MIDNIGHT KISSES

What a cute idea this is for a 

New Year's Eve celebration...

just fill up a bag with Hershey's Kisses and

print these labels and attach to it...

I love this simple idea....

...printable is here...

http://www.createcraftlove.com/2013/12/new-years-eve-printable.html

NEW YEAR'S EVE MARSHMALLOW POPS

This is a fun idea for New Year's Eve..

I bet kids would have fun helping to make them too....

...instructions here...

http://thedecoratedcookie.com/2009/12/new-years-eve-marshmallows

FUNFETTI SANDWICH COOKIES

I don't know how healthy these cookies would be but

I do know they sure would be pretty and festive looking

on a New Year's Eve treat table...as always...eat in 'moderation'!!

...recipe is here...

http://www.bakedperfection.com/2011/04/funfetti-sandwich-cookies.html

NEW YEAR'S EVE APPETIZER

This would be good for New Year's Eve or any day

of the year....I could easily make a meal out of this alone....

look how good it looks!

...recipe here...

http://recipesandme.com/recipes/new-years-eve-appetizer-pepperoni/

NEW YEAR'S EVE NOISEMAKER

These are cute and would be fun for both kids

and adults to make....you could make them as fancy or as

non-fancy as you like....you could even glue photos onto them

to personalize them...and then have fun making lots of noise

on New Year's Eve....

...instructions are here...they have other fun things

to make for New Year's Even too...

http://parentinghealthybabies.com/11-new-years-eve-party-decoration-craft-ideas-for-kids/

NEW YEAR'S EVE CUPCAKES

Well, Christmas flew by as fast as it always does...

Santa was very good to me again and hope he was to all of you too....

seems like we were just shopping and wrapping gifts and now

we are just a few days from New Year's Eve...

where does the time go!

I thought I would share these cute New Year's cupcake toppers...

wouldn't they be pretty on a dessert table...

...you can get the printable here...

http://www.holiday-crafts-and-creations.com/cupcake-ideas-for-new-years.html

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

We wish all of you a beautiful Christmas with your families

....thank you for the time you have spent on my blog...

I hope to have many, many more fun things to share on here

in the new year...

....here is a little look at some of our Christmas decorating...
as you will see I collect snowmen and also crystal angels...
I love them so much I actually leave a few of them out through the year...

Merry Christmas

RUSTIC WOODEN NATIVITY ORNAMENT

Sometimes you come across something that just stuns you...

something you never would have thought of doing yourself...

and when it has a meaning like this ornament has...you are just amazed

that someone came up with it...and you can't wait to make it yourself...

what a great idea this ornament is...

...instructions here...

http://www.shakentogetherlife.com/2012/12/rustic-wooden-nativity-ornament.html?showComment=1355612303144

PAPER BOWS

I can't wait to make some of these...

they would be great with any kind of

paper....even wrapping paper to match the gift....

  ...you can get the printable pattern for these here..

http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/2013/04/how-to-make-paper-bow.html

SANTA'S OFFICIAL NICE CERTIFICATES

Here is another great idea...

just fill in your child or grandchild's name and the date

and then print....

they will feel that Santa is proud of them!

....you can find these at this link...

(I can't say enough about this website...it's the best Christmas one

I have come across yet and I think their printables are just so beautiful).

http://www.kidscraps.com/MoneySavers/SantaLetters/OfficialNiceCertificates.htm

NATIVITY POPSICLE STICK PUPPETS

Another great printable for Christmas...

these look really easy to make and lots of

fun for kids...

...you can get this here..

http://likeaprettypetunia.blogspot.com/2011/12/nativity-popsicle-stick-puppets.html

PRINTABLE LOLLIPOP SANTA BEARDS

These are too fun not to share...

print, cut out and slide a lollipop stick through...

would be fun for pictures on Christmas!

...you can get the printable here...

...thanks to Julie....

http://likeaprettypetunia.blogspot.com/2012/12/santa-sucker-favors.html

WEIGHT WATCHERS JELLO PUDDING FLUFF

This looks so good...can't wait to try it...

