Sending out Christmas cards is a timeless tradition. Some families send them out throughout the month and others buy cards to pair with a gift. Sending out a Christmas card during this time of the year is a little thing you can do to show your friends and family members that you are thinking about them. Buying cards can be really expensive, yeah I'm looking at you Greeting Card company, but that shouldn't stop someone from sending a card to someone they care about.

You don't need to buy a fancy card to send out this holiday season, in fact you can always make them yourself! There are so many Instagram video tutorials, Pinterest tutorials and even some Blogmas posts from other bloggers showing off how to make a great card all by yourself. So this weekend, I went to work on making some of these DIY Christmas Cards and here's how they turned out!

I'm going to be completely honest with you, I could have done a lot better. I feel bad for my friends who are going to get the cards I didn't do the best on. But what really matters is that you always try your best and as long as it comes from the heart that's all that matters. Here are a few tips I have if you're going to attempt to make any of these cards.

The card with the flat ornaments is probably the easiest one you can make. For all my beginner crafters out there, this card is going to be your best friend. Pick the paper you want to use as the color for an ornament, and to get a perfect circle shape use a cup to trace the circle. And voila a perfect circle! Then when you want to create the ornament topper, cut out a mini trapezoid. Glue it all down, make a line from the ornament topper to the edge of the card and write down what you want your card to say. And then you're all done!

For the Starbucks Cup card, this one was also quite easy to make. Cut a tall Starbucks cup in half along the seam. To give it a pop of color, I hot glued the edges of the cup onto a piece of green paper and then glued the green paper on the card. Then write whatever you want it to say. Pro tip, get a slightly bigger envelope. The addition of the cup onto the card makes it a little bulky.

When it comes to the card with the Christmas tree and reindeer, this one was not my proudest crafting moment. The green paper I used for the tree was just too small. I was trying to upcycle some green scraps I have collected over the years. The scraps were too small to make the 3D tree, yeah that's supposed to be 3D. I ended up gluing it all down because I was ashamed at how funky it looked. So if you want to make it 3D like it is supposed to be, using bigger pieces of paper will be a lifesaver. As for my fingerprint reindeer, less is more. The lighter one was used with less marker, while the darker one had more. Make sure you leave just the right amount of room to connect the body to the head, otherwise it will just look wonky like mine.

For the card with the two Christmas tress on it, this was me trying to redeem myself from the ugly tree I made with the fingerprint reindeer. I chose some different shades of green paper to cut into different triangle shapes and glued them starting with the largest on bottom and smallest on top. This is craft is so easy and simple and it looks so cute!

The 3D ornament card was the first one I attempted to make, and with this one I bit off more than I could chew. Each ornament needs three circles, so use a cup to make the perfect shape. Then once you have them all cut out you fold them in half and glue one half to another half. This is where things got tricky, it turns out I can't cut a circle to save my life. Some were too big and others too small, but it wasn't that huge of an obstacle. When you have the circles lined up you can measure and cut them to make sure they are even. While I like the idea of the 3D ornaments, I think I'll stick with the flat ones since it is a lot easier.

My attempt to make Christmas cards shows you that you don't have to be a fancy artist or calligrapher to make a decent looking card. Making a card is a better option than buying a card. It will save you money, and it will really show the person you are sending it to how much you care. Take a look at what you have lying around your house, this is a great opportunity to take something old and make it into something new. Happy crafting and good luck! Until tomorrow.

Finding the right look for a holiday party can be tricky, especially when there are holiday parties for multiple occasions. Work parties, family parties, friend parties, etc, you wouldn't wear the same exact outfit to all of these parties. Because each party has its own atmosphere and vibe.

If you're struggling to find something to wear the holiday party season, have no fear. Follow this guide to gain some outfit inspiration.

If you've been invited to a holiday Cocktail Party, this can always be the trickiest one to dress right for. Typically, cocktail parties are on the fancier side. So think of dresses or dress pants if that's your style. Whenever I think of a cocktail party, I think of those sparkly dresses that extra girls love to wear for New Years or their 21st birthday. But that's not what you should wear to a holiday cocktail party, unless it's red or green of course. But if you want something a little more simple, a little black dress (LBD) is always a timeless option. You can always dress it up and make it festive with jewelry and makeup. If dresses aren't your style, no worries. Take a nice pair of dress pants and pair it with a nice top and a blazer and you're good to go.

For the working gals out there odds are your job is going to have some sort of Office Soiree. Now if you don't work at some fancy office, don't sweat. Odds are your job will have some sort of company party or luncheon. For this, you're going to want to be festive yet professional at the same time. There's so many ways you could go. If you value comfort over trendiness, take a festive top or sweater and dress it up with some dress pants. If a sweater is your style, maybe add a collared shirt underneath to give it the preppy look. My favorite go to look is the cropped sweater and skater skirt with some tights, which I actually wore to my work's holiday party this year. If you want to be trendy and festive, look for red or green dresses. Remember to keep it simple and professional!

What does one wear to an Ugly Sweater Party? Hmmmm. Maybe an ugly sweater? Kind of obvious right? With the popularity of ugly sweaters, the options have become infinite. Not only do they make super festive sweaters that even light up, there's literally a sweater for every type of person. You can find Christmas sweaters with animals on them, funny pop culture references and even sweaters for your favorite movies and TV shows. The saying is true, you can really find anything on the internet.

If you're getting together with your group of friends for a Holiday Hang, this might be the easiest party to dress for. When you're with your friends, you're comfortable. There's really no need to overdress yourself. But you do want to make sure your look is Instagram ready. Did you really go to a holiday party if there's no post on Instagram? Smart casual is the best way to go for any sort of party with friends, unless a dress code is stated otherwise. Jeans, a cute sweater or flannel, and maybe a scarf would do the trick. If you want to be a little dressier, try a skirt with a sweater or even a nice sweater dress or casual dress. Since this is a more causal event, there's no need to go all out, unless you and your friends are that extra.

