Friday, November 19, 2010

Tis Better to Give Blog Hop

The holiday season is upon us -- a blessed time of love and laughter, precious moments spent with family, good food aplenty, and, for many of us, gifts and giving. Now, we can almost hear the chorus of groans at that last part -- LOL! Yes, holiday gift giving can be stressful, especially when budgets are tight, gift lists are long, and the pressure is on to "shop 'til you drop." Well, we of the Deedees Digis design team firmly believe that gift-giving should be a joyful experience all the way around. That's why we have come together today to share with you some ideas of fabulous gifts that you can make, so that your gifts this year are meaningful, affordable, and hopefully as stress-free as possible. Join us today on our blog hop as we show you why "'tis better to give" -- because not only will you have fun giving these gifts, but making them as well! :-)

If this is your first stop on the hop, be sure to visit the Crafting with Deedee's Digis blog, where you will find the directions for the hop, a chance to win the grand prize of a $15 credit to our store, AND a little gift for you!

Since our theme this hop is such a 'giving' one, I decided to make the favors for Kyle's holiday sledding party. Last year, a girl in his class had a 'party' at a local sledding hill and that is where the idea came from for a special winter day this season. We will be inviting his class and a few other special friends and cousins and Mike (my DH) and I will chaperone an afternoon of winter fun. The great part is that we will take the camping stove and heat kettles of water for cocoa (to go with some homemade cookies and snacks)! My project showcases their 'mugs' everyone will be able to take home with them!


I was going to make my own template, when I said "Hello - check the internet"!  I found a great template at Mirkwood Designs and it worked so well that I didn't even need to modify it because of the size of my cocoa mix. Gotta love that! I used Picasa to add the sentiment from Snowy Sentiments to the image from Let it Snow. I also added the greeting using this software. I printed in as a 4 by 6 and then cropped it down to the size I needed. This idea would all work great with the Just Chillin' and Warm Wishes sets!!

I colored the image with my Bics and then just added a bit of snow highlight with my white gel pen; and added a sequined snowflake and a clear rhinestone to the top of that - TA DA - easy peasy. The steam coming from the cocoa is just ric rac stapled to the top of the cocoa mix which is in this adorable mug! [FYI - the red background is just that; printed as the background to my little collage thru Picasa.]

Your next stop on the hop is CEAL!

Before you leave, please be sure to leave me a comment in order to be entered to win a free digi of your choice from the Deedee's Digis store! You have until 12 noon Eastern Time on Sunday to comment. All winners will be announced on Monday at Crafting with Deedee's Digis -- be sure to check back then to see if you've won. Thanks so much for joining us today, and happy holidays to you!

Huggz,
April

45 comments:

Sandy said...

These are definitely super cute and with the rick rack coming out as your steam....cute idea!!! Great collection of gifts!

Kathy and Lucky said...

Very cute, keeping this one for future, I am sure the party will be a success with these.

Tammy said...

Terrific card. Very clever too.

Patti P. said...

What a wonderful favor...hope you all enjoy your outing, this is a fun idea! Tfs your creative project and the chance to win a digi on the hop.

Paula said...

Great fun favor!

Unknown said...

Adorable mugs April! I will need warm wishes...it is 23 degrees right now and snow headed our way! :(

Jenn

MiamiKel said...

Snow, did you say snow?!! Room for one more? I'll bring my own sled!! Oh how I miss the days of sledding and ice skating - have a wonderful time and think of me!

Your little cup favors are suppppper cute! The ric rac "steam" just has me geeeeegling all over - absolute perfection!

Did I mention what a wonderful friend you are, too? :)

xoxox

Robin Parker said...

I love Hot cocoa, great idea. Hope you have a wonderful winter fun day with your son and his class!! Fabulous idea to use the rick rack as your steam.

Anne Marie Hile said...

So, so cute! Love the ric-rac, such a fun detail! :)

Lauren said...

What a lovely gift!

Lauren

Jeanette (Forest Ranger) said...

Wow! WOW! WOW!!! April, these are such fun!!! The cutest little snowmen favors! I love them!!!

Anita said...

What a cute idea!

Anonymous said...

cute idea for a party favor! clever to use ric rac for the steam.

Becky said...

These are so cool! So creative.

Lone Pine Designs said...

Very creative...love it!

thinker said...

so cute... hope your afternoon of sledding is full of fun & laughter!!

Ceal said...

your invitations are adorable! TFS

Rhonda Miller said...

Wow, how fun is that favor. I think the kids will love it.

DQ said...

What a wonderful idea, I know I could use it right now!!

Stef H said...

wow april! that is absolutely spectacular!!!

hugs :)

Kathy Czygan said...

These are just adorable! The kids will get a kick out of these! The steam done with rick rack is a terrific idea!

Stephanie said...

How cute!! What a great idea for a favor. I might have to borrow this for our dd's friends.

dawnmercedes said...

very cute!

Michelle said...

I love your cup o'cocoa! Its perfect!

Lawren said...

These are so cute. I love the idea.

Phyllis said...

What a cute cute favor. Love how you did the steam with the ric rack. Will have to put this in my to do list.

Anonymous said...

These are such sweet treats for your son's friends and classmates, April -- what a terrific idea, and you put them together so beautifully! Love that you made them out of felt, and the sweet rick-rack steam coming out of the cups -- how darling! Oh how I wish my kids and I could join your sledding party. The girls were just asking this morning about why "everyone else" gets snow and we "only get rain" -- LOL! Enjoy your fun winter weather! Hugs, Deedee

:: BlueInks :: said...

Really cute, April! I love the white accents on the trees.

Lynn McAuley said...

What a great theme for your hop! I love this delightful cocoa mug!! Super fun, April!

Lori said...

Great idea! This is adorable, great job with all of the work involved.

terriavidreader (IN-USA) said...

great project, thanks for sharing!

Debbie D said...

Such a cute idea! Makes you just want to sit down by the fire with a cup of cocoa. Thanks.

Tink said...

LOVE them!

Gloria Westerman said...

What a clever idea.....I love this...will have to give it a try......tfs

Linda said...

This is terrific! I love hot chocolate and will borrow this idea. Excellent blog

Carol W said...

Cute, clever and fun...What a great idea. I'm sure everyone will love them....great job April.

Unknown said...

Great invitations. Love how you used the rick rak.

Kards by Kathi said...

Love your use of the digi stamp and your projects are great. Thanks for sharing.

Divinewoman said...

April,
Your favor is adorable. Thanks for sharing.

Moments by Marla said...

Your mugs are adorable. What an inspiraton! Thank you!

Peggy T. said...

Your mugs are so cute. Thanks for the opportunity to win this great prize.


timmermanp@bellsouth.net

sammi said...

Oh my goodness, these are too cute! Love them!

Donna said...

Thanks so much for the chance to win!! Love your mugs!

Shelly said...

These are so cute, April. I love your rick rack steam! thanks for a great project. I'll definitely be using this one for my nieces.

Vana63 said...

Cute Cocoa Card! I yoo luv to see what I can find on the WWW, ggg. Thanks for sharing and Happy Holidays!!!