Christmas Scraps Giveaway :: Winners

Good Monday Morning! I hope you had a fabulous weekend :) We had some (very) unexpected snow on Saturday (an inch or so! we NEVER get snow here. e.v.e.r. it's sad!) -- it was wonderful! Definitely added to the fun of the Christmas season. You will be seeing pictures very soon when I share an update on how my December Daily is progressing :)

It was SO fun to read everyone's holiday traditions - I was smiling the whole time I read them :) Thank you for sharing! I really wish I could send all of you a scrap pack!

So, the two winners:
Steph said...One of my favorite traditions is baking all the yummy treats and cookies with my mom for Christmas! I hope to win this giveaway!! You put together great 'scrap' kits!

TeenaBugg38 said...I have 5 kids and LOPVE having thier friends come over and be a part of everything. When I was a kid it was just me and my mom....I spent the holidays with friends and was always floored at the huge gathering of people (and no fighting!!!) and food and warmth...I so want that for my kids to remember when they grown up...I want tehm to tell thier children about how fun and loving our holidays were :)

Congratulations! I will be emailing you two later today for your shipping addresses.

+ Stay tuned later today- some fabulous, festive handmade gift ideas from etsy!

Christmas Art Journal Scraps :: Giveaway

So after making tons and tons of these fun Christmas Art Journals, I have tons and tons of random scraps sitting in a box on my craft table. I have already saved a bunch for random projects, but a lot of them still need a new home :) I think a giveaway is in order :)

I'm going to give away two of these Christmas Scraps Packs! The scraps vary in sizes and include patterned Christmas-themed papers, transparencies, vellum, vintage sheet music, writing paper, and more. Each pack has over 50 pieces of scraps, varying in sizes and shapes. Some may have a slight tear or crinkle here or there, but still have plenty of room to cut up, punch shapes out of, etc.

To enter:
+ Leave a comment on this post with a holiday tradition you have or would like to have one day.
+ For an additional entry, feel free to blog or post on Facebook or twitter about the giveaway with a link to the giveaway.
+ Be sure to include your email address so I can contact you if you are a winner.
+ International entries welcome.
+ Ends Sunday (December 5). I will pick a winner Sunday night and post the winner Monday morning.

Christmas Meringues

These meringues are super simple to make - this was my first time ever making them and I was delighted at how they turned out. My grandmother used to make them all the time :) Since they can be made ahead and stored in an air-tight container, they are great for any sort of get-together. These yummy things can be made especially festive at Christmas by adding food coloring or crushed peppermint on top. Yum! With a minimal amount of ingredients needed, these are great to make for a crowd (or to give as gifts!) because the recipe makes so many.

Christmas Meringues (adapted from one of my cookbooks)
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1 cup sugar
Optional: 1 or 2 drops red or green food coloring, crushed peppermint

Heat oven to 250 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with foil. In a small bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar with a handmixer until foamy.
Gradually add sugar, 1 Tbsp. at a time. Continue beating about 5-7 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Stir in food coloring, if desired.


Spoon 1-inch mounds onto the foil-lined cookie sheets. Sprinkle crushed peppermint on top of each meringue, if desired. Bake at 250 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until crisp and dry. They will peel right off of the foil and the inside will be a little chewy. Cool completely. Makes about 3 dozen (depending on how big you make them). Enjoy!

Handmade Christmas: Advent Calendar Roundup

We had an advent calendar growing up that we pulled out of the attic (along with all of the other Christmas decorations) each year. It was a cardstock paper calendar with a beautiful illustration of baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph in the stable. There were little numbers on flaps and each one had a picture underneath of it. Each day we got to open one flap - so fun. As we got older, we had the calendars that had chocolate behind the flaps - each day we took turns on who got the chocolate :).

So today-- a round up of links to beautiful Advent Calendars from all across the www. I am always amazed at the beautiful creativity people have. I plan to make an Advent Calendar for our little family one day... maybe next year? :) Love all of the inspiration out there - so many different ideas! :) What a fun way to celebrate each day in December leading up to Christmas - the perfect opportunity to reflect daily on the meaning of Christmas-- with a fun little gift, activity, or Scripture.

Cardholder/Advent Calendar Idea by My Digital Art Studio

Do you have an Advent Calendar? Did you make it yourself?

