Easy DIY Valentine Pillows

I read about making your own pillows years ago and when I finally tried it I felt like a Mini Martha Stewart rather than a Pinterest Fail. These require no sewing machine, minimal sewing tools, and if you are paying attention they are pretty hard to mess up. I started them for Christmas, and obviously didn't finish sooooooo they made great Valentines for Mom and Sisters that they can hang on to for next years Christmas Season. They are red. It works right?

 Do It Yourself Pillows that are so easy because they are PLACEMATS! You heard me right. I really like doing these for seasonal decor because they are so so so much cheaper than holiday themed pillows and they are fun to have in your house for different holidays. Shop around and find some placemats you like that have a separate front and back. Sometimes you'll find single placemats and other times you can find packs of 4. 

Needed Supplies:

Placemat with front fabric and back fabric.

Needle

Thread to match your placemat

Pins

Scissors

Seam Ripper

Cotton Fabric Filler

How To:

Make a small slit in the side of the placemat with your scissors and/or seam ripper.

 Cut a few of the stitches until you have a two or three inch hole.

Stuff the placemat with Cotton Fabric Filler.

Pin the hole and stitch it up with just a basic in and out stitch.

Done and Done.

Add a tag and ribbon if you are giving them as gifts and you have a simple gift you can easily make up in one afternoon. That all for now, I have probably used up all my "craft luck" for this year so this might be the last of such things you see from me for awhile. :) 

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Tot Tip Tuesday - DIY Christmas Gift Tags

It always seems like Christmas is a month away then you pull out your calendar and have a mini meltdown seeing that it is next Friday. In my case it's stress eating.....ice cream dunked in carmel, chilled cookie dough bites, chugging the milk gallon.....when I could have been out checking things off my list. 

Not having a full time job or a needy infant this year I found myself with more time on my hands. I usually buy the sticker TO: FROM: Christmas tags. (Whats easier than write and stick?) This year I wanted to make homemade tags to give my presents more of a personal touch. It was pretty easy and straight forward and I loved the finished product! 

I found this darling festive paper at Michaels and Hobby Lobby in the scrape booking aisle. If you hit it at the right time you usually can find it at a good price. Lucky me I have a Cricut for crafty little projects like this. If you don't have access to a Cricut here are some patterns for christmas tags. I like to keep the cut out of the tag to layer with a tag. You can always find patterns online or free hand it. 

Be sure to get the littles in on this project, their tiny hands can help with peeling, cutting, and tying tags. 

Hope this helps give you some inspiration this Christmas Season!! 

Happy gifting and Happy Tuesday! 

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Give the gift of the 12 Days of Christmas

I remember as a child going with my Dad to anonymously leave an envelope of money in a mailbox for a family in need. A year or two later I remember my mom wrapping up the pieces of a nativity set to take to a family whose mother had just been diagnosed with cancer. She added little treats to each nativity piece and then my siblings and I would take turns each of the 12 nights before Christmas dropping off these little packages at the doorstep of the home, ringing the doorbell and dashing off into the night so as not to be caught. 

As we have grown older we try to make a very conscious effort to do something anonymously no matter how big or small to someone that is in need during the holiday season. Maybe they don't need money, maybe it is just the simple thought of someone caring and thinking about them. 

Enter, the 12 days of Christmas with a nativity piece and/or treat for each day of the 12 days leading up to Christmas. We have done this together to people we both know and we have done it seperately with our own little families to those who live near us. We have also mailed it across the country in one package. However you choose to do it, it is a fun tradition to have in your home as you pick a recipient together and then work on putting the packages together and delivering them. It's a good way to teach children to think about others.

So big or small we hope you'll find a way to do something for someone else during the season because that is what Christmas is really all about. You don't need to have a lot of money to do it. Simple things often touch people the most, and you truly never know how much your recipient may need it. 

Use the 12 Days of Christmas Outline below if you'd like or come up with your own. We make variations to it each year depending on the family. This is what we will be doing this year starting on the 13th of December. 

