Make DIY Gift Tags: Advent Day 20

Celebrating the Everyday, Liz's DIY  //  20th December 2012

Ryan and I are HUGE fans of packaging! (I think it stems way back to our mentor and Board of Life Director Dean Badal!) She would have packaging parties around Halloween to send gifts to friends and there was never a detail that was forgotten! She taught us that the box and the wrapping is often just as important (if not more important) than the gift itself!

We thought it would be fun to personalize our gifts this year with an extra special touch! We made DIY Gift tags that were super easy but are sure to leave a lasting impact. Join us on Day 20 of the AMAZING Life Holiday Advent Calendar and spruce up your gifts with some DIY Gift tags!We saw a picture for these Salt Dough gift tags on Pinterest (of course! ;) ) and just loved them! Then we looked at the recipe and read the directions and we were sold! ;) With only 3 ingredients and no baking involved, this project is super super easy! We followed the instructions from blogger She Knows for step-by-step instructions! But seriously, all you need to do is:

• Mix 1 cup of salt with 2 cups of flour. Then add 1 cup of warm water and mix again.
• Form the dough into a ball.
• Roll the dough until it is about ¼ inch thick and then use cookie cutters to cut the shape you would like! We used a round shape, but you could do ANYTHING that you would like! So fun!
• Stamp the shape with anything you would like… again, we used our Liz and Ryan stamp, but the sky is the limit here!
• Let the gift tags dry 24-48 hours!

Once they are dry, we plan to write the recipients name on the opposite side of our gift tags! Once we have all of our gifts wrapped and completed with these DIY Salt Dough Gift tags, we will definitely post a photo on Instagram and Facebook! Stay tuned! ;)

Share Christmas Cookies with Your Neighbor: Advent Day 19

Celebrating the Everyday  //  19th December 2012

Okay, we all LOVE Christmas cookies… that is why we make so many, right? Yes, we like to eat them. But I think the thing we love most about Christmas cookies is sharing them with others! There are so many stories behind cookies… whether the story is that you actually burnt the first batch and this is the second or that you make the same kind year after year because it is a tradition you started with your grandparents years ago… the stories always find a way to leave you smiling! ;) Or maybe that is actually the taste of the cookies? Hmm?

Either way, that smile deserves to be shared! ;) Wrap up those Christmas cookies that you keep telling yourself to stop eating ;) and share them with your neighbors on this 19^th Day of Advent! (Whoa… when did it become the 19^th already?)

Your neighbors, whether you know them or not, are people that you see quite a bit! For us, we see our neighbors all the time because our home is attached to theirs! ;) (In fact, we don’t just see our neighbors, we sometimes hear them too! ;) lol ) We are fortunate enough to have neighbors that keep an eye on our home for us when we are away. They pick up our mail and take in our packages when they see them sitting out! They always have a watchful eye and we are so incredibly grateful! We always do our best to share a smile with them whenever we are passing, but we thought sharing a Christmas cookie smile with them would be even better! ;)

Even if you don’t know your neighbors… this is the perfect opportunity to meet them! Share the Christmas cheer, especially the tasty ones! ;)

Make Your Own Holiday Potpourri: Advent Day 18

Celebrating the Everyday  //  18th December 2012

One of our favorite things about the holidays are the smells of the season.  From the amazing aroma of fresh cookies baking in the oven to the the smell of a newly cut tree, the smells of the holiday season always bring a big smile to our faces.  But one of our favorite Christmas time aromas is that of cinnamon. So for Day 18 of Advent we are combining Liz’s DIY with Ryan Cooks and showing you how to create your very own Holiday Potpourri.

Making your own holiday potpourri is super easy.  Simply slice a few oranges, grab a few cinnamon sticks, and place them in a small pot.  Cover with water and add a few dashes of your favorite spices, we used nutmeg and cloves. Then bring the mixture to a simmer over low heat.  The aroma of citrus and cinnamon will slowly fill your kitchen and whole house.  The best thing is that you can be super creative with your own potpourri.  Try using apples instead of oranges, or add a dash of vanilla or a little bit of pumpkin spice.

