Marie LeBaron is a blog friend who I have yet to meet in real life, but we share a passion for crafting and food and I so admire all of the crafty awesomeness she shares on her site, Make and Takes. And though Marie and my friendship is relatively new, her enthusiasm encouraged me to sign up with her and ten other bloggers for what no doubt will be a (somewhat insane) major bonding experience: a 200-mile relay run come spring (gulp). I’m thrilled that today, for the seventh installment of my Simplifying the Holidays guest blog series, Marie shares easy yet engaging holiday crafts to enjoy with your kids.

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From Marie:

We're now officially in the holiday stretch and there are presents to buy, the house to decorate, and treats to make. Here are a few fun projects we're making and taking in the next few weeks to celebrate the holidays.

Beaded Ornaments: Decorating the tree is part of the fun of decorating the house for Christmas. And all you need to make your own ornaments are beads and pipe cleaners. Create traditional shapes as shown here, create shapes for other winter holidays (e.g., a Star of David for Hanukkah), or let your kid’s imagination run wild. These ornaments are fun to give as gifts or to make to hang on your own tree. No doubt your kids will love to look back on them when they're grown up.

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Fruit Loop Garland: This is a classic holiday craft that’s fun for kids while encouraging motor development. All that’s involved is threading Fruit Loop cereal (or check stores such as Whole Foods for a natural/organic alternative) onto string. We make a lot of these fruity garlands to put on our tree, even though my kids typically eat a lot of the cereal while we’re stringing! And a tip: attach a little bit of tape to the threading end of the yarn or string (to form a shoelace type end) to help little fingers thread the cereal through. (Garland shown in first image above.)

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Stained Glass Christmas Trees: To give your windows a festive feel, try these bright and cheery stained glass trees. Simply fold green paper triangles, cut holes in them (as you would a snowflake), then add some wrapping tissue paper to the back, letting the colors shine through. Attach a brown rectangle for the tree stump and a yellow circle of paper (or a pom-pon) at the top.

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Homemade Lollipops: Lollipops are the one candy that we make every December. They are fun to make and eat, and are a perfect gift to give to the neighbors. These are mostly made and poured by me, but my kids love to help set up the sticks and watch as the lollipop liquid gets poured. You can make these with metal molds, but we like to have them come out all wonky, simply pouring them over the sticks. Click here for the lollipop recipe.

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M&M Graphing: With so many flavors of M&Ms, this is a fun taste testing activity to do with the kids. We poured all kinds of M&Ms into our bowl, then closed our eyes and picked one out. We graphed what color it was, what flavor it was, and if we liked it. This activity is a fun one to do in a classroom setting for younger or older grades, helping them have fun as they eat and learn! If you’d prefer to use a natural alternative (for example, SunSpire Sun Drops) you could change the parameters of the game to guess and graph colors.

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Marie LeBaron is the owner and founder of Make and Takes, a website sharing kids crafts, home crafts, easy recipes, and parenting tips. She’s a crafter, foodie, and mother of 3. She also loves to read, run, and blog. You can follow Marie on Twitter at @makeandtakes.

I first connected with Michelle Stern of What's Cooking two years ago, when she approached me about contributing to Boston Mamas. Though Michelle is based on the West Coast, I adore her hands on approach to cooking with kids and we walk the same green path; the geographical disparity quickly became an afterthought. It was such a pleasure to finally meet Michelle this summer, when we happened to film our segments for The Juice back to back. Just as lovely in person as she is over e-mail, though Michelle is a regular contributor to this site, given that she is one of my favorite eco-foodies, I wanted to feature her in my Simplifying the Holidays guest blog series. Today, Michelle shares a few simple yet meaningful ideas for mindful holidays gifts.

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From Michelle:

It’s nearly impossible to avoid the madness that is the holiday season. Billboards, transit advertising, mailers, and festive to-go cups are all telling us that we need to spend, spend, spend during the holidays. I love a thoughtful gift as much as the next person. And my children are already about to burst with enthusiasm for Chanu-mas (Chanukkah + Christmas). But I can’t help but think that we need to try to carve out another message. How about a few alternatives to traditional store-bought gifts this year? Each of these ideas brings the season of giving to a new level – they help the planet, teach kindness, and help those who may need a little lift, all while spending quality time with your kids.

