Wedding Invitation Ornament and #18 Complete

Today is a two for one post, people! We get one super easy project AND we get to cross something off my 26 before 26 list. Woo hoo! And, if you're looking for a last minute gift for some newlyweds in your life, this would be perfect.

My sweet cousin Melissa just got married this month. I was so sad we couldn't make it out to the wedding, but I knew I wanted to send her something special. I originally saw the project on pinterest, and loved it. It's so simple and so meaningful. Gotta love that.

Wanna learn how to make one too? As with most of my projects, it's so very easy.

Supplies you'll need:

Wedding invitation (or other meaningful piece of paper- birth announcement maybe?)

Scissors

Clear glass ornament

Ribbon

Simply cut the invitation into strips.

 

You want the words to show, so don't cut any lines of words in half. You most likely won't be able to fit the entire invitation in the ornament, so you can put the strips that are blank to the side and only use them if you need them.

 Next, you need to curl your strips. To do this, simple wrap the strips around your finger or a pen in a spiral. Then just take the top off the ornament and feed the curled strips into the bulb. If they aren't laying how you'd like them to, try using some tweezers to manipulate the strips inside the bulb. Tie a ribbon on it and you're all done!

 

And there it is - #18 crossed off the 26 before 26 list! Truth be told, I've actually made a few gifts this Christmas season, but I can't post about those before Christmas because I don't want to ruin the surprise for the recipients. BUTTTT- I officially received news that this gift was received yesterday and now I felt free to post about it!

 I think it's the perfect thing to do with a wedding invitation- don't you? I might just have to bust out one of mine from the overflowing wedding box and do it :)

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Wishlist

I though about creating a gift guide of sorts, but who am I to presume what others want for Christmas? Unless I know your recipient personally, I just can't predict! So, instead, I'm sharing ten things from MY wishlist with you- all $35 and under.
Perhaps someone on your list wants the same things? 

In no particular order....

Tea-And-Crumpets Apron, $32 

 #1What To Eat Pad – Fridge Notepad for Meal Planning by Knock Knock, $8

#2 Louis Armstrong told us so Art Print,  $26
#3 Essential Oil Gift Set, $20
#4 Scales iPhone Case by Steven Womack | Society6, $35
#5 Tea-And-Crumpets Apron, $32 
 #6 Love Life , $10
  #7 Design*Sponge at Home, $23 
#8 The Naturally Clean Home:, $8.76 

 #9 The Help (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo)., $25 

#10 Bananagrams $15 

Homemade Coffee Syrup

So, yes, I may be mildly obsessed with this whole espresso machine thing. Just roll with it.

Anyway... I started thinking about how I not only love lattes, but I also really love VANILLA lattes. I got to thinking about how I could make one at home. Obviously, I could buy the vanilla syrup from the store, but that stuff is expensive! I figured there had to be some way to replicate it at home.

So I did some internet research and consulted my ever trusty Joy of Cooking Cookbook and came up with this super easy recipe. You're going to be oh so impressed with yourself.

You only need three ingredients. And you probably already have them in your cupboard. How perfect is that?

Even if you're not making lattes at home, you could still use it to spruce up your regular coffee. Or package it up pretty and give it as a gift along with some fancy coffee. Yum!

Homemade Vanilla Coffee Syrup
{makes one cup}
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Preparation:
Heat sugar and water together in saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently until sugar is completely dissolved. Cover, and let simmer for 5 additional minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Let cool and transfer to glass or plastic container. Store in refrigerator.

I put mine in leftover balsamic vinegar bottle (which I washed out thoroughly, of course :). If you're transferring to something with a narrow neck, you're definitely going to want a funnel. Use some simple twine and a fine point sharpie, and you have yourself one cute little bottle of vanilla syrup, for a fraction of the cost of the store bought stuff!