This post contains affiliate links for which I may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Please click here for more details. I truly appreciate your support!

Most nut butters you find in stores these days contain some sort of additive – salt, sugar or corn syrup, oils or shortenings, even flavor additives. Those really aren’t something we want to be feeding to the birds (or ourselves for that matter, but that’s for another day!).

Let’s make some natural bird feeders that we can feel good about feeding to our local wildlife!

These bird feeders are featured in my Cozy Winter Home video!

Ingredients Needed to Make Natural Bird Feeders

Pine Cones

The best option would be to collect these from nature – from someone’s yard (with permission of course!), the woods, etc. You can buy some from the store if you are sure they haven’t been treated with any sort of preservative, fragrance, or decor.

Natural Unbleached Cotton Kitchen Twine

Since this cotton kitchen twine is biodegradable, it’s a good option for hanging outside.

Plain Peanuts

You’ll want to choose peanuts that are unsalted and contain no other flavorings or additives. How many peanuts you need will depend on how many feeders you want to make. I used one 16oz container for about 12-13 medium pine cones. Half the peanuts will be processed into peanut butter and the other half will be crushed and added to the feed mixture.

You can certainly use 100% natural store-bought peanut butter (or other nut butter) if you would like.

Dried Fruit

I used raisins since that’s what we had available and they are typically a more economical option. Dried cranberries, cherries, blueberries, and currants are also great options. Just be sure it has no sugar added.

Seeds

Sunflower seeds are a good, readily available option. You’ll want to choose hulled (shells removed) and unsalted.

How to Make Natural Bird Feeders

Create a hanger for your pine cone.

Tie a length of twine around the top of each pine cone, under a row or two of scales to make sure it doesn’t slip off. You can tie the twine in a bow at the top to make it even prettier!

Create homemade peanut butter.

Add half the peanuts to a food processor and process until creamy. Transfer to a bowl. This only takes a few minutes and no other ingredients are necessary!

You don’t need to worry about separation of oil happening since you’ll be using this right away. Again, if you’d rather use store-bought 100% natural peanut or other nut butter, that’s fine, but this is so easy to do!

Chop the remaining peanuts.

Add the rest of the peanuts to the now empty food processor and give it a few pulses to break them up a bit. This can also be done with a knife. Add them to a bowl or large plate.

Create your mix.

Mix the dried fruit and seeds into the chopped peanuts in a large bowl or on a large plate.

Assemble the feeders.

Spread each pine cone with the homemade peanut butter. Dip the coated pine cone in the feed mixture and press firmly to make sure the pieces adhere.

Hang the feeders.

Hang your feeders in a tree or somewhere up off the ground that you think the birds would enjoy them! It’s fun if you can hang them near a window so you can watch them enjoy the treats you’ve created!

I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial! I’d love to know if this is something you’ve done before or plan to do – drop me a comment below!

Blessings,
Melissa

This post contains affiliate links for which I may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Please click here for more details. I truly appreciate your support!

This post contains affiliate links for which I may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Please click here for more details. I truly appreciate your support!

My 5-year-old son wanted to help make this pillow and I thought it would be a great introductory sewing project for him. We worked together to pin, sew, and stuff this Christmas tree pillow, and it was a fun Christmas bonding activity!

How to sew a simple Christmas Tree Pillow

Supplies

• Fabric (amount depends on size of your pillow) – I used a thrifted bed sheet!
• Contrasting fabric for the back (optional – can make the back the same as the front if desired)
• Pencil or fabric marking pencil
• Sewing scissors
• Straight pins
• Sewing machine (can sew by hand if desired but will take far longer)
• Coordinating thread
• Stuffing (fiber fill, etc)
• Needle and thread for hand stitching

Directions

1. Wash, dry, and iron your fabric. This is the least fun part, but trust me, it makes your end product look much better.

2. Fold your fabric in half, right sides together. (I took this photo after the fact, which is why this fabric is so wrinkly looking – the fabric I used for my pillows had been ironed – promise!)

3. Use a pencil to draw half a Christmas tree coming out from the fold. Remember in school when you’d cut out a heart shape – you’d fold the paper in half, then cut half a heart so that when you opened it up it made a whole heart? Yep, same thing here except a Christmas tree! Make the tree whatever size you’d like.

