December Craft Night

It's right around the corner!  Craft night or shall I say day is December 10th from 12pm-4pm (if you wanted to come earlier let me know).  If I don't have your order already, please email me prior to December 2nd (this Friday)!
Here is what we have this time...

Xmas Card Wreaths - This is for organizing all of those fun and pretty Christmas Cards we get.  I will have scrapbook paper and paint that you can jazz up this look with.
Cost $12.00

Next up: Porch Snowmen (Just two snowmen, not three. Sorry ladies, it is quite a lot of work to prep these babies)
These little snowman will be similar to the porch pumpkins we made last month.   I will have everything you need to make the cutest snowmen on the block! (tallest one should be around 18" tall)
Cost $22.00

Last but not least...Tulle Christmas Trees
This very pretty trees make for great centerpieces or mantel decor.  It is a easy non sewing project.  A little needle and thread and I will teach you what to do!  These trees come in light green or cream, they are about 16-18 inches tall.  It also comes with a star ornament or bring your own broach or other piece of jewelry to finish the top.
Cost $ 15.00

Thank you and Happy crafting!
~Christie

Twine Star Winner!

I know you are all just going crazy wondering who has won the Twine Star Ornament....

Hee hee hee...

Random.org picked comment #4 which 

was written by 

Charity!!

Send me an email at 

ceeceescorner@gmail.com

with your address,

and I'll get your ornament shipped next week.

Yes, I say next week because I am getting ready to go out of town for 

Thanksgiving, and I won't be home until Sunday.

Also, all crafting and baking has been put on hold for a week

 because my sweet little 2 year old decided she wants to potty train.

:) 

I was putting off potty training until after Thanksgiving,

but Halle decided she was ready and didn't want to wait that long. 

Yippee...

Anyways,

I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving...

I am taking a little break from blogging for the next week so that

I can just spend every spare ounce of time with my family.

Neighbor Christmas Gifts

Remember, my giveaway for the Twine Star Ornament ends this Friday!
Only one person has entered, so your chances of winning are pretty darn good.
And if you don't enter to win, then I know that this person will be very excited to receive
her ornament in the mail!
Click here for details...  


Now...
 I am going to attempt to give you some ideas that you can use for your neighbor gifts this Christmas. I don't know about you, but for some reason I always stress about these gifts. I want them to be just perfect, packaged perfect, and I especially don't want to leave anyone out. I also can't afford to spend a lot of money on neighbor gifts, so it can be quite challenging to come up with "the perfect gift". So, if you're stressing about those little gifts, or just want to get them done early this year (good for you, I say!) , I hope that these posts will help you out!

   I thought I would make this into a little mini series and focus on different things each day. Today, I want to focus on gifts you can give in jars. 

    I recently went to another ward's Super Saturday and took a class on jars, and how to present different items in jars. It was such a fun class and was taught by the sweetest lady named Leigh Anne, who is the fabulous author of Your Home Based Mom.  You can pretty much take anything, stick it in a beautiful jar, and you've got yourself a lovely little Christmas gift. If you want to check out a little of what Leigh Anne taught us, then you can go here. 

What I love about giving gifts in jars, is that you can use any type of jar. I have recently started saving all my salsa jars, jelly jars, pickle jars, and anything that my family eats that comes in a jar.

When we've eaten all the salsa, or jelly, or pickles, or whatever, I simply wash the jar, remove the label,

and I've got myself a great container!

If you're worried about how the lids look, you simply spray paint them!

Easy as pie!

     Here are some ideas for giving gifts in jars...

Cookie Mixes

Looking for some recipes for cookie mix in jars? Go here...

Hot Coca Mix

Click here to find the recipe.

Soup Mixes 

Click here for soup mix recipes

Caramel Corn or Muddy Buddies

Really, the possibilities are endless. You can even just simply bake some cookies or brownies and stick them in a jar. There are some things you might want to consider when giving gifts in a jar...

*Dress the jar up a bit! You can spray paint the lid, but material over the lid, wrap a bow around the jar, stick a label on the jar... just make it pretty!

