{Christmas} with One Artsy Mama

Hi! 
I’m Amy, aka One Artsy Mama, and I am so excited to be here at Johnny in a Dress today!  I just love all things artistic and crafty, and I’m happiest when I’m creating something.  I’ve been married to my best friend and dance partner for almost ten years, and we have an adorable 3-year old “Little Crafter” who brings more joy to our lives than we ever imagined was possible.
I’m passionate about my family, Jesus, and ballroom/latin dance, and I’m addicted to Starbucks.
Peppermint mocha, anyone?
This holiday season is my very favorite time of year, and December is especially fun for me since it’s not only Advent, Christmas, and New Year’s, but also my birthday and our wedding anniversary. 
One of the things I enjoy most about preparing for the holidays is making meaningful gifts for the people I love.  Natalie asked me if I’d share one of those gift ideas with you today, and I couldn’t be more honored by her invitation!
So, here is a quick, easy little project you can whip up for anyone on your list, and are you ready for the best part…it’s FREE!
ONE ARTSY MAMA’S HOLIDAY COUPON BOOK
Materials:
holiday coupon template {I made it up for you and you can download it right from this post!}
scissors
small hole punch
ribbon, cord, or twine
marker or pen

STEP 1: Save the coupon templates {just open the link for each page, right click and save to your computer}.  Print out as many copies as you like.  You only need to print the first page once.  If you want more than six coupons, print pages 2-3 multiple times until you have your desired number.  I printed mine on cardstock so the coupons are a little sturdier.
Page 1: Instructions and cover
Page 2: Coupon designs 1-3
Page 3: Coupon designs 4-6

STEP 2: Cut out coupons and arrange in whatever order you like.  Place the cover on top.

STEP 3: Punch a hole in the upper left corner of each coupon.  Tie together with ribbon or cord.

STEP 4: Fill in whatever you want each coupon to be redeemable for! 

Here are a few ideas for a significant other:
a massage {you can specify back rub, foot rub, etc}
dinner out
your favorite dinner at home
a movie night
a coffeehouse date
doing your least favorite household chore for you
A few ideas for a neighbor or friend:
one night of free babysitting
one girls’ day out
one trip to the mall/Michael’s/clothing store together
one afternoon at the coffeehouse
one drink at Starbucks on me
one meal delivered to your house
one lesson in {whatever kind of craft you do best}
Have fun, be creative, and try to think of what that person would appreciate most!
This little book makes a great stocking stuffer or a gift for the person on your list who’s impossible to buy for!  Hope you enjoy it!  Thanks so much, Natalie, for sharing your fabulous blog with me today.  I hope you all will come and visit me sometime at One Artsy Mama; I love making new friends, and I have some exciting things going on for the holidays! 
Happy crafting,
Isn’t that the cutest gift idea EVER?!?
Make sure to head on over to One Artsy Mama and check out more of Amy’s fabulous tutorials!
Thank you for sharing a fun Christmas Craft with us Amy!

Rag Wreath… with Lights!

Wanna see our new wreath?!
Yep.
It’s a Rag Wreath…

 
WITH Lights!

Does it get any more fabulous than THIS?!

Stay tuned…
Because in a few days, I will show you how to make your very own!
Merry Christmas! 

{Operation} Christmas Tree

Just like every year, we packed up the littles and went on a journey to find the “perfect” tree!
(…well, if this was Ross’s story, he would change “perfect” to “BIGGEST”)
The entire way we got the littles all excited about “going on a tree hunt!”
Harper could not contain her excitement.
She walked around like this for the first 10 minutes, pausing every few steps to point and yell “tweee!”

The Girl most definitely has her Mama’s love for Christmas in her!
Well, she calls it “Kwissy!”

Off she went, searching for the perfect “twee!”
As soon as I rounded one corner to catch up with her, she would round another…
Then there was the Boy.
He took “Operation Christmas Tree” very, VERY seriously.
Walking down each row,
inspecting each tree.
…but he just wasn’t moving fast enough for Harper…
So, in true Harper fashion, she decided to take matters into her own hands:
And then we took a break from “Operation Christmas Tree”
 and laughed…
…and laughed…
and laughed.
I felt a tear of pure happiness roll down my cheek between me and the camera.
Then the voice in my head reminded me:
These are the moments.
Stop.
Enjoy them.

 Remember them like they are in this moment.
Forever.
Then it happened.
The littles spotted the BIGGEST “twee” EVER…
Before I knew it,
Ross had it (the massive tree) tied down on the top of my car!
The second we pulled into the driveway,
Ross was cutting the limbs and the base of the tree!
(gotta love a man with his tools!)
And inside it went.
Lots of lights, ornaments and ting ting now cover the three that is surrounded by presents!
…But you will have to wait to see the “finished product” another day!
Operation Christmas Tree = SUCCESS!

