Quick Christmas Couch Pillow Makeover

Ooh I'm so excited about my H&M package that arrived and took my couch from everyday to holiDAY with just a quick little switch out!  

Fun Holiday Cushions: Red Velvet 20"x20" Cover with insert, silver sequined 16"x16" cover with insert, Polar Bear Cushion

H&M is totally affordable, with no discounts the above ensemble of 2 pillow covers with inserts and the polar bear cushion would only come out to just over $50, however they run tons of sales and coupon codes (Free shipping right now!)  I lucked out and got them on cyber Monday and got 2 complete sets for something like $37 shipped!!  

What little change-ups do you do around the holiday?

Everything Christmas: Step By Step Easy Photo Gift Wrap

This is an extension post to my portion of the White Box Challenge on how to easily and very cheaply get your own custom black and white photo gift wrap :)

I'll try to be super thorough but some of this might be silly redundant (sorry!):

To Create Your Photo Paper

1. Go to Picmonkey.com
2. Click on "Create A Collage" at the top of the page
3. On the left under Layouts choose Square Deal and choose the 4 squares by 4 rows option.
4. Click The Photos icon and click "open photos" to upload the photos you want to be on your paper.  I only chose 4 and repeated them in a pattern, but you can do whatever you want.
5. Since the roll of paper I was going for was a size 18"x24" I only filled 3 of the columns.
6. Once you have filled the 3 columns full of your pictures you can click on the little artist's pallete icon on the left and adjust your spacing in between the photos and whether or not you want the corners rounded.  You might also choose some level of gray for the background *remember these will be black and white so you can't choose a color*
7. At this point save your collage as a .jpg file.
8. Once it's saved click the X in the right corner which will take you back to the picmonkey front page, now click "Edit A Photo" and open your collage.
9. Using the crop tool you can type in your dimensions and crop off the unused column for a rectangluar proportioned picture.  
10. You can also change your collage to black and white so you can tell what it will look like, add any text or other items (they've got some cute Christmas/Winter themed graphics right now).  I added the "snowfall" effect by clicking the snowflake at the bottom of the left column and then clicking Winterland at the top.
11. Once you have edited it to your liking save the image.  You can change the dimensions as you're saving to 2700x3600 pixels.  Save as a .jpg file

To Print Your Photo Paper:

1. Go to Staples Copy & Print Page
2. Click Oversized Prints
3. Click "Begin" under Engineer Prints
4. A Screen will pop up where you will make and view your paper.  Click the blue "Add File" to upload the completed paper you saved (step 11 above).
5. Make sure you have your quantity and pages both set to 1 (mine is defaulting to 3)
6. Under "Print Options" Click "Media" to choose your size (I chose 18x24 for only $1.79 to fit a standard shirt box).  MAKE SURE YOU check the box that says "Fit Content to Paper" and change your orientation to Portrait and you should see your roll of paper ready to go!
7. Click Add To Cart and check out.  You can pay in store or pay online with a credit card.  Be sure to pic a date that does not have a rush charge (2 days out for me, however they finished it and I got the email saying it was ready to be picked up that same day).  They'll email you when it's ready! :)

Everything Christmas: "White Box Challenge" Christmas Wrap Ideas

Wrapping the gift can almost as much fun as picking it out (maybe more??).  It's your chance to put a creative spin on even the most store-bought, prepackaged gift!

I saw the White Box Challenge idea in the current Issue of HGTV and thought it'd be fun to rally some creative-minded peeps of my own and give it a whirl.  

So here's the rules:  Wrap a standard shirt size gift box with whatever and however you like!  That's it :)  You'll love these ideas!

First we have Miss Taumi.  She is a sweet artist friend of mine from my college days that lives tragically half way across the country (otherwise we'd be an unstoppable crafty duo!).  I'm pretty certain she's the first person who first turned me onto etsy (epic!) and many of my favorite blogs, including Oh Happy Day!  I have a total style crush on all her amazing fashion and home ensembles, which luckily she shares much of it over at her blog, Loverly.

