Merry Christmas!

Are you looking for {wow me} wednesday? Go {HERE}. This week’s party will be open for TWO weeks! :)

I just wanted to pop in really quick to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! I hope your day is filled with love & laughter & most of all family! I hope we will all take a few minutes today to pause & remember the reason we celebrate today. I am so thankful for the birth of our Savior so many years ago. I am thankful for His life, example & sacrifices so that we can be together with our families forever. I am so thankful for His gospel & how it blesses our family. I hope you all have a wonderful day & that you enjoy the rest of your week. I’m also sharing my new favorite Christmas video. It is amazing! Enjoy! : #sharethegift

{wow me} wednesday #186

Hello! Welcome to {wow me} wednesday!
I’m so glad you are here. :)

Last week I featured over 20 Christmas Cookie Recipes.
You can check out all of the yumminess right over {HERE}.

Since it is the Christmas holidays this party will be open for TWO weeks.
So feel free to swing by & link up anytime between now & then.
I’d love to see your best of 2014 post if you have one! :)

SO are you ready to PaRty?

Snow Kissed Pine Cone Wreath {tutorial}

This post is brought to you by DecoArt.

Hello! I actually shared this post last year over on the DecoArt blog. So I thought it was about time that I shared it over here. ha! My front door is now black by the way. I’m kind of missing the red after seeing these pictures though! ;)

I so love this time of year! I have so much fun decorating my home, and I have always wanted to make a pine cone wreath for my front door. I just love the rustic look of pine cones, and they are perfect for this time of year. Also I grew up in East Texas, and pine trees are everywhere! Pine cones just remind me of home! :) This wreath was super simple to put together, and I love the white snow kissed look along with the natural rustic pine cones & the burlap ribbon. Annnnd it looks great on my red door!

Easy Banana Bread {recipe}

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

Good morning! Christmas is this week! Eek! :) One our most favorite Christmas traditions is baking. Baking together as a family is so fun (& a little messy!). ;) We usually bake up goodies on Christmas Eve & take them around to all our friends that evening. My kiddos requested that we make something different this year. I guess they were getting tired of the same old treats. ha! ;) When I was younger my mom loved banana nut bread. We would have it quite often. I’ve never made it though! So I was so excited to find this Easy Banana Bread recipe. This recipe was so easy to put together, & you are not going to believe what the secret ingredient is ~ KRAFT MIRACLE WHIP Dressing. It makes this bread super moist & yummy! I know you are going to want to make some, too. So keep reading to get the yummy recipe. :)

I Know my Savior Lives ~ 2015 Primary Theme Printables #sharegoodness

Hello! Good morning! A few weeks ago I posted about the brand new He is the Gift movie. Have you see it? It’s good! It felt good to take a little break from all the crafty posts & share something a little more personal. ;) I have so much more going on in my life other than just crafty stuff. (Even though I really do love the crafty stuff. ha!) So I have decided to post a #sharegoodness post every other Sunday. It might be a peek into what is going on in our family, a free printable, a video, a quote or something I’ve learned during the week. For this share goodness post I decided to share some printables for the brand new 2015 Primary Theme ~ I Know my Savior Lives. Primary is the children’s organization at our Church. I have 3 kiddos in Primary, and I am so thankful that they’ll get to learn even more about the Savior this year in Primary. Enjoy!

Joy to the World Block {tutorial}

This post was first seen over at The Crafting Chicks.

 

Hello! It’s Friday! It’s my kiddos’ last day of school before Christmas break. Yay! Annnnd I *think* I have all the Christmas shopping done! Whew! ;) I’ll be taking the next two weeks off from blogging so I can enjoy the holidays with my family. I’ll try to keep you updated on the latest happenings over on instagram. I’ll also have a special {wow me} wednesday party that will go live next week & two post scheduled for next week ~ one recipe & one final craft. So stay tuned for that. :) I also have one final project before I take off for this week. :) This Joy to the World block is so, so easy to put together. Shhhh! These are actually our neighbor gifts this year. ;) We can make a bunch at once, they are really inexpensive to make, & they turn out super cute. So keep reading to get the tutorial. :)

