Quick Gift Tags From All Those Paper Scraps!

I've been making a lot of handmade paper over the last few months as an Arnold Grummer Design Team member. I could never bring myself to throw out my leftover handmade paper scraps from all those wonderful projects, so I decided to turn them into gift tags!

Here's what you'll need to make your own lovely gift tags:

• Scraps from your beautiful handmade paper
• Scissor with decorative edge - I got mine at Hobby Lobby
• "To/From" stamp - Hobby Lobby again : )
• Ink pads
• Double sided tape
• Metallic markers, colored gel pens etc.

Grab your decorative edge scissors and trim some of your handmade paper scraps to just a bit bigger than your stamp. Then trim some scraps just a bit bigger than the ones you just cut. I used a scissor that gives the appearance of a deckle edge once the paper is cut.

Ink your stamp.

And stamp your gift tag.

Now use double sided tape, or a glue stick on the back of the gift tag you stamped, and stick it to the bigger paper scrap you cut. 

And just like that, you've got gorgeous gift tags made from handmade paper scraps. 

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My goal is to take the whole world on a creative journey one project at a time, so I want to offer many thanks to all my readers in 63 different countries... 

The United States, Israel, Canada, Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom, Russia, France, Malaysia, Italy, the Bahamas, the Philippines, Sweden, Egypt, Columbia, the Netherlands, Spain, the Sudan, Turkey, Mexico, Moldova, Denmark, China, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, the Czech Republic, the Ukraine, South Africa, India, Taiwan, Panama, Serbia, Latvia, Argentina, United Arab Emirates, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 

New Zealand, Japan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Chile, 

Romania, Hungary, Portugal, Indonesia, Guernsey, South Korea, Pakistan, Greece, 

Hong Kong, Poland, Slovenia, Lithuania, Ireland, Belgium, Venezuela, Sri Lanka, Macedonia, 

and Trinidad & Tobago!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, 

and Many Blessings,

Jana : )

Cookie Mix In A Jar, A Fast & Fabulous Gift!

If the holiday hustle has you on the verge of a panic attack, take a deep breath because My Creative Mommy's got you covered! Everybody likes cookies right? So let's make a quick gift that is simple for you to prepare, visually delicious, and equally as easy to prepare for the lucky person you're giving it to.

Here we go, this is what you'll need:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup candy-coated chocolate pieces e.g. M&M's
• 1/2 cup salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup raisins - I used chocolate covered raisins e.g. Raisinets
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 quart food storage jar e.g. Ball canning jar
• Funnel - I used a paper cup and cut the bottom out
• Fabric
• Raffia, ribbon, yarn

Now, using the funnel (or not - I didn't need a funnel because I used a wide mouth jar), layer the ingredients attractively in any order into your 1-quart food storage jar. Pack each ingredient down a bit before adding another layer. 

I mixed together the flour, baking soda and salt because they're all white, and made them the last layer at the top of the jar. Even though I packed down each layer, I was certain the flour mixture was not going to fit. Trust me when I tell you, it fits. Just pack it down a few times with the back of a spoon as you're pouring it in.

Once your jar is filled, put the lid on tightly. Cover lid with fabric and attach with raffia, ribbon or yarn. You'll need to include an index card with baking instructions. When preparing these wonderful cookies the only additional ingredients needed are butter, eggs and vanilla. The baking instructions are as follows:

• 2/3 cup of butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
• 1 jar Super Chocolate Cookie Mix

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Beat butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla until blended. Add cookie mix to butter mixture and STIR until well blended.
3. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. *I like to use parchment paper - it makes clean up much easier than placing cookies directly on the cookie sheet* Bake 11 to 12 minutes or until almost set (because ovens vary, you may need to adjust the time a little). Let stand on cookie sheets 2 minutes. Remove cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

*Recipe was adapted from Gifts From A Jar series.

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My goal is to take the whole world on a creative journey one project at a time, so I want to offer many thanks to all my readers in 59 different countries... 

The United States, Israel, Canada, Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom, Russia, France, Malaysia, Italy, the Bahamas, the Philippines, Sweden, Egypt, Columbia, the Netherlands, Spain, the Sudan, Turkey, Mexico, Moldova, Denmark, China, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, the Czech Republic, the Ukraine, South Africa, India, Taiwan, Panama, Serbia, Latvia, Argentina, United Arab Emirates, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 

New Zealand, Japan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Chile, 

Romania, Hungary, Portugal, Indonesia, Guernsey, South Korea, Pakistan, Greece, 

Hong Kong, Poland, Slovenia, Lithuania, Ireland and Belgium!

Many Blessings,

Jana : )

Bird Seed Treats

I've always enjoyed watching the birds, they are so cute and colorful. As the weather grows colder and it gets harder for birds to find food, our family likes to feed them. We have a bird feeder in our front yard that is visible from our kitchen, dining room and a lovely little sunroom we have. We spend A LOT of time in these rooms so the birds are a big part of our everyday life. I hope you'll gather up your family and make these bird seed treats so bird watching can become a part of your life too : )

Here's what you'll need to make Bird Seed Treats:

• Birdseed
• Fresh or dried cranberries
• Peanut Butter
• Slices of bread
• Pine cones
• Cookie cutters
• Ribbon or yarn
• Large (darning) needle

Preheat oven to around 250 degrees Fahrenheit then put several slices of bread on a cookie sheet.

Use cookie cutters to cut desired shapes from slices of bread. Then dry shapes in a warm oven for about 10 minutes. Remove shapes from oven and allow to cool completely. Shapes will feel crisp and light.

Once cool, spread with peanut butter. If there is a peanut allergy in your home, use another nut butter, or even seed butter like sunflower seed butter. 

Now decorate with cranberries, and birdseed by placing directly on the peanut butter covered shapes, or by dipping shapes into a bowl of bird seed. 

Finish off by threading a large needle with ribbon or yarn and pull it through the top of the bird seed treat.

Use any leftover peanut butter, cranberries and birdseed by spreading peanut butter on a pine cone then roll the pine cone in a bowl of birdseed mixed with dried cranberries. Tie a string around the stem of the pine cone and hang with your other birdseed treats.

Birds like to have a safe place like trees and bushes near their food source, just in case they need a quick escape. So keep that in mind when choosing a location for your wonderful bird seed treats. And put them near a window so the whole family can enjoy watching our feathered friends : )

My Creative Mommy is celebrating an exciting milestone this week...six months of blogging! I'm having an amazing time creating weekly projects and writing for you. Your response and support have been like rocket fuel for me and I really appreciate it. 

In just six months My Creative Mommy has accumulated some super cool statistics:

• 58 different countries reading my blog
• 3200 pageviews
• 78 Facebook fans
• 19 followers on Pinterest

Visit us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/MyCreativeMommy and click the "Like" box to become a fan and receive regular updates!

Follow us on Pinterest at http://pinterest.com/mycreativemommy

My goal is to take the whole world on a creative journey one project at a time, so I want to offer many thanks to all my readers in 58 different countries... 

The United States, Israel, Canada, Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom, Russia, France, Malaysia, Italy, the Bahamas, the Philippines, Sweden, Egypt, Columbia, the Netherlands, Spain, the Sudan, Turkey, Mexico, Moldova, Denmark, China, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, the Czech Republic, the Ukraine, South Africa, India, Taiwan, Panama, Serbia, Latvia, Argentina, United Arab Emirates, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 

New Zealand, Japan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Chile, 

Romania, Hungary, Portugal, Indonesia, Guernsey, South Korea, Pakistan, Greece, 

Hong Kong, Poland, Slovenia, Lithuania, and Ireland!

Many Blessings,

Jana : )