Category Archives: Christmas Ideas

The Elf Movie Christmas Gift!

The Elf Movie Christmas Gift
The Elf Movie Christmas Gift

Here is a last minute gift for you!

Have someone on your list who could use a “Happy” gift; a gift that will bring a smile to the grouchiest of  grinches!
I have one for you!
An Elf movie basket with free printable gift tags!

In our household, the go to happy movie is Elf! It doesn’t matter what time of the year it is,  watching the movie Elf is guaranteed to put a smile on your face!

If you have never seen it, you really must watch it sometime!  The movie stars Will Ferrell as Elf, it has a delightful message, wonderful characters and is fun, fun, fun!  The movie also stars Zooey Deschanel (you get to hear her fabulous voice) James Caan and Bob Newhart, need I say more?

I am not one to watch movies repeatedly, but this one I have seen too many times to count!

What do you need?
An Elf Movie
The four main food groups for Elves – candy, candy canes, candy corn, & syrup

Give a Happy Christmas Gift - The Elf Movie!
Give a Happy Christmas Gift – The Elf Movie!

Don’t forget to include my favorite Elf quote -“I just like to smile.  Smilings my favorite!”

Here are printable Elf Gift Tags!

Gift Tags for an Elf Gift Basket
Gift Tags for an Elf Gift Basket

So bring a smile to someone special in your life with an Elf Christmas Basket!

The Elf Movie Christmas Gift
The Elf Movie Christmas Gift

 

 

 

Coffee Shop Gift Card

Do you have someone on your list who always needs a caffeine fix?

Here is a easy way to take a simple coffee shop gift card and turn it in to a delightful gift to give and receive!

Make a coffee shop gift card a fun gift to give!
Make a coffee shop gift card a fun gift to give!

What do you need?
Gift Card from a favorite coffee shop!
Paper Coffee Cup , Lid & Splash Stick
Filler for the coffee cup – Candy would be my filler of choice!

The Coffee Shop Gift Card gets Wrapped!
The Coffee Shop Gift Card gets Wrapped!

Fill your cup with the gift card and candy.   Tie on a beautiful ribbon!

Attach a coffee gift tag to the front and back of the splash stick.
If you are unable to get the splash stick, a bamboo fork will work just as well!

You now have a gift is beautiful, cheerful and a delight to receive!

The cup is the wrapping, the treat is for fun and the gift tags are available for you to print – Coffee Gift Tags!  How easy was that?

Coffee Card Gift Tags

All the coffee drinkers on your list will love this!

Wrapping the Coffee Shop Gift Card
Wrapping the Coffee Shop Gift Card
The back of the gift tag!
The back of the gift tag!
I linked up to iheartnaptime!
I linked up to iheartnaptime!

Gift Card for the Naughty & Nice!

Here is an entertaining  way to turn any gift card into a fun gift!

It looks like someone is getting coal for Christmas!
It looks like someone is getting coal for Christmas!

For that naughty person on your list, make it look like they are getting nothing but  coal and a sock for Christmas this year! (A house elf is the only one who might think this is a good thing!)

What do you need?
Crazy pair of socks
Wrapped truffles or some kind of wrapped round candy.  Something coal like!
Gift Card

It looks like someone is getting coal for Christmas!
It looks like someone is getting coal for Christmas!

Inside one of the stockings, stuff the other sock, the gift card and lots of truffles so it looks like it’s filled with lumpy coal.  Tie up the end with a ribbon, add a “coal” gift tag and voila!  A sock filled with “coal” that will please everyone, whether they have been naughty or nice!

It looks like someone is getting coal for Christmas gift tags!
It looks like someone is getting coal for Christmas gift tags!

Get your free printable “It looks like someone is getting coal for Christmas” gift tags here!  Remember to print in landscape!

Happy Holidays!

 

 

 

The College Student’s Advent Calendar

College Apartment's Advent Calendar Tree
Advent Calendar Tree for a College Apartment!

We all know our college students love to receive gifts from home.   This year, why not create an advent calendar that not only counts down the days until Christmas, but more importantly, the days until finals are completed!

But wait, there’s more!

Lighted Christmas Balls

 

 

Balls wrapped in Christmas lights creates a beautiful outdoor Christmas scene!
Balls wrapped in Christmas lights!

