Christmas cookies

I baked cookies all day yesterday and folded origami boxes all day today and here is the result.

We're planning on going caroling tonight and these are the treat boxes we're giving away. I made 13 boxes and each box has 13 goodies inside! I guess 13 is a lucky number as long as cookies are involved! I made Chocolate Peppermint Marshmallow Bark, raspberry and orange jam filled Thumbprints, and our family's favorite cookies, Chocolate Dipped Orange Logs! I am over on Dana's blog today sharing the recipe for chocolate dipped orange logs so go check it out!

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Featured on : elleadore.com

 I am happy to let you all know about a french online magazine called Elle Adore that featured my packaging today! I am flattered to have my packages showcased with so many other beautiful and creative ones.

If you can read french here is the link to the article on creative Christmas packaging.

To go to the other pages of the article and see the images larger, just click the button at the bottom right of the article that says "Suivant".

Made by you : Origami advent

Check out the advent calendar Delia made using my origami advent tutorial. I really love how she lined everything up and framed it! :) Awesome!
Have you make something using one of my tutorials? Send me a photo or a link to your blog post where the photo is and I'd love to share it here on my blog! :) Just e-mail me.

saltdough cookie ornament in origami box

 Just wanted to post a link to my salt dough cookie ornament recipe for those who don't already know about it yet. These are sill some of my most favorite ornaments. And don't forget the origami box with a window to put them in.

vintage inspired Christmas village

Last year after Christmas was over I spotted this awesome vintage looking village on A feild journal and fell in love! I became obsessed with making a vintage village too. I love how they turned out. If I get around to it I'll make a pattern for you all to make a little village too! :)

my christmas mantle

So we put up our Christmas trees this past weekend but I have a confession, we decorated our mantle the day after Halloween! :) :) The felt trees are from my glittered felt Christmas tree tutorial that I posted last year. I'm thinking of making more in different sizes and covering the entire mantle with them. I don't know if I really will, the silver pots and candle sticks are usually a permanent mantle decoration. What do you think?

We need a little Christmas

We put our Christmas trees up this weekend! :) (Yes you read that right.) We are strong believers in making Christmas last as long as possible!  Why not make the spirit of joy and giving last longer than one month a year. :) We all need a little Christmas sometimes.

Christmas Sale in my etsy shop

Last year I listed this awesome snowman  in my etsy shop but I listed him too close to Christmas and he didn't sell. Now he is back up and on sale for $100!! So head on over the my Etsy shop and snatch him up!!

Haunted house

On Sunday night we realized that our house is haunted!! ;) We even have photographic proof take a look.

 I was trying to snap photos of the kids with their jack-o-lanterns and the settings on the camera were wrong (the exposure was super long). The first photo I took looked was blurry and when Everett walked into the shot he looked like a white ghostly blur. I shot more and realized I could make the kids look more like ghosts if I got out the tripod. I had the kids walk around slowly and then stay in one spot at the end of a long exposure. We were having so much fun that even Trent joined in with the candelabra to see what that did. The bottom photo with light shooting out of Lizzy's chest is the result. Spooky and awesome right? Hope you all have a slightly spooky but super safe Halloween tonight! :) Happy haunting!

knight costume

I finished the knight costume and I have to say it turned out awesome!! Alex loves it! I cut the tunic out of fleece and did a freezer paper stencil of a similar dragon to the one they have in the Narnia movies. I used masking tape as a stencil for the gold border. As you already know I crocheted the "chain-mail" hood & you can find the pattern I made right here. Later I crocheted tubes so he could have chain-mail on his arms also. After seeing this tutorial, I made craft foam armor for his arms, legs, and shoulders. I used silver spray paint but probably would use regular craft paint next time because the spray paint rubs off easily. He absolutely loves it, can you tell? :)

fairy costume

Here is the finished fairy costume I made for Lizzy. I am so happy with how it came together and so is she!! Her request was that it was a "wow" costume. Last year she said everyone said wow to her brothers fully lit robot costume and never noticed the owl standing next to him, and I am sad to say she was right. Even a hand made adorable owl doesn't get the "wow" when there's an awesome robot with blinking lights.  So, as you can see, I went all out for her costume trying to make sure it was a "wow" costume.  I think the entire outfit as a whole comes together and creates the wow but if I had to choose the piece that adds the finishing touch it has to be the felt flower crown / head piece.  It has glitter all over each flower and adds a goddess feel to the entire costume. the dresses is just a simple chiffon rectangle with a hole in the top and sides for her head and arms. The head hole was cut extra big and has elastic in it to gather is together and give it a Grecian feel. It would still look like a bag if it weren't for the long ribbons that tie on the wings, they criss cross over her chest gathering the dress in and making it look more finished and pretty. She wears a leotard and tights under the dress for modestly since chiffon is sheer, but the costume is made to be able to wear a long sleeve top and leggings underneath to keep her warm. I made gloves so that on Halloween night she wouldn't freeze her little fairy fingers off. They're just dollar bin gloves from Joe-Annes. I cut out leaf shapes from felt and glittered them, then simply hot glued them onto the wrist to make a bracelet effect. the wings I made after seeing this how to video on you tube. I loved the idea of burning holes into the nylons to make the wings seem more fragile and petite. After I shaped the wigs and put on the base coat of pink and green paint, I had my Trent help me with the hole burning and painting the brown vein accents. Thanks honey! :) I then finished the look by glittering and gluing jewels all over the place.

When it was done she wore it to a fall festival trick or treat at the gardeners market and got tons of audible "wows", I think my job here is done!