Christmas Giveaway Time!!

Be on the lookout...

It's finally time for the start of our 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway!!

For those of you who are new to this, each year, we giveaway items every day for 12 days in a row. 

Our big giveaway starts TOMORROW!!

There are over 25 vendors/shop owners who are providing some amazing giveaway items.

We have home decor, children's items, gardening gifts. pet supplies, great gift ideas; the selection is wide and FUN!

And, just like last year, you can catch a sneak peek at the items being given away.  Just follow

{this link} 

to view the items on my Facebook page. 

Be sure to stop by each day of the giveaway to enter to win any of the amazing prizes!!  

All winners will be announced on November 30th.

Good luck!!

Calling All Vendors!

It's time to start thinking about our annual 

"12 Days of Christmas Giveaway"  

Crazy, right?!?

This year, the giveaway will run November 15-26.  I would like to have all vendors set up and committed by September 1st this year, just so I have enough time to have everything set and ready BEFORE the giveaway starts.

It has been SO much fun the last couple of years and we are looking forward to another year! Last year we had close to 40 different shops and vendors that participated.  Hopefully this year will be much bigger! So...if you are a shop owner or a blogger and you'd like to participate (by donating an item or service to giveaway), simply leave me a comment or shoot me an email for more information.  This is an excellent way to drive more traffic to your shop and help provide a few extra shoppers for the holiday season.

Can't wait to hear from you; it will be a BLAST!!

Nordic Tree Garland

Last month, I saw a random clip art photo of a tree garland that I thought was cute.  

I had also been eyeing a lot of red and white Nordic print fabrics in a few different Etsy shops.  

So, I put the two together to make this:

Cute stuffed little Christmas trees made out of Nordic inspired cotton and strung by hemp on a piece of twine.  I love it! It was super easy and quick to throw together.  Did I bother to take photos of the process as I went?  Of course not.  That would have made too much sense!!

Once I decided what size and shape I wanted my trees to be, I just made a quick template (out of my most recent Pottery Barn catalog cover) and started cutting trees out of my fabric.  I purchased a set of 5 fat quarters from Christmas Jul, which gave me PLENTY of fabric (I actually have enough trees/fabric cut to make probably 5 or 6 sets of these garland).

Putting right sides together, I sewed along one edge, placed my hemp in the top corner piece for the loop and then sewed down the other side (when sewing with right sides together, the loop end of the hemp has to be placed inside the tree with the 2 ends sticking out the top.  Does that make sense?).  I did sew along the bottom side as well, but left about a 1" opening that allowed me to: 

a) flip the tree right side out  

b) put stuffing in my tree and 

c) place my tree trunk in to be sewn in.

After flipping all the trees right side out, I ironed them and stuffed them.  The little trunks? Absolutely no rhyme or reason to them at all.  No measuring or anything.  Just snipped a square of fabric, placed a tiny bit of stuffing in it and stuck in the bottom of my tree.  I then zipped across the bottom of my tree(s) again with my sewing machine to sew the trunk in place.  That's it!

A quick and easy project that can be done in one evening.

12 Days of Christmas Giveaways: Day 9

Day 9!

I'm kind of sad that we're getting so close to the end!

Beck's Custom Creations is giving this beauty away.

Cute, right?

My daughter would grab a hold of this and never, and I mean EVER, let it go.

Crochet Addict UK is offering not only 5 crochet patterns of today's winners choice, but she is also giving away 1 month of free ad space on her blog!  Did you hear that shop owners?!?  Free advertising!!

Markoos Modern Design is being every so generous and giving away this sister set of dresses (or friends, cousins, etc.).  Aren't they so adorable?  They are available in any size from 12-18 months all the way to girls 9 - 10, and they will be made according to your size needs.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

12 Days of Christmas Giveaways: Day 8

Day 8

We're starting to near the end already.  I can't believe how quickly it's gone!

Mystigail Adornments is giving today's winner these festive holiday earrings.  Today's winner should receive them in plenty of time to enjoy them all season long!

Do you have a little someone in your life that would love the sweetest little quiet book you have ever seen? Or what about a fun playmat?  Lindy J Designs is offering today's winner their choice of any 3 patterns from her shop to make your choice of quiet books and/or playmats.  I have purchased patterns from Lindy J Designs in the past, and I LOVE them!

And last, but not least, today's winner will also receive an 8x10 print of their own choice from Kim Bradica Designs.  *Please note that this print will come as a PDF file for you to print at a print shop of your choosing.

