One Year Blogiversary {HOLIDAY TAG GIVEAWAY}

In honor of our ONE YEAR BLOGIVERSARY coming up this Tuesday, we wanted to have another GIVEAWAY to say thank you to all of our readers, old and new.

We have two sets of 5 distressed angel holiday tags to give away, which means there will be TWO lucky winners!

Each tag measures 4 in x 2 in.

The perfect addition to any holiday gift!

WOULD YOU LIKE TO WIN?

There won't be any jumping through hoops here.

Just LEAVE A COMMENT letting us know that you would like to win!

Comment entries will be accepted until midnight (MST) on TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6th.

Winners will be announced here on the blog on Wednesday, December 7th, so keep a close watch!

This giveaway is open to anyone, anywhere, as long as you can receive mail.  Just keep in mind that if you live outside of the United States, you may not receive the tags in time for Christmas this year, but you can always save them for next year!

(Please note:  These tags are for personal use only. Please do not sell or copy these tags exactly for your own monitary gain. Thank you.)

Thanks, again, to all of our loyal readers.

We couldn't (and wouldn't) have done it without you!

- Annie + Tammy -

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{Sewn Paper Candy Pouch}

These sewn pouches are really fun and easy to make!

You can probably use any paper and any candy you like (as long as it hides nicely inside)

I used brown/craft/postal paper for these.  It's thick enough to hold its shape, but thin enough to sew with the sewing machine.

Things you will need:

paper

pencil

candy

scissors

sewing machine

Lay out the candy you want to hide inside and draw your desired shape around it, leaving enough room to sew.

Next, set the candy aside and cut out the shape you have drawn.

Make sure the paper is folded in half so you will get 2 exact shapes.

Sew around the edges of your shape, leaving one side/corner/bit open to slide the candy in before you completely sew it up.

Like so:

Once the candy is tucked nicely inside, finish sewing up the pouch.

Leave a few longer strings of thread hanging off to give a good starting point for the tearing into.

That's all there is to it!  If you use blank paper like this craft paper, you could easily stamp or write anything you want on them.  I preferred to keep mine simple.

These would make great stocking-stuffers or class/church treats or even potty-training tools!  What toddler wouldn't love tearing into one of these pouches with a hidden gummy bear inside?

Enjoy!

-Annie

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{Miniature Christmas Symbols Kit}

I will be teaching the children at my church about the symbols of Christmas on Sunday.

I want them to be able to have something to take home and share with their families, so (with my mom's help) I came up with this cute little kit for each family.

I found all these minis at Hobby Lobby and Michael's.

I typed up, printed, and laminated a small card that briefly tells

about what each Christmas symbol means and put it, along with the symbols, into a little ziploc baggie (also from Hobby Lobby).

Just to put these into perspective...that candy cane is an inch tall.

You could attach one of these tiny kits onto a plate of goodies and it would make a thoughtful gift for neighbors and friends!

 

*** EDITED TO ADD:  A better printable!

 

 

 

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{A Plum-Perfect Person We Adore}

I'm starting off our feature segment with a recent post from one of my very favorite bloggers... Tia from ChristopherAndTia!

Not only do they have the most beautiful children (seriously... they rank right up there with my darling nieces and nephews) but Tia makes all of her postings meaningful and fun.  I have loved reading about her family and their day-to-day life over the past few years and I think you will, too.

Her recent post is a tutorial on how to make these super-cute, mini yarn-wrapped wreath ornaments!

*squeeee*

Oh, my goodness!  Yarn-wrapped wreaths are becoming quite the rage these days, but this is the first time I have seen mini ones.

I was instantly smitten.

Please... do yourself a favor and check out this fun tutorial and meet the awesomeness that is ChristopherAndTia!

Enjoy!

-Annie

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{Peppermint Pretzel Kisses}

These are my favorite Holiday treats.  Anytime treats, really, but I only make them around Christmas.  They are way too tasty and addictive to make any other time of year!

I first saw the recipe for pretzel hugs on Becky Higgins' blog about three years ago and instantly fell in love....

....as will you.

Ingredients:

Pretzels

Hershey Kisses or Hugs
{I used Candy Cane/Peppermint kisses here}

M&M's

Pre-heat oven to 200*.  Line pretzels on baking sheet and place one un-wrapped (duh) Kiss on top, centered as much as possible to avoid a melty-chocolate mess.

Place in oven for 5 to 8 minutes.  Keep your eye on them!  They melt quickly. 

