Holiday Roundup: 20 Great Gift Wrapping Ideas

It's another holiday roundup...and this time around I'm going to let the images and links speak for themselves. I hope there will be at least a few ideas that make your eyes twinkle. Tomorrow's roundup will feature Free Printable Gift Tags! Woohoo! See you then. xo Ez

1. Woodland Holiday Wrapping from Odessa May Society | 2. Transform Paper Bags Using Stamps from Home Life, photographed by Andrew Lehmann | 3. Simple DIY Bow from Brunch at Saks | 4. Music Sheets as Simple Gift Wrap from French Larkspur (via Kelly) | 5. Draw Your Own Bows from Nice Package | 6. Repurposed Sweater Christmas Wrap from Boxwood Clippings | 7. DIY Fabric Bag Closures from Scissor Variations | 8. Decorative Paper Bands with Store Bought Swag from The Roudy Stroudy's | 9. Quick Champagne/Wine Bottle Wrap from Martha Stewart | 10. Yarn as a Gift Embellishment from Better Homes and Gardens

11. Vintage Photo with Jute Twine and Punched Paper Tags from Nice Package | 12. Newspaper Gift Bows from Taste of Home (via Pamela) | 13. Quick Wrapping Ideas by Amy Merrick for Design*Sponge (via Dawn) | 14. Paper Doilies as Gift Toppers from Susannah T. | 15. How to Make a Gift Bow from 100 Layer Cake (via Nikki) | 16. Gift Wrapping Tips from The Pink Couch | 17. Recycled Grocery Bag Wrapping from Mer Mag (via Liz) | 18. Bow-tie Pasta Gift Bows from Real Simple, photo by Lucas Allan | 19. DIY Waxed Paper Pom Poms from Nice Package | 20. When in Doubt a Red Ribbon Always Looks Great from Petit Elefant (via Jodi)

If you're up for more wrapping goodness, be sure to check out the Gift Wrapping Project gallery here on Creature Comforts:

Painting With Light - My Daughter's Photos

Last Saturday I decided to try to capture the huge display of holiday lights at our local outdoor shopping center. I had all sorts of sparkly visions of the photos I'd take twinkling around in my head, but was frustrated when the ones I began snapping were nothing close to what I'd been dreaming of. I tried a few more times, but then finally (bummed out), I put my camera back into the car and was ready to leave when my daughter asked if she could try to take a few photos. I told her that the low-light conditions made everything blurry and that she might have a hard time getting a clear shot of anything, but I welcomed her to try anyhow.

Immediately she started snapping away and each photo that the she took was more beautiful than the last. They weren't crisp and clear...they were far better than that! Since we were outside in extremely low-light the shutter was staying open for several seconds per shot and so any movement resulted in blurred streaks of light. She noticed this right away and began experimented with different types of movement: side to side, up and down, fast and slow, and came up with some truly gorgeous shots. The fun continued as we drove home and she captured images of the light displays on the homes we drove past.

Beyond loving what she came up with, the evening served as an important reminder for me to clear my head of that inner perfectionist's voice that says I'm not doing things "right," and to just play around and have fun! We'll definitely be doing more "light paintings" over the holiday weekend...a few might even end up on our New Years' cards. xo Ez

All images by Miss K. (my daughter)

Holiday Roundup: 16 Great Food / Recipe Gifts

Hi guys! So yesterday I started off this week's holiday roundups with 10 simple DIY gift ideas, and today I thought I'd share some great food/recipe gift links with you all. Again, I tried to find projects that were specifically on the quick and easy side of things, since I know we are all hurry-scurrying to get everything ready in time for the big day. I've also linked to a few makable goodies for those with special dietary needs (I added a note next to those links). And finally, a few of these projects don't even involve any cooking at all! I hope they will come in handy for you. xo Ez

1. Baileys Mint Truffles from Bakers Royal | 2. Fabulous Five-Minute Fudge from Better Homes and Gardens | 3. Spiced Nuts and Pretzel Mix from Wives with Knives (via Erin) | 4. Hot Chocolate Spoons by A Beautiful Mess / Can be made gluten-free (via Iris) | 5. Chocolate Almond Popcorn from Martha Stewart, photo by Lisa Hubbard / gluten-free | 6. Easy Rollo Pretzel Bites from The Queso (via Fairytale Cottage) | 7. Candy Sticks from Martha Stewart /  8. Flourless Fudge Chocolate Chip Cookies from Chocolate & Carrots / Can be made gluten-free | 9. Peppermint Meringue Cookies from Skip to My Lou / gluten-free (via Cratzine) | 10. Mulling Sachets from Martha Stewart / vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free

11. Candy Cane Truffles from Hungry Girl Por Vida | 12. Cookie Mixes in Jars from The Kitchen Finesse | 13. Peppermint Reindeer Patties with Free Printable Tags / can be made gluten-free | 14. Peppermint Bark from Martha Stewart | 15. Homemade Seasoned Salts from Eat at Home / vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free | 16. Toffee Blondie Mix from Better Homes and Gardens

Inspiration Daily: 12. 20. 11

The Hunt - Lace Art Print by Heather Landis. You can find more from Heather on her website, blog and flickr.

Holiday Roundup: 10 Last Minute DIY Gift Ideas

Hello lovelies! Did you all have a great weekend? Mine started out with a mean seasonal cold, but thankfully by Sunday morning I was feeling well again, thanks to this awesome natural cold syrup that Satsuki recommended to me over on twitter (thank you again Satsuki).

This week I wanted to start off the roundups I promised, with 10 great Last Minute DIY Gift Ideas. There are loads of handmade presents to make online, but once I started searching I realized that not many of them can actually be completed in a short period of time or without too many expensive supplies. So after a rather exhaustive hunt (and remember I was still ill at this point, so I might have missed a lot of great ones) I found these projects to share with you all. Tomorrow I'll be sharing a roundup of delicious and not-too-complicated recipes that are great for making and gifting. See you then! xo Ez 

1. Gold Paint-Dipped Faux Porcelain Bowl by Capree for Curbly | 2. DIY Tassel Earrings from In Honor of Design | 3. DIY Chalkboard Mug by Wit & Whistle | 4. DIY Tiny Polaroid Magnets from Abrosia Girl | 5. DIY Photo Transfer Candle Votives using Black and white Photocopies by Inspired Ideas | 6. Easy Silhouette Wall Art from Lowes (via Lauren) | 7. DIY Painterly Silhouettes with Free Templates by Kate Pruitt for Design*Sponge | 8. DIY Faux Italian Thumbtacks from Scissor Variations | 9. DIY Sparkle Headbands from Flax & Twine | 10. DIY 52 Things I Love About You Card Deck from DIY IYD