Gift Wrapping Ideas

I thought I would make up a quick post of fun wrappings for gifts.  If you haven't already wrapped your gifts there are some seriously cute ideas in here.  

Now, this to me is wishful thinking.  Wrapping beautifully!  

 In fact when we had our family's Christmas gathering over the weekend we did a gift exchange, and I gave a gift to my Dad, wrapped by me.  And do you know what he said... "Did you wrap this?"  From the look on his face he was hoping I was going to say, "No, one of the kids did it".  But I shamefully answered. "It was me."  

I am seriously the worst wrapper!  I'm positive I could do a good job if I took the time, BUT I don't.  I just roll the paper around the object and tape anywhere that looks like it has a peep hole.

Here is my wishful thinking.

These colours look so festive together, and I love the fun little Christmas balls on the packages!

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Handmade stamped paper, wrapped in candy cane striped string, with cute buttons and handmade tags!  One year I will make the effort.  Maybe when my kids are older and it takes them more than one second to unwrap the gift.

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Now, even my kids can make these snowflakes, maybe I should get them to make them all, and I can just tack them on the gift!

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Okay, now this I can do!  You just have to buy a box set of chipboard alphabets and tie it on for your tag!  Great!  Done!

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How very economical of you!  Newspaper anyone?!

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I love this sheet music tied with a pretty ribbon!  Fantastic!

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This is SO cute!  A dishtowel!  Two gifts in one!

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How do you wrap?  

Are you a crazy mess like me?  Or are you savvy in your wrapping like these awesome photos?

5 MORE DAYS!

Christmas Mantle

I wanted something frosty this Christmas, and this is the first year I have had this fireplace in my room, so I decided to decorate it.  Well actually, I decided to decorate the one in my living room which is full of warm colours and the silver was a little too cold.  So I moved it into my bedroom and loved it!

Lets just say I hit the dollar store for all this except my favourite piece.

The silver feathers were dollar store!

I can't show you the whole fireplace for reasons coming soon.  

I love the frosted look, the only thing that is getting on my nerves is the fact that the candle holders look like soup cans!  This may be there only year to showcase.

All the silver balls were dollar store.  I loved the different kinds they have.

This cute little tree had it's only year to showcase as well because SOME HOW the dog got it and ate it.  My poor sweet tree.

This is my favourite piece!  Is it okay to be in love with it?  I've always wanted a snow globe.  

Story:  I was perusing Homesense for a snow globe, and this other lady was looking quite avidly too.  I didn't see one I liked so I went to Winners, and there it was!  In someone else's hands!!!  I walked in the other direction as to not egg on her "someone wants this, okay I am going to have to buy this now!" thoughts.  Because if you know, I feel that way when I am garage sale-ing, if I see someone else interested, then it's mine!  Anyways she put it down, and I fast walked my be-hind over and grabbed it.   THEN I went to go check out the other globes and saw the lady I saw at Homesense.  She saw my globe and I could see the envy as she searched for one just like it.  But NO, it seems like I got the only one!  And I LOVE IT!

Do you see the soup can look I am talking about?  Oh well the snow globe makes up for it!

Seriously, go to the dollar store for cute balls!

There you have it.  My frosty mantle.

What does your looks like?

Ornaments

So, I love etsy, and I have been looking around at all the ornaments others have made.  Here are some cute ones I thought I would share.  And do you know, if you like them you can just click on the link and buy them!

I think this one to me looks even cuter being draped over a book.  Plus it's sparkly!

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I like the simple jewel on this one, and such a cute snowflake!

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Can you tell I like the sparkly things here!  Even the extra touch on top this acorn draws me in!

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These are fun!  Vintage watches!

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I like this one because not only is the pink so sweet, but I love the mini painting on it!

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So simple!  Don't you just want this one for something?  It's so cute!

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I like these wintery photos in these cute charm ornaments.

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This make me want to go out and buy some modelling clay!  I love it!  And the ribbon tie is perfect.

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This tatted lace snowflake is a perfect wintery addition to your tree.

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I have so many ideas of ornaments I want to make now!  I love inspiration!

Which one is your favourite?

A little Bit Awkward, A Little Bit Awesome! #2

Awkward:

-doing the walk-through of my basement suite with the new tenant (single guy), and having him remark on the cool blue toilet.  And then I said something like this in return, "At least that way you won't see your pee all over it"  -then silence.  I said WHAT?!!!  Holy awkward!!  But it's true isn't it?  I have four brothers and a boy, I know how it is!  I guess you shouldn't say things like that to men when they are older...

- having a party where everyone is an hour late.  Let's just say, I ate my cake and THEN they showed up -don't worry, I had more after with them too.

- having a photo shoot with only spring clothes to wear and its terribly cold out!  Brave faces everyone, and I'll give you candy when we are done!

- at the gym on the treadmill when there are only two of us there, and the girl right beside me lets it rip (holy stinky lady, are you kidding me!!!)!  Okay, I threw up in my mouth and slammed on the emergency stop button and stormed out the door.  Trust me, it was that BAD.  But it could have been worse, I could have let all the thoughts in my head spew out at her, but I am a LADY and will bite my tongue.  I would say this would be more awkward for her, but absolutely and completely an awkward situation.

Awesome:

-getting my family photos done by my sister without me even asking her!  I Love them!

-All the fam lying on my bed to watch Home Alone together!  And the kiddies laughing their heads off when the bad guys get hit in the head with bricks!  (should they really be laughing at this?)

-reading a good book curled up in front of the fire! Okay, well maybe it was more like -sitting with my back right to the glass of the fire to get me warm kind of reading- still enjoyed!

-starting our family advent calendar and doing all our fun activities together as a family

-being done my Christmas shopping and having it all wrapped and put away!  Yay, here come the holidays!

What about you?  Awesome?  Awkward?  Do share!

My Advent Calendar

So, I posted about all the different kinds of advent calendars I found that I thought were pretty and unique.  And as I am stuck at home with no way out to get supplies, I had to find something around the house to make do.  I decided on a card advent calendar, because... well I have a ton of scrapbook paper that isn't going anywhere!

Here's what I did:

Select 12 sheets of fun brightly coloured 12x12 paper.

Fold it in half.  And cut it so you have 2 envelopes from one sheet.

Fold it more than half way.

Again!  Fold over the lip.

Cut out two small triangles from the top.

So far, it looks like this:

I cut the bottom too, so it would be easier to grab the event papers out of the envelope.  I used double sided tape to seal the sides.

There you have it.  24 brightly coloured envelopes.

Now, to embellish.  I got my sister to print these numbers out on her computer (seriously, why don't I have a printer?  I saw one in a flyer tonight for $48!!)  Anyways, I found the perfect sized circle from my mousse bottle to draw my shapes.  You might have a circle punch (Handy!!) 

Cut out the circle numbers with straight scissors, and the I pulled out the cute edged scissors for colourful paper to go around the number.

They look like this in the end.

The little snowflakes I got at the dollar store last year (are mini clothes pins) and hung all my Christmas cards on them.  This year I am using them for my cute advent calendar.

These cards hang on the wall in my front entry.

What did I fill them with?  Well, my family, we like to do things together, so in each day we have a different thing we can all do.  I love doing it this way, and OF COURSE the kids do too!  They love spending time with their awesome parents!!!  *wink, they are still young!

I will share what we do on each day in a later post.

So did you make an advent calendar?  I want to see your ideas!!