[Make] Cinnamon Apple Scented Gingerbread Men

Good enough to eat!  

Or maybe not... probably won't kill ya but your taste buds will hate you...

Click "Read more" for the details

Locks of Love - Haircut with a Cause

Whenever I get a haircut I always think about donating that cut hair to a good cause-- It seems like such a waste to see all that hair piled-up on the salon floor. Unfortunately, my hair has never been long enough... Until today!  Today, I had 10 inches of hair cut off and I was finally able to make a donation!

My hair will be sent to Locks of Love to benefit financially disadvantaged children suffering from long-term medical hair loss.  Many of the recipients suffer from alopecia, while others have been victim to severe burns, cancer, or other medical conditions. As we all may recall from our own childhoods, sometimes kids can be mean to those who are perceived as "different". While not a cure, these custom-made prosthetics provided by Locks of Love help set the foundation so that self-esteem can be restored and many of these kids are able to return to their normal childhood activities.

If you are interested in donating to Locks of Love, here are some guidelines which I pulled from their site--

• Hair that is colored or permed is acceptable.
• Hair cut years ago is usable if it has been stored in a ponytail or braid.
• Hair that has been bleached (usually this refers to highlighted hair) is not usable.  If unsure, ask your stylist. We are not able to accept bleached hair due to a chemical reaction that occurs during the manufacturing process. **If the hair was bleached years ago and has completely grown out it is fine to donate.
• Hair that is swept off of the floor is not usable because it is not bundled in a ponytail or braid.
• Hair that is shaved off and not in a ponytail or braid is not usable. If shaving your head, first divide hair into multiple ponytails to cut off.
• We cannot accept dreadlocks. Our manufacturer is not able to use them in our children’s hairpieces. We also cannot accept wigs, falls, hair extensions or synthetic hair.
• Layered hair is acceptable if the longest layer is 10 inches. 
• Layered hair may be divided into multiple ponytails.

• Curly hair may be pulled straight to measure the minimum 10 inches.
• 10 inches measured tip to tip is the minimum length needed for a hairpiece.

From my own experience, here are a few tips--

Have your hairstylist (or the person cutting your hair), divide the hair into multiple ponytails before cutting.  If you do one large ponytail in the back, the cut will be uneven and you'll probably end up cutting off more than you want in the front.

Bring a ziplock bag and have your hairstylist dry the bundled locks.

Take it to the post office to mail.  My "heavy" hair took 3 stamps!

And you're probably wondering what my new hairdo looks like...

[Make] Folding Water Color Birthday Card Banner

This weekend we celebrated my Sister-in-Law's birthday. She adores the boys, lavishes them with a lot of attention, and is basically their #1 fan.  :)  And since they are always eager to make something for her, I knew that they would have a hand in her present. 

Since water colors always turn out nice and I have a lot of scrap paper in my stash, we decided to make this really happy and colorful folding banner that would also serve as her birthday card.

[Make] Felt Gift Card Holders

For the first time, I'm giving several gift cards as Christmas presents. It feels like I'm "cheating" on my gift buying duties, but somehow I think the recipients (mostly teenagers) will be pretty darn happy to pick out their own doodads! Since presentation is important to me, I knew I wouldn't be happy just giving away cards in envelopes.  So today, I created these easy felt gift card holders.

Click "Read more" for the tutorial

[Round Up] Pretty Gift Wrap

Just a few pretty gift wrap ideas... 

feather & map gift wrap via a beautiful mess

aluminum foil gift boxes via you are my have

clay & wood gift tags via two shades of pink

colorful holiday wrap via decor8

Click "Read more" for the full post

[Make] Salt Dough Gift Tags & Ornaments

A couple of weeks ago we had a few days of damp and cold weather...  which is so odd to say since it was 85 degrees today and dry as the down of a thistle (ah yes, I've been reading Twas the Night Before Christmas over and over again...). Anyhow, we're not very good at being housebound on the weekend, so I had to come up with an activity to keep the boys busy and my sanity intact.  

