Decorate Up a Jar + Pecan Ball Recipe by Kathy

Christmastime is sweets time! Hi Doodlebug fans! Kathy Martin here today to share a gift giving idea with you...treats in a jar. Whether you whip up something in your own kitchen or fill a jar with your favorite candies, these goodies make delicious gift for your neighbors!

 I filled this jar with home-baked snowballs, otherwise known as pecan balls. These irresistible powdered sugar dusted cookies are a household favorite! And I love how easy they are to make, requiring just a few ingredients!

Pecan Balls

1 Cup Butter

4 Tbsp. Sugar

2 Cups Ground Pecans

2 Cups Sifted Flour

1 Tsp. Vanilla

Powdered Sugar for Dusting

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Beat together butter and sugar. In a food processor or blender, finely grind pecans and add to butter mixture. Mix in flour 1/2 cup at a time, being sure to scrape down your bowl. Add vanilla.

Using a tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop balls onto a lined cookie sheet then roll gently in palms to make round. Bake for 11-12 minutes, until slightly browned. Cool for about 10 minutes before rolling in powdered sugar.

Doodlebug's Home for the Holidays glittered snowflake paper and the 'let it snow' tag matches my snowball cookies perfectly!

Here's the lid. Cute, huh? Love the badges!

Some years I make ornaments to go with my treats...something to hang on the tree and enjoy year after year.

Using the same papers and snowflake theme as the goody jar, I decorated this star shaped cookie cutter. I simply used a foam brush to apply a thin layer of Aileen's craft glue around the edge of the star and applied a strip of patterned paper. Then came the decorations...tag and snowflake die cuts along with a sticker, rhinestone, baker's twine and jingle bells. That's it! Super simple! 

Sweet & Simple Holiday Gifts by Sherry

 Each year, I organize gifts for the neighbors, my co-workers and the kiddos' teachers.  They usually consist of small things I pick up throughout the year or treats to make the holidays sweeter.  This year, as the cold weather arrives in central Texas, I decided to whip up some hot cocoa gift boxes for those special folks in our lives.  

The gift will consist of a cup with homemade hot cocoa mix, mini chocolate chips, marshmallows, graham crackers and ornaments.

I made homemade hot cocoa mix and placed it in a snack-size plastic bag, then added it to a clear pillow box with some mini chocolate chips.  To finish off the container, I added a cut doily, a strip of green doodlebug design cardstock and a sticker, all tied together with the Christmas doodle twine.

I chose a simple white mug without pattern so that it would fit in the recipient's cupboard of other mugs.  But, I knew I did not want to leave it plain when assembling this gift package.  I added a strip of chevron paper from the home for the holidays collection wrapped around the mug, then held in place with a house sticker and fancy frills border sticker.

 

The cute pixie combinations are perfect for showcasing the marshmallows.  I simply added a round topper to the pixie with Christmas doodle twine and added stickers to the other pixie.  So cute.

 This box --- this box is a fave.   I deconstructed a takeout box from an Indian kitchen.  It was super simple to make using only one sheet of 12x12 cardstock.  I added the mini box die cut and a house doodad as a closure.

The side view of the box.

 Inside the box, are the ingredients for a fun mug o' cocoa.  I tied up the graham crackers with the Christmas twine [a must have this holiday season!] and an adhesive tag from the cardstock sticker sheet. 

I also added in a small gift bag, made from a 3"x6" piece of patterned cardstock, filled with mints.

The hot cocoa gift ensemble includes various items for warming your neighbor's heart this holiday season.   Are you sending a small gift of appreciation and joy to your neighbors or co-workers this season?

Happy holidays!

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Hot cocoa

Place 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa powder in sauce pan and add 1/2 cup hot water.  Bring to a boil.   Add in milk and heavy whipping cream to taste.  Top with whipped topping and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.  

Super Quick & Easy Neighbor Gift Ideas

We are so excited to be sharing fun ideas for co-worker, neighbor and friend gifts featuring our Home for the Holidays Collection. Our Design Team has done a wonderful job and we can't wait to share with you!!

by Wendy Sue Anderson 

Let’s be honest, we all have so much to do to prepare for the holiday season. Sometimes we just can’t do it all. As much as we’d like to make everything from scratch, sometimes we have to resort to store-bought goodies for our neighbors, friends, and teachers. Don’t feel guilty about not making every little thing from start to finish – but consider adding a homemade touch by creating handmade packaging for your little gifts. Here are some quick and easy ideas for doing just that!

Almost everyone loves a good cup of hot cocoa on a cold evening. Create a little pocket from patterned paper to tuck the cocoa packet into. Embellish with more patterned paper, stickers, a pixie, and a candy cane for good measure!

  

My kids love chewing gum. Most of their friends do too. Having a pack of their very own is definitely a prized gift! This is simple enough for the kids to make for their friends – simply wrap a strip of patterned paper around a pack of gum. Add a cute sticker and a tag tied with baker’s twine - so easy and oh so cute!!

Peppermint Crunch Junior mints are one of my all-time favorite holiday treats (I wish they made them all year round!). Adding a 4x6 card from the album insert booklet is the perfect way to embellish this box of goodies!

Flavored Soda is fun treat to share! Simply wrap patterned paper around a bottle of red (or green) soda. Add a sticker label, tag, and pixie to embellish the front.

You know what they say…”put a tic tac in your mouth and get a BANG out of life!” Giving a pack of holiday colored tic tacs is a sure way to make someone happy! Wrap washi tape around the top part of the container and place a cute sticker on top. Create a tag with patterned paper and attach the tic tac box directly to the tag. There’s plenty of room to add a name or greeting below the box. This would also be a cute gift topper!

 

I hope these ideas have inspired you to give yourself permission to relax a bit – don’t stress – and have fun decorating some store-bought, sure-fire delicious treats for the holidays!