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last minute gift ideas with free printable tags

I’m sure you have been just as busy as we have with the holidays fast approaching. Jess and I have some fun ideas to share with you, but finding the time to blog it is a different story. I am going to share with you a few last minute gift ideas that I have done this year.

Glitter Ornaments

The first idea are these DIY glitter ornaments.

By now, I’m sure everyone has seen these ornaments I made last year.

This year, I put the glitter on the outside. It can be a bit more messy, but I think they turned out cute. The kids had fun making them too.

What you need:

- Clear Ornament

- The negative part of stickers or cut out contact paper using your Silhouette or Cricut.

- Glue (I used Martha Stewart roll on glue, but I also made them with the Pledge Floor Cleaner like last years ornaments.)

- Glitter

- ‘Fake Snow’ for inside the ornament.

Put your shape onto your ornament. Put some glue or floor cleaner on the area where you want the glitter. Pour glitter onto it and shake it off. Peel of ‘sticker’ and you will have a glittery shape. I added some fake snow inside the clear ornament to give it more of a wintery effect. Below is a picture of the ‘sticker’ before adding glue and glitter.

Soup in a Jar with Free Printable

The second idea is soup in a jar.

I’m sure you have seen lots of ‘soup in a jar’ ideas. This is just another one. But, everyone likes soup right? And when it is all prepared for you, it’s even better! I am going to direct you to the blog that I got the recipe from for the directions… Ma What’s For Dinner

I liked this one because you add crushed tomatoes, which just makes it even yummier (I know Jess would disagree, but that is ok).

I also bought a soup mug from the dollar store and added an initial in vinyl onto the mug. Sort of like I did here. Of course these mugs would also make great gifts.

I created these printable tags for you to add to your soup in a jar.

Click on the image below to download and print.

Scent of Christmas Bags and Christmas Tiered Platter With Printable Tags

*Update-At the time I made these platters I did not realize that it says on the bottom ‘for decorative use only’. So, these may not be safe for food. Sorry!

This last one is my favorite. I don’t know if it’s the tiered platter or the ‘Scent of Christmas’ bags that I like most!

Remember the tiered platters I made last summer here?

When I saw the blue, silver and red Christmas platters at Target for only $1.99, I knew I had to make some more platters. I still used the glass candlesticks from Walmart, but I only used one on these. I also couldn’t find a bowl to match the blue, so I bought a clear bowl and I love it!

I saw these ‘Scent of Christmas’ Bags on I heart Naptime. I thought they were so cute and think they will make great neighbor gifts. Basically you are putting in oranges, cinnamon sticks, cloves and cranberries. The tags tell you how to ‘cook’ it on the stove to get the scent of Christmas in your house.

To get the recipe click here. Landee See Landee Do actually created these bags with free tags. But, there were a lot of people having problems downloading the tags. So, I created some for you.

Click on the image below to download and print.

Aren’t these so cute inside the tiered platter?I do believe they are.

Hope these ideas help some of you looking for last minute gifts.

Merry Christmas~

Jenny

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Filed Under: Christmas, Christmas, Crafts, Free Printables, Gift Ideas, Gifts, Misc., vinyl, Winter, Winter

my favorite peanut butter balls

10 Dec posted by Plum Adorable

These peanut butter balls are the best.

My friend Caryn has been making them for years. Last year she shared how to make these frosted glass bottles.

I don’t know if it’s the Rice Chex Cereal or marshmallow cream that makes these better than other peanut butter balls. I guess it doesn’t matter. They are my favorite and I think you would agree.

Plus, they are super easy to make.

Wrap them up in a cute bag and they make great gifts for neighbors or teachers.

Or just eat them yourself.

Yum!

Recipe: Peanut Butter Balls

Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter

7 oz. marshmallow cream

1.5 cups Rice Chex

1.5 cups chocolate chips

4 tsp. shortening

Combine peanut butter and marshmallow cream. Add the Rice Chex.

Roll the mixture into balls. (I like to use my pampered chef scoop)

Melt the chocolate chips and shortening together gradually in the microwave.

Dip balls in chocolate.

Refrigerate the balls until they harden.

Enjoy~

Jenny

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Filed Under: Christmas, Gift Ideas, Gifts, Recipes, Sweets, Winter, Winter

Our “Buddy” Elves

3 Dec posted by Plum Adorable

Well Folks, it’s that time of year again! The most Wonderful time of the year! Time to decorate the tree, put up the Christmas lights, sip on some hot cocoa, hope and pray for a snow day or two and celebrate the reason for the season!! Also a time when I can FINALLY listen to my Justin Bieber Christmas Cd without judgment!!?? (Well, not sure that will EVER happen!) Jenny is interrupting this post to say that I love the Bieber Christmas CD too! Little Drummer Boy. Love it.

And guess what?! Our Elf friend, Buddy is back!!! (You can read all about Buddy in this post here and here.) And even better, he now has a blogging buddy Elf friend!