Once the Kiss has started to melt and spread over the pretzel, take them out of the oven.

Place one or two M&M's on top of each Kiss (this is a grown-up job... the chocolate is hot!)

Now comes the hard part:  Waiting for them to cool and set

This can take a very long time if just left on the stove/counter.

The best way is to place them in the fridge or freezer (still on the baking sheet) until they are firm.

That's all there is to it!  Like I said, uber-addictive so pace yourself.

Better yet, hurry and wrap them as gifts so you don't over-do it.

Enjoy!

-Annie

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{5-Minute/5-Dollar Christmas Centerpiece}

Do you have 5 dollars? Do you have 5 minutes? 

Combine the two and you can have a snazzy Christmas centerpiece!

You'll need:

3 sizes bulb ornaments

1 plate

1 glass candlestick holder

floral berries or other pretties

Gorilla Glue or other all-purpose adhesive

wire clippers

I picked up everything you see here from Dollar Tree, except for the biggest bulbs...they came from the Dollar Spot at Target. I love these new plastic bulbs that I've seen popping up everywhere...they really look like glass but they are much less expensive and much safer...especially if you have little ones!

Glue the candlestick holder onto the center of the bottom of the plate. I used Gorilla Glue. 

Arrange the bulbs on the plate any way you want them. I started with the largest on bottom and then balanced them upward from there. I love the mix of shiny/matte/glittery.

Next, I clipped the berries apart and stuck them in around the bulbs. 

Guess what? That's it. You're done. That might have even been less than 5 minutes! I only used about half of the bulbs, so I'll save them for another project. 

Go ahead and make yourself a new display for your next holiday gathering. You will wow your guests with elegance and style...and you'll be the only one who knows it came from the dollar store. 

--Tammy

.....linking to.....

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{An Easy Gift For Neighbors + Friends}

I'm sure everyone has seen the "we whisk you a merry kissmas" gift idea.

This is my cuter version, with an added little sweet:

That's right!  A "BERRY KISSMAS" my friends!

It's fairly inexpensive to make...around $2.20 per gift, and it couldn't be easier to whip up!

The Goods:

 3-pack of whisks at Target = $2.99 ($1 each)
Blueberry muffin mix = $0.77 each
Bag-o-Kisses = $2.50
Plastic Wrap or Cellophane
Strong Packing Tape (or double-sided tape)
Ribbon

* Stick a handful of Kisses into the whisk and wrap tightly with the plastic wrap.
* Secure at the top with a little tape.
* Tape the wrapped whisk to the front of the muffin bag.
* Layer some ribbons and tie in a bow around the whisk handle.
* Tie on the gift tag

Please feel free to use the tag I created (up at the top). You can either save that single-tag image directly to your computer and print it in any program, or you can click the "Green Tags" link below.  It will take you to a page of 6 printable tags, already created just for you! 

Green Tags

 Enjoy!

-Annie

....linking to....

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{Wreath Redo}

I bought this wreath on after-Christmas clearance from Michaels a couple years ago, knowing I could fix it up a bit. It wasn't too bad in the first place. It was just, well, a little too apple-y for my taste. 

The apples had to go....straight into the trash. The pinecones will be saved for a future project :)

I recently found a ruffler foot for my sewing machine on clearance for $7.99(!) so I've been playing around with ruffly ribbons. I decided to make flowers for my new wreath. I'm really into red, black, and silver for my Christmas decor this year, so I decided to stay with that theme for this wreath. I added some pretty silver berries to the red ones it already had. 

So what do you think? Improvement? I think so.

--Tammy

Linking up to Thrifty Decor Chick's Before and After Party

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{Holiday Gift Wrap Ideas}

When giving gifts, I’ve always tried to make the wrappings look fabulous! I think the way a gift is presented can be just as important, or more important than the gift itself.

When money is tight (and really, when isn’t it?) gifts become less about the amount spent, and more about the thought that went into the gift.

Simple, handmade gifts are wonderful. But, if you are feeling that perhaps your gift isn’t quite as spectacular as you had hoped it would be, you can fake it!

A well-wrapped gift not only looks great, but I think it makes the receiver happy and thankful, knowing you spent extra time to make their gift shine!

Here are some of my ideas for quick, fabulous looking gifts.

Looks that can be achieved in less than 10 minutes.

First step: Wrap your gifts

Second step: Gather your ribbons, notions + sparkly bits

Third step: Get creative!

Fourth step: Step back and admire your awesome holiday gift wrapped creations!

-Annie

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