a very limited way. I’ve scheduled times to update social media and connect with my readers that use it to read and communicate with me (that’s valuable to me!). Everything else… gone. EEEEEEK!

I KNOW that I’m going to go a bit crazy. Probably like sugar withdrawl, I’m thinking. I’ll let you know.

In any case… wish me llluuucccckkkk!!

(and if any of you have tried this… give me advice, will ya! Cause even as I write this my fingers are itching to grab my phone. STaaaaHHHP me!)

Santa hat brownies

These Santa Hat Brownies have a great story attached to them, which I just have to share with you. Before I do, though, I want to make sure you know they are legitimately good brownies. They are made from a box mix, but they are a great activity to share with your kids (or someone else’s) leading up to Christmas. This is one of those activities that you just go buy the supplies for and wait to create until that time when boredom sets in. Or there’s a snowstorm. The instructions for their creation is at the end of this post if you don’t want to hear the fun story attached.

Now the fun story:

So, sometimes I have brilliant kids. Sometimes their stupidity astonishes me. If you have kids, grandkids, or have seen kids in the store…you understand. I recently had each of those moments, and at the same time. One child behaved astonishingly brilliantly, the other just made me shake my head.

You see, my Levi desperately wanted a Kindle Fire. He seemed to be of the impression that if he had his own tablet he would be allowed to play games on it as often as he wanted. He thought that I wouldn’t enforce screen time (no electronics on weekdays, etc., etc.)

silly child.

But that’s another story. Anyway, we wouldn’t buy one for him. I know, mean parents. But if he saved his money, we said he could get one. $160 (or whatever it is) is A LOT of money for a pre-teen.

Katie felt bad for him. She wanted to be a good sister, a hero. She wanted to help…or so she says. I think she was just being brilliant. She offered to loan him the remaining $60 he needed. He was sooo happy. She was sooo willing. I was unaware of any of this. She shows up with a paper and hands it to me.

“Read this, you are a witness”, she says to me.

“Levi hereby agrees to be my peasant until he has paid off the $60 dollars he owes me. He will do whatever I say, whatever I need to make me happy. He cannot complain or say no or I will take away his Kindle.”

I read. I gave legal advice to Levi that went like this…

“DO NOT SIGN THE DOCUMENT”.

He signed. He got the Kindle. He is finding cats, bringing tea, doing chores, giving massages. And decorating Santa hats for his sister.

Brilliant and Stupid.
In one fell swoop.

Okay, now you can have the recipe for these Santa Hat Brownies.

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3 ingredient Popcorn Balls [Lazy Baker]

I say Popcorn Balls you say…

HARD!

I say Popcorn Balls you say…

HARD!

You, my dear lovelies are wrong.

Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. Okay, maybe I’m being a bit childish. But I’m right and you are wrong. Bam!

Yes, aLOT childish.

That’s it. That is all the ingredients you need for these cheater popcorn balls.

Prepared Popcorn
I’m using Fudgy Peanut Butter Popcorn and Cinnamon Roll Carmel Corn both from Tastefully Simple
1 bag of large marshmallows
4 tablespoons butter

You simply act as if you are making a batch of marshmallow treats. Melt the marshmallows and butter together in the microwave (I start with 60seconds and stir, then 20 second intervals after).

Stir about 32 oz of prepared popcorn into the marshmallow mixture. Stir well!

Tip: It helps to use a rubber spatula that is slightly damp or sprayed with cooking spray to help it not stick to the popcorn.

Use your hands (again with the tip…damp hands!) and squish that gooey popcorn into balls. Squish them pretty hard, even to the point of hearing some crunching, to ensure they will hold together well.

Wrap them up with some plastic wrap and set them aside for Christmas munching. Or gifting. Be sure to experiment with different kinds of popcorn and additions. Try adding peppermint bits, sprinkles, dried cranberries, and even bits of candy!

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Tastefully Simple’s Blog has alot of easy recipes and simple entertaining solutions you will want to check out for your Holiday parties and dinners! And, of course, we have plenty more recipes using their great products!