Neighborly Christmas Gifts;-)

Gift ideas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas Ideas

Here's just a few ideas for wrapping, gifts, food, etc.

Christmas Cards

I just cut some slits in the side of the card so that the receivers could take them out and keep the picture!

Shoes for Christmas!!!

I am very excited. I got two pairs of shoes for Christmas and they came. Sad to say for Target and Journeys, I'm going to have to give them a bad-ish review because Target sent the wrong size, and Journeys didn't put any laces in the sneakers... But all in all, I LOVE them both!

The Last of the Christmas Glitter

Having too much fun with a string of blue lights and a camera;-)

Tile Coasters

I'm sure most of you have seen this on pinterest. Here is they instructions to make them;-) They made excellent Christmas gifts.

White Velvet Cutouts: Recipie

This is hands down my favorite sugar cookie recipe. They always turn out so soft and smooth! I think the secret is the fact that there is cream cheese in the batter. My mom found this from a Taste of Home magazine, years ago! And I still make them, because they're that good. 

*SCROLL TO BOTTOM FOR RECIPE*

Emily enjoyed helping me!

Ingredients

• 2 cups butter, softened
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon Spice Islands® pure vanilla extract
• 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 
  BUTTER CREAM FROSTING:
• 3-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, divided
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon shortening
• 1/2 teaspoon Spice Islands® pure vanilla extract
• 3 to 4 tablespoons 2% milk, divided
• Red and/or green food coloring, optional

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Gradually add flour and mix well. Cover and chill 2 hours or until firm.
• Roll out on a floured surface to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut into 3-in. shapes; place 1 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until set (not browned). Cool 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool.
• For frosting, combine 1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, butter, shortening, vanilla and 3 tablespoons milk in a large bowl; beat until smooth. Gradually add remaining sugar; beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add enough remaining milk and food coloring until frosting reaches desired consistency. Frost cookies. Yield: about 7 dozen.

Now, I don't know if it's because I make them too thick, but this only seems to make about 4 dozen for me. Only, hahha.

Christmas Crack

All I can say is wow. This stuff is amazing. And very easy.



Terribly Terrific Toffee
1 cup unsalted butter (no margarine allowed)
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
40 saltine crackers

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray. Lay a flat layer of crackers out on the foil. Melt the sugar and butter until a boil is reached. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5-6 minutes or until mixture is thickened and sugar is completely dissolved. Pour this mixture over the crackers and spread to coat evenly. Bake for 5-8 minutes, or until the toffee becomes bubbly. After removing the pan from the oven, let it sit for 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle on the chocolate chips, let them soften and melt, and then spread them into an even layer. (You can add nuts, cracker crumbs, or whatever else floats your boat at this point.) Let cool and, if desired for expediting purposes, refrigerate until hardened. Break into pieces the size of your choice. I personally prefer a hand-sized chunk.

Finishing Touches

Here's the family Christmas tree all decked out.

O Christmas Tree

Party

I'm having a party. All my friends are invited!!!

Everything under $20. Finger food and drinks provided. Free gifts for those who invite friends. Raffle. Free gift wrapping for purchases of $10 or more.

Jazzed up subway art bags!

Cool, cheap Christmas bags. Even if you're not all free-handy like I do it, grab some stencils, a pen, and a plain, boring paper bag to jazz up! -Mine probably would've looked better if I had stenciled it-

Gumdrop Wreath

I love Christmas! This is super easy to make. You just need one small Styrofoam ring (used to make wreaths) Two large packages of gumdrops, or spice drops, a box of toothpicks, and a few inches of wide satin ribbon. And next, go to town!

More Christmas Cards

Christmas

Twelve Days of Christmas Blog Challange. Day 8: My least favorite thing about Christmas.

1. People and their violent acts and just plain maddness during Black Friday. (camping out at Macy's for three days and eating McD's for Thanksgiving dinner...come on people, seriously)

2. Ghetto Christmas music. Such as traditional songs that have been re-done, but with no cool modern twist or anything...just plain, boring, maranantha, Mannheim steamroller, etc... ((it's all about the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, people...haha))

3. Getting Christmas cards that have nothing in them besides the text that was printed, and the sender's name. It's alright I guess, but if you're going to send a Christmas card, why not use your own words and write me something, ha!

4. Being way too concered with the amount of $$$ spent on a gift, rather than the thought.

5. Having to drive the gorge in all weather conditions to visit family.

6. Cleanup afterward.

7. "A Chipmunk Christmas" album, actually I pretty much dislike most Christmas songs where animals or kids are singing....lame. Hahaha. (Mostly because at my last job there were only two Christmas CDs to listen to)

...that's all I can think of for now...