...recipe is here...

http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2013/09/weight-watchers-jello-pudding-fluff.html

PRINTABLE SANTA BOXES

These are so cute...I don't need to say much about them...

just print them...fold them..fill them with treats...they will make someone

smile!

...you can find the printables here...

http://kathyscottage.blogspot.ch/2011_12_01_archive.html

CONFETTI SQUARES

These would be so pretty on a Christmas goodies plate...

and they only take 4 ingredients to make!

...here is the recipe...

http://www.echoesoflaughter.ca/2012/11/christmas-cookie-weekeasy-delish.html

CHRISTMAS TREE MEMORY ORNAMENTS

Well...here I am...finally back after another medical episode...

I will keep these comments shorter for a while until I am feeling better

but I have a lot of Christmas posts I want to get out to all of you yet

so I am going to get to posting...I hope you are having a great

Christmas season...

I have to share these Christmas Tree Memory Ornaments because

I think this is just a fantastic idea....we don't use a real tree but I am sure

lots of you do so I hope you will enjoy this...

...you save a slice of the trunk on your tree and turn it into

a memory for many Christmas seasons ahead...

you could use it for newlyweds or newborn babies or 1st grade of school

or anything you can think of...

...you can get suggestions and instructions here..

http://theexperimentalcrafter.blogspot.com/2012/12/christmas-tree-memory-ornaments.html

BEADED ORNAMENT HOOKS

I have been wanting to make some of these for the past

few years but just haven't gotten around to it yet...

I think they would be so fun and easy to make and would be

something nice for families to hand down from generation to generation...

....you could do them this way making your own hook or even just use

the large sized ornament hooks you can buy and slide the beads

onto those...both would be really nice....the difference is that if you

cut the wire and make it yourself you can put the swirly ends on it that

add a little extra prettiness to them...

...instructions here...

http://diylouisville.blogspot.com/2010/12/beaded-ornament-hooks-tutorial.html

PEPPERMINT PANCAKES

While we are in the candy cane mode today I thought I

would post this recipe too...

I can imagine lots of smiles from kids when they see

these on the breakfast table ...

I know the candy canes are surgary but hey...

it's Christmas right ?

recipe is here...

http://www.sweetcsdesigns.com/peppermint-pancakes/

4 INGREDIENT PEPPERMINT COOKIES

What could be more Christmas like than cookies with candy canes

in ? I have seen candy cane cookies before but I like that these

use a cake mix, which could be sugar free if you choose...

....these could be one of those recipes that become a Christmas

tradition for families...one that you use over and over each year...

and look!  only 4 ingredients!

here is where you can get this recipe...

http://www.sweetcsdesigns.com/4-ingredient-peppermint-cookies/

FOUR INGREDIENT CHRISTMAS COOKIES

If you follow my blog at all you have to know by now

that my ideal recipes have just 2, 3 or 4 ingredients...

quick and tasty is the perfect recipe for me...

....here is a 4 ingredient cookie that looks really good...

I always picture what they would look like on a serving

tray at a nice Christmas get-together and these would look

great...

....even better yet....you could use a sugar free cake mix and then

they would be a little healthier...not sure if you can get sugar free M&M's but

maybe you can....even if you go with just the cake mix you are still

getting less sugar...

...of course with regular M&M's I wouldn't recommend these for

diabetics...

....you can get the recipe here....

http://www.poofycheeks.com/2013/12/four-ingredient-christmas-cookies-from.html

I bet these would be good with other flavors of cake mix too...

ACCORDION CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS

Now and then while searching around the internet

I come across what I consider a fantastic site...

I have found many of them but when it comes to free

Christmas printables this one is right up there at the top....

their printables are so beautiful and easy to print and

put together....

this is just one example of what they have...there are so many

to choose from I wish I could print all of them...but if I did

I would be buying ink all the time!

