Here are a couple more quick and easy neighbor/co-worker/hostess gifts you can put together fast, just in case you're still searching for a little something.

These "root deer" would be a great gift to put together with the kids. Just decorate each bottle in a six pack of root beer with pipe cleaner, pom-poms, googly eyes, and felt. We even added a tiny jingle bell collar.


If you're even shorter on time, try wrapping up a fun holiday-scented item like this Winter Candy Apple hand soap from Bath & Body Works. This would make a fabulous hostess gift.


Or, wrap up a bottle of sparkling apple cider or your favorite wine for a simple but very welcome holiday gift. We found this lovely photo on Divine Caroline, and they share a few other "last-minute gifts that don't seem so. . ."


Happy gifting!

The winner of a fabulous Christmas present from Expressing You is...



Erin K of erinkcreations.blogspot.com!


Congratulations, Erin! Please email us at littlebirdiesecrets@gmail.com so we can put you in touch with Jessyka and you can start choosing your vinyl design!

Merry Chrismas!

I know, Christmas is almost here, so most of us are enjoying our family and holiday traditions, not crafting. But if you're looking for one more little thing to complete your Christmas decor, here are a couple of really fast wreaths you can make in about half an hour!

The Long Thread posted this simple ribbon wreath tutorial using gray ribbon for a cool Halloween decoration. We just changed it to red ribbon for a stunning holiday wreath. And it only took about 30 minutes to make!



We saw this idea in a Better Homes and Gardens publications and couldn't believe how cheap and easy it was to make! Use it to display Christmas cards (all the cards I've received so far have been the extra-large variety, so they didn't fit very well on my wreath--but you get the idea), or just hang it plain.


Christmas Card Display Wreath

What you'll need:

*Wreath form
*About 5 yards upholstery webbing (I found this at JoAnn and Walmart for about $.70 a yard)
*Straight pins
*Small clips

1. Pin the webbing onto the wreath form. Wrap it around until it covers the entire wreath.


2. When you get back to the beginning, pin the end of the webbing to secure it.


3. Cut the webbing and use the extra to tie a large bow, also pinning it into place. Then use the remainder to hold the wreath so it can be hung.


4. If you have a variety of smaller cards, clip them to the wreath with small clips from the office supply store. Voila!



This one is my all-time favorite. Eddie Ross has a simple tutorial for this amazing wreath made from Christmas tree ornaments! We're going to hit the after-Christmas sales to get great deals on ornaments for this beauty to hang next year.

Maybe it's just me, but something about almond flavoring always reminds me of the holiday season. It's probably because I love the flavor, and many of my favorite holiday recipes call for it! With only 6 days left to prepare and bake for your holiday feast, we thought we better share some delicious almond flavored recipes.

The first recipe comes from one of our favorites, myrecipes.com. When I got an email with this recipe inside, it went straight to the top of my "must try recipes" list. These cookies look divine!

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, beat 1 cup butter and sugar until smooth. Add egg yolk, liqueur, and orange peel and beat until well blended.

2. In another bowl, mix 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture; stir to mix, then beat until well blended. Gather dough into a ball, divide in half, and flatten each portion into a disk; wrap each tightly in plastic wrap and freeze until firm enough to roll without sticking, about 30 minutes.

3. Unwrap dough. On a lightly floured surface, with a floured rolling pin, roll one disk at a time to about 1/4 inch thick. With a floured, 2-inch round cutter, cut out cookies. Place about 2 inches apart on buttered 12- by 15-inch baking sheets. Gather excess dough into a ball, reroll, and cut out remaining cookies.

4. In a small bowl, beat egg white with 1 teaspoon water to blend. Brush cookies with mixture and sprinkle or arrange about 1/2 teaspoon sliced almonds on each.

5. Bake cookies in a 325º regular or convection oven until lightly browned, about 15 minutes; if baking two sheets at once in one oven, switch their positions halfway through cooking. Let cookies cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then use a wide spatula to transfer to racks to cool completely.

Here's another pretty quick and easy last-minute gift idea for all you procrastinators. We love the idea of a matching apron and oven mitt for the chef in your life. We made these up without a pattern, but we've included a list of free apron patterns below for those of you who aren't quite as confident in your sewing skills as our Stacy.


We don't have a full tutorial for these cute things, but here's a quick synopsis for those of you who are "sew" savvy:

You need about a yard of fabric for each apron. Cut two four-inch wide strips the length of the fabric. Sew them together to make one long tie. Then, using the remaining fabric as the body of the apron, hem three of the sides, leaving the top edge raw. Gather or pleat this side and sew it to the apron tie, right sides together. Fold the apron tie over, iron the fold, and sew it closed. Embellish by making a ruffle out of strips of fabric with the sides serged (or overcast stitched). I love this little ruffle look. You can also use ric rac or ribbon. So many possibilities. The tie is long enough to wrap around the back and tie in the front in a cute bow.

