It's over...

Take a deep breath and listen.

Can you hear those jingle bells? No? Me neither, and it couldn't have come soon enough this year.

wrapping gifts, gaining weight, and christmas dinner

This pretty much sums it up.

Every year I find myself, a few days before Christmas, wrapping a mountain of gifts, and every year I swear that next year i am going to wrap as i buy, and yet here I am again.  Zaks room is overflowing with pjs, toys, baskets and assorted Christmas paraphernalia and I have barely made a dent in the wrapping. Where are the elves when you need them?

Wordless Wednesday - Santa (linky)

Salt dough ornaments

Over the weekend we were on an ornament streak! We made our sparkle dough, some fancy snowflakes, and salt dough ornaments.

If you've never made salt dough, you have to try it. You seriously can't mess this up, even if you're craft inept. It's literally salt, flour and water mixed together, shaped, baked for two hours and then painted.

Fabric tea bag toy - tutorial

 

I made these little tea bags for S for Christmas and I lie how they turned out. They were a super simple project and took all of an hour to make a set of six.

Decking The Halls

Me VS. The Pin - Handprint Wreath

Christmas always has me in the mood to get my craft on, and i have about eleventy billion projects on the go right now that Im hoping to eventually finish and share.  Today though we had a mini christmas miracle, I finished something!  I pinned this a few months ago and meant to make it with both my girls. Unfortunately I overestimated my littlest ones ability to sit still long enough to trace her hand, and so its all Sophie.

The Pin

Mine

What do you think?

Magic Santa

My daughter lost. her. mind. this afternoon when she saw that Santa had not only received her card, but thought she'd been a good girl! You can make one for your littles, HERE.

Rudolph Love

My youngest seems to have her first crush, in fact she's completely infatuated!

DIY From Around the Interweb

I seem to have just two things on my mind lately, Christmas and my new home ( 23 more days!!!). Ive been scouring the web for DIY options for both and thought Id share a few of my favourites here.  Enjoy and happy crafting,


DIY Wreath Hanger

15 Minute Window Shade












Instagram Magnets (!!!)

Cake stand from an old plate

Love it

How absolutely adorable is this tutu dress from IssyMissy?

I cant wait to get Sophia's christmas photos done in it.

Cans for Comments

"tis the season to be generous ...
I have been inspired by the wonderful Carol Ann From Carol Ann Photography to participate in Cans For Comments.

How it works:
For every comment on my blog - new comments, on ANY post I've made, I will donate one canned or boxed item to my local food bank.

10 comments = 10 cans of food.
It's just that simple.

So get chatty mommies.

Hand Made Christmas - Spa Basket

A spa basket will be a great gift for anyone you know who needs a little extra pampering this holiday season. Fill it with some pretty soaps, a nice plush towel, maybe some candles, and a few of these recipes. Just be sure to make some extras for yourself.

Body Scrubs

You need only four ingredients to make these moisturizing exfoliants. The base can be made from either Epsom salts or sugar, depending on whether you want a large or fine grain. Color the scrubs with shades that are in keeping with some of the scents you use -- pink with grapefruit, for example, or green with eucalyptus. Makes about 2 1/3 cups.

Tools and Materials
2 cups Epsom salts or organic cane sugar
1 cup carrier oil
8 drops essential oil(s)
1 drop food coloring
Special equipment: plastic pipette, canning jars

Directions
1. Stir together Epsom salts or sugar and carrier oil in a bowl, mixing well.

2. Using pipette, add essential oil, 1 drop at a time. Add food coloring, and stir until color is even throughout. Spoon into canning jars.

3. Download clip-art labels, enlarging or reducing to fit top of canning jar if necessary. Print onto ink-jet bumper-sticker paper (which is designed to withstand water). Cut out the labels, and affix to clean jars.

Bath Snowballs

These fragrant spheres for the bath (we scented ours with peppermint oil) are made by packing Epsom salts into a plastic mold. The bath "snowballs" can be tinted any color. You'll need 3 to 4 days to make the bath balls because of the drying time between steps. Makes 2 large or 4 small balls.

Tools and Materials
2 cups Epsom salts
2 tablespoons water
A few drops essential oil(s)
1 drop food coloring, plus more if desired
Special equipment: plastic pipette, large or small round bath-ball molds, storage jars

Directions
1. Stir together Epsom salts and water in a mixing bowl. Using pipette, add oil, 1 drop at a time, until strength of scent is to your liking. Add food coloring, 1 drop at a time, until desired shade is achieved; stir until color is even throughout.

2. Spoon a generous amount of mixture (more than necessary) into 1/2 of a bath-ball mold. Pack firmly. Repeat, packing mixture into second half of mold. Press pieces together until they connect. Remove top half of mold very carefully. Let bath ball stand, mold side down, overnight (set ball on an overturned jar lid to keep it from tipping over).

