101 Days of Christmas eBook

101+ Recipes & Crafts for a DIY Holiday

Mandi Ehman | LifeYourWay.net

Copyright © 2013 by Purple Martin Press, LLC

All rights reserved. No portion of this ebook may be reproduced or redistributed in any form or by any means (electronic, photocopying, or otherwise)

without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents 3

Introduction 7

COOKIES & BAKED GOODS 8

{1} Candy Cane Biscotti 9

{2} Candy Cane Brownies 11

{3} Candy Cane Cookies 12

{4} Chocolate Candy Cane Blossoms 13

{5} Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti 14

{6} Chocolate Walnut Logs 16

{7} Cinnamon-Sugar Cookies 17

{8} Cranberry-Walnut Pumpkin Loaves 18

{9} Peanut Butter Blossoms 19

{10} Peppermint Meringues 20

{11} Pinwheel Cookies 21

{12} Sugar Cookies 23

{13} Walnut Snowballs 24

{14} Bonus: Homemade Dog Biscuits 25

BEVERAGES 26

{15} Eggnog 27

{16} Hot Chocolate Mix 28

{17} Hot Vanilla 29

{18} Wassail 30

BRUNCH RECIPES 31

{19} Apple Pie Coffee Cake 32

{20} Bread Pudding 34

{21} Cranberry-Apple French Toast Casserole 35

{22} Egg & Bacon Casserole 36

{23} Bonus: Savory Cheese Ball 37

HOMEMADE CANDY 38

{24} Candied Orange Peel 39

{25} Candied Walnuts 40

{26} Chocolate-Covered Espresso Beans 41

{27} Chocolate-Covered Marshmallows 42

{28} Chocolate Peanut Butter Bark 44

{29} Cranberry Crunch Bark 45

{30} Double-Layer Peppermint Fudge 46

{31} Oreo Bark 47

{32} Oreo Truffles 48

{33} Peppermint Taffy 49

{34} Sugar Mints 50

{35} Truffles Mix-and-Match Recipe 51

OTHER SWEET TREATS 52

{36} Apple Butter 53

{37} Chex Mix, Original 54

{38} Chex Mix, Apple Pie 55

{39} Chex Mix, Caramel Corn 56

{40} Chex Mix, Cranberry Orange 57

{41} Chocolate Spoons 58

{42} Muddy Buddies 59

{43} Peanut Butter Cheese Ball 60

{44} Peppermint Chocolate Pretzel Treats 61

{45} Snowman Cake Pops 62

{46} White Ting-a-Lings 63

PROJECTS FOR KIDS 64

{47} Candy Cane Reindeer 65

{48} Clothespin Reindeer 66

{49} Felt Tree Ornament 67

{50} Handprint Calendar 68

{51} Jelly Bean Bracelets 69

{52} Jolly Elf Ornaments 70

{53} Popsicle Stick Christmas Trees 72

{54} Snowman Ornament 73

{55} Yarn Dolls 74

DIY DECOR 76

{56} Cupcake Liner Tree 77

{57} Fabric Flowers 78

{58} Fabric Scrap Wreath 79

{59} Feather Tree 80

{60} Glitter Trees 81

{61} Glittery Pears 82

{62} Glittery Pinecones 83

{63} Grapevine Wreath 84

{64} Gum Drop Tree 85

{65} Hanging Pinecones 86

{66} Popcorn Garland 87

{67} Snowy Windows 88

HANDMADE GIFTS 89

{68} Cozy Candles 90

{69} DIY Dry Erase Board 91

{70} Etched Glass 92

{71} Felt Coffee Cozy 94

{72} Felt-Covered Journals 95

{73} Fingerprint Heart Canvas 96

{74} Fleece Fringe Blanket 97

{75} Fleece Fringe Scarf 98

{76} Handprint Canvas 99

{77} Marshmallow Shooters 100

{78} Miniature Fresco 102

{79} Photo Coasters 103

{80} Winter Potpourri 105

GIFT WRAP 106

{81} Covered Jar Lids 107

{82} Fabric Gift Bags 108

{83} Fancy Paper Cookie Plates 109

{84} Felt Bows 110

{85} Magazine Bows 112

HANDMADE ORNAMENTS 113

{86} Button Ornaments 114

{87} Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments 115

{88} Embroidery Hoop Ornaments 116

{89} Monogram Ornaments 117

{90} Painted Glass Ornaments 118

{91} Photo Block Ornaments 119

{92} Salt Dough Ornaments 120

{93} Scrabble Ornaments 121

{94} String Ball Ornaments 122

PAPER CRAFTS 124

{95} Button Cards 125

{96} Covered Oatmeal Cans 126

{97} Napkin Cards 127

{98} Paper Ornaments 128

{99} Paper Snowflakes 129

{100} Paper Stars 130

{101} Stocking Letters 132

PRINTABLE CHRISTMAS PLANNER 133

ADVENT IDEAS 134

Baby Sock Advent Calendar 135

Jesse Tree Ornaments 136

Traditional Advent Kit 137

More Advent Ideas 138

Christmas Book-a-Day 138

Dry Erase Christmas Countdown 139

Printable Advent Calendars 139

Truth in the Tinsel Ornaments 140

MEANINGFUL TRADITIONS 141

Annual Ornaments 141

Deliver Cookies to Community Helpers 141

Host a Cookie Swap 142

New Pajamas on Christmas Eve 142

Operation Christmas Child 142

Ring the Salvation Army Bell 144

Sibling Gift Exchange 145

Sleep by the Christmas Tree 146

Visit a Nursing Home 146

PRINTABLES 147

ABOUT 148

Introduction My husband and I love Christmas. Not just love it…we love it.

