Tissue Paper Trees {tutorial}

Have you started decorating for Christmas yet?? I start decorating on Black Friday :) We bust out the Christmas books, movies, music, decorations, etc. after a long morning of shopping. This year I noticed that my decorations were looking a little sparse in some areas (that's what happens when you move from an apartment to a house I guess) so I decided to look to blogland for some inspiration :)

Halsey over at Spunky Junky made the most adorable Christmas trees. The best part about this project?? It didn't cost me a penny!! I had all of the materials already! Want to see??

Tissue Paper Trees

{tutorial}

 

This is what I used:

-white poster board

-package of white tissue paper

-tape

-scissors

-pencil

-hot glue and gun

Here's what I did:

1. Roll the piece of poster board into a cone shape and cut off the excess board.

2. Tape the board so that it will not unroll.

3. Trim the base of the cone so that it will sit on a flat surface.

4. Cut your tissue paper into strips and then into squares. They don't need to be exact, but close to the same size.

5. Put your pencil eraser into the center of a square of tissue paper and fold the tissue paper down.

6. Put a dot of hot glue onto the tip of the tissue paper.

7. Starting at the top of your paper cone, press the paper "wads" on the cone.

8. Fill in the cone so that none of the poster board is showing. *Don't forget the tippity-top of your tree!!

 

The one piece of poster board was enough to make a large tree and a small tree. 

Didn't they turn out so cute?? You could use any color of tissue paper for this...you could even use 2 or 3 different colors! The options are endless...

Thanks for the inspiration Halsey!

Have you made any of your holiday decor this year?? 

I hope you come back for another visit...I have lots of fun things planned for this month!

*I will be linking this up with the awesome linky parties listed in the "Linky Parties" tab at the top of my page! Join me!

Facebook Fan *exclusive* Giveaway!!

Do you have a Facebook page?? If so, click on the FB icon in the right sidebar of this page and "like" Mine for the Making's page! We are so close to our 100 Fans goal!!

Oh! And the best part? If you are a Mine for the Making fan on FB, you will be included in an *exclusive* giveaway for ONLY FB fans!! Trust me, you don't want to miss out on this! All you have to do is "like" the page and BAM! You are apart of the giveaway!! That easy!

What are you waiting for? Click on the FB icon in the right sidebar! : )

Turkey Poop!

It's almost here, friends! Thanksgiving is only 3 days away!! Are you ready? Do you have everything purchased or are you the night-before kinda gal? Everything we are "in charge" of is purchased already. You know me...plan ahead!

Do you remember during Halloween when I showed you the "Pumpkin Poop" I gave my students? It's only fair they get "poop" for Thanksgiving, wouldn't you agree?? : )

Turkey Poop!

Supplies:

-boxes of raisins

(amount depends on how many you plan to give out)

-tape or ribbon

-poem

Poem says:

You invited me to Thanksgiving dinner

with your family and your friends.

You didn't tell me I was the main dish.

For me it was "THE END!"

You frightened me so badly-

I knew I had been duped!

So, I left you with my calling card,

this bag (box) of turkey poop!

Happy Thanksgiving!

From _______________ & the Turkey

Simply type up the poem (or copy and paste if from here to another document), add some cute clipart, and print. I fit about 6 of the poems on 1 page. Cut them out and attach the poem to a box of raisins. You can tape it to the box or attach the poem with a piece of ribbon. 

Not a raisin fan? No worries! You can use almost anything to symbolized the "Turkey Poop." Some ideas are: M&M's, Reeses Pieces, Hersey Kisses, chocolate covered peanuts, chocolate turtle, etc.

My "Turkey Poop" is ready to be passed out on Wednesday before our Thanksgiving weekend! This craft is so simple and quick that you could make this for your neighbors, kids, or guests in time for Thanksgiving!

What are you waiting for? Go and make "Turkey Poop" my friends! : )

**I will be linking this cute craft up with the wonderful linky parties listed in the "Linky Parties" tab! Join me for some holiday inspiration!

