11:00 AM

Feeling Fabulous with Maple Holistics

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Disclaimer: I received the Silk18 Conditioner for free for testing purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.


Finding a decent conditioner can be a difficult task, especially if you're searching for one that is cruelty free as well. What works for one person, doesn't necessarily work for others. Maybe your hair is damaged or dry or even frizzy. Everyone's hair has different needs. But if you're searching for a conditioner that can help with any of those three problems and be environmentally conscious then let me introduce you to the Silk18 Conditioner from Maple Holistics.


Maple Holistics is a cruelty free and PETA Certified beauty and personal care company that specializes in natural and holistic premium products that serve to enhance hygiene, health and daily living. Headquartered in New Jersey, Maple Holistics' products are all made in the USA using natural ingredients and cruelty-free processes.


Not only is this brand cruelty free but they also promote sustainability by using recycled materials. They even offer their own recycling program. For every six bottles you return you can either receive a free bottle of shampoo or choose to have an equivalent donation made to an environmentally-friendly charity. All of the returned bottles are recycled and made into new ones. How awesome is that?


Maple Holistics offers a variety of products ranging from hair care to skin care. But today, let's focus on Maple Holistics' new conditioner the Silk18 Conditioner. It is silicone and paraben free and contains eighteen silk amino acids along with argan oil, shea butter, organic pomegranate, and jojoba oil. It also contains a natural vanilla extract which gives it the most amazing sweet scent in the world. Based on the scent alone, I would give this product 5/5 stars.


Besides this mouthwatering scent, the Silk18 conditioner is great for all hair types. The conditioner claims it can tame dry or frizzy hair while also strengthening it. It all seems too good to be true right? Well, good news! It is 100% true!


After cleansing your hair with your favorite cruelty free shampoo, apply a moderate amount of the conditioner to your hair. Let it sit for two to three minutes and let it do its job. Once you rinse out the conditioner, don't panic or get upset because it doesn't appear to be working. The effects are not noticeable at first. But once your hair starts to dry the effects are evident. Your hair will be soft, smooth, silky and fabulous.


Currently the conditioner comes in either a 8 oz, 10 oz or 16 oz bottle and the price range is from $10.95 to $18.95. It is available to purchase on Amazon. The conditioner qualifies for free shipping if you have Amazon Prime, but if you do not Maple Holistics will provide free shipping if you spend at least $25.


Everyone needs a conditioner that will make them feel fabulous. Finding this perfect product requires a lot of patience. If you haven't found the conditioner that makes you feel this way, consider adding the Silk18 from Maple Holistics to your must try list. You will not regret it.

4:00 PM

Mary Poppins Returns For Christmas

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We made it! Merry Christmas to you all, and happy last day of Blogmas. Thank you for reading the posts I have created for the past 25 days. It has been a pleasure to participate in this challenge for the past three years. Today I leave you with something wonderful and full of joy. My last post for this Blogmas, and most likely the last post on this website forever, is a review and thoughts on the new Disney film out this month, Mary Poppins Returns.


Mary Poppins Returns is the long waited sequel, not a reboot, to the classic Disney film, Mary Poppins. Mary Poppins came out back in 1964. So why on Earth did Disney make a sequel in 2018, 54 years later? Well the truth is, after the success of the original film Walt Disney wanted a sequel. But the author of the Mary Poppins series, P.L. Travers rejected the idea. She was approached multiple times about a sequel but never gave her consent. If you've seen Saving Mr. Banks, you know that P.L. Travers and Walt Disney disagreed frequently about the original film. But in 2015, the Walt Disney Studios President at the time reached out to Travers' estate to see if they would approve a sequel. And voila they did! And thus, Mary Poppins has returned!


The premise for this sequel has the Banks children all grown up, Michael Banks has his own children and recently lost his wife. Michael is on the verge of losing his childhood home where he and his children live. Michael and his sister, Jane, search for a bank certificate so they may keep their house. Meanwhile Mary Poppins returns to look after the Banks children. Since Michael and Jane have grown up, they do not remember all the adventures they had with Mary being real, instead they think it was all just their imagination and dreams.


