Holiday Freebie Festival, Days 19, 20, 21 & 22! {FREEBIES}

Yup, I'm behind again with my picks for the HOLIDAY FREEBIE FESTIVAL but it's because I've been so busy checking my list to make sure I got gifts for everyone.  Lucky for me, I have all of these free printables to help me finish things up.  Here are four easy gifts you can give!

1.  Hot Cocoa Mix
Just fill a baggie with some cocoa mix, wrap it with this free printable from Lolly Chops:

And you're good to go!  You could even give a mug and some marshmallows to go along with it.

2.  Bath Salts
The lovely ladies at Blonde Designs give you the recipe for their favorite DIY bath salts as well as these free downloadable labels.

And those adorable jars are just $2.99 for a set of four at Ikea.  Talk about a cheap, er, I mean inexpensive, gift!

3.  Snowman Candy
Laurie Furnell created these fun snowman printable wrappers that can be sized to fit anything from candy bars to Lifesavers.

Just tie some old fabric around the "neck" as a scarf and stick an old baby sock on the head for a hat and you've got a super cute stocking stuffer. 

4.  Christmas Tees
Kim at  It's a Crafty Life designed this sassy owl graphic that can be printed onto iron on transfer paper so you can make tees and onesies. 

Make a top and pair it with some festive pants and you've got instant holiday PJs!  Love it.

Download the printables via the links above and if you have a free holiday printable you'd like to share, enter it into the link up below!

*If you are reading this in via our e-mail newsletter or RSS feed, the link up won't show up. You have to visit the post on our website to view it.

Holiday Freebie Festival, Day 13! {FREEBIES}

Wowza!  Thanks to everyone who's been posting, tweeting and sharing our HOLIDAY FREEBIE FESTIVAL round up, including Paper Glitter, Erin Bassett, Celebrations at Home, Anders Ruff, Anna and Blue Paperie, Inkspot Workshop, Steals, Deals and Heels, Fresh Chick Design Studio, True Love Found, Oh My Gluestick, Frog Prince Paperie, Savvy Mom's Guide and Polka Dot Market.  I really appreciate it and if I missed anyone, huge thanks to you too!

On to Day 13's featured find!  I found these fantastic printables over on Under the Table & Dreaming, one of my favorite reads.  Stephanie has two exclusive freebies featuring the work of Leo Reynolds, an amazing photographer from the U.K.  The typographic art pieces are so unique that I wanted to download them immediately!  Check out at this beautiful holiday mosaic:

I love the colorful whimsy of that design, and the eclectic industrial feel of this one.

Look at how fabulous it is framed!

You can download both of these prints at Under the Table and Dreaming and also learn how to make your own custom print too.  Talk about a great last minute gift idea!  Oh, and if you have a free holiday printable you'd like to share, enter it into the link up below!

*If you are reading this in via our e-mail newsletter or RSS feed, the link up won't show up. You have to visit the post on our website to view it.

Holiday Freebie Festival, Day 5!

I love love love the freebie I'm featuring today from our HOLIDAY FREEBIE FESTIVAL link up! Alpha Mom has created a has created an elegant, modern set of gift tags:

Holiday cards:

And my personal favorite, bottle wraps:

They're perfect for gifts for neighbors, teachers, friends or co-workers!  Visit Alpha Mom to download the files and if you have a free holiday printable you'd like to share, enter it into the link up below!

*If you are reading this in via our e-mail newsletter or RSS feed, the link up won't show up. You have to visit the post on our website to view it.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

PROJECT SECRET SANTA: Homemade Holiday Treats Made Simple

As part of PROJECT SECRET SANTA, I reached out to some of my favorite bakers and asked them to share some secrets and recipes to help all of you with your holiday gifting and baking.

Up first is my friend Tamlyn, who will be launching a new cooking blog called The Weekly Plate in just a few weeks. It will be filled with shopping lists, recipes and meal plans to help you cook healthy, delicious and wallet-friendly meals for your family each and every week.  And let me tell you - this lady knows her sweets!  Lucky for us, she's going to walk us through the treats she makes as holiday gifts.  Take it away, Tamlyn!