"I've been obsessed with fringe and tassels since I stumbled on the Confetti System a couple years ago. I even copied some of their fringey ornaments they are selling at West Elm this year so it seemed like the perfect jumping off point for gift wrap. I am not one for traditional Christmas motif wrapping so I found this black and white houndstooth in the party supplies at Hobby Lobby for $4.99. Then I cut fringe from colored tissue paper and made the tassels from the metallic sheets. I used the tutorial from OhHappyDay! for Project Wedding: 
The No Peeking tag is from Target in a pack of nine for $3. I attached the tassels and tag with fluffy white yarn I had lying around. "

"I started with a photo of my great grandparents from the 70's. I love the orange paisley moomoo my grandma is wearing. There is a little green in it as well as maroon so I used some of those colors in the wrapping. I first wrapped the box in a lime green wrapping that I re-purposed from a gift I had been given (I keep everything!) I taped everything down with black and white polka dot washi tape from Michaels from their Smashbook collection. I layered a paper bag with old-timey adverts I kept (I keep everything!). Tied it up with some hemp twine from Hobby Lobby and added a few triangles I had left over from a garland I had made. The tag is from a pack of nine from Target for $3. "

Next we have my friend, Tami of Wishes of Whimsy.  I lucked out when one of my best friends found and married this girl (2 best friends for the price of 1!).  This lady is a rockstar mama if I've ever known one!  She's a super party planner, craft maker, and even budding bento artist :)  (a woman after my own heart!).  I have been in her house and she actually MAKES the stuff she pins!!! (amazing, right?!?!).  You can see all the fabulous parties and creative family home awesomeness she's constantly taking on over at her blog Wishes of Whimsy.

I had to do a brown paper package tied up with string with several variations:with snowflakes (that stay on my nose and eyelashes), with simple stamp added, then stamps and decorative tape (this is how ours are wrapped this year, I even stamped names onto them!)

Both the wrapping paper and wall decal stickers for this gift are from the dollar store!

 Lastly, I did one for the guys (the ones I know are so bad at wrapping) This is one even they can do: Just a t-shirt box and decorative tape - $.97 at Walmart.

And then there's me, and I only did one :)

This customized package cost less than $2 :)  I made the photo gift wrap by printing a picmonkey collage via Staples Print Center (tutorial here!) for only $1.89.  I dressed up the black and white with some brightly colored yarn strings and pom pom (which I had lying around!  

So there you go, get wrapping!! :) 

12 Nights of Must Watch Holiday Movies: Charlie Brown Christmas

The Movie:

I'm sure this is already on your list.  This would be my kids' pick for favorite, I'm sure.  The story of how Charlie Brown tries to beat the Christmas blues on his search for the true meaning of Christmas.

Why It's A Must Watch:

The climactic moment where Linus recites the passage in Luke 2:8-14 explaining what Christmas is really hits the nail on the head.  (We recently went to the K-Love Christmas concert and the lead singer for Sidewalk Prophets pointed out that Linus holds out his security blanket and drops it as he says the word's "fear not, for I bring you tidings of great joy . . .", I can't believe I haven't noticed that in the 9 million times we've watched this movie).
Also the snowy scenes and pleasant music always leave me feeling warm and fuzzy :)

My Rating:

Family friendly for all ages BUT be aware they totally drop the S-bomb (stupid) a couple times (at each point my kids both turn to me and say "that's not very nice").

Your Movie Night:

Wouldn't it be awesome if you could knock out some of these amazing cookies?  (Mine would NEVER look this fabulous, sadly)

Img Source the Pink Apron Baker

or what about these amazing Charlie Brown Strawberries (these i might be able to do)

img source HWTM

12 Nights of Must-Watch Holiday Movies: Alvin's Christmas Carol

The Movie:

So, you might be familiar with the classic Chipmunk Christmas episode where Alvin buys a harmonica for a sick little boy or something like that . . . that's not this one, in my opinion this one is way better!  This is the early 90s version of Alvin & The Chipmunks take on A Christmas Carol.  As a very selfish Alvin who has been preoccupied with writing his gigantic Christmas list tries to finish his essay on the true meaning of Christmas that is due on Christmas eve.  He falls asleep and has a dream where he's shown the past, present, and future Christmases that have been touched by the way he is (you know that ol' chestnut).  I had this on VHS as a kid and loved it to pieces, I was THRILLED when my mom found it on a compilation DVD last year!!

