Christmas decor - Views From the Ville

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 »

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?

It may only be July, but that doesn’t mean I’m not thinking about and planning for Christmas already. I’ve done a little shopping, purchased some ornaments today at the Hallmark Ornament Premiere, and I’ve been thinking about holiday decor. Which, of course, means flipping through magazines and catalogs, plus whiling away nap times pinning things to my Pinterest.

Christmas Crafts for Kids: DIY Felt Christmas Tree Activity For Kids

Pinterest is where I first saw this supremely cute felt Christmas tree by Johnny In A Dress that the author made to entertain her toddler in hopes of keeping her away from the real tree. With as much as Bubbles enjoys stickers, I thought that she might really be interested in this, so I decided to make my own version of a Felt Christmas Tree With Peel & Stick Ornaments For Kids. The needed supplies are fairly minimal: felt and a loaded hot glue gun. Really, that’s it. Continue reading »

Views From the Ville

Easy DIY Mini Clay Pot Snowmen Craft Kids Can Make

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?

Christmas In July: DIY Kids’ Felt Christmas Tree Activity