When you touch the Elf

One of the #1 rules of the Elf on the Shelf is: You do not touch it. Ever.

In our house, we've made our own rule that only myself and my husband can pick our Elf, Sarah, up to place her back on the shelf to watch over everyone for the day. This is our third year and no one has broken that rule, until now.

I knew it would be Noah. He believes rules don't apply to him, living his life like Mike and I are Smokey and he's the Bandit.

I don't think it was the fact that he wrapped his hands around Sarah, or that he squeezed her excessively, but more-so that he threw her across the room! I don't remember much after that. There was loud screaming, crying and just chaos all over. My kids tend to over dramatize situations and this was the perfect opportunity to bring out the Broadway show. Running out of the room to hide and falling to the floor as if in intense agony.

"Sarahhhh"

I had to stop the madness so I quickly turned to Google. I was instructed to place the Elf in the freezer and sprinkle cinnamon near her. Sadly this was the least ridiculous remedy. The freezer makes her feel like she's at the North Pole and cinnamon acts like a vitamin for elves. Obviously that makes sense right? In the Elf on the Shelf movie, Taylor McTuttle (fantastic name) writes an apologetic letter to Santa and his Elf, Chippy, returns completely healed.

This letter was actually mailed. The Post Office will have a good laugh the next morning!

The girls checked on her throughout the day to make sure she was alright and come the morning, Sarah was completely healed and stronger than ever! Working out and sweating sprinkles all over the place.

Another crisis adverted.

The Beginning of a New Year

I took a large break from blogging over the Holidays. I took the much needed time to worry about nothing else other than family and Christmas. I'm feeling a little "out of shape" and it might take me a few posts to get back into the swing of things.

Of course our Christmas was fantastic. Our kids were spoiled, sugared and packed with Christmas cheer.

We were fortunate to spend the holidays with many of our family and friends, attend festive gatherings, and enjoy some of our regular family traditions. We watched almost every Christmas movie we could and drank all the hot chocolate we could handle.

Now that Christmas is over, the corner of my living room looks a lot darker and I probably gained a few pounds, or not. For me, Christmas food living isn't much different than most days. Eat a box of Pot Of Gold in one night? That's just a regular Saturday for me. I love that it's acceptable at Christmas time, my closet sweet tooth can actually show it's face and no one will judge me.

I'm always sad to see the holidays pass. I'm never in a hurry to take our Christmas tree down and I usually leave up half of my decorations until Spring. Without the holiday cheer to accompany Winter, it's basically just cold.

Real cold.

I made no New Years resolutions. I always decide on unrealistic changes and I never keep them. Join the gym? I'll never go. Give up sweets? What for? Be a nice person. Can I get any nicer?
My husband thinks I should cut down on my cleaning obsession or my frequent need to have things organized and straight. Why would anyone want to change that? Who wants a messy house! I'm saving him alot of extra housework and the embarrassment of a messy house when people drop by to visit. Who wants to be known as the man who's wife and kids are slobs? Think of his reputation! If you think about it, I'm clearly doing him a huge favor.

My plan is to begin this new year with a happy heart, and I'll go from there.

Bring on 2014!

A Very Grinchy Christmas

If you're a fan of the Grinch (seriously who isn't) then you'll love this post! So many of the Christmas decorations I see lately are very "Grinchy". Greens, pinks, reds and lots of sparkle.

Friends of mine built and created a "Whoville Road Sign".

They cut wood into arrow shapes, painted them and traced on the words. They printed out the words on paper, laid the paper over the boards and traced the words on and indented them into the wood. Then they painted the words on over the indentations.

 

They laid a red tree skirt over the bottom of the stand.

 Ta da !!

They inspired me to look into some other Grinch themed decor. Lime greens, sparkle and crooked trees. Here is some inspiration!

Guest Post - Shutterfly's Helpful Hints for Holiday Cards

I was beyond thrilled when I was contacted by Shutterfly to partner up and share some of their Holiday card ideas with my readers!
Heather Hewitt has written some great tips for creating the perfect greeting card.

