Personalized Christmas Ornaments

I love to have personal touches in my Christmas decor, so I decided it would be fun to have each member of our family's name on the tree! I was so excited to start this project and my kids just loved the idea of having their own special ornament on the tree. 

Here's how I made them:

I used 2 frames that I already had and got 3 more from the dollar store. I used 4x6 frames cause I did not want them to be too heavy for the tree. 

I spray painted the frames white and roughed them up a little with sand paper. I chose white for the frames cause I wanted it to pop against the tree but you could use any color.

I used the stencils that I had gotten from the Martha Stewart campaign. I think you could achieve the same effect with vinyl or paper and mod pod.  I baked the glass in the oven for 30 min at 350 degrees to set the paint. Then I used a hot glue gun to secure the glass to the frame.

 I then cut strips of ribbon and hot glue gunned it to the back of the frames. Finally we placed them on the tree!

These were so easy to make and I love how they turned out! They just add so much to our tree!

Merry Christmas!

-chelz


Linked to: Rea Gun Ramblings

Printable Teacher Card Set

One of my favorite gifts to give teachers is a set of personalized cards.  They can use them as thank you's, notes home, etc.  I made a set last year but ran out of time to make some for the teachers this year.  I decided a printable set would be quick and easy and I could use just print up new ones each year.

I love this natural brown paper and decided to do a few in white and a few in brown.

After printing, cutting and folding I just added some envelopes and a little bit of bakers twine.  And there you go - a quick and easy gift!

If you'd like to print up a set of your own you can get a blank copy HERE and add in your teacher's name.  Or if you don't know how to do that, you can get a generic "just a note" set HERE.  Enjoy!

-marie

WIWW: Denim & Maxi

Denim jackets and maxi skirts look so cute paired together! I've seen lots of those on Pinterest and finally found a denim jacket I liked that I could try out this look.

skirt: Orange County swap meet
jacket & belt: Kohls
tank: Styles For Less

-marie

Linked to: Rae Gun Ramblings, The Pleated Poppy, Two Thirty-Five Designs, Rolled Up Pretty & Transatlantic Blonde

10 Homemade Christmas Gifts

We thought we'd share some of our favorite gift ideas from our blog.  Perfect in time for Christmas!

Yummy Homemade Caramels  

Buff made me a couple batches for Christmas last year and I did NOT want to share them!  They are so creamy and so yummy.

DIY Leather Watches

A super easy an inexpensive project for someone who loves fashion.

 

 Peace, Joy & Soap

These are the perfect gifts for neighbors or teachers.  So easy to put together and inexpensive.  I always have a few extra on hand for gift emergencies.  :)

Raspberry Jalapeno Jelly

This jelly is delicious and different from your tradition jalapeno jelly.

Paper Piecing Frames

Another gift that is easy and inexpensive and totally cute!

Gift Card Holders

You can never go wrong with a gift card! This is a simple tutorial to dress those gift cards up a bit.

Personalized Stationary

This is a great gift for teachers! 

Perpetual Birthday Calendar

This is great for that person who already has everything!  A cute and fun way to remember birthdays and special events each year.

 Vanilla Lime Sugar Scrub

I LOVE this sugar scrub!  Dress it up in a cute jar and it would be a perfect gift.

 Dollar Store Mugs

Chelsea and I just spent the weekend making a couple dozen of these to give out.  Personalize them with names and add some homemade treats or packets of hot chocolate. 

Good Books: 8-9 year old girls

My daughter, Cailyn, has always enjoyed reading but over the summer she really found a passion for it and devoured book after book after book.  So I thought I'd share a few of her favorites. Books are ALWAYS a great present for Christmas.  :)

The great thing about this list is that they are all part of a series so there are many, many books to read!

1. The Princess Tales , by Gail Carson Levine

2. Bailey School Kids, by Debbie Dadey

3. Ruby Lu , by Lenore Look

4. Ivy and Bean , by Annie Barrows

5. Dork Diaries , by Rachel Renee Russell

6. Diary of a Wimpy Kid , by Jeff Kinney

7. Janitors , by Tyler Whitesides

8. Dear Dumb Diary , by Jim Benton

Bonus Series (Read Alouds)

I've also been reading the Fablehaven series with her and we are on book 4.  I absolutely *adore* this series!  I'm not sure it would be one she could read on her own, but it is a fabulous read-aloud book and I am more than happy to read it with her. :)

When we're done with this series we will probably read Percy Jackson together, followed by Gregor the Overlander.  I love having a child that loves reading as much as I do!!!

-marie

Things We Love Thursdays: Rold Gold Peppermint Snowflakes

My friend introduced me to these delectable little treats. I picked them up from Costco, but I'm not sure where else you can get them. They are snowflake shaped pretzels dipped in peppermint white chocolate. They are soooo yummy! They satisfy my craving for a salty/sweet treat.

Do you have a favorite treat you can only get during the holidays?

-marie

Christmas Bucket List

It's no secret that I love doing fun things to celebrate the holidays.  I've seen a ton of cute advent calendar ideas on Pinterest, but THIS one stuck out to me.  I like the idea of doing activities during the month of December but without being tied down to doing one every single day and without being tied down to what specifically we'd do each day.  A bucket list gives us the flexibility I need but also provides us with lots of opportunities for FUN!

The kids and I came up with a list of things we want to do this Christmas season.  Most of them require little effort on my part and are low-budget.  I'm hoping this will be a fun family tradition.  I printed and laminated the list so we can cross things off as we go and can reuse it again next year.

You can download my version HERE or if you're computer savvy you can get a blank version and add in your own list. 

What are some of your favorite things to do as a family during the Christmas season?

-marie