I just love making handmade gifts for Christmas, especially for the grandparents!  I made these wooden photo ornaments for my relatives that don’t get to see my kids on a regular basis.   I love that you can makes these every year and you can see how your kids have changed from year to year.  Here is what you need for these cute and fun ornaments.

• 2 x 2 Wooden Square Blocks
• sandpape
• Spray Adhesive or Glue
• Ribbion
• Scrapbook Paper
• Embellishments
• Photos
• Small screw eyes

First you will want to sand the wooden blocks with sandpaper until wood is smooth.

Select the paper you want to use.  I put 2 photos on each ornament and 4 pieces of paper (top. bottom, and two of the sides).  Cut and glue the paper to the wooden blocks.

Pick two photos, cut and glue them to the wooden block.

Add embellishments.  Set aside and let glue completely dry.  For the final step, add one small screw eye to the top of the cube and attach ribbon so you can hang it on the tree.  I recommend finishing them off with a clear spray so everything stays in place.  You can choose a matte or glossy finish depending on your preference.

I think these would also be a cute way to display photos on a bookcase too.   You could just leave the top without the hardware and stack to display them.

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Here is a fun recipe for Peppermint Patties that contains very few ingredients and is super easy to make. I just love the fresh taste of peppermint for the holidays.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pepperment or mint extract
• food coloring

Coating:

• 1/2 cup sugar  (I also used Candy coating)

Start by combining butter and corn syrup together then add 2 cups of powdered sugar and extract.  Once mixed stir in one more cup of powdered sugar.  Add mixture to cutting board, add the final cup of powdered sugar and knead and work into mixture.

Divide mixture into three parts and add desired food coloring.

Roll out and cut with round cutter. Dip in sugar,

As another option you could coat with candy coating (I used peppermint).  You could add sprinkles if desired.

Let stand uncovered for 24 hours to firm up.  Enjoy!

Recipe via Mom on Time Out

This is part of our Homemade Holiday series, click the image above to see all of the great gifts and recipes we have posted.

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Peanut Brittle is a classic must have treat at our house during Christmastime. It’s actually fairly quick and simple to make.

Peanut Brittle Ingredients:

• 2 cup sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 2 cup dry-roasted or raw peanuts
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Prepare 2 cookies sheet lined with foil and then coated with butter.

In sauce pan add sugar and corn syrup, bring to boil and reduce heat to medium until it reaches 275 degrees on a candy thermometer. Make sure you stir constantly.

Your next step is to stir in peanuts, and continue to cook on stovetop at medium heat until it once again reaches 275. This step should take about 3 minutes.

Remove from heat immediately, add baking soda and stir.  Add to prepared baking sheets.

Using a fork pull and stretch out the candy.  Let cool.

When the Peanut Brittle is completely cooled, break into pieces.   Enjoy!

Recipe found at My Recipes

This is part of our Homemade Holiday series, click the image above to see all of the great gifts and recipes we have posted.

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I love holiday baking!  I enjoy making boxes of different goodies for our family and friends. These marshmallow pops are festive and fun, and they are lots of fun for kids.    I covered mine with sprinkles, but you can even dip them in chocolate.

Christmas Marshmallow Pops Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons butter
• 2 envelope unflavored gelatin
• 2/3 cup cold water divided
• 2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Line a 13 x 9 pan with foil and grease the foil with butter and set aside to use later.  If you would like different colors divide foil into separate areas

In a large metal bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup water and then set aside for later

Use a large heavy saucepan to combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt and remaining water.  You will want to bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cook until a candy thermometer reads 240° (soft-ball stage).

Once it reaches 240° remove from heat and gradually add to gelatin mixture. Once it is all combined mix on high speed with mixer until mixture is thick and doubles in size, it will probably take about 15 minutes.   Next, add in the vanilla.

If you want them all white spread into prepared pan.    If you want 2 different colors, spread half the mixture into the prepared pan.

Add food coloring to remaining marshmallow mixture and spread the into the other prepared pan.

To remove marshmallows from pan, lift using the foil.  With buttered cookie cutters cut out shapes

Keep butter handy it is a must when working with this recipe. I lightly coated my hands with butter and made all the difference in the world.

