December 31, 2017February 25, 2018 - Dovie Leave a comment

DIY New Year’s Polka Dot Wine Glasses

Learn how to make polka dot wine glasses for toasting in the new year! These glasses are so easy to make and the gold rimmed wine glasses I got at Dollar Tree, so it’s super budget friendly as well.

I can’t believe the year is almost over and what a wonderful year it has been! Of course there has been some rough patches, but such is life. I am extremely blessed to enjoy another year with my family and friends.

For New Years, my husband and I always have a low key evening with the kids. We make finger foods, play games, enjoy each other company and toast the new year in. The kids drink their kid friendly festive drinks, my husband with his beer and I enjoy a glass of wine. Today I wanted to share with you these awesome polka dotted wine glasses I made just for that. Note: If you prefer video tutorials, you can find one at bottom of post.

I picked up four gold rimmed wine glasses from my local Dollar tree for only a $1 a piece. That is a great deal! I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do with them but I knew I wanted to turn them into a DIY. I saw some super cute polka dotted champagne flutes in my local TJ Maxx and I knew I just had to try it with these.

From Hobby Lobby I purchased paint markers in both silver and gold color. The brand is Tree House Studio and the package said they were permanent water and weather resistant. Also, they would work on virtually any surface. Since I’ve never used this brand before and my wine glasses were only a buck a piece, I wouldn’t be too upset if my project didn’t turn out as I envisioned.

I started this project off with washing the wine glasses in warm soapy water. Then I took a cotton ball and wiped them down with rubbing alcohol. I let them dry for about 15 minutes.

Next, I took my paint pens and I just put random polka dots on about half way up the bottom of the wine glass. I didn’t put any on the stem. Note: If you want to completely cover yours in polka dots then be sure to leave about 3/4″ around the rim. This is so your mouth doesn’t come in contact with the paint as paint isn’t safe for consumption.

Lastly, I used Mod Podge Dishwasher-Safe Gloss Acrylic Sealer to seal my painted polka dots. I used a sponge brush and I followed the package directions. I painted on 3 thin coats of the Mod Podge over the polka dotted area and I let dry for an hour in between each coat. You can skip this step if you want. Since I wasn’t sure how well the paint would stand up to washing, I used the sealer. If you are very particular, you can use painters tape to tape the top part of your glass above the polka dots to make sure your sealer line is straight. As for me, I just winged it.

This project was so easy to do and I think they turned out really cute. We are going to use these on New Year’s Eve and toast the new year in with style!

I hope you enjoy. Please subscribe to my YouTube Channel so you don’t miss out on any future video tutorials! If you make this then I would love to see a photo by tagging me on Instagram @simplydovie or on Twitter @simplydovie

Watch now: DIY New Year’s Eve Polka Dotted Wine Glasses

December 18, 2017February 25, 2018 - Dovie Leave a comment

How to Make a Reindeer Cake

Learn how to make an adorable reindeer cake in today’s video tutorial! (Video below) This is a Pinterest inspired reindeer cake. I saw a photo on there and thought it was absolutely darling and I knew I just had to make one.

Since I only needed cake for a few of us, I baked two 6″ rounds. If you have a bit more guests then you can make two 8″ rounds. Also, if you want to add height, then you can use 3 or 4 rounds instead of 2 and that would look darling as well.

For the antlers I made a template in Photoshop, then brought it into my Silhouette Cameo and cut it out on to gold glitter cardstock. I made a front and back side and glued a toothpick in between. For the antlers, I do have PDF templates available for download (personal use only). You can download the 6″ reindeer antler template here or the 8″ reindeer antler template here.

To decorate the cake, I used chocolate buttercream frosting (recipe below). I used black fondant for the eyes and red fondant for the nose. For the green ruffle border and leaves on top I colored white buttercream frosting with a mixture of leaf green and moss green gel food coloring from Wilton. The border and leaves were piped with a #352 leaf tip. For the holly berries I used Red (no-taste) Wilton gel color and used a #3 round tip. The ears were made out of two different shades of brown fondant and were cut out with Wilton leaf cut outs.

I absolutely love how it turned out! The rustic look of the tree bark wood platter really brings it together. I purchased this platter from Target last year but you can still get it on their website here.

Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting

Ingredients:
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream or milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:
With a stand mixer beat butter on medium speed until smooth. Next add in the rest of your ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. Then turn mixer on high speed and beat until fluffy (3-5 minutes). If your frosting is too thick then add a teaspoon of heavy whipping cream or milk at a time until your desired consistency. If your frosting is too thin, then add in more unsweetened cocoa powder or powdered sugar.

Watch now: How to Make a Reindeer Cake

December 14, 2017November 15, 2018 - Dovie Leave a comment

How to Make Santa Bath Bombs

I hope you are enjoying the tutorial Christmas overload! If you are, then I have another one for you today. Today’s tutorial is how to make Santa bath bombs. I used the fragrances Amber, Warm Vanilla Sugar and Peppermint. I love the scent combination but you can most definitely use your own favorite fragrance.

There are two methods I used to make Santa’s belt and I will show you both ways. Just choose which way will be easiest for you!

Bath Bomb Recipe:
1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup fine epsom salt
1/2 cup corn starch
1/2 cup citric acid
2 1/2 tsp Sweet Almond Oil
3/4 tsp water
.50ml Amber Fragrance
.50 ml Warm Vanilla Sugar
.25ml Peppermint Essential Oil
1.25 Polysorbate 80
Red Mica

Additional Supplies:

Paint on Method
Black Oxide Pigment
Gold Mica
Rubbing Alcohol

Ribbon Method
7/8″ Black Glitter Ribbon
7/8″ Gold Glitter Ribbon

Watch now: How to Make Santa Bath Bombs

December 13, 2017February 25, 2018 - Dovie Leave a comment

How to Make an Angel Remembrance Ornament, Angel Memorial Ornament

DIY Angel Remembrance Ornament, Angel Memorial Ornament

Learn how to make an angel remembrance ornament AKA angel memorial ornament in today’s video tutorial.

I am so happy on how this ornament turned out. I think it so beautiful and is a sweet way to remember your loved one at this special time of year. You can make this ornament extra special by personalizing the front with a vinyl decal with the memorial information or you can place a photo of your loved one inside. I think either way will be beautiful.

Supplies:
Plastic or Glass Ornament
White Feathers
White Ribbon
Vinyl Memorial Decal or Photo (For my decal I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out my vinyl and I used Silver Glitter Cricut Vinyl)
Artificial Snow Fluff
Wing Template
Scissors
Pencil
Hot Glue

Watch now: How to Make Angel Remembrance Ornament, Angel Memorial Ornament

December 11, 2017November 15, 2018 - Dovie Leave a comment

Three Easy Christmas Treats

Whip up 3 easy Christmas treats by watching today’s video tutorial. I am sure you will find these are super easy to make and will be great for any Christmas party or dinner. You can even change the colors and use for a different holidays, birthday parties, baby showers and more.

In the video I am going to show you how to make peppermint bark pretzel rods. These are delicious and one of my favorite Christmas treats. I use Andes Mints Peppermint Crunch but you can used crushed up candy canes instead.

Another Christmas treat that I show you is how to make are peppermint bark marshmallows. My kids love these. Some people aren’t fans of marshmallows, but if you are then these would be a tasty Christmas treat.