Peppermint Striped Soap + FREE GIFT TAGS

This is one of my favorite gifts that I made a few years back for my neighbors. It smells and looks good!

I made these before I started blogging, so I only have a photo of the final product, but I got the idea from Martha Stewart. You can find the directions here.

If you try this, a couple of tips for you: Make sure to score the soap really well, so the layers stick. And make extra because when you slice the bars, there will be a few layers that come apart.

I packaged the soaps with peppermint Hershey kisses. (They are only available around Christmas time. If you love minty chocolate--you will LOVE these! They even have a bit of a candy cane crunch to them!) I found the felt baskets in Target's Dollar Spot bins.

If you do try these out as gifts, I'm making the tags free for you to download. I've left a small space at the bottom to sign your name. One page gives you 2" tags; the other 2.5" tags. Enjoy!

Download the tags here.

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DIY Tabletop Christmas Trees

After last year's roundup of some adorable tree projects, more creative ideas are continuing to pop up this year. So hard to decide which one to make! Here are a few of my favorites that I've been eyeing.

These both happen to be from Under the Table and Dreaming. I love the organic look of each of these. Find the pinecone topiary tutorial here; the linen and lace tree tutorial here.

For the music and book lover! The first one from A Diamond in the Stuff would look great on a piano. I love the unconventional look of the next one from Craftaphile.

For a jolt of color, how about these two? The cupcake liner tree found at Dollar Store Crafts would be ideal for a gingerbread or cookie decorating party. The punched cardstock tree from Landee see Landee do, uses one of everyone's favorite elements–glitter!

And one more from Landee see Landee Do cause they're just too cute! Find the tutorial for these little trees here.

Merry Monday: She's About to Pop Baby Shower

A very popular baby shower theme is "She's About to Pop." There is so much fun you can have with this theme, as shown in these photos taken by Faye Bernoulli Photography. Cute food names playing on the word "POP" and thoughtful party touches–all done by the mom-to-be herself! Can you imagine what kind of cute DIY parties she'll be giving her new little girl? Using an orange and aqua color scheme, the color palette would work well for a boy or girl.

Party submitted via Two Bright Lights.

Framed Paper Scroll Tree

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I'd like to say that I'm not going to eat much today, but with all the leftovers it seems pretty hopeless!

Now that Thanksgiving is over, I don't have to feel so guilty featuring Christmas projects! Here is a really cute framed tree project from Simply Living. If you don't need to paint a frame, it's a pretty quick project you can make over this long weekend. Find the full how-to here.

Happy THANKSgiving TO YOU!

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I'm definitely feeling a bit overwhelmed trying to get everything done. I did manage to finish the grocery shopping last night, but need to spend today making a few things ahead of time. Coming from an old school Italian family, we have lasagna as a first course before the turkey (i.e. don't wear anything tight to the dinner table!) so getting everything cooked and hot to serve is challenging–especially when you only have one oven! I actually made a timeline last year and SO wish I had saved it! But I am sooo very thankful to be spending Thanksgiving with my immediate family and parents. It definitely makes it feel like more of a holiday.

And I am also SO thankful for YOU! It is so great to find so many people who enjoy all these crafts, DIY and parties from around the 'net as much as I do! And I am so humbled by how much the readership has grown since this time last year–it has more than doubled! It really gives me goosebumps knowing that people take the time to read Home Confetti. I put a lot of time and care into curating this blog, and I really appreciate the feedback and loyalty by so many people. The increase in comments and questions, especially on the Facebook page, has been thrilling!! Gosh, I remember begging my sister to make a comment every now and then. ha!

I sincerely hope each and every one of you has a happy Thanksgiving.

All my best,

RoseMarie

DIY Twig Vase

I had planned on featuring a roundup of DIY tabletop Christmas Trees today, but time has slipped by me! My parents are visiting from out of town and I feel bad spending too much time on the computer while they're here. BUT I think this silver twig vase project is as pretty as any sparkly Christmas Tree–and you can keep it out all winter! Designed by I Can't Stop Crafting, you can find the pictorial how-to here.

Handmade Ornaments

I want to make the most of this week by giving you some more great DIY ideas, so I'm waiving "Merry Monday" for today, and bringing you a roundup of some wonderful DIY ornaments you can make as a gift or for your own tree. Last year's roundup (found here) was my most viewed holiday post last year, so I hope you enjoy this year's as much!


Starting on top, from left to right:

• Love the vintage look of the uneven pearls on this ornament from Do It Yourself Divas
• Easy monogram ornament made with foam board from Delia Creates
• Make one of these adorable Wish List ornaments for each of your kids, found at Dollar Store Crafts
• Pretty and delicate book page ornament from Creations by Kara
• Super easy fabric wrapped ornaments from Honeybear Lane
• These ornaments from Savvy by Design cost nearly nothing to make because they're made with paint swatches!