After you have your shapes cover with sprinkles or dip in candy coating (chocolate)  then add stick through the bottom of the marshmallow.

Cover and let stand at room temperature for 6 hours or overnight.  To keep fresh add cello bags and tie off with a bow.

Recipe was found at Taste of Home.

This is part of our Homemade Holiday series, click the image above to see all of the great gifts and recipes we have posted.

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I love to bake at Christmas time and these caramels are by far the most requested item people want me to make. They are heavenly!

Homemade Caramel Ingredients:

1 cup butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 1/4 cups of packed brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla

Prepare a 9×13 jelly roll pan lined with foil and coated with butter

In medium sauce pan melt butter.

Once butter has melted add condensed milk, brown sugar, and corn syrup.  Bring to boil and reduce to med-low heat until candy thermometer registers 248 degrees (this step will take about 30 minutes).

Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and add to prepared pan.

Let cool completely.  When cooled cut into squares with buttered knife and wrap in wax paper.

You can also dip these in chocolate for an extra special treat.  Enjoy!

This is part of our Homemade Holiday series, click the image above to see all of the great gifts and recipes we have posted.

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You can make your favorite sugar cookie recipe and dress them up for christmas. These are great for holiday parties or cookie exchanges.  Super festive and fun!

Start with your favorite sugar cookie recipe.  Here is the recipe I used:

Sugar Cookies

• 2/3 cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups flour

Once you have your sugar cookie dough, divide equally into three sections.  Add food coloring to dough (I used green and red).  Now divide each color into four separate balls.  You should end up with twelve balls of dough (4 of each color).

With limited amount of flour, roll out dough into long strips about 12 inches long.

With a sheet of wax paper start to add dough strips together to make a round log. Roll up into wax paper, press together to mold all the colors together. Refrigerate for 1 hour.    Keep in mind, if you use too much flour when rolling out, the colors will not merge very well.

Remove from refrigerator and slice into round pieces and bake at 375 degrees for 7 minutes (or however your your recipe calls for baking)

Enjoy as is or top with a little bit frosting and sprinkles.

This is part of our Homemade Holiday series, click the image above to see all of the great gifts and recipes we have posted.

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These White Chocolate Peppermint Truffles combine the yumminess of chocolate with peppermint, which happens to be one of my favorite combos ever.

Ingredients:
4 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/4 cup white chocolate chips (melted)
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1/3 cup crushed candy canes
1 cup white candy coating (Wilton Candy Melts)

In a mixer, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Melt white chocolate chips in the microwave.  I like to melt them in 30 second intervals and stir in between so I make sure not to let them burn. Add melted white chocolate and peppermint extract into your cream cheese mixture and beat until nice and smooth.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Use a cookie scoop to get a good portion of the mix and roll into round balls by using your hands.  Place in freezer for 20 minutes

Next melt white candy coating in microwave,  in 30 second intervals.   When it is nice and smooth it is ready for coating your truffle

With a fondue fork or wooden skewer dip the truffle into the white candy coating

Top off the truffle with crushed peppermint.   I also add white sugar sprinkles to mine to give them more of a snowy winter look.   For nice presentation you can place them in festive holiday themed muffin liners.

Recipe adapted from Your Cup of Cake

This post is the first in our Homemade Holiday series!   Watch for more recipes, crafts and decor to be posted soon.   You can click the image above to view our Homemade Holiday posts from previous years.

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Each year I make a Christmas Countdown/Advent Activity Calendar.   I am sharing this year’s calendar with you, and I am thrilled with how it turned out.   The inspiration for this came from the Silhouette Advent calendar, I loved the look of the Silhouette one, but I was looking for something a little bigger, so I decided to make my own version (plus, it wasn’t in-stock for a long time – it’s finally in-stock now).

Instead of this being an advent calendar with little treats for each day, instead we have a fun family activity listed on the back that we can do each day.    There are a couple of days where the kids will have some treats hidden in the house and the first clue will be on the back of that days number.    I like to switch it up with some service, fun events, and treats.    During December, I will be sharing some of the activities we do on certain days.    It should be fun!