Why It's A Must Watch:

This movie is simple, totally late 80s/early 90s (which I love), really funny and heartwarming, and only half an hour!  It carries the themes of selflessness and kindness usually associated with Christmas Carol stories, but it keeps it really simple and geared toward children's issues (not as "life & death"-y as the real Christmas carol) like being greedy with your Christmas wish list, the joy of gift giving, and taking the responsibility of your job (i.e. paperroute, homework) seriously.  As a bonus there is really catchy music and super-fabulous nostalgia for us parents that grew up watching this show!

My Rating:

Family Friendly all ages.  The traditional visits from Christmas spirits is portrayed clearly as a dream the entire time, never scary and they are referred to as "spirits" not "ghosts".  There's no language and no too troubling issues, this is a really really really mild take on the Christmas Carol, a nice way to get the point across without the heavy issues.

Your Movie Night:

Enjoy some frothy Christmas drinks like in the movie. Afterwards, you could come up with a list of ways you can celebrate Christmas as a time to give and spread joy and happiness to others like Alvin does at the end of the movie!  Then go do some of those things!!

12 Nights of Must Watch Christmas Movies: Elf

*I hope no one's counting just how many nights it's taking me to finish this 12-night series, I'm going to try to play catch up today* :P


You know, I resisted this movie so hard when it initially came out.  I thought it looked absolutely terrible and unfunny, my mind was closed to it.  But from the moment I saw it, it became an instant holiday MUST.  I love love LOVE it and I think you will too!

The Movie:

If you haven't seen it (which I doubt, but just in case):  It's the story of Buddy the Elf, who was an orphaned baby that was raised by a Christmas elf and has recently discovered he is actually human and goes to meet his biological father (a grumpy business man who is *gasp* on the naughty list and in great need of some Christmas Spirit).  Full of great music, hilarious one-liners, and heartwarming holiday warm fuzzies, this movie will definitely leave your crew with smiles!

Why It's A Must Watch:
You will instantly find yourself in the Christmas mood after watching!  Also this one bridges all generation gaps so it's great to bust out while all the family is around, it's totally enjoyable for all ages :)

Rating:

Rated PG, this is a pretty family-friendly movie.  There's 1 fart, 2 burps, 1 fight scene, a snowball fight with some school bullies, and a sort of tense chase scene where the Central Park rangers are chasing Santa's sleigh (that's the part that my kiddo was afraid of mostly just due to loud action) . . . that's about all I can think of :)

You're Movie Night:

Prior to watching you can have a Spaghetti dinner (hold the maple syrup).  For snacks while watching, have some Christmas cookies and Cocoa

Craft Idea:

You can make these in about 5 minutes, here's how:
Grab 3 colors of felt (hat, ribbon, feather), some scissors, glue and a dinner plate
First trace your plate onto the color you want the body of the hat to be.  If you have large felt you can trace the whole thing but it won't be a problem at all if you're just using the 9x12 sheets, just get as much of the circle on there as possible (as shown).  Cut out your circle then fold it into 4 and snip along one edge (just a radius of your circle) *if you used the sheet, make sure the edge your cutting is on the side that is missing it's curve*
You can use the scrap edge of your felt as a guide for cutting the hat ribbon (I made mine about 1-2" wide).  Create a cone with your circle and glue together (you can trim any overlapping felt if you wish).  Then glue on ribbon and cut and insert a little felt feather!  

My girls love these hats!

Everything Christmas: Countdown Begins (Our Advent Calendar)

So, it's December 5 . . . I'm always late. Nevertheless, I'm essentially thrilled with the outcome and we escaped to Leavenworth this past weekend, so it's okay that our Advent Is starting 5 days late, right?  Right.

I knew I wanted to do an "activity" countdown, where every day has a different Christmas craft, snack, or activity to do.  The problem was just how to display it.  There is a SLEW of brilliant ideas to choose from out there, remember these awesome 10?  But it wasn't until I found this awesome one at Shanty 2 Chic that I knew I'd found my match.

Here's how mine turned out:

Her instructions were super clear and it was actually crazy easy!! *Love when that happens*
*Confession: I made 2 because I sorta hated my first paint choice, so that shows you how quick and easy they are*

I strayed a little from the plan outlined on her website.

