DIY crafts - 804 Sycamore

November 20, 2022

Modern Boho DIY Christmas Countdown

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and I am adding to the excitement with this modern boho DIY Christmas countdown. Our family has always enjoyed Christmas countdowns and advent calendars to prepare our hearts for the big day. I’m sure my daughters are mostly excited to open presents, but as they grow, they grasp the true meaning of Christmas and why we celebrate, and the countdown is a fun way to bring those reasons to mind. Just the other night my eight-year-old daughter said that Christmas is about love and celebrating Jesus’ birthday. She is totally right, and even though we usually talk about God’s love for us, it’s magnified during this season as we countdown the days until Christmas. After all, it is the day this earth received its most valuable gift ever, the Savior of the world.

Making this countdown could not be easier or more affordable. Don’t get me wrong, there are so many countdowns that are darling, and some are pretty affordable, but it’s so satisfying to make your own, and the simple design is adaptable to many decor styles. You will only need a few tools: a circular saw or jigsaw to cut plywood, and a drill. You will also need a piece of scrap plywood, wooden dowel pins, a mini wreath, and number stickers or a marker to write them. I decided to stain my modern boho DIY Christmas countdown, but you could leave it natural or even paint it, whatever fits your style.

Modern Boho DIY Christmas Countdown

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Modern Boho DIY Christmas Countdown

DeWalt circular saw
DeWalt drill gun
1/4″ drill bit
Sandpaper
Ruler
Pencil
1″ painters tape
1/4″ diameter wooden dowel pins
mini wreath – I got mine in a pack from the Dollar Store
Number stickers

Modern Boho DIY Christmas Countdown

The basic steps to create this countdown are simple and something you can finish in no time at all. You can make your countdown house any size you want, maybe the size of your plywood will dictate the final size of your countdown house. I decided to space my dowels two inches apart, so I marked a 10″ x 10″ square on the plywood – nice side facing up. Then I marked the top of the roof 3.5″ up from the 10″ square and then used a ruler to mark the roof lines. With the lines drawn for my house, it’s ready to be cut. Before I cut it out, I marked the right and left sides of the house every two inches; this gives me a guide for lining up the painter’s tape. Stretch five pieces of tape all the way across at your two-inch marks. Then I took a ruler along the tape and marked five drill spots evenly spaced across the tape. Drilling on the tape can help with tear-out so mark onto the tape. Once the 25 spots are marked across all the lines of tape, you can drill the spots using a 1/4″ drill bit. The 1/4″ size matches the 1/4″ wooden dowel pins. I used one-inch-long dowel pins because my plywood is 1/2″ thick. This gives me enough space to hang the mini wreath onto the pin. Once all the holes are drilled, remove the tape and then cut out the house shape from your plywood. After the cutting and drilling are done, sand the front and back sides of the house making sure any chance of getting a sliver is gone. Once you thoroughly clean the dust off, you can stain, paint, or leave as is. I gently hammered the wooden dowel pins into each hole, then added number stickers, and displayed our new modern boho DIY Christmas countdown in the kitchen.

Modern Boho DIY Christmas Countdown – Video tutorial

It’s so easy and this project can be done with your kids help. It was very easy to gently hammer the dowel pins into the holes. A child could paint the house, and of course add the number stickers or write the numbers directly onto the house too. This is a fun project to do together and it’s a great way to teach safety when creating things, and making memories is so much fun. I decided to just lean our modern boho DIY Christmas countdown against other artwork, but you could add hanging hardware to the back, or stand it up in an easel. You have a few options based on how and where you want to display your countdown house. I like having ours right on the countertop so that my youngest can move the wreath each day and count us down to the big day. Placing it in the kitchen is also a good way to see it daily and not forget.

I love how simple this Christmas decoration was to make and how fun it will be to use each year. The simple modern boho design also makes it fit into several decor styles and have a simple timeless look that will last. I hope this post inspired you to get crafty and make your own Christmas decor. Thanks so much for checking out this post and be sure to subscribe if you enjoy DIY, design, and decorating ideas and inspiration.