SUPPLIES/INGREDIENTS:

• 2-3 Oranges
• Cinnamon Sticks
• Ground Cloves
• Ground Nutmeg
• Any other holiday spice of your choosing
• 1 -2 Cups of Water

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cut oranges and add all ingredients to a small pot.  Heat over medium-low and bring to a slow simmer.

Send a Holiday Ornament to a Friend: Advent Calendar Day 16

Celebrating the Everyday  //  16th December 2012

This past Thursday night, during our cookie exchange date night, we also included an Ornament swap within all of the fun with our fabulous couples! It was quite an AMAZING evening for sure! On the invitation we asked everyone to bring an extra ornament and an address for a friend! We knew we would have a room full of holiday cheer and we wanted to be sure to share it with others! At the party, we had a little packaging station set up and everyone sent a little package with a lot of love and holiday cheer to a friend! This is for sure the season of giving and even a little ornament can make a HUGE impact! On Day 16 (RYAN’S BIRTHDAY!! WAHOO!) of the AMAZING Holiday Advent Calendar, we hope you will join us in sending a holiday ornament to a friend!

When you are out and about finishing up your shopping, take a stroll through the holiday aisles and pick out that perfect ornament to send to a friend! Find a box at your home… likely from all of your online shopping, you probably have one, right? And fill it with fun! Use colorful tissue paper, wood shavings, or even the comics section of the Sunday paper to cushion the ornament. Be sure to leave a sweet note and seal the package with a kiss! Ship that special package off to your friend and know that you are bringing them a big smile that will last for years to come! Every time they decorate their tree… they will definitely think of you!

Host a Holiday Cookie Exchange: Advent Calendar Day 15

Celebrating the Everyday, Entertaining  //  15th December 2012

You all know how much we love cookies… especially during the holidays! Well, our love for holiday cookies has just gone to a completely different level! We hosted a holiday cookie exchange and ornament swap date night with our AMAZING couples on Thursday and I have never seen a table so beautifully full of cookies! It was filled with a lot of holiday love and that in itself is reason enough to host a Holiday Cookie Exchange! Did I mention the chance to taste 12 different kinds of cookies that are out of this world AMAZING?!!! For Day 15 of the AMAZING Life Holiday Advent Calendar, we hope to inspire you to gather the AMAZING people in your life and Host a Holiday Cookie Exchange.

Having never hosted a Cookie Exchange before, we weren’t really sure what to expect. However, we sent an invitation out and asked everyone to bring at least 36 of their favorite holiday cookies! As our friends arrived and placed their cookies out on the table, my eyes started getting bigger and bigger and my stomach started growling! ;) It was so much fun to see so many different types of cookies (only Allison and Tom and Ryan and I duplicated with our Rolo cookies! :)… but even still, you can never have too many Rolo cookies! ;) ) and see a table full of so much love!

Every cookie has a story… whether it was made in the 30 minutes prior to coming to the party because it was the easiest cookie to find on Pinterest :), or it was the all time favorite cookie of the holidays and has since become a secret family recipe! My favorite part about the evening was hearing all of those stories surrounded by some of our favorite people ever (Ryan might argue that is a close second to tasting all of the AMAZINGNESS! :) )!

Hosting a Cookie Exchange is super easy and super fun. Gather those AMAZING people in your life and invite them to bring their favorite cookies to your home! ;) Then be sure to have supplies ready for everyone to make a cookie platter to take home and enjoy with their family and friends! You will have plenty of cookies… promise! ;)

Huge thanks to our AMAZING couples (and friends) who made our Holiday Cookie Exchange everything that we had dreamed of and more… a table full of love and room full of AMAZINGNESS. You filled our hearts with so much love! THANK YOU!

(More on the Ornament Swap to come tomorrow! ;) ).