What to do with all the Christmas Cards & Pictures

I just LOVE looking at all the Christmas cards my family receives each year. I stare at them every day and feel so blessed.

  And every January when it comes time to take down all the holiday stuff, I am bummed to just box up the Christmas cards.  One year I left them hanging in my kitchen until May 'cause I couldn't bear to take them down!

I tell myself I'm going to look at them all with my kids each year when we pull out the Christmas boxes, but somehow that never happens. 

So in the box they stay (I wouldn't dare to toss them- yes, I'm a Fly Baby fledgling).  Now I have what seems like an garage shelf devoted to gorgeous pics of my friends and family and they all just get to stare at each other. 

Well, no more!  I figured out something to do with them so we can enjoy our friends' and family's pictures for years to come (and get some good chuckles 15 years from now!) 

I decided to make placemats with the photos, sort of like a collage. 

It's super-de-duper easy!

 Materials:

~Christmas cards {of course!}

~paper for your template {mine's 11 x 17}

~scissors {I used zig-zag craft scissors}

~glue stick {thanks to DH}

~clear contact paper {or a laminator!}

~straight edge {a ruler will work}

~exacto knife/box cutter {or scissors if you can cut with a steady hand}


Instructions:
~Cut out the portion of the cards you'd like to use and arrange them on your template. I like to include the name(s) and date from photo cards if I can.  But you could also just cut out the actual picture and leave all the "extra" stuff out, that way you'll fit more pics on one place mat. 

{Like the template I'm using? I'm all about reusing. Go Bears!}

~When you are happy with your arrangement, dab a little glue on the backs so they won't move around when you lay the contact paper on top (thanks to DH who suggested this when I kept getting frustrated with the cards moving around!)

~Cut out your contact paper with an exacto knife, 
about 1/2 inch wider and longer than your template (allowing for a 1/4 inch reveal around all 4 sides.)

 

~Carefully lay the contact paper on top of the cards, being sure it's straight along your first edge.  You could also just cut your contact paper a bit too big and trim when you are finished....might make laying it down a tad less stressful?

Now, flip the whole thing over and you have an entire backside to decorate as well.  I did it first with regular cards while I patiently anxiously awaited permission from friends to use their photos on my blog...
MMMMM-WA to everyone that got back to me so fast! 

Viola! A 2-sided, very personal placemat! 
We'll pull ours out Dec. 1 and use them the whole month.  It will be fun to get a different placemat each night and get to look at our friends and family while we eat.  I can imagine how much my kids will enjoy using a placemat with their friends on it. 
I will make them "themed".  For instance, one will have all the cards we received from kids that go to my son's school.  And another will be friends from our twins club.  One could be cards from aunts, uncles and cousins.  You get the idea.  I had also thought about making placemats with 6-8 cards all from the same family (yes, I keep them ALL every year!)  So you can look at the family growing over the years.  So many options! 

 And easy peasy!  Smile. 

What do you do with your Christmas cards? 

I'm sure there are tons of great ideas out there!

I'm hitting the party circuit with this one!
Linked up with

Monogrammed Christmas Stockings Craft

My crafty friend, Jess, whipped these up last weekend and I asked her if I could share. The cutest thing is that she made a "J" for Jess and an "L" for her new hubby, Lex. I  can imagine this would work for a lot of letters. And even those that didn't lend themselves to stockings, per se, would still look cute on the mantel even if they didn't open at the top.

Aren't they vibrant?

She found some gorgeous old remnants she had in her stash and came up with this

beautiful palette of red and natural/white. 

She made templates for the letter shaped stockings and then trimmed the patchwork pieces to fit over them.  Then the pieces were sewn together to create the front of the stocking.

 She chose a solid natural color for the back and lining. One solid piece of fabric was sewn to the wrong side of the front.  With right sides together, the back of the stocking is sewn to the front, leaving the top open, of course, for Santa to fill.  Turn the stocking right side out and use a dull pencil or knitting needle to push out the corners (you might even want to trim a little of the seam allowance around those corners to get it to lay flat.)  Hem the top under twice and add a little fabric loop under the hem and viola!  All ready for Christmas Eve.

I think they turned out adorable.

(Just make sure you save more of those remnant pieces for adding more stockings to your mantel one day! She's a newlywed, did I mention that?  Lucky man to have such a crafty gal taking care of him.)

Holiday Craft {Ornaments} with KIDS!

I want to share a fun Christmas ornament craft you can do with kids of any age!

Does your mailbox look anything like mine in December?

I think we get 9,642  7 catalogs a day!

And they are so beautiful, with their glossy pages, festive pictures, super cute vignettes that I need to max my credit card out for knock my socks off, and gads and gads and GADS of toys!

