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Green Christmas Idea: Recycled Rudolph Wrapping Paper
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PowerYourHoliday #CollectiveBias
Christmas and green seem to go hand in hand. Green Christmas trees stand proudly in our living rooms, greenery twists down the banisters of our stairs, and green wreaths hang on doors to welcome friends and family to our home. But Christmas and being eco-friendly can go hand in hand too!
Need some examples?
- Set your Christmas tree lights on a timer. No need to waste electricity here!
- Turn the thermostat down a degree or two. If you are cold, curl up with a blanket and a glass of hot cocoa near the fire.
- Shop eco-friendly products.
- Buy recycled gift wrap. Or wait….don’t buy it!
Did you know that most gift wrap can’t be recycled? Lots of wrapping paper is thin and doesn’t have many fibers making it easy to recycle and some has glitter, plastics and other non-paper materials added to them. Sure you can buy recycled gift wrap, but even better use what you have at home! This super cute Rudolph wrapping paper idea is simple, easy and a great way to recycle. Even better, just pull off the pom pom and it is 100% recyclable!
This project is super simple and really doesn’t take any longer than wrapping with traditional wrapping paper and adding all of the ribbons and bows! Plus, I kind of like the thought of having a bunch of Rudolphs under the tree!
You will need:
- Brown Paper Bags
- Scissors
- Brown Construction Paper
- Black Marker
- Red Pom Poms
- Glue
- Tape
Cut your brown paper bag down the side. Then open it up and remove the bottom of the bag so it will lay flat. If your bag has handles, trim those away too. Recycle your scraps!
Wrap your gift like you normally would!
Draw on two black eyes.
Glue on a red pom pom nose.
Out of the brown construction paper cut out two antler shapes. Don’t think about the shape too much! Each reindeer’s antlers are unique! 🙂
Ta da! Isn’t it cute?
Another great way to go green this holiday is to make sure to pick up Energizer EcoAdvanced batteries. Not only are they good to keep on hand all the time, but especially during the holiday season. You don’t want to have excitement over a new toy to be met with the disappointment of not having batteries!
The Energizer EcoAdvanced batteries are the world’s first AA battery to be made of 4% recycled batteries. It also happens to be the longest lasting Energizer battery! Double win! We bought a few packs of AA EcoAdvanced batteries and also their AAA size. We seem to never have them when we need them so I wanted to make sure that we had a supply on hand!
You can find the Energizer EcoAdvanced batteries at your local Walmart!
My son is a big tech guy so I know that we need a good quality battery that will last (and last and last!) so Energizer is our first choice for quality. I’m so excited to support a brand that holds our passion with keeping our planet in mind. Did you know that Energizer is committed to bringing positive energy to the world without the waste? They are working towards a future where all of their batteries are made with recycled batteries! While 4% may not sound like a lot, it actually is! That means 4% of the total weight or about 10% of the active ingredient in the battery! What an awesome step! In fact, by 2025 their goal is to grow that number to have Energizer batteries made up of 40% recycled batteries. That’s 10 times the amount now! This is definitely a company I feel good about supporting! Not only do our electronics work longer, but their ideas are ones I love!
Even MOO approves!
Don’t forget to pin our Recycled Rudolph Wrapping Paper!
DIY Marble Mug
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Folgers for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.
November is here and I can’t believe it. Fall is officially making way for winter and that means a few things. One, I’m looking at getting my Christmas list going. And two, I’m looking for my coffee mug! I think it might be a scientific fact that the more the thermometer dips down, the more I fill my coffee cup up! Today’s project was inspired by both of those things! That and the amazing lunch I had a few weeks ago at Trader’s Point Creamery with the awesome people of Folgers!
I was tickled when I got invited to come have lunch and meet with the Folgers team. It was totally the perfect coffee day – cold and rainy.
So why were we meeting with Folgers? Because Indianapolis is one of only three areas that are test markets for this really awesome new product called Folgers Perfect Measures. (Currently it is also available in St. Louis and Kansas City.) So basically, I’m thrilled to introduce this to y’all!