*If you're giving a mix away, don't forget to type up the recipe! 

You can attach it to the jar by using some twine or ribbon.

*Layer your ingredients! It looks a lot prettier if you take the time to layer the ingredients,

rather than just sticking them in the jar!

Here are some beautiful jar presentations that I found...

Scrapbook paper, ribbon, and buttons to embellish

See the tutorial here...

Use cupcake liners over the jar lids and tie with twine...

I love these jars!

You can cover them in Epsom Salts for a nice "frosty" look

Or you can simply tape a doily on, and tie a ribbon around it.

Everyone loves to receive gifts, but just think of how appreciative they will be
when they receive a gift that someone actually took time to package nicely.

Here are some sites for recipe mixes:
http://www.mixesinajar.com/
http://christmas.organizedhome.com/gifts-crafts-gift-tags/gifts-in-a-jar
http://www.budget101.com/frugal/mix-recipes-166/

or you can even go buy a box of brownie mix, dump it in the jar, and call it good!
Trust me, it becomes more than just a mix when it's packaged nicely!

I hope some of this helps... stay tuned for some other ideas I have on neighbor gifts!

Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done. for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

 

 

I continually dream of having a beautifully landscaped yard.

I dream of brilliantly colored flowers overtaking each corner of my yard,

and I imagine smelling them, one by one.

Then I wake up to reality and realize that I don't have a yard, and that when I do have one, I will actually have to put in some effort into making the yard beautiful, and I happen to know nothing about planting flowers.

 

That's where Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done. comes in.

Their website is simple to navigate, and I love how clean and organized their site is.

As I looked through their website, I was amazed at how easy

planting bulbs could be!

They give you tons of tips on how to plant your bulbs

and little tidbits on making bulb planting easier,

 and they even have a bulb planting calendar and planting chart!

How awesome is that?

 

They also have three "ladies" that will help you along your way.

I can easily see myself as Marcy, the super mom.

(Although, she looks a lot more put together than I ever do!)

She has twin sons and a daughter and knows a little about bulbs.

She wants planting bulbs to be simple so she can spend time with her kiddos.

I can completely relate to that!

 

 

 

After visiting their inspiration section,

I came away inspired to do this:

 

Since I don't have a yard (I  have a teeny tiny back patio)

I can still plant bulbs and make my home beautiful.

 

Well, if you are lucky enough to have a backyard,

did you know that Bulbs: Dig.Drop.Done. is giving away a $5,000 yard makeover?

You should be jumping for joy right now, because all you have to do to enter is submit a photo of your yard to Curbside Chaos.

Not only will the lucky winner receive a $5,000 yard makeover, but they will also receive a visit from Taniya Nayak (@TaniyaNayak on Twitter), and Taniya will go through your yard and give you tips and advice on the best way to update your yard. She will give you tips on how to incorporate flower bulbs into your landscape!

 

What I also love about this giveaway is that for every share on Twitter, "Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done." will donate $1.00 to Rebuilding Together - the nation's leading nonprofit, working to preserve affordable homeownership and revitalize communities.

CurbsideChaos.com also has a "Garden Guru" tool (located in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen) that can help you figure out which type of bulb is perfect for your home, depending on where you live.

There are 4 simple steps to using the "Garden Guru".

#1. Pick your country.

#2. Select your location within that country.

#3. Choose the type of bulb you want to grow.

#4. Check out the planting guide that shows you how to plant your bulbs.

Here's a look at how my own bulb planting guide:

 

Bulbs aren't just for planting outside. They can be used indoors, can be planted together as a family activity, and can be given as gifts (Christmas is right around the corner...)

Head on over to Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done, 

and tell me what your favorite thing about their website is!

 

visit www.digdropdone.com to learn more!

 

 

 

 

Ornament Winner/Giveaway!

     Thank you to all who voted on which ornament I should make for my Handmade Ornament Exchange. 

The ornament that got the most votes is..... 

The Twine Wrapped Christmas Star!

In the next 2 weeks, I will be busy making about 25 of these bad boys.

14 are for the ornament exchange,

5 are for family members,

5 will go in my Etsy shop...

and one of them will be for you!

