merry Christmas

‎"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."- Luke 2:11

Merry Christmas

more Christmas printables

Just a quick post... As I'm sure it is with many of you, we have relatives coming in for the holidays, so things here are a bit BUSY to say the least :) But I wanted to stop in and share a few new printables with you- perfect for your Holiday Planner! The links to download them can be found at the end of the post!

Christmas Project Tracker & Gift Lists

Thank-You Card Tracker & Christmas Shopping List

-- links to download --

.: Thank-You Card Tracker

.: Shopping List

.: Holiday Project Tracker

.: Gift List Tracker

Advent calendar

This is the Advent calendar I actually made last year. I filled each container with M&Ms and mailed it to my DH who was deployed in Iraq at the time. We still have yet to determine if it made it home or not with him, so it wasn't used for this year, but I wanted to share it anyways because I really really love how it turned out! :)

Christmas is such a special time isn't it? The birth of our Saviour Lord Jesus! Really, what better and more joyous time of year is there?

The basic supplies were...

• a styrafoam circle covered in fabric, adhered with hot glue
• tiny tins by Wilton and run ~$20 for a bucket of 30 at Michaels. Again, the tins were also attached with hot glue!
• I used my nestabilities to cut out the circles adhered to the inside of many of the tins' covers.
• Most of the DP is from a DCWV stack from JoAnns
• many of the stickers and rub-ons are from Michaels by K&Co and Pooch & Sweetheart {$1 bin}.
• You can't see it well, but around the outside rim of the base runs a strip of dark green ribbon, I think from the clearance bin at Michaels. It helped cover up some of the fabric puckering around the edge!

.: linking up at :.

Weekend Wrap Up @ Tatertots and Jello

Show & Tell Saturdays @ be different act normal

A Few of my Favorite Things

yummy frugal gifts for foodies

Here are three great gifts for the foodies on your list! Not only are they themselves frugal homemade gift ideas, but they also feature some great frugal gift wrapping ideas! Here we go...

.: gift :.

Here's some homemade trailmix that I made for my dad- any local bulk food store makes this a real economical gift as you can make a huge bag of this mix and get quite a few gifts out of it {or keep some for yourself!}. Many grocery stores these days even have a section where you can buy dried fruit and nuts in bulk. In our mix we used- coconut, raisins, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds and walnuts. I frequently also add craisins and peanut M&Ms.

.: wrapping :.

For the wrapping I simply cut a piece of an old paper bag, stamped it, crumpled up then inked the edges, and then wrapped with twine!

.: gift :.

Here's a simple 16 Bean Soup mix... what's included is just the beans {less than $1} and a bay leaf. Not pictured here is the recipe card I made up and tucked on top underneath the wrapping. The plastic container was leftover from some candies we'd bought.

.: wrapping :.

To wrap it I cut a strip from an old paper bag, then cut some tulle and wrapped it around. I used this same fabric for making ornaments {photos coming soon!} and had this frayed edge of the fabric left over. I thought it was perfect for this, so I wrapped that around the tulle layer!

.: gift :.

Here is your standard cookies-in-a-jar gift. Not gonna lie- I always love these!! Here's a link to the recipe I used {Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies}. This gift is going to my MIL and I already know she loves these cookies but doesn't have the recipe {until now!}. I left out all of the wet ingredients {of course!} and I packaged the brown sugar {well I used sucanat} in a little baggie right at the top of the mix, since that needs to be mixed separately. I know the recipe calls for adding the chips and craisins in last, but it's ok if they get mixed in with the rest of the dry ingredients.

.: wrapping :.

Another super simple one- I cut out a rough circle from some felt scraps, tied some twine and raffia around, added a snowflake button, and stamped a few snowflakes on the top of the felt. Done! :)

.: linking up at :.

Handmade Tuesdays @ Ladybug Blessings

Holly Bloggy Christmas Party @ Tatertots and Jello

Show & Tell Saturdays @ be different act normal

Weekend Wrap Up @ Tatertots and Jello

Handmade Christmas @ Someday Crafts

Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous

Christmas card display

Here's our Christmas card display area! I knew something was missing from our living area- I really wanted to do garland down the stairs, but I'd already used it up on the front porch and kitchen... then I found an old clip out from a magazine of boxes strung up around a bedroom and i KNEW that was what I wanted to do along the stairs! I also didn't have a place to hang up Christmas cards yet, so I figured I'd combine the two :) It's a pretty cheap display to make too!

.: materials :.

scrapbooking paper

ribbon

thick ribbon {to hang everything from}

clothespins

little boxes

.: directions :.