4. Cut out your shape, keeping the fabric folded in half as you do so. You’ll end up with this:

5. Open up your tree and lay it on top of the backing fabric, keeping right sides together.

6. Cut out the backing fabric to match the front fabric.

7. Pin your pieces together in preparation for sewing. Do not pin the bottom – this will be left open for turning and stuffing.

8. Sew all along the sides, about 1/2 inch in from the edge, leaving the very bottom of the tree open.

9. Turn the tree right side out through the opening at the bottom.

10. Stuff with filling to desired firmness/fluffiness. A wooden skewer or dowel rod can be helpful in pushing the stuffing into those tricky corners.

11. Hand stitch the bottom of the tree closed, turning the edges inward to create a clean edge. I used a simple straight stitch (not a whip stitch).

All done!

I hope you enjoyed this simple Christmas sewing project! You can add embellishments to your Christmas tree pillow if you desire. The dollar store had some cute Pom Pom trim that I thought about adding to another pillow, either all around the edges or tacking onto the front as a zigzag garland. Buttons as ornaments would be another really cute addition. I opted for plain trees right now as I have a baby who would love to pull all those decorations off. I also just like the simplicity!

Thanks for reading!

Blessings,
Melissa

This post contains affiliate links for which I may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Please click here for more details. I truly appreciate your support!

1. Buy your fresh Christmas wreath from a store that has handled it properly.

Any store that sells fresh Christmas wreaths should have them in a cool location, either outside or in a cool indoor spot. Don’t buy one that’s been hanging indoors next to a heating vent where it has most likely been drying out. Check your wreath before purchasing. It should feel flexible and fresh, not at all brittle or crispy, and should smell pleasant and fresh.

I have purchased fresh wreaths from both Trader Joe’s and Costco with good success. The one pictured here is from Trader Joe’s.

2. Immediately soak it in the tub.

As soon as you get your fresh Christmas wreath home from the store, place it in the bathtub (or large container) and fill with enough cold water that the greenery is covered. Be sure to use cold water, not warm! Soak for at least a few hours, or up to 24 hours for maximum effect. Drip dry before hanging.

3. Continued care for your fresh Christmas wreath

To keep your wreath looking its best, mist the back of the wreath with cool water every 2 days or so using a spray bottle.

Decorating a Fresh Christmas Wreath

A fresh Christmas wreath is lovely just as it is, but if you’re looking to dress it up even more, consider wiring in some of the following elements:

• Pinecones
• Dried citrus (oranges, lemons, limes)
• Cinnamon sticks, bundled
• Feathers
• Star anise pods
• Berries such as cranberries or juniper berries
• Velvet or satin ribbon
• Brass bells

I hope you get the opportunity to experience a fresh Christmas wreath this year! The beauty, elegance, and fresh aroma cannot be beat!

Want more Christmas and Winter inspiration? Check out my seasonal page here!

Blessings,
Melissa

One of my favorite cozy winter activites is a nice hot shower. Even if I’ve taken my usual quick shower in the morning, sometimes I’ll indulge in an extra one right before bed just to relax, unwind, and warm myself before crawling under the covers in our chilly bedroom. (Did I mention our room is the coldest in the house? It’s about 5 degrees colder than the other rooms because it has 3 exterior walls and is on the corner of the house, catching all the cold wind whipping up the hill. Brr…)

As an extra special treat, I buy a bundle of fresh eucalyptus from Trader Joe’s and hang it from the shower head! It’s only $3.99 for a decent bouquet. Sorry if you don’t have a Trader Joe’s – a lot of people have told me they wish they had one closer!

Benefits of eucalyptus in the shower:

• The steam of the shower releases the oils from the leaves, resulting in a wonderfully soothing aromatherapy experience.
• Having fresh greenery in the shower is visually calming and refreshing.
• Eucalyptus steam can help with wintertime colds and congestion.*

To hang it in the shower:

• Remove all packaging from the eucalyptus.
• Wrap a long piece of kitchen twine several times around the base of the bouquet and tie with a knot.
• Tie it to the top of the shower head neck so that that end is sticking up above the pipe (see photo). This helps keep it out of the stream of water. You will need to loop the twine around the shower pipe and back around the eucalyptus to achieve this height.

