**CLOSED**Mrs. Smith's Pie & William's Sonoma {Giveaway!}

**CLOSED**

Congrats to the winner, Andrea D. !

 

This post brought to you by Mrs. Smith's. All opinions are 100% mine.

Need I say more? It is my all time favorite dessert. Apple pie, berry pies....I just LOVE them! And it is one dessert that, to me, tastes just as good store bought (IF you get the right brand) as homemade. Mrs. Smith is one of those brands. So when I found out about the new Mrs. Smith's Signature Deep Dish pies I couldn't wait to try them!

I picked up 4 of them for to try over the holidays:

Duck Tape® Bunting

These Christmas rolls of Duck® Brand duct tape are so much fun! They come in so many styles and for a few bucks a roll you can grab a couple of rolls and get started crafting. Whether it is cutting thin strips to add to greeting cards, packaging up presents, or making holiday decor, the possibilities are endless!

 

 

I decided to make THE EASIEST bunting EVER with Holiday Duck Tape®. No sewing, no gluing. Just tape and cut. Grab you favorite colors and a few supplies, sit yourself down in front of a good movie and in no time you'll have some festive strands of bunting to add to presents, frames, doorways, your Christmas tree and anything else you can think of! How fun would this be for a birthday party!

 

Since Duck Tape® is only a few inches wide, your bunting will be small. I made mine even smaller because I wanted to use it on Ruby's Christmas little tree. We helped her decorate this to keep her from playing with the big tree. She loves it, but is still tempted by the other tree on occasion.

 

 

Here is how to make your own Duck Tape® bunting!

 

Supplies:

Duck Tape® in your favorite colors

String, twine or yarn

Scissors

 

For a mini bunting (about 1.5" wide) cut your Duck Tape® in half. For a regular bunting (3") leave as is. Place your Duck Tape ® on your work surface (sticky side up) and lay your string across the center. Fold in half. You can leave it in a rectangle, cut a v up the center, or cut angles up the side to create a triangle like I did here.

Craft Box Review

 Even though I shared my new office & craft room just a couple of days ago, I've actually had my Craft Box in the space for well over a month and would love to share how it's worked out for my organizational needs!

 

 

I love how it doesn't look like a shelving unit, desk, or show any sign that it is packed with hundreds of items.  Before, my creative accessories and office supplies were in totes and plastic drawers that took over my office. Now I can house them all in one space, and since it locks on the top I don't have to worry about Ruby finding things that she shouldn't. When I saw the white bead board option I knew it was the style that I wanted in my space, but the other options were wonderful as well. My in-home handy man was able to put this entire thing together in less than 2 hours. Once he placed it in the room, I got busy filling it up!

 

 

The Craft Box needs ample space. When it opens, the doors swing wide and need to be flush so that the table can fully extend. So that is something to consider when deciding where to put it. For me, centering it in the middle of the wall was the perfect option. And I was able to still have items next to it since the depth of the items were less than the Craft Box.

Christmas Ornament Wreath

 I absolutley love ornament wreaths and was sad when the one I had on our front door the past 2 years fell apart. I used glass ornaments and they just did not hold up well to the cold and windy winters in Ohio. But it was a beautiful wreath! So I kept an eye out after Christmas last year and bought a HUGE tub at Target of 100  plastic ornaments for around $10.

 

 

Neosporin Essentials {Giveaway}

This post brought to you by NEOSPORIN® ESSENTIALS™. All opinions are 100% mine.

Winter time is absolutely brutal on my skin.  My hands are ALWAYS in and out of water. Dishes, bathing children, cleaning, washing hands umpteen times a day....it takes it toll. Another thing that I think makes it even worse is the amount of antibacterial hand gel that I use. It gets so bad this time of year when the weather is cold and the air is dry and my hands are usually cracked 99% of the time. They even bleed. When that happens, washing them becomes painful, getting them wet at all becomes painful and using antibacterial hand gel? On dry hands with cracks? Ouch! Even if I don't get them wet, just doing things like folding laundry catches on my dry skin and they hurt all of the time.