Thanksgiving Giveaway WINNER!

Thanks so much for entering the Thanksgiving Giveaway here at Mine for the Making. Just a little something to show my gratitude to Mine for the Making readers.

True Random Number Generator 

Min:  

Max:  

Result: 3  

Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Scrappy Jackie said, " I am a follower of Mine for the Making on facebook!  Thanks for having a facebook account too... I love scrolling through ideas at bedtime on my ipod!"

Yay! Congrats to Jackie and thanks so much for participating in the giveaway!! Email your mailing address to mineforthemaking(at)gmail(dot)com as soon as possible so I can send out your Fall Napkin Rings!

Head on over tomorrow so I can show you the cute treat I give my 3rd grade students the day before Thanksgiving break! 

*Hint: Remember the Pumpkin Poop I gave them for Halloween?? : )

Friendly Reminder!

The Thanksgiving Giveaway closes today (Sunday the 21st) at NOON (Arizona time)!!!

Have you entered to win the Fall Napkin Rings??

If not, click HERE and enter now!

A winner will be chosen using random.org. I will announce the winner Sunday, November 21st and mail out the napkin rings on the 22nd!

Easy Holiday Frame {tutorial}

This year we have decided to do all handmade gifts for our family and friends. I wanted to make something little for Luci's preschool teacher/sitter to show her our appreciation. We always end up giving out sweets during the holidays, but I wanted to make her a little something to put up during the holidays.

Easy Holiday Frame

{tutorial}

Supplies:

-frame

-festive paper

-festive stickers or rhinestones

-Mod Podge

-scissors

-pencil

-sponge brush

Steps:

1. wipe down frame

2. take of back and glass of frame

3. Lay the frame on the festive paper and trace using your pencil.

4. Cut the paper frame out and lay it on top of your frame to make sure you don't need to trim up the edges of the paper.

5. Using the sponge brush, paint a thin layer of Mod Podge on the frame.

6. Put the paper on the frame and rub bubbles out with finger or a credit card. Let dry.

7. Put a thin layer of Mod Podge over the top of the paper and let dry.

8. Add stickers or rhinestones.

9. Put glass and back of frame back on.

10. Wrap it up and give as a gift!

*You can stick a picture in the frame or write a Christmas message too!*

Easy, inexpensive, and homemade!

*Have you entered Thanksgiving Giveaway yet?? You better hurry because it ends the 21st at noon!*

Don't forget to download my *FREE* holiday printables!

Jingle On

Get Your Hot Chocolate On

Get Your Smooch On

Christmas Subway Art

*I will be linking up with the fun linky parties listed in the "Linky Parties" tab at the top of the page!

Food-a-licous Friday #15: Thanksgiving Round Up

With Thanksgiving around the corner, I thought it would be fun to do a Thanksgiving recipe round up featuring delicious Thanksgiving recipes! Thanksgiving is my most favorite meal, hands down, and I have been looking for some new recipes for this year's feast. Boy oh boy did I hit the jackpot!

Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus and Spicy Dipping Sauce

{Oh Martha...how I love thee...}

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail
{Just because it looks soooooo good....}

Mom's Turkey Stuffing
{What's Thanksgiving without the stuffing??}

Simple but Amazing Cranberry Sauce

Campbell's Kitchen Green Bean Casserole
 {I sub cream of celery soup for the mushroom soup and I sub onion powder for onions. Not a mushroom fan and my husband is allergic to onions}

Mac-n-Cheese

{Mine for the Making}

Sweet Potato Casserole
{Can you believe I've NEVER had sweet potato casserole??)

Paula's Pumpkin Cheesecake

(I LOVE me some cheesecake!)

Sweet Potato Cheesecake

Pumpkin Pie
{Again I say...what's Thanksgiving without the pumpkin pie??}

Chocolate Pecan Pie
{Can you tell who my fave Food Network cook is??}

Mini Apple Turnovers
{Mine for the Making}

Apparently I really love desserts : )

What are some of your favorite Thanksgiving dishes/recipes? 

