Felt Advent Banner

Two days and counting...

Can you believe December will be here in two short days?!  Nope me either.  This cheerful Holiday season is going by way to fast.  I hope it slows down because it's my most favorite time of the year.  

Today I'm sharing the Felt Advent Banner I made for our family this year.  Last year we did activites every other day, and treats the other days.  It worked well for this Momma who is often alone with her kiddo's everyday...it doesn't make me feel super overwhelmed.  So we are sticking to that system this year.  I knew I wanted something I could use from year to year, so obviously I chose FELT! Have I mentioned how much I big fat {HEART} felt!  I decided to go with a color I knew would go with any decor I decorated with at Christmas, so I picked a light gray felt.  It was so easy peasy...want to make your own?

Materials:

-  Felt 

{you will need 7 - 8.5" x 11" pieces of felt for the pockets, and 1 piece of an accent color for the numbers}

-  Scissors

-  Ruler

-  Glue or Glue Gun

-  Sewing Machine

-  Twine or Something to String It Up

Start by cutting your felt in half long ways, measure to find the center and cut.  Now you should have two long strips of equal sized pieces of felt that measure approximately 8" x 11" {if it's longer just trim it to 11"}.  Now measure and cut those in to 2.75" wide x 4" long rectangles.  You will get 8 total out of the entire piece of felt.  Once you have all your rectangles cut, stack two together and with a ruler as your guide find the center point of the rectangle and the bottom and create a pointed bottom by cutting any excess off.  You will now have a nice banner shape.  Once all 25 of my pieces were cut and finished I sewed them together with a contrasting gray thread.  

To create all your numbers you could do several different things...you could do what I did and find a font you like and print out the numbers on a piece of paper or cardstock in the size you like.  Then cut out each number by hand, use that as a template to trace on to your accent felt color...then cut those numbers out by hand.  Or...you could paint the numbers, or stencil them {place a piece of cardstock between the layers so it doesn't bleed through}.  Once I had all my numbers cut out and my hand was done cramping I used a clear glue to adhere them to the front of each banner piece.  

I then snipped two small slits on the back of each banner pocket.  I took 3 long lengths of a neutral colored yarn I had on hand and braided it together.  You could use twine, rope, ribbon, any stringing material you like to hang yours.  I then strung all the banner pockets on the yarn braided string.  Then simply hung it up.  

{P.S. I tried to get the best front on shots of this, but since it's a mirror and I was still in my pj's I didn't want you to see that mess!}

 

  

 

 

Like I said I filled every other day with Christmas oriented activities, the opposite days are filled with a small treat.  Here's a list of our activities in case your curious:

-  Build a Christmas fort

-  Christmas movie night with snacks & treats

-  Make a Christmas craft with Mom

-  Go see Santa

-  Read some Christmas books

-  Write a letter to Santa

-  Go to dinner as a family 

-  Hot cocoa with marshmallows

-  Decorate cookies

-  Take treats to the neighbors

-  Read the biblical story of Jesus' birth

-  Drive around to see Christmas lights while drinking hot cocoa

Happy Holidays!

Snow Kiss Cookies

Today this post is part of the 2012 Homemade Holiday Treats event that myself and many other bloggers around blogland are participating in.  Today I'm sharing my recipe for Snow Kiss Cookies with you.  These cookies may be better known as Mexican Wedding Cookies.  I think they look like little snowballs that's why I used the name Snow Kiss Cookies for this post.  

These happen to be one of my Mom's favorite cookies.  I remember every year my Grandma {who is now almost 94} made these every Christmas for my Mom.  It's been several years since my Grandma has been able to bake, so I thought it would be a nice surprise to both of them if I made them a batch. 

Here's what you will need... 

Ingredients:

-  2 Oz. Walnuts

-  2 Sticks unsalted butter

-  1/2 Cup Sugar

-  1/2 Tsp. Salt

-  1 Tsp. Vanilla

-  1 & 3/4 Cup Flour

-  Powdered Sugar for coating your cookies after they bake

Start by placing the walnuts on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and toast your walnuts at 350 degrees for about 5-10 minutes.  Until they are golden brown.  

Then let them cool.  Once they are cooled place them in a food processor and pulse until they are a fine chop, do not over process them or they will turn to paste.  You can also chop them by hand with a knife if you don't have a food processor.

Next cream your butter, sugar, and salt together in a bowl.  Add your walnuts to the mix.  

Then add the flour and mix to combine.  Now place your mixture on some plastic wrap and wrap it up.  Place it in the refrigerator to chill for 1 to 2 hours. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.  Once chilled unwrap and begin scooping your cookies using a small scoop on to parchment lined cookie sheets.  Bake for 10 minutes, take out and place on cooling racks.  Once cooled you can cover them in powdered sugar.  This recipe gave me 32 cookies.  

Now you can either place them in a storage tin or package them up to gift to a neighbor or friend.  I put some in this cute little can from Target's dollar section.  I added a paper snowflake, some twine & ribbon and that was it.  All cute and ready to surprise my Mom & Grandma with.  

