Open Call Tuesday #35

A weekly link party to share your creativity!

A Short Break With Family and Friends

Hello everyone!

I trust the holidays have been warm and bright for most, time with family and friends abundant, and great food and fun to share with all?  We are so fortunate here to have a wonderful home, all of our needs met and more, and never a day where hunger is a concern.  That is a truly an amazing thing.

Now that Christmas has passed once again and we approach the end of 2012, I would very much like to wish all of you a happy and safe 2013.  For the next few weeks, I'll be taking a bit of a break to regroup, work on a few projects and spend time with my family.  The weekly link parties will continue and I'll try to pop on Facebook here and there, but I'm sure you can all understand, sometimes we just need to unplug for a wee bit and collect ourselves.

SaltTree has had an amazing year with lots of growth, exposure and amazing guest posters.  I can't thank everyone enough for your wonderful support and kind words.  It encourages me to do more crafts, DIY and recipes to share with you!  It does not go unnoticed :)

Be back soon & Happy 2013!

Amber

Open Call Tuesday #34

A weekly link party to share your creativity!

Gorgeous Garland~Guest post by: The Dedicated House~

Hi Loves!  I'm Kathryn from The Dedicated House.  How excited am I, to be over here at SaltTree today!  Thank you, Amber for this fun opportunity. 

 

At The Dedicated House I blog about decorating my house, cooking, baking, painting anything I can get my hands on, and sewing.  On Monday I host a weekly party called Make it Pretty Monday.  It's a fun bash where you can find a ton of inspiration from decor, painting, sewing, cooking, and baking. 

Pop on in and join the fun.  When I'm not blogging, I teach private voice lessons, and run around with The Dedicated Daughter. 

Today I will be sharing my decked out banister for Christmas.  It's super easy to do, fun and festive. 

Orange Scented Pomegranate-Molasses Cake

An excellent cake to have with a cup of coffee or tea, an after dinner snack or even a morning breakfast treat.  It's a dense cake, similar to the consitency of a fruit cake, therefore, a great alternative for those who don't like fruit cake! *raises hand*

Holiday Donut Tree~Guest post by: Michelle's Tasty Creations~

Hi, my name is Michelle and I blog over at Michelle’s TastyCreations.  I am a SAHM to two wonderful kids and married to my best friend.  I've been blogging for a little over a year and food is my passion.

My blog is a cozy place where you can find easy to prepare meals to warm your family from the inside out.  Please stop by and visit for a while.  www.michellestastycreations.com

Don't you ever just get tired of the same old Holiday cookies and desserts?  Well I have a totally fun, family friendly, tasty dessert for your holiday table this year!

I have seen several different types of "dessert" trees over the years but the one I've always wanted to make was a donut tree.

$25 Pick Your Plum Giveaway!

I've got a sweet little Christmas gift for one lucky reader, courtesy of Pick Your Plum.  A $25 swag box full of crafting, fashion, baking or decor goodies just for you!

Cheesecake Puppy Chow~Guest post by: Simply Sweet Home~

Hi everyone! I'm Jerri from the blog Simply Sweet Home. I'm very excited to be here today and want to thank Amber for giving me the chance to be a part of the Christmas Cavalcade! 

My blog covers a wide range of topics for homemakers including recipes, products reviews, giveaways, and just about anything fun and creative. I also host a linky party called Friday Favorites, which is open to any and all recipes and projects! And when I'm not blogging, I sell jewelry in my etsy shop.

I'm sure everyone has had puppy chows or muddies during the holiday season. Today I've got a fun and sweet new take on this recipe to share with you: Cheesecake Puppy Chow.

Winter Decor With a Wooden Sled~Guest Post by Just Us Four~

Hi everyone! I am so excited to be posting here on SaltTree for the Christmas Cavalcade!

I'm Shannah from Just Us Four!  It's my blog about crafting, cooking and DIY'ing my way through life with my husband and two awesome kids.

Today, I have a cute little sleigh I recently made to share with you!

 For my kitchen decorations this year, I focused on bright reds and greens for the decor.

Someone keeps stealing all the m&m's from my little bowl...thieves!

One of the newest additions to the room started with this unfinished wood sled.

Open Call Tuesday #33

A weekly link party to share your creativity!

Pretty Paper Packages~Guest post by: Sew a Fine Seam~

Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With String,

These are a few of my favorite things!

One of my favorite things of the Christmas season is the packaging.  Sometimes it actually IS brown paper packages tied up with string!  Kraft boxes and red and white bakers twine - what could be more simple and beautiful than that?

I am so excited to be part of Amber's Christmas Cavalcade here at Salt Tree.  I have been following along with her blog and linking up at her weekly link parties for some time now, and when she asked for people to sign up I jumped at the chance!  Thanks so much Amber, for this opportunity!  I'm so honored to be here.

