SHRINKY DINK GIFT TAGS

I wanted to make some fun gift tags for Elliott and his favorite little people for their gifts this year and I came up with these! Aren't they fun? The kids will love them and will have a blast rummaging through the piles of gifts looking for their faces. They are perfect for any age too. I think I might make some for everyone on my gift list this year! Oh, and they are super easy to make. So that's a definite bonus! Here's how you make them.

Find some good front on pictures of your loved ones. I actually had to do a mini photo session with my niece to get a good one! Print them out onto the shrinky dink film and cut them out.

Next, punch a hole toward the top of the heads. Keep in mind the whole will shrink considerably during the baking process so make sure the hole is big enough to be usable.

Now it's time to bake! The directions on my shrinky dink film said to lay the images out on cardboard or parchment paper. I went with cardboard and they turned out perfectly! Just be sure to follow the directions on your packaging and you'll be fine. Bake them at 350 degrees for 2-3 minutes and they should come out all tiny and cute.

Now add some twine and wrap them up! So easy and the kids are really going to love this little touch. Happy gifting!

THE SHAPELYS MEMORY GAME

A few months ago Elliott was watching me play around on illustrator and he said "make me!" so I did. I made a shape that had some of his characteristics and added legs. He requested I make more of other people he loves and before we knew it we had a whole family of shapes! Thus, the Shapelys were born. I kind of love them, so don't be surprised if you see them pop up in other projects down the road. It being the holidays and all, I thought it would be fun to turn the family into a memory game! Perfect for stocking stuffers, don't you think? All you have to do is print them out (here), then print the polka dots on the back (here), cut and play. Be sure to print them out twice so you have pairs to play with. You could even laminate them for extra protection from little hands! I hope you love these little guys as much as we do!

Wrap them up with some twine and they are ready for gifting! 

In case you missed it, you can download the Shapelys here and the polkadot backside here.

ADVENT CALENDAR JAR

We really love advent calendars around here. I think this will make our third one! This one might be my favorite though. So far. If you have a jar, some paper and a couple of paint pens, you can make this and enjoy it with your little ones counting down the days to Christmas! You can see the full tutorial over here on Handmade Charlotte. Happy counting!

AROUND HERE

This long weekend was a blast! Thanksgiving was great as usual, but unlike most Thanksgivings, this year was pretty much cooking free. It was a turkey day miracle! Over the next few days, Elliott's cousins slept over for a couple of days, so what that means is more fun! We played in leaf piles, hit up the park, played a little mini-golf and ate far too many sweets. It got a little chilly, but still perfect weather for playing outside. Hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving and a great weekend. Now, let's get ready for Christmas, shall we? 

WE LOVE: PUPS + CORNS

What's better than a balloon animal? A balloon animal that will never pop! Aren't these adorable? I am seriously obsessed with these guys. I want to collect them all and line them up on my desk so I can look (play) at (with) them all day.  I found them a few months ago when I was drooling over the goodness that is The Land Of Nod and when I saw them, I knew we needed some. My justification was that they would be the gifts Elliott gives to his little friends for Christmas. And while that is still true, I may have ordered a couple more than we needed. Elliott hasn't seen them yet, because we are going to give him one in his stocking - they are the perfect size for it! They come in two types, the pups (dogs) and the corns (unicorns) and  each comes in a bunch of different colors. The only thing is, you can't choose what colors you order, it's a surprise! Which can be a gamble if they are supposed to be gifts. All of the colors are great, but it would be nice to be able to choose with someone in mind. I was hoping to get a red pup for myself, but I guess we'll just have to order more and hope we get one! Again, I'm obsessed. But can you blame me? You can check them out and order them all up over here.