If you’re looking for a gift idea that’s both customizable and unique, I’ve got just the thing! These Portable Fire Pit Gift Sets are perfect for neighbors, coworkers, couples, and even families! It’s sure to be a hit with anyone – because who doesn’t love the cozy vibe of a crackling fire? We’ve come up with two different themes that you can copy, but there’s so many possibilities to play around with here, you can easily tailor the box to your recipient!

Gift Idea #1: Cozy Hot Cocoa Gift Set

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 Portable Fire Pit
• Hot Cocoa
• Marshmallows
• Cozy socks
• Mugs
• Sprinkles
• Stirring Spoons
• Straws
• Holiday Decor (pinecones, fresh holiday greens, ornaments, etc.)
• Wooden Box
• Ribbon

Gift Idea #2: S’mores Gift Set

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 Portable Fire Pit
• Christmas Pajama Bottoms
• Marshmallows
• Graham Crackers
• Ghirardelli Chocolate Squares (individually wrapped)
• (2)  S’mores skewers
• Holiday Decor (pinecones, fresh holiday greens, ornaments, etc.)
• Wooden Box
• Ribbon

Grab your wooden box and add the large items first, arranging everything into the box. 

Finish off with the decor! Add fresh holiday greens, pinecones, and/or decorative ornaments. Tie off with a ribbon and you’re good to go!

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If you’re anything like me, you can’t “celebrate” the holidays without having the house smelling deliciously festive 24/7. I go through a record amount of candles in the month of December. Nothing brings me that unadulterated holiday joy like a seasonal scent filling the home. That’s why we’ve created these gift-able Holiday Stove Top Potpourri Gift Sets. They’re creative, thoughtful, and smell oh, so good! Perfect if you’re struggling last minute or looking for something both fun and affordable! They’re also easy to make in bulk so they’re a great option for coworkers, neighbors, or party guests!

Holiday Stove Top Potpourri Gift Set:

• 1 Navel Orange
• 1/2 cup cranberries, fresh
• 1 sprig, Rosemary
• 2 Cinnamon Sticks 
• 2 tsp Cloves, whole
• 1 tsp Nutmeg, ground
• 2 segments, Star Anise
• Ribbon
• Clear Pastry Bag
• Gift Tag – Download it HERE!

Start by adding the spices to your pastry bag, topping with cranberries and tucking in the cinnamon sticks and rosemary. Top with the  orange!

Finish it off by tying it off with ribbon and adding any decor and our custom printable gift tag!

To start your potpourri at home, slice the oranges and add all the ingredients to a small sauce pan. Fill with water and simmer.  When the water begins to boil down, you can simply add more water. Repeat as necessary and enjoy the wonderful fragrance for up to three days.

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Fall is on the way and I have a project that will make for some cute fall decor. You take simple foam pumpkins and dress them up with yarn. I love the texture it ads to the pumpkins and you can easily customize the colors to match your decor.

Here is what you will need!

• Foam pumpkins pack 
• Assorted yarn, chunky or thick yarn works great!  The amount of yarn needed will vary depending on the thickness of your yarn.,  The thicker the yarn the less it will take to cover the pumpkins.  I used 3-6 yards depending for each pumpkin..  I used yarn lots of yarn remnants  that I had on hand.  I have heard that the Dollar Store is also a great place to get yarn.
• Small tree branch pieces about 1 inch long or cinnamon sticks
• Apple corer or potato peeler
• tool to help push yarn through hole, I used a fondue fork.
• Scissors

Remove stem from pumpkin.   Using a potato hollow out the center of the pumpkin.  You will want to hollow out about 1/2″ of a hole.

It’s time to grab your yarn.  Tie a knot at the end of the yarn and push it through the hole and pull out the other side.  Continue to add the yarn through the center hole by pushing, pulling and wrapping until you have covered the entire pumpkin.

One your pumpkin is fully covered, cut off the excess and push the knot end through the bottom of the pumpkin and add the stem on top.

It’s the kind of project you can do while watching TV.  It’s seriously so easy and so cute!  

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I thought it would be fun to add something living to my faux tree this year.   I made a few of these Succulent Christmas ornaments for my tree.  These would be great to gift to anyone that loves plants too!