I recently found this neat blog - oh Amanda - below are some fab ideas for what to put in each day of your Advent Calendar:
-- From oh Amanda
+ A Scripture that tells the story of Jesus’ birth
+ A small piece of candy
+ An ornament
+ A charm (that could be made into a bracelet or necklace)
+ A piece of paper with an activity (ie. “let’s make Christmas cookies” OR “we’re going Christmas light watching tonight!”)
+ A clue to an activity, craft, story (that’s kinda what we’re doing. I put in a sticker of a king yesterday because we read Isaiah 9:6-7)
+ A small toy
+ The title of a Christmas story to read

The Roundup: All of these are fabulous ideas to make your own Advent Calendar - Enjoy :)

1. craftastica - Recycle Bin Advent Calendar

2. Marta Writes - Advent - December Bookshelf (and a great round up of more Advent Calendars)

3. Stitch-Craft - Countdown to Christmas

4. All About You - Advent Calendar

4. Full Circle - Advent

5. Design*Sponge - Paper Holiday - Advent

6. Pink Blossom Events - Advent Calendar

7. Martha Stewart - Photo Advent Calendar (great idea to give grandparents)

8. Ali Edwards - Advent Boxes

9. Stitch Craft - Adventures in Advent Calendars

10. Pickles - Christmas Calendar for Sharing

+ Check out more Advent Calendar Round Ups here and here.

+ Debbie recently purchased a set of Holiday Number Tags from my etsy shop and was super sweet to send me pictures of how she used them in her handmade Advent Calendar. Isn't this so adorable!? Nice work! Thanks for sending the pictures Debbie :)

*All images in this post from their respective blogs/websites.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thursday :) And Happy Thanksgiving to those in the U.S. :) Loving spending time with family.... hanging out, laughing, talking, cooking, baking and eating. Have a fabulous day :)

*Image found in Google Images (image is all over www) - no original source found.

DIY Tuesday: Felt Leaves Napkin Rings

I wanted to help jazz up the table at my parent's house for Thanksgiving, and even though I'm terrified of working with felt (no really), I thought I'd give making some napkin rings a try :). These little cuties are super quick and easy to make and don't require a sewing machine. Perfect to make for Thanksgiving this week or to celebrate Fall.

Supplies:
+ Various colors of felt
+ Embroidery floss in a Fall color
+ Needle
+ Scissors
+ Pen or pencil
+ Template for leaves (see end of this post)
First, cut out the leaves from the template.
Next, trace onto felt using the pen or a pencil. Trace as many as you desire to make.
Cut out the leaves from the felt. Now stitch the leaf "veins" using the embroidery floss and needle.
Next, cut out the napkin ring strips. Mine were 6.5"x1". You can use a variety of colors for these strips, I chose to do all brown.
Next, the leaves need to be attached to the mid-section of the strips. I just made extra "veins" that also doubled as stitching the leaf to the strip (see the arrow in the picture below - that's an extra "vein"). You could also double up on some of the stitches you already made in the leaf (or you can use a hot glue gun ;)).
To finish them off, simply stitch the two ends together.
Voila! A cute and simple way to dress up your table! :)

Template for leaves: Click to enlarge, right click to save and then print.

Monday Faves :: Thanksgiving Goodies

Happy Monday :) For those in the US, Happy Thanksgiving week! Some fun Thanksgiving goodies for today :)

We are getting ready to head north to Virginia to spend Thanksgiving with my family. Super excited to see everyone :) If you are planning on ordering anything from the shop (like anything needed for December Daily) - be sure to order by 6pm EST today. All orders placed by then will ship out by tomorrow (Tuesday, November 23). Any orders placed after that will ship Monday, November 29.
1. Mother Earth's Vintage Tin Canisters from shavingkitsupplies
2. Wood Recipe Box by BoydemTreasures
3. Vintage Fabric Wall Art by merriweathercouncil
4. Cotton Potholders by xxxRedStitcHxxx
5. Magnetic Spice Kit by dellcovespices
6. Honey Amber Cluster Bracelet by waterwaif
7. Thanksgiving Place Cards by SoftDayStudios
8. Gobble Wooden Letters by JCBloomingBoutique
9. Pumpkin Rosette. Hair Clip by themustardseedco
10. Brady Brown and Orange Pin Cushion by minusOne