Santa's Operation Christmas Challenge

I have been knowing for a while that I wanted to do an advent calender for the boys this season, but I didn't want the run of the mill peel back the paper and pop the chocolate out of a platic mold. (An advent calender they are also doing, hey, it's chocolate and they are kids! They love it)

So I started looking.

Then I ran across this post from I Am Momma Hear Me Roar mentioning the Good Deed Advent Calender that she and her family did last year. I immediately knew that this was what I had been looking for. Especially after Mason informed me the other day that Christmas was about gifts.... Yeah, time to steer his young mind in the right direction! After all, no one enjoys a "gimme" attitude during the most wonderful time of the year.

But then I thought... We really don't have a place to string up 25 small buckets. Maybe something a little more compact???

And then I ran across this post by Delia Creates showcasing an advent calender made up of simply one box that has it's contents replaced daily.

That was PERFECT for us!

So I combined the two and put our own little spin on it.

Now I am calling it, Santa's Operation Christmas Challenge.

I started with a box that I found at the Dollar Tree for, you guessed it, a dollar.

Then, to make it a little more festive, I wrapped it in brown craft paper and added a red and white striped fabric scrap bow.

Next, I decided that the first day of December would be introduction day. I constructed a letter from santa explaining exactly what he was to expect and the reasoning for the "challenge."

The letter says...

From the desk of...

 Santa N. Claus

(Santa apparently has no middle name, but I thought a middle inital looked more professional. So Santa, if your reading this, your middle name is now Nicholas. Go with it.)

Dear Mason,

Ho Ho Hello there Mason! While I get ready for my busiest time of year, I would like for you to do me a favor. So many people forget the true meaning of Christmas. A time for giving and caring and celebrating Jesus' birthday! I need for you to help me remind people of the reason for this joyous season. In this box, each morning until Christmas Day, you will find a deed of the day for you to perform to make someone's day a little brighter. Try your hardest and always remember, a little thoughtfulness goes a long way.

Thank you for your help! You will do GREAT!

See you soon,

Santa

After printing the letter, (which I did on a small scale to fit the box and let's face it... Tiny note from Santa??? It doesn't get much more magical than that) I rolled it up like a tiny scroll and tied it with another fabric scrap before placing it on a bed of red sparkly tinsel.

Now, when we get home this evening, the box will be discovered (after some stealthy moves by me) in the fireplace (It's from Santa! Where else would he find it!).

Some of the good deeds that are lined up to "appear" in the box are:

Tell your teacher why you love being in her class

Teach your brothers to make your favorite silly face

Give some toys you don't play with to your local thrift store

Donate a toy to Toys for Tots

And then of course, there will be 19 more!

I am so excited to start this tradition with my boys!

happy Thursday everyone!

A Little Party Decor/Food Info

With this party, I really wanted a homemade feel. 

To start, I had Mason paint us a sign directing the party goers to the birthday fun. The wood is from an old pallet (pallet upcycle! free wood!) and the paint I already had on hand so this party staple was a total free bee and very cute! I had multiple compliments on it. Which, who wouldn't love it! It was done by my own little Picasso/birthday boy!

Also, in this same shot, the pennant banners hanging on either side of the railing. The fabric was all scored at a local thrift store for a dollar. I literally paid ONE DOLLAR. I did a rough cut of the pennants, attached them to a piece of twine using alternating pieces of scrap to tie the ends, and these babies hung out down the walkway greeting our incoming guests.

Total cost for these cute additions- $3. (In all actuality, less than that since I still have a lot of twine/scrap fabric left)

Next up! CUPCAKES! Who doesn't love cupcakes! I decided on mini-cupcakes simply because they are precious. Mini things usually are... Case in point, my boys! Mini people are especially cute.

I decided on one classic cupcake and one no so run of the mill cupcake.

For our classic cupcake I did a yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Simple, but loved by kids and adults alike.

For our not so average cupcake, I did a chocolate cake with peanut butter cream cheese frosting that I found here on Annie's Eats.

A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

I am not usually a frosting kind of gal, but this frosting is amazing. I can literally eat it right out of the bowl. 

 To finish them off I added some cute little toppers. Some I made using the train silhouette on my Carnival Cricut cartridge and some left over card stock from the invitations and for the others I tied small scraps of the $1 thrifted fabric onto the tops of toothpicks. (I got A LOT of use from that fabric! That dollar was seriously stretched.)

The mason jars were all collected from the same thrift store and also the GW.