November 16, 2022

Vintage DIY Christmas Advent

There are a few Christmas traditions in our home that our kids will probably never outgrow. The main one being an Advent calendar. Each year, their Advents look a little different, but the idea stays the same. Counting down the days until Christmas brings joy, anticipation, and hopefully remembrance for the day to be celebrated. Our youngest daughter recently said that Christmas is about love and Jesus’s birthday, and the love part has stuck with me. It’s not that it’s incredibly profound or unique, but it’s so simple and true. I decided to create little love notes for each day of Advent, and I would write one of the things I loved about my oldest daughter for all 24 days. This vintage DIY Christmas Advent is easy to put together and is a fun way to express your love for someone else.

Vintage DIY Christmas Advent – Free printable

Our youngest daughter, Quinn, loves words of affirmation and she’s very affectionate – she loves receiving my lunch box notes and has saved all of them. However, Quinn’s Advent doesn’t have love notes this year, instead it has a Shopkins Real Little toy or a piece of candy. I write Quinn notes all the time, we do crafts together, and have our one-on-one snuggle time together on a daily basis. But our teenager, Sawyer, while she is wonderful, she’s a tougher nut to crack. I’m not entirely sure what her main love language is these days, unless leaving her alone is a new love language in the book. So, I created these 24 Things I Love About You cards that you can print and cut to create thoughtful Advent notes.

Putting together this vintage DIY Christmas Advent is simple enough and I think your child will appreciate the handmade touch and thoughtful words put into it. I used vintage encyclopedia pages to create the Advent pouches, but you could use an old magazine, newspaper comics, scrap paper, or little paper bags. Hanging these Advent pouches from a branch is an easy and free way to display the pouches. You can number each pouch, or just leave them blank. I like using my Dollar Store twine to attach the pouches, but you could use baking twine, ribbon, yarn, etc. I created a video Pin if you’d like to watch the steps to create this Advent. Be sure to heart the video if you liked it. I also snapped some process pics to show you the folds for the pouch.

Vintage DIY Christmas Advent – Tutorial

Vintage DIY Christmas Advent – Watch how to video HERE

Vintage DIY Christmas Advent

This is a fun project to do while your children are at school or busy with something. They’ll be thrilled to see their Advent just pop up out of nowhere and the handmade touch is extra special. For Quinn’s Advent, I used some paper bags I already had and just wrote each day of the month on the bag so that she could keep track of the date and what she was allowed to open. Writing down 24 things that I love about my teen filled me with so much joy too. Last year, I used a wall hanging Advent and wrapped little treats, you can see a pic in last year’s home tour. I hope this vintage DIY Christmas Advent inspires you to get crafty and make something with your hands this holiday season. Handmade items really do seem to have something special about them.

September 14, 2022

How to Decorate Your Dough Bowl for Fall

Do you like easy and simple centerpieces? I do too! I love how you can use a dough bowl for so many purposes and give it so many different looks. My dough bowl is from Hobby Lobby, got it for 50% off and I even enjoy having it empty as well. To make your dough bowl last longer, you can brush on a few layers of matte polyurethane. This will allow you to easily wipe it clean and prevent stains from being absorbed into the wood. A dough bowl is a great foundation for a causal farmhouse centerpiece. I’m so excited to show you how to decorate your dough bowl for fall.

How to Decorate Your Dough Bowl for Fall

Fall is a great season to forage for some free natural filler to decorate your dough bowl for fall. We have a dead oak tree that I grabbed a few branches from, and they filled the bowl so nicely. To add some color, I got six picks from Hobby Lobby. I had an entire aisle to choose my picks from. With the picks and bowl all 50% off, I got a great deal on this centerpiece, and I can reuse the picks next season as well. The key on how to decorate your dough bowl for fall is balancing the picks evenly at each end and filling in the holes. The first step is arranging the faux candles – I love using remote controlled LED candles with the real wax finish, it makes turning them on and off a cinch. Once the candles are set, just arrange around them, alternating side to side filling in the gaps and balancing the picks for texture and color.