What ideas do you have for Thanksgiving leftovers? I would LOVE to hear about them!

Thanks for joining me on another Food-a-licious Friday! If you haven't entered the Thanksgiving Giveaway, head over now! 

Scrap Fabric Headband {tutorial}

I am not big on wasting. This includes wasting time, wasting money, wasting food....even wasting fabric. I love fabric...and I will not waste it. I have been trying to figure out what to do with my "scrap" fabric. Even though I didn't throw it away, it still remains purposeless...pretty much "wasting" away. And then I came up with it...why not make headbands out of that scrap fabric, Kara! Great idea : ) Here is what I did...

Scrap Fabric Headband

{tutorial}

Materials:
-scrap fabric
-elastic (I used 1/2")
-coordinating thread
-scissors
-sewing machine
-iron
-pins (including 1 safety pin)
-tape measure


Steps:
1. Measure from behind one ear, across the top of your head, all the way to the other ear.

2. Cut your fabric that length and about 4 in wide.

3. Pin right sides together, long ways (or "hot dog style" is what I tell my students)

(by the way...LOVE my magnetic pin cushion...if you don't have one, go get one. seriously.)

4. Sew (don't forget to back stitch)

5. Lay flat with the seam up and iron.

6. Pin a safety pin to one end and thread back through the inside so that your strip is right side out.

7. Iron flat again.

8. Cut a piece of elastic about 7-8 in long (depending on the size of the head. You can measure this with the tape measure too...the underside of your head).

9. On one end of the fabric strip, tuck in edges about 1/4 in and insert one end of elastic inside.

10. Sew (don't forget to back stitch!)

(sorry about the blurry photo on this one...NOT a photographer by any means)

11. Loop the other side of the elastic around to the other side of the fabric strip.

12. Repeat steps 9 & 10.

13. Put your headband on!

How easy and how cute??

What an easy, inexpensive, and quick Christmas gift! Stocking stuffers anyone??

Don't forget to check out my *free* holiday printables! You can find them here, here, here, and here.

Have you entered the Thanksgiving Giveaway?? Click HERE to enter now!

*Have you seen my linky parties library? Click on the "Linky Parties" tab at the top of my page to join in on the fun! I will be linking these headbands up for sure : )

Ucreate Foods Feature!

I am sure that you are all familiar with Ucreate...it's one of my FAVORITE blogs. Did you know that Ucreate has expanded? There is a Ucreate with Kids and Ucreate Foods! How cool right?

I am so honored and tickled that Tyra over at Ucreate Foods is featuring my Apple Turnover recipe today! Head over there and take a look-see!

Thanks so much Tyra!

**Dont forget to enter the Thanksgiving Giveaway going on from now until Sunday, November 21st at noon!**

So Very Thankful {and a giveaway!}

What does it mean to be thankful? 

According to dictionary.com-

thank·ful

–adjective

 

feeling or expressing gratitude; appreciative.

Well then what does gratitude mean??

grat·i·tude

–noun  

the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful

 

During this time of year, it is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of shopping, cooking, baking, crafting, cleaning, wrapping, decorating, etc. We must take a moment (or a few moments) to remember the meaning of Thanksgiving. 

To be thankful and to show gratitude. 

I have so many things and people to be thankful for. Good health, a home, a wonderful career with awesome co-workers who have become my dear friends, students who are anxious to learn, parents of those students who support me and our classroom, food in our refrigerator, a car that runs,  a laptop that works and can travel with me, my blog for inspiration and a creative release, my friends who are more like my family, my ever-growing faith in Jesus Christ, and most importantly... My Family. I am so thankful to have a supportive and creative husband who is my very best friend. I am so thankful to have a happy, healthy, smart, independent daughter who makes me smile every single day.

But I am also thankful for my dear readers.

