Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy New Year everyone!
Just popping in quick to show off this year's "A Year in Review" letter that I sent out along with my homemade cards to friends and family.
It is very similar to previous years, I admit, but with new info. There is only so much time in my life to create new things!
For those that have asked about my previous year's letter, as well as this letter- YES- I did create this on my own. I did it as a combination of vector graphics I made in Illustrator and beefed it up in Photoshop. It is NOT a template I purchased from somewhere, and I didn't pay anyone to make it for me. I made it all by myself.
Now that that is cleared up (You would not believe how many people have asked me what template program I used to create it) I can show off this year's letter.
I wanted to focus on the big events, our travels, the shows we've done and the memorable moments of each part of the year...
Here's the letter we sent out this year (I just whited out our address info- don't need the whole world knowing that).
To see it closer, just click on the image.
Do you do a yearly letter with your Christmas cards or do you not find it necessary? I'd love to know what everyone else does around the world.
Well, I'm off to go have some more tea, as I've been feeling terrible the past 2 days. I guess I seem to have caught a winter cold (BOO!).
So, in case I don't manage to get online much, Have a VERY Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, from our house to yours!
-M
I pride myself in sending at least one homemade item to friends and family each year for Christmas. I always enjoy getting homemade items myself, honestly.
This year I racked my brain as to what to make. While browsing the internet, I found someone mentioning "photo holder blocks" which sparked my interest.
These I made with a little more modern look.
I found the blocks online and once I got them in the mail, I got to work making the photo holder blocks. I cut down the holiday patterned paper to squares and adhered them to each side of the block. I had to get crafty to get the top square to work around the already glued in wire (*sigh*) but after decorating the fronts, and adding some washi tape, it was good to go. They turned out super cute, I think.
Some I added washi tape to the block itself- but realized I didn't have enough to do this to ALL the blocks.
Some people I made a 3 set, spelling out "JOY" and others I sent a single photo block (the prices to do all 3 joy block sets started to add up, so did the time to make them all, so I had to downsize my original idea.)
A solo photo block for one of my friends (who's cat's name is Apollo, btw. haha)
Anyways, I thought they turned out cute.
Do you try your hand at homemade Christmas gifts too? I'd love to see some homemade Christmas gifts you've made.
Have a great day!
-M
So last week (on 12/12) we hosted a "12 Drinks of Christmas" get together at our house.
It all stems from a friend's traditional 12 bars of Christmas event- but since they no longer live in the area, they passed on the reigns to us. After much debate amongst our friends and ourselves (and crunching the numbers of money) we decided to just host everyone at our house and make 12 specialty drinks instead (it also is a LOT safer- people can sleep over after having too many drinks).
So what are the drinks you may ask? Well. Here was the drink menu of the night:
We also had some festive chips. lol
All we asked of our friends was to either provide a food item/dish or $12 towards paying for the drinks/food. We cranked up the toasty heat and blasted the Christmas tunes...
We even turned up the "yule log" on the tv. haha
Overall things went well. I personally only made it to drink #9- I was just too full- too much food and drinks made my stomach feel like I was ready to be rolled down the hall like Violet Beauregarde in Willy Wonka. haha. The drinks I didn't get to was the Jolly shot (jollyrancher shot), Pumpkin Pie shot, and the hot rum cider. Overall, my favorite probably was the first one- I just love Rumchata. The recipes we found online were all a little different, but here is what we did for each, roughly. (sorry- forgot to photograph the last 2)
Caramel Apple pie cocktail: apple cider,
rumchata
Jack Frost cocktail: pineapple juice, blue
curacao
Snowchata shot: rumchata, peppermint candy on
rim and sprinkled inside
Christmas in Mexicomargaritas: tequila, limeaide
Red jello shot: red jello, peach schnapps
Butterbeer drink: butterscotch, cream soda
Green jello shot: green jello, green apple
pucker or midori, hint of apple vodka
Hey all! It's Christmas card making time in my house...
At a Stampin Up! getaway weekend back in April, I was preemptive and precut card bases, embossed them, stamped and punched ornaments and precut patterned paper to make these cards:
I honestly forgot I did this, if it wasn't for finding the "ready to go card kit" when I was re-organizing and taking all my crafting supplies into our newly created office/craft space/mini dining area. lol. All I had to do was adhear all the pieces together, stamp the sentiment and add the ribbon. Made making a bunch of these cards, soooo much easier.
