Boxwood wreath from Trader Joe's snazzed up for free

I follow a lot of bloggers on Instagramand yesterday my feed was blowing up with pictures of bloggers snatching up boxwood wreath's at their local Trader Joes.I had no idea what a boxwood wreath was or why I needed one,but I suddenly HAD TO HAVE ONE!I literally snatched the last boxwood wreath off of the rackwhen I was at Trader Joe's this afternoonand then while I was in line to pay, I felt like I needed more!It's like when you can't have something you suddenly want it that much more.Yep, I felt that way about a wreath.Weird right?Anyway, I asked the cashier, who dinged her bell for the managerwho checked with a stock boywho went to the back{and no, I'm not ending this with "In the house that Jack built"}and low and behold, a man wheeled out a box full of new boxwood wreaths.Deciding not to be excessive,I  only picked up two.Mostly because I wanted to squelch this sudden desire to have something that I didn't even know I needed two days ago!And because I thought two would hang on my french doors perfectly.And they do!But, they needed something else.

So I went outside and found these berries growing on a bush behind a fence in the drainage pond.

I scaled that fence and tried my best not to kill myself

{the things I do for free stuff!}

and managed this haul.

I cut the berry branches down

{you only need a sprig or 5-7 inches depending on where you want them}

and I poked them in to the wreath.

I didn't glue them, just poked the stem in until it found a place to rest and didn't fall out.

Now I know why all of those bloggers were so excited about the $9.99 boxwood wreaths at Trader Joe's!

I love it!

A fresh wreath for under $10!

This is my first time having a live wreath.Any tips on keeping it fresh through the end of the year?

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Elegant Feather Christmas Wreath

Today, you can find me guest posting at Design Dazzle as part of their Christmas Wonderful guest series.I'm sharing my Elegant feather Christmas Trees on Design Dazzleand since I love Christmas so much, I wanted to give you, my readers, a bonus tutorial and show you how I made my feather wreath!In keeping with true Holy Craft form, these elegant feather decorations just look like they cost a lot of money, when in reality each one cost less than $3 to make!

The Dollar Tree sells these round foam wreath bases.

They are quite thick, so I cut them in half {with a knife}.

And since I was putting white feathers on them, I spray painted each wreath form white.

Foam tends to break easily, 

so I made a paper backing out of card stock to help keep the form from bending.

I started by using my hot glue gun to glue feathers to the inside of the wreath, 

then I moved to the outside main part 

and finally to the final outside ring.

Some of the feathers I was able to poke into the Styrofoam, others I glued down.

More is better.

You don't want any of your foam wreath showing.

I just love how these Christmas trees and wreath turned out don't you?!

My favorite part is that they look expensive, but they really weren't!

Thanks to all my new Design Dazzle readers for joining me today.Grab a cup of coffee and stick around! 

 The following amazing blogs are participating in the Christmas Wonderful link party.  Go and visit them!

 Uncommon Designs | The Cards We Drew | Life as a Thrifter | Ginger Snap Crafts | a girl and a gluegun | A Pretty Life | Frog Prince Paperie | Commona-My House | Dimple Prints | kiki & company | Confetti Sunshine | BellaGrey Designs | Clean and Scentsible | Holy Craft | hoopla palooza | Not Just a Mommy | Giggles Galore | Simply Designing | I Dig Pinterest | Happiness is Homemade | Paisley Petal Events | Bloom Designs Online | The Scrap Shoppe | She's Crafty Crafty | Three Little Monkeys Studio

An InLinkz Link-up

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Entertaining this holiday season? I'm sure you could use a drink!

