Sunday, December 21, 2014

Holiday Gifts & Wrapping

It's the week of Christmas which means baking, wrapping, singing Christmasy tunes, and last minute shopping! Christmas is so soon I feel like I'm in Elf and have to do every Christmas thing possible.

I've decided to wrap some of my presents using Whole Foods bags. Three reasons why I'm doing this: I have a slight-okay, actually major- obsession with Whole Foods, it's recycling, and it's also much cheaper than wrapping paper. I love the look of the brown paper then being able to decorate the gift with different ribbons! A gift tag isn't even necessary for presents wrapped like this because you can write directly on the wrapped gift (using a good black pen) without it looking tacky. If you are going to wrap your presents using recycled bags, smaller presents work best. The Whole Foods bags aren't the biggest once you cut them up, so things like a book, CD, movie, or even a picture frame, will be the best gifts for wrapping.





DIY Gifts
For Coffee/Starbucks Lovers 
What you'll need:
-A mug
-Paper crinkle
-A trip to Starbucks
     -I bought a mini coffee mug ornament, the one pack Christmas Blend coffee, a gingerbread biscotti, Justin's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, and a Starbucks gift card. Starbucks has great miniature items that you can fill the mug with.
The mugs I used are from Target and are great for adding a little customization to this gift because they're initialed! Fill the mug to the top using your paper crinkle. Next, add your goodies inside the mug, going back and adding paper crinkle to stick out of the sides. Lastly, tie pretty ribbon around the tops of the mugs as a finishing touch. This gift is simple to make but looks cute and will taste yummy....it's also perfect for a white elephant or secret santa present.



Cookie Lovers; Chocolate Chip Cookies in a Jar
What you'll need:
-1 quart mason jar (you can find these at Micheals)
-Labels
-1 3/4 cups flour
-3/4 teaspoon baking soda
-3/4 cup packed brown sugar
-1/2 cup granulated sugar
-1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
I've seen these a lot online this year, so I tried it out! I'm in love with the look of this present and it seriously took me 5 minutes to make-especially because all of the ingredients were already at my house. You can even do any kind of cookie recipe. Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Carefully pour the mixture into the mason jar, patting the sides down using the back of a spoon. Next, pour in the packed brown sugar to the top of the flour mixture. After the brown sugar is packed down, add the granulated sugar on top. Finish it off by pouring in the chocolate chips. Using a label, write Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix and stick it on the back of the mason jar. I finished this gift off by tying ribbon around the mason jar. Make sure to attach the recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies, as well!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe: Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Beat 1 1/2 sticks of softened butter, 1 egg, and 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract in a large bowl. Add the cookie mix, mix well. Place mixture onto a ungreased baking sheet in little balls. Bake for about 9 minutes. Enjoy!



Other gift ideas:
-Holiday candles from Bath & Body Works
-A picture in a cute frame
-Thoughtful book
-Homemade banana bread, cookies, fudge, cookie butter, etc.
-Pajamas and fuzzy socks
-Sugar scrubs

Appreciate this lovely Sunday and I'd love to see if you make any of these gifts! xoxo

"I planned out our whole day. First we'll make snow angels for two hours, then we'll go ice skating, and then we'll eat a whole roll of Toll House cookie dough as fast as we can, and then, to finish, we'll snuggle." -Buddy the Elf 

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