I also created the card below, with a tag given to us at the October crop. I used a "banner" style card base (that I got in Michael's dollar bin area) and I think it worked out well for a simple, but non-Christmasy winter card.
After opening up my Paper Pumpkin package from this month, I started working on the cards in the package to add to my giant list of Christmas cards needed this year. After finishing the snowflake cards...
...I had the tags left. I'm not a huge tag person- most of the time I just put little slips of paper on our Xmas presents, since my hubs never realizes there are tags on them anyways, often throwing them out with the wrapping paper trash, so I only do nice tags on friend's gifts. I then came up with some Christmas card ideas to use the tags and the leftover items from the rest of the package. I also had a few other packs of those $1 card packs from Micheal's dollar bin, so I even used those up too! Check out some simple Christmas cards, used from those items (with a few items I had already, as well from Stampin Up! that I got on my getaway, similar to these cards).
I used the tag as the main part of the card. I used Washi tape behind it and at the bottom. I also used the leftover snowflakes from the set, on a honeycomb card base.
I used the inverse punched out letters from the tags to make this card's text. I did the main middle pattern with leftover washi tape. This is all done on a similar banner style card base, that came in the same pack as the card bases for the star card I showed early in this post.
I used a circle card base I also got in the Micheal's bin, with an image I had sitting around from a stamped image swap I did ages ago. I covered paper with washi tape for the mid-level and cut it out with my big circle cutter.
I also made a few more simple cards using another Micheal's card base, making them look like little Santa suits. I got inspired to do this after making a similar simplified Santa Suit treat bag from the last Stampin Up! getaway I went to. You can see all those fun projects here.
Well, I hope this inspired you to "think outside the box" of what a card kit gives you or tells you to do. I cranked out soo many cards that way! Stay tuned later in the month, when I reveal my "homemade" Christmas gifts for family members (I want to wait till I send them to my family before I reveal them to you). lol.
Have a great day!
-M
Welcome to another Subscription Box Review! Check out my previous Subscription box reviews here. November Paper Pumpkin:
This month's Paper Pumpkin is my favorite so far- maybe because I'm always in desperate need for holiday cards or maybe because it includes washi tape!
I even used some of the extra bits in other holiday cards (and used a few of the tags)- stay tuned for those to be shown here on the blog later. The kit came with enough product to make some cards and tags, all for the holidays.
Here's the stamp set and ink:
Here's the first card I made from the kit (the only thing I didn't do was put the string on it- since I still need to sign it and put our yearly letter in it):
It's a super cute kit- perfect for holiday card making time. This year I had to make 102 holiday cards, so this certainly helped make a dent in that number. ;)
Also, I've already been in contact with the winner of the $25 Gift certificate to Uncommon Goods.
I'm so happy that you all enjoyed the post. Even if you didn't win, I
hope you have checked out their website and think of them when you're
trying to come up with some unusual gifts for those hard-to-get-for
people on your holiday list.
Do you struggle with getting unique gifts for those on your list? Well look no further than this post today for some great ideas! The wonderful people at Uncommon Goods not only let me try out a few of their products, but also are offering a giveaway- teamed up with little ol' me! (See bottom of the post for more details!)
If you are in search for some unusual or uncommon gifts, look no further than Uncommon Goods, where you can find some awesome Christmas gifts here. Don't forget about those stocking stuffers either- get great stuffer ideas here. Or, if you're like me and on a budget, see here for their gifts under $50.
Now here are my picks for some great uncommon gift ideas:
Uncommon Gifts for the Uncommon People on your list
If you're like me, you have certain friends and family that seem to have EVERYTHING. When the holiday season comes around- you are stumped at what to get them. Well, I have a few ideas to help save you during this already-stressful time of year!
For the at-home bartender:
Click here to get Uncommon Goods Mixology dice.
These are perfect for those who love playing bartender at gatherings or parties. My husband and I are often stumped at what drink to mix up when friends are over (besides the classic wine and beer), so this product struck me as a wonderful helper! Your mixologist friend will surely be excited to try these dice out- whether they are an amatuer or a seasoned bartender. Pair up with a hard liquor of your choice, and you have the perfect gift for that future or at-home bartender.
The first drink I made using the Mixology Dice was a honey vanilla-vodka with peach cocktail- tasted great!:
Click here to get Uncommon Goods "642 Things to Write About" book.
