Christmas - 5/15 - The Idea Room

DIY Christmas gift

Need a last minute DIY Christmas gift? Today you can print out this already made template for either soap or sanitizer bottles. This is one of my very favorite gifts to give. This gift is perfect for when you have to give out gifts to teachers, neighbors and friends. They are pretty easy to make and inexpensive. And I love that they are totally practical especially in this season of germs.

The other thing I love about these is that you can totally customize them in any way, shape or form and for any season.

Instructions:

1. Remove the label(s) from your bottle.

2. If there is any sticky residue left, you can easily remove it using some Goo Gone.

(I picked mine up from Home Depot)

3. If your bottle has an insert inside you can remove it with some tweezers.

4. Print out the Christmas Soap insert here.

5. Print it using a laser printer onto your transparency film.

If you do not have a laser printer you will need to print it out and then copy it onto your transparency film. If you do not do this your ink will end up running and falling off into the soap or the hand sanitizer. You can take it and have it printed at your local copy store as well.

6. Measure your bottle and cut your transparency so that it will fit into the bottle. Be sure to measure it on the top and bottom so that it sits where you would like it to…INSIDE THE BOTTLE!

7. Roll your transparency backwards and slide it into the top of the bottle. Push it into place so that it sits right against the front wall of the bottle. You can use the soap dispenser pump to push it into place.

Christmas Soap Bottles Download

Such an easy gift that people can really use. I love to make these up and give them to my kid’s teachers along with a gift card, but I use Hand Sanitizer instead of liquid Hand Soap. The teachers always seem to enjoy them as they go through a lot of hand sanitizer in their classrooms. Here are the links to the other versions of them that I have previously shared.

Thanksgiving Soap/Sanitizer Bottles

Monogrammed Hand Sanitizer

Hand in Hand Sanitizer

I also wanted to take a minute and wish you all a very Merry Christmas, Chanukah, Boxing Day, Kwanzaa, Holiday, etc. Only 2 more sleeps till Christmas!! I wish all of you a happy and safe holiday with family, friends and loved ones! I feel so grateful everyday for this blog and for each of you who follow along! I am truly blessed!

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December 22, 2011 · Filed under: Christmas, Christmas Decor, Christmas Gifts, Crafts, Free Downloads, Gifts, Teacher Gifts, Tutorials Tagged with decorative soap bottle, DIY Christmas gift, hand sanitizer, handmade gifts, homemade gifts

Christmas Tree Memories

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One of the ways we try to spread holiday cheer with our décor is by building a Christmas tree full of memories. When I was growing up my parents started a tradition of giving each of us kids a new Christmas tree ornament every year. My parents tried to find ornaments that represented something we had done or accomplished that year.

As the years passed our tree became fuller and fuller. Each new Christmas season we loved pulling out the ornaments when it was time to decorate the tree and find all of our special ornaments. The first Christmas my husband I were married, my parents wrapped up all of my Christmas ornaments and gave them to us to start our own Christmas tree.

We have continued this tradition with our own children. And my kids look forward to receiving their ornament each Christmas Eve as well. It has been so fun to look at the tree and all of the various ornaments and get a snapshot of what our life has been full of.

Now I’d love to know, how do you spread real cheer with your holiday decorating? Show me with your photos! Click “Add me” in the Cheer Tree below to upload your holiday decorating photos and share them with your Twitter followers and Facebook friends. Be sure to click on “Special Offers” to unwrap the hidden coupons and deals exclusively from Sears. Keep checking throughout the holidays–new deals are unlocked every day! For all your holiday decorating needs and solutions, don’t forget to visit Sears and discover real deals, real cheer!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sears. The opinions and text are all mine.

December 20, 2011 · Filed under: Christmas Tagged with Christmas ornaments, Christmas Traditions, holiday traditions

Santa Pops

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Have you been waiting for the Christmas version? I hope so…cause I am sharing my latest Oreo Pop with you today…the Santa Pops!

1. Insert your popsicle stick or sucker stick into your Double Stuft Oreo Cookies.

2. Line a pan with parchment or wax paper.

3. Melt your Red Wilton’s Candy Melts in 20 second intervals in the microwave.

4. “Dip” your Oreo’s into the melted candy. In the past I have been saying to *DIP* your Oreos and several of you were having difficulty with them staying on the stick during the dipping process. I realized that I was actually pouring the chocolate over the over with a spoon while holding the Oreo over the cup of melted chocolate. Just turn the Oreo around as needed so that the chocolate is completely covering your entire Oreo and the stick. Hopefully this will help some of you who were having difficulty. Sorry for the confusion.

5. Place the candy covered Oreo onto the wax paper.

6. Take a piece of black licorice {I used Twizzlers} and place it near the bottom of the Oreo. The hardened chocolate will hold them it in place permanently.

7. Take three white round sprinkles down the Oreo for the buttons of Santa’s shirt.

8. Squeeze some white frosting along the bottom of Santa’s shirt.

8. Quickly pop the tray of Oreos into the freezer just to set the chocolate.

9. When the chocolate has hardened (should only need a few minutes) remove the tray from the freezer and add the belt buckle. (A strip of yellow Laffy Taffy shaped into a buckle).

This makes for a pretty fun party treat or as a gift for a classmate. The possibilities are endless for these Oreo Pops. I am a woman obsessed. But…I must admit…I am a bit sick of them. I don’t eat them anymore. I just make them for the fun of it and then I give them away! What do you think?