Peppermint Sugar Scrubs

I'm getting an early start on Christmas with these Peppermint Sugar Scrubs.  I found the cute little jars at Dollar General.

Here's the recipe:

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil -softened but not melted
15 drops of peppermint essential oil

Mix all ingredients together then divide into two bowls.  Add red coloring to one bowl. I used red coloring for soap making and it worked fine.
Layer the colors in your jar.
These will keep for a couple of months with no problems.

Looking for Rudolph Part One: Printables Roundup

January is actually a great time to look for free printables. Many of these were added during the crazy weeks of December, where we couldn't take on even one more thing.  Most importantly print or save them to your computer now because some may be time limited freebies!

These are a couple of years old but still as cute as can be. Game cards from The Mother Huddle.

 

Another cute game at Over The Big Moon

 

 

All the rage...chalkboard printables....frame them....hang them! They look super cute in white or red frames!  These are available at ArtseeFartsee.

 

 

Another sweet printable. In a red frame this will really pop!  I think it would look nice with a nativity display! You can find it at: Creating Eden

 

There are several colorful free printables over at SmileBox  I like that the colors are not traditional Christmas colors!

 

 

Happy printing....I'll be back next week with another round up of ideas!

 

 

Rudolph Days 2015

 

I'm going to base my 2015 Rudolph Day list (loosely) on my Great Pumpkin Day framework.

January 2015: Looking for Rudolph in all the Right Places (gathering ideas for 2105)

February 2015: Rudolph Love (make a Christmas/winter craft or décor item)

March 2015: Mistletoe and Merry Making: (Party planning 2015 holiday season)

April 2015: Merry Christmas Memories (work on Elf journal or other memory keepers)

May 2015: Holiday Nibbles and Drinks (gather recipes to use in 2015)

June 2015: Stocking Stuffer Hunt (go on a shopping spree to get stocking stuffers done early)

July 2015: Counting the Days (planning advent calendar, gifts etc, as I want to do something different this year)

August 2015: It's Only an Elf (planning elf activities and gathering supplies)

September 2015:  Weekly Challenges (set up weekly tasks/challenges for Sept-November to be ready early)

October 2015: Rocking Around the Christmas Tree (send out Save the Date cards for all events)

November 2015: Jingle Bell Kitchen (set up the kitchen for the holiday season)

December 2015: Celebrate the Day!

Each month I'll blog on Thursdays about the topic for that month's Rudolph Day...hopefully we will all keep on track!

Last Happy Hour 2014

Tonight was the last Happy Hour for 2014. It was Chips, Dips, and Desserts. We also had a wine tasting!

 

Some of the wine dressed up as elves!

 

We got a mission and prop set today from the Twelve Day elves and so we had to have a photo shoot.

 

 

 

Some more of the group posing with the props.

 

 

Two of my besties!

 

 

I don't know if you can tell or not but that one prop is mistletoe!

 

 

What a crazy fun evening!

 

Can't believe that next week is Christmas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Christmas Happy Hours

During the month of December I have been hosting Happy Hour at my house every Thursday.  The first week we had appetizers and drinks. The signature drink was Rudolph's Tipsy Sprtizer and it was yummy. The second week we did a Feliz Navidad dinner with Mexican food, of course! The signature drink was Merry Berry Christmas punch. The collage above is from the Feliz Navidad night!

Coming up on the 18th is a Dips, Chips, and Dessert night. That happy hour will be wine tasting and will feature a variety of wines!  The happy hours have been a bit of work but they have certainly made for a festive December.

Christmas Thoughts

 

So last night the Christmas anxiety struck. You know what I mean... the...."oh my gosh"...I'll never get everything I want to get done accomplished before December 25th. It was time for a good nights sleep and a game plan today. First of all I reminded myself to take each day, each event as it comes.  It's when I start listing them all and worrying about how they will unfold that the anxiety strikes.

 

It doesn't help that the shopping is not done either. In our early lean years I couldn't shop until payday but this year I have the Christmas cash I've saved all year....it's just getting to the stores. I ordered all that I could online and I hope a couple quick trips will help me round out the list. It also doesn't help that I'm "stuck" on a few people...like WHAT to get. I know that I will relax a lot more once I'm finished. It's always an awesome feeling.

 

We have several events we are hosting this year and I've already completed two of them with the third coming up on Saturday morning, a North Pole Breakfast with grandson Evan and some of my friend's children. Its a day full of elfish delights. The last two years we have had an Elf Dinner but this year with everyone's bust schedules a breakfast just worked better. There's more to come though...

 

Feliz Navidad ,,,Mexican Dinner/Happy Hour

Dips, Chips, and Desserts Happy Hour

Christmas Eve Dinner

Christmas Breakfast

 

Those are the ones I'm hosting....we also have our trip to Historic St Charles with friends for the great Santa adventure. They have Santas from all around the world!  Then on December 21st we are off to the Fox Theater to see A Christmas Story.

 

Nestled in the month are church programs, elf missions, and other holiday fun too!

 

You can see why the anxiety tends to creep in but overall I LOVE it all. And best of all when the snow flies next month and I'm snowed in...I'll be ready for some peaceful quiet days.

Happy Thanksgiving

 

From Rudolph Ramblings......Wishing you all a joyous start to the holiday season.

Rudolph Themed Parties

Let's take a look today at a Rudolph themed party. How about these cute free printables from Catch My Party.

 

 

Or how about this super cute game: Don't Eat Rudolph. You can find it over at Crystal's Craft Spot.

 

 

 

Reindeer noses can be a fun treat and there's a free printable bag topper at Project Nursery.

 

 

 

Here's a really cute Rudolph gift that would make a great party favor for your guests! It comes with a free printable and step by step directions at : Tried and True.

