HIBISCUS - Mason Jar Experience Advent Calendar

Today, allow me, to allow you, to take a step back from the Christmas commercialism. The bombardment of flyers in letter boxes, the advertisements screaming down our televisions and radios, and excitedly presented wish lists from our children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren and various small friends. 

Today, take a walk with me. And make it your moment, to just breathe. 

Christmas is an enchanted time, not only for our children, but also for us, the magnificent parental providers of said magic. 

Every year, since my first born love was ejected into this world, I have vowed to not get sucked in by the all so blaring consumerism that is Christmas in the Twenty First Century. I've on many occasions failed. 

There WILL be deliciously wrapped presents under our upcycled driftwood tree, the obligatory photo attempted with a sizable man in a red suit attempting to impersonate the ever mythical St. Nicholas, traditional letters written (if not only for the memory box) and carrots gifted for reindeer on long sleigh rides. 

But this year, instead of trinket or store bought chocolate advent calendars, I choose to give my children time. 

A mason jar. Some card stock. Some washi tape. And smiles sided with memories to last a lifetime...

Today I share with you my 2014 take on the traditional advent calendar. It lacks chocolate and small gifts, but bangs with a WHOLE lot of love. 

I came across the idea while stalking Pinterest, merging a few ideas together to create my very own DIY jar full of Christmas love for my own precious small people. 

I have a cupboard full of large mason jars burgeoning out of my kitchen depths looking for purpose at any stage of a given year, which is what I chose to house my finished product. other ideas floating around in my imaginative head space were to pop the cards in pockets or drawers of ready made calendars, hanging them number side out on a wire coat hanger or pegging them off a rope Christmas tree on the wall. 

You will need:

Card stock

A printer

Washi tape

Your chosen presentation vessel (In this case, a mason jar). 

You can find the free printable on Hip Homeschool Moms. Big thanks to Hip Homeschool Mom's for creating and sharing it on the interwebs for us all to enjoy!

Print your cards as per the instructions.

Cut, fold and washi tape seal your cards

Present them as you wish. 

I decided to fabric decoupage the jar seal with a festive spot then screw the lid on, too easy!

I will now admit to writing all the daily activities in a calendar hidden far from small eyes, so I can be organised as to what I will need on any given day. Some of the activities require some planning, such as decorating a gingerbread house or creating Christmas ornaments. 

There are some pearlers in there, I am totally looking forward to watching my children's faces light up each morning upon opening of their daily advent card, discovering what Christmas activity we can enjoy today.

Happy memory making, and while I am at it, have a jolly, jolly Christmas x

You can discover more of Kirstee and her upcycling ethos on Facebook, and also shop the Hibiscus range on Felt. 

Photos by the fabulous Malia of MumMa. 

The 5 way files - 5 ways with Xmas Tree Table Centrepieces

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The big day is drawing near and if you are hosting Xmas at your place you will be thinking about the menu, the pressies you have organised for everyone and how tidy the house could be or might be.  Last on your list of priorities is how you are going to decorate the table. Here are a five Xmas tree table centrepiece ideas to get you inspired and to add a splash of colour to your table this Xmas.

Xmas Tree Piniata

Felt like Christmas

Fruit Salad Xmas Tree

Pom Pom Trees

Washi Tape Trees

If you would like more Table Centrepiece ideas featuring the humble Xmas Tree you can check out my Pinterest board - Xmas Tree Table Centrepieces

The 5 Way Files - 5 Ways with DIY Xmas Tags

In the first of the 5 Way Files series we bring you a collection of  DIY Xmas tags you can put together and pop on your Xmas gifts (you know those ones you bought months ago, because you were so organised with your Xmas shopping?)  Here are a few ideas to get you started, to add those personal touches to your Xmas gifts.

A little doily detail can go a long way and add that special vintage touch.....

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Print off some black and white photos of the people you are giving the gifts to, and create another memory at the same time.....

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Frosty the Snowman never looked so good with this button detail.....

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The kids will love these fingerprint reindeer Xmas tags to put together - (what kid doesn't love ink and mess?)

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Washi tape has many uses and Xmas gift tags is another..... 

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Merry Christmas To All....

As write this everyone is sleeping it is the quiet before the storm that will be Christmas Day, Jellybean is too little to understand what awaits him this morning, I'm the one filled with anticipation and excitement! I feel like a child once again!

The stocking we had made for Jellybean by Uku Chic

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

Wishing your family a safe journey with many happy memories! 

