christmas gifting.

after buying all my crafting supplies these are some of the things I put together as gifts this holiday season..

homemade coasters.  I found a few tutorials on pinterest and kind of made up my own convenient way of doing it and they turned out great.  you need tiles(from home depot), scrapbook paper, sticky felt(michaels), mod podge and clear spray paint. 

I also made this cookies n cream peanut butter using this recipe then adding crushed up oreos to the mix. yum!!

finally, for the stockings I made this homemade granola- simple and cute idea and there are tons of granola recipes out there to try.

I also made this little gift for derek... I used a deck of cards, hole punch, scrapbook paper and binder rings to put this little gem together.  I wrote out one thing on each card that I loved about him.  he loved this little gift and I really enjoyed making it.

also, since derek and I set a limit for gifts and we didn't do stockings I decided to get a few little gifts and wrap them each separately.  each one had a time written on it.  for example, 9.25, 10.25 etc.  on the 25th minute of each hour he got a little stocking stuffer type gift.  this idea was also a success- D enjoyed having something to open each hour until late afternoon.

other highlights from christmas included talking to my brother who I miss like crazy, an afternoon walk with D and some lazying around.  it was nice to not have to rush the entire day- much more relaxing.  such a fantastic christmas.

hope everyone had a wonderful holiday.

christmas fun round 1.

christmas this year was fantastic. as usual.  unfortunately, I didn't get much of a break given that I work in retail but I managed quite fine. on the 23rd we celebrated christmas with our second family...

I'm missing a picture of all of us but it was such a fantastic time. yay for ugly sweater parties! thanks brooke for the photos.

we have amazing friends that is all I can say and I can't wait to ring in the new year with them!!! I am looking forward to 4 consecutive days off this weekend to really enjoy some of my gifts including 2 amazing cookbooks, the book wheat belly and my blue planet dvds.  I was absolutely spoiled rotten this year as always and received some really thoughtful gifts.

our family christmas was a 4 day event.. continuing tonight actually- we have one more group of family to go! from christmas eve to today we have been enjoying family company and great food.

coming soon I am going to show you some of the handmade gifts that I gave to my people this year.  can't wait to share them!

merry christmas

christmas is in full swing around here.  I feel fortunate to have today and tomorrow off to celebrate with my friends and family.  I'm putting the final touches on gifts, the final treats in the oven and then going to relax with my family.  wishing everyone a relaxing and happy holiday.  see you in a few days!

cozy.

source

I would like to cozy up in this house, light a nice fire(with my notes that I should be studying), grab a blanket, a good book and a cup of hot chocolate in my favourite mug.  mmm yah that sounds good.  I'm praying to the weather gods for a little snow this christmas season.

holiday gifts.. on a budget.

homemade soy candles..

source

homemade body scrub...

incredibly adorable cookies in a jar

hot cocoa cone..

these are just some of the homemade gifts I have stumbled across... of course, the ones I am actually making for my friends and family will stay a secret until after christmas! 

happy homemade gifting!

--c&m

1 day until christmas: christmas company!

the holidays give us a chance to catch up and spend time with our friends and family.  this is something we both look forward to- great memories, yummy food and lots of laughs.

my christmas eve is being spent with my lovely family- we are getting together with lots of munchies and treats and of course board games! cranium and scrabble are in the line-up for tonight! also don't forget your eggnog

i made a pumpkin pie for the occasion, here is the recipe for the filling:

gramma's pumpkin pie

14 oz. can pumpkin

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ginger

1/8 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp salt

1 slightly beaten egg

1 cup milk

and a store bought or homemade pie crust!

mix ingredients in order given and pour into crust.

bake at 450 for 15 minutes or until crust is set(brown)

then lower to 350 and bake until firm- about 20 minutes

don't forget the whip cream! enjoy! 

    

--m

as for drinks during the holidays, my family loves their wine.  wine spritzers are also a favorite.  this is a great recipe, it's light, fruit not too sweet and red- for the holidays!

holiday cranberry orange wine spritzers:

4 ounces of white wine
4 ounces of cranberry juice
2 orange wheels
and a splash of soda or sprite (depending on how you like your sweetness!)

*cA

we hope everyone has a wonderful christmas eve!
1 more sleep!
--c&m

2 days til christmas: wrap it up

now that everyone has finished their christmas shopping, it is time to wrap it all up!  i love wrapping presents, and even through i admit i definitely go over board, i know my hard work is appreciated. 

instyle's december issue had a great article on innovative wrapping.  they got very creative and used things like flowers, leaves and branch arrangements as an alternatives to bows.  check out a local craft store for a wide variety of ribbon selection as well as some other accessories to wrap up your gifts! 

here is a few pictures i found of some great present wrapping:

2 more sleeps :)

*cA

3 days till christmas: christmas light tour

a standard christmas tradition is of course decorating the inside AND outside of your homes.  many people put up christmas lights but others go above and beyond to turn their yard into a fantastic holiday display!  last night we checked out all the "must see" displays in our community and were so impressed! pack a to-go hot chocolate for the road and take the time to see the displays that people spend hours preparing for us to enjoy.  check your local newspaper for a map that points out the best displays in your area.

3 more sleeps!

