Coffee Mug Gingerbread House

Simply adorable! Surprise your family Christmas morning with a cup of hot chocolate adorned with a gingerbread house cookie! Get all the details from Not Martha

Melting Snowman Cookies

Meet my cute little snowman cookie friends!

If you're still needing to bake some holiday treats, these cookies are sure to be a huge hit!

Made with a classic sugar cookie recipe and topped with royal icing (allow the frosting to dribble down the cookie for a puddle effect). The marshmallow heads are popped into the microwave for 20 seconds to give it a wonky shape. Add final features using decorative icing.

My lovely little assistant!

The little ones love to help make the cookies but don't be surprised if they eat more than they make :)


Happy Holidays!

Magic Reindeer Food

If you're planning on having a children's holiday party or sending treats to their school, Reindeer Food is guaranteed to be a big hit with the little ones! It's great to get them involved with making it and start a new holiday tradition.

On Christmas Eve, sprinkle this magic reindeer food on your lawn. The sparkle of the glitter in the moonlight & the smell of the oats will guide Rudolph to your house!

Want to create some too? Feel free too download my label HERE.

What you'll need:

Dry oatmeal

Glitter*

Cellophane treat bags

Labels

*Another option is to use colored sugar. It will still give the sparkly appearance, without being harmful to actual animals who may end up eating it.

Sprinkle it on the lawn, driveway, or apartment patio to entice the reindeer and give them something to munch on while Santa delivers his sleigh of goodies.

Reindeer Food is perfect for those (young & old) who love the magical Christmas season!

Happy Holidays!

I'm linking to these fabulous parties!

DIY Snowman Kit

This is such a fun idea!

Being a California girl, I've only touched snow maybe 4 or 5 times in my entire life (some say I'm winter deprived, some say I'm lucky. Haha)! So being that I've never made a snowman, I'm loving this DIY kit idea from Make It Do. What a cute (and affordable) gift the whole family can enjoy. Get the details HERE

Minty Chocolatey Cookie Goodness!

Tis the season for holiday baking and cookie exchanges!
If you need a quick and easy recipe (my favorite words these days!) then you've got to give these a try. The chocolate chunks and touch of mint make for a perfect combination!

INGREDIENTS
1 pouch Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon mint extract
6 to 8 drops green food color
1 egg
1 cup creme de menthe baking chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks


1. Heat oven to 350F. In a large bow, stir cookie mix, butter, extract, food color and egg until soft dough forms. Stir in creme de menthe baking chips and chocolate chunks

2. Using teaspoon, drop dough 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet

3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until set. Cool 3 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Serve warm or cool completely. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

For an extra special touch, drizzle cooled cookies with melted chocolate

Yields 36 cookies.

Photo: bettycrocker.com

Free Personalized Video From Santa

Love this! You can send a FREE personalized video from Santa from the Portable North Pole (PNP) to anyone you like from toddlers to adults. A fun Christmas surprise to send to someone or let the kids watch their very own video over (and over and over) again! Go HERE to get started!

Snowmen Cupcakes

Tis the season for yummy treats (yahoo)!

If your short on time or just not the baker-type, you can whip up these adorable snowmen cupcakes using store-bought cupcakes!

• Dip frosted cupcakes in sparkling sugar
• Use mini M&M's for the eyes
• Candy orange slice halves for noses
• Gumdrops and licorice for the earmuffs
• And pink sprinkles for rosey cheeks

(photo: AllYou.com)

Free Holiday Card Templates

Download these gorgeous card templates from Florabella for FREE! Perfect for the holidays, but they can also be used year round. All the front of cards can be used like frames. Get the templates HERE and start creating!

Personalized Photo Ornaments - $1.99 Shipped

Looking for a fun personalized gift? ArtsCow is offering Personalized Photo Ornaments for $1.99 with FREE Shipping when you use code ORNTS2010 at checkout. After doing a little research I learned the ornaments are ceramic and had very positive reviews.

I ordered 4 & my total was just $7.96. The offer is valid on single-sided personalized ornaments only. They are shipped from overseas, so I suggest ordering them soon to make sure they arrive in time for Christmas.

Hip Holiday Cards

Christmas is just around the corner (44 days to be exact!). Now that I'm a parent, one of the joys of the holiday is sending Christmas cards to friends & family with an updated photo of our little gal. But I tend to stress myself out by trying to make each card fun & fabulous. Choosing the perfect photos can be a challenge. This year I'm going a different route (attempting to make my life easier) and using my favorite online printing store, Shutterfly. I'm going to use them for my holiday photo cards, Christmas party invites & holiday gift tags. I love one-stop shopping especially when I can do it my pajamas! Plus they have a great selection and their prices are reasonable. I am also a big fan of the quality of their cards – not to mention their prints and photo books…

Here are a few of my favorites:

Starlight Snowflakes

Retro Ornaments Photo Card

Clever Rudolph Gift Tag

If you aren’t already signed up with Shutterfly, sign up now and get 50 4x6 FREE prints. Then be sure to check out their latest holiday cards – in addition to Christmas cards – they offer Hanukkah, New Year’s, thank you cards and more!

Are you blogger? You can receive 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly. Just click HERE for information on how you can get 50 free cards this holiday season!

So are you a procrastinator or have you already started your holiday cards?

DIY Christmas Ornaments

I can't believe it's already time to start thinking about the holidays! With just 4 months to go, it's time to start crafting ornaments to commemorate 2010.

Letter To Santa Ornament

I love this idea from Under The Table & Dreaming and the fact it can be used year after year (or at least until the BIG secret about Santa is discovered). It's the perfect place for your little one to tuck away their wish list to Santa. Get all the details HERE