Holiday

{10 last-minute mother’s day gift ideas}

May 10, 2013 By Vanessa @ {nifty thrifty things} | 8 Comments

easter_mothers-day

If you’re anything like me, you’re always running a little late when it comes to making/buying gifts..
Every time that happens, I swear I’ll be better about it next time around.
Which didn’t work this time either.. Oops!

So, for anybody out there that’s a last-minute gift maker/buyer like me, I’ve compiled a list of gift ideas that can still be made in time for Mother’s Day . For anybody else, it may be an inspiration for next year or an upcoming Birthday. ;)

DIY Lime Mint Foot Soak @ Tidy Mom

Homemade Poppy Seed Soap Recipes @ Gluesticks

DIY Herbal Bath Tea @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Decoupage Clothes Hangers @ Craft and Creativity

Vtintage Inspired Painted Mason Jars @ Live Laugh Rowe

Homemade Citrus Bath Salts @ A Pumpkin & a Princess

DIY Citronella Soy Candles @ Yesterday on Tuesday

DIY Mother’s Day Garland @ Design Mom

Blooming Monogram @ Parcel Post

Tea Bag Wrappers @ The DIY Dreamer

I’m partying here! ♥

Filed Under: Blog, Holiday, Mother's Day, top 10 | 8 Comments

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{10 easter features}

March 29, 2013 By Vanessa @ {nifty thrifty things} | 12 Comments

Since I didn’t get around to decorating or crafting for Easter this year, I decided
to dedicate a full post to feature some of my favorite Easter-related projects & recipes
from the past couple {nifty thrifty sunday}‘s.

Here’s my top 10 (in no particular order, as they are all awesome ;) ):

Toy Capsule Easter Characters @ Lizzy Jane Baby

Bunny Napkins DIY @ Sophisticated Yellow

M&M Rice Krispie Easter Eggs @ Will Cook for Smiles

DIY Bunny Ring Pattern @ JoyJonne Hooks

Five Days to an Easter Centerpiece @ Decorate With a Little Bit

Homemade Cadbury Creme Easter Eggs - Butter & Jam

Paper Bunny @ Citruz Design

Chalkboard Easter Eggs @ Ginger Snap Crafts

Easy Bunny Treat Cups @ Shaken Together

Easter Cake with White Chocolate Peeps @ Bird on a Cake

I’m partying here! ♥

Filed Under: Blog, DIY, Easter, features, Holiday, top 10 | 12 Comments

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{new year’s fortune cookies}

December 30, 2012 By Vanessa @ {nifty thrifty things} | 20 Comments

Now that we’ve left the Christmas Holidays behind us, it’s time to prepare for the next big day! New Year’s is just a couple days away.. I can’t believe we’ll be welcoming the year 2013 already! Where did the time go?!

Last Thursday I finally got to meet up with my mom again to bake, craft & hang out and we made these homemade fortune cookies with personalized fortunes.
This is a great, simple & fun baking project for your New Year’s party!

{new year’s fortune cookies}

fortune cookie from {nifty thrifty things}

By Vanessa @ {nifty thrifty things} Published: December 30, 2012

Yield: about 20

Now that we’ve left the Christmas Holidays behind us, it’s time to prepare for the next big day! New Year’s is just a couple days …

Ingredients

3 egg whites
1/2 cup powdered sugar {50g}
3 tbsp. butter {40g}, melted & cooled
1/2 cup flour {60g}
1 vanilla bean

Instructions

Beat the egg whites until they’re creamy (not stiff).
Add the powdered sugar, scraped vanilla bean, melted & cooled butter, as well as a pinch of salt and the flour.
Mix until you have a creamy batter.
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Place a tablespoon of batter onto a lined cookie sheet and spread them into a circle of 3–4 inches diameter.
Bake until they start to brown and remove from baking sheet with a spatula.
Quickly place the fortune on the cookie, fold cookie in half and then gently pull the edges downward over the rim of a glass or bowl. Let the cookies cool.

Notes

1. Make up the fortunes ahead of time. The strips of paper used should be 3 inches long and about a 1/2 inch wide.

2. Make sure you only bake two fortune cookies at a time, as it is almost impossible to form more than that before they cool.

“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”

I’m partying here! ❤

Filed Under: Baking, DIY, Gifts, Handmade, Holiday, New Year's, Recipes | 20 Comments

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{holiday heirloom recipe collection — freebie}

December 11, 2012 By Vanessa @ {nifty thrifty things} | 7 Comments

Today’s post is dedicated to my wonderful Oma. As I mentioned at the {nifty thrifty sunday} linky party, she turned 90 this past Saturday and luckily I was able to go to Berlin to celebrate with her. We had a wonderful weekend, filled with family time and festivities.

My grandma was the one who introduced me to homemade eggnog. It has been a Holiday family tradition for as long as I can remember, and finally last year I actually gave it a shot to make it myself for the first time. Delicious and super easy to make!

My aunt and I actually made some homemade eggnog for one of the gifts to my grandma. She loved it! ;)

If you’d like the see the recipe for homemade eggnog, check out this amazing Holiday Heirloom Recipe e-Book that Gwen from The Bold Abode created. It’s filled with family heirloom recipes from 16 amazing bloggers. The recipe e-book is FREE to download!

Download it by click on the image below:

Or view it online here:

What’s your favorite family heirloom recipe and what makes it special to you?

Filed Under: Baking, Christmas, Cooking, Freebie, Good Eats, Holiday, Nifty, Recipes, Thrifty | 7 Comments

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{last minute advent calendar}

November 27, 2012 By Vanessa @ {nifty thrifty things} | 18 Comments

December is approaching fast and it’s time to count down the days to Christmas. There’s nothing sweeter (literally) than counting down using an advent calendar.

If you’re looking for a nifty & thrifty advent calendar, this is the one for you! ;) Chances are that you might even have all the supplies on hand.

What you’ll need:

card stock of the color of your choice
scissors
border punch (or crazy scissors)
hole punch
ribbon
washi tape
candy

I’m partying here! ❤

Filed Under: Christmas, Crafts, DIY, Holiday, Nifty, Thrifty | 18 Comments

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{10 last-minute mother’s day gift ideas}

{10 easter features}

{new year’s fortune cookies}