I really think this product is super smart. No more measuring (and in my case, spilling) and it’s so easy to customize. Want a stronger coffee? No problem! Just add an extra tab.
Tab? Yes tabs! Your favorite coffee that you have grown to love now comes in tab. No measuring. No mess. With your automatic drip coffee maker, just place your tabs in a coffee filter. Add your water and brew your perfect pot. One tab is the same as one scoop so it’s super easy to get used to. You can get the Fogers Perfect Measures in 5 flavors: 100% Columbian, Breakfast Blend, Classic Roast, Classic Decaf and Black Silk.
I was so inspired by this totally awesome, new way to brew, I thought I needed a new coffee mug to go with it. It needed to be just as easy to make as the Folgers Perfect Measures was! And it needed to be adorable. I wanted something that would make a cute gift. (And what better to give with a coffee mug but a container of Fogers coffee!)
These marble mugs are just the thing. A truly personalized, perfect cup! The mugs themselves cost only about $1-2 and just a few minutes to make, but look completely high end.
Here is what you need:
- A Ceramic Coffee Mug (I bought one at our local dollar store to use)
- A large mixing bowl (I bought one at our local dollar store to use)
- Warm water
- Nail Polish (I only used two colors, but use whatever colors and however many you want!)
- A toothpick
- Wax Paper
Here is how you make them:
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Fill the bowl with warm water.
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Slowly pour in the first color of nail polish. You want to pour it pretty close to the water’s edge, otherwise the drops will sink to the bottom.
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Add in your second color of polish the same way.
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Use a toothpick and swirl the colors together.
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Dip the mug at an angle into the water. You don’t need to submerge the mug. The polish should want to just cling to it.
- Set the mug upside down on the wax paper to dry.
(*Note: I have been putting my mug on the top rack of the dishwasher and not had a problem, but if you are worried about it then just be sure to hand wash it!)
Once your mug is dry, fill with your favorite Folgers Perfect Measures coffee! Or wrap it up and give it along with a container of Folgers coffee for the perfect gift.
Don’t forget to be on the look out in a Kroger or Marsh store near you for the new Folgers Perfect Measures Coffee! Ditch the mess, a brew up your perfect cup to drink out of your new perfect mug!
Don’t forget to pin!
9 Awesome Valentine’s Day Ideas – Moms Check In
Are you as excited about Valentine’s Day as I am? I’m not sure if it’s all of the pink or the hearts, but something about it gets me feeling all happy. Here are some of our favorite Valentine’s Day ideas! #MomsCheckIn
Valentine’s Day is so much fun for us. I mean…chocolate, right? And love. What could be better? One of our favorite homemade Valentine’s are these Rainbow Loom cards. Just print out the free template and attach the bracelets my daughter can make in her sleep. She gave them out last year and the kids loved them. On Valentine’s Day we have to have dessert too (of course)! This Valentine’s Day Pudding Parfait is so easy, pretty, and totally delicious! Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!
– Lindsay is the mom of 2 and author of See Mom Click. She shares great deals, Disney happenings and recipes. You can follow her on Twitter here!
I LOVE Valentine’s Day. It’s fun to create special memories with Sam including home made crafts and treats. We always have a great time together. I also try to do a special dinner date with Mike each year.
– Stephanie is the mom to Sam and the author of Spaceships and Laser Beams. If you ever need party ideas her site is the place to visit! Specializing in all things boy, it’s full of inspiration! Follow her on Twitter here!
Valentine’s Day is just the coolest. We love to make our own Valentine’s Day cards for little man’s classroom exchange. They’re just always a bit more unique and fun, I think. Here are some really great Valentine’s Day printables for cards, treat toppers and more. We also make up baggies of these strawberry muddy buddies to pass out in his classroom. That stuff is SERIOUSLY addictive – so beware!! xoxo
– Jenni is the mom of one and the author of Sweet Pennies From Heaven. A hearth and home website, Sweet Pennies From Heaven focuses on recipes, crafts and creating a comfortable home. Follow her on Twitter here!