 

20 Christmas Cookie Recipes

Hello! It’s my favorite day of the week! I get to feature some of YOUR amazing ideas! It’s one of the best things about blogging ~ featuring YOU! :) One of our favorite Christmas traditions is making Christmas cookies on Christmas Eve. I’m sure many of you do that as well. So today I am excited to share over 20 Christmas Cookie Recipes. Yum! These recipes were linked up to last week’s {wow me} wednesday party. This week’s party is still going on to feel free to drop by & check out what everyone is up to over there. If you are a blogger I’d love to see your ideas, too! You can do all of that right {HERE}. Buuuuuut first check out this yummy feature post. Enjoy! :)

{easy} advent calendar {tutorial}

This post is brought to you by We R Memory Keepers.

Hello! How many of you do an advent calendar every year? I have seen the cutest advent calendars over the years, and I always wanted to make one but they look so hard & time consuming to put together. I think I’d get worn out just thinking about making one! ha! ;) That is why I love this {easy} advent calendar that I put together in under 30 minutes! This cute advent calendar goes together quick! Buuuut no one will ever know because it will look like you spent a ton of time doing it. So keep reading to see how easy it is with a lot of help from We R Memory Keepers. :)

{wow me} wednesday #185

Hello! Welcome to {wow me} wednesday!
I’m so glad you are here. :)

Last week I featured 12 Festive & Fun Holiday Décor Ideas.
Make sure you check out all the festivities right over {HERE}. :)

Golden Bling Wreath {tutorial} #winterwreathworkshop

This post was first seen over at Create.Craft.Love. as part of her Winter Wreath Workshop that I was so happy to be a part of. :)

Hello! Last month I participated in Create.Craft.Love.’s Winter Wreath Workshop! What an awesome idea, and I was so honored to be a part of the fun. I’ll leave a link at the bottom of this post so you can check out the 30+ wreath tutorials that were shared. This sparkly Golden Bling Wreath was soooooo easy to put together. It was a little out of my comfort zone. I don’t usually use the word bling to describe my projects. ha! Buuuut it was really fun to put together, and it definitely adds a big pop to our front door. So keep reading to see how I did it in under 10 minutes. :)

 

Popsicle Stick Rudolf Ornament {tutorial}

Hello! Only one more week of school for us! Yay! I am so excited to have my kiddos home for the holidays. :) While my kids are home from school I’m sure we will break out the craft supplies & make some fun stuff! That’s just how we roll. ;) We have been making these Popsicle Stick Rudolf Ornament for years. They are the perfect craft to do over Christmas break. They are so easy to make & soooooo cute! So keep reading to see how to make them. :)

Personalized Holiday Candles {tutorial}

This post is brought to by Happy Crafters.

Hello! How are you? Are you ready for the weekend? We have a full one coming up! My daughter made All Region Band. So she is busy getting ready for a concert on Saturday. We are so proud of her. We also have our Nativity & Noel exhibit at church. Four of my nativities will be there on display. Annnnnnd Christmas is right around the corner! Eek! I’m not quite ready yet. ;) We love taking gifts to our neighbors & friends during the holidays. I love giving these holiday candles that I personalized with some Happy Crafters vinyl. They are simple, affordable & turn out beautiful. So keep reading to see how to get started. :)

 

 

12 Festive & Fun Holiday Décor Ideas

Hello! If you need something festive & fun to add to your Christmas decorations then you have come to the right place. ;) Today I am sharing 12 Festive & Fun Holidy Décor Ideas that were linked up to last week’s {wow me} wednesday party. This week’s party is still going on so feel free to stop by link up & check out what everyone is up to this week. There is TONS more Christmas inspiration over there, too! :) You can do that right {HERE}. Buuuuut first check out this fun feature post. Enjoy!

{wow me} wednesday #184

Hello! Welcome to {wow me} wednesday!
I’m so glad you are here. :)

Last week I featured over 20 Neighbor Gift Ideas.
So make sure you check out all that fun right {HERE}.

