a handmade holiday.
Chris and I stopped buying gifts for the adults in the family last year. Instead of shopping and dealing with crowds and long lines, we put our time and energy into things each person would truly appreciate.
I have been wating to share my handmade Christmas gifts for a while but I had to keep them a secret...until now!
hot cocoa mix
I loved the way these turned out, especially since they are exactly how I pictured them turning out in my mind. Love it when that happens! (I usually try to take pictures when Bennett is asleep. He wasn't when I took this one as you can tell from the cute little fingers!)
I left a little space in the jars to put packages of...
Peppermint marshmallows from scratch
(I had lots of help from Chris on this one. It definitely takes two people. We were pretty sure we messed them up about 2,437 times but we perservered and people were very impressed! Don't attempt if you don't have access to a stand mixer!)
chocolate peppermint bark cookies
These turned out awesome and were actually really simple to make. We (chris loves to bake with me!) also made cookie brittle, buckeyes, and chocolate-dipped macaroons from this post. They all were amazing but if you need a super cheap and easy dessert that makes a ton, make cookie brittle...though it's addicting so don't say I didn't warn you!
As for the non-edible gifts...
I decopauged the inside of a little dish I found and called it a ring-holder.
homemade granola
a cake/dessert stand
a whiteboard
and a bookpage wreath for my cute little mom
(tutorial found here)
If you made any gifts this year leave a link in your comment ... it's never too early to gather ideas for next year!
They all turned out really great! I love the wreath and I'm so glad I didn't attempt the homemade marshmallows with my hot chocolate. Sounds like something I definitely would have not been able to handle!
Becca!!! Everything turned out SO cute! I am truly impressed. i definitely need to try out those marshmallows :).