Glittery Chipboard Gift Tags - November Silhouette Challenge

I know, I know... it was just Halloween and it is not even Thanksgiving yet, but I am already looking ahead and crafting to Christmas. I was really excited to jump back into the Silhouette Challenge with these simple and fun chipboard gift tags. November's theme is for $5 and Under Projects with a bonus challenge to use glitter. Getting started early on homemade wrapping solutions seemed like a great place to start.

I was able to accomplish both the price limit and the glitz with these easy jumbo gift tags. I was also able to finally use the double-sided adhesive, I have had in my stash, on a project. I am not sure why I waited so long to try it out. The adhesive was very durable and worked well for the intricate snowflake shape pictured above. I always worry about tearing complicated images, but this stuff was very easy to work with.

Luckily, this project only requires a few supplies:

• Chipboard
• Gift Tag outline for the Silhouette or Punch
• Double-Sided Adhesive
• Glitter
• paint brush *helpful but not necessary
• spatula *helpful but not necessary
• Baker's twine
• scissors

Why jumbo tags? Who says the tag doesn't matter when it is homemade and covered in glitter, right?  I wanted these to really pop and make a statement on our gifts this year.

I started by cutting out my chipboard gift tags. Then I selected 4 images from my library that would fit my Christmas theme as well as look darling in glitter. Big, simple outlines work well with the adhesive and the glitter.

Before cutting, I selected the double-sided adhesive paper and adjusted my blade as directed.

Weeding this project was easy, the hardest part was separating off the yellow backing before fixing them to my chipboard tags. I used my Silhouette spatula to help separate the layers.

You can see here that my most complicated design was the Christmas tree since I used 3 different colors of glitter. I started by sticking down the outline first, covering it in glitter, then adding the next piece and another color of glitter, etc.

I used a brush to make sure glitter was covering all the exposed adhesive before I shook off the excess glitter. It did a great job of getting the glitter in an even layer, especially around the edges of the image.

I also created some monochrome tags like this reindeer in gold, a Christmas star in blue and a snowflake in white.

This snowflake photo doesn't quite do the tag justice as the image stands out better offscreen.

And here are all 4 of my finished designs. What do you think?

So, how would you design your own glittery gift tags?

Want to Check Out More Silhouette Projects?

My Silhouette Challenge buddies and I are all sharing projects on our blogs today, so peruse the projects below for a wealth of Silhouette inspiration!


1. From Wine to Whine // 2. Creative Ramblings // 3. Adventures in All Things Food // 4. unOriginal Mom // 5. Small Stuff Counts // 6. Alayna's Creations // 7. Single Yet Married Mom // 8. Comfort and Yum // 9. Tori Grant Designs // 10. Cutesy Crafts // 11. The Crafting Nook // 12. Whatcha Workin' On? // 13. Architecture of a Mom // 14. Havalah // 15. Create & Babble // 16. A Time For Seasons

Our Christmas Highlight on The Polar Express

Another fabulous Christmas is in the books and I have the photos to prove it!

After all the blogging this past month, I took a few days off to enjoy with my family and we crammed a lot of memories into one short week.

Have you read or watched The Polar Express?

I think the movie, with an animated Tom Hanks playing several characters, came out before my children. 10 years ago, to be exact, since we were able to enjoy the 10th anniversary of the movie with The Polar Express train ride. It was quite an event and we are already planning to make it a yearly occasion.

Last year my son's class read the book and then right before break, they watched the movie. I forget why, but my son only saw part of the movie in class, so we watched it as a family at home.

It was a sweet tale about believing and holding onto a belief a Christmas. Much more elaborate than the beautifully illustrated storybook version by Chris Van Allsburg, it contained many characters most of which were voiced by Tom Hanks. Great detail was put into the animation and it even won a Grammy for the song "Believe". 

So both my older children were excited when they found out we were headed to the North Pole for our own little by train.

This is my favorite part about Christmas. Being able to infuse a little more magic into such a special time of year for my 5 and 7 year old was so worth it. We were encouraged to come dressed in comfortable pajamas and most of the kids were.  Seated at tables for 4, cast members read the original story to the train car then served up the appropriate Hot Chocolate and cookies as seen in the movie.

Then we were able to "pick up" Santa at the North Pole and the excitement in the car was palpable.

Santa stopped at each and every table to talk with the children and hand out special Santa bells. Of course, we could all hear the bell ring showing that we all believed.

Other cast members from the movie joined us like the conductor...

As well as the friendly hobo, who still couldn't hear any of the Santa bells ring. 

I know my children were fans of the movie before riding our own local Polar Express, but now I have a feeling they will be asking to watch it every year. As a parent, it was one of my favorite memories from this holiday. Seeing so many smiles and so much joy was  wonderful.

Tickets sell early, so mark your calendars for next year. Most states have their own Polar Express ride around the holidays in conjunction with Time Warner pictures. It was quite an experience and one I recommend (un-sponsored) trying with your young children next Christmas.

Have you taken The Polar Express with your family?