I am Jill Flory, the 'One Who Sews' from the blog Sew a Fine Seam.  I sew - obviously, I love to decorate my home, do crafty stuff, design the things I make, and blog about it all.  I would love to have you visit me at www.sewafineseam.com 

Since packaging, like I've already said, is on of my favorite things I decided to share a couple simple and fun ways I packaged things this year.  I used supplies I already had on hand, that's part of the fun for me, being creative with what I already have.

Parchment paper, stripey paper straws, clear plastic bags, red and white bakers twine, vintage bingo papers, faux boxwood pick, and my favorite stapler ever.  This stapler uses the cutest little copper colored staples - just perfect for gifts and tags.

Gingerbread Family Ornaments & Gift Toppers

It's getting closer!  Before you know it we'll all be out of time and Christmas will be here!  For most of us, our days are filled with work, our evenings getting holiday shopping done and weekly tasks, our weekends filled with family commitments and there's hardly any time to wrap gifts.  Phew!  But we find the time... we MAKE the time.  It all falls into place.

Each year I try harder and harder to MAKE vs BUY the gifts I have for others.  Honestly, buying still heavily outweighs the making, but I try.

This is an easy craft that you, or older kids can do.  Thoughtful and adorable as gift toppers, even sweeter given as tree ornaments; a 'family' to a family, or a 'couple' to a newlywed couple perhaps for their first Christmas being married.

A simple craft in a whirlwind of mayhem, aka, December.

Yarn Pom Pom Ornaments~Guest post by: Just Dawnelle~

Hi SaltTree friends! I'm super excited to be here today sharing a quick little ornament project. Before I get started... let me introduce myself...

Hi... My name is Dawnelle... (I'm hearing in my head everyone saying at once... Hi Dawnelle... Dork I know!) I blog over on Just Dawnelle all about my little life and projects. Today, I am going to share with you a super simple little ornament made out of my newest obsession... handmade pom poms!!

Open Call Tuesday #32

A weekly link party to share your creativity!

Christmas Luminary & Free Printables~ Guest post by: Let's Get Crafty! ~

Christmas Luminary & Free Printables!

Hey SaltTree-ers! I'm Christine and I share my latest adventures in random craftiness at Let's Get Crafty! I hope you'll visit me as I learn how to let go of the Army soldier in me (learn more about me here) to discover the dos and do nots of DIY. Before we go and get crafty let me just say a huge thank you to Amber for putting together this great collection of guest bloggers. I'm so excited to be among them!



Today, I'd like to rock your Christmas stockings with a traditional crafty Christmas luminary!

Christmas Light Box~Guest Post by: I Gotta Try That~

Create a magical Christmas Light Box!

Hi Everyone,  I am so excited to be here as a guest blogger for SaltTree's Christmas Cavalcade.  I want to thank Amber for this opportunity to share one of my projects with you. 

I'm Marcie and my blog is "I Gotta Try That"

I love to bake, blog, dance, craft and everything else in between. When I see something I like, I gotta try it. Hence the name of my blog.

Today I would like to share an inexpensive and simple project.

You start with any size of container or box, and I mean any container will work. The dollar store and Walmart have several size boxes right now. That is where the Santa boxes came from.

Gingerbread Ice Cream Sandwiches

I remember once when I was younger, going into a convenience store on a bitter cold winter day on my walk home from work.  I had a big craving for an ice cream sandwich.  When I got up to the counter I said to the clerk, 'must seem strange to sell ice cream sandwiches in the winter time.'  He replied, 'surprisingly, the winter is when I sell the most!'.

So to share a recipe involving ice cream when it's cold outside might seem strange to some, to those of us that like a cold treat on a cold day, it's just right.  The soft, flavourful gingerbread cookie is perfectly paired with classic vanilla ice cream, and sure to please.

Gift Some Personalized Coasters~ Guest Post by My Hand Crafted Home

Gift Personalized Coasters This Christmas!

Hi SaltTree readers! I'm Rhiannon from My Handcrafted Home.

I love making handmade gifts. Not just because of the thrill of being able to upcycle of create something new, but also because I love being able to make something unique and personal for someone I love.

I'm really excited to share this tutorial to make some personalised coasters from old tiles. Mostly because it ticks both of those boxes really well.

Open Call Tuesday #31

A weekly link party to share your creativity!

Christmas Mitten~Guest Post by: Hello Kirsti! ~

Create a Christmas Mitten!

Hello SaltTree readers! I’m Kirstin from Hello Kirsti blogging from Nashville, Tennessee. I love to craft, just bought my first house and I’m also recently engaged, so I’m excited about the crafty opportunities these two big things will bring!  Many thanks to Amber for having me and for getting us all in the Christmas crafty spirit!