If you are interested in making one too, here is what you will need:

I checked out thrift stores for an old inexpensive frame, but I wasn’t finding anything I liked or that was cheap enough, so I decided to make my own frame.    If you have a pre-made frame this project will be even easier!

Making the numbers

Supplies:

• Scrapbook Paper
• Embellishments
• Glue Dots or glue (for attaching embellishemts)
• Small Wooden Clothespins
• Small Post-It Notes (to write activities on back)

If you are starting with a pre-made frame you will want to cut or choose numbers that will fit well inside your frame.   Since I chose to make my own frame, I could make the numbers any size I wanted and then adjust the size of the frame to fit the numbers.

To make things super simple. I found a sheet of Echo Park scrapbook paper from my local scrapbook store from the This & That Christmas line.   It was perfect, because it already had squares that were numbered 1-25.   You can also make all of the numbers on your own with cardstock & Scrapbook paper.

I decided to add a little embellishment to each of the squares to give the project a little dimension.   I added some rhinestones, buttons, ribbons, twine and ric rac.

I went super simple with the decorations too, just adding a button or ribbon here or there.

Making Your Own Frame:

Supplies:

• Molding from Hardware store (to make the frame)
• Strong Wood Expoxy Glue
• 90 Degree Angle Brackets (for strength on the back of the frame at each cornerP
• Small Screws or eye hooks (to hold string)
• Baker’s Twine (red and white)
• Paint
• Sandpaper
• Wood Filler

I laid out all the numbers and attached a couple of the clothespins that would be used to hang the number from the ribbon, so I could get an idea of the size frame I wanted.   Once I had the measurements I could start making the frame.

I just used a piece of moulding you can buy at a hardware store (it cost me $4.48).  I then cut the molding to size and used wood glue at the corners, once the glue was dry I used attached angle brackets to the back of the frame to make sure it stays together.

I then filled in the cracks with wood filler, let it dry, and sanded it down.  I attached a picture hanger on the back before painting. I chose to paint the frame a festive red color.

To attache the baker’s twine to the frame I used small screws on either side of the inside of the frame, and then wrapped the twine around the top of each screw before finally tightening them all the way into the wood.   I taped the extra string to the back of the frame to make sure it stays in place.   My original plan was to use eye hooks, but I thought it would be hard to get the string tight on those.

I also decided to paint the clothespins, and ended up painting them a green that matched the scrapbook paper I bought.  Before attaching all of the numbers onto the frame, I went through our December calendar and wrote items that I knew we had planned already.  I then filled in the other days with fun Christmas activities.  I have a nice mix of simple, fun family, and service type activities.  The activites are written on post-it notes, so they can easily be switched if a need a less time consuming activity one day.

I hung the frame on the wall and attached each of the numbers with one of the clothespins. Cute!

The final dimensions of the inside of my frame measure 19 3/4 x 15, with the total outside dimensions being 24 1/2 x 19 3/4.

These planned calendars help us have a more meaningful and family oriented Christmas.  I plan on blogging about some of our activities along the way, so watch for those posts to come in December.

Need some ideas for your Christmas Countdown? Here are some you can include:

• Read about the birth of Jesus
• Go Christmas caroling
• Take donations to the Food Bank
• Bake Cookies
• Watch Charlie Brown Christmas
• Bring Treats to neighbors
• Go to Snowflake Lane (FREE event at Bellevue Square ~ local event)
• Drive around and view Christmas lights
• Visit the Giving Tree & choose some names – Get gifts
• Family Christmas Party
• Church Christmas Party
• Read our favorite Christmas story
• Watch a Christmas movie
• Make Chex Mix
• Make Chocolate covered pretzels
• See a Christmas play
• Decorate the Christmas tree
• Make Christmas cards
• Drink hot cocoa with candy cane whip cream
• Go see a holiday movie
• Watch the Grinch that Stole Christmas
• Leave a surprise on someone’s doorstep

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Looking for a quick and easy homemade gift? Try these cute reindeer hot chocolate gifts, these are super simple even your kids can help you put them together.

