2014

Packing up Christmas

Packing up Christmas

We always head down to my parents’ beach house on Boxing Day, and it is wonderful to get away for a week or so for some quality family time. Usually we spend the night at my parents’ house on Christmas Day and go straight from there to the beach-house. Which means that when we return 10 days later, we are greeted with all the Christmas decorations still up and a very smelly (and very dead!) tree that has shed its pine needles everywhere. 
Needless to say, this year I was not up for that added fun upon our return, so we decided to pop home to 'de-Christmasfy' the house and put away some of our new loot before we hit the road. Best decision ever! It took us around 2 hours but I’m so happy we don’t have to go home to that next week!
 

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DIY wine glass tags

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DIY wine glass tags

We had our Christmas party on Saturday night, and it was such a fun night, with lots of kids running around the backyard, and good times with an amazing group of friends that I've known for 20 years now. How time flies! In the lead-up to the party, I brainstormed ways to make the night run as smoothly as possible, and one thing I wanted to try was making my own wine glass tags. Here's what I came up with...

Cleaning the house using homemade cleaners

Cleaning the house using homemade cleaners

In preparation for our annual Christmas party this Saturday, I have been trying to do a deep clean of the house over the last few weeks... because, you know, there isn't enough going on in December without this added extra! With 2 small kids, it's not possible for me to do a massive house clean in one hit, so I have been doing jobs when I have a spare 20 minutes or so, or the kids are entertaining themselves... which usually involves bubbles! Hours of entertainment!

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Christmas bauble wreath

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Christmas bauble wreath

What is it about Christmas that gets the creative juices flowing? Not sure if it's just me, but I do love creating, making and baking at this time of year, and am looking forward to the kids becoming more involved with crafty activities as they get older. Last week I felt in need of a little project so I decided to make my own Christmas bauble wreath. Here's how I did it!

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Creating a gift wrapping station

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Creating a gift wrapping station

I'm taking a step away from Christmas planning today to share a recent project that has got this organisational gal super excited - our very own (hidden) gift wrapping station! I've always wanted one spot in the house designated for all our wrapping supplies, and this recent addition to the back of a cupboard door has given me exactly that. Let me show you how we set it up.