Beloved candy canes; it is time to see you go!!!

If your house is overflowing with leftover candy canes, you are not alone! After the holidays, I seem to have endless piles of candy canes in all shapes and sizes.

Here are some simple ideas and recipes which will help you re-purpose those pesky canes into something delicious:

1.  Make a candy cane Valentine’s Day card 2.  Striped Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
1 box devil’s food cake mix
1/3 c oil
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 c mini chocolate chips
Melted white chocolate for dipping
Crushed candy canes

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until moistened. Stir in chocolate chips. Scoop the batter into small balls and place onto the lined cookie sheets 2 inches apart. Press down slightly to flatten. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Drizzle with white chocolate and then dip into crushed candy canes. Let cool.

3.    Use them as-is as coffee or hot cocoa stirrers.
4. Crush into a fine powder and line martini glass rims for a fun festive drink

5. Candy cane heart treats- Warm candy canes slightly, then bend them into a heart shape; use parchment to dry. Fill the center with melted white chocolate and then top with shaved or crushed peppermints/candy canes. These are adorable and yummy served next to coffee or cocoa. 
6. Create heart cupcake toppers, perfect for Valentine’s Day
7. White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread Cookies
8. White chocolate peppermint popcorn
16 oz white chocolate
1 c finely crushed peppermints (food processor works wonders)
4 quarts popped popcorn

Slowly melt the white chocolate using either the microwave or a double boiler; constantly stirring. Stir ½ cup of the crushed peppermints into the white chocolate. Pour the melted chocolate over the popcorn in a large bowl; toss to coat. Sprinkle with more crushed peppermints.
9. Peppermint whipped cream- yummy as a topping for cupcakes or cake
10. Candy Cane Cupcakes

Receiving holiday cards in the mail is one of my favorite times of the year! But, I always feel a bit guilty tossing them into the trash at the end of the season. Here is a quick idea for repurposing some of those beautiful cards into something useful for the next holiday season.

Step 1- Use Christmas cookie cutters to trace patterns out of holiday cards (the patterned portion of folded cards works best)

Step 2- Cut around the traced outline

Step 3- Punch a hole in your new gift tag and add decorative ribbon

This simple, cost effective idea takes just minutes to complete and will help you get a jump start on the holidays for next year!

Tie or attach this festive Merry Christmas card to hostess gifts, a bottle of wine, homemade goodies or use as a personalized note this holiday season.

Enjoy!

If you are in search of some new inspiration for your Christmas table this year, take a peak at these 5 DIY place card ideas (Source: Marthastewart.com); bows, peppermint candies, holly, paper leaves or a Christmas tree. Whether you choose a playful, traditional or modern design, these cute place card ideas will help pull your table design together.

Happy Holidays!

If you are stumped this year about what to get your child’s teachers as a holiday gift, consider these inexpensive options:

1. Handmade Candy Cane Tree

2. Monogrammed Canvas Napkin Rings- landsend.com

3. Christmas Ornament

4. Reindeer Noses Candy- Fill a jar or bag with red candies (bubble gum, red hots, M&Ms) and tie with a gift tag

5. Starbucks gift card personalized with a tag reading "Thanks a Latte"

6. Cookbook- Tie a wooden spoon or holiday cookie cutter on top for an added touch

7. Donate something to their classroom in your child's name- art supplies, books

8.  Redbox movie night- Fill a popcorn bucket full of your teacher's favorite goodies and add a coupon for a Redbox rental

9. Tea- Tie a simple tag to a bundle of individual tea packages reading "Thanks for Being a Tea-riffic Teacher"

10. Monogrammed Crayon Picture (see picture)

11. Poinsettia with a gift tag reading "Thanks for helping me grow this Fall"; you could attach the same tag to a bundle of seed packets or fresh herb plants

12. Fill a bag or jar full of Hershey's kisses and attach a tag that reads "Merry Kiss-Mas" From......

13. Beauty Gift- Nail polish and file with a tag reading "I File you under 'A' for Awesome"

14. Homemade cookies or bars stacked on top of a peppermint candy tray; wrap in cellophane and tie a gift tag with festive ribbon (See our Make it Monday Blog Post for instructions on how to make the tray)

15. Personalized "From the Kitchen Of" gift tag stickers

One of my favorite DIY Christmas ideas this year was inspired by a tray that one of my guests brought her cookies on to my annual Holiday Cookie Exchange.