Family Fun Baking with Skippy Peanut Butter and Honey Maid Graham Crackers

 This Skippy Peanut Butter and Honey Maid Graham Cracker holiday shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions and experiences are mine alone. #PBandG #CollectiveBias

It is no secret that my family loves both peanut butter and graham crackers. I always keep both stocked in my pantry for snacking, treats or baking. With the holidays coming I am excited to share a variation of one of my all-time favorite recipes, Peanut Butter Triangle Delights, and a fun, kid-friendly way to decorate holiday houses using Honey Maid Graham Crackers and Skippy Peanut Butter. 

For Christmas I stocked up on a few more boxes and jars of both peanut butter and graham crackers. You can grab a coupon for Honey Maid and save $0.50 when you buy one box of Honey Maid Grahamas (12.2 oz. or larger).

This year I wanted to find new craft and treat ideas to make and enjoy with my children. They have a lot of time off for Winter break this year and I want to make that time together extra special. 

I started with a recipe. I shared my childhood favorite, Triangle Delights, 2 years ago.  But, what about changing the recipe up to include peanut butter instead of the coconut and cinnamon? My inspiration for these cookies is definitely my husband's love of peanut butter.

Start by covering a jelly roll pan with parchment and Honey Maid Graham Crackers.

Then cover with a single layer of mini marshmallows.

Then comes the chocolate chips and krispy rice cereal.

At this point I make the sauce to pour over the tray. I use butter, brown sugar and peanut butter. Get it all completely melted, stir in a little vanilla and then pour over the tray.

You don't need to create caramel for this. The butter and sugar will be absorbed by the graham crackers. Be careful not to boil the sugar and butter mixture, you don't want it to become to hard when the cookies cool.

Then I topped it with some honey roasted peanuts before popping in to bake for a few minutes.

It comes out all melty and gooey! I take this chance to cut 3" strips, and then triangles out of the sheet of cookies.

For this batch I created a simple peanut butter drizzle to decorate the top. It was just a little peanut butter, water and powdered sugar. 

Let these sit and set for at least an hour. You can chill them to make cutting easier. They are a messy cookie, but oh, so good! 

Peanut Butter Triangle Delights

You Will Need:

• Whole Graham Crackers, enough to cover the bottom of a jelly roll pan.
• 3 c. mini marshmallows
• 1 c. butter
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. Skippy Peanut Butter, creamy
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 c. krispy rice cereal
• 1 c. honey roasted peanuts
• 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 c. Skippy Peanut Butter, creamy
• 2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
• 2-4 Tbsp. milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cover a jelly roll pan with parchment and then place graham crackers in a single layer on the bottom of the pan. Cover with marshmallows, chocolate chips and krispy rice cereal.

In a small saucepan combine the butter, sugar and peanut butter. Melt over medium heat stirring to dissolve the sugar. Take off the heat and stir in vanilla. Pour the hot mixture over the marshmallows. Top with peanuts. 

Bake for 12-15 minutes until the top is golden brown and the marshmallows are melted. Allow the pan to cool and then use a pizza cutter to slice into 3" squares, then into triangles. 

In a small saucepan create the peanut butter drizzle. Whisk together the peanut butter, powdered sugar and milk over medium heat till dissolved. Add more milk as needed to make it pour-able. Drizzle over the cookie bars. 

Cool completely before serving. Enjoy! 

To go with our cookies and milk, we created this easy and cute little graham cracker holiday houses with Honey Maid Graham Crackers and Skippy Peanut Butter for decorating.

I have wanted to throw a gingerbread decorating party with friends but the kids haven't been old enough yet. This was a great introduction to decorating and a fabulous option for younger kids. 

When I was teaching English in Japan, I tried to create gingerbread houses from scratch with a class of Junior High School students. It was a very messy and slightly frustrating experience. I wish I had made them with graham crackers instead. These are much easier to build and decorate.

Here is an easy visual for how to cut your graham crackers to make the holiday houses. And if your graham cracker breaks, save it to make my Peanut Butter Triangle Delights. Those cookies don't require unbroken crackers.

After a little trial and error I think a serrated knife actually worked the best for me. It created the cleanest lines. Luckily, a thick batch of royal icing  (egg whites and powdered sugar) can successfully cover up a whole multitude of cosmetic imperfections. So don't worry about perfection.

I put my royal icing in a piping bag with a #4 Wilton tip. It hardens pretty fast, but I let these cure for several hours before the kids started decorating just to be sure. To keep it fun and the mess down to a minimum, I went ahead and did the piping for my 5 and 7 year old.

One of my biggest tips for cookie decorating or holiday house decorating is to set kids up with an ice cube tray filled with their candy, sprinkles or nonpareils. It is much easier when everyone has an assortment of decorating options within easy reach.

My kids take decorating very seriously. But they had fun, too.

I game my kids each a small bowl with their own peanut butter, a small spatula and toothpick for applying their peanut butter "glue".

This was a great weekend activity to enjoy with the kids. I think it is time spent together like this that creates the best holiday memories. Some of my kids favorite past experiences include making their own ornaments and placemats. These holiday houses though are something I think we can make every year together.