THE PACKAGING
You can bet my craft area is overloaded with fun ribbon, candy boxes and all sorts of random goodies from the craft store this time of year.

craft area getting loaded up with goodies!

I love nothing more than making up dozens of homemade treat boxes to mail to friends and family. These are also my go to's to spread holiday cheer to neighbors, our mailman and our local friendly police officers. With a little creativity and some super easy holiday treat recipes that can be made in bulk, you are on your way to creating the perfect homemade holiday gift!

chocolate dipped oreos and rum balls - the perfect little gift!

This year I got really excited over the Martha Stewart holiday packaging collection at Michaels. 

While I know the boxes are "pre-set," I always end up mixing ribbons around and adding my own little touches. Another fun container is the clear paint can. 

Crack crackers... mmmmmm...

With so many different combinations of treats, ribbons and tags, containers and pretty printed parchment paper liners, the possibilities are endless and the results are sure to make feel like a domestic goddess!  The key is to have fun with this.  It is not meant to be stress inducing but a festive way to spend an afternoon. I have done this the last few holiday seasons with girlfriends over at the house. Lots of hands make light work plus how can you go wrong hanging out with friends in the kitchen.

THE SUPPLIES
I had a blast ordering some super fun "disco dust" from Sweet Baking Supply and a great site for buying bulk clear cello packaging is Nashville Wraps.

chocolate covered pretzel sticks with a bit of disco dust to give them an awesome sparkle

For the treats this year I used the 1.65 MIL bags.

Both of these sites are extremely efficient with shipping and I have never been disapointed with their customer service!

THE SWEET TREATS

On the menu this year for bulk candies to make:

Crack Crackers - HEAVEN.  I always have ingredients for this in the house.

Coffee Toffee - make toffee once and you will be hooked!

Rum Balls - try mixing it up with some spiced rum, Kahlua and Malibu.... you will thank me.

Chocolate Dipped Pretzels and Oreos - the key to these are making an assembly line and 5 minutes in the freezer to set them.

chocolate covered oreos with crushed candy cane and sprinkles

As with any "bulk" project, the key is to get all your individual parts done so that the assembly line of putting it all together does not seem so overwhelming.  If making all of these seems like it will be too much, make two of the treats and mix and match. 

a homemade touch..

Just remember that everyone loves something homemade and it is always appreciated and enjoyed so much more.

Enjoy,

Tamlyn

Thanks, Tamlyn, for these great tips on how to achieve some tasty and beautiful homemade holiday treats!  Stay tuned for tomorrow's feature from Stacy at Scrumptious Swirls.

This feature was written as part of AFOMFT's PROJECT SECRET SANTA to benefit Jack's Toy Drive.  For more information on what it is, go HERE and if you'd like to buy a toy for a hospitalized child this holiday season, please visit the Jack's Toy Drive Amazon Wishlist.  Prices start at just $1.   Help put a smile on the face of a child who needs it this Christmas!

Letters For Santa {DISCOUNT}

Before Santa arrives this year, I'm going to have to do a purge of Gabrielle and Alaina's toys.  They have so many and some they've outgrown, and while we'll give most of them away to kids who need them, it kind of breaks my heart how many of them will get tossed.  So I decided I wanted to try to buy them some gifts this holiday season that they'd be able to use now and keep forever.  Something that maybe they'd pass down to their kids.  And no, Dance Party Mickey doesn't count.

I knew I'd found exactly what I was looking for when I came across Drawn to Letters.  In addition to making fabulous Nursery Rhyme prints (I love this one!):

And sweet Personalized Art Prints:

Joanne, the lady behind the letters, also makes these wonderful Cloth Alphabet Books.

Each one spells out the child's name and is hand-sewn.

Joanne has illustrated each and every letter herself and then prints them onto fabric, and the last page has a special message just for the child the book is for.

Since Gabrielle and Alaina are obsessed with all things letters, I knew I had to order two of the Drawn to Letters books for them.  They came packaged in these darling boxes.

And when I opened them up, I gasped.  Yes, they were that adorable!

The books are 5.5 inches square and have a velcro closure so they're perfect for little hands and each page features a different illustration:

And the whole book also folds out flat so kids can look at the whole thing at once.