I've had clay gift tags on the brain for a while, so that seemed like the perfect project that everyone could do. At first I was going to use air dry clay, but since I didn't feel like running to the store... and I had LOTS of flour and salt... I decided to make Salt Dough instead.

I remember making salt dough ornaments as a kid.  I also remember my dog eating them off the Christmas  tree and getting sick as... well, a dog.  So, just something to keep in mind if you have a salt-loving hound in your house.

cut & painted by the boys

The boys (ages 3 & 5) had a great time playing with the salt dough.  Their favorite part was rolling out the dough and using the cookie cutters.  After the ornaments were dried, they painted the hearts-- first white, then red... which soon became pink.  Then they topped them off with some fun glitter paint. Pretty snazzy!  Hmmm... I think I'll keep these in mind when Valentine's Day rolls around.

Click "read more" for the tutorial.

Pretty Little Journals

On a recent trip to Anthropologie I happened upon these pretty leather journals. 

perfect for a gift, right? i picked up one in every color and will incorporate them into our teachers' year-end gifts.  

Teacher Appreciation - You Deserve a Hand!

Our school's Teacher Appreciation Day was this week.  At first, I was going to do a plant, but then the classroom started to resemble a florist...  And then I was really tempted to do this cute coffee card, but wasn't sure if the teachers were big coffee drinkers...  So I quickly put on my thinking-cap, and this is what Smarty Pants and I created this morning.

i decorated one side...

smarty pants decorated the other.

This idea has been around for a while (I know because I've already done it a few times!), but I think it's fun... and who couldn't use more hand cream?  It's originally a Valentine's Day idea, but easily translates to Teacher Appreciation.

Now I have to get to work on the teacher's year-end gifts.  I can't believe that school ends in a week!

linked to:

Gift Wrap Bonanza - Use What You've Got

Are you done with your gift wrapping?  I'm almost done.  I usually HATE wrapping presents, but I have to say that I really enjoyed making wrapping a fun, crafty project this year. Instead of buying new supplies, I decided to use what I already have onhand.  Good for my pocketbook, as well as my conscience.



Here's some of the stuff that I "found" in my craft room:

butcher paper "gift wrap"  ::  2009 ikea gift wrap  ::  grocery bag strips ::  upcycled xmas card tags ::  baker's twine ::  target  bag pom-poms  ::  decorative scissors ::  decorative punches ::  decorative duct tape  (at target for $3.69)  ::  doilies  ::  stiff felt snowflakes  ::  martha stewart gift tags  ::  trader joe's holiday bag "designs" ::  old christmas sheet music strips  ::  scrapbook paper "bows"  :: decorative buttons  ::  hole punch  :: handmade fabric flowers (not pictured)

this was a great decorative "find":  the trader joe holiday bag... fun!

old sheet music & grocery bag strips trimmed with decorative punches

Here's the Gift Wrap Detail: 

Hope you're having a nice and stress-free week!

linked to:

all things merry & brite @ all things heart & home
someday crafts
paisley passions
the shabby chic cottage

Unique Gift Wrap Ideas

There are so many unique, inexpensive and beautiful gift wrapping ideas out there-- And there's absolutely no need to buy new wrapping supplies year after year!  Here are a few of my favorite finds...

 half an old globe as a fruit basket?  fabulous!

via daily danny

who knew butcher paper & fabric scraps could be so beautiful?

via style me pretty by grey likes weddings

via paper crave

i would've never thought to use cookie cutters as stamps! 
via helping little hands  :: be different, act normal

 sweet paul is amazing... many more great ideas in his holiday 2010 online magazine

via sweet paul :: photo collage via paper crave

potato print gift wrap via bkids

more great ideas from another online magazine

via gifted magazine :: shim and sons

this would be too time intensive for me, but how neat!

via the crafts dept

isn't this beautiful?

spray-painted gift wrap via eddie ross

{For more ideas}

I wrote about more gift wrap ideas back in July:  Christmas in July-- It's a Wrap!

Have a fantastic weekend!!!