Snowman Gift Tags – Printable

Posted on December 8, 2014 by A Pop of Red

Snowmen Gift Tag Printable

Christmas time usually means lots and lots of gifts which means lots and lots of wrapping.

I don’t know about you, but wrapping in our household means piles of gift bags, gift wrap, ribbons, and gift tags. Of all those things I tend to forget to pick up the smallest: gift tags.

Gift tags for those piles you have to wrap!

Gift tags are important, how else can you tell whether that blue wrapped gift is your mom’s or your husband’s? NOT a mistake you want to make! So if you have forgotten that oh so key gift wrapping ingredient, I have a solution: PRINT YOUR TAGS!

If you have some thick card stock (or regular printer paper if you are okay with a flimsy tag), you can print out tags on demand using printables. Pre-made designs by your favorite bloggers. And of course for the holiday’s I had to create my own printable for you.

Snowman Gift Tags

So I made a hand-drawn and digitized snowman gift tag printable. I have made them in two sizes: small and medium. And there are two versions of each: blank and with to/from written. You can download them here:

Snowman Gift Tag – Small – Blank

Snowman Gift Tag – Small

Snowman Gift Tag – Medium – Blank

Snowman Gift Tag – Medium

And don’t forget to add a flower to your gifts for some extra wrapping goodness. Next Monday I will be sharing a new nail polish flower tutorial made especially for Christmas!

If you want additional sizes or would like to suggest future printables comment below or email me at . 

Gift Tag Printable - Snowman

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5 DIY Christmas Trees

Posted on December 1, 2014 by A Pop of Red

Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree, how crazy are your branches?

When people think of Christmas trees, they often think of bushy fir, spruce or pine trees decorated with garlands, hanging ornaments, and lights. These trees might be chopped down on a cold winter family outing, or bought from a store and assembled with care. Either way, the Christmas trees are pretty standard, but don’t let that stop you from trying something new!

Five DIY Christmas trees

Ramp up your Christmas and get crafty by creating your own Christmas tree! Here is a round up of five DIY Christmas tree ideas from around the web. Unfortunately they do not all have tutorials so I have provided some basic instructions where necessary. Adjust according to what you have/need to get the perfect look in your holiday home.

So here is my list of 5 DIY Christmas trees:

1. Rolled Paper Tree

Recycled paper Christmas tree

Photo Credit: Gensler

This work of art was created by the San Ramon office of Gensler and they supplied Pop Sugar with the step-by-step tutorial to make this beautiful tree. Basically you take various paper (recycled is suggested of course!), roll it up, and attach it to a triangular base made of cardboard or foam board. I can also imagine changing it up by using different coloured or patterned papers.

2. Trinket Wall Christmas Tree

Trinket wall christmas tree - five diy christmas trees

Photo Credit: All the Luck in the World

This second tree is perfect for someone who wants either a space saving or super personal tree…or both! The geniuses over at All the Luck in the World created this Christmas tree for their family in 2008. They used various trinkets like small photos, magnets, buttons, and letters to create a Christmas tree shape on their wall. While there is no associated tutorial you can definitely re-create this masterpiece and add your own personalization to it! Simply use tape or wall adhesives to anchor a collection of small objects to the wall in a tree shape. Make sure to make it high enough that you can pile gifts underneath…you don’t want to forget that detail!

3. Plywood Christmas Tree

plywood Christmas tree - diy Christmas trees

Photo Credit: Pikkuvarpunen

Back to a more simple and elegant DIY Christmas tree was have a plywood tree from over on Pikkuvarpunen. Once again there is no tutorial but this is DIY is easily done by carving out two plywood pieces each in identical shapes of Christmas trees as shown in the photo below. Then add a long notch in the top of one board and the bottom of the other so that they slide together and create the 3-d Christmas tree. If woodworking isn’t your cup of tea try the same method using a thick cardboard. While it will not be as resilient, you will get the same effect!

4. Hanging Ornament Christmas Tree

Hanging Christmas Tree - Five DIY Christmas Trees

Photo Credit: Not Martha

This tree is from Not Martha, and LOOK:

There is a tutorial!

This beautiful creation features “floating” green ornaments to create a Christmas tree silhouette. You could change the colour, make it larger or smaller, and use different ornaments. No matter what you do, I think this DIY Christmas tree will turn out amazingly. If on a budget, consider using push pins and fishing line to attach the ornaments to the ceiling instead of the materials shown in the original post. Just consider that this method will not be nearly as mobile or elegant looking as the photo below!

And for the final tree…

Drum roll please!