Needed Items:

Candy Canes

Nativity Set-mine was 10 pieces
Small cards to attach to your packages

Star ornament or popsicle sticks to make a star ornament

Candy/treats if you desire

Packaging materials for your nativity pieces

Directions:

• Make cards for each of the 12 nights to go with your pieces. Include the date of the night and the scripture you'd like them to read with your piece.
  

• Package up the pieces separately, add treats if you'd like. Tie the scripture/date card to the package.

• For the "star" night you can find a star ornament of your choosing or include popsicle stick ornaments for children in the family to make their own stars and hang on the tree. You'll need 5 sticks and a piece of ribbon for each star. 

• For the first night we packaged up candy canes and a small letter telling the family what was coming so they weren't confused when random nativity pieces and scriptures show up on their porch. (What we wrote is below. Use it, or change it up to fit your needs.)

Nativity Pieces and Matching Scripture Versus:
December 13- Candy Canes and Card

You're such Friendly neighbors and friends, 

We wish to pass along the spirit of Christmas that we hope never ends. 

Nothing says Christmas like a little red and white….

Except for the Christmas story which will be brought to you each night.

Each package will include a scripture or two, 

Look it up, read it together, and if you do…

You'll have read the Christmas story by Christmas Day, 

And feel the true meaning of Christmas we pray.

Merry Christmas!

December 14-Joseph Figure-Luke 2:1-6
December 15-Cow Figure-Luke 2:8
December 16-Angel-Luke 2:9-14
December 17-Shephard-Luke 2:15-16
December 18-Wiseman-Mathew 2:1-2
December 19-Wiseman-Mathew 2:7-9
December 20-Star Ornaments with the following:
      Shephards were told to follow the star they would see,
      Decorate one to put on your Christmas Tree!
December 21-Wiseman-Mathew 2:11-12
December 22- Donkey and/or sheep-Luke 2:20
December 23-Mary-Luke 2:7
December 24-Baby Jesus Mathew 1:21

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12 Days of Christmas Ideas With Your Children

The 12 days of Christmas is almost here. We KNOW you are just begging to have one more thing to do in the 12 days before Christmas. Right? Right. Hear us out. We did this as simply as humanly possible because we know time (and money) are tight AND because it is a great way to slow down amid the rush and have some fun with your kids. Or you can do as we do and put it together with your family and gift it to someone either one day at a time or all together. So read on for our suggestions and how to's.

First up the wrapping. We used lunch sacks and ribbon to make it easy. We did this one for our kids so we didn't need to make tags but if you did, make it easy on yourself and use stamps or the sticker gift tags that you use for presents. Because we didn't use tags and our children can't read, we wrote on the bottom of the sacks what was in the sack so we can pick which one gets opened each day. 

These are the items we used for our 12 days.

Starting at the top left:

Plain old white paper and stickers for Santa Letter Writing

Gingerbread Boys made from felt and stray buttons either to just play with or put on the tree.

Jingle bells again to play with or put on the tree.

DIY puzzles to make your own puzzle of whatever you wish.

Clothes pins with red pom pom noses to make reindeer ornaments

Candy Canes to Eat.

Christmas Book

Marshmallows in glass jar aka Snowman Poop

Brown Bag of Oats to take to feed the Reindeer at Santa's Workshop

Popsicle Stick Star Ornaments to make together.

Felt shape cutouts to decorate a felt Christmas Tree

An ornament wrapped up to gift to someone of your choosing.

Gingerbread Boys: Trace a cookie cutter, cut out, add a face and buttons, sew together and stuff.

Place marshmallows in a glass jar. Add buttons and a black piece of foam, felt, or fabric for the hat and ribbon for the scarf. Snowman is made.

Packs of 6 bells can be found at the Dollar Store. Add ribbon of your choosing.

Every child loves a candy cane.

Very little artistic talent needed to create a felt tree for the kids. Simply cut a large triangle out of fabric and add felt ornaments of any size shape and color. 

Brown paper packages tied up with string are a few of our favorite things. Set aside and you are ready for the 12 days of Christmas with your littles.