I recently received a free kit to try from the the NEOSPORIN® ESSENTIALS™ line of products. They were actually designed for folks who suffer from Eczema, but are also perfect for those of us who suffer from extremely dry skin.

Eczema is a general term for a set of chronic skin conditions caused by inflammation. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the most common type of eczema, and has been called the "itch that rashes."Eczema can be a very stressful and frustrating condition, and can make living your daily life challenging and uncomfortable. The intense, frequent itch can cause loss of sleep and days off from work, and many children have to miss school days. Eczema is a chronic problem for lots of people – it’s estimated that eczema affects 35 million Americans: 1-3% of adults, and 10-20% of children.

I have family members who suffer from Eczema so I have seen first hand how uncomfortable it can be.

Our New Office & Craft Room

 

I am just thrilled to be able to show you my home office/craft room/guest room. Yep, it has a lot of functions. Originally this room was going to be our guest room. Complete with a full size bed and everything my grandmother would need when she came to stay with us on occasion. That was one of the things we looked forward to when we found out we'd be moving back to California. She passed away just a couple of months after we moved here and it was heart breaking to think that we wouldn't have weekend visits from her.

We don't have family come see us often, so I decided to not buy a bed, but create a space with room for a queen size air mattress when needed. I placed the furniture against the walls and will pull out the ottoman box under the window when we use the Aerobed air mattress. There is plenty of clearance in front and space in front of the closet and walking space around the sides. It isn't a very roomy guest room, but we had to maximize the functions and prioritize in this small space.

My husband was out of town for a few weeks for work and this project kept me busy in the evenings. It was a lot of fun! I have a few follow up posts on projects that you will see today so check back to see how I created this fun new space. One that is something I've wanted for quite some time, but never made a priority. What is different this time? I think the fact that the home office is on the first floor made me want to make it a space that is functional with a "finished" look. Our home office space in our previous homes usually had boxes stacked...that hadn't been unpacked from the previous move along with storage totes, etc. I knew where everything was, but I never left the door open!

Milky Way Teddy Sleds

How fun are these?!?! This was one of my favorite Christmas  projects from last year. They were super simple and pretty quick to make. I put these together for the boys' school Christmas parties and they were a HIT!

Serving Others With Mr. Grinch

With the Holiday Season upon us, our thoughts are easily turned towards serving others. I thought it would be fun to create a Family Home Evening lesson on it.

We watched a couple of short video clips on serving others. One video especially touched me and the kids really enjoyed it too. It is called "The Coat".

 

 

12 Handmade Days of Christmas

 

 

Hello! My name is Lisa and I blog over at Grey Luster Girl.  Last year I put together a handmade 12 days of Christmas for my two little girls.  They were so excited to see the new gift each day.  Here is a run through of what I did.  You can click on each day to take you to a more detailed blog post about each one. 

20+ Christmas Advent Ideas

I love advent calendars. We always have a few going on in our home starting on December 1st. Here are some of our favorites as well as a look back at the Advent Calendar Week we did on Gluesticks last year with over 20 MORE ideas!

 

 

Cardstock Santa Advent: My kids had a great time making their Santa beards and giving it a trim every day.

 

Sharpie® Your Holiday Season

This post brought to you by Sharpie®. All opinions are 100% mine.

How many Sharpie® pens do you have in your craft stash? Me? I have about 20. Fine point, basic, you name it. I use them for everything. And my kids like them too, sometimes to my dismay. I'm not so sure that a 4 year old needs her own Sharpie® pen, but she saw that Aaron got a couple of them in a craft kit for his birthday and wanted one too. So far, so good. She feels crafty like her mama with her own stash.

 

I love how versatile they are. Here are a couple of projects where I have used a Sharpie® pen.

 

Tile Wall Hangings

Thanksgiving Turkey Cheeseball

 

It's that time of year again which means it's time to share the Turkey Cheeseball on Gluesticks. I do it every year! We've made this guy a couple of times and he is always a hit.

Cleaning For the Holidays

This post brought to you by Dollar General. All opinions are 100% mine.

