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Easter Box Printables

March 6, 2017 by Danielle

With March going by so fast already, we’re starting to look towards Easter and all things Spring. One thing I love doing are fun printable boxes – you can fill them with candy or toys or notes, or just leave them empty and use them for decoration or a game. Either way, these Easter Box Printables are sure to be a cute addition to your season!

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What makes these Easter boxes extra special is that they have stick-out ears on the bunnies and wings on the birds. Fun, right?! I think it adds just a little bit more to it, and the kids sure love it.

They print onto an 8.5×11 sheet of paper – I highly recommend cardstock to keep it more sturdy, and it cuts more cleanly on the edges.

I left them white – except the eyes, mouth/beak and wings/ears. That way you can use crayons, color pencils or markers to make it whatever color you desire! After all, Easter is full of bright colors, right?

Supplies

Downloadable printable (sign up for our newsletter to nab this & other great printables free)
Crayons, colored pencils or markers – if desired
Razor or Xacto knife
Tape
Stuff to fill inside the Easter box

Directions

Print off however many bunnies or chicks you’d like onto 8.5×11 sheets
Color as desired
Cut outside solid edges. Use a razor or ??? to partially cut out the wings and ears, then bend.
Fold along the dotted lines. Tape edges together so it folds into a box.
Fill with whatever you’d like, or leave empty for a fun decoration or toy!

See, super easy to put together – and my kids have loved using them as ‘figures’, towers, and so much more. The stand-out wings and ears take them to a whole new level of Easter fun!

Printable Conversation Heart Treat Containers

February 10, 2017 by Danielle

Remember those little candy hearts with the words on them we got while we were growing up? Turns out they’re called conversation hearts – I guess because they say something to you? I remember getting them in my little Valentine mail box at school, usually with a store bought Valentine’s Day card attached. You know the ones. This Valentine’s Day, I decided to bring back a little of that nostalgia with these fun Printable Conversation Heart Treat Containers.

Aren’t these adorable? I pass the real thing every year in the grocery store and honestly, I don’t think my kids know much about them. I guess they aren’t as popular as they once were, but they always put a smile on my face. The best part of these conversation heart treat containers is that I’m offering them to you as a free printable. Yep. That’s right, all you have to do is print these off and follow the easy directions on the page and voila! You have a fun, retro treat container for your valentine.

One quick tip: When printing, make sure you set it to “Fit to Page” in your print settings. If you don’t the rounded edge of the heart may get cut off depending on your printer.

I filled the ones I put together with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (a favorite of mine), but you could easily fill these with whatever candy your sweetheart prefers. There are four different colors and sayings so there’s a little something for everyone in your family or circle of friends.

Do you like conversation hearts? I know they might seem a little old fashioned, but they always put a smile on my face!

DOWNLOAD the four different style shere: One, Two, Three and Four

Valentine’s Day Gift Basket: Guess the Gift

February 2, 2017 by Danielle

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MyTuesdayValentine #CollectiveBias

I’m a big fan of gift baskets, especially for the holidays. For Valentine’s this year, I wanted to take it up a notch and make a game of it, so hubby doesn’t just get awesome gifts, but a fun activity together. Here’s how you can make your own Valentine’s Day Gift Basket: Guess the Gift game, then enjoy gifting it to a special someone!

Hubby’s really use to getting gift baskets – like the Superhero one we did for Father’s Day one year. This year, he’s got a whole different type of surprise – I’m making him guess what each gift in the basket is before opening them! And here’s the fun – things aren’t quite as they appear 😉 To start off, make sure you have all your gifts and wrapping/basket supplies together. I always grab some American Greetings tissue paper, gift wrap and stickers to make the gift look festive. And call me crazy, but I usually grab a couple of American Greetings cards to give hubby – there’s so many that are just perfect, in different ways, that I can’t choose!

This Valentine’s Day, I selected THREE cards to give him – a romantic, sweet one, a more playful one, and then a pop-up one because, guys, it’s a POP-UP! This year is extra special, as our 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY is right before Valentine’s Day. Yup, I’ve been married to this amazing man for 10 years, and he’s still my best friend & fellow partner in crime. After all he does for me, I want to show him how much I love him, and that he means more to me every year we spend together!