...I thought these cute ones with the accordion legs were

especially nice so I am sharing these....but when you get to

their site be sure to check it out...the list of links to the left

of the page will take you to one beautiful printable after another....

...here is the link for you to get there...

http://www.fundecorations4christmas.com/Mobiles/mobiles.htm

and here is an example....

NESTING SANTA DOLLS

I think these are cute..

you can find easy printables for them here...

http://www.craftjr.com/christmas-santa-paper-crafts/

...they would be cute lined up on a shelf like this or

as nesting dolls for kids to play with...

have fun!

PEPPERMINT PRETZELS

This is such a pretty Christmas treat...

and so...so easy to make...

I can just picture a nice clear candy jar filled

with these with a big red ribbon and bow around the

top...

you can find this easy recipe here:

http://www.shugarysweets.com/2012/12/peppermint-pretzel-gift-idea

HOMEMADE JELLO FRUIT SNACKS

These have probably been around for a while...

but I was thinking that maybe they could be made with

sugar free jello...and would be a good between meal snack for

people who have to watch their sugar and carbs...

...according to  http://www.sparkpeople.com
both sugar free jello and unflavored gelatin have 0 carbs...

...you could make them in any flavor of sugar free jello and
have a sweet little snack when you feel you just have to chew
on something between meals...
(I'm going to try peach flavored ones soon)



..the recipe has just 3 ingredients and you can
get it here...

http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/06/homemade-jello-fruit-snacks-recipe.html

VANILLA SUGAR COOKIES

I grew up watching my mom make Christmas sugar cookies

every year...all kinds of shapes...santas and trees and stars and bells...

when I got older I would help her frost them...they were a lot of work

but it was a fun Christmas tradition...

I thought this recipe looked good and I like the idea of making

them into a roll and slicing them so they all look nice and round...

don't they look pretty!

...I think it would be fun to decorate them with little

candies etc. too...

...here is the recipe...

it's a long link!

http://www.mrfood.com/Cookie-Recipes/Vanilla-Sugar-Cookies-1922/ml/1/?utm_source=ppl-newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=allfreechristmascrafts20131207

PRINTABLE ORNAMENTS

I thought you all would enjoy these little printable ornaments...

they are a little different and very cute...

they would be great on the tree or gifts or treat jars...

she also suggests gluing them to a craft stick for kids to

use as little stick puppets....

I think they would also be cute to hang on a little ones

school bag..

you can get the printable here along with lots of other fun things...

http://wildolive.blogspot.com/2010/12/printable-ornaments-for-you.html

PRINTABLE CHRISTMAS BOOKMARKS

We are VERY cold here in North Dakota right now...

we have a forecast tonight for -45 to -50 wind chills...

so tonight we are not going Christmas shopping!

anyway...I like bookmarks for all the different holidays....

and especially for Christmas time...

they are great to add in a card or tie onto a gift...

I thought these printable ones were really nice

and I wanted to share them on here....

I think the idea of gluing two of them together

and having a different color on each side is a fun one too...

I just love this Kid Scrap website...

you can find the printable ones here...

http://www.kidscraps.com/MoneySavers/Bookmarks/BM-christmas.htm

(NOTE: the print here looks a little fuzzy but on the

website printable it's super clear).

STARLIGHT EXPRESS

I love Christmas trains....and printables....and here is

a really, really nice one..

I think the colors of this one are so nice too...

we have all of our decorating done but I might just

have to make one of these and find somewhere to

fit it in...

...you can find the printable pages here....

this is a great Christmas site...

http://www.fundecorations4christmas.com/3DCrafts/nps-starlightexpress.htm

CHILD ID CARDS

I came across this blog when I was searching around

for something else a while back..

I wanted to post a link here on mine for this because I

think it would be a useful thing for lots of parents....

when my daughter was very little I had an ID bracelet

on her...it gave me a little peace of mind should she wander

away somewhere on her own...but now it's not always such

a good idea to do that....back then it was a safer and more

trusting world out there...

so I would recommend that you use these for kids that are

old enough to understand that this information is only for use

if they need help...and shouldn't be shown around to everybody...

  
http://justsomethingimade.com/2010/11/child-id-cards-free-pdf-downloads/

KIDS REINDEER CARD WITH CANDY CANES

Another very cute Christmas craft...