Happy crafting!

Kids Thanksgiving Ideas

Thanksgiving can be a long day for the little ones, so here are a few ideas to make it a bit more fun for them!

Starting at the top, from left to right:

• A fun feather dice game from The Idea Room
• Download (free!) everything you need for each child's place setting from alphamom
• Take a break from cake pops and make these cute Rice Krispie Turkey Treats. Kids will be sure to gobble them up!
• Keep the kids busy with these placemat printables from Embellish and Organized Christmas
• Finally, make this cute nut cup ship with a free printable from The Crafting Chicks

Gobble gobble!

DIY Pumpkin Moss Centerpiece

Have you checked out the new Holiday issue of Party Dress Magazine? If you haven't, here's a preview of the great ideas you'll find inside–a DIY Pumpkin Moss Centerpiece. You can use a tall vase, as done here, and I think a smaller vase would look just as good. This would also make a nice hostess gift if you're going to someone else's house for Thanksgiving.

You can find the full tutorial here, but it's also included in the digital issue, that you can peruse through here.

Advent Calendars

Do you make an Advent Calendar? Inspired by the one from Eighteen25 here, this is the one I made last year. My girls loved it! It realy helped with the constant question "How many more days until Christmas?!" I really made an effort to make each cone surprise an activity, instead of candy or small tokens.

I am definitely looking forward to making one for this Christmas. Here are a few ideas I found around blogland that are definitely inspiring me. Make sure to visit my post from last year here, too, for more Advent Calendar ideas.

This first one from Martha Stewart might be the one I end up making if I can find the cute socks. I also like the mitten calendar from Bear, Dolly and Moi.

These two are a bit more non-traditional. The first one from Just a Girl makes a nice focal point on a table, and is not so obvious. If you visit her post, she has a good list of advent activity ideas. And the next one from Oopsey Daisy, is one big activity in itself–add a piece of Santa's beard for each day.

How cute is this garland of snowmen from Whimsy Love?! It's made with those vending machine capsules (which I've seen at Party City). Not only is it a cute idea for an Advent Calendar--it's a great idea for a winter party. They would make great party favors.

Post your Advent Calendar on my Facebook page here. I would love to see them!

DIY Beaded Pie Server

Once I deflate from all the food I eat Thanksgiving day, I usually dedicate a good portion of the long weekend to making my neighbor gifts and Christmas advent calendar. I don't like hitting the crowded stores, so it's a perfect time for it.

So, for the next week or so I'm going to share some ideas you can craft for neighbors, friends and family during your long weekend–starting with the one I'm making–this beaded pie server. I've seen DIY beaded silverware but since I am making something not only for neighbors, but for some of my husband's clients, the idea of doing two per person (a fork and spoon) sounded a bit daunting to me! SO... I came up with the thought of doing the one pie server along with a pie per person. It turns out, the beading did not take nearly as long as I thought it would! And if you do need to make something for a number of people, this is perfect because I found decent pie servers at The Dollar Tree! Then, I used my 40% off coupon to buy bead sets at Hobby Lobby. Each bead set was a few dollars and you can probably make at least three from one set.

I tried my darnest to take how-to photos, but because of the pie server's mirrored reflection and the fact I only have a pocket digital camera, the photos came out awful. Luckily I can direct you to this tutorial here. When you go there, you'll notice she took the extra step of hand stamping the silverware. You'll have to scroll down to get to the beading portion of the direction. But, I do love the project. I'm hoping to find a felt pouch I can put them in.

Now, do I bake the pies or buy them?! Ha

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Merry Monday: Big Top Birthday

A big top went up for this little girl's 4th birthday! This lovely carnival is bright, nostalgic and fun. The party featured face painting, a clown and good ol' fashion carnival games and food. Designed by the birthday girl's mom, she used one of my favorite color combos, aqua and red. Enjoy these images taken by Stephanie Baker Photography. You can see more photos from the party on Stephanie's own blog here.

Banner Decor by Starlit Nest

Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Sunflower Thanksgiving + Free Printables

I know it might seem like I haven't been posting much for Thanksgiving on the blog, but hopefully you've been catching all the fun Thanksgiving projects I've been finding around the 'net on my FB page. But for the bloggie--I think this really lovely Sunflower Thanksgiving designed by The TomKat Studio for HGTV will make up for the lack of Thanksgiving posts. I love it for a lot of reasons: It steers away from the typical orange and browns, and sunflowers really cheer up a room–especially great if you live in a colder climate. There are lots of small DIY projects, a yummy recipe, and best of all HGTV and The TomKat Studio are generously offering the printables as a free download! And since sunflowers make such a lovely theme for a shower or birthday, I bet you can find a reason to use them more than once.

