Christmas

Snowball Bath Bomb Printable Gift Tag

45 · Nov 10, 2017 · 1 Comment

Hey guys! The Holidays are right around the corner and now’s the time to start preparing. I had a friend tell me today, “the Christmas season starts the minute Halloween is over and Thanksgiving is half-time.” I’m not one to run right past Thanksgiving but, I kind of get where he’s coming from. As busy as things get, it’s a great idea to start workin on those fun neighbor, office, teacher and friend gifts. Now, if you’re planning on baking, you’ll have to wait until the last minute to make your treats. With these Snowball Bath Bombs, you can still pull out the mixer and not have to scramble at the last minute to put your sweet treats together. These could be wrapped up in July if you’re really that prepared!

Check out this video to see how easy they are to make…

Snowball Bath Bombs via WhipperBerry from Heather Thoming on Vimeo.

For the full recipe you’ll need to visit I Heart Nap Time to get all of the details on how to make the snowball bath bombs BUT… You can download the free printable HERE.

This tag is double sided. All you need to do is print the front then flip your paper over and print the polka dots on the back side.

Make sure to run over to I Heart Naptime to get all of the instructions on how to make this gem of a little gift. You can also pin the image below to help you remember what you’re going to make for your friends and neighbors this year. Happy gifting!

Farmhouse Inspired Christmas Tree – Dream Tree Challenge

75 · Nov 1, 2017 · 1 Comment

It’s getting close to my favorite time of year… Christmas!! Every year it’s so fun to participate in the Michaels Dream Tree Challenge and this year has been EXTRA FUN! We gathered together as a family and crafted our Christmas tree together and it was so fun. From trees to ornaments and holiday décor, Michaels has everything you need to MAKE this holiday your own! You can even shop over 100 Christmas Trees at Michaels.com. Crafting your tree together is a great way to bring the family together at the beginning of the Holiday season. Here is what we created to make our 2017 tree magical for our home and family.

The Christmas Tree

This year, I picked the 7.5 Ft. Pre-Lit Jasper Cashmere Artificial Christmas Tree, Clear Lights by Ashland™. At first it was a little wide for our space. BUT… We placed it on top of an old bucket I had and then bent the lower branches down to give it a slimmer figure. I wish ‘slimming-down’ was that easy for all of us! 😉 That also raised the tree up a bit, which makes it look better in a room with vaulted ceilings.

Regardless of what this photo looks like below (someone was being a bit dramatic…) The Jasper tree is super easy to set-up. It’s literally plug and play. The electricity runs through the poll of the tree so you don’t have to go hunting around for all of the connections. Then all you have to do is fluff the branches.

Farmhouse Inspired Christmas Ornaments

Part of the fun when decorating for the Holidays is actually making some of your own decor. This year I was inspired by some ornaments that Joanna Gains has created for another store. I LOVE them and thought we could make some of our own with supplies from Michaels.

I grabbed some of the shatter proof ornaments at Michaels along with some of the Americana Chalkboard Paint from DecoArt…

My daughter Haley is home from college with her boyfriend Kyle and we decided to have a paint party. We covered the table with plastic wrap and went to town with the clear ornaments from Michaels. We painted them all over with the chalkboard paint. Now, the only reason I use chalkboard paint is because I like the matte look. Then we used a white paint marker from Sharpie and created all of the little swiss crosses on the ornaments.

They turned out super cute and we had so much fun making them together!

I think they may be my new favorite Christmas ornaments for our tree.

Next, we painted some large wood stars from Michaels with Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint from DecoArt. Then we used my Cricut Maker to add titles of Christmas Carols onto the stars. You can learn how to make those HERE. You can even download the graphics that I designed for the stars!

The next element for my tree is a few types of picks that I found in the Christmas pick section of Michaels.

Quite honestly, picks are some of my favorite ways to add personality to my Christmas trees. They really add to the tree and they aren’t very pricey. I LOVE the fuzzy little stars, the gold antlers, and the cotton stems. They look fabulous on the tree!

