Girlfriends Christmas Party Invite

Ok this isn't really a gift idea but its the invitation to my "Girlfriends Christmas Party" that I'm having next week... invitations are simple.. maybe too simple but they're done and in the mailbox.

At the party I'm serving dinner...

3-4 different homemade soups
homemade Parmesan breadsticks
strawberry spinach salad (because its Christmas colors and so yummy!)
Hot Chocolate bar (mints, marshmellows, chocolate chips, etc)
Caramel Apple Cider

and then for dessert everybody will be bringing their favorite homemade holiday treat

I'll also be doing door prizes every twenty minutes... I'll have questions made up before hand and every twenty minutes I'll draw a question and somebody will win a gift... gifts are Christmas items... most from the dollar spot (actually the $2.50 spot ) at Target... christmas towels, cookie cutters, a Christmas movie, a christmas apron, etc.

We'll finish off the evening with "My Favorite Things" gift exchange and everybody received an insert in their invitation describing what to bring.

I hope that it turns out well... I'm reallly looking forward to it!!

submitted by MaryRuth Francks
www.thefrancks.typepad.com

Christmas Pineapples

My friend Kristi has the best ideas! Every year she gives out pineapples with a big red bow attached.
They are simple, beautiful and an especially delicious treat for everyone. They make great thank you gifts,
are a great addition to any homemade meal you might be delivering, and are great as gifts for friends and neighbors.
The pineapple symbolizes hospitality. In colonial times, if a pineapple was placed at the entrance to a village or placed as
the main centerpiece on a dining table, it symbolized the utmost welcome and hospitality to the visitor.

Submitted by Liz Brown (www.brownsarebloggin.blogspot.com)

Christmas Card/Sucker idea

Here is one of mine from last year...sorry the photo of the actual item
isn't all that great, but they turned out really cute! We dropped them by
several neighbors and ward members homes and rec'd lots of calls asking how
we made the succors and the tags.

Chocolate Lightbulb Succors:
Candy Molds
Melting Chocolate (I used red and green for the bulbs & brown for the little
screw tip)
Succor Sticks
Candy bags for wrappers (or any kind of cellophane)
Ribbon
Treat Tags

Directions: Melt chocolate in microwave on 50% power stirring occasionaly,
until smooth. Pour into molds and lightly tap mold on counter to allow air
bubbles to rise to the top. Insert sticks. Let harden in fridge or freezer.
Candy should be ready to remove from molds in about 30 minutes.

Note: I purchased about five molds so that I could make several at a time. I
got the light bulb molds from Hobby Lobby, but you can get them at Michaels
or any type of Cake/Candy shop. With the molds and candy I believe I spent
around $20 and made over 100 succors.

Treat Tags:
I created the tags in photoshop using a few digiscrap supplies I already
had. I printed them in a 2x3 business card size and attached one to each
group of succors (Each group had a succor for each person in the recipients
family).

I came up with the tag idea and got the light bulb strand from:
http://heatheranndesigns.info/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=33&osCsid=dc7565ea6991e44f06555b38c1aef4de

Submitted by: Jennifer Kesler http://jenkesler.blogspot.com

Help

Do any of you blogger savvy people know how to get rid of the blogger blue border that is around my banner?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Emily

Pilgrim Hats

I found a cute idea on the Family Fun Website. Tonight for Family Home evening we talked about Giving Thanks and for our treats we made these cute Marshmallow Pilgrim Hats. The kids had a great time and they even taste pretty good. I also thought this would be a fun Visiting Teaching Family Treat. All you need is: Shortbread striped cookies, milk chocolate chips, large marshmallows, and a tube of yellow decorators frosting.

The gift bags for my visiting teaching ladies turned out great! I even created a great tag with the instructions on Photoshop! Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!!

submitted by Emily H.(www.holversonfamily.blogspot.com)

Sparkling Cider Gift

We did this one year for neighbor gifts and I thought I'd share the idea...

I bought tall skinny bags (meant for wine, I think) in the Christmas section at Target and put a bottle of Martinelli's Sparkling Cider in it and attached a homemade tag that said:

"Have a Very Merry Christmas and a Sparkling New Year!"
Love, the Browns

submitted by Shelly(www.shellyabrown.typepad.com)

Link

Here's another great link courtesy of Hilary!

http://www.utahholidayguide.com/christmas/gifts/articles/little_gifts.asp

More Online Tutorials

this blog: http://adventureswiththeprovosts.blogspot.com/ is also doing 30 Days of Homemade Gift Ideas. They're intermingled with her regular blog posts... but she has some links to fun tutorials!! And they're not all sewing! (phew!) I like sewing but I'm not as talented as Little Miss Shelly! ;o)

submitted by Hilary

AWESOME ONLINE RESOURCE!

Okay, in the last post Shelly shared a tutorial from a cute bag she found online. The site she found it on is sharing 30 days of gifts to sew for the month of November. So if you're the sewing kind this link is for you!


http://sewmamasew.com/blog2

Tote Bag

Click on the link below for a step by step tutorial on how to make this adorable bag that Shelly (www.shellyabrown.typepad.com) found on the internet.

http://writemamawrite.typepad.com/photos/dishtowel_tote_tutorial/index.html

Don't Forget & Helpful Info

Hello All,

My friend Kelly had a great suggestion and I finally figured out how to do it. So, if you look on the sidebar you will see a section titled "click here to view ideas by category" and then below you can click on whatever type of ideas you're looking for like Halloween, visiting teaching, etc. I try to label each idea for all it's possibilities. You can also do a search in the box in the top left corner to try and find something specific you might be looking for.