Tis the season for colds, flu viruses....AND holiday gatherings! For the first time in 9 years, we are celebrating Thanksgiving with family. That's one of the down falls with always living at least 1500 miles from our closest relatives. Traveling during the holidays just doesn't always happen. It's expensive, hectic, NOT FUN with kids, and we've run into some nasty weather conditions traveling across country in the winter.  So this year we are excited to be closer to family. And with their visit just around the corner, I am already stocking up on the needed supplies. And that doesn't just include food for our holiday dinner.

My "Made From Scratch" Thanksgiving Recipes

 

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I will be the first to admit that I take store bought short cuts where I can on certain items like stuffing, cranberry sauce, and even sometimes the desserts. That being said, there are a few dishes that I make every year from scratch. Always have, always will. To me, they are worth the effort and I’d like to share our family recipes with you today! My favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner is the starches. Forget the turkey and pass me the rolls and potatoes. These rolls are to die for. You can make them in your kitchen aid or knead them by hand, but using a bread maker to make your dough is such a time saver when you have so many other items to make.

 

 

Hot Apple Cider Donuts

Last weekend we went to Apple Hill in Camino, California. It is about an hour and a half away from our home and is a fun place to visit in the fall. There are many apple/fruit orchards to visit as well as Christmas tree farms. Each with their own trademark reason to make a stop. The Rainbow Orchard makes THE BEST Hot Apple Cider Donuts. Ever. They are so light in texture and you have no problem paying $1 each for them. The kids and I downed a dozen of those little suckers in 2 seconds flat.

Aaron asked if we could bring some cider home with us, so we grabbed a quart and I decided to use some of it to make our own Hot Apple Cider Donuts. The verdict? These are pretty dang good! The spices and the cinnamon sugar coating are the perfect balance. The texture isn't as fall-apart light as the ones from Rainbow Orchard, but my kids found these to be easier to eat and they are still a nice soft texture which I love. When I came home that night I scoured the Internet looking for a recipe that would come close. I didn't want anything with add ins like raisins, etc. or a glaze or caramel icing, etc. I'm sure those would be good, but I loved how simple these ones were. I was excited to find a recipe that I think came pretty close.

Cupboard Door Turned Art Desk

 

I am so excited for our next guest on Gluesticks! I am absolutely in love with this Cupboard Door Turned Art Desk and was thrilled when the girls from iCandy handmade agreed to share it with you today!

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Jen and I were thrilled to be asked to participate in Brandy's series on Creating a Homemade Holiday.  

Thanks so much for having us!

We run a little sewing and craft blog called iCandy handmade where we share tutorials and inspiration for our readers.  We'd love it if you stopped by our neck of the blog-o-sphere and take a look around!  As Jen and I are both of a creative mind, we love to make things for our kids, and our loved ones.  Creating things for our families and homes is what makes us tick.  So, naturally, giving homemade gifts tops it all!  

I love to watch the look on my friends and families faces when they open up something that was made specifically for them.  It's magical!

A while ago, I concocted a little art desk for 2 of my kids that I made from the most random thing: 

a sample cupboard door.  {random}

My kids loved them then, and they still love them now!  They do puzzles on top of them, they store their art work in the little alcove, and, as it's been a year and a half since I made them, I'm so pleased that they still love them as much as they did when I first gave them to them!  

I hope you can use this little tutorial to spark some creativity and play in your little ones this season!

Gift Ideas for Women

 

Today I have some homemade gift ideas for women that I have made. Whether you are looking for a special gift for a teacher, sister, mother, or grandmother---one of these just may fit the bill. Enjoy!
Feel free to browse my pinterest boards for even more ideas:

Gifts & Handouts
Homemade Holiday Gifts 

 

 

Lemon Mint Sugar Scrub

 

This recipe is so versatille. You can use different oils and scents to create the perfect custom scrub.

 

 

 

Candy Cane Soap

 

This was my first attempt at bar soap, and it was so fun! With a few simple ingredients you'll be on your way to a heavenly smelling homemade gift.

My Front Door

Before the movers even showed up with our stuff, I had my "Welcome" sign on the door. Derrick thought I was crazy, but hey! I seriously had nothing else to do! We were living in the house with minimal household goods and waiting around for our stuff to arrive. So when my new sign showed up in the mail I couldn't wait to have ONE thing done.