The last element is the ribbon picks. They couldn’t be easier to make. I found some perfect ribbon at Michaels and cut it into 6 inch sections…

Then I folded it in half and wrapped some floral wire around the bottom leaving a 4-5 inch tail to secure it to the tree. Super simple and the bottom doesn’t need to be pretty.

Then you use the wire tail to attach them to the tree. An easy, easy way to fill in those bald spots on the tree or add a pop of color. Again, it’s a very cost friendly way to add color to your tree.

One last thing… I almost forgot! We decided to HANG our star from the ceiling for this tree. I bought a large wood star at Michaels and wrapped it with some wire lights and then hung it from the ceiling. We made sure to place our hook in a stud so that we didn’t have issues with the weight of the star. It’s so simple and tops it with that rustic farmhouse look.

Wow, it’s amazing how some simple elements can come together to create a really stunning tree. All of my kiddos have said this tree is the best we’ve ever had. Make sure to download the Michaels App on your smartphone so you don’t miss any of their amazing holiday deals this season. It really is a great app to have. No more saving receipts! That’s worth it right there.

Don’t forget to tag me in your tree photos… I love to see what you guys are creating!

For more inspiration, visit the Michaels blog and their Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram accounts.

DIY Farmhouse Christmas Carol Star Tree Ornaments

111 · Nov 1, 2017 · 6 Comments

It’s officially Holiday Season! One thing that I LOVE about the Holidays is creating my own custom decor for our home. Love FARMHOUSE decor?

Then you are going to LOVE this Farmhouse-inspired Christmas Carol Star ornament that you can create for your home. This week I’ve teamed-up with DecoArt and Cricut to create some new ornaments for my Christmas tree this year.

We decided to go with the star of Christmas theme, so… I thought it would be fun to chalk paint some large wood stars and then put titles of Christmas Carols on them. They turned out so cute… Come learn how to make them for yourself.

A few years ago, one of my good friends had the most beautiful Christmas trees. She had large stars all over the tree and I just adored it.

I asked her where the stars were from and I was devastated to learn that they were given to her from a friend who found them discarded from a department store after the holidays. DANG! There was no way of finding a set of my own.

This year, I decided it was time to make some large stars of my own. The timing couldn’t be more perfect! DecoArt and Cricut have teamed up this year to create all kinds of fabulous fun this Holiday season…

I love it when to amazing companies come together to inspire all of us to bring a little bit of our personalities into our home. These two are perfect for that. I’m sure that this will tickle your fancy… You’ll want to visit the DecoArt Blog to check out the GIVEAWAYS DecoArt & Cricut have up their sleeves this year!

Instructions for Christmas Carol Stars

First, grab your raw wood stars and wipe them down with a damp cloth to make sure they are dust and dirt free. Then paint your base coat with the Americana Decor Curb Appeal paint.

The reason why I used the Curb Appeal paint is… One, it’s a durable paint and will stand up to the distressing of the chalk paint. Two, I just happened to have some left over after I painted my front door. I wanted to have a black base because I wanted it to show through when I distressed the white (Everlast) paint.

PRO TIP + When using chalk paint, you will typically distress your paint to create the look that is typical with chalk paint. You’ll need to keep in mind what color you want to show through once distressed. You’ll need to use that color as your base color then paint your finishing color on top. Then make sure when you are distressing your piece, you don’t use too much pressure. You don’t want to accidentally distress down through your base coat.

Once your base coat is dry, paint your top coat with the Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint in Everlasting.

Pro Tip + Don’t worry about making your top coat look PERFECT with multiple layers of paint. You will be distressing them, no need for perfection. The heavier your layer of paint, the harder your piece will be to distress. No need to make extra work for yourself.

To distress, use a 250 grit sandpaper and lightly sand the raised edges of the stars.

Christmas Carol Graphics

Now, it’s time to break out your Cricut machine. I’ve used the Cricut Explore machines and the Cricut Maker and I LOVE them both. For this project, I used my Cricut Maker but, either one is fine.

To begin, I created these designs to put on the chalk painted stars…

I love how they help to usher in the spirit of the season. They remind us of seasons past and they also help to remember the true meaning of the season… The birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.

You can download these Christmas Carol designs HERE

Then all you need to do is to upload the SVG files to the Cricut Design Space. You can check out this post on how to upload a design in the Cricut Design Space to learn how to do that.

