Christmas haul

Dave and I are blessed with wonderful families who definitely spoil us. This year my parents said they were cutting back they were still incredibly generous. Here are some of the great gifts I got:

(image source: bestbuy.com)

Dave got me addicted to Rock Band when he got home from Afghanistan last year. I enjoy it because it is something we can play together too. I am excited to play this as long as I can tear Dave away from his gift (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2).

(image source: jcpenney.com)

I am constantly struggling to find a way to store my jewelry. Right now the stuff I wear the most has a home in a tiny box on my night stand. This is a great jewelry box because it hangs on the wall and it looks nice. I hate the look of normal jewelry boxes so this is a great alternative.

(image source: staples.com)

This is one of those gifts that brings me back to my childhood. I remember teachers always having these "smelly" markers. Now that I am a teacher these are a must-have. Unfortunately, I am too cheap ($14.99 for markers!) so I asked for them for Christmas. I am excited to use them when we get back to school.

(image source: wists.com)

These might be my favorite gift this year! My ankles get very cold in the winter so these are great. I put them immediately after opening them. I'm in love. (PS. I got these in grey)

I also got a few different bracelets (three to be exact), some gift cards and some money which I can't wait to spend.

I hope Santa was good to you. Merry Christmas!

Ornament Wreaths

Merry Christmas (almost). Every year I try to DIY some Christmas presents without them looking DIY. I do this for two reasons. First, I think they are more meaningful. Second, they give me something to do during my down time. It's also a bonus if they save me money.

Last year I made personalized ornaments. They turned out nice but I needed to try something different this year. I frequently lurk (and occassionally post) on The Nest message boards. This year one of the DIY projects that kept coming up was the ornament wreath. After seeing a post on one of the boards, I was inspired to make my own. The girl who posted it has her own blog and posted the directions. Since she did a great job writing up the directions, I will not repeat them. Here is the link for her how-to.

I made two wreaths. I made a brown and gold one for myself (please excuse the poorly painted windows).



Then, I made a red, silver, and green wreath for my mom.

I actually prefer how my smaller wreath turned out over the larger one. The larger one took so much more time and ornaments. It is a good idea to use shatterproof ornaments. I did not which was fine for my wreath but a pain in the butt for the other one. I got a few cuts and had to replace many broken ornaments in the assembly process.

Overall, this was a great project. I am looking forward to making more next year.