5. Reclaimed Wood Christmas Tree

Reclaimed Wood Christmas Tree - 5 DIY Christmas Trees

Photo Credit: Wood & Wool Stool

Created by Wood & Wool Stool, this reclaimed wood leaning tree is a funky DIY take on a Christmas tree. No tutorial (so sad) but should be simple enough. Collect various pieces of reclaimed wood (drawers, pallets, frames, etc.), use on long study piece for the trunk of the tree and attach the other pieces according to size up the trunk using nails or wood glue. The hardest part for this one would be finding the best pieces of wood and getting them to match just right or be eclectic enough to pass as purposeful!

Have you made an alternative Christmas tree?
Have you seen others that interest you?
 —–
Let us know by commenting below and if you want more ideas, head on over to my Winter Holiday’s Board on Pinterest!

 

 

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White Chocolate and Candy Cane Bark

Posted on November 28, 2014 by A Pop of Red

White chocolate and candy cane bark One of my favorite treats to make (and eat) during the holidays is chocolate bark. For those who do not know, chocolate bark is thinly spread chocolate covered with toppings which is broken into rough, bark-like pieces. The toppings are basically anything you would normally find in a chocolate bar, or anything you are willing to experiment with, which leads to endless combinations.

Crushed candy cane and white chocolate bark

I have a few combinations that are my go-to flavours for the Christmas season and I want to share them with you. First up is today’s White Chocolate Candy Cane Bark. This bark is a simple mix of white chocolate (I used Belgian chocolate from a bulk store) and crushed candy canes. Here is how to make it:

  • Melt your chocolate in a double boiler until smooth
  • Spread onto a parchment lined pan until about ½ centimeter thick (you can choose how thick you actually want it)
  • Sprinkle the crushed candy canes on top and shake lightly to ensure all pieces are touching the chocolate, this ensures the little pieces will not just fall off once complete
  • Place the entire tray into the freezer until the chocolate has hardened
  • Remove from the freezer and break the chocolate into large pieces with your hands (a knife can be used but can cause multiple fractures to form whereas breaking by hand lets the chocolate fracture naturally)
  • Arrange on a platter or into a gift container depending on how you wish to use the bark. Be sure to decorate that gift!

White chocolate candy cane bark

The white chocolate candy cane bark can also be taken a step farther by melting some of the crushed candy canes into the chocolate. Similarly, you could add a drop or two of peppermint flavour/oil. Doing this will make your base into a mint white chocolate rather than just topped with mint. Do which ever method you prefer!

Candy cane chocolate bark

Next time I will share my Salty and Sweet Milk Chocolate Bark!

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Cats and Christmas: A Holiday Memory

Posted on November 27, 2014 by A Pop of Red

Cats and Christmas

Everyone chips in during the holidays. Each person has that special something they do oh so well. In my family it goes something like this:

  • Grannie creates the most amazing feast of turkey, ham and stuffing.
  • Mom sneaks in those last few stocking stuffers and whips up some cranberry treats.
  • Dad adds some logs to the fireplace and later chases the children around outside.
  • My sister lugs around the gifts and runs around town visiting those she need to see.
  • My brother breaks out the shovel or snow blower to make room for the extra cars.
  • I tidy up the house and organize as needed (but not this year!).
  • And the family cats destroy whatever they can.

Our family has had several cats over the past few years but our first two were Mookie and (P)earl. Note: Pearl was thought to be male and was initially named Earl, but turns out she was a lady so we changed it to Pearl. And it is Pearl that this little story is about.

Christmas gifts and memories

In our family home a few years ago, we decided to have our Christmas celebrations in the basement where there was more room and a nice fireplace. This meant the tree and gifts were piled in the play room. This room had a panelled ceiling with those pop out tiles (you know the ones), and little did we know there was a way for the cats to get into the ceiling.

You see, the next room over was the utility room and unbeknownst to us, there was an opening to the ceiling in there. It was only a 1 by 2 foot gap but cats will do anything for a little adventure. So little Pearl taught herself to jump up the shelving units in the utility room and get into the ceiling. She would literally walk along the ceiling tiles and no matter how much scolding she got, she always went back up there.

Cats and Presents

So on Christmas day, my sister wakes up to a thud and a crinkle. Pearl had once again been walking along the tiles when she fell through the ceiling! She ended up landing on top on one of my sister’s presents. The present however had a hole in the center that was wrapped over and the cat fell through the wrapping paper into this hole. So little Pearl ended up breaking open the gift wrapping before my sister even got a chance to open it.

Rest in Peace (P)earl

Cats and Christmas: Memories of Pearl

It seems like there are so many stories of cats on Christmas doing crazy things.
I want to hear more crazy pet Christmas stories so comment below with yours!

