Christmas Hostess Gifts

 

 

Here's a few ideas for some Christmas hostess gifts...

 

Published now at http://www.celebrations.com/content/semi-homemade-hostess-gifts-to-give and



http://www.celebrations.com/content/homemade-hot-chocolate-hostess-gift

 

A live rosemary plant all decked out for Christmas is a fragant and thoughtful gift for your hostess.

 A rich homemade hotcocoa mix is tucked in a basket with fresh tangerines...oh yum!

 Dress up a styrofoam container and fill it with cinnamon-sugar popcorn.

Here's a great do-it-yourself ornament for a book-loving friend.

White Elephant Gift Exchange Party

 

Ideas are published at http://www.celebrations.com/content/whimsical-white-elephant-gift-exchange-holiday-party









 

 

 

 

Here are some creative ways to package Christmas goodies...

 

Details and directions are now published at celebrations.com
Check it out:

http://www.celebrations.com/content/4-simple-inexpensive-repurposed-gift-wrap-tutorials
http://www.celebrations.com/content/recycled-upcycled-repurposed-christmas-goodie-bag-ideas

Wooden Block Name Holders

 

Those great little wooden blocks from Pick Your Plum make pretty terrific name holders for place settings.  After the party, they can hold a cute picture or a reminder or...whatever!

The how-to is here:  http://www.celebrations.com/content/diy-wooden-block-holiday-place-card-holder

7 is my Favorite Number!

Look how much fun you can have with a few 1 1/2 inch wooden blocks!  I ordered the blocks from Pick Your Plum then decorated them with some coordinating scrapbook paper and 7 photos of the cutest kids in the world!  :)
You can stack them any way you please.  I'm thinking that I'll rotate and put the one with the next birthday on top.
A few quick notes:  The blocks are 1 1/2 inch square so I cut the decorative paper 1 1/4 inch.  I inked the edges of the paper and the photos with brown ink.  I applied the paper and the black and white photos with Mod Podge.  I put a second coat of Mod Podge over the top of the decorative papers, but not the photos.

Halloween Mason Jars

I should be canning like my mom did, but I found myself transforming these mason jars into some fun Halloween luminaries and treat holders.  Ideas are posted at http://www.celebrations.com/content/diy-halloween-treat-mason-jars

Back to School Crafts for Kids

   Lots of fun back to school ideas are published now at celebrations.com.  Check it out: 

http://www.celebrations.com/profile/pattiallan

Back to School

Back to school today...the beginning of the 2012-13 school year is officially on the books!  Looking forward to another great year.

Back to School crafts and ideas coming soon to celebrations.com     :)

Back to School Countdown!

Sneak Peek...
I'm working on some Back to School ideas for celebrations.com and this countdown banner is one my faves.

Details and instructions coming soon!

Ribbon Bunting

Thoughts of Fall

Just completed an assignment for celebrations.com ... Easy Ways to Decorate Your Entryway for Fall.  A ribbon bunting is fun to make for any season and adds a seasonal color splash wherever you tie it!  Check it out:  http://www.celebrations.com/content/whimsical-halloween-mantle-decorations

Beach Inspired Tablescape

It's hot out there!  A beach-inspired tablescape may cool things down a bit...at least in one's mind.  Dream a little dream of ocean waves, barefeet and the need for a light sweater.   Ahhhh...
http://www.celebrations.com/content/beach-decor-tablescape?g=8

Blackberry Cobbler

It's blackberry season and the Pioneer Woman has a scrumptious recipe for Blackberry Cobbler!  I made mine in individual serving dishes (small quiche or tart pans) and YUMMY is the word!  A scoop of really good vanilla ice cream, and it's heaven.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/08/the_great_cobbl/

Recipe: Blackberry Cobbler #1

Prep Time: 20 Minutes | Cook Time: 1 Hour | Difficulty: Easy | Servings: 8

Print Recipe3"x5" Cards4"x6" CardsFull Page

Ingredients

• 1 stick Butter
• 1-1/4 cup Sugar
• 1 cup Self-Rising Flour
• 1 cup Milk
• 2 cups Blackberries (frozen Or Fresh)

Preparation Instructions

Melt butter in a microwavable dish. Pour 1 cup of sugar and flour into a mixing bowl, whisking in milk. Mix well. Then, pour in melted butter and whisk it all well together. Butter a baking dish.
Now rinse and pat dry the blackberries. Pour the batter into the buttered baking dish. Sprinkle blackberries over the top of the batter; distributing evenly. Sprinkle ¼ cup sugar over the top.
Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until golden and bubbly. If you desire, sprinkle an additional teaspoon of sugar over the cobbler 10 minutes before it’s done.

