Top Hat Cookie Containers

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These are so cute and fun to make! Fill with cookies, makes a nice gift.

Here’s how:

You’ll need:

How To:

Gather up your supplies. Spray paint the container black, let dry. Cut out a circle from the bottom, attach with the glue gun. Or you could use a lightweight plate to make the brim, just attach with glue. Glue a wide ribbon around the middle, securing with glue gun. Attach decorations like holly and holiday decorations.

DIY Cookie Decorating Kit

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We got our supplies at Target and Meijer.

SUGAR DECORATING KIT ITEMS: SUGGESTED ITEMS

  • Premade Sugar Cookies (Store-bought or homemade)

Customize and make it your own!

I also made these sprinkle-filled ornaments. Get them in the Target Bullseye section, Michael’s, Hobby Lobby or Amazon.


Gnome Holiday Cookie Cups

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  • Refrigerated sugar cookie dough

  • White Icing (the tube icing is easier)

  • Fresh Strawberries

  • Pink candies (Skittles are perfect for this!)

Bake the Sugar Cookies

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a mini muffin pan with cooking oil spray. It’s important to be sure the pan is well coated as these cookies like to stick. Or use muffin liners.

  • Drop one cookie into each muffin compartment.

  • Bake cookies and place pan on a wire rack to cool.

  • While the cookies are still warm, take a small scoop to gently press the cookies into a cup shape. Then cool completely before removing from the pan.

  • Wash your strawberries and cut out the crowns in a v shape. This creates a hat shape in the strawberry when turned upside down.

  • Take a fully cooled cookie cup and pipe frosting into the cup.

  • Then push a strawberry on top of the icing and add a pink candy nose just under the strawberry.

Voila! So cute and easy for the holidays!



DIY Glitter Ornaments

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Here's what you'll need to make your own glitter ornaments:

To make the ornaments:

1. Take off the hangers from the ornament
2. Squirt some floor wax in the ornament and roll or swirl it around.
3. Take the cap off of the floor shine and stick the ornament upside down on it so the extra drains back in.
4. Pour a generous amount of glitter into the ornament through a funnel.
5. Roll the ornament around so the glitter coats the inside.
6. Put your thumb over the opening and shake the ornament, making sure glitter coats the neck and any other bare spots.
7. Take the lid off of the glitter container and turn the ornament upside down on it so the loose glitter can empty back in the glitter container.
8. Put the toppers back on the ornaments.

25+ Holiday Gifts in a Jar Under $10

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Christmas Jam from A Family Feast

M & M Cookie Mix in a Jar from Celebrating Sweets

Gingerbread Man Painted jar from Knick of Time

Homemade Peppermint Oreos from I Heart Naptime

Tea Time Mason Jar from The Gunny Sack

Stove Top Potpourri in a Jar from Delia Creates

Scrapbookers Gift in a Jar from The Scrap Shoppe

Sewing Kit Gift in a Jar from Smashed Peas and Carrots

Mani-Pedi In A Jar from One Good Thing

Loves to Bake Gift in a Jar from The Gunny Sack

DIY Memory Jars from Goods Home Design

Starbucks Gift in a Cup from So Much to Dew

DIY Playdough Mix from The Frugal Girls

Hidden Christmas Gift Cards from My Homebased Life

DIY Anthropologie Mason Jar Snow Globes from Simple Craves and Olive Oil

Movie Lover’s Gift in a Jar from Yesterday on Tuesday

Ice Skating In A Jar from The Gunny Sack

Glitter Globe from Camille Styles

Pork Rub in a Jar from CincyShopper

Mason Jar Lid Snow Globe from Smart School House

Melted Snowman Hot Chocolate from Growing Up Gabel

GIngerbread Granola Gift from Five Heart Home

DIY Gift Card Snow Globes

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HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED:

DIRECTIONS

1

Start by gluing a binder clip with gift card to the bottom of a jar (make sure you choose jars wide enough to fit a gift card inside).

2

Place a small amount of cotton and faux snow to hide the bottom of the binder clip.

3

Add any ornaments or bottle brush trees to make a winter scene.

4

Close jar and tie with ribbon or baker’s twine to embellish.

Holiday Cookie Party Hosting Tips

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For several years now, I’ve been attending an annual cookie party with the girls. It's always a lot of fun! 

