Monday, November 29, 2010

DIY Magnetic Holiday Advent Calendar

I've been searching for the perfect advent calendar, one that I could easily make and enjoy year after year. Well, I think I found it. Twig & Thistle (an amazing blog) created this magnetic advent calendar...so clever, unique and simple to make. Can't wait to get started on this one.

photo credit: Twig & Thistle
photo credit: Twig & Thistle
photo credit: Twig & Thistle
photo credit: Twig & Thistle
photo credit: Twig & Thistle

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Christmas treats for the teachers...


 ...are done! Woohoo! :) I racked my brain for days trying to come up with a fun gift for the teachers at Christmas time. I considered painting an ornament, but decided against it because I knew that it would consume too much of my time. Painting 40 ornaments in the month of December...definitely not a good idea. I also considered making hand-dipped chocolate pretzel rods, but decided I'd save that idea for Valentine's day. So, to make my life a little bit easier during this holiday season, I finally opted to buy something rather than make something. I just had to find the perfect "something" that would fit my budget. On a whim, I drove to the nearest Harry & David store and there I sampled the yummiest Apple Butter. It was love at first bite!


However, 40 jars of Apple Butter at $5.50/each did NOT fit into my budget. After chit-chatting with the manager for a bit, she was extremely kind enough to offer me a SWEET discount as well as send me home with all the wrapping materials (bag, filler, ribbon and sticker) needed for each gift. I have to give the Fullerton Harry & David store a BIG shout out. The staff was unbelievably friendly and helpful. Awesome customer service!
So here are my Christmas treats for the teachers. A delicious jar of Apple Butter wrapped up all pretty with a handmade tag attached. HAPPY!

Lovely Felt Wreath by Suzonne Sterling

Suzonne Sterling is a professional crafter and she's good at what she does...really good! I fell in love with this wreath that she made and had to share it with you.

photo credit: Suzonne Sterling
photo credit: Suzonne Sterling

Clean, beautiful and simple to make...it just doesn't get any better than this. Click HERE to read Suzonne's post on how to make these beauties. Thanks Suzonne! :)

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Not a creature was stirring, not even a...Candy Cane Mouse!

Sorry folks, but Christmas IS really just around the corner! I've already started on the treats for December and I think you're going to like this one...

Candy Cane Mice

A combination of two Christmas icons -- mice and candy canes -- these tiny fabric creatures with their red and white striped tails make fitting favors at a holiday dinner or delightful gifts for children to give to friends and relatives.


Another great find from Martha Stewart's website. Here's the mice template if you want to make these too. Be sure to enlarge the template by 150 percent before printing out. Enjoy!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Thanksgiving Turkey Finger Puppets!


Cute, eh? I'm making these for Hazel to pass out to her classmates for Thanksgiving. I really only need to make 30 of these, but my goal is to make at least 96. Why? Because the only place that I was able to find the exact candy sticks that I needed were sold in bulk. 96 candy sticks per case = 96 turkey finger puppets.
This idea came to me from dear ol' Martha's website. Easy to make, but somewhat time consuming. The cutting, gluing and hand-sewing for each turkey took me almost 15 minutes to make. 15 x 96 = I'm nuts! So far, I'm at 61 turkeys...ugh!


I stuffed each turkey with a yummy Root Beer Float Old-Fashioned Candy Stick. I tested them out on a few kids and they LOVE em'! A fun treat to pass out to your little friends at Thanksgiving.