Merry Christmas!!

Peace & joy to you and your family this Christmas and all through the New year!

See you in 2012!

Tag...You're it!!

 How cute is this tag!! Made from TP or paper towel rolls...ingenious! Both the tag above and the tag below are from this blog. Last year I actually used the idea below and made initials for all of my packages. They turned out great! You can scroll back to December here on my blog to see the ones I made last year. :)



                                                      

 

Another simple yet stunning tag! These candy canes are from this etsy store.

 

The adorable ornament tags are from this blog. What a great idea and pretty easy to make! The holly tags below are from the same blog. I love both of these tags!!



                                                    

 

These cute little Santa Suit tags are from etsy! They would be pretty easy to make yourself too.

 Oh my goodness! These tags are amazing! A little more work than most but so dang cute! Visit this blog to check them out further.

The cut out snowflake makes a great little tag with a little striped string to add some color! Looks like she laser cut them but you could just use a punch for the same great look!


Hope you are inspired to create your own special tags for your Christmas gifts this year!! Have fun with it!!!

Wrapping It Up

How cute are these! Simple brown paper wrapping with bright red bows, string & cinnamon. Perfect

This is a cute idea....normal gift wrap with ribbon and yarn. Very festive! There is no link for this one...sorry.

Another simple wrap but it looks so good!! If you don't have a real tree even some fake greenery & a few pine cones would do the trick! These are from this blog.

 I just love how most of the wrapping ideas out there are pretty basic. This one involves newspaper & some burlap. You could add any bow to the top to make it look a bit more Christmasy. This idea was found here.

These adorable little burlap bags are tied up with glittered initials. I used initials on all the packages last year and I must say they looked so good under the tree!!! Easy to do for a "wow" effect. These are from http://prettiesandposies.blogspot.com/ but unfortunately the blog is private. :(  I found the photo on Pinterest.

 These two (top & bottom) are from here. A beautiful little doilie makes a great topper to a brown paper wrapped package. And below is just so dang good! A little more effort but with a cricut or other cutting machine you could go to town and cut them all out at once! Check out her blog as there are more ideas there!

                                           

This adorable red snowflake makes a great topper for this gift. Easy to make & if you have kids around they could even help you out! This photo is from google with no link given. 


                                       
                                              

This one is green all the way around!!! Use up those old burned out bulbs & create gift toppers for your packages. So cute!!! This was found on Good Housekeeping. Be sure to check it out as there are plenty more ideas on their site.

Last but not least are some stars! Red and green ones would be cute too! They could be made out of paper or fabric. If you put them on a cute little ribbon they could be reused next Christmas as tree ornaments! Found here.

Setting it Up

I love to set a beautiful Christmas table and I am always looking for new ideas. And there are ideas in abundance out there! You can really go all out AND spend a lot of money to get the look you want. Or you can keep it simple and use what you have around the home to create some stunning tables. Here are just a few of the ones that I have found online. Enjoy!!

Starting right off with a bright and colorful setting! How fun to put the silverware in a stocking!This is from Lettecia Elsasser's Gallery on Picasa.

Love the simple snowflake & red plates to add the festive look to the table. This is from Pier1

The above table setting is just so elegant. I love the deep, rich colors. This is found on this blog.

The next two: above & below are from a great site I found with quite a few beautiful displays. Check it out!

 

The Stockings Were Hung by the Chimney With Care.....

Our family has grown and we are in need of some new stockings. The ones we have served us well but tastes change & I am ready for something new. And boy are there a few out there to choose from! Here is just a small sample of stockings. Some are very traditional and others are just plain fun! Which ones would you choose?

These cute stockings are from this site.

From Horchow these beaded stockings are gorgeous!

These stylish stockings are from Anthropology.

These cute stockings are from etsy. Just love the burlap!

These bright stockings were found on google with no credit given. :(

A more rustic look from Personal Creations

Look how bright this one is! From this site. I am sure you could also make it yourself with a variety of felt designs. So cute!

Found on Pinterest these are from this site.

These are also from Horchow They are made from ticking...so cool.

Simple, yet so adorable. These stockings were also found on etsy. Looks like the seller is from Scottsdale too. She has quite a few to choose from. Check it out.

What a hoot! These are from the Crafty Chica here in Phoenix. They are made out of old t-shirts. How fun is that!

From Cottage Instincts blog these cute little burlap stockings could have any color ruffle on them. My favorite part are the initials...such a cute idea!

A Little Mailbox Love

I love mailboxes!!! Maybe it is the small-town feel they have. The "living in the country" look that they have. Whatever it is, I do love them! And they look even better at Christmas time! Here are a few that I have found and love! Enjoy!!

This pretty mailbox decoration is from this blog

Oh and this beautiful mailbox is from Better Homes & Garden. I am not sure which part of it I like the most...the greenery or the snowflakes!

This mailbox decor has a little red tulle or netting added in to give it that pop of color. Unfortunately I found it on Pinterest with no credit given.

This pretty white mailbox display is from a landscaping company. 

Look at the lights on this one! Wow! Found on google with no credit given.

And last but not least...if you don't have a mailbox...you can go out and buy one just for decoration. The link given on this photo is no longer available but the idea is a good one!

I hope you are inspired to do a little decorating yourself! Have fun!

A Little Holiday Fun

Last night was my Book Binding class at Craftfusion. Seven ladies came & put together some beautiful books! We had a great time!

The top two photos are Sherry's book. Everyone was given the opportunity to choose their own papers and picture for the outside.

Each book turned out a little different which is awesome!! This book belongs to Jackie. She did a great job putting her book together. Love the music note paper!

The above book is Brittney's. She chose darker scrapbook paper for her cover. Love the look! The inside of everyone's book is filled with watercolor paper, cut & stitched together to create the pages.  Everyone seemed to pick up on the binding technique & run with it. There are so many different things you can change up & create using this technique.

This next book belongs to Darlene. Wow! She did a great job with her book. I love the combination of papers & binding tape. She actually used the fabric for her binding material. So cool!!

And of course I can't have a class without a fun little gift & goodies! All in all it was a great class. I am so grateful to Charmaine at Craftfusion for a wonderful place to teach!!

Fireplace Decorations

This fireplace is done very simply yet it looks so good! Found on Houzz

 

Wow...what about this one! A bit more dramatic but not really difficult. It really does say "Christmas Party" doesn't it! From Living Room Decorating.

Back to a simpler life in this photo. A lot of outdoor elements were brought inside to decorate this fireplace. Doesn't it look inviting! This display was found on The Enchanted Home

A white Christmas mixing the traditional and a little bit of modern together. I love how the greenery pops. Found on Camilla at Home

This one was found on Pinterest & unfortunately not given credit. It really is beautiful though!!

 And of course I had to throw this one in! Does anyone remember these? I sure do. We had one when I was little. And you can still own one....check this out!

Merry Christmas & Happy Decorating!!