Recently our friend Kelly from According To Kelly and Lion Brand Yarn gave me the chance to get a little creative with yarn. As in make something with yarn without your crochet hooks! Yikes! It took a little thinking, but I came up with this fun yarn pom pom garland for my Christmas mantel using some of Lion Brand's most festive yarns (like the Silky Twist and Martha Stewart Crafts Lofty Wool Blend yarns) and and their Pom Pom Maker. I even got the boys to help! It came together quickly and I'm already planning a birthday pom pom garland. . .or how cute would it be to hang brightly-colored pom poms from the ceiling in a nursery? Of course I'll be using them on upcoming crochet patterns as well. Pom poms are great stash busters!

You could win all the supplies needed to make your own pom pom garland! Just leave us a comment by Wednesday, December 21st at 11:59pm PT. Now go check out the tutorial!

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My son is turning 5! I am still not really sure how that is possible since I had him last week. Well, it feels like that anyway. But, I guess it's really been 5 years! I love this kid.

He wanted a superhero party for his birthday, so I set out to create one! Problem is, I am not very good at coming up with ideas. I am great at copying ideas, but not always creating them. Lucky for me, I have a new best friend. Her name is Pinterest. I get so many wonderful ideas on there! When I searched for superhero ideas, I came across a great link to One Charming Party. Have you heard of it? They sell amazing party plans and give you everything you need to make a successful party. It was exactly what I needed. Their superhero party plan is perfect!

Here is what I received in my inbox after buying the plan:

• cool 3D invitations that you can read with or without 3D glasses
• invitations, thank you cards and superhero certificates–print as many as you need
• printable cake toppers to quickly transform your cake
• a simple and yummy activity to keeps guests busy as you wait for everyone to arrive
• a step-by-step tutorial for a comic book banner that will give your party some POW
• easy instructions for making a super shirt your superhero will love (ages 1-6 and two generic graphics)
• hero training with 6 activities to keep guest entertained for the whole party
• super food labels that will encourage kids to eat healthier
• our expert party tips to keep your party running smoothly
• gorgeous photos to guide you through this party from start to finish
• a resource guide to help you find all of the party supplies
• 60+ pages in a downloadable pdf–sent instantly to your inbox

 It helped me so much! Look how adorable the invitations are. All I had to do was print them on cardstock. It saved me so much effort.

Instead of making a cake, I did cupcakes and I loved how they turned out! The "pow" was a printable from the superhero party plan and I just taped it to a lollipop stick in the cupcake.


Each child who attended the party got to go home with a superhero cape and mask along with their goodie bag.


We played some great games... Freeze dance and keep the balloon from touching the ground, anyone? My husband also came up with the brilliant idea of playing a superhero version of Duck, Duck Goose. We did Superman, Batman, Joker! The kids loved it!

And what would a superhero party be without some snacks to boost your superhero powers? I have never seen kids eat their fruits and veggies so quickly and quietly before! They really wanted some powers.

The party was such a success and my little guy definitely felt like a superhero! And I felt like supermom for throwing such a great party with such little stress! One Charming Party has so many other great themed parties. I think I will be selecting one for my other son's 8th birthday!

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I still have a couple of Christmas decor tutorials to share, and two of them are being featured at two of our favorite blogs today! These ladies have lots of other great holiday ideas, so take some time to check 'em out while you're there!

We're showing this pretty up-cycled napkin ring / place card holder for your Christmas dinner over at Make and Takes today. . .

And a quick tutorial for these gorgeous curled paper glass ornaments over at Under The Table and Dreaming by Stephanie Lynn as part of her Handmade Ornaments series (tons of cute ideas!).


I'll show you the rest of my easy homemade ornaments this week (yes, my tree is finally finished!). Then we have a few last minute Christmas gift ideas for you. You haven't seen the last of us this Christmas season!

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Thanks to Duncan Hines for sponsoring my writing. There's no limit to the baking possibilities, so grab your favorite Duncan Hines mix and Comstock or Wilderness fruit fillings and Bake On! www.duncanhines.com.

I love this time of year (have I mentioned that a dozen times yet?) and one of the great things is all the baking! I love baking and with how cold it has been lately, it has been a fun treat to keeping my house toasty. Maybe not such a fun treat for my hips though. That's why I usually share with my friends. I love to bake all year, but for me, the heaviest part of my baking starts with Thanksgiving. I always enjoy making a bunch of pies. After Thanksgiving, cookie and cakes start popping out of my oven. Luckily, I share many friends who also love to bake (and consume) so I invite them over to bake with me so I have someone to laugh and talk with.

Why am I so hungry all of a sudden? Dessert is always better when shared with friends. We love to have friends over for dessert all year long, but it's especially fun around the holidays. There's something about the joy of the season that just adds to the warmness and delight of sharing dessert with friends. For Christmas Eve this year we are going to a gathering at a friends house to enjoy some delicious food, friendship and dessert. My friend has promised homemade cream puffs. What? Yum! Hopefully she will give me some instructions so I can make them myself (and share them with you!). I am enjoying every baking moment this holiday season and relishing every chance I get to celebrate and enjoy dessert with friends. Tis the season to eat! Or be jolly. Or be jolly because you are eating delicious dessert with those you love. What do you love baking around the holidays? Any fun festivities that you plan on bringing and sharing some of your desserts?


