Counting down the clock

New year's eve is just around the corner and if you are like me your brain is zapped after Christmas. Here are some fun ideas to get your creative juices flowing so you can start 2012 out right. I love the idea of using Clocks as your theme for a party. I found this at  http://www2.fiskars.com/.

These party hats are adorable and are sure to be a hit with all of your party guests. I found these at http://www.marthastewart.com/.

Keep the party going with this fun New Year's Bingo. I found this at http://hiphiphoorayblog.com/./

Make a mocktail for fun like this Pomegranate Lime Bubbly. Check out http://www.cookingwithmykid.com/ for all the details.

These ideas are sure to make your New Year's Eve shindig a smash!

Christmas morning breakfast!

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house.... Mama was scrambling to get everything done for Christmas morning breakfast! There are so many things to be done for Christmas and the last thing we need is to be spending the whole day in the kitchen cooking. Here are some easy ideas for Christmas morning breakfast!

These Waffled cinnamon rolls are sure to be as popular as they are easy. You can find this recipe at http://ahensnest.com/.

Another crowd pleaser would be these yummy canned biscuits donuts. These were found at http://www.southernplate.com/.

Here are some delicious Breakfast cups. Head on over to http://www.marthastewart.com/ to find out how to make these.

This Crock pot Egg Brunch Casserole is the definition of easy! Check out http://www.alattewithotta.com/ to find out how to make this tasty dish.

Finally you should try these Sticky Buns. Go to  http://all-things-delicious.blogspot.com/ to find out the delicious details!

Holiday Wednesday and Thursday Combo

Due my Internet rebelling against me yesterday I was not able to blog so here is Wednesday and Thursday together. The more the Merrier!

Wednesday Homemade Gifts!

On the Twelfth day of Christmas my True love gave to me...! Here is a super cute idea of gift to give your sweetie. These Twelve Day of Christmas gifts are perfect for that special someone in your life or these are also great to make your little one feel extra loved this holiday season. I found this at The Dating Divas blog. There are some great ideas about keeping the romance alive in your relationship!

Ornament's Thursday

This cute Sand Ornament is such a cute idea. Every time you go on vacation collect sand, shells, rocks, (if you go to Vegas collect poker chips!) and fill your ornament and label so you will always have a memento from your trip. How much fun will it be to decorate your tree and reminisce about past vacations? I found this idea at One Artsy Mama. She had several ideas for cute DIY ornaments. Go check her out!

Holiday Tuesday: Snowball Yarn Wreath

I adore this Snowball Yarn Wreath. I like using snow theme decor during the holidays because it can stay up all winter where Christmas decor should come down after New Year's Eve. (I say "should" because I am notoriously bad about leaving mine up too long.) I found this wreath at Two Junk Chix which is a great vintage type blog. Have fun crafting!

Holiday Monday: Activity Advent Calendar

This Activity Advent Calendar is such a great idea. Instead of opening a gift or a treat each day your family does a Christmas activity.  I really would love to make this advent calendar. I found this at Chef Messy. She even gives you the ideas for activities. Of course you could add some of your own to the list. Let the memories begin!

On a side note I apologize for missing my posts last week. I was not around my computer since I was traveling. Tis the season to be busy!  

Weekend Wildcard: Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With Strings

This year I want to wrap my Christmas gifts in a vintage style. Here are some of the ideas I really love:

These packages wrapped in Brown paper are so cute and who needs name tags when you can put the first initial in scrapbook paper on the package. I found these fun ideas and the picture at the top of the page at http://francineclouden.typepad.com/callaloo_soup/.

This gift is so beautiful with just a simple Red Snowflake and String. I found this lovely at http://www.thesweetestoccasion.com/.

Now these gifts in the White vintage wrapping are just gorgeous! Whoever you give these gifts to are going to feel mighty special. I found these beauties at http://shannoneileenblog.typepad.com/happiness-is/.

Love, Love, Love these ideas for Pretty Packaging. Who needs to spend money on gift bags when you can make a brown paper bag look this good. I found these at http://twoshadesofpink.blogspot.com/.

And finally I must give into my mild obsession with Burlap. This Burlap wrapping is so sweet. Right now Burlap can do no wrong. I found this idea and lots of other ideas for Burlap at http://deckthehalls-christmas.blogspot.com/.