Kim has lots of fun holiday and family friendly prints to choose from!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

12 Days of Christmas Giveaways: Day 3

Welcome back to Day 3 of our Giveaway!

Up first today, we have Little Buttercup Baby, giving away a
$25.00 gift card good towards anything in her shop.
As you can tell from the photo, you will be choosing from some pretty cute items!

We also have Mason Jar Mixes giving away any one jar of cookie mix.  The winner gets to choose the flavor.  Let me tell you; I have tried these mixes and they are delicious!!  So.  If you entered to win one of these over the summer but didn't win; here's your chance to try again!

Last up today, we have this adorable apron from SoDak Homestyles.  If you have the self discipline to give it away, it would make a fantastic Christmas gift!  

Have you figured out how easy this is yet?

Follow the Rafflecopter prompts and good luck!
Be sure to stop back by tomorrow, and if you haven't already, check out Days 1 & 2!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Advent Calendar Countdown Ideas

When I was little, I loved, loved, LOVED those chocolate advent calendars that were filled with cheap chocolate. We rarely got them, but the years that we did, it was an amazing treat.

As an adult, I have always wanted one of the gorgeous, wood advent boxes. I did not, however, ever feel like forking over the money to purchase one. Imagine my surprise when, while cleaning out our garage last month, I stumbled across a brand new, never been opened, Christmas Advent Box!! (Evidently, my husband has had it for years, never used it and completely forgot about it. What?!?)

photo courtesy chinaberry.com

Of course, I have every intention of using that box this year. Instead of putting little treats in the boxes (because once my children realize there is candy in there, they will for sure bust in there and eat every last piece), I am putting activities in there. And probably a cute little "I love you" note for them too. I thought I'd share just a few ideas with you, in hopes that it can give you some good ideas for Holiday activities too!

Craft Ideas:

1. Make a snow globe (you can find that tutorial here)

2. Build a "snowman". No, we don't have snow in Phoenix. It will be in paper. On the sliding glass door. Perhaps we will also turn it into a "Pin the Nose on the Snowman" game.

3. I think these little milk jug snowmen are cute. You can find the tutorial here.

4. Make glitter "snow" dough (that recipe can be found here).

5. Make a wreath or Christmas tree out of your children's handprints.

Family Time:
1. Watch a Christmas movie of your choice, eat caramel corn and have a family slumber party.

2. Go to a Holiday event within your community (my neighborhood surrounds it's own lake, so we go to the annual Holiday Boat Parade every year. The boats/docks are totally decked out with Christmas lights!).

3. Read a new Christmas book. Obviously, books like The Polar Express and The Night Before Christmas are classics. However, I also like Auntie Claus, Moostache and Bear Stays Up For Christmas.

4. Have a hot cocoa bar and include all the possible fixin's: candy canes, marshmallows, chocolate sprinkles, whipped cream...go crazy!!

5. Read Luke 2. Or, you can watch a beautiful video of it here (I highly recommend this video. Gives me goosebumps every time!).

Just For Fun:

1. Write letters to Santa.

2. Make a gingerbread house/train/tree...whatever you want! If you have older children, turn it into a contest.

3. Make Reindeer Food to sprinkle on your lawn on Christmas Eve

Reindeer Food

1/2 c. oatmeal

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. colored sugar crystals

(I like using sugar crystals rather than the traditional glitter just

because I can't imagine that glitter sets so well in little birdies tummies)

4. Go sledding (or, if you live in warmer parts like we do, spend the afternoon at the park).

5. Spend an evening making cookies and Christmas goodies. Go out and deliver them to friends, neighbors, teachers and family the next evening. Make sure to discuss the importance of serving with your little ones!

And just a bit of advice? Keep a master list of all the activities planned. That way, if something comes up and you need (or want) to switch out an already planned activity, you can find it easily!

I hope this list provides some fun or inspires more holiday activities for you to do with your families. Happy Holidays!!

Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Baby

I always have the hardest time filling stockings for my babies.  They're too young to really care, but I feel too guilty to leave their stockings empty.  Plus, when older children are expecting Santa to fill all the stockings, they had all be filled, right?  So, I've gathered a few ideas for the tiniest of stockings.

(And they're all under $12.00!)

Baby's little legs always need covering; leggings/leg warmers are always a welcome gift!

Drop a cute bib in your little one's stocking and make dinner time a bit breezier for you.

Tired of losing pacifiers everywhere you go?  Add a pacifier clip or two.  

Bonus?  They can also be used to hold toys!

Burp cloths are definitely a need for mom.  But.  

They're for baby, used by baby - so I say it's a good gift for baby!