My kids have been flipping through the pages for weeks, creating and re-creating their letters to Santa. I hate to just toss them into the recycling...but seriously after the 10th edition of the Pottery Barn Kids Christmas catalog, the pile gets a bit out of control. 

So........what's a girl to do so many holiday catalogs....make Christmas ornaments of course!

Here's what you'll need:

-A stack of catalogs

-Glass ball ornaments

-Scissors

-Mod Podge (from any craft store)

-Glitter

I have no chance of doing crafts by myself with two 3-year old girls in the house at all times...plus a 6 year old that will be quite disappointed to see he missed anything when he was at school. 

So this craft is especially designed for kids. 

And my kids spent over 2 hours working happily on it!

I handed the kids a plethora of funky scissors (the kind that make curved/jagged/crazy cuts) and a stack of their favorite catalogs.

Then they cut cut cut...anything and everything out that they loved: Star Wars galore, baby dolls, ballerinas, Santas, snowmen, anything pink, stars, presents, cupcakes, Legos, tutus. 

They would have cut for 2 hours had I let them!

Next you paint the Mod Podge on a glass ball (these are plastic!) with a paintbrush.

Stick all of your little cut-outs in a collage around the ball and then paint a thick layer of Mod Podge on top of the paper to get it to lay as flat as possible (small pictures work better...the huge cut-out of the Millennium Falcon was tough).

While the Mod Podge is still wet, sprinkle with glitter and hang to dry. 

That's it!

Before they dry, they look really goopy and white. My kids were all so bummed they covered it all with glue and were worried their images were hidden forever. But never fear, the Mod Podge dries clear!  And the glitter isn't showing up too well in the pics, sorry!

My kids had a blast making them and were so excited to hang them on our tree. They aren't necessarily the prettiest ornaments, but to the kids they are beautiful...and isn't that what really matters?

 

I know it might not seem like much of a project, but my kids loved it and are begging to do it again!

What else can you do with those stacks of catalogs?  Do share!

And if you come back tomorrow, I'll I also have up a super cute homemade monogrammed stocking craft. See it here.

If you haven't already checked out Centsationalgirl Kate's incredible Holiday Craft Linky Party....there's a big 'ol party you're missing! Get on over there while the glue guns are still hot and spray-on flocking still icy cold.  {Look for me, I'm #108, and the party doesn't officially start until tomorrow...that's how I roll.}

 

Happy Holiday Crafting!  Time for mama to get a little treat!

hint hint


Also linked up at Busy As A Bee {In Paris} linky party with holiday crafts with kids!  Check it out!

Menu Monday: Ahem {more} Trader Joe's Holiday Items

Oh, I caved today.  Boy did I cave! 

Look at what we picked up from the latest TJ's holiday selections:

Well, at least I went on a run this morning!

I don't know which one I'm more excited to have first! 

Should I go for the "plain" Joe Joe's & Cream Ice Cream or the

Candy Cane Joe Joe's & Cream Ice Cream?

(I love me a good Cookies & Cream, but this with candy cane flavored TJ's version of an oreo, does it get any better?)

You know what I love about Joe Joe's and Candy Cane Joe Joe's...they are made without high fructose corn syrup...

Oreos can't make that claim.

And then, of course, the Dark Chocolate Stars!  Ahhhhh, Heaven. 

You know I am in love with TJ's Dark Chocolate Lover's Bar...for the health benefits of course...but wrap dark chocolate around those shortbread cookies

(you know the ones...they come in a big tin at Christmas time, stacked inside the little cupcake paper trays, all sorts of shapes that make you *think* they all are different, so you just have to try them all to be sure you didn't miss anything? I can't be alone, there, can I?)

 and I'm sure you won't be eating just one.

And those little nuggets of love,

marshmallows dipped in minty chocolate! Can't decide whether they are better plain or in hot chocolate. Guess I'd better eat them both ways to double check.

Keep in mind dark chocolate is packed with antioxidants and none of the above contains high fructose corn syrup or "fake" sugar. 

So you just might have to do a few sit-ups this month after the holidays...

but they are SO worth it!

~.~.~.~.~

Ok, folks, coming up tomorrow is Centsationalgirl's big Holiday Craft Linky Party that I am participating in. I'll be up 'til midnight working on my post for a Christmas Tree ornament you can do with kids. 

(If you are anything like me, you have a hard time crafting by yourself...always nice to do projects that require *help*.

Do you have a holiday craft you enjoy? With or without kids.  Send it my way and I will post it!

What is a Linky Party? and the Christmas Mantel Linky Party has begun!

Hi loyal readers!

Welp, the home holiday linky party has begun!
First up is Layla's Christmas Mantel Party.