Thank you so much for your sweet comments and emails! Thank you so much for supporting Mine for the Making. And thank you for continuing to come back to read my posts, try my tutorials, and enjoy my recipes. For that, I am so thankful. 

To show my gratitude to you, dear bloggy friends, I would LOVE to give one of YOU a set of these...

Fall Napkin Rings

How do you enter the giveaway? 

1. Be a public follower of Mine for the Making and leave me a comment (1 entry)

2. Tell me what you are thankful for this holiday season in a separate comment (1 entry)

3. "Like" Mine for the Making's Facebook page and leave me a comment (1 entry)

4. Tell me your favorite Thanksgiving dish in a separate comment (1 entry)

There are 4 ways to enter this Thanksgiving Giveaway! Giveaway will end on Sunday, November 21, 2010 at NOON (Arizona time). I will announce the winner on Sunday and mail out the Fall Napkin Rings on Monday.

Thanks again...for being YOU!

 

Happy Dance

{click on the turkey}

I am doing a happy dance : ) Obviously that is not me doing the happy dance above...but it's festive and you get the idea of how happy I am!

Remember my AMAZINGLY, AWESOMELY, TALENTED blog designer, Bailey from {b's blog boutique}? Well lovely Bailey has been working away on Mine for the Making's design and whipping up some really wonderful new things that I would LOVE to share with you.

Let's go on a little tour de blog, shall we?

Starting at the top of the right side bar, you will see a RSS feed icon, a Facebook icon, and an email icon. Such cute little icons, aren't they? This is how you can "hook up" with Mine for the Making.

*Mine for the Making is having a Facebook {fans only} giveaway when we reach 100 fans! If you haven't "liked" Mine for the Making, click on the FB icon and head on over so that you can be included in the {exclusive} giveaway!*

Below the new icons you will see a new section for "Sponsors." That's right! Mine for the Making is now accepting sponsors {after much thought and contemplation}. You can find out more by clicking on the "Advertising Info" tab at the top of this page. 

Under the "About Me" section on the right sidebar, you will see my cute lil' etsy button that Bailey created! I ♥ my etsy button! I can now help sponsor other blogs I love and support, while advertising my {coming SOON} etsy shop! Clicking on that cute button will take you straight to my handmade shop : )

Heading down a little further you will see my new {featured} button Bailey fashioned up! If I have featured you, your blog, or one of your fab creations, please grab the code for the *new* featured button!

That's all for now friends! If you are thinking of dressing up your blog a bit, check out b's {blog} boutique!

Our 2010 Family Holiday Card

Yesterday I let you all in on an AMAZING deal through Shutterfly. I just wanted to share with you the stationary photo card that I created using Shutterfly and the sweet discount code they sent me!

 I will admit...it was so difficult to choose which holiday card I wanted....there are SO many pretty ones to chose from! I was able to get 50 holiday cards for FREE!! I saved about $120 on holiday cards....can you believe that???? And they will be here in 3-7 days which means I will get my cards out early this year...can I get a "Holla!!"?? I am just THRILLED beyond words!

This promotion will only last so long, my bloggy friends. So head on over to Shutterfly for all of the details!

FREE Holiday Cards from Shutterfly

Have you been over to Shutterfly, my dear friends? They have some AMAZING holiday gift ideas and gorgeous holiday photo cards to chose from.

Shutterfly's photo books are my absolute FAVORITE! I made one for our wedding photos and I make one for my daughter each birthday of what we did that year. What a great gift to give someone (or keep for yourself!)

I soooo want one of these for my desk at school! What an adorable personalized gift! Check out the other Shutterfly calendars!

I fell in L.O.V.E. with this holiday photo card! I cannot wait to design our family holiday card with our family photos from this year! I think this is going to be the very card we use!

How cute is the holiday subway art on this photo card?!?! I LOVE it!!

Here's the best part, friends...Shutterfly is offering *50 free holiday cards!*

Click here to get all of the info!