Do you have any plans for baking with Peanut Butter or baking with Graham Crackers this holiday season?

How do you create holiday memories with your family?

Spreading Good Cheer with Northpole gifts

This Secret Santa inspired shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions, experiences and good cheer are mine alone. #NorthpoleFun #CollectiveBias

Every December we eagerly await the arrival of our family's Elf, Merry. This year though, he came a few days early and he was on a mission.

No, this year our mischievous little elf wasn't here to stir up trouble, though I still think he has plenty of tricks up his sleeve for the countdown to Christmas, instead he came with a Secret Santa mission for my kids to help him spread a little early holiday cheer.

He came with a few fun Northpole gifts for my own children, including the Northpole Communicator so the kids can take turns talking to the Northpole everyday.

He also brought a few Magic snowballs, that are perfect for indoor snowball fights. They light up when they hit something making it extra fun.

He also brought my kids Santa Goggles with a map and activities to enjoy. The goggles made the images come to life in 3-D, and the whirly goggles made everything look swirly. Both of my older children had a blast with this and we haven't even had a chance to check out all the activities on the back.

Inspired by our own fun, I took my two little helpers to Walmart and let them help pick out items to include in our Secret Santa bag.

I knew exactly who we would be getting gifts for. Ever have friends who not only call you when they find a great deal on a piano at an estate sale, (I had been looking for a piano for our family) but they also help you move it? Yeah, we have some great friends like that and they have 3 boys who I thought would enjoy some of the Hallmark Northpole gifts as well.

There were so many holiday items to choose from and we had a blast finding the perfect items for our friends. We included some of the same items Merry brought us, but also some new things.

I created a simple little gift tag for our bag. You can grab your own free Secret Santa tag printables to enjoy with your own family.

We included:

• Once Upon a Northpole Christmas story book + Find me Santa Snowflake
• Magic Snowballs
• Santa Googles with map and activities

Then it all went into a fun holiday gift bag and we were ready to make our top secret delivery.

Half of the fun is keeping the secret. We dropped off our Northpole toys while the family was away for the day. I let their Mom know we were dropping something off, but the boys had no idea.

I am hoping my kids can keep this fun secret, but who knows.

I love any chance to get my kids excited about giving. In the past we have donated canned goods to our local food pantry, or donated toys for the annual Toys for Tots program. This year though we spread some fun Christmas cheer with help from the Northpole just because. It is just one way I try to keep the Spirit of Christmas and their imagination alive.

The holiday spirit is catching, so we did our best to pass it on.


Does your family have any traditions for giving around the holidays?

Felt Crafts - Simple Santa Ornament

Yes, I have already started to think about Christmas...  Each year I hope to tackle a number of Christmas crafts and projects and this year I wanted to start out with a fast ornament project. We started the tradition of handmade Holidays when my son was 1. I sadly parted with my glass ornaments and crystal icicles as soon as it become obvious the baby was going to make a mess of them.

Because I still wanted a tree, I decided to go simple and handmade. A few years ago the kids and I created cinnamon ornaments and paper chains to decorate our tree. It was a huge hit and a tradition was born.

My breakables are still safely tucked away for a future Christmas, but for now I only use our handmade or natural decorations. This year I wanted to create some fun felt ornaments for the tree. With another toddler in the house I want everything to be safe for him.

I started by ordering a variety of wool felt from Etsy. Yes, you can find inexpensive acrylic felt at the craft store, but the wool felt is more durable, thicker and easy to cut. I am a huge fan.

Just a heads up, I am participating in a Handmade Holiday roundup next week and will have a more elaborate felt ornament  to share then. I am so excited for the unveil.

To get started, grab your supplies and print off the Santa template.

I suggest to trace the template with Freezer Paper that can be ironed right onto the wool. This makes cutting out exact shapes so much easier.

You Will Need:

• wool felt in red, white, pink and flesh tone/peach
• Freezer paper
• felt glue
• pink marker
• permanent black marker
• embroidery floss
• embroidery needle
• batting or cotton
• 5" of ribbon
• sequins, white or opal
• seed beads, white or clear

Cut  out all the pieces using your template.

I used a pink marker to create rosey cheeks for Santa, then used a little felt glue to attach the face to the back of the beard.

I embellished the mustache and tassel of Santa's hat with some sequins and seed beads before stitching the mustache to the front beard pieces. Then I stitched around the bottom of the beard leaving the top open for a little bit of batting.

I wanted to give his beard a little dimension.

Once filled, I stitched down the top of the beard and glued on the nose.

Use a marker to fill in eyes and any other detail on the face.

Then I glued and sewed the ribbon hook to the bottom piece of the hat. With the blanket stitch I went around the top of the hat and added the tassle,

Then I used the two white brim pieces to sandwich together the hat and attach it to Santa's head. Simply stitch around the brim to hold it all together.

Then Santa is ready to adorn your tree. I hope this inspires you to whip up some one-of-a-kind felt ornaments for your own tree this year.

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