A few tips:

• Try to keep the leaves out of the direct stream of water – this will keep them fresh longer and prevent them from getting moldy.
• Mine usually lasts about a week. Remove it when it starts to dry out or sooner if it starts to grow mold.

Please note that eucalyptus should be used carefully:

• The oils should not be ingested by anyone – they can cause seizures or be fatal if consumed. Keep the leaves out of the reach of children and pets.
• Eucalyptus steam may not be right for everyone, especially young children or those who have a history of asthma or breathing problems.
• *I am not a medical professional. Please use your own discretion and/or consult a doctor if you are unsure how these tips will affect you based on your health history.

All that being said, I find eucalyptus in the shower to be a delightful winter treat and I hope it’s one you enjoy as well!

It’s so important to take time to care for ourselves – even if that’s just by incorporating little things into our usual tasks that make them all the more enjoyable and rejuvenating!

Happy New Year to you all! Please let me know if you try this and how you like it!

This post contains affiliate links for which I may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Please click here for more details. I truly appreciate your support!

Or maybe they transport us even further back than we can remember – to an era of carved tools, furniture, and toys – when everything was handmade and nothing was plastic or mass-produced.

Either way, simple wooden houses evoke a sense of calm and charm.

Here is how I made this set of 3 primitive wooden houses for $0.

(Disclaimer: I already had the necessary supplies on hand – if you don’t, it will cost a little money, but not too much)

I found some wood in my husband’s scrap pile and drew the house shapes on them with pencil.

My husband cut them out for me since I don’t do power saws (I have legit reasons for not doing so, not just fear).

For reference, my houses ended up being approximately 14″ x 8.5″ x 1.5″ for the large one and 8″ x 5″ x 1.5″ for the small ones.

I painted all sides of them white with Rustoleum “Chalked” Paint in “Linen White.” (already had it on hand).

Then, using a ruler and pencil, I lightly drew the design: a straight line across to mark off the roof area and roughly penciled in somewhat straight lines for the windows and door. I didn’t worry about making them too straight or perfect – I wanted them to have character!

I then painted in the windows and the roof with Fusion Mineral Paint “Coal Black” (again, already had it).

Let it dry completely.

Finally, I used Fusion Mineral Paint’s aging wax along with a wax brush over the entirety of each house.

This was my first time using furniture wax – I’m definitely no pro – but it’s pretty straightforward and from what I hear, the more you practice the more you are able to control little nuances in the appearance.

But for all intents and purposes, I just lightly brushed it on with the wax brush, then buffed it off in a circular motion using one of my husband’s old cotton socks on my hand. At one point I had it talking like a sock puppet – ha!

The aging wax really makes such a huge difference! It gets down in all the little grooves, toning down the stark white and adding tons of character.

Just note that it takes furniture wax 30 days to fully cure (or whatever your particular product states – just read the directions).

I chose to paint mine white this time, but I really want to make another set in deep blue at some point!

(The tutorial for the twig trees pictured can be found here.)

I hope this has inspired you to create some of your own little charming, primitive wooden houses! If you make them, I’d love to see – feel free to send me a photo or tag me on social media!

Blessings,
Melissa

This post contains affiliate links for which I may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Please click here for more details. I truly appreciate your support!

I’ve always loved the look of simple Scandinavian Christmas stick trees. Do you know the kind I mean? I’ve seen them at Homegoods and actually have one with red berries and little pinecones attached to it – it’s my favorite.

I decided to make my own using things we already had.

This project cost me a grand total of $0.

First, I stripped all the needles off the branches. I determined which ones would make good “trunks” and found ones of varying length for the horizontal branches.

I used a hand saw to trim any branches that needed shortening.

I laid them all out how I wanted them, then hot-glued on the branches. I have to tell you – the hot glue is not super sturdy. If you pull on the branches they will pop off, so if you want something more durable, I would suggest using wood glue and clamping them down while they dry.

Then my husband cut slices of logs for me from our log pile. The logs were leftover from when we had our tree taken down last year.