 All items above from Kadydid Designs

Lotion is always a good idea.  Even when a little goes a long way, you will need it forever.

Every little girl needs to have her hair done before leaving the house, right? 

 Drop a few cute little bows in her stocking.

I love these little washcloth cars.  Fun for baby; practical for you!

And these sweet rattles are sure to please little hands, eyes and ears!

1.  Lotions from Bees Knees Body  2. Hair bows from The Fairy Patch Boutique  

3.  Car washcloths from Princess and the P Diaper Cakery  4. Rattles from Hearts Desire

Calling All Shop Owners!!

It's time to start thinking about our annual 

"12 Days of Christmas Giveaway"  

Crazy, right?!?

This year, we're doing it a bit earlier (November 16-27).  I would like to have all vendors set up and committed by October 1st this year, just so I have enough time to have everything set and ready BEFORE the giveaway starts.

It has been SO much fun the last couple of years and we are looking forward to another year! So, if you are a shop owner or a blogger and you'd like to participate (by donating an item or service to giveaway), simply leave me a comment or shoot me an email for more information.  This is an excellent way to drive more traffic to your shop and help provide a few extra shoppers for the holiday season.

Can't wait to hear from you; it will be a BLAST!!

Oh!!  And our winner of the giveaway from The Shop at Pooh Corner?  Congrats to Amy Sedgwick Hendrick!! You'll be hearing from Francesca soon!

Christmas In July!!

It's that time of year again!

And Kadydid Designs is definitely participating!

Use coupon code CIJSHIP for FREE SHIPPING on ALL of your purchases 

during the days of July 11 - July 21st.

(Sorry, US residents only)

We are also doing Buy 2 Get 1 Free Pacifier Clips!
Simply leave a note a checkout letting us know which pacifier clip you'd like for free and we will include it in your order.  Great opportunity to get one for yourself and others to use as a stocking stuffers in a few months!
(Free shipping OR B2G1Free with order.  Cannot use both deals in same order)

Be sure to stop by: Kadydid Designs

Looking for some other baby gifts?  Simply use the search term EK CIJ or EK christmasinjuly while shopping at Etsy and support other shops selling children's items!

Holiday Baking: Double Chocolate Treasures

I love holiday baking.

Probably too much.

One of my favorite cookies to make each holiday season are these Double Chocolate Treasures.

They are delicious!!

Double Chocolate Treasures

2 c. chocolate chips
1/2 c. butter
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 c. oatmeal
1 1/2 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. powdered sugar

Melt 1 cup chocolate chips; stir until smooth and let cool slightly.

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.  Blend in eggs, vanilla and melted chocolate chips.  Add all dry ingredients (except for powdered sugar).  Stir in remaining chocolate chips.

Roll into 1" balls, and roll in powdered sugar.  Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.
Makes 2 1/2 dozen.

Enjoy these, and in a couple of days I'll have another delicious holiday recipe for you! In the meantime, what are your favorite holiday treats??

12 Days of Christmas Giveaway Day 5

Day 5

Ready for another fun day?

Up first, we have Robin from {Robin's Nest Boutique}.

Robin has the most amazing little shop, and I love her hair clips.

They are so pretty and very well made.

Robin is giving away a $25.00 gift certificate good towards anything in her shop.

I am very, very jealous!

We also have Adriana from Too Cute Invites.

Aren't those invitations adorable?!?

She is giving away a $5.00 gift certificate good towards any invitation in her shop PLUS she's throwing in a set of 12 coordinating cupcake toppers to help complete your party.

Keep on entering via Rafflecopter below, and be sure to go back and check out the first 4 days of giveaways!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

12 Days of Christmas Giveaway Day 2

Did everybody check out yesterday's items? 

 If you missed them, simply click HERE to check them out and enter to win!

Today, we have two more amazing items being given away!

First up, we have Shannon from {Little Buttercup Baby}.  Her items are absolutely adorable.  I've been eyeing them for quite some time! ;)

She is giving away this so, so sweet owl knit hat.

To die for, right??

This is perfect for any photographer looking to increase their photo props,

or for anybody who has an infant they want to play dress up with, 

while keeping her nice and warm at the same time.

I LOVE it!

Next, we have Kelly from {The Vintage Bob}.

Kelly's shop has some of the most amazing items in it.  I'm pretty sure I am going to HAVE to order the mustard headband and the set of bobby pins shown below.  

They are definitely a need.

Kelly is giving away this dainty pair of earrings.

Cute, no?

Again!  Another perfect gift for someone you love...

