Jump starting the holidays

I usually do all my creating after the 10 o'clock hour when the house quiets down and I'm all alone. My friend Wendy prompted a little craft morning and I have to say......that's the best, Hands down!!! No tutorial here, but the stockings are from Hobby Lobby and already have the bells attached. After mod podging assorted printed papers to them, I strung them using flexible jewelry wire evenly apart (I have never used this stuff before, but I am now SUCH a fan). A trip to the dollar store for the glittery ornaments and some tulle and sheer ribbon finishes it off. Thanks to Wendy and Penny for the get together and good company, I'm ready to do this again ANY TIME!!

Too cheap to buy the real thing

So, last year I heard about the elf on the shelf, I thought it was a cute idea and wanted to get it, but once I checked it out and found out it was $29.95 I said forget it. Being the cheap and resourceful girl that I am, I was determined to rip off the words to the book from somewhere (I was hoping someone would post the poem somewhere) and I planned to create my own little book. It must be the protected secret of the universe, because I couldn't find it anywhere. That brings us to this year and I'm still too cheap to plunk that kind of money down, so after scouring the web, I came up with this alternative. This is a similar idea, where you can print a letter from Santa introducing you to your elf, and the elf's passport, great idea from

organizedchristmas.com ! I have been on the lookout for an elf, and just last week found this one at Robert's crafts for $7.99 (unless you score a 40 percent coupon like me!)

We haven't officially introduced him to our family yet, but for now.....he's an extra set of eyes in the teenage boy's room.