Tips for Using Embellishments on Your Holiday Cards 

It’s hard to believe, but it’s time to begin thinking about your Christmas card for this holiday season. If you’re a veteran card maker, then you know the importance of embellishments – that is, those decorative accents or details added to make something more attractive. But what about the newbie card maker who wants to give it a shot this holiday season? DIY projects can often be exciting, but intimidating if you’re venturing into a new area of craft. The best way to test the waters of DIY card making is to simply order your holiday cards online, and then add embellishments to the existing design. Simply use these helpful tips on card making to get started: 

• Understand your options. When you’re first starting out, it’s important to know what materials are out there – and how to use them. Visit your local craft store; there will likely be an entire row or section dedicated to scrapbooking and card making. In addition to the basics like cardstock, tape/glue, and scissors, you will want to see which embellishments match your cards’ theme and colors. Embellishment options often include: 

• Stickers 
• Expression tags 
• Ribbons 
• Washi tape 
• Glitter and sparkles 
• Labels 
• Jewels 
• And more!  

• Pay attention to the Rule of Uneven Numbers. According to visual experts, using embellishments in clusters of odd numbers – 1, 3, 5, etc. – brings balance to your design and is appealing to the eye.   
• Create layers. Cut unique shapes from your papers and layer a variety of colors, shapes, and embellishments to add depth to your cards.   
• Don’t waste. Use leftover scraps! You may not think you will use a small bit of ribbon or a one-off jewel or button, but you never know when they’ll fit right into a design you’re creating.  
• Remember that less is often more. You don’t want your cards to become overly crowded or weighed down with embellishments. The eye needs a place to focus – if there is too much going on visually, it can’t.  
• Get outside your box. For creativity to bloom, don’t limit yourself. In other words, don’t just stick to the same ol’ embellishments. Use fabric or take an object and use it differently than you have before. For instance, try creating flower petals by positioning several mini-safety pins on the page in the shape of a flower. Let your imagination run wild! 

The most important tip for DIY card making is to start with the end in mind, making sure that once you add your embellishments it still fits into the envelope. When ordering photo cards, be sure to note the final size of the card you order and plan accordingly. If you think you’re going to add layers for a border, this will increase the size and you will need larger envelopes – you may be able to request a sample envelope for sizing or request the next size envelope with your purchase. Also, keep in mind the amount and type of embellishments, as heavier objects – or a lot of them – will add weight to your card and may increase the postage. 

If you’re new to card making, hopefully you will find these tips for using embellishments helpful. Adding embellishments to pre-ordered photo cards will certainly add a personal touch without giving yourself too much like creating something completely from scratch. This also gives you the opportunity to gauge your level of craftiness and desire to spruce up next year’s cards. Or you might just find that ordering your holiday cards online and adding embellishments might just be the perfect compromise. 

Author Bio: Heather Hewitt is a seasoned writer and guest author who enjoys connecting people with thoughtful products, services and ideas as they relate to crafting, photography, gift giving and personal expression.

Our Elf on the Shelf is BACK

Our Elf on the Shelf, Sarah returned last night while we were sleeping. She was a little late this year due to some misbehaving kids. She still looks as creepy as she did last year, and she's lost her skirt. I'm not surprised, remembering the naughty activities she took part in last Christmas. Riding around in Barbie's corvette with Ken, messing up my makeup, and playing Modern Warfare on the Xbox (What would Santa think?!).

She was kind enough to bring us waffles for breakfast, and set our table in our best Christmas place mats. I made her a new skirt from a coffee filter and we welcomed her back with a celebratory breakfast!

My kids are thrilled, I've got loads of Elf ideas thanks to Pinterest and Mike pretended to drop her only twice so far. We're so ready. Now begins our month of Elf !

If you have an Elf, how did they return?

