Tweleve Days of Christmas: Project #7 Christmas Coupon Books

A couple of years ago, a friend game me a coupon book for Christmas. I loved it! Inside were coupons for babysitting, lunch, a chi tea from Dunkin Donuts, and several other great gifts of services. 

It reminded me that, sometimes, we don't always need to give a monetary gift, that service is a gift, too!

Bug helped me put together these cute little coupon books. The inside coupons are a pdf provided from Split Coast Stampers. You can download them here  and see the instructions to make your own coupon book.

I put twelve coupons in each of my coupon books. If you're not crafty and would like to have some coupon books (they make a great stocking stuffer) you can find them in my etsy shop. I used some K&C Christmas paper I purchased from Wal-Mart.

Can you think of twelve things you would write on your coupons to give someone else?

Leave a comment here or jump over on my Facebook page today and share. You never know, I may pick your comment randomly for a free coupon book!

Twelve Days of Christmas: Project #6 Gift Card Tags

Today's project as part of the Twelve Days of Christmas Series are these ornament gift holder tags. 

 If you some people on your list for giving gift cards this year, but don't want a traditional gift card holder or card or box, these ornament style gift card holder tags are perfect!

I made these using my Art Philosophy Cartridge from CTMH. I've had this cartridge for a few years now from my former CTMH consulting days, and I'm still finding that there are so many uses for it! Go CTMH!

Here is the recipe for today's project:

Art Philosophy Cartridge
photo punch
2 sheets of card stock of your choice.

Step One: cut card using the "card" feature and the ornament card template button.  You will want to select 5.5" for your size.

Step Two: cut decorative layer for on your card.

Step Three: cut a piece off 3" x 4" piece of card stock (this will be your card holder)

Step Four: Punch the lower corner and opposite top corner of the 3" x 4" piece of card stock using the photo punch.

Step Five: Assemble Card. Place decorative layer on front of card. Decorate as desired.

Inside card, place 3" x 4" piece of punched card stock inside center of card. Glue, be sure not to glue the piece where the card slides up through! Trim around the card holder piece to smooth out any edges sticking out from the round card.

Wait until glue has dried.

Now you're ready to insert your gift card inside, write your message and attach to a package or hang on the tree.


I'd love to see how your card came out, feel free to share over on my facebook page or send me a photo of your finished project!

Twelve Days of Christmas: Project #5 Canned Jelly

 One of the biggest staples in the Lower household is our peanut butter and jelly stock. The kids love pb&j.

Recently, a friend brought me a gift. She taught me to make jelly. It was like stirring up a pot of sugary goodness in my own kitchen. I can't tell you how wonder the sound of canning jar lids "popping" sounds for the first time.

The recipe came with the pectin (an ingredient needed to make the jelly) and it was a little confusing to follow if you didn't know where to look. As a writer, I am tempted to re-write the instructions and send it back to the company so that people like me don't get so confused having to jump from the front side to the back side of the paper.

As we got these all canned and I was placing them in my cupboard, I remembered the delious blackberry jam I had gotten years ago in a family exchange during Christmas. A jar of jelly with or without a small loaf of fresh baked bread can make a great gift around the holidays, too.

All you need is some canning jars, pectin, fruit, sugar, and time.

Oh, and jelly is also good on those Christmas morning pancakes!

Twelve Days of Christmas: Project #4 Salt Dough Ornaments

For the past few months, the kiddos have been learning about what it means to do a random act of kindness. A friend of ours, is in charge of her church's advent readings this year. As part of advent, her church is handing out stars each week.

I sat with her a while and helped tie ribbons on some paper stars, and her mother made some beautiful crochet stars that you can check out here.

She mentioned making salt dough stars, and I knew that was right up our alley, so I was happy to volunteer. The kids and I had fun cutting them and painting them. And when Boy asked, "is this a random act of kindness?" I said, "Absolutely!"

 I took one of my clear stamps with a design and stamped the salt dough after it was all rolled out.

