I love a simple DIY Christmas gift, and today I am sharing some fantastic ideas for neighbours, teachers and friends. These Christmas neighbour gifts are easy, inexpensive, and lots of fun!
Click on the links for more info (and free printables):
1) For your mistleTOES - Print the free tag, add some bright red nail polish, and you'll have an adorable gift sure to make the recipient smile. For a more substantial gift, add a gift certificate for a pedicure. Fun, right? {Here's the link to the free printable gift tag.}
3) Goodies in homemade reindeer gift bags - Have the children make these adorable reindeer gift bags, and fill them with homemade goodies or hot chocolate with a "warm wishes" gift tag. It's a great way to get the kids involved in the gift-giving process. {Find the full tutorial for the reindeer gift bags here.}
4) Candy bouquet - This gift is fun all year round, and this time of year, it makes a great neighbour or teacher gift. We made this for my son's teacher, and we included a gift card. Easy peasy! {You can find the full tutorial for the candy bouquet here.}
5) Holly jolly treats - Add a "Popping by to wish you a holly jolly Christmas" tag to a bag containing popcorn and jolly ranchers for this simple and festive neighbour gift. {You can find the free printable gift tags here.}
Bonus: White wine with adorable FREE tags (that you can download here).
Do you have a favorite DIY Christmas gift to give? Or have you gotten one that you absolutely loved? I'd love to hear about it!
♥
Starting to run out of Elf on the Shelf ideas? Here is a new one... with a "kindness" twist. Don't you just love this "week of Elf on the Shelf Challenges"?
To print this sheet of Elf on the Shelf challenges, right click on the picture above, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 8X10 photo.
I hope our "Elfie" brings these cards to my boys this week. ;-) I love the idea of having our Elf on the Shelf encourage my boys to spread kindness this holiday season.
♥
Sometimes you need to add a little "whimsey" to your holiday decor, and this simple DIY Santa wreath fits the bill perfectly. It is easy and inexpensive to make and lots of fun!
Want to make your own DIY Santa wreath?
1) Start by cutting a circle from foam core (from the dollar store). I cut mine about 2 inches thick. Don't worry about jagged edges because you won't see them when the wreath is completed.
2) Wrap yarn around the foam core securing with hot glue periodically.
3) Make A LOT of white felt roses, and hot glue them to the wreath. You can find a step-by-step tutorial for making felt roses here.
4) Add a dollar store Santa hat to the top of the wreath. You can secure it with hot glue or straight pins. (I also stuffed some tissue paper into the hat to add a little shape to it.)
That's it! Simple, right?
Doesn't it look cute on my front door? I think I might switch the Santa hat for a snowman hat when Christmas is over. What do you think?
♥
Winner - Hilary B. {Thanks to everyone that took the time to enter.}
The boys and I just received two fun Christmas products to review, and I have a set of these products to give away to one lucky US reader. Even if you aren't living in the US, you are going to want to check out the North Pole Communicator Interactive Microphone and the Polar Explorer Goggles and Adventure Map.
My boys especially love the Northpole Communicator. Starting on December 1, you can use it to talk (daily) to the North Pole.
Yesterday morning, my boys were eager to give it a try. The boys talked to a delightful elf that had them trying to imitate the sounds Santa's reindeer make. It was adorable!
There is also a fun website where you can find out more info... including how to write to Santa and where you can purchase your own Northpole Communicator. {Click here to learn more.}
So... are you excited yet? To win a Northpole Communicator AND Polar Explorer Goggles and Adventure Map, all you need to do is leave me a comment {below} letting me know who would love to communicate with the North Pole in your home. Don't forget to log in or leave your email address so that I can contact you if you win.
Thanks for taking the time to check out these great products, and good luck with the contest! You only have a week to enter, so enter ASAP.
♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)
Disclosure: I received free products in order to be able to complete this review/giveaway. However, {of course} the opinions on this blog are 100% my own.
Contest Rules:
1) The winner of the contest will be chosen by the Random Number Generator.
2) To enter the contest, you must leave a comment on this post (with contact info). Contest is open to US Residents only.
3) This contest is not being hosted or sanctioned in any way by Facebook.
4) Contest closes on December 8, 2014 at 11:59pm.
5) Prize will be accepted as awarded.
6) Winner will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to respond. After 48 hours the prize will be forfeited, and another winner will be selected.
I love to make simple felt ornaments (each year) for our Christmas tree. They are also great to share with friends. Here is the simple star ornament I created this year.
To make your own felt ornament:
1) Collect your supplies. You'll need a piece of ribbon, a little white button, two circles cut from red felt, and one star cut from green felt.
2) Stitch the star to one of the felt circles.
3) Sew a button onto the middle of the star.
4) Add a ribbon, and stitch the second felt circle to the felt circle containing the star.
That's it! Don't you just love how easy, inexpensive and cute this little felt ornament is? I think it would be a great beginner sewing project too.
♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)
With a little less than a month until Christmas, here are some things you can do NOW to get ready for the big day. Start checking off items on my November checklist for a less stressful holiday season.
1) Make room for Christmas arrivals by purging what you already have. Get rid of old clothes, toys, and everything else that you no longer need.
2) Do an inventory of the clothing you have, and make a list of the holiday outfits that need to be purchased. Think about holiday dresses, Christmas concert clothing, Christmas PJs, and outfits for Christmas Eve/Day. Shop early when the selection is good.
3) Make a list of Christmas gifts that need to be purchased... and start shopping and wrapping ASAP.
4) Start baking right away. Focus on items that freeze well.
5) Start planning holiday events, activities and parties. Calendars fill up quickly, so early invites are ideal.
6) Make or buy an advent calendar. It's almost time to start counting down!
7) Book babysitters and hair appointments early to ensure availability.
8) Buy/order Christmas cards. Mailing cards out early ensures pre-Christmas delivery.
9) Make time to give back this holiday season. Consider baking cookies for a neighbour or buying a gift for a less fortunate family.
10) Don't stress out! Focus on your family, and enjoy your time together. It's not about the presents... it's about the presence. :-)
How do you reduce holiday stress?
♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)
Every year, my boys host a "Letter Writing to Santa" party for charity. They get everything ready, they charge people to come, and they give all the money they earn to Cystic Fibrosis. This year, they had over 30 guests, and they raised $377.50. It's an easy and inexpensive party theme that works great as a fundraiser, as a classroom party, or a simple gathering at home. Here's how we did it....
1) We found a venue, and we made an invite/poster that included all the party details.
2) We had a raffle for a small gift basket.
3) We set up a cookie station with juice, water, and cookies. We made our favorite ginger molasses and chocolate chip cookies. {Click on the links to get the recipes.}
4) We gave each guest supplies to write a letter to Santa.
5) We gave each guest supplies to make a little craft. {You can find the tutorial for our simple gingerbread man ornament here.}
6) We set up a reindeer food station so that all the guests could make reindeer food to take home. {You can find all the printables you need to set up your own magic reindeer food station here.}
7) Each guest received a Santa beard as a little gift that they could take home. {You can download a free template for these Santa beards here.}
We had a lot of fun at our 4th annual "Writing a Letter to Santa" party, and I am super-proud of my little elves.
♥
