5 Adorable Elf on the Shelf Ideas with Oriental Trading

Disclosure: As a member of the Oriental Trading Fun Squad, I received compensation and/or products in exchange for my styling and crafting services. Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Our little elves come on the first Saturday in December and just wait until you see what they're up to this year!  Oriental Trading has the best selection of  Christmas products to get those creative juices flowing. 

Our elves love coming to our house to see how we celebrate Christmas throughout the month of December and they love to show us a few fun things too!

Did you know there are lemonade stands at the North Pole? It's true!

Our little elf, Paprika, brought her frosted lemonade stand all the way from Santa's Workshop to whip up a delicious frosted beverage. The lemonade stand is the perfect size for elves so just add a few treats and the "You're My Main Squeeze" printable (found below) and your elf is ready to delight your little ones with a yummy, frosty surprise!

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Lemonade Party Cupcake Stand

Craft Snow

DIY Unfinished Wood 3D Stand-Up Trees

Pink Elf

You're My Main Squeeze printable

Just because they're cute little elves doesn't mean they don't have chores too! They work hard just like the rest of us and here we have spotted Paprika doing laundry. She's been toiling away all day washing and drying her tiny elf attire to get ready for the big day! 

Whew! Elf laundry is hard work so Paprika is taking a much deserved break. 

   Shop this idea:

                                                                      

   Whimsical Christmas Elf Outfit Ornaments

DIY Unfinished Wood 3D Stand-Up Trees

Pink Elf

Red Bakers Twine

Mini Clothespins

This would be a fun elf arrival idea! Place your elf inside a mini red mailbox, cut out and attach the North Pole stamps (printable link below) and place a tiny letter in the elf's hand. 

For a little extra surprise, place the mailbox inside the freezer so it's ice cold once the kids open it! It came straight from the North Pole after all... so it's got to be chilly!

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Red Mailbox Favor Container

Large Candy Canes

Red Sisal Trees

North Pole Postage Stamps printable

Donut worry, I'm back! Here's another sweet idea for an elf arrival. Place your little elf on a pile of plush donuts and fill a tiny box ( I made mine with a Cricut Machine ) with mini donut erasers.Then place the donut printable (found below) on top of the elf.  The kids will be so surprised with these cute elf-inspired goodies!

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Plush Donuts

Mini Donut Eraser Assortment

Pink Elf

Donut Worry, I'm Back! printable

An elf sized sleigh is perfect for carrying a little bag of treats from Santa to surprise the kids! 

I got this idea from my amazingly talented friend Jessica from Everyday Party Magazine.  Check out her cute post HERE on how to put these darling bags together. I've added a link to the Santa Mail SVG below! 

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DIY Unfinished Wood Sleighs

DIY Mini White Linen Drawstring Treat Bags

Craft Snow

Santa Mail North Pole Express SVG

Pink Elf

Cricut Machine

I hope you enjoyed these Elf on the Shelf ideas as much as I did putting them together! 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Adorable Hand Warmers with Cricut EasyPress 2

With freezing temperatures well on their way, hand warmers are a welcome gift for anyone this winter. I made these sweet penguin and tree hand warmers for my daughter to take on those chilly morning walks to school. She loves having  little buddies snuggling deep in her coat pocket that are warm and toasty.  

Today I'm using the new 6"x7" EasyPress 2 which is perfect for small projects like this. 

Speaking of EasyPress 2, did you know they now come in three different sizes? 

The new sizes are:

 Small 6 x 7 inches 

Medium 9 x 9 inches

Large 12 x 10 inches

If you're wondering what the difference is between the EasyPress and EasyPress 2, here are a few new improvements that make the EasyPress even better! 

• The new EasyPress 2 remembers the previous press time and temperature. No longer will you need to reset the time and temperature with each project. This comes in extremely handy when you're making a big batch of shirts!
• It gets hotter! The EasyPress 2 has a max temp of 400°F (the EasyPress 1 has a max temp of 350°F).
• The new EasyPress heats up to 25% quicker than the EasyPress.
• A new safety base that will keep whatever it's on up to 60°F cooler.
• The EasyPress 2 has a USB port for firmware updates.
• The color on the EasyPress 2 is now a beautiful raspberry red!

 From making tiny onesies to oversized hoodies and blankets, you're bound to find a size that works for you!

  Let's get started on these little cuties, shall we?

Open Cricut Desing Space and cut out the penguin and tree images using felt on your Cricut Maker. 

Cut out all the small pieces of iron-on that you'll be using as well. Make sure you cut out a front and back side of each design you use for the hand warmers. 

Position the cut out iron-on image on top of the felt.

Set the EasyPress 2 to 250 degrees for 30 seconds and place on top of the iron-on.

Once the time is up, allow the piece to cool and then carefully peel off the plastic backing.

