A super easy way to display all those beautiful cards you're getting.
All you need is a cabinet, ribbon and clothespins.
Just cut a long length of ribbon, wrap it around your cabinet door and tie the ends in the back.
Pin the cards on as you receive them.
A great and easy way to enjoy your cards all season!
Thanks to Duncan Hines for sponsoring my writing. There's no limit to the baking possibilities, so grab your favorite Duncan Hines mix and Comstock or Wilderness fruit fillings and Bake On! www.duncanhines.com.
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Now is the perfect time of year for a fun Girls' Night In! The weather may be dreary or cold, but the Christmas lights are cheery so it's the perfect time to invite girlfriends over for a fun night of wrapping gifts!
Now is the time of year that everyone has some wrapping to do and why not invite a few friends over to share in the fun.
It doesn't take a lot to create this fun night. Ask each person to bring a couple rolls of wrapping paper or ribbon/embellishments. You supply the tape and scissors and refreshments. Or, ask everyone to bring one roll of wrapping paper and a snack.
With everyone bringing wrapping paper, you're guaranteed an assortment of festive papers under the tree. Encourage others to bring inexpensive embellishments from the dollar store to share.
Then when guests arrive, turn on some holiday music or a Lifetime/Hallmark holiday movie as your background and enjoy the evening with friends while marking something off your holiday to do list.
Need suggestions on embellishments or unique wrapping tips? Follow my Pinterest board called "creative wrapping" where you'll see tips like how to turn those wrapping paper scraps into bows like this:
photo source: Simply Julie
So set a date, evite your friends and create an occasion! It doesn't have to be formal or fancy! Just a relaxed good time to get together with friends!
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Remember to check out Duncan Hines' website www.duncanhines.com to find some great recipes for your holiday get-together! I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective.
Do you put up several Christmas trees? Or are you not a fan of tree skirts?
Looking for a unique way to hide the tree stand?
Hide your tree stand in a present!
Here's how you do it:
1. Find a box that is at least as big as your tree stand. Also, make sure the box will clear the bottom of your tree. I lucked out with this box! Just happened to be in my garage. You'll notice that I cut off two of the flaps. I cut off two flaps so I wouldn't have to cut through 4 flaps when making the hole for the tree.
2. Place the stand inside the box (like above). Close the flaps and tape together. Then cut a hole in the top of the box so it coordinates in placement with the hole in the stand inside.
3. From there, wrap the box like you would a present. Depending on the size of the box and how much room the stand has to move or flip over, you may want to wrap the box without flipping it over like you would a normal present. I wrapped this one by putting the seam on the top and back of the box. This way, the front of the box would be smooth with no seam. Also, make sure you add a bow or other embellishments before you install the tree. After you finish wrapping, cut the same hole in the wrapping paper, so the stand is visible from the outside of the wrapped box.
4. You'll need help with the next step. Have one person lower the tree into the box. The other person will guide the tree into the stand inside the box. If your box is much bigger than the stand, you may want to cut a larger hole so that one of your hands can move the stand if needed.
Done! No more ugly stand!
A perfect addition to a decorative tree that you may not be using as your main tree.
Stay tuned ... lots more holiday decor ideas to come!
We all remember the coffee filter trees that were the craze last year. Well... here's another fun DIY tree that you can make with ribbon.
These fab trees are from Sparkle and she gives a tutorial on how to create them.
While she suggest uses styrofoam bases, remember that you can roll poster board for the same affect. Styrofoam is expensive if you're creating several of these trees. Here's where I talk about creating cones out of poster board. 2 sheets for $1 at the Dollar Tree and... you can create any size you need depending on how you cut/roll it.
Thank you to LiveOn for this sponsored opportunity to blog about storing and sharing my most important memories with those closest to me. Although story ideas were provided, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you again to LiveOn for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about storing and sharing your most special memories. I was selected for this sponsorship by Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.
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There is a huge new player in the field of shared online memories that I want to introduce you to - LiveOn. I was thrilled to be one of the first to try it out because I'm a sucker for photos/video and memory keeping and they have created a new and exciting way to pass along memories for future generations.
While LiveOn does do the same things that other online media storage does, it also is unique in so many ways. One of my favorite features of it is that it creates a timeline of your memories.
It creates a visual horizontal timeline where you can add important moments like Wedding, Moved, Had our first child, etc. Anything you want and it all shows up right on the timeline, marking the place in history. You can surround those markers with video, photos, etc.
One of the other features I find interesting is that LiveOn will prompt you with questions. You answer these life questions and LiveOn stores your answers. They "Live On" forever and those relatives added to your "tribe" (i.e. family/friends) will be able to see them forever. Similar to a virtual diary. If you have a webcam, you can answer the questions through video, right from their site.
The theory behind LiveOn is that the memories you document on their site will be passed along for generations to come. It's a virtual time capsule of your life. LiveOn will save and store your documentation forever and in keeping up with changing technology. No matter how technology changes, they'll continue to keep your memories safe.
I encourage you to check out this service. There is a wonderful video tutorial that will get you started in no time! It's interesting, engaging, fun and interactive. It's an easy to way to document your family's life for future generations with minimal effort!
