Abita Bottle Cap Magnets

I like to decorate my kitchen with my Louisiana memorabilia, since that’s what inspires me to be creative, and it’s where I found my passion for food.  Our walls and overhead storage are decorated with framed vintage Louisiana food ads:

Cajun Cookbooks clutter the countertops (including my “bible” from Chef Folse):

Utensils go in an old coffee can:

And of course, my Louisiana pelican oversees all from a perch in the corner:

(That’s the Time Life “American Southern Cooking” cookbook in the middle, circa 1960’s.  I inherited the full “World Foods” set from my Nana.)

But I realized I didn’t have any tributes to Abita, which is just sinful. I love their beer, and their root beer, and they just sorta symbolize South Louisiana life.  We tried to win an Abita neon at trivia last year, but were not so lucky.  Also, our wall space is pretty limited at this point. As is counterspace.  So until we move & get a bigger kitchen (not in the cards for a few years), there’s not a lot more I can do.  But you know what else is left to decorate?  The fridge! 

These make for an excellent kids’ craft if you’re looking for a quick project to keep the lil’ uns entertained for a while.  They also make nice gifts!

 

What You Need:

Bottle Caps (whichever you choose—but go for good local brews to make them unique. Probably not a huge demand for Bud Light kitchen magnets.)

Magnets (these round ones work great)

Hot Glue (the magnets usually have some adhesive on them, but hot glue will help reinforce that seal)

NOTE: Pry-off caps will present a problem, since they usually get bent in the process & them don’t want to lay flat.  We got this “automatic” cap remover for Christmas last year and it works really well—and doesn’t bend the caps in the process, which is great if you’re a crafter.

 

Directions:  Pretty simple.  If your magnet has adhesive, remove the backing & stick it to the inside of the bottle cap.  Then use hot glue around the edge to ensure a good seal.  Let sit until dry, and then place on your fridge!  If you’re lucky, maybe you also have a magnetic backsplash behind your stove?  These work great for holding up recipes while you’re cooking!

Happy Crafting!

Christmas with the Feaux’s, Part Deux.

So as I mentioned the other day, we picked up some pinecones at the park.

Um… a LOT of pinecones.

(And because I'm a nerd, if you're interested in learning about what cones come from which trees, check out this site.)

 

Thankfully, they’re quite versatile!

They go in bowls…

(This glass bowl is part of a set that my grandmother had.  After her passing, we each got a piece of the set as a family heirloom.)

They go in tiny sleighs…

(I got the sleigh last year from my bestie--only it was holding a variety pack of Community Coffee at that time.)

They go inside the tree (to fill in the gaps, if you’ve got a rather slim tree like us):

(We are currently on the hunt for a "new" taller, fuller FeauxTree.  A friend tipped me off to looking on Craigslist & I've been checking daily ever since.)

They go on garland!

And you know what else goes well on garland?  Christmas cards!

(The other side isn't full yet.  I used ornament hooks & paper clips to hang these.)

And since photos of holiday mantels are quite trendy, here’s ours!  I'm very envious of some of the gorgeous mantels I've seen in the blogosphere, but ours is mainly just our usual mantel decor + some miscellaneous Christmas pieces that don't have a better home.)

(Yes.  That’s a Yoda nutcracker. And a Yoda snow globe.  And a Santa Yoda bobblehead.  And a Yoda stocking. Don’t be jealous.)

Speaking of Yoda… my best friend got me a post-Halloween marshmallow Yoda.  And of course… I made S’mores.

Gotta love it when your food is looking at you…

And of course, Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without Spaghetti-Os.

 

I made two of these ornaments back in 2008... one for me & one for my Cousin Manda.  As kids, we demanded that Spaghetti-Os be included in EVERY family holiday meal, and it stuck. It's our family tradition.  These were actually super easy to make. I scanned in a label from a spaghetti-Os can, shrunk it down in a photo editor, printed it out on regular paper.  Then I bought a package of wooden spools from a craft store, spray painted them silver, trimmed the label to fit, and wrapped it around the outside.  Strung an old silver shoelace through the middle, knotted it at the bottom, and there you go!

So that's our house at Christmas time.  Thanks for taking the tour!  Stay tuned tomorrow for a super-special holiday Thirsty Thursday! 

Fleur de Lis Art.

I’m jonesing for a new fleur de lis art print for our kitchen/dining room area (really, honestly: we have 1300 sq ft of living space—those rooms are one & the same).  I know I’ll probably end up making something, thanks to my Pinterest addiction, but I’ve been perusing the InterWebz for some inspiration. 

This one is so cute it makes my heart ache:

“Fleur de Lis” by Ryan Merrill…actually, I may buy this print, I love it so much!

 

This metal work is also gorgeous:

If I could find a trivet that looked like this, I would be quite pleased.  Because art that is also functional makes me happy.

 

This set of four is quite lovely, too, although I think I’m looking for something a bit smaller, since we already have a large focal piece in our dining room

…of course, I could just split them up and spread the fleur love around the house. :D

 

I don’t usually go for metallics, but there’s something so regal about this one…

 

I think I may try to recreate something like that, using the “glue, aluminum foil, & shoe polish” craft that’s trending on Pinterest right now.