Definitely wish I stumbled upon these quirky melted snowman cookies a month ago! Crazy Domestic has a great tutorial that will give step-by-step instructions on how to create these little guys. Although the season is over, these will be awesome for next year (I couldn’t wait a whole year to share these)! [Photo courtesy of Crazy Domestic]
Ever put your glass down at a party never to find it again? Problem no more! The blog Just Short of Crazy and MollyO came up with a stellar way to literally mark your own glass. Chalkboard paint on the bottom on the glasses allows guests to create their own moniker for their glass. Although wine glasses were only highlighted, this can be most likely be painted on a beer mug, champagne glass, etc. Much more sophisticated than the red plastic cup and a permanent marker. Your guests will love it.
With all the hectic, festive activities that will consume your time this year, it is nice to have a reminder why you are sweating over three dozen elf shaped cookies at 11 pm Christmas Eve. This Santa’s Belt Countdown Pillow available at Kohls, can be your sanity check. Move the numbered belt under the belt buckle to mark the days until Christmas. Now you can merrily and comfortably decorate knowing your big deadline.
ps– Since I found it last week, they have sold out, however, this would be a great “go-to” gift next year for an unexpected guest!
It is that time of year when the holiday parties are coming in droves. Each weekend has (or will be) claimed from here until New Years. If you are lucky enough to host your own, you want to make sure to welcome your guests right at the start! Here are some fun, festive, and quirky front door mats that will certainly impress, if not begin, some chatter at your party. Most listed are made from coir (coconut husks) and are environmentally considerate.
…festive doormat depicts red birds and white branches against a blue sky. Simple, silhouetted shapes make for a modern design, while sustainable and absorbent coir minimizes damage to both the environment and the doorstep.
…leftover birch twigs and branches that would otherwise be burned and slice them into cross-sections to expose their growth rings and beautiful, natural coloring. The disks are sanded smooth and mounted on a water-resistant backing. (INDOOR USE ONLY)
…A peaceful forest of evergreens is dotted with white snowflakes on a natural background. This easy-care, durable doormat is a great way to welcome guests to your home.
…Crafted from coir, a sustainable material made from the husk of a coconut, this durable Reindeer Doormat is great for high-traffic entryways.
…This natural coir doormat tells your guests to “beware of dog,” right down to the bite taken out of the corner. The 100% natural coir mat if fade resistant and vinyl-backed…
…Give guests a laugh with this good-humored, mind-boggling doormat that reads differently depending on whether you are walking in or out of the house. Carefully designed letters read “Come In” from one angle and “Go Away” when flipped…
The weather knows it, the leaves know it, and children definitely know it. What is it you ask? Well, it is the beginning of that magical holiday season, of course! And what better to start that season with friends and family than with the all important Thanksgiving dinner. As soon as Halloween is over, the kids begin preparing day in and day out at school with traced hand turkeys, feathers, and glitter– apparently a very important fashion statement for pilgrim belt buckles. So, why not reward all that hard scissor work with a table all their own at the Thanksgiving feast? Here are some ideas to make your children’s table seem less like an after thought and more like the place to be!
• Turkey Place mat (with tutorial!)
• Thanksgiving Themed Finger Puppet Favors (with tutorial!)
• Thanksgiving Coloring Place mat (with tutorial!) Checkout Crayola’s site for more free coloring book ideas!
• Pine Cone Crayon Holder (with tutorial!)
• Pilgrim Hat Holder (with tutorial!)
• Oreo Turkeys (with awesome tutorial!)
• Acorns (with how-to)
• Corn Cookie (with how-to)
Hopefully these wonderful ideas help jump start your kids’ table and make the adults try to sneak a seat over with the kiddos. As a note, adjust all the ideas accordingly for different age groups. Remember that happy entertained kids also means happy entertained adults. Happy planning and Happy Thanksgiving!