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Our first Christmas away from home

Posted on November 13, 2014 by A Pop of Red

Our first Christmas away from home - traditions and changes

This year is the first Christmas that my husband and I will be away from our families for the holidays. This means that all those family traditions will be missed but it also gives us the opportunity to start our own traditions.

First off, here is the reason we are not going home: work. My husband just started a new job that will likely require him to work the 24th through 26th of December. We will not get confirmation that he works until just before then but we are assuming that he will work as a newer employee. In addition, my current contract does not end until January 2nd which means I should be working every day of December except for Christmas Day and Boxing Day. On top of that, we will be moving on January 1st and will need time in December to pack up and get organized, so less time to visit the family who live about 5-6 hours away.

Now what kind of traditions will we be missing?
 What will we do for our own traditions?
Well let’s take a look.Our first Christmas away from home

We will be missing the time honoured tradition of waking up and opening stockings first thing in the morning. In both our families, you were allowed to open your stockings as soon as you woke up but were not allowed to touch any presents. Fair trade off I’d say.

Again with stockings, we will miss the unwritten rule that the clementine at the bottom of the stocking gets eaten before anything else in the stocking. Of course there is always lots of chocolates to tempt us but tradition always wins over and the orange gets eaten first.

Now these two traditions are simple enough and strong enough memories for both of us that we will continue with them. We will be making our own stockings and filling them, being sure to include the required clementine.Christmas gifts and memories

We will also be missing the amazing turkey and ham dinners. Buffet breakfasts. Finger food lunches. Basically all the amazing food that our parents and grandparents always have prepared. Instead I will be making either a roast in the crockpot OR our signature bacon wrapped pork tenderloin. Even though we will be the one’s cooking this year, we will still eat well!

One thing that will be missing is a Christmas tree. A staple for most families, including ours, for Christmas time. We currently do not own a Christmas tree, and are not fans of live ones, and since we are moving in January, buying a tree now doesn’t make sense. It would be one large item to pack and move. So we are just going to skip it this year and go with some smaller décor instead.

First Christmas Away

Now for those reading this and saying to themselves “Why not just have Christmas on a day when you can visit your family?” Well, we are actually doing that too, it just will not have the same traditions or memories since the full family Christmas will still be on the 25th. We are heading home for “Dutch Christmas” which is when my extended family get together (around the 8th of December each year). This is a time when my grandmother, aunts, uncles, cousins, and their families can come together and see each other. We are a very large family (dad being 1 of 8 kids each with children of their own now, some of those kids with kids) and that means we don’t always get to see each other often so we do our best to come out to this Christmas event.

Leaving the family behind - my first Christmas on my own

While we are visiting family during Dutch Christmas we will also swing by our parents’ houses and have mini-Christmases or get-togethers (still being discussed). For instance, any gifts they want us to open we will pick up and take back to Ottawa. We are also likely going to invite the family to breakfast or dinner while we are home. And generally get the family connection that we will be missing on the big day.

A letter to myself - family is a constant

So that is our first Christmas away from home.
Do you always celebrate with your family?
If not, what were the changes you noticed that first Christmas away?

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Toilet Paper Roll Flowers

Posted on November 10, 2014 by A Pop of Red

Toilet paper roll flowers

Recently I came across this amazing blog called Accents and Petals. They take recycled materials and make all sorts of beautiful flowers and bouquets. I fell in love with some of their DIYs and thought I would give them a try!

Now these flowers in particular are made out of toilet paper rolls. You simply cut open a tube, flatten, cut then design as explained by Accents and Petals.

Tutorial for ROSE toilet paper flowers
Tutorial for DAISY toilet paper flowers
Tutorial for CABBAGE ROSES toilet paper flowers (not pictured)

Recycled roses

Why am I mentioning these flowers now? We I think they will make perfect gift toppers for Christmas! Or any gift for that matter. Save your money when jazzing up those gift boxes and make these to pretty up the package.

The toilet paper roll flowers are not that hard to make but it might take you one or two tries to get them just right. If you look at the photo below, you can see my first rose on the right with its too tall center but on take two (at left) it turned out much better!

Toilet paper roses

Then with the wrinkled daisy like flowers the toilet paper roll can easily lose its stiffness if you over work it. So experiment with the first one and apply those lessons learned to make the next one in less moves! I also doubled up each of my daisies, I felt two layers looked better than one.

Flower gift tags from toilet paper rolls

So start collecting all your toilet paper rolls for these flowers or other crafts like a desk organizer. Such a simple (usually trashed) item in your home has so many alternative uses!

What have you made with toilet paper rolls?

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My Simple Morning Routine

Posted on November 6, 2014 by A Pop of Red

My simple morning routineI always see lifestyle Youtuber’s post “My Morning Routine” videos and think to myself that these people do a lot in a morning. Wake up, shower, make-up, hair, dress, breakfast, morning social media scour, workout or run, coffee, chores, brush teeth, and so on. I like to think I have a simple morning routine. And this is what my day comes down to:

I have two alarms set on my phone. One at 6:00a.m. and one at 6:30a.m. I don’t always need them to wake up though. During the summer months I usually just wake up with the sun but winter months mean more darkness and a sleepier me.

One awake, I start with a small yoga routine to help me stretch out my body. I never used to do yoga but I found that it has helped by stiff post-surgery body (more on that in a later post). I follow this OH SO CUTE routine.

Morning Yoga Routine | My simple morning routineExcept, I cut it short and only do it one or two times. That is enough to get me moving and feeling well.

Then I move into the kitchen. I take some endometriosis medicine with a lovely glass of lemon water, something I really enjoy. I just cut up some lemon, add it to my diffuser, and let it sit for a few hours. Then I have a week of lemon water ready to go! Apparently lemon water has health benefits but honestly, I just like it. So any other benefits are just bonuses.

A morning glass of lemon water for my simple morning routine

After my morning drink, I pack leftovers from dinner for a lunch and take out any meat from the freezer to thaw for dinner later in the day. As for breakfast, I typically wait to eat until I get to either work or school. I am just not hungry first thing in the morning.

Time to move onto the bathroom. Since I do not wear make-up I get to skip a huge step in most women’s mornings and I also shower at night, this just makes for a quick morning. I also do not do much with my hair. Usually a quick one-two with the comb is good. The odd day I will straighten it or put it in a ponytail. But of course I do brush my teeth and floss!

Next I head to the living room where I set out everything I need for the day on the couch. After making sure I have everything, I pack it away into my purse or backpack depending on how much there is. Then it’s out the door by 7:30a.m. for a bus to work or school.

My simple morning routine and breakfast

My breakfast as mentioned is taken later but is usually one of two things. On a good day, I have a glass of hot lemon water and a piece of fruit. And on a bad day I go to a little bakery near work to grab a hot chocolate and chocolate croissant…so bad, yet so delicious!

So that is my morning! What do you do differently in your routine?

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Crafting Fails!

Posted on November 3, 2014 by A Pop of Red

That’s right, failure is the topic of the day and I am about to share with you some of the posts that did not work out so well.

As I have said, I like to experiment. I am not a chef, nor a professional crafter, and I am not a mother with 20 years of experience in all things DIY. I just enjoy making things and sharing what I make with all of you.

That being said, my projects do not always come together as I hope. And I believe that even the professionals have these failures. So let me share some of the post ideas that failed. I am still working on them, I have not given up. But for now here they rest in the pile of my failures.

Crafting Fails

*Note: I am not upset about these failures. I still had fun while making them and I find the odd failure kind of funny. Life is no fun if you cannot laugh at your own mistakes!

Fail #1: Cork and Fabric Mousepad

So I have been tinkering with this one for a while. I wanted to make some more office décor and needed a new mousepad since mine is cracking. So I found tutorials for cork based mousepads. Many of them required materials I did not have though. So I crafted one with just cork, fabric, and white craft glue.

Mousepad fail

BAM! Does it not look beautiful? I mean it technically did work. This is a failure because the top of the mousepad is scratchy due to the way the fabric and glue came together. A rough surface will cause issues with your mouse and its movements which is never good. So until I find a way to smooth the surface, the mousepad is a fail.

Fail #2: Button Mending

I announced on Twitter two weeks ago that I would post a button mending tutorial. I had mended all the loose and missing buttons in my house, taken lots of pictures, wrote the post, but when I went to edit the pictures…they were all blurry.

You see, right now I am working with just a regular digital camera. The screen is quite pixelated and what I see does not always translate to the finished picture. So I ended up with photos like this:

Blurry photos and other crafting fails

Not so great when you are trying to explain what is going on with a thread and needle that you can barely make out. But this happens. Until I improve my photography and/or get a new camera, failure due to photos will likely happen again. So another one for the fail pile.

Fail #3: Grocery Bag Dispenser

I was so excited for this DIY. My roommates and I hold onto the plastic grocery bags we get and use them for trash bags. Before, we had nowhere to store them so we just made a “bag of bags” under the kitchen counter. This works fine but does not look very nice so I wanted to make a dispenser to hold them in.