Jenny’s family welcomed their own Elf on the Shelf this year! And you’ll never guess what they named him?! BUDDY!! We do lead parallel lives after all! OF COURSE, we would name our elves the same thing! OR perhaps, our families both just REALLY love the movie ELF!

Here is a picture of how Jenny’s Buddy arrived! There was a letter from Santa explaining that his elves can be a bit naughty. He told her kiddos that because they know Jesus, they may need to give him a little grace, just like Jesus does for them!

Originally our Buddy would have arrived on Thanksgiving, that is our tradition, but when we realized how early Thanksgiving was and how much more creative that meant we had to be, we decided to wait until December 1st!

For our Buddy’s first morning, he arrived with a jar full of sugar, kisses, magic sprinkles and special directions!

SO after planting their kisses in the sugar, adding the magical sprinkles, the kids woke up to this!

Meanwhile, Jenny’s Buddy was up to a WHOLE lot of FUN at their house!!! In true Buddy the Elf, style!!

‘We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup!’

This morning we found our Buddy reading the story of Jesus’ birth to a few of the kid’s toy friends- the Ninjago and Rapunzel seem to be really into it!!!

His buddy, Buddy, was having a good ole’ time getting into Jenny’s craft supplies and making a Christmas Chain!

We’ll continue you to keep you updated on all of our Elves’ shenanigans! Well…that is when we remember to actually make them happen!! The first two nights I was scrambling out of bed at midnight and then again at 11 because I forgot to take care of our little Elf friend!!

Especially for my friend Dawn, it’s not easy being an overachieving Elf on the Shelf Mommy!!

~JESS

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Filed Under: Christmas, Misc., Winter

The best way to spread christmas cheer…{Free Printable}

29 Nov posted by Plum Adorable

Buddy the Elf said it best. It’s one of our favorite movies. Every year we decorate the house the weekend after Thanksgiving and then settle in to watch ‘Elf’. It’s funny. EVERY. TIME. I thought this print would be fun to add to our decorations this year. And lucky for you I designed an 8×10 and 11×14 for you to print as well (It will not be scalloped like above).

Click on the images below to download and print. The watermark will not appear on the actual print.

8×10

11×14

Now go sing!

~Jenny

Linking Up With…

A Glimpse Inside Frugal Girls WhipperBerry

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Filed Under: Christmas, Christmas, Free Printables, Gifts, Kids, Misc., Paper, Winter

Our etsy shop {personalized prints and wood signs}

15 Nov posted by Plum Adorable

Today we’d like to share with you some of the products we sell in our Etsy Shop.

Last February we sold these signs on Groopdealz. We sold quite a few of them and since then we’ve had lots of requests from our readers to make more. So, today we are happy to announce that we have finally created a limited amount. Click here or on the image below to purchase this sign for only $22.00.

We also have other distressed hand painted wood signs as well. Click on any image below to visit our Etsy Shop.

Personalized wood signs for teachers. 5.25 x 5 inches.

7 x 16 inch ‘JOY’ wood signs.

5.75 x 8 inch wood ‘JOY’ signs.

5.75 x 8 inch ‘love’ and ‘Count Your Blessings’ wood signs.

8 x 8.5 inch ‘love’ sign.

We also sell personalized prints.

We will be back soon with more DIY gift ideas!

~Jenny & Jess

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Filed Under: Christmas, Etsy, Gift Ideas, Kids, Misc., Teachers, Winter, Wood Signs

pamper yourself gift jars {free printable tags}

14 Nov posted by Plum Adorable

Are some of you having a hard time seeing all of the Christmas ideas floating around? Especially when we haven’t even gotten through Thanksgiving yet? Jess’ husband is one of ‘those’ people that struggles with this. Which makes it so much fun for me to present to you another CHRISTMAS gift idea.

These Pampering Jars would also make great gifts for teachers, neighbors etc. One of the reasons I want to share this idea with you now is because to get the most bang for your buck you need to start purchasing items right away. I actually purchased the jars this summer knowing I would be making these. I got 12 jars for $7.00. Over the last few weeks I have been using my coupons for other things like the shower gel and nail polish. Here is where I got everything and approximately how much they were…

Ball Jars – On sale at Ace Hardware – 12 for $7.00

Hand Sanitizer – Dollar Tree – 3 for (take a guess?)

Nail Polish – Joanne Fabric – 7 for $7.00 (with coupon)

Shower Gel – Joanne Fabric – 7 for $6.30 (with coupon)

Washcloths – Target – 8 for $5.00

Lip Balm – Dollar Tree – 2 for (you guessed it!)

The Almond Roca tin in the picture isn’t the same one that I originally had. I bought a huge tin at Costco for, I believe, $9.99. I’m not sure how many come in the tin because somebody (totally NOT me) ate quite a few of them before I was able to make the jars. So, let’s just estimate them at .10 each.

I was able to make 7 jars and each jar came to a total of $4.50 each. Not too shabby. You could get creative and add other things like lotion or foot scrub and cozy socks. There are lots of ideas.