He drilled little holes partway into slice for the tree trunks to rest in.

I then hot-glued the trees into the wood slices.

To paint, I used Rustoleum “Chalked” paint in “Linen White” since I already had it on hand. I used a dry-brush technique: basically just keep very little paint on the brush and run it gently over the branches so that the paint does not completely cover. I feel like this gives it a rustic snowed-on effect.

Done! That simple!

Here’s a supply list if you’d like to give it a try yourself:

Branches of varying lengths and thicknesses
Log slices
Hand saw
Drill & appropriately sized bits
Hot glue & refill sticks
White chalk paint
Paintbrush

I’d love to know if you try this project – please send me a photo or tag me on social media!

Blessings,
Melissa

This post contains affiliate links for which I may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Please click here for more details. I truly appreciate your support!

Last year I found this sweater at Goodwill. I thought it would be cute for Christmastime…

…except that I got home and discovered that it not only fit me poorly but also had a big hole in the neck!

I loved the pattern and knew it could be used for something, so naturally it sat in my basement for a year.

Until now… (Cue energetic, dramatic music)

This was a simple one-evening-after-the-kids-were-in-bed project. My favorite kind!

Tutorial

Supplies:

Old Sweater
Paper
Scissors (these are my favorite fabric shears)
Sharpie
Hot Glue Gun & Refill Sticks
Fiber Fill (or similar)
Needle & Thread

To make it easier to work (and less likely I’d accidentally cut through both layers of sweater), I cut slits up the sides and folded the back under. That way it would be like working with a single piece of fabric.

I cut out a little heart from paper – you know, where you fold the paper in half and cut a half-heart along the seam so it’s symmetrical?

Then traced the heart many times on the sweater using a sharpie- sometimes on the Fair Isle pattern, sometimes on the little heart pattern. I found it easier to dab “dots” rather than drag a line, as that may move the fabric as you’re tracing.

Trace 2 hearts for every 1 heart you want on the garland.

Cut them out, just inside the line so you don’t see the sharpie on your heart.

Now hot glue 2 halves together with wrong sides facing inward. Hot glue seems to work well as it also acts kind of like fray check in holding the fibers together at the edges. You could certainly sew the halves together and use fray check on the edges, but I didn’t want to go there.

Leave a little gap and stuff with fiber fill – as much or little as you want.

Repeat for all the hearts.

Now to string them together. Thread a needle with doubled-over thread and knot the end.

Push the needle all the way through from one side of a heart to the other. Keep the thread in the upper half of the heart so it hangs straight on the string. Like this:

Repeat for the rest. I alternated the two patterns, as you can see below.

Done – hang it up and enjoy! I was super fancy and used masking tape to hang mine. (That little house garland is from the Target Dollarspot.)

These would also be super cute as bowl filler – don’t string them and just put them in a little wooden bowl – so fun! Also perfect for Valentine’s Day.

Hope you enjoy! If you try this project, please tag me on social media or send a pic my way – I’d love to see!

Blessings,
Melissa

This post contains affiliate links for which I may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Please click here for more details. I truly appreciate your support!

This post contains affiliate links for which I may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Please click here for more details. I truly appreciate your support!

I lived with it a few weeks and found it to be great for housing my stash of Ghirardelli peppermint chocolate candies. However, the color scheme was really not fitting into my kitchen – I have absolutely no green in my decor and I just wasn’t feeling that blue railing with the burgundy door and green siding.

So I decided to paint it. For some reason I was a little hesitant for fear of “ruining it,” but I figured I had nothing to lose as I wasn’t fully enjoying it “as is.”

Being torn between blue and white, I decided on a very pale blue – “Little Whale” by Fusion Mineral Paint. It reminds me of snow at dusk – white with just a hint of dusty blue.

It took 4 very light coats to cover. Here’s how it looked after the first coat – not great!

Don’t worry about the first coat – or even the second or third – when you’re using Fusion on a ceramic piece. The first coat(s) are really just to adhere to the surface and get a foundation for subsequent layers. If you end up with some uneven spots, wait until it’s dry and lightly sand between coats.

Voile!