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Cook from the Heart:

Everyone associates the holiday season with tasty goodness. For some of us that means chocolate, for others it means hot cocoa with little marshmallows or perhaps a jar of homemade seasonal chutney. Excellent gifts can be made, not just purchased. How about making some fabulous gifts from the kitchen this year? Ask your kids what floats their boat. Leaf through the pages of your favorite cookbook together, go on a grocery shopping adventure, and then blast some holiday tunes as you all cook for your loved ones. It’s a win-win situation – you get to play with your kids and make your gifts at the same time! (Plus, you will probably save some money, too…but nobody needs to know!)

My daughter and I made these BBQ spice rubs (pictured above) for holiday gifts. Pick up the spices, small glass jars, ribbon, hang tags, and a spoon if you want to fancy it up. The mixture is simple (I offer ratios since amount will depend on your number of jars):

1 part each: onion powder and cumin

1.5 parts each: brown sugar, paprika, and chili powder

0.5 parts each: coriander and garlic salt

[Also, for more food inspired gifts, check out these ideas for cookie and soup gifts jars.]

Go Green:

I wonder if Mother Earth minds that she doesn’t get any gifts for the holidays. How about we all make a pact to keep her in mind when we do our shopping this year? Here are a few ideas: cool reusable containers for kids’ lunches, nifty reusable produce bags, or a subscription to your local CSA (for yummy produce that comes from your neck of the woods instead of around the world).

Share:

People are often more sentimental during the holidays than during the rest of the year. It’s a good time to double your favorite soup recipe and drop some off at your local women’s shelter. Or you could help an entire community become sustainable by making a donation to Heifer International for a living gift in honor of your grandparents.

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Michelle Stern owns What's Cooking, a certified green company that offers cooking classes for children in the San Francisco Bay Area. When she isn't in the kitchen, she's the head chauffeur for her two children, dog walker to her two mutts, and chicken feeder for her backyard flock. You can follow Michelle on Twitter at @whatscooking.

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Image credit: Michelle Stern

I adore Melissa Massello, not only because she’s super creative and fun (plus, we share bonds over figure skating, fashion, shredding, and all things writerly), but because I’ve seen her jump from traditional employment to fulfilling her dream of launching the online magazine Shoestring Magazine, which focuses on tips for achieving the good life for less. As the first in my Simplifying the Holidays guest blog series, today Melissa shares a strategy for prioritizing and planning holiday gifting that can result in major bargains, meaningful finds, and less stress.

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From Melisssa:

As much as it pains me to see the displays on store shelves, the white snowflakes printed on red Starbucks cups, and the wintry wonderland of Overstock.com TV commercials in late October/early November, the truth is, I've always done my holiday shopping before Thanksgiving. The hard part is keeping my finds a secret until December.

Why? Well, for a bunch of reasons, some of which might only make sense to me, but they save me time, money, and most of all, stress -- that is, when I can contain my enthusiasm for my finds. Here’s how I go about my shopping:

The Bucket List

Whether due to being sentimental or simply caught up in the spirit of the season, I tend to completely overdo it this time of year. That is, unless I make a concerted effort to distance myself, setting realistic expectations about events and making an objective, uber-organized list for gift-giving -- which I review at least three or four times over a period of weeks. I use a practice my dad calls Rocks in a Jar:

Put the Rocks (family members) in first, the Pebbles (friends, close colleagues, extended family) in second, and the Sand in last (co-workers, obligatory nice gestures). If you take the hour or two to do this, you'll absolutely have room for everything -- both financially and emotionally -- no matter your budget or busy schedule. Assign realistic dollar values for each of the three buckets and then make each of those dollars count.

A wise editor friend in NYC once told me to actually take out the cash for my entire holiday shopping budget, then stash a few notes for each present in separate, labeled envelopes, then spend no more than that amount – for example, one envelope marked Mom with $50, one for Husband with $100, etc. This tactic works incredibly well for mall shopping, but for online shopping or a combination of resources, my secret weapon is a $1 iPhone app called Better Christmas List. A good, old-fashioned list (in whatever form lists work best for you) will do, too.

