Christmas Gift Wrapping Ideas

My little boy has been counting the days 'till Christmas.
I don't blame him.
I mean, what kid doesn't want to just get up on Christmas morning and go running to the Christmas tree to get their gifts?

I always love watching the kids' faces light up when they find their presents under the tree.

This is one of the reasons why I make the extra effort to make the gifts look pretty.

Seeing them all excited even before unwrapping the gifts makes it all worthwhile.

Do I get upset that the gift tags and wrappers are all just gonna end up in the trash?

Nope!

That's what the photos are for!

They're all gonna be immortalized here in the internet. LOL

You can also use those photos for a scrapbook. (Yay! Another project idea!)

My Silhouette Cameo is very handy for making these gift tags.
There are so many shapes to choose from!
And lately, they have a 12 Days of Christmas Countdown which means there's a free shape until Christmas!
How cool is that?

I used the Stitched Scallop Square Mat (Design ID #46831) and the Anderson Four Feather Falls font to make this tag. I also added some rhinestone stickers just to give it a touch of bling. :)

For this one, I used the Christmas Stocking shape (Design ID #52729). I used glitter paper for the mini gift that goes into the stocking. Why? Because this gift is for a 7-year-old little girl, who happens to love glitter. :)

I was really happy with how these gift tags turned out... but then something happened.

My Silhouette Cameo started weirding out on me.

So after several failed attempts at fixing the problem, I decided I'm gonna have to finish the tags without it.

So does this mean I'm gonna use store bought gift tags?

HECK NO!

I started making the gift tags with digital scrapbooking kits!

Check out these babies!

And for the kiddos who don't know how to read their names yet...

Here's where I got these fabulous digital kits. Please feel free to check them out.

Akizo Designs

Digi Tee Designs by Sheila

Digi Blog Train List

Pixels and Company

Smitten Blog Designs

Here are some more gift tag/gift wrapping ideas just in case you missed them:

Christmas Stocking Gift Tag

Gingerbread Man Gift Tag

Snowflake Gift Tag

Christmas Teacher Gift

Free Printable
Christmas Gift Tags

I linked this post to these wonderful parties:

Bewitch Me & Titi Link Party : TitiCrafty by Camila  |  Create With Joy : Inspire Me Monday  |  Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends : Love Bakes Good Cakes  |  Friday Link Party : The Pin Junkie  |  Marvelous Mondays Link Party : This Gal Cooks  |  Whimsy Wednesdays : The NY Melrose Family

Free Printable Christmas Gift Tags

I'm in a good mood today.

Want to know why?

It's because Santa came early this year with an awesome gift!

Canon EOS Rebel T3! WOOHOO!

So to celebrate, I'm using it to take pictures of the free printable I'm sharing with you guys!

These Christmas gift tags are perfect for those gifts for your neighbors, teachers, co-workers, random people in the street (just kidding, although wouldn't it be nice to put a smile on their faces?).

I want to say thank you to DigiTee Designs By Sheila for letting me use her Christmas Blessings Digital Kit to make these gift tags. I LOVE all the the papers and elements she made for this kit!

I used these tags for these little treat bags we handed out at my son's school today. These bags are 4 in. x 6 in. Celebrate It Treat Bags. They came with ties but I opted to use a polka dot red and white ribbon. They turned out cute, don't you think? :)

So all you have to do is download, print, cut and use them on your gifts! Super easy!

When printing them out, make sure to use a letter sized paper. The gift tags are 2 x 2 inches in size, and there are 12 gift tags in one sheet. I hope you all like it!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

I linked this post to these wonderful parties:
Bewitch Me & Titi Link Party : TitiCrafty By Camila  |  Create With Joy : Inspire Me Monday  |  Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends : Love Bakes Good Cakes  |  Friday Link Party : The Pin Junkie

Christmas Teacher Gift

Next week is the start of my kids' winter break and they are looking forward to it!