Thank you again to LiveOnfor sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about storing and sharing your most special memories. I was selected for this sponsorship by Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.
It's the most... wonderful time... of the year......!!!
Well, for more than one reason. Thanksgiving is almost here and of course, Christmas is right around the corner. Time to spend with family and friends.
And there's one more reason it's a wonderful time of year... the folks at Hershey's are introducing yet another new product. Hershey's Almond Pieces!
The folks at Hershey's asked me to give them a go before they hit stores and hey, who am I to argue!
Here's the short and sweet of it. You need some. You need some at your house for the holidays, especially. These are full sized almonds covered in the rich amazing chocolate that Hershey's is known for and then covered in a crunchy shell.
There is a mix of milk chocolate, dark chocolate and white chocolate in each bag. Something for everyone!
I can tell you they are highly addicting and everything you'd expect from Hershey's! They are larger and more decadent than almond M&Ms.
These would be great to fill a candy dish during the holidays!
While these fabulous treats don't hit stores until Dec. 2, I'm giving away THREE bags NOW!
Three people will receive one bag each. To enter, just leave a comment below. I'll be drawing on Monday evening, November 21.
Good luck!
This post is sponsored by Tempur-Pedic, the brand millions of owners trust to deliver their best night’s sleep every night. Enjoy our Buy 2, get 1 free pillow offer now and give the gift of custom comfort to someone you love.
The holidays are approaching and even though we love them, they are HECTIC and can get crazy. Lots to do in what feels like NO time. Everyone has those special holiday comforts that they fall back on during the holidays. Things that make the holidays special.
Here are a few of mine:
1. Special ornaments - While, as you may have guessed, I put up quite a bit of holiday decor, I still love taking a minute to look at special ornaments when decorating the tree. Ornaments that my husband gave me when we were dating and especially our anniversary ornaments.
2. Warm, fuzzy socks - I love warm, fuzzy socks and I always buy new ones in December. Just love them. Usually in Christmas colors. LOL
3. Warm foods/warm drinks - soup, chili, hot chocolate... even fondue!
4. Wrapping paper and all the trimmings - ok.. so it's not a comfort, but I love to wrap. I love scouring the Dollar Tree and other stores for small embellishments.
5. Family - it's nice just to spend time together. No where to go. Just at home doing nothing really. I love when Christmas day dies down and all the excitement is over. It's a great time for my husband and I to relax and watch my son play with his new toys.
6. Big thick blankets and a warm bed! 'Nuff said!
Comfort is the perfect gift for everyone on your holiday gift list, so be sure to take advantage of Tempur-Pedic's Buy 2, get 1 free pillow offer! I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective.
It's getting to be that time of year. When you begin planning your holiday menus and gathering your supplies!
One easy hostess item to have on hand to serve is a great, rich hot chocolate. Easy and fast to prepare for guests that drop in unannounced! What makes it so good? Like a hot chocolate you'd get at a coffee shop?
International Delight!
Here's how you make it:
Mix 8 oz of milk with 2 oz of International Delight of Marshmallow Mocha
That's it! Easy as that?
Like coffee? Add a shot of coffee or espresso.
Want REALLY rich hot chocolate? Add Marshmallow Mocha to already prepared hot chocolate!
Don't forget a garnish! Add whipped cream and sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Or rim the glass. Just crush candy canes and place it on a saucer. Dip the rim in water and then dip it into the candy canes.
Tell International Delight what YOUR favorite holiday treat is for a chance to win a $200 Walmart gift card.
Capture the flavors of the holidays in every cup of coffee with International Delight Creamers. Available in a variety of flavors, such as, Pumpkin Pie Spice, Vanilla Spiced Rum and White Chocolate Raspberry.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions expressed by me do not necessarily reflect the view of the International Delight Brand.
Well, before we knew it, Halloween was over and it was already November. NOVEMBER! Doesn't it feel like we were JUST celebrating the beginning of summer?
So with the holidays on the horizon, all the planners, like me, are already drooling over holiday card designs! And Tiny Prints has you covered with a brand new line for the 2011 season.
There are so many things that I love about Tiny Prints but one is all the options they offer.
With Tiny Prints, you can get square or rounded corners. Semi-glossy or matte finish.
Also, quite a few cards offer a beautifully designed back for your card.
They offer several envelope options. Also matching address labels and even thank you cards!
They'll even pre-ship your envelopes so you can begin addressing them while your cards are being printed. This is especially helpful if you are in a time crunch or are maybe having a calligrapher address your envelopes.
I also love these circle card options. Perfect to hang on your tree. Or, they'll even give you the option of using this same design in a typical card size.
With 434 card designs for 2011, you'll definitely find something that works for you! You may have MY problem, even... there are TOO MANY that I love!
Want to win 50 free GORGEOUS cards!!!?
Simply head to Tiny Prints and leave a comment letting me know which card you'd choose if you won!
Contest ends this Friday evening, 11/11 at 6pm EST.
Looking for something for your door that's NOT a wreath?
Here ya go!
All you have to do is get a plastic or foam pumpkin, slice it in half and decorate as you please.
Maybe decoupaging the pumpkins like I did last year?