Reindeer Dust { A Christmas Tradition }

this post contains affiliate links

 

Reindeer Dust or Food has been one of our longest running Christmas traditions.  We've been making it for 11 years and the kids look forward to it year after year.

 

 

Here is what you will need to make your own:

 

Plain Oatmeal or Rolled Oats

Red Sugar Sprinkles

Green Sugar Sprinkles

Small Zip Plastic Baggies

Glaze Pens

Printed Cardstock

Solid White or Kraft Cardstock

Printer

Cricut(optional)

Cricut Jolly Holiday's cartridge

Stapler

Tape Runner

 

This year we created fun embellishments for the tops of the bags by cutting out reindeer with the Cricut using the Jolly Holiday's cartridge.  I cut out 75 reindeer and 75 red scarves.

 

 

While I cut everything out on the Cricut, the kiddos got right to bagging the dust!  You will want to fill each baggie up about 3/4 of the way full (you can use any size bag) and then add 1 Teaspoon of Red and 1 teaspoon of green sugar sprinkles.  We do NOT use glitter since you will be putting this outside where critters can ingest the glitter and can be harmful.

 

 

 

Once all of the reindeer were cut I used Glaze Pens to add a black dot for the eye and red for the sweet little nose.

 

 

Using my Tape Runner I attached the red scarves onto each reindeer.  It seems tedious, but it goes really fast!

 

 

I don't have a picture of this step.  I cut a fancy square on the cricut 4.5"x4.5" (you can use a regular square), folded it in half and stapled it to the top of each bag.  I created a printable in Word to fit my baggies that reads:

 

Just Sprinkle on the lawn at night,

The moon will make it sparkle bright.

As Santa's reindeer fly and roam,

this treat will guide them to your home.

 

You can change it, add to it and add a personal message at the end if you wish!

 

Using my tape running I placed adhesive along the top of my poem and slipped it under the paper topper on the bag.

 

 

And again, using the tape runner I attached the reindeer and then you are DONE!

 

 

These ones were created to match the Winter Wonderland theme for the classroom party in First grade that you can read about here.

 

 

Thank you for stopping by today.   Don't forget to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest, and you can find me on Instagram and Periscope @OneThriftyChick and on Twitter @JennJSheffler.

Come Join me weekly at the following Parties:

 

Monday: I should be mopping the floor, Home Stories A to Z, Sugar Bee Crafts, Carrie this home, 

                Mad in Crafts

Tuesday:  The DIY Dreamer, The Winthrop Chronicles, Thrifty Décor Chick

Wednesday: Gingersnap Crafts,

Thursday: A Glimpse Inside, The Pin Junkie, The Answer is Chocolate, Imparting Grace, Meadow Lake Road

Friday: Remodelaholic, The Shabby Nest, Serenity Now, The Crafted Sparrow , Tatertots & Jello, Just Us Four, The Pin Junkie, My Turn For Us

Saturday: I heart Naptime,  Flamingo Toes, Sew Many Ways,

Christmas Tree 2015 { plus mystery presents }

This post contains affiliate links

 

Red Turquoise and White OH MY!

 

I am in love with this years whimsical non-traditional theme.

 

Each year I attend a ladies ornament exchange, and last December this cute little guy is who I walked away with.  He quickly became the color scheme for this years tree.  How cute is that?  Department 56 is the brand and can be found at Macys.

I have gathered decorations over the last year for this theme as well as pulled some from past trees.  Yes, I am one of those that does a new tree each year, and I LOVE it.  Don't worry, the kiddos get their own tree to decorate with the sentimental ornaments.

Almost all of my decorations come from Real Deals on Home Décor in Eugene, with the exception of a few from big box stores on clearance.

This year I really only had to buy the turquoise color.  I had most of the red and all of the white from trees in the past.

I caved and went with a real tree, and  I am loving the smell it creates in the house, now let's hope I can keep it alive.

 I snagged the stockings for $5 each at local craft store and was so close to having 5 different patterns.  I am ok with the fact that each of the kids have their own, and the hubs and I match. 

 

For the tree topper I gathered some fun spray stems and created a burst out of the top.  I tend to do this each year, again a way to save cost on new tree themes each year.  Tree toppers can also get pretty spendy!

 

 

We use 3M Command hooks for our stockings each year.  One way to afford changing out the theme each year is by eliminating stocking holders.  Those can get pricey and you can't always guarantee they will match the theme.  Plus it leaves more space to decorate on the mantel.

 I did buy these fun glitter trees at Real Deals for under $10 and love what they look like on the mantel.  I am happy I snagged them before they sold out.

For the backdrop of the mantel, I took this last minute cheap junky not well made wood lattice piece and painted it turquoise.  I knew I didn't want to take my "S" down so I wanted to create a backdrop that would make it pop. 

 

I used paint I had on hand, and then hot glued a red glitter bow from Target's Dollar Spot onto the front!  I love the pop it gives!

The blue glitter JOY was a last minute purchase from Wal-Mart, and for some reason, I just couldn't walk away without it, and I am glad I didn't.

 

Maybe you don't have a Real Deals near you?  You can always check out Amazon, they have a great selection of décor!