Due to the hustle and bustle of the party, I didn't notice the tray until after the guests had departed. And as it was hard to remember which tray each guest brought, I proceeded to make a list of guests and cookies and attempt to play a game of match. After about an hour, I was able to figure out which one of my creative friends had made this adorable tray. And, I had to know how she made it.

And now, I want to share this super cute idea with all of you.

Peppermint Candy Tray How-To

Step 1- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Step 2- Line an oven safe pan with parchment paper

Step 3- Unwrap and fill the tray with traditional peppermint candies; work from the outside in, placing the candies in a circular pattern

Step 4- Bake the candies at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until slightly melted and 'set'

Step 5- Remove the tray from the oven, cool slightly then flip the candy disc onto a cooling rack

Use these peppermint candy trays as a base for gifts this year. Stack homemade cookies, bars or bread loaves on top, wrap in clear cellophane, add tie a gift tag on using festive ribbon.

Need a simple Christmas party favor idea this year?

Take a peak at what I made for my 2 year olds' class party....

Cherry M&Ms....aka Reindeer Noses in frosted to-go containers.

These were under $8 total for 12; the containers were $3.99, the candy was on sale at Walgreens and then I added the Reindeer Noses favor tags.

Printable gift tags offer more than meets the eye! With a little creativity, simple images can be repurposed for other uses.

One of my customers shared these three cute holiday card and gift tag ideas using one of the dog lovers gift tag collections offered by Crowning Details. The bulldog is wearing an actual jingle bell collar, she added a chenille hat to the second image and the third is wearing a holiday light around his collar.

Hopefully these creative ideas will inspire you to generate new ideas and uses for images or printables you have previously purchased! Or, have inspired you to create new tags and cards using these adorable dog images.

Happy Holidays!

Looking for a way to repurpose some of the holiday cards you receive each year?

Follow the steps outlined below to create an inexpensive, unique party snack container or party favor container using the free printable template, paper of your choice, scissors, glue and recycled holiday cards.

Step 1- Print and cut out cone template (see below)

Step 2- Trace and cut out cones from cardstock, scrapbooking paper, craft paper or colored construction paper

Step 3- Glue or tape ends together to form a cone

Step 4- Trace or punch circles or ovals from recycled Christmas cards and cut out; you can also use holiday cookie cutters as templates for cutting shapes

Step 5- Attach the punched or cut out card images to the front of the snack or favor cone using glue or double sided tape

Step 6- Fill the snack cones with your favorite party snack or candy and place on display

Optional- Punch two holes on opposite sides of the cone, thread ribbon through and tie to make a carrying favor or gift tote (see picture)

This year's Second Annual Holiday Cookie Exchange's theme was red, white and craft......

Upon arrival, guests were greeted with a 3-tiered display of breakfast items (muffins, croissants, breakfast breads), individual assorted fruit cups, fresh coffee and a hot cocoa bar, full of stir in options (peppermint sticks, toffee sticks, butterscotch pieces, chocolate and mint pieces and handmade marshmallows).

Everyone's cookies were neatly displayed in the dining room for the swap upon arrival. To-go containers were supplied, making it easy for everyone to take 1 or 2 of each cookie home to their families. For added silliness, Christmas photo booth props were out on display, which the hostess's two year old got a kick out of after guests departed. And as an added detail, cookie cutter favors adorned with cookie themed "Merry Christmas" tags were provided by the hostess for each guest.

Resource Credits:

Invitation, Favor Tags, Photo Booth Props and Favor Signage- Crowning Details

Hot Cocoa Bar- Williams Sonoma and Starbucks

To-Go Cookie Boxes- Container Store