I love Christmas and I love getting outside and putting up the Christmas lights – provided it’s not below zero!  I don’t go Griswold crazy, but the lights go up every year!

Last year, I discovered a very cool picture of a park where large lighted balls were placed in an open snow-covered area.  The look was magnificent.  Each ball was large – I would guess 3-4 feet around and wrapped in a single color of christmas lights.  The balls were haphazardly placed around a lighted christmas tree and the look was stunning and something I knew I had to try!

There was one problem with this project, to effectively cover balls that large would require many more lights than I was willing to purchase.  Solution – use smaller balls!  My yard isn’t that big anyway, but having 4 foot balls scattered though out my yard would be very cool!  Maybe next year!

Balls wrapped in Christmas lights creates a beautiful outdoor Christmas scene!
Balls wrapped in Christmas lights creates a beautiful outdoor Christmas scene!

First things first – where to get the balls to wrap?  Last year when I tried this, I used grape vine balls!  Grape vine balls are wonderfully decorative during the day because they are natural looking and look awesome laying about a dormant flower bed.  The problem with grape vine balls is  that they can easily be crushed under a foot or more of snow – it happens!

This year I have been purchasing metal garden spheres.  These are much sturdier and I have used them in lots of decorating projects – I love multi-functional objects!

Balls wrapped in Christmas lights creates a beautiful outdoor Christmas scene!
Balls wrapped in Christmas lights creates a beautiful outdoor Christmas scene!

On each sphere, I simply wrapped a single color of christmas lights and you can see the lovely look it provides.  This effect is especially nice when it contrasts with white lights in the rest of your Christmas lighting.

How many lights did I use?  The small ball has 210 lights and the large balls have 300 lights!

One more tip – wind will move the balls so anchor them!  I use a tent anchor, but anchors for landscape edging would work well too!

We finally received some snow!

Balls wrapped in Christmas lights creates a beautiful outdoor Christmas scene!
Balls wrapped in Christmas lights creates a beautiful outdoor Christmas scene!

And more snow…

Snow Covered Lighted Christmas Balls
Snow Covered Lighted Christmas Balls

Happy Holidays!

 

 

Magical Outdoor Christmas Lights

Mixed Christmas lights makes for a beautiful tree!
Mixed Christmas lights makes for a beautiful tree!

Once upon a time, when I lived in Iowa, I spotted the most fabulously decorated tree along a downtown street.  It was a deciduous tree decked out in colored christmas lights and every time I passed it I couldn’t stop looking at it.  It was magical.  There was something about it that made it stand out from all the others.

Finally, after closely inspecting the tree, I figured out what it was that made the tree’s look so special.  The colored lights hanging on the tree were of two types – mini lights and large solid bulbs.  The combination of lights created such a cool look that I had to replicate the effect!

Mixed Christmas lights makes for a beautiful tree!
Mixed Christmas lights makes for a beautiful tree!

The key to creating this look is to make your two types of lights as different as possible, while keeping the colors the same.  I used mini colored lights and large colored lights.

LED C7 Christmas Lights
LED C7 Christmas Lights

Large Christmas light bulbs come in multiple sizes.  I would suggest using size C9 – if you can.  Mine are C7, but I wish they were C9.  In case you haven’t already guessed it, all that C-talk is the bulb size!  C7 means it’s a 7 watt bulb, C9 is a  9 watt bulb!

Also, I would suggest using the  solid colored bulbs because the large clear bulbs look too much like the mini lights – so go solid!

Mini-Christmas LED Lights
Mini-Christmas LED Lights

Now the question – LED or traditional lights.  LED mini-lights are very bright and what I choose to use.  When it comes to the larger C7 or C9 bulbs, the traditional lights are brighter than the LEDs, but the brightness also dilutes the color of the bulb.  I prefer to use the large LED lights because the color is greater and the electricity use is so much less.  The picture below shows all LED lights both minis and C7s!

Mixed Christmas lights makes for a beautiful tree!
Mixed LED Christmas Lights!

There is one more benefit to this mixed up Christmas light look!  The large bulbs are clearly visible in the daylight hours, giving a nice look to your tree 24/7!

Christmas Tree Lights in Snow!
Christmas Tree Lights in Snow!
Mixed Christmas lights makes for a beautiful tree!
Mixed Christmas lights makes for a beautiful tree!

Happy Holidays!