Then you’ll cut your designs on your Cricut machine and then apply the vinyl to your stars. To learn how to apply vinyl, visit this post… How to Apply Vinyl Tutorial that I created.

It’s really not hard if you follow a few simple steps. It truly is one of my favorite ways to create for my home.

Pro Tip + Make sure you wipe down your stars with a damp cloth to remove any remaining paint dust. It will make applying the vinyl much easier.

Now your stars are ready to add to your tree!

I can’t wait to see what you guys create this Holiday Season! Make sure to tag me on your social media posts. You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram & Pinterest.

Find the Gifts you know they’ll Love on eBay this Season

12 · Dec 8, 2016 · Leave a Comment

This holiday season, I’m swapping gifts with another blogger who loves to entertain for eBay’s holiday gift exchange. I’ve partnered with eBay to create this post! Enjoy!

Gift giving is my love language! I adore giving and yes, receiving gifts. Naturally, Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. I remember the first Christmas that my husband and I shared. I spent months searching for the “perfect” gifts for him. Gifts that I knew that he would love and gifts that he didn’t even know he wanted.

As a person who loves to sit and try to figure out all of the clues when watching “Sherlock,” the concept of a “perfect” gift is a mystery I love to solve. As far as I am concerned… The Christmas game is afoot!

It’s no fun to just go and buy a generic gift that anyone with a pulse would mildly appreciate. The challenge is to know your friends and loved ones so well, that you can find something truly thoughtful that they will adore.

This holiday season I was invited to participate in eBay’s holiday gift exchange.

Did you know that eBay has all kinds of fabulous items direct from the manufacturer that are brand new and they have that lovely “Buy it Now” button that makes things so handy. It’s quick and easy and there is no bidding required. Did you also know that the world’s top brands sell new items directly on eBay at some of the best deals?

But, back to the gift exchange… I was invited to be a part of a secret gift exchange this season. I’ve been paired up with another blogger whose identity is under wraps. All I know is that they love to entertain. My challenge was to visit eBay and find some items that this hostess might love when she is hosting some of her fun gatherings. Now, this challenge wasn’t that hard because I love to entertain as well. I knew without a doubt that the gift they are waiting for was on eBay.

Since this is a blind gift exchange, I had to rely on my experience as a hostess. I know that some of my key ingredients for the perfect event are to have the right tools, the right decor & the right mood. I found items that would be perfect for all three areas on eBay!

Generally when I’m entertaining I am doing the majority of the cooking. I make sure to have some great recipes on hand and one of my favorite cookbooks is by Ina Garten, “Make it Ahead.” A staple in the entertainers tool kit in my opinion. Found it on eBay. Another one of my favorite kitchen tools when I’m prepping for a party is my KitchenAid Mixer. I honestly don’t know what I would do without that perfect tool in my kitchen. In my opinion, every good hostess needs to have one in their party tool kit.

You also need to have the right dishes & serving platters. That’s the fun part, making your party look beautiful. I found all kinds of fun serving items on eBay that any entertainer would love to have in their pantry. Not only do they serve a purpose for serving the food, they can be part of the all important decor for the event. The serving utensils are just as important as the cute gems you can set on the table to dress things up.

Next, you have the mood… No one wants to walk into a party and feel like they are waiting at the dentist for a filling! You need to turn down the lights, have beautiful candles to fill the room with soft light and a heavenly scent. You need to have the perfect music playing in the background on a stylish Bluetooth speaker. I found all of that on eBay as well. It’s perfect!

Now that I’ve found all of these great gift items for the entertainer, I have to pick one for my mystery hostess. I decided that…

No entertainer who loves to plan and prepare for parties should be without a KitchenAid Mixer! Shortly, my mystery gift exchange partner will receive a new KitchenAid Mixer on her doorstep from eBay and I can’t wait to see what she has picked out for me!! Stay tuned, I’ll be sharing what I receive on Facebook & Instagram.

What are you on the hunt for? Who do you need to find the perfect gift for this year? Find the gifts you know they’ll love on eBay this gift-giving season.