Succulent Christmas Ornaments

• 2 inch potted succulent (find at your local hardware store, and some grocery store floral department or buy from Amazon)
• Plastic open face ornaments (I bought mine at Amazon)
• White sand
• Cactus mix soil
• Decorations: mini pine cones, berries, glitter, ribbon are just a few great options

First you will need to remove succulent from pot and remove as much dirt as possible.  Run the roots under water to remove any excess dirt.

Grab your ornament, add a layer cactus mix soil and top off with white sand.  Nestle the succulent into the sand.  Use some decor to spruce it up, like  mini pine cones, berries, glitter balls whatever inspires you.  Finish off with a ribbon on top.

Care instructions: mist once a week to keep succulents happy.  They are very low maintaining and can pull the moisture it needs out of the air.  But, misting will keep them super happy.  These will stay healthy and happy through the new year.  You can even replant them after the new year if you like.

Merry Christmas!

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Christmas is such a fun time of year!  Choosing gifts can sometimes be overwhelming, but it can be fun too!  I put together a few of these Hot Cocoa Gift Baskets with my homemade hot cocoa mix and they were a ton of fun.  I love giving gifts like these because the recipient can make a cup of hot cocoa, put up their feet and enjoy a Christmas movie or game night with the family.  

Here are the items I included in my Hot Cocoa gift basket:

• 2 holiday coasters
• 1 mason jar of homemade cocoa mix (recipe below)
• 2 packs of hand dipped cookies
• 2 peppermint spoons
• 2 small container filled with cocoa toppings
• paper straws
• mug (or two) ~ Target has some cute holiday mugs

Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix recipe:

• 10 cups of powdered milk
• 2 cups unsweetened cocoa
• 1 3/4 cups non-dairy creamer powder
• 5 cups of powdered sugar

Add all ingredients into large bowl, stir until combined.   Store in airtight container.   When making a cup of hot cocoa you will add 1/3 cup of the mix to 3/4 cup hot water. You can print this tag to include in the basket with the instructions for making a cup of hot cocoa.

I added some Stroopwafels dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with toppings.  You can substitute with cookies or any other treats. Here is what I used to make these:

• Stroopwafels
• 1 package of candy melts
• topping of your choice nuts, sprinkles, peppermint
• cello bags and ribbon 

Add small containers of sprinkles, and mini marshmallows.  You can also add the toppings into plastic ornaments for a really festive look.

Add everything into a basket or crate for easy gifting.  I like to add little bits of greenery and holly to really give it a festive Christmas feel.   

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What you need:

• wax paper
• small white pom poms
• thin ribbon
• Saf-T-Pops lollipops
• Glue dots

Unwrap two lollipops and stack them on top of each other.  Arrange the lollipops so the handles make a set of bunny ears.   Add wax paper around the lollipops.

Tie them off with a thin ribbon and trim the excess wax paper.  Add a pompom with a glue dot for the tail of the bunny.  These are cute and super quick and easy to put together.

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These cute bunny treat bags would be fun to make with the kids.   They are simple to put together.  You can give them as gifts or even use them as decorations around your house.   

Here is what you will need:

• Paper lunch size bags (white or a pastel pattern)
• Ribbon
• White Pom Poms 
• Silk Cherry Blossom stems
• Glue or Glue Dots
• Treats (or stuffing if you just want to use them as decorations)

Simply cut out a section of the top of the bag to make bunny ears.  Open the bag and add some Easter treats, or stuffing if you plan to use them as decorations.  You could even just crumple of some paper or a plastic grocery bag.   Glue on pom pom for tail. Tie it closed with a ribbon, and add a small stem of flowers into the ribbon.

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Using food is a great and natural way to add color to your Easter eggs.  This can be a fun project to do with the kids.   You can watch how excited the kids get when they realize they can color eggs with food.  It’s like a fun science project.

What you will need:

• natural dye products (I recommend red cabbage, coffee beans/grounds and beets)
• water
• vinegar
• mason jars
• hard boiled eggs

Red cabbage will dye your eggs a beautiful shade of robin egg blue.  Simply add 2 cups of cabbage to a saucepan and add enough water to submerge cabbage.  Bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes.  Let cool, add to mason jars and add 1 TBSP of vinegar per 1 cup of dye solution. Gently add eggs to jar.  Put in refrigerator over night or until you get your desired color.  It can take up to 24-36 hours for darker eggs.