Every year we make homemade Valentines to pass out at school. We try to do something more than candy and super fun. A few years ago I made printable tags to attach to mini boxes of cereal. They were a HUGE hit! This year we are sending in lip balms for the girls and bags of chips for the boys.
– Amanda is the mom to Joshua and owns It’s a Fabulous Life. If you are looking for a one stop place for all things mom, It’s a Fabulous Life is it! Full of recipes, fashion, DIY projects, recipes and parenting articles it’s the place for all of Mom’s favorites to come together! Follow her on Twitter here!
How do you plan on celebrating Valentine’s Day?
Be sure to pin!
Disney’s Frozen Inspired Melted Snowman Ornament
Last year the movie Frozen came out and it’s been going crazy ever since. I’m not sure if it was the characters, the sisterly love, the girl power message, or all of the awesome songs. It was probably a mixture of all them. Normally movies fade and new ones come out, but it seems like Frozen is one that will stick around forever!
Sydney is just getting to that age where she wants to get her friends gifts and take them to school. Seriously, what is better than a DIY gift?! We needed something cute, girly and budget friendly. Frozen isn’t just for the little kids! The girls in middle school are totally obsessed too!
We were totally inspired by Olaf. He’s one of the sweetest characters in all of the history of Disney. Seriously, who can resist an adorable snowman? So we decided to make the cutest Frozen Inspired Snowman Ornaments Ever. Because some people are worth melting for.
Totally.
You Will Need:
- Glass ornaments
- Sea Salt (I used coarse sea salt)
- Orange cardstock
- Tape
- Black Beads
- White Glitter
- Fine Blue Glitter
- Ribbon and Tulle For the bow
- Mini Clothes Pins (optional)
- Bakers Twine
- Thread
- Our Free Printable Tags
(Just save our tags and have them printed at your local office supply store on Cardstock!)
This is a free printable to be used for personal creations only. This is not intended to be sold.
The process for making these is pretty simple. I used the card stock to create a funnel. Then pour in some white glitter, a little blue and some sea salt until you get your desired amount. Then you will want to drop in two beads for the eyes.
For the nose, you cut a triangle from your orange card stock and fold it to create a cone shape. Just a little piece of tape will hold it. Then drop it in!
Tip: I used a kabob stick to help move the eyes and nose where I wanted them!
Next, it’s time to create a bow. I used ribbon and this wonderful glitter tulle. I really wanted the bow to give it a Frozen effect. Use your Baker’s Twine to attach the bow in front of the top of lid of the ornament. Also, don’t forget a string for hanging!
If you want you can punch a whole in the printable card and string it through. I chose to use these adorable mini clothespins that were the perfect shade of glittery blue to hold the card to the ribbon. (I found mine on clearance at Hobby Lobby!)
Then attach the lid back on the ornament. Ta-da! You are done!
Your adorable snowman is complete!
Easy Teacher Christmas Gift Idea
If you have followed the blog for some time now, then you know that I’m kind of the Queen of Cheese when it comes to corny tags for gifts. Christmas is no exception. And no one is safe, even teachers from the cheesiness that can happen.
I know many of you liked our teacher appreciation gifts and while many of those tags can easily be used for Christmas gifts (or even end of the year gifts), I decided to create a special tag for one of our most popular teacher gift ideas.
When I used to work in a school, one of the gifts that I got one year was a candle warmer and some wonderful scents. I really loved it, because it was safe to have in my classroom and it made it smell so wonderful! Ever since, they are my go to gifts for teachers!
Simply save our gift tags and print on cardstock. You can also save them on a flash-drive and send them to your local copy shop to have them printed. (I printed mine as 5×7’s.) Then, a simple hole punch and ribbon and your gift is complete!
It really can’t get easier than this! Every year, the teachers really seem to love this gift!
- Snowman Candle Warmer
- Medallion Crock Warmer
- Owl Plug In Warmer
- Christmas Cottage Candle Warmer
- Owl Candle Warmer (I have this one and it is REALLY adorable!)
- Santa Candle Warmer (I have ordered this one for gifts several times and it is always a hit!)