If you start early enough, you can focus on finding one or two "perfect" presents each week until the holidays, as well as hunt down the best deals and best value products through a combination of sales, customer reviews, and retail coupons. It all feels a lot less overwhelming mentally, and a much smaller burden on the weekly paycheck, to break it up over time. You might even find, as I do, that you ENJOY it and get to share in the magic of the season, not just the materialism of it. You might even find you have time to bake cookies and pet treats from scratch, the byproduct of being organized that I found most memorable last year -- and which make great, cost-effective gifts for the people on your list in any Bucket.

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Melissa Massello is co-founder and Stealfinder-in-Chief at Shoestring Magazine, where she brings bargainista tips with new media tricks to the masses online. You can follow Shoestring on Twitter at @shoestring or fan Shoestring on Facebook.

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Image credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Last week I attended a media event hosted by Stop & Shop and similar to last year, where I came away with lovely ideas for easy and green holiday décor, I left with some good ideas related to holiday gifting and decor. Specifically, I was reminded of the beauty and ease of prettily packaged food gifts and was introduced to a couple of floral tricks that no doubt will come in handy when I host Thanksgiving later this month.
Food Gifts:

Given my minimalist mantra, I refuse to give random stuff during the holidays; instead opting for the usable and edible, such as lovely handmade soaps, yummy food, etc. In the past I have made layered cookie and muffin mixes in glass jars with ribbon and paper labels, and Stop & Shop reminded me of this idea (with a chocolate chip cookie jar recipe) and also planted the seed to take the idea to a savory level (with a country soup jar recipe). I didn’t assemble a soup jar, but I did assemble and take home a cookie jar (which, by the way, is blissfully easy even if you don’t consider yourself crafty) and Laurel and I ended up using it this week in the midst of a bad mojo emergency. Though I love baking from scratch with Laurel (she adores all of the steps of measuring and adding ingredients), I must say that given our moods, it was pretty excellent to have a fast project with quick rewards. Simply dump the dry ingredients in a bowl, add a few wet ingredients, and bake; the end result is delicious.

Floral Tricks:

Regretfully, I didn’t manage to snap pictures of the flower arrangement I created, but I came away with two terrific takeaway tips that will make a basic arrangement (mine was of mums, gerbers, and alstromeria) look super special. First, add an unusual adornment, such as a few stems of wheat or cattail (procure from floral department or craft store). Second, add fresh cranberries to the water for an awesome visual and to keep the stems in place while you arrange the flowers. Even my mom complimented my arrangement (and she's actually taken flower arranging courses).

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On a total aside, this event took place at Upstairs on the Square, where a truly spectacular caramel apple bread pudding with cinnamon ice cream dessert was served. If anyone has the capability to procure this recipe – or one like it – for me, I will forever be indebted to you.

Despite my clean approach to food, I still periodically long for – but abstain from – classic (i.e., preservative laden) childhood confections. So I was more than a little intrigued to learn about Plush Puffs gourmet marshmallows. And more than a little happy that these pretty little puffs deliver. They’re all natural (you can, in fact, pronounce the entire ingredient list) and they hit the spot, whether squished inside a s’more, used as a surprising sundae topping (Laurel went berserk over this), or dropped into a steaming mug of hot cocoa (my favorite). To the latter effect, I'm thinking Plush Puffs paired with quality hot chocolate will make for excellent holiday hostess gifts this season.

Now, want to win goodies from Plush Puffs? Here's how:

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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winner WM!
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Visit the Plush Puffs store locator page, then email contests@bostonmamas.com (with ‘Plush Puffs’ in the subject), and name a store where you can purchase Plush Puffs.

One entry permitted per person; US residents welcome to enter.

Entry period closes at midnight EST, Sunday, November 15, 2009.

*One lucky winner (drawn using Random.org) will receive a Plush Puffs Marshmallow Indulgence Gift Basket (value: approximately $49.99). This gift box includes six different flavors of Plush Puffs gourmet marshmallows.

