SO MANY IDEAS...SO LITTLE TIME!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas….and once again I have collected TONS of ideas but never seem to find time to complete them all.  I REALLY need to start preparing in JANUARY every year!

The house is decorated…yea!!!  I “over” decorate every single year, but the hubby and the grandkids love it.  Therefore, I work my nerves into a frazzle and my fingers to the bone for 3 days every year just to make them happy…(I’m sweet that way😊)  It’s a whole lot of work, but so very worth it to see their excitement when it’s all done.  I won’t show ALL my decorations but my favorite is always my GINGERBREAD KITCHEN.  This year Granddaughter M really helped sooo much, and decorated the GINGERBREAD TREE and the SNOWMAN TREE…yes, I do 4 trees every year!

I know we all read blog after blog and ooh and ahh over everyone’s decorations, but I thought I would share some “small ideas” that I really like and that you don’t see every day.  Some I have tried…some are still on my TO DO LIST (until next year…or the next!)

I love getting Christmas cards from family & friends, especially the ones with the kids’ or family’s photo.  Only problem is finding a place to put them…the refrigerator will hold only so many!  Here is what I think is a really cute idea…and it can be a keepsake to be enjoyed year after year…the kids really do change so much from year to year, don’t they?

                                                   Amber Nelson, Pinterest

Can we ever have enough ornaments???  Of course not!  And my favorites are those we have collected over the years from trips, from my past students, or ones my kids made in school.  How I love to reminisce over each one every year.  Here is a really great idea (I think) of what to do with your GRADUATION CAP TASSLE…you did keep that, didn’t you?  I actually did complete this project last year  BTW, you can get these plastic fillable ornaments from Dollar Tree.

Pinterest

Mine...I added green & gold shredded paper (our school colors)

Here is another really cute idea for an ornament...or even a gift for your kids' friends.  It looks really easy to do (thanks to craftymorning.com).  You could use that old Scrabble game that has been gathering dust for years...or you can order tiles from ebay or other sources.

And here is yet another way you could use those plastic fillable balls.  I haven’t done this yet, but I want to fill one with some of the buttons from my mother’s or my husband’s grandmother’s button box.  What a special keepsake…and I do love buttons (as you can read about HERE).

Pinterest

Wouldn’t this little fella look cute hanging around the neck of a bottle of your neighbor’s favorite wine?  And when the wine is all gone, they have an ornament for the tree.  There are no directions, but looks plenty easy to do…and I can now use some of those wine corks I’ve been saving for who knows what!!!

Pinterest

Do you happen to have any old windows laying around?  I do!  Wouldn’t this be pretty sitting on a mantle or decorating a porch?

                                                         Etsy:  Toadstool Pond

And what about those clothespins you no longer use but just can’t throw away?  These (or similar) would be so cute and useful for several things…put a magnet on the back and use them to hang cards or photos on the refrig, or clip on presents just for an added touch, or even clip on the tree!

Pinterest

I just have to add this one from one of my favorite bloggers DEBBIE DABBLE.  I am definitely going to do this!  I collect old cookie cutters…some hang on my Gingerbread Tree.  Only problem is I don’t have an old bowl like this one…but I’m on the hunt!  It will fit perfectly into the theme of my kitchen…thank you, Debbie!

I could go on and on and on…..but I will end with this last one.  It’s my own creation (so it’s not perfect).  I have made these in the past to fill with treats and give as gifts.  Don’t ask me for directions….it was a make as I went along type of project!!!! 

CHRISTMAS is such a special time and BLOGLAND is filled with so many wonderful and creative ideas…if only I had the time, the talent, and the patience!!!  So...are you all decorated???  What projects (old or new) have you found time for?