You can drop by right {HERE} to enter to win this gift basket.
Plus I have links to 20+ other bloggers & their baskets.

Annnnd I’m saving the best for last! Stop by this post
to enter to win one of TWO Prize Packages from Silhouette 
& The Silhouette Challenge Facebook Group! Eek! :)

Designing the Perfect Class Ring for your Son or Daughter {gift idea} #ringspiration

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Jostens. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hello! My oldest is a junior in high school, and he is so hard to shop for! It was much easier when all he wanted for Christmas was toys! ha! ;) So I was super excited to check out Jostens High School ring collections. Have you seen the Jostens ShadowCast Rings? They are so cool! What a perfect gift this would make for your high school age son or daughter. Having a high school ring is a great tradition to carry on. Do you remember yours? I remember my boyfriend’s. ha! ;) I also love that receiving a class ring helps celebrate that special time in your child’s life. Class rings have come a long way since I was in high school. They are so much more trendy now! You can totally customize the perfect ring for YOU. There are so many fun options! So keep reading to see the ring I helped design for my son. :)

DIY Pennant Banner {tutorial}

This post is brought to you by Offray.

Hello! This week is flying by! Today my younger two & I are going to be riding the Santa Train. We can’t wait! My little man has been counting down the days! ;) He is so excited. I haven’t told my daughter she’s going yet. I’ll tell her when she wakes up this morning. I love being a little sneaky! ;) Last week we officially decorated for Christmas at our house. We have two trees up this year. It’s been so fun decorating our home. I’ve made a few things to add to the décor, & today I am so excited to be bring you a fun & easy tutorial for this DIY Pennant Banner. I made this using some burlap wire edged ribbon from Offray. Yes, ribbon! It worked perfectly! So keep reading to see how I made it. :)

Wood Grain Nativity & a HUGE Silhouette Giveaway #SilhouetteChallenge

Good morning! It’s a busy day here on the blog! Make sure you enter to win my Christmas Wish Basket full of craft supplies & pop over to see some cute brown paper packages gift wrapping ideas. I’m also excited to participating in another Silhouette Challenge! This month’s theme is the holidays! So I am excited to show you how to make this Wood Grain Nativity. Annnd you’ll want to scroll down to find TONS of holiday inspired ideas from the Silhouette Challenge facebook group. I also have a HUGE Silhouette giveaway with TWO winners. Eek! So keep reading! You don’t want to miss a thing! :)

Let It Snow! Neighbor Gift & Printable + blog hop

Hello! How are you? If you missed my post from earlier today make sure you stop by to enter to win my Christmas Wish Basket full of some my favorite crafty things! I can’t wait to give it to one of YOU! Enter {HERE}. I’ll also have another fun giveaway in a few hours. So check back in then, too! :)

This fall, my friend, Rachel of Lines Across launched Let's Wrap Stuff, a blog devoted to all things gift wrap related. So exciting! To celebrate its launch, Rachel challenged me and a few other talented bloggers to come up with a creative gift wrap idea using plain kraft paper. Who doesn't love brown paper packages tied up with string? I know I do! I decided to make a Let it Snow Neighbor Gift & Printable….so keep reading to see how I made it plus I’ll have links to 20+ other gift wrapping ideas. :)

Christmas Wish List Basket Giveaway + blog hop

Hello! Good morning! I love participating in the Christmas Wish List Basket giveaway every year! I love giving a shout out to some of my amazing sponsors, collaborating with other bloggers, & I love giving YOU something! I really appreciate each & every one of you who read my little blog. Thank you! This year I am giving away this We R Memory Keeper’s tote stuffed FULL of crafty goodness! So keep reading to see what’s inside & how to enter to win it. I’ll also have links to 20+ of my other blogging friends who are giving away Christmas gift baskets on their blogs as well. So get to reading! ;)

He is the Gift #sharethegift

Good morning! I know I don’t post much on Sunday but I couldn’t wait to share this video with you! :) Plus it’s the perfect message for Sunday & especially perfect for this time of year. So enjoy this special video ~ He is the Gift. I hope it puts you in the the Christmas spirit like it did me. For more information you can go {HERE}. If you’d like a special gift from our family go {HERE}. Tonight is the annual Christmas Devotional from the Conference Center in Salt Lake City. You can see how to view that right {HERE}. Have a wonderful Sunday! :)

 

2x4 Snowmen {tutorial} & a free Silhouette cut file

This post was first seen over on Design Dazzle as part of their Christmas Wonderful series.