I had the dedication pages include "Merry Christmas" and the year so the girls will always know when they received them.

And best of all, they're washable!

Someday, when Gabrielle and Alaina are older and don't use their Drawn to Letters books anymore, I may pack them away or frame them to hang in their rooms, so they can share them with their children too.  Now that's a gift that keeps on giving, which is why the Cloth Alphabet Books are one of our HOLIDAY GIFT PICKS.

I don't have any pictures of the girls playing with their books because they'll wrapped until the tree on Christmas Day but I can tell you from handling them personally that the quality is first rate.  They're soft and flexible and I know Gabrielle and Alaina will enjoy folding and unfolding their books while naming the letters.  And to me, a personal gift like this is so much more special than this season's "hot toy."  But guess what?  In honor of "Black Friday," Joanne has generously offered a discount exclusively to AFOMFT readers!

Get 20% off your purchase from Drawn to Letters today, Friday, November 26th through Sunday, November 28th by entering code AFOMFT when you check out.  Happy shopping!

Images: AFOMFT & Drawn to Letters

DEAL ALERT: Free Gift at Starfish! {FREEBIE}

Remember the fabulous jewelry I posted about from Starfish last week?

Well, Amber's got an AMAZING Black Friday deal going.  Get a free Taylor necklace:

With every purchase!

The Taylor initial necklace retails for $22 so you can buy one and get another free, basically making them $11 each.  They'd make wonderful gifts for teachers and friends.  And there's no limit on this deal so you can place five different orders and get five free Taylors!

So head on over to Starfish and get shopping!  This offer ends at 11:59 pm tonight, November 26th.

Images: Starfish

My Free Photo Canvas! {FREEBIE}

Remember how I posted about the FREE 8 x 10 photo canvas from Canvas People?  Well, mine arrived earlier this week and it's FABULOUS!  I used this wonderful picture of Gabrielle taken by Melissa of Moments in Time Photography:

And I love love love the result.

The colors are so sharp and vivid.  Here's a close up so you see the grainy canvas texture.

 
I upgraded to the 11 x 14 size and I'm so glad I did.  It's the perfect size - not too big to hang with other canvases or photos but not too big to display on its own either.  I also ordered an 11 x 14 canvas of Alaina and one of the two of them together so I can hang them as a trio.  Yes, I'm totally copying what Shelly over at How Does She? did!

Do you want your very own FREE 8 x 10 photo canvas (a $55 value)?  Then head on over to Canvas People and start creating.  You'll just have to pay $14.99 for shipping and handling and it's yours. 

If you want to upgrade to a larger size like I did, you can do that too.  An 11 x 14 canvas from  Canvas People is just $9.99, so for $25 shipped, you get what's normally $65 plus shipping.  And if you want to go even bigger or add effects like you see here:

You can do that too.  The $55 credit for the 8x10 canvas will automatically be applied to your order when you click through any link to Canvas People in this post.  Photo canvases make terrific holiday gifts for everyone on your list!

Images: How Does She? & Canvas People

Giving Back with NOVICA {GIVEAWAY}

This time of year, you often hear the phrase "It's better to give than to receive" but let's be honest - sometimes it's nice to receive too.  Luckily, by shopping with NOVICA, you can do both simultaneously!

NOVICA was started to help the artists and artisans of the world display their work to a global audience and it really does exactly that.  In conjunction with National Geographic, NOVICA sells products - home decor, jewelry, apparel, gifts and more - made by the citizens of Asia, Africa and Latin America.  What's great is that they let the artists list their products for free and allow them to remain fully independent - each seller is free to raise or lower his or her prices at any time - and I really like that they've set up a microfinance program to help the artisans finance their businesses by providing 0%-interest loans to those unable to obtain them from a traditional bank.  Just by buying, you're helping to change someone's life.  Now that's something I can get behind!

And while it's great to bean artisan on NOVICA, it's even better to be a shopper.  The site is filled with unique and beautiful pieces from all over the globe that you probably wouldn't find anywhere else.  You can read each artist's story while you browse their merchandise and it really personalizes the shopping experience.  Their products would make terrific presents for your friends and family - or even as a little splurge on yourself!  I love this gorgeous Turquoise Dazzle clutch from Radhika in India.