How to Decorate Your Dough Bowl for Fall

You can also find a lot of inspiration on Pinterest. Check out my video pin to watch me assemble my fall dough bowl. Little pinecones, acorns, walnuts, feathers, or wooden beads would also look great in a fall design. I have found a few other inspiring fall dough bowls to give you different examples – the sky is the limit when decorating a dough bowl.

How to Decorate Your Dough Bowl for Fall

The best part about decorating a dough bowl to create a centerpiece is that it can be used for each season, as a fruit bowl, hold cloth napkins and flatware, or to serve bread in. You can also create live or faux designs to create your centerpiece. If you don’t already own a dough bowl, Hobby Lobby offers them for 50% off, making mine $20. Vintage dough bowls are amazing, but pretty pricey. The great part about this investment is that it’s so versatile and can be used year-round, even as a place to drop keys, wallets, and phones. So many possibilities and they look great with the farmhouse style. I hope you’ve enjoyed this inspiration and will consider creating a centerpiece using a dough bowl.

I’ve also been thinking about our front porch and whether or not I’ll decorate it for the fall season. Check out my porch last year for some fall porch inspiration. Be sure to subscribe for more DIY and decorating ideas and inspiration.

August 22, 2022

How to Make a Boho Farmhouse Riser Stand

This home decor DIY looks store bought, and it’s highly customizable too! The best part is that it cost me $10 to make! I still can’t believe how great it turned out. The trick is buying the craft wood at Hobby Lobby when it’s 50% off – which happens frequently, and already having paint or stain that you can use to finish it. I also had the wooden beads on-hand, but they’re not spendy. I can’t tell you how excited I am to share this DIY, and I know I’m not the first to DIY a farmhouse riser, but my design and approach are so easy, there’s no cutting wood, and it seriously turned out so beautiful. My husband was very impressed and made several comments about how nicely it turned out. That’s the thing about this DIY, it really looks amazing, has character, and it doesn’t have that obvious handcrafted feel like some DIY projects can have. I’m so excited to share how to make a boho farmhouse riser stand and I hope you will try this one out. I think it would make a wonderful gift too.

How to Make a Boho Farmhouse Riser Stand – Supplies

To start, let’s get you set up with everything you’ll need. Here’s the supply and tool list to help you gather everything you’ll need onto your work surface. Keep in mind that this project involves dry times and stepping away from the project for long periods of time, so be sure to use a work area that can be left alone to complete over a few days.

2 boards – with the decorative routed edge if you want to add wooden beads for a boho look (Any size and shape will do, but mine are 11.5″ by 8.75″.)
Pack of wooden candle stick holders (these are the feet for your riser)
15 mm wooden beads
sanding sponge/paper
2″ Wood screws
Wood glue
brush, sponge, or rag to stain
Farmhouse stain
Whitewash stain
polyurethane (for durability and water protection)
string or twine
Screw gun
drill bit with counter sink
clamps

How to Make a Boho Farmhouse Riser Stand – Video

I’ve included steps and photos below to create this boho farmhouse riser stand, but I share some additional tips in my video and sometimes watching steps can make the process easier to execute yourself. This DIY riser couldn’t be any easier to make, but you’ll want to do the steps in the correct order to save time and hassle.