Here's how to enter!

There are several ways that you can enter... 

remember to leave a comment for each entry!

*Become a follower of this blog (one entry).

*Like Cee Cee's Corner on Facebook (one entry).

*Refer a friend to this blog. Leave me a comment on who that friend is...

if they start following this blog, then you'll get 2 entries!

*Tell me what your favorite thing about Christmas is (one entry).

This giveaway will close on Friday, November 18, 2011.

I am so excited to start making these little stars!

Now, I had better stop blogging and start creating!

What's This?

First item of the day: 

THANK YOU to everyone who voted on the Handmade Ornament Exchange!

I will announce the winner on Monday!!

In case you have no clue as to what I'm talking about,

 you can go here to check it out.

Second item of the day:

What's this?

It's our November craft kit being shipped!

I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I was to ship these bad boys off.

For those of you who have ordered, you should be expecting your little package in the

mail sometime next week.

and in case you're wondering what I'm talking about, 

you can go here to read all about our monthly craft kits!

I say "our" kits because my friend, Christie, has been putting them together with me.

She has a wonderful little blog called Portobello Road and she's a genius at 

repurposing furniture.

Each kit comes with everything you need to make a craft.

Basically, we're doing all the dirty work, and you get to have all the fun!

We are busy deciding what December's craft kits (yes, there will be more than one!)

are going to be.

If you have any suggestions, we would love to hear from you!

I would also like to just take a little moment to thank all of our wonderful veterans.

My brother is in the USMC and has been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and is facing 

another possible deployment next year. 

I am so proud of him.

I love America and am humbled by all those who sacrifice

their time, talents, and even their own lives to make 

America a better place.

Thank you.

Now, have a good weekend.

Meet My Family

     When I look at new blogger websites, I'm always curious as to what the blogger's family is like... so, I thought I'd introduce you to my little family.

Meet Nate, my hubster. He recently graduated with his Master's in Accountancy and works as an accountant. He is a major lover of sports! He makes me laugh every single day, and he makes some killer waffles. He is very easy going, but he shares his opinion when he has one. What I admire about him is he tries to see things from every point of view, not just his own. This can be a little frustrating for me because I am extremely opinionated and tend to only want to see things my way. He loves Heinz ketchup, the San Francisco Giants, and fishing. He lived in Taiwan serving a mission for our church and speaks Mandarin Chinese!!

Meet me. You obviously know that I love to bake and craft. I absolutely love clearance sales and I love shopping at Goodwill. I have terrible eyesight and am more than halfway legally blind. I am a lover of any kind of pizza, hamburgers and fries, ice cream, and brownies. I am not a morning person at all! I absolutely love the ocean and could listen to it all day.

Nate and I went to high school together, but never really talked. We went to school dances in the same groups, and had the same friends, but somehow our paths never crossed. About 3 years after high school, we started working at the same credit union together. I didn't like him at first, but now I find him irresistible!!

I'm the one in the white shirt. Nate is on the right in a plaid shirt. Oh we were so young!

Meet Miss Ava. She is a spunky 4 year old, going on 16. She is extremely theatrical and loves to sing and dance. She is a quick learner and loves going to preschool. She prefers salad over pizza and fruit over meat. Her favorite color is pink and she loves anything with sparkles.

Meet Miss Halle. She is a feisty 2 year old, and loves to climb everything! She is extremely strong and loves to do flips. She is literally a gymnast in the making. She would drink milk all day if I let her, and she has recently taken an interest in playing dress up. She loves to try on shoes and will spend hours just emptying her shoe box and trying every single pair on.

We love going to Costco on Saturday's and eating hot dogs. We love watching "Good Luck Charlie" and "Phineas and Ferb" together. We recently moved to Oregon where my husband got a job. We didn't know a  single soul and we miss our family like crazy!!

The Yellowed Peacock

    Remember to vote for the handmade ornament exchange! Voting ends this Friday!! The size of our swap has grown from 10 to 14 so I will be making 14 ornaments!! Crazy!  