First off I used finished boards rather than the furring strips.  The furring strips were only $1.95 a piece but I kinda wanted a smoother sleeker finish (the furring are awesome if you're going for more of the rustic look).  So the boards I bought were $7.96 a piece, but even though that essentially quadrupled the cost, the project as a whole was still only around $30.

Here's the cost breakdown:
2- 1"x3"x8' boards @ $7.96 each = 15.92
2- Bags Wood Clothespins @ $1.97 each = 3.94
1 Can Krylon Glitter Blast @ $6.97 = 6.97
Gorilla Glue and finishing nails (i already had, so not sure on the cost)
25 Pack Chevron Bags $6.25
For a whopping total of $33.08!

**Note: You need 2- 8' boards but you really only use not even 1 and 1/2 so if you buy 3 you can make 2!**

The second adjustment I made was cut the back board at 40" instead of 36"  It's a little taller, so the gaps in between the branches can be a little bigger.  I made 4" gaps from the top of the 2x4 base to the bottom of the first branch and in between every branch from there on up.  Here's a pic of the measurements I did (although you could tweek this to fit your needs, if you want to hang bigger bags or christmas cards I would go even taller and wider with your pieces (and maybe use up the whole of both boards):

I also used the Gorilla wood glue to glue on my clothespins (which I eyeballed for distances apart) before painting.

I left the wood unpainted (2nd time around) and sprayed it with the Diamond Dust shade of Krylon Glitter Blast which is really just a creamy color with crystalish glitter so it just adds a snowy sparkle to the light color of the wood.

I bought 25 pink chevron paper bags from Modern Tape on etsy (yes, pink is a Christmas color in our house!) and they got to me SUPER fast!  I cut out numbers using silver paper and my cricut to adorn the bags.   The activity cards I just made quickly using picmonkey.com (they have some awesome new wintery graphics like the wreath I used).

Here's some of the activities tucked away in those little envelopes:
Christmas Concert, Downtown Light Parade, Trip to Leavenworth, Ice Skating, Sledding, Nativity Craft, Snowman Pizzas, Christmas Movie Night, Living Nativity, Decorating Gingerbread Houses, Making Christmas Cookies, Snowflake Painting, Angel Handprint Craft, and much much more!

 So there you have it!

If you don't count shopping time you're only looking at about an hour, and only 6 cuts with a miter saw!  So I know it's December 5, but you still have time to do this . . . It's not too late!!

12 Nights Of Must-Watch Holiday Movies: Love Actually

The Movie:

This one is in a gridlock tie for my favorite movie of all time, it's that good!  We named one of our children after a character in our favorite story line, it's that good!  It is a compilation of interwoven love stories all taking place at Christmastime.  There's a lot of love, some heartbreak, a lot of laughter.  The heading across the top of this picture labeling it the "ultimate romantic comedy" is really not that far off. 

Why it's a must-watch:

1.  For starters, it's like 10 movies (funny, cute, good, sad, heartwarming movies) wrapped up into 1 and BONUS all these plot-lines are tumbling towards an amazingly climactic Christmas!  

2.  Also: Hugh Grant <3, Collin Firth *swoon*, Rowan Atkinson :).

3.  Multiple proclamations of love including an unrequited one that will have you in tears and probably the best/most epic proposal scene of all time.

4.  Really, really good soundtrack (you'll probably go buy it after you watch this)

5.  Cutest wedding surprise (you'll totally want to swipe this for your next friend that gets married):

and so many many many more reasons!

My Rating:

NOT kid-friendly, it's rated R.  There's a small handfull of F*bombs and a couple of pretty racey scenes including some nudity (to be fare, the "sex" scenes are between an adorably polite and awkward pair of strangers that are stand ins for a movie, but still sex scenes none the less).  This is definitely one you'll want to watch after your kiddos tuck in for the night.

Your Movie Night:

No, no fancy craft idea or clever food here :)  Just order some takeout and have a Christmas Date-Night in!

