DIY Christmas Trinkets

Christmas tree Oh my Christmas tree...

If you are a Filipino, you know how happy the ambiance your house will be if you have Christmas decorations when "ber" month come along the way. Different sizes of Christmas tree - some are white and mostly are green, colorful lights and trees accessories to give life.

Though Christmas is one of the most important occasion that we are celebrating yearly, we don't need to spend too much just to make everything inside the house look stunning and extravagant. We can re-use the old Christmas decors that we used last year or recycled it to give a new look. Christmas season is your chance to be more artistic and creative, its time for another DIY-ing!
I love photos! Every time I see photos along with it are stories - good happy old days. So since Christmas tree decorations like balls and trinkets are very seldom and expensive here in Doha, I decided to do my version of Pinterest inspired trinkets.
I used photos of Doha Family from our previous Christmas - Year End gatherings. So here's another DIY to enjoy.

What you need:
Photos, Paper string, and Scissor

Choose photos of your choice and cut it depends on the sizes that you preferred.
Punch a small hole on the photo
Cut paper string according to the length that you want.
Insert the paper string on the whole and tie it.

After those easy steps....
Here is our Christmas Trinkets...

If you want an affordable, unique and full of happy memories Christmas trinkets, try this DIY.
Have a merry and colorful Christmas tree!

Write, Drop and Store

I love keeping memories! I love reminiscing the happy moments of my life and this "HAPPINESS JAR" is one way of doing it.

It's one way of always reminding us that there is something happened or someone who made our day, who made us happy.

Here are simple steps in doing your own happiness jar:

1. get a clean jar with lid

2. cut pieces of paper and have pen with you; write all the happy moments of the day, fold it and put date on the top of the folded piece of paper

3. personalized your jar - you can put you own picture, favorite quotes or bible verses

4. put it on the place you can see most of the time, so you will always be reminded to write and drop

On the end of the day of the year, open the jar and read the pieces of paper. I'm sure it will make you smile. Its important to constantly remind our self that every day there's always make us happy.

For me being happy is a blessing.

Being with people makes me happy - family, friends, colleagues, and even with the people I don't know personally. I always believe that meeting them is not accident but it God's plan for them to serve me with a purpose.

Having simple things that I really like makes me happy - bag, shoes, journal, dress, books. After working hard, we need to give ourselves a reward :)

Being with people and enjoying time with them makes me happy - a cup of coffee with friend/s, eating with family, fellowship with brethren, playing with kids, reaching out people, giving gifts. Socializing with people and spending time with people really matters to me.

I know there will be a time that those happy moments of my life will vanish on my memory but it will be always be in my heart and stored in my happiness jar :)
Its not about the jar actually but the "happiness" you write, drop, and store on it.

Its not yet late to start! :)
Let's all be happy!

God bless us

Wrap It!

Few days from now and its Christmas!

15 days to be exact...

Every Christmas season I have a "wrapping cramming dilemma" Maybe dahil na rin sa daming activities pag pasok pa lang ng Decembe. I remember one Christmas dumating na ang inaanak ko di ko pa nababalot ang gift ko for him..and siguro naman this year hindi na mangyayari yon kasi di uso ang pumupunta ang mga inaanak sa bahay ng mga ninong at ninang dito, instead sina ninang at ninong ang bumibisita sa mga inaanak :) 

Here are some ideas to try this year:

Make it colorful!

Wrap candies, pastries or other sweets using cleared plastic with designs and tie with ribbon, put gift tags as shown. If the candies that you'll put inside are wrapped already in a colorful wrapper, you can just use a plain transparent plastic.

 

 I love the idea of this one, and guess what's inside of these? its not a candy or any other sweets - coins / money. Ok na ok ito for carolers :) Instead to giving the money directly to them by hand put it into a candy style wrapper as shown.

What you have to do is to cut colorful or Christmas wrapper, place the coins or paper money inside of it, close both end or tape it. After get your clear cellophane wrapper and wrapped it. Isn't it a good twist for holiday? ^_^

Kids really enjoy chocolates and they will surely love to receive it in a cutie packaging. You can pack different kinds of chocolates or candies of your choice. Put it into clear cellophane plastic and tie it with ribbon. Make a big gift tag almost bigger than the plastic packed. Get some designs or poems that will match on whatever kind of chocolates or candies you put inside. Make the gift tag as colorful as you want. The more color you put the more kids will enjoy it!

 

More creativity! 

Wrap your gift in plain white paper, you can used bond paper depending on the motif that you want. Tie the wrapped gifts with abaca twig and put candy cane as shown. You can use ribbons also instead of twig.

 

Make it personalized!

This a good idea if the gift is for your family and closed friends :)

Wrap your gift in a plain paper - you can use newsprint or brown paper. Print a picture of the person kung kanino mo ibibigay ang gift. No gift tag needed. If you will not hand it personally to them, you can put your name below the picture or in any space that is visible to them, so they will not confuse who gave them the gift. Instead of picture you can also use their favorite bible verse, quotations or even lines in their favorite movie or books.

 

Cheap yet Chic!

 Planning to give kikay stuffs for your girl friends this holidays. Well this is a chic yet not that costly idea. Choose cosmetics or accessories tie a ribbon on it and put "tagline" that will fit on the gift itself. I'm sure they will love your simple yet kikay idea!

We don't need to spend much money for our gift to be presentable, we just need to be creative! And being creative is within us, if we will do things happily surely it will come even more beautiful than we expect.

This Christmas season may we be reminded the true essence of gift giving. As the old saying goes "its the though that counts" and its the love within the gift that matters.

Happy Wrapping!