Since the movie takes place when the original children are grown up, it makes sense that no one in the original cast reprised their roles. Ben Whishaw plays adult Michael Banks, Emily Mortimer plays adult Jane Banks, and the marvelous Emily Blunt plays the iconic Mary Poppins.


When it was announced that Emily Blunt would be playing this classic character, there were many reservations. How could anyone live up to Julie Andrews? Well, somehow Emily Blunt managed to do so. She's stern, proper and charming all at once. Emily Blunt actually read the Mary Poppins book series and gathered her inspiration and take from there. While it is impossible to outshine Julie Andrews, Emily Blunt shines in her own way, and has become another lovable version of this character.


Also starring in the film is the talented Lin Manuel Miranda as Jack, a lamp lighter who was Bert's protege. Even though I may be slightly biased, I truly think Lin Manuel Miranda is the star of this film. He's charming and a wonder to watch. No one can sing and dance so enthusiastically as Lin Manuel Miranda does in this film.


While it is sad not to see Julie Andrews in the film, we get a surprising cameo from Mr. Dick Van Dyke himself! Sadly Dick Van Dyke doesn't reprise his original role as Bert the chimney sweep. However, he does kind of reprise another role. In the original film, Dick Van Dyke also plays Mr. Dawes Sr., a banker. For the record, I had no idea he even did this, and I grew up watching Mary Poppins religiously. In Mary Poppins Returns he plays the older version of Mr. Dawes Jr. the son of Mr. Dawes Sr.! This cameo is short but absolutely wonderful. At the age of 93, Dick Van Dyke can still dance like he did in the original.


For the adults who love Mary Poppins as a child, Mary Poppins Returns is full of charm and nostalgia. The songs are great, not as good or iconic as the original, but good nonetheless. The movie itself honors the original and introduces this classic character to the new generation so they can love her as much as current adults did when they were kids. If you need a feel good film to watch this holiday season with your family, go see Mary Poppins Returns!

12:00 PM

Getting Ready for the New Year

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Can you believe we are already on Day 24 of Blogmas? And that tomorrow is Christmas? As Blogmas and the holidays start wrapping up, it's time to start thinking about the New Year. One of the best things about the New Year is the fact that it is a fresh start. New Year, new you, am I right?


Now it's easy to say all this but it can be rather difficult to actually follow through on making plans for the upcoming year. What are you supposed to even do? Get a new haircut? Try a new style? Clean everything and anything? If you have no idea where to start, follow these steps and tips to help you be get ready for the upcoming year.


Step One: Reflect On The Past Year

In order to get ready for the New Year the best first step to take is to take a moment to reflect. What went great this year? What didn't go so well? Taking the time to pause and really think about what you could do better is a great way to start thinking about what resolutions you want to make.


Step Two: Make Your Resolutions/Goals

The most popular thing to do for the New Year is to make resolutions, this tradition is as old as time itself. New Years Resolutions have such a negative connotation. In a recent study, it was discovered that not many people actually follow through. So this year, make goals instead. When making a goal, make sure it is realistic and attainable. Write them down, so you don't forget and you can reference them throughout the year.


Step Three: Get Organized

The best way to prepare for the New Year and accomplish your goals is to get organized. Invest in a planner! This year, I purchased a Passion Planner for my 2019 Planner. The Passion Planner's whole purpose is to help you accomplish your goals. If you need an aid like that invest in one, there are so many different types of planners out there. Or why not make your own! Use a system that works best for you. Having a planner will help you keep you organized. Also, why not organize your space? Organize your desk, your room, and anything else that is cluttered. Having an organized space will help you feel more so much better and ready to take on the New Year!