OR

something wonderful for you!!

Alright; you know what to do!
Follow the prompts via Rafflecopter below and then be sure to come back again tomorrow!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

12 Days of Christmas Giveaway Day 1

It's here, it's here!  

It's finally time for the start of our 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway!!

For those of you who are new to this, each year, we giveaway items every day for 12 days in a row. 

(Did I mention it's starting today?!?)

Just follow the directions via Rafflecopter below, and you could win both of today's items!  You can enter to win as often as you'd like, but there will only be one winner each day, and you can only win one time during the duration of the giveaway.  Does that make sense?

Great.  Now on with the show!

Our first giveaway is from {Ella Bella Creations}.  I LOVE Chastity's designs and products.  I have purchased items from her in the past and have loved shopping from her.

She is giving away this adorable mustard yellow pin.  Cute, isn't it?  And it has SO many possibilities; on sweaters, scarves, bags, hair... 

We also have the sisters from {TickettyBoo Hot Chocolate} providing a giveaway for us today.

This trio of sisters have been perfecting their family recipe for hot chocolate mix for 15 years!!  After giving it as gifts to family and friends for several years, they decided to start selling it.  I cannot wait to try some!

They are giving today's lucky winner this adorable gift basket.  It includes:

- a 20 ounce package of hot cocoa in the Original Flavor

- a 20 ounce package of hot cocoa in the Peppermint Flavor XOXO

and, a mug filled with peppermint candies

Okay.  You know what to do!!  Just follow the prompts provided by Rafflecopter, and you'll gain as many entries as you wish for today's giveaway.

Good luck and be sure to stop by to see what's being given away tomorrow!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

12 Days of Christmas Giveaway

Be on the lookout...

It's finally time for the start of our 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway!!

For those of you who are new to this, each year, we giveaway items every day for 12 days in a row. 

Our big giveaway starts TOMORROW!!

There are over 24 vendors/shop owners who are providing some amazing giveaway items.

We have home decor, children's items, yummy edibles, jewelry, great gift ideas; the selection is wide and FUN!

And, just like last year, you can catch a sneak peek at the items being given away.  Just follow

{this link} 

to view the items on my Facebook page. 

Be sure to stop by each day of the giveaway to enter to win any of the amazing prizes!!  

All winners will be announced on December 10th.

Good luck!!

12 Days of Christmas

Remember this?

Our HUGE giveaway we did last year?
Well guess what...we're at it again for this year!!

So right now, we are looking for Etsy shop owners, crafters, bloggers, ANYBODY who wants some extra exposure and has something big or small that they'd like to giveaway!

The options are endless...

An item from your shop

Something you've recently made

Free advertising on your blog

Last year we had over 20 shops/blogs participate, and we'd love to make it even bigger and better this year!

SO.  If you want to participate, leave me a comment or shoot me an email.

We'd LOVE to have you!!

Twinkle Toes: A DIY Gift Idea

Here's a quick, easy idea for a non-edible (cause don't we get enough junk to munch on this month?) gift that is perfect for teachers, girlfriends, secretaries...whoever! Last year I made these for my girlfriends; this year I'm making them for all the girls in my husband's office.

What are they? Twinkle Toes kits!

Simply take a small container of your choice. This year I used the little paint cans from your local craft store. Decorate the outside with any type of paper/fabric/ribbon combo you want.


And them stuff them full of all the cute mani/pedi supplies you want! ULTA is a great place to get your items, as is your local drug store. If you watch closely (or if you're an avid coupon-er) you can get most, if not all of your supplies for next to nothing. I think last year I spent a total of $7.00/kit. What did I put in them? A full size nail polish, mini bottle of lotion, toe separators, a tree-shaped pumice stone and a nail file/buffer. A few pieces of chocolate never hurts either.

I'm still not quite done "stuffing" my paint cans for this year yet, and I still have some finishing touches to add, but you get the idea.

These were the kits I made last year. I found the cute little jars at Hobby Lobby for 50% off; the rest of the paper/ribbon I already had at home.


Have fun! And I promise they'll be a big hit!

Cookie Exchange and Hot Cocoa Bar

Now that the giveaway is over, I can go back to blogging about "normal" things! We were super busy during our giveaway, and I have lots to share/talk about!

One thing that I was busy with was Christmas Cookie Exchange/Hot Cocoa Bar Parties. I hosted two of these parties (one for just my girlfriends and their kiddos during the day and another for couples and their children on a Friday night). I also attended one more that a friend was hosting. I learned a lot of tips and "need to knows" for next year!