So, if that was all gibberish to you, here are links to over 50 free apron patterns. An apron and matching oven mitt has got to fit the bill of someone on your list. And there are still 7 days left to craft--you can do it!

It's crunch time! Only 8 days until Christmas, and you're still looking for a great gift for your sister, friend, babysitter, child's teacher, or all of the above. Here's a quick and easy answer. Scarves are not only functional, but super stylish. If you don't have time (or inclination) to knit or crochet one, cut one instead. Seriously--it's that easy. Find a rayon/cotton knit or jersey knit--something that is soft and has a little stretch. Mine came in 60" width, so I could get four single-layer scarves out of one 2-yard piece. I folded it a couple of times length-wise so it would fit my cutting mat, then used my quilting ruler and rotary cutter to cut it in four equal pieces. The raw edges curl slightly, which gives it a finished look. WOW--I just made four fabulous gifts in about 3 minutes--no sewing required!



For a little thicker version, cut your 2-yard length of knit fabric in half lengthwise. Then take each piece, fold it in half lengthwise, and sew it in a big rectangle, leaving a small opening to turn inside-out. You can quickly hand sew the opening closed. I then got my scarf wet and twisted it, securing it with rubber bands and leaving it twisted until it dried. This just gives it a wrinkled texture, which relaxes the jersey knit fabric nicely (and covers up your not-so-straight sewing!).


We took this project one step further and embroidered a simple bird to give it some more interest. C'est tres chic!


Check back for more quick and easy gift ideas coming up this week--because we know we can't be the only procrastinators out there!

Wow, what creative people you are out there in blogger land! We loved all the ideas you suggested for our first contest. Here are our top three choices for cool cuff links, and each one is getting a pair to make their idea into a great gift. You'll all have to send us pictures to post for our readers when they're done!

Santa has delivered (a little early!). Here are the winners of our Cutie Patootie and Klutz giveaways, just in time for the holidays! Congratulations, ladies!

The winner of a Cutie Patootie Boutique pillcase dress or two tubs of playdough is:

If our winners will please contact us at littlebirdiesecrets@gmail.com, we'll happily put you in touch with your generous benefactors. Merry Christmas!

For those of you who are major procrastinators like me, this post is for you. I really need new stockings. I made mine about 9 years ago, before I had kids, and they are just not kid stockings! I've been so inspired by the felt stockings I've seen in the Crate & Barrel and Company Store catalogs (see above!). They really would not be hard to make, especially if you're using felt. That means no lining required! Plus you can hand stitch whatever you like on them.

I may still be looking for time to make new stockings for my kids, but Stacy found it. Check out these darling stockings--such cute, fresh fabric! They're all lined with soft flannel, too. She found the pattern in this cute book, New Noel by Linda Lum DeBono. Don't you love all the applique and ruffles? She did it on her machine, so it really wasn't that time consuming, but it adds a lot.








Okay I lied. I did find time to make one stocking. This mini felt stocking is from a pattern in my imagination (really, it's not hard to draw a stocking--you can do it!). I cut two pieces from red felt for the sock, two pieces from white felt for the top, then a toe and heel from the white. I traced a few circles of paper I punched with my circle punch on green felt, then stitched them all on with embroidery floss before sewing the two sock pieces right sides together. This is the perfect size to stuff with a small present or gift card!

Or, make a few and use them as silverware holders!


Santa won't be here for another 12 days, so you really do have time to make new stockings! And if you do it, will you make a few for me, too?

1. Prepare gingerbread dough according to package instructions for gingersnap cookies.

3. Bake at 375° for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks, and let cool 30 minutes.

• 1 pouch Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix


• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened


• 1 egg


• 1 container (12 oz) Betty Crocker whipped fluffy white frosting


• Red string licorice


• Assorted candies

We've had quite a few requests for more manly homemade gift ideas, and we agree--guys are difficult to craft for! I just don't think my husband appreciates a handmade gift the way my mom or girlfriends do. But we found these plain cuff links and thought this might be something lots guys would be able to use. So, we're hosting our first Little Birdie Secrets contest.

We want to see what you would do to dress up a pair of plain cuff links for the snappy dresser in your life. Leave us a comment with your idea, and we'll pick our 3 favorites and send them each a pair of these cuff links to decorate!

Here are a couple of ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

We glued a couple of Monopoly cars to the top with E6000 for these fun cuff links.