Step Four: Make A Timeline

The best way to accomplish any goal is to set a deadline. Give yourself a reasonable amount of time, Rome was not built in a day. Think about how long it will take to achieve the goal and decide on a realistic finish date. After making a deadline, make a timeline of what you need to do each day to accomplish your goal. Having this all figured out will only make accomplishing your goal even easier. Friendly reminder it takes 30 days to start a new habit. Creating a routine will help you!


Step Five: Declutter

Throughout the year you probably accumulated a lot of new things and stopped using some old things. Take this time at the end of the year to go through all your things and declutter. Go through your closet, your room, your pantry, your refrigerator, and etc! Take a bag, fill it with things you no longer need or enjoy and either donate it or recycle it. Once you've gone through all your things your space will look more organized and you will feel lighter.


Step Six: Remember to Relax

One thing humans are great at is getting stressed out. If you're the type of person who is always stressed throughout the year, RELAX! Being stressed is not a good feeling and it is not good for your body. Take some time to do things for you, do things that make you happy. Life isn't a competition, just take each day at your own pace. As long as you finish the race you're still a winner.


Starting a new year can be overwhelming, especially if you're not ready for it. But think of it like this, you have a fresh start. You have a chance to make this year better than the last one. So get out there and let's crush 2019! Until tomorrow.

12:00 PM

Let's Play the Christmas Tag Game

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One of the most popular Blogmas posts to do is The Christmas Tag. Within the past three years of participating in Blogmas, I have not done it once. I typically like to make guides and generic information posts for Blogmas, and the tag always seemed really personal. But this year, I was one Blogmas post idea short so there's no time like the present.


I found this Christmas Tag Game questions list on Root Report. Typically these questions ask about your favorite holiday related things and traditions. There are a total of 30 questions but today I'm going to answer a couple of these holiday themed questions!


As a kid, did a sibling ever receive a present that you wished was for you?

Honestly no, I have three way older brothers so all the things they got for Christmas were adult presents and I was still a little girl playing with Barbies. My brothers and I all have really different interests so there is never any jealousy when it comes to gift giving. Plus our Mom is the best at giving presents.


Be honest: do you like giving gifts or receiving gifts better?

I'm not going to lie, I do love getting presents. Everyone does! If someone tells you they don't like getting presents, they're lying. But, even though I hate shopping for gifts most of the time, if I know exactly what to get someone then I love giving gifts. There's nothing like watching the joy on someone's face when they open up a meaningful and thoughtful gift.


Do you make New Years resolutions? Do you stick to them?

Do I try to? Yes. Do I follow through? Maybe for the first month and then completely forget about them for the rest of the year. Oops. I'll try again next year.


Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve?

Not always, but this year my family is celebrating on Christmas Eve because it worked out best for my brothers' schedule. I did however always negotiate opening up one present on Christmas Eve and that worked every once and a while!


Have you ever made a snowman?

Yes! But never on Christmas. My family used to have a cabin in the mountains in Southern California and we would always go up in the winter time to see the snow!


Is your Christmas tree real or fake?

Real. My mom likes the real trees, however I wouldn't mind a fake tree. I tried to convince her one year to do it to help save the planet and it didn't go well. Plus we always get our Christmas tree flocked!


Use one noise to describe how excited you are for Christmas.

GAHHHHHHHHHH!


What is your all-time favorite holiday food/sweet treat?

My mom makes these special cookies only during Christmastime called Ta Das. It is an old family recipe that my great grandfather created when he lived in Italy. They are the most delicious cookie and are a perfect holiday treat, especially when you pair it with a coffee or hot chocolate.


What is your favorite Christmas film? What is your favorite Christmas song?

My favorite movie has to be Elf. You can't go wrong with this classic Christmas movie. As for song, I have always loved Last Christmas, but lately I have really loved listening to Christmas (Come Home)! Not going to lie, I've been listening to SiriusXM's holiday station, Holly, since November 1.


What is your favorite thing about Christmas?

