Jul 182013
 

Bubbles has been very interested in all the projects I’ve been working on for the Christmas in July series and she has wanted to lend a hand in most of them.  Not all of them lend themselves well to her age group, but today I have a fun and easy craft that you and your kiddos can do together.  You may want to do the mixing part yourself, but once the salt dough ornaments are done, the kids can have fun painting and personalizing them.

This recipe is great because you can use it to make pretty much anything.  We used cookie cutters to cut out holiday shapes; some of them we painted, some we’ll leave “natural”.  You can also press the kids’ hands or fingerprints in them to make milestone ornaments (which make great, inexpensive gifts for the grandparents, too).

Crafts with Kids: Salt Dough Ornaments #CIJ13

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Jul 172013
 

I previously shared this ornament a couple of years ago just before my brother and now-sister-in-law got married.  A lot of people do different creative things with the couple’s wedding invitation; return it to them in their card, frame it, etc.  I wanted something just a tiny bit out of the ordinary and this ornament fit the bill for me.

I thought I would re-share it with you now as it fits in well with the Christmas in July theme.  There are usually lots of summer weddings, so you can start collecting your invitations and getting started on your ornaments now.  By the time the holidays roll around, you’ll have memorable ornaments to present.

DIY Wedding Invitation Our First Christmas Ornament Tutorial

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Jul 142013
 

This Santa Belly Ornament is so cute, you’ll want to make a whole set of them to give to friends and family.  You may have even seen them on Pinterest. Some people I know do themed trees or multiple trees to decorate with, and if you have a Santa-only tree you’ll want a few of these, for sure.  They’re fairly fast and easy to complete, and with the tips I can share through my own trial and error, you’ll have no trouble at all.

Christmas in July: 31 Days of Christmas Crafts, Recipes, DIY & More - DIY Santa Belly Ornament Continue reading »

Jul 072013
 

More snowmen (and more to come)!  As I mentioned on my bottle cap post, I love snowmen crafts.  These little guys and gals might look like they’d take awhile to make but they’re surprisingly fast to assemble (I found my inspiration for these on Pinterest).

Snowmen Crafts: Mini Clay Pot Snowmen #CIJ13

They make great little decorations to tuck on a shelf or desk.  I can also see making up a few as placeholders at a Christmas dinner party, and if you’re an elementary school teacher your class could make them to decorate your room in the winter. Continue reading »

Jul 032013
 

When I was growing up we always left cookies and milk for Santa.  We also left carrots for the reindeer; I mean, they have to do a lot of work, too, flying all night.  I was always worried they’d get really hungry!  My parents assured me that they loved carrots and that they were good for their eyesight.

One group that I didn’t really think of as a child were the elves.  I’m not sure how they didn’t cross my mind, but they didn’t.  But they really shouldn’t go hungry, either.  So with Bubbles I’ll be starting the tradition of leaving out tiny little snacks for them, something like these cute elf donuts.  I also made a special little box to serve them in, that’s shaped like a gift.  Both are easy to make.

Elven Gift Box with Frosted Elf Donuts

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