Here are the supplies you need to make these gifts:

• 2 Wilton bags
• 1 Hot Chocolate envelope
• 2 tbsp Mini Chocolate Chips
• 1/3 cup Mini Marshmallows
• 1 Red Pom Pom Ball
• 2 Google Eyes
• 1 Rubber band
• 1 Brown Pipe Cleaner
• Glue
• Ribbon

• Pour hot chocolate mix into Wilton bag (make sure to get it all the way into the tip).
• Twist bag closed and wrap with a rubber band.
• Trim off the top of bag.

• Put bag with cocoa into another Wilton Bag.
• Layer in mini chocolate chips.
• Add layer of mini marshmallows.
• Twist and tie off with ribbon.

• Glue Pom Pom nose near tip of bag.
• Glue google eyes near the top of the hot chocolate mix.
• Wrap brown pipe cleaner around top for antlers and shape.

There you have it!   Super simple homemade gift for sharing with family and friends.    We even have a FREE printable tag you can use too, just click the image above or follow this link over to the Reindeer Hot Chocolate printable.

This is part of our Homemade Holiday series, click the image above to see all of the great gifts and recipes we have posted.

The post Reindeer Hot Chocolate Gifts – Super Easy to Make! appeared first on Gather Lemons.

Here is what you will need in addition to the Homemade Marshmallow Recipe:

• Chocolate for melting (I like Wilton Candy melts available at Michael’s)
• Metal Cookie Cutter Shapes
• Wilton’s Decorating Bags
• Wax paper

1. Prep some wax paper squares you will use this on the top and bottom of cookie cutter. line up the wax paper squares on the counter, place the cookie cutters on the wax paper.

2. Place Candy Melts into Wilton’s decoration bags (microwave for 30 second intervals) until the chips are all melted.

3. Cut the tip off of decorating bags and pipe in the chocolate at the bottom of cookie cutter until is covers the bottom and you can no longer see any wax paper.

4. Lightly coat hands with butter or cooking spray, take a piece of the marshmallow and shape it to fill in the cookie cutter.   Leave a little space  on the sides so you can fill with chocolate around the marshmallow.   Now top off with more chocolate and place a wax paper square on top to make a nice smooth finish.

5. Place in Freezer for 30 minutes, then take out and gently push chocolate out of mold.

If desired you can put them in small bags and finish off with ribbon for gift giving.

This is part of our Homemade Holiday series, click the image above to see all of the great gifts and recipes we have posted.

The post Homemade Chocolate Covered Marshmallows Shapes appeared first on Gather Lemons.

This is really fun spin on the Marshmallow recipe I shared earlier.   You can make holiday cut outs of the Homemade Marshmallow Recipe and decorate with sprinkles.    They end up tasting just like the famous Easter candy we all love.

First, you will need to follow the  instructions for the Homemade Marshmallow Recipe.

Here’s what you will need to make the shapes:

• Metal Cookie Cutters
• Sprinkles to decorate

1. Spray cookie cutter with cooking spray or coat with butter. Simply press cookie cutter into prepared marshmallow, and pull then push the marshmallow out of cookie cutter.

2. Decorate with our favorite colored sprinkles!

It’s that simple, you’re going to have fun making and eating this tasty treats with your family.

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This is what you will need:

• Wilton decor bags
• 2 bags Wilton Candy melts – Chocolate and Peppermint (one bag of each)
• 6 small-Cookie Cutters or 4 large
• 2 Medium size Candy Canes Crushed
• Wax Paper

Packaging supplies you will need:

• 6 small Cello bags
• Ribbon
• Tags

Here are the steps to make these gifts:

Step one:  Line a cookie sheet with wax paper and set the cookie cutters on the wax paper

Step two:  Add chocolate into Wilton’s deco bag and microwave for 30 sec intervals, until all all chips are melted.   Next do the same with the peppermint chips.

Step three: Snip off tip of deco bag with scissors and squeeze chocolate into the bottom of the cookie cutter, about a half way up,  top off with the peppermint.

Step Four:  Add crushed peppermint, then put in to freezer for 30 minutes.

You are all done!  Fast, simple, and looks beautiful!

For easy gift giving, package them into cello bags, and tie off with ribbon and a tag.

This is part of our Homemade Holiday series, click the image above to see all of the great gifts and recipes we have posted.

The post Holiday Treat Gifts: Peppermint Bark in Cookie Cutter appeared first on Gather Lemons.