The white toolbox was found at (once again) the same thrift store for .50. She was green and rusted to high heaven. I cleaned her up and gave her a shot of Krylon spray paint in Almond. Afterwards, I scuffed her up to get her back to looking old and used and she fit in quite nicely as a super "manly" cupcake stand.

The red lantern has been in my mom's possession for years. Borrowing= Free Decor!

All of the picture frames were purchased at the Dollar Tree. Once again, shot them with some Krylon spray paint in Almond and scuffed them up. Good thing about them... You can never have too many picture frames so the $5 I spent on frames will get a whole heck of a lot more use than just the party.

My cake (that I decorated all by my little lonesome!) was made using white cake mix and butter creme using the good old fashioned unsalted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk recipe. The black train silhouette was done using probably the best thing ever invented, (for folks like me who want clean lines, but don't have the cake decorating skill) sugar sheets! I cut the shape out of card stock using the same Cricut cartridge, traced it onto the sugar sheet, and cut it using some regular old scissors.

Result- A cake that looks like I know what i am doing without me actually knowing what I am doing. Win!

The cake stands...

2 chargers from the dollar section of Target- $2

2 candlesticks from the trusty thrift store- $1

Glue- On hand

Krylon's Almond spray paint- On hand

After cleaning and gluing together the chargers and candle sticks, I sprayed them with the Krylon and distressed them.

Result- Super cute, inexpensive cake plates that will definitely get a lot of use. I love them!

Another Dollar Tree frame ($1), a chipboard letter from Hobby Lobby ($2), Target dollar section train whistle ($1 and personalized by me for free!), and a lantern (once again) from the trusty old thrift store ($.25).

The window was given to me by my aunt and uncle (FREE!) and the drink jugs I have had for about 2 years now (originally bought at Target for $25 a pop, but I have gotten SO much use out of them).

The stands under the drink jugs were originally meant to be a candle holder and a candy dish. They worked perfectly for what I needed them for. Together they were $1 and after some spray paint they fit in beautifully. I also managed to score the gingham seen here along with the gingham on the cake table for $3 on clearance. Score!

Once again with the scrap fabric! (I told you that I got a lot of use out of it!)

There are a few things I would have done differently, but overall I was very pleased. Our real expense came from the venue and the entertainment, which isn't too terribly bad. ESPECIALLY considering that it was a double birthday party!

I hope everyone is having a fantastic Monday! I know I am!Being back at work is like a vacation compared to our crazy weekend!



Taste of Halloween!

So, I made a mistake and became wrapped up in Halloween decor WELL BEFORE Halloween. This... Unfortunately, has made me hasty to decorate for Christmas. And we ALL know, decorating for Christmas in October is outrageous. Now, decorating for Christmas in November... Now THAT is ok. I will put my will power to the test and avoid the Christmas crafts until AT LEAST the boys party is over November 19th. 

But, on to other things. Since Halloween has been around (in our house at least) since mid September, I will share a few of our Halloween goodies we have lying around. 

First! My framed half of a decoupaged pumpkin! 

The frame was an old one (with some serious bumps and bruises) that I painted and distressed. It was originally blue, so the blue showing through sat well with me so I left it that way. The pumpkin was one of the good old Dollar Tree/foam dealios that I cut in half, glued to the burlap covered back of the frame,  spruced up with some paper I had lying around, and then covered the horrible stem with some twine and a little floral wire for a vine. I love the way it turned out! And... Super DUPER cheap to make. 

The frame on a candlestick things has been floating around and I decided to tackle it. I LOVE the way it turned out. Very Very Cute. Not too mention that you can get frames and candlesticks for little to nothing at any thrift store. Cheap and easy... Which I LOVE. 

Cheap candle, cheap plastic spider, glitter, glue. Halloween... Meet your cheap, crafty spider/candle friend. 

And, sad to say, I did not make this pumpkin. But hey, dollar section at Target for $2! That is pretty awesome stuff! It's cheap, and I had to do nothing. I did... However, tie a ribbon around it. This picture is more about what it is sitting on. Distressed cake stand..... No siree! I made that baby! 

Candlestick + round cutting board + glue + paint + sandpaper = rustic cake stand that I LOVE! 

I do hope everyone is enjoying their Halloween festivities! Not too much longer until the bewitching hour! I hope you have your costumes ready! 

I, still have to come up with one since I have a party to attend. I better get on it! Any suggestions will be very much welcome!