It's cheesy but I have to say my favorite thing about Christmas is being together with my family. Since my brothers are all a lot older than me, they have lives of their own and don't live close by. So any major holiday is the main time we're all together. But Christmas overall is just a magical time and there are so many amazing aspects of it!


There you have it! Those were ten questions I took from the Christmas Tag Game, Root Report has 20 more holiday related questions. The Christmas Tag Game isn't just something to write about during Blogmas. If you need a fun ice breaker game to play during the holidays this could be a fun activity to do with your friends and family. Only two days until Christmas! Until tomorrow.

12:00 PM

Making A Lonely Christmas Fun

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When Christmas comes to mind, the first thought you have is spending time with your family and carrying out your annual traditions. But for some people the holidays can be a really lonely time of the year. Maybe they don't have a big family or maybe they don't celebrate the holiday. There are so many reasons why someone ends up being alone during the holidays.


First and foremost, there's absolutely nothing wrong with being alone for the holidays. For some it can be upsetting to not have plans. Instead of wallowing, make the most out of it! Here are some fun things you can do all by yourself this Christmas.


Volunteer. One of the best things you can do if you're alone on Christmas is to volunteer. You can spend the day feeding the homeless at a local food pantry or homeless shelter, or even spend some quality time with the elderly at your local senior center. Volunteering is a great way to connect with others, so if you're feeling lonely this is a great way to interact with people during the holidays.


Go On An Adventure. Sometimes the best thing to do when you're alone is just get up and go somewhere. Take a drive to somewhere you have never been before and make a day out of it. Or go to your local park to get some fresh air. If you're feeling really adventurous book a last minute vacation! A change in scenery is always a great idea.


Have A Real Self Care Day. Being all by yourself is one of the best times to have a self care day. Why not treat yourself, stay in your pajamas all day and do some online retail therapy? Or give yourself a real pamper day, you can't go wrong with a face mask, a hot bath, and a candle or essential oil for a nice ambience. Maybe you can spend the day with a good book and some of your favorite food.


Go To The Movies. Surprisingly, some movies are actually released on Christmas Day. And some of those movies actually go on to be nominated for Academy Awards. So why not go down to your local theater and see a good movie? Going to the movies by yourself always appears to be taboo but instead it is truly a liberating experience. On the plus side, you're in a dark room full of people watching something (hopefully) wonderful!


Be Productive. When you're by yourself with no distractions that is the perfect opportunity to get things done. If you have work to catch up on, why not get it all done? Or maybe you have a project you have wanted to start for a while. There's no time like the present. Make a cup of coffee or tea and get to it!


If you're spending Christmas alone, do something that will make you truly happy. There's no shame in spending time by yourself, especially during the holidays. If you don't want to be alone, reach out to someone you're close to. Maybe they'll extend an invitation to their event, or maybe they'll spend the day with you doing one of these fun activities. Until tomorrow.

12:00 PM

End of the Year Reflection

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With only 10 days left in the year, New Years is right around the corner. It has me thinking about what 2018 had to offer. There were some highs and there were some lows. Some goals were accomplished and others were not entirely met. Some lessons have been learned and growth has occurred.


2018, you were a long year that went by rather quickly. As I'm thinking about what I learned this year, I'm also deciding what I will take to into the New Year and what I'm going to leave behind. Looking back, here were some important lessons I learned this year.


Say goodbye to negativity and hello to positivity! Whether you have a negative mindset or have someone in your life who always focus on the bad, just let it go. Life is so much better when you have a positive attitude. Negativity holds everyone back. If you leave the negative attitude in 2018 and 2019 will already be better.


Don't waste your time with people who don't care about you, this lesson hit me good this year. Instead of being sad or mad that you aren't close to someone like you used to be, realize that it is okay. People change and grow apart, sometimes when you take a step back you realize that person wasn't meant to be in your life anymore. As long as you made the effort and did your best, there's nothing you can do about it. So good riddance! Focus your energy on people that want you in their life and actually enjoy spending time with you.