And the colorful Cat's Paradise bag from Brigida in Brazil looks like something you'd find at Anthropologie!

Gulam from India sculpts beautiful pieces out of soapstone, like this Moonlight Jasmine vase.

And the stunning Golden Garden Painted Glass Tray from Asunta in Peru would brighten up any party.

In addition to great gift ideas, NOVICA has a wonderful assortment of holiday decorations and accessories too.  This Ceramic Nativity Scene created by Feriburto in Peru would surely become a family keepsake.

As would the Christmas Dream Serving Tray from Luis in Mexico.

And I know the girls would enjoy hanging these Wooden Santa Ornaments from Made in Bali on the tree!

But my favorite section of NOVICA's site to browse has to be the jewelry.  There are so many amazing pieces that it's hard not to get overwhelmed.  Some of my favorites are the Midnight Express Necklace from Kalyani in India.

The Jasmine in Bloom Bracelet from Ploy in Thailand.

And the Free Spirit Cocktail Ring from Jenny in Indonesia.

When NOVICA offered me a $75 credit to use to try out their site, I added that ring to my cart immediately!  I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived within a week since I had no idea how long it would take to ship from Indonesia.  I opened the package and was so impressed with what I found!  There was a letter from Jenny with more of her story and this perfectly wrapped box.  The paper flower was so pretty.

And the ring inside the box was even prettier!

The stones are lovely and the quality of the ring is fabulous.  I wear it almost every day and always get compliments on it.

Excuse the pictures of my man hands but I love showing the ring off!

I enjoy a piece of jewelry as much as the next girl, but knowing that a local artisan like Jenny created my ring and actually received all of the money for it (as opposed to a middleman retailer) makes it that much more special to me.  So when you're doing your holiday shopping, consider visiting NOVICA and give a gift to more than just the people on your holiday list.

NOVICA is giving one lucky AFOMFT reader a gift as well, in the form of a $75 credit to their site!  To enter, visit NOVICA and post a comment here telling me what you'll put the credit toward if you win (this is mandatory).  For additional entries:

• Subscribe to AFOMFT or let us know you are a subscriber.
• Sign up for to the NOVICA newsletter (it's on the bottom right of their site).
• "Like" AFOMFT on Facebook
• "Like" NOVICA on Facebook and leave a comment on their wall telling them that A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS sent you. 
• Ask your friends to "like" AFOMFT on Facebook by sending them this link - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFTFBFAN - and post a comment here with the names of each one who does.  You'll earn one entry per new friend who "likes" our page and names will be cross-checked.  
• Follow NOVICA & AFOMFT on Twitter (@novica & @AFOMFT or click the birdie icon on the sidebar) and tweet this post by clicking the graphic above or this giveaway:  It's the Holiday Happening on @AFOMFT with a giveaway-a-day all month! #Win a $75 credit to @novica now - http://tinyurl.com/AFOMFT
• Click here to vote for AFOMFT on Top Baby Blogs and post a comment here that you did - .  You can vote once per day per computer so if you vote every day or on different computers, be sure to post one comment for each one.
• Grab our button and put it on your blog or website and post a link here showing us.
• Grab our HOLIDAY HAPPENING button and put it on your blog or website and post a link here showing us.
• Blog or post on Facebook about this giveaway with a link to this post (worth 2 entries so please post two comments) and make sure your comments include a link to your status or blog post.

Please leave a separate comment for each entry (two if you've blogged about the giveaway) and make sure to include a link to your tweet, blog post, etc. All entries must be posted on AFOMFT as a direct comment to this post.  Comments on Facebook will not count as entries.  This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only and ends November 11th at 11:59 pm EST. The winners will be selected by random.org and announced on AFOMFT on November 12th. If the winners don't contact AFOMFT within 48 hours, a new drawing will be held so be sure to check back to see if you've won!

Please note that NOVICA provided me with a $75 credit to try out their site for the purpose of this review.  No other compensation was received.  The opinions I've shared of their products are my own and yours may differ.

Images: NOVICA & AFOMFT