Another Adorable Advent Calendar

How cute is this????  And you can get most of the supplies at the Dollar Tree.  My kinda project!

Go here for the tutorial.  Then loose a few hours browsing Infarrantly Creative's wonderful site!

Thanksgiving Tablecloth

Do you think I can squeeze in another craft before Turkey Day?  (The day in which I am not at all prepared for seeing as how I just realized yesterday that Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK!!!)

How neat is this idea?  A Soft Place to Land has a great tutorial for this.  I'm going to try it!!!  I happen to have a painter's cloth laying around (one that was supposed to get made into throw pillows) and paint so I shouldn't to buy anything for it.  I like a free craft! :)

Thankful Tree {tutorial}

This is our Thankful Tree.  Each leaf represents something we are thankful for.  We all take turns writing something down.  One leaf per day in November.  After we are done, I will scrapbook the project so we can look back each year and see what has stayed the same and what has changed.  

 I have wanted to do this project for awhile, but since we live in a new neighborhood there are no trees, so no branches.  Apparently it took me a couple of years before I realized I could cut branches from a friends tree.  What's that saying...can't see the forest through the trees?  Um, ya.  Take a step back and look at the bigger picture? :)  I need to do that more.  

Supplies:

Tree branches

Vase

Sand (or rocks or marbles)

String

Paper (in various fall colors)

Leaf punch

Hole punch

Scissors

Pen

How to:

I bought a leaf punch (um, 6 years ago) for another project (family tree) that I have yet to do.  I love having supplies on hand to quickly whip up a project and I already had most of these.

Go out in the yard (or a friends/neighbors....but ask first!) and cut some branches.

Put a floral frog/foam into the vase and cover with sand.  (Yes, I actually had to go buy some overpriced sand at Wal-Mart.)

Punch 30 leaves in various reds, oranges, and yellows.  Mine are patterned, textured and solids. Then punch a hole in the top to hang.

Cut 30 pieces of string to about 6".

Every day write down something you and your family are thankful for and tie it to the "tree." 

(Once I scrap the page, I'll take a picture and add to the post!)

Grocery shopping

We are all creatures of habit.  From our daily routines at home to the order we put on our socks and shoes and how we make (or not) our beds.  Have you ever noticed when you go grocery shopping, you usually go the same route through the store.  Every. Single. Time.  To save time, arrange your grocery shopping list in the order that you generally go through the store and shop efficiently, only going down the aisles you actually need. 

Kids clean up game

I am always looking for creative ways to get my kiddos to help clean up the playroom.  They are much more willing to help if it seems a little fun, right?  So, make a game out of cleaning.  Get a set of big foam dice ($1 store).  Have them roll a die and pick up whatever number it lands on.  This is a two-fer.  They can practice counting AND pick up their toys.c

Crepe Paper Flowers

How cute are these?  Wouldn't they be fun on a wreath or a lampshade?  Here is a great tutorial.  It says its a bit time consuming, but for these....it'll be worth it.