Should you be feeling some extra love and want to "gift" the 12 Days of Christmas to another family here are a few more suggestions for you.

Sprinkles for Cookies or a cookie mix 

Candy Canes

Popsicle Stick Star Ornaments

An Ornament to give to Someone

A Holiday Book

Holiday Banner to make together

Jingle Bells

Foam Christmas Trees to decorate

Santa Suckers Treat

Plaster of Paris Gingerbread men to make into ornaments

A clear ball to turn into a family ornament of their choosing. Memories from the year written down.

DIY puzzles

Homemade ornaments

Pinecone and bird seed to make bird feeders

Wood Ornaments from the local craft store that are unfinished. Usually run 40 cents each or less.

Nativity Set (which we'll post about later this week. You can do just a nativity set for the 12 days of Christmas and we LOVE it.)

Happy Gifting!
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DIY Snowflake Christmas Ornaments

I'd never thought of baking cookies to decorate my Christmas tree with but once I finished up my tree trimming and noticed that it was pretty bare looking I scoured the Intraweb for recipes of gingerbread ornaments. They turned out beautifully and have held up for 3 years. The best part of making these little gems is the time you get to spend with family (sounds like a cheesy Hallmark movie, but the more helping hands the quicker these puppies will be done). After 3 years of using these ornaments I need to coat them with a thin layer of Modge Podge so the icing will not crack off. Get creative with your design, I loved the more simple and clean design, maybe that's was because I didn't want to mess up the cookie.

Here a few tips on making the cookies:

1. Don't forget to cut out a small hole in each ornament before baking the cookies so you have somewhere to tie them to your tree!
2. Make 2 batches of icing: one looser than the other. Use the firmer icing to trace out the contours of the ornaments, and the more fluid one to fill them.
3. If you want to correct a line made with icing, do it fast because the icing dries quite quickly.

Nick Malgieri's Gingerbread Recipe 

Makes about 24 large cookies, depending on the size cutter used (Source)

5 cups all-purpose flour (spoon flour into dry-measure cup and level off)
4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
2/3 cup molasses
2 cookie sheets or jelly roll pans lined with parchment or foil

In a large bowl, combine the flour, spices, salt and baking soda. Stir well to mix.

Place the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until well mixed, about 1 minute. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating smooth after each addition. Scrape down bowl and beater.

Lower speed and beat in about half the flour mixture. Beat in all the molasses then scrape bowl and beater. Add the remaining flour mixture, about 1 cup at a time, and beat after each addition until it has all been absorbed.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and give the dough a final mixing with a large rubber spatula. Scrape half the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap and press it to about a 1/2-inch thickness. Wrap the dough securely and repeat with the remaining dough. Chill the dough for at least 2 hours or for up to 3 days.

When you are ready to bake the cookies, set racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

Unwrap one of the pieces of dough and cut it in half. Rewrap one of the halves and return it to the refrigerator.

On a floured surface, roll the dough until it is about 1/4-inch thick. Use a floured cookie cutter to cut the cookies. As they are cut, place the cut cookies on the prepared pans with about 1 inch between them on all sides. Repeat with remaining dough. Save, press together, and reroll scraps (they don't need to be chilled before rerolling).

Bake the cookies until they become dull and dry looking and feel slightly firm when pressed with a fingertip, about 12 to 15 minutes. Be careful not to over-bake the cookies or they will be very dry. Slide papers from pans onto racks to cool.

Store the cooled cookies between sheets of parchment or wax paper in a tin or plastic container with a tight-fitting cover.

Martha Stewart's Royal Icing
(Source)

1 pound of confectioners' sugar
2 large egg whites

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar and egg whites.

Mixing on low speed, add up to 1/2 cup water depending on the desired consistency. Mix until icing holds a ribbon-like trail on the surface of the mixture for 5 seconds when you raise the paddle.

Place the icing in different piping bags with a small tip for tracing the contours and a larger one for filling each shape.

Good Luck!!! And Happy Baking! 

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