Last but certainly not least, we have the Family Party. 99% of us will most likely spend some time at some sort of family function this holiday season. Take into consideration how your family operates, are they super casual? Or is every family party like a fancy gala? Depending on the mood of your family that's how you should dress. If your family is a jean and sweater type, then stick to jeans and your favorite Christmas sweater? Or does everyone wear the best formal wear? Well good think you have that red holiday gown. No matter what remember to keep it classy and festive. Target currently has festive printed dresses which would be perfect for any family occasion.

No matter what you wear, you're going to have a great time. As long as you're with your friends, family and loved ones, it will be a great occasion. What is your go to fashion look for a holiday party? Let me know!

Until tomorrow.

Building a gingerbread house is probably one of the most festive things to do during the holiday season. And sure it looks like it's all fun and games, but you're dead wrong.

Building a gingerbread house is one the hardest and most frustrating Christmas crafts to do. And I'm not exaggerating. So today, sit down for story time and grab a juice box because Kaitlin is going to tell you about the time she attempted to build a gingerbread home.

'Twas a night like any other, Kaitlin and her friend Michelle were feeling very crafty. So the idea to build gingerbread houses came to mind. So they went on an adventure to find the perfect gingerbread house kit. Because ain't nobody got time to bake gingerbread AND build a house. So the first stop was at Michael's. They searched and searched around the store, but the only gingerbread houses to be found were ones of Elsa's Frozen palace. So they told Michael's to just let it go, and they went searching at Target instead.

So the two friends walked to Target and alas, they found the kit they were searching for and on sale for $8.99. The kit came with everything! Gingerbread pieces, frosting, gumdrops and so much candy! 'Twas the perfect find. So after finding the perfect kit from Target, they returned to Kaitlin's home to start building their creations. But little did they know, they'd run into trouble very quickly.

Because as I warned building a gingerbread house isn't as easy as it seems. But these two young ladies went ahead to construct the cookie homes of their dreams. Little did they know, their dreams would turn into a nightmare. They spread out their pieces, and cut open their frosting bags, and got ready to go. Michelle had no problem at first putting the walls together, but Kaitlin struggled. She was more concerned with eating the frosting and conserving it as a snack rather than using enough to keep the walls up. She put her walls up with little frosting, and they somehow remained standing, but once the roof was to be added she'd have to change her approach.

It was time for Kaitlin to add the roof, but once she placed the roof on top. CRASH. The house collapsed! Kaitlin had to start over, and use even more frosting to repair the damages. Bah Humbug! But Kaitlin learned her lesson, and realized she couldn't be selfish when it came to the frosting, because her house needs it. So she rebuilt it as well as she could and it could stand again!

So then it was time to decorate, but ever so carefully, because she did not want her house to collapse yet again. So she caught up to Michelle and two friends decorated their houses. The roofs' lines were traced with frosting and candies and gumdrops were added. Maybe one or two gum drops were eaten during this process. Sometimes snacking on the candy made the tracing a little less difficult and frustrating. Looking at the box, the two young ladies wondered why their houses didn't look as perfect, and how on earth did they make icicles from the frosting?

But the two prevailed and did the best they could to make their gingerbread houses look as cute as can be. They added frosting windows and a frosted a chimney to the roof. Even a candy frosting wreath was made above the door! Frosting icicles were attempted and gumdrops were added for some color. Even a candy door knob was added! Plus you can't forget the gummy plants added to the front either!

The house was complete! A little messy but made nonetheless. It may not have looked like the one on the box, but at least their houses had character and charm. Just as they were finished and proud of their accomplishments, Michelle realized it was time to pack up her house and get ready to head out. Once she started to pack up her house CRASH! The whole thing collapsed. But at least she snapped a photo before her house turned into a delicious snack.

And there you have it! That's tale of the time Kaitlin and her friend Michelle built gingerbread houses. They may not have been built to last, but at least they made a very tasty snack.

You all have been warned about how making gingerbread houses do not always go as planned! I hope you enjoyed our little story time. Until tomorrow.

My favorite blog to read is Career Girl Daily. Despite the name, this blog isn't just about all work and career related things. It's all about the busy and ambitious woman who wants to do it all. So even though I am not a career girl (yet), their articles are relatable.

There are so many articles about a variety of topics. Obviously career is the main one, but there many other articles about travel, fashion, beauty and lifestyle. Every one of those subjects is something I love to read about and write about.

Career Girl Daily offers a lot of articles that give advice to young women who are looking to start their career and to those who have already started. They give plenty advice on how to get a job and when you should leave a bad job. They share the latest fashion trends for both inside the office and outside of the office. They also offer tips for shopping and traveling on a budget plus all the must see things in some of the most popular cities and countries to travel to.

If you've recently graduated, Career Girl Daily offers a bunch of advice from women who went through the struggles of post grad life too. It can be very helpful and enlightening, and it's something that really helped me. Their fashion articles also help me stay on trend and educate me on what all the hot items are for each season. Their travel articles make me add new destinations to my travel list. But their lifestyle articles always have me hooked simply because they're all so relatable.

If you're looking for advice on any life subject matter, I bet Career Girl Daily has an answer for you. It's one of my favorite lifestyle blogs and every article is well written. Even the articles that focus more on photographs, like a lot of their fashion stories, are amazing because they use beautiful images. There really is something for everyone there. Check it out if you can, and until next time!