DIY Advent Calendar

diy-advent-calendar-red-green-christmas-girl-ladder-holiday

The thought of the upcoming holidays brings us a sense of panic with all there is to do, but also great joy. It’s our favorite time of year, so bring on the cheer. We’ve been known to not put up our Advent calendar until mid-December, which may or may not defeat the purpose, so this post is our attempt to have our DIY Advent calendar up by December 1. Other than our usual tardiness, the other con to our past Advent calendar was the size…how are we supposed to fit one thing larger than a candy cane in each tiny opening? This year, we went long and tall, and got creative with ice cream pint containers!

diy-advent-calendar-red-green-christmas-girl-ladder-holiday

May we just say that had we known blogging would have been in our future, we would have an all-white wall with light floors. Since that’s not feasible with any of our homes, and we needed a well-lit area to show you our Advent Calendar, a ‘rustic Colorado ‘ rock wall was our second best option. Our 5-year-old model had a ‘make-it-work’ moment, which she didn’t seem to mind.

diy-advent-calendar-red-green-christmas-girl-ladder-holiday

diy-advent-calendar-red-green-christmas-girl-ladder-holiday

You’ll Need:

Directions:

Make or print number labels. You can use a Silhouette like we did, or buy number stickers. For number 25, we used a red star ornament since that’s the magical day. Glue the labels on the container lids.

diy-advent-calendar-red-green-christmas-girl-ladder-holiday

Drill the pint containers to the long piece of wood {totally doable, even with do drill experience}, and then fill the pint containers with goodies.

diy-advent-calendar-red-green-christmas-holiday-bear-toys

Place lids on the pint containers.

diy-advent-calendar-red-green-christmas-antler-holiday

Set up the colorful Advent calendar. You can make it a horizontal Advent calendar, or a vertical one like we did. Because ours is vertical and tall, we couldn’t resist a set up with a ladder – it makes for a fun adventure everyday for the kids and with a good lean, no nails or holes in the wall.

diy-advent-calendar-red-green-christmas-girl-ladder-holiday

diy-advent-calendar-red-green-christmas-girl-ladder-holiday

Someone special wants it to be Christmas now.

diy-advent-calendar-red-green-christmas-girl-ladder-holiday

We teamed up with Sillhouette America to give away 1 Silhouette CAMEO on Instagram. Nov. 25 the giveaway ends, and all you have to do is follow us on Instagram and tag 3 friends. Go here now.

#colorize #silhouetterocks #adventcalendar

Day 3: DIY Teacher Gift + {FREE PRINTABLE}

diy teacher gift every teacher will love

On the 3rd day of Christmas, j. sorelle gave to you…a DIY teacher gift and free printable.

We decided that we couldn’t go wrong with a chalkboard for a holiday teacher gift this year. And with handwritten notes from kids on a free printable, it’s priceless. We love the DIY Teacher Gift we shared with Momtastic. It’s a gift from the heart that really makes the grade – an A+ grade – so it’s worth checking out.

{image via j. sorelle}

DIY Twig and Branch Snowflakes for a Rustic Holiday

I love all different holiday ‘decor’ styles. Some days I wake up and want everything to be white. Other days, I want gold metallic to glisten the room and every so often, I want colors that are merry and bright. But, I always love a touch of country or mountain rustic.It’s warm and inviting…and reminds me of Christmas in Colorado, especially the mountains of Colorado.

I had a box of twigs and branches in the garage that were just waiting to be sculpted into something…and after a recent shopping trip to Pier 1, I was determined to create DIY snowflakes out of branches, just like their branch snowflake ornaments. It only took about 2 hours, and I saved $14 per snowflake.

You’ll Need:
Thin twigs or branches that can be easily broken with hands {about 20-30}.
Hot glue and glue gun
Red and white twine
Faux greenery and berries {I bought 3 small bunches of greenery for $1 each}

How To:
Find one straight and strong twig for your snowflake ‘base’ {I positioned it vertically on the table}.
Find another twig and ‘eye’ the length as you slant it sightly to the left from your ‘base’. Snap the twig in half, and glue each side to the sides of your ‘base stick’.
Continue to add more sticks around your ‘base’ to complete your snowflake – measure to make sure lengths are really close, snap and glue. You can design it as you like, even adding smaller twigs that branch out from the larger ones.
Once your snowflake is complete, use twine to wrap around each stick in the center, and tie a knot in the back. I did this so it looked more festive, and it covered the hot glue.
Pull apart your faux greenery and glue the pieces onto your snowflake.
You can either use the twine to create a ‘hanger’ to hang these as ornaments, or use Command velcro to adhere to the wall. I only use 4 small pieces of the Command adhesives, and cut them into small squares.

 

{images via Tutto Bella}

Snowman Soup Recipe and Gift made with Hot Chocolate and Marshmallows

With the snow falling and cold temps, it’s the time of year for snowmen and hot chocolate – and this DIY gift is the best combination of both. Call them ‘marshmallow snowmen’ or ‘snowman soup’ – either one works. This makes for such an adorable gift or party favor for friends, family or teachers this time of year.

You’ll Need:
small glass jars with lids
festive holiday socks
hot chocolate {individual packets}
bag of mashmallows
buttons for the eyes
orange crayons for the nose
hot glue gun
pom ribbon

How To:
Glue two buttons on the jar {where you want the eyes to be}.
Use a sharp knife to cut the tip off the orange crayon.
Hot glue the crayon in the center of the jar {where you want the nose to be}.
Fill the jar with one packet of hot chocolate mix.
Fill the remainder of the jar with marshmallows until it’s completely full.
Add the jar’s lid.
Add the sock {the top of the sock – where the elastic is}. If your sock is long like mine, just cut it to the length you want.
Use a piece of ribbon to tie around the middle of the sock, so the snowman’s hat is complete.
Print these tags, printed by Fleur de Lis, attach…and give away with a smile on your face! Seriously, you have to download the tags – the poem is so, so adorable!

{images via Tutto Bella}

new {i see me} book: goodnight little me

We are BIG fans of the I See Me books, not only as bloggers looking for great gift finds, but as mothers.

My son is one and a half, and LOVES to read books. We have a couple I See Me books, and love that they are personalized for our sweet boy. It makes reading more personal, special and fun. They are fantastic, unique gifts for babies and kids for birthdays, showers and now during Christmas time (hint, hint! This is coming up soon).

When we received our new I See Me book Goodnight Little Me, we stopped in our tracks to read it immediately! First of all, I love the larger size of the book. I also love the rich colors and seeing my son’s name spelled out on each page. This book presents a sweet parade of animals and lullabies page to page with whimsical illustrations. This sweet books is written by Jennifer Dewing and illustrated by Mary GrandPre, known for her magical illustrations from the Harry Potter series.

Books being the best resource for learning, we point out all the animals in the parade on each page, count the letters of his name, point out each letter of his name. There is so much to look at, read, and get lost in our imaginations in this book. It is the perfect book before bedtime and for all ages. Right now he likes to just listen and look. Before I know it we will be teaching him to read this book himself. My son will always have this book in his collection, with a special dedication written inside from his mother and father.

Order your book now! Get FREE shipping when you place an order for $75 or more.

Follow I See Me! so you don’t miss out on their order specials and new book announcements.
#iseemebooks
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest 

goodnight little me

goodnight little me

goodnight little me

{Images via I See Me}