I have been exhausted lately, apparently I have been putting too many eggs in my basket! Constantly teetering on the border of absolute exhaustion can not be good for the soul. So I have decided to exile myself from the online world until the middle of January. 

Both the blog and Facebook will be completely silent, although I am sure there will still be some activity on Twitter and Instagram. I doubt I could maintain complete online excile for such an extended period of time, so I won't promise to do so!  

Thank you all for making Hazel Loves Design and Hazed such a fabulous success. I can't wait to see how much more it is going to grow and evolve in 2013 and I definitely can't wait to take you all along on the journey too! Miss you already xo

Santa Claus is coming to town....

My gift from Holly

On Thursday night the gorgeous Deb of Works In Progress hosted the Christchurch bloggers in her home for Secret Santa. Juliet and Miriam helped to organise the event.

Our Santa gifts were required to be no more than $10 and preferably handmade or thrifted. I made the lovely Hannah of 'Lost Seamstress' fame a punk-inspired snow globe (which was a mini-disaster) and gave a pair of Marc Jacobs earrings.

Holly of 'Holly May B' made me a gorgeous stash of crochet goodies, the crochet pet rock (or paperweight) is sitting on my desk at the day job! I'm sure you will all agree that she is one super talented lady!

The evening was such a fabulous occasion and a joyous opportunity to meet some talented Christchurch bloggers. 

My gift to Hannah

Although with so much chit chat going on around me I did come to realise how exhausted I have been feeling lately, and how even an event that I would normally enjoy and flourish through was making me feel like the shy-timid teenage version of myself. 

I'm not sure where the brave chatty Hazel has gone! But I do wish she would come back!! I'm such an introvert that I really have to work had to have confidence, and when I am tired I really do struggle. I hope people don't think that it is because I'm not enjoying myself! 

I am looking forward to many more blogging events in the future. And really appreciating the opportunity to bridge the gap between online and real world. 

Do you have a personality trait that you find can be challenging? And, have you met any of your blogging contacts in the real world?

Colour my Christmas...

Our home is decorated in a sea of reds, greens, silver and gold. Really rather traditional. 

But definitely not boring. 

Here are some of my favourite pinterest finds in this colourway.

What is your favourite memory so far this Christmas?

Kissing Santa...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere you go! For our family Christmas kicked into full gear last weekend with a trip to the Christmas Grotto experience in Spreydon (absolutely fabulous and well worth the $3 entry fee).

We also took Jellybean and his bestie to the light experience on Shands Road. Absolutely adorable watching the little dudes dancing and catching bubbles, Jellybean loved the blow up Halloween Mickey best!

On Sunday we took Jellybean to The Groynes for his daycare picnic, we hired an ultra cute Santa suit for him! Although it was too hot for him to stay in it too long, I hope you agree about the cuteness!!

What fun family activities have you been enjoying this Christmas?

A festive wedding...

Around Christmas time is the peek of wedding season, between late October and February are when most people choose to get married and a lot of them decide on a Christmas wedding!

Here are my top pics for a festive wedding.

Red velvet cake, why because its way more awesome than fruit!

Red wedding shoes, a great way to get a pop of colour without going for a coloured gown.

Button or brooch bouquets, why? They don't die, they are an amazing keepsake and totally unique! See this one from Vintage Spice Unique bouquets and Accessories.

Festive decor, I love this look so simple with ribbon and a pine cone totally cute and festive!

I think a festive theme to your wedding is a fun theme for a wedding, especially if you are Christmas mad, think fairy lights everywhere and all of your favorite Christmas desserts!

https://www.facebook.com/#!/VintageSpice

Robin xx

DIY Advent Calendar

   Advent Calendars are somewhat of a Tradition in our home.

And this year I wasn’t rushing out to buy some – that’s because the children really

aren’t little children anymore and I figured they wouldn’t want one.

Boy, was I wrong.

”Can I have an Advent Calendar this year Mummy” asked little Miss 14.

I think we never really grow up, especially where a surprise is concerned.

I tried the DIY version this year. Kind of made it up as I went too.

I thought I would do a real beach*rustic*simple one. You’ve probably never seen

anything like it before in your life! I haven’t either.

I kept it simple and wrapped these…

A mixture of Freddo frogs & Cadbury’s Favourites (so each day was a surprise)

in brown paper and tied each little package with twine and left the string quite long.

I found & printed off free Advent Calendar DIY Numbers which you can find over here:

I glued each number to a wrapped chocolate and tied it to a rustic old ladder that I’ve had tucked away for years. The ladder is all rotted in some places, and the nails have rusted but I love it to bits and can’t bear to part with it. It’s just perfect the way it is.

