Christmas Ornament

For about the last 8 years I've been making Christmas Ornaments for our family and close friends, it's kind of become my Christmas tradition. Here is a look at this years ornament.

Here is how to make these easy ornaments:

Wrap a 4-inch styrofoam ball in 14-inch fabric square; secure with a rubber band. Thread the end of 1/12 yards of ribbon down through the band, around the ball, and up through the band's other side so ribbon ends match up (knot them to hang the ball). Wrap 14 inches of ribbon around the balls other side (crossing first ribbon, as shown): tuck ends into band. Hide band with a shimmery bow and festive sprigs.

Ribbon and Pearl Necklace

I've been making LOTS of fun girlie items for all our nieces this year for Christmas, I thought I'd share this one with you, the Ribbon and Pearl Necklace. I've made 7 so far, and everyone seems to LOVE them. They are pretty simple and take about 30-45 mins to make.

Here are the simple steps I followed to make mine:

(which I found at To Be Charmed Blog)

Once the necklace is complete you can embellish it to your liking. I created a flower with fabric and a cute middle embillishment.

Happy necklace making!

Free Christmas Tags/Labels

Thought I'd share a few more FREE Christmas Tags I've come up with. I've really enjoyed using these this year. I even went to target and found some really cute and fun wrapping paper that go wonderful with the colors. We wrapped all of little miss Rae's gifts in some fun princess wrapping paper - the colors are a prefect match! Nice work momma!

Hope all of your wrapping is going well!

(remember, just print on a full sheet labels, cut and stick)

Easy peasy my friends!

12 Days of Christmas

I'm having a hard time coming up with something cute and creative for Rae's wonderful teacher Mrs. B. - until I came across this fun and creative idea from HowDoesShe.com: The 12 Days of Christmas. Each day your kid sneaks in and leaves a little goodie on his/her teacher's desk. Each gift comes with a creative little rhyme corresponding to the gift. Here are some favorites:

For the 2nd day of Christmas:
Your students are busy, little bees...
You can correct their papers
with these 2 red sharpies!

For the 3rd day of Christmas:
I give 3 binder clips,
I'm sure it could be tempting
to use them on my lips!

For the 4th day of Christmas:
Dry-eraser markers come in four...
As my 3rd grade teacher,
you really help me sore!

For the 5th day of Christmas:
Some poprcorn for a snack,
Sorry, that's all the food
I could fit in my backpack!

For the 12th day of Christmas:
12 apples you'll find in here,
I wish you a Merry Christmas
and a Happy New Year!!

Hurry up and get going on this, as there aren't too many days of school left
before the Christmas break!

OR...

You could just put all the goodies together and give them all at once.

Perhaps, you could use your Cricut to personalize the basket and the

clipboard like the one shown.

Thank you to HowDoesShe.com for letting me share this

super fun and creative idea!

What are you giving your children's teachers?

Let me know in the comments box :)

Holiday Card Wreath

Every December, when I pull out all our cute Christmas decor, I put out this Christmas tree card holder. AND every year ALL the cards fall of it...everyday - UGH. I think to myself - I SO need something better, but WHAT?!?

Then I saw this...SO cute and super easy, LOVE it!

To get the full tutorial on how to make the wreath, here is a LINK to Katydid & kid. Happy crafting my friends!

REMINDER: MIMI PHOTOGRAPHY—A BOUDORI MARATHON

REMINDER SPOTS ARE GOING FAST - MIMI PHOTOGRAPHY—BOUDORI MARATHON: A friend of mine, Amber Gibbs, owner of MiMi Photography, is hosting this really AWESOME event, and I just have to share it with you all. Drum roll please...MiMi Photography—A Boudoir Marathon...Pretty exciting right ladies!! She has secured the Omni Suite at the Omni Interlocken Resort in Broomfield; I hear the room is just a beauty. Each session will be 45 minutes, with some neat options including, outfit changes, and hair and makeup projfessionally done. She even has Sassy Factory coming with their fabulous accessories to add the perfect final touch to your outfit. I hear the jewelry will be for sale if you find a piece you just can't part with. Here is a link to her website - to get the low down on the day's events and get in touch with her! have fun ladies!

Bucket of Dates

I've been working on a few of these for our coupled friends and family. This gift could cost as little or as much as one desires! I found my buckets at the Dollar Tree; I used some pretty scrapbooking paper to decorate them. I then typed up many date ideas that I printed off and folded up to fit in the bucket. If you felt generous you could give a series of gift cards, money, or items to use on the date(s). Haven't we all had crazy nights where we wish someone would do the thinking for us! Hopefully this bucket will help create fun memories that will last a lifetime!

Here are 40 ideas you can copy and print off for your bucket:

1. Go out for pizza—ask them to cut the pie into the shape of a heart.


2. Live entertainment—check out a band at a local bar, instead of a movie.


3. Pick a TV show, get a season's worth on DVD and make a running date to watch it together every night.


4. Head out to a midnight cult movie, like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Showgirls or Donnie Darko.


5. Dinner and some stargazing at the planetarium's evening show.


6. Brunch and a matinee; fancy restaurants are way more affordable in the AM.


7. Pick up a bucket of friend chicken and head for the drive-in.


8. Put on you sexiest stilettos; sip fancy cocktails at a hotel bar.


9. Bubble bath for two. Candles. Champagne.


10. Oysters are said to be an aphrodisiac, so head to a seafood place and slurp them right out of the shell.


11. Gooey, sexy, delicious: Get a fondue pot and have a feast. Add a french movie and French-kiss all night.


12. The sultriest music? Jazz. Take a trip to a jazz club.


13. Make a finger-foods-only dinner and feed each other.


14. Take turns singing cheesy out-of-tune ballads at karaoke.oddcast.com or free karaoke.com.


15. Have your own version of trick-0r-treating: Put on a sexy outfit and knock on the den door. Don't forget the treats!


16. Enjoy a rousing game of Twister.


17. Dress up your backyard picnic table with a white tablecloth. Add candles, fancy cheese, chocolate and viola: five-star fun.


18. Too cold or wet for an outdoor picnic? Spread a blanket on the floor and have a carpet picnic.


19. Make a mixed CD.


20. Create a beer garden: Scour local stores for unusual beers.


21. Sweets night—ice-cream, brownies, cake, oh my! Invent your own homemade treats.


22. Curl up with the Sunday crossword puzzle.


23. Order Live lobsters, plop them in a pot and have yourselves a shore thing. (Try livelob.com, which even has a cooking guide.)


24. Bring home your favorite fast food, but serve it on your best china.


25. Museums have one free night a week, so hit one then.


26. Find a happy hour with 10-cent wings and two-dollar draft beers.


27. Take a sketchpad to a scenic bluff and draw your own version of the vista.


28. Grab a basketball and hit the free courts at the park.


29. Hit the local video arcade.


30. Go to the library and page through the coffee-table art books.


31. Suit up and spend a late afternoon at the indoor pool of the Y.


32. Head to the highest point in town. Spend an early evening watching the twinkling lights turn on.


33. Find a bridge and walk across it; the view can't be beat.


34. Visit the hothouse at your local botanical garden.


35. Drive out to a country field, lie down and snuggle under the stars.


36. Make yourselves the biggest, craziest ice cream sundae ever.


37. Take a tour of the house you'd (someday) love to own.


38. Paint coffee mugs at a paint-your-own-pottery place.


39. Get your palms read.


40. Fly a kite.

Enjoy and go make a few fun memories!