In these days of excessive paper junk mail and bills, few things delight like real mail, whether it be a penned note or a party invitation. And today, Tiny Prints contributes to our online birthday party with a $100 gift certificate towards a stylish batch of personalized paper goods, such as summer party invitations, thank you cards, or moving announcements. Simply check out the rules below and leave a comment on this giveaway to enter to win.

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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winner Stephanie A.!
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Rules:

Include your name and email in the appropriate fields so we can contact you if you win (your name but NOT your email will be published with your comment. Including just first name or first name + last initial is OK.)

One comment permitted per person; US & Canada entrants welcome.

Anonymous or SPAM-like comments will be discarded.

Entry period closes tonight at midnight EST, Wednesday, July 30, 2008.

And now for our weekly dose of web highlights from some of our stylish blog partners:

Clever Parents reports on their Operation Shower online book fair in partnership with Usborne Books; this program will benefit moms-to-be whose husbands are deployed. Car & Caboodle highlights 10 reasons why all moms need an iPhone. Coochicoos presents 5 fresh baby photo announcements. And you could win a $100 BusyMommi.com shopping spree at MomFinds, and a Skip Hop splash bottle drying rack at One Chic Mama.

If your kid needs a little inspiration to stay engaged at the dinner table, consider the personalized plates at My Clean Plate Club. Including a colorful collection of dishwasher safe designs for kids and monogram loving grown ups, today, My Clean Plate Club contributes to our online birthday party with a set of two of their 10" personalized melamine plates. Simply check out the rules below and leave a comment on this product to enter to win.

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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winner Mary J.!
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Rules:

Include your name and email in the appropriate fields so we can contact you if you win (your name but NOT your email will be published with your comment. Including just first name or first name + last initial is OK.)

One comment permitted per person; US entrants welcome.

Anonymous or SPAM-like comments will be discarded.

Entry closes tonight at midnight EST, Thurdsay, July 24, 2008.

Today, April reviews a simple and stylish gifting solution in Dani Note’s personalized stickers. Read on for her review, as well as to learn how to win a set of personalized note cards with matching gift stickers from Dani Notes!
“I really love cards but I never remember them. Ever. I can juggle an amazing array of activities and projects, but this one always stumps me. We are those people who have a blast shopping for a present, make it a family affair to wrap it, and then have to scrawl on it with a Sharpie once we get where we’re going. I decided not to stress about it and let it go. Cards always fall off, anyway, right? Stickers are much, much better.

We picked out simple bird motif stickers printed with our daughter’s name from Dani Notes. We’ve stuck them onto presents and packages (and even to seal up a brown-bag lunch). Our daughter has an accent in her name, and sometimes that gets translated into an apostrophe or is left out entirely, but Dani Notes got it perfectly right. I expected the sticker to be slightly glossy, but the paper is matte, making it easy to write on with a pencil, a ballpoint pen, or a crayon. That’s in case we want to add a little message to the already adorable bird.

Now, even though we might forget the card - which we will, without fail - the recipient isn’t left in that awkward position of wondering who to thank or who the gift is from. You also don’t have to be on hand to holler out, “Oh, that one’s from us!” when they pick up your skillfully wrapped cadeau. Also, we save them the pretense of carefully opening and reading each card before tearing into the wrapped present. That seems too much to ask of young kids - or grandparents.

With a wide array of images, like boats, alligators, and birds, most kids’ styles are covered. I’m thinking of going back and getting some of the more grown-up styles with the family name.

Oh, and for those of you who can remember cards, check out the note and enclosure cards. Like the stickers, they come in kid, monogram, and grown-up styles.”

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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winner Jill D.!
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Now, want to win a set of note cards with matching gift stickers from Dani Notes*? Here’s how:

Visit the Dani Notes website, then email contests@bostonmamas.com (with ‘Dani Notes’ in the subject), and name a favorite design.

One entry permitted per person; US entrants welcome to enter.

Entry period closes at midnight EST, Friday, July 18, 2008.

*The winner will receive a set of note cards with matching gift stickers of their choice.

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And for those who wish to shop now, use code SHOPBM for a 15% discount on your order.