I had planned to save this one until closer to Christmas

but then I decided some of you might want to use them at

a child's party and you will need time to make them so

I am posting them now....

....this is easy to make...just print and cut out and slip in the candy canes

and you are done...

can't get easier than that!

...and such a cute reindeer too...

..here is the link to the printable...

look around while you are there...she has other

really nice things too....

http://sweetmuffinsuite.com/2012/12/day-19-kids-reindeer-card-with-candycane/

GROW A CANDY CANE

This is just so cute...

I wish I had thought about this back in my daycare

days....the kids would have loved this one..

...plant peppermints and make them grow into a candy cane as your kids

water them...these would make great Christmas time memories for them...

(of course they do their growing at night after the kids are asleep! shhhhh!)

...you can plant it either in soil or Christmas village snow...

http://www.growingajeweledrose.com/2013/11/grow-candy-cane.html

SNOWMAN HAND SANITIZER

This is a clever idea....

I think you could probably decorate a hand soap bottle

this way too...they might not have the same shape but

would still be cute after you turn it into a snowman...

love these simple little craft ideas like this...

...you can find instructions here...

http://craftsandcrap.blogspot.com/2010/12/snowman-hand-sanitizer.html

CHRISTMAS RICE PUDDING

My niece shared this recipe on Pinterest and it looks so good

I thought I would post it here on my blog...

I have never actually made rice pudding myself but I

want to try it soon...my husband has asked me to find

a good recipe to make it because he remembers his mom making

it while he was growing up and it was a favorite treat for him....

....look how pretty this one is....

recipe is at this link:

http://tammymaltby.com/christmas-rice-pudding/

FREE PRINTABLE PAPER CHRISTMAS TREE

I have seen so many printable Christmas trees out and about

on the internet....but I think this one is exceptionally nice...

you can put it together and it will stand so nicely on it's own...

you can also print ornaments to use if you want to

decorate it...

I think I would decorate mine with beads though and make it sparkle!

I really love this little tree and hope you do too....

....you can find the printable here....scroll down on the page to find it...

http://partyplanningcenter.blogspot.com/2011/12/paper-christmas-tree.html

CAMPBELL'S CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP CASSEROLE

Chicken noodle soup doesn't have to be eaten only

as soup, although that's delicious too...

but it can also be used for this great looking casserole...

just add some chicken and a few other

ingredients and you will have a good dinner...

...recipe is at this link....

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/campbells-kitchen-chicken-noodle-casserole/

S'MORES POPCORN BALLS

I came across this recipe recently and thought it

would be a good one to serve on a Christmas tray for

family or friends...

most everybody loves the flavors of S'mores and

the idea of mixing it with popcorn is interesting...

I am going to try these and hope some of you will too.....

you can find the recipe here...

http://www.feastie.com/recipe/heat-oven-350/smores-popcorn-balls

CANDY CANE BEAR HUG ORNAMENT

I thought this was cute and would be a fun project for

kids to make and hang in their rooms or on the Christmas tree...

it's easy to make and is paper so not hard to come up with the

items you need to make it...

have fun!

here is the link to make it easy to find:

http://craftbits.com/project/tree-ornament-candy-cane-bear/

CHAINED WREATH ORNAMENT

How cute....how easy...how fun!

...think how many of these you could make in an evening...

they would be cute hanging up anywhere, or tied onto

Christmas gifts or jars or bags of holiday treats....

I think I will make some with a bow made out of

string for a nice little country look....

here is where I found these:

http://www.tangledhappy.com/2011/12/yarn-crafting-with-kids-chained-wreath.html

GERMAN CHOCOLATE PIE

This is not a 2 or 3 ingredient recipe...

it actually has a lot of ingredients...

but wow does it look good!

