pipe cleaner christmas tree

The Studio is a new site from Kiwi Crate that lets you browse hundreds of children's projects to make yourself, or if you're not feeling up to dragging the kids to three stores to gather the materials, you can buy them right there! There are currently three craft kits, with many more coming soon!

There is a Tissue Paper Wreath

 A Crafty Christmas Elf

 

 And a Pipe Cleaner Christmas Tree which I made with my boys.

It is always fun this time of year to do crafts with my kids for the holidays and when I received this Pipe Cleaner Christmas tree craft kit from The Studio, we had so much fun putting it together.

I love that the kit comes with everything you need to make the craft. It required no effort on my part to do the shopping, but the kids were able to enjoy a fun activity.

You put the wooden dowel into the wooden wheel and have an instant frame to start creating with! Then, starting at the base, wrap pipe cleaners around the base to create "branches." (The more times you wrap a pipe cleaner around the dowel, the shorter the branches will be.)

Once the entire dowel is wrapped up with fuzzy pine "needles," it's time to trim the tree.
 You can:

• -adorn the branches with wooden bead ornaments
• -top the tree with a pipe cleaner star
• -cut up the pipe cleaners to create a festive garland
• -wrap up the branches with sparkly pipe cleaners

It was fun to see the kids come up with their own ideas of how they wanted to decorate the tree and they got really creative!

 My boys have the tree displayed in their room as a Christmas decoration and they love it!

Check out The Studio to see the instructions for the other crafts and to order your own fun holiday craft kits. Your kids will love it!

pamper your way through the holidays

We all know the holidays can get very stressful for women and moms. We run around getting all the gifts bought, decorating our homes, attending parties and more! Most of the time I think we tend to put ourselves at the bottom of our to-do list. This year I am making it a goal for myself to slow down a bit and take time to enjoy the season peacefully. I know that is easier said than done!

I recently heard of the book Body Back by Heather Porter. This is a mother's handbook to medical, physical and emotional well being. The book is filled with so many amazing insights and tips!

One thing I loved was this recipe for No-Sugar Added Lemonade...


This holiday season I have been trying to find ways to not pack on the pounds, but instead pack up the leftovers which is a great tip from Body Back. There is not need to avoid all the foods you love at the holidays, but you can choose healthier options and eat smaller portions. One thing I tell myself is that food can be enjoyed for more than one day! So pack up some leftovers and you can enjoy the food sensibly over a few days.

Body Back has all sorts of amazing tips, and ideas of ways to take care of yourself and get your body back to a state of healthy and optimum function.

There are also fun tips for beautiful makeup and manicures and more! I love this video on getting the perfect smoky eye. Use this for all the Christmas parties you will be attending.



Make sure to pick up a copy of Body Back and take time to pamper yourself this holiday season!

InStyle and People Style Watch (deal!)

I love fashion magazines. I love seeing all the  newest fashion trends and getting great ideas for different ways to pull outfits together. This time of year they always have great gift ideas as well!

This week, Target has a great deal going on. If you buy BOTH InStyle magazine and People StyleWatch (different than normal People magazine) during 11/25/12-12/7/12 then you will get a $5 Target gift card! Love it! My store didn't have any signage or ads showing this promotion but it is going on!

I bought my magazines yesterday...

Then I carved out a little "me" time on my couch...with my Christmas lights aglow...and read away...

I was happy to see this feature in People Style Watch on picking the perfect lip color. I have been wanting to try a red for a while but have been a little hesitant. This gave me some great tips!

Umm...can I have one of each of these hats, please? InStyle, you have great taste!

Head on over to Target to get this fun magazine deal for People Style Watch and InStyle. It will offer some fun reading during the holiday rush and some great gift ideas!

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™, but all my opinions are my own  http://cmp.ly/3/KqtZiE

decorate your home for the holidays {guest post}

Guest Post from Alexandra Jacobs who is an active blogger providing written work to the blogosphere pertaining to Hamptons homes, home improvement and the latest in architecture, design, and décor

This holiday season decorate your dining room and living room with holiday trim. Though most people do not consider it, a simple change in décor can change your mood and help you become more productive around the house. Many of these projects are do-it-yourself (DIY) and can be completed in a few hours or much less. This means there will be time to cook and relax also over the holidays. Quick holiday decorations are a lifesaver for many people. Here are some holiday décor ideas:

Hang Leaves From the Chandelier

Hang leaves from the chandelier using string and a needle. The leaves can be preserved with a special solution. When the leaves are preserved in glycerin, the leaves will last longer and resist breakage into your guests’ food. These leaves can also be scattered on a table around the centerpiece also. Many dinner party hosts use candles as centerpieces and scatter the leaves around the vases. Leaves are a festive way to stay in the holiday mood. Consider how leaves can make your holiday party festive and wonderful.

