The "Group"

Could not help myself - they just looked so cute sitting together so thought I would post.  Since moving my craft room has been the last to be done (that is if you don't look in the garage) and I should have had my nose to the grindstone today getting my room in order but I so needed to let out some creative energy, so I did!!

Gift #4

Adorable jar with spoon from Hobby Lobby (they are available through Amazon.com too but way more expensive). This one was easy too - spicy hot chocolate mix (Trader Joe's) into the jar, made the labels using the same graphic as in #3, same ribbon too. The lable on top give the instructions for making the hot chocolate.

Gift #3

This one was way to simple.  Dollar store mug nestled in a cellophane bag with white sizzle.  Put a few good chocolates in the cup with some Starbucks peppermint mocha VIA tubes, a Bob's brand big candy cane ($ store again) and a $1.00 off coupon for more VIA. Can you tell I am using things I had on hand?  This is so much fun.

Gift #2

 

So next, I used a little plastic jar from Hobby Lobby and filled it with two different kinds of Nonni's yummy biscotti and tied a little package of Harley & Sons Christmas tea on the side.  I made the label using a graphic from http://graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/p/search.html and put one on the top too.  The ribbon was perfect it is Mara Mi but from Tuesday Morning, still expensive but not over-the-top expensive and when you see words like "Gingerbread, Cookie, Cupcake,Treat, etc" on the cloth ribbon, so totally worth the lettle extra. I use Corel Draw as my graphics program.

Linda's Month of Birthdays

 

 

My beautiful DIL, Dawn, her mother's birthday is on December 25th. So we decided that on Thanksgiving day we would give her a card to tell her that three of us (myself, my DIL and DIL's Nana) were going to mimic the advent calendar idea but it would be a countdown to her birthday instead of Christmas.  Having your birthday on Christmas day means you always get the "duel" gift, just not fair.  I became (maybe a little too much) so enthusiastic with this today that I just ran with idea.  Made the card on 8 1/2 by 11 card stock and put a photo of a car from the year she was born & some interesting statistics from that year, inside the card is the announcement about the birthday "days."for her. Took a graphic from http://graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/p/search.html and used for the "Queen Bee" sticker on the oversized envelope. Then as luck would have it I found my first inspiration from some chalkboard graphics from http://www.nestofposies-blog.com/ and with a (half off, of course) Hobby Lobby frame made the gift for my first day..

IKEA Bottle

 

For a nice and inexpensive gift how about a bottle of sparkling water and a lovely bottle of lemonade?  My IKEA had these bottles marked down to $3.99 over the weekend.  I found a graphic label that looked French - it was Eiffel Tower Lemonade, and made a decal label for the bottle.  To fill the bottle make simple syrup (=parts water & sugar) and fresh lemon juice.  This should be very concentrated.  To make a very refreshing lemon drink, add some of the lemon mixture to a glass with ice and then add the sparkling water!  Yum!

Treats on a stick!

Rice Krispy treats on a stick. I used the marshmallow creme recipe and put the treats into an 8x8 pan to harden. Then cut in half and then cut into treats.  Insert the lollypop sticks and dip the treats into melted chocolate (I used white chocolate) and then sprinkle with you favorite sprinkles, let them cool on the Silpat or wax paper and then put each one into cellophane bags and tie with a ribbon. Changing to the dark chocolate and different sprinkles, ribbons, etc. will take these from Easter to another holiday and the kids (big kids too) love these.

IKEA 79¢ Tea/Dish Towels

IKEA 79¢ towels with iron on transfers!  Just take any image (did you know you can flip any image so it will iron on correctly in your Microsoft Paint program that comes with Windows?) print the image(s) out on iron on transfers, get  your iron really hot (no steam please) and voila you have a really cute towel. These towels are 100% cotton so the transfers go on like butta!

VALENTINE LUNCHEON

FLOUR SACK TOWEL

VALENTINE TASSEL DOOR HANGERS

Making tassels, new hobby. Simple to drill a little hole in the top of the car and add a screw eye for hanging and then glue the bottom onto a painted wooden candle cup (available at all hobby stores). The bottom of the candle cup is then the perfect size to glue your tassel onto. This turns out to be pretty sturdy and little ones love to hang this on their doors. Going to try and find green cars to do St. Pat's Day hangers.