Click the picture for more Must Watch Holiday Movies

Everything Christmas: Jack Frost used our bathroom

I know I'm not the first parent to come up with this idea but it got rave reviews from my kidlets so I'm sorta feeling like a genius at this point and I just had to share.  For about $3 you can transform your bathroom mirror into a snowy wonderland.  I bought the spray flocking snow for $1.99 and a $1.00 snowflake stencil at WalMart.  You should totally do this!

Everything Christmas: 10 Things to do this Christmas (Pacific Northwest)

Eek!  It's only a couple days till December!  I've been busy busy trying to map out our pre-Christmas festivities.  Are you looking for things to do this Christmas?  I'm guessing if you do a little hunting you'll be able to find similar holiday adventures in your area.  Here's a list of experiences you might want to add to your schedule as you plan for this Christmas Season if you're in these areas of the Pacific Northwest:

-Christmas Train Ride - Polar Express Hood River, OR (Adults $26-46, 2-12 $18-38), Chehalis, WA (polar express sold out but still has several Santa Steam Train openings for $12/ticket), Mt. Rainier Scenic Rail Mineral, WA Santa Express, Northwest Railway Museum Santa Train Snoqualmie, WA, Lake Whatcom Railway Christmas Train

via MountHoodRR

-Coeur D'Alene Holiday Light Show Cruise "Journey to the North Pole" (Adults $18.75, Over 55 $17.75, 12 & under FREE)

-K-Love Acoustic Christmas Tour - Pasco, WA; Bend, OR, Portland, OR

-Leavenworth Lighting Festival (First 3 December Weekends) *Stay Tuned for post on visitng Leavenworth*

img src Pine River Ranch

-Holiday with Lights @ Wild Waves Theme Park in Federal Way, WA ($12.99 admission if you purchase online, 3 & Under Free)

-Snowland at Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound, WA (because nothing says Christmas like a waterpark? haha j/k this looks really fun!)

via Great Wolf Lodge

-Argosy Cruise Christmas Ship Festival Seattle, WA

-The Nutcracker (there's tons of these everywhere, you'll have to google your specific location/time)

-Zoo Lights @ the Oregon Zoo in Portland, OR

-Wild Lights @ the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, WA

12 Nights of Must-Watch Holiday Movies: Mickey's Christmas Carol

The Movie:

Dicken's Christmas Carol has really stood the tests of time when it comes to holiday classics.  My favorite version?  Mickey's Christmas Carol.  It's the story you know, a grumpy old Scrooge given the chance to see the errors of his way and turn things around on Christmas, as told by an array of Disney characters.  

Why it's a must-watch:

It condenses the classic Christmas tale into a family-friendly, enjoyable little half hour!  Watching a seemingly hopelessly horrible Ebenezer Scrooge have a drastic change of heart and awake Christmas morning bursting with generosity and goodwill all in about 25 minutes is the perfect shot of Christmas Spirit at its best.  It's also fun to watch for all the Disney "cameos" from other movies and stories!

My rating:

Family friendly with little bits of scary. (It's super short so you can watch it first to be sure)

If you're familiar with The Christmas Carol you already know there's a little bit of scary going on, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his partner and 3 spirits.  That being said, as this is for kids it's pretty mild.  If you're interested, I'll breakdown the scary factor:

The first ghost is played by Goofy and while there is a little bit of spooky "ooo"-ing,  it is paired with all the silliness and clumsiness that Goofy is known for. The Ghost of Christmas Past is Jimeny Cricket and not scary or ghost-like in any way.  The Ghost of Christmas Present is played by a giant who is also friendly and unscary.  The Ghost of Christmas Future is Pete and the most unfriendly of them all (he's wearing a death-like robe).  You briefly see the Cratchets (Mickey & Minnie) sadly standing by the grave of their son, Tiny Tim (this is in a glimpse of the future), which can be upsetting and there is also a brief scary scene where Scrooge is falling into his grave (it is quickly transformed to him in his bedroom awaking from the dream) but it can be a little too intense for small ones.  

Again, if you're familiar with the story you know any sadness is reversed by an explosion of love & goodwill at the end :)

Your Holiday Movie Night:

Make these cute and easy Oreo Mickey pops!  

via The Idea Room

After watching think of some ways you can spread some Christmas joy to others (maybe making cards for a nursing home, buying a toy to donate, etc.).

Click the picture for more Holiday Must-Watch Movies: