Some gift ideas, Christmas Card Display & a Yummy Treat

The count-down to Christmas is so exciting. Christmas cards - check, gingerbread houses - check, rearranging the ornaments on the tree after the kids go to bed - check, Christmas shopping - check...oh wait, what about those neighborhood and office gifts. Yikes!

There are so many people and we budgets are tight this year. Even baking and making treats are pretty expensive activities. So I'm going to share some quick and inexpensive Holiday gifts I've done accompanied by a suggestion of copy for the gift tag. Scroll down and you can see my new way of displaying our Christmas cards and don't forget to get all the way down for a fabulous yummy treat my friend gave me the recipe for after I pretty much inhaled her dessert.

1. Hand soap. One year I made foaming handsoap which is so easy. You buy a foaming pump dispenser from here or someplace like that supply store. You buy a scented soap base and fill the dispenser about 1/3 of the way and then fill the rest with water.  I don't have a picture...although I think one of my co-workers still has it on her desk from last year, but you get the idea. Or you can just buy a soap from the dollar store and attach this to it :

‘Tis the season for family and friends,

And your to-do list that never ends.

‘Tis the season of kisses and hugs,

And those viruses, bacteria and bugs.

So as you spread goodwill toward man(s)

Don’t forget to wash your hands!

2.  Door bell or star. These cute antique door bells are on sale at Michael's right now for only $.64. Then you take ribbon you bought at after-Christmas sales from last year and just make a pretty bow.

The Holidays are here - what a celebration,
Except sometimes they're full of stress & frustration.
So here's a little bell (or star) to hang on your door
To remind you again what the 25th is for.
As you open your home and hear this bell (or star) of tin,
Let the real spirit of Christmas come and enter in.

(Just letting some of my friends know that I dibs this this year. Some of you may be getting this.)


3. Home spray infused with essential oils. You can see the tutorial here. I think that was my very first post. I just wrote on the card:
 

Infused with Lavender & Chamomile, this spray helps calm the soul, allowing you to enjoy friends, family and the coming of the New Year.

CHRISTMAS CARD DISPLAY 

We've always just taped our Christmas cards to the wall every year, but then the kids got carried away the tape or the cards wouldn't stay on the wall and then our friends would come over on the day their card fell off the wall...how embarrassing. Anyway, this year we decided to make use of the blinds that always stay closed and some clothes pins.  I found a bag of many snowflakes at Michaels for $2.49 and glued them to the cloths pins I found for $1.49 at Walmart. And then we just clipped the cards to the blinds. It looks really cute.

YUMMY PEPPERMINT PIE (or cake...whatever) 
1/4 cup butter
1 pkg oreos (crushed)
Container of Peppermint Ice Cream
Hot Fudge
Container of Cool Whip
Crushed up peppermint candy
9x13 pan

Crush the oreos and mix with butter and press into pan making an oreo cookie crust. Keep about 4 Tablespoons of crumbs to decorate the top.


Take your softened container of peppermint ice cream and spread over oreo cookie crust and smooth the top.

Drizzle hot fudge all over the peppermint ice cream.


Spread softened cool whip all over the hot fudge and ice cream. Then top with left over oreo cookie crumbs and crushed peppermint. Put in the freezer for a few hours to harden. Serve and then MOVE OUT THE WAY, because people are going to be knockin' you down to have a treat.

I hope your Christmas and Holiday season is filled with joy and love with minimal stress! :)

Sew Much Ado
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