Entertaining and the holidays go hand in hand.When we entertain, I always like to have a bottle of wine everyone can enjoy.I recently learned about Last Bottle Wines and can't wait to share the company with you.
Last bottle wines is like a groupon for wine enthusiasts.Every day, Last Bottle wines sells one carefully selected wine from around the world at up to 75% off the retail price!  This means that you can get a great bottle of wine, at a phenomenal price!
What better way to treat your holiday guests than with a perfectly selected high end bottle of wine at a deep discount for you.  {Though your friends and family don't need to know that!}
Every month, Last Bottle wines sells over 1 million dollars worth of discounted wine!That's a lot of wine!And even more people are learning one of the best kept secrets on how to score good quality wine at a great price!  And now you can too!
Want to know the best part?Last Bottle wines offers free ground shipping and free weather holds in the summer and winter months to ensure that you receive the best quality wine possible.Every Last Bottle customer receives a 2% credit on all wine purchases and for every friend that you refer to Last Bottle wines, you receive a $20 credit and so your friend doesn't get left out, they receive a $5 credit!
One of the best perks is that if you are the lucky purchaser of the actual "last bottle", you will receive a $25 credit to your account.It's no surprise that Food and Wine lists Last Bottle in the top 10 on-line best wine shops!

Last Bottle Wines was founded in 2011 by three long time Napa Valley wine professionals.They have connections to many of the Napa Valley winemakers and provide you with the unique opportunity to try out boutique and high quality wines that are otherwise only available if you travel to Napa.
To see today's wine of the day come visit lastbottlewines.com
Join today, invite your friends and start saving!

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Why I stopped hating the early Christmas set up and started embracing it

For some reason, this year I have been more annoyed than ever at the early Christmas decorating.Is it just me or does it feel like Christmas started earlier this year?Hobby Lobby had Christmas decor up in October,Santa came to the mall before the carved pumpkins were rottenand just this afternoon I saw that the live Christmas tree stand was open.My neighbors started decorating for Christmas before they decorated for Halloweenand Christmas music has been blaring from the stores that I shop in.With every Christmas tree that was up in a retail store, I would shake my head and wonder why other stores didn't embrace the Nordstrom mentality.I love being able to slow down and celebrate one holiday at a time.October is reserved for HalloweenNovember is a month to be thankfuland December is Christmastime.Somehow all three holidays started getting smooshed together into one big retail celebration.Jack o lanterns sat on shelves next to turkeys and gold Christmas balls,Jingle Bells was playing through the loud speaker while I was still munching on Halloween candyand Christmas wreaths were hanging on neighbors doors right next to their selection of gourds.I just kept thinking, stores are pushing Christmas on us earlier and earlier and I was getting so annoyed.Until, my dear friend and I were talking and she made a fantastic point that I just can't stop thinking about.
What is so bad about spending more time thinking about and celebrating Christmas?
At Christmastime we celebrate the greatest gift the world has ever received through the birth of Jesus Christ.His birth was part of God's plan to save all of us sinners from a death that we deserve, but instead we have been spared because our Lord payed that price for us by dying on the cross.Jesus' birth was an amazing gift and one that should be celebrated!So while I hate the consumerism behind the early Christmas set up,I appreciated being reminded that God's gift shouldn't just be celebrated in December, it should be something we celebrate every day!Today when I saw a Christmas tree set up in the store I smiled,I even hummed along to the Christmas music.And when my belly is full of turkey on Thursday, I will be thankful for the most precious gift I have ever received.

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Photo Christmas cards with Minted

One of my most favorite things about Christmas is receiving Christmas cards.It's the one time of year that I race my husband to the mailbox.
Last week I spent the whole week focusing on tips on how to write the perfect Christmas letter everyone on your list would enjoy reading, and today, I want to share with you a fantastic company that you can order your Christmas cards from.
When we receive cards, a few cards stand out from the rest, and those are usually cards by Minted.
You can tell just by the paper that they use.This is a stack of 50 Minted cards up next to a stack of 50 of their competitors.

I spent some time browsing the Minted site, and while I really couldn't find a single card I didn't like{honest}I did find some cards that I wanted to share with you that stood out from the rest.
If you don't want to write a lengthy Christmas letter, but still want to include a few of life's details,this year in review card is perfect for that!
Bonus, you don't need a fancy family portrait for this one.And believe me, if your recipients receive this fun card, they won't even notice your mug isn't on it!

If you really want to splurge, I love these year in review holiday mini books.These mini books are 7 pages of pictures and text for you to include the highlights of your families year.

For the newlyweds, these merry and married holiday cards are super fun

and for those with a newbornnot so silent nights is a fun way to introduce your little one to the world.