Hello! Happy Friday to you! :) This week has flown by for me. How about you? Annnd I am so glad that the weekend is here. Yay! We are finally going to get some sunshine, too. It’s been cloudy, cold & a little bit rainy all week long. I need some sun! ;) I don’t know about you, but for me the holidays are the perfect time for a little bit of crafting. It just isn’t Christmas without some crafts involved! So today I am excited to share this 2x4 Snowmen tutorial with you & a Silhouette cut file so you can make these, too. They are so easy to make & soooooooo cute, too. They are the perfect winter craft. So let’s get started. :)

20 Neighbor Gift Ideas

Good morning! How has your week been so far? Awesome, I hope! My parents just left yesterday to go back home to Texas. It was so fun to have them here this past week. Now I’m ready to get back to my normal schedule, AND I have lots of Christmas shopping to do! How about you? :) Today I am so excited to be featuring 20 Neighbor Gift Ideas that were linked up to the last several {wow me} wednesday parties. I’m sure any of these would be a hit with your friends & neighbors. Remember this week’s party is still going on. So feel free to swing by & check out what everyone is up to this week. Buuuuut first check out this festive feature post. Enjoy!

{wow me} wednesday #183

Hello! Welcome to {wow me} wednesday!
I’m so glad you are here. :)


There were no features last week because of Thanksgiving.
So be sure to check in this Thursday for a HUGE feature post. :)

I shared all the details of Silhouette’s Black Friday Sales Event last week. It’s a good one! Eek! You can read about all the details {HERE} & shop {HERE} ~ use the code GINGERSNAP at check out to get the special pricing. Plus just about everything at SilhouetteAmerica.com is 40% off using the same code, & they have FREE shipping on all orders over $25. #SilhouetteRocks

I also have a $400 Blogger Black Friday giveaway. Click the image to enter.

DIY Oh Deer! Canvas {tutorial}

This post is brought to you by Silhouette.

Good morning! How was your Thanksgiving? Wonderful & filling (ha!) like mine was I hope. ;) We put up our Christmas decorations on Sunday. Yep! It was time. :) My kiddos were so excited. We even had a little bit of Snowman Soup to celebrate when we were done. I have been working on some Christmas decorations for the past couple of weeks though. Thanks to this little blog of mine. :) Annnnd I am in love with this super cute Oh Deer! Canvas. This project was so easy to put together, cost under $5 & I love how it turned out. So keep reading to see how I made it using my Silhouette. (Have you seen the Silhouette Black Friday sales event? It’s good!)

Blogger Black Friday Giveaway ~ $400 CASH

Happy Black Friday to you! Hopefully you are still snug in your bed like me! ha! Or do you brave the crowds? If you find any great deals let me know! I have a super great deal (using the code GINGERSNAP) from Silhouette. I spilled the beans about that right over {HERE}. Eek! Annnd now I have more fun news! Yay! To help you with the holidays, me and 30 of my blogging friends teamed up to give you a $400 Cash giveaway! Yes, you read that right! $400 of COLD HARD CASH for one lucky winner right before the holidays! So awesome! All you have to have is a PayPal account where we can send you the money. Keep reading to see how to enter & for a chance to win! Good luck! I hope YOU win! :)

Silhouette Black Friday Promotions #PartywithSilhouette

This post is brought to you by Silhouette. #PartywithSilhouette

Let’s just get right to it! Yay! #SilhouetteRocks I have gushed about a Silhouette for forever! So I know you know how I feel about these amazing machines. So I am soooooo excited to bring you the amazing Silhouette Black Friday Sales Event a few days early! This machine will change your life! I love mine, and I use it all the time. So let’s get to it! Here are THE deals! Eek! Get excited! :)

{wow me} wednesday #182

Hello! Welcome to {wow me} wednesday!
I’m so glad you are here. :)

Last week I featured 16 Ideas to be Thankful For.
So make sure you check all the fun out {HERE}.