What's that you say, you have no idea what I'm talking about?
What the heck is a "linky party"?

Blog speak, of course. It's 2010, folks, time to catch up on all the latest lingo. 

Remember the 80's:
BFF: Best Friends Forever

Face: kinda like when someone has been proven wrong

Foamer: a Liar

Grill: ask someone a ton of questions

JK: Just kidding

S'up: What's up?

Tight: Really cool

And then of course this centruy:

 :-)  :-X  ;-)

lol: Laugh out loud

 OMG: Oh my God

TTYL: Talk to you later

BTW: By the way

FAQ: Frequently asked questions

DIY: Do it yourself

TIA: Thanks in advance

TMI: Too much information

Y2K: You're too kind

the list goes ON and ON!

But this here is 2010 peeps, and the techy speak increases almost as fast as new blogs pop up.

Speaking of blogs, there's some blog speak that probably puzzles many at times.  Here's a few:

SAHM: Stay at home mom

DH: Dear husband

DS/DD: Dear Son/Daughter

IMO: In my opinion

HTH: Hope that helps

OT: Off topic

And now........... Linky Party: When one blogger, often a very popular blogger, decides on a theme for the party and then invites all bloggers to post their blog link on that theme.  So last week I participated in "My Favorite Things" Linky Party.  In case you missed my post read it HERE: My Top 10 Trader Joe's Items.  I worked SO hard to get that post turned in before the deadline....but as it was, I was a few minutes late.  Luckily she was sweet enough to include mine anyways, even if it was dead last on the list! If you didn't go to the party, great news, Linky Parties never end...see the post with hundreds of bloggers' (including yours truly) favorite things at  320 Sycamore.  (You know, I've gotten over 248 hits from posting on that party. That's 5 times more than any other single post I've written....my chalkboard paint post is 2nd with 49 hits.)Just FYI (oh, there's another one!) 320 Sycamore gets thousands and thousands of readers PER DAY.  She has over 6246 readers that subscribe to her blog -
OK friends, if you haven't signed up to follow my blog, sign up

PU-ULL-LEEE-SSS.
I'm so appreciative of my 5 followers, but I'd love a few more!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

Now, I didn't get my act together in time to pull off my holiday mantel in time for the linky party....

well that and I don't have a mantel (just a slight disadvantage there)....

but I sure had fun looking at so many mantels from the people that did participate. 

Layla at The Lettered Cottage hosted this one. 
As of when I last visited, there were 248 blogs linked up with mantel posts. 
That's a LOT of inspiration folks!  We've all got to come up with SOMETHING for our mantels after reading through them all.

Ok, so I am going to try to participate in the Holiday Craft Party on Dec. 7.  My kids and I are going to do a Christmas Tree Ornament craft tomorrow. Wish me luck that their ornaments will come out looking linky party-worthy!  
I'll be posting it on my blog as well as Kate's over at Centsationalgirl. 

In the meantime, Happy Happy Holiday Decorating!

Operation: Pumpkin Clean Up! {Was supposed to be: Menu Monday Pumpkin Pie}

With Thanksgiving a mere memory, and Elf on the Shelf making his appearance, it's time to decorate for Christmas!  Yay!

We've been listening to Christmas music all day and getting in the mood.  I pulled out the Christmas picture books and left used all my will power to leave the Christmas decorations boxes in the garage. 

We have to put away all of the Thanksgiving decor and put away all of our luggage/clothes from our Thanksgiving trip to LA and the Happiest Place on Earth before we can bring more stuff into the house.  I think I'll have the luggage put away in record time (it will be easy to beat my usual 1-2 weeks).

At any rate...the pumpkin scene in our front yard has passed its prime.  I was so looking forward to making pumpkin pie out of that 119 pound pumpkin, but alas...it's "melting" on my driveway. 

Luckily, that made for a relatively easy clean-up! 

All that wetness on the ground is from the pumpkin, yuck!



The back was "melting".



DH pushed on it a little and it was Jello underneath.



And then it started to crack.....

and crack some more.....

and then the back fell in.



Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww!



I wonder if it still weighs 119 pounds?

That's yard waste, right?



This is all that was left.



One shovel scoop and that pumpkin is history!



Now can we get our tree?

When do you get your tree? Have you started decorating yet?

For some inspiration, be sure to check out the holiday decorating parties starting Nov. 30!


The Christmas Mantel Party is at The Lettered Cottage

The Christmas Vignette Party is at Southern Hospitality

The Christmas Craft Party is at Centsational Girl.

The Christmas Tree Party is at Thrifty Decor Chick

Check them out, you are sure to get TONS of new and creative ideas.  These ladies are amazing!