Sweet, sweet Christmas

All this week, I'm making my own ornaments

using salt dough. It's easy and definitely a

fun activity with the children.

An empty wreath is so blah.

Here's how I'm snazzing it up:

I'm adding some sweets like candy and doughnuts,

all made from salt dough.

TADA!

Here they are all decorated, ready for a tree or...

...a wreath for my front door!

Delicious, don't you think?

Another Gingerbread Man

One of my favorite holiday traditions is decorating the

Christmas tree.

An empty tree can be quite blah.

I just can't wait until the lights are strung, the decorations

are hung and the star is positioned on top!

For sure, one holiday tradition I'd like to begin

is to make our own ornaments. It's fun for the family,

each ornament will have a story and will never be

available in any store.

Doing that is easy using this salt dough recipe

and a bunch of cookie cutters. It's almost like

making cookies, but ones that lasts for generations.

TADA!

I know, I've been infatuated with gingerbread people lately.

I just can't resist them, especially this one

with a special message stamped on it.

You can achieve this with these cool cookie cutters

from Williams Sonoma.

TADA!

Here's what my gingerbread boy looks like

after being baked and a coat of paint.

Isn't he adorable on the tree?

I hope Santa doesn't mistake

him for a real cookie!

Too Good to be Truffles

All this week, I'll be showing you how to

make your own ornaments using this

easy to make salt dough recipe.

Today, we'll be using this blah -- paper liners

that scrumptious chocolates used to sit on.

I rolled balls out of the salt dough and passed a skewer

through the top for holes where I can insert a

piece of string.

Then I baked the balls in 250 degree oven.

Once cool, I painted and decorated!

Here's what they look like now:

TADA!

Truffle ornaments!

Don't they look like the real thing?

Adding a silver cord will indicate that these

chocolate bonbons are not edible.

Then you can hang them on the tree!

A Christmas Card

Let me tell you about something I came across

in the public garbage can. I found a clear plastic

bag (sealed) containing these:

CD envelopes!

Fifty pieces of clean, unused CD envelopes!

Clearly, nobody had wanted these, so I helped myself

to the stack. {But please know that no matter how much

I like making stuff out of "trash", I don't go through

other people's garbage bins. Heehee!}

Okay, here's what I eventually used them for:

TADA!

My 2010 Christmas card!

Inspired by this card I crafted last year, I decided

to include a handmade ornament.

Using this salt dough recipe, I made heart-shaped

ornaments with a cookie cutter. I added a hole on top

with a skewer and then baked these in the oven.

After cooling, I painted the hearts in a sparkly silver.

Then I slipped in a silver cord through the hole

and attached the ornament on red card stock

(trimmed to fit the CD envelope)

with a holiday message.

I wrote more personal messages on the

back plus a suggestion on how to use

the ornament: on a tree, a wreath or

around a doorknob.

I hope my relatives and friends

like this card + ornament that they

can use year after year!

Mint + Chocolate

Howdy! Look at what I have as a blah today:

An empty chocolate and gum box.

A bit blah but I like these because they resemble envelopes.

But nothing that gift wrap can't solve.

I added dimension with layers of these scalloped coins

(made from a puncher).

Plus a little contrast with fuchsia sequins.

These make for nifty gift boxes for small presents

but have lots of impact.

Have a great weekend!

Generic to Fantastic

If you're giving away gift cards for the holidays,

add a little personality to the packaging.

When you purchase the gift card, it sometimes comes with an envelope.

But isn't this so blah?

Make it TADA!

Add some glitter & bling to match the

sparkle & shine of the holidays.

This tinsel was from a gift I got last year

that I simply hot glued on the face of the envelope.

Add the card and a brief, cheerful message!

Gingerbread Lady

All this week, I'm sharing some wrapping ideas

for small gifts that you'll be giving away.

When the holidays come around, there's

a lot of baking involved & packages received.

Make sure to save those empty boxes!

These are blahs that can become TADAs!

I can't help but think of gingerbread people

at this time of year. So I took out the cookie

cutter and traced the shape on the cardboard.

Then I painted it all over in a festive color &

attached some ribbon at the top with hot glue.

Tada! It looks like an ornament!

By adding two holes, it can be used to

"wrap" a pair of earrings.

Something you made yourself or found at a craft fair.

You can use it to highlight a necklace, too.

Tuck this gingerbread lady in a small gift box

if you want to keep the gift a surprise.