Mason Jar Snow Globe - Anthropologie Inspired DIY

Anthropologie is my favorite store by a long, long shot.

Interestingly enough, I don't own a single Anthropologie item. Not one.

My reasons are strictly monetary, I can't afford $200 sweaters or $50.00 measuring cups. I still love to walk through the store and get ideas for my home, I always come out with so much inspiration for projects and ways to dress up pieces of furniture or worn out clothes.

This is the latest project I tackled...

Supplies Needed: 

1 Mason Jar - choose one with very clear glass, some have a sort of textured look which doesn't look great with this project. EDIT: You can find a perfect jar for this project for $2.57 at Hobby Lobby. 

2 (or more) model size Christmas trees - these can be found at Michael's or any hobby store near the model train set items, sizes vary, you can get smaller trees and put multiple trees in one snow globe or one larger one, whatever makes your skirt fly up. 

Silver glitter (optional) 

White glitter 

Hot glue gun 

Step 1

Clean your mason jar and dry it thoroughly, the glitter will stick to the inside of the jar if you don't get it totally dry. 

Step 2 

Get your hot glue gun going... 

Here's the tree I chose 

It's obviously not covered in silver glitter...I considered adding a bit to it but I liked the plain snow better. I also happen to not have any silver glitter on hand....whatever. 

Make a circle of hot glue on the inside of the mason jar lid building it up about 1/4 inch, this insures that you'll be able to see the little tree above the rim of the jar. Place your tree on top of the glue - don't smash it down, let the glue set elevating the tree a little bit. 

Step 3 

The glitter I picked is not quite as insanely shiny as most glitter...it's mixed in with some clear pieces which I liked better than the high shine option. Personal preference, do yo thang. 

Pour about 1/4 - 1/3 cup of glitter into the mason jar depending on the size of your jar, you want it to reach the bottom branches of your Christmas tree. 

Place the lid on the jar, screw it shut and flip it over

ta-da 

Anthropologie charges $48.00 for a mason jar snow globe this size. 

I'm not positive precisely how much I spent on one individual globe but I feel safe in saying it was under $8.00 since I already had the mason jar. 

xoxo,  

Rae 

out of the mouth proceed the issues of the heart . . .

There's a buzz on facebook tonight, there has been a buzz everywhere from the get-go of this presidential election.

From Herman Cain and his short lived campaign to Santorum and his beloved sweater vests honestly, I couldn't be more ready for this whole thing to be a done deal. I know I speak for a lot of people when I say that...

This isn't fun.

I've been stretched and tested and driven to search my own heart in order to decide how I feel about issues, big and small. I know many others have been driven to do the same thing, which is as it should be. But I've really been surprised and frankly a little disappointed.

Hold up, before you shake your head and dust off your soapbox because I dared to be disappointed in how someone exercised their freedom to vote (or didn't....) that's really not what I'm referring to. What I'm referring to are the chinks this scenario has shown in our proverbial armor.


Friends, we're called to speak the truth in love. Not in sarcasm, not in condescension, not in anger or self-righteousness. We aren't called to blast others away with our high-powered doctrine.

Let me put it differently...I'm not called to blast people away with my high-powered doctrine.


For the last few months I've seen condescension and harsh words between people who profess to be followers of Christ, I've seen an eagerness to judge heart motives time and time again. Finger pointing at those who don't fit the other person's model of the right political decision making process and oftentimes just a general disgust with those who feel differently.

I'm guilty of not acting in a loving way. I'm guilty of thinking I have a bead on a person's motives when in reality God is the only one who can that. I can't even know my own heart fully...(apparently I get tripped up by the realization that I'm not all-knowing...huh)

It's the night of the election, but what I'm realizing is that this way of behaving is simply the result of some pressure.

That means that it's in there, and the end of an election won't change what's in our hearts.

It is my prayer that we will exhort one another, we will treat others how we would want to be treated and that above all we would speak the truth when it needs to be spoken but that it would always be done in love.

Slow to speak, quick to listen, slow to wrath, a soft answer, not provoking one another.

 This is what I want to see coming out of my own heart. 

Also I'm going to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies. Because.

That's all.  

Love to you my friends, 

Rae 

Thursday List

1. There is a city in this fine state of ours called Euharlee. That's you-harley in case it threw you...

Anyway, Brad and I took a trip to Euharlee for a fall festival and on the way we passed the most beautiful fields of cotton. 

Cotton plants have never impressed me all that much, they're deceptively prickly so it stands to reason that a field full of these plants isn't necessarily something to write home about.... I was proved wrong. We passed hill after rolling hill of cotton and after I said it was beautiful for about the fifth time Brad voluntarily pulled our car off the road into a very obviously private drive and shooed me out to take a few pictures. Granted, the fields were less spectacular when viewed from a distinctively prickly vantage point - but nevertheless, the cotton was cool. 