Add one of our free printable tags to complete your gift!

Click here or on the image below to download the free printable tags.

Jess’ husband may not be happy I am posting about Christmas gifts, but I know he appreciates a good deal. Be proud buddy!

I’ll be back soon with another CHRISTMAS gift idea!

~Jenny

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Filed Under: Christmas, Free Printables, Gift Ideas, Gifts, Teachers

We ‘wash’ you a merry christmas gift idea {free printable tags}

9 Nov posted by Plum Adorable

I will spare you the details of just how busy Jess and I have been the past few weeks! I guess the beauty of a blog is that when you need to take time away to be with your family and other responsibilities it is always there waiting for you when you are ready to come back.

Today I am sharing one of my favorite gifts for neighbors, teachers or anyone that you want to give a gift to because you like them, but don’t want to spend a lot of money. I like to get Bath and Body Works soaps. Their soaps always go on sale, so once they do then stock up. They usually have them on sale on Black Friday. Of course, you can use any soap you’d like.

I can’t remember where I first saw the quote ‘We WASH’ you a Merry Christmas’. I’ve been using it for a couple of years now and I finally decided to make my own printable tags to go with them. I like to put ribbons and tags on four or five soaps and set them off to the side. There is always a last minute gift that seems to pop up and this allows me to grab it and go. Everyone likes soap right?

I created the printables below for your personal use. Click here or on the image below to download and print.

We will be back soon with more gift ideas.

~Jenny

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Filed Under: Christmas, Free Printables, Gift Ideas, Gifts

Pumpkin Playdough {free Printable Leaf tags}

19 Oct posted by Plum Adorable

I pinned this cute idea from Blue Bird Lucy’s. I thought they would be fun for my son’s preschool class. A kid can only get so much candy right?

I used this NO COOK RECIPE from The Imagination Tree for the playdough. It turned out so good and I love that you don’t have to cook it!

You need:

2 cups plain flour (all purpose)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup salt
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
up to 2 cups boiling water
food coloring (optional)
few drops glycerine (optional- adds more shine!)

Method:

Mix the flour, salt, cream of tartar and oil in a large mixing bowl
Add the boiling water
Stir continuously until it becomes a sticky, combined dough
Add the food colouring and glycerine (both optional)
Allow it to cool down then take it out of the bowl and knead it vigorously for a couple of minutes until all of the stickiness has gone. * This is the most important part of the process, so keep at it until it’s the perfect consistency!*
(If it remains a little sticky then add a touch more flour until just right)

*This recipe made enough for 7 pumpkin balls.

_________________________________________________________________________

I created these leaf tags to add to your pumpkins. Click here or on the image below to download and print. For best results print on a premium matte paper on an ink jet printer.

Wrap up the ‘pumpkins’ in some clear wrap, add some ribbon and the leaf tags. Then draw a face with a sharpie marker.

My son is excited to hand them out to his friends. These were so simple to make. You still have time to make some too!

~Jenny

Linking up with Whipperberry

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Filed Under: Crafts, Fall, Free Printables, Gifts, Kids, Kids, Misc.

Winding Path Gardens & Pumpkin Patch

12 Oct posted by Plum Adorable

This post is for our local readers, so I apologize in advance to those of you that don’t live here. I wish all of you could experience this charming little place. We have some friends that recently turned their beautiful land into a wedding and event facility, but during the fall it is an adorable pumpkin patch.

You can click on any of the images in this post or check out their website here; Winding Path Gardens. They are located on Hwy 9 in Arlington. I didn’t have the right lens on my camera to zoom out, so the pictures don’t really do it justice. But, believe me Winding Path Gardens is extremely cozy and they have done a beautiful job on the entire facility. The owner, Bob is an amazing landscaper, so the grounds are beautiful. There is a path that leads to a gazebo for weddings and lots of room for tables and/or dancing. Of course right now it is set up for the pumpkin patch. Which is why you locals should go this weekend!

My kids had a blast jumping in the bouncy house, playing in the corn kernels and of course eating muffins and popcorn. The popcorn is addicting. So good. It was a very relaxing atmosphere and my kids could have stayed all day. It was beautiful outside last weekend, but when it does rain and get colder they have heat lamps to keep you warm and cozy.

There are lots of places that are set up for photos. Very important for us moms.

There is a really cool playground with tunnels to climb through and a big tractor to climb on. They also have farm animals. My favorite were the pigs named Piggly and Wiggly. So cute. The face painting was also a big hit for my kids.

And of course the pumpkin patch! The kids walked around forever looking for the perfect pumpkin. The pumpkins were almost all so perfect and it took awhile for them to decide. Once you get your pumpkin they have some friends that have their horse there for the kids to ride.

If you are looking for a different pumpkin patch this year I would suggest checking out Winding Path Gardens. You can also check them out on Facebook. Their hours are: 10:30 AM to 5:00 PM Fri, Sat & Sun. If you are looking for a facility to get married at in the future, I would recommend checking them out soon. I have a feeling they will start filling up fast!