Visit the full gallery of this pretty sunflower setting here on HGTV. Visit The TomKat Studio for more party inspiration here.

PB-inspired Utensil Stocking

I fell in love with this idea when I saw it. I love how something so simple can really dress up a place setting. The stocking sets a table that is fun for adults and children. Inspired by a product seen in Pottery Barn, you will barely notice the difference between their's and this one made by Sew Dang Cute Crafts for Positively Spendid's Swell Noel series.

Although I love the rich texture of this sweater stocking, you could probably find mini stockings to use, too. Find the how-to here.

Italian Soda Bar

Do you love this?! A great addition to a pizza night, or just a fun "station" at a party.

This is also a great idea for tweens and teens. It's always hard to find fun drinks for the younger set who aren't of drinking age without making them feel like "kids."

Put together by Our Life in a Click, I also love the choice of mason jars as drinking glasses. Find the full post here. Salute!

Craft Test: Red Metal Leaf Vase

Have any of you worked with metal leaf sheets before? It's very fragile, and for me, a little hard to handle! But, let me start from the beginning... My parents are visiting from NY for Thanksgiving. Since I only see them twice each year, I try to make the day extra special with a few handmade touches. Last year I made this pinecone chandelier (which funny enough I've been seeing more of this year). So, this Thanksgiving, I plan to jump on the gold trend for my tablescape. I am thinking vase in the middle with small metallic gold painted pumpkins and gold sparkly leaves that I saw here. To start, I thought I would make a small red gold leafed vase using these sheets I found on sale at Michaels. (Not sure why it's coming through horizontally!)

Well, easier said than done! Basically, what you do is, cover the inside of the vase with an adhesive. Let it dry a little until it's tacky. Then, start applying the foil sheets. This was the hard part for me–applying the foil into the vase without it tearing too much. I purposely didn't cover every inch of glass, hoping it would give it that rough mercury glass-like look. And, I will admit I didn't fully follow the directions (i.e. I used Mod Podge instead of a specific "metal leaf adhesive.") I'm still deciding whether or not I like the results. I think once everything is on the table, it'll look okay. If any of you have used the sheets before, please let me know if you have any tips to share.

What are your plans for your Thanksgiving table this year?!

Merry Monday: Favorite Things Party

I love when people come up with unique themes/reasons to get girlfriends together! Steph of Celebrations and Sweet Creations put together this "Favorite Things" party, and it looks like it was so much fun. Who doesn't love a party where you leave with some fab new products?! I'll let you visit Steph's blog to see how the party logistics worked, but basically each woman was asked to bring a quantity of her "favorite thing" (lip gloss, kitchen item, etc) under a set dollar amount. Each woman picks names from a bowl, and after describing her "favorite thing" gives it to those people whose names she picked.

The women had great fun opening their new goodies, while also enjoying wine and apps with friends. Steph included a "Swag Bag" raffle for some added excitement.

I think this is a great way to find out about new products and maybe even a little something extra about your friends. Visit here to find all the details.

Glam Glitter Glasses

Don't these just make you say "oooooh"?! Who wouldn't feel special drinking out of these glam champagne glasses?! In fact, these glasses would go perfectly with the glitter tablescape I featured not too long ago.

Done by Something Turquoise using Martha Stewart craft paints, you can easily add shimmer to your parties with the DIY here.

Candy Cane Wreath

If you want to make a bold statement on your front door this holiday season, how about this great candy cane wreath designed by Whipperberry?! Plush, cheery and not hard to make! Originally featured on I (Heart) Naptime, find the post here.

This Week's Tip-off: Knee Sock Wine Wrap

With the holiday season officially in gear, no doubt your calendar is going to start filling up with parties and visits with family and friends. Wine is probably one of the most popular gifts to bring to such an occasion.

If you don't like the flimsy, aluminum bags the liquor store gives you as a wine bag, try this cute idea from Dollar Store Crafts. Find a cute knee sock to wrap the bottle in. With all the fun holiday designs--it'll make a unique gift wrap! Visit the original post here.

Homespun Strawberry Party

I don't know what better way to come out of all the orange and black we've been seeing this last month, than with this ultra adorable and cheery Strawberry Party! Designed by Sara from The Homespun Hostess for her daughter's 3rd birthday, she cleverly combined modern patterns like polka dots and stripes, with vintage touches to get a beautiful party. Photographer Maggie Russo captured all the details... from the gingham around the cake stand to the strawberries on the wooden spoons... there is a lot to see and be inspired from in this classic themed party. What a lucky little girl!

If you want to see more of this party, please visit The Homespun Hostess here.

Party submitted via Two Bright Lights.