...something tells me that it is worth the work to make....

if you love German Chocolate Cake I'm sure will

love this just as much....

...wish I had a slice of this right now...

you can get the recipe here:

http://spoonful.com/recipes/german-chocolate-pie

PRINTABLE NATIVITY SET

Here is a cute little paper Nativity set that you can print and put

together....you can either print it in color or blank ones that you

or your kids can color yourself...this would be perfect for your

child to have on his or her dresser...

...you can find the printable here:

http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/2011/12/print-and-build-nativity-set.html

TEDDY ORNAMENTS

These are just so cute I can't wait to make some of them...

they look easy to make too so maybe I will make more than one!

...they would be so cute on a tree or gift package or just

hanging up anywhere....I can picture this becoming a special little

toy for a special little child too....they all would love these...

(of course if making for a really young child you would want to go with
safe eyes for these)

...you can find the pattern for these and more cute crochet things here:
http://www.allaboutami.com/post/13968569776/teddyornamentspattern

CROCHET SNOW SWIRLS

This is a really nice idea...snow swirls to hang on your

Christmas tree....I have to make some of these and I think

it would be fun to add some pretty little beads to them also..

I know they will be quick and easy to make....I used to

crochet swirly little pretties like this for my daughter's hair

when she was a little girl and these are made the same way

as those...

I think they would also be pretty hung under kitchen

cabinets or under bookcase shelves too...how about from a

curtain rod at the top of doorways...lots of ways these would add

a festive snowy look to your Christmas decorating....

...enjoy!

...here is the easy pattern for these...

think how quickly you could make up a dozen of them!

http://glor-crochetgalore.blogspot.com/2009/11/crocheted-snow-swirls.html

GRAHAM CRACKER BITES

Oh my!  Graham crackers, coconut and marshmallows all mixed

together in one little treat....how can anyone resist that...

these would be great for filling up a pretty gift container with a big

red bow or to serve on a platter at Christmas gatherings.....

I love graham crackers so I would have a hard time stopping

munching on these....

I found this great recipe here:

http://asouthernfairytale.com/2013/11/13/graham-cracker-bites/

JAR OF NOTHING

I ask my husband every year what he would like for Christmas 

and his answer is always "nothing, don't worry about buying for me"

...but of course I always come up with ideas for nice gifts to give him

and he loves each one...but I came across this cute gift idea for

the person who says they want nothing for Christmas....and he is

definitely going to get one of these wrapped up under the tree this year....(along

with his other real gifts of course)...but this is just too appropriate to pass up!

...have fun with this one....I am sure a lot of you know someone who
always says they want nothing ...



I found this at:

http://craftbits.com/project/a-jar-of-nothing-gift/

you can print the label here.

PHOTO ORNAMENT

This is really a nice idea...

just cut a 5 x 7 photo into strips, attach with brads at the

ends and tie a ribbon to hang....

...it would be fun to have one of these on the tree for

each age as your child is growing up...

...this is from

http://niftymom.com/?s=photo+ornament&submit=Search

and you can get the exact directions there for

making this cute project....

SNOWMAN JAR COZY

What a cute and easy little project...

this crocheted jar cozy would make a great decoration in your own

home or a cute gift....especially for someone like a teacher...

you could fill it up with Christmas candy and it would be perfect...

I like crochet projects that you can get done fast while watching TV...

...here is the easy pattern and it uses Red Heart Super Saver

yarn so it's not expensive and easy to find too...

http://whiskersandwool.blogspot.com/2012/12/snowman-jar-cozy-crochet-version.html

WORLD HELLO DAY

Today is:

World Hello Day

I read on Wikipedia that the meaning of this day is that

you are supposed to make a point of saying 'hello' to at least

10 people throughout the day...

...so I figure by putting this occasion on my blog that I

am saying hello to many more than the suggested 10 people...

hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello..

there we go, now I have celebrated this holiday appropriately!