Holiday food: Spinach Cheese Balls

The Traditional Sausage Balls are always a hit at the Christmas party but if you are looking for something a bit new try these Spinach Cheese Balls. This twist on a tasty appetizer is perfect for vegetarians and you can find this recipe and the recipe for the classic sausage balls at http://www.bettycrocker.com/. Happy Holiday feasting!

Holiday Ornaments: Fun Ornaments to make with kids!

Are you looking for some fun ornaments to make with your kids? Well of course you are! Everyone needs a tree full of ornaments made by your kids. Head on over to Disney's Family Fun website and you will see several great ideas. The Ornament pictured above is a Winter Wonderland Snow Globe that you can make with your kids.

Are you a cat lover? Try out these cute Colorful Christmas Cats to hang on your tree. They are sure to be a crowd pleaser to your family and your cat.

Do you get a new Christmas tree every year? Cut off a piece and make a Christmas tree circle to have as a keepsake ornament each year.

There are so many great ideas at Disney's Family Fun website. There are tons of great ideas for Christmas that the whole family will love. What are you waiting for? Head on over there and start the family crafting!

Holiday Gifts: Refrigerated Cookie Dough

Looking for a the perfect Christmas gift to give a neighbor or your kid's teacher? This Refrigerated Cookie Dough is the perfect gift. I found several recipes on the Charlotte Observer website. Your friends and family will be so excited to see you bringing gifts their way. YUM! Who doesn't love cookies!?!

Holiday Tuesday: Coat Hanger Ornament Wreath

This is one of those great Ornament coat hanger wreaths. I made one of these for a Dirty Santa gift exchange at church and it was quite a hit. It really was easy. I found most of my ornaments at the dollar store so I made this fabulous wreath for only 5 dollars. I defiantly want to make another one but this time I want to work on my placement of the ornaments. I could not quite figure out how to pull of the bow so I covered the hook of the coat hanger in ribbon and just left it exposed. It still looked cute but I would love to make a pretty bow like this. I found the tutorial for this wreath at Eddie Ross.

Holiday Monday: Christmas Cookie Advent Calendar

I love this fun and easy idea of making an Christmas Cookie Advent Calendar. This would be an Advent Calendar everyone could do at home. The only problem would be who would get to eat the cookie? I found this idea at a beautiful blog called Positively Splendid.

Weekend Wildcard: Handmade Christmas Trees

There are so many cute ideas out there for making Christmas trees.

Here are a few of my faves:

These Glitter Christmas Trees  are so cute and would be super easy to make. You can custom them in any color to fit your decor. I found these at http://www.thecelebrationshoppe.com/.

I love these Wire Christmas Trees. These look so pretty and they do not require a lot of materials to make. I found these at http://www.myhomemystyle.com/enotes/2011/12/02/.

This is a Christmas tree made from a Tomato Cage. I have seen several of these on the web but this one is my favorite. I found this one at http://www.everchanginggarden.ca/wpblog/.

This beautiful tree is a Newspaper Christmas Tree. This site had several Christmas decorations made from newspapers. LOVE! I found this at http://www.readymade.com/blog.

I absolutely adore these Tissue Paper Christmas Trees. They are so cute. I love how the three look together. I found these at http://spunkyjunky.blogspot.com/.

This Felt Christmas Tree is perfect for the kids to play with during the Holidays. (Maybe they will leave the real one alone now!) I found this tree at http://emptybobbinsewing.com/.

My last find are these cute Santa Hat Christmas Trees. These unique trees are fun and easy to make. I found these at http://www.thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/.

I hope these trees have inspired to get out there and get crafty! Happy questing!

Holiday Post Catch up

Our Internet has been down and I have been traveling so I am a few days behind on my post so we will be getting three posts for one. WHAT A DEAL!

GIFTS!

This idea comes from one of my favorite blogs Tip Junkie. There are some great ideas and I love this post of Gifts in a Jar. This idea supports my love for mason jars. Tip Junkie gives you ideas for everything from bake goods to crafts you can give as gifts in your jar. These would make great teacher gifts!

ORNAMENTS!

I found this idea on Martha Stewart's website. She has so many great Christmas ideas! I love these Cookie Cutter Ornaments. These are a great way to personalize ornaments. I think these would be really cute in a child's room. You could put family pictures in them or pictures of their favorite things. These also have a beautiful vintage feel with old black and white pics and vintage looking patterns. With these ornaments you get a personalized tree for little money. Can't beat that!