Now that you’ve got the perfect gifts and supplies, here’s where the fun comes in – find a variety of shapes and sizes of containers. Get creative – use things like pieces from a lunch box…

…..or empty chocolate box. Put things inside that wouldn’t normally be in that shape or size of package, making it more challenging for the recipient to guess what their gift is.

Since I love giving ‘date night’, I stuck money in a bunch of these packages – but I doubt he’ll ever guess this ‘boxed chocolates’ shaped box is a $5 bill!

For larger or awkward items, use your imagination. To give him this fun mug, I tied a bunch of socks around it first. It looks and feels JUST like a package of socks!

My favorite is that gift in the basket to the right…

…it may LOOK like a bottle of sparkling cider, but it’s really a new t-shirt! Here’s how to wrap it up….

The trick is just making sure the top is thinner than the long bottom – just like a bottle. After all this creative wrapping, you’ve got everything you need for a Valentine’s Day Gift Basket that will leave them guessing!

If you want, you can download and print off some fabulously festive printables from American Greetings, like this cute mobile/desktop wallpaper calendar that I printed off for my daughter’s locker, or the shopping list complete with tear-off ‘love notes’, or even the 8×10 Valentine’s Day frame-worthy quote to add a little decor to your home. And don’t forget the February calendar!

Since my folks will be visiting soon, I found an American Greetings card for my kiddos’ to give them – it’s the perfect combo of sweet, thoughtful and fun. It even comes with a magnet they can stick on their fridge to think of their grandkids!

And if you need some ideas for what to write in a Valentine’s Day Card, American Greetings has a great post here, so check it out. Be sure to check them out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest – as well as their own blog!

Printable Grinch Popcorn Wrapper Gift Idea

December 19, 2016 by Danielle

Since Christmas is fast approaching, some of us are making a mad-dash trying to find fun, budget-friendly and EASY gift ideas for neighbors, friends and more. These Printable Grinch Popcorn Wrapper Gift Idea are just the ticket – and about as easy as they come!

Aren’t they adorable?! We’ve got one of the Grinch himself, along with the sweet Cindy Lou Who. They print onto 8.5×11 paper – I recommend cardstock for durability and ease of folding smooth creases.

Download the printable popcorn wrapper sheets here: Grinch and Cindy Lou

Once you’ve downloaded the two files and printed however many you want, cut out the large rectangle, fold the the two creases, then either glue (or tape) where the convenient line says ‘GLUE HERE’ on the inside of the back sheet.

Slide in a pack of microwave popcorn, and you’re all set to gift it to anyone left on your list! These would also be super cute party favors, or thank you’s for a mail person or delivery drivers.

As much as I love how Cindy Lou Who looks, I’m totally in love with the Grinch and his big grin! So sweet!

You’ve Been ELFED Printables

December 6, 2016 by Danielle

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MerryAndBright #CollectiveBias

Maybe I’m behind the times, but I just learned THIS YEAR about a fun way to surprise people for the holidays – you can ELF them! Whether it’s your neighbor, co-worker or friends, these You’ve Been ELFED Printables can help you put together the perfect gift this Christmas.

The first step is to choose who you’re going to ELF – we decided that one of our neighbors, who’s so kindly helped us with our yard this crazy year, was just the right target for our family to gift it to. Next, you need your supplies! Luckily, you can grab everything at Walmart, from tasty M&Ms Fun Size treats – peanut or milk chocolate – to all the packaging and decorating items you could want from American Greetings. The best part? With Walmart’s everyday low prices, mixed with American Greetings’ festive bags, tissue, stickers and fun greetings cards, you can quickly nab everything you need to create merry and bright connections.