If you are looking for some great scents you can also check out these packs.
- Baking Scents (Pack of 6)
- Best Selling Scents (Pack of 6)
Don’t forget to pin!
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Back To School Sharpie Card – Teacher Gift Idea
| “This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media, Staples and Sharpie, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #SharpieBTS http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV” |
For us school starts soon! I always like to send Josh into school with a little something for his new teacher. Gifts have to be fun and practical. And really, can you get any more practical than school supplies? I’ve seen the candy bar cards ALL over Pinterest over the years, so I decided to make our own version using Sharpies!
My son called this the Ultimate Pun Challenge and we were very happy with our result. This was SO easy, inexpensive and I think it will be easy to re-create for teacher appreciation and end of the year cards as well. Plus, I think his teacher will love it!
First, you need to go get your supplies. You can find Sharpie markers at Staples. All Sharpie Fine and Ultra Fine markers will be on sale starting August 10th while supplies last!
The only other supplies you will need are poster board and tape. We also included a Staples gift card with our gift so that his teacher could pick up more Sharpies and other back to school essentials!
The instructions are really simple. Write your note onto the poster board. Make sure you leave enough space for a Sharpie to fit in place of some of the words. Then, just tape the Sharpie in place.
Simple huh? Here is our letter:
Yellow (Hello) Mrs. Miller!
I just red (read) that you were going to be my teacher! All of my black (back) to school blues (blues) vanished.
The other kids will be green (green) with envy. Orange (Aren’t) you excited about this coming school year? I am! Pink (pinky) promise it’s going to be great.
Love Joshua
P.S. In case this didn’t earn me any brown (brownie) points, maybe this gift card will help!
Because every teacher needs a Staples gift card! 🙂
And that’s it! SUPER easy! Plus, it’s a gift that will be loved and well used! Starting August 10th all Sharpie Fine and Ultra Fine markers will be on sale at Staples! (While supplies last!)
Teacher Appreciation Week – Easy Gift Ideas with Free Printable Tags
It’s Teacher Appreciation week! Starting today!! Are you ready? If not, don’t worry! We have lots of quick, easy gift ideas and even free printable gift tags to help you! Teachers do so much for our kids, so even if you can’t buy a gift make sure to write a quick note to let them know that they are appreciated!
For a very ‘POP’ular Teacher – attach to a movie gift certificate or to a yummy batch of popcorn! (Try our recipes for Cookie Butter Popcorn or Cookie & Cocoa Swirl Popcorn!)
NAILED it! free printable gift tag to attach to a nail polish or salon gift certificate! Pamper your teacher! 🙂
You are a ‘Scent’sational Teacher! Add our cute tag to a candle!
You Warm My Heart! What goes hand in hand with candles? A candle warmer!
Get the free printable tag here.
Keep your teacher hydrated with a cute new water bottle! (Filling it with chocolate is optional!)
Get the free printable tag here.
You are ‘So-Da’ Teacher! Add a little variety by choosing different flavors of soda (or buy a case of their favorite!) and adding our cute tag!
Get the free printable tag here.
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!
How to Paint Converse & Our Nintendo Converse Shoes
In a few days my baby boy will be turning 11. I really have to keep saying it over and over again, because I honestly just don’t believe it. Gone are the days of asking for a new toy for his birthday. This year it was drum lessons, video games and high tops. But not just any high tops. He wanted custom high tops. I’ve realized that I am the most un-hip person on the face of the planet. When I went shopping I didn’t even know where to begin. (I think there should be a place where you can rent a hipster – someone that can go with moms like me who are obviously not cool anymore and show them where to shop and what to buy. And of course they would need a catchy phone number – 1-800-GET-COOL or something.) Anyways. I came up with NOTHING. 
So I did the next logical thing and Googled. I saw tons of cool things that were way out of my artistic abilities ( and trust me, there isn’t a ton of artistic ability in me!) But when I saw these I thought, I can do that! Just rectangles right?
Well, we are happy! I was happy that it wasn’t too hard and Josh is happy because, well they are awesome! 🙂 (Drummers need cool shoes you know!)