HOLIDAY YUM YUMS!

These Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies are so cute. They look great and are not hard to do. I found these at Budding Baketress. She has a lot of yummy treats for the Holidays. I am thinking I might have to make these for the Church Christmas party. FUN!

Whew...so now we are caught up for the week. I apologize for falling behind. Continue on!

Christmas Wreath Tuesday: Card Holder Wreath

I Love this Christmas Card Wreath. I need a cool way to display the cards we receive and this is perfect. It is also really simple to make. This is definitely going to have to go on my "to do" list. I found this wreath and SO many others at Martha Stewart's website. Love!

Holiday Monday: Ornament Advent Calendar

I love advent calendars. It is like a little gift everyday. I must admit that I do not currently have one but I would like to make one to have every year. This is Ornament Advent Calendar is one I am considering making. I am really obsessed with Burlap right now so this burlap pin board is great and could be used all year round. I found this Advent Calendar at a blog called Bower Power. Go by and check out how she made it!

Tis the Season to be crafty!

From now until Christmas I will be focusing on Holiday Crafts and such. Here is what I will be checking out each week:

Monday: Advent Calendars

Tuesday: Wreaths

Wednesday: Homemade gifts

Thursday: Ornaments/Decor

Friday: Holiday Yum Yums

Weekend: Wildcard

Can't wait to share all of the fun Holiday Projects and hopefully I will be able to throw in a few of my own. Till then keep crafting!

Weekend Wildcard: Quiet Books

I love the idea of Quite Books. They are the perfect thing to keep little hands and little minds busy and QUIET during church. This is a hard thing to do. There are some quiet books out there for sale but if you feel like putting in the time you can make your own. There are many websites that offers patterns for your very own quiet books. One that I have found that I love is A Little of This, A Little of That.

Helpful Hints: DIY Photography

I was given an amazing camera last year for Christmas and I was so pumped. I thought "Yes" I am going to be shooting some great pictures now!" Right?!? Wrong! Yes I have a great camera but I know nothing about angles, lighting, or photoshop. All of which are really helpful in capturing a great dispaly worthy shot. I have always wished I had taken some photography classes in college so I could know these things (It is my secret dream to be a professional photographer)

To my delight I have found a great site that is full of helpful tips for all kinds of Photography topics.

The site is Clickin Moms. There are great tips about every aspect of photography. Here are a few of my favorite posts:

They dont always need to look: 3 tips for photographing children 

This post gives some great tips for capturing kids. Which is something I really need.

So you think you can't have a studio

This post gives great tips on creating a studio in a small space at home.

Because you were there too: thirteen-tips-for-family-self-portraits

I really like this post because as a mother I am the one taking all of the photos so I have very few pics of me with my little girl.

So who wants to go get out their camera?

Sewing: Owl Pin Cushions

I don't know if you have noticed but owls are everywhere. Owls are on clothes, jewelry, and if you go into my daughters bedroom you will find them all over her room. This is the year of the Owl for sure. Now you can make your own Owl Pin Cushions. These could be used for other things besides Pin Cushions. Everyone will want one of these cute owls. I found these at My Owl Barn. If you are an owl lover then you have got to check this site out.

Kid's Crafts: Family Board Books

I would love to make a Family Picture Board Book for my daughter. None of our Family live near us so she does not get to see them often. This would be a great way to keep her familiar with her grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins. And since she has to put everything in her mouth these days this is perfect for her. I found this DIY at http://www.ohdeedoh.com/.

DIY Artwork: Swatch Portraits

Got a plain wall in your house that needs a touch of color? All you need to brighten up that wall are some fun fabrics and embroidery hoops. When I go to the fabric store my eyes are drawn to so many beautiful designs that are pieces of art within themselves. I always think "what could I do with that in my home?" Well here is your answer: Swatch Portraits! This is so beautiful. It reminds me of my grandmother but the use of modern fabrics really punches it up and keeps it fresh. I found this idea at The Purl Bee. So who is headed to the fabric store now?

Handmade Flowers: Yarn Pom Pom Flowers

I love, love, love these Yarn Pom Pom Flowers I found at Poopscape Projects. These are so cute and would be so cute at a party or as a gift.

I love these that are white with real twigs. They look so shabby chic. I found these at Apartment Therapy. These would be so pretty around the house during the summer time. Like I said... Love, Love, Love!