ELFED Printables

I nabbed some adorable polka dot wrapping paper, a sparkly gift bag, bow and matching tissue paper. I also couldn’t resist their Promotional plush bear, Tinsel the Bear, that you can get for just $3.47 with the purchase of any American Greeting cards, or just get it for $6.97 outright. It’s so dang soft, I admit I’m tempted to keep it for myself! 😉

American Greetings #MerryAndBright Sweepstakes

Since we’re all about making gift-giving EASIER, American Greetings even has a free ELFING printable you can include with your gift that has instructions, a poem and a small sign the recipients can hang on their door after they’ve been ‘ELFED’.

I loved the sparkly gift bag I got, but decided the wrapping paper was more what we wanted to use (so I’m saving the bag for later!) and took a plain ol’ box – I’m sure you have plenty of those lying around, too, right? Then we wrapped it up on the outside and stuck the curly bow on the side. The tissue paper popped up the top making it eye-catching and fun!

Okay, my kids convinced me to part with the bear – so sad! But I’m sure the family we’re giving it to will love the fluffy, soft fur, and they sure deserve it for all the kindness they’ve shown us this year.

Also to include in your gifts, we made these festive gift box printables – one with Elves, the other with ornaments and snowy background. All you have to do is DOWNLOAD AND PRINT: Elves or Ornaments, then cut it out, fold on the creases, and tape it into a box. They’re sized for an 8.5×11 sheet, and do best on cardstock.

These printable gift boxes would be just the right size to put in your M&M Fun Sized treats, or small toys if you’re gifting it to a family with kids! Add it to your gift bag (or box), and you’re set to go! We plan to leave it on our neighbors porch after school, since they usually arrive home not long after that. They’ll have no clue who it is, I hope!

I love that ELFING is an activity the whole family can join in on, and it teaches the kids the joy of giving to others – something we try to let them experience year-round, but especially during the holidays. AND you can teach them about saving money, earning $2 cash back with this Ibotta offer!

For even more fun, check out 12 Days of Christmas Inspiration HERE!

20 DIY Gift Card Holders

December 1, 2016 by Danielle

Not sure what to give someone because they’re super picky, change their mind, or always just get themselves what they want? Or maybe they live far away, so shipping something large isn’t exactly easy – or affordable. Doing gift cards is an excellent choice, and these 20 DIY Gift Card Holders are the perfect, creative way to give them!

I just love the variety of beautiful and FUN gift card holders you can make yourself! I have a few people I’ll be giving gift cards to, now I just have to choose which of these great ideas I’ll use to ‘wrap’ it in 🙂

I Heart Naptime – Santa Gift Card Holder

Design Eat Repeat – DIY Ugly Sweater Gift Card Holder

Bliss Bloom – Felt Gift Card Holders

Damask Love – Christmas Cocoa Gift Card Holder

Pink and Dotty – Snowman Gift Card Holder

That’s What Che Said – Washi Tape Christmas Tree Gift Card Holders

A Girl and a Gun – Stocking Gift Card Holder

Made to Be Momma – Ruffled Gift Card Holder

Tried and True Blog – Rudolph Gift Card Holder

DIY Candy – Felt Christmas Gift Card Holder

Positively Splendid – Sliding Door Gift Card Holder

Lovely Indeed – DIY Wood and Gold Leaf Gift Card Holder

My Red Wellies – Crochet Fox Gift Card Holder

Hip 2 Save – DIY Gift Card Snowglobe

Lemon Jitters – Paper Gift Card Holder

I Heart Naptime – Gift Card Holder Printable

Crafty Steals – Snowman Gift Card Holder Tutorial

Damask Love – Easy Paper Bag Gift Card Holder

1 Dog Woof – Crochet Gift Card Holder

That’s What Che Said – Santa Sack Gift Card Holder

Which was YOUR favorite?

DIY Holiday Cookie Basket

November 30, 2016 by Danielle

I know it can be super frustrating finding easy-yet-thoughtful friend and neighbor gifts. The Christmas season is busy enough without spending a lot of time, plus you don’t want to break the bank either. This DIY Holiday Cookie Basket is just perfect – and it’s a gift box made from paper plates!