Let me share a few little tips with you.

1. Decide how structured you want your cookie exchange to be.

I made mine pretty low key. I didn't assign a set amount of cookies, and I let people email the recipes if they wanted. I had too many other things going on to really have the time to focus on lots of details. However, the cookie exchange that I attended was more structured; we were asked to RSVP with the type of cookie we were bringing, we were assigned a set amount to bring (6 dozen), we were asked to bring X amount of copies of our recipe and a container to bring home all our goods. Both ways worked great; it just depends on the kind of party you want to have.

2. Be prepared with extra paper plates to send home goodies on.

You will be left with lots of extra cookies. Unless you want to eat all those said cookies, be sure you hand them out. After the second party I hosted, we had so many leftover cookies that we gave away 4 plates to neighbors and still had a plate for us. And that was after all of our guests took home a few of every type of cookie.

3. Have a plan for any children attending

My first party this season, I had little crafts planned and ready to go. However, there were so many children (all under the age of 5) that all they wanted to do was play. And play they did. My nice clean house was destroyed in 5 minutes flat. It's okay...they had fun, entertained themselves and stayed out of trouble. For my second party, I still had some crafts available as back up, but we just started the evening with a Christmas movie playing. There was also a wide variety in the children's ages, and that was awesome. The older ones were totally into entertaining the little ones, and the adults were able to visit/play games without any issue.

4. Have a variety of hot chocolate, but keep it simple.

I offered two choices of homemade hot chocolate; just regular chocolate and then white chocolate. We did, however, have quite the selection of toppings available for our hot chocolate.

5. Have fun!!

All parties, as different as they all were, were so much fun!! Next year I am definitely turning it into a Hot Cocoa Mug exchange party too.

At our last party, we played this fun Christmas Carol Pictionary Game.
It was hilarious! You can buy it from My Computer is My Canvas.

12 Days of Christmas Giveaway - DAY 12

One quick thing before I get started on our giveaway....

I am guest blogging over at my friend Rachel's blog, Family Ever After.

Please go check it out! It's all about Advent Calendars and whatnot.

Okay. Anyway, back to the important stuff....

Day 12.

We've finally reached the end!

Let me share with you the items being given away first,

and then I'll share a few items with you.

Starting off today, we have Shauna from Learn and Grow Designs. Shauna creates some wonderful educational items for children for her shop. There are so many different games and activities to choose from that are developmentally appropriate and educational for your little ones. I'm excited to spend a little more time in her shop finding stuff for my boys.

So, today you can win a $15.00 credit good towards anything in her shop.

That will buy you a lot of fun games and activities for your children.

And, finally, we are also giving away a $15.00 gift certificate for our shop. You can keep it for yourself, or give it away to anybody you choose. Obviously, it is good towards anything we make and/or sell (including all custom orders).

For the last time, here are the guidelines for entering to win these gifts!

There are just the two mandatory steps, and then a bunch of optional steps you can take should you want more entries. I have included all the links necessary to take you to the places you need to go in an attempt to make it easier for you. You get one entry for each step (so you automatically get two entries just for doing the "mandatories").

MANDATORIES:

1. Follow this blog

2. Follow My Shae Noel - All Things Wonderful (Shauna's blog)

OPTIONALS:

1. Like My Shae Noel on Facebook

2. Like Kadydid Designs on Facebook

3. Blog about this fun little giveaway party

(this step will get you an extra entry for every giveaway and you only need to blog about it once.

Just send me a link to your posting)

4. "Heart" Kadydid Designs on Etsy

5. Share this on Facebook and/or Twitter

PLEASE BE SURE TO LEAVE ME ONE COMMENT FOR EACH STEP YOU COMPLETE!!

Okay. Now for all the nitty-gritty stuff. I will be choosing all of the winners (via random.org) on Sunday, December 11. This is to give everybody an entire day just to make sure they have visited all the giveaways and have entered everything they are interested in winning. Please be sure you have followed ALL of the mandatory steps. If you have not, you will not be eligible to win. I will post a listing of all the winners, email you individually AND email the shops to share your information with them. After I have handed your info over to the shop owner, it is out of my hands. I cannot be held responsible for items not delivered or received (although I doubt that will be an issue).

A HUGE thank you to Erika over at My Fairy Blogmother for making our cute little button for our giveaway. Please check out her website should you find yourself needing any sort of blog design!

And, of course, a huge thank you to all the shops that participated in our giveaway! I hope it provided a bit of extra exposure to your shops. Thank you and Merry Christmas!!