Weekend Pursuits

Just a DIY Maven who enjoys a great weekend!

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A Very Organized Christmas

I love, love, love this time of year! I always have, even as an adult and I think it is because I always aim to have my gifts bought by the beginning of November and my Christmas cards ordered by Thanksgiving. Basically, I try to get as much done, as early as possible. The keyword being aim, it doesn’t always happen, these are loose deadlines I give myself, so I can do less hustle and bustle during the holiday season and have more holly, jolly moments. So here are my tips for avoiding the Christmas Chaos…

UTILIZE YOUR CALENDAR

Calendar Christmas activities and remember to send calendar invites to family, especially those who will be traveling, since it can be a bit hectic trying to organize an activity with lots of people on short notice.

CREATE AN ACTIVITY LIST

Create a seasonal activity to do list using the reminders app on your phone. I do this for each season and write down fun activites or DIYs I want to do. I don’t always cross everything off of the list, but when I have a spare moment or a free afternoon I check the list to see what looks fun! During Christmastime, I create little cards for the activities (think make a ornament for the tree or send a funny video of you signing your favorite Christmas song to your family) and place those in my advent calendar, so my list during December is mostly DIYs and baking.

If you live in the Washington DC Area a few of the fun Christmas activities I have on my list are brunch with Santa at the Kennedy Center, visiting the Glow art installation in Georgetown, Zoolights, visiting the National Tree, listening to carolers sing at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel and seeing Santa drive around our neighborhood on a fire truck!

USE GOOGLE DRIVE TO SIMPLIFY

Google Drive is my BFF for everything, but especially during the holidays. I use it to corral mailing addresses for Christmas cards, my gift list and budget, as well as, our various holiday menus. You can create templates and use them year after year, it will save you time and also help you simplify the menu planning, card mailing and gift buying process. Plus with the information on Google Drive it is easy to access when you are on the go. If you would like to use my gift list, you can download the template here.

Flamingo Party Hats

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I am surprised that the Flamingo craze has yet to die down, but I can’t really blame anyone, since they are just so darn fun and fabulous! I crafted these hats a few years ago and never shared the tutorial on the blog, so today is the day!

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150 SUPPLY LIST

Pink Polka Dot Party Hats (Target no longer sells these, but Hobby Lobby has a variety pack with pink hats)
Pink Feathers
Pink, White and Black Card Stock
Flamingo Template (link at the bottom of post)
Scissors
Double Sided Tape
Black Sharpie
Hot Glue Gun and Glue

150 TO CREATE

  1. Print out the template provided and using scissors cut out the template shapes.
  2. Trace the template shapes onto the appropriate colored card stock — the flamingo head on pink cardstock twice, the face details on white cardstock and the beak on black cardstock — then cut out the shapes using scissors staying on the inside of the lines.
  3. Assemble the pieces of cardstock and adhere together using double sided tape.
  4. Using a black sharpie add an eye to the flamingo head.
  5. Make a bend (approximately 1/2″) at the bottom of the flamingo neck, insert the bent part of the cardstock into the slit on the side of the party hat to see where it looks best.
  6. Once you are satisfied with the placement, apply double sided tape to the folded part of the card stock and secure it to the inside of the hat.
  7. Using hot glue, attach a few feathers on the side of the hat to resemble wings.
  8. Place the party hat on top of your head and let’s flamingle!

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Flamingo Party Hat Template

 

Football Tic-Tac-Toe

Keep the littles entertained during the big game with this cute football-themed game of tic-tac-toe! I repurposed some astroturf samples to create the grid for tic-tac-toe. With the playing field set and theme appropriate, I turned to the game pieces. Since football plays use x’s and o’s I kept things simple and created playing pieces out of white cardstock.

Football Tic-Tac-Toe Game

150 SUPPLY LIST

White Cardstock
Clipboard
3 AstroTurf Samples
Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
Scissors

Football Tic-Tac-Toe Game
150 TO CREATE

  1. Cut the astroturf samples into quarters. Football Tic-Tac-Toe Game
  2. Layout the AstroTurf squares into a 3×3 grid pattern onto the clipboard, when you are satisfied with the placement glue the squares onto the clipboard.
  3. Using scissors cut x’s and o’s out of the white cardstock, you will need 5 x’s and 5 o’s.

Football Tic-Tac-Toe Game

Football Tic-Tac-Toe Game

COOK

COOK

CELEBRATE

CELEBRATE

CREATE

CREATE

CHEERS

CHEERS

PARTY SUPPLIES FOR PARTY ANIMALS

PARTY SUPPLIES FOR PARTY ANIMALS

#everypartyneedsapiñata, but sometimes you don't have time to make one, feel free to visit my Etsy shop and request a custom piñata or anything else you have seen on my blog!