I also wanted to remind all of you that have submitted ideas for this blog to occasionally check the comments on your ideas posts. Some readers leave questions about your gift there and are hoping you'll answer!

Thanks, and keep the great ideas coming!
Emily

Holiday Frames

What a cute, easy, inexpensive way to doll up a multi-opening frame. This example uses Making Memories prodcuts, which I love.

Source: Unknown. (thus the smearing of the faces)

submitted by Hilary

Nativity Blocks

This is a fun idea for nieces, nephews and even your own kids. I saw this on a message board and asked the girl if I could share.

Paint blocks with a few coats of paint. Then apply the stickers. Ink or sand the edges to distress. Then put a coat of Mod Podge on them to seal in the stickers. Let dry.

This particular set of stickers is by Me & My Big Ideas (MAMBI). They are no longer made, so if you like this set you just have to hope a craft or scrapbook store still carries this line. I've done extensive searches online and they are hard to find! However, there are other brands of Nativity stickers. You could probably even find cute nativity clipart.

submitted by Hilary

Halloween Treat "Hand" bags

Ok, I know Halloween is over, but this was such a hit at my daughter's Kindergarten class party, that I had to pass it along.
I got the idea from Family Fun's website, which has the best ideas! Anyway, it is super easy and fun!

Here is what you need:
clear, plastic food handlers gloves (I found mine at the Dollar Store)
Candy Corn
Popcorn
Twist ties

Take the candy corn and put one in the finger of each glove. Then fill up each glove with the cooled popcorn, and really stuff it in there.
Then twist the hand closed with your twist tie. You are done! The kids loved them and they are sort of spooky too! I will warn you, that it
took me about an hour to fill about 15 bags, the popcorn was kind of hard to stuff into the fingers.

Submitted by Liz Brown (www.brownsarebloggin.blogspot.com)

Decorative Glass Blocks

I just made these this week, and I thought they turned out really cute! They could be for a gift or a decoration for your home. My sister's ward did this at a Super Saturday and she sent me the stuff to make my own!

Buy a 3 or 4 inch wide Decorative Glass Window from Lowe's. The 3 inch is $3.33 and the 4 inch is $4.28. Choose a saying from a Vinyl Lettering place and a color that you want to put on the window. I chose "Give (orange) Thanks (brown)" and "Silent Night Holy Night(navy blue)." Buy some ribbon to match the Vinyl lettering colors! Buy the ribbon the width of the Glass Window. You need one strip of ribbon to go around the window, and another strip to make a bow! Put the vinyl lettering on and then glue the ribbon on the window and make a bow!

I've heard of other people drilling a hole in the top of the window, and adding Christmas lights to it! I think that would be really pretty!

submitted by Kris

Gumball Can

Saw this on Heather White's blog (www.heatherdwhite.typepad.com). This little treat really shows that it's all about the packaging. I mean seriously, no one would think "hmmm, I'll take my Visiting Teacher some gumballs", but when you see it like this, it sounds like a great idea!

submitted by Emily (www.delightfuldistraction.blogspot.com)

Halloween Bears

Saw this on Hilary's blog and thought it was cute. What a fun party favor for a kids party or fun for a class party.

I think DeMarle makes a Teddy Bear mold like this?

Cookie Dough Jars

Instead of taking over a plate of cookies... take a cute jar full of your favorite cookie dough. This way the recepient can bake at her leisure. Make sure to include baking directions. The jar that is pictured in the latter picture can be found in the kitchen section at Wal-Mart for $2.86.

Other fun ideas would be to do sugar cookie dough and attach a cookie cutter. Or fill a shaker jar with fun sprinkles and attach a recipe.

Submitted by Hilary
(second picture & idea found at www.heatherdwhite.typepad.com which is an amazing blog.)

Snowmen Donuts

I thought this would be a cute neighbor gift or FHE treat. They just make me smile! Idea found on web somewhere...

submitted by Hilary

Home Tiles

I think this would be a great gift for a friend or family member. I saw these pictures on Karen Russell's blog (I don't know her). She bought them like this, but I snagged it as an easy idea to recreate.

Michael's has tin tiles (as do other craft stores and boutiques. Some are silver, others are distressed and painted already)... letters of different fonts are easy to find anywhere... Simply adhere the letters (I was imagining Liquid Nails for maximum stick-ability!).

Submitted by Hilary

More Ideas PLEASE!

Okay, I'm starting to feel like an idea hog on here. And I know you all have great ideas. So please, please share them. If you don't have pics it's okay, just type up the idea and then if you make it later on in the season take a pic and I'll add it then. Don't be shy!

Halloween Treat Baskets

A kind lady in our ward always has a little something special for my kids on the Sunday before Halloween. This was her sweet treat this year. I thought it would make a great party favor so I took pics to remember the idea. The baskets are made out of black cardstock. The rectangular boxes are just little match boxes covered in paper. Then inside there is a little candy bar. The round treats have a mint sandwiched in between the paper circles and they all fit nicely in the cute little basket. I'm guessing the stamps came from Stampin Up.

submitted by Emily (www.delightfuldistraction.blogspot.com)