After that last drop of wine is gone, the last finger foods nibbled, and the last guest happily wanders out, you just want to enjoy the night and clean up in the morning– BUT WAIT– what about all those dripping glasses all over your new wood furniture?! Whose idea was it to serve ice?! Call it ‘Lord of the UN-Rings,’ but no one wants to wake up to three dozen tennis-ball-sized rings all over their coffee table after an awesome soiree. One thing is a must: COASTERS.
Coasters do not have to be overindulged nor do they have to be boring. For example, a creative way for guests to never forget their coaster is to actually attach the coaster to the glass! DimmalimmHome has made these adorable coasters that slip over the bottom of stemware and come in a variety of colors and are for sale on Etsy.
The next coaster would be great for a game night or a book club: Scrabble Coasters. Again, this little jewel comes from Etsy and is by MadeByMarcy. I guarantee this will be a conversation starter especially if guests do not know one another! For you DIY-ers out there, here is a tutorial to make your own Scrabble Coasters.
A project I would like to give a whirl for a larger party is DIY coasters. Design Sponge had a great idea that is economical and can be customized. I think they look like little crackers and would look great with a cheese, crackers, and wine spread! Or maybe sewing or stenciling on different designs to customize for any holiday or festivity!
And another DIY coaster that is a little more substantial is made from 4 x 4 ceramic tiles. I think this is cute for little hostess gifts or small friend gifts since they can be completely customized. One bride even used it as a creative place card for her wedding [photo: Era Photography, Inc.]. Directions on how to make these little jewels can be found over at On the Journey. On that site is a great step by step tutorial with images.
Remember, the more visible the coasters are, the more likely your guests will use them. Using ones like those mentioned above and placing them on most flat surfaces, people are guaranteed to see them and get the hint. Now you will be free to mingle and the only thing you will have to worry about now is your husband’s work friend trying to organize an impromptu karaoke contest– but at least your wood furniture will won’t be hurt, just your ears. Happy party planning!
I usually start dreaming up my Christmas newsletter around this time– mostly because I purchase all of the next year’s cards the day after Christmas the preceding year. Can’t beat the deals! And then I know how to make all my labels/letters match the themes of my store purchased cards. I personalize everything from the letter to the address labels. Usually this the only way some of the, non-Facebooking, older family/friends can keep up with my Hubs and my life. Here is a sampling of my work the past few years.
This was done by just finding clip art on the internet and then using a program to turn the words the correct way. I placed them on the envelopes vertically. They all mailed without any problem! I printed these on Avery clear labels— only put these on white envelopes if that is the look you want.
I like to create a different format for each one. I like the snowmen because I got to try my hand at digital graphic design. I typed in the message and attached a photo on the backside of me and Hubs.
Lowes Creative Ideas Giant Frame
A fun and easy project that can be used at family reunions, weddings, birthdays, or a myriad of events is from Lowes’ Creative Ideas. You take insulation board (I believe there is a light pink and a light blue version that would work well), cut it out using Lowes’ giant picture frame template found on their website here, and then paint it! Their website recommends using a jigsaw, but if you are careful and patient, you can carve the design out with an Olfa knife. You could even make some ‘happy’ mistakes that make the frame more your own. You can also make smaller sized frames.
This would make a great holiday card and the kids can even help decorate the frame for whatever holiday you choose.
The giant frame can also be used as a moving announcement: the frame and new homeowners are in the foreground and house in the background. Or try the idea below for a father’s, mother’s, or grandparent’s day card.
Use several different shots with the same (or different) frame in a series for the card to really capture the quirky air of the frame.
Lowes Creative Ideas Giant Frame Father's Day
As Father’s Day approaches, it is time to get the sentimental gifts started. One idea is from Michael’s. The kids trace their hands on some contact paper or card stock, then paint around the fingers and fade out. You can add differing colors to add to the fade effect. Just purchase a plain white tie, shirt, hat, etc. and decorate away!