2. Now for a rousing change of pace...I was walking through our local health food store and happened to look over to see this smiling face. 

Have any of you ever done this? Anyone? Can we please have a moment of silence for this kid? America's Next Top Model can go home, they've been schooled. This is raw talent, my friends. Smiling through a nasal wash. Bless her. 

3. She's cute. 

4. Sisters who find clothes for you are nice...thanks, Sarah! Banana Republic dress 

Retail price $130.00 

Thrifted for $5.00 

 xoxo,

Rae 

Cold Camping

This weekend my dear family and I braved the cold and wet to experience the great outdoors. 

                                      

We decided to gird our loins and seek rugged adventure. This is also known as wet sleeping bags.    

                                        

                                      

We decided to enjoy the woods, which as we all know are lovely, dark, and deep. 

We also happened to pick the weekend of the biggest fog eclipse I have ever seen. 

This contributed to dramatic aesthetic appeal and also the likelihood of soggy extremities. 

On that note... here are a two things that made camping much more enjoyable this time around, in spite of the cold, and the wet, and the lack of anything even remotely resembling comfortable sleeping quarters. 

1. Squeeze Bottles. Seriously, y'all. Please use these next time you decide to go on an adventure, empty out a ketchup bottle and fill it up with pancake batter, eggs, whatever you can stick in a bottle to make prep and clean-up easier. 

2. Tacos in a bag...

I have no pictures to illustrate this culinary masterpiece. My phone died about 12 hours into our trip but it was one of the easiest meals I've ever prepared. You prepare the fixings for a taco ahead of time, and bring miniature bags of Doritos - dump all the ingredients straight into the bag and you've got almost no clean up to speak of. 

Plus, it's absolutely packed with nutrients and vital vitamins and minerals your body is craving and most likely deficient in. No no, don't thank me. It's my gift to you.  

That's all I've got. I really thought I had more to offer on the camping front, but no cigar. 

Thawing out,

Rae 

Imagine Dragons --> It's Time

I have a few favorite bands... not many, but a few. Mostly I just end up liking a few random songs from different people, not everything they do. 

Not so with these people...

If you aren't familiar with Imagine Dragons, please do yourself a favor and give them a listen.  

Dan Reynolds is the lead singer, they're based in Nevada and we got to see them in Atlanta on Tuesday...

AWOLnation was there as well, but they really didn't hold a candle to Imagine Dragons... 

Zeale

Imagine Dragons

Take two.. 

The group really was ridiculously talented, and they had such a great vibe. Check 'em out if you can and if ever you have the opportunity to see them in concert, do it. It's completely worth it. 

Love, 

Rachael 

A Recap

Georgia weather delivered this weekend...

I got to work as a second shooter with a dear friend who flew back from San Diego this weekend to photograph a wedding on Saturday...check out her work here.

Oh, camera envy. It was way fun getting to play with nice equipment. 

Happy Monday,

Rae 

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies - Gluten Free

I'm picky about chocolate chip cookies. The texture is kind of a big deal. 

As someone who avoids wheat like the plague, this is sort of not such a great thing to be picky about. 

The boxed gluten free cookies are depressing. The Betty Crocker mix is grainy, the recipes I've found and tried all seem to be either 50 ingredients long with tapioca starch involved which is a huge put off simply because tapioca starch strikes me as...complicated? Or it's a recipe some poor soul created just by substituting a gf baking mix in a normal cookie recipe, which doesn't work, FYI. 

So, try as I might, the cookies I make almost always end up crunchy or crumbly, not chewy. 

And then there was today... I creamed butter and sugar, tweaked baking mix ratios and baked one cookie at a time until I got exactly what I was after. These cookies are perfect. They're still chewy after they've cooled and the flavor is perfect. 

Ingredients 

3/4 cup margarine or butter, softened 

1 1/4 cups raw sugar (you can also use honey granules or a mix of brown and white sugar) 

1 tsp vanilla 

2 eggs 

3 cups of this gluten free baking mix - other stuff works but if a chewy texture is important to you then you need to use this particular mix...as opposed to, say, gluten free Bisquick. You can get it from Kroger in the health food section  

1 tsp baking soda 

1 tsp baking powder 

1/2 tsp salt 

1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips 

1. Preheat oven to 350, prepare a greased baking sheet

2. In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and combine

3. Sift together baking mix, baking soda and baking powder and add it slowly to butter mixture, finally add chocolate chips and stir mixture

4. Using a teaspoon, drop cookies 2 inches apart on the baking sheet, bake for 10-12 minutes or until light brown.