Add ground coffee, to mason jar.  Fill jar with boiling water.  Allow to cool add 1 TBSP of  vinegar per cup of dye solution.  This will dye your eggs a pretty tan/yellow color.  Place in fridge over night or longer depending on the desired shade.

Add 2 cups of chopped beets to saucepan and add enough water to submerge beets.  Bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes.  Let cool and add to mason jars and add 1 TBSP of vinegar per 1 cup of dye solution (you are starting to see a pattern here, right?). Gently add eggs to jar and place in refrigerator overnight or until you get the desired shade of color.  This can take up to 24-36 hours for darker eggs.  The beets will give your eggs a pretty pink hue.

There are many foods you can use for dyes, such as onions, turmeric, hibiscus.  It’s especially fun for the kids to guess what color of eggs they will end up with.  Have fun with it!

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It is the time of year for making holiday crafts. I like to create crafts that my kids can help with too and this one was simple and fun. My 8 year old could easily help with the project. This craft wasfrustration free, which is what I am looking for in my holiday craft projects. Even better, the end result is super cute and they make a great addition to our tree.

This is what you will need. I purchased everything at our local craft store (Micheal’s). I always use a coupon at Michael’s and I had a coupon for an additional 25% off my entire purchase including sale items.

• Wood craft ornaments (pre-painted, lots of shape options)
• Tiny Treasures tiny wreaths and string of beads
• Gold lettering (or if you have a Cricut you can make your own)
• Tacky glue or hot glue
• Small square of sandpaper

First, I used the sand paper to go over each ornament in order to give them a more weathered and rustic look.

Pic out the saying you want that include the letter “O”.  For example you could use Noel, Joy, Hope or Ho Ho Ho.

Line up the stickers on the ornaments for placement, then add your decorative “O”.  I used the wreaths or beads to make  the “O” on my ornaments.  With glue secure the “O” in place and then secure the stickers to ornament.  You’re all done!  It’s that easy.

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My kids love to dye eggs but honestly, I do too!   I found this fun and clever way to dye eggs that makes them a gorgeous Robin Egg blue color.   It happens naturally with red cabbage.  Can you believe it?  It still blows my mind that red cabbage made these eggs turn an absolutely stunning blue color. I added a little edible gold paint to make them look like gorgeous robin eggs.

You can make them too, here is what you need:

• head of red cabbage
• 7 cups of water
• 5 tsp white vinegar
• 12 boiled eggs
• edible gold paint
• 1/2″ stiff paint brush

Prepare the dye by cutting up a head of red cabbage and adding to large sauce pan.  Add 7 cups of water and bring to boil.  Once it has reached boiling stage reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes.

Strain cabbage and reserve the liquid.   Add liquid to deep dish and add 5 tsp of white vinegar.

Gently add eggs to dye liquid.   Allow eggs to sit in cabbage liquid for 1- 2 hours, rotating every 30 minutes.  The longer you allow them to sit the darker they will become.  I like to take them out gradually to give a nice variance of color.

Once you pull the eggs out of the dye, lay them on a paper towel to dry.  The eggs will darken as they dry, it seriously cool. Your kids will think you are magic.

Once dry, dip a stiff brush into edible gold paint and flick onto eggs. You do this by using your fingernail and going across the paint brush.

Natural dyes are amazing and the possibilities are endless!  You can use all sorts of different foods to dye eggs here are some other options, beets (pink), spinach (green), coffee (peach).  Enjoy!

The inspiration for this project was found on Pinterest via Honestly Yum.

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These Valentine Soda Fountain Candy Treats are super cute and fun and easy to make.  It would be a fun project that the kids could help with too.  These treats are also, easy on the pocket book, I was able to get almost everything at the Dollar Store so the cost was less then $5.00 each!