I hope you enjoy this recipe and all the other amazing sweet treat recipes from the other lovely ladies.  Happy Holidays!

Silhouette: Dear Santa Giveaway

I just wanted to share one quick thing.  If you haven't been on the Silhouette blog lately, go check out the Dear Santa Giveaway going on now.  They will pick three winners to win an amazing prize package.  I thought I'd share my Dear Santa letter with you.  They want you to be clever, I tried...

Good luck.

O' Christmas Tree

Well the tree is up...lights are glowing, ornaments are sparkling, and the cat is sleeping under it.  It's a magical time!  Today I'm sharing our Christmas tree with you, all I keep hearing in my head is the song O' Christmas Tree, O' Christmas Tree how lovely are your branches. 

Every year as soon as I pack up the tree I've almost always got next years colors picked out for the tree. You can say I've got Christmas tree ADD I suppose.  This year I hadn't decided for sure until about a month before decorating it.  I usually have color on the tree, it's been about 8 years since I've done a neutral color palette on the tree.   This year I wanted to keep the colors simple and since the tree goes in my craft room / office which happens to be our front living room I wanted to be sure it didn't clash with everything else going on.  That room is pretty neutral right now so these colors gave it a clean feeling.  Today I want to share some tips and tricks for decorating your tree, tips that are sure to get you compliments on your decorating skills.

Christmas Tree Decorating 101

-  Rule #1 don't be afraid to FILL your tree with stuff!

-  The first thing I do on my tree every year is to fill it plastic sparkly silver snowflake ornaments I picked up several years ago at either Walmart or Target.  I place them on the inside branches all over the tree.  The silver glitter helps reflect the lights on the tree, and since my tree doesn't have that many lights it really helps brighten it up at night.  You can find these snowflake ornaments every year at Walmart usually for a couple bucks.

-  You can always add ribbon to your tree.  Either weaving it through the tree before you decorate with ornaments or adding it after it's decorated like a wrapped present.  Ribbon is an inexpensive way to add a lot of character to your tree.  Dollar Tree has great wire edged ribbon, but Michael's or Joann's is usually my favorite spots to get it.  Especially after Thanksgiving it's 70% off usually.  You can even use the burlap ribbons from Michael's that they carry all year long if your theme is a rustic or woodland tree.

-  I always have basic colored ornaments that I use with each years tree.  I suggest always having clear, silver, and gold ornaments on hand.  The non-breakable ones are my favorite from Walmart.  Having these colors on hand really helps fill your tree, and makes it much easier to switch themes or colors each year.  The rest of the tree can all be accent colors and fun stuff.

-  You don't need a lot of money or fancy ornaments to make a tree look amazing!  There are so many options for decorating your tree.  I LOVE Dollar Tree, and 99 Cent Only stores for decorations every year.  They often times have great ornaments in packs of 2, 3, or 4 ornaments for $1...and I'm not talking about the little rounds bulbs either.  I love these Icicle ornaments from Dollar Tree I bought maybe 7 years ago and I use them every single year.  The silver drop ornaments & the glittery reindeer ornaments are all from Dollar Tree.

-  Make ornaments!  Every year I usually make at least one ornament to help fill my tree with out breaking the bank.  Often times I just use what I have on hand since I have so many craft supplies.  Felt, clear ornaments that can be filled with things, pine cones {free}, and cardstock are great supplies for making ornaments.  This year I filled my clear bulb ornaments with twine from Dollar tree to bring some more of the natural colors I wanted to the tree.  I also created a book page ornament {tutorial coming soon}.

-  After putting all the basic ornaments like I talked about earlier - white, clear, silver, or gold {or all} bulbs all through the tree.  Start adding your fun or personalized ornaments.  And any big items you want to use to spread through the tree, like candy canes or even something simple like small wrapped presents.

-  I love floral picks.  This is another great way to fill your tree on the cheap.  If you wait until sales or even after Christmas clearance you will get some great deals on them at your craft stores.  Glitter ones are my fave because they pick up the light.  I always have silver on hand, and tons of them.  Also metallic berry picks are great, they look like little clusters on the tree.  I place them through the tree after all my ornaments are on, that way I can fill in any blank spots.  I also buy large bushes of the plastic or glitter flowers and cut them apart with wire cutters.  Then I place the stems through the tree.  You can also buy inexpensive Christmas flowers from the Dollar Tree and cut them apart and place the flowers through your tree.  These items also make your garlands pop!  

-  If you want a tree topper that you use every year try to find something neutral that will go with any theme.  I have my white snowflake that goes with anything I do, found it on clearance after Christmas several years ago.  

-  Last thing is your tree skirt.  Honestly you don't even have to have one.  If you have a tablecloth, sheet, or fabric lying around...you have a tree skirt.  Just drape it around the base of the tree.  You can make one like I did these past couple years but not necessary.  If your like me and love to switch themes or colors yearly then go for something in a neutral color of course like white.  You can even use an old crate, galvanized tin, or great planter to add not only height to your tree but it will add a whole new charm to your tree.  I'm thinking that next year I'll be doing something like a crate to boost my 7ft tree to a 9ft. tree.  