 So, I jumped on board and started an etsy shop. I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty nervous about opening one. But I just love creating things, and I can't keep everything I create! Seriously, my house is being overrun with projects and decorations, so I decided to sell what I make. :) You can check out my new etsy shop here.
     Why such a funky name? Well, for starters, my favorite color is yellow, so I just knew that had to be in the title! After visiting seeing some peacocks at the zoo this summer, I have been absolutely smitten with them. They are graceful, unique, and have some of the most beautiful colors I have ever seen. So, after being inspired by some peacocks and my favorite color, The Yellowed Peacock etsy shop was born!
     It has taken me a few weeks to get everything set up. First I had to get the guts to actually start a shop. Then,  I had to design my own banner and logo, which I did using Picnik. Oh, how I love that website!

Here's my button...

and here's my little shop banner!

          I then had to set up all my shop policies, shipping policies, etc., which took some research. But I'm excited to have my shop open!
       Have any of you ever opened an etsy shop? If you have, then you need to give me some pointers! You can also leave me a comment with a link to your shop, and I'll check it out!
     Now, if you are browsing my shop and see something you like, but want different colors, then let me know! I can do custom orders.  Happy shopping!!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

     Remember to vote for which handmade ornament I should make!

If you are wondering what in the heck I am talking about, 

you can go here to read about it!
Voting ends on Friday, so get crackin'!

Now, onto the recipe for the most. delicious. pumpkin. chocolate.chip.cookies.ever.
And when I say ever, I mean ever!!

So, last year, I was walking down the aisles of my local grocery store, and I spotted
some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies on sale.
Now, you just have to understand
that pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are one of my all time favorites.
I was super stoked to go home and take a ginormous bite into one of those delicious cookies!
I drove home, walked in the front door, plopped myself onto the couch
and opened the little plastic container that held those little cookies.
I took one bite, and immediately regretted buying those darn cookies.
Why?
Because they were crumbly, dry, and didn't have any flavor to them.
Those cookies deceived me!
Argh!

I threw the whole container away and spent the night sulking...
Oh, it was a sad night.

However, I was determined not to let those stale, pathetic cookies beat me!
If I couldn't buy a decent tasting cookie, then by golly, I was going to make one!
I scoured the internet looking for a recipe that was easy and fast.
I needed a moist pumpkin chocolate chip cookie! STAT!

After a few hours of searching, I found the golden ticket.
And now,  I am sharing my little golden ticket with you.
Please, I beg of you,  treat this recipe with kindness and love,
for it has been oh-so kind to me. :)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies


1 c. canned pumpkin
1 c. white sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 egg
2 c. all purpose-flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. milk
1 TBSP. vanilla extract
2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
*Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the salt and then stir into the flour mixture.  Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture.
*Add vanilla and chocolate chips.
*Drop by the spoonful (I used a mini ice cream scoop) onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 9-10 minutes. 

Handmade Ornament Exchange

     First off, I have to apologize for my lack of posts. I have been battling sick children this week and I came down with their fun little sickness late last night. Bleh. Plus, my mom came to town this weekend, so I wanted to spend every waking minute with her! I realize that there are maybe 5 of you out there who read this, so to you, I offer my deepest apologies! Now, on to the good stuff!
   This year, I have been invited to participate in a handmade ornament exchange. I make 10 ornaments, take them to a party, and receive other fun ornaments that my friends made! I'm really excited because I have some uber crafty friends with great taste.... but I honestly don't know what ornament I want to make!!! So, I need your help! I'm going to post a poll on the side of my blog so you can vote on which ornament I should make... You'll only have a week to vote, so vote now!!!
     Here are the nominees...

Felt Rosette Pomander Ornament

Twine Wrapped Christmas Star Ornament

Glitter Snowball Ornaments

Wired Word Ornament

Little Owl Ornaments

    Please, please, please vote!!! I am having a hard time making up my mind, so I am reaching out to you!
     On a little side note.... I have had a request to find find some ideas for Christmas neighbor gifts that are simple and easy, so I am currently working on putting some ideas together for that! I really appreciate all the feedback I get on this blog!