Here is what you will need to make 2 Soda Fountain Candy Treats:

• 2 sundae glasses
• 1 lb of taffy
• 2 bags of candy hearts (my bags were 7 oz)
• small bag of chocolate hearts (you only need 2 pieces)
• 1 straw (cut in half)
• ribbon (optional)
• 1 Styrofoam ball (cut in half)
• Glue Dots
• hot glue gun

Fill glasses with heart candies.  Cut your styrofoam ball in half.  The size of the styrofoam ball will depend on the size of glasses you use.  You want the ball to go to the edge of the cup, but not hang over.   I used a 3 inch ball.   Secure the foam to the top of the glass with Glue Dots.

Use hot glue gun and glue taffy over the entire surface of the Styrofoam dome.   The candy will still be good to eat, the wax paper will protect the candy from the glue gun.   Add straw, and glue a candy heart on top.  You can finish it off with a bow if you wish.

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Here are the ingredients you need per jar:

• 1 small orange
• 1/2 cup cranberries
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 TBSP whole cloves
• 1/8 tsp of ground nutmeg
• 2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 1 wide mouth mason jar
• ribbon, mesh, or fabric

To assemble the Christmas Potpourri gifts, add the following ingredients into the mason jar:  one whole orange, cranberries, cinnamon sticks, cloves, nutmeg, and rosemary.

Add the lid onto the jar and then dress it up with mesh or fabric and tie it off with ribbon.  Attach tag with instructions.

When ready to use, simply slice orange, then add all  the contents of the jar into a small saucepan.  Add 3 cups of water and simmer uncovered on low heat.  Check water level occasionally to make sure it does not get to low.   Enjoy the sweet scents of Christmas in your home.

Click on the image above or head over here to print the Christmas Potpourri tag.

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I assembled these hot cocoa kits for stocking stuffers and for gifts for my neighbors.   These are simple to put together, you can even had the kids help.  Here is what you need to make them:

• Cello bags
• plastic spoons
• large marshmallows
• straw (optional – my kids like to drink their cocoa with a straw)
• Wilton peppermint melts
• ribbon
• hot cocoa packages

To make the peppermint spoons.   Add melts in a microwave safe container and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring each time until all melted.  Dip spoon in and place on wax paper to let them set.

Once the spoons are done, you can assemble the kits.   Add one pack of cocoa, three marshmallows, and the peppermint dipped spoon.

Add a straw to the center of the package and tie with a ribbon.

These really make a fun handmade stocking stuffers for christmas morning, or great office, teacher or neighbor gifts. They are also inexpensive and easy to put together.

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This is a simple centerpiece idea using everyday items you may already have around the house.  I used a rectangular plate I had in my kitchen, candles I already had on hand, cranberries left over from Thanksgiving and greenery from my yard.  I did not spend a cent!  Look around your house and see what you can come up with, the possibilities are endless.

What I used:

• rectangular kitchen plate
• cranberries
• sugar (to make the cranberries look like they were dusted with snow)
• small ornaments
• candles (any shape or size will work)
• holly leaves or christmas greens (out of my yard)

Some other ideas:

• vases
• pine cones
• round holiday plate
• votive candles
• fruit

First, I arranged the candles on to the plate.

Then I filled the plate with cranberries.   I added some small ornaments and holly leaves.

Then I generously sprinkled the cranberries with sugar.  I love how it made the berries look like they have a dusting of frost or freshly fallen snow.

Take a look around your house and see what you can find to create a Christmas centerpiece.  Good luck and have fun!

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I made these painted rustic wood slice ornaments for a small tree I have in my family room. We have more of a rustic Christmas theme and I knew ornaments made out of these log slices would be perfect.

I found these log slices at Michael’s in a package of 4 for $1.99, but you can just as easily find them on Amazon and you won’t even have to leave your house.

Here are the supplies you’ll need:

• Wood Slices (2-3 inches)
• Paint
• Twine
• Stencil Vinyl & Cricut machine (or you can pick up stencils at the craft store)

These were really quick and easy to make and hardly took anytime at all.

I used my Cricut and the stencil vinyl to cute out shapes.    I made sure to choose shapes that weren’t too intricate.

Once I had the stencil vinyl attached, I painted the image and then pulled it off once it was dry.

I drilled a hole at the top of each ornament.

I tied each one with twine to keep the rustic theme and they were ready to hang on my tree.

If you are a crafter, I highly recommend a Cricut machine, right now they have some amazing deals with their monthly head on over to check out the monthly Cricut deals.

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