This next idea comes from Martha Stewart. I made this last year for my father-in-law and my own father. I made the ties decorated in something they were interested in (i.e., fishing, the college they attended). It is cute and people will love how cute it is.
Guests can sometimes be stuck to their chairs all night and not socialize. To keep your guests from suffering for “Tree Stump Syndrome” I crafted some activities to get people talking, laughing, and, most importantly, learning more about the guest of honor. I needed something to match my ‘Last Class’ theme that would get the guests to interact with one another doing something benign and silly. These little activities usually help people loosen up and helps make the party more memorable.
I decided to create a song as a tribute to the guest of honor. The springboard for the idea came from a message board site. I liked the Yankee Doodle themed song since could download it from you tube without words to have the guests sing to at the party. To keep with my theme, I decided that I would make Dunce caps and those with the caps would automatically be chosen to sing the song at some point during the party.
At first, the Dunce caps were around and people merely thought they were just decorations for the party. However, the guest of honor began to choose people as she met and chatted with them. She picked people like her old boss, some old friends, etc. As soon as they received the hat, I discretely went to them and handed the song so they could read it over. The guest of honor only knew she had to hand them out, but did not know why. Then before the speeches, we asked all those ‘Dunces’ to come up to the front to receive their ‘punishment.’ Since I had about 10, people who were shy could still get up there without feeling bashful. I was surprised at the amount of people who got out cameras to get everyone singing! Everyone got a kick out of the whole production!
I bought gray poster board and referenced First Palette for a little help on making a conical hat. I measured my head with the string and then halved it. I then attached the string to a pencil, held the sting at the center of my circle, and traced my semi-circle. I cut out the shape carefully. Then I secured the hat with a staple at the bottom and then fixed the rest of the seam with dabs of hot glue. To make it more festive, I bout some spray glitter and glittered those bad boys up! I also used my Cricut to cut out the letters “Dunce.” I glued those on prior to the glitterization.
Another idea was to help the guests be better informed about the retiree. To do that we had a memorabilia table with old pictures, old year books, awards, etc. spread along the table along with mementos and decorations. In addition, we had a sideshow running that had fun facts about when she started teaching compared to now (e.g., the average teacher salary from the 60’s to average teacher’s salary now). Hopefully all the guests were paying attention because we had a POP QUIZ right after the speeches were done!
How toI printed these out on my card stock I used for all the rest of my projects. I chose questions that were tailored to those who attended (like the neighbors invited would get the car color correct, while work people would know about how many years she taught). The questions were meant to entertain and to get people laughing and, at the same time, learning a little more about the retiree. We also had some tie breakers in case we needed them. We gave the top two guests gifts for getting the most questions correct.
After that last drop of wine is gone, the last finger foods nibbled, and the last guest happily wanders out, you just want to enjoy the night and clean up in the morning– BUT WAIT– what about all those dripping glasses all over your new wood furniture?! Whose idea was it to serve ice?! Call it ‘Lord of the UN-Rings,’ but no one wants to wake up to three dozen tennis-ball-sized rings all over their coffee table after an awesome soiree.
Man-zan-ita! After securing the manzanita branches in foam, it was time to decorate. The decorations were hand made and extremely cheap and easy to make, but look like a million dollars! The theme of the party was secured in every touch in the centerpiece– from the color scheme to the table card names.
Beat the dread “Tree Stump” virus that hits guests at party where they become glued to their seats! Tantalize them with creative drinks and names that go with the party theme that will make them say “Hmm, I wonder what a Field Trip Gone Wrong tastes like?”
Guest can sometimes be stuck to their chairs all night and not socialize. So what is better than a childhood song and a pop quiz?! These activities are made to get some laughs, get people up, and get people learning more about the retiree.
Whether for teacher appreciation week, end of the year gift, or a teacher’s retirement party, this little pencil vase will be a hit! Just some glue, a plastic container, and some ribbon you can have a unique and great vase!
doodles, dabbles, & dreams 
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