 Then Bug helped cut out the stars and lay them on parchment paper on the baking sheet.

 Bell, helped paint them, and decided it was best to do both sides so you couldn't see the "cookie" part.

 We took some red and white baker's twine and tied through them for hanging.

 They're so pretty on the tree.

 And we made quite a few of them.

Salt dough is a pretty simple recipe that the kids can have a lot of fun with. The best thing I like about salt dough ornaments is if they break they're just dough -- no one gets hurt and they're inexpensive. 

Salt Dough Recipe:

4 cups of flour

1 cup of salt

1.5 cups of water

Roll it out just like you're making sugar cookies. Bake them at 200 F or less for an hour then flip them and an hour more. (or you can just let them sit out for a day or two to get hard). Just remember, they're salt. I wouldn't advise a taste test when your done.

 

Yes, Virginia There is a Santa Claus

Dear Editor,

I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say that there is no Santa Claus. Papa says "If you see it in the Sun, it is so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?






Virginia,

Your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except what they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds.

All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to our life its highest beauty and joy.

Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus? You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your Papa to hire men to watch all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove?

Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see.

Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders that are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, or even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernatural beauty and glory beyond.

Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else as real and abiding.

No Santa Claus? Thank God he lives and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, maybe 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the hearts of children.

Written by Francis P. Church in 1897 
Photo credit:  http://theswingmood.blogspot.com/2011/12/miracle-on-34th-street-1947.html

Twelve Days of Christmas: Project #3 Homemade Kahlua

 Today's project for the Twelve Days of Christmas is homemade Kahlua. It's one of the rare drinks I like and his very popular amongst family members. It taste great in milk and ice or in a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter night.

Homemade Kahlua Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups instant coffee crystals
• 4 1/2 cups 100 proof vodka
• 8 cups sugar
• 2 vanilla beans

Directions:

Mix water, sugar and coffee crystals. Heat and stir until dissolved. Cool to room temperature. Add vodka. Stir to combine. Pour mixture into 6, 12.5 oz. bottles. Cut each vanilla bean into thirds and drop bean into each bottle. Cap. After 2-3 weeks strain, remove beans and rebottle.
Makes the perfect gift!
- See more at: http://www.beanilla.com/blog/homemade-kahlua-recipe#sthash.D9NhzTqn.dpuf

Ingrediants:


4 cups of water
1 1/2 cups instant coffee crystals
4 1/2 cups 100 proof vodka
8 cups of sugar
2 vanilla beans


Directions:
Add water and coffee crystals in large pot. Heat and stir until dissolved. Cool at room temperature, add vodka.  Pour into decorative bottles. Cut your beans in thirds. Place a bean in each bottle. Cap (or cork like we did) and let sit for 2-3 weeks. Then strain and remove bean and put back in bottle.

This is an inexpensive and creative gift to give your family and friends this holiday season.

Don't forgot to include some biscotti!

Twelve Days of Christmas: Project #2 continued - Packaged Biscotti

 Yesterday, I shared how Jen, Trash To Treasure Diva, and I did a little baking for holiday gifts. Today, I wanted to share with you the finished result. You saw the yummy Biscotti we baked, now it's time to pull out some card stock and plastic candy bags and do some packaging.

These green and silver pieces came from a DCWV mini stack. The pages measured 4.5" x 6.5" so we cut them in half and folded them to create the flaps of the packages.

Jen, has much better handwriting then I do, so I offered to do the bag filling if she did the writing. We make a great creative team when we work together. All that Biscotti, and right now it's on top of my fridge away from temptation, else it may  not make it to the teachers, clients, and co-workers it was intended for!

Now that is a lot of biscotti! We made up small boxes for the kids' teachers and brown sacks filled with biscotti for family members.


These most definately are the right size for stocking stuffers or just making someone's day this holiday season.


Don't go away, Tomorrow we're heading into the third day of the Twelve Days of Christmas, and I think you'll find what we're brewing up to be just as delicious as this yummy bicotti.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?