How to Make a Boho Farmhouse Riser Stand – Tutorial

How to Make a Boho Farmhouse Riser Stand

That’s it, so simple and pretty! You don’t have to use wooden beads, but they’re a nice detail. You can use taller or shorter feet, or different sized boards. You can paint the riser or leave it natural – whatever you prefer. I think this DIY project makes a great gift and I intend on making a few to give this holiday season. If you like projects that are easy, that you can do quick steps for and then walk away for periods of time, you’ll love this one. Each step by itself is easy and quick, but the drying time takes time. I think I got my money’s worth on this $10 DIY. I absolutely love how it looks and I love that there’s now sawing required. If you like DIY home and craft projects and decorating inspiration and ideas, be sure to subscribe to my blog. You will also receive my free eBook on shelf styling which includes my easy-to-follow recipe for designer styled shelves. Thanks so much for checking out this post. Be sure to Pin it for later.

August 3, 2022

How to Junk Journal with a Purpose

Are you a crafter, do you enjoy getting crafty and using your hands to create? Yeah, me too, but it’s even better when there’s a purpose. I like how fast and imperfect junk journaling is, and there’s no wrong way to do it. So, I decided to create a little journal for my teenage daughter, with truth and encouragement built-in as well as a little bit of art for her to enjoy. I’m so excited to share how to junk journal with a purpose and I think you’re going to love the endless possibilities and how the concept can reshape itself into other forms of encouragement, like the lunch cards for my daughter starting second grade.

With the start of each school year there’s a mix of excitement and nerves, so it’s my hope to start the year off with encouragement, positivity, and the truth to help drown out the noise of everything else. The video below is short, and you will find out my two biggest junk journaling tips to get started. You don’t have to create an entire journal, you can create a junk collage on a card, notecard, piece of scrap paper, a bookmark, or anyplace you can tape things to! I love the idea of actually journalling in a junk journal but having time to do both during this season of my life isn’t realistic. So, when I’m feeling crafty and need a quick fix, junk journaling is my go-to and now I have more lunch notes to make, and I’m thinking some Christmas tags might be fun too.

How to Junk Journal with a Purpose – Supplies

How to Junk Journal with a Purpose – How to Video

How to Junk Journal with a Purpose

I have also gathered up some supplies in my Amazon storefront, but if you’re a crafter you probably have a ton of supplies that you could start using now. This technique is called junk journaling because the look and layouts aren’t perfect, it’s a collage effect that turns out beautiful, especially in a book format. I hope this post inspires you to find a way to make your crafting meaningful and encouraging to others. I am so excited to present the journal to Sawyer when the school year begins, and to sneak a lunch box note into Quinn’s lunch on the first day. If you’re looking for some great ways to gear up and prepare for the school year, check out my friend, Robyn’s post, she is a mom and teacher with some of the best advice I’ve read.

June 1, 2022

DIY Pottery Barn Inspired Vase

There are several ways to upcycle empty food jars, but I hope you will love this new way that is inspired by Pottery Barn earthenware. Anytime I can get the Pottery Barn inspired look with furniture or decor, for less, I’m happy! This technique is so easy, it’s paintable, and requires no prep to the glass jars. Just wash your jars but no need to remove labels. There is something so unique and pretty about these DIY Pottery Barn inspired vases! I love that they make perfect gifts, or they can be used in your shelf styling or tabletop styling.

I created a YouTube video to show you the process and just how straight forward it is. Be sure to listen to the audio because that’s where I explain the texture and technique that you see me doing in the short video. I realize that not everyone will want to purchase the CelluClay product, and I have good news – I think the same texture can be accomplished by soaking and straining paper egg cartons, maybe newspaper as well, but then you have to add an adhesive (like glue or flour and water). I’ve seen people boil down toilette paper to create a paper mache base too, but with the history we’ve had with TP shortages, maybe stick with CelluClay. If you use a little less water, I think you can smooth the surface better after applying it to the jar. If you like an even thin layer, apply smaller amounts at a time. This will take longer, but you’ll be able to control the thickness better.

