Birdnest Earrings and Necklaces

This may have been my first thing project I ever attempted from Pinterest when I started playing around with the birdnest jewelry way back in the summer. I made several color combinations for myself and one has turned into something I wear often since it has green and blue beads that match a bunch of my outfits.  I also decided that most of the important ladies in my life would enjoy wearing this type of jewelry too so I made a necklace for my sister-in-law and my sister and earrings for both my mommy and mother-in-law.  I would have posted about these pretty little nests earlier but I wanted their presents to be a surprise! Now that Christmas has come and gone and everyone has their bird nests I can show you how I did it.

How to make a birdnest necklace:
You need: 22 or 26 gauge jewelry wire, round beads (3 or 4 for each bird nest), pliers, necklace chain of some type or earring hooks if you are going that route

The first step is to choose your beads, I've been into choosing 3 in the similar color palettes but none of the same in one nest...you can do what you like though!  If you are doing earrings then just try to match your beads for each nest.
Once you've chosen your beads then you are ready to start creating.
Thread all your beads onto the wire and leave yourself a tail of an inch or two to twist onto the nest.
Then start winding your wire around the outside edge of your beads, as you wind try to stay close to the beads because the nest tends to get looser as you go. 
After you have about 10 circles of wire take a second to decide if you want a thicker nest or if you are ready for the next step. 
The next step is to cut the wire leaving yourself at least 6 inches or more of wire so you can wind the wire around the nest.  Sometimes I like to do 3 neat little wraparounds between each bead and the nest and other times I get a little more sloppy and make it look like a random nest.  This is totally up to you and your style. 
When you are done wrapping the nest make a small loop to attach to the chain/hooks and then trim and tuck the end of the wire. 

The thing I really love about these nests is that they look far more expensive than they are and they are really easy to create.  I've also unwound my nests more than once and the wire is pretty forgiving if you don't like your results the first time.

Swirled Paint Glass Ornaments

This was the easiest craft I've done in a very long time.  All I needed was some craft paint and clear glass balls.  The paint was something I already had on hand and the ornaments came from Michael's where they were on sale for $2 for 4 ornaments.  I also used some foam ice cream bowls I had on hand to help with draining excess paint but you could use the container the ornaments came in to support and help as they dry.

All I had to do was squirt a little bit of 2 colors of paint in the neck of the ornament in several spots and lay it on its side.  Then after 15 minutes I rotated it a quarter turn and let the paint keep moving and swirling.  If you want to cover your whole ornament quickly then you can use more paint but be aware that you will have a lot of paint that will need to be drained.  The ornament will continue to change its pattern and swirls as you turn it while it dries.  Several of my favorites didn't start out that way but as the paint moved I started to like them more.  The ornaments dry if you leave them to sit for a few days but if you are like me and want to give them as gifts the next day you may want to use a hairdryer to help them along ;).

These ended up being a simple, pretty present for family members and I'd definitely make them again next year.

Feeling Crafty: Wreath with Flowers and Ribbon

   Yesterday I was feeling crafty and since I was already making the journey into town to go grocery shopping and pick up awesome printables at Costco I decided I would swing by Michael's to find some crafty supplies.  I have been inspired by a bunch of wreath ideas I've seen lately (on where else, Pinterest) and last time I was at the Dollar Tree I bought a cool wreath for $1 with the intention of making it into something fancier.  

   Yesterday all the fall flowers were discounted 90% at Michael's so I picked up the 5 bunches pictured for $1.50.  I also bought a spool of craft wire since I had seen a tutorial where the wire worked well.  When I got home I pulled out my skinny ribbon that I had in my craft box and I was ready to start crafting.

   I pulled the little flowers off the stems so that I could string the wire through them and then I started artfully arranging the flowers and wrapping the wire around sections of the wreath. Then I took a length of ribbon and wove it in, out, and around the wreath.

  I chose to use the red, white, and green with the hope that it would look somewhat festive.  I'm not convinced that it is Christmas-y enough to stay up through December but for now I'm loving how it looks on our front door.

  I had yellow flowers and the leafy stems left so now I can make something else with them.

             Total cost of wreath: less than $5! 
($1 for wreath, $1.50 for flowers, $1.50 for craft wire, ribbon was free but I know when I bought it the spools were 3 for $1)

My latest love

Yesterday I was perusing my favorite internet obsession (Pinterest, oh how you entertain, inspire, and use massive amounts of my time if I let you).  I came across a link to a website that had a selection of some great holiday printables/subway art.  I've been drooling over the beauty of the word art and had recently admired a Halloween one at a Bunko party.
Yesterday I saw a Thanksgiving and a Christmas printable that I wanted and then I found out they were both free (score!) and the kind authors at the eighteen25 blog gave great instructions for getting them printed at Costco. I'm sure you could just use your home printer too if you want the small version but they have made the file such that you can do up to a 16x20 high quality print. Instead of explaining it all again I will just give you the link to the eighteen25 blog so that if the mood strikes you can go visit and have your own!

Here is what my Thanksgiving printable looks like on our fireplace.  I love that the total cost for the two prints was just over $3 with tax and since I had wanted to be super thrifty I " borrowed" an 8x10 frame that I already owned.  If I had made the large print the cost would have been higher and I would have needed to buy a larger frame but I'm sure it would be well worth it!

Salad for dinner, yes please!

Sometimes the ninja farmer has dinner meetings for work.  This usually leaves me here at the homestead pondering what I should eat that I wouldn't normally fix for the two of us. 
Tonight I spotted the leftover chicken breast in the back of the fridge and decided to make the best kind of salad, the kind where you scrounge up everything delicious you can find that seems to go together.  Tonight's salad was especially delicious.  I started with the half spinach/half baby greens mix from Costco then I added my diced up chicken.  Some more looking in the fridge turned up some feta cheese and a greek vinagrette that hadn't been opened yet.  Then I found some dried cherries, croutons, and slivered almonds in the cupboard.  I dumped it all in a big ol' bowl and went to town. 


What is your favorite kind of salad?  Any especially delicious combinations you've created?  Inquiring ninja famer's wives want to know!

Hello!

Hi World!  Sara here, also known as the Ninja Farmer's Wife (NFW).  I'm just getting started but I am very excited to share my thoughts on books I read, crafts I try, and all the other fabulous ideas that I come across on the internet and the world around me.  I'd love to start by sharing the very yummy apple crisp I made last night.  I should have taken a picture to share but sadly it is already all gone!  Let's just say that with the ninja farmer around good things disappear quickly.

Easy Apple Crisp
4-5 big cooking apples
cinnamon (1 tbsp for apples and another tbsp for topping)
1 egg
1/2 cup flour (I used whole wheat)
1/2 cup oats
1 cup sugar (I did half white and half brown)
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1 tbsp baking powder

Start by preheating your oven to 300 and spraying the bottom of a 8" square pan.
Then peel, core, and cut your apple into chunks and mix 1 tbsp of cinnamon into the apples.  Put the apples in the pan.
Mix the baking powder, flour, oats, sugar, and coconut together and then add in the egg.  The mixture will be crumbly but shouldn't be dry.  Spread the mixture over the apples and then sprinkle the cinnamon on top.  Put into the oven for an hour and try to avoid excess salivation as your house fills with the aroma of baking apples and cinnamon.

The thing that we loved so much about this apple crisp is that the topping is super crunchy but also has a great consistency.  I paired the crisp with a little scoop of vanilla ice cream but it would also be great with a little whipped cream or just cream poured over it.

I hope you enjoy this recipe idea and let me know if you try it out!