Repeat this step with each piece of iron-on until all the pieces have been placed onto the felt.

Sew around the perimeter of your piece and be sure to leave a small opening for the rice. 

Once you've added the rice, hand stitch the opening up so the rice doesn't fall out. 

Now your little hand warmers are all ready to go! Place them in the microwave for 20 seconds so they're nice and warm. 

Your kids will love these snuggly buddies to keep their hands toasty this cold winter!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.

Christmas Gift Idea for Neighbors

 This post contains alliliate links. 

I'm always looking for quick, adorable and inexpensive neighbor gift ideas for Christmas. If you have a lot of neighbors, it can start to really add up and become ridiculously expensive! 

Put together a darling hot cocoa dish towel, bright Christmas coffee cups, and a packet of hot cocoa tucked inside the cup! Your neighbors will love this sweet gift and you'll love not spending a ton of money. 

I found 10 pack flour sack towels at Walmart for only $7.88 and knew they'd be perfect to use for neighbor gifts.

To create the towel, cut out the hot cocoa image in Cricut Design Space using your Cricut Explore Air 2 and Everyday Iron-On in Ocean Blue.

After the design has been cut out, place the image on the center of the towel and using your EasyPress 2, adhere the image onto the dish towel for 30 seconds at 250 degrees. 

After the iron on has cooled, peel off the plastic backing paper and that's it! You're all set to hand out these adorable Christmas dish towels!

Don't forget to add a packet of yummy hot chocolate to the cups!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Package From Santa

I was provided the sample free of charge to provide my honest opinion. No other type of compensation was received for this review. Be sure to check out the special offer at the end of the post!

Christmas is magic and when you're a 7 year old little girl, you believe with all your heart that Santa is real. You can imagine the pure joy that swept across our daughter's face when she received a Package From Santa in the mail! The return address is straight from the North Pole and there is even a special postage stamp with Santa's picture on it! 

Our daughter was in awe as she carefully opened this magical package sent straight from the Jolly Old Elf himself.

Inside this adorable package was an official nice list certificate signed by none other than Rudolph, Bernard Honeytree the Chief Elf and Santa Claus! This bona fide certificate has an official gold seal of authenticity and the hoofprint of Rudolph. You know it's the real deal when Rudolph has signed your official nice list certificate! 

Santa even sent her a personalized flight plan to show her that our house was his first stop on Christmas Eve!

Imagine how excited your kids will be knowing that their house will be Santa's first stop! There's even an option to add your child's photo to the flight plan to make it even more personalized! 

She read in wonderment at the personalized letter Santa sent to her. He talked about some of her favorite things to do, her favorite food and her best friends! She felt so special that Santa knew her personally and was proud of all her accomplishments throughout the year.

And finally, an actual photo of the Big Man himself! Mr. Claus sent her a fun and festive Christmas picture of himself in his sleigh with his trusty elf sidekick! What a thrill to have Santa know you personally and send you an adorable package filled to the brim of exciting Christmas gifts! Our daughter was so excited and has not stopped talking about her gifts from Santa. This has now become a Christmas tradition and we can't wait until next year to see what Santa sends!

In addition to this amazing package from Santa, you will also receive a personalized phone call AND video from Santa! It is the cutest thing and my daughter has been watching her video over and over again. She was thrilled to have her photo on the wall of nice kids in the video! It's just too much fun and you've got to order one for your kids, they'll be in complete awe at this magical gift from Santa!

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Package From Santa

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Give the one-of-a-kind memorable EXPERIENCE of receiving a Package From Santa! 
Every Package From Santa includes both tangible & technological delights including: 
* a personalized Santa Letter that arrives in the mail
* a personalized VIDEO starring your child via email
* a personalized PHONE CALL
* a personalized printable NICE LIST GUIDE
* and the option to upgrade with MORE goodies! 

Get 25% off every package you order using code FAM2060
This uniquely personalized gift experience creates Christmas wonder and excitement that your child will never forget! 
Have your camera ready to video every step of this special Santa experience! It all starts at the mail box when the Package From Santa arrives from the North Pole! Delight in the process of making Christmas magic come alive in a very personal way for your child, grandchild, niece, nephew, or any little one you know! 

This esteem-building personalized gift is an amazing experience of joy, memories, wonder and happiness! 

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- FREE Personalized printable NICE LIST GUIDE

Order this holiday must-have for your child at  Package From Santa
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Golden Bell Scavenger Hunt

This post is in partnership with World Market, a brand I love. All opinions are my own.

Are you ready for some fun holiday adventure?

Cost Plus World Market is having a Golden Bell Scavenger Hunt with over $1.8 million in total rewards!

Check out the quick overview of the scavenger hunt:

Head to your local Cost Plus World Market and find a Golden Bell inside the store.