Stay motivated. When negativity comes and clouds up your life, a lack of motivation is closely behind. I know I certainly felt this way, especially closer towards the end of the year. No matter how your life is going it's important to remember to never give up. Whatever you wish to accomplish you can and will do it! You got this!


Remember you come first! It can be easy to get swept up in life and forget to do things for yourself. But self care is the most important thing you can do. If you're not going to take care of yourself, remember no one else will. Sure you have supportive friends and family, but they don't always know exactly what you need. Remember you and your mental health come first, no matter what.


Along with the lessons learned over the year it's always good to focus on what positive things happened this past year. Whether that was the amount of traveling I did or all the new things I tried this year, 2018 was a year filled with adventures. With that being said, I hope 2019 is filled with even more adventures and amazing opportunities for us all. How was your 2018, what are looking forward to most in 2019? Until tomorrow.

12:00 PM

Seeing Christmas Vacation at the Movies

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When the holiday season rolls around all the popular Christmas movies play constantly on loop. But how often do movie theaters play some of these popular holiday films? Not since the year they came out right? That's what I thought until I found out my local movie theater, Harkins, shows some throwback movies rather frequently.


Harkins plays throwback movies every Tuesday at 7 PM throughout the entire year! Tickets to see these older movies are only $5, what a deal! Throughout this month Harkins has shown its' festive spirit by showing popular holiday movies such as: The Polar Express, Jim Henson's Holiday Special, Schindler's List, Home Alone, Christmas Vacation, Elf, and The Holiday.


So on this past Tuesday, one of my best friends and I went to go see Christmas Vacation. Why this one you ask? Well it is one of her absolute favorite Christmas movies and the truth is, I have never seen it before. Shocker right? This movie is basically a Christmas classic. So how did I go 26 years without seeing it? Easy, I don't watch a lot of these older holiday movies. In fact, I just saw Home Alone for the first time last year, but I digress.

To be able to see this Christmas classic on the big screen made the whole experience so much better. Instead of watching it from my couch with my phone in my hand, I got to unwind, relax and truly watch this movie. By seeing it this way, I now see why some people absolutely love it.


But what did I think of this movie? Well...it was alright. I find Chevy Chase just unlikable, and he was that in the movie. Let's face it Clark Griswold is a jerk. He's rude to his neighbors who do absolutely nothing to him and the stunts he pulls ends up damaging their property and almost killing them! But I did enjoy seeing the slapstick humor Clark had to endure. But you have to think, how is that man still alive after all those dangerous things that happens to him throughout the movie? But that's just my opinion!


There's nothing like spending an evening at the movie theater. I just love the idea of going to see old movies, especially ones I have never seen before, on the big screen. It makes the whole movie watching experience so much better, and more theaters should do this! There was a really good size crowd at the movies that night, so it could be a great revenue raiser for struggling theaters. What do you think? Would you go see a classic at a movie theater? Until tomorrow.

2:30 PM

Making Your Own Traditions

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Whenever this time of the year rolls around, the talk of holiday traditions comes up. But what makes a tradition a tradition? Tradition is defined as an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior. Most of the time, traditions are set by families and are passed down from generation to generation. But that's not the only way to start a tradition.


Starting a tradition is something you can easily do. A tradition can be something that you do every year out of habit or something you want to incorporate into your life. And you don't need to make it a whole family affair, you can create traditions for your friends or just yourself! If you need some ideas for making a tradition here are some simple ideas.


Baking Christmas Cookies! Whether you're baking cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve, or making them as a dessert for Christmas you can't go wrong with baking some festive cookies. You can go all out and make them from scratch or you can get the pre-made dough from the grocery store. There's no such thing as a wrong Christmas cookie.


Make or Buy an Ornament Each Year! Getting an ornament that commemorates each year is a fun little tradition you can start on your own and eventually pass down to your future family. Maybe you can buy an ornament from a memorable vacation you took that year, or you can make one that reflects all your favorite moments from the year. If you keep this tradition up, your future generations will have so many family heirlooms!


