Christmas Tussie Mussie

My daughter calls me to come get her from school because her stomach hurts. When we get home I start to load the dishwasher and she says, "So this is what you do all day?" 

"Who did you think does the dishes?"

"I don't know I just figured you would be on Pinterest all day."

 

Nope. Today I made a Christmas Tussie Mussie with my Crate Paper stash. 

Christmas Teacher Gifts

 

 

Teachers are getting these cuties for Christmas this year.

 

 

 

I found these clips and thought they would be perfect to hold a cute card.

 

 

 

I used Crate Paper Sleigh Ride Collection paper and chipboard embellishments to decorate library pockets.

 

 

Then, made a card with a gift card attached to slip inside.

 

I think they turned out pretty cute. I wish I could keep one for myself!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elf on the Shelf Ideas

Sparky has been very mischievous lately.

Sparky, our Elf on the Shelf, is taking a trip down memory lane, looking at the Christmas scrapbook.

We found our elf snuggled up in the American Girl Doll Bed. Marie Grace isn't too happy with him.  

So the next day we found him taped up with her washi tape. 

Sparky thinks he can win the sack race with stuffed animals. 

Uh-oh. Sparky came back from the North Pole with a warning message from Santa.  Someone has been cleaning up her Calico Critters. 

Sneaky elf is hiding behind the mini Christmas tree in the bathroom. 

One morning, little girl had to go on a hunt for Sparky and her Advent Calendar gift. You can see more details here. I have a set of these in my etsy store.

What has your Elf on the Shelf been up to?

Elf Hunt

Sometimes it is really hard to find teeny tiny stuff to fit in the advent calendar. In all of my infinite wisdom, I purchased the really cute advent calendar with the tiniest compartments ever because I thought it would be less expensive to buy miniature things. So not the case.

 

So, little girl had to go on a hunt for her gift as well as the Elf on the Shelf this morning because the gift wouldn't fit behind that miniature door.

 

 

I made clue cards in little envelopes because my daughter is a TSL like me. Tiny Sh@# Lover. Go to www.kellehampton.com to find out more. This is part of why I convinced myself that tiny doors on advent calendars are awesome. But in all seriousness, what is cuter than tiny envelopes? With tiny notecards inside?

 

Nothing, that's what.

 

I wrote clues on the little cards. Micron pens came in handy for writing on these tiny spaces.

 

 

I used mini alpha stamps and red mini glitter numbers.

 

 

Let's face it. This was as much for me as her. I would've LOVED this! I put some snowflake "glitter" (basically confetti) inside each envelope and in front of the final hiding spot. Miniature snowflakes. Love it.

 

 

The last clue led to our elf and a reusable hand warmer-great for cold mornings at the bus stop.

 

*My daughter is old enough to be able to read the clues and figure them out. She is also old enough to know not to climb inside of the dryer. I am not recommending that you send a young child on a hunt to the inside of a dryer. I also followed my child around just to make sure. *

 

Are you a fellow TSL?

 

linked up at www.mabeyshemadeit.com

 

 

Big Lots Christmas

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen this post of my Big Lots haul.

 

 

I think I was most excited about the red ball garland. To me, they look like holly berries and I could think of a million places that need sprucing up with holly berries.

 

My tree was looking a little blah. A box of my Christmas stuff was left at my mom's and the ribbon I usually wrap around the tree was in there. But honestly, I don't think I wanted to use it this year anyway. The ribbon was purple and I want to bring in more red to coordinate better with my tree skirt and stockings.

 

I didn't just turn on the lights and add presents. If you look closely you can see the red, white, and green ball garland. I think it looks much better, but maybe still needs something. Just not sure what.

 

My front door décor got a little bit of a makeover as well. Remember these door arrangements from my Housewarming and Halloween?

 

I added glittery red berries that I broke off of the $2 stems from Big Lots.

 

 

 

More ball garland was added to the tablescape. I filled my glass apothecary jars with burlap, pinecones I picked in July while camping because I knew I would want them for something, holly leaves ripped off the berry stems from the door arrangements and red glitter balls that I pulled off of the garland.

 

I'm sure some of this will get changed up, but for now it works.

Linked up at www.lambertslately.com and www.livingwellspendingless.com.

Christmas Teacher Gift Basket

I have to post conversations with my kid because sometimes I wonder if everyone has these sort of talks with their children. Please tell me this is normal.

Her: Mom, would you eat a fried ant for $10?

Me: No.

Her: Would you eat a fried ant for $100?

Me: Ummmm depends on the day. 

Her: I would do it for five. 

Me: Nice.

Anyways. My parents have a Satsuma tree and we all hate to see them go to waste. It makes more than all of us can possibly eat.

So I thought it would be nice to make a gift a basket with some of the satsumas and some pecans for the faculty at my daughter's school. My daughter eats one for lunch everyday. They are not too sour and really yummy. Plus, they are really easy to peel. 

The plastic glittery snowflake that I already had was perfect to use as a backdrop for the tag. I used a chipboard ornament and paper from the Sleigh Ride Collection by Crate Paper with some other chipboard. I found the plastic crate in the dollar bins at Target. I hope the faculty like this gift basket!

More teacher gift ideas coming soon!

Linked up at www.littleredwindow.com and www.thehankfulhouse.com. 

Thanksgiving Chalk Art

My chalkboard is sporting a Quote by Oprah Winfrey that I thought entirely appropriate for thanksgiving. 

 

 

  

 

Linked up at www.uncommondesignsonline.com.