To some random numbers I’ve tied some shells & small pieces of driftwood

to keep with in the rustic beach theme I set myself.

And there it is, leaning up against a wall.

It’s the simple things sometimes …

Donna x

www.hamptonsstyle.com.au

Inspiration for a Summer Christmas

Today is the Day ... 

The first day of Summer AND the day to put up the Christmas tree. 

Here's some inspiration for Christmas to get you ready for the season. 

This is quite an easy DIY project (possibly for the kids while on school holiday)

Tape off sections of a bauble and add glue to the exposed parts. Pop on some sand, shells, anything beachy.

And again - another simple DIY project. Glue starfish together to resemble a Christmas Tree.

And this is just the start of the inspiration. Stay tuned for more! 

Donna  x

www.hamptonsstyle.com.au

All images are from the Hamptons Style Pinterest board It's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas

It's Christmas Time In The City

Well it's not quite Christmas [yet] but stores are starting to put out their Christmas themed products. This is great if you want to get an idea of what sort of products you'll be able to buy for Christmas presents, get a head start on your Christmas shopping or just to start feeling legitimately excited that Christmas is just around the corner.

Today I thought I'd share with you some of my favourite beauty picks for Christmas gifts for friends & family. Perhaps you want to treat yourself too, and any of these would be perfect for that!

First up we have The Body Shop's range of Christmas delights. This year they have three ranges; Cranberry Joy, Vanilla Bliss & Ginger Spice. Each of these ranges contain products like Shower Gels, Room Mists, Hand Lotions, Lip Balms & more. Depending on your budget you could mix & match products from the ranges or buy one of the gift sets available. All these products have been repackaged this year & the redesign is adorable.

Featured Products:

-Vanilla Bliss Lip Balm.

-Vanilla Bliss Shower Gel.

-Cranberry Joy Hand Lotion.

-Cranberry Joy Heart Soap.

Now for something luxurious, how pretty are all these colours from Chanel? They've released their Collection Noel for 2012 & it features this eyeshadow quad which you see above, 3 limited edition glossimers, a nail colour, lipstick & more. Everything is packaged in Chanel's signature black & gold boxes. If you want to treat yourself or someone special in your life then this is the range to look at!

Featured Products:

-Levres Scintillantes Glossimer #347-Allegorie.

-Regard Signe De Chanel Quadra Eyeshadow. 

Next we have what I like to think of as the Queen of Christmas treats, Lush! Each Christmas Lush bring out Christmas themed products which include bath ballistics, shower gels, bubble bars, lip scrubs & more. They also have gift packs available including a cheaper Secret Santa alternative if you're stuck on what to buy someone for that. I've tried some of their Christmas products already & if there's one thing I recommend you buy for yourself or gift to others it's the bath bomb you see above. Shaped like a Christmas gift once opened an array of colours & glittery stars are released into your bathtub. It's magical....and don't forget to rattle the present before you use it in the bath!

Featured Products:

-Popcorn Lip Scrub.

-Angel's Delight Soap.

-Golden Wonder Bath Ballistic.

-Magic Wand Bubble Bar.

-Ponche Shower Gel.

-Snow Fairy Shower Gel

MAC have released their Fabulousness range just in time for Christmas. A wide range of products have been packaged into gift sets & would make a welcome addition to any makeup fanatic's life. The brushes are miniature & would be perfect for travel. Some of these sets are a little on the pricier side but this reflects the quality of MAC's products. How cute would these look on a vanity?

Featured Products:

-Fabulousness 5 Smoky Eyes (Pale Pink).

-Perfectly Plush Brush Kit Mineralize.

-Primped Out Look Bag: Luxurious Pink.

-Primped Out Look Bag: Drama Taupe.

Sometimes Christmas themed products don't appeal to everyone so here's some other ideas to consider for Christmas Gifts.

Featured Products:

-Dot by Marc Jacobs. This is the latest fragrance from Marc Jacobs & it is gorgeous for Summer if you're in the Southern Hemisphere. The scent is very fruity & not too heavy, just perfect really. If you're not wanting to purchase a full fragrance you could consider scented hand creams or even rollerball fragrances as alternatives.

-Laguna Bronzer & Orgasm Blush Duo by NARS. This duo contains two of NARS' cult products & would be perfect for Summer. The bronzer and blush look amazing together.

-Essie Nail Polish. Nail Polish is a perfect stocking filler & with a wide range of colours available there is something to please everyone.