This product and craft would be fun for kids to do too. They could make a vase, let it dry, and then paint it. Or you can use a little less water and mold it into a shape – I haven’t tried this myself and you may need to have something to help prop up the final piece to hold its shape, but it could be fun to try. You could also take an old toy and cover it with CelluClay to give it a new strange life for kiddos to really use their imagination. I’m contemplating taking one of the old Barbie dolls and covering it to create a Barbie statue for Quinn – we’ll see. At any rate, your imagination is the limit and it’s a fun product to work with.

DIY Pottery Barn Inspired Vase

In case you don’t check out the video, here are the basic steps:

Follow the CelluClay instructions – 1 lb. of clay with 4 cups of warm water
Break apart large chunks of CelluClay before mixing with water
Use hand to blend and mix CelluClay and water
Once the water is even dispersed, apply handfulls to the outside of the glass jar
Gently press and push the mixture evenly around the glass. Be sure to cover all spots
Leave an uneven organic edge around the top OR create a faux lip around the top
Allow to completely dry, 24-48 hrs.
Leave natural or paint
The dried product isn’t waterproof, but you could try spraying it with polyurethane if you wanted it to last.

DIY Pottery Barn Inspired Vase – YouTube Tutorial

That’s it, so easy, right?! There are several ways to paper mache, but I really like this unique texture, it doesn’t slide off of the glass, and it’s not very messy. And I couldn’t be happier about repurposing these gallon sized pickle jars! Don’t you think a pretty vase and some flowers make a lovely gift? Be sure to subscribe for my email list and receive your free shelf styling eBook~

April 20, 2022

How to Create Vintage Terracotta Pots

Do you love the old world look of aged terracotta pots and planters? I love all things vintage, the older, the better in most cases and terracotta pots are included! If you want to know how to create vintage terracotta pots, you will just need one common ingredient found in the gardening shed. Well, maybe it’s not that common in your shed, but it’s inexpensive and can be found at Wal-Mart so I was easily persuaded to tackle this little DIY craft.

How to Create Vintage Terracotta Pots – Supplies

Here’s a list of the tools I used to create my vintage terracotta pots:

terracotta pots
Garden Lime
foam brush
bowl
water
sandpaper
polyurethane spray (optional)

This post may contain affiliate links. This means I may receive a small commission from each purchase, at no cost to you. Thank you for using my links to help keep this blog going!

How to Create Vintage Terracotta Pots – Instructions

Gather terracotta pots on a workspace
Mix garden lime powder with water – achieve a pancake batter consistency
Use a foam brush to apply the mixture onto the terracotta posts
Allow mixture to dry on pots
Take pots outside and sand off chunks of mixture (wear mask if necessary)
You can apply another coat of mixture if you desire a more weathered affect
Once the pots look aged enough, you can seal them with a polyurethane spray

@804_sycamore
DIY Vintage Pots #diycraft #vintagevibes #terracottapots #agedpottery #easyprojects #vintagepottery #decorhack
♬ Creative – SmiLE

How to Create Vintage Terracotta Pots

There are many tutorials out there to age terracotta and they’re all fabulous. When I actually began the process myself, I found that I wanted my mixture a little thinner and I wanted that ombre effect to make it look aged as naturally as possible. I also added the mixture to the inside a bit. When it’s time to sand, make sure to wear an appropriate mask. I was lucky that the wind that day helped to blow away my residue. And if you don’t apply the mixture too thick, it will sand off faster. This is one of the easiest processes to add age to something. I love the way the mixture tones down the bright orange and adds an aged look without the wait. These terracotta pots turned out so beautifully. The best part is that I can gift them with mini plants in the future! I hope you enjoyed this quick DIY and will have a chance to try it out. Be sure to subscribe for a once-a-week email about decorating and DIY inspiration.