I must admit, I am too. It would be really nice to finally get to sleep in. Yep, I'm at that stage in life where sleeping in is considered bliss. LOL

We always try to give a little something to the teachers on the holidays. I have nothing but admiration for these hardworking people. I wish we can give them more, but since we're not made of money, these inexpensive gifts would have to do. It's the thought that counts, right?

I used plain white gift bags, but I personalized them with the help of these awesome digital scrapbooking kits I found. The blue digital paper and holly digital element is from a free digital kit called Christmas Blessings by DigiTee Designs By Sheila. The digital page label and the scalloped border is from the Citrus Digital Scrapbooking Supplies by Scrapbooks Etc. and the blue stitch is from the Kitschy Hearts Kit by Akizo Designs.

How adorable is the glittered bow tie? I saw them at Michael's, they were $2.99 for 6 pieces, and it was 70% off! So of course, I wouldn't pass that up!

Oh yeah, before I forget, this is what's inside the bag.

What do you think of those Gingerbread Peeps? Pretty darn cute, right? :)

I linked this post to these wonderful parties:

Bewitch Me & Titi Link Party : TitiCrafty by Camila  |  Create With Joy : Inspire Me Monday  |  Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends : Love Bakes Good Cakes  |  Friday Linky Party : The Pin Junkie

Snowflake Gift Tag

I love Christmas!

I love the colors, the lights and the decorations.

I love all the food (but not the extra pounds, UGH!)

And I also LOVE wrapping the gifts and thinking of ways to personalize each and everyone of them!

My husband gave me my Silhouette Cameo as a birthday gift a few years ago. And I love (there's that word again, haha!) how it makes gift-tag-making super easy! No more store-bought gift tags for us!

Now, I know this can be time consuming but I'm having way too much fun to worry about the time. Yup, I am a gift tag junkie. (Yes, it's a thing.)

I used the Classic Snowflake Set shape (Design ID #23309), and the Aharoni Font.

Here's a closer look.

Time to fess up.

DIY gift tags or store-bought?

It's okay, it's a judgement-free zone here. ;)

I linked this post to these wonderful parties:
diy Sunday Showcase : Pink When  |  Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends : My Turn For Us  |  Friday Flash Blog : The Jenny Evolution  |  Friday Link Party : The Pin Junkie  |  Pin It Party : Charlie Beth's Life as Mumma Walker

Gingerbread Man Gift Tag

Christmas is just around the corner and we are finally done with our Christmas shopping (YAY!).

Do you know what's even more fun than shopping for Christmas presents?

Wrapping them!

I must admit, I do have the tendency to go a little cray cray with gift wrapping, especially around Christmas. We go to great lengths with all the Christmas decorations and the Christmas tree right? Well, these gifts are going right underneath that tree.

So the way I see it, the gifts also become a part of your decorations.

Am I right?

Or am I right? ;)

I made this Gingerbread Man Gift Tag with my Silhouette Cameo. These are the shapes I used to make this tag:
Gingerbread Man (Design ID #23867)

Button (this shape came with the Silhouette)
Banner (this one also came with the Silhouette)
Easter Shapes (Design ID #40327) - I used the ribbon shape for the ends of the banner.
Chunk Five Font (free download from the internet)

My Silhouette Cameo and I are going to be busy super busy these days. I hope you'll come back to check out the other stuff I make! :)

I linked this post to these wonderful parties:
Charlie Beth's Life as Mumma Walker : Pin It Party  |  diy Sunday Showcase : Pink When  |  Eat. Create. Party! : I want Crazy  |  Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends : My Turn For Us  |  Friday Flash Blog : The Jenny Evolution  |  Friday Link Party : The Pin Junkie  |  Thriving on Thursdays : Domesblissity  |  Weekly Shape Challenge : Silhouette America Blog

Peanut Butter Blossoms

These festive Peanut Butter Blossoms are super easy to make! If you're looking for something simple and quick to bake for a cookie exchange, a Christmas party, or even as something to give to the neighbors, then you might want to try this.

And who could resist the combination of chocolate and peanut butter?

Not me, that's for sure!