Posted by Ree on July 3 2009

"Red, white and FREE."  PICK YOUR PLUM did it again!  Great 4th of July flags to download and print.  FREE.  :)

I put them in some yummy blueberry-coconut cupcakes last year.

This year, I cut them out and made a festive little itty-bitty banner.

Creative Ways to Package Cookies

It's published and it's posted at celebrations.com

Check it out for more ways to package cookies for gifts or favors:

http://www.celebrations.com/content/10-repurposed-cookie-favor-ideas-for-any-celebration

Glass Jars

Mmmmm.  A large glass jar with a natural, woven lid.  I have so many plans for you!  For the summer, you will sit on my coffee table and hold some wonderful things like starfish, sea shells, and some wonderfully, textural balls of rope and twine.  When fall comes, I promise to give you a whole new look.  :)



I found this glass jar at Marshalls--around $7.00.  So many of the bloggers that I follow decorate their fireplace mantels for each season.  I don't have a mantel.  But, the coffee table is a great place to make a "splash" to reflect the season. 

July 4th Burlap Bag Favor

"The United States is the only country with a known birthday."           ~James G. Blaine

Burlap favor bag filled with red and white peppermints.

Flag Block #2

Here's another flag block with a beachy-twist.  I got this idea and the directions from How Does She? but again, stacked the blue blocks to keep the flag even.  I white-washed the wood on all sides with a watered-down vanilla colored acrylic paint. After that dried I got out the Mod Podge and adhered some beachy looking scrapbook paper to the blocks.  I sanded the edges of the paper EXCEPT for the two edges of the blue blocks that meet.  I wanted that to look as close to one piece of wood as possible.  I used hot glue to attach that cute little starfish and then tied the whole stack of patriotic blocks with a burlap bow.

 Puts me in the mood for a little July 4th celebration...ON THE BEACH!

4th of July Wooden Block Flag

When I saw this lil dandy over at http://www.brownpaper--packages.com/2010/08/flag-blocks.html ... well, I knew I had myself a little project for the afternoon.  It was easy, inexpensive, and fun.  I followed the directions, but changed the blue blocks up a bit.  I wanted my blocks to be level so I painted the edges of the blue blocks--painting a bit inside the edges where the 2 blocks go together.  I put a little hot glue between the blue blocks to keep them tightly together.  I found this little wooden star at Michaels and painted and distressed it. Then, I adhered the star with hot glue to the blue blocks.

Burlap Bag with a Daisy

 

Lots of possibilites for these little burlap dandies!

 

Burlap Favor Bags from Pick Your Plum are the perfect size for a gift card. I stenciled a little olive branch on this bag, tucked a Sur la Table gift card in it and tied it to a bottle of their fabulous olive oil.

Same burlap bags... This time I sponged some grapey purple craft paint on a rubber stamp and pressed it on the bag. What a cute way to give a gift card!

4th of July Kabobs

Strawberry + glazed donut hole + festive skewer = POW! 

Great for brunch or a snack for the kids...Happy 4th of July!

http://www.celebrations.com/content/4th-of-july-brunch

4th of July Banner

4th of July Banner

Do it yourself--no sew banner for the 4th of July.  Directions are posted at:  http://www.celebrations.com/content/4th-of-july-bandana-print-banner

Creative Ways to Package Cookies

Coming Soon...
I'm currently working on a fun assignment for celebrations.com

Creative ways to package cookies...

This is way too much fun!



Linen Treat Bags

Pick Your Plum is a super fun site for craft supplies, fabrics, metal, hair goodies, accessories...you name it!  They have a daily e-mail to let you know what the item of the day is.  The prices are amazingly low,  the quality is excellent, and the customer service is absolutely pleasurable. Check it out.

My recent purchase was some linen and burlap bags.  These are going to make great little party favors, they can hold a little gift, a Starbucks card will fit perfectly, and I'm still making up reasons to fill these little guys up.  I used rubber stamps and ink to decorate the bags and filled them with some yummy chocolate caramels.