The best part of this gift basket idea, other than how simple to make, is that it’s totally customizable! You can pick the size, colors, even adjust the shape if you want. Get as creative as you’d like with the ribbon, bow or draw a design on the outside. Have fun with it!

Supplies

Paper Plates of Choice
Ribbon, or other decoration
Cookies, or whatever you’re putting inside to gift
Scissors
Tape

Directions

Cut 4 Slits, 2 on each side and just a little bit inside. The deeper, the taller the walls but less room inside.
Fold the end flaps inside and the longer side flaps over to create a nice crease.
Fold over the ends and tape it securely closed.

Now just add your decorations – like a simple ribbon and bow tied around, and your cookies or other gift! If you’d like, you can also put parchment paper inside for extra protection for the goodies, but that’s your choice.

I also made these baskets back at Easter – you can see them HERE. They’re just as fun and simple now as they were then. Fill them with a favorite cookie, like my Dad’s Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies – still one of my favorite recipes!

You can whip up a bunch of these in no time – I think it took 5 minutes to do these 3. You can cover the whole neighborhood in no time! The part I CAN’T really help with is the passing out – good luck with that 🙂 At least you can enjoy the holiday lights and maybe turn up some music on your phone while you go around!

Happy Holidays!

20 DIY Stocking Tutorials

November 24, 2016 by Danielle

I love crafts and diy projects year-round, but the holidays tend to bring out my creative side even more so. This awesome list of 20 DIY Stocking Tutorials is perfect for anyone wanting make your own stocking this Christmas! Imagine your kids choosing their own styles and actually HELPING to make it – what a special time together, and a lasting keepsake.

Rival a Diva – DIY Pottery Barns Faux Fur Stockings

Sister’s Suitcase – DIY Frozen Christmas Stockings

Delia Creates – Sweater Stockings

The Proper – DIY Tinsel Typography Christmas Stockings

Shiny Happy World – Simple Stocking With Applique

My Poppet – Cactus Christmas Stocking

New Blooming – DIY Felt Stocking with Tassel Pom Poms

Houseful of Handmade – DIY Personalized Drop Cloth Christmas Stocking

Fleece Fun – No-Sew Christmas Stocking

Positively Splendid – Classic Cuffed Christmas Stocking

Gina Michele – DIY Rustic Upcycled Christmas Stocking

Persia Lou – African Flower Crochet Stocking

Lovely Indeed – DIY Monogrammed Stockings with West Elm

Mucho xoxo – Color Pop Quilted Stockings

Tattooed Martha – Vintage Mother Tattoo Felt Stocking

My Poppet – DIY Fruit Stockings

Lia Griffith – Wool Felt Stocking for Pets

Snickled Pink – DIY Bone Pet Stockings

Homemade Ginger – DIY Felt Stockings

What would YOUR favorite stocking design be?

Autumn Splendor Centerpiece plus Cookie Recipe

November 20, 2016 by Nikki Cole

Want a fun and exciting centerpiece for your thanksgiving dinner? One that not only looks great but doubles as a dessert too? Well this Autumn Splendor Centerpiece is sure to impress your guests and it doesn’t cost you an arm and leg to make it.

Autumn Splendor Centerpiece is easy to make and can be changed easily if you need or want. All you need is a simple sugar cookie recipe with frosting, a stick wreath easily found at a craft store, fake pumpkin, candle (whatever color), and some little decorations to go around the top which can be left out if you want.

First get your fake pumpkin and cut a hole in the top large enough to fit your candle. I just used a steak knife which seemed to work great but it did make a little bit of a mess with Styrofoam all over. Place your candle in the whole.

Next if you want you can get little decorations to go around the ring of the pumpkin and candle or you can leave it blank. I found some cool little beads I guess you could call them and pinned them to the pumpkin. Just walk around a craft store and you can find some fun things like maybe leafs, jewels, feathers, anything you would like to dress up your centerpiece.

On your stick wreath (horrible name I know but I don’t really know the technical name for it), place a sheet of cellophane to help support the cookies a little better and so people don’t get any weird sticks in their cookies. Make it a little bigger than the wreath because when you place the pumpkin on it it will come in a little bit. Place decorated pumpkin in the center of the wreath on top of the cellophane.