 

 

 

Living in the Moment has this free Rudolph printable that would look super cute framed and on your Rudolph buffet table!

 

 

 

And last here are some cute Rudolph Cupcake wrappers. There's a free printable thanks to Mighty Delighty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Mantles, Tables or Shelves

If you don't have a mantle, don't worry, most of these ideas are easy to create on a shelf or table and so festive.

This is a super cute snoman one from over at Fox Hollow Cottage.  I love the vintage feel of the display!

 

Here's a fun one in red and white!  There's even ideas for turning it into a New Years mantle over at Making Home Base

 

 

This rustic one is from Hoosier Homemade.

 

 

Here's a fun one made from empty picture frames. You can find more details and more pictures over at Forever Decorating.

 

So whether you have a mantle, a shelf, or a table, gather up some Christmas baubles and start decorating!  

 

 

Merry and Bright Christmas Ideas!

I'm always on the lookout for free printables for décor or gift giving. These Merry and Bright printables can do both!  They are over at 36th Avenue. There is an 8 x 10 one and then one that prints smaller card sized versions of the print, along with some gifting ideas!

Here are some sweet treat printables to make your homemade gift pop with "special". These labels can be personalized and printed at Sassaby

Over at Kara's Party Ideas there are quite a few cute printables with a North Pole theme, perfect for an elf dinner or a North Pole breakfast!

. A printable North Pole (this way) sign and North Pole cupcake poles are just a couple of the ideas shared there!

I hope you find some fun things to make your celebration of Christmas merry and bright. Just by adding a few special things you can change something that is "nice" into something "magical."  My motto this year is "keep it simple" so again I stress just pick a couple of things and save your sanity!  Then you can enjoy the magic of the holidays too!

Advent Calendars

 

It's time to start thinking advent calendars, especially if you are making one this year!  Here is a fun Biblical and activity based one from Creatively Southern.

 

 

 

And here's another unique take on an advent calendar....tiny buckets. This idea is from: Journey Chic

 

And another bucket one from: Women's Weekly.

Altoid tins from Handkrafted by Stephanie

 

 

Or how about one that's a little more rustic or vintage. This one is from: A Subtle Revelry

 

Seriously there are so many super cute ones out there....I'm not sure which to try....

 

 

 

 

October Rudolph Day

It's almost October Rudolph Day and that means we will be heading into the busy holiday season in full force. Take some time this Rudolph Day to "regroup" to develop a plan of action for the rest of the year. 

• Outline the weeks you have ahead before Christmas and set some deadlines for completing your holiday tasks.
• Take time to update your gift list and assess where you are.
• Pull together your elf activities if you are doing those
• Pencil in party dates (or set your date if you are having one)
• Plan your Christmas Eve, Christmas morning, and Christmas Day menu
• Pull together your shopping lists for baking
• Gather any decorating plans and pick a day to make your house beautiful
• Start wrapping if you haven't already!

Gifts in a Jar: Patriotic

This part of my Friday Series: Gifts in a Jar will focus on Memorial Day and 4th of July. These are two weekend where family gatherings and barbeques and other events take place.

Here are some great jar candles that would look great on your patio or elsewhere as centerpieces or just to brighten up your surroundings. You can find the details on these at The Frugal Girls.

Your buffet table or picnic table will look great with some red, white, and blue jars!   Cute holders for your plastic wear!  Find the details on making these at It All Started With Paint.

 

How about this sweet way to make dessert. Red White and Blue cupcake jars!

 

 

Find this and other great ideas over at HGTV (along with some fun free printables)

 

 

Over at the Hostest with the Mostest you will find tons of food and drink ideas for celebrating the 4th!

Fun treat and party favor: Red, White, and Blue popcorn in a jar! See the directions and find the recipe for jello popcorn at Whipperberry 

My final Friday February Gifts in a Jar series post will give some ideas for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas! See you next Friday!

Gifts in a Jar: Easter

Coming soon...Easter....and I hope around here SPRING....so tired of the cold and snow! This second post in my Friday series will be a round up of gifts in a jar ideas for Easter

Sweet Bunny Brownies Recipe and Printable: HERE

How abut these cute bunny jars you can fill with candy....repurpose some jars, pick up some dollar store bunnies and paint for a super cute project.

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You can find the step by step directions: LINK

 

Here's a sweet idea from My Own Labels

 

 

Pink jelly beans make cute bunny noses at Indulgy.com

 

 

And one last jar idea...this adorable peeps in a jar candle . These would work super sweet as a centerpiece of the table!  You can find the details at Confessions of a Plate Addict.

 

I'll be back next Friday with another part of the series. I found some many awesome Easter ones that I will put off 4th of July till next Friday!

 

Gifts in a Jar for Every Holiday

Welcome to my February Friday series Gifts in a Jar for Every Holiday. We all know how fun and inexpensive gifts in a jar can be for Christmas but what about for other holidays. I'm kicking off the series with some gifts in a jar ideas for Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day.  It's a round up from a lot of creative bloggers out there!

 The first is this cute M & M jar idea with printable label from Cincy Shopper.

I know Walmart has this Valentine's candy corn because my husband loves it. Here's a super cute label idea from Shaken Together.

This Pretty Pink Popcorn mix is certainly different and sounds yummy You can find the recipe at The Yummy Life.

It's never to early to start planning for St. Patrick's Day:

 

Super cute Rainbow in a Jar idea from Evermine blog

 

 

This one is skittles in a jar with "gold coins". Really cute as a teacher gift. This idea is from City Moms blog.

 

 

 

Lucky Charms St Pat's Cakes in a jar. You can find the recipe HERE.

 

I hope you enjoy these ideas. I'll be back next Friday with the next in the series which will focus on Easter and Memorial Day/Fourth of July!