How to Make a HUGE HUGE Bow

Today Friend Danielle asked on fb "Any idea where I can find a huge huge bow for the kids playhouse?"

Now, she wasn't asking me specifically...but because I have nothing better to do four days before Christmas, I decided I'd like to figure out how one makes a HUGE HUGE bow.

Off to pinterest I went, but found little.

So, how could I make a HUGE HUGE bow for friend Danielle?

Here's the story of what I did with it...

How I Made a Snowman and Snowlady Canvas

This project is a "turn this into that" post for sure.

I needed something fun but not too expensive for an upcoming cookie swap.

Off to the Family Dollar I went for ideas.

I saw these.

Er er er er errrr.

A Wintery Frozen Party

UN-Frozen.

That's what I want to be...How about you?

Today we were finally able to open the doors and window.  The horses came out without their coats. I think we're through the winter, and with that and the time-change, I could not be happier!

Last year a few friends and I put together a Christmas surprise for a co-worker and friend of ours...

It's the MOST Wonderful Shopping of the Year...

Sing with me...

It's the hap-happiest season of all...
when the kids Christmas stuff in boxes
get shoved into three Walmart aisles
and then I come to call...
and the prices are slashed for one and allllllll.... 

Not the best rhyming I know, but you're making it sound wonderful.

TODAY is THE day I look forward to all year round!

It's the day I spend HOURS in the discounted Christmas Wonderland first trip to Walmart post Christmas.

It's the day when I buy up the little girl 50% off Christmas gift sets...and little boy gift sets too, if there are any still there to buy...those are gold. 

Cupcake body lotions and bath fizzies, because who doesn't want to smell like a donut, oversized hello kitty soap dispensers, ever after high make-up kits, hair chalk, stickers of snowmen,Thomas the train bath paints...

the most Christmasy Family I know...

Back in 2000 I met a lovely young lady Rebecca at a New Year's Eve party.

That following summer husband Dion and I were married and moved to Chicago.

We have a mutual friend in our dear friend Gretchen, and so although Rebecca and I haven't spent a whole lot of  time together, it feels like we know each other pretty well.

We make good fb friends.

Soon after we became fb friends, Rebecca's love for Christmas became apparent. I remember these photos she posted on fb a few years back, of her and her husband Eric's apartment. I couldn't find it, but I specifically remember a picture of Christmas stove burner covers.  I was like, "this girl likes Christmas!"

RESULTS ARE IN...plus the Christmas cuteness of a PUPPY

THE RESULTS ARE IN!!!!

In third place...THE PORTZLINES with the boys' melted crayon ornaments.
Great job guys.  I  LOVE them.  Super cool.

Be a GOOD Christmas Citizen--VoTe, VoTe, VoTe...

I became embarrassingly excited each time fb notified me to say someone had posted for the ornament contest.

Why is this turtle mad?

Kris's Christmas Home Tour

I have a friend.  I love her dearly.  She has always been close to the heart of Christmas. For years Kris and her mom hosted a huge annual Christmas party/cookie swap for lots and lots of ladies. They baked and gifted and decorated.  They watched the Christmas classics together.

This has been a very difficult year for Kris, as it's her first Christmas without her mom directly by her side. And yet she bakes, gifts, and decorates.  Seeing her posts on fb, especially those honoring her and her mother's Christmas traditions has been meaningful for me. And so I've asked Kris if she'd open her home for all of us here at storybook-cottage, and share a little bit of what she's been doing this Christmas.  I was thrilled when she agreed.  Thank you Kris.

Now here for your Christmas pleasure is Kris's Christmas Home Tour...

I LOVE Christmas, and I love my home........and what we have made it. So, I was so honored when Linnet asked me to do a Christmas Tour of our home.

10 Bright Ideas for Lighting Up Your Christmas Tree

Dear Reader, 

Every year I hope to get a little better, become a little more well-versed in my dealings with the enemy Christmas lights. I remain optimistic that my growing knowledge will in the end, triumph over the annual victories the Christmas lights seem to be winning.

I have little doubt that most of you have more common sense than I will ever be able to boast.

If you're a well-versed Christmas tree lighter, or if you've been generously blessed with the gift of common sense, this is not the post for you. Would you rather read about a lady with a squash for a head ?

But.   If you are one of my Christmas-light-struggling kindred spirits, or if this is your first year putting up a Christmas tree and have up to this point remained untouched by the unsuspecting havoc the enemy Christmas tree lights are responsible for...and here you are reading this, well then there is valid purpose here.

CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT CONTEST!!

It's here!

If you'd like to win one of these prizes for Christmas, please read on.

If you don't want to win one of these prizes for Christmas, please instead read the story of Fred going to a yard sale here.

I like my ornaments "WELL DONE" prize:

MOST IMAGINATIVE prize:

KIDS MAKE THE BEST ORNAMENTS (12 and under) prize:

(the right mushroom is pink, not purple)

HOW TO ENTER:

• Make a tree ornament. 

• Post a photo of your ornament onto our facebook group page here between now and Friday, December 19th. * 

All entries will be featured in a blog post on Dec 19th.  The voting will begin. You and your friends will be able to vote once a day for your ornament entry from the time the post is up until midnight on Monday, December 22nd.  

*If you're posting an ornament photo for the kids 12 and under contest, please include child's name and age with the entry.

THREE WAYS TO WIN:  

• I LIKE MY ORNAMENTS "WELL DONE"--win this awesome bird feeder that attaches to your window or window door.

• MOST IMAGINATIVE--win one of the large doodle books!  yay. yay.  Check out these really fun books here on yesterday's post.  They're pretty great and make fantastic presents for kids AND imaginative adults.

• KIDS MAKE THE BEST ORNAMENTS!--kids 12 and under contest.  Post a photo of your child's brilliant ornament, and they may win this set of Gnome Ornaments from POPchristmas. If you don't have a child, post your brother's or sister's or niece's or nephew's or grandbaby's or the ornament of a stranger kid living on your street. You may post for more than one child...all the stranger kids on your street for example. 

Isn't that bird feeder great?!  It has some nice reviews on amazon with pics.  Here are a few more...

these birds like it

more cats that like it

and the squirrel

this guy likes it too

Happy Ornament Making!!!

How are you making your today world beautiful?

I'm Dreaming of a DREAM BIG, DRAW BIGGER DOODLE BOOK...the beginnings of a Christmas Giveaway

It's here!  I have enjoyed this fall so much, and am actually kinda sad to see it go, but this morning I looked out the window and the trees are beginning to be mostly bare.

One of my favorite Christmas things is how it becomes a chance for all of us to get our creative on and use our imaginations.  Our traditions of making decorations, baking cookies, singing, and more importantly the connections that happen during those times are memories worth making and keeping.

Find this idea and other fun kid craft ideas on my pinterest board here.  They're made out of school glue.

If your kids are like my Sara, their lists are more-than-likely also filled with Elsa's and Anna's this year.  That's all good and fine. For sure our little niece is getting a package filled with her favorite frozen ladies. One of her presents that I'm kinda excited about is something found in the party aisle at Walmart.....icicle-resembling streamers that hang over a door opening!  It's like this one...

Click here for the link.

It will be like she's walking into a bedroom land of frozen!

(thank you for the lessons Bob Ross)

But if you're looking for something a little outside of the box, or even just something fun for the kids to work on over Christmas break, I have a gift idea for you!

Husband Dion came upon these books at a family outing to TJ Maxx last spring.  They were great for summer break.  So much fun.

I keep them in an accessible place, so Sara and I can easily grab one when we feel that  NEED  to use our imaginations and  MAKE  something.  They are like a glorified coloring book. Sara really enjoys working on them.

I too enjoy working on them. Really they're not only for kids. Here's one of my pages.

And here are a few more sample pages:

 

  

Now who do you know who wouldn't want to draw an octopus having a fight with a spider??!

There are also smaller versions.  You can find both sizes on amazon, and to make the deal even sweeter, with code "Holiday 30", they're 30% off this Black Friday weekend (until Sunday, Nov 30th). Click here for the black friday info.  Links to both size books are at the bottom of this post.

Now it's about to get exciting!!!
We of course are going to have a Christmas giveaway contest!

There will be three categories and three prizes...and a chance for your kids or grandkids or nieces and nephews or a stranger kid hanging out on your street, to join in too!  I'll post the info here this weekend, so if you have some mad ornament-making skills or would like to try having some mad oranament-making skills, please check back in.

In the meantime, here are the three prizes...

but the right mushroom is pink, not purple

(These cats like the bird feeder.)

How are you making your today world beautiful?

book links:

Large (and they are large!) Doodle, Imagine, Draw book.
Here's the smaller version of that one.

Large Dream Big, Draw Bigger book.
Here's the smaller version.