So I grabbed one of my favorite crafting materials, a shoebox, and went to work. The idea in my head was to link together the bags and place them in the box with a hole in the top so that is like a continuous feed of bags. Almost like pulling out tissues or cleaning wipes.

Bag Dispenser and Other Craft Fails

In reality, the box ended up with a terrible paint job. And the way I connected the bags made it hard to separate. So I count the project as a fail, though I did keep the box so that the bags are nicely contained. I will probably have another go at some kind of storage technique for them in the future (maybe when I am in my new apartment) but for now: fail.

I have had plenty of other failed experiments and I am bound to have plenty more.
If you guys are interested I will share my food fails but for now,
please comment below and tell me I am not the only one with a fail list!

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Curry Chicken Soup

Posted on October 31, 2014 by A Pop of Red

Curry Chicken Soup Recipe

At my house, soup is not something we eat very often but every once in a while you need a heart-warming bowl. Feel sick? Soup. Cold? Soup. Lazy? Soup.

I was inspired to start experimenting with my own soup recipes after seeing Ema’s Spicy Chicken and Vegetable Soup over on Food4YourMood. She reminded me that spices are good for your body, not to mention they are tasty. Even better, my husband loves spicy food so I knew he would enjoy this!

So stock up on spices and head to the kitchen to try out this simple recipe!

Spices for Curry Chicken Soup

Curry Chicken Soup

  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 4 chicken thighs, skinless, boneless
  • 2 large tomatoes, diced
  • 2 large carrots, diced
  • 1 small-medium white onion
  • 1 ½ cups cut green beans, 1” length
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 ½ tsp curry powder
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • ¼ tsp rosemary
  • ¼ tsp oregano
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp salt

Curry Chicken and Vegetable Soup

  1. In a large pot, heat the oil and then cook the chicken until juices are clear.
  2. Add tomatoes and simmer until liquefied.
  3. Add the water and the rest of the vegetables and keep the pot over medium heat.
  4. Add the spices and stir often until vegetables soften.
  5. Serve while hot.

Make Your Own Curry Chicken Soup

And that’s it. Pretty simple but lots of flavour thanks to the spices. And of course you can change up the vegetables or spices to give it your own flare. Cut out the curry if you don’t like the spice. Add some cabbage for some more greens. Try different types of tomatoes to change the broth. So many choices to try so start experimenting so you can figure out what YOU like!

Curry Chicken Soup

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October Photo a Day Challenge

Posted on October 30, 2014 by A Pop of Red

For the month of October, Amy from The Idea Room challenged her Instagram followers to take a themed photo for each day. Since I was still new to this photo-sharing app I thought this would be a great way to get used to how it worked.

It was a pretty good month and the photos show a big range of what happens in my day-to-day life. So I want to share some of my top photos from this challenges with you!

Day One: Ground Level

My first photo for the challenge was taken while waiting for the bus early one morning. The ground was covered in orange pine needles so this little spot of clovers near the pavement really stuck out.October Photo a Day Challenge - Ground Level

Day Two: Family

I am terrible at selfies! I have learned this. This photo of my husband and me took about 8 tries to get right. But it turned out well after all that hard work.October Photo A Day - Family

Day Four: Relaxation

Remember this photo? I used it for my post on procrastination last week! I originally took it for the challenge but decided it would be great for the blog too. In fact, I did this for a few different pictures.

Relaxing or procrastinating

Day Thirteen: Starts with “R”

This is a shot of the opening page for the Zombies, Run! App. I have used this app for a while to help me be interested in running. It has a story line about yourself that plays as you run with lots of mystery to unravel. Because of health problems starting last September I had not run in a while so this was a big triumph! (Though I haven’t gone back out again yet…mental note to run tomorrow).

October Photo A Day - Running

Day 16: On My Mind

This one was perfectly timed! I had gone home for a few days to see my family, a trip I sadly make less and less each year. It was also quite close to my brother’s birthday and he opted to have his party early just so I could be there. It was really nice and I really enjoyed being home to see everyone.

October Photo A Day - On My Mind is Family

Day 27: An Extreme Close Up

I had trouble deciding what to capture in this picture especially since I had difficult with the zoom (I need photography lessons apparently). But when I took this photo just before putting new buttons on an old sweater, I knew it was perfect. Bonus is that I now wear the sweater nearly every day now that the buttons are nicer!

October Photo a Day Challenge - Close Up

Day 31: Costume

Well, this one isn’t ready yet obviously but if you follow me on Instagram or Twitter you will definitely be seeing what I wear for Halloween.


So what do you think, do I grasp the basics of Instagram yet?
 Or should I do another photo a day challenge?

 

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