Snowman Handprint Ornaments

If you are anything like me you might be feeling a little wistful about the craziness of the season and how you'd like to slow down and spend some quality time with the kids. That mama-guilt thing is treacherous!! Well, I've got a cure-all..... a sweet family project sure to be a great way to make a memory. Just look at these Snowman painted handprint ornaments from Eighteen 25 .

Just a few small canvases, some paint, paintbrushes, ribbon and sharpie markers and you've got a fun craft and adorable keepsake to hang on your tree. Remember to sign and date them on the back, too.

And just in case you are having trouble finding small canvases, you can always try this version from Twigs and Curls using a small wood plaque.

Have fun and make sure to share your crafts with me on FACEBOOK -- I'd love to see all of your creations!

Snowman Fun - Part 2

And now for the second installment of SNOWMAN FUN!! There are some super cute ideas in this post from all around the web -- I hope they inspire you all to take a break from the cold weather and have a little indoor snowman fun this winter.

First up, Amanda's Parties To Go Snowman party printables set - so cute and affordable, too! Be sure to check out the set in my Etsy shop and also the BIRTHDAY version and INVITATION, too!

And these are super simple to make - Snowman Marshmallow Pops full tutorial here.

Family Fun has an fun idea for your snowman party -- Snowman chair covers. They have a tutorial with a little sewing involved, but I think it would be a little easier to use a white pillow case and then glue some felt pieces and buttons or pom poms on.

Now who wouldn't love to dig into these sweet snowgirl and snowman milkshakes from Whisk? I still can't get over their adorable-ness! The perfect drink for you snowman table.

And I certainly can't leave out Bakerella and all of her creative culinary perfection! Snowmen cake pops with Oreo hats would fun on a dessert table or even wrapped up as a sweet little party favor.

Snowman shots from Babble look super easy. Make them before the party and set them on a cookie sheet in the freezer. Then all you have to do is pop them out to serve.

Here's a simple little craft that might make a fun party activity, a snowman ornament from Craft Passion.

Craftbits has a cute snowman ornament craft that could be a fun party activity and favor as well.

I just loved this picture, and then unfortunately didn't copy down the link. I have searched and searched but it's lost somewhere on that world wide web. If anyone can help find the source, please let me know, but isn't it the cutest??

And another yummy snowman treat -- this one from Food Create using ice cream, chocolate chips, a marshmallow, a chery and Twizzlers.

Snowmen Treat Bags from Crafts by Amanda would be a fun party activity, too. Have all of the pieces cut out and ready for the kids to glue onto an ordinary white paper bag. Then they can use it as a favor bag as well.

Adorable Snowmen Cupcakes from Meet the Dubiens make me want to go to my kitchen right now and start baking! How adorable!

You might have seen these snowmen cupcakes from All You with their sweet little ear muffs.

And Betty Crocker has a great snowman cupcake, too. I love how simple all of these ideas are using items you probably already have in your pantry.

And if you are in a hurry, these couldn't be more simple from iElixa.com .

Wouldn't your kids just love these cuties?? Snowman cupcake pops from My Little Cupcake with their precious hats and scarves would thrill my little ones!

These look pretty simple to make from Cupcakes Take the Cake.

And another cute marshmallow snowman treat from Keen Cakes this version uses a decorated sugar cookie as a base.

And I'll end with one of my favorites -- Mr. Melty cookies from Chic Cookie Kits just bring a smile. How ingenious!

I hope you all have a great day today -- get those presents bought and wrapped soon! It won't be long before Christmas!

Snowman Fun - Part 1

What says winter fun more than SNOWMEN? They're cute, cuddly, and simple to make, too. From desserts to ornaments to crafts and more, snowmen are everywhere on creative blogs and websites this year. With so many adorable and inspirational ideas out there, it's a great time to throw a Winter Wonderland party, a fun Brrrrr....thday party or to invite some neighbor kids over to have a few treats and make a snowman craft.

Using the Amanda's Parties To Go's Christmas snowman printable collection makes it easy to turn your home into a winter wonderland quickly, too. The collection includes all the party items you'll need from cupcake toppers to food label cards, signs and more. And don't forget about the Winter ONEderland birthday collection and the perfect party Snowman Invitation.

Isn't it cute?? A little red, blue and green.... some stripes, some polka dots and of course, a whole lot of cutie-pie snowmen, and you've got a fun and festive gathering.

Wouldn't Shindig's Marshmallow Snowman Treats be fun to make for the party, too? They're really simple.... even the kids could do it.