I started with some big red ribbon that I had left over from our wedding and hung that up at the top end of the stairs, tied onto a little clear 3M hook. I had lots of little boxes stashed away {I keep everything... just in case I could use it for a crafty project later, hehe!} so I wrapped the boxes in leftover Christmas scrapbooking paper- you could use regular wrapping paper too, or kraft paper, even tissue paper, maybe stamp on the kraft or tissue paper and make your own designer wrapping paper ;) Then I added a few bows and strung them up on the big red ribbon. I added a few 3M wire holder hooks along the railing {you can see one in the below picture} because otherwise the ribbon would be too heavy and sag a bit. Then I added some coordinating scrapbook paper to the front of some clothespins and clipped those in between each gift on the ribbon. Each time I get a new Christmas card in the mail, I punch a hole in the inside/back and string some twine through it, tie a bow, and clip it up with the clothespins! From far away, it kinda looks like the clothespins are holding up the gift boxes, which I'm ok with, it's a neat effect :)
.: linking up at :.

Weekend Wrap Up @ Tatertots and Jello

Show & Tell Saturdays @ be different act normal

A Few of my Favorite Things

Simple Frugal Sports Gift

My mom is a HUGE Yankees fan- seasons tickets, all the paraphernalia, the whole bit. So when I found these great vintage stamps on eBay, I knew I had to make something with them for her! So this is a great gift that you could easily customize for many sports, teams, or causes- the Post Office seems to have a few special stamps each month, and you can find vintage ones at a variety of places.

This is quick, frugal, and totally DIY! So I started with the stamps which were ~$1 each. I got this frame on sale for $5. Then I just added some scrapbooking paper and ribbon in Yankees colors, and bam! Instant sports memorabilia gift for under $10! After I photographed it I put the glass back in the frame- I just didn't want any glare ;)
.: linking up at :.

Handmade Tuesdays @ Ladybug Blessings

Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts

Holly Bloggy Christmas Party @ Tatertots and Jello

Handmade Christmas @ Someday Crafts

Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous

Christmas Branch Display

Do you have some extra branches after trimming up the tree? Don't want to just throw them away? Here's a great little Christmas display that's quick, frugal, and easy!!

Simply put the extra branches in a large vase, tie a ribbon around, and hang ornaments- instant Christmas decor! :) If you prefer a more vertical display, wrap some wire around the base of the branches or trim up the branches a bit after you put them in the vase. You could also add some decorative stones in the bottom of the vase if you wish. Oh! And don't forget to fill up the vase with water to keep those branches fresh!

.: linking up at :.

A Crafty Soiree @ Yesterday on Tuesday

Get Your Craft On @ Today's Creative Blog

Room Decor Planner printables

Here are two more planners for your holiday planner! These are to help remember and organize your decorations from this year and for next year. Record the theme and decor of your rooms this year and which bin you stored them in! I've included planners for this year and also next year- to record ideas for next year's room decors! Links to the printables are below the image if you'd like to download them for yourself!

Printable has a total of three pages to include each room in your house- if you'd like a customized version including any special rooms in your home, send me an email and I'll make one for you! :)

{download Room Decor Planner 2010 here}

{download Room Decor Planner 2011 here}

frugal DIY Christmas wreath

So here's our Christmas wreath! It's probably the decor item that I'm most pleased with this holiday :) It was not only super simple, but pretty cheap too! Here's a lil DIY breakdown for ya...

.: materials :.

ribbon

ornaments

wire

branches

.: how to :.

(1) start off by trimming and arranging the branches how you'd like them.

(2) take some wire and wrap it in and around the top of the branches. You don't have to worry too much about whether the wire shows since the ribbon and ornaments will cover it!

(3) string your choice of ornaments on individual wires and wrap around branches. Some wires I wrapped around the top and some wires I actually weaved into the middle area of the branches in order to get the ornaments to lay how I wanted them.

(4) Top off your branches with a big bow!

(5) String some extra wire to the back of your arrangement and use this to attach to a hook for hanging.

(6) Step back and enjoy your beautiful wreath!

See! Super simple! And cheap too... the ornaments were left over from other arrangements I had done, but I got the big ones in a larger set for $5 and the smaller ones in a big set also for $5. The ribbon was left over from other bows I bought, but that roll was $5 at most. The branches were free {yay}... call them a "gift" with purchase of our Christmas tree ;) So for the amount of each product I used, the whole wreath couldn't have cost more than $10... and you'd pay at least twice that in most stores!

.: Frugal Tip of the Day :.

Most Christmas tree shops or nurseries have tons of extra branches lying around. If you ask nicely, they will likely be more than happy to let you take a few off their hands ;)

.: linked up at :.

Weekend Wrap-up Party @ tatertots and jello

Show and Tell Saturdays @ be different act normal

Etsy holiday special

I've just posted a few gift tag sets to my etsy store!! Feel free to check them out :) And I've extended my Cyber Monday sale through the whole month!

>> HOLIDAY SPECIAL <<

Orders placed in the month of December receive free gift with purchase! Every purchased set of holiday cards will include a free set of 10 handmade Christmas gift tags! Every purchased individual card {non-set cards} will include a free handmade bookmark! Every gift tag set purchased receives an extra 5 tags free with their set!

{visit my etsy shop here}