Make sugar cookies and decorate them. My sugar cookie recipe and frosting is just basic – nothing too fancy, recipes below, and I also didn’t spend hours decorating mine because the only people that saw it was my little nephews and nieces. Feel free to get creative and design however you want. Plain leaves look great on this wreath and doesn’t take forever to decorate. You can get as creative as you want or as simple as you want with the Autumn Splendor Centerpiece.

I cut my cookies into different leafs, acorns, squirrels, turkeys, apples, and a few flowers. Then I just put simple frosting on them in colors of red, yellow, orange, brown. I then froze them and an hour before we sat down pulled them out, placed them around the wreath, not too far out on the wreath so they didn’t fall off but did a few layers and placed in the center of the table. It looked great without all the hard work and I had a great centerpiece and dessert tray.

Sugar cookie and frosting recipes

Cookies – Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 egg
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 cups flour

Cookies – Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream butter and sugar together until smooth. Beat in the extracts and egg.
Mix in baking powder and flour until combined.
Roll out onto a floured surface until about ¼ inch thick and cut into shapes with cookie cutters.
Place on greased cookie sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes. Let completely cool before frosting.

Frosting – Ingredients

2 cups shortening
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract
8 cups powdered sugar
1/8 cup milk
Food coloring

Frosting – Directions

Cream all ingredients except powdered sugar.
Slowly add in powdered sugar.
Can add more or less milk for different consistencies if needed.
Separate into bowls and add food coloring.

DIY Dog Leash and Treat Sign

November 17, 2016 by Danielle

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ToPetsWithLove #CollectiveBias

Y’all know how much we love our dogs, right? They’re such an important part of our family, so of course we think of ‘treating’ them during the holidays. I thought a convenient – and attractive – place to hold their leash and treats would be just the ticket. This DIY Dog Leash and Treat Sign was surprisingly easy to make, and looks great while holding our pet stuff!

Since we couldn’t really TREAT our dogs without the proper stuff, we swung by Kroger to grab some special goodies – plus their Purina Beneful dog food, of course! We try to offer them a variety of dog treats, so got a couple bags of Beggin’ Strips and Busy treats. I also got some Purina DentaLife, to help keep their teeth more clean*. Y’all know how much we love Purina and trust them to provide the best for our dogs – because we wouldn’t offer our pets anything short of what we think is the best for them. The kids love helping take care of their pets, too, so were quite handy at the store!

I love that I don’t have to make extra time to run by a pet specialty store when I’m super busy during the holidays. Kroger (or your local banner store) is full of favorite food, treats and even toys for our pets! We always need to make time for the grocery store, right? So now we can get all our shopping done at once – I’m all for saving what little time I have during this time of year 🙂

I don’t know about you, but I love that Purina Beneful dry dog food features MEAT as the #1 ingredient and doesn’t have any added sugar. That’s one great thing about Purina – they listen to feedback of real pet owners to continuously provide better products, which is what led to 2 years of research to result in these new reformulated recipes.

My dogs sure love the taste, apparently, and I love that they’re getting their nutrition needs met!

So I could focus on the DIY Dog Leash & Treat Sign without curious dog noses in the way, I treated them to one of the Busy treats – these long-lasting chews are perfect for keeping them happy for quite awhile, leaving me to my project!

Let’s get on to this fun diy pet project, shall we?

Supplies

Wood board or plaque (check size – I did 11×6), sanded
Paint or stain of desired color (I chose black paint)
Stickers or vinyl in desired saying & design
Hooks and screws
Wall hangers/nails
Hose Clamp (to fit mason jar)
Screw for hose clamp
Mason Jar
Tools needed for screws

Directions

Add your stickers to your plaque/board. Paint or stain over them, then remove before the paint dries – I used tweezers to get the edges of the sticker up and peel it up, not disturbing the paint as much as using my fingers. Allow to dry completely.
Screw in the hooks and wall hangers.
CAREFULLY put a screw through the lined part of the hose clamp and into the wood board. It’s tough getting the screw through the metal, so please use caution. Once it’s attached, add the mason jar into the clamp and tighten the clamp so it’s secure.
Hang on the wall, hang your leashes and add your pet’s favorite treats into the jar!

