Holidays - 5/15 - Views From the Ville

Christmas cards are one of my favorite parts of the holiday. It’s great to hear from friends and family that I don’t get to see frequently. I love when everyone sends photo cards, especially, as I truly get to see those folks. I like to display them, but sometimes it can get a little tricky to figure out how to do it without looking like you’ve opened a card shop.

In the past I’ve tried running wide ribbon down the center of a door or along door casings and attaching the cards to them. It looked okay, but last year Bubbles was very interested in the ribbons and many of the cards ended up being pulled off repeatedly. I thought about setting them on top of the entertainment center but we usually do family Christmas photos and a few decorations up there – no room for cards.

Most of you know how much I love Christmas. And Pinterest. I sit and pin things – crafts, recipes, DIY, gift ideas, etc. – all year long. Tear ideas out from magazines and toss them in my Christmas file folder. By the time I’m done I have dozens, if not hundreds, of awesome projects laid out for myself.

And then Christmas comes.

Christmas in July - 31 Days of Crafts, Recipes, DIY, Gift Ideas & More

The season is my favorite time of year but it’s so busy. There are parties and services, shopping and envelope-addressing, cooking and baking (and eating!). And of course we want to carve out time for special activities and events to make memories for our children and family. Who has time to make those cute snowmen or make a ribbon tree?

I found that I didn’t, and that I was a little disappointed that all these great ideas were just sitting there gathering dust. So I decided that it would be fun to make some of these things ahead so they’re ready to go during the holidays. For the recipes, at least I’ll know what ones turned out well and which ones didn’t so I don’t waste any of my baking time later.

Whether you choose to work on any of these projects now or just pin them for the holidays, I hope you enjoy my 31 Days of Christmas Crafts, DIY, Recipes & More.

DIY Hanging Christmas Card Holder
Bottle Cap Snowman Ornament Craft
DIY Frosted Elf Donuts & Matching Elf Gift Box
DIY Christmas Gift: “We Whisk You A Merry KISSmas” plus a free printable
Free “Build Your Own Snowman” Printable
Mini Clay Pot Snowmen Craft
Christmas Candy Munch Mix Recipe
DIY Santa Belly Ornament
Gourmet Christmas Marshmallows Recipe
Printable December Bucket List
125+ Stocking Stuffer Ideas for All Ages
DIY Wedding Invitation “Our 1st Christmas” Ornament
Easy Salt Dough Ornaments

What is your favorite creative Christmas project?

I’m pretty sure that my Dad loves Disney almost as much as I do. Starting with our very first trip when I was in 1st grade he went out of his way to make it special for me (much like he went out of his way to make most things in my life special). Later in life, when I left the nest and attended college in Florida, he would drive me down (from Maine) at the start of every school year. He always made sure, though, that we had a chance to swing by Disney before hitting the dorms, though.

So I think he’d very much approve of the below messages from Mike and Sulley and Dusty and Skipper.

Happy Father's Day From Mike & Sulley at #MonstersU Continue reading »

Growing up I recall hearing on many occasions the following sound:

“Argh, argh, argh!”

which was then echoed by “More power!”

You may recognize that as the catch phrase – and grunt – of a certain television handyman. My father enjoyed watching the show, and I think that’s because he secretly thought that adding more power to pretty much anything was a good idea. He’s quite a handy guy himself which was useful because when he helped my paternal grandfather and my maternal grandparents run their farms, you have to be ready to put equipment back together at the drop of a hat.

There’s really no reason that more power needs to be relegated solely to lawn mowers, tractors, or grills. Why not more power for your mouth? Power in the form of the Oral-B electric toothbrush. I mean, who doesn’t want to up the game of their current toothbrush and put their best smile forward? Continue reading »

Happy Mother's Day from Monsters University

Remember what it was like leaving home to head off to college? If you were like me, no matter how independent you thought you were, it wasn’t long before you missed your Mom! I’m sure that even though Sully was dreaming of becoming a Scarer he, too, probably missed his Mom once he arrived at Monsters University (though being part of the OK fraternity gave him some support to get through those lonely moments). Maybe he should have been like “Squishy” Squibbles and continue living at home with his doting mother, Ms. Squibbles.

Whatever their living situation, all the monsters want to show their appreciation for Moms everywhere. They are sharing their sentiment through the image above. Also be sure to watch the cute video below. It’s all about the interactions between families. Can anyone else relate to the “Smile!” request? Continue reading »

Views From the Ville

DIY Hanging Christmas Card Holder #CIJ13

It’s Christmas in July! 31 Days of Crafts, Recipes, DIY & More

What is your favorite creative Christmas project?

Happy Father’s Day!

Powerful Oral Care for Dad with Oral-B Electric Toothbrushes

Monsters University Mother’s Day Wishes + Free Printable Activities for the Kiddos