As a blogger, I often find times where I need a little creative writing inspiration. I have a LOT of friends and co-workers who are writers, so this book is a perfect gift for them. It is filled with writing prompts that just help you really think and/or get creative. Sometimes you need a little boost to get your creative juices flowing, and this book certainly helps with that. Pair it up with a pretty pen, and you have your holiday gift in the bag for that novelist-in-training you know.
Here is a little taste of some of the prompts in the book:
Click here to get Uncommon Goods 3-Tiered Twist and Fold Bowl.
This bowl(s) is honestly one of the coolest kitchen containers I've come across. I always complain I don't have enough cabinet space for all the cute kitchen dishware, but this little baby is perfect to deal with that dilemma- it folds up! So cool! Whether you need to entertain or store your fruit in your kitchen, this great product is perfect to save you space. If you have someone on you Christmas list that is a foodie or the hostess-who-is-the-mostest, this gift is for you.
It collapses down to this:
Bonus gift idea: Great gift to give to your mother or daughter- Mother & Daughter Letter Book Set, which you can pick up here. This wonderful product helps the Mother/Daughter bond to grow by sharing letters between each other.
So, has this given you some ideas for Christmas gifts for your hard-to-buy-for friends and family? If none of these fit those on your list, be sure to check out all of these products and MANY other uncommon but totally awesome Christmas gifts here at Uncommon Goods.
But before we get to the giveaway, here's a little insight into the Uncommon Goods company. Uncommon Goods is a privately-owned retailer, based out of Brooklyn, NY, that strives to feature unique designs and handcrafted gifts created in harmony with the environment and without harm to animals or people. Their mission is to support and provide a platform for artists and designers; in fact, half of what they sell is made by hand! Most of the products they carry are created right here in the USA, and about one-third of their entire collection incorporates recycled and/or upcycled materials. If you're a local artist or designer, they have various events and design challenges here that you can get your work out into the marketplace, or if you need help to improve and develop your artistic business, you can check out their How to Make It events panel series here. I also love that this independently-owned company is proud to donated $1 to the non-profit of your choice with every purchase you make, through their Better to Give program here.
Now, without further ado- here is how YOU can win a $25 gift certificate to Uncommon Goods.
Entries are done through the Rafflecopter below.
$25 Uncommon Goods Gift Certificate giveaway!
The Must dos:
You MUST like both Uncommon Goods and Madcap Frenzy (my blog page) on Facebook for your entry to count towards the giveaway- use the Rafflecopter below, so we know you liked us through the giveaway! (If you've already liked us, just check off that from the Rafflecopter below).
Answering a question through the rafflecopter- What is the best Christmas gift you've ever recieved?
Or leaving me a comment on my blog (on this post)- What would YOU get from Uncommon Goods if you won the gift certificate?
Please feel free to stop by every day to tweet the giveaway for more chances to win. If you've entered, please share with your friends and family- who knows- if they win, they just might get YOU a gift from Uncommon Goods with their gift certificate. ;)
The giveaway is only up for a week- ending next Tuesday at 11:59 PM EST- so it will be a Thanksgiving present to you if you win! The winner will be notified by personal message/email. Good luck!
Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out Uncommon Goods and start your Christmas wishlist, pick up Christmas Gifts here- especially those that are under $50 here, or stuffing those stockings here. They are the perfect place to get gifts for those very uncommon people on your list. ;)
I am so happy to have had the opportunity to work with Uncommon Goods for these awesome products and their fantastic giveaway- I hope you find their company as inspiring as I do!
Have a great day!
So I recently went on a Stampin Up! crafty getaway hosted by Jill Hilliard. One of the Make-'n'-takes was a set of cards made using only a few products: A pack of white cards, a set of 5 Stampin Up! wintery washi tape, Christmas tree punch, star die cut, tag punch, twine, bling and a few select stamps. Just a few items, and you can create a boatload of cute cards! These are so quick, but so cute! If you have a mega list of people you need to send Christmas cards to like I do, this helps out the stress level of making a boatload of cards. I created a bunch of her creations, and then made a few variations/new cards of my own.
The card below was the slightly more difficult one to make- hardest part is lining up how far out you can put the washi tape, so it isn't shown outside the star. I put pencil hash markers on the edges, so I knew how far out to go. Once I did that, it worked out quite well if I do say so myself. lol. ;)
Hope you were inspired and I hope these give you some ideas on how to crank out some cute Christmas cards this winter season.
Enjoy!
-M