--m

4 days til christmas: last minute christmas shopping!

time is defintely starting to run out.  and if you haven't finished your christmas shopping, you'd better hurry!  stores this week are trying to help everyone out, extending there hours and staying open late every night.  if you are still having trouble trying to find the perfect gift for someone, refer back to our gift ideas post!

happy christmas shopping everyone!

only 4 sleeps left!

---c&m

6 days til christmas: take a winter snow trip

growing up in the prairies, i have never experienced a winter without snow.  a christmas without snow just doesn't feel like christmas.  for places on the coasts that don't experience snow, or much of it, i recommend visiting a snowy place before christmas to help get in the holiday spirit.  for those on the west coast, i definitely would suggest: whistler.

on my first and recent visit, i discovered what a great and unique village whistler is and all it has to offer.  besides the obvious snowboarding and skiing attractions, there are plenty of shops to finish your christmas shopping in, a large variety of restaurants and some great coffee shops to grab hot chocolate and warm up in.  and of course a lot of olympic memorabilia, that make for great pictures!

*cA

7 days til christmas: downtown shopping trip

when it comes to setting the christmas spirit and decorating for the holidays no one out does themselves quite like downtown shopping areas.  from christmas lights on trees, to the higher volume of shoppers, billboard gift ideas to giant mall christmas trees; the second you step foot on the street, you know exactly what time of year it is.  personally, one of my favorite things to do is check out window displays.  here are some photos i recently took on a downtown van shopping trip:

in addition to their a-mazing window displays, holt renfrew also has some great in-store displays for the holidays too!

we also happened to pass a group caroling through the stores!

happy christmas shopping!

*cA

8 days till christmas: christmas baking

what is a christmas celebration without christmas treats!? click on this link for a website with all the classic cookie recipes. get together with friends or family and have an afternoon of baking! and even use your treats as gifts or even better get together with a group and do a cookie swap party!

my favourite: snickerdoodles & chocolate macaroons

8 more sleeps!

--m

9 days till christmas:rum&eggnog and scrabble

spending quality time with friends and family is what i look forward to most at the holiday season.
cozy up by the fireplace with some rum and eggnog and play a game of scrabble.

allergic to dairy? try silk's soymilk nog or rice dream nog available at local grocery stores

if you are away from your loved ones at christmas- set up skype and click here to play scrabble online

only nine more sleeps! happy holidays

--m

10 days til christmas: paint your nails red

what better way to get into the holiday spirit then spreading some christmas red on your nails.  there are so many red shades to choose from, so here are a few holiday shades i picked out:

to check out china glaze's full holiday collection here.

*cA

11 days til christmas: trip to chapters

chapters is always a great place to grab some good reading, a starbucks and get in the holiday spirit.  whether you are going to catch up on some homework or work, we definitely recommend you check out our top picks for books:

morgan:
1 the friday night knitting club series. by kate jacobs
2 quentins. by maeve binchy
3 tuesdays with morrie. by mitch albom -or anything by mitch albom :)
4 eat pray love. by elizabeth gilbert

carissa:
1 devil wears prada. by lauren weisberger
2 if you have to cry, go outside. by kelly cutrone
3 into the wild. by jon krakauer
4 ysl: icons of fashion design. by marguerite duras

and from starbucks: the caramel apple spiced cider

--c&m

12 days til christmas: gift ideas.

while we count down the last 12 days until christmas we will share something everyday to help get everyone ready for christmas & in the holiday spirit!

to kick off, we are giving our top picks for some great christmas gift ideas:

what better to warm up the holidays then a cozy knitted scarf.  we're particularly fans of this knitted eternity scarf from urban outfitters in nude.

$28 from urban outfitters

magazine subscription.  this website is great, it has EVERY magazine and yearly subscriptions are up to 95% off cover price!

buying for someone that has everything?  why not make a charitable donation.  our favorite charity is the humane society, they are always in need, and nothing makes us feel better than making more tails wage.  click here to find a shelter in your city or go to http://www.humanesociety.com/

starbucks giftcard.  even though they will be late to try the new holiday lattes, they will still appreciate a week or two’s worth of coffee on you!

for a personal gift- create a calendar.  check your local michaels store or any craft store to get a calendar template.  add your favourite photos to each month to make a calendar anyone would love!

on a budget? do a variety of christmas baking for someone.  visit a craft store for some fancy wrapping and packaging ideas.  they will surely appreciate the hard work and details!

---c&m

times running out!

have you sent out your christmas cards yet?  better hurry, times running out.  here are some adorable and super crafty christmas cards available online:

bip&margot cards from topshop $6 for 4

tree trio cards from cardmaven on etsy $4 for 2

3d xmas tree card from kate's paperie $16 for 8

or, if your feel really creative (and have some time on your hands) you could make your own!

*cA

---

* red fridays is a non-profit canadian organization that helps canadians send christmas cards to soldiers away in mission.  all you need to do is set aside an extra christmas card, address it to "a canadian soldier" and write a message of thanks and seasons greetings.  then put it in an envelope and send it to:

     

          Red Fridays Foundation of Canada                

          Christmas Cards to the troops
          PO Box 31063 Westney Heights RPO
          Ajax, ON
          L1T 3V2