This is what you will need:

• Fresh Cedar
• Fresh Fir, or Pine (I go to my local Lowe’s Hardware to get my tree, they always have extra trimmings and are happy to give me some for free)
• Variegated Holly (if you are lucky and have it in your yard) or any variegated bush you may have
• Container- I used a plastic floral container
• 1 Block oasis (available at Michael’s or at your local Florist)
• Tape
• Knife or Clippers

When it comes to decorating, it’s totally up to you.   You can make it simple or super festive here are some options I used:

Decorative balls, Pine Cones, Red berries, Candles, and Ribbon.   You can also add fresh flowers if you like (Carnations and Mums are good if you want them to last a long time).

First you need to soak the oasis in water,  next trim it so it is a bit smaller then the container, you want to make sure there is enough room for water.  Then tape down.   Then next thing you will do is start adding cedar using a knife or clippers  cut the cedar and put in oasis round the bottom base,  I start with the cedar  because it drapes nicely and covers up the container so that you can’t see it.  Now add the candle or candles, then continue adding Fir, Pine and Cedar until it is filled in and add a touch of the variegated greens.   Now the fun part,  you can start decorating.  Add what ever you like ribbons, pine cones, decorative balls, berries, ect.

You have a finish centerpiece, continue to water and it will last for weeks!  If you like you can add just a touch of flowers, it doesn’t take much I only used two stems.

Total cost of my centerpiece:

• Container, Oasis, Candles (5.00)
• Greens, Pine Cones (FREE-I love the Northwest!)
• Decor – Balls, Berries, Ribbon, Silver twigs (on sale at Michael’s 4.00)
• 2- Stems fresh flowers (3.00)
• Total Cost = $12.00

This is part of our Homemade Holiday series, click the image above to see all of the great gifts and recipes we have posted.

The post Make your own Holiday Centerpiece appeared first on Gather Lemons.

You can make your own homemade Lemon Sugar Scrub either for yourself or for a gift. The great part about this recipe is there are 3 simple ingredients, no need to search all over town. These look super cute in jars and we even have a FREE printable label so you can add them to the jars for gift giving.

This sugar scrub only requires 3 simple ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/4 cup Coconut Oil
• 1 Lemon

• Pour sugar into bowl.
• Squeeze lemon juice and add to sugar.

• Mix in coconut oil ( you can add more if you like a more of a wet consistency).
• Zest lemon and add to mixture (save a little to garnish top of scrub inside the jar).

Add your Lemon Sugar Scrub to the jars.
Add a Label to the front or on the lid and tie a ribbon to dress it up a bit.

To print the labels for your gifts, you can click the image above or follow this link to the Lemon Sugar Scrub printables.

This is part of our Homemade Holiday series, click the image above to see all of the great gifts and recipes we have posted.

The post Gift in a Jar: Lemon Sugar Scrub appeared first on Gather Lemons.

Here is an easy gift you can make for friends, family or coworkers. These Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies make a great gift when you add all the ingredients into a jar and add on the instructions for the recipient.

Here are the ingredients you will need to make these:

• 1 Quart Mason Jar
• 1/3 cup Sugar
• 1/3 cup packed Brown Sugar
• 3/4 cup Flour
• 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/8 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/8 tsp Salt
• 1 cup Quick Cooking Oats
• 1 cup Dried Cranberries
• 1 cup White Chocolate Chips

I love how easy this is to put together, you can line up several jars at a time and get quite a few gifts made at once. Here are the steps for filling the jars:

1. Place sugar in the jar.
2. Pack it down to create clean layers.
3. Place brown sugar in the jar.
4. Pack it down to create clean layers.
5. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl and mix.
6. Add to jar and pack it down.
7. Layer in the oats, cranberries, and white chocolate chips, packing the ingredients between layers.
8. Seal with lid and decorate.

We even have a label and instructions you can print to finish off you gift. Just click the image above to be taken to the document, our you can print the cookie in a jar labels HERE.

This is part of our Homemade Holiday series, click the image above to see all of the great gifts and recipes we have posted.

The post Cookie Mix in a Jar: Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies appeared first on Gather Lemons.