And look at "Defrosty the Snowman" from Yum Sugar. It just makes me laugh - adorable! It's just melted white candy coating, some mini chocolate chips, a rolo and a candy corn. Sounds simple to me.

Wow! How creative -- a snowman smore from The Adventures of Mrs. Reagan. Perfect for a fun party activity, too.

How easy and cute are these snowman desserts from Better Homes and Gardens using a ...... get this..... Hostess Sno Ball! Yep, it's that easy. Roll a marshmallow into a ball and insert a toothpick for the head. Use some food markers to make a cute face and waa-lah..... adorable snowman dessert.

And look at these great ideas for snowmen centerpieces or even punch bowls. The first one is from Chris at Celebrations at Home. Chris uses mini fish bowls, some felt, googley eyes and adhesive gems to create this adorable little snowman centerpiece.

And how great is this snowman punch bowl from Better Homes and Gardens? Surrounded by mini marshmallows and filled with everyone's holiday favorite eggnog, this is a great example of how fabulous doesn't have to mean time consuming or expensive.

Marzipan powdered sugar snowmen from Good House Keeping are almost too cute to eat. If you don't want to use marzipan, I think you could re-create something similar using powdered doughnut holes like the next couple of cuties.
Very Heatherly has one cute version with lots of added powdered sugar for snow.

And Family Fun's even simpler version would be perfect for preschoolers.

Coconut-rolled ice cream desserts from Martha Stewart bring a whole new meaning to Cake and Ice Cream!

Snowman Pretzel Sticks from Family Fun would be a fun party treat, or wonderful to wrap in cellophane and give out as favors at the end of your winter party.

Snowmen Oreo Pops from This Chick Cooks would make a great party favor, too.

B Franklin Crafts

has an adorable idea for gifts or party favors.... Snowmen head mason jars.

And another mason jar snowman favor bottle can be found at Weeping Cherries. These would be adorable to send home full of candy or other treats for your guests or maybe even a fun craft for the older kids at the party.

I hope these ideas inspire you to throw your own Winter Snowman party or maybe just to take an afternoon and make a fun treat with the kids. Stay tuned for even more cute snowmen ideas tomorrow!

Our Christmas Card

Since my Christmas card printer messed me up this year, and I'm just now getting my Christmas cards in the mail, I thought I'd go ahead and post it for everyone to see. I ordered these on Nov. 28th and they just came to me yesterday! Don't get me started on how a company called "Overnight Prints" can take 3 weeks to get Christmas cards to a customer! Yikes!! But they did finally arrive, and I think they turned out pretty cute.

I've been so busy this year, I just didn't seem to find the time to take the annual Christmas card family photo shoot, so I took advantage of Auburn's amazing season and our victory party down at Toomer's Corner after the Iron Bowl game where we beat Alabama to take a few shots. I still can't believe I put that family photo on the back of the card -- Mama had on NOOOOOO makeup! You know I've been busy when I'll send out photos sans makeup!!

What a great year to be an Auburn Tiger!! I hope you enjoy the pictures!

The front of the card -- my little War Eagle Auburn babies!

The inside

And the back side

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

And make sure to mail those cards -- we all love receiving them!

EASY Homemade Hot Chocolate Gifts

Homemade Peppermint Hot Chocolate

I've got a quick and easy gift idea for classrooms, teachers, friends and more today. Homemade hot chocolate with some mini marshmallows and peppermint -- yum!

A quick list of ingredients and supplies:

25.6 oz Nonfat instant dry milk
16 can of Nesquick
16 oz Coffee creamer (Whoops! Forgot this one in the photo so make sure you add it)
1 pound of powdered sugar
1 bag of mini marshmallows
candy canes
small plastic bags
curling ribbon
christmas tag

Now for the directions:

Put the first 4 ingredients in a very large bowl and stir and then stir some more. Now take all of your candy canes (without the wrappers!) and put them in a ziploc and crush them up. Make sure to leave a few chunks so that they look pretty for presentation. Now take your small plastic bag and add about 5 tablespoons of hot chocolate mix. Next add a few marshmallows and then some crushed candy cane.

Use your curling ribbon to tie the bag off and add your gift tag... the one I've shown is from the Shindig Parties TO GO Let it Snow Collection.

That's all folks - it's super easy! (I found the original recipe here -- don't you just love the internet?)

I'm making 90 of these today for my kids' classes and it's going pretty quick -- what a fun and EASY idea.

And by the way my new friend, Kirsti, is hosting a giveaway of the Let it Snow Collection of printables on her Blog -- the giveaway will run until December 20th so hurry on over there and sign up! It's a great collection -- you can see more photos from it here.

Hope you have a wonderful day today!