Christmas Cookie Swap (and Some Recipes)

I love Christmas. I love cookies. So I really love Christmas cookies!

Last year I spent a couple days making like 6 different cookie recipes. They were delicious. I was exhausted.

So this year I decided to try something new. I decided to throw a Christmas Cookie Swap! This way I get to try all kinds of different yummy goodies, but I don't have to do all the work. Selfish, I know, but be honest, you'd do it too! ;o)

So I grabbed a couple recipes to try and invited some girlfriends over.

Despite the fact that only a few ladies could make it, we still ended up with a nice spread of treats. As I'm sure you can tell by the donuts on the cake stands, we did not limit ourselves to only Christmas cookies :o)

I served a quick and easy dinner before hand, so we didn't all go into sugar comas. I just served salad and my always popular Chicken Ring. For beverages, I had iced tea, hot apple cider, and milk (cuz who can eat cookies without milk??)

I bought a bunch of plastic Christmas containers from Wal-mart ($3 for a two pack) that my guests could load up to take home their share of goodies.

Thanks to the lovely ladies who showed up! It was lots of fun. So much so that I've decided to have one of these parties every year! :o)

Now for the links for the recipes I made (which were big hits, FYI). I found these out in blogland.

Homemade Peppermint Oreos from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Apple Cider Glazed Doughnuts from Ador

These recipes were so tasty!! The cookies were easy and very moist. And the doughnuts were simple too and flew off the cake stands! I actually have a request from people who heard about the party to make some for them to try!

Well that's it ladies and gents. My last post of the year. Now I'm going to sit back and enjoy my family and friends!

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! :o)

Overstock.com Discount for Homemade Diva Readers!!

Have you heard of Overstock.com?

I'm sure you have. With Christmas fast approaching, it's hard to turn on the TV without seeing their employees singing "O, o, o! The big, big O! Overstock.com!"

I was asked if I was interested in writing a post about Overstock.com and supplying my readers with a couple discount codes.

Um . . . yes, please!

I've been fortunate enough to have purchased products from Overstock.com before. That site has really come in handy when I'm looking for something specific and just can't seem to find what I'm looking for anywhere else.

For instance, FH and I had decorated our bedroom around a duvet I had gotten from IKEA years ago. It was red with a white, modern foliage print.

The problem was, that we have a queen-size bed, a queen-size duvet, and FH steals the covers. So I decided the way to solve our problem was to buy a king-size duvet, so even if he pulled on the covers, I wouldn't be left out in the cold (literally).

Unfortunately, IKEA no longer made that duvet cover. So I searched for something similar to replace it. The only place I found anything even close was Overstock.com. It was not that expensive (like $50 I think. Not too shabby for a king-size duvet cover and 2 coordinating pillow shams) and shipping is a steal ($2.95, all. the. time.)

I would have tried to make the bed up properly so it looked nice for the picture, but I'm feeling lazy right now. Anyway, you get the idea.

Overstock.com has also come in really handy when I was looking for patio furniture.

Yes.

Furniture.

On the internet.

I had been looking for a wooden bench and a couple of wooden chairs to put outside in place of the old plastic stuff the previous owners left behind.

I looked for months and didn't find anything. Finally I checked Overstock.com. I found a beautiful teak bench. They were also selling a set of 2 teak chairs that matched. I don't remember the price (since it was about 3 years ago) but I do remember being pleasantly surprised at how affordable they were. And of course, the whole order (remember, I was buying wood furniture) was $2.95! What a steal!! With shipping like that, who wouldn't look into buying furniture online?

Even though I'm not looking for anything specific right now, I do still periodically check the site to dream about the things I'd love to buy someday (like after Christmas, and after the wedding . . . when money returns to the house). I adore beautiful armchairs. This one caught my eye:

Maybe someday . . . like when I have my own craft room all my own! :o)

I'd also love new home lighting, like this chandelier: 

So pretty!

So if you haven't tried Overstock.com (or have your eye on something nice), here's a bit of an incentive. A discount!

Just enter code 121745 for 10% off your order (excluding movies, books, and electronics). This coupon code never expires, but can only be used once per e-mail address.

If you're buying electronics, enter code 202234 for free electronic shipping.

Happy shopping!! :o)

All the ideas and opinions expressed are my own. No monetary compensation was received for doing this post, however, I was provided with a discount code.

Insert Girlie Shriek Here . . .

I'm so excited!!

I just saw something that totally made my day!!

Have you ever checked out the blog Little Birdie Secrets? Mandy and Jessica are awesome! If you haven't read their blog, you should.

Like now.

I'll wait . . .

Anywho, I follow them religiously and read every single one of their blog posts. Today, they announced that they were being featured on Tip Junkie with their picks for 10 Ways to Use Glitter (for Laurie's Top 10 Holiday Trends).

So I followed the link and guess what I saw . . .

Not only am I being mentioned on Tip Junkie for my glitter Christmas trees (huge in and of itself), but I'm being mentioned by Little Birdie Secrets!

Double whammy of awesomeness!!

YAY!!

You can see the whole post here.

And don't forget to check out Mandy and Jessica if you haven't already!

Thanks a ton ladies!

You totally made my day! :o)

The Last of the Baby Projects for 2010

Don't get me wrong, I love making baby things. And I've been super excited about becoming an aunt to nieces, but thank goodness that I'm done with baby projects (at least for this year).

For a while, it felt like I did nothing else!

But I finally wrapped up the last couple things and I'm free to craft anyway I like! :o)

Here's the last of my baby projects.

One day, I stumbled across these cute little doorbell signs called Dream Keepers.

They're designed to keep people from ringing the doorbell while the baby is sleeping. Genius!! But, money's tight so I decided instead of buying one, I would make one.

Here's how mine turned out!

Just a simple, cute little thing to add to the (already full) diaper bag of baby gifts for my sister.

Speaking of the diaper bag. Remember when I said it needed a little something and I was planning on making some pins to spruce it up?

Well I finally got around to it!

I used this tutorial from  Living with Punks to make this little pretty.

Then I used this tutorial from Food, Wine, & Mod Podge to make this flower.

I added them to the bag, and it looks much better!

Before:

After:

So pretty! Now I just hope my sister likes it! :o)

Personalized Baby Quilts

When I was a baby, my grandmother made me a baby blanket.

She intended to make one for every grandchild, but with 12 grandchildren (and her still working), that didn't exactly work out. So me being the first grandchild, was the only one that got one.

I still have it. It's definitely my most prized possession. If my house caught on fire and I could only save one thing, the blanket would be it.

Because of my love for my blanket, made especially for me by someone who loves me, I've been on a mission to make blankets for all my nieces and nephews.

I found this tutorial on the Moda Bake Shop sight for personalized baby quilts.

Cute. Simple. Personalized.

Plus you can make 2 or 3 (maybe even 4) blankets out of one layer cake!

So I order myself the exact same layer cake used in the tutorial (cuz it was super cute, plus I could make a boy and a girl quilt from it) and got to work.

The little girl one is for my niece Maci, due in February.

The little boy one is a Christmas present for my nephew Tyler. I hadn't started making blankets yet when he was born and I didn't want him to be the only one that didn't have one (especially since I made this one for his newborn sister).

I really like the fabric and style of the blankets because they're fun and bright but not too babyish so they won't outgrow the design anytime soon.

And of course, the best part . . . they're personalized!

I hope they'll love their blankets from their Auntie Jenny as much as I love the one my grandma made for me! :o)