I'll share a daily clue at 8am every day on my Instagram page so be sure to head over and check it out!

If you find the Golden Bell, you could receive a $10, $20, $25 or $50 reward just in time for holiday gift

giving!

The scavenger hunt will be held between November 1 – December 9 so you've got plent of time to shop in store

for fabulous gifts for friends and family and of course, something amazing for yourself!

Game 1 will hide 4 Golden Bells inside the store from the time the store opens until 3pm. If you can't make

it during that time, don't worry! There will be a 2nd game with 4 hidden Golden Bells

inside the store from 4pm until the store closes. So head into Cost Plus World Market and get all of your

holiday shopping finished early and who knows, you just may find that magical Golden Bell!

Sound like fun? Here's how to play:

Every day beginning Thursday, November 1st through Sunday, December 9th, your local

Cost Plus World Market store will hide 8 Golden Bell pieces throughout the store.

Who doesn't love a good scavenger hunt? Especially one with a fantastic prize!

Each day at 8:00 am ( set your alarm!), I'll share a daily clue on my Instagram page. Use that daily clue to help you find a Golden Bell piece and you could receive a reward!

Find (1) Golden Bell piece and bring it to the nearest store associate to exchange for a reward coupon

worth $10, $20, $25 or $50. How awesome is that? Just think of all the treasures you'll find in the store for

the holidays!

Reward is valid only on the day it is awarded.

Limit (1) reward per person throughout the promotion period

(11/1/18 - 12/9/18, regardless of store location(s) visited.

EMPLOYEES and DESIGNATED SHOPPERS NOT ELIGIBLE.

See Participating Stores

See Rules

Good luck and happy shopping!

Here is your first clue! 

Dress up your home this holiday season with dazzling gold decor for all of those fabulous get-togethers and parties. From gorgeous gifts for loved ones to stunning gold holiday decor, Cost Plus World Market has everything you need to make your holidays merry and bright!

I wanted to share a few of my favorite things this holiday season from Cost Plus World Market .

Gold is always in style and here are some beautiful essentials for all your holiday entertaining needs. 

From a Gold Agate Cheese Knife Set to Golden Dinosaur Ornaments (those are definitely a NEED!) you're bound to find a treasure for your holiday home!

I love shopping at my local store in Cottonwood Heights for unique holiday gifts and delicious food from around the world. If you're not local to Utah, be sure to check out the store locator page to find the Cost Plus World Market closest to you.

SHOP THIS POST

1.Gold Agate Slice 3 Piece Cheese Knife Set

2.Metallic Gold Patterned Porcelain Salad Plates Set Of 2

3.Gold Napkin Rings Set Of 4

4.Gold Metal Snowflake Ornaments Set Of 2

5.Gold Stemless Glassware Collection

6.Gold Hammered Chargers Set Of 4

7.Gold Metallic Pine Needles Napkins Set Of 4

8.Gold Foil Merry Christmas Boxed Holiday Cards Set Of 15

9.Gold Dinosaur Ornaments Set Of 4

Mickey Mouse Halloween Party

Every year during the month of October, our family gears up for our annual vacation to Disneyland to enjoy all the Halloween festivities the park has to offer. From the spooky-cute attractions and parades to the deliciously spootacular treats, we think it's the best time of year to be in Disneyland. 

To ramp up the excitement before our trip, I thought it would be fun to throw a Mickey Mouse themed party before we headed to The Most Magical Place on Earth! 

My daughter invited a few of her buddies over for a fun-filled afternoon with lots of yummy treats and activities. 

This adorable candy corn inspired Mickey pumpkin was so quick and easy to create. Using a ceramic pumpkin,  I painted stripes in orange, yellow and white...just like a candy corn! Then I used my  Cricut Machine to cut out buttons and Mickey ears. I glued them to the pumpkin and that was it! So cute, right?

Make a festive Minnie and Micky banner using a  Cricut Machine (or you could alway trace and hand cut Mickey and Minnie) and string them to baker's twine. 

The kids loved this part of the party! I cut out Mickey ears using yellow vinyl and attached them to small plastic jars. I then filled the jars with white, yellow and orange playdough and tiny pumpkin cookie cutters.

The kids loved cutting mini pumpkins out of the playdough and had a ball making their very own little pumpkin patch.

Of course you can't have a party without some yummy treats! Leigh from Baby Gabey Cookies created these adorable Mickey and Minnie sugar cookies and threw in a couple spooky-sweet ghosts and jack-o-lanterns too!

The kids left the party with sweet orange gingham Mickey and Minnie goodie bags filled with Halloween treats and toys. 

I hope you enjoyed this Mickey Mouse inspired Halloween party! 

Have a Happy Halloween!

For more Halloween inspiration, check out these fun party posts! 

Trick or Treat Party

Edgar Allan Poe Halloween Party