Mix it Up Challenge: 3D Christmas Tree with Kathy

Hi Everyone!  It's Kathy today with my take on the Mix & Match Challenge!  One of my favorite things about Doodlebug collections is that you can always mix and match to fit your project!  I mixed 3 different Christmas Collections to make this fun tree...

To make the tree I used the SVGCuts Heirloom Christmas Tree.  It reminded me of the ceramic tree we used to have growing up!!  The tree itself was made using Tree Festival Double Sided Cardstock from the Milk & Cookies Collection. The base of the tree was made using Holly Days Double Sided Cardstock from the Sugarplums Collection and the plaid paper panels are made from the Holiday Cheer Paper from the 2013 Home for the Holidays Collection.  It doesn't matter that they are 3 different collections spread over 4 years, they all coordinate perfectly!  Here is the tree lit up, (yes, it even lights like the old ceramic tree!) and some close ups of the ornaments I made using some Shaped Sprinkles and Cute Clips!

The star was made from some Sugar Coated Cardstock in Bumblebee.

To make the ornaments, I either wrapped some jewelry wire around the shape or glued the wire to the back.  I used the Sugarplums Shaped Sprinkles, Candy Cane Shaped Sprinkles, Lily White Snowflakes Shaped Sprinkles and some Mini Hearts Cute Clips to decorate the tree.

It looks so pretty all lit up!  Be sure to drop by the blog next week to get more Mix and Match Inspiration!  That's it for me today, I hope you  have a wonderful holiday season!

Sweet Gift Ideas by Amanda & Tiffany

Peppermint Oreo Pops 
by Amanda Coleman

When it comes to neighbor gifts during the holidays, I am all about quick and easy (and yummy).  These dark chocolate peppermint Oreo pops are super easy to make and are delicious to boot.  Hand them out individually or gift them as a fun bouquet.

Oreo pops have been around for a while, but I'll bet you haven't seen them made with Doodlebug's colorful pixies straws!  Rather than insert a regular ol' white lollipop stick, add some extra holiday cheer to your treats by using pixies straws to turn Oreos into pops.

Insert finished pops into treat bags and tie with Doodle Twine and a cute Pixies tag.  The back side of each tag is blank making it perfect for labeling.

The dark chocolate-peppermint combination is divine!  Dark chocolate candy melts and peppermints are widely available so you won't have to hunt down a bunch of supplies.  For more detailed information on how I made these Oreo pops, click HERE to head over to my blog.

Happy Holidays!

Amanda

Caramel Apples 
by Tiffany Hood 

Our traditional neighbor gifts are Caramel Apples.  We've been making these babies since 2006, and they're a labor of love, let me tell you. :)

We buy the biggest granny smith apples we can find, and the best caramel and white chocolate coating, and we've perfected the technique. Most of the time we add cinnamon-sugar to the outside, but we've also done toffee, candies, or chocolate drizzles.  Yummy!!!

(The cinnamon-sugar is my favorite- just like Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory)

I made this super simple card using Doodlebug's "Simply Put" cards, added it to a white piece of cardstock and then a green cardstock base, and then added a sticker with dimensional adhesive, and a "Mini Bow" that are Doodlebug's cute little embellishment kits that coordinate with the "Home for the Holidays" collection.

The apple was simply dressed with another bow, some twine, and a sticker!

Don't you wish you were my neighbor? :)

-Tiffany

Super Quick & Easy Neighbor Gift Ideas

We are so excited to be sharing fun ideas for co-worker, neighbor and friend gifts featuring our Home for the Holidays Collection. Our Design Team has done a wonderful job and we can't wait to share with you!!

by Wendy Sue Anderson 

Let’s be honest, we all have so much to do to prepare for the holiday season. Sometimes we just can’t do it all. As much as we’d like to make everything from scratch, sometimes we have to resort to store-bought goodies for our neighbors, friends, and teachers. Don’t feel guilty about not making every little thing from start to finish – but consider adding a homemade touch by creating handmade packaging for your little gifts. Here are some quick and easy ideas for doing just that!

Almost everyone loves a good cup of hot cocoa on a cold evening. Create a little pocket from patterned paper to tuck the cocoa packet into. Embellish with more patterned paper, stickers, a pixie, and a candy cane for good measure!

  

My kids love chewing gum. Most of their friends do too. Having a pack of their very own is definitely a prized gift! This is simple enough for the kids to make for their friends – simply wrap a strip of patterned paper around a pack of gum. Add a cute sticker and a tag tied with baker’s twine - so easy and oh so cute!!

Peppermint Crunch Junior mints are one of my all-time favorite holiday treats (I wish they made them all year round!). Adding a 4x6 card from the album insert booklet is the perfect way to embellish this box of goodies!

Flavored Soda is fun treat to share! Simply wrap patterned paper around a bottle of red (or green) soda. Add a sticker label, tag, and pixie to embellish the front.

You know what they say…”put a tic tac in your mouth and get a BANG out of life!” Giving a pack of holiday colored tic tacs is a sure way to make someone happy! Wrap washi tape around the top part of the container and place a cute sticker on top. Create a tag with patterned paper and attach the tic tac box directly to the tag. There’s plenty of room to add a name or greeting below the box. This would also be a cute gift topper!

 

I hope these ideas have inspired you to give yourself permission to relax a bit – don’t stress – and have fun decorating some store-bought, sure-fire delicious treats for the holidays!

Mailbox Christmas Countdown

Ahhh...to be a kid at Christmas time! Hi Doodlebugs! It's Kathy Martin here today to share an Advent calendar I created with a little metal mailbox tin and Doodlebug Design's Home for the Holidays collection. 