DIY Faux Vintage Mercury Glass – Supplies

Glass vases (or whatever you’re transforming)
latex gloves
Looking Glass spray paint
white vinegar in a spray bottle
paper towels
plastic tarp

DIY Faux Vintage Mercury Glass – Tutorial

Lay out plastic tarp outside in a ventilated area.
Wear latext gloves.
Focus on a small area of your glass item, spray an even layer of the Looking Glass paint and immediately spray vinegar onto the wet spray paint.
Using a spray bottle with a mist setting is best when applying the vinegar.
Immediately blot the dripping vinegar from the glass. This will remove some of the paint, and most of the wetness from the vinegar.
The glass doesn’t have to be completely dry before applying a second or even a third coat if desired. Just make sure it’s fairly dry between coats.
That’s it! There’s no need to seal the paint, but it is NOT food or dishwasher safe. Allow to fully dry and then enjoy decorating with your new creation.

DIY Faux Vintage Mercury Glass – Video Tutorial

@804_sycamore
$2 Faux mercury glass Vase #diycraft #mercuryglass #fauxmercuryglass #diyvase #diydecor #weddingdiy #weddingdiys #diyweddingdecor #diywedding
♬ original sound – Amy

DIY Faux Vintage Mercury Glass – More projects!

Here are some more lovely creations using a faux mercury glass technique. Each photo is linked back to the blog they came from. I love how pretty each project turned out and how creative you can get with this technique. I hope you enjoy the inspiration from these bloggers as much as I have.

This faux vintage mercury glass technique is for decorative purposes only, it should not be used on items for food. I’ve seen this technique done inside a glass jar and this is fine, but I wouldn’t use this will real candles. With any DIY craft, be careful to use safety precautions. I think this faux mercury glass finish would be awesome to repurpose glass food jars, Dollar Store glass decor, or even to give a new look to an old mirror or lamp. This technique could be used to create wedding or party decor as well. There are so many possibilities, and one bottle of spray paint goes a long way. If you’ve used this technique or are planning to, I’d love to know what you created in the comments below. I hope this post inspires your creativity and gives you some ideas to try out!

Pride and Prejudice Tea Party and DIY – Invitation

The invitation for my Pride and Prejudice tea party and DIY was made using a vintage piano music roll. Using my favorite free desktop publishing program, Canva, I designed a simple invitation and then printed in onto vellum paper. Next, I sewed the vellum invitation onto the paper roll and then rolled it back up. I embellished the roll tab and decorated the music roll box. I love finding ways to repurpose items or to give new life to vintage things. These piano music rolls can also be used as a table runner, gather several in a bowl or basket, or to create whimsical wall art.

If you don’t have a wax seal kit, you’re missing out. They’re so affordable and you will use it more than you think. I love adding a seal on envelopes, cards, gift wrap, name cards, and anywhere I can get away with it. There are so many pretty metal stamps to choose from and my kit comes with over a dozen different wax colors to use. If you admire the ways of the past, using a stamp seal is a fun one to bring back for all to enjoy. Sewing paper is another way to add an unexpected embellishment to a card, invite, or gift tag.

Pride and Prejudice Tea Party and DIY - Decorations — Notice the bright red wax seal and ribbon at the pull – it really added such a nice detail.

Pride and Prejudice Tea Party and DIY – Food

When it came to deciding on the menu, I initially struggled a bit. I wanted a feast like feel to the menu, but it had to be easy enough to prepare. I tested out a Cornish game hen recipe and was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. However, while Jeremy’s hen was tender and juicy, my hen was tough, and they were annoying to eat because of their size. So, baked paprika chicken bumped up to first place and made it on my menu. Root vegetables were a popular choice during that era, so I baked baby potatoes with a tasty seasoning and used a crock pot to slow cook the glazed carrots. Homemade 1-hour rolls provided a nice starch with everything else. We enjoyed tea and individual Boston cream pie cakes. This recipe is definitely one to try, seriously delicious.