Remember to check out Duncan Hines' website www.duncanhines.com to find some great recipes for your holiday get-together! I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective.

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This is the first time in 5 years I've had a real mantel to decorate for Christmas, so I was determined to fill it! I've seen an idea or two like this on Pinterest and thought they looked pretty simple to make. Umm, hate to admit it, but it was more than simple. It was waaaay too easy for something so cute! Even though you probably don't need it, here's a quick tutorial on how to make a framed ornament for your holiday decor.
Framed Christmas Ornament TutorialPin It

Supplies
*Open frame (no glass or backing)
*Christmas ornament
*Wide ribbon

1. Here is my $7 thrift store frame. It was a really nice frame, but someone tried to enhance it by adding a blue stripe of paint. Not so nice. So I quickly spray painted it white.


Yep, that's it! Then I propped it up on my mantel. Fancy, huh?

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I FINALLY got my wreath for my front door up! It was looking way too bare. I made it with the leftover burlap from my table runner (plus a little more), and added a super simple paper-covered stick star. My homemade holiday decor is just about done! This wreath didn't take me that long, I just took my time getting it done (amidst all the other holiday decorating, baking, etc.). But I love how it turned out! (Plus I think I'll use the wreath for Valentine's day, too--just hang a heart on the front instead!) Here's the how to for both pieces. . .

Burlap Christmas Wreath Tutorial

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We are excited to offer a great giveaway to you today. This is a perfect giveaway for a lovely CD which can make this time of year more peaceful. All Through the Night features beloved, time-honored songs woven into peaceful, whispering lullabies on flute and harp. In our busy lifestyle filled with technological distractions, schedule demands and increasing noise, All Through the Night was created to lessen these distractions and to lift your spirit, all the while lulling your little one into a peaceful slumber.

Opus 2 Harp and Flute Duo is comprised of Julie Gaisford Keyes of Bountiful, Utah and Steven Lucera Alder of Mesa, Arizona.  All of the original arrangements are by Emmy-award-winning composer Kurt Bestor, and the CD cover photography and digital artwork is by Mark Mabry.  All Through the Night is now available at Deseret Book, Seagull Book, iTunes, and Amazon.com.

To enter to win All Through the Night, do one of the following (or more!):

Mandatory entry:

1. Visit Opus2music on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Opus2music/262916610396038.
Click on "Like this" in the left column of the page.

1. Click on "Select a Song" to be taken to their webpage and listen to
their sound clips.  If you like what you hear, click "like" on the
webpage, too.  That's it!!

Do all or some for EXTRA entries:

1. Click on "Send" on their webpage to tell your friends about the new
CD All Through the Night.

2.  Follow Opus2music on Twitter.

{Make sure you leave a separate comment for each one!}
This giveaway will end Thursday, December 15th at 11:59pm PT. Good Luck!
 

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Wow, we had some great responses to our Fabric Envy giveaway. We are now ready to announce the lucky winner. The winner of a fabulous gift pack from Fabric Envy is...

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Here's the last tree in my foam cone Christmas tree trio. More ruffles, but this time with fabric! See the paper-covered tree here and the ruffled ribbon-covered tree here!

1. Cut your fabric into the following size strips:
*1 strip 2" x 44"
*2 strips 1.5" x 44"
*3 strips 1" x 44"
(You may need more or less depending on the size of your foam tree--I used the biggest one I could find.)

Ruffle each strip. Sew a basting stitch 1/4" from the top of the strip all the way across. Pull one of the threads and slide the fabric along the thread to create ruffles. Make sure your ruffles are uniform.
2. Starting with the 2" strip of ruffled fabric, wrap it around the base of the tree, letting it hang over the edge a little. Pin with straight pins as you go, or use a hot glue gun. I chose pins so I can easily change it in the future if I want different fabric!

When the 2" strip is done, add the 1.5" strips, overlapping ends slightly. Then add the 1" strips until you get to the top.

3. Fold ends of fabric over top of cone and pin down. If you have extra fabric, trim end.

4. Trim any stray threads on the ruffles. You can always finish your ruffles by doubling your fabric width for each strip, folding strip in half lengthwise and pressing, then continuing with ruffle instructions. This would make the bottoms of your ruffles finished with no unraveling, but it also adds bulk (and time, and fabric!) to the project. I was going for quick and easy.

5. I added a ribbon bow to the top of the tree with a straight pin.

6. Glue cone to a candlestick holder to give it a base.

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Here's tree 2 from my foam cone Christmas tree trio (see the paper one here and the fabric one here). This one's covered with ruffled ribbon, one of my favorite techniques (get the tutorial)!

Foam Cone Holiday Tree Tutorial - Ruffled Ribbon & Pins



1. First, ruffle your ribbon. See how I made mine in this tutorial. I used a smocking stitch instead of a straight stitch to give it a little more flair.

2. Starting at the bottom, wrap your ribbon all the way around the base. For the next wrap, slightly overlap the first wrap and move up in a spiral.

Place a pin where the first and second wraps overlap to hold them in place.

3. Continue wrapping and pinning around and around the cone.

4. Go back and push in more pins, spaced to look like well-placed ornaments.


5. Glue your cone to a candlestick, like this brass one I spray painted white (see the first tree tutorial). Add a festive ribbon to the candlestick for extra cuteness. 

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