 

Instagram Photo Album

Looking for a great Christmas gift? 

Have you seen these yet? It's a 4x4 album for all of those precious Instagram photos you've taken all year. I love that it has the little label slot on the spine. 

I like to put graphics and words on my Instagram pictures, especially quotes from all of the children in my family. 

So I really wanted to print these to make a sort of scrapbook. 

These albums from We R Memory Keepers are leather and come in lots of colors. I wanted metallic gold but it sold out so I got greige for myself and my sister. To make it an even better gift, fill it with pictures like I did.

I haven't seen these Instagram albums in stores. I ordered mine and paid for it myself from Amazon but I do get paid a small amount if you click the link and order one. Or two!

Ugliest Christmas Sweater Award

Tis the season to be tacky and what better way to do that, than to throw an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party.

 

If you throw an Ugly Sweater Party, you might want to reward your guest with the Ugliest Sweater with this badge. If you reward your guest, they might give you some of their eggnog.

 

Click the link to the right to find it in my etsy shop.

 

http://www.shareasale.com/u.cfm?d=233920&m=12808&u=1031675

If you click the link above, I get paid a small amount.

 

Hutch Refinish

                  When we built my old craft room, my neighbor gave me this hutch.

 

                                  

 

I never did get around to refinishing it then and I had thought that it would be refinished to go in my daughter's room, since I bought pink knobs for it.

                                      

 

However, I started to notice how much pink stuff had made its way into my craft room in the new house. And my daughter ended up with the yellow cabinet that was in my old craft room, since her new room got a new comforter with yellow. So I decided that the hutch fit perfectly in my new craft room/ studio/ scrapbooking room.

                              

 

In its new life, the hutch is a color called Grecian Ivory, which happens to be our trim color. The builder left an almost full five gallon bucket when we moved in which my husband used to spray it while I painted the hard parts. I'm all about using what I have. Some of the glass shelves were broken in the move, so we went to Lowe's and had them cut new ones or a total of six bucks! I got the knobs at Ross for $7, so all in all I spent $13 on this piece. Not too shabby. 

 

                                                                       

(A word about sprayers: At HD, they have paint sprayers in two different areas. The first one you will probably see is a yellow brand. Pass that one up. They don't work well for painting furniture.)

  

 

 

 

        I love this refinished hutch in here. It's girly and frilly and perfect. Room Reveal may come soon, but for now you can see that I now have a place to store all of my fabric scraps, ribbons, and trim in plain view. My candlestick holders have a new life as well. I've used them as Halloween and Easter décor in the past. Today, they store more trim and ribbons.

 

 

                          

Remember this brass basket from my trip to the flea market in Canton? When I bought it, I had no idea what I was going to do with it.

 

                                   

 

It has a purpose now. It holds random objects that I can't bear to part with, because as soon as I do, I will surely need a triple cardboard ribbon holder. I hide all of that junk with all of the Matilda Jane baggies that the cutest clothes ever come in. Which I also can't bear to part with.

              

Smashbook has a spot now as well. Wrapped a scrap of pretty velvet ribbon around an old fashioned clothes pin. Stuck a pink bird pin in it. Staging. Done. (Why do I want to sing "If you like it, then you shoulda put a bird on it??"

 

What are you repainting today?

 

 

 

 

 

Linked up at Missmustardseed.com and classyclutter.net.

 

http://www.lilmrstori.com

http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/2014/03/06/thrifty-thursday-week-50/thrifty-thursday-square/

Give Thanks Banner

This Give Thanks banner has circle tags for family and friends to write what they are thankful for. I added feathers cut with my Slice machine. I think it would be cute with photos added to it as well.

This one is available to buy in my Etsy store.

Thanksgiving Teacher Gifts

Scentsy has a wonderful new scent called Pumpkin Marshmallow that you must try. I love it, so I decided the teachers should get a brick as well. Printable tags were found online. Actually, these are lunchbox notes and I printed them last year, so I don't remember where I found them (sorry!!), but there are lots of cute free printables out there. I laminated them because I have a laminator, but if you print on card stock you could skip that step. Punched a hole with my Crop-a-dile, and tied with a cute ribbon. The teachers will love it! Don't have a Scentsy rep? Go to amberpierce.scentsy.com and order some great smelling stuff! 

Send a Box of Sunshine

I hate ever having a reason to send this particular type of care package, but sometimes life happens.

I can't think of many things worse than a child being sick enough to require a hospital stay. When a kid you know isn't well, why not brighten their day by sending a box of sunshine? Just fill a box or basket with all sorts of yellow goodies and a card. I found yellow noise putty, moustache lip pops, jacks, a sack of gold mine gum, and yellow candies at Hobby Lobby. Dollar Tree had yellow snacks as well as cards and a sudoku book for mom and dad and other adults. The box was wrapped in yellow paper and mailed to the hospital.

At first, I tried sending something from the hospital gift shop, but there just didn't seem to be anything that this kid would really enjoy. With this care package, there was bound to be something in there he would like with enough to share with siblings and other relatives staying in the hospital with him.

Make someone's day by sending them a box of sunshine!

We've Been Boozed!

Very excited to find this on my doorstep this morning. 

It's a pumpkin full of treats. The best treat is a bottle of cabernet sauvignon.

                 

We've Been Boozed! Who did it?!! I NEED to know! Is this not hilarious? 

                     

Even the wine is Halloween themed. Handsome Devil-ha! 

I've been BOOed before, but never BOOZED. I love it!! Love my neighbors!

Seriously, who was it?