-  Shop clearance!  You don't have to go out the day after Christmas to find great deals, but do keep your eyes open.  Target has the best after Christmas clearance obviously, but Walmart will also have great deals.  Joanns & Michaels are also great places to go buy more personalized or themed ornaments. This is when I usually decided next years theme based off of what I find on clearance.  

I hope these tips were helpful and that you have a wonderful time decorating your Christmas Tree this year.  Happy decorating!

InStyle & People Style Watch Magazine

Last night I sat down to enjoy a little {me} time, I had a much needed cup of coffee and read through a couple of great fashion magazines.

  

I hardly get time anymore to flip through a magazine, but when I do get time I love fashion magazines.  I love to see all the newest trends, hottest colors, best new accessories, and all the celeb's wearing it who make it look so good.

Last night I went to my local Target to purchase the current issues of InStyle & People Style Watch. When you purchase both magazines at Target from now until December 8th you receive a $5 Target Gift Card to use in a future purchase.  I don't know about you, but I love when they run those $5 Gift Card deals.  

  

The current cover of People Style Watch features Taylor Swift {which magazine isn't this beautiful girl on}, and Catherine Zeta-Jones adorned the InStyle cover {she's always gorgeous}.  Both magazines were full of amazing Holiday fashion, hairstyles, and the latest gift ideas.

The first thing that caught my eye...this incredibly awesome nail polish from Essie.  It's the magnetic kind, changes patterns when you hold the magnetized cap over it.  Crazy awesome!  Guess what my $5 Target Gift Card is going to buy?!  Yep this stuff.

It also doesn't hurt that this stud happened to be in both magazines!  Nothing like a little eye candy.

A trend I love that seemed to flow through both magazines was Black & Gold.  I love the look of bright gold against black.  It's a great look for holiday parties, the office, girls night out, and a date night with the hub's of course. 

Another thing I really loved in the People Style Watch issue was the 50 Hot Holiday Hairstyles.  There are some great ideas here that are perfect for the parties, or if your in a rut with your hair for your upcoming family photo sessions!  

Last but not least...the gift ideas in both magazines were amazing.  So many great products.  I had to narrow it down to a couple that I most certainly want to pick up for myself.  First was the Lip Balm Trio from Chapstick, how cute right?!  I'm a sucker for Chapstick of any kind, but put it in a cute tin and I'm sold.  Next was these Initial Stud Earrings, to dye for.  I want a pair, I'm a huge stud earring fan and would love to find these in my stocking...hint hint hubby!  The last thing I found was this gift set of Elf brand Nail Polish.  I actually caught a glimpse of them in Target on Thanksgiving night while I was waiting in line to check out, but didn't have a chance to look at them.  I will most definitely be looking for these when I go back to Target to use my $5 Target Gift Card.  

So make sure you head to your local Target store now so you don't miss out on this great deal - because not only do you get to read about all the latest styles and trends, you get a free $5 Target Gift Card if you purchase BOTH magazines in the same shopping trip before December 8th.

  

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™, but all my opinions are my own http://cmp.ly/3/KqtZiE

Felt Ribbon Candy

Today I'm sharing an easy tutorial that is sure to "sweeten" your Holiday decor.  It's my Felt Ribbon Candy.  I know you have all seen the old fashioned ribbon candy that typically comes around during the holiday seasons, they are one of my favorite candies to look at.  They are so pretty.

Here's What You Will Need:

-  Felt {any colors you want}

-  Scissors

-   Glue Gun

-  Cutting Mat & Rotary Cutter {this is optional}

Let's get started.

Start by cutting your felt, I used a cutting mat and my rotary cutter to make even strips and it was way faster.  You can use your handy dandy scissors though if you don't have those items.  I used the regular felt sheets you can get in any craft store that are roughly the size of a sheet of paper 8 1/2" x 11".  You will need to cut 1" strips of felt, you will want them to be as long as possible so cut the long side.
{If you want to make bigger pieces of candy, use felt by the yard!}

Next for the ribbon candy layer 3 pieces of felt on top of each other.  I glue each layer together with a little hot glue.  Then I began to just bend the felt back and forth to create the ribbon look, gluing each bend as I went.  For the small round peppermint style candy simply layer 2 pieces of felt on top of each other.  These two layers I didn't hot glue together.  I simply started to roll them tightly and glued as I went and rolled them. When you get the end of the strips of felt just glue them down. 

Now you should have a bunch of really cute and colorful felt Old Fashioned Ribbon Candy!  You can fill clear vases with these, string them like garland for around the house or on the tree, make ornaments for you tree, etc...  You can make these in any color combination you want, I may do a fun bright & bold color palette.  I've always wanted to have a "Candy" themed bright & bold colored Christmas tree, these would be perfect on the tree!  Happy Holidays!

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