You can find these mailboxes at Target in the dollar spot department throughout the year. Whenever I see them I pick up several since they make adorable projects!

I opted for this colorful striped paper to cover my box...it reminds me of candy canes! Then I embellished it with a pretty green bow, tag, Doodle Twine, accent stickers and tiny jingle bells.

Doodlebug Jewels add eye catching sparkle as tree toppers!

From the this & that sticker sheet I found the this adorable tag. I love the vintage style font!

Tucked inside the box are 24 pieces of paper with holiday activities written on them, money or treat coupons.

Here's the back of the box...another adorable holiday house.

I can't wait until December 1st! It'll be great fun to see how excited my son is to open one of these paper rolls each morning!

Hope you enjoyed my share and the season!

Muffin Tin Advent Calendar by Jodi

Hi everyone!  Jodi here today to get you in the spirit of Christmas! I loved the idea of creating a reusable advent calendar for the upcoming holiday season, so I decided to go with a Mini-Muffin Tin Calendar using the Home for the Holidays Collection. Here is the final product:

I started off by spray painting a couple of coats of white paint over the mini muffin tin. Next up I decided to stick with a green and red theme for the base and cut out 12 squares of each (using cardstock) measuring 2 1/4 X 2 1/4. After I layered each square with different pattern paper from this collection and topped it off with stickers and embellishments.  On the back of each cardstock square, I added strong magnet to allow the advent calendar to be used every year.

Thanks everyone! Come visit my blog for my inspiration!

Repurposed Blocks to Holiday Perpetual Calendar by Sherry

Falalalala ... lalala ... laaaaaaaaa!

'Tis the season to be ... hohoho.
Count down the days from now until zero.
Falalalalaaaaaaaaa,
Here comes Santa! 

Yes, here comes Santa ---- or me, Sherry.  I'm here today to help you countdown the days until Christmas with this cute, re-purposed calendar.   I know you'll not find one exactly like mine, but the idea can be carried over to any sort of calendar or item to repurpose.     

Oh yes, Christmas is just around the corner.

To add more excitement to our home for the holidays, we always have some sort of holiday calendar for the kiddos to look forward to.  We don't always have the traditional advent calendar of chocolate hidden behind the windows of the picture.  Instead, in the past couple years, we've opted for a holiday activity for each day of December leading up to Christmas day.
One year, the kiddos and I chose to decorate an ornament each day.

This year, though, as the kiddos are getting a bit older and are involved in more activities, we're opting for a simple countdown calendar.

This simple wooden perpetual calendar was not so cute when I purchased it at the thrift store.  When I purchased it, I had no idea what I would do with it. 

Once I  realized that it could be turned into a countdown calendar, I set out for ideas and the Home for the Holidays Collection from Doodlebug Design.  It has the perfect mix of traditional and trendy patterns and lovely shades of red and green and glittery goodness.

I covered each block with a square of patterned paper that was inked on the edges.  Then, I added numbers to each square face.  The base of the calendar was an odd shape, so I simple traced it onto the backside of the patterned paper.

Decorating the block with the tree was a bit more tricky because the is at an angle.

But, let's talk about the tree first.

I made the tree with a pixie [loooove them so much!] and patterned paper.  I cut a rectangle of patterned paper  about two inches wide and one inch tall.  On one long side of the patterned paper, snip or fringe the edge of the paper.  Glue one end in place on the pixie, then wrap around to desired look.  Trim off paper and glue end.  Once you've made as many layers as you'd like, use a stylus or paper piercer to curl the strips of paper.  Embellish with brads, pearls, rhinestones and sprinkles.

The present under the tree is a die/dice wrapped in washi and wrapped with doodle twine.

For this particular project, I had to drill a hole into the wooden block to hold the tree.   It had to be done at an angle as the base has a slight decline.

Then, I embellished the stand with glittery adhesive fancy frill border sticker and a die cut bow.  I added a cute doodad in the middle.  Perfect!

For a final countdown, what is three scrappy items on your Christmas wishlist?   What are two activities you're looking forward to this holiday?  And, what is the one ornament you have to put on your tree each year?
While you're answering these questions, I'll be rockin' around the Christmas tree and dreaming of how I'll be deckin' the halls ... red and green and home for the holidays!

Tuesday Tutorial: Tree Advent Calendar by Amanda

by Amanda Coleman

I love advent calendars!  We have a variety of advent calendars we put up each year, but the ones that hold little treats are everyone's favorite.  This year I made a quick (one hour) and easy Christmas tree advent calendar to add to the mix.

A bunch of tiny Christmas tree grouped together have a big impact.  The fun colors and patterns from the Home for the Holidays Collection are sure to brighten any home.

Underneath each Christmas tree I have hidden treats for the kids to fight over discover each day leading up to Christmas.  Yum!

Making Christmas tree cones is super easy.  Here's how I did it:

How to Make Christmas Tree Cones

1. Cut circles of various sizes from patterned paper.  My circles ranged anywhere from 7.5" to 11.5".
2. Cut circles into quarters.
3. Snip a tiny wedge from the top of each quarter.  (This makes it easier to roll into a cone.)
4. Roll quarters into cones, securing the edges with adhesive.  Trim any excess paper from the bottom of the cone.
5. Staple the seams of each cone.
6. Top cones with round sequins and adhere number stickers.

If you make your own Christmas tree advent calendar, we'd love for you to share on the Doodlebug Facebook page!

Supplies: 
Home for the Holidays collection
Round sequins Christmas assortment
Teensy Type stickers