Christmas Family Traditions

I've mentioned before that I'm big on Family Traditions, especially at Christmas. It's the perfect time of year to create new traditions and celebrate old ones. It's part of how we celebrate the season as a family and we look forward to them every year. Aside from the regular Christmas movie marathons, hot chocolate drinking,snowman making, and present wrapping, these are just a few of the Holiday Traditions we've celebrated over the years.

Advent Calendars
Every December 1, our kids break out their Advent Calendars! It's fun to pick out different themed calendars each year.

Christmas Light-up
We bundle up and attend our town's annual Downtown Christmas Light-up. It symbolizes the beginning of the Christmas season and It usually inspires me to start putting up our Christmas lights that same weekend.

Gingerbread House Competition
Every year we set up a few houses and host a competition. Kids love this!

Decorating our tree
The last few years we've always decorated our tree after the girl's Christmas concerts. It's nice to continue the Christmas spirit into the evening. We decorate sugar cookies, have hot chocolate and then hang all our ornaments on the tree.

 

Elf on the Shelf 

Our Elf, Sarah was our newest tradition from last year. She hasn't arrived yet, and the kids can't wait to start sharing our Holidays with her. 

Mike and I have our own traditions we share as well. It's a busy time of year for us as parents, and we seem to be so busy making sure our kids are enjoying this time of year that sometimes we don't take the time to enjoy the holiday season ourselves.

Each year we set aside just 1 day for our Christmas shopping. We arrange babysitters, make a list and brave the stores to collect all our gifts. We enjoy some of my favorite things. Eating out, shopping and being with just my husband amidst Christmas cheer! All while following an organized list (which I love)

On Christmas Eve, once Mike and I settle all the kids into bed, we tune into "It's A Wonderful Life", have a cup of tea and set up for Christmas morning. It's our way of winding down after a busy evening and enjoy planning the excitement that will arise the next day!


I'd love to hear of some your Christmas traditions!

Almost Christmas Decorating

I like to take my time when it comes to Christmas decorations. Right now I bring out winter themed decor like snowmen, snowflakes, and white lights. It's my way of easing into the cold, winter season. But once December 1st hits, out come the Santas, elves and reindeer!
Here are a few cute and easy Winter decorations I wanted to share.


My aunt would make these snowflake cans every year. Unfortunately I have none left to show off, but the crafty people at Color Buzz did. Simply take an old tin can, nail in some holes and paint on some snowflakes. Toss in a tea light or battery operated votive and you've created a warm and festive light.

My no-hassle version of these cans this year is from the Scentsy collection. A gorgeous plug-in warmer that lights up and fills my house with delicious aromas.

My step-mother used to make Ice Candles for our holiday parties. They lined our walkway lighting the way for our guests and I always thought they looked so neat all lit up in the snow. It's basically a large ice cream container full of frozen water and a candle. You can find an easy tutorial here.

 How cute is this? Turn your closet door (or any door) into a friendly snowman. With a little felt and 2-sided tape my crafty friend added some seasonal cheer to her kitchen.

Every year I throw this together to create a snowy scene on our front step. I added some winter accents from Dollarama and glued on a festive bow.
Adding white battery operated lights really tops it off, and they came with timers so they turn on when it gets dark and turn off at bedtime. I didn't have to worry about remembering to plug them in, or go out in the cold to turn them off late at night. I like easy things.

Happy Winter !

Friday Fun Snack-Fun Pancakes

While driving my 9 year old to school this morning she asked me, "What's for Fun Friday Snack today?" S#@T! I had no snack planned for today. I had completely forgotten. After scanning my cupboards for a quick snack that would be fun and entertaining I found some leftover pancakes that I had tossed in the freezer for a quick snack. Genius. I had whipped cream and strawberries to go along with them and since we're already starting to get into the Christmas spirit...this is what we came up with.
Here's a great way to add some fun (and holiday cheer) to your everyday pancakes!

Who doesn't love a little Santa Clause?
Happy Weekend!