3. Remove mold carefully. Invert, and let ball dry completely, 2 to 3 days more. Transfer to jars.

Bath Fizzies

Ice-cube trays serve as molds, giving the fizzies their shape. Using a flexible silicone model lets you slide the cubes out smoothly without breaking them.

Show off the colors of the bath fizzies in glass jars with screw tops, the kind used for storing sugar and flour. Pack each type of fizzy in a separate jar so the scents won't meld. Write the name of the scent on a vellum tag (choose a shade that matches the fizzies), and punch a hole in the top. Thread the tag with ribbon, and tie it around the jar.

Citric acid, a common food additive, is available at wine-making-supply stores, some spice shops, and online. When citric acid is combined with baking soda and placed in water, a chemical reaction creates bubbles.

Makes 1 dozen (use 2 per bath)

Tools and Materials
1/2 cup citric acid
1 cup baking soda
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup organic cane sugar
About 6 drops food coloring
10 to 15 drops essential oil(s)
Special equipment: 2-ounce travel-size spray bottle, plastic pipette, silicone ice-cube tray, storage jars

Directions
1. Stir together citric acid, baking soda, and cornstarch in a glass measuring cup.

2. Pass mixture through a fine sieve or a flour sifter into a mixing bowl. Stir in sugar.

3. Fill spray bottle with water, and add food coloring. Spritz mixture lightly (it should become damp but not fizzy) until you can pack mixture with your hands.

4. Using pipette, add oil, 1 drop at a time, until strength of scent is to your liking. Using a metal spoon or your hands, mix ingredients until color is even throughout (mixture will begin to dry out; when this happens, spritz until packable again).

5. Spoon into ice-cube tray, pressing firmly. Let dry at room temperature overnight. Pop out of tray gently. Transfer to jars.

Happy Crafting
Jaymi

Hand Made Christmas

Every year I swear im going to make Christmas more personal. This year I actually have the time and I am getting started early. The first project on my list is cookies in a jar. Its actually a very simple gift to make. You simply layer all the ingredients in a mason jar, cap, add a tag with the recipe and your all set. I plan on adding them to a basket with a few cookie cutters and some homemade hot chocolate mix. There are quite a few great recipes online for this, but these two are my faves....

Butterscotch Chip Cookies

Layer all ingredients in the order their listed, make sure you pack everything down tight.

1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup high protein crisp rice and wheat cereal
3/4 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Recipe
Empty jar of cookie mix into a large mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup of butter or margarine, 1 egg, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. Use hands to mix the wet and dry ingredients together. When completely blended, roll into large walnut sized balls. Place on unprepared cookie sheets and use the palm of your hand to flatten each cookie ball. Bake at 350 in a preheated oven for 8-10 minutes.



Chocolate Chip Cookies

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups shortening
2 cups chopped pecans
2 (12 ounce) packages semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Cut in shortening until crumbly. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips. Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 6 months.
Recipe
To prepared cookies: In a mixing bowl, beat eggs 2 eggs and 2 tsps vanilla. Stir in 7 cups cookie mix until well blended (if dough is dry, add 1-2 tablespoons water). Drop by teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1-2 minutes before removing to wire racks. Yield: about 6 dozen per batch.


Hot Chocolate Mix

3 cups powdered milk
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cups cocoa
dash of salt

Recipe
combine 4 heaping Tbsp to 1 cup of hot milk.
Top with marshmallows

Happy crafting
Jaymi

For the twitter fans on your shopping list

Card Making

I love christmas, and I love christmas cards. Ive always wanted to try and make my own for friends and family, but have never really had a chance to do it. Being on maternity leave however, has given me the time to follow up on my inspiration.
This year I'll be basing my cards on several different designs, including these ones,




Are you planning on making your own cards this year, or have you in the past? Modern Housewife would love to show off your inspiration and your finished products. You can send pics to housewifeheaven@gmail.com.

EmailSanta.com

I remember when I was a little girl (no really I do).
I remember every year I would write Santa a letter telling him all of the good things i had done that year, and asking for the presents that I really wanted him to bring. I would then wait and wait at the mailbox for my return letter from Santa. I would treasure that letter for the remaining time before Christmas, because he always agreed that I was a good girl. I guess I kept it as sort of proof, just in case he wizened up before Christmas eve and i awoke to find coal in my stocking. I had it in writing, I was a good girl, and that letter was my guarantee of an awesome present (or twelve) waiting under the tree.
These days kids are a little more high tech, now they can email Santa, find out instantly if they're on the nice or naughty list, and even read Santa's blog. Of course there's still the traditional option for those of us that can coax our children off the computer long enough to write a letter. Santa's address is still the same as it always was,

Santa
North Pole
Canada
HOH OHO

Modern Housewife would love to know what you and your family will be asking Santa for this holiday season.