Make a Floral Arrangement with Pumpkins 

For this arrangement, buy a fall bouquet of flowers. This floral arrangement can consist of roses, pumpkins, squash, peppers, and chrysanthemums and callas lilies in colors such as red, yellow and oranges. These floral arrangements can be placed on the table and around the home to make the home more inviting.

Deck the Halls with Holiday Centerpieces

Holiday centerpieces make the home festive and bright. Everyone loves tasteful decorations. Consider making one of these easy creations to welcome your guests and help make your event festive. Most guests enjoy a well decorated home for the holidays. Luckily, these decorations are easy to make and are affordable in most instances. When you use natural elements such as nuts, leaf cuttings, leafs, mistletoe and other natural holiday leaves, you save considerable money. Consider DIY holiday centerpieces to enhance your holiday party.

Happy Holidays!

ShopLocket + a $100 Michael's Giveaway

Have something to sell this Holiday Season? I’ve recently discovered this great new way to sell products online called ShopLocket.  There’s no crowded marketplace that you get lost in, and there’s no time consuming and expensive setup like with some online store options. ShopLocket is neat because you're not sending your blog readers to a different site to shop. You can sell right on your own blog or website. If you don’t have a website, not to worry! Just share a link to the ShopLocket page on Facebook or Twitter for instance. Think of it like sharing a YouTube video online, but for selling your product.

It’s really simple: go to the website, sign up, put in a few details about your product (name, description, pictures, etc.) Sellers on ShopLocket are selling everything from hand made accessories, to t-shirts, and Halloween art. You can even sell digital goods like these sewing patterns or Star Wars printables! You can even use it for re-selling used items!

Even their pricing is dead simple: there’s no up-front or monthly fees, you only pay when you sell. When you sell a product, you’re charged 2.5% plus any payment processing fees from PayPal or Stripe fees. So if you’re selling something that’s $20, you’d pocket $18.62.

Did I mention how easy it was to sign up? It’s scary easy, you can be selling products in minutes. To sign up, just go to ShopLocket.com and you can be selling almost instantly!

As an added bonus, ShopLocket is going to be randomly giving out FIVE $100 gift certificates to Michaels to people that sign up before midnight on November 16th! Enter below!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to visit ShopLocket on Facebook and Twitter.

I wrote this post as part of a paid campaign with ShopLocket and Blueprint Social. The opinions in this post are my own.

10 free holiday cards promo code {tiny prints}

I'm madly working on a blanket tutorial, painting my thrift store finds for my new craft room, and blowing this joint for a quick girls' trip with my sisters-in-law and mother-in-law, but I had to mention this awesome free holiday offer from Tiny Prints (I use them every year for my cards!). Click below and use the code to get 10 free holiday cards--hurry, ends 11/13/12! I also included a few of my favorite cards they offer below--it was seriously hard to choose though. Love, love, love their designs. The back of the cards are super cute, too. See you soon!

holiday bake, craft, & sew {gift ideas and a giveaway!}

We are over at According to Kelly guest posting today for the Holiday-Inspired Bake Craft Sew Along.

But, I get to help start the holiday season off with a bang, & treat you to an absolutely amazing giveaway as part of our crafty series. We are giving away a fabulous Prize Package worth more than $700!

One lucky winner will receive...

• Silhouette Portrait: this is Silhouette's newest electronic cutting tool for personal use. Like a home printer, it plugs into your PC or Mac® with a simple USB cable. However, instead of printing it uses a small blade to cut paper, cardstock, vinyl, fabric and more up to 8" wide and 10 feet long. The machine also has the ability to register and cut printed materials.
• DecoArt Glass Paints & Stencils: non-toxic and enviromently-friendly, DecoArt has one of the widest selection of paints and finishes for arts, crafts, and home decorating, which includes over 25 brands of paint and finishes.
• $100 Michael's Gift Card

Simply wait for RaffleCopter to load and enter there! Be sure to check out all the fabulous craft projects shared this month for this Holiday-Inspired Bake Craft Sew series going on all month long. & Don't forget head on over to Skip to my Lou & A Southern Fairytale for more chances to win! a Rafflecopter giveaway