Since I already had the paint, the whole thing only cost me $3. It’s amazing what a little paint can do! If you’re not loving an item, don’t be afraid to try a little paint on it. It fits so much better with my decor now:

Unfortunately all my peppermint chocolates are gone…I guess I’ll have to get more of those…

Blessings,
Melissa

This post contains affiliate links for which I may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Please click here for more details. I truly appreciate your support!

This post contains affiliate links for which I may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Please click here for more details. I truly appreciate your support!

I’ve made this quick and easy soup many times over the last several years. It is definitely one of my go-to’s on a cold day or when I have nothing planned and am scrambling to think of something to make. I almost always have all the ingredients on hand, so there is very little planning needed.

A few tips that make this recipe convenient and accessible at a moment’s notice:

• I keep cooked chicken in the freezer in 8oz portions. It doesn’t even have to be completely thawed to add it to this soup (although being frozen will increase the time the soup takes to boil). Anytime you cook chicken breasts, make a few extra to stick in the freezer. Or use leftover rotisserie chicken!

• I would venture to guess that most people generally have butter on hand, but if you’re not really a frequent butter user, you can freeze it! Make sure it is wrapped in an airtight freezer-safe bag so it doesn’t take on weird smells. If you prefer not to use butter you can use an oil of your choice such as olive oil or coconut oil.

• This recipe is extremely flexible – if want two onions instead of one, do it! If you want to throw in some spinach to make it extra hardy, go for it! Use what you have available.

Making It Gluten & Dairy Free

I have started making the noodles for this soup separate from the soup itself. This method was recommended to me awhile back by an Instagram follower and it has worked so well for our family! My husband and kids love regular noodles made with wheat, but I need gluten free noodles. So I cook two different types of noodles and we can fill our bowls accordingly. Occasionally we will all have these Banza noodles which are made from chickpeas. I really like them and they have 11g of protein per serving!

To make it dairy free I use Earth Balance buttery baking sticks. You could just as easily use olive oil or coconut oil.

What to serve with your easy chicken noodle soup

This recipe doesn’t really need a side, but if you want to level up the coziness factor then a loaf of homemade bread is key! Even when I’m really busy, it’s super easy to throw the ingredients in the bread machine and push start!

If you’re looking for a quick and simple gluten free biscuit option, these biscuits by There Is Life After Wheat are a good option. I use her coconut cream tip to make them dairy free.

I hope this recipe gives you all the warm and cozy feels this Fall and Winter!

Blessings,
Melissa

This post contains affiliate links for which I may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Please click here for more details. I truly appreciate your support!

Only two days until Christmas!

I’ve been excited but also a little frazzled this season because I finished gift shopping and wrapping much later than I usually do! I’m not so sure wrapping far in advance would’ve done me much good this year anyway, though – we’ve had to block off the tree with a baby gate because baby girl is determined to pull off every ornament and strand of ribbon that she can. She also likes to tear up paper and eat it, so one can imagine what she would do to wrapped gifts…

Side note – one time during a trip to Target, I was trying to keep her happy, so I let her see a stuffed animal as we walked around the store. By the time we got to the checkout I realized she had eaten a piece of the cardboard tag!! Mom fail. I felt it was only right to purchase the toy at that point [insert face palm here]. Thankfully it was one of those dollar spot items!

Seeing as Christmas is upon us, I’d thought I’d share a few glimpses of Christmas decor around our house. I don’t decorate every single room – I simply don’t have the time and resources for that. I pretty much keep it to our main living spaces.

A little greenery over the window, some wreaths on the cabinets, and a few Christmasy touches on the counters…Found that fresh greenery at Trader Joe’s for only $7.99! (You can find the curtain tutorial here.)

Wreaths – World Market
Greenery – Trader Joe’s
Sign – Michael’s
Rug – HomeGoods

My little tiered-tray winter village… Back when I was pregnant with my first child, I would come home from work every day around Christmastime and work on making these little pine cone people. (That was back when my evenings were so carefree! Ha!) I made about 20 total, and gave them as gifts in groups of 3 to family members.

I found inspiration for these on Pinterest, but didn’t follow any kind of pattern – I just made my own little pattern on paper and went from there! I love making homemade gifts – anything from crafts to fresh bread from the bread maker! I’d love to hear about any homemade gifts you make! Leave me a comment below!