Baked paprika chicken

Air fryer baby potatoes

Slow cooker glazed carrots

Dinner rolls

Boston cream cakes (mini versions done in ramekins)

Pride and Prejudice Tea Party and DIY – Craft

Once we finished stuffing ourselves, the table was cleared, and we started the DIY craft project. All we did was create little flower arrangements in a small compote bowl/vase. However, I made the compote vases ahead of time using Dollar Store materials. Check out this post to learn how to make faux mercury glass – this technique can be done for other projects as well. One of the things that helped this DIY go well was that I presoaked the floral oasis foam, we had steel chopsticks to help make holes into the foam if we needed, and we each had our own scissors. I’m all about sharing, but you really need your own scissors to keep things moving on your arrangement. I got some grocery store flowers and that was it. There’s something so relaxing about arranging flowers and in my opinion, there’s not a wrong way to do it. I really enjoyed watching all the arrangements come together, each different even though we had the same flowers to choose from.

Pride and Prejudice Tea Party and DIY – Decorations

Creating the room decor was most enjoyable. I had recently finished making over a vintage pulpit and I thought it would be perfect for the party. The pulpit wasn’t only perfect as symbolism for Mr. Collins, but I was able to store the DIY craft supplies inside it. I wanted to recreate a sort of ball room ambiance for the tea party, my modern-day interpretation of a regency ball room, this tea party needed to have a more formal feel to it. I used my union jack flags, also used at my Jane Austen Faire in 2014, to hang from the ceiling. These British beauties added a ton of flair, and I was happy to get another use out of them. Besides the tablescape, the other central focus of the room is the media console filled with books. I added decor on top of the console, placed a mirror above it, and created a clean and simple look.

The tablescape was a bit more involved. It’s my interpretation of a regency dinner, on a budget. To elevate any luncheon or dinner party, fold cloth napkins in a special way. It’s a simple touch but looks lovely. I would have preferred to have had fresh floral arrangements grace the table, but I didn’t have time, so dried greenery and used some faux flowers to create arrangements that would last. One of the fun details of this party is the table runner. I asked my daughter, Sawyer, to write one of my favorite quotes from Pride and Prejudice at the end of the kraft paper roll. She did a fine job and I loved being able to incorporate a quote from the book and movie. I found some damask gift wrap and tacked it onto the wall like wallpaper – it added color and faux luxury, it was so fun.

This Pride and Prejudice tea party and DIY was my favorite tea party so far. The best part is that anyone can host a tea party, anyone can buy or make some treats to serve, and anyone can pull together some supplies to do an activity together. A tea and DIY can be as extravagant or as simple as you want – and either way, your guests will love getting together to share this time of breaking bread and being creative. Thank you so much for checking out this post. I hope you enjoyed some of the ideas and feel inspired in some way. A tea and DIY is a fun idea for a birthday, bridal or baby shower, Mother’s Day, or any reason to gather loved ones and spend some quality time. Be sure to follow me on Pinterest – I find a lot of beautiful ideas to share!

You may also enjoy:

How to Create a Jane Austen Tea and DIY Party

December 22, 2021

Tasty and Easy Christmas Cookies

Every year, my family looks forward to homemade Christmas cookies! It’s a tradition that I bake our favorites, and then place them in tins for our close friends and family. My gang gets whatever is left or I’ll make one more batch. Another tradition is making our previous neighbor’s amazing rocky road fudge (family-secret recipe). I actually look forward to this tradition because of how excited and happy my family gets. These tasty and easy Christmas cookies are our favorites, nothing too tricky, and each so delicious. Here is our favorite tasty and easy Christmas cookie line-up:

Frosted Sugar Cookie Cutouts
Raspberry Linzer Cookies
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Molasses Cookies

Over the years, I’ve learned a few things about making our favorite tasty and easy Christmas cookies. When our cookie list is made in a certain order, it helps to streamline the processes and I get all the cookies baked in one day, and then I frost the sugar cookies the next day. I make our cookies in the order they’re listed above and just rinse my tools with hot water in between use. Once the sugar cutouts are done, they can dry out a bit before I frost them the next day. I also like saving stronger flavored cookies until the end just to make sure nothing accidentally sneaks into the sugar or Linzer cookie dough.