The first year we were married, we stocked up on Halloween candy and sat in the middle of our condo on October 31st waiting for kids come to the

door…but none came. Somehow we got the crazy idea to decorate for Christmas while we waited, and we began setting up our tree right then and

there, followed by a late night run to Wal-Mart for way too many ornaments and a ton of pieces for a Christmas village.

That crazy decision morphed into a beloved tradition, and eleven years later we are those crazy people who decorate for Christmas weeks before

Thanksgiving. (Although Halloween is our limit. To decorate earlier would just be crazy, right?!)

But it's not just the décor we love; it's the traditions and celebrations and magic of the season. We like to decorate early so we can enjoy all of that for

longer, but we look for ways to make our holiday celebrations simple yet meaningful for our girls throughout the season, and we're big on annual

traditions – like drinking hot chocolate while we decorate, delivering cookies to our doctor's office each year and celebrating the advent season with an

advent wreath – that we can look forward to and enjoy year after year.

What we're not so keen on is the amount of money a family of our size can drop on Christmas gifts, décor and "stuff" during the holiday season. Instead,

we try to limit the number of gifts we're actually buying for each other, focusing on charity, handmade gifts from the heart and simple celebrations.

Two years ago, I got the crazy idea to share a new DIY Christmas idea on Life Your Way every day before Christmas…for 101 days straight. My mom

helped me and together we tested recipes, made handmade gifts and tried our hands at DIY decor. Last year we repeated the series with all new ideas,

and another tradition was born.

As we head into our third annual 101 Days of Christmas series, I've handpicked the best posts from the previous two years and compiled them into this

ebook, with additional updates and notes based on our experiences and reader feedback.

Whether you're looking for a craft to do with your children, a new cookie recipe to share with your friends and neighbors, or a simple handmade gift,

you'll find all of my favorite ideas and tutorials in this ebook. And because 101 simply wasn't enough to cover them all, I've included a few bonus sections

with even more ideas as well!

Here's to a simple but meaningful Christmas!

{3} Candy Cane Cookies

If I could only choose one cookie to bake each year, this would be it!

You see, for the longest time I had this vague memory of delicious

candy cane cookies that my mom used to make when I was little. I

could almost taste the cookies, but I couldn’t find the recipe.

A few years ago, I began testing different versions, combining them

and making adjustments until I found the perfect one. The key is the

almond extract, which gives them their unique flavor. Although

some people use peppermint extract instead (which probably makes

sense given that they’re shaped like candy canes), it’s the almond

flavor that I love!

My girls and I now make these together each year. They’re fun to

make and even more fun to eat!

Ingredients:

2 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1⁄2 teaspoon almond extract

1⁄2 teaspoon red liquid food coloring

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Whisk flour and salt together.

In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg, vanilla

extract and almond extract. Slowly add flour mixture, scraping the

sides of the bowl as necessary.

Divide the dough in half and add the food coloring to half, mixing

well. Pinch off a small ball of dough from each color and roll them

each out into a 4-5″ long rope. Set the ropes side by side and

carefully twist them together, bending one end to form the hook of

the candy cane.

Place on cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until they are just

starting to brown. Let cool on cookie sheet and then store in an

airtight container.

{76} Handprint Canvas

This handprint canvas is really easy to make, but – like the handprint

calendar and fingerprint heart – it makes a great keepsake to

remember their little hands as they grow.

Since we have four little ones, the spacing was easy, but you could

do add words to one section if you have three little ones, use a

bigger canvas and make more sections if you have more than four or

get creative (multiple prints? footprints?) if you have just one or

two!

Note: You’ll need a couple days for this project, so don’t wait until

the last minute.

Supplies:

blank art canvas

tempera paint in at least 5 colors

ruler

pencil

paint brush

Directions:

Start by dividing your canvas into even sections with light pencil

lines.

Carefully paint each section a different color. I highly recommend

letting the sections dry before painting the adjacent ones (so, for

example, you could paint the upper left and lower right sections on

day 1 and the opposite corners on day 2), especially if you’re

painting the sides of the canvas as well. Depending on the thickness

and coverage of your paint, you may want to add a second coat to

each section as well.

Once all of the background paint is dry, add a generous amount of

contrasting paint to a plate. We used white for all of the handprints,

but you could also use a different color for each print as well!

Help each of your children carefully make a handprint on their

section and then let them dry completely before wrapping.

{93} Scrabble Ornaments

Every year we give our girls a special ornament to add to their

collection. These are packed away in individual tins after Christmas

so that they have their very own ornaments to put on the tree each

year, and one day when they grow up and leave our home to make

their own, they’ll have a nice starter set of ornaments to take with

them.

I’ve been searching for ornaments with their middle names since our

third daughter was born, and I will often find a set that includes 2 or

3 of them {Joy, Grace, Faith and Hope}, but I’ve never been able to

find a set of matching ornaments with all four. Not only are these

scrabble ornaments adorable, but I was finally able to make them a

matching set with their middle names!

Supplies:

wooden Scrabble trays and tiles*

ribbon, cut into 5-6″ lengths

pencil

miter or hand saw

drill with 3/32 bit

white glue

paintbrush

*Buy a replacement set of trays and tiles here or scout your local

thrift shop and yard sales for old sets

Directions:

To start, decide on the words/names you’ll be making. Lay these out

on your wooden trays, pairing the words to make the most of the

trays. Line the letters up to the outside edges and mark the tray on

the inside edge of each word with a pencil.

Remove the letters and cut the trays with a miter saw. Then, drill a

hole in the top of each tray (we used a 3/32 drill bit).

Use a paintbrush to smooth a thin layer of white glue on the inside

of the tray and then firmly press the letters onto the tray, squeezing

them together on the sides as well.

Once dry, add a tiny bit of glue to the hole on the back and use an

open paperclip to help you push the ends of your ribbon in.

Let dry completely before hanging.