I love the simplicity {and the shape} of this seasonal sprinkle card
 
and speaking of shapes, check out this Noel holiday card ornament!

I love this photo collage card that allows you to use a lot of photos without making it feel too busy.

It's hard to pick a favorite, but if I had to choose just one, I would probably pick the elegant peace holiday card.The shape is unlike anything you can get at those other placesand I'm a big fan of the design's simplicity.

One thing that I found while browsing the Minted site is that it is so easy to use!You can easily change the shape of the cards with a click

And change the font colors in a snap

The versatility of what is available makes it so that you won't be sending out the exact same card as everyone else.And believe me, when all the cards are lined up on the mantle or on the fridge,you notice if you have more than one card that is the same!
Want to know something else that is cool?Minted will print your recipients addresses on your holiday cards for no additional fee.That's one more thing you can check off your long list of things to do!

So what are you waiting for?
Go order your holiday cards!this is a sponsored post by Mintedall opinions are 100% mine.I really do love them!

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Rustic burlap Christmas tree guest post

Today, you can find my sharing my rustic burlap Christmas trees over at A Glimpse Inside.

Come on over and see me!

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A great gift idea for the little ones

Last year I became familiar with a company called Kiwi Crate when they sent my son a kiwi crate to try out.As a mom I love products that actively engage my children and make learning fun.As an individual with a bachelors degree in child development and family studiesit takes my loving these products exponentially to the next level!

We all love to get mail, but kids really love to get mail.Especially packages.When you sign up for Kiwi crate the child that you send the crate to will get a box filled with educational goodness that will not only have all the supplies needed in the box {including already sharped pencils!} 

but step by step instructions on how to complete science or art themed projects, games and more!

There are holiday crates, stocking stuffer crates and single crates available.You can order just one crate, send a 3 month subscription, 6 months or a year!Kiwi Crates make great holiday gifts for those kids on your list.Nieces, nephews, grandchildren, sons and daughters all will enjoy receiving their very own Kiwi crate in the mail.I talk to people all the time that tell me they are just not crafty but they wish they were.Mom friends who feel guilty when they browse Pinterest and find crafts that they wish they could do with their children, they just aren't quite sure where to start.Not to worry!
Kiwi crate is the perfect place to start for my non-crafty friends!Your won't have to step foot in a craft store! All of the supplies are included in the crate along with directions, games, books and experiments.

Grandparents, this is one of the best gifts you can give to your grandchildren!Not only is it a gift for your grandchildren, it's also a gift for your children.Exhausted moms everywhere will thank you for planning out a whole days worth of activities for them to do with their kids!Interested?Take a second to find out more about the crates by visiting this link.Ready to order?Visit this link and don't forget to use the promo code below for 30% off!

You can thank me later for recommending the best Christmas gift ever.You're welcome.

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Burlap Christmas gift bags

I love burlap!

It's a cheap fabric that is so easy to use, 

plus it gives a fun rustic elegance to anything you make with it.

I love using gift bags to wrap presents in, but I wanted to take the gift bag up a notch, 

so I made these burlap Christmas gift bags for those hard to wrap items.

I had two yards of burlap and made 5 gift bags.

Burlap is one of the easier fabrics to cut if you know the tricks.

First, measure how big you want your bag

{I made mine 15" wide by 18" tall}

Once you find where you want to cut down, simply pull that thread slowly and as carefully as you can.

That thread will pull out leaving you a cut line that you can use to make a straight cut through your fabric.

Easy as that!

 I have loaned out my serger

{this would be a great project for it}

so I decided to use my zig zag stitch instead.

You don't really have to do any fancy ironing of the seams or pinning your fabric in place

just fold the top of your fabric down about a half an inch and sew it down with your zig zag stitch. 

The bags are fun plain, but what really jazzes them up are the Christmas designs.

I use Siser easy weed heat transfer material that I buy from specialty graphics.

I used my Silhouette to cut out some Christmas designs and ironed them on.

And remember those glitter jingle bells from Monday?

I tied those around to keep the sack closed.

Each bag cost me less than a dollar to make and they are sure to come in handy this holiday season.

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