When I find a pair of jeans I like, I’ll buy two pairs in different colors. But what’s a girl to do when she finds a vintage item she likes? Well make a second one in a different color, of course! That’s sort of what I set out to do with this brooch project. I found myself wanting to wear this rhinestone brooch nearly every day, so I made a pearl one as an alternate. It’s so easy, you should make one too!

P.S. You can buy my blouse here!

• cutting mat
• blade
• steel ruler
• pencil
• pearl beads (small and large)
• pin back
• chip board
• paint brush
• gesso
• tacky glue

Step 1 : Draw a 2 x 1″ rectangle onto your chipboard. Draw a vertical line down the center, and from the middle, mark out a 1/4″ line on the center line you just drew. Make lines connecting the corners of the rectangle to the ends of the 1/4″ line, and now you have your bow shape.

Steps 2 & 3: Using a cutting mat, steel ruler, and a sharp blade, cut out the shape of your bow. Now paint it with two coats of gesso. Gesso is a primer, so you don’t have to worry about it flaking off later on.

Step 4: Now cover half of the bow with a thick coat of tacky glue. Using your pin back, attach the small pearl beads in a row, making sure the bead openings are mostly unseen. Do the same to the other half of the bow, leaving an uncovered space in between each side for the next step.

Steps 5 & 6: After the glue has dried, Glob on some more in the middle space you have left bare and affix a large pearl. Let the glue dry completely, then flip it over and glue on the pin back. After the glue has dried, it’s ready to wear!

Christmases aren’t always magical, and I know we’ve had our fair share of sad holidays. But when they’re right, they’re wonderful. I know we celebrate Christ’s coming, which is always true, even when life is sad. But I look forward to this time all year for a variety of reasons- the joy of remembering baby Jesus, the excitement of gift-giving, the pleasure of delicious food, the coziness of a warm, beautiful home, and certainly the comfort of family. I don’t talk much about my family here, but you should probably know that I treasure them with all my heart. I have parents and in-laws who are incredibly supportive, loving, generous, and even fun to be around. My brother is dating a beautiful girl who fits right in with the rest of us, and now we have little Lucy to join the crew. Certainly we have lots to enjoy!

This year I have a special memory to cherish, being the Daddy’s-Girl that I am. Throughout 2012, Phil and I finally had the sense to properly budget for gifts starting last January, so we wouldn’t feel burdened with our desire to give. I started shopping last Spring when I found a big letter G for my brother (Matt Graber), took the money for it out of our gift envelope, and allowed the rest of the dollars to keep multiplying with only small withdrawals for weddings and babies. By the time all of the gifts on my list were purchased, I had spent more than any other year before (our family isn’t typically extravagant gift givers, out of necessity), but I still had a nice amount of money in our gift-envelope. Perfect! Because I still hadn’t gotten anything for my Dad, and after all of the work he does for our cars and house, I really wanted to show him how much I appreciate him by giving him a nice gift. The guy has all the power tools any red-blooded American man could want, but something that always goes unsatisfied for him is his desire for ice cream. And preferably soft-serve. So I thought I’d splurge on a nice soft-serve ice cream machine for him. Did he ask for it? No. Was I worried it would just collect dust in their pantry? Yes. But I spent the last of our money on a whim, wrapped up his ice cream machine, and placed it under the tree.

When my parents walked through the door on Christmas Day, we were all very bubbly and chatty, and somehow Dad started talking about ice cream and how he would really like to get a soft serve ice cream machine some day. I couldn’t believe it! Phil and I were stealing big-eyed looks at each other, trying to contain our excitement. Before dinner, we opened gifts, and the last one to be unwrapped was the one I wanted Dad to see the most- his ice cream machine! He peeled back the paper and the look on his face was like something I’ve never seen before! My usually stoic father was grinning wider than I thought possible, and my heart exploded. It made me so happy to see him happy, to whip together the supplies I had stored away in my fridge, and see him enjoy the fruits of my giving. I know it’s just ice cream. And it’s just an appliance. But finding the perfect gift for the guy who is notoriously difficult to shop for, and the first man to steal my heart- that is my favorite Christmas memory so far.

So how did your Christmas go? I hope you were able to enjoy time with family and friends! Were you able to buy gifts? Which was your favorite gift to give?

Little things have become all the more special since Lucy’s arrival, and Christmas is one of them. Not because she gets excited about opening presents, or even because I get to dress her up in cute Christmas clothes. I think it’s her innocence, readiness to smile, and obsession with christmas lights and decorations. Or maybe it’s my anticipation of her sure excitement in years to come? In any case, Christmases will never be the same, thanks to this kiddo!

O U T F I T   D E T A I L S :

dress: Ralph Lauren second-hand | bow: made by me | shoes: Carters | tights: second-hand