Play Felt Christmas Tree & Ornaments

I decided that instead of having a battle over the littles tearing up the real tree this year,
they needed a tree of their own to play with!
Now they can decorate and more importantly UN decorate their tree as many times as they please.
(This is some serious entertainment… it just MAY have to stay out all year long!)
I started out by cutting a triangle then I cut out different size squares for presents and embellished them because all every Christmas Tree HAS to have presents under it, right?!
I grabbed my hot glue gun and glued the presents to the tree so they cannot be removed.
Hot glue LOVES felt!
Then I cut out different ornaments and lights, some plain, some with dots, some with stripes!
(have fun with it!)
Slap those cuties onto the Felt Tree and…
…now the littles have their own tree to do with whatever they please!
If all goes as planned, your tree will remain in tact through the Christmas Season!
Merry Christmas!
FAQ’s:
How did you attach the tree to the wall?
I actually used little dots of hot glue since the wall is brick. The hot glue peels right off the brick! Other readers have suggested Command Strips or double sided stick tape, but I have not tried these ideas. Another great idea is to trace the Christmas Tree on Foam Board and glue it directly to the foam board then you can lean it against the wall and it can easily be moved throughout your house!
How do you get the ornaments to stick to the tree?
Felt sticks to felt!
How much felt did you use to make the tree?
About one yard.
Will you make me one?!
If you would like to purchase one,
Please email me at johnnyinadress(at)hotmail(dot)com with FELT CHRISTMAS TREE ORDER as the subject and your PayPal email address. Also, please specify if this tree is for a boy, girl or both!
(“Boy” trees will not have pink on them!)
These are $35 shipped!
***********************************************************************
All orders placed after December 8, 2o12 will be shipped in January 2013!
Thank you!

THESE ARE FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY!

DO NOT sell these.

Thanksgiving {recap}

Thanksgiving was PERFECT this year!
We were supposed to have it at our house, BUT the hubs decided to demo the hall bathroom a week before Thanksgiving and…
well let’s just say not much has happened since…
(Disaster DIY, we NEED your help!)
We dressed the littles in their matching turkey shirts, loaded them in the car and off we went!
Harper LOVES her “YaYa” aka LuLu to Cliff!
Yep.
She is Mom, LuLu and YaYa!
We love her!

The Girl squealed with delight as the “pup pups” ran past the back door….

… while The Boy showed off his latest tricks which were followed with oooohhhhs and ahhhhhs, “Go Cliff!” and a round of applause.
There were some very special moments too just like the old times, except Derek and I are about 3 feet taller.

There is nothing like the love of a Great Grandmother.
So special.

And speaking of love,
Great Grandaddies are good at giving it too!


 On our way home we stopped by the in law’s and the littles got more lovin’ from Ganny,
 their Great Grandmother on Ross’s side of the family! 

 

We have so much to be thankful for.

But most of all,
we are thankful for our Lord who continues to bless us
each and everyday!

{Happy} Thanksgiving!

Today,
 we will be surrounded by family
and if we are really lucky, maybe even a few close friends!
We will eat WAY too much food
then take naps on the couch.
We will watch old home movies
and just be together as a family.
We will laugh at stories of the years past.
And miss those who are no longer with us.
But most importantly,
today we will give thanks.
Be thankful for your blessings!

Christmas Card?!

Have you found the PERFECT Christmas Card yet?!
No?!
Then head on over to…
and order your customized, printable Christmas Cards today!
Yep,
it’s THAT simple and quick!
No more waiting for shipping!
You can take the image to your favorite place to develop  pictures and have your Christmas Cards ready to mail out whenever you want!
Here are a few of my favorites:
DIY Card Designs- 5x7-ZigZagNOrnament
DIY Printable-Christmas Cards- 7x5
DIY Printable-Christmas Card- Sweet Diamond/Snowflake 5x7
And yes,
we already have our Christmas Cards from Little Miss Missy Boutique all addressed and ready to drop in the mail (don’t worry, I am not sending them out just yet)!
…and I LOVE them!
Seriously, I think it took me an entire month to choose!
Happy Christmas Card Shopping!

Coffee Filter Pom Poms!

A simple Thanksgiving decoration that hangs from our chandelier
are these fun Coffee Filter Pom Poms!

You can see how to make them over at hey sis!



 Love them!
What are some fun ways you decorate for Thanksgiving?!


JIAD on {The News}

Yesterday,
 I was honored to have another opportunity to do two Craft Thanksgiving Decor
Segments on  Friends @ 5!
One of my favorite parts…
the setup!
I had so much fun!
Everyone at WLTX is super sweet!

Here are the segments!

…and…

Thank you WLTX!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween
from
The Flintstones!
Wilma & Fred… 

…they {love} each other!

Pebbles = less then thrilled…
Bam Bam = the happiest boy ever!

Have a safe and happy Halloween!
Yay for CANDY!
(Yes, I made all of the costumes totally last minute…)

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