 

Wondering what the "Mystery Present" portion of this post is?   Do you have older kids?  Do they try year after year to guess what each present is?  Do they keep track of who has more presents?  Do they compare the size of gifts with each other? 

 

Well if you answered YES to any of those questions, then this is for you! 

 

I decided that this year I would number each present 1-? wherever we end on Christmas eve.  In these pictures I hadn't put ribbons and bows on the packages quite yet, but wanted to show you what I have done.

 

For the entire month of December our tree will have several presents underneath and no one will know who they are for!  The kids thought they each had a number and were trying to figure that out, until I didn't stop at #3.

 

 

On Christmas morning, one of the kids will be selected to be the "elf helper" and pass out presents from under the tree.  This is also going to eliminate the need for tags (except on gifts for family that will be leaving the house) which will save cost.  Because once again, my wrapping paper matches the tree each year.

 

 

I wrote the numbers on the back side, so you will not see them when they are under the tree. 

 

 

How do I know which number belongs to which kid?  I have the master list in my phone hidden, where no one will know to look.  If they do happen to find it, I have stuff abbreviated and coded so they would still have a hard time figuring it out.  I think this idea is brilliant!!

  

 

I would love to know if you are going to try my mystery present method and how it works for you!

 

Back to the last couple pics of the house.  I have this old window in my living room that I love to decorate, and I found this great banner at Real Deals that matches perfectly!

 

 

Here is the living room with no lights on. It is such a magical place at night, and it smells lovely!

 

 

And for good measure, here is a look at the last 4 years of trees in our living room.  I always wanted a mantel (which I have only had for 5 years now) and I love decorating it year after year!

 

 

Here are a few of my Holiday post's from the past, click the links and check them out!

 

 

DIY Utensil Holders & Runner

 

Vintage Theme Christmas

 

Winter Wonderland Classroom Party

 

 

Thank you for stopping by today.   Don't forget to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest, and you can find me on Instagram and Periscope @OneThriftyChick and on Twitter @JennJSheffler.

Come Join me weekly at the following Parties:

 

Monday: I should be mopping the floor, Home Stories A to Z, Sugar Bee Crafts, Carrie this home, 

                Mad in Crafts

Tuesday:  The DIY Dreamer, The Winthrop Chronicles, Thrifty Décor Chick

Wednesday: Gingersnap Crafts, OhMy-Creative

Thursday: A Glimpse Inside, The Pin Junkie, The Answer is Chocolate, Imparting Grace, Meadow Lake Road

Friday: Remodelaholic, The Shabby Nest, Serenity Now, The Crafted Sparrow , Tatertots & Jello, Just Us Four, The Pin Junkie, My Turn For Us

Saturday: I heart Naptime,  Flamingo Toes, Sew Many Ways,

Teacher Gifts {Halloween Simmering Spices}

 For Halloween this year I wanted to create something simple for the teachers and staff at my children's school. Now that I have 2 kids in school full time, the amount of teachers add up quickly.  So keeping it fun, personal and affordable is key!

I chose to make simmering spice packets.   I did these a couple of years ago, and they were a huge hit with the teachers.  One they said they wanted again!  

I've created a tutorial so that you can create the same things for your friends or family.  These could be used for Thanksgiving, and even Christmas.  Enjoy!

You will need the following supplies:

• Fresh Oranges
• Fresh Lemons
• Cinnamon Sticks
• Whole Cloves
• Whole Allspice
• Ground Nutmeg
• Ground Cinnamon

I like to order my spices on Amazon Prime, and a lot of times you can find them on sale in bulk.

 Preheat your oven to 250 degrees.  Start by slicing your oranges and lemons into 1/4" slices. Place them on cookie sheets.  I reccommend using parchment paper to prevent sticking.

 

 Place them in the oven for 1 hour. Flip the slices, and bake for another hour.  If they are still too moist, flip them over and go another half hour.  Do this until they are very thin and dry.

In the meantime grab your spices and some plastic baggies.

 

I am using some pumpkin gift bags that I scored on Target clearance a few years ago.  But I have also had great luck finding fun bags on Amazon, and with prime it just makes sense.

 

Inside I will place my sandwich baggies full of spices.  Add about 5 cinnamon sticks, 3 Tablespoons of whole cloves, 2 Tablespoons of whole Allspice, 1 Tablespoon of Ground Nutmeg, and 1 Tablespoon of ground Cinnamon.

  

 

In a separate baggie, place your dried and cooled fruit slices.  I used 2 orange, and 3 lemon slices in each bag.

 

 

Tuck both baggies into whatever container you choose.  You could do this with any brown paper bag.  And you are done!  Now time to package.

 

I create a very simple word doc with easy directions on how to use the simmering spices.  I also grabbed some spooky kraft tags, and some dyed seam binding.

 

 

Be sure to tell your recipients what they will need to do in order to enjoy the fabulous fall aroma!

 

Once I cut the directions, I slipped them into each bag.

 

Then simple hold punch two holes into the top of the bag.

 

I tied the orange seam binding through and into a knot.  Then I tied my tags to that.

 

That's it!   These gifts will bring such joy to this spooky halloween night.  

 

I dressed up a metal basket, and these gifts are ready to head out the door with my children in the morning. 

 

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you enjoyed my tutorial.  

Be sure to check out all of the parties I link up to by clicking here.