Tiered tray – Marshall’s
Houses – Hobby Lobby

I love how red pops against this white pew. It’s going to be hard to beat that vibrant, cheery contrast once Christmas is over! And doesn’t that green vintage ladder lend itself to star ornaments? I found that 20-ft fresh greenery also at Trader Joe’s for only $9.99(!) and topped it with some dried oranges and homemade salt dough hearts. Instant cozy.

Big wreath – World Market
Baskets & little houses – Joann Fabric
Pew Paint – Rustoleum “Chalked” in Linen White
Striped Blanket – Michael’s
Pillows – HomeGoods
Wall Color – “Urban Raincoat” by Behr
Curtain fabric – by Lush Fabric (curtain tutorial here)

Our dining area sideboard… This decor is extra special, as those wood slices under the houses came from our beloved tree we had to have taken down back in August. We were so sorry to see the tree go – it was big, beautiful, and original to the house, but we were at least able to preserve its memory in this way.

Flocked Trees – At Home Stores
Sign, Runner, Large House, & Beaded Garland – Hobby Lobby
Small Houses – World Market
Bottle Brush Trees – Pier1

Have you ever watched “Christmas in Connecticut?” It’s a great classic Christmas movie and I highly recommend watching it if you haven’t! Well, the main character, Elizabeth Reed, is a writer who has a home-making column in the newspaper. She is extremely popular for her stories about her farm, all her fancy recipes, and so on. The only problem? She doesn’t have a farm and she can’t cook. I won’t spoil it for you, but sometimes I feel just a bit like Elizabeth Reed – not because what I post is false, but because what you see is not necessarily how we live every day. That’s probably pretty typical of most bloggers – most don’t show you the bottle drying rack on the kitchen counter…though some will.

Well, that was totally the case with this table setting. I set this all up with absolutely no plans to actually use it, knowing that I would have to take it down immediately after its photo shoot. Why? Because it’s our only table – we eat 3 meals a day here – and fancy linen runners and toddlers don’t exactly mix well!

So why did I even bother? Because I enjoy creating pretty things and sharing ideas and inspiration with you. It makes me happy. Big thanks to my husband who watched the kids while I took photos and didn’t roll his eyes too much when I made him eat lunch standing at the kitchen counter!

Bottle Brush Trees & Window Wreath – Pier1
Table Runner – HomeGoods
Chargers & Napkins – Hobby Lobby
Plate wreaths – Joann Fabric
Candlesticks – Vintage
Table Paint – Fusion Mineral Paint in “Lamp White”
Table Stain – Minwax Gel Stain in “Coffee” (table makeover here)
Curtains – Ikea “Vivan”
Wall Color – “Urban Raincoat” by Behr

Winter printables and rustic touches create a cozy vibe that can last beyond Christmas! I like to make the “base layer” of my Christmas decor just plain wintery so that I can strip away the overtly “Christmasy” stuff and still be set through January!

It helps ease that awkward period between Christmas and springtime!

Printables – click here
Frames – HomeGoods
Bench – Facebook Marketplace (see makeover here)
Throw – At Home Stores
Milk Can – GoodWill
Flocked Pine – Home Depot
Star – Local shop
Wall Color – “Urban Raincoat” by Behr

It’s amazing how one photo can have so many memories in it: the Christmas tree we had so much fun finding at a tree farm (in spite of it being bitterly cold!)…our family’s ornaments, both old and new…the vintage tree skirt and star sewn by my husband’s grandma…my beloved piano that I’ve had since I started playing at age 7, which my grandmother helped purchase in spite of having very little money, because she wanted me to have a quality instrument…

Christmas brings forth so many memories – both joyful and difficult ones. The same grandmother who helped buy my piano passed away the very next year shortly after Christmas. I was 8 years old. I miss her dearly and think of her often, but I take comfort in the fact that I will see her again one day.

I pray that whatever memories and feelings you are having this season that you may find peace, comfort, and joy in the true reason for Christmas – our Savior, Jesus Christ.

A very Merry CHRISTmas to you and yours!

~ Soli Deo Gloria ~