I thought the Beggin’ Strips not only fit perfect into the mason jar, but were the perfect dog treat for after a nice walk. They smell & taste like bacon – because they’re MADE with real bacon! I also need to remember to give my pups a Purina DentaLife treat later today – so much to do!

*Not to be taken as professional veterinary advice. Please consult your veterinarian for recommendations and practices appropriate for your pet.

Don’t forget to include your furry friends during the holidays with the help of Purina! Now through the end of November, grab these great savings on your favorite Purina pet products – available at Kroger – with this Coupons.com link, while supplies last.

What are YOUR favorite Purina pet products?

Halloween Party Favors

October 20, 2016 by Danielle

With October quickly coming to an end, we really need to buckle down as we prepare for trick-or-treating, parties and other fun family activities for the holiday. These Free Printable Halloween Party Favors are just what you need for fun gifts, class treats, prizes and more to make your Halloween spooktacular!

Contains affiliate links that support this blog at no extra cost to you. See our Disclosure.

Aren’t they adorable? We wanted to do a variety, so there’s tombstomes, ghosts, pumpkins, bats, witch hats, cauldrons and more. There’s a variety of sizes, and you can just cut out our template once you download and print it, then trace it onto the color paper you want. You can get the plastic tube packages on Amazon HERE.

I love that these treat tubes are the perfect fit for things like M&Ms and Skittles. If you wanted, you could probably put in pixie stick powder or something along those lines!

Download the templates HERE and HERE

For the witch hat, I did one color paper for the hat, then another for the buckle part and layered them with glue. Same with the cauldron – the pot is black, then I glued a strip of colored paper for the ‘inside’. You can even add googly eyes to add a bit of dimension, and FUN!

So whatever your Halloween plans are – whether it’s a ‘simple’ class party, huge gathering with friends or just a thoughtful neighbor gift, you’ll be all set with these Halloween Party Favors!

Trick or Treat Smell My Feet Halloween Gift

October 19, 2016 by Danielle

Woohoo, it’s time for another Craft Lightning post! I love joining in on this every month, being able to join with other amazing bloggers as we share crafts that take 15 minutes or less. With October drawing near (aaack!), we’re doing some fun Halloween crafts, like this Trick or Treat Smell My Feet Halloween Gift, with free printables, of course! Originally shared September 2014

Who else thinks this is just totally adorable? Plus it’s combining a cute gift package with a delicious treat….cookie mix in a jar! This was super quick to put together, and I can’t wait to hand them out to neighbors soon. As you can see, the recipe (and the wet ingredients for the person to add) are nicely included on the tag.

Printables you’ll need

Plus this tracing sheet for the witch shoes & legs

Supplies – per Halloween Gift

Printables listed above
Jar with lid
2 fun Fabric pieces
Ribbon of choice
Paper for legs & shoes of witch
Paper for tag
Scissors, Hot Glue Gun & Hot Glue, Tape, Glue Stick, Hole Punch
For cookie mix in jar: 3/4 cup Brown Sugar, 1/4 cup Sugar, small pack Instant Pudding Mix, 2 1/4 cup Flour, 1 tsp. Baking Soda, 1/2-1 cup Chocolate Chips (or Halloween M&Ms to make it extra fun)

Directions

Print out the tags and traceable sheet. Cut out the pieces. Use a glue stick to attach the tag parts to the front and back of some cute paper. Tape the witch shoes to the legs, then the legs to the jar.
Cut out your fabric pieces for over the lid. Hot glue onto the top of the lid. Fold over the edges and glue a ribbon around the edge of the lid. This will make the fabric ruffle like a skirt!
Put your ingredients for the cookies into the jar, then put the lid on top. Use a ribbon to attach the tag, and you’re good to go!

Don’t forget to check out the other fabulous Craft Lightning posts!