Frosted Sugar Cookie Cutouts (Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, Year 2000, page 200)
Royal Icing
Raspberry Linzer Cookies (I used the recipe that came with the cookie cutter, but I’ve linked to the one I’m going to use next year which is close, but the cookies don’t look as puffy as mine did. And I forgot to dust mine with powdered sugar.)
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Molasses Cookies (My husband, Jeremy, handwrote this recipe many years ago and he can’t recall where he got it or if he combined two recipes.)

Molasses Cookie Recipe

3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg

Cream these wet ingredients together.

In a separate bowl, gather the dry ingredients.

2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 cups flour

Wisk dry ingredients, and then add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until mixed into a dough. If too sticky, chill dough in the fridge for one hour. After chilled, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Roll dough into 1-inch balls, place balls on a cookie sheet two inches apart. Dip the flat bottom of a drinking glass into sugar and press down each dough ball until about 1/4 inch thick. Bake for 6-8 minutes. Makes about 4-5 dozen. Store in an airtight container or bag.

Tasty and Easy Christmas Cookies

I have made these types of cookies every year for many years now, but this year I decided to change up the peanut butter blossoms and make a shortbread cookie with the Hershey Kiss instead. Well, they didn’t turn out and it was a waste of time and ingredients, but now I know to just stick with the sure thing. Plus, Jeremy and Sawyer love the peanut butter blossoms so they were very happy about my failed attempt. However, as a kid I remember these store-bought cookies called Keebler Sweet Spots and my family loved them – there was no sharing and if you dropped one on the ground you probably ate it anyway. They were so good. I haven’t given up on the idea of a light and sweet shortbread cookie with a chocolate kiss in the middle, but I’ll save the experimentation for after Christmas.

Tasty and Easy Christmas Cookies – Tips:

Like I said before, there’s nothing fancy about our favorite tasty and easy Christmas cookies, but they really are great recipes that never fail. I like baking other types of cookies and treats year-round, but for Christmas, we look forward to our favorites. Here are a few tips for these cookies:

Use long metal skewers to roll out a thin and even layer of sugar cookie and Linzer cookie dough.
Allow sugar cutouts to sit out over night to dry out a little before adding moisture-trapping frosting which can soften the cookies.
Use raspberry preserves for Linzer cookies because the flavor is stronger than strawberry and will pop in contrast with the sweet cookie.
To get started with flattening the molasses cookie balls, press the glass bottom onto the dough in the bowl and then dip into sugar to guarantee the sugar sticks for the first one.
Once the peanut butter blossoms come out of the oven, have the Hershey Kiss chocolates lined up and ready to be pressed into each hot cookie. The hot cookie will melt the chocolate and help it to stick. We unwrap kisses, and then put them in the freezer until it’s time.
Cover the bowl of royal icing to prevent it from drying out.
Pipe an outline of royal frosting first, let dry, and then fill in the center with more icing. If icing is too thin, slowly add more powdered sugar. If too thick, slowly add warm water by the tablespoon until it’s the right consistency.
Line cookie tins with parchment paper.
Print my free vintage gift tags to attach to your cookie tins.

I like this royal icing recipe because it uses meringue powder instead of egg whites.

Besides eating these tasty and easy Christmas cookies, I love sharing them with others. I wish I had more stamina to frost all the sugar cookies, but this year I pooped out. It wasn’t too much of a hardship because I love the flavor of these plain sugar cookies. If someone else could do all the baking then I could really enjoy frosting them, but until one of my daughters gets the baking itch, it’s just me. My girls did make the cookie deliveries this year and had so much fun sharing our sweet treats. Sometimes I will add in peanut butter balls and caramels, but I ran out of time. I hope you have time to enjoy some of your holiday traditions and time spent with family and friends. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours!

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