I used Hershey's Kisses Milk Chocolate with Almonds and Dove Dark Chocolate Snowflake Promises. Both were very good, but the little boy and I prefer the ones with the Hershey's Kisses. While the two girls liked the ones with the Dove chocolates better. It's a tie!

What about you? Hershey's Kisses or Dove Dark Chocolate?

PEANUT BUTTER BLOSSOMS

1 pouch (1 lb. 1.5 oz.) Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie Mix

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon water

1 egg

colored sugar (I used red and green)

unwrapped chocolates (I used Hershey's Kisses with Almonds and Dove Dark Chocolate Promises)

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. In medium bowl, stir cookie mix, oil, water and egg until dough forms.Shape dough into 36 (1 inch) balls; roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.Bake 8-10 minutes or until light golden brown. Immediately press 1 chocolate candy in center of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely about 20 minutes.

Enjoy with a tall glass of milk. :)

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I linked this post to these wonderful parties:

Charlie Beth's Life as Mumma Walker : Pin It Party  |   Create With Joy : Inspire Me Monday  |  Creative Geekery : All Things Christmas Linkup Party  |  Domesblissity : Thriving on Thursdays  |  I Should Be Mopping The Floor : Inspiration Monday  |  I Want Crazy : Eat. Create. Party!  |  Love Bakes Good Cakes : The Baker's Dozen Cookie Exchange  |  Marvelous Mondays Link Party : This Gal Cooks  |  My Turn For Us : Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends  |  Pink When : diy Sunday Showcase  |  The Jenny Evolution : Friday Flash Blog  |   The Jenny Evolution : Ultimate Christmas Holiday Cookie Exchange Round-Up  |   The Pin Junkie : Friday Link Party  |  Titi Crafty by Camila : Bewitch Me & Titi Link Party  |  Virtual Cookie Exchange Link Party : The Pin Junkie

Christmas Stocking Gift Tag

I can't believe Christmas is just a few weeks away! I just hope we get all the Christmas shopping done just in time. My husband put our tree up right after Halloween, which is a bit too early, but the little boy loves it! And you know what else he loves about Christmas? The gifts of course! When he was younger and couldn't read yet, I would use photos as gift tags, just so he'd quit asking me whose gifts are underneath the tree. Now that he's a first grader, I don't really have to do that anymore. But I just couldn't resist using this photo of  his. It was taken during picture day at their school. Doesn't he look handsome? (^_^)

I used my Silhouette cutting machine to make this tag. The Christmas stocking shape is meant for an advent calendar, but I thought it would look cute as a gift tag as well. I hand stitched the edges just to give a little bit of texture. My MIL gave us a sewing machine a while back, and I intend on learning how to use it, but I still haven't gotten around to doing it. Yup, I definitely perfected the art of procrastination.

How about you? Are you done with your Christmas shopping?

I linked this post to these wonderful parties:
Angels Homestead : Saturday Spotlight  |  A Peek Into My Paradise : TGIF Link Party  |  A to Zebra Celebrations : Tuesday Link Party  |  CharlieBeth's "Life as Mumma Walker" : Pin It Party  |  Create With Joy : Inspire Me Monday  |  Creative Geekery : All Things Christmas Linkup Party  |  Domesblissity : Thriving on Thursdays  |  I Should Be Mopping The Floor : Inspiration Monday  |  I Want Crazy : Eat. Create. Party!  |  Love Bakes Good Cakes : Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends  |  Lydia's Flexitarian Kitchen : Get Inspired Pinning Party  |  Memories by the Mile : Tuesday Trivia and Link Party  |  Mommifried: Ladies Only Blog Share Link Party  |  My Personal Accent : The Blog Strut Owl Style  |  Pink Recipe Box : Creative Wednesdays  |  Pink When : diy Sunday Showcase  |  Rain on a Tin Roof : Give Me The Goods Link Party  |  Silhouette America Blog : Weekly Shape Challenge  |  Table for Seven : Share Your Stuff Tuesdays  |  The Jenny Evolution : Friday Flash Blog  |  The NY Melrose Family : Whimsy Wednesdays  |  The Pin Junkie : Friday Link Party  |  This Gal Cooks : Marvelous Mondays  |  Titi Crafty by Camila : Bewitch Me & Titi Link Party

Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Muffins

This Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Muffins are OH SO GOOD! This is a recipe by Tyler Florence of the Food Network (click here to check it out). I tried making it a few weeks ago, and ever since then my kids have been bugging me to make them again - well, except for the youngest one, he doesn't like bananas (I know, weird right?) I followed the recipe exactly except I added milk chocolate morsels. And I also sprinkled some of the chocolate chips and nuts on top right before putting them in the oven.

So, here's the recipe. Enjoy!

CHOCOLATE CHIP

BANANA NUT MUFFINS

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 overripe bananas

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

1/2 cup milk chocolate morsels

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly butter 2 muffin tins or place baking cups in muffin tins.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
3. Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture. With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk, whip the remaining bananas and sugar together like you mean it, for a good 3 minutes.
4. Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla and beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice.
5. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Set aside some of the milk chocolate morsels and pecan nuts (for sprinkling on the top later). Fold in the rest of the nuts, chocolate morsels and the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula.
6. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins to fill them about halfway. Give them a rap on the counter to get any air bubbles out. Sprinkle the chocolate morsels and nuts you have set aside on top of the muffins.
7. Bake until a toothpick stuck in the muffins comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before turning the muffins out. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Here are some more recipes you might like:

Blueberry Muffins

Strawberry Squares

Mini Cherry Cheesecakes

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I linked this post to these wonderful parties:

Angels Homestead : Saturday Spotlight  |  Anyonita Nibbles : Tasty Tuesdays  |  A Peek Into My Paradise : TGIF Link Party  |  Charlie Beth's Life as Mumma Walker : Pin It Party  |  Create With Joy : Inspire Me Monday  |  I Should Be Mopping The Floor: Inspiration Monday  |  Love Bakes Good Cakes : Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends  |  Lydia's Flexitarian Kitchen : Get Inspired Pinning Party  |  My Personal Accent : The Blog Strut Owl Style  |  Pink Recipe Box : Creative Wednesdays  |  Pink When : diy Sunday Showcase  |  Rain on a Tin Roof : Give Me The Goods Link Party  |  The Jenny Evolution :  Friday Flash Blog  |  Table for Seven : Share Your Stuff Tuesdays  |  The Pin Junkie : Friday Link Party  |  The Thriftiness Miss : Weekend Wonders  |  This Gal Cooks : Marvelous Mondays  |  Titi Crafty by Camila: Bewitch Me & Titi Link Party

Turkey Cupcakes

With Thanksgiving just a few days away, I thought a Turkey Cupcake would be a fun thing to do with my little boy. Well, anything that involves some kind of decorating and then getting to eat it afterwards is always fun, right?

I used Betty Crocker Butter Recipe Yellow Cake Mix for the cupcakes. I just followed the directions on the package but instead of water, I used milk, I added another egg and I also used twice the amount of butter needed. And I also put 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate morsels in the batter. Why? Because I love chocolate, that's why (hi, I'm Cheng. I'm a chocoholic). LOL

I don't have any problem with using a box cake mix. But I just can't stand the taste of canned frosting. So I made chocolate cream cheese frosting for these cupcakes. I'll include the recipe at the end of this post.

I found this Turkey Cookie Decorating Kit at Michaels and I'm so glad I bought it. I mean, it doesn't get any easier than this, right?

CHOCOLATE 

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

recipe courtesy of  Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

5 to 5 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in cocoa powder and powdered sugar to reach spreading consistency.