I’m also giving away not one but TWO Silhouette Portraits! Eek!
Click the picture below to see how to enter. Good luck!

Check back on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2014 at10pm MST
for all of the amazing Silhouette Black Friday deals.
They are good!!! I can’t wait to share them!!! :)

DIY Christmas Card Holder + a Cricut Explore Giveaway #HandmadeHoliday14

This post is brought to you by ConsumerCrafts.com.

Hello! A few weeks ago I showed you the box of goodies I received from Consumer Crafts. I LOVE shopping at ConsumerCrafts.com for all of my craft supply needs. Annnnd boy do I have some needs! ha! ;) How about you? Now it’s time to show you what I made! Yay! :) I’m just about to break out my Christmas decorations. I have been patiently waiting for Thanksgiving to get here before I do that. I have been working on some projects so I’ll be ready! I love this DIY Christmas Card Holder I made with some of the supplies I picked up at Consumer Crafts. I am loving the rustic, white & gold theme that I’ve been seeing everywhere. I am so happy at how this turned out. So keep reading to see how you can make one, too! :)

Boy’s Room Storage Ideas + plus a crafty surprise

This post is brought to you by Sauder.

Hello! A few months ago I told you about the new piece of furniture I had picked for our sunroom. I loved the clean & simple lines of this piece from Sauder. It really is a versatile piece of furniture that could be used in several different areas in your home. Well, Sauder challenged me to do just that! I’m always up for a challenge! ha! ;) I had fun coming up with two different spots in our home to use this same piece of furniture in. Annnnnnd I actually ended LOVING the last spot! I’ll give you a clue ~ it’s not in our sunroom or the boys’ room. Let’s keep it a surprise for now. :) So keep reading to see what I’m talking about (ha!), and I’ll share some boy’s room storage ideas for you, too!

Silhouette Portrait Giveaway ~ TWO WINNERS

This post is brought to you by Silhouette.

Hello! The countdown is on until Black Friday! Eek! Silhouette never disappoints with their Black Friday promotions. Annnnnnd this year will be pretty amazing! I’ll have all the details on the blog Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2014 at10pm MST! Yes, Wednesday! I can’t wait! Mark your calendars! :) To celebrate this year’s Black Friday promotion Silhouette is giving away not one but TWO Silhouette Portraits on the blog today! Wahoo! The winners will be announced on Black Friday (Nov. 28th). So keep reading to see how you can enter to win one of these Silhouette Portraits.

Christmas Wonderful Link Party

Hello! Happy Friday to you! You may have seen Design Dazzle's 5th annual Christmas Wonderful series that is in full swing! They have had some fabulous Christmas ideas from some talented bloggers (including me!!!), and they are not done yet...the fun continues through the middle of December! Over the years Design Dazzle has shared almost 200 blog posts with hundreds and hundreds of ideas. We all thought it would be fun to have a great big link party to celebrate this magical Christmas season because we know YOU have some awesome ideas to share, too!

16 Ideas to Be Thankful For

Hello! It’s almost Thanksgiving ~ only one more week! Eek! Are you ready? ;) Today I am excited to bring you 16 Ideas to be Thankful For that were linked up to last week’s {wow me} wednesday party. Hopefully some of these will help you out as you are doing the final preparations for Turkey Day! :) Remember this week’s party is still going on. So feel free to swing by {HERE} to check it out & link up your latest projects & ideas. Buuuuut first enjoy this thankful feature post. Enjoy! :)

{wow me} wednesday #181

Hello! Welcome to {wow me} wednesday!
I’m so glad you are here. :)

Last week I featured 12 Recipes to Go Nuts About.
So make sure you check out all the nuttiness right {HERE}. ;)

Be Thankful Folders {tutorial}

This post is brought to you by We R Memory Keepers.