You will need:
A pair of Converse shoes! (We have plans to paint some slip on shoes too this summer!)
Paint Brushes (This is not a pull out your kid’s watercolor paint brush project. You don’t need the most expensive brushes but some good ones! Here are the ones I used: Spotter, Blender, Shader, & Blender. For the price, I wish I would have also picked up the Wash/Shade Brush set! A slightly bigger brush would have saved time on the bigger areas!)
Since I had the two buttons I also picked up a pack of stencil sponges. (These were only about $3 or $4 at the store I picked them up at!)
Acrylic paint (I used Apple Barrel by Plaid) Make sure you get acrylic paint!
Want to make your own? Here area few things I learned along the way!
– Go ahead and sketch out a rough design on the shoes in pencil.
– Work one shoe at a time! It’s easier!
-Most of the time I was painting I had one hand inside the shoe! It helps to give you some stability.
-Do your outlines first and then shade them in. If at first when you are painting, the color isn’t exactly what you were thinking, let it dry and give it another coat! Especially if you are using black shoes! 🙂
-The shoes are really forgiving! While I did have a light sketch on the I honestly did it mostly free handed. As you can tell above there were some blemishes. But you can always paint over a mistake! (Even on the black where I wasn’t painting anything – a small mistake just took a little black paint and you can’t even tell!) The style we did was a lot of squares and rectangles. This is why having good brushes will come in handy! They make it much, much, much easier to paint a straight line. And if there is a little curve in it – that’s ok! Honestly, no one will notice! Plus, they are hand painted! You will have a little quirk here or there!
-See? That light grey box with the two black buttons? If you look close you can see where I touched up my mistake with a little black paint to make it look even? See! What mistake? 🙂 Work in layers! The paint will dry pretty quickly! Layering details on top will save you lots of headaches as opposed to tying to work around them!
– Add your own touch! We wrote Josh’s name down the backs of his shoes. Not that he would get them mixed up with anyone elses! 😉
-Know that even though they aren’t perfect – they are still 100% cool.
And so I give you our Nintendo Converse shoes: 
And yes, we did one side the controller side and one side the console side. Yep. We are kind of Old School.
If you make a pair please let me know!! I would love to see them!!
And don’t forget to pin! 🙂
Being A Great Teacher? Nailed it! Printable Teacher Appreciation Gift Tag
Teacher Appreciation Week is NEXT WEEK! If you are looking for a quick, last minute gift idea how about picking up a gift certificate for a local nail salon for an after school visit for pampering? Or even just a few fun bottles of pretty polish?
Just save our printable tags and print on to card stock (I took mine to a local copy shop!) Then, attach to an envelope and put your gift certificate inside!
I’m sure your child’s teacher will be more than excited for a little bit of pampering!
And it couldn’t be any easier! 🙂
Check out some of our other Teacher Appreciation ideas here!
For A Very ‘POP’ular Teacher Free Printable Tag for Teacher Appreciation
This past weekend was filled with amazing Cookie Butter Popcorn and Cookie & Cocoa Swirl Popcorn. While we were munching away — and I was wishing I had the will power to stop — I thought I know! Let’s be awesome and give some away! Who wouldn’t love this?
So Josh and I headed out and found these super cute Popcorn boxes at World Market. ($4.99 for 12 boxes)
No World Market? Check out Amazon! They have similar boxes available! (Check them out here.)
I love these because they are so easy to make and you can fill it with the popcorn ‘flavor’ of your choice! (Above is the Cookie & Cocoa Swirl Popcorn – get the recipe here)
This is our Cookie Butter Popcorn! (Get the recipe here)
Before sending these off to school, I suggest getting some plastic treat bags and filling them and then putting the treat bag in the popcorn box. That way you can seal it up and it will stay fresh! You can get them pretty inexpensively on Amazon. (See them here.)
Just save the picture to your computer and make to fit one page. I printed mine at a local copy shop onto card stock.
They would also be fun to attach a movie theater gift card to!
Check out some of our other Teacher Appreciation ideas here!