Do you have a new little one in your life this Christmas? Then this easy yet beautiful Baby Girl Christmas Ornament will be the perfect gift!

Baby Girl Christmas Ornament **sponsored post**

Thanks to DecoArt for providing the paint for this project!

Materials:

1-3.25" translucent glass ornament
Extreme Sheen DecoArt paint in Rose Quartz
Small jewel stickers ( got mine at Dollar Tree)
Pink, white & silver ribbon in various widths
Sheer white/glitter ribbon
Pink and white feathers
Hot glue gun
Small paper plate

This ornament is so easy to make and looks just beautiful with the Extreme Sheen paint! I was provided with a set of Extreme Sheen paint from DecoArt for this project. I chose to use the Rose Quartz color as it is the perfect "baby girl" color!

Directions:

First, make sure your ornament is clean on the outside. I cleaned mine with an alcohol wipe. Then I used a yellow sharpie (so it wouldn't show through afterwards) and drew the initial "E" on the outside. Using the stick on jewels, cover the monogram. I also used the jewels to put "19" on the back for the year.

Take the top hanger part off of the ornament. Shake the bottle of paint to make sure it is well mixed. Then pour a little at a time inside the ornament around the edge. Start to swirl it around so it covers the inside of the ornament. Add a little at a time until you have enough inside to cover the entire ornament.



Turn the ornament over onto the paper plate so that all of the excess paint will drip out. This took several days for mine so I occasionally moved the ornament around on the plate so it wasn't sitting in the drained out paint. If you have a heat tool you can use it to speed up the drying process.

While the paint is drying add the decor to the ornament cap. Tie one piece of ribbon around the top for hanging. I used a piece of white/glitter sheer. Take some strips of ribbon about 8" long and stack them together. Then tie them in a knot around the metal hanging part. Put a couple of small feather stems inside the knot. Add a little dab of hot glue to hold the knot and the feathers. Take 2 pieces of sheer ribbon and tie a bow. Glue the bow to the front of the knot.

Once the paint is dry inside the ornament, put the cap back on the ornament. Don't you think the metallic paint gives this ornament a beautiful finish!



 

Collaborating this month with a lovely group of Bloggers to bring you some new craft ideas. For the November Craft Destash we are challenged to create a project using only items currently found in our craft stash. We were to make something new with crafty supplies or re-make an item we've been holding on to for a while. For this challenge, hosted by Megan from C'mon Get Crafty,  I decided to make this Quilted Christmas Pillow.

I made this pillow for a sweet friend of mine. She is always so thoughtful and caring. I wanted to show her that I had been thinking about her and appreciate her friendship.
I had everything I needed to make this pillow. The red and green fabric I had inherited from my mother years ago. Really, I don't ever remember her sewing anything so I'm not sure why she had this fabric. I had purchased the white fabric about a year ago when it was on sale as I use a lot of it with my quilting. The embroidery thread is also in my stash as I used to do a lot of cross-stitch. 

 

Quilted Christmas Pillow

Materials for a 20" pillow:

2 green squares 6" each
2 red squares 6" each
4 red squares 6" each, in a different pattern
8 white squares 6" each
20" x 20" piece of batting
White material for back 
20" pillow form
Optional:
2 packs of red embroidery thread
1 pack of gold embroider thread

Directions:

First you will be making "half-square triangles" (HST). To do that, take one white square and one red (outer) print. Place them with right sides together. Draw a line diagonally down the center. Sew a scant ¼" away from each side of the seam. Cut down the middle between the seams. This gives you 2 matching half square triangles. Repeat this with 3 more whites/reds. Then use the other red pattern with the green to create 2 more sets. Press these open pressing the seam towards the darker fabric. You will end up the 4 of the red/green, 8 of the white/red and will have 4 of the plain white squares left over.



You will notice that the white squares are a little larger than the half square triangles. Trim the white pieces down so they are the same size as the HST. Then start sewing your squares together in a scant ¼" seam. I sewed them row by row then sewed the rows together but you can do it however you like! Place the batting on the back and quilt however you like. I just quilted along my stitching lines which is called "stitch in the ditch". 

To make the back, cut 2 pieces of your backing fabric to measure 20" long and 14" wide. Make a narrow hem along 1 20" side of each piece. 

Tassels

If you want to make tassels, you will use 1 pack of embroidery thread for 2 tassels. Tie a loop of gold thread around each end of the embroidery thread for the hanger. Take another piece of gold thread and tie very tightly around the ends to secure the loop thread. Cut across the center of the thread. Trim any loose threads. Then make another one of these.



To put the pillow together, lay the quilted piece face up. Then put the tassels in each corner so that the tassel is laying on the quilted piece and the gold loop is laying off (you will catch the gold thread as you sew). Lay the backing pieces face down so that they overlap to make an envelope. Pin the edges then sew all the way around the outside edge in a ¼" seam. Make sure you caught the gold tassel thread. I put a knot in the thread right by the corner seam to help hold it. Press the seams to one side then turn right side out.

Finally add the pillow form and it's ready!

 

 

For last month's challenge I made this Fall Market Tote.

Do you need a Christmas craft to keep your kids busy?  Download these Free Printable Christmas Puppets for Kids and let them start on the Christmas fun!

Printable Christmas Puppets 

If you would like to keep your kids busy, you can use the pdf files. Then let them cut out each character! Otherwise (or if you have small children) you can download the png files. Png files are usable in most cutting machines. Just use the print then cut feature. These are zip files. If you are unsure how to unzip them, you can find directions here from Microsoft support.

