I love this idea, and my girls will definitely be getting some of these in their stockings this year! It's been so fun to partner with Plant Therapy for this year's 101 Days of Christmas series, and Christina, one of their staff aromatherapists and resident bloggers, has put together a few of her favorite projects…
This is such a fun craft / handmade gift / science project all rolled into one! With a little borax and water, you can cover pipe cleaner shape in sparkling crystals to make snowflakes for the windows or ornaments for the tree. The best part is that kids (and adults!) can spend their time getting creative with the…
I tried to make chocolate-dipped candy canes a couple of years ago, but my chocolate was too hot and the candy canes kept breaking. I got frustrated and gave up, but this year -- after realizing what had caused it! -- I wanted to try again. I went with mini candy canes this time because everything is cuter…
The new 101 {More} Days of Christmas ebook is here...with 101 new recipes, projects, tutorials and printables! Drawing from the first three years of the 101 Days of Christmas series here on the blog, this ebook is formatted for easy navigation and easy printing. It features some of my favorite recipes, like Poor Man's Toffee, Eggnog…
I love these 3-D snowflakes, and while they're a bit labor intensive, this is the perfect craft to keep older kids busy for a few hours. And they're so pretty! In fact, my husband liked the first one I made so much that he asked if I could show the girls how to make them…
I feel kind of guilty about these marshmallows. Not because I ate too many (although that's a possibility as well!), but because I shared our oldest daughter's struggles with food dyes a few months ago, and I fully intended to avoid any artificial dyes for this year's series. Then we pulled our old dyes out…
Dutch speculaas are thin, crisp cookies flavored much like German pfeffernüsse. They're typically baked for St. Nicholas' Day on December 5th or 6th and are, traditionally, stamped with images from the life of St. Nicholas on the front. It turns out that I really like traditional Christmas cookies from this part of Europe, with their strong spices and unique textures! I…
When I discovered that I could make tiny marshmallows for my hot cocoa, I knew I had to make each of my Essentials kids (in the homeschool class I tutor each week) a jar as part of my end-of-the-year-slash-Christmas gift to them. And when I came across these tiny whisks, I knew they'd be the perfect addition. So…
Nothing says Christmas like fruitcake, which is often approached one of two ways: either as the treat that no one really likes or as one soaked in as much alcohol as possible. I've avoided fruitcake so far in this series, but for the past year I've been wondering if there was such thing as fruitcake cookies. I…
As a mom, I can often use the reminder that the simplest crafts are the ones that my girls enjoy the most, and this one is no exception. Yesterday afternoon during quiet time, I pulled out the pipe cleaners and pony beads and asked my 5 year old if she could make candy canes. What…