Hello! I just wanted to pop in really quick to share this super fun & simple tutorial using the folder with insert die from We R Memory Keepers. I first saw this die over A Pumpkin & a Princess a few months ago. I just had to have it! ;) I used it to make these cute Be Thankful Folders for a Relief Society activity we had at my house last week. We had everyone write what they were thankful for inside. Everyone thought they were so cute! These would also make super cute place cards for Thanksgiving, too. So keep reading to see how easy they are to make.

Movie Night Popcorn {recipe}

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MovieNight4Less #CollectiveBias

Hello! How was you weekend? Ours was coooooold! Brrrrr! So it was the perfect weather to stay inside & have a movie night with the hubby at home! ;) Annnd that is just what we did! ha! To go along with our date night I also made a yummy movie night popcorn recipe using Orville Redenbacher's popcorn & M&M's®. It was amazing with lots of chocolate! So keep reading to get the recipe. :)

Sandpaper Gingerbread Man Ornament {tutorial} + blog hop

Good morning! Happy Sunday to you! :) We are a little bit excited around here because SNOW is in the forecast for today! Last night we stocked up on all the essentials! ha! I’m also excited to be taking part in a Handmade Christmas Ornament blog hop with 30 other bloggers today! #bloggerstrimatree I’ll have links to all of their ornaments & tutorials at the end of this post. Buuuut first I’d love to share this easy & so cute Sandpaper Gingerbread Man Ornament. My oldest made one of these in preschool, and every year we still hang that same one on the tree. It’s still one of my favorite ornaments. The kiddos can definitely help put these together, too. So keep reading to see how to make one. :)

DIY Stenciled Pillow {tutorial}

This post is brought to you by Happy Crafters.

Hello! Happy Friday! Today is the first Friday in a long time that we have nothing on our schedule! Yay! Soooo we are planning a fun movie night with the kiddos. My 5 year old is helping me make some yummy popcorn. I’ll be sharing the recipe on Monday. Yum! ;)  Buuuut first I am excited to share my latest project using some fabulous Happy Crafters products. I love how easy & quick this DIY Stenciled Pillow came together. So keep reading to see how I did it. :)

 

 

12 Recipes to Go Nuts About

Hello! Happy Thursday to you! We are right in the middle of a cold snap! Brrrrr! It’s cold outside! Time to crank up the fire, snuggle on the couch & enjoy a yummy recipe with lots of ooey gooey yumminess with some crunchy nuts on top with a big cup of hot chocolate. Yum! :) So today I am excited to share 12 Recipes to Go Nuts About that were linked up to last week’s {wow me} wednesday party. Remember this week’s party is still going on so feel free to swing by to check out this week’s party & link up your latest projects. I’d love to see them. You can do all of that right {HERE}. Buuuuut first check out this delicious feature post. Enjoy! :)

Christmas Wonderful Series

Good morning! I’m just popping in super quick to let you know that yesterday I was over on Design Dazzle as part of their Christmas Wonderful series. So pop over there to see this easy 2x4 snowmen tutorial that I shared! Now I’m off to spend the day at Collective Bias headquarters with some amazing people & a few of my blogging friends. I’ll see you when I get back. Annnnnd don’t forget {wow me} wednesday is going on right {HERE}. :) 

{wow me} wednesday #180

Hello! Welcome to {wow me} wednesday!
I’m so glad you are here. :)

Recently I was asked to curate a Christmas Jar Ideas board for Hometalk.com. Eek!
So I wanted to share that with you tonight. :) You can find me on Hometalk {HERE}.
Just click the image below & you’ll see 23 fabulous Christmas Jar Ideas. Enjoy!

Last week I featured 10 projects & crafts perfect for Thanksgiving.
Make sure you check them all out right {HERE}.