THE BASICS:

Ask each guest to bring a big batch of cookies. As you can see above, one year I made chocolate chunk cookies.

Another year I made my grandmother's sugar cookies.

Many times guests will want to bring a seasonal cookie, like sugar cookies, but you might want to keep it open to all kinds of cookies or even fudge!



Years ago, I found two amazing fudge recipes, one I had made last year (so I knew it was good). The peanut butter one on left is Alton Brown's recipe. This is the best peanut butter fudge I have ever had and very easy to make. On right, is Carnation Famous Fudge w/o the nuts.




Last year I made No Bake Oreo Truffles. These were extremely popular with the girls and easy to make!

You’ll need to estimate 1 dozen multiplied by the total number of guests. We typically have 8 people at our cookie exchange, so that would be 96 cookies.


You may want to provide guidelines to each baker so that you get a good cookie assortment: rolled cookies, bar cookies, drop cookies, decorated cookies. Your friends may have family recipes they wish to share.

Packaging the Treats:
Each guest should also bring copies of their cookie recipe and containers to take cookies home. Heavy-duty plastic freezer bags will work for sturdy cookies, but decorated cookies and more delicate shapes should be packaged in tins or sealable plastic containers. Provide waxed paper or parchment for separating layers of cookies.

Last year, I picked up a few inexpensive bakery boxes to package the cookies. You can find bakery boxes and more cute containers on ebay. And to add extra style to your cookies with these adorable gift tags.

INCLUDE EXTRAS:

Buy reusable tote bags and include Yankee candles, along with the cookies. When I did this last year, everyone loved getting a little something extra. You could also include an assortment of candy, stickers or another small treat.

TIPS FOR THE HOSTESS:

Before the guests arrive, put on some holiday music and light a seasonal scented candle or spray a little holiday room. This will put guests in a holiday mood!

Besides snacking on cookies, set out big bowls of popcorn and chips, the veggies and dip and an insulated server of hot chocolate and a pitcher of cider for all the cookie bakers to help themselves.

Or make a cheese quiche, with different mix-ins in each quiche!

COOKIE RECIPE BOOKLETS:

Ask your guests to mail (or e-mail) their cookie recipes to you, or collect the recipes on the day of the party. Compile the recipes into a booklet for everyone to take home! Recipe booklets can be made in Microsoft Word or if you want to do something fancier, you can create a cookbook online. Or they can write them out on recipe cards.

Or guests can create their own recipe cards by downloading a fill-in-the-blank card from Etsy. They have so many cute options!

HELP OTHERS:

Have guests bring an unopened package of store-bought cookies or canned food. You can then collect the packaged food and bring them to a homeless shelter or food pantry. We also like to make extra plates of cookies for elderly relatives who couldn’t be at the party and we drop them off later.

Pottery Barn Disney Holiday Collection

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STONEWARE SALAD PLATES

These stoneware plates are the perfect way to serve up your homemade cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve. They're dishwasher and microwave safe and match the brand's Mickey-inspired drinking glasses ($49) so you can leave him a cold glass of milk to go with the cookies.

STONEWARE MUG SET

Hot cocoa is the perfect accompaniment to a holiday movie night, and we imagine it tastes even sweeter out of the Mickey-printed mugs. The set of two is dishwasher and microwave safe (score!) for easy clean-up and re-heating.

HOLIDAY CORK PLACEMATS

After all the time you spend making Christmas dinner, the last thing you want to do is spend more hours decorating the table. These cork placemats make creating gorgeous place settings a breeze—and they're so easy to clean, too! Plus, they're sustainably sourced and made from recycled materials.

HOLIDAY GUEST TOWELS

Welcome holiday guests with a fresh set of Mickey-inspired hand towels. Whether you hang them in the powder room or the guest bath (or grab a set for both!), they're an easy way to spread Christmas cheer all over the house. The set comes with two towels that are made from sustainably-sourced materials.

HOLIDAY COTTON TABLECLOTH

If you're looking for a splurge-worthy item, consider saving up for this gorgeous holiday tablecloth. Made from 100% cotton, the 70 x 108-inch tablecloth features a sweet winter scene of Mickey and friends all the way around. Plus, you can machine wash it after the big meal.