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I linked this post to these wonderful parties:

Angels Homestead : Saturday Spotlight  |  A to Zebra Celebrations : Link Party Tuesday  | Carrie This Home : Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop  | Charlie Beth's Life as Mumma Walker : Pin It Party  |  Create With Joy : Inspire Me Monday  |  Ducks'n a Row : Wonderful Wednesday  |  I Should Be Mopping The Floor : Inspiration Monday  |   Love Bakes Good Cakes : Freedom fridays with All My Bloggy Friends  |  Memories by the Mile : Tuesday Trivia and Link Party  |  Mommifried : Ladies Only Blog Share Link Party  |  Mommy Mentionables : Get Inspired With Us Pinning Party  |  My Personal Accent : The Blog Strut Owl Style  |  Oh My! Creative : Whimsy Wednesday Link Party  |  Pink Recipe Box : Creative Wednesdays  |  Pink When : diy Sunday Showcase  |  Table For Seven : Share Your Stuff Tuesdays  |  The Jenny Evolution : Friday Flash Blog  |  The Pin Junkie : Friday Link Party  |  The Thriftiness Miss : Weekend Wonders  |  This Gal Cooks : Marvelous Mondays  |  Titi Crafty by Camila : Bewitch Me & Titi Link Party

Thanksgiving Teacher Gift

The kids and I are looking forward to the Thanksgiving  break -- one whole week without school -- woot woot! And of course we want to give the teachers a little something to let them know how much we appreciate them.

These are Hershey's chocolate bars that I wrapped just to make it a little bit more special. The paper is from the Gratitude Kit which is a free digital scrapbooking kit by allisonkimball.com (you can click here to check it out). Then I made the tag using my Silhouette Cameo. This is the first time I used the print and cut feature and I'm so pleased with the outcome. It was really easy to make, thanks to the great tutorial at the Silhouette Blog. I was actually getting over excited while I was making it that my 17-year-old daughter had to keep reminding me to calm down - LOL! ( Yes, I know, I'm such a dork :P )

This is what it looks like at the back. I just love gifts with the kids' own handwriting on them. I'm definitely the sentimental kind. What about you?

Here are more gift ideas you might like:

End of the Year Teacher Gift

FREE PRINTABLE Thank You Tag

Halloween Teacher Gift

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I linked this post to these wonderful parties:

Angels Homestead : Saturday Spotlight  |  A to Zebra Celebrations : Link Party Tuesday  |  Carrie This Home : Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop  | Charlie Beth's Life as Mumma Walker : Pin It Party  |   Create With Joy : Inspire Me Monday  |  Ducks'n a Row : Wonderful Wednesday  |  I Should Be Mopping The Floor : Inspiration Monday  |  Love Bakes Good Cakes : Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends  |  Memories by the Mile : Tuesday Trivia and Link Party  |  Mommifried : Ladies Only Blog Share Link Party  |  Mommy Mentionables : Get Inspired With Us Pinning Party  |  My Personal Accent : The Blog Strut Owl Style  |  Oh My! Creative : Whimsy Wednesdays  |  Pink When : diy Sunday Showcase  |  Pink Recipe Box : Creative Wednesdays  |  Table For Seven : Share Your Stuff Tuesdays  |  The Jenny Evolution : Friday Flash Blog  |  The Pin Junkie : Friday Link Party  |  The Thriftiness Miss : Weekend Wonders  |  This Gal Cooks : Marvelous Mondays  |  Titi Crafty by Camila : Bewitch Me & Titi Link Party

Halloween Teacher Gift {Hand Sanitizer}

This Halloween, we're giving out Purell Hand Sanitizers to my little boy's teachers. We got them the day before Halloween so this is kind of last minute. But I still managed to make a tag for them using a digital kit by Betty Lynns Design and Katrina's Studio. I matted them on black card stock paper and used a hot glue to adhere a plastic spider. We got these spiders from the 99 Cent Store, they're supposed to be rings but I cut out the ring part so they will be flat on the tag.

This is a cute and practical gift for teachers, don't you think?

Here are some Halloween ideas you might like:

Free Printable Halloween Treat Bag Topper

Halloween Pumpkin Treat Jar

Halloween Oreo Cupcake Bites

I linked this post to these wonderful parties:

Angels Homestead : Saturday Spotlight  |  The Jenny Evolution : Friday Flash Blog  |  TitiCrafty by Camila: Bewitch Me & Titi Link Party