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

Continue reading »

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

Continue reading »

Jul 152013
 

There are lots of yummy treats during the Christmas holidays.  Cakes, cookies, brownies, cheesecakes and more.  I love to make a wide variety of them, but they can take a little time to bake and assemble.  So what can you make when you have guests on the way or when your kids remind you that they need to take a treat to class in an hour?

Try making these yummy marshmallows.  With colored candy coatings and festive sprinkles, they look like the gourmet marshmallows you buy from confectionery stores but are low-cost, quick and easy to do.

Christmas in July: 31 Days of Christmas Crafts, Recipes, DIY & More - Gourmet Christmas Marshmallows

Continue reading »

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 »