 

 

 

Every time I post a new tutorial for a wreath I get just as many comments on the "Welcome" sign on my door as the wreath itself. So I thought I would share where I order my signs from and how you can get one yourself.

 

 

 

Many have asked if it was a stencil. No, it is not a stencil. That would be too nerve wracking for me to use on my front door. It is vinyl. Just peel and stick. I wasn't sure how it would look on my new door since it is an 8' door and the placement would be in the center, but I think with the wreath it balances out.

 

Since my door is grey and my other was black, I like ordering my vinyl in  a tan or beige color. White just seems to bright. So if you are wondering what color that is and what it would look like on a dark door, it is "beige".

 

 

 

And it holds up great. Here is my door to our home in Ohio. Wind, rain, snow, below freezing temps...my vinyl stayed on.

 

 

Greenery Wreath

 

 

Ornament Wreath

 

 

Patriotic Cardstock Wreath

 

 

 

3-D Cardstock Wreath

 

 

I was saddened when the gal that I ordered my vinyl signs from closed her website, but I found another site that I am very happy with as well! I contacted Laura, at  Say it on the Wall, and showed her a photo of my door in Ohio. She emailed back within an hour saying that she could match it with the same font and everything! Wonderful! But then I went on her site and was browsing other fonts and asked maybe if I could see a sample of what it would look like in another one. She sent back several options of what it would look like, stretched to the size I needed it and I chose one that I thought fit the style of our new home.

 

The price was around $5 plus shipping and was shipped to me in less than a week. I couldn't be happier with the service and am happy to have a replacement company to order my vinyl from. I have a cricut and can cut out my own vinyl, but sometimes for bigger projects I prefer to order out.

 

So there you go! If you have lettering or a welcome sign on your door I'd love to see it! Post a link in the comment section and I'll do a feature post of creative doors around blog land!

 

Hand Print Tote Bag

 

{Have you entered the Homemade Holiday Link Party? If not, link any homemade gift ideas you may have through December. I will feature them here, on our pinterest board, and you will be entered to win prizes....all by sharing YOUR ideas!}

 

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Hi! This is Melanie and Emily from Raise A Boy and we are so excited to share these Hand Print Flower Tote Bags we had our boys make for their grandmas this year.

 

 

 

We found a pack of three canvas bags at Hobby Lobby for $7.99. Plus we used a 40% off coupon so these made for very inexpensive gifts! The first step is to paint your little one's hands. Our kids think this is pretty fun.

Creating a Homemade Holiday {Link Party!}

Welcome to the "Creating a Homemade Holiday" Link party! I am so excited to see your ideas on homemade gift ideas. This party will be open through the end of December. Feel free to link up as many times as you want and check back often to be inspired by others! I will be pinning my favorite ideas to our Holiday Gift Board on Pinterest. That means more exposure for you!

ALSO...entrants from the link party will randomly be chosen for a giveaway coming up from Sara Lee. Who doesn't like free cake? All you have to do to enter is link up a project. Simple. More details coming for that! I should be a fun couple of months on Gluesticks!

I thought I would start off by sharing a couple of my own gift ideas. Since most of the gift ideas I have are for children, that is what I will be sharing today.  Feel free to visit the actual link and pin it for future reference! And visit every Monday to check out what our amazing guest bloggers share.

Dry Erase I-Spy Bag Tutorial

These are perfect for road trips, doctor visits and church! Such a fun little quiet activity and perfect for non-readers.

Warm Bed Buddies

These sweet little fleece characters are filled with rice. Microwave for 60 seconds or so and they'll keep your little one warm and cozy as they fall asleep!

Felt Make Up

Do you have a little girlie girl? If so, check out this fun little make up set made out of felt. No mess!

Wooden Peg Matching and Sorting Dolls

This little set was so fun to make. Perfect for toddlers and preschool age children.

I have many more ideas that I will be sharing throughout the season....now share YOURS!

Feel free to share ANY homemade gift idea. Whether it is for children, friends, teachers, grandparents, neighbors, Visiting Teachers, etc. I want to see them all!