The reindeer and gingerbread man are symmetrical so you will just print 2 copies of the same page. All the other characters are mirrored so when you glue one picture to each side of a craft stick they will match up. It works best to print on cardstock but you could also print on plain copy paper. (In the picture above I printed the elf on paper and it didn't turn out as nicely as the others!) Each puppet measures about 5 inches tall.

Once the puppets are cut, use glitter, buttons, sequins or other fun craft items to decorate them. Then use a craft stick or pipe cleaner for the handle and glue a matching puppet face to each side. 

Use a cardboard box or a tabletop for the stage and let your kids use their imaginations!

Are you looking for something a little healthier for breakfast this holiday season? Well look no further. These Healthy Gingerbread Donuts made in non-stick donut pans from Zulay Kitchen will certainly hit the spot!

Healthy Gingerbread Donuts

**This is a sponsored post and also includes affiliate links. I received the donut pans from Zulay Kitchens. All opinions are my own.

Ingredients for 9 donuts:

1/2 cup almond flour
1 cup gluten free flour blend
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp gingerbread spice
1/3 cup xylitol
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 egg
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup molasses

Directions:

First of all, thanks so much to Zulay Kitchen for providing these donut pans. I have been wanting to get some donut pans so I was really excited to receive these. These pans are reasonably priced and the no-stick feature makes it so easy to get the donuts out of the pan! They have a store on their website but they also have an Amazon store where you can find these donut pans. Zulay is also one of the sponsors for our giveaway so be sure to scroll down and enter the giveaway!

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Add the lemon juice to the almond milk and stir. Let it sit while you are mixing the other ingredients. (You are making "buttermilk")

Mix all of the dry ingredients (almond flour through xylitol) in a large bowl. 

 

In a small bowl slightly beat the egg. Then add the vanilla, honey and molasses. Stir to mix well. Then add the milk and stir to mix.

Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix until well combined.

Use a ladle or fill a measuring cup to add the batter to the pan. Fill about ¾ of the way for each donut. Place pans in oven and cook for 12-15 minutes.

Remove from oven and let the donuts cool in pan for about 10 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

Are you ready to start wrapping all of those gifts you've been buying during Black Friday week? It's kind of funny how it used to be just one day. Then it was several days and now it's all week! Anyway, once you are ready to wrap you can download these free printable Rustic Christmas Gift Tags to help decorate your packages!

Just click on the link below to download your free Rustic Christmas Gift Tags file. They are available in png to use with a cutting machine or pdf if you prefer to cut them with scissors. 

Free Christmas Gift Tags

Merry Christmas and welcome to the 25 Days of Christmas Blog Hop and my diy angel ornament tutorial! This blog hop features one of my favorite things about the Christmas season - Christmas movies! 

It's the most wonderful time of the year - time for the annual 25 Days Of Christmas Movies Blog Hop! #ChristmasMoviesHop

We have 25 talented bloggers gathered together to share with you all the wonderful crafts and recipes you can make this Christmas season, based off of some of the most beloved holiday classic films. There are 25 films to be inspired by for your holiday season, and 25 talented bloggers to aid your inspiration! If you love Christmas movies, you have come to the right place!!

 

Let’s Meet The Hosts!

 

Megan ~ C’mon Get Crafty | Marie ~ The Inspiration Vault | Carmen ~ Gross to Grandiose

Christine ~ My Kitchen My Craft | Crissy ~ It's a Wonderful Life | Emily ~ Domestic Deadline

Stephanie ~ The Tip Toe Fairy | Rebecca ~ The Moments at Home | Marianne ~ Songbird

Ashley ~ Attempts at Domestication | Sue ~ A Purdy Little House | Roseann ~ This Autoimmune Life

Kim ~ Kimspireddiy | Jaime ~ Love Jaime | Terri ~ Christmas Tree Lane |Lyne ~ The Paper Addict

Nicole ~ For the the Love of Food | Marie ~ DIY Adulation | Paula ~ Paula Tisch

Lara~ Love on a Plate | Jaclyn ~ The Dotted Nest

 

 

 

 

Movies with angels have always been a favorite of mine. The Preacher's Wife is one of those movies. The Preacher's Wife is a remake of the 1947 classic The Bishop's Wife starring Cary Grant. It stars Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston and Courtney B. Vance as the main characters. In this feel good movie, Reverend Biggs is having trouble with his marriage. In addition his church is being threatened by the property developer.  With desperation, Reverend Biggs prays to God for help - and help arrives in the form of an angel named Dudley. Although Dudley begins to fall for Rev. Biggs' wife Julia, in the end the uplifting message about family and faith shines through. 

To share my love of angels, I created this angel ornament.

Angel Ornament

Materials (makes 3):

3 Lacy Butterflies (purchased from Joann from spring clearance)
1 package crystal light trim chandelier ornaments (purchased from Hobby Lobby)
Silver pipe cleaner
1 yard silver ribbon
6 white feathers

 

Directions:

Take the body off of the butterfly. Glue (with hot glue) the wings to the back of the crystal trim along the metal piece holding the 2 beads together. 

 

Make a halo out of a small piece of the silver pipe cleaner. Glue it to the top above the "head" bead. 

 

Use 2 of the white feathers and glue the ends on the front of the ornament just underneath the head. Tie a bow with the silver ribbon and glue it over the ends of the feathers to cover them. Use another piece of the silver ribbon to make a hanger. Glue it to the back of the head.

 

Repeat 2 more times with the remaining materials. You will have 3 beautiful angel ornaments!