Donate! The holidays are all about giving back, so why not make it a tradition to brighten up someone else's day. Donate money to charity, donate items to local organizations, or donate your time, there are so many ways to give back.


Go See Holiday Lights! Many places and people decorate for the holidays, so why not make it a tradition to go out and view them? Take a walk around a neighborhood with some awesome light displays or attend a local tree lighting. If you're lucky enough to live near a store that does elaborate holiday displays why not take a look at those every year, they're always changing! It's a fun thing to do during the holidays so why not make a tradition out of it?


Make A Winter Bucket List! One tradition can be making a list of all the things you want to do during the holidays each year. You can add things like watching your favorite holiday movies, making gingerbread houses and all of the other classic winter activities. The fun thing about this tradition is that it can change every year!


If you don't have any specific holiday traditions, it's never too late to start making some. Traditions are what make the holidays so special and bring a lot of people together. What are some of your favorite traditions? Let me know! Until tomorrow.

2:30 PM

Spending the Day at Knott's Merry Farm

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Every year, I always go to Disneyland around this time of the year to view the holiday decorations and partake in the festivities. But this year, I decided to mix it up and go to another theme park in Southern California and see what their Christmas season is like. I was lucky enough to go to Knott's Berry, or shall I say Merry, Farm with one of my best friends. My best friend, Michelle, has a Knott's season pass and every year when she renews it she gets a free guest ticket. This year I was her lucky guest and we had a holly jolly time.


If you have never been to Knott's Berry Farm before, the best way to describe it as a hybrid of Disneyland and Six Flags. I say this because they have a fair amount of children's rides and have a cartoon mascot, Snoopy from Peanuts, yet they have a ton of thrilling coasters that are similar to what Six Flags has to offer. But specifically for Christmastime, Knotts has so much to offer this holiday season. Here are some of the highlights!

Festive Decor! When walking around Knott's, you truly can feel the holiday cheer. The park went all out on garland and wreaths. All throughout the park you can see the decor, and even some Christmas tress. Even in Camp Snoopy you'll find Christmas decor that makes up a perfect photo opportunity.


Christmas Craft Village! One thing that makes Knott's Merry Farm so unique is their Christmas Craft Village. So many local vendors set up booths in Ghost Town to sell some one of a kind knick knacks and trinkets. You can even see demonstrations of chainsaw wood carving and glass blowing! The craft market really looks like as if the Etsy homepage came to life!


Live Entertainment! Throughout the park you'll find Christmas carolers, a holiday saloon show, and two other live shows that feature the Peanuts gang. There is also the ice show, Merry Christmas, Snoopy! It is always a fun thing to watch, however it is only performed on the weekend. Sadly I did not get to see this show, but if you happen to go to Knott's on the weekend during this festive season, I highly recommend you watch it!


Festive Food! Knott's is well known for their boysenberries and fried chicken. But if that's not festive enough for you, then you can always go to Santa's Cabin or Mrs. Claus' Kitchen, both are sponsored by Hershey. In Santa's Cabin, you can find fresh baked cookies, pastries, hot chocolate, and even seasonal craft beer and hot holiday spiced wine. In Mrs. Claus' Kitchen you can actually decorate your own holiday cookies!


Nightly Snow! In Southern California, you can't always find snow during Christmastime. But luckily for us locals, theme parks create some snow to give us that festive feeling. On Ghost Town's Main Street and School House Road you'll find snow every night with a light show synced to some of your favorite holiday songs.


Knott's Merry Farm will continue to run until January 6, so there is plenty of time to get your holiday cheer on before Knott's Berry Farm returns. Also if you are looking for something to do this New Years Eve, Knott's will have special fireworks, live entertainment, and special extended hours for the holiday. It really is a blast and something fun and festive that the whole family can enjoy. Until tomorrow.

12:00 PM

Let's Make Our Own Christmas Cards

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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.

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