Fast & Easy Stamped Snowflake Card

Do you make your own Christmas cards? Some years I do, & others I don't. I haven't for the past few years, but this year I made some for the craft fairs I've been doing.

Here's a super fast & easy card that is also beautiful!

I picked up these snowflake stamps in the dollar bins at Michaels a few weeks ago. A couple of inks, some bling, & a sentiment & wham bam - done! Just be sure to give time for the white ink, the liquid pearls, & the stickles to dry. :)

Products used: 

Cardstock: Bazill Basics

Snowflake Stamps: Michaels

Ink: Stampin' Up! (Not Quite Navy) & Color Box (White)

Sentiment Stamp: My Mind's Eye

Liquid Pearls

Silver Stickles

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), 

or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter. 

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Enjoy your day!

Check out the great parties I link up to!

Cinnamon Mocha Mix

Raise your hand if you like to make homemade Christmas gifts for friends, neighbours, teachers, & co-workers.

Now, raise your hand if you don't have a ton of time to spend on said gifts.

I hear ya.

This Cinnamon Mocha Mix is so easy to put together, you'll have your gifts done in a flash! Oh, and it's delicious too! Try some before you package it up. And try to remember to share. :)

It's really cute packaged in small jars or in a ziplock bag inside a decorated paper bag. Just be sure to include the serving instructions. Two cups of mix is a good gift-giving size.

Cinnamon Mocha Mix

makes about 14 cups

2 cups dry coffee creamer

2 cups dry chocolate mix - the kind used to make chocolate milk. I used was Nesquik.

2 cups confectioner's sugar

6 cups non fat dry milk powder

1/2 cup cocoa

1/4 cup instant coffee granules

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Store in airtight container or divide into smaller portions for gifts. Be sure to include the serving instructions if you're giving it away. :)

To Serve: Pour 6 ounces hot water over 2 1/2 heaping tablespoons mocha mix; stir & serve. 

If you're looking for more food gift ideas, also check out the recipe for Cajun-Spiced Snack Mix that I've made for years!

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), 

or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter. 

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Enjoy your day!

Check out the great parties I link up to!

50 Stocking Stuffers For Teenage Girls

Happy Monday, friends!

Thank you all for the overwhelming response to my 50 Stocking Stuffers For Teenage Boys post last week!
I'm so  happy to be able to help you out in your Christmas shopping!

I'm going to start off this week with another stocking stuffer list - this time it's for teen girls.

I find girls so much easier to shop for - perhaps it's because I am one? ;)
Even if you have some ideas for the teen girls in your life, maybe this list will give you a few you hadn't thought of.

1. Magazine
2. Journal
3. Pen
4. Makeup
5. Makeup brushes
6. Nail polish
7. Nail files or other manicure supplies
8. Bubble bath
9. Shower gel
10. Lotion
11. Book
12. Jewelry – earrings, bracelet, necklace, etc.
13. Earbuds
14. iTunes card
15. Sunglasses
16. Wallet
17. Compact mirror
18. Headband or other hair accessories
19. Tights or socks
20. Phone case
21. Locker mirror or other locker accessories
22. Knit hat
23. Mittens or gloves
24. Scarf
25. DVD
26. CD
27. Perfume or body spray
28. USB flash drive
29. Watch
30. Card game
31. Picture frame
32. Hobby/craft supplies
33. Coin purse
34. Key chain
35. Belt
36. Cosmetics bag
37. Chocolate, candy, or gum
38. Christmas tree ornament
39. T-shirt
40. Lip balm
41. Scented candle
42. Concert tickets
43. Movie tickets
44. Coffee card (Starbucks, anyone?)
45. Deep conditioner for hair
46. Calendar
47. Hot chocolate packets
48. Mug
49. Moisturizing hand sanitizer
50. Stationary
    
     If you have any more ideas, please feel free to leave comments so we can all help one another out!
    
    

    Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), 

    or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter. 

    And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

    
    

    
    

    Enjoy your day!

    
    

    

    
    

    Check out the great parties I link up to!

An UNtraditional Christmas Card

In decorating & getting ready for Christmas, do you gravitate more towards the traditional red & green colour scheme or do you like to shake it up a bit & try something new every year or every few years? 

This year, in my Christmas card making, I decided to "shake it up a little" & try something completely UNtraditional! 

Bright, summery colours used in a Christmasy way was my starting point. And I love how these cards turned out!

Products used:

Cardstock - Michaels, Stampin' Up!, & American Crafts
Stamps - Stampin' Up! (ornament hanger) & My Mind's Eye (sentiment)
Circle Punch - Stampin' Up!
Glitter - Stickles

So, go ahead - I dare you! :) 

Try some untraditional colours this year & see if you don't just love the result!

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), 

or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter. 

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Enjoy your day!

Check out the great parties I link up to!

50 Stocking Stuffers For Teenage Boys

  

  I like to get my Christmas shopping done early. Do you too? Last month, I was trying to think of stocking stuffers for my teenage nephew & niece. I looked for a little help from Google, but other than a couple small lists, there really wasn't much help. After taking what little help I found, remembering back to my teenage days, & just making some lists over a couple of days, I came up with 50 stocking stuffer ideas for both teenage guys & teenage girls. I hope these are of help to you.

  If you have any more ideas, please feel free to leave comments so we can all help one another out! 

  This week, we'll start with the ideas for teen boys.

1. Magazine
2. Book
3. Small Nerf gun
4. flashlight
5. Small Tools
6. Shaving cream
7. Razors
8. Earbuds
9. Socks
10. Sunglasses
11. Tie
12. iTunes card
13. T-shirt
14. Cologne or body spray
15. Wallet
16. Men's hair products – shampoo, hair gel, paste, etc.
17. Phone case
18. Gloves
19. DVD
20. CD
21. USB flash drive
22. Watch
23. Card game or playing cards
24. Key chain
25. Belt
26. Chocolate, candy, or gum
27. Lip balm
28. Concert tickets
29. Movie tickets
30. Coffee card (Starbucks, anyone?)
31. Calendar
32. Hot chocolate packets
33. Mug
34. Guitar picks or strings for a guitar player, drum sticks for a drummer
35. Small sports things – golf balls, tees, tennis balls, ski goggles, etc.
36. Favourite sports team gear
37. Tickets to the game
38. Cap or knit hat
39. Small alarm clock
40. Video game
41. Christmas tree ornament
42. Body wash
43. Room freshener - or perhaps this is more for mom? ;)
44. Pen
45. A small package of their favourite snack
46. Woopie cushion or other practical joke
47. Magic tricks
48. Pocket knife
49. Sports poster
50. Car accessories, if they own a car
    
    
    Don't forget to check out my 50 Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Teenage Girls!
    
    
    

    Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), 

    or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter. 

    And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

    
    

    
    

    Enjoy your day!

    
    

    

    
    

    Check out the great parties I link up to!

           

Christmas Place Cards

  

  Well, today is the day. I've been working very hard on Christmas crafts all month to get ready for today's craft fair. Of the things I've been preparing, one of them is Christmas place cards. 

  Place cards are a great thing to have on hand for your formal Christmas dinner. They're also great for buffets so you can label each dish.

Here is a set that I made a couple Christmases ago for my mom. She had started a bird theme with her Christmas decor & wanted some place cards to co-ordinate at the Christmas table. 

Sadly, they took quite awhile to make - lots of tiny pieces. I would have loved to make more of those for the craft fair, but just didn't have the time. Maybe next year.

Here are some simple ones I created for the craft fair.

I added a little bling to the gifts as well as to the snowflakes below...

'Cuz everyone loves a little bling, right? 

I'll be sure & let you know how things went today. 

I hope you're having fun getting ready for the holidays. :)

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), 

or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. 

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Enjoy your day!

Check out the great parties I link up to!

Christmas Tags Using The Cricut

  What a weekend! I was busy in my craft room almost the whole time getting things finished up for this week's craft fair. I think I got everything ready that I wanted to - or at least a little bit of everything. This will kind of be a testing ground for me to see what quantities I will need in the future, providing I decide to participate again. I'm sure it will be great & I will want to do it again!

  Here's one of the goodies I created...

Christmas Gift Tags

I used my Cricut for these babies & was able to make a lot relatively quickly.

1. Cut out tags from cardstock 

(I used the Birthday Bash cartridge)

2. Cut a square for a background from patterned paper or sheet music 

(I used George & Basic Shapes cartridge)

3. Cut embellishment of your choice from cardstock

(Holly is from Winter Wonderland cartridge & Star is from George & Basic Shapes)

4. Fancy up your embellishment with some glitter 

(I used Stickles).  Let Dry! :)

5. Tie a length of twine or ribbon to your tag

6. You're done!

Make a large batch of them to go with your Christmas decor & use them in your Christmas wrapping this season.

 I hope you stay tuned for a lot more Christmas wrapping ideas, crafts, cards, & recipes all the way up until Christmas!

~~~~~

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), 

or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. 

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Enjoy your day!

Check out the great parties I link up to!

This project was featured on:

Merry Christmas! (My 100th Post!)

  Today is my last post for this year. It's also my 100th post. What a rewarding few months of blogging this has been! I want to thank all my readers - new ones as well as those who have been with me from the beginning. I'm so blessed to be doing what I love & sharing it with all of you. Thank you for reading.

  In the new year, you will start to see some changes around Silver Boxes. I've decided to cut back a bit on the amount of postings I do in a week. I'm going to try three a week & see how it goes. Monday, Wednesday, & Friday will be the new schedule. I'll let you know if things change.

~~~~~

  As we head full long into the heart of the Christmas season, let's remember the reason for our celebrations - Jesus. God sent His only son to the world, to live a sinless life, to die on a cross, to rise from the dead, & to be the Redeemer of the human race. 

  Jesus wants to be your personal Saviour too. This Christmas, open your heart to Jesus. If you haven't already, ask Him to forgive your sins & make you one of His children. When you do this, you will truly experience the true reason for Christmas.

~~~~~

  From our family to yours, we wish you the very merriest of Christmases & a wonderful New Year! 

Enjoy every moment with your family & friends. I'll see you in 2012. 

Love,

Glittered Pinecones

  My very last Christmas project... what a month it's been! Don't get me wrong - a very fun month, but a very busy month. There were so many great things shared out in blog land. No shortage of inspiration, that is for sure.

  Back in November, I compiled a list of Christmas crafts I would like to try. Well, I am happy to tell you that I was able try my hand at all four. One, however, was a flop for me & so I am left with the remaining three. This is the final project... talk about leaving it to the last minute!

  Thankfully, these glittery pinecones are more of a wintery craft so I will likely keep them out into January & February.

  (If you're interested in the other crafts I did this Christmas season, check out the Spool Tree Ornaments & Toilet Roll Treat Packets I posted about. The wrapped candy canes I tried were a bust for me. I couldn't get them to look right. Bummer.)

  If you would like to make some of these, here's what you need:

• pinecones
• spray paint (I used white & silver)
• white glue that dries clear
• glitter (I used 'crystal')

1) Spray your pinecones very lightly with even, sweeping strokes. Let dry. Turn over & paint the other side. Let dry.  I purposefully didn't want mine totally painted. I wanted a bit of natural showing through.

I did a batch of white & a batch of silver, although it's hard to tell the difference in this photo.

2) Once the paint has dried, make a puddle of white glue on a piece of cardboard or something you don't mind getting glue on. I used whatever I could find in our recycling bin. 

3) One at a time, roll the pinecone in the glue, getting a bit on the tips. 

4) Shake some glitter over the glue spots. Let dry. 

You can also roll the glued pinecone in a 'puddle' of glitter. I poured, then when I had quite a bit sitting on my cardboard, I rolled to use some of it up.

I did steps 3 & 4 on each pinecone so that the glue didn't have a chance to dry before I got to them. If you're only doing a small amount, you could glue them all & then glitter them all.

5) After they've dried, use them however you would like in your decor. I'm considering making a pinecone wreath for next Christmas!

Little tip: I found this idea on Pinterest & had one of those "why-didn't-I-think-of-that" moments.

Use a cardboard roll as a vase filler!

via Dandelions & Dust Bunnies

Genius, right?

So, hidden in amongst the pinecones is a cardboard roll. :)

My last craft project for the year. Exhale. :)

Enjoy your day!

Check out the great link parties I attend!

Egg Nog Tarts

  Christmas is almost here! What happened to the month of December? I really would like to know. Are you ready for the big day? Here's my list: Shopping (check!), wrapping (check!), decorating (um, almost), cooking (nope), baking... I can at last check off the baking from my list. This was the last recipe I made for this year's sweet collection.

Eggnog Tarts

makes approx. 2 dozen

1 package (6 serving size) vanilla pudding mix

1 envelope unflavoured gelatin

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

3 cups purchased eggnog

1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped

24 tart shells (I used purchased)

nutmeg for garnish

1) Bake tart shells according to package directions. Cool.

2) Combine pudding mix, gelatin, & nutmeg in a saucepan. Slowly stir in eggnog. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Remove from heat. Chill 1 hour or until almost set.

3) Beat pudding mixture until fluffy. Fold in whipped cream. 

4) Spoon into tart shells & refrigerate until completely set, about 2 hours.

5) Sprinkle with nutmeg.

6) Store in the refrigerator. 

I ran out of tart shells & had some leftover pudding. And let me tell you that it's very good on it's own too! :)

Have a wonderful day!

Check out the great parties I'm linkin' up to!

My Christmas Tablescape

  Last week I had the pleasure of doing a table "dress rehearsal" for our Christmas Eve meal here at the Richardson home. I received some beautiful Christmas ornaments for my birthday earlier this month as well as a lovely set of silver chargers & napkin rings that I put to good use on my Christmas table. 

I set the table just as a test run & the kids convinced me to keep it set & use it for our supper that night. 

Twist my rubber arm... :)

I made super fast place cards with coloured paper & a paper punch. 

Then I nestled them into the napkin folds with a mini ornament.

So this is what our table will look like for our Christmas Eve meal. Pretty simple but special.

We really enjoy eating beside our Christmas tree. We often talk about our favourite ornaments & where they came from. 

The kids constantly want to hear about their "first Christmas" ornaments. 

Stories are told of those first Christmases & our precious babies. 

Memories are relived & love wells up anew for our treasured family.

We're so very blessed.

Here's to many more Christmas dinners & many more precious memories!

Enjoy your day!

Check out these great parties I link up to!