Merry Christmas.

Wishing you all

LoVe . JoY. PeaCe.

this holiday.

Festive Flowers

Okay, I have one more gift post and then I'm done...I promise.  Then it's possible you may not hear from me until after the hOLidaYs.  I need to enjoy some of it! 

So, I still needed a little something for the teachers, something nice yet festive, just a sweet little treat...cause they do work so hard and totally deserve it!  So I came up with these FeStiVe fLoWers.

I found the cute boxes at Target (dollar spot, again!) which fit Pepperidge packaged cookies perfectly!

So I stuffed a few with those and added a HoLLy FloWer pin.

For another twist I did a few in BLuE ...

These I filled with truffles (cause EVERY teacher deserves a little chocolate!) and added a 'Have a SwEeT Christmas' tag.

And finally, for the Moms...

My mom has asked for a few of these probably a million times but I've never gotten around to making any for her...sorry Mom! So she (and my mom in-law) is getting a whole slue of them for Christmas.

I'm not adding tutorials because, well, I really don't have the time (maybe another time)...but if you look you can find them EVERYWHERE online.  Or even better, make up a few of your own.  The possibilities are endless with these things.  So go on, get festive with your flowers!

Stuff It! {Neighbor Gift}

If you're running short on time and still need those neighbor gifts...here's a quick and easy one.  Just StuFf iT!

Step 1: Pick up a cute stocking where ever stockings are sold (pretty much anywhere this time of year, found mine at Target).

Step 2: Gather up some festive goodies.

Step 3: Stuff it.

Step 4: Hand them out to neighbors, friends, teachers...Wish them a Merry Christmas! Hope your Christmas is stuffed full of good things!

Step 5: Check that one off your list!

Just Add Snow {Neighbor Gift}

So I'm sure by now you've taken care of the family gifts (if not, it's go time people!) but have you thought about the neighbors yet?  We're already into our second week of December (can you believe it?) and there isn't much time left. 

I've been busy the last few working on my neighbors gifts...if you get started NOW you may have time to whip up a few of your own!

I found this idea last year a little too late but cataloged it as a definite tO dO...LOVED IT.  I thought it was a great alternative to the standard old plate of cookies...and something you can use over and over, year after year.

the SnOWmAn Kit... 

just add snow.

First step: whip up a few hats.  I used this tutorial to make them.  I was seriously scared of screwing these up...but they actually turned out pretty easy and quick to make up...so I made 20!

Next step: the scarfs.  Rather than going to the fabric store and buying a yard of fleece for $7.00 a pop (the cheapest I ever found it), I headed to Old Navy and bought 2 fleece blankets for $4.50 each (Black Friday sale...but I went after the crazies had left).  I cut them into 6 inch strips and voila...9 scarfs per blanket.  And they already had the fringe cut!  Can't get easier than that.

Next to fancy up the hats a bit I added ribbon and made a few of these felt flowers to attach.

Then I wrapped them up.  I cut a circle of cardboard for the bottom of the hat and stuffed them with a little tissue paper...got them ready for delivery.

Boxed up all of the BiTs aNd piECes.

The BiTs include: A feLt CarrOt Nose stuffed and glued to a chopstick...I'm feeling pretty smart about this one!  I had a million Pei Wei chopsticks just sitting in my drawer unused.  They turned out to be just the right size and they're already pointed at the end.  I originally was going to use dowels and sand the ends to a point...but the chopsticks are free if you like Chinese food! 

*A side note...I did try to go get a few more at Panda, but they weren't as good quality.  I didn't end up using them because I thought they might break easily when jamming them into the snow.

And for the other bits, 2 BiG GoOgiLy Eyes, 3 BiG buttOns, and 5 black rocks (for the mouth)...the decorative kind you find in the flower dept.  I got mine at the $ store...they were nice and BiG, too!

I packaged them up individually.  Then put them all in a box for safe keeping.

And last, a tag... 

just in case somebody didn't get it. 

Sometimes you have to spell these things out.

It feels good to have that one checked off my list...

Now if we can just get our snow back!  What good is a Snowman Kit with no snow?!

MiXin' uP the ManTeL

I decided this year to mix things up a bit and do something a little different on the mantel.  Here's an idea of what we looked like last year...stars brightly shinning...

And this year it looks like this...a WinTer WOndeRLanD...

I opted not to decorate our playroom tree this year...lazy...so I had a bit of extra to add to the family room decorations.  I added a bit of blue to the standard red and green and I'm thinking I kind of like it.  It's a little more whimsy and fun.  Reminds me of something off of the Elf movie...witch happens to be one of our all time favorites.

A lot of the big snowflakes came straight from the dollar store (last year)...and most of them in a package of at least 2 or more (we're talking CHEAP).

I think I was originally inspired by this cute print by eighteen25 (pic below) for the color combo.

And just a few more bits of the rest of the room. 
A little ball ornament can go a long way!

And because I just couldn